Motorsport News Issue 172 - 11-17 February 2000

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1]Februafy 2000

Perkins' VT controversy

TEGA plans technical enquiry at Island

By PHIL BRANAGAN

TEGA’S Technical Committee will meet at Phillip Island this Friday to discuss Larry Perkins’ new Commodore VT. The move follows comments from several teams regarding the car’s new roll-cage structure, revealed for the first time in the last issue of Motorsport News.

There are concerns among some of the teams that Perkins’ new roll cage, which has already been inspected and cleared by CAMS’ Peter Lawrence, may . not fit the letter of the rules, a claim vigorously denied by Perkins: “My car complies with ALL the rules,” was all Perkins was prepared to say on 'Tuesday.

Eleven,the hard way: While Perkins will race his ‘conventional’ ex-Bathurst car at PI, he may face opposition to Ingall's new Commodore VT. Russell Ingall is due to drive the car at Phillip Island this weekend, while Perkins plans up moving into an identical car in April.

One of the talking points regarding the new car was that some feel it was inspected outside of new-for-2000 TEGA guidelines, which

place the emphasis on technical inspection on TEGA itself, rather than with CAMS, CAMS’s Tim Schenken was loathe to comment

on the matter on Tuesday, but did say that “from CAMS’s point of view, the car meets the regulations.”

The TEGA Technical Committee is made up of Perkins, HRT’s Jeff Grech and Garry Rogers (Valvoline/Cummins Motorsport) represent ing Holden, and Dick Johnson (Shell Helix), Glenn Seton (FTR) and Mark Larkham (Mitre 10)representing Ford.

Interestingly, some of the Holden teams are said to be as keen to see Perkins’s VT tossed out as some of the Ford out fits.

Either way, the meet ing is bound to cause some heated discussion with Perkins, noted for his knowledge of tour ing car regulations, defending his right to race his new car. ,

McLaren’s new defender

McLaren has launched its new MP4-15 at Jerez, the car

Go, West: McLaren's new MP4-15is a development of last year's successful car. Adrian Newey has concentrated on strengthening last year’s package, while Ilmor Engineering has developed an entirely new engine, designated FO110J. (Photos by McLaren.net)

Longhurst goes Havoline

TONY Longhurst has unveiled his new Caltex Havoline Ford Falcon.

The Queensland veteran tested the Stone Brothers car last Saturday at Queensland Raceway and will make his debut in his new team this weekend at PhiUip Island.

One thing Longhurst is looking for ward to is concentrating on just being a racing driver.

“It’s amazing,” he said.

“After 12 years of running teams, it’s just the most wonderful feeling. Some of these young blokes have got no idea how good they’ve got it, they really haven’t.”

Longhurst will be looking for his first race win in the championship since 1991, when he diwe a BMW. His last major success was in 1988, when he won the Bathurst 1000 with Tomas Mezera -in a Ford.

New allies; Ross Stone,Tony Longhurst and Caltex. (Photo by oirkKiynsmith)

appearing in its regular silvergrey livery without any major changes in sponsorship from last year.

The car is an evolution of the 1999 car but has a completely new Mercedes-Benz engine - designated FOllOJ VIO. This has been testing on the dyno at Ilmor Engineering in Brixworth for three^ months and was run for the first time at Barcelona in November.

The intention was to build an even smaller and lighter xmit than last year with improved driveabihty and more horsepower. Although smaller the basic concept of the engine is unchanged and so it should not have the reliability prob lems which afflicted the VlOs in 1999.

“There were quite a lot of things which we wanted to modify from last yeaFs car,” said McLaren technical director Adrian Newey, “and we have done that. It is basically the same car but quite a lot has changed.”

Mika Hakkinen said that he has benefited considerably from his long winter break.

“After Suzuka I was physically and psychologically finished,” he admitted. “I was burnt out because it was such a tough season. I found it difficult to find the motivation and meaning for the championship last season after winning it the year before.”

Team boss Ron Dennis admitted that the team had let Coulthard down in 1999 and said that he was quite happy with David’s performance.

The team began testing the car and completed 34 laps while Coulthard completed 93 with one of last year’s machines.

“It is fabulous,” commented Hakkinen. “The potential is enor mous. The team has managed to solve all the problems we had last year.”

And they were...?

-JOESAWARD

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CLK 55 for Awards Loi-d, won’t you buy me one of these: Mercedes-Benz’s fabulous CLK 55 road rocket win make its Australian debut at tonight’s(’Thursday’s) Australian MotorSport Awards.

The stunning Benz, which first appeared at the German Grand win be mechanical‘guest ofhonour'at the aimual kneesup at Melbourne Park’s Convention Centre.

■ Highly-experienced Australian motor racing administrator Steve Bettes has been appointed Category Manager of the new Century Batteries GTP Nation’s Cup series. Bettes has spent more than 20 years in the sport, including 10 years in senior roles for Bob Jane’s Calder Park complex, and has been involved in the organisation of circuit racing, super speedway and drags. He joined Brisbane-based series organiser ProCar Australia from the position of Account Director at Lifestyle Australia, a leading supplier to the motor racing industry of specialist apparel and promotional items.

■ How much interest is the GT Nations Cup generating?

Plenty by the sounds of it with rumours having the potential for six new Vipers, six-seven new GT3 Porsches and a couple of F360 Ferrar-is appearing! It seems as though Procar are in for a busy time...

■ 'Tippy toes. Drivers in this weekend’s first round of the Shell Series will have 10 tyres to play with for the weekend Usually at sprint meetings they have eight tjres(2 sets), but even vrith Phillip Island’s racing adding up to 90 minutes while a regular sprint race day is 60, only two more Bridgies are allowed.

■ The original rules for pit stops at races such as Phillip Island and Adelaide stated that only four crew were allowed to work on the car. AVESCO has now changed that to six(1 on stop sign, 1 on air jack,4 tyre changers)leaving a certain team severely out of pocket having spent money on centrelock wheel nuts and air guns in anticipation of making up some otherwise, lost time.

Same time5 next week LOOK for the next issue of Motorsport News in seven days.

No, we’re not going weekly (thank God!), but to adjust our schedule to the calendar for the rest of the season, we’re doing two issues in one week.

Your favourite read will be out on Thursday, February 17, with all the action for Phillip Island’s Shell Series opener, the winners from motor racing’s night of nights, the 2000 MotorSport Awards, the latest FI testing, CART testing, Sweden’s WRC round and everything that moves in speedway, karting and drag racing.

After that, we’ll be back to fortnightly - if we survive this ...

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11 February 2000

n Further to our story on Mario Andretti signing to race at Le Mans for Panoz comes Don Panoz’s invitation to the American great to race in Adelaide’s Race of a Thousand Years.

“Mario is going to drive with us at Le Mans and I have asked him to come and drive in Adelaide as well. It’s not eveiy day you get to sign up a legend to your team,” said Panoz.

Andretti has yet to announce whether he will race in the American Le Mans Series finale.

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CAMS starts drug testing

By PETER McKAY

TESTING for prohibited recreatioiral and hard drugs will be introduced immediately across all cat egories of CAMS-controUed motor sport.

First-time users caught in the drugs crackdown face a discretionary licence suspen sion, while anyone found guilty of drug trafficking will be automatically outed for two years. Repeat offenders will be ousted for life.

The testing will be carried out by the Australian Sports Drug Agency (a division of Australian Sports Commission and closely allied to the Austrahan Institute of Sport).

“Drugs are an unfortunate reality across all of Australian society,” said CAMS’s CEO Peter Hansen.

“While there is evidence that little drug abuse exists, it would be extremely naive if we believed there were no drug users in our sport.'

“We are about to show that competitors who use any form of non-prescription drugs hard or recreational’ will not be tolerated. They’ve been warned.”

While the incidence of drug use among competitors in Australian motor sport is not thought to be high, Motorsport News is aware of some recreational activity with cannabis and cocaine

n A three year contract for the supply of control rubber to the Commodore Cup series has been awarded to Dunlop. The company has chosen to supply its Formula R DOIJ which is a road and race tyre suitable for allweather applications. n Dual Bathurst winner Steven Richards is the latest addition to the growing list of Grand Prix Ambassadors.

“It’s terrific to be a part of the Grand Prix and now it’s great that I’ll be representing the Grand Prix a lot more in public,” Richards said of the announcement.

Richardsjoins Craig Lowndes, Russell Ingall, Peter Brock, Alan Jones, Mark Webber,James Courtney and Marcus Ambrose as Grand Prix Ambassadors. n Another driver to commit to the V8 lites series is Ballarat’s Robert Smith. He will again run his ex-David Parsons VS Commodore, while complementing his Lites campaign by also running in the GT-P Nation’s Cup in a one ofthe new model Porsche GT3s.

Taking the initiative: There will be drivers giving samples, and team owners looking the other way,With drug testing.

among some younger drivers.

Cocaine was on offer at a major awards night late last year.

But Australia has so far escaped the taint of drugs that has sullied the sport in the US and Europe.

US motorsport, in particu lar, had to deal with a num¬

n V8 privateer D’Arcy Russell and former Austrahan sports car champion Rusty French attended the Daytona 24 Hour sports car race on the weekend with the intention ofsourcing some current specification Dodge Vipers to run in the G’TP Nation’s Cup. Considering the win by liie Viper in the Daytona classic, such a move may be well judged!

Meanwhile, Russell’s VSSupercar plans remain uncertain. n Speaking of Nations Cup, Supercheap driver Bob Thom will be behind the wheel of a Jaguar XK8 rather than a Dodge Viper as reported previously. He will share the car with Mark 'Trenoweth. n Telstra Rally Australia has been named ‘Rally of the YeaF for the second time. The award was voted on by the five teams representing the major manufacturers in the WRC:Ford, Toyota, Mitsubishi, Subaru and SEAT. The trophy will be presented at a ceremony during the Swedish Rally later this month.

ber of high-profile drug traf ficking cases in the late 1980s/early 1990s that left some members of the racing fraternity in prison.

Hansen said the CAMS National Medical Committee, aware of the implications of drug use in an already-dangerous sport, has been work ing closely with the ASDA to formulate a testing process to catch abusers.

ASDA representatives (male and female) will soon be turning up unheralded at race meetings (and rallies) around the nation to conduct foolproof urine tests both at random and on competitors nominated by CAMS. “They will not leave the side of the competitor until they’ve got their sample,” warned Hansen.

The screening will cover every drug on the International Olympic Committee banned list.

Out-of-competition testing is also a possibility, says CAMS. This means competi tors who indulge in recre ational di-ugs during any hia tus from racing cannot feel safe.

For some time, CAMS has had a pohcy on illegal drugs, which is spelt out comprehen sively over eight pages of its Manual of Motor Sport. It has also been attempting to edu cate its members on the dangers of drug use in literature posted out with its licence renewals and in regular sto ries in CAMS Reports.

“Now’s the time to get seri ous with testing,” said Hansen. “Motor sport must show its spCial responsibihties and CAMS is keen to support the anti-drug measures of the Australian Sports Commission.’

Until this year, no competi tor has been tested for dings other than alcohol. CAMS is pleased to note that no driver has yet been caught with alcohol in his or her blood before quahfying or racing.

CAMS will continue to test for alcohol before many road and race events.

'Though the drug testing is expensive, CAMS has allocat ed a substantial amount of money to the problem during 2000.

Says Hansen; “It’s not entirely unlikely that some of our drivers are recreational drug users. This is of great concern to CAMS and to other competitors worried about running wheel-to-wheel with someone affected by illegal substances.”

Steroid abusers face stiff penalties if caught by the testers even though, it is widely agreed that perfor mance-enhancing drugs are probably not an issue in motor sport.

CAMS has advised that those competitors using banned substances to combat medical problems can ask the CAMS medical officer to place them on a therapeutic drug list. Falling into this category are beta blockers (to slow the heart rate) and steroidal sub stances inhaled to overcome asthma.

There is a local precedent for drug testing among local motor sporting bodies.

Motorcycling Australia, on full alert after Anthony Gobert’s well-publicised prob lems, conducts 50-60 drug tests per year. It has gone to serious lengths to stamp out drug taking in motorcycle rac ing, even turning up unan nounced at country motocross meetings to test competitors.

V8 Supercir test breach?

ANXIOUS moments

I’m not Mark Webber, I’m just wearing his heimet: Paul Stoddart shook down the new Arrows 2-seater and Pembrey in Wales. Following in the passenger seat is girlfriend, Sue. ARROWS has followed in the wheeltracks of McLaren by producing,a 2seater FI car.

The car, which has been in develop ment for the last three months, was shak en down by Paul Stoddart at Pembrey in Wales, completing 43 laps in mixed condi tions without any mechanical problems.

The car was built at Stoddart’s European Racing headquarters in Surrey.

The car is based on a 1999 chassis and is powered by Arrows’own VIO engine.

The car vriU be used primarily to give Pholos by Sulton-lmages Formula One fans a thrilling ride.

this week for a leading V8 Supercar team which was apparentlysprung “testing” at Mangalore Airfield,in Victoria,recently.

Under new,super-strict testing rules this year, teams may only test for 12 days throughout the year, using one of two nominated test tracks within their home State.

Teams must also advise AVESCO of their test intentions 48 hours ahead of time,invite other teams(who list it as one of their two test tracks) to share the test venue,and record the test date in a Test‘Log Book’.

A hearing into the apparent breach was expected today (Friday) as the teams assembled at Phillip Island for this

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weekend’s Shell Series opener.

The case presents an early ‘trial run’for AVESCO’s new judicial procedure, which specifies penalties for virtually evei-y known motor sport offence.

In the case of“Testing, CoiTporate & Media Rides” a fine of up to $10,000 and up to 20 championship points is specified.

So strict are the new testing rules that Paul Morris’ recent shakedown run for his new Commodore at Frank Gardner’s Advanced Driving Centre also counts as one of his 12 days.

The comprehensive test restrictions are paid of AVESCO’s cost-saving measures for the new season.

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Senna paternity suit THE latest chapter in a long line of sorry stories 'regarding the late Ayrton Senna is that the driver’s remains may be exhumed.

A former girlfriend of the three-time world champion has filed a paternity suit in Brazil.

Marcella Prado is claiming that Senna fathered her daughter, Victoria, and is attempting to gain financial support from the estate, which has sales of US$75m ($105m) a year in official memorabilia.

Senna, who was killed at Imola in May 1994, and Prado were together for seven years, from 1985 to 1992, but he consistently denied that now six-year-old Victoria was his daughter.

Bright no closer JASON Bright is no closer to closing out a deal to put him in Indy Lights this year.

Bright said this week that “unfortunately there’s noth ing to comment upon at the moment.”

“I wish I could but we’re still working on it - nothing’s signed and sealed yet. It’s all still moving ahead but we’ll know either way soon.”

“We’re still going through the motions of it all. It’s all happening,just slowly at the moment I’m afraid.”

The Indy Lights series begins on April 16 at California leaving Bright not much time to not only organ ise a drive and funding but get on the pace.

“Tell me something I don’t know ...” he surmised.

-AARON NOONAN

FIA versus EU - again

improper conduct” by the director-general of the compe tition directorate, John Temple Lang, accusing him of “using the authority of his position to lobby and exert improper pressure on a sport ing body on behalf of an out side business interest.”

The accusation is based on contact between Temple Lang and Patrick Peter, who was one of the two people who complained to the Commission about the FIA which sparked off the inves tigation. Peter settled his differences with the FIA when FI boss Bernie

By JOE SAWARD

FIA President Max Mosley has launched another bhstering attack on the European Commission Competition department and is threatening to take his complaints to the European Courts of Justice if the commission does not withdraw the charges it has made against the FIA. The Competition Directorate’s statement of objections last summer, con cluded that the FIA abused its dominant position to restrict competition and sug gested that teams are forced to have FIA licences which can be cancelled if they com pete in rival championships.

Ecclestone is accused of hav ing concluded contracts which infringe EU competition law.

According to the Commission, all the FI TV contracts will have to be renegotiated if the views are confirmed.

A final ruling is expected within the next couple of months. The Commission has the right to levy heavy fines against both ^he FIA and Ecclestone’s various compa nies if it decides that they have broken European com-

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Ecclestone agreed to pay him US$2m ($3.2m) but has recently been trying to nego Tough talking: FIA President Max Mosley.(Photo bysutton-images) tiate a TV deal to cover the petition rules. The case could Commission has “no sustain- World Rally Championship, have serious knock-on effects able case in law”. jhe allegation that for Ecclestone’s plans to float The FIA President cited Temple Lang and Peter his organisation on the four reasons for his com- have been working together London Stock Exchange. ments; the Commission’s fail- is a very serious one and, as In a letter to the European^. ,ure to meet the legal require- a lawyer, Mosley would not Competition Commissioner ments to enable a respondent have made it if he did not Mario Monti last week, to defend itself; its failure to feel that he had a good case.

Mosley accused the European define which markets it is “This sort of thing would Commission of having “made complaining about; its failure look bad in the darkest a hopeless muddle of the to demonstrate that the FIA recesses of the Third facts” and said that officials holds a dominSmt position World,” Mosley told were “completely confused and its failure to demonstrate . reporters. “We don’t want about the regulation and gen- abuse, special favours.

While this will hardly have “We just want a rational eral functioning of motor pleased Monti, Mosley went and unbiased assessment of sport.”

Mosley said that the on to allege “illegal and our case.”

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ing car racing got acquainted with their machinery at Albert Park last week. Moffat will drive a Phase III Falcon

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GT-HO, while Brock will try and use stealth and cunning in his six-cylin der Holden Torana GTR XU-1.

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CHRISTIAN Murchison’s Australian Drivers’ Championship campaign has been placed on some what of a detour following successful surgery to remove a burst appendix late last week.

On Tuesday, Murchison said that he felt pretty confi dent that he would be fit to race at Phillip Island this weekend.

“If the race was today I wouldn’t do it. But in the last three days I’ve been improv ing a lot. I’m feeling a lot bet ter than the first three days (after the operation),” he said.

“Whether I want to take the risk though is another question. Even if I have to miss Friday practice just to give myself a little bit more time then I will.”

If Murchison is unable to drive at the weekend, the Reynard 95D will still run in the hands of another driver, yet to be determined.

-AARON NOONAN

ALLAN Moffat and Peter Brock are getting ready for their race at Albert Park next month.

The two icons of tour

Both drivers are taking the event very seriously.

Brock, as usual, is eating healthily for the big race, while Moffat has been

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driving to the gym regu larly - and then driving ^ straight home again ...

n Sydney-based Aufitralian-Swede Lars Johansson will be backed

by Wilson Logistics in this years’Australian Drivers’ Championship. Johansson will drive for Steve Cramp’s Manta Racing team based in Adelaide. He will have a Reynard 94D at his disposal. n Following in the footsteps of Taiget/ Ganassi’s two-seat Champ Car, we hear PacWest are also working on one ofthe I twin fliers. How about giving the PPG pace car show the flick and bringing on some two-seaters to pace the field. We’ll take the first ride... n Fans following the Shell Championship Series can check out the new web site devoted to the 2000 championship at www.shellseries.com.au n The Qantas Australian Grand Prix’s new website,located at www.grandprix.com.au, has been ‘switched on’.

Created by Sausage Software, www.grandprix.com.au is said to be able to give fans the chance to experience the full thrills of Grand Prix racing without actually being there! n McLaren has been shocked by the news that two ofits workers were accidentally gassed at their apartment in Woking, near the factoiy on the weekend. Amanda RhysDavies, 23, died from inhaling carbon monoxide fumes,and her boyfiiend, Wayne Court,24, an electronics technician for McLaren,is recovering in hospital. The couple were found unconscious in their apartment,after three (kys oflying on the floor,

by Rhys-Davies’ mother who was worried by their disappearance and broke into their flat. Initial investigation said the two had been overcome by carbon monoxide fumes fi"om a gas central heating boiler. Apparently, RhysDavies had been dead for quite some time when found. Court, however,is on his way to full recovery and is expected to be dischaig^ from hospital soon.

Mirage supports for Adelaide Double chance

THE Mitsubishi Mirage Series wiil again be on the racetracks of Australia, round one of the series set to kick off at the Clipsai 500 in Adelaide.

Returning to defend his title will be Warren Luff, while Gavin Harvey will again be in the field, keen to improve upon his strong debut sea son last year.

There’s a nice touch of deja vu as well, with Mitsubishi returning to the streets of Adelaide,- having provided Mitsubishi Gordias for the celebrity race at the inau gural Adelaide Grand Prix in 1985.

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It’s just a Mirage: Look for a gaggle of the Mitsubishi Mirages galloping around the streets of Adelaide in April. (Photo by Phii wniiams)

YES, this issue gives you a double chance to win a ride with either Peter Brock or Allan Moffat at the 2000 Qantas Australian Formula One Grand Prix.

Both coupons (right) can be added to your entry form to complete the four required.

There will be one more chance to enter, with next week’s special issue ofMotorsport News, but don’t miss the February 20 closing date for entries!

(See entry form pl2)

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n JiQimy Vffisser will undergo Isser surgeiy tc a«Ted; his visiouu a procc' dune he hopes wiD meaE.an end to-the glasses he has worn inside his helmet 'X'iiB.it the goggles from niy kiti list.* said Vasser.

Thers s prcibably some distortion whthjthe bumps and the airrectdon ofthe lenses, and a little extra vision GertadnJy won’t hun,.’"

Ford’s lookfor a now age Broadmeadows expands factory involvement in V8s with new teams and personnel

FORD Racing will front up at Phillip Island with a radically altered stable in a bid to wrestle back the V8 crown from Holden.

It has expanded its support to ten teams, who will receive direct backing to varying degrees.

Picking up support are CAT Racing (John Bowe), OzEmail Internet Racing (Brad Jones), Greenfield Mowers Racing (Cameron McLean), Super Cheap Auto Racing (Steve Ellery) and K&J Thermal Racing(Paul Weel)in addition to the exist ing squad of 1999 which includes: Ford Tickford Racing(Seton & Crompton), Shell Helix Racing (Radisich & Johnson), Stone Brothers Racing (Baird & Longhurst) and Mitre 10 Racing(Mark Lai'kham).

In addition to sponsorship. Ford Racing has appointed Matthew Lyall to the newly created position of Technical Design Liasion and Steve Hoinville (formerly of CAT Racing and Tickford) as Engineer.

“2000 marks the beginning of a new age for Ford Racing Australia,” said general manager Howard Marsden.

n TV?TC World Touring Cars'is the new release from Ozisefr Australia’s leading distributor of EntertEiimienti software.

Itfeatures 23of the world's most &mous cir cuits such as M'Onza, Hockesheim, Watkins Glen,Murburgring, and wait for it._ Bathurst. It features a whole host of cars mdudtng current Supea- Tourtng-spec machines smd will be released in early winter.

I?^omex nappies Dept Apartfrom- the usual pieseason racesuit rush.

Revolution Racegear boss Dale Rodgers is working on a new set oftuny RPMs for has new daughter.

Emma Rodg^ers arrived on Januarj- 28,just in time for the.start ofthe season.

Mum.daughter and father are deing well;expect a new, super-aibsorbent triple layer from SPM soon

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Two litres times 2.5: Brad Jones has factory support for his Ozemail AU,joining Tony Longhurst and Glenn Seton representing the blue oval in V8s.

n Trevor Marmalade, former host oifthe MotortSport .Awards, will get to try his hand ontrack at this year’s Qantas Australian Grand Prix, the Meiboume-based comic landing the plum ‘celeterity’ seat in tie Santos Corporate Kart Race.

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says: “I’m excited

n ifommumcations giant Matorc-La wiE replace Texaco as the naming rights spiansor for the Road America mund ofthe CART Series in August. n Clayton Pyne, the 17year-md son ofthree-time Australian Super Sedan Speedway Champion Ron. is making the move from karts to Formula.Ford.

The Pynes have pur chased ISan Jane.'fs son Andrew’s Van Diemen RF96 and will -contest the three NSW staae series rounds required for Clayton to earn his license endorsement before mak ing the move to the national series.

If aU goes to .plain, the Pynes expect to them move to V8 Ldtes next,year before the Shell Series in 2002-3.

Now I’m definitely excited: Big Kev’s products must work, Morris is already cleaning up with the women...

Morris had a hit-out at Frank winning, ex-Garth Tander VS TRIPLE-Australian Super Gardner’s Mercedes-Benz Commodore at his disposal Touring Champion Paul Morris is so excited about his return this season - prior to leaving Advanced Driving Centre on for Phillip Island and the Big the Gold Coast on Monday to the V8 Supercar series that he has attracted the attention Kev Racing Team’s debut this with his former HRT Young weekend.

Lions VS -the Queenslander of infamous cleaning products - GERALD McDORNAN also having the Willowbankguru, Big Kev.

White confirms V8 Lites campaign

n Japanese veteran Takuya Earosswai. -37. has signed with the teeently retitled Dale Cc^ Racing for tihe 200tD sea son. KuTOHawa, wbo has experience in Ehe Japanese F30DG aeries, finishing second toi Pedro de la Rosa in the'9>7 Delivered: series, will bring backing Matthew White has fimm J^anese znteraet taken delivery of Barry provider JiFTCI. 1 ' Hilorcom’s VS V8.

AUSCAR Champion Matthew White has

joined with fellow super speedway racer Terry Wyhoon in signalling his intentions to contest the inaugural V8 Lites series this year.

White, who ran with Paul Dumbrell in a Wynn’sbacked JFR Commodore at Bathurst, has purchased VS Barry Morcom’s Commodore.

“I’m really excited to have

made the decision and com mitment to run in Lites,” White said this week.

“The V8 Lites series looks promising and AVESCO have put together a strong package that I’m keen to take part in.”

While not confirming, 'White and Wyhoon are also believed to be close to a deal that would have the creating a ‘semi’two-car team designed to enable them to run a more cost-effective programme.

“Terry and I have been speaking - it makes sense to try and share some costs between us. We’re working towards that and hopefully it will come together.”

White is currently negoti ating with sponsors to back his Lites campaign, the Melbourne driver hoping his move will create the opportunity to move to the Supercar series within three years.

-GERALD MCDORNAN

11 February 2000

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Ferrari's new pranching horse

IS this the car that will

finally carry Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello to the glory that Ferrari has been desperately seeking for 20 years?

“No single element has been left untouched in our efforts to refine the car,” said sporting director Jean Todt of the new car unveiled this week at Maranello - Michael Schu macher, Rubens Barrichello and test driver Luca Badoer present.

“Continuity is our point of ref erence and Michael Schumacher has a contract with us until the end of 2002.

“Barrichello has only just joined us and he is already per fectly integrated into the team structure, with a contract to the end of 2001. “ “Badoer, who has also been kept on, has worked very well during the 1998 development tests.”

“The team is stable and work ing in harmony. This was evi dent in how well it reacted dur ing difficult times last season and we will look to continue down this road.”

“The new car will take to the track at Fiorano in the middle of this week. Then, depending

on the weather, we will move to Mugello next week and continue the development program.”

Technical director Ross Brawn added; “As always, we have tried to achieve the logical

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objectives - more aerodynamic efficiency, lower center of gravi ty, improved vehicle dynamics and better integration of the engine.

“In my opinion, we have made more progress with this car than ever before with a new Ferrari during my period here.”

“It has, of course, been neces sary to build the car to the 2000 FIA FI regulations.

“The objectives for 2000 were to increase the safety of the cars and changes include a compulso ry (additional) 2mm Kevlar skin in the chassis sides, increases in the severity of the impact test and the load tests, and an increase in the minimum

More, lower, improved, better: Ferrari Technical Director Ross Brawn believes Ferrari have achieved all the objectives with the new F399, while Michael Schumacher is confident it can carry him to a third World Driver’s title. (Photo by sutton-images)

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strength of the roll hoop struc- * ture.

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ence to the appearance or per formance of the 2000 cars, but are an improvement in safety for which we commend the FIA.” -PHIL MORRIS

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New blue

It’s a new car: Frost’s AP03 and Sauber’s C19 carry the hopes of both teams into the new FI season. Both cars are considerably different to their 1999 counter parts.

(Photos by Sutton-images)

LAST Tuesday witnessed the launch of both the new Prost and Saubers - Prost showing off its Prost-Peugeot AP03, which has been designed by a team of engineers ied by Alan Jenkins, with assistance from John Barnard.

Jenkins said that the new car was smaller, lighter and shorter thanks to a new engine from Peugeot which has enabled the team to make a lot of aerodynamic improvements.

“This year will see far more than just an evolution,” said Jenkins.“The team is maturing and we feel that the whole package is coming together now.”

Prost immediately began testing but the test lasted only six laps before Jean Alesi suffered a rear suspension failure and the

team decided to return to its base for investigation into the accident, Sauber’s launch showed their package was much as expected -the new C19 powered by the Sauber Petronas SPE 04A V10 engine.

This is a development of the ’99 Ferrari VI0 engine and a big step forward, being 10kgs lighter, higher revving and having more horsepower -the requirement of smaller radiators also helping the team to produce a more efficent body.

“We were able to save weight in crucial places,” said technical director Leo Ress.

The Ferrari engine proved to be very reliable last year and Sauber is hoping that this will help the team produce much better results in 2000.

n As part ofits technical reorganisation, Sauber has announced a new race engineering team under head of track engineering Willy Rampf Mika Salo will be engineered by Remi Decorzent while Pedro Diniz will work with Italian Gabriele DeUi Colli.

The team’s testing programme will be run by Belgian Jacky Eeckelaert. n Eddie Jordan said last week that he has been trying to get a number of Irish businessmen together to talk about an Irish Grand Prix but said that a race would have to «nnomically-viable ifit was to survive. Jordan said that he would love to see a race in or close to Dublin. There has been vague talk about the possibility of a track being biult alongside a planned new National Stadium but our sources in Ireland say that there is not enough money to fimd a Grand Prix. There are no permanent facilities in Ireland which are anywhere close to FI specification. n The West McLaren Mercedes team announced a couple ofnew deals in addition to the T-Dl sponsorship. The team will be supported by Catia Solutions, a computeraided design, n manufacturing and engineering software company and by The Advanced Composites Group,a supplier of high performance composite materials. Advanced Composites built many of the early composite chassis in FI dating fiom 1981 to the late 1990s when the company built the last Pacfiic Grand Prix monocoques. n Eddie Jordan was rendered speechless last week at the launch of his new car when the British television presenter Michael Aspel suddenly appeared and announced that the Irish team owner was the latest victim of the “This is Your Life” show.

-JOESAWARD

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11 February 2000

n Flavio Briatore’s onand-offgirlfriend Naomi Campbell, who was in Australia this week, has pleaded guilty in a Canadian court to assault ing her former assistant Georgina Galanis in September 1998. Galanis took legal action after the model grabbed her by the throat and hit her on the head with a telephone. An US$8 million cM suit in Manhattan Supreme Court was settled last March. Campbell did not appear in court. a Alex Zanardi says he intends to have a break and then figure out if he wants to come back to motor racing. The former Williams driver said that “if the fire comes back,I may go back to America” but added that he has no idea what he is going to do.

Zanardi admits he is not sure why he was not suc cessful with Williams.“I thought I could do better than I did,” he said. n Prost Grand Prix’s head of aerodynamics Ben Wood has left the French team and is now working alongside Dan-en Davies at Jaguar Racing. Wood has been working in FI since 1993 at Minardi, Ferrari and T3TTeD where he designed the Xwing concept in 1997. At the end ofthat season he was headhunted by Prost and has been with the French team ever since. n South African President Thabo Mbeki has annoimced plans to' create an advisory board of foreign businessmen to advise his government on how to increase foreign investment in the country.

The 13 executives chosen include Jurgen Schrempp, chief executive officer of DaimlerChrysler. It will be interesting to see whether Schrempp will recommend using Grand Prix racing.

The South Afticans have been hoping for a race for some years but the con stant devaluation ofthe rand against the dollar has meant the race is still not economically viable. n Weather forecasting in Formula 1 is becoming more and more important and last week Ferrari agreed a deal with the French national weather bureau - Meteo France for the supply of up-to-date weather at race tracks around Europe. Several British teams have similar deals with the UK’s Meteorological Office. But while technology can sometimes help, the Jordan team admits that the main reason it was able to outsmart the oppo sition at last year’s French Grand Prix because it stuck a man in a field with a radio a few miles to the south ofthe circuit and he reported what was hap pening before it reached the circuit...

-JOE SAWARD

Mercedes buys into McLaren

By JOE SAWARD

DaimlerChrysler has con cluded its purchase of 40 percent of the TAG McLaren Group, the par ent company of the McLaren International Formula 1 team.

Ron Dennis retains 30 per cent of the shares and the TAG Group keeps its 30 per cent shareholding. We understand that Dennis has negotiated an arrangement by which he controls the TAG votes and so retains ultimate control of the whole organisation. It has been agreed by all sides that the financial details of the deal will remain confidential. to According DaimlerChrysler board member Jurgen Hubbert, the deal fonns part of a long term strategy to'maintain Mercedes-Benz’s leadership in engineering performance, technological edge and brand image in the face of increas ingly stiff competition'. The move also ties in with DaimlerChrysler’s strategy of developing a sport image for the Mercedes-Benz brand, which was begun with the acquisition in 1999 of AMG Motorsport.

There was no word on the long-term plans for the part nership but our sources sug gest that there may be future options for DaimlerChrysler to buy the remaining shares in the group and so fully integrate the McLaren brand into the

FF, FH and Lites for KmartWynns

IT looks like being a busy year for Garry Dumbrell, the man who took over Gibson

WCH^O

“S'

--DaimlerChrysler’s latest: McLaren is now part-owned by Mercedes. (Photo by sutton-images)

and eyes up Flat takeover bid

By JOE SAWARD

THEBE are strong suggestions that DaimlerChrysler is going to buy a 70 percent shareholding in Fiat Auto, the car-making division of the huge Italian industrial combine.

The deal being discussed is believed to include the Fiat,Alfa Romeo and Lancia brands but not Ferrari, nor its subsidiary Maserati. These would be retained by Fiat.

The logic behind the deal is that DaimlerChrysler needs expertise in the small-car sector of the markets. It has failed to achieve anything in talks to date with Peugeot and Honda.Fiat produces the Punto, which is Europe’s DaimlerChrysler empire.

This is imlikely to happen before the launch of the Mercedes-Benz SLR which should go on sale in 2003.

This model will put in

best-seUing car, and a merger with DaimlerChrysler would create the second largest car manufacturer behind General Motors.

The rumours resulted in ifrenzied share trading in Europe last week and eventually the Agnelli Family issued a statement denying a deal was imminent.

It is worth noting that the company’s financial performance has improved recently but it still needs considerable restructuring which it cannot do because ofthe strong Italian unions.

Speculation last week suggested that Ford might make a bid for the company in order to stop Daiml^rChiysler acquiring Fiat.

Mercedes into direct compe- ment that DaimlerChrysler tition with Ferrari in the might one day want to “gain lucrative supercar market. ,control of the technical Last summer, before the know-how” at McLaren. The McLaren deal was first sug- current deal does not give gested, Hubbert did com- the Germans that.

Mick's AGP chequer

HE greeted the chequered flag first on 54 occasions in 500cc racing on two wheels, now Mick Doohan wiU be waving the che quered flag to bring to an end tile first Formula 1 Grand Prix

J

Flaggie: Mick Doohan and his new ‘weapon’.

ofthe new year at Albert Park.

“It win be a little bit different for me -1 have been used to getting it (the chequered flag) the other way round,” Doohan said.

Doohan has one Australian Grand Prix victory to his credit, that being his 1998 win and Phillip

Island which chnched his fifth and final world title.

Doohan joins a list of Australian motor racing legends who have waved the chequered flag at the Qantas Australian Grand Prix in recent years - Sir Jack Brabham in 1997, Peter Brock in 1998 and Bob Jane in 1999.

Doohan does have FI experience, having tested - and crashed - a Williams at Barcelona in 1998 as part of a Winfield promotion vrith Tommi Makinen and Jacques ViUeneuve.

Motorsport.

Dumbrell announced that his son Paul Dumbrell and New South Welshman Stuart McColl would also be supported

by Kmart in their respec tive Formula Holden and Ford campaigns, before revealing the biggest sur prise - a 'V8 Lites team would soon be selected to carry the team’s colours.

“The V8 Supercar series is growing at a rapid rate and the formu lation of the Lites series, which caters perfectly to rising drivers and small er, independant teams is testament to that,” he said.

“Kmart Racing is com mitted to V8s and, natu rally, we need to be a part of the Lites series.”

Speaking to Motorsport News on Monday, Dumbrell said a Lites representative for the Kmart Racing team hadn’t yet been selected and a decision wouldn’t be made until he was fully aware of which tal ent may be available.

“We’re going to look at who will represent Kmart Racing in the profession al, competitive manner we expect and we will make the aimouncements when a decision has been made.”

Dumbrell also said the two GT-Production Holden Vectras backed by Kmart in 1999 for Melinda Price and SamNewman wotdd run again this season, although they will be campaigned under the Gibson Motor Sport/Holden banner.

- GERALD McDORMAN

VT SS V8 4 GTP CRAIG Dontas is making a big step in the Century Batteries GT Production Car Championship.

The South Australian driver, who raced a Suzuki GTi in last year’s series, will ride a completely different animal this season, stepping into a 5-litre Holden Commodore VT SS. Dontas, who Suzuki was massacred in a collision with Peter Fitzgerald’s Porsche at Phillip Island last year, has secured the support of power tools company Makita for his program.

First race in the championship is at Wanneroo on March 19.

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IRL Buhl Webber strong again cleans up at Disney THE Indy Racing League 2000 season opener at Walt Disney World will go down in the record books as a win for Robbie

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Apr 30 Eastern Creek ...Rd 4

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Rd3 Apr 9 .Japan Rd4 Apr 30 Spain Formula Holden Championship Febi3 ....Phillip Island ....Rdl Mar 26 ...Eastern Creek ...Rd 2 .Adelaide Rd3 Apr 9

Spinning a web: Mark Webber was fifth fastest in the latest F3000 test at Jerez in Spain.(Photo by Sutton-images) MARK Webber’s latest Formula 3000 test has “We also don’t know which cars weig h what... been a success.

“Once everyone used their proper rubber, we looked pretty good, but we need another half a The young Aussie was fifth fastest in the second. I’m sure we’ll be able to find that in the latest test at Jerez, but is confident of getting even better results soon. car in a couple of proper tests. I’m really looking forward to the Imola test next month,” he said.

“It’s been a little frustrating,” he said from an.

“It’s a good class to be in to look good - but a unnarhed holiday spot in Queensland on Tuesday. tough class to look bad in.”

“We don’t know exactly where everyone is.

Webber is due to attend the Australian People have been using tyre blankets to get heat MotorSport Awards tonight(Thursday) before into their rubber before blazing out for one fast returning to Europe next week. lap, and that will not be allowed in races or -PHIL BRANAGAN official tests.^ .

No,I don't

The flying Nunn

wantfries Kanaan'sfastest in Mo's new Benz with that!

WHAT do you mean you don’t want fries with that?

Forsythe Championship Macing may have signed Bryan Herta, hut, despite Herta giving the impression on his signing that he’d he representing the Me Donald’s hamburger chain, the famous golden arches won’t he anywhere to be seen when the team’s facto ry Swift/Honda rolls out at Spring Training.

McDonald’s have mysterious ly disappeared and Forsythe has now signed a major spon sorship deal with Panasonic, which of course is owned by the family offormer Champ Car dri ver Hiro Matsushita Matsushita also owning Swift Engineering and the Forsythe team being the official Swift factory team following Newman-Haas’ switch back to Lola.

Testing: Penske’s Hello Castro-Neves was second quickest at Sebring.

CART teams were hard at test ing at Sebring over the week end, with new Mo Nunn racing driver Tony Kanaan unofficially fastest in his Reynard /M-Benz.

Kanaan lapped with a best lap of 50.8sec in his third day behind the wheel-the test his first since being confirmed as Nunn’s driver.

“It was very good,” said Kanaan.

“I was really impressed with the engine. It has very good drivability.

We tried to get to know the car, get to know the team and the engi neers, but we were quickest today,

right after lunch, when it was very hot. I’m pretty pleased. It was my first experience with the team and I felt very comfortable. Everyone has a lot of experience.”

Penske’s Helio Castro-Neves was only fractional slower but was also happy with the progress made while Player’s/Forsythe pair Patrick Carpentier and Alex Tagliani weren’t far behind, while Roberto Moreno and Dario Franchitti (in his first test of the year) were also within one second of Kanaan’s time.

-PHIL MORRIS

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[motorsport]

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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.

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The 2000 Shell Championsm^en^ was launched last night(Wednesday) with the announcement that automotive giant Tenneco had.eome aboard as a major sponsor ofthe series and its Safety Cars. The safety vehicles carry the livery of Tenneco s market leading brands, Monroe Shock Absorbers and Walker Exhaust brands, and will be present at each ofthe SCS rounds,as well as the Lites races. The cars will be transported around the country in a purposebuilt B-double pantech, which will also serve as AVESCO's mobile offices at each round.

Buhl and his merely one-week old Dreyer and Reinbold Racing team, but, having started from a lowly 22nd on the grid, per haps the American was lucky to take his G-Force/Aurora V8 to the chequered flag.

Eddie Cheever proved that his 1999 gamble in switching to the Nissan Infiniti engine was no dud deal, the first win for the manufac turer denied after Cheever was blocked by a lapped Doug Didero in the closing laps while leading. He was passed by Buddy Lazier on the last lap and ended up third, but the potential of the Infiniti in 3.5-Utre trim was clear.

“I committed to the bottom, and he committed at the same time,” Cheever said on the moment which lost him the race.

“So I moved up, and he drifted up. I had to get off throttle, got up into the marbles and thought I was going into the wall.”

“I can’t say enough about the Infiniti,” he said. “If you don’t have one of these engines, believe me, you are going to be in trouble come Indy.”

Cheever wasn’t the only driver hampered by a lapped car driven by a rookie. Lazier was miffed by Sam Homish Jr., who became an obsta cle moments before Cheever passed Lazier’s Riley & ScottfAurora.

In fact it was a strong debut for the new RUey & Scott chassis, with Lazier and Cheever the only R&S drivers in the field both scoring podium positions.

IRL debutante A1 Unser, Jnr was one of many new drivers and teams which suffered as a result of qualifying on Friday being rained out.

The grid was set on 1999 entrants points and because his Rick Gallesowned team isn’t entirely the same one as last season, was forced to start from the rear of the grid. The former Indy 500 champ worked his way up to ninth before his engine failed after 64 ofthe 200 laps.

Behind Buhl (the win his second in the IRL), Lazier and Cheever came Scott Goodyear, Eliseo Salazar (debuting for A.J. Foyt), Donnie Beechler, Jeff Ward, Buzz Calkins, Billy Boat and Robby McGehee.

Following Sam Schmidt’s acci dent and subsequent paralysis dur ing January testing at the track, the injury report from the race didn’t bring brighter news.

Both Jaques Lazier and Davey Hamilton suffered back injuries (Lazier a fractured vertebra, Hamilton a minimal fracture of the T-12 vertebra) in separate acci dents but were released from hospi tal in the days following And the signs are ominous for Oldsmobile Aurora, Buhl’s team intends on switching to Nissan for roimd two at Phoenix on March 19, where Sarah Fisher and Derrick Walker’s new Cummins IRL team will debut...

-AARON NOONAN

INI

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II February2000

The Snakes bite Report by GARY WATKINS THE ORECA Chrysler GT squad scored a surprise victory in last weekend’s Daytona 24 Hours after the fancied front-runners from the sports racing class fell by the wayside.

The number one Viper GTS-E driven by Olivier Beretta, Karl Wendlinger and Dominique Dupuy fought tooth and nail with the best of the factory Chevrolet Corvettes right through the Florida enduro.

What started out as a tussle for class honours eventually turned into the fight for over all honours thanks to the high attrition rate among the faster open-top cars.

By the halfWay mark, only the Dyson Riley & ScottLincoln Mklll stood in the way of a first victory for a production car in the Florida day-night race since 1977.

Around that time, the American team’s sports racer began to experience engine problems that would eventually reduce its pace enough to allow the Vipers and the best of the Corvettes to claw back the 12-lap deficit James Weaver, Max Papis, Elliott Forbes-Robinson and Rob Dyson had built up over the first half of the race.

With exactly two hours to go, the ailing R&S was over taken by the lead Viper, which had finally shaken off the Chevy of Ron Fellows, Chris Kneifel and Justin BeU. In the final hour, however, a poor pit call by the ORECA team allowed the Vette back onto the lead lap. Wendlinger proved the equal of Fellows, but the 30-second margin rep resented the closest finish in the 35-year history of the 24 Hours at Daytona.

ORECA stalwart Olivier Beretta said: “It’s unbeliev able. I can’t really take in what has happened. We came here aiming for class victory and we have won overall. Maybe it will hit me tomorrow morning. The car

didn’t have one problem through the race and the team was fantastic.”

Bell reckoned Chevrolet lost the race in the early hours when it encountered a serious of minor problems in the pits. “We deserved a bit of luck today,” said the for mer FIA GT2 Champion, “but from our performance today we know the Corvette is going to win one of the big races this year.”

The second of the three Vipers in the race might have made it an ORECA onetwo had it lost time when it ran out of fuel in the 22nd hour. That meant David Donohue, Jean-Philippe Belloc, Ni Amorim and Tommy Archer had to be con tent with the final podium position, two places ahead of third Viper, which was delayed by a collision with a slower car and then a long stop for a new gearbox.

"The Dyson R&S, which had led much of the race, ended up an unrepresenta tive fourth. Weaver admitted disappointment at the result.

“To have the fastest car on the track, build up a big lead and not win the race is obvi ously a big disappointment,” said the 44-year-old Briton.

“The only consolation is that we’ve picked up maximum points in our class. That could be important at the end of the season.”

Dyson encountered stiff opposition from the new.

Cadillac Northstar LMP dur ing the first half of the race.

Max Angelelli, Wayne Taylor and Eric van de Poele led at quarter distance before a lengthy stop to change the car’s gearbox dropped them out of contention. The second Caddy, driven by Andy Wallace, Butch Leitzinger and Franck Lagorce, fought its way up to second after a difficult first quarter of the race, only to need a new gearbox after 18 hours. This car retired with engine fail ure with an hour to go, but was still classified 13th, one place ahead of its sister car.

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Venomous: Dodge’s ORECA squad took a surprise win at Daytona with the lead Beretta/ Wendiinger/Dupuy Viper first across the line.

More development: ChampCar star Max Papis bought the first prototype - a Riley&Scott/Lincoln - home in fourth.

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It drives just like a real Cadillac: Like most of the prototype teams, Cadillac’s Daytona campaign ended in tears - just one of the fancied prototypes finishing in the top five.

n David Brabham’s plans to contest the Indy 500 are on the backburner.

The Panoz sportscar driver had planned to contest the race this year, but a debut assault on the 500 looks more likely next year instead.

Brabham,34,said: “It’s not dead yet, but the idea hasn’t gained momentum as Fd hoped. IfI win Le Mans this year. I’ll definitely be making a beeline for Indy the year after.”

S The Risi Ferrari team, winner of the ALMS pilot race in 1998, will contest the rival Grand-Am series this year.

The Houston-based team said it opted for the new series because “the regulations allow private teams to compete on a level playing field”. The team is aiming to run two uprated Fen-ari 333SPs in Grand-Am. Risi isn’t turning its back on the ALMS, though. Team technical director John McLoughlin said: “By the time the Grand-Am season is coming to an end, the ALMS is just starting.”

The squad also plans to contest June’s Le Mans 24 Hours in an attempt to improve on the prototype class win it scored in 1998.

■ Former Grand Prix driver Stefan Johansson’s team is stepping up its assault on tliis year’s ALMS. Johansson-Matthews Motorsport will now run two of Reynard’s new 2KQ prototypes in a full American programme.

That means Indy Lights graduate Guy Smith will team up with 43-year-old Johansson, while gentleman racer Jim Matthews will race with an as yet-unnamed partner.

The team is considering taking at least one of its Juddpowered cars to the Le Mans 24 Hours in June.

- GARY WATKINS

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Laconi crashes out Biaggifast on Yamaha YZR500 in Sepang testing

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VALENCIAN Grand Prix winner Regis Laconi will miss the first Grand Prix of the season after the Yamaha rider crashed and broke his leg while testing.

The Frenchman, who broke his right tibia, flew straight out of Malaysia to Paris for further med ical testing with Paris doctors expected to rule him out for up to six weeks following the Sepang crash.

Fellow Yamaha rider Charlos Checa also came to grief on the first day of a two-day test for the factory, but both Checa and his new 2000 YZR500 were unhurt.

Laconi’s Red Bull teammate, Australian Garry McCoy and Marlboro Yamaha team rider Max Biaggi were also present, Biaggi running well with in Mick Doohan’s lap record.

“The new bike is working better now, but we still have some work to do on the engine to improve it,” Biaggi said.

The Italian also ran a newer proto type bike, but switched back to the 2000 seasonjnachine after 10 laps.

Yamaha’s head of motorsport, Toshimitsu lio, said the development of the new bike was progressing well and the factory was looking to capi talise on its late ’99-season success.

“The test has been very useful for us and went well,” lio said. “We’re looking forward to making even more improvements to the 2000 sea son YZR before the first Grand Prix in South Africa.”

- GERALD McDORNAN

Mladin tests Suzuki 500

hotliap>;#0UndPthe Albert Park circuit at the 2000 Qantas Australian QK IH'offait’s ailiHQ sound like a drearn? ill could be rl; reality! |ust,4e^erfllis lahtasticiMlotorsport News competition. Simply collect Tfou'ifigKoc^Miibiffat Adkens that Will appearjin each issue of Motorsport News i^"^uhJilaFeibruary |P?stick them ibelow, fill out the entry form and send them to us. ^^inter aS; imahy times as yoU' like (original entry forms and tokens only).

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REIGNING AMA Superbike champion, Australian Matt Mladin, made a quick trip back home last week to undertake some SOOcc testing for Suzuki alongside regular team riders Kenny Roberts and Nobuatsu Aoki at Phillip Island.

In hot and notoriously windy conditions, Mladin, who last rode a SOOcc bike in 1993, enjoyed the test.

"I was just out there doing a few laps,” said Mladin.

“I don’t really know what I’m ridingl It’s just a matter of having a bit of fun. I’m a bit off Kenny and a bit behind Aoki, but I’ve really got any idea of specific times.”

While Mladin wasn't sure, sources indicate that he was only 1.5s slower than Roberts, finding the latest Suzuki quite surprising as opposed to what he expected.

“It’s been that long (since riding a SOOcc GP

Prize ride: Matt Mladin was rewarded for his US Superbike series win with a SOOcc GP test at Phillip Island last week. bike) that I can’t really remember how they are.

“I’m surprised about the power delivery and the smoothness of it. It’s quite rideable as opposed to what I’d expected,” he said.

“There’s no point in pushing it hard and then crashing. I’m just out here to have a ride.”

Mladin wouldn’t rule out a possible return to the Grand Prix class but said that he would only do it if

(Photos by SHpstrcatn Photographies)

“the deal was right”.

After the two day test, Mladin returned to the States to get prepared for the AMA Superbike Series in which he will again spearhead the Suzuki factory's assault.

The first race will be the Daytona 200 in mid-March and the series continues with stops at circuits including Laguna Seca and Sears Point.

-AARON NOONAN

DIM.

IM

II Februdry2000

13

Go West young man 18-year-old Anthony West dazzled in his debut Grand Prix season last year. Now the Queenslander gets his chance on a a full factory works bike in 2000 and Shell Advance Honda team owner Jeff Hardwick is expecting big things. GERALD McDORNAN spoke to Hardwick about West, team mate Tohru Ukawa and the SAH team’s chances this year.

M

ARCH 19 marks star,” Hardwick says.

The term superstar is a the beginning of Anthony West’s one that’s bandied per sophomore year in Grand haps all too readily but Prix racing and the 18- Hardwick is sure he has year-old Australian is one in the making with being touted by many as West. being the one to watch.

“Oh, definitely,” he said when questioned. “He West was the surprise really learns quick, his signing at the announce ment of the Shell Advance young age helps him a bit Honda team’s move from there, but he really is a the SOOcc class to the 250s superstar.”

Hardwick gives the in 1999, and he didn’t dis appoint - 12th place finish impression that, even in the championship and a though he has been con brilliant sixth in Germany stantly exposed to West testament to that. for the past 16 months, he still suitably Despite being uprooted is from home at such an impressed...

“Anthony struggled a early age to follow the travelling circus around little early in the season -strange lands, and the with suspension set-up, fact he wasn’t given access and with being virtually to the machinery many alone in Europe - as lesser riders had, the everyone does in their young Queenslander, who first year - but, by the looks more at home on a second half of the season, surfboard than a Grand he just kept getting betPrix bike, surprised and ter.

“He was lucky that he impressed many seasoned watchers with his style, his mother came with him enthusiasm and results. and he had a big motorhome and all the But 2000 marks a new beginning when West is luxuries, still Europe wasn’t his favourite place. given his first true oppor “But the familiarity of tunity to run with the big boys on the big bikes, the place will certainly' make 2000 better for him Honda making available a true works bike for West, and the team.”

Hardwick isn’t letting and it’s an opportunity that both he and Shell West rest on his laurels, Advance Honda team though, of what was owner Jeff Hardwick are applauded as an excep tional debut season, looking forward to.

Hardwick’s no slouch, expecting nothing short of he’s guided many riders the ultimate success.

“I’m counting on a least from early beginnings through to great success two wins for Anthony,” and he believes West will Hardwick forecasts although he isn’t expect be one of his greatest sign ing too much early in the ings.

“He’s a really quick season with his new works learner and he’ll come to bikes, generations ahead terms quickly with the of the kit bike he rode in new bike and he’ll be run ‘99, not being made avail ning up with the best this able until March 3, just year - he really is a super- two weeks before the sea-

son’s first race. agree, that’s probably why “We’ll fly the bikes back he’s experiencing more to Australia and get in success than most fellow two-three days testing at countrymen on the GP Phillip Island for Anthony tour. before we head to South “Ukawa is prepared to Africa. accept different cultures “If he gets into the top whereas most other 10 in the first two races, Japanese riders, as soon I’d be quite happy - as a race is over, they’re Anthony’s got to use those on the plane and headed home and you don’t see races for testing, becom ing accustomed to the new them until the next race.

“He mixes well with machines.” everyone and we’re look Hardwick isn’t expect ing that, after the first ing for even bigger things couple of races though, it from him this year.”

From second there’s will take his prodigy long only one place to go... to be on the pace and, per Honda’s new bikes have haps, up on the podium. already pleased the team “I think by the third race at Suzuka he should and Hardwick believes, at be up around sixth and, his early stage, the factory from then on, he’s in with has bridged the gap to the class-leading Aprilias. a chance...”

“The bikes are com Hardwick believes he’s pletely new, Honda have got a great combination with West and Japanese done a tremendous job rider Tohru Ukawa and, and, so far, everything is between the two, he’s looking really good,” Hardwick says. shooting for a champi “We’ve got a lot more onship in 2000 - the defection of Loris top speed - we were dip Capirossi and the brilliant ping out on the Aprilia’s Valentino Rossi providing last year on speed and, the perfect opportunity to then when we had it, we dipped out in the middle, pounce. ' Ukawa’s success in it just wasn’t an overall 1999, a second in the package.

“Our testing so far championship with consis tent results and a maiden shows the package is vast win, also lend Hardwick ly improved and we’re to further believe they can looking forward to the season. win a championship.

“It’s going to be inter “Ukawa is a copybook rider - everything’s exact esting to compare with the and he’s smooth,” he says Aprilias and Yamahas we don’t know much about of his lead rider, labelling what they’re doing yet him as ‘quite a nice guy.

“He already has his new - when we get to South bikes and we’ve had some Africa.”

Hardwick, West, Ukawa test sessions in Jerez and and the Shell Advance Barcelona where every Honda team will have thing ran well for ToJiru.”

Hardwick sees Ukawa plenty of opportunities to as a little more ‘western’ compare the differences, than most other Japanese the first opportunity being riders and, as observers just six weeks away...

engineer uiyae Wolfenden.

He’s got the look: The 17-year-old dazzled in his rookie Grand Prix year, the Shell Advance Honda team expecting big things from Anthony West in 2000.

(Photos Shell Advance Honda)

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Audi: ALM AUDI Sport North America is entering two open R8 sportscars in the American Le Mans Series.

“The ALMS provides attractive motorsport,” declared Audi Sport boss, Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich. “We are extremely pleased to be able to fulfil the wish of Audi of America to compete there.”

For Audi Sport, motorsport in the USA is by no means new terrain. In the 1980s, the Audi quattro took three consecutive victories at the leg endary Pikes Peak mountain climb.

Hurley Haywood won the 1988 American TransAm Series driving an Audi 200 quattro while the 600 bhp Audi 90 quattro GTO created a stir with seven victories in the IMSA GTO series the following year. The ALMS assault will be co-ordinated by Reinhold Joest and his team. Audi Sport North America will operate from Joest’s existing base in Atlanta.

Audi made its world debut in the sportscar category in the opening Sebring race last year, achieving third and fifth placings.

THE manufacturer is also heading into the German DTM2000 series.

After winning the German Super Touring Championship (STW) last year, Abt Sportsline will run three, 450-bhp Abt-Audi TTs against Mercedes-Benz and Opel in the eight round championship.

Christian Abt and Dane Kris Nissen are confirmed as drivers.

The pressure is now on to develop the Abt-Audi TT in time for the DTM. Testing is likely to commence at the end of April, leaving less than four weeks before the first race at Hockenheim on 28 May.

Jaguar heads for USA 1t*ansAin Series PAUL Gentilozzi will defend his US TransAm title in this Jaguar.

Gentilozzi, who won the 1998 title in a Corvette and in ’99 aboard a Ford Mustang, will drive the 6-litre XK8 in the championship, thefirst seeA appearancefor the marque since 1981.

Mci^ish signs for Lb Mans AUDI has completed its Le Mans line-up, with the news that for mer race winner Allan McNish will drive in this year’s 24 Hour race in June.

The 30-year-old Scot [above] lines up with Laurent Aiello and Stephane Ortelli in a thi-ee-car team. Those dri vers won for Porsche in 1998.

Audi can also boast 1997 Le Mans winners Michele Alboreto and Tom Kristensen amongst its squad which will be aiming to improve on its third and fourth Le Mans debut positions last year.

Reigning British Touring Car Champion Aiello (30) and fellow Frenchman Ortelh(29)both drove for Audi at Le Mans last year as did Christian Abt (D), Frank Biela (D), Rinaldo Capello (It) and Emanuele Pirro (It), who complete the nine-dri ver Audi squad.

Artwork: Rocketsports/SCCA

The V8-powered car will be run

by Gentilozzi’s Rocketsports outfit.

Thefirst race in the championship will be at Sebring on March 17.

Mario's Le Mans Panoz MARIO Andretti will return to Le Mans this year - in a Panoz.

The former FI and CART champion has signed to drive one of Don Panoz’s front-engined LMP road sters in the 24-hour classic, following a private test at Road Atlanta last week.

The French classic is the only race missing from Andretti’s extraordinary C.V. He teamed up with son Michael in a Porsche in 1983 to finish third and was also ever so close to victory in 1995 before a late race incident cost him the win.

Of course Andretti, 59, is

the only man to have won the Daytona 500, Indy 500, FI World Championship, CART Championship, and Sebring 12-Hour and is looking to add the Sarthe classic to the list.

The Panoz car uses a 6litre Ford V8, allowing Andretti to retain the links with the manufacturer with which he won in FI, CART and at Daytona, following rumours linking the American to both Panoz and Audi’s Le Mans effort.

So does that mean Andretti will pair up with Brabham (David)? Wouldn’t that be something...

Old Man’s Car? Mario Andretti is returning back to Le Mans in a Panoz.(Sunon-images)

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11 Februdry2000

r

15

Hi The Industrial Revolution, :4i Alain Frost,interfacing and rich girls in expensivefrocks

I

know that it is daring to suggest that Australians should lift their hats to a Frenchman but I do think Aiain Prost must be saiuted for becoming the first Formula 1 team boss to land a big Internet sponsorship deal.

[Ed: Joe, we Aussies would be pleased to salute The Professorwhen the French media salute Monsieur Brad ‘Ozemail’ Jones.

But we digress; press on.]

There is an industrial revolution going on around us and, while some Ft teams are worrying about the loss of tobacco money and the price of tyres, forward-thinking folk like A. Prost have been looking at ways to tap into (massive) new sources of revenue in the future.

There are rude sums of money out there in Internetland and they are being controlled by Thirty something people who have never been very far from their computer screens and so have few social skills and not much selfconfidence. Being a multi-billionaire is nice but what can you do with the money if you suck your thumb, find belching to be amusing and like watching Jim Carrey movies?

f I was a Formula 1 sponsorhunter, I think I would be out there in sunny Silicon Valley, hanging out in the places that billionaire nerds go. I would not be discreet. I would have a blonde on one arm, a redhead on the other and a grubby little gipsy to rub my shoulders. I would spend the day, sipping pink champagne and leafing through big colourful books with lots of pictures of Ferraris at Monte Carlo. Oh, and I would wear a baseball cap which said “Formula 1 = Sex”.

Even billionaire nerds have complexes and the idea that a few million dollars - which is small change for the shoe shine boys in Silicon Valley- will buy you instant glamour around the world (and therefore get you girls etc etc) would have to be a major selling point.

When Alain Prost took over the old Ligier team, he said that he did not want his team to be seen as Franoe's national team. He wanted it to be an international Formula 1 team - but with a French flavour. It was a nice idea but no-on really believed he was going to do it.

There were French sponsors, and a French engine and a French driver - and French engineers and all the things which created a package which had never worked for Guy Ligier.

But now, Prost is on the move.

He took a great deal of criticism last autumn when he signed up Nick Heidfeld rather than France’s Stephane Sarrazin. Imagine! A German driving for the French national racing team. It may not mean much in Australia but in Europe there are far too many graveyards to make such things easy to achieve...

Now, in the space of a week.

Prost has not only signed a massive non-French sponsorship

Saward’s theory of Evolution; Formula One cars (like Frost’s AP03)get you the chicks (like supermodel Sara O’Hare, below).

(Photos by Sutton-Imagcs)

deal, but he has also quietly admitted that he is funding the construction of a new technical facility for John Barnard's B3 Technologies in Engiand. Prost said thatthe idea of transferring his team was “obt of the question" but no-one asked him whether he would shift all the design and production to B3, leaving the teams to function at his factory in Guyancourt. I wonder what he wouid have said.

One has to say thatHe Alain been very clever. hashas used the available French sponsorship to build up a good team of people and to construct a factory in a sensible place. The old facility in Magny-Cours was never very logical. Now/ he is moving away from the French sponsors and one wonders whether Gauloises will soon be faced with the bad news that in future they will no longer have any control over the choice of drivers.

One also gets the feeling that l unless-the new Peugeot V10 engine is absolutely brilliant- and there has been little sign of brilliance at Peugeot Sport during its Ft career to date -then Alain will bring the relationship to a close at the end of the current contract.

You may think it is not a good time to be without the support of a major car manufacturer but there are some who feel that Prost would be better off without his Peugeot pals.

And I have to say that I get the very distinct impression that Alain is carefully edging towards a deal to use a secondary supply of Mercedes-Benz engines in 2001.

This might not help him to beat McLaren and Ferrari but if Jordan can come third in the World Championship using mockHondas, then you can be sure that Prost would be up there if he had

The idea is that afew million dollars- which is small changefor the shoe shine boys in Silicon Valley will buy you instant glamour around the world and therefore get you girls

access to year-old Mercedes VI Os. The deal makes sense for everyone.

Mercedes-Benz has always liked total domination in motor racing and now that it has won quite a lot the next thing to do is to chase after the records of success enjoyed by the likes of BMW and Honda in the 1980s and Renault in the 1990s. In all three cases, the car companies expanded to two supplies to make sure that its opposition had to work harder to win - or even to place.

By 1995, you may recall, Renault was in such a dominant position that it used to be able to score 1-2-3-4 results. MercedesBenz would like that as it seeks to convince the world that it is really a sporty company, rather than a firm which produces big fat cars for big

fat executives.

The deal also makes sense because it would inevitably give Mercedes-Benz more political power in FI - a motivation which should not be underestimated.

McLaren would be happy to accept the deal because having Prost would be useful as the team, tries to find jobs for its string of young drivers. If you have too many youngsters queueing up for a place in FI, the best do not join you. This point was hammered home the other day when Jenson Button turned down a five-year deal with McLaren...

T

he other reason I think that the Mercedes deal will happen is because Alain is a disciple - in team manager terms- of Ron Dennis. When he was thinking of

setting up his own team, Alain spent a year working at McLaren. He was trying to heip the team sort out its lack of competitiveness but at the same time he was having a good hard look at how Dennis had buiit up such an. impressive iittle empire. He iearned a iot about corporate interfacing and other Ron-like words.

This is not to dismiss Dennis because his theories of how to fund racing teams are well ahead of most of the other organisations in FI. A sponsorship shouid not be about money in exchange for coverage. It should be about everyone making more money.

This theory was cleariy seen when Prost soid 10 percent of his team to the luxury goods company Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy and announced that they were going into the fashion business together...

It made sense for Louis Vuitton to trade off the glamour of F1 to sell its other luxury goods; champagne, jet-set luggage, things for rich peopie.with far too much money.

Prost ciothing wiil be a success and a Mercedes-Benz engine deal would slide neatly into the equation. Poor people don't drive Mercedes-Benz automobiles. They have to pay for them.

Oh Lord. Won’t you buy me a Mercedes-Betiz.

Even a out mere journalist can figure the cross-marketing possibilities of Louis Vuitton and Mercedes-Benz. The interesting thing now wiil be to see how Prost gets everyone working together with Yahool The Internet, so they tell me, is ali about e-commerce. Commerce, so they tell me, is ali about profit margins. And, it does not take a genius to work out that profit margins are all about convincing people to part with their money.

The rich provide bigger profit margins than the poor, it would be nice if everyone would buy your product. Then you could be as rich as those guys who make cardboard containers for milk, but failing that it is easier to get rich from rich people rather it is from selling things to the poor.

Right now,the Internet does not appear to have top of the range shopping but a year or two from now, who knows what we may have? Yahool may not have the cachet of Christian Dior or Givenchy but then who would imagine that Kenzo, Dune, Eau Sauvage, Poison and C’est la Vie! would ever make it in the world of high fashion.

All you have to do is to convince a bunch of girls in overpriced frocks that you have to do less walking if you shop on the Internet...

I

16 11 Februdiy 2000

1.

JM

Who will stop Craig Lowndes from betoming the

miUennium man

Lowndes is shooting for four titles in four attempts. Everyone else is trying to stop him. What do wrestlers have to do with it? Plenty, if you ask AARON NOONAN fy^HOSE Yanks in the I World Wrestling =1=, Federation call it a ‘Royal Rumble’; 30 big brawny blokes, belting the living hell out of one another, all trying to be the last one left standing in the ring.

A few hours of body-slamming, clotheslining, drop kicking and pile-driving is all in a day’s work for characters like The Rock and ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin.

One could then draw parallels Vince between McMahon’s money-maker and AVESCO’s baby. Big crowds, personalities here and there, competitive action and the odd bit of contact. Oh yeah, the other difference between it and this years’ Shell Championship Series is that VSSupercars are real. No fake blood or pulled punches here...

We say it every year, that THIS year will be the best year, the most competitive and the most exciting ‘in decades’. In 2000, one can say that and be telling the truth.

Look at it this way, there’s competitors switching ‘federa tions’ in Morris and Jones, some newcomers with new warpaint, and a retired war rior tagging into the battle his young gun son for the wicked Queensland red and yellow empire. There’s new man agers for some and new gim micks, some switches in sta bles during the off-season and a lot of questions left to be answered. And, there’s more ofthose bloody IGwis too!

Ever since one of those Aussie-based, Kiwi-born speedsters - Steven Richards - crossed the line on that Sunday in November, the attention has been on Phillip Island and the opening round of the 2000 season. The battle format is different for stai-ters. As AVESCO tries to get the endurance/sprint race balance right, the ‘Island will see two 45-minute races with a compulsory pit stop to change two tyres. The last time we had anything like this was 1991, where a single 1-hour race was employed before the introduction of the heat system, so there will be no sleepies for the pit crews early in the season like previ ous years and plenty of action for the television viewers, not to mention the pit lane reporters!

While Richards and ‘huz’ mate Murph came out on top at the Mount, the guys who were behind in second and third claimed the champi onship belt by knock-out.

The Holden Racing Team

dominated 1999, heavyweight champ Craig Lowndes sealing the win with a cagey drive at Bathurst. Between he and partner Mark Skaife, they won 22 of a possible 36 races, a 65 percent success rate.

For 2000, the red warpaint has a bigger presence with some changes in the team.

Skaife and Lowndes switch cars, with Craig’s engineer Rob Starr becoming Skaife’s, and Shigeru Kagimiya becoming Lowndes’. Nd niatter, they’ll still be hard to beat, and in the WWF so is a monster of a chap called Kane. Seven-foot-tall, they call him ‘The Big Red Machine’ and delivers his knockout blow with what is eloquently termed a ‘chokeslam’, grabbing his opponent by the scruff of the neck, raising them above his head with one arm and then smashing them back onto the mat for the pinfall. Sounds kinda like HRT’s 1999 sea son, actually...

The Holden Young Lions program continues with Todd

.'j:'

;4

Colours of the rainbow, sort of: There’s new looks all around in the SCS this season. Lowndes has gone red (above) but will be looking for more of exactly the same - winning -from 1996,'98 and ’99.

Every cloud has a silver lining and Ingall returns in the same colours, but a new car, for 2000.

Black clouds? Perkins goes black in the Commodore VT that he and Ingall drove together at Bathurst. Look for a new ‘Larry Bar’ car for the boss in April.

(Photos by Graeme Neander/Coventry Studios}

Kelly with a backer yet to be named. Kelly has been a Holden cub since 1997 and will have a VT at his disposal this time around.

While Lowndes built a buffer at the start of 1999, his Calder crash and non-appear ance at Symmons Plains let Russell Ingall back into the hunt and ‘The Enforcer’ is hungrier than ever for his first Shell Series champi onship, having been runnerup for the past two seasojisand third in 1997.

Perkins Engineering has wheeled out a brand new VT for Ingall’s title shot, the stiffest ever to be produced from the team’s hanger at Melbourne’s Moorabbin

Airport. Ingall again lines up in the ‘silver bullet’ look, while Perkins will start the year in the Bathurst car [now in black] until his new car comes on stream in a few months. Now that the team have come to grips with the Bridgestone control tyre, expect them to be on the pace at more rounds than ’99.

Perkins Engineering will also field a VT for Dugal McDougall, in the same mould as last year.

If there was a Holden team that, was the revelation oflast season, then it was the Valvoline Cummins cars of Garth Tander and Jason Bargwanna. Bargwanna struggled early with the first

GRM-built VT while Tander shone in the older VS. Once the second car was available, they started to go like a blur.

Bargwanna dominating all

three races at Winton.

Team-mate Tander just gets quicker and quicker, Fear the big man in 2000, and the not-so-big man too.

r

I

they are the team which will cause the established outifts

first corner body slamming match. Remember race three at Queensland Raceway? of HET and Perkins ^ef,the speed and agility of Yeah, sure, Bowe won and Bargwanna and the looming lost and won again and tower of Tander. A tag team Tander was quick but who combination not to be messed would have nabbed both of with. them with a stormingly calcuBathurst champs Murphy lated drive? Crompton. and Richards also enter the There’s change if you’re a ring in new war paint with Queenslander and Fordsome significant changes in mounted. Jason Bright leaves the team infrastructure. Pirtek Racing and the Stones Wynn’s no longer adorns the to chase his US ambitions. side of the Gibson Motor leaving Craig Baird to take Sport cars and Fred Gibson over the reigns.

Another Eliwi... no longer owns the team.

Gary Dumbrell now owns it, Basically, the swap loses with Gibbo retained as a con the team experience. In his sultant, and Kmart makes a hmited outings in the Pirtek return to touring cars as a car Baird has shown speed naming rights sponsor for the almost identical to Bright first time since 1984 and but, so far, he has never been Warren Cullen and Alan asked to qualify the car. That Jones’ fourth place at may hurt a httle in the early Bathurst that yeai'. races, especially with the While the team struggled limit on testing days. with new cars and new tyres While it’s only the driver last year, they did show that which changes in one half of in endurance-spec they were strong. For the sprint races, it may still take some time to get the mix right- remember, HRT have had VT Commodores and Bridgestones since mid-1998.

Wynn’s will, however, been seen in the field, adorning the 'flanks of Rodney Forbes’ VT, the car run by GMS after it was purchased back from David Parsons. Forbes, whose Privateer VS led at Bathurst, is now a Level 1 franchise owner.

Meanwhile, the evil enemy in Ford has got bigger dming the off-season vrith a number of changes.

Elsewhere in Dandenong, at Ford Tickford Racing the driving line-up stays the same with Glenn Seton and Ned Crompton, while behind the scenes things have changed a little. Team Manager Tony Murphy has left and John Matthews has taken over as General Manager, allowing Seton to concentrate on driving.

Seton was the quick Ford out of the box last year but the team lost its way and "4 needs to find the right aisle to make it ringside. There’s .X nothing lacking in the driving department, Seton can match it with anybody and was equal third in last year’s championship without win ning a race, while Crompton just needs to qualify better and stay clear of the usual

E

i.

McCALL

AU, get off my cloud: The biggest change for Ford Tickford Racing, apart from a modified iivery, is that Seton has stepped down from the day-to-day stuff to concentrate on driving.

Baird steps into the Pirtek Faicon vacated by Bright.

The kiwi is blazing fast and has been competitive in everything else he has driven.

Radisich and Johnson Jr should make a powerful combination for Helix/DJR. (Photos by Graeme Neander/Coventry Studios, Dirk Klynsmilh and John Morris)

the Stone Brothers operation, the other half is all change, With Mark Larkham now doing his own thing, a second Stones car will be mn under Caltex colours for Tony Longhm-st, Longhurst having sold his franchise and one of his cars to Brad Jones.

Longhurst now has the perfeet opportunity'to shine, his focus firmly on diiving, rather than worrying about running his own team.

There’s another driver change in Queensland, with a Johnson continuing to drive in Shell Helix #17, however

^ V

i

Steven is finally given his chance following Dick’s retirement. Paired with Paul Radisich,(the quiet and unassuming Kiwi who flies from the top rope with precision) there’s no doubting the power of thb red and yellow cars and the driving roster. The momentum for DJR is building and they seem set to return to their best form, not seen since Bowe won the championship in ’95 and chased Lowndes in an outtyred car in ’96.

Continued on page 18

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Rl

U February 2000

VOi

Continued from page 17

DRIVERS and teams have not been the only things to change during the off season.There have been small, but telling, changes to the championship as well.

One of the most significant is the changes in testing restrictions. Previously, a team had to nominate a single test venue and was restricted to testing there and there only.

Now they are able to test at two tracks, but will be limited to 12 days testing during the calendar year. Each car has been issued with a book of 12 pages, each must be filled in when they test, and filed with AVESCO. Already this has had an effect. Normally, Brad Jones would have trucked his new Falcon to Winton for a systems check before getting into it properly, but team manager Kim Jones was loathe to ‘waste’ a day’s testing.

The move is designed to save money [which it probably will] but will also disadvantage new teams or team/driver combos.Jones would ordinarily drive as much as he could early in the season, as would Craig Baird and Steven Johnson.

Several teams have also changes test venues. While the Queensland teams have QR and Lakeside, and the Sydney teams have the Creek and Oran Park, in Melbourne things have shifted. Perkins, which ran only at Winton iast year, now runs at Philiip Island and Calder. HRT, which used the Island, is adding Winton. FTR has added Calder to PI. Race formats make a change. There will be eight rounds with the famiiiar three 20 minute sprints, one 500km enduro [Queensland, venue TBC]and Bathurst’s usual 1000km.

Phillip Island will open proceedings with two 45 minute races [with mandatory tyre change] next week; one on Saturday, one on Sunday, while Adelaide’s Clipsal 500 will have a Saturday 250km race [with separate fuel and tyre stops] and another on Sunday.

At Canberra’s National Capital 100, it will be one 25 lapper, a 25 lap reverse grid and then a 50 lap final. All races are on Sunday, and all have pitstops.

After controversy last season, AVESCO

has implemented a new points system for 2000. Sit down; this may take a while ...

All races allocate points from first to 20th places. At a sprint race, they are allotted as 40, 36, 34,32, 30,28, 26,24, 22,20,18,16, 14,12,10,8,6, 4,2 and 1. A ‘maximum’ will nett a driver 120 points.

At Phillip Island, each race will have a 50 percent premium, giving the winner of each 60, then 54,51 etc. A ‘maximum’ will still be 120 points.

At round three in Adelaide, the two races are different. On Saturday,the race is ‘double’ [80, 72,68 etc] but Sunday’s race will be a ‘quadruple’[160,144,136 etc]. A ‘maximum’ will be 240 points.

Canberra; Races 1 and 2 will be 60, 54,51 etc [like Phillip island] but the 50 lap finale will be worth three times a sprint race[120,108, 102 etc]. A ‘maximum’[unlikely, since one race is a reverse grid] will be 240 points.

The Queensland 500 will be worth 160, 144,136 etc, and the 1000 Classic at Bathurst will be worth six sprint races, paying 240,216, 204 etc.

Only two things seem certain; there’s bound to be somehat^sh words about the pros and cons of the system as the season progresses. The other? Media migraines.

There is also a new judicial system. Former ATCC champion Colin Bond moves across from the BQC Gases Series to be Driving Standards Observer. In conjunction with Race Director Tim Schenken, he will be responsible for ensuring action is not only just, but swift.

AVESCO’s biggest change is a behind-thescenes one, with Wayne Cattach [formely with Dick Johnson Racing]taking on the General Manager’s role vacated by Garry Craft. There are also changes on the media side after the departure of Gai Reid and Brett ‘Crusher’ Murray.

Network Ten is planning a big year, with continued strong coverage. Talking heads Mark Oastier and Barry Sheene return, joined

by Greg Rust, who steps into the seat filled in previous years by Leigh Diffey.

-PHILBRANAGAN

Radisich - The Rat’ nick name seems a little unfair is well-placed going into the new year. After a year getting the DJR AU set up to suit him he knows the car, the tracks and the opposition. He has won in everything else he’s raced and will be looking to repeat that form here in Australia.

Mark Larkham too will be back in 2000 with pretty much the same set-up, carwise. The pole at Bathurst proved the speed is there in both man and machine, even if it doesn’t always show in the race. Larko is now run ning his own team [as he largely was last year] but now in premises separate to SBR. He will shai-e technology with Jones, despite the distance between his Gold Coast base and Jones’s in Albury. With

communications technology, such things are common these days.

Another thing to notice about the Ford camp for 2000 will be the stepped-up level of support in a bid for ‘Henry’ to tackle Holden head-on. Notice that Cameron McLean has got Ford backing? Steve Ellery as well? .And that the many of the Ford teams entries have ‘Ford Racing’ in their title?

Speaking of those two, they both upgrade cars for 2000, McLean in the ex-Weel AU and Ellery in a brand new car. McLean’s team were the dominators of the nowdefunct Privateer division of the series but now the bar is raised and expectations upon the Queenslander too. If any one can do it then Cam can.

Camcan? Sounds like a good name for a wrestler who slays the odd giant or three ...

EUery has gained the support of Supercheap- Auto for his assault, and with a strong backer will be quick. Last year his ex-Larkham EL was quick even with a small crew, and Steve surprised all at Albert Park before being rewarded with a DJE enduro drive. Also with Casfcrol-backing, this is Ellery’s test shot at V8s, after fruitless exercis es with Longhurst Racing and the Holden Young Lions. actual the With Supercheap team firom John Briggs’ base now gone, that leaves CAT Racing and John Bowe. In their secorud season, the CAT team needs some strong results aften a fragmented 1999 where they did, to their credit, win a race at QR. It took Stone Brothers Racing some three years before they began- winning Continued on page 20

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0.

Shell Champlonsyp Series

Who are you calling cheap? Steven Ellery opened a lot of eyes last year and joins forces with Super Cheap for 2000. Last year his results surprised; this year they are expected.

Continued from page 18 with conviction, maybe 2001 will be the year that the claws dig into the opposition.

In the meantime they will find the going hard, such is the competitiveness of the category.

Another two to find it difficult at first will be Jones and Paul Morris. The 2-litre tyros have moved leagues and are ready to wrestle with the heavyweights. Jones has grabbed internef service provider OzEmail in an effort to ‘dot.com’ his opponents while Morris will be behind the wheel of a older VS Commodore, no ordinary VS mind you. It’s the one Garth Tander caused HRT and the others a lot of headaches with last year.

But, despite the presence of motor-mouthed TV huckster Big Kev as sponsor, even Morris admits that 2000 will be a low-key kind of effort, while on the other hand, the Jones boys. Brad and Kim, are yet to fcompete in a cate-

gory of racing and not win races and the championship.

They’ve done it in AUSCAR/NASCAR, GT-P and Super Touring, why not VSSupercar? Whatever the case, they don’t heed to worry about running out of internet hours while distributing their press releases...

There’s been a lot of talk about John Faulkner Racing over the off-season. From sponsors to drivers to second cars, JFR has been tightlipped about its^OOO plans. It will go into the SCS this year though with its best assault yet, armed with sponsorship from Ezybonds and a new car on the build. Funding has been the only thing holding Faulkner back from mixing it at the very pointy end.

Remember who was the top Holden apart from the HRT cars (and threatening) at PhiUip Island and BarbagaUo last year until a flat tyre and contact with Crompton respectively?

Of the other drivers Holden-mounted, Cameron

Changing hues: Greg Murphy and Steve Richards won Bathurst in Wynn’s colours. Now they are in the Kmart Racing Team.

McConville scores a full-time V8 gig with Rod Nash’s Autopro team with team owner Nash to join him in a second VT once it’s complet ed, while Lansvale Smash Repairs duo Trevor Ashby and Steve Reed expand to a two-car team for four of the

Ready to go: Bargwanna will be looking for a title to add to his Winton race wins.

fed

Car No Driver Team/Sponsor Commodore VT 1 Craig Lowndes Holden Racing Team Commodore VT 2 Mark Skaife Holden Racing Team Lansvale Smash Repairs/PPG Commodore VS 3 Trevor Ashby Falcon AU 4 Craig Baird Pirtek Racing Falcon AU 5 Glenn Seton Ford Tickford Racing Falcon AU Ford Tickford Racing 6 Neil Crompton Commodore VT 7 Steven Richards Kmart Racing Commodore VT Castrol Perkins Racing 8 Russell Ingall Falcon AU Caltex Havoiine Racing 9 Tony Longhurst Falcon AU 10 Mark Larkham Mitre 10 Ford Racing Commodore VT Castrol Perkins Racing 11 Larry Perkins Commodore VT Kmart Racing 12 Greg Murphy Commodore VT 13 Rodney Forbes Wynn’s Racing Commodore VT Holden Young Lions 15 Todd Kelly Aloe Qench/Perkins Engineering Commodore VT 16 Dugal McDougall Falcon AD 17 Steven Johnson Shell Helix Racing Falcon AU 18 PaulRadisich Shell Helix Racing Falcon AU 21 Brad Jones OzEmail Internet Racing Falcon AU Colourscan Printing 22 Danny Osborne 23 ^ Steve Reed .Lansvale Smash Repairs/PPG Commodore VS Commodore VS 24 Paul Romano Romano Racing Commodore VT 26 Peter Doulman Tearn Gatorade Racing Commodore VS 29 Paul Morris Big kev’s/NEMO Racing Falcon AU Supercheap Auto Racing 31 Steve Ellery 32 Tomas Mezera Densitron Display Technologies Commodore VT Valvoline Cummins Race Team Commodore VT 34 Garth Tander Valvoline Cummins Race Team Commodore VT 35 Jason Bargwanna Falcon AU Greenfield Mowers/Ford 40 Cameron McLean Falcon AU 43 Paul Weel K&J Thermal Products Racing Commodore VT 46 John Faulkner Ezybonds/Cummins/JFR Commodore VS 47 John Trimbole Daily Planet Commodore VS 50 Mick Donaher Ultra Tune TDK Racing Commodore VT 55 Cameron McConville Autopro Racing Falcon AU ^Toll Racing 75 Anthony Tratt Falcon EL Cadillac Productions 79 Mike Conway Falcon EL 87 Rod Salmon Oneworld Hotel & Sports Bar Falcon AU 600 John Bowe CAT Racing

SCS rounds.'The}/!! be racing one another at Phillip Island for the first time since their club racing days following the purchase of the ex-Nash, exGardner VS by the team.

Their existing VS is an exGardner car as well so it should be up to speed quickly.

Following his crash at Bathurst after running in the top five, Tomas Mezera has a Densitron repaired Commodore and will be at the ‘Island, the scene of mixed memories for the ’88 Bathurst winner. He crashed heavily in a then-new HRT car in 1995, but was top privateer in his V8 return in 1998 before qualifying strongly last year.

'The usual motorsport stray of a lack of funding still remains, but there is talk of another potential sponsor soon. Fingers crossed.

Paul Romano will continue with his elderly VS

Commodore, one of the oldest cars in the field, Tony Longhurst’s 1994 VP in fact.

Alan Heaphy will oversee things for the Queenslander, having left Gibson Motor Sport foUovring Bathurst.

Mick Donaher returns to the Ultra Tune/TDK team, with Formula Fordster Tyler Mecklem on board as test and enduro driver, while Peter Doulman and John Cotter will be slurping more Gatorade in their ex-Ingall VT for the full series, while Chris Smerdon will be seen later in the season in the exGardner VT, replacing his older VS. Paul Weel will again return on the other side of the fence for Ford in a new Falcon with Ford backing for the first time, while other Ford drivers in the SCS’s first round at PhiUip Island include Danny Osborne and Anthony Tratt

(the Toll team no longer oper ating completely out of John Sidney’s workshop).

You can feel the heat com ing off the lights.'The combat ants are making their way down the aisle towards the squared circle. The fans cheer for their heroes with deafen ing roars, and boo and hiss the baddies as they madly wave banners displaying ‘We love THE KID’ and ‘We will ENFORCE you’ and “May the FORDs be with you’ at the TV cameras.

Out the back the stars of the show are pulling on thentights and capes. The warpaint is being applied in the miiTor. The managers are eagerly studying tapes of tonight’s opponent.

Then the curtains open and the show begins.

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: WITH thie emphasis off aerodynamies ' this season - there have been no off-sea: son changes to the wingage on Holden’s ’ Commodore VT or Ford’s Falcon AU tyi-es come under the spotlight.

There will be changes for Bridgestone's ; control tyre for 2000- but not until after the I fast races of the season. Production delays.

I combined with a stockpile of 1990-spec i tyres, will see the cai's run the early races ; on the familiar 261 control hoop from last ! year before the newer units arrive in time : for the first V8 Lites race at Eastern Creek ! on March 26.

While the introduction of the control tyre I was met with almost unanimous praise from : the teams and drivers, it was not without i problems. The low giip tracks like Winton, ; Queensland Racew'ay and Darwin caused ^ the rubber to gi'ain and it was the long-time i Bridgestone teams, in general, which ' seemed to suffer the worst.

Along with the control tyre, there was also another change last season, with ‘scraping' I banned. That rule stays in force this season.

The new tyre is expected to be a little ; more durable in most conditions, and it is : also likely to be a second slower to start i with. Expect the teams to have a small per' formance drop-off to start with before they ‘ start to claw some time back as they started ! testing on the tyre [similar to what hap pened with Yokohama's Super Touring tyre ; last year].

The control tyre was well-received last ' season, and expect more praise - and close : racing - in 2000.

21

11 Februaiy2000

Sons and a daughter NOTHING is as inevitable in

motorsport as fathers and sons.

As we move into the new miUennium/century/year - call it what you win -there are a lot offamiliar names on the entry list for the 2000 Ford Racing Australian Formula Ford Championship.

Some are second-generation dri vers, some are same-generation siblings. AU wUl be trying to win.

How’s this for a family tree?

Fastlane Racing has Stuart Kostera who is the son of ...

Stuart Kostera. Senior was a notable sportscar racer in the 1970s, when engines worked and tyres didn’t, particularly.

Bob Jones used to punt around a 'V8 Commodore in the days when they were caUed ‘touring cars’. Son Robert Jr is one of the favourites for the title in the Car Trek 'Van Diemen.

Also 1994 'VD-moimted is Chris Dell [whose dad Peter runs St George Karts] and Jamie Whincup, nephew offormer Sports Sedan star Graeme Whincup.

In the Spectrum corner ... remember Clubman sportscars?

They used to be a class to watch in the ’70s and Ray Hanger’s Nota was one of the cars to beat. Now son Ty carries the family name.

Chas KeUy is weU-known in raUying circles, especially in Targa Tasmania. Son Owen looks like

Why is FF so important: Champion of Winton Series, 1991, Rd 1. Cameron McConville (22) leads Craig Lowndes (49), while Steven Richards (71) iooks for third. (Photoby Neii Hammond) carrying on the tradition.

Bob Power, Kurt Seeburg and Henk Woelders used to fight out Formula 2 races, but now watch sons WUl,Kai-1 and Jon do it in the Spectra.

Mygales? They’re in on it, too.

Leading the way in a brand new SJ2000 wUl be Luke Youlden, the ‘Bear cub’ son of former National ProdCar Champ Kent ‘the Bear’.

Dave Mawer not only raced in FFs, his designs won titles for other dri vers. Now son Barton drives a ’95 Mygale.

But there’s also brothers to watch. In recent years, two of the

GT Prod

Nice piece of kit: Wayne Park steps up from a Ferrari’s 355 to a 360 [that’s an increase of a lot more than 5] to challenge the Porsches for the Century Batteries GT Production Championship.

best graduates of the champi onship have been Alex Davison and Todd Kelly. This season brother Will Davison [son of F2 champ Richard and nephew of Sandown promoter Jon] wUl race against Rick Kelly, “The Toddler’s’ 16-year-old brother. What will we nickname him -“The Infant’?

Dean ‘Curl’ Orr has won two Bathursts as team manager at Perkins Racing, and now works at SheU Helix Racing. Brother Daniel is back for another go at FF and has strong previous form.

There are also drivers making their own name. Davison’s Wynn’s

Racing'VD has been taken over by Stuart McColl. The experienced Justin Cotter is back in fine foim after his temfying Calder shunt, while karter Nick Agland made a big impression at the end of last year and looks like continuing the same way in 2000.

And Leanne Ferrier. She wUl get a lot of publicity because she’s a girl in a sport dominated by men.

Good for her.

But she got the 'Valvoline backing for being a race driver, not a female.

Ever better. Fastlane Racing rate her for being quick too. She’d have to be to win against these blokes...

of the Century WHILE the championship for the Century Batteries GT-Production Championship and the exciting new GTP Nations Cup doesn’t officiaily kick off at Phillip Island, the concept of two 12 lap races on Saturday and a one-hour Showroom Shootout Sunday is sure to attract plenty of attention following the spectacular, fire burning finish to the GTP group’s 1999 sea son at Bathurst last November.

Thirty cars have entered in various cate gories, the Nations Cup category, which will draw most attention, attracting five entrants.

All eyes will probably be centred on the Australian debut of the new Ferrari F360 Modena Challenge, one of the special competiton models being constructed by the infa mous Ferrari factory, which arrived from Ital^ less than a fortnight ago.

Despite a lack of testing and minimal preparation, the Ross Paimer-owned pranching stallion, driven by Wayne Park and replac- n ing the F355 virtualiy destroyed at Bathurst last year, is expected to be irhmediately com petitive.

The left-hand drive F360 represents a major step forward for the team over the F355

-the F360, thanks to its aluminiom body and chassis, tipping the scales 185 kilos lighter than the F355, and having bigger brakes and more refined suspension.

Reigning champion Jim Richards won’t be left out, though, the master driver landing a new, bigger horsepower 911 GT3 to take the battle up to any newcomers.

Three-time Austraiian Drivers Champion Paul Stokell is also back, this time chailenging for the Nations Cup title in an exotic Lamborghini SVR, Stokell being joined by Murray Carter’s thumping C5 Corvette V8 and Bryan Thomson’s twin-turboed Supra RZ. A swarm of fleeting Subaru WRXs and Lancer RS Turbo Evo Vs will hotly contest Class A while the usual list of makes and models, including the Holden Vectras of foot ball identity Sam Newman and the gorgeous Meiinda Price, will run inthe B, C, D and E classes.

The Century Batteries Australian GT Production Championship officially gets underway at Wanneroo on March 19 while the Nations Cup battle begins in Adeiaide on April 9.

- GERALD McDORNAN

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22

Drecnon Changing DuCDEFSrpd^

U February 2000

Tony Longhurst has a new agenda for the 2000 Shell Championship Series. The Queensiander stil! has a Ford Faicon AU, but with new sponsors in Caitex and new aiiies in Stone Brothers Racing.

AAROU NOONAN spoke to the touring car veteran on the eve of the new season.

Motorsport News: First of all, why the change from running your own team and driving to becoming solely a driver?

Tony Longhurst: Well, over the past few years I’d been looking for results I hadn’t been getting and I wanted to get with a team where I couid just drive and not have to worry about running the team. I just found it- for me - too hard.^ Having a team, doing ali of the organisation, having a family and driving was too much.

I’ve watched the Stone’s progress over the last few. years, and Jim Stone used to work for me around 1990 and I have the greatest respect for him. He’s a bioke I actuaily tried to get back with my team a coupie of times but he iinked up with Dick (Johnson) and then (brother) Ross when they set up their own team. I’ve been envious of what they’ve been achieving. I know how weil they work.

As far as i am concerned, the last couple of years they’ve really been becoming the top Ford team and I wanted to iink up with a top Ford team!

I’ve done that, and that’s been a goal of mine, the same with iinking up with a fuel company and not just an oil company. The situation with Caitex Havoiine is wonderful, over the years I’ve watched what Shell and Mobil have done with their teams and drivers and it’s a wonderfui opportunity. Caitex are going through a sort-of re-birth of the company and they’re re-branding their service stations.

I think the timing’s great for them, a new (corporate) iivery is too and it’s great to have them back in motorsport.

The growth of the category is fantastic with new cars and other drivers coming in, the big sponsors, the TV coverage, the Canberra race, the Adeiaide street race and so on. It’s just going from strength to strength.

MN: It must be a good feeling to have the weight of your own team off your back?

TL: It’s amazing. After 12 years of running teams, it’s just the most wonderful feeling. Some of these young blokes have got no idea how good they’ve got it, they reaiiy haven’t. They’ve got it on a plate. It’s just so much of a relief to concentrate on just driving the car.

MN: With Stone Brothers Racing there’ll be Craig Baird driving the Pirtek car, and you flying the Caitex Havoiine flag, is it a case of two teams within a team,sharing information, or two separate outfits?

TL; Clearly it is Stone Brothers Racing and they own the team which is housed under one roof. They ali work together and wHeri we arrive at the race track we obviously race as different teams and Ross and Jim call the shots. They certainly cross-over with information and they do whatever they want to do they own the team.

MN: As a new driver/team combination, where realistically would you expect to be in both qualifying and then the races?

TL: Like every other driver obviously I want to win the championship so that’s what my goai is. It doesn’t matter which driver you are, deep down that’s what you’ve got

to be aiming for or you might as weii not race.

MN:The Falcon, while it hasn’t translated into race wins, has got obvious speed as shown at Bathurst. Does it have more potential that it has shown already?

TL: I think at different stages during the year, the car was very competitive.

The iast race we went to it , was on pole (Larkham at Bathurst) and Radisich had ' the speed in the race. The package (is) so close now, I suppose the biggest thing is that the Hoidens reaiiy have an extra 12 months with their

cars. Every race that goes by, things are getting closer and closer.

MN:So when do the two lines meet and things become parallel in terms of race wins to each manufacturer?

TL: I believe now it’s parallel. There’s no reason why the Fords can’t win. This year we hope to turn the tide.

MN: What will it take to beat the Holdens, in particular the HRT? TL: We’ve just gotta go faster... (laughs) MN:The control tyre was perhaps the biggest change we’ve seen in the category since it began.

After a year using it, what are your thoughts?

TL: I think it’s the best thing to happen since I’ve been involved. Obviously there’s been years where it doesn’t matter whether it’s Yokohama, Dunlop or Bridgestone, at various tracks we’ve gone to over

the years you, had to be on a certain tyre to win and it got to the stage where Bridgestone had a monopoiy on the majority of the circuits.

It has levelled it right up. Some peopie who had the privilege of running on Bridgestones over the last few years have come back to the pack.

Personally, I was a little bit disappointed with my performance during the year but I just couidn’t get on top of the change to the tyre and the change to the new car.

It’s made the racing more

New look: Longhurst has joined forces with Ross Stone and Caitex for his 2000 program.

The Caitex Havoiine Falcon looks sure to move the Queenslander up the grid this season.

(Photos by Dirk Klynsmilh)

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11 February 2000

23

AUSTRALIAN DRIVERS CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW

Stop Simon Wills

By AARON NOONAN

Having Havoline; Longhurst’s new look has already attracted plenty of attention.(Photo by d» Kiymmith) interesting and closer. HRT have been doing a better job. that's why they’re winning the races.

It’s now fair and for the first time since I’ve been involved in motorsport that it’s fair and equal.

getting punted, but there’s been many races where I’ve been able to go back through with our team previously and say,‘Wow, we've run just as fast as the leader or faster than the leader but we've finished 10 or 15 seconds down because we’ve lost 20 seconds on the first lap’.

Then you’re racing with someone else and I remember the scenarios when HRT have had bad qualifying and have been back in the pack -they've had their ears boxed.

Quite clearly it’s all about qualifying. What will be nice this year is the format of the longer races at Adelaide, Canberra and even the first race at Phillip Island. It just makes it a little bit more interesting but a little bit fairer if someone

MN: Qualifying has had increased importance over the past season or two with so many Pro cars and teams in the series. Just how important is it now and is that where the secret to winning these races is, rather than just being a fast driver in a good car?

TL; Without a doubt.

With the 20-minute race format, if you qualify in the first two rows you get a good result, if you get in sixth back to say 15th, it’s just chaos. You can end up

hasn't qualified quite so well.

MN: It’s been 12 years since you and Tomas Mezera won at Bathurst, and, you’re one of only a handful of drivers around now who actually raced then. Things have changed so much in that time.

TL: It sure has. It feels like only yesterday or last year. Ever year though that I’ve been involved with the sport, it’s just become tougher and tougher. I remember back in 1980 when Brock and Moffat were racing, and Kevin Bartlett was strutting around, they’d qualify and there’d be one and a half seconds between first and second places on the grid.

We’ve got 25 cars separated by that now!

WHILE Simon Wills may have domi nated Formula Holden in 1999, the 2000 season will be a little less clearcut.

There are no fewer than three other teams who have mounted serious attacks on the Birrana Eacing team and their Kiwi gun, all keen to take the title.

So, who has gone where during the silly season?

At Birrana though things stay pretty much the same. Wills returns to steer one of the teams’ Eeynard 94Ds, while another Kiwi joins him in the second car, that being LeEoy Stevenson.

Stevenson debuted in Formula Ford last year in a Spectrum and has been testing vig orously in the lead-up to Phillip Island.

Brenton Eamsay, who drove the second car last year, has stepped aside to concentrate on running the category’s PE and web site but may be seen later in the year in a third car, time and finances permitting.

After a toe-in-the-water exercise in 1999, Tim Leahey has linked up with Kevin Murphy Eacing to nm the 92D which Murph Jnr (that being Greg) has run with success in New Zealand. Leahey is firmly focused on the championship, while Peter Hill, who improved greatly dming 1999, will drive the team’s other car, a 94D. Leahey should feel confident for the first round, he was third quickest in PI testing a few weeks ago, and the car is the same one which Todd Kelly used to dominate the corresponding round last year. It was the only time all year that Wills was beaten...

The car which Leahey drove in four rounds last year, the ex-Scott Dixon 92D, will again return with Paul Dumhrell behind the wheel in Kmart/Castrol colours.

However the car has undergone radical changes. What started as a 1992 chassis, now in fact features a ’93 tub,’94 floor and sequential gearbox, and a ’97 front wing

assembly. Talk about mix and match!

Consistantly snapping at the heels of Wills last year was Chris Staff and Matthew Halliday, the duo proving to be the finds of the season with second and third in the series. The two Graham Watson-run cars wiU be at Phillip Island, but any further involve ment in the series is yet to be confirmed. If they do in fact run the full series, then both will be set to challenge the front runners.

One of the most exciting talents in Formula Ford in recent years has been Christian Murchison. ‘Murch’ debuted in New Zealand and showed considerable speed. While he hasn’t won too many races, the bespectacled West Aussie is electrifyingly quick and will head up NEC’s attack vnth Dale Brede. Just to prove that race drivers will go to any lengths to carry less weight and make more speed, Murchison was hospitahsed prior to Phillip Island to have a burst appendix removed but will be fine come race weekend.

Brede was second fastest in recent testing at Phillip Island and is probably the most improved driver in the series having strug gled for results with elderly cars in previous seasons. Both drivers will use 95Ds, while the NEC team will also prepare Eoger Oakeshott’s machine.

While the raised-nose 94D and 95D have been the form car in the last few seasons, Chris Hacking’s team is just one looking to out-do the late model cars with even later model cars, 98Ds fresh from the Japanese Formula Nippon series.

Craig Bastian is a certain starter in one car, while the other will be driven by Andy Booth at the ‘Island, the Kiwi who formerly ran in Formula Palmer-Audi in the UK. Of the rest, Lars Johansson will drive a 94D for Steve Cramp’s Manta Pacing, while Mark Ellis has recently purchased a 92D to make the field one of high quality.

The series will follow the Shell Series for six of its eight rounds, with the other two being on the Lites series calendar.

30 Years of success in

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24

11 February 2000 By TONY GLYNN

T

he V8 Supercar engine devel opment process has continued unabated during the last sea son and, as the 2000 season is about to kick off, the 5.0 litre Touring Car Chevrolet V8 engine developed by John Sidney Racing has effectively achieved parity with its Ford counterpart.

The result of an unrelenting Chevrolet in-house voyage of dis covery by Sidney last season, the parity achieved between the Falcon and Commodore engines is welcome news for the Clayton-based engine builder and his customers.

According to Sidney, “in the last six months, I really don’t think Ford has any more advantage motorwise over Holden’s Chev.

“I know from two Chev engines we do here that the dyno sheets for the Chev and the Ford engine we’ve been developing for a couple of sea sons are virtually identical.

“Certainly, they’re all within five horsepower of each other, the torque is within just a few numbers and there’s a similar pattern . throughout the range.

“At this point in time, there’s really nothing in it.”.

There is little doubt that the same conclusions abopt engine par ity have been also reached by oth ers within the local race car engi neering fraternity and Sidney was confident that his own experiences have, in many respects, parallelled the development occurring in the dyno rooms accessed by all the front-running teams.

The parity between theperformance two engine marques reflects the ongoing development work car ried out in three key areas camshafts, inlet manifolds (includ ing ram tubes and injectors) and the employment of significantly higher di-y sump vacuum levels.

The latter area has been some thing of a Sidney hobby-horse over the years and his investigative for ays into sump design in the speed way world have proven to be fruit ful, particularly in the high-horse-

Power parity... Ford and Chev will be level-pegging in 2000 fi fi

There’s really nothing in it,” says John Sidney

Pride in his work: John Sidney and the latest development version ol his-punchy, reliable 5.0 litre Ford V8 Supercar engine just prior to another dyno session at his Clayton, Melbourne, workshop.(Tony oiynn pic

power, high-torque Sprintcar ranks, where Sidney has carved out an enviable reputation with his injected 700-plus horsepower Chevrolets - and, along the way, the odd Ford powerplant.

But, while openly acknowledging the worth of seriously high vacuum levels and the measurable perfor mance gains resulting from a great ly enhanced oil scavenging efficien cy, Sidney cautioned that there were also a number of adverse sideeffects, including reduced bearing life, that had to be considered.

“The more vacuum you run, the better off you are,” Sidney explained. “Because you’ve created a hole in the atmosphere, there’s no

drag and the engine spins freer it’s as simple as that.

“Of course, the issue then is whether or not you can live with the consequences.

“But there are a lot of tricks you can get up to fix all that and we’ve done that for quite a while with our NASCAR engines and gotten away with it.

“We’re now getting a vacuum in our Ford and Chevrolet V8 Supercar engines around the 18 to

19 inch marks, which has a major effect on pistons and pins and so on,” he continued.

“But, if you run eight to ten inch es, you don’t have any trouble - by the same token, though, you also don’t get enough benefit.

“To clarify the gains, if you mn 14 inches of vacuum, then that’s worth somewhere around eight horsepower extra, while 18 inches is worth 12 horsepower.

“That’s all because we run a big-

Happy campers; Both Rod Smith (left, Tony Glynn pic) and Tomas Mezera (below, James Smith pic) have a Sidney Chevrolet involvement. Smith looking after Darcy Russell (tailing Mezera’s VT) and Mezera and his partner, Derek Van Zelm, working closely on manifold development on the John Sidney Racing dyno.

Second home: A focused John Sidney checks out a V8 Supercar Chev and confers with Mezera.(Tony Glynn pics)

.

ger oil pump which produces more suction in the engine than is required to pull the oU out.

“It’s sucking air out of the engine and producing a big negative in the crankcase, but you then have to address the problems that it causes with, for example, oil seals.

“Keeping oil seals alive for the l mUeage we require means we have to use something different from the norm - I don’t want to say specifi cally what they are, but they are ceramic coated so they won’t bum out.”

Ongoing sump development, area imder constant scrutinyan in the V8 Supercar category, is nonetheless rather constrained due to the installation difficulties imposed by the production-based four-door sedan designs themselves and also by the restrictive Touring Car class regulations.

While Sidney beheved that “the biggest sump you can put on the engine, the better,” he also acknowledged the fact that most suppliers won’t make large capacity sumps because of the installation difficulties.

“I would rather see a huge, ugly sump with all the necessary cut outs that will do the job better, rather than be obliged to accept what we’re currently using,” he said.

“There are people out there using freely available sumps that are wrapped around the crankshaft, which is the worst possible approach going, unfortunately what you need is a big box to make the oil drop away quicker and designs which reflect this view appear to be working the best.

“You know, it doesn’t actually cost the national debt to work in this area and, when you consider the massive investment required to find an extra ten horsepower all the way through an engine by any other route, the cost of vacuuming one means its a relatively cheap exercise.”

The inlet manifold Sidney’s current-spec Ford on engine has not evolved significantly from his earliest successful effort, though the Clayton-based engine builder is about to shift his focus from his recent Chevrolet fuel injection and management system investigative program and again concentrate on developments applicable to the next John Sidney Racing Ford iteration.

Plenty of poke: Ford Tickford Racing’s Glenn Seton runs his own detail variant of Sidney’s V8 powerhouse in his AU Falcon.

“As far as the Chev goes, I feel that the manifolds I’ve had to work with needed improvement, as much of the difference between the Ford and the Chev is attributable to the manifolding and, of course, the cylinder heads - the rest of these engines is basically the same, apart from the Ford having shorter rods,” Sidney said.

“For us, apart from vacuuming and running bigger sumps, the Chev gains have been in the ram tubes and injector position and also camshafts.”

And those gains have been quite significant - for example, 15 to 18 foot-pounds of torque at around 6000 rpm and about 15 horsepower - which meant that Sidney’s Chevrolets were now producing dyno printouts effectively the same as his Fords.

“We haven’t been involved in any reshaping of the €hev’s 18 degree heads, as we’re doing customerbased work here and the customers haven’t got an abundance of money to keep buying cylinder heads - if I had my w'hy^ I’d have a go, but its not really economically feasible at present,” stated Sidney.

“But, in the case of our own Fords, I have changed the cylinder head on my latest test engine, the inlet ports now being different and there’s a slightly different squish area in the piston.

“We have six camshafts with a lot of radical changes to put through our own Ford motor, along with four injection combinations of ram tubes and injector mounts,” he added.

We’ve also had four different exhaust header systems and think we’ve settled on a system that’s best overall from 3000-7500 rpm arriving at that final configuration was a particularly heavy workload and, in comparison, we haven’t really done anything with the Chev exhaust.”

Next season’s homologated 11 degree SB/2 small block secondgeneration head for the Chevrolet is similar to the current Ford 7.5 degree item in its flow characteristics - the SB/2 having moved away from the siamesed inlet ports of its 18 degree forebear - and Sidney can forsee many development hours on the dyno with the latest SB/2.2 variant this year resulting in an even more competitive Chev V8 for the 2001 season-opener.

“If you put an SB/2 cylinder head on a Chev right now, I think that, with what we know, it would shit on a Ford - right at this minute, the Fords we’ve been doing are only as good as the Chevs we’ve just finished developing,” he enthused.

“Over the past year, I would think that the Chev has seen about a five percent increase in power, which now puts it on the same footing as the Ford, so the introduction of the new Chev head will now require fur ther work on the Ford to allow it to maintain parity, regardless of the apparent worth of its own 2001homologated head.”

Considering the current conserv ative regulations regarding the 10.0:1 compression ratio and 7500

rpm upper rev limit - and bearing in mind the reluctance of the V8 Supercar rule-makers to open the performance floodgates for econom ic reasons - have the performance envelopes of the now similar Ford and Chevrolet V8s hit a plateau?

“No, I don’t believe so,” Sidney stated. “In terms of outright perfor mance, I don’t believe the regula tions will ever stop the growth in performance.

“Crankshafts now are half the weight they were twenty years ago, as are con rods and pistons and the valves everyone uses are titanium high-flow items - if we had the resources tojust do R&D on engines,I reckon there would be no upper limit.

“Just look at Sprintcar engines we have engines that produce 620 foot-pounds of torque at 5000 revs; three years ago, it was 585 foot-

pounds, so how good’s this?

“That’s all due to cylinder heads and cams and, while it appears to have come quickly, it hasn’t really, as there isn’t the money around to tiy something, find it doesn’t work, scrap that idea and then move on to something else, “The same situation exists with the Supercars,” Sidney continued, “so its not really surprising that its taken a long time to get the Chev up to speed and develop its potential so that it is at least up to the Ford levels of power and torque, But that’s what has finally happened and, with both engines now pretty well level-pegging it, the Falcon and the Commodore must be even closer to each other as far as parity goes - and that means this season should be really, really interesting.”

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S/r Frank Wiiiiams is one of Formula One's clear thinkers. But some observers think he may have gone too far In tossing the keys of a Grand Prix car to 20-year-old Jenson Button. Has he?

JOE SMWMRD spoke to them exclusively.

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OME people in Formula 1 think that Frank Williams has gone barmy. He’s signed up a schoolboy to drive the second BMW.Williams this year.

Others are jealous because they didn’t do it and are predicting that both Williams and Jenson Button have made a mistake. That it is too much too soon for Button - who turned 20 just a few days before the announcement that he would be Half Schumacher’s team-mate at Williams this year.

Wiiiiams is a famously cautious and conservative company but, when you stop and have a look back, Frank Williams and his partner Patrick Head have taken a few risks on drivers over the years. Back in 1982 they signed up Keke Rosberg when his record of success was rather limited. They signed Nigel Mansell from Team Lotus in 1984 when most of the FI circus had written off the Englishman after a disappointing couple of years with the Norfolk team.

And then, of course, there was Damon Hill, named as Alain Frost’s team-mate in 1993 and, after Ayrton Senna’s death, it was Williams which gave David Coulthard his FI break.

Choosing CART champion Alex Zanardi to race in 1999 was not seen in FI as being a risk - but Alex did not get the results expected of him. No-one in FI understands what happened - and neither does Frank. But he will not say any more.

“We decided that if Alex did not want to carry on - and our judgement was that he didn’t after various discussions we had with him - we would have to change and, by the time that decision was made, the choice of drivers was rather limited.

“Olivier Panis was so far down the road with McLaren that he did not want to change his mind. We had a look at Darren Manning, but he was not able to demonstrate what he could really do. He lucked out because the weather worked against him in the Jerez test.

“At about that time, Jenson was given a run in the Prost and that went very well indeed and we thought we should give him a run.

We had a little bit of spare mileage - not that finding free mileage is easy - but Patrick agreed that he was worth looking at-just in case he is as good as some people say he is.”

In the week before Christmas Frank rang Button on his mobile phone one evening when Jenson was out with some of his mates at a pub.

“I don’t remember exactly'what he said,” says Williams, “but he wasn't sure that I wasn’t pulling his leg. He was quite surprised. I must admit it’s an odd kind of place to start doing business. I am a stranger to pubs, as you know...”

The announcement of the second driver was delayed and Williams decided to run Button and test driver Bruno Junqueira in Jerez de la Frontera on January 14. This coincided with a disastrous spate of engine failures and neither driver achieved very many miles.

But Button got one decent run - and he left the team impressed.

“He did a limited amount of testing,” says Williams, “but he was certainly very competent given his age and his relatively small amount of experience in single seater racing.

“We felt that if he could go so quickly so soon, he must have great potential.

He compared favourably to Bruno - who is highlyregarded within the team and underrated outside it - but it was a very close decision. It really was.

“It was made 40 minutes before the start of the press conference. BMW felt that if all the press were there for the new car and the announcement of Compaq as the new big sponsor that it would be tidy to announce everything at the same time and it would be much appreciated by the press. They were right.”

The British press went bananas.

There were several front page stories in the newspapers. There were cartoons, comments in the editorials and the sports pages were full of the story. Button was going to be Britain’s youngest-ever FI driver...

There were, of course, those who doubted the wisdom of the decision. Jody Scheckter, Jackie Stewart and others reckoned it was far too early for Button. But Sir Stirling Moss thought it was a great idea.

“He already has excellent credentials,” he said, “and if he can rise to the challenge, he will become a very big name'indeed.

When I was young no-one ever gave me a chance. I’m glad things are different for him. It’s an amazing opportunity.”

Frank Williams admits that it is a risk.

“All driver choices are on the one hand calculated and on the

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V- ●

Master, Apprentice: Williams has won nine Contructors’ titles, and his drivers have seven Drivers’ gongs. Is Button (below) going to be his latest Jones and Rosberg or his latest Zanardi?

1

other gambles, unless you are negotiating with an Ayrton Senna or a Michael Schumacher - who can almost guarantee success for you.

When we signed Nigel Mansell in 1990 for the 1991 season we were thinking; ’Ooh dear. Is this the right thing to do? Remember that accident he had which we thought was a bit silly.’

“Things like that. You worry about everything. It’s all a gamble.

Younger drivers and older drivers each have their merits but, at the end of the day, you have to stick them in the car and back up your judgement and hope it works for you.”

One way or another, it is not

likely to be an easy year - with BMW coming into FI with a new engine and a new team of engineers. Climbing back up to the pinnacle in FI is not going to be easy. ’We had a few down years in 1988, 1989 and 1990,” Frank says.

“But it is harder this time around because there are more good teams about. The level of professional competence is rising steadily.

It is also more and more of an engine formula because the rules are so prescriptive and restrictive.

British natural engineering excellence is being stifled. Last year we did not have the best car but we had a good car. We had a good engine but not the best engine. If we had had another 40 horsepower on the occasions when the car went well - there were only a few of these because we just couldn’t get enough downforce on the car at a lot of tracks -1 would put it to you that Ralf would have won one or two races.

“Forty horsepower equals something like a second a lap and there were some-places where he was very competitive.”

So a great deal depends on the BMW engine? How is that

programme progressing?

We have a good relationship with BMW," Frank says. “You must remember that we have worked with them for two years on the Le Mans 24 Hours project, so we have got to know the differences that exist between our two cultures.

That was very successful but now we are on the FI stage in two months and we are getting serious about the need to perform.

‘They are very well-equipped.

We are counting on them.”

Williams reckons that as the general level of FI rises, his team is keeping up with the others.

“Our results don’t show it,” he admits, “but we are keeping up. In terms of size, competence, equipment and investment, we are as good as anyone else. We had an interviewee recently from McLaren and he said: ’McLaren has a lot of stuff but there are things you have that they do not have at all.’”

So what are Frank’s realistic objectives this year?

“We would like to see ourselves on the podium a few times,” he says. “It is not impossible but it is probably going to be more difficult than it was last year. That is the target.”

11 Februdry 2000

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23

Twenty-something

ing to have a fairly quiet JENSON Button was expect winter after a busy season racing in the British Formula 3 Championship. As there was not much happening in the middle of December Jenson decided to go off on holiday in Mexico with his girl friend. And then the telephone rang.

“It was Prost asking me whether I would like to test for them for a day in Barcelona,” remembers Jenson. “Obviously I said yes and we packed up and flew back a week earlier than planned. It wasn’t my first Formula 1 test because I had briefly driven a McLaren in November - as part of the prize for winning the McLaren Yormg Driver ofthe Year Award in 1998.

“The McLaren test was supposed to last for 20 laps at Silverstone but it was only 14 or 15, because we were running with wets and the track was drying out. There was not much point in carrying on because the tyres were gone.”

'The Prost test was also short but it went well.

“It was excellent,” says Button.

“When you put your foot down for the first time in an FI car it’s pret ty impressive - and a big leap up from Formula 3. But you get used to the power veiy quickly...”

And then it was back to Britain for the Christmas period. Jenson went down to his native Somerset and a few days before Christmas was out at the local pub, having a drink with some ofhis old mates.

“My mobile phone rang and this voice said it was Frank Williams calling,” Jenson remembers.

“I didn’t believe it. To begin with I thought someone was having a joke with me. When I realised it was him I ran outside to get some peace and had a chat with him. He asked me how the Prost test had gone and whether I thought I was ready to race in Formula 1. He was just touching base.

“After that I started thinking about getting a drive in FI this year but it was not until after Christmas that we started talking properly about it and then Frank said that there was a possibility that I could test alongside Bruno Junqueira.”

Button-Images; Young Button is bound to attract some fans in 2000. It’s hard to believe that he’s gone from his Sutton-lmages Mygale Formula Ford (below) to BMW.WilliamsFt in two years. (Photos by eSutton-lmages) On January 12 Button flew to Spain, expecting to stay at Jerez for three days. He and Junqueira were there to be compared. But the test car was causing problems and neither driver was able to complete many laps.

Jenson says that he wasn’t at all frustrated.

“When you are new and inexperienced in FI, you cannot wait to get into the car, so all the delays were not really frustrating. I just wanted to get on with it. In fact it was probably a good thing that we had so much time because as a result of fhat I got to know the Williams engineers and mechanics.”

The two drivers were invited to hype there were serious questions continue the test the following being asked. Is Jenson fit enough week in Barcelona and so Jenson for the drive? And will he be able to travelled up from Jerez to cope with the pressures?

Barcelona with the test team.

“I may have only been racing “I was expecting to be in Spain cars for two years,” Button says, “ for three days and I have been here but I have been racing karts for 10. ever since,” he laughs. “I have had I think I’ve learned a lot in that to buy new clothes as I have gone time to be able to handle the presalong. That’s a good thing because I sm-e.” now have a whole new wardrobe And the fitness? and the shopping is good in Spain!”

Tve got a month and a half,” he While Button was waiting, inter says, “and I’m sure that’s long est in him from rival FI teams was enough.” growing and other offers started to If everything goes to plan Jenson arrive. will spend a lot of his time in a “I didn’t get any other offers to BMW.Williams, beginning with a race this yeai-,” he says, ‘Taut I got week-long test at Kyalami in South two offers to be a test driver. One of Africa on February 8. . them was obviously from Prost. No, More than anything, however.

I actually had three offers to test...”

Button is looking ahead to the The shootout with Junqueira in Australian Grand Prix in Barcelona was also intemipted by Melbourne on March 12 when he mechanical trouble and it was not will equal Eddie CheeveFs record of until the afternoon before the 20 years and 53 days to become the WOliams announcement that both fifth youngest Grand Prix driver of Button and Junqueira were given all time. It will make him the decent runs in the car. youngest British FI driver ever, The following morning, as the FI eclipsing the record set in 1952 by media gathered in Spain, neither Peter Collins. driver knew who was going to get “It is pretty amazing to be the the drive. Frank Williams kept youngest British FI driver of all everyone guessing. When he and time,” he admits. “I do not know Patrick Head really made up then- much about the old days in FI. I mind to go with Button is a mys have watched a few videos with my tery but, according to Frank, it was Dad but I don’t think you can com only a few minutes before the team pare different eras because it was announced the deal on the moriring so different in those days.

“It is nice to be the first of a new of January 24. generation but I think that more It was only then that Button dis covered that he was about to and more young people are getting become the youngest British into the top level of sports at earlier Formula 1 driver of all time. ages; look at Sergio Garcia in golf “It was an incredible feeling or Michael Owen in soccer.”

And what does Jenson think he when I foimd out,” he says. “It was weird. I think more than anything can achieve this year?

“I really don’t have any targets,” else it was a feeling of relief afterall the waiting and testing. But it is he says. “I am just concentrating on very difficult to explain. I was the next few days. I am going home at the end of the week and then I tingly all over.

“Then I came out and I saw my am off to Kyalami. I am really just father and I said: ‘Dad, I’m a living from day to day at the Formula 1 driver’ and he was so moment and we will have to see happy that he started to ciy. It was what the first race brings, very emotional.

“At this time of year you cannot “I really didn’t have much time to tell what is going to happen think about it after that,” he because you do not know what the remembers. “We had the launch other teams are doing and it is dif and I spent most of the rest of the" ficult to make any judgement about day with the press guys. It was a the cars. We are pushing along with our own development progood day. ,“In the end, when everything had 'gi’amme. I’m really looking forward calmed down a bit, we went Out for to find out what will happen in a good dinner at a nice restaurant. Melbourne.

I have to admit that I did have one “All I can say is that I don’t thinic glass of champagne to celebrate. I that I am too young for FI. I think I might do a bit more cele- believe that what counts is being brating when I get back home after mature as a racing driver. This is all I have ever wanted to do - and I this test...

But amid the euphoria and the am loving every minute of it!”

Ybyppstilitti 9years 182.days MikeThackwell* Tyrrell Canadlaiii^Granttfrlx 1980 ietired Retired 19 years 208 days Ricardo Rodriguez Ferrari Italian Grandil’rix 1961 Minardi Australian GrandiRrik 1998 Rated 19 years 320'days Esteban Tuero 19 years 324 days Chris Amon Lola Belgian Grand'Prix 1:963 Retired 20years53days EddieCheever Hesketh Soutli Afritan-Grand Prix 19?8 Retired Williams Australian Grand Prix 2000 20 years 53 days Jenson Button Swiss Grand Prix 1952 Retired 20 years 192 days Peter Collins South Afriran Grand Prix 1993 Retired 20 years 295 days Rubens Barrichello Jordan 7th 20 years 301 days EliodeAngelis Shadow Argentine Grand Prix 1979 5th 20 years 338 days Bruce McLaren F2 Cooper German Grand Prix 1958 * The race was stopped soon after the start because of a multiple aceident. A newirace was declared but Thackwell did not take part as his car was taken over by team-mate JeanPierre Jarier who had damaged his car in the crash.‘

30

0,

n febmrylOOO

n Both Shirley Muldowney and John Force have signed on with goracing.com for the 2000 season. Muldowne/s deal allows the first lady of drag racing to return to the IHRA tour full-time while Force’s deal is a major associate sponsorship.

Goracing.com is a part of the Action group of companies, various scale collectable models of Muldowney and Force amongst the company’s top sellers. n The NHEA’s new 30minute magazine television programme, NHRA Heat, debuted on ESPN2 in the US last week. The show was the first of 24 episodes which will air prior to each NHRA national events this season. It is unsure whether the programme will make it to air in Australia, although a good guess would be, if it does, it will air on Optus and Austar’s ESPN sports channel.

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n Warren and Kurt Johnson will run Hoosier tyres this year, the switch from Goodyear being announced last week.

“Hoosier is much more entrenched in racing,” Johnson said about making the move. “I wouldn’t be making the switch if we didn’t feel competitive.”

Johnson ran the Hoosier tyres in the early ‘90s, only forgoing the brand to return to Goodyear when the NHRA introduced its controversial ‘four tyre, same brand rule’.

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H February 21 will be a day that Funny Car racer Gary Densham remembers for a long, long time. On that day Densham will join a list of a select few when he'gets to go for a ride with the US Air Force’s crack 6lue Angels aerobatics squadron, the veteran drag racer taking a joy flight in one of their F/A- .

18 Hornet Strike fighters.

“This is going to be exciting,” Densham said last week.“I’m used to five-six Gs in the Fimny Car, but fl3dng near the speed of sound in a stateof-the-art fighter will be one for the books.” @ Exide last week made official their return to Tony Schumacher’s championship-winning Top Fuel team for the 2000 - the batteiy giant previously having decided just weeks ago to pull the pin on their commitment.

“At the time we said we were getting out, it was purely for business reasons,” said Exide’s Gordon Lane said last week.

“Whilethe economic chmate at Exide remains difficult, we now realise we were premature in implementing an exit strategy...”

sM

Points lead: Gary Scelzi and Jerry Toliver took the first wins of the season in Top Fuel and Funny Car.

-4:. l -

Report by DAVID OSTASZEWSKl Photos by AUTO IMAGERY

I

T’s hard to believe that it’s been nearly three months since the last pass down the Pomona quarter mile sig nalled the end of the 1999 NHRA season.

It has been, though, and since it has been three short months, it meant that last weekend was the dawn of a

new racing era beginning with the AutoZone Wintemationals.

Naturally, there were many questions in regards to the new 90 percent nitro rule in the fuel classes but, if Pomona was any indication of what’s to .come in 2000, the rule will do exactly what the NHRA wanted - less downtime and closer racing for the fans in the bleachers and watching at home.

During the entire four days at Pomona, downtime was reduced to only an hour-

40 minutes - 30 minutes of which was for just one incident.

Sunday’s eliminations were finished in record time, just five hours-40 min utes, thanks largely due to no oil downs and the reduc tion of between-rounds main tenance from 90 to 75 min utes.

The first roimd of Top Fuel was completed in just 23 minutes and Funny Car took just 27 minutes - an incredi ble improvement over the ‘99 season finale.

The Pro Stock classes were also running new spec-fuel rules and, like the nitro class es, it appeared to work suc cessfully with the competition extremely close and exciting.

Fuel check: Aussie Dave Grubnic and Dale Creasy dis cuss the new 90 percent nitro rule with the NHRA’s nitro advisor, Ray Alley.

Not only did the fuel rules over Dixon standing as low produce a new look, so too et of the meet. did the new cars, new spon “This is my 15th [Top sors and many new faces in Fuel] win and I have to tell all the pro classes, along you that it feels every bit as with a number of significant good as the first one,” a jubi missing names - amongst lant Scelzi said later.

“I like rivalries, but I don’t those, Eddie Hill, Mike Dunn and Jim Head. hke eating crow - Tony’s the The new season and, dare champ right now and to beat we say it, new millennium him on this day, with the started off brilliantly for team working together the Gary Sclezi, Jerry Toliver, way it did is extra special. *Be’s got the number 1 on Jeg Coughlin and Bob his car and it means a lot to Panella Jr in their respective pro classes, each taking me and [team owner] Alan wins, although for some like [Johnson] and I’d be lying ifI Ron Krisher and Kurt said that we don’t want it back.”

Johnson,it wasn’t so good...

The downside for Krisher Johnson enjoyed a great and KJ came in the first weekend with Scelzi taking round when both cars got the win in Top Fuel while loose at mid-track.

Bruce Sarver, driving Krisher’s Eagle One Johnson’s new emoola.com Pontiac got completely out of Pontiac Funny Car for the shape, fell on its side and first time, survived until the crossed over directly in fi-ont semi-finals - the perfor of KFs Camaro. KJ swerved mance of the car indicating to avoid the errant Pro that they are sure to chal Stocker, lost control and lenge in 2000. struck the guardwall in the Schumacher’s beginning to opposite lane. Not such a his title defence looked good, good day... solid wins over IHRA champ KJ appeared to have it aU Don Lampus, the MGM repaired in time for round Grand Hotel fueller of Doug two, but, in reality, his car Kahtta and low qualifier Joe was mortally woimded and a Amato all impressive.

Amato had looked flawless hoped-for red light from George Mamell didn’t even with six strong back-to-back tuate. passes in the 4.6s, although after wins over Australian Dave Grubnic and ‘second past 300’ Doug Herbert, the celzi’s consistency was Dynomax car’s march was derailed when Amato ‘struck’ amazing, blasting out low 4.6s runs right throughout the tyres.

While the final result in the event before posting a 4.61/307 to stop defending Top Fuel was famihar, it was NHRA Winston Top Fuel extremely refreshing to see Champion Tony newcomer Melanie Troxel Schumacher’s 4.71/309. (seventh qualifier at Scelzi qualified second at 4.71/311), Bruce Litton, 4.65 and stopped Tim Robert Reehl, Lampus and Gibson, Cory McClenathan Bobby Baldwin all play and Larry Dixon during major roles in the event. eliminations to advance to the final - his 4.60/317 win

TOP FUEL

S

FUNNY CAR

Radical Firebird: Al Hofmann debuted the radical new 2000 Pontiac Funny Car body - Hofmann driving for Jim Dunn’s Mooneyes team this year.

(Photo by Les Welch/Courtesy Pontiac)

Terry’s Tohver’s signing of

holder of the ci the former fc

‘ace-tuner’ title belt, Dale Armstrong to the WWF team has already paid dividends with Toliver’s Stone Cold

U February 2000

31

n Tom Martino won the annual Pro Stock Superbowl in Houston, Texas last week,the final hit out before the beginning of the NHRA season.

Martino’s Don Ness-built Century 21 Pontiac ran a string of 6.8s/200 mph passes en-route to a final round trouncing of Allen Johnson’s Dodge. ●> laujwiBPgM

js.

Over the top: Ron “Crasher” Krisher turned the Eagle One Pro Stocker over in the first round of competition, while Kurt Johnson hit the wall with his ACDelco Camaro while trying to avoid the flying Firebird - KJ out for the rest of the event.

Defending Winston championNHRA Bob Panella Jr got his title defence off to a great start by defeating for mer Super Stock champion Greg Stanfield in a close, side-by-side, 7.54/178 to 7.56/179 race.

Workers comp; Tony Pedregon beat his boss, John Force in the second round. Pedregon lost to Toliver in the final.

Steve Austin Camaro taking back-to-back Pomona victo ries.

Toliver’s holeshot-aided 4.97/309 to 4.92/308 win was an upset one over Tony Pedregon’s Castrol Syntec Mustang.

Tohver quahfied the WWF Camaro second after briefly holding the number one spot on Friday at 4.91/310. When eliminations came, there wasn’t a more consistent flopper on the grounds as Armstrong provided the power and Toliver turned on the win lights - a 4.94/306 stopping Bob Gilbertson’s Pontiac, a 4.95/309 to 4.96/309 decision over Whit Bazemore and a 4.93/313 semi final round win over Gary Densham.

“We’re gunning for the championship and this is a great start,” Toliver said. “I was nervous every round, but I kept saying to myself, ‘Hey, to be the champ, you have to beat these guys’. I was in a zone today...”

Toliver said Armstrong’s presence has given him greater confidence.

Pedregon qualified eighth and, when meeting with Sarver’s Pontiac in the semi finals, ripped the low et of the meet, and the quickest Funny Car pass on the 90 percent rule, a 4.830/309.

Sarver enjoyed quite a debut in Johnson’s Rob Flynn-tuned fuel coupe, qualifying fourth at 4.96 and then downing A1 Hofmann and Del Worsham before falling to Pedregon thanks to mechanical woes after the burnout.

Like Top Fuel, Funny Car was full of new faces, although there wasn’t many absentees either. Sarver, Johnny Gray, Gilberston, Phil Burkhart and Kenny Sayers - all with new or near-new deals - all made the tough 5.163 cut.

'The names on the outside looking in were tough too with Scott Weis, Cristen Powell, Cru2s Pedregon, Scotty Cannon, Dhle Creasy, Terry Haddock, Larry Huff and Wyatt Radke all missing out.

PRO STOCK With business rival performance Summit Racing upping the ante, the Jeg’s Mail Order team need ed to grab some attention back and thej did just that with Jeg Coughlin - son of Jeg - repeating at Pomona, downing five-time champion Warren Johnson in the final - 6.89/199 to 6.95/197.

Coughlin and his brother 'Troy were strong all event in their Don Ness-built Olds Cutlasses, the Richard Maskin-led team almost dominating.

“We have such a strong team and it showed today,” Coughlin said. “Between my brother Troy and myself, we accounted for low et in seven of the eight rounds this weekend. That’s the sort of dominance that’s usually reserved for Warren.

“The NHRA’s new spec fuel rale has brought every one in this class a bit closer together and Richard Maskin has obviously done a good job

Qualifier: Aussie Dave Grubnic qualified in Top Fuel, but lost in the first round of eliminations, of matching it to our Jeg’s Mail Order Oldsmobiles.”

Johnson, on Hoosier tyres for the first time after sign ing a contract with the inde pendent factory, struggled during qualifying and record ed just a 12th best of 6.93.

WJ switched the rubber for the final session, going back to the Goodyears, how ever the Hoosiers reappeared for eliminations and the’ champ’s black and silver GM Goodwrench Service Pontiac posted consistent and strong wins over Biiice Allen, Richie

Stevens and George Mamel l.

New millennium, new fuel rules, new tyres for WJ... new champion in Jeg? It’s a long, long way around the US before they return to Pomona in November...

Jim Yates also showed his hand with the Ness-built Peak/Splitfire, top qualifying with a 6.878, although he was ousted by Mamell in the first round.

PRO TRUCK/TOP ALCOHOL

Stanfield cut a .406 light, but Panella was right there with a .415 - at the 1,000 foot mark the Panella power surging ahead to take a strong win.

Rick Santos stunned all present when he stormed to a string of incredible 5.3s ets in his blown alky dragster, besting with a 5.35/263 performances once never even considered from an alky burner.

Santos defeated Dale Carlson in the final 5.36/262 to 5.44/260.

Lany Miner took home the honours in alky Funny Car, stopping Jay Payne in the final round 5.68/256 to 5.72/234 - a string of 5.6s for Miner helping him lead the field all weekend.

Australian Steve Harker wasn’t present for the event.

NSW Aussie debuts In US 1#*^

Ifslvofite

H Mopar factory Pro Stock team owner Dave Nickens will supply independent John Geyer with a new hemi engine in time for Phoenix later this month.

Geyer’s Motown Missile Avenger ran its quickest ever numbers in Houston, but the new hemi powerplant is hoped to be able to put Geyer, and all the Mopar mnners, amongst the class’ leading runners.

B Kenny Koretsky ■returned to the seat of a Pro Stock car for the first time in 11 years in Houston and, the man who has teamed with Mike Thomas for this season, was impressed.

“Boy, these cars are a lot faster than they were the last time I drove one,” Koretsky admitted. “I’m glad we had tins week to knock off the rast!”

■ Fred Simmonds, Pontiac’s motor racing manager for the last two seasons, has been named manger of drag racing for the total GM group.

Simmonds has been \vith Pontiac since 1977.

1

Vxsr

n Ford driver Robert Patrick pushed his Pro Stock Probe through the 200 mph barrier for the first time at the Pro Stock Superbowl in Houston, running a personal best 6.845/200.42.

Patrick reported engine builder Sonny Leonard had found another 15-20 horsepower over winter and a new body rule which allows an extra five inches of front overhang for the Probe while standardising the class limit to 45 in, helped the Probe’s aerodynamics immensely.

iV -

hi

Expat-Australian Bemie Cunningham debuted his new Pontiac Trans Am in Stock at the Winternationals in Pomona with mild success. A four-time national event winner on the NHRA tour with his previous Aussie’ Nova, Cunninham qualified 18th in the 82 carfield and advanced to the third round of racing.

■ Dutchman Alex Joon failed in his bid to become the first native of Holland to qualify for an NHRA national event when a 5.95/246 run in his new, ex-Bucky Austin Pontiac alky Funny Car failed to crack the 16 car field, the bump being a slightly quicker 5.93.

Sweden’s Leif Andreasson did qualify with his Pontiac, a stout 5.77/246 placing him eighth.

2000 WmSTOM DRAG RACING SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS AT FiBROAPY 8, 200©

NHRA TOP FUEL SERIES 117 Gary Scelzi, Winston No Bull 95 Tony Schumacher, Exide Batteries .

78 Joe Amato, Dynomax/Tenneco . . . .

76 Larry Dixon, Miller Lite Racing . . .

54 Doug Kalitta, MGM Grand Hotel . .

54 Kenny Bernstein, Budweiser King. .

53 Doug Herbert, Snap-on Tools Cory McClenathan, MBNA/Circuit City . . . 52 33 Melanie Troxel, Darien&Meadows 32 10 Scott Kalitta, MGM Grand Hotel. .

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

%

NHRA FUNNY CAR SERIES

NHRA PRO STOCK SERIES

Jerry Toliver, WWF Chevrolet Camaro. . . 117 Tony Pedregon, Castrol Ford Mustang 93 Bruce Sarver, Emoola.com Pontiac F’bird, . 75 Gary Densham, NEC/AAA of So Cal Pontiac. . 72 58 John Force, Castrol Ford Mustang Whit Bazemore, Kendall GT-1 Chev Camaro. . 53 Del Worsham, CSK Pontiac Firebird 52 Kenny Sayers, Sayers Racing Ford Mustang. 51 Dean Skuza, Mateo Tools Dodge Avenger . 36 34 10 Jim Epler, WWF Pontiac Firebird

1 Jeg Coughlin Jr, Jeg’s Mail Order Olds. . . 117 2 Warren Johnson, GM Goodwrench Pontiac. 92 3 Tom Martino, Century 21 Pontiac Firebird ,76 4 George Mamell-, Dynomax Pontiac Firebird 71 5 Kurt Johnson, ACDelco Chev Camaro . . . . 53 6 Greg Anderson, Anderson/Pawuk Pontiac. . 52 7 Allen Johnson, Amoco Dodge Avenger. . . . 52 8 Richie Stevens, Velspar Pontiac Firebird. . .51 9 Jim Yates, Peak/Splitfire Pontiac Firebird . . 38 35 10 Troy Coughlin, Jeg’s Mail Order Olds,

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

32

Dud.

11 Febmiy 2000

n Veteran NHRA sportsman racer Bob DeVour has been appointed as an advisor to the sanctioning body on sportsman-related issues, it was announced last week.

DeVour, who is vicepresident of sales and marketing for Center Line wheels, will communicate directly with the NHRA’s new president, Tom Compton, on issues effecting the sportsman racer categories.

Xcessive McClure American/Aussie combo take second ADBA World Series round JOS. .

»

n The first of the ADBA’s Top Fuel World Championships, held in Melbourne last week, proved to be a big hit with web surfers around the world -the event being broadcast live on the net.

According to the webmasters,the ADBA’s site attracted thousands offans around the world, with many thousands more being locked out due to the traffic demand.

9 It was a battle of the egos in the commentary box at Calder Park last Sunday when Super Stock racer Nick Xerakis came face to face with radio celebrity and Greek Adonis, Guido Hatsis.

Triple M’s Hatsis appeared at Calder to give Xerakis a few driving tips in preparation for the^ Nationals and give him a look at what a real man’s abs and pectorals are like!

It is believed Hatsis’s version of the electric boogaloo left Xerakis, and a few skippy chicks, drooling... n Following the rainout of last month’s round of the Australian Pro Stock Series at Willowbank, ANDRA has approved an extra round to be scheduled on April 15.

The Pro Stock teams will again join the Top Doorslammers in headlining the show. n Perth’s Wayne Keys, once runner-up in Super Gas at the Nationals, became the world’s fastest BMW 7 series coupe owner on the weekend when his Murray Anderson-built beemer stormed to a 6.53/216 at Ravenswood. n Just how prolific is Murray Anderson at building the world’s fastest slammers?

Anderson has now built 16 doorslammers to exceed the once impossible 200 mph barrier - of course, Victor Bray’s 232 mph Castrol Chev being the world’s fastest doorslammer. n No comment? Word has a large number of members of the Victorian Drag Racers Club were a little bemused when a representative of the proposed Adrenaline visited the club last week and, apparently, supplied a list of subjects that he wouldn’t answer questions to...

JL

Too much,too strong: Jim McClure made it two from two in the ADBA World Championship.

Good show old man: American Chuck Haynes and part ner Leland Blee again put on a tremendous show with the jet dragsters.

(Photos by Ken Ferguson)

EXCESSIVE American Jim McClure’s and the Adelaide-based Xcessive Force team’s perfor mances seemed to be as they again reigned Gvfer an impressive field of the world’s best nitro Harley races at Willowbank last weekend.

The win, at Willowbank’s second round of the Castrol New Year Series, was the team’s second in as many weeks and again came over American Steve Moore.

Qualifying again saw Texan Johnny Mancuso grab the top spot, Mancuso’s 200 mph side-by-side run with Swede Charley Karling cre ating history as the first in 6.74/205 to Australia 6.76/200.

Two other riders broke into the sixes during qualify ing, South Carolina’s Bill and Furr (6.94/195) Dutchman Rob Van Geffen, the blower bike recording a 6.98/199.

Amazingly, McClure was stuck way back in 10th with

a 7.42, while the best of the all-Aussie contingent was Perth’s Ian Ashelford with a 7.17/189.

The first round produced the surprise of the event when Mancuso produced the quickest and fastest pass of the event on his bye run - 6.72/205 - but he struck problems in the braking area and was thrown from the bike when it began bucking from side to side.

Mancuso walked from the incident free of injury, but the bike careered into a tyre wall and was done for the night.

‘We’ve been quick here, but we haven’t had much luck,” Mancuso said after. “There’s a bit of work to do to get the bike ready for Adelaide, but we’re going to work hard to do it and we’re going to try and go home on a high by winning the last race.”

McClure and the Xcessive Force team started to get on top of things, in the first round a strong 7.01/171 get ting the win over Ashelford while round two produced a

better 6.86/193 to take out Van Geffen and again set up a final round with Moore.

“I love this country,” McClure yelled after step ping off his winning machine. “The ADBA and Ken McGill’s team have brought me to Austraha and, so far, it has been perfect.

We’ve taken two wins, the bike’s running better and I’m having the time of my life.

This is just great!”

Moore, while again playing the bridesmaid to McClure, was still happy with his run ner-up spot.

“We’ve gained some valu able points and we’re going to Adelaide next week with a chance of winning the World Championship. We’re looking forward to it...”

American jet dragster pilots Chuck Haynes and Leland Blee, on their second last appearance in Austraha before heading home after an eight week tour, again thrilled the crowd with their fire-breathing, heart-pump ing antics on the startline.

Hayens scored wins in the first two races in his Gravity Storm machine, running 5.91/273 and 5.78/266, before his starter motor failed prior

to the final run, handing Blee the win rvith a 6.08/267.

The blown,'dial-your-own Top Comp bracket produced three six second qualifiers, including Wayne Jones’s small block dragster and Debbie Reed’s similar car - Jones leading the list at 6.04/222.

Jones struck major tyre shaking troubles during the night. Using Hoosiers for the first time, Jones’s car shook so hard op one run the trans mission case broke.

None of the six second cars made it to the final of Top Comp, the eventual winner being Dennis Paul, his KBpowered rail recording a 7.55/183 to defeat Robert

McKiterick.

Jon Sting returned in style with his potent Buick-powered A/Dragster in Super Comp, qualifying third behind the record-breaking B/G Ford Probe of John Barbagallo.

Sting defeated the North Queenslander in the third round and then took out Ron Newton’s C/A in the final with a 7.12/186.

Other winners on the night included Daniel Peatey in Comp Bike, Graeme Frawley in Modified, Ricky Steffens in Super Sedan, Jeff Helmhold in Super Street and Kevin Brittain in Modified Bike.

-KEN FERGUSON

Easfrixlfer HHBil lap Filial Viariil mM QUALIFYING

ROUND 1 Stung: Jon Sting won Top Comp while American champ Bill Furr was stung

by Australia’s Brett Jonas in the first round of Top Fuel.

(Photos by Ken Ferguson)

.6.749 .6.764 .6.944 .6.983 .7.017 .7.045 .7.171 .7.214 .7.258 .7.427 .7.481 .7.680 .7.741 .7.821 .ntr

1 Johnny Mancuso, USA - 165ci Overkill ..

2 Anders Karling, Swe-113oi blown HD ..

3 Bill Furr, USA - 167cl Hammer 4 Rob Van Geften, NED - 115ci blown HD .

5 Steve Moore, USA - 158ci Fast Cat 6 Warren Hill, Canada-160ci Overkill ....

7 Ian Ashelford, Aust- ISOoi Overkill 8 Ken Kent, Canada -132 ci Delkron 4 cam 9 Ton Pels, NED - 160oi Overkill 10 Jim McClure, USA - 167ci Overkill 11 Mark Conner, USA-167ci Overkill 12 Brett Stevens, Aust - 167oi Overkill 13 Steve Little, Aust -114ci Harley 14 Brett Jonas, Aust-120ci Harley 15 Greg MacLean, Canada- 158ci Hammer

w I w I w I w I w I w I w I w

RIDER Ton Pels, NED-160ci Overkill Ken Kent, Canada -132 ci Delkron 4 cam Rob Van Geften, NED -115ci blown HD Steve Little, Aust -114ci Harley Steve Moore, USA - 158ci Fast Cat ....

Brett Stevens, Aust-167ci Overkill Anders Karling, Swe-113ci blown HD .

Greg MacLean, Canada - 158ci Hammer Jim McClure, USA-167ci Overkill ....

Ian Ashelford, Aust-160ci Overkill Brett Jonas, Aust- 120ci Harley Bill Furr, USA - 167ci Hammer Warren Hill, Canada - 160ci Overkill ...

Mark Conner, USA - 167ci Overkill John Mancuso, USA-165ci Overkill Bye

ROUND 2 w I w I w 1 w I

Ton Pels, NED - 160cl Overkill John Mancuso, USA - 165oi Overkill ...

Steve Moore, USA - 1S8ci Fast Cat ...

Rob Van Geffen, NED-IlSci blown HD Jim McClure, USA - 167cl Overkill ...

Anders Karling. Swe-113ci blown HD .

Warren Hill, Canada - 160ci Overkill ., Brett Jonas, Aust -120ci Harley

SEMI-FINALS w 1 w I

Steve Moore, USA -158cl Fast Cat ...

Ton Pels, NED-160ci Overkill Jim McClure, USA-167ci Overkill ...

Warren Hill, Canada - 160ci Overkill ...

FINAL w I

Jim McClure, USA - 167ci Overkill Steve Moore, USA -158ci Fast Cat

205.57 200.89 195.57 199.38 181.82 195.99 189.79 188.84 175.17 173.54 151.77 168.86 149.60 153.69

.RT ET Speed 565 7.203 177.24 7.398 191.00 487 520 7.037 195.57 608 9.677 88.20 530 7.177 175.99 594 7.703 167.79 610 6.953 188.99 555 8.421 149.70 475 7.013 171.95 458 7.290 185.80 560 7.752 167.35 524 29.167 14.13 689 7.432 192.22 462 7.686 151.11 6.722 205.95 486

.790

.448 .556 .819 .641

broke dnf 7.633 150.25 dnf 6.860 193.22 9.791 86.84 7.709 168.60 12.624 62.22

.535 .... .490 .656

8.466 136.99 broke 6.994 188.05 7.381 189.55

.462 .503

7.010 195.57 7.227 168.16

..453

DuWU’SUXI

11 Februdry 2000

Ridgeway's 7.61 Pro Stock stunner Quickest ever pass during pre-Nats Calder hitout has PETER Ridgeway used Calder Park’s pre-Nationals bracket attack event to perfection last Sunday, belting out the quickest Pro Stock pass ever recorded in Australia.

Running early-on in the event when, as Ridgeway described it, the track was “still a little green”, the former Australian Champion’s No Fear/John Williams Auto Sales Olds Cutlass recorded a stunning 7.618 nearly four-hundredths quicker than Bruno Cugnetto’s current national record.

“We’re pretty happy with that, but we think there’s still a little more left in it,” Ridgeway said after the run which also included a 177.90 mph terminal speed, one of the top half dozen speeds ever recorded for the class.

Ridgeway said the car’s sixty foot time, 1.10s, was “a little lazy” com pared with a 1.08s launch at the Pro

Stock Series first round at Calder in November.

Ridgeway’s run returns the Melbourne-based team back to favouritism for the Nationals follow ing two events when the red, blue and white Olds Cutlass fell off the pace - a small hole in an exhaust port found to be the source of the problem.

“We found one exhaust port to be a httle porous which caused a pin hole, the cylinder sucking in a little water and putting the ‘light out’, so to speak,” he said.

“The problem’s been found, fixed and the No Fear team’s had a great shake down for the Nationals - we’re now really looking forward to them.”

Cugnetto also tested at the event, albeit in the team’s back-up, yellow VPW Mail Order Cutlass, a 7.79s run from the national record holder an indication of just how strong Ridgeway’s pass was.

- GERALD McDORNAN

former champion smiling

Form guide: Former Australian Pro Stock champion Peter Ridgeway had a strong pre-Nationals hitout, turning in a quickest ever 7.618.(Marshall cass)

SEVEN-time Australian

Top Alcohol champion Gary Phillips has taken his first runs in his new Hold the line: The Cowin family’s US season will start later

Cowins on hold

2000 US season will get ojfto a late startfor Aussie TF team

By GERALD McDORNAN ANDREW Cowin’s 2000 Top Fuel campaign on the NHRA tour in the US is temporarily on hold following medical advice to team owning father, Graeme Cowin.

The senior Cowin suffered a heart attack in the US prior to last year’s season ending event at Pomona and, having travelled home to consult with specialists, has decided not to return to the US until he was given the okay to travel.

“I’m improving every day, but I really need to get my physical strength back to a comfortable level,” the 1987 NHRA Winternationals Funny Car runner-up said last week.

Son Andrew,the world’s quickest and fastest teenager (4.58S/313.58 mph)said that his father's health was the most important aspect that needed to be sorted before they returned to the NHRA trail.

“This is a family team and we can’t race without dad,” he said last week, citing the team also had other considerations to consider before boarding a plane again.

“The new 90 percent nitro rules and the

>

shorter turn-around times between rounds need to be considered.

“We really need more crew and more parts to help us respond to the new rules and, at the moment, we’re not in a position to handle them.”

Graeme said, while not forecasting a date for the team’s 2000 season debut, he had begun ordering parts and would look at hiring more crew to help them in the US. “It’s hard doing this all from Australia and, while we’ve tried so hard to remain all-Australian, 1 can see us hiring a number of American crewmen this year.”

Cowin is also waiting to hear back from tuning advisor Richard Hogan who played an important part in the team’s US Nationals runner-up last September - the team hoping Hogan will play a similar role with the K&N Filters/Auto Meter team this year.

Andrew and twin brother John, crew chief for the family’s top fuel dragster, will keep their eyes in while not racing in the US,the pair entered to compete with their 700 horsepower altered In Modified at the Australian Nationals at Calder Park next week.

n What’s going on in Pro Stock Motorcycle at the moment with racers sufFering more carnage recently than in the history of the entire bracket? Dale Gilbei’t’s D&D Industries Suzuki, ridden by reigning champion, again amongst the casualties, a broken crank for the second time in three meetings hurting the team’s preparation for the Nationals nejct week.

Phillips tests new top doorslammer

tlian originally planned.(Photob> Dave ostaszewsWj

33

Lucas Oil Products Top Doorslammer.

Phillips tested the Wayne Daley-built Studebaker at Willowbank last Sunday before departing for Adelaide where the fourth round of the doorslammer series will be run this week.

Speaking to Motorsport News on Monday prior to leaving for Adelaide, Phillips said the testing, which com prised four short runs, went to plan.

“The car did everything it was supposed to,” Phillips said. “We were restricted with testing due to a lack of safety personnel, but every thing seemed really good.

“We’ll go to Adelaide, do our license run on Friday and then play it by ear on Saturday - it’s really a throw away event which allows us to get fully used to the car and gather some data.”

Phillips said some of the data gathered on Sunday already has given him enough information to have him thinking about various gearbox and rear end ratios.

an area he believes most gains can be made.

“I know what my [fuel sys tem] customers are running and, bearing in mind I’m running different cylinders heads and a few other things, it’s all a lot different to what I think it will take.”

Immediately following Adelaide, Phillips will park the Lucas Oils doorslammer in favour of his dragster for the Nationals at Calder Park the following weekend - Phillips looking to take his fifth consecutive title.

- GERALD McDORNAN

n After an auspicious debut with his new Pontiac'Trans Am, where a broken heim joint nearly helped tip the car on its lid, Melbourne Super Stock racer Bruno Cavallo is looking forward to the Nationals.

‘We couldn’t believe what happened but, after we’d found the problem the car drove hke a limo,” Cavallo said last week.

The Cavallo Drainage team have freshened the engine for the HaasWayne Rowe-built C/Cas Firebird and Cavallo expects to be more than competitive at the Nationals.

“Qualifying will be tough and, provided things go smoothly, we should be in the show. From there, it’s anyone’s race.”

H Pro Stock Track racer Randy Daniels was awarded the inaugural “Like a Rock” award by Chevrolet at Pomona.'The award, which honours a racer who is “always there for his team and Chevrolet, is fnendly to fans whether he wins or loses* and who provides a clean and tidy work environment in his pits,” amongst other things, is voted on by all of Chevy’s S-10 pickup Pro Stock Truck drivers and carries with it a US$5,000 cheque! n A Pro Stock Truck Association has been established in the US with the fast growing category’s body already totalling 28 members.

Already a website for the bracket has been established at WWW.prostocktracks.com with the PSTA striving to further expand the new pro category’s exposure amongst racing fans.

Ready to run: Gary Phillips’s new Lucas Oil Products Studebaker doorslammer.

New Mopar Hemi makes Pro debut

dodge’s infamous Hemi engine has returned to official Pro Stock competition after an absence of over 20 years.

Three-time NHRA Pro Stock champion Darrell Alderman ran the first laps with Dodge’s new, third generation Hemi at last weekend’s Winternationals in Pomona, California.

And, while the hemi’s debut wasn’t auspi cious, Alderman switching to the older wedge engine before the end of qualifying, it did pro vide the factory and team with valuable data and scope for future development.

Speaking at the launch of the new engine at the nearby Sheraton Hotel in Pomona, DaimlerChrysler’s vice president of motor sport and Mopar Performance Parts, former Top Fuel racer, Lou Patane, said the goal of

the designers of the engine was “to revolu tionise Pro Stock and take it into the next millennium.”.

“To do that, we worked closely with [Pro Stock team owners] Larry Morgan and David Nickens and used their expertise to help develop the cylinder heads and engine block.”

The third generation hemi has been designed specifically for Pro Stock competi tion and already produces in excess of 1,250 horsepower - the design completely new from top to bottom.

Unlike the previous 426 cubic inch version, the 500ci hemi’s spark plugs are not centred in the combustion chamber although, as with the 426, the block features deep skirts and a shallow oil pan.

n As reported in Motorsport News in early January, America’s largest performance parts mail order company.

Summit Racing Equipment, has signed a multi-year agreement to sponsor the IHRA’s national series-the series now to be known as the IHRA Summit Drag Racing Series.

Summit’s sponsorship of the IHRA joins their expanded involvement with numerous teams on different levels in both the IHRA and NHRA,and the NHRA’s ET racing series.

34

11 February 2000

n It was a bad weekend for the Dodge factory at Pomona with just one of their nine ●I

il

!t li

representatives, albeit the non factory-backed Allen Johnson, qualifying in either Pro Stock or Pro Stock Truck, and reigning NHRA Super Gas champion, Sheldon Gecker, crashing.

Gecker, enjoying ofScial Mopar support for the first time, crashed and flipped his new Dakota r/T pick-up in the first round and withdrew from the remainder ofthe event.

■ Just two weekends before the 34th annual Nationals at Calder Park, ANDRA’s Victorian Divisional Director, David Baker, was ‘thrown out’ of a bracket attack meeting at the track.

Baker’s penalty from further participation in the event, believed to have been handed down by meeting director Graham Wheeler, was for exceeding 15 kmh along the track’s back straight.

■ With just a week now remaining before the annual “big go’ it’s interesting to hear that Baker, through his position of DD, is ' investigating an alleged breach of ANDRA rules which may lead to a tribunal for Wheeler!

Baker told MN on Monday that he was looking into a passenger ride that took place at the bracket attack event with Triple M’s Guido Hatsis involved.

Baker said he hadn’t seen any written documentation prior to the run which, apparently, is a pre requisite.

Come on bpys...

■ ‘First in the fives’ fuel bike rider Larry McBride has thrown out a challenge to Harley rider Mark Connor, with the two expected to swap rides later this year - the “Spiderman” believing he can beat Connor.

The challenge was thrown down during a late night bench racing session last week, the two obviously enjoying themselves too much to realise when the best time to stop was!

■ Further to our previous brief concerning the success of the ADBA’s live feed of the Harley Top Fuel World Championship series on the internet, we hear that in excess of 6,000 people were trying to log on at one point last weekend.

■ 'The Semi-finals and final of the raininterrupted Andrew Rowe Memorial Super Stock race will take place at Adelaide International Raceway this weekend.

international peace keepers: Legend Harley racer, American Jim McClure team teamed with Australia’s Xcessive Force team to win the first round of the ADBA Top Fuel World Championship at Calder Park. (Photo chns caner-

Champions of the World Report by GERALD McDORNAN

IT seemed appropriate that, at drag racing^s first true international cham pionship event,.an inter national force would storm to victory.

That was the case with the first round of the American Drag Bike Associations Top Fuel World Championship at Calder Park on January 29 when veteran American bike racer, Jim McClure, teamed with Australia’s Xcessive Force team to take victory over 16 of the world’s best nitro Harley racers.

McClure downed fellow American Steve Moore in the final round in the closest side-by-side race of the event - 7.21 to 7-34 - both riders more than pleased they’d been a part of such an his toric event.

“This win is tremendous,” McClure, who was a wild

card entrant at the event, said. “I’ve just come down to Australia to help [Xcessive Force’s] Ken McGill and the team sort the bike and they’ve put together a strong combination that’s getting better all the time.”

Moore’s final round

appearance overcame a day of troubles, the native of Spartanburg, South Carolina improving with each nm.

“We took a little time get ting used to the track and air, and we tried a new Hoosier tyre, so we had a hard day,” Moore said later.

“It was tough, but the team worked hard and we came through with a good resrdt I’m pleased.”

The ADBA’s last two Top Fuel champions, Johnny Mancuso and Bill Furr, had different events, Mancuso top qualifying with a strong 6.82/200 run before advanc ing to the semi-finals while Furr, who qualified seventh.

iasyrifler ADBA Ttip Fuel WeHci Cliaiiipioiisliip - Rd 1 ROUND 1

RIDER w John Mancuso, USA-165cl Overkill ...

I Steve Little, Aust - 114oi Harley w Warren HIM, Canada - 160cl Overkill I Ian Ashelford, Aust-160ci Overkill w Jim McClure, USA-167cl Overkill I Greg MacLean, Canada - 158ci Hammer , w Ton Pels, NED-160cl Overkill I Kim Leonard, Aust - 118ci Delkron w Anders Karling, Swe - 113cl blown HD ..

I Brett Jonas, Aust -120cl Harley w Steve Moore, USA - 158cl Fast Cat I Bill Furr, USA - 167cl Hammer w Rob Van Geffen, NED -115cl blown HD .

I Mark Conner, USA-167ci Overkill w Ken Kent, Canada -132 cl Delkron 4 cam I Brett Stevens, Aust-167ci Overkill

RT .512 .476 ..500 .490 ..593 .broke .617 .873 ..577 .650 .544 .541 .478 .489 .475 .492

ET 7.084 7.810 7.400 7.706 8.993

Speed 196.24 165.68 184.31 144.92 109.43

7.391 9.121 7.748 15.192 7.330 9.409 6.947 8.521 7.592 7.742

157.61 98.29 125.9 nsr 170.22 91,52 202.74 105.55 181.01 148.63

w John Mancuso, USA-165cl Overkill ...

I Warren Hill, Canada-160ci Overkill w Jim McClure, USA-167cl Overkill I Ton Pels, NED -160ci Overkill w Steve Moore, USA-158cl Fast Cat I Anders Karling, Swe-113ci blown HD w Rob Van Geffen, NED-115cl blown HD I Ken Kent, Canada - 132 ci Delkron 4 cam

.494 .555 .484 .547 ..493 586 .510 .497

6.915 8.021 6.899 7.656 7.181 11.229 6.970 7.410

202.20 149.37 201.38 180.90 183.00 71.22 200.40 188.71

w I w I

.446 .493 .481 .863

7.474 9.852 7.860 14.998

167.81 100.40 179.89 48.79

.511 .495

7.215 7.347

196.07 188.04

ROUND 2

SEU/ll-FINALS

Jim McClure, USA-167cl Overkill . . . .

John Mancuso, USA - 165ci Overkill Steve Moore, USA - 158cl Fast Cat Rob Van Geffen, NED -115ci blown HD ,

FINAL

w Jim McClure, USA-167cl Overkill . ..

I Steve Moore, USA - 158ci Fast Cat

experienced troubles and lost out to Moore in round one.

Furr did, though, provide the ride of the event in quali fying and, perhaps, one of the most spectacular runs in drag racing history.

On Furr’s last run the left handle bar broke, but the American wasn’t fazed, grab bing a hold of the forks and staying on the throttle until he finished his 7.40s/80 mph pass!

Europe’s three riders were considerably impressive with Charley Karling, Rob Van Geffen and Ton Pels all run ning strongly.

Karling set top speed of the meet at 204.26 mph while Van Geffen advanced to the semi-finals before los ing to Moore.

Australia’s representatives didn’t have a great event with each qualified rider, if you pardon the pun, falling in the first round, while Queenslander Joe Edmunds literally fell during qualify ing.

Edmunds, although con scious following the 170 mph incident, was airlifted to hos pital as a precaution when his blood pressure dropped -

Blown away: Swede Anders ‘Charlie’ Karling set top speed of the meet with his blown Harley, above, topping 204 mph, while Dutchman Rob Van Geffen rode to the semi-finals on ihis impressive home-built machine.(Photos by chns caaer)

a broken shoulder the main injury.

Canada’s three flag bear ers had similar days to the Australians with Ken Kent and Warren Hill advancing only to the second round while Greg MacLean’s new bike broke an engine in qual ifying and couldn’t front for the first roimd.

Controversy pre-empted the event with Canadian Ron Houniet and Dutchman William Been, both who had earned their spots in the field by rank ing in the top four points in their respective nation al series, being denied entry visas by the immigra tion department and Houniet Been’s member ship of the Hell’s Angels motorcycle club behind the reasoning.

Been resigned himself to not being able to attend any of the while events Houniet’s bags remained packed.

What you lookin’ at? Australia’s Brett Stevens [and American Johnny Mancuso both studied the '"Calder Park track prior to their first round matchups. Mancuso advanced, Stevens didn’t.

(Photos by Chris Carter]

l l l l^

ready to fly to Australia at any moment, with solicitors engaged to file an appeal.

Sadly, while on a racing level, the ADBA’s first roimd was a major success, on a financial level it was a disas ter with a “modest” crowd turning up.

The ADBA’s Peter Salmon had hoped for better and, while he says it is unlikely the world series will return to Australia again, he was more than thrilled with the final product.

U Februdiy 2000

35

NSW town uproar over Rally USA Australian Safari verdict postponed until 2001

THE mid-western NSW

town of Mudgee is up in arms over the latest

episode in a six-year bat tle to bring an overseas competitor in the Australian Safari to jus tice, after a tragic road accident which left an 11

I i-t.'jrJl.-l . i

SKODA wii contest its first-ever Safari Rally this month, after the Czech team’s Octavia Rally Cai'(engine bay pictwed above) was tested in a week-long session m Kenya in preparation for the AMean event, which runs frpm February 24-27.

German Armin Schwarz tested the car for four days, with Luis ClimeBt taking over for the final three days.

Altliough the team is new to one of the world championship’s most gruelling events, both drivers know what to expect - Climent has previously won the Group N production category in Kenya, while Schwarz led for a wMe on his last visit with Ford. -PETER WHITTEN

liri

Formerly based in the Mundaring Weir area to the east of Perth, the event moves south this year into the heart of Western Australia’s wine and i● tourism region.

Headquartered in the seaside city of Busselton, approxi mately 230km south of ■ Tommi Makinen, Mika Perth, the rally will centre Hakkinen and Ferrari’s on the picturesque timber Jean Todt were the stars of town of Nannup,some 60km the FIA prize-giving at the inland, with drivers covering Monte Carlo Sporting Club eight special stages and 134 in Monaco. competitive kms over each In front of some 500 day ofthe April 1-2 week ■s end. guests, including Prince Albert of Monaco, the gov“All but two stages of the eiTiing body of motor sport rally start within five kilo presented its prizes for 1999 metres of Nannup,” said at a glittering star-studded Tapper “and all the stages start and finish within close gala dinner, with all the principal winners present. proximity of each other.

The really big cheers were We’ve set it up so that it’s for the World Champions. easy and convenient for First of all came Tommi crews and, with average Makinen and his co-driver temperatures in the low 20s Risto Mannisenmaki. at that time of year, it The Finnish driver was should be a pleasant couple collecting an unprecedented of days for all concerned.” fourth consecutive World While the location and the Championship award, just course have changed, the days before his 2000 World WACC says that there is Championship campaign one key feature of the begins in the Principality.

Respect Yourself Forest Among those present at Rally that is just too impor the awards ceremony were tant to switch - the gala, fonner World Champions free to public promotional start in the heart of Perth’s Jody Scheckter, Ari Vatanen, Nelson Piquet, Forrest Place shopping Jackie Stewart and Didier precinct on the Friday night.

Auriol.

Event regulations for the 2000 Respect Yourself Forest Rally will be posted ■ Western Australia’s out late Januaiy. Entries Respect Yourself Forest open on February 1 and close on March 8.

Rally - the opening round of For further information the 2000 Australian Rally on the 2000 Respect Championship - has rein vented itself for the new Yourself Forest Rally, con milleniiim and, with a new tact Ross Tapper on (08) 94514764, between 9am and ‘holiday’ location, new roads, 12.00 noon (Western better conditions, more Standard Time), or email stages and more competitive kilometres, the organisers forestrally@bigpond.com.au are promising an event that will set the standard for ral■ Following on from the lying in the 21st century.

‘The roads chosen are successful and popular absolutely brilliant,” said rallysprint conducted last West Australian Car Club September, Victoria’s North Eastern Car Club will con president and event organis duct a similar event on er, Ross Tapper. ‘The entire course is in pine plantations April 1. on well-maintained, hard Aptly named the “Fool’s Day Rallysprint,” the event clay roads. They are twisty wiU be held in the Meiriang roads with a few high-speed pine plantation south east of sections - really enjoyable.

Wangaratta and promises It’s a rally driver’s par adise!” competitors brilliant roads

By Peter Whitt Editor-Ausiraiian Rallyspod Tommi’s award

WA paradise

Driver’s roads

and a friendly, fun atmos phere.

'Two eight km sections have been chosen by direc tor Graeme Handley and these will be contested in both directions during the day, offering around 80km of competitive driving for the day.

“We’ve worked hard to pick some of the best roads in the forest,” Handley said “and we believe competitors will really enjoy what I think are real driver’s roads.”

'The event will start at approximately 9am on the Saturday morning and will conclude at around 5pm that afternoon.

Spectators will be well catered for and service crews will also be able to spectate.

Supplementary regula tions's^l be available veiy soon - contact Graeme Handley on(03)57222350 ah, or email him at: ralsport@netc.net.au

TV dates n Network 10 have released the on-aif dates for telecasts of this-yeaFs Australian Rally Championship drivers’ and manufacturers’ series events.

The dates are as follows: ARC Preview March 26,12.30pm Forest Rally Day 1: April 2,1.30pm; Day 2: April 16,1.30pm Rally of Canberra Event wrap-up: May 14, 1.30pm Rally Queensland Day 1: June 4,1.30pm; Day 2: June 11,1.30pm Coffs Harbour Rally Day 1: July 2,1.30pm; Day 2: July 9,1.30pm Rally of Melbourne Day 1: August 27,1.30pm; Day 2: September 3,1.30pm Saxon Safari Day 1: October 8,1.30pm; Day 2: October 22,1.00pm Rally Australia* Event wrap-up: November 26,1.30pm ARC Review December 3,1.30pm * The Rally Australia cov erage only features the Australian Championship crews.

Normal Rally Australia coverage will be televised as normal.

year-old boy dead and his family devestated.

The boy, Justin Buffier, was a passenger in a car dri ven by his father in August, 1994, when Sylviane Goutaland, a French com petitor in the Safari, appeared over a crest on the wrong side of the road and a head-on collision resulted.

Six years later, Ms Goutaland has had her charges heard by a French court and been found guilty of a charge equivalent to dri ving in a manner dangerous and fined just $1160, along with anl8-month suspended jail sentence.

The Buffier family and the town of Mudgee were appai-ently astonished by the low

●1?

penalty for the Safari crash, believing that Goutaland should have faced court in Australia and not France.

“She has employed delay ing tactics ever since the crash and now in France they give her a slap over the wrist, which does nothing to make us feel justice has been done,” said Justin’s father.

‘These people should be made to sign an agreement as part of entry that, if they commit a serious traffic offence, they will face Australian justice and that might stop them marauding all over the counti-y.

“If we caused a death on French roads, I am damn sure we would finish up in a French court and not get a leave pass to come back to Australia and dodge the whole thing for six years,” he added.

The Australian Safari has seen at least three deaths in its 15-year history, including the 1994 head-on collision and two competitor deaths.

JON THOMSON

tes ready

NEAL Bates and Coral co-driver Taylor are 99 per cent sure of con

testing the full Australian Rally Championship sea son in their 'Toyota CoroUa World Rally Car. Speaking from his Canberra workshop, Bates said that he was due to have a Bewdy: Neal Bates & 2000 ARC meeting with Toyota Bates said that nothing and that he expected that had been confirmed about everything would be con firmed. any new parts arriving for his Corolla, after the with “I expect we’ll enter the 2000 season with the best drawal of Toyota Team Europe from the world package we’ve ever had,” series.

Bates said. “Last year we “Until Toyota work out improved the engine as the what’s happening with all year progressed and got used the parts, we won’t know, to the Michelin tyres, but but We’re ever hopeful,” this year everything is in Bates added. place, so we’re pretty confi -PETER WHITTEN dent.”

TOP-LEVEL internation al rallying will not be returning to the USA this June as originally sched uled, the organisers of Rally USA postponing the event until 2001.

Although organisers aren’t indicating exactly why the rally has been postponed, it is thought that a lack of sponsorship funds has led to the one year moratorium.

“We want to emphasise that this is a postponement of the event and not a cancel lation. We have every expec tation that the 2001 event will go on as scheduled and we intend to reapply to the FIA for a suitable calendar date in 2001,” said Executive Director of the event, Dennis Dean.

“We have faced many unforeseen challenges associ ated with bringing an inter national rally to a new venue in the United. States, but we have been extremely grati fied by the enthusiastic reception from every corner of the international rally community,” said Dean.

Rally Australia Clerk of Course Garry Connolly has been consulting with the organisers of Rally USA in Colorado over the past couple of years, as he has done with ■ the organisers of the Rally of China - but, without largescale support from a govern ment, as is the case in Perth and Beijing, it seems, despite goodNOrganisation, Rally USA was stmggling for ftmds.

Support for Rally USA apparently remains strong throughout the rally commu nity, Ford’s Martin Whitaker, Director of European Motorsport, said the Blue Oval has been planning on competing in Rally USA’s inaugural event since they first learned of it.

“While it’s disappointing to hear of the postponement, knowing the talents avail able to the organizers, we fully expect to see a topnotch event in 2001 and we will do ever3dhing we can to support it,” said Whitaker.

-JONTHOMSON

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By Martin D Clar n Winston has increased it’s points fund to $10 million in 2000, announcing in January its doubling of the 1999 fund.

The champion who received US$2 million ft'orn a US$5 mil lion points fund last year will receive US$3 million this year.

The runner-up will take home US$1 million, this of course is in addition to any race purses- the 20th-placed driver will receive $160,000. The new purse is more than the whole fund for the first seven years when Winston start ed backing the sport in 1971.

S An announcement is expected at Daytona that Petty Enterprises will join the Mopar fray, along with possibly Bill Elliott, who is expected to relin quish his owner’s role to drive one of Ray Evemham’s Dodge Intrepids. Evemham’s other pilot will be a rookie, possibly young Casey Attwood, who has shone in the Busch Series.

B International Speedway Cor’poration has started the baU rolling with a survey on whether to bring NASCAR ra.cing to the heart of New York with a track planned in northern Jersey.

The track giant, owned by Roger Penske and Bill France Jr, has formed a partnership with Donald Trump to build the facili ty ifthe study shows a sizeable interest. It will take armmd a year to complete the study and, as three rtacks - Pocono, Watkins Glen and Dover Downs- are all within 200 miles ofthe proposed site, if the plan goes through one venue will lose a date.

Controlshork Ui S tkaae OK Thumbs upfor NASCAR move by most teams after Daytona and Talladega testing, but not from an unhappy Jeff Gordon FORD and GM teams have been testing at Daytona and Talladega using a new shock package issued by NASCAR. The governing body will issue all teams the same shocks for qualify ing and racing at the high-speed restrictor plate tracks, to prevent teams from lowering the cars to gain extra downforce and an increase in speed.

Some drivers wear boxer teeth guards during qualifying, where they.experience bone-jarring rides as the cars lap in ‘how low can you go’ guise.

“Now we’ve run the shocks and . had time to think about and evalu ate it, it’s going to save some money and some testing'time,” said multiDaytona pole winner Mike Skinner’s crew chief Larry McReynolds.

But Jeff Gordon thinks NASCAR has gone too far with its new shock mle.

“It’s almost taken so far the other way where the cars aren’t handling as well,” he said.

“I think a little bit of rebound would be nice to have back in the shocks,just to hold the car and con trol it over the bumps.

“If you slow the cars down, but the cars are moving around more, that defeats the purpose,” Gordon added.

“I’d like to get some feedback from the other drivers and see what they’re saying.”.

During Ford testing at Talladega, former driver Buddy Baker turned the fastest speed while testing Rusty Wallace’s Taurus (1881708 mph), while Sterling Marlin in a Monte Carlo was fastest of the Chevy bunch at 187.153 mph at Daytona.

'The speeds are a reduction of around ten miles per hour over 1999 qualifying.

- MARTIN D CLARK

Not so keen: Shock rule doesn’t satisfy #24 Jeff Gordon.(Martin d ciark pic)

n Rick Mast has been officially hired as the driver for Larry , Hedrick’s Chevrolets, with Phillipe Lopqz as the crew chiefno sponsor has been announced, but Exxon is still the rumour.

0 P.J Jones, 30, son of the 1963 Indy 500 winner Parnelli Jones, will compete for rookie of the year honours in the Busch Series. He will be driving for a revamped Bace Motorsports, which won the series champi onship with Johnny Benson and Randy LaJoie for three straight years fi-om 1995-1997.

Jones had nm the CART series in 1999- he’s also raced USAC midgets and IMSA GTs. n Although only expected to run a handful oftest laps following his back surgery, Mark Mar-tin completed all 45 minutes of a drafting session at Daytona. n Bill Davis Racing - with dri vers Ward Burton and Dave Blaney - will, along with Petty enterprises, switch from Pontiac to Dodge in 2001; nothing official yet, but expect an announcement in Daytona. n Winston Cup rookie Scott Pruett, driving for Cal Wells, will also enter the NASCAR Busch race at Daytona, filling in for rookie Anthony Lazzaro in the PPI McDonald’s Ford, after Lazzaro did not meet NASCAR rookie requirements for a super speedway event.

Circus heads west BARBAGALLO Raceway in Western Australia will be run ning a series of NASCAR sup port races this Saturday, Barry Blake having put together a road racing package in Perth for the Australian super speedway stock cars.

Heading the entry list for the Blake initiative is reigning NASCAR Champion Kim Jane, the triple titleholder running a Chevy Monte Carlo out of the John Sidney Racing workshop in Melbourne.

Jane is justifiably regarded as the man to beat and, given the team’s dominance on both oval tracks and road courses under guru Sidney’s guidance, the outcome should be a Jane benefit.

Road racer Andrew Miedecke is scheduled to compete, as is WA

hard charger Neville Lance, the lat ter proving to be a competitor of note in his Ford Taurus and likely to present a serious challenge to Jane’s authority.

According to both Calder Park Raceway and Barbagallo Raceway, at least 20 NASCAR competitors will be in attendance.

Two qualifying sessions are listed for Friday, the Saturday afternoon race schedule comprising two 12lappers, four two-lap sprints for the top eight qualifiers and a 45-lap final at 5:45pm that includes a com pulsory pit stop.

The lights will then be turned on at the venue for Round 2 of the Smokefree WA Night Masters Series, a state racing series cur rently headed by reigning Australian Sports Sedan Champion Tony Ricciardello.

Motorsport numbers game

THE ESPN sports poll has reported a slide im-motGr racing inter est ^ in 199'74998, the poll showed a 2.4 percent decline and in 1998-1999 it lived another 3.2S percent.

NASCAR is, however, on the opposite end ofthat scale, with atten dances and TV andiences up for the most part.

Also, the World of Outlaw Sprintear series- had a greater spectator showing than NHRA drag racing in 1999. - MARTIN D CLARK

WINSTON Cup Champion Dale Jarrett will sport a new look for 2000- no moustache,something the stock car legend's had - MARTIN D CLARK since he was 1^6 years old.

Russian roulette... the NASCAR way ON the new 2000 licence forms issued to the media, NASCAR added a fourth para'graph in the middle of legal jargon that many did not see - ultimately, though, this addition has got the media mad.

Summing-up The paragraph, it states that any media item obtained at a track remains the property of NASCAR - pho tographs, interviews, TV and radio shows... everything.

Furthermore, it states that any thing prior to this year that was obtained by that person shall also

be “the creative property of NASCAR.” Tim Sullivan, the communica tions director for NASCAR,took the media concerns to the governing body’s headquarters at Daytona Beach and was promptly fired from the company, although NASCAR stated he ‘left’ his position!

Talks of a media boycott were in the air, but doubtless nothing will come of this and life will go on - at least until NASCAR steps in to retrieve something they want from a press person and then the free dom ofthe press will be a concern.

n Anthony Lazzaro’s debut in NASCAR racing with Cal Wells’PPI group has been delayed till the Rockingham Busch Series race on February 27.

Lazzaro was scheduled to make his debut at Daytona, but because he crashed in his ARCA debut at Talladega, he was unable to meet the eligibility requirements ofNASCAR for superspeedway racing this sea son. n Tony Stewart now has a contract signed with Joe Gibbs through 2001, with an option for three more seasons.

Good as gold: Contrary to rumours, Tony Stewart is with Joe Gibbs.(Mocpic)

Many had speculated tliere was trouble between Gibbs and Stewart, because of Stewart’s on and off-track antics during the lat ter part of 1999. n Junie Donlavey, now in his 51st year as a NASCAR team owner, has secured sponsorship for the Daytona 500 from Hills Brothers coffee and Nestle with driver Ed Berrier.

If sponsorship is not forthcom ing following the event, Donlavey will likely sell his operation.

n Fred Graves recently confirmed that his son, Andy,is to be crew chief for a Chip Ganassi assault on Winston Cup competition in 2001.

Graves will move back to the Charlotte area in June to start the operation. n Team owner Joe Falk will field an entry with his #91 Chevrolet at Daytona for Andy Hillenburg - if sponsorship is forthcoming, Falk is prepared to run the fiill sched ule this season.

- MARTIN D CLARK

11 February 2000

Kiwis too aood NEW Zealanders Jonathan Reid and Ryan Grant (Mari/ Italsistem/ Bridgestone) overcame two of Australia’s best drivers to win the inaugural FMK Trophy of New Zealand at Hamilton’s Power Beat Raceway last month.

hyofNZ

Senior 8CA

A small Australian contingent competed at last weekend’s 5th annual Winter Cup in Italy, where over three hundred dri vers competed in frigid weather conditions, with temperatures often below zero.

Unbeatable: The nostrils of NZ star Jonathan Reid,(sean Hensheiwood pic) to start the main event and Dan Abbott, who has only just recently moved up from juniors, appeared to struggle, coming home ninth.

Results: 1 Jonathan Reid 30 laps, 2 Troy Hunt -8.792 secs, 3 Joshua, Franklin -11.445, 4 Matthew Tlqmilton -11.688, 5 Tim EdgeU -13.939.

Junior ICA While Reid effectively dominated proceedings in senior ICA, Ryan Grant went even better in Juniors, qualifying fastest, winning every heat, the pre-final and the final.

The only time the Aucklander was not fastest was during practice, where Australia’s Regan Payne set the pace prior to Grant bolting all the fast bits on.

Did that worry Ryan?

“I didn’t really think about it that much. I just stayed focused and got on with it” he said.

Once again, Payne suffered from clutch problems, which resulted in several lost positions at the start of the heats.

New Zealander Colin Corkery also proved competitive, taking a

consistent run of seconds before a dropped chain in the pre-final caused his retirement and relegat ed him to a grid 12 start for the 30lap final.

Payne overcame his difficulties in the heats to also start off the front row.

Payne finally made a good start for the final - in fact, an excellent start, Regan leading off the line and the first person to head Grant all weekend.

But it didn’t last. Grant slipping by at the hairpin on the opening

lap.

From there, Ryan controlled the race and was never challenged, tak ing the win by 16 seconds.

Payne was in contention for a comfortable second position, but his wretched luck struck again, a flat tyre on lap seven ending his race.

By this time, Corkery had sliced through tbe field to take up second, ahead of Marshall Lewis.

Results: 1. Ryan Grant 30 laps, 2. Colin Corkery -16.013 secs, 3.

Marshall Lewis -19.164, 4. Justin Herbert -22.189, 5. Paul Cameron -30.601.

-MARK WICKS

EARUS m

—T—

Trans Tasman Chatienge?

OFFICIALS of the Mew Zealand Kart Fedefation andi the Australian Karting AssoGiation had nnofficM talks at the FMK Trophy of New Zealand meeting regarding the possibility of a Trans Tasman Challenge.

While mo annoumeememts have been made, the concept makes sense in fact, the foundation for such a series is already in place.

The Oceania Championships in Australia towards the end of this year ' could be classified as the first leg of such a challenge and the Trophy of; Mew Zealand next January, which is already that country’s premier ’ karting event,,could be the second part. l l With a structured format and some promiotion. a Trans:Tasman ' -MARK WICKS Karting Challenge could become a reality

Aussies don't shine at Italy Winter Cm

Sydney driver Troy Hunt challenged Reid in the Senior Intercontinental A class, while Queensland’s Regan Payne took on Grant in Junior Intercontinental A. However, the locals had their competition’s measure and went on to take easy victories.

Reid set a cracking pace in qualilying to take pole and a new outright lap record, with Hunt second.

Reid won the opening two heats.

Hunt bouncing back for a win in heat three.

The pre-final was another Reid benefit, although Hunt seemed to be playing his cards close to his chest and cruising to another sec ond.

Hunt challenged Reid in the opening laps of the final, but was unable to keep the pace of the super-fast Kiwi.

“We had to backtrack our set-up a bit” commented the Top Kart driver.

“They [the Kiwis] all had a lot of bottom-end, because their engines were set up for their style of cir cuit.”

Reid opened a sizeable gap to Hunt, who in turn had a large break over Joshua Franklin and went on to score an emphatic victory“We just got the package together and it was just fast,” a happy Reid said after the race.

“At the start of the meeting, I didn’t think I’d be able to beat Troy.

I always thought he might -have something [extra]. But then we qualified fastest.”

Two other Aussies competed in Senior Intercontinental A. Linden Lumbewe put in some solid performances in the heats to line up sixth for the final, but failed

Ryan Briscoe, having switched from CRG to Tony Kart for the 2000 season, proved to be the sen sation in the lead up to the event, turning in times faster than team mate and former World Champion Davide Fore.

In fact, the super-fast Briscoe was considered THE pace in the lead-up to the event, Briscoe regu larly the fastest in the Formula Super A field.

Unfortunately, this^form partly deserted Briscoe in qualifying and he dropped back to ninth.

After the two qualifying heats, Ryan was back into contention and sixth overall.

However, a coming together with Italian Kosmic team driver Sauro Cesetti wrecked his chances of a competitive placing. . , Italy’s Fore went on to win the Super A class for Tony Kart, with PCR’s Tony Vilander, on Dunlop rubber, taking second.

Andrew Tomlinson (Tony Kart/ Vortex/Bridgestone) made his debut in Formula A, putting in a cred itable performance, particularly in one of the wet practice sessions where he was inside the top ten.

N€>B€>Dy

i

Tomlinson eventually qualified 56th after a lap that “was going really well until the last corner,” Andrew losing several tenths after dropping a wheel off the edge of the circuit.

Tomlinson was to start 19th in n his qualifying heat, but actually started 29th after the kart failed to start leaving the grid, then regis tered a DNF after contact with another driver.

This forced him to grid 16 for the last chance race, where the top six would progi’ess to the pre-final and final. Tomlinson moved up to sixth position, holding it for several laps before unfortunately suffering an engine seizure at three-quarter race distance.

Dutch driver Nelson Van Der Pol (Tony Kart/Vortex/Bridgestone) won the event.

Tomlinson will remain in Italy for the remainder of the month before competing at the Margutti Trophy on March 5.

The third Australian, Ben Horstman (Biesse/Fox/Bridgestone), competed in the Formula Super A class.

Although details are sketchy (news filtering through as this issue hits deadline), it appears that Horstman, who is a regular com petitor in Europe, ran into difficul ties in the final and did not figure in the result.

-MARK WICKS

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38 II Februdfy2000

0

Briefly Historic

The Historic Sports & Racing Car Association of NSW has had its activities somewhat curtailed this year because of the Olympic Games in Sydney. The traditional Eastern Creek meeting in September has been lost owing to the circuit surrounds becoming a giant car park facility during the Games.

This means there will be only three other meetings for the year - Wakefield Park on March 25-26, Eastern Creek on July 2223 and Wakefield Park on November 25-26.

n Not only was the VHRR’s Calder Park Practice Day on Sunday, January 30 an opportunity for 90 participants to sort out their cars and get their eye in for the coming Historic season, but it also provided valuable experience for 36 trainee flag marshals and training for several new fire and rescue personnel.

The day was conducted along the lines of a regular race meeting with scrutineering, the necessary paper work and drivers’ briefing preceding the untimed imns. Paifticipants were also briefed on the new regulations regarding^flags, and these were put into’ practice throughout the day to make sure drivers : understood and responded to the changes.

Obviously the message didn’t get through to some participants and a special drivers briefing was called during the lunch break to read the riot act! Thereafter the program went according to plan.

Grids were ai-ranged according to perceived laps times of the cars and the level of experience of the drivers commencing with newcomers and others running in engines, and evei-yone had the opportunity to have three sessions with lots of laps.

Several interesting‘new’ cars appeared including Doug Partington’s beautifully restored 1922 'Wikner Ford Special(a stoiy will follow in the next issue of Motorsport News on this fascinating car), and the very pretty Fordpowered Elford KM200 sports car belonging to John d’Asques.

The success ofthe day can be judged by the fact that the'VHRR signed up six new members, and all enjoyed the social bit at the end that reminded us of what race meetings used to be like.

Sincere thanks to Brian Simpson and the hard worldng team who organised the day. n The centenary of Lagonda in 1999 passed rather quietly in Australia, although overseas the celebrations were enthusiastically supported and a number of major events were organised to acknowledge the landmark.

Big Banger

The name Lagonda epitomises British grace and luxury, yet the founder of the company,one Wilbur Gunn hailed from Ohio, USA. Just before the turn of the century Gunn set sail for England, where he remained for the rest of his

Theory for GP

life.

The cars bearing his name also etched out a fine reputation in motor sport, their greatest success being an outright win in the 1935 Le Mans 24-hour race.

Although in financial difficulty, a 4.5-litre car was entered for the race after the company was taken over by business man A.P. Good.

In spite of frequent pitstops with falling oil pressure, drivers Hindmarsh and Pontes nursed the Lagonda home at an average speed of almost 125km/h to end Alfa Romeo’s chances of a fifth consecutive victory.

Joining in the centenary celebrations in 1999 were Bernie and Helen Jacobson from Melbourne who took their 1934 4-cylinder, 1.5litre Lagonda Rapier to Europe.

Bernie is a past president of the Vintage Sports Car _ Club of Australia, and in spite of describing himself as “an impecunious enthusiast,” managed to cover 14,500kms while they were away including seven intemational rallies.

1999 also marked the 75th anniversary of Monthery which has been called “the French Brooklands,” and the Jacobsons also found time to fit in a visit to the famous motorsport venue with their Lagonda.

S The RACY’S Great Australian Rally from Melbourne to Red Hill on Sunday, Januaiy 23 attracted 410 veteran, vintage and classic cars and motorcycles, and was described by the Chief Executive Officer of the RACY,Ted Johnson as “a magnificent display.” He reminded the audience that the RACY began in 1903 and knew what was required to keep motor vehicles going. He said with some pride that nobody failed to make the finish although a few had failed to make the start!

Most participants assembled at the MCG car park before driving to Swanston Walk for the official start, while 70 other vehicles began their run to Red Hill fi’om Frankston. ’These included a 1910-12 Thornycroft M2-40 truck with solid tyres and a top speed of 29km/h - even the shortened distance was a boneshaking experience!

A morning tea break was enjoyed at Mornington where the entire main street was cordoned offfor the rally vehicles, and then it was on the Red Hill via the picturesque beach road to Rosebud and the famous old hillclimb venue of Arthur’s Seat.

Oja

s l

Aussie know-how: Frank Matich smokes the tyres on his SR4-Repco. Look for action like this at Albert Park.

By BRIAN REED AT least 30 sports proto types from the ’60s and ’IQs, when CanAm and the Le Mans 24-hour classic in France were at their peak, will revive memories of a golden era of sports car racing at Albert Park in March.

Shannons The International Supersports Cup will see the “big banger’ sports cars from America, Europe and Australia taking to the track on three days of the Qantas AGP program at the Park.

Back in those heady days, CanAm gave North America a category to rival the thrills and speeds of European-based Grand Prix racing and was spearheaded by the legendary Stirling Moss. Other famous Grand Prix drivers to make the transition were triple Formula One champion Jackie Stewart, the stylish American Dan Gurney and New Zealand aces Chris Amon and Denny Huime. All added lustre to their reputa tions at the wheel of some of

the most brjitally powerful racing machinery ever assem bled - and a great deal of it was assembled by another Kiwi, Bruce McLaren, who took the title in 1967.

World FI champion of the same year, and fellow coun tryman Denny Huime won in 1968 and 1970 against the might of Lola, Chaparral, Ferrari and others before the arrival on the scene of the most powerful competition car of all time - the all-conquer ing turbocharged, 1100-plus horsepower Porsche 917.

Likely Australian entries for Albert Park include Aaron Lewis (Elfin MS7 Repco V8), the Elfin 360s of Steve Webb and Ian Ross, Alex Rorrison in the ex-Bob Jane Elfin 400 powered by a 4.2-litre Repco Max Brabham, Brunninghausen (Chevron B8), Alan Cruikshank Ric (Chevron B23), Bertschinger in the 5-litre Boral Ford, and Keith Berryman driving the 1967 Championship winning Matich SR3 powered by a 4.8litre OldsmobUe engine.

It’s an impressive local lineup!I

Star drivers and a journo for Dutton THE 40th aimiversary (celebrations of the Mini-have contin ued from 1999 into this year and a Group N Historic racing 1966 Cooper S will take part in this year’s Dutton Grand Prix Rally.

The car will be driven by former snowboard ing champion Nick Stillwell, and will be joined by one of the new millennium Minis with motoring writer Paul Gover behind the wheel as well as a 1998 model built at

Nick’s elder brother and former Formula

Ford champion, Michael, will take on the navigational duties for the event.

A third son of the late Bib Stillwell’s four sons will also contest the rally. B.S. Stillwell Motor Group Managing Director, Chris Stillwell has entered a 1988 Jaguar XKH coupe.

More than 200 entries had been confirmed by the start of the year, indicating that interest in the Dutton Grand Prix Rally remains high.

-BRIAN REED

Longbridge in the UK.

John Pitt Moffat to play Pied Piper hurt in crash MOTOR racing legend Allan Moffat will lead one

RACING enthusiast John

Pitt has been seriously injured in a crash at Oran Park during the running of the HSRCA’s opening meeting for 2000.

Pitt was competing in his recently acquired ex-Tony Norris Elfin Mono when he clipped the ripple strip at the dogleg before the main straight and ploughed into the concrete wall on the out side of the track.

He sustained serious head injuries and the Saturday program was abandoned while a rescue helicopter and l three ambulances attended the scene.

Pitt was airlifted to Liverpool hospital where he underwent major surgery and at last report he was in a critical but stable condition.

-BRIAN REED-BRIAN REED

of the major Ford Rally convoys into Melbourne in late March as a highlight of the company’s 75th anniversary celebrations in 2000.

The four-time Bathurst winner will be at the wheel of a thundering 1970 Falcon GT-HO Phase 2 similar to the car in which he scored his memorable first Bathurst victory for Ford 30 years ago in 1970. Even the colour of the car is the same Yermilion Fire!

Moffat brought Ford its first GT-HO endurance rac ing success at Sandown in 1969, going on the record back-to-back Bathurst victo ries in the big Ford in 1970 and 1971. He went on to score two more Bathurst and three more Sandown endurance wins in Fords and

Have you driven a Ford ... greatly? Moffat and GTHOs. drove Falcons to win three of his four Australian Touring Car Championship titles.

Moffat’s ‘Pied Kper’ role is expected to inspire many others to join his convoy, with Ford enthusiasts travel ling from Western Australia, South Australia, the Northern Territory and

Western Yictoria to take part in the festivities.

A second major rally will bring the Ford faithful from Queensland, NSW, the ACT and Central and Northern Yictoria for a special tour of the Broadmeadows plant and Falcon assembly line.

-BRIAN REED

n Cameron Gessner lapped strongly at Thursday’s practice, but ended up returning home before opening night. The tall Queenslander had been running Andrew Scheuerle’s spare motor, but Scheuerle struck head problems on Thursday with his A engine and needed to recall his loaned motor.

Scheuerle’s misgivings about running his B engine were quelled when he became the driver to pass the most cars on Saturday -the 25 year-old Toowoomba tearaway moved from 11th in the B-Main,transferred to the A-Main and finished the race a respectable sixth. n Barry Lawrence revealed after the main race that the team was confident of a Brazier victory once Max Dumesny quickly shot to the lead from lap one. “That told us Max’s car was set up for a fast early pace, whereas Steve had the Mopar Maxim set up to come on strong over the closing laps. n Local budget battler Tony Bartlett was the next most consistent performer for SA after March. Follovwng an excellent tally from Friday night, Bartlett only missed the A-Main cut by a mere two points, but did suffer an unusual incident during the B-Main, where the front mounts of his main wing were ripped clean out of his Gambler’s chasSIS.

n On the past four occasions the Sprintcar title has been held in SA,the Brazier family has won three times - and,just on 20 years to the day since Steve Brazier doubled his tally of national crowns at Speedway Park, his son has done the same, doubling his father’s tally at the same venue. n It’s worth remembering that Garry Brazier in car #21 was just 21 when he claimed Australia 1 for the first time. It’s also note worthy that Garry Rush was 37 years old at the time of taking Aust 1 for the fourth time Brazier is 10 years younger, with four national titles to his credit, underlining the potential to over take Rush’s haul of 10 titles. n 'The Y2Kruck factor was evi dent when Drew Kruck posted an excellent eighth in this year’s titles, earning entry into the main race with victory in the BMain. His Titan Garages team mate, Dean McComb,unfortu nately was unable to repeat his Masters success in Adelaide due to crashing heavily in his second heat. n Brazen perhaps, but certain ly a man of his word, Brazier won the $30,000 Sprintcar Showdown at Speedway City late January and told the crowd he would return in a fortnight to reclaim the Australian title.

At Friday night’s drivers’ briefng preceding national title time trials. Brazier made another pledge, to record a sub-12 second lap - other drivers scoffed at such confidence. He ran 11.99!

9 Not often that Steve Brazier misses the Kings Challenge and the Classic, but he had good rea son for being absent this year the master wrench was working flat-out preparing his son’s new mount for the Australian titles.

- DAVID MCNABB

%

Power house: Brash as always, Garry Brazier predicted last month he would return to Adelaide, dominate and win his fourth title. He did, he did and he did.(Pans chartesnonyLoxiey photos)

Brazier s fourth #1 SYDNEY

sensation

Garry Brazier proved too fast last weekend at Speedway City when he bolted aWa^ in spectacu lar, record-breaking fashion to claim his fourth Australian Sprintcar title.

Brazier was on board a new ex-Mark Einser Mopar Maxim which almost had wet paint as it was wheeled out for its first outing since arriving in Australia less than a fortnight before.

This car, with its Magnum engine and Brazier at the helm, com bined to put the highly sought title beyond the reach of the 43 other starters.

“It’s a great feeling for me. I don’t even know how far we can'take this motor,” the jubilant juggernaut said, referring to the unique Mopar engine.

Brazier took out the title, running home ahead of Max Dumesny, Nathan MacDonald, Kerry Madsen and Darren Jensen in a race which saw defending champion Phil March as the sole SA driver in the 40lap final.

A humid 35-plus degree day on Friday moderated for Saturday night’s big event and track staff were able to serve up an excel lent track surface.

Saturday afternoon’s final round of heats proba bly saw the track at its worst when it turned black early, tearing up several tyres, but prompt massag ing saw the surface return to “wickedly fast.”

Brazier started from posi tion one for the final, after advancing from the third row via the top eight pole shuffle.

In fact, he was the only driver to post much success in the pole shuffle and set a new two-lap record in the process, carving nearly 1.5 from David seconds Anderson’s record.

Alongside Brazier in the main was Dumesny, fol lowed by MacDonald, Tatnell, Robbie Farr, Ron Krikke, Jensen, March, Madsen, Anderson, John Shore, Jamie Maiolo, Pino Priolo, Drew Kruck and Todd Wanless. It was now down to business...

Dumesny found extra drive on the outside front row to rocket into an early lead.

The first of six restarts was needed after an open ing lap incident involving both Shore and Priolo.

Shore’s Havoline Eagle rolled out of the race and Priolo’s Yale Forklifts Maxim suffered front shocker damage, consigning the sandgroper to also sit this one out.

That gave reserves Garry Rush Jnr and Andrew Scheuerle their chance to join the 16-car field.

Dumesny was aboard the Sean EnterprisesWalvoline Maxim used by Danny Laskoski to win the previous week’s Grand Annual Classic and Max had been the benchmark so far during the national titles, finishing

both nights on high points.

The 40-year-old from Sydney lit up the Hoosiers at a withering pace on the restart as he led Brazier, Tatnell and MacDonald.

Dumesny was consistently clocking sub-12 second laps and seemed serious about improving on last year’s third placing as he opened up a small gap.

Krikke, in his final title appearance before retiring, was hitting the highline

and steadily drifted backwards, unlike March, who gained two places inside five laps, However, on lap 8, March’s Maxim contacted the rear of Jensen’s car, resulting in the local rolling, but able to make the restart. Two laps later, Wanless had his car hauled infield after hitting the turn 3 wall heavily.

With 22 laps remaining, Madsen’s Motor Up Grizzly advanced to sixth, while Scheuerle was also running well in ninth.

But, at the halfway stage, tragedy struck Tatnell’s desperate efforts to win the Australian title he has long coveted.

His Shell Helix Avenger limped to a halt at the turn 4 exit with a flat right rear - Tatnell’s tyre destroyed after running over a muf-

im,Sfaiiiw STEVE Brazier,a dual Australian Sprintcar Champion hhnself,is set to return to the US to work with longtime association Garry Stanton,folowing son Garry’s fourth Australian title.

On his return to the US,it is likely that the senior Brazier will be taking with him the Mopar engine that Garry used to win the title in

A perfect weekend: Not everything went Brazier’s way here he tangles with Phil March.(Photo by pans charies)

fler dropped from Farr’s car several laps earlier.

“I’d noticed the debris on l the track, which seemed to be a bunch of tearoffs,” Tatnell commented, as he surveyed the wreckage of another title attempt.

“I just have to put it behind me and get on with thenext one...”

March was the next casualty on lap 28, when he pulled infield with two plug leads adiift “Tthe defending champion always has the most to lose at these events. Next time, I won’t have the same pressure,” he said.

Meantime, Brazier had been rapidly advancing on the race leader and, on lap 33, he dived under Dumesny to hit the front, Two laps later another yellow light was pulled to remove Maiolo’s Maxim, which had spun with a flat left rear, For the restart, Farr was moved back to fourth place behind MacDonald after an infringement where the 1

Adelaide, the engine to be installed in a Stanton/Brazier*built Silver Crown cai’ to be driven by, none other than, A1 Unser Jr. The potent Stanton Mopar small block Magnnm engines, which the Braziers have now used to win two Australimii titles, also propelled Mark Kinser to the World of Outlaws series title last year.

BRETT SWANSON

Queenslander had been overtaken by Farr placing several wheels on the infield.

The determined Sydney driver set about reclaiming third, but on lap 37 ran too high, rolling the Avenger heavily. He was out...

Just prior, Jensen had slipped under Madsen, helping himself to fifth place, becoming fourth on Fair’s exit.

Brazier had all the answers after the final restart for the four-lap sprint to the chequer, hold ing out both Dumesny and MacDonald, who posted his best title podium finish.

Further back, Jensen’s hard work suffered slightly on the final lap when he allowed Madsen back into fourth. , “I stuffed up,” Jensen admitted, the Queenslander still happy to claim fifth.

Brazier in his amazing chariot performed victory donuts, a Polish lap of hon our and other indications of satisfaction as he pulled up on the main straight to the wild acclaim of the more than 8000 spectators many of whom had been won over by the display of sheer driving excellence.

“That was one of the best races where I’ve had to get past Max,” he chirped dur ing a lengthy victory speech.

Official finishers after Jensen in fifth were Scheuerle, Jackson, Kruck, Anderson, Rush and IWkke.

- DAVID MCNABB

40

11 Februaiy 2000

I

f you had suggested to Performance Wholesale’s Bill Mann a season ago that he should run a Sprintcar series over ten rounds and call it the Queensland Sprintcar Summer Shoot-out, he would have laughed right in your face.

Yet today, that’s exactly what this highly successful Brisbanebased engine/performance shop owner is doing, running a wellsupported and publicised Sprintcar racing series - and doing a very good job of it, too.

TONY LOXLEY managed to drag this self confessed worka holic away from his immaculate facility in an effort to find out just why he’s put his heart and soul into Australian Sprintcar racing and its future.

MN: Why would a successful businessman such as yourself decide to run a racing series for Sprintcars in Queensland when you could have put your sup port into areas of motor sport that may have secured you much more coverage in the long term?

BM; I’ll answer the last part of that question first.

I really don’t think we would have received any more coverage anywhere else within any other division of motor sport, over and above that we have received so far with the QSSS. We have done vei'y well particu larly within the print media and I’m happy with the way the print media and the promoter have sup ported this series.

For the last five years, I had been supporting drag racing and for the last three I have supported youth in drag racing by way of supporting the Junior Dragster scene - in fact.

I’ve fielded two cars over the last three seasons as a way of helping and personally assisting more teenagers to become involved in this family-based form of racing.

I absolutely love supporting teenagers and children in motor sport and want to help promote family values at the same time.

That’s very important to me, as I really believe motor sport’s future lies in our youth - support them and they’ll stay involved in the year's to come.

As for the Queensland Sprintcar Summer Shoot-out, well, I didn’t go into this thinking I was going to make a million dollars out of the publicity it generated.

I supported the Modified Spi'intcai' Association of Queensland (MSAQ) this season because I beheved that, if we could generate enough support with the racing we offered the fans, then we could increase car numbers, crowd attendance figui’es and lift the overall image of of both the division and the sport in ye'ars to come.

We need to go back to basics and once again promote family values and market the sport to the youth, if we are to build up our Sprintcar drivers as heroes once again and bring the crowds back.

That’s not happening at the moment and it needs to be addressed.

Some make think otherwise, but the QSSS isn’t a moneymaking ven ture on behalf of Performance Wholesale and Bill Mann - quite the opposite, if the truth is known.

MN: So when was the seed planted in relation to you run ning a Sprintcar series?

BM: Amazingly, it was only around three to four weeks prior to the racing season starting.

I had commenced talks with the MSAQ relating to assisting the club with a limited amount of support

%

Kfte Mam's dream

after BXI - who was the series sponsor the previous year - decided to end their support.

So, after we had several meetings with the MSAQ, the promoters and then I assembled a team to put it all together.

We had ever3fthing ready to go and that’s including the media launch, the banners, posters, apparel, decals and sub regs print ed and distributed - in around four weeks.

Bill Mann and his QSSS success story

To be honest, I didn’t initially want to support the series in such a large way, but then I thought I’d really make a go of it and see what we could achieve.

After pledging my support, I decided to try something different.

I put a package together where we could involve our main local dealers, promote products that we distribute and, at the same time, give the racers more prizemoney and make them'a little more acces sible to the public.

We wanted to give the fans better racing and that’s why we came up with the reverse grid 3x3 Shoot out. We also wanted to promote a family atmosphere at the QSSS, as well as family values.

MN: You put Dean McComb, who won the BXI series last year, on all the apparel andl posters this season. Why was that?

BM: Well, I just felt Dean and his sponsors deserved a little more credit for what they had achieved last season.

So, after I decided to totally sup port the series and take over from what was the BXI Series last sea son, I thought we should make the winner of every series appear on the following year’s apparel and posters etc.

It gives the drivers a little more incentive to. do well and, if they do win, then their sponsors will bene fit enormously from what we are offering.

I don’t think you could put a fig ure on the publicity Dean has received this season - and I know his car owner. Reeve Ki-uck, is very happy, because everywhere you look you see the Titan Garages Sprintcar on QSSS apparel.

MN: What was the hardest part of the series to organise, considering the fact the series was put together so quickly?

BM: All aspects of organising the series had their moments, but everyone was so positive that I think, in the end, they just went along with what we had to offer.

The promoters were very good to deal with because I think they saw that this series had the potential to inject some new life into Queensland Sprintcar racing, which was suffering very badly at the time. So they were fine.

The competitors - well, I think they are happy, although there are a few items we will have to address prior to next season’s series begin ning - but, overall, they’re support ing what we are trying to achieve and I think we’ll see some dramatic improvements in the depth of Queensland Sprintcar racing in the vei’y near future.

As for the sponsors, I believe they are also happy and I hope the fans are too.

In fact. I’ve met fans from as far away as Sydney, who-are traveling up to see our racing because of what

it has to offer fans and drivers.

That is important to me, as it shows there are plenty of positives about what we are trying to do.

MN: Bill. Would it be fair to say that you are in some way trying to take over Queensland Sprintcar racing and just run Sprintcar races under only the QSSS banner in that state?

BM: No, not at all. All I have ever wanted to do is to promote good Sprintcar racing, both in Queensland and throughout Australia.

I know, though, that there are some that feel I am trying to change the destiny of the sport for my own purposes, but they are not my intentions at all.

I enjoy Sprintcar racing and want to see it grow in Queensland and I only hope that’s what this series will do for our local racing.

So far, I think we are doing a very good job considering the time we have been running the series and I want to make it bigger and better down the line.

But taking over the sport! No way. I just want to make it a viable option for promoters, drivers, own ers and, above all else, the fans.

MN:So there will be a second, or even a third year of the series?

BM: Yes, I’m committed to run ning again next season and I’ll guarantee it will be bigger and bet ter than this year’s series.

There are some changes to be made relating to the points struc ture etc, but overall it will be the same as this season, though with a greater emphasis when it comes to

marketing the series to the family have a good, long, hard look at itself. group.

We’ve also just decided to fm-ther I firmly believe the sport needs a support via purchasing the naming dedicated, highly professional mar rights for the Sprintcar World Web keting arm to promote the sport on a national scale under the one banner Site and very soon we’ll have a QSSS web site up and running - and that the promoters, drivers, and that’s a very exciting deal for owners, officials and those that not only myself and my company, administer the sport need to band but for all of those who compete in together to form a solid, united front. the QSSS and support the series, This needs to happen in the very either through sponsorship, or near future if we are to capitalise through placing their bums on the on what I believe to be is one of the seats at each of our events. great spectacles in world motor We also sponsored the Australian sport- and sport in general.

Sprintcar Chamionships at In all honesty, everyone of those Speedway City, because I like what aforementioned groups need to the Speedway City promotion is work on a rock-solid compromise. attempting to do - they have plenty I also believe there are currently of balls and I want to show them too many categories in the sport how much I appreciate their and it’s impossible to administrate attempt to lift Sprintcar racing in a sport with 50-plus divisions all South Australia. fighting for a place on the national I guess what I’m trying to say is calendar’. that there will be something for I think the promoters need to everyone on our web sites - some inject some new blood into the sport thing for the racers and something - and that applies to those that for the sport and I sincerely hope administer the sport, as well as Sprintcar fans thi'oughout the world from a club level. enjoy what we are trying to do.

But the most telling factor, I believe, is that the promoters need MN: In your opinion, what is to work on how to get more people Australian Speedway doing through the gate, not concentrate wrongly? How would Bill Mann on how they can charge families improve Australian speedway more... that’s the most worrying as we enter the new century? factor of all - admission prices keep BM: I remember approaching a going up, yet the quality isn’t major speedway series not that long always matching the gate fee. ago offering my support and I was The sport needs to do some real basically asked to come back when soul seai’ching... maybe we’ve got to I made them a real offer - it was ask the fans what they want to see. that blunt.

I mean, as far as the QSSS is So I thought, well. I’ll do it concerned, they are the most impor myself and, now I have, it’s given tant aspect ofthis whole series.

If we don’t attract the fans, we me a real insight into how this sport works. don’t have a series - they are that In my opinion, this sport needs to important.

.

Setond Speedweek ave Series to USA's Midget Randy Hannagan victory Outlaws star Danny Lasoski dogged by engine problems

IT was a double honour for Randy Hannagan at the third and final round of the USA v WA Sprintcar Speedweek at Claremont Speedway on January 17.

Not only did he win the series over fellow Californian Randy Furr on a countback, but he was also inducted into the Claremont Speedway Hall of Fame in the track’s last season.

Hannagan finished the feature race in fourth place, behind even tual winner Mark Wells, Furr and Ryan Fan-ell.

This gave him 295 points, the same as Furr, but on a countback officials gave Hannagan the series, his second after he won back in 1998.

Promoter Con Migro was forced to run the show on a Monday after the scheduled Friday meeting was rained out - the decision to run the week-night show was reward ed with around 6000 attending.

Unfortunately, Bunbury pro moter Des Ferris wasn’t so lucky.

The scheduled fourth and final round was to be held at Bunbury on the Saturday night, with the Sunday reserved as the rain-out alternative, but heavy rain washed out any hope on either day.

The racing during what was now the final round was some of the best ever seen at Claremont.

A new Speedweek format saw the open cars start at the front of the pack for the feature race, but start a lap down on the 360ci cars in the 25-lapper.

It was an all-American front row with polesitter Danny Lasoski and Hannagan, closely followed by Furr and Pino Pi-iolo on row two Wells and Farrell were next, from six-time Speedweek winner Ron Krikke and Jamie Moon, Hannagan got the jump at the start and led from Lasoski, Furr and Wells.

Five laps down and there was no change at the front, with Krikke in fifth from Priolo, Farrell and Mike Figliomeni in a 360ci car.

The rules stated that if there was a restart in the first five laps, the open cars would go back to being a lap down.

On the sixth lap, Grant Bevan spun the #88 car, the outcome see ing the quicker cars on the same lap, but forther down the order in the nose to tail restart.

This saw Figliomeni lead from Phil Pack, Allan Nash, Gavin

Migro, Jeremy Warren, then Lasoski, Hannagan and the rest of the heavy-hitters.

With the clock showing 16 laps remaining, it was Lasoski in front from Figliomeni, Pack, Wells, Migro, Hannagan and Krikke.

Three laps later and Figliomeni was still in second, but was hounded by Wells and Hannagan, who were on the move.

Other movers were Furr and Farrell, who were now sixth and seventh, respectively.

With ten left it was Lasoski from Wells and Hannagan, with Figliomeni driving hard to hold down fourth - and Krikke, Furr and Farrell weren’t far behind.

Two laps later and Figliomeni’s underpowered #34 was mowed down by Furr, Farrell and Ki’ikke and, on the next lap, Nash looped his #51 Schnee in turn 3.

On the restart, Farrell went wide after getting the #24 Maxim hooked up in a mt in the first turn and dropped back a few spots, but was soon back on the hammer and moving forward.

With a couple to go, the Gaerte engine in Lasoski’s #83 Maxim let go while he was leading, a cruel blow for the 40 year-old World of Outlaws star, who suffered a simi lar fate at Bunbury in round two the previous weekend.

Wells inherited the lead in the #21 Murphy, but Hannagan was breathing down his neck in the #lx Hurricane chassis.

On the last lap, he tried desper ately to get underneath Wells, but spun on turn 4 and recovered to finish fourth, letting Furr and Farrell through.

Earlier in the night, Phil Johnson was involved in a bone jarring crash,on the main straight when challenged for the lead by Gavin Migro in a heat race.

Johnson’s #14 Murphy turned right on the main straight and slammed hard into the fence, spin ning and flipping the car.

The violent dumper saw Johnson’s helmet dislodged by the time the car landed upright, though completely destroyed Johnson escaped serious injury and could laugh about the incident when interviewed on national tele vision the following day.

The Speedcar feature race went the way of Nathan Ellement from the in-form Jim Fleming and Scott Glazebrook, while Super Sedan honours went to Tony Giancola from Peter Brook and Stephen Hancock.

-DARREN O’DEA

Max Dumesny Motorsport

AustraSmfTi Distributors for

Xoo$lrr

POPULAR NSW Midget pilot Dave Lambert and his potent Allen King-owned Morton & May Fontana scored a brilliant wire to wire.victory in the Victorian round of the NASR Tri-State Speedcar Series - it was Lambert’s second succes sive main event win at the Geelong quarter-mile clayway.

Representing all five mainland states, 34 Midgets lined the Avalon pits, with 16 VIC, 13 NSW, three SA, one QLD and one WA competi tors comprising the field.

Fastest time trial fell to former national champion Craig Brady(NSW) in his recently imported Esslinger.

However, he was obliged to bow to the dialled-in Lambert, who set the standard in heat one and again in the pole shuffle to determine the front row in the A-Main.

Six qualifying heats saw the 16 top pointscorers into the feature, the top eight shooting out the pole shuffle for the first eight grid spots - Lambert served notice that he was the man to beat by gaining pole position.

The B-Main saw young first year rookie Travis Mills again demon strate his potential with a cred itable drive to head home fellow Victorians Ray Bishop and Rodney Hudson-Davies, with South Aussie Snowy White making up the four extra second chance qualifiers into the feature.

The field of 20 starters for the rolling start 25-lap feature had Lambert and Brady up front, fol lowed by Darren Jenkins, Brett Morris, Troy Jenkins, Les Porter

SA

08 8332 0800 Fax 08 8364 0296

(all NSW), Darryl Bonnell (QLD), Glen Revell (ACT), Joe Little (WA), Christian Franzen (NSW), Paul Farrell (VIC), Dean Eden (NSW), Adam Baines (SA), Peter Bourke (NSW), Peter Ghent (VIC), Chris Gallagher (NSW), Mills (VIC), Bishop (VIC), Hudson-Davies (VIC) and Miite(SA).

On the green, Lambert got the jump from Brady, D Jenkins, Morris and T Jenkins.

The pace was a cracker through out the race, which included three red flag stoppages and a couple of yellows.

The first of the reds- was when young ace Baines was served a wheel in the top bend and executed a spectacular flip off the wall with a tailstand and rollover to finish upside down.

The restart was immediately into the second stoppage when T Jenkins, who was attempting an outside pass, collected-Jhe wall at the same spot and the crowd was treated to another heart-stopping flip.

Lambert continued to assert his authority as the green was shown,

Morris having relegated Brady to third.

But the most notable advance was being made by Farrell, who moved his Rob Brown Fontana up into the attic and found the right gi-oove against the cushion, most of the field running the basement down low.

For several laps, Fah-ell engaged in a thrilling dice with Bonnell, while Bishop in his Gaerte-powered Midget kept looking for the gate to open under the pair.

Then the third red flag was shown when a three-car tangle involving Ghent, Franzen and Mills entering turn 2 eliminated them with bent cars.

On the restart, Farrell took the high gi’oove again and moved up to fifth, gradually closing the gap to D Jenkins as Lambert took the chequered flag, followed by Morris and Brady. . Results: 1 Lambert, 2 Morris, 3 Brady, 4 D Jenkins, 5 Farrell, 6 Bonnell, 7 Bishop, 8 Little, 9 Porter, 10 Hudson-Davies, 11 Gallagher, 12 White.

-KEVIN EMMERSON

Over and out: Adam Baines (left) ends his evening.

Cutting loose: Winning drive by Dave Lambert (below) in the Tri-State Speedcar Series.(Emmerson pics)

1999-2000 S.R.A. SERIES POINTS SCORE Rd 4 Results, Western Auto 221112000

I. David Murcott 2. Chad Kemenah 3. Gary Chippendall 4. Tim McCubbin S. David Swayn 6. Rob Rankin For more information on Hoosier Drag and Speedway Tyres call: 7. John Vogels NSW: 02 9679 1990 Fax 02 9679 1187 8. Steve Knight VIG 03 9331 6477 Fax 03 9331 7444 9. Mike Van Brennem 10. Blair Jones

^^ RACBNG TIRE

Trashed: Sydneysider Troy Jenkins' wiid Avalon flip. (Kevin Emmerson pic)

Point Standings At January 22,.2000 I. Rob Rankin, Vic 60 2. David Swayn, Vic 20 ....

3. Francis Ramsdale, Vic 21 4. David Murcott, Vic 71 ..

5. Chad Kemenah, Vic 57 .

6. Francis Ramsdale, Vic 21 7. Rod Mathews, Vic 9 ....

8. John Vogels, Vic 70 9. Jeff Judd, Vic II 10. Ian Smith, Vic 57

1 154 1038 1004 .992 ,895 ,798 ,758 .750 ,702 .684

A.-FEATURE laps lead

LAPS

David Murcott, Vic 71 ...

Rob Rankin, Vic 60

,45 .25

David Swayn, Vic 20 .. .

Mike Van Bremen Vic 6 .

18

DASH WINS

.7 WINS

David Swayn, Vic 20 David Murcott, Vic 71 ...

I

David Swayn, Vic 20 ....

I

I

42

U February 2000

Kings Challenge win for Schatz

Report and pics by BRETT SWANSON THE American onslaught, which started in the Kings Challenge at Mt Gambler, con tinued when the circus travelled to Warrnambool’s Premier Speedway the next day for the Grand Annual Sprintcar Classic on January 29-30, 1998 Knoxville Nationals Champion Danny “The Dude” Lasoski overcing a smoking engine and a vibrating car to win the presti gious event at his first attempt.

Victorian-based American Chad Kemenah was second after also impressively winning Saturday’s feature, while Skip Jackson was once again the best of the Aussies when he fought off repeated chal lenges from Brooke Tatnell and Garry Brazier to secure third place.

Preliminary feature Lanky Yankee Kemenah, from Ohio, was the star of the opening More gold: Another win for US star Donny Schatz.(Brettswanson pic) night of racing in the 28th Grand World of Outlaws runner-up THE fifth Annual Kings Annual Sprintcar Classic.

Challenge at Mt Gambler (the Danny “The Dude” Lasoski looked Driving the Flocon Engineering annual Grand Annual Classic like setting things alight after Foster, he won both his heats and recording fast time and then win earned pole position for the prelimi warm-up event) belonged to ning his first heat. nary night’s 25-lap feature event. the large contingent of.

As top qualifier, he came from But countryman and fellow front American racers, who took the six in the dash to'finish fifth and row starter Randy Hannagan used “Is Tatnell the only guy coming?” trifecta as well as four of the was looking good in the feature his Warrnambool experience from Lasoski asked during the red light top five finishing positions at until a wheel broke and pitched last year to take the lead from the for the March incident. “Where’s he Borderline Speedway on the car into the turn 3 wall, slight Premier Speedway rookie. running? At the top? All the way January 28. '. ly injuringjiis hand.

However, when B-Main qualifier round?”

Motor-Up Grizzly pilot Kerry Lasoski’s qualifying time of Darren Jensen bumped the wall With all these questions Madsen led the opening nine laps 11.22 seconds just beat hard in turn 4 and then Phil March answered in the affirmative, from pole, until a deflating right Hannagan’s 11.26 and Schatz’s spun in turn 2 at the start of lap Lasoski knew what he had to do in reru tyre and a dud shock absorber 11.28, with Jackson on 11.34 and two, taking Trevor Green and Brad the five-lap sprint to''the end - go to Madsen on 11.39. ended a great drive and allowed Furr with him, the yellows flew. the top to take Tatnell^ line.

Andrew Scheuerle bent his Donny Schatz in the Bunbury A complete restart was ordered The final five laps were some of Toyota Maxim to record a close frame on the first lap of the first and Kemenah drove the car in the best action seen here for a long win from Danny Smith in the heat and Trevor Green bent his harder, but Hannagan again took time, as Lasoski went to the top Castrol Powermax Eagle and after he slammed into a spun Pino the lead with Lasoski in third. and, for the next three laps, Randy Hannagan in his Nettaxi Priolo in heat 2.

Kemenah started to close up on Kemenah led wth Lasoski right on Hurricane.

Heat wins were recorded by Hannagan as the track was going his tail and Tatnell running inside First Aussie home, or “first in Lasoski, Todd Wanless (2), Pete off and, as the pair came up to lap him. my class,” was Pennzoil’s Skip Smith, Cameron Gessner, Tony Jensen , who was about to retire These three guys displayed enor Jackson, with Ohio’s Chad Bartlett, Darrell Hodges and with a flat right rear, Kemenah mous skill, until Tatnell’s tyres Kemenah fifth in the Flocon Kemenah. made his move. went off and Madsen was able to The B-Main had Brazier and Engineering Foster.

Hannagan elected to go under grab third.

While Garry Brazier failed to John Shore off the front row, with Jensen and Kemenah went around Kemenah took a narrow win, his run a place, actually being the last Garry Rush, David Murcott, Bill both of them to take the lead. first in Australia, from Lasoski, car running, he was still the sen Bailey (USA) and Peter Attard From this point, Hannagan Madsen, Tatnell, Jackson, Schatz, sation of the night with his incred among the field. struggled and started to drop back Robbie Farr, Danny Smith, Bill ible antics in and out of the Shore, in the Caltex Havoline until he eventually retired.

Bailey, Chris Eash and Brazier.

Capalaba 4WD Wreckers Maxim.

Energy/Speedfreak Sportwear With the track black for the botTatnell scored a win for Australia Brazier had a tough run in his Eagle, led and won the B from . tom two thirds, Tatnell went to the when he took out the Australian second heat, which included a cou Brazier, Rush, Gessner, Darren top and was coming on strong, American Challenge Cup from Jensen and the rest. ple of spins. charging to third and Kerry Eash and Lasoski.

The second spin left him strand The 25-lap feature was punctuat Madsen doing likewise.

At the start of the night, Schatz ed on the infield, far enough away ed by yellows, firstly when Brazier On lap 21, Garry Brazier had a had set fast time after doing a pair fi’om the track to allow the race to stopped on lap 6, then on lap 8 spin in turn 3 and, as he recovered, of 10.53-second laps. ran without the need for a caution. when Lasoski slammed the wall, Madsen, Brazier, Jackson and he left March nowhere to go except Watching the race proceed with again when Nathan MacDonald over the front of the Brazier Hannagan were also among the out him, Brazier unbuckled from and Wanless clashed and, finally, Maxim. quickest. the car and pushed it to the edge when Wanless spun again. n Over and out: Titan Garages star Dean McComb The final result saw Schatz win of the track to force the yellow, by end for ended in spectacular fashion after Dave which time he was a couple oflaps from Danny Smith, Hannagan, McFadyen got sideways in front of him. in arrears - officials hooked the Jackson, Kemenah, Phil March, car up to the tractor and dragged Dean McComb, Brad Fuit (USA), it back infield as Brazier strapped Shore, Pete Smith and Tony himself in.

Bartlett. -BRETT SWANSON Runner-Up: Perennial tourist Danny Smith.(Brettswanson pic)

“V.:

Ray Scott scored a pair of heat wins, like Kemenah and single wins were recorded by Matthew Reed, Tony Bartlett, Cameron Gessner, Tatnell, Hannagan and David Swayn.

The Titan team suffered its first blow when Dean McComb rolled after Dave McFadden got sideways in front of him.

Rod Matthews had his second big dump in two weeks when he hit the wall after contact with Attard.

Dennis Burford led the C-Main from start to finish ahead of Daryn Maggs, who’d gone from fourth to second on the last lap with a pah' of daring passes on Rob Rankin and Adrian Maher.

The race had been red-flagged before it was started, after not enough cars had been notified that they were in the event.

Brad Furr won the B-Main, after race leader Drew Kruck destroyed his car when he clipped Bm-ford as he was lapping him.

Jensen, Bailey and Eash also went into the Feature.

The B-Main saw a potentially disastrous crash when Garry Rush’s rear axle broke and he hit the wall. The damaged axle also gouged a hole in the fuel cell and fire erupted as Rush struggled to extricate himselffrom the wreck.

Sprintcar CSasslc

The heats were reshuffled accord ing to points, with the higher pointscorers at the rear.

Schatz was in trouble even before hot laps, though, with an engine that wouldn’t run cleanly.

Luci Monte,in Pino Priolo’s spare car, won the opening heat in which Swayn rolled on the last turn while dicing with Kemenah.

Kemenah’s Flocon Engineering team-mate Steve Knight finally had his car running cleanly and won heat 12.

Heat 13 was unlucky for Madsen’s Motor Up Grizzly when he damaged it on the wall afer con tact with John Vogels - Peter Attard scored the win.

Green’s bad run continued when Priolo slowed on the opening lap of heat 14 and Green rode over him and rolled, injuring his arm slightly - Nathan MacDonald won and Mike Van Bremen scored in heat 15.

Darrell Hodges was the victor in heat 16 and a fired-up John Shore in the Caltex Havoline Energy Eagle drove brilliantly to win heat 17 from Schatz. l Mike Hanlon rolled out of heat 18, as did Maggs, Garry Rush the eventual winner.

MacDonald scored another win in the penultimate heat and Green scored his own double when he rolled again - “something broke, it just went straight in,” was Green’s fhistrated explanation.

The B-Main was one of the races of the night, Bailey (USA) beating pole man Shore off the line and leading the opening Stanza.

Shore was coming under pres sure from Jensen, but managed to take the lead from Bailey just before David Anderson rolled his car in the killer turn 4.

Pino ’n Trev: Heat clash between #8 Pino Priolo and Trevor Green, Bailey restarted at the front and Jensen slipped under Shore for the last transfer spot.

On the final lap. Shore’s Classic looked over until the pair entered turn 3 for the last time, a deter mined Shore diving cleanly under Jensen and emerging to cross the line behind Bailey as the last car in the feature line-up.

“I wasn’t lifting off for anything,” Shore said about his last turn move.

Jensen and Max Dumesny were the reserves and, for the first time, Dumesny had failed to make the feature.

The Classic feature now had Lasoski on pole from Jackson, Tatnell, Kemenah, Farr, Schatz, Brazier, Danny Smith, Madsen, Hannagan, Phil March, Furr, Wanless, Eash, Bailey and Shore.

All eight Americans had made the field, but Smith was late out the gate after dropping a valve in

his last heat and then borrowing Schatz’s spare.

Into turn 1 the best-ever quality field thundered, with Schatz pulling a huge wheelstand.

Bailey lent on Shore in tuim 1 and spun, while March was spin ning in turn 2.

From the restart, Lasoski led away, with Jackson, Kemenah, Tatnell, Schatz and Farr next.

On lap 14, Schatz hurt his engine and retired and, two laps later, Farr rode the turn 4 wall and nosed the car into the turf - despite not rolling, a red flag was waved and the field stopped.

Lasoski was in trouble - “it’s vibrating it’s ass off,” he told Dumesny. As well as that, the car was spewing oil out.

“It’s gonna blow up,” Lasoski told car owner Sean Carren.“What do you want to do? Do you want to risk it?”

With the oil topped up and the leak temporarily sealed, Lasoski

Shore thing: John Shore’s Caltex Havoline Energy Eagle runs shoulder to shoulder with Phil March - runner-up status in the B-Main behind American Bill Bailey secured Shore a spot in the Classic field, restarted in the lead and “ham the engine - victory over Kemenah, mered it” to the end on a win, or Jackson, Brazier, Hannagan, Furr, Madsen, Wanless, Eash, March, bust, mission.

A couple of laps into the restart, Bailey and Shore.

Lasoski then celebrated his victo Tatnell pulled a huge wheelstand out of turn 4 with a half-spirr as ry by doing a Polish lap. “l^en I came here, I didn’t know well and dropped a few places before retiring a few laps later, as much about the Classic, but it has did Smith with another engine the same atmosphere as the drama on the borrowed powerplant. Knoxville Nationals. It feels good,” With 15 laps left to run, Lasoski said.

Both Lasoski and Kemenah stat Kemenah moved into second and Brazier started to turn up the heat ed they’d love to come back next on Jackson. year “if invited” and, according to Kemenah was closing on Lasoski, Jim Knight, owner of Kemenah’s imtil some lapped traffic played its mount, there’s no doubt that hemd and The Dude started to clear Kemenah will be racing for them out for a comfortable - but costly to again next season.

m

Xoo$irr

^^ RACING TIRE

would like to congratulate

DANNY LASOSKI

on a Classic Victory

"TfllES DESIGNED FOR CHAMPIONS^^ CONGRATULATIONS ALSO TO ^ctor Bray - New world record Robbie Farr =■ Valvollne Classic Trevor Shields - His first victory at PCR Max Dumesny = 2nd Australian Trtle Nathan McDonald - 3rd

I

«

Tony Abson ■ Australian Compact Title Win

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Signed for 2000 to run J(bo$ier t

Steve Kinser - 12 time World of Outlaws Champion Warren Johnson - 5 time NHRA Pro Stock Champion < f-T*Xn

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Champ RevmH' Eo^iilP3rae!lia..3 set a new bemichanaa'k izn Supe^Sedans racing sfteer becorming the firiit driver t«io fcta!ke ●vii.ctory im consecutive .’N^ational ChanLpionfiliipRS. Pyn..-ehad:a reliativcly troublefree r-un thro uglh p Mcfcice and qualifying hentss, pailotini; tthe NSW Auto Qne Piintiiacs to outside pole for the final.

He fc.hen took: thee leadiinn the fea=ture vwith 15 lagrs rrematoong, mak ing a high-iine p-taes on a single lane tn*ack to pmti himueaf in the front p*)osition, This year's tit;le was held Tasmania’s Prrenmier Spaeedway, New Worfolk, cdi January 22-233 the first time Srupoers had lined up on the clay atx thhis tracnk fora natiorual title, 'wittli oiver 40 competitor~s norniuseutifing for th_e presti gious &vent.

PreaicHice

UnoSciai tiimes- sawiPy-ne clock 15:22 {and Tauiuumifia’s leoan Cleiuy (Pregnell At)pihaIltin.g)Fi>ut. in ai 15:38 — former Auniitraliarm champ Mick INicola (iLnucaas OilP:Toduets> recortEed a 15r422 before losing: power, an inlet .vaalve not seating: in the ’ '99 AUS Si ca_ir.

Mighit Orae

Keni_ble Aiyl»ett C AbilityW'^indscreen) tocok the lirsrt 12-kp.' heatw5n for.tlie nig'ht.

How-^ver, it H'vass'^ufiEmsland’s Nick (Sirdlestome, steeling the #7 Bandag Racing Tesam Clie’w MonteCarlo, ’^ho slioiwed his intennt, moving finrm seventh! to iTOsssecond, Ian ^larshom iffederai

Tyres)

sump tank in the Pick A Part Pontiac caught fire.

When racing resumed, Cleary continued on to take the win, ahead of Dave Gartner (Casparini Transport).

After several restarts in heat four, it was Dave Nicols (Traveland Launceston) who took over the lead from Pyne.

Kane was also keen to get to the front, moving under Pyne to take over second.

With three laps remaining, Nicols was forced infield when the Pontiac went off-song (a valve retainer missing), Kane taking the win and Pyne crossing second .

Craig Lockwood, racing the TF Thompson Fibreglass Thunderbird and starting from pole, was the victor in the next heat, Kevin Purton crossing second.

Rodney Jones (New Norfolk Auto Electrical) retired with a blown gearbox ' (later investiga a tions revealihg engine prob lems), ending his title campaign.

WA’s Craig Vosbergen (Worldwide Machinery) took out the next heat, but it was the elder statesman. Big Bad Bert, who was on the charge from the back of the field, driving the high line to move into second.

Outa’ luck: AUS #3 Mick Nicola had practice vaive probiems and throttie iinkage strife in the Title. (Ceou Grade) Gartner, spinning to miss, was tagged by Peter Manning (SKF Bearings) in the left rear, pushing Gartners diffback.

Miller took the lead and victory from Greg Wilkins (Valley Longwall Drilling) when racing resumed. ' At the conclusion of the second round of heats, the track had become a single lane. _

The guy that I was following, Kane, made one mistake - he sat

behind a guy when he should have taken him straight away.

As soon as Fd realised he had

dropped in behind him, sorry, it was all over. That was just experience . It was a move that had to be done to win the race.

Unfortunately, Bert speared off the back of Winner Ron Pyne, post-race.

Craig’s Pontiac coining into turn 3, resulting in the loss of two posiPhillio Townsend fHnlvmnn

tions and giving Girdlestone sec-

To™d) torthe firs^tat of

took vaictory in tkm secom.d heat wi h reiping MJ Chajmon Sill Miller jHloting Uhe SA lllazor Athol

“J - Nicols again scored a the next round from Mick Nicola, DNF with a broken tailshaft yoke.

Nicola unable to make the pass to Darren Kane took the next heat, ■ take the lead ^

n. r.

Mick Bagorifa CDaltertSramton) looked set to t:.atee oiatltbe next heat, moving lufto -flie lcac3 before

° ^ double win for night one, Pyne crossing second.

Jamie McHugh (Miami Smash

fu the J6 Camarohn.lovwmgaidfiiff. us put tlesaryv m l ife lead howev«er, it waas WA’s Bert Vosberrgen whcDcrrcated a fiery spectaecle, trigger.-ing an-ed fl ag, when oil from tlie ■ oveifillled dry

Cleary received a'driving under inquiry flag for passing under the pole line when he made the move under Gartner to take over second - however, no change to the finishing positions was made when the chequered flag fell, The final heat for the night went to McHugh, who led the field from flag to flag.

Undoubtedly, however, the drive

T^epairs) gave a gutsy performance, starting ninth on the grid to finish third.

A complete restart was effected in heat eight when Anthony Manion (Manion’s Coaches) looped it in turn 2.

Queensland reigning Champion Lyndsay Hawkings (Austruck) away from Lockwood, Kane and Kemble Aylett as they had a three-way battle for second Hawkings taking the win with Lockwood holding out to cross second B ert Vosbergen took the lead from Gartner in heat 11 when Gartner washed too high.

of the night went to Lionel W e s t (Daylesford Tattslotto) who, desperate for points after two DNFs, gave a gutsy performance, driving artrund the field in the marbles to take second.

At the completion of night one, Kane was the leading with points, McHugh second, ahead of Cleary in third, Girdlestone and NT’s Miller, who rounded out the top five.

Night Two

Pyne threw out the challenge in the first heat of the night, taking the lead and win from Nicols.

Unfortunately, Nicola was a nonfinisher after he received a solid hit in the side, the impact pulling the extractors off the head.

Des Korn, the second member of the Bandag Racing Team, took out the win in the second heat, crossing almost a lap in front of Neville Harper (Chas Kelly Transport).

Marshall dominated the next heat, taking a wild inside ride

Made the poffi jurm: Northnem Territory Champion Bill Miller came home from Tasmania with third place in the Australian Title. (Geoff Gracie pic)

down the front straight to move into second from fourth, then con tinuing under NT’s Terry Reichstein (Tennant Taxi Trucks) to take over the lead on the back straight.

Track conditions deterio rated rapidly from this point, turn 3 becoming the corner of attrition, Several restarts were effected before racing got underway in heat 16, with Manion, Bert Vosbergen and Gartner all non-finishers, Cleary taking the chequered flag from West.

The first heat of the final round was a family affair, the line-up including the father and son Aylett, Harper and Vosbergen teams, Unfortunately, Big Bad Bert was unable to make it onto the track, after he took the front-end out in the previous heat.

The win went to Jarrod Harper (Tasguard), who led the field from fl ag to fl ag over an ever-present Lockwood, In the following heat, numerous restarts again were triggered before racing could get underway.

Miller going on to take the win from Cleary in a closely-fought race.

With the track being single lane, there was not much scope for pass ing, although in the next heat Kevin Purton (Total Air Supplies) did give an impressive perfor mance, moving away from the field when the green flag fell to put dis- tance between himself and McHugh, who crossed in second, Kane took out the final heat of the night in a race that was deemed to be a preview of the ;

final.

started rear of field, movthrough to pass Nicola for second, but unable to make up the to catch Kane.

At the conclusion of heat racing, local drivers Kane and Cleary topped the points table, with Pyne in third, followed by Miller, Marshall and McHugh.

■ : i ’ j J !

Pole Shyffle

Twenty cars lined up for the shoot-out, those gaining positions including Hawkings, who moved from 19th to 18th, Lockwood mov ing from seventh to fifth (McHugh in sixth blackflagged for jumping the start) and Miller, who moved from fourth to second - Pyne was blackflagged for passing under the pole line.

The shoot-out between Nicola and Kemble Aylett for 11th was rerun after the two crossed the finish in a dead heat, Aylett taking the win on the second attempt.

Marshall, unable to defend his position after he pulled infield with a broken throttle cable, moved back into sixth.

Continued bottom of next page

; |

i

11 Februafy 2000

45

Continuedfrom previous page.

Australian Title Two complete restarts were effected before racing finally got underway in the 40-lap feature.

The first occurred when Reichstein spun in turn 1, retiring with steering box damage and allowing first reserve Korn to ioin the rear of the field.

US Fuller deans up in Modifieds

The second restart was after Girdlestone and Purton locked together in the back straight, both being able to restart.

With racing finally under way, Kane moved to the lead with Pyne rocketing through into second, fol lowed by Miller, Cleary, Marshall, Lockwood, McHugh, Townsend and Purton, with Kemble Aylett making up the top ten.

Unfortunately, track conditions did not leave much room for pass ing, although the successful manoeuvres that were undertaken were well-earnt. top three cars were nose to tail, Pyne and Kane harassing each other for the entire 40 laps and not being separated by more than one car-len^h for the entire event.

Likewise, Miller held third place for the whole 40 laps, demonstrat ing the clean and consistent rac ing style that has become his trademark.

The yellow was triggered with five laps on the board when Korn and Hawkings came together in the back straight, Korn restarting the race on the back of the field.

When racing resumed, Pyne started putting the nose of the Pontiac under Kane, while McHugh tried the same with Marshall.

■jt

^

Proud dad: Todd Wiltshire with sons Anders (left) and Logan. (Patrick) Prix rider Jimmy Nilsen - the Swede has moved from Belle Vue to the Sandy Lane circuit.

Kalgoorlie rider Steve Johnston is stUl hoping to stay at Oxford.

Old score; Tim Fuller’s Avalon win was a satisfying one. (Srettswanson) THE American participation wasn’t just confined to Chad Kemenah in the Sprintcars at Avalon on January 15, as Tim Fuller was also in attendance

seat in Jobling’s car and did exactly what he wanted to do by win^ing the feature event from a quality field.

Morse had the Morse’s

driving David Jobling’s Modified, or National, Rod. Pniic ruUer , whose campaign this

U'ldercar rod in second place, Milthorpe and Travis Smith.

4 i, *

states of Australia felt he had something to prove from the last fime he drove in Victoria in the Keith and Di Smith-owned Rod. Of course, at the time he was driving this car, he was doing so with a broken wnst.

Fuller was, therefore, found a

Goss, veteran Lloyd Hobson, Smith, Wicks and Morse, Morse then ran away with heat two, winning easily from Wicks, who had Fuller hard on his tail Smith, Hobson, Milthorpe and Harry Kipper were next.

-BRETT SWANSON

● i ,

At quarter race distance, Cleary spun in turn 2 and found himself rear of field for the restart, Pyne receiving a driving under inquiry flag for putting four wheels over the pole line.

Nicola was the next retirement (with a broken throttle linkage), Girdlestone passing McHugh to ‘ ' ^ take over fifth before challenging Marshall.

The next restart was effected when Cleary and Korn came together, the injured Cleary unfor tunately unable to continue.

Pyne received a second driving Good bet: Runner-up Tim Morse was outgunned this time. (Swanson) under inquiry flag, this time for hitting Kane in the rear.

Lockwood and Korn all came “That was just experience. It M arshall had closed up behind together in turns 3-4, Korn’s crew was a move that had to be done to Miller, Girdlestone also moving up requesting he. be sent infield after win the race. to make it a great race for third. he began leaking water.

“I’d had a look at him a few laps At almost' half race distance.

Racing continued with no furbefore and‘he picked the throttle Smith was racing with a collapsed ther stoppages, Pyne holding out up a bit, but I thought, no. I’ll from Kane’s continual challenge to front-end, while Kane had reached wait for traffic.” take the win. the tail of the field, passing Asked about the track condition, Kane crossed second, followed Wilkins and West.

Pyne said “it’s the slowest I’ve dri

by Miller, Girdlestone, McHugh, With 25 laps on the board and ven to win a race. But it doesn’t Hawkings, Purton, Townsend, Kane contending with Smith, really matter. The track was the Lockwood, Kemble Aylett, Neville Pyne moved out to make a highsame for everyone - therefore, the Harper, Wilkins, Jarrod Harper line pass around the outside down true champion came through in and Craig Vosbergen. the end.” the front straight, taking over the Asked about his win, Pyne stat lead.

Before racing commenced on the ed: “The guy that I was following, The following lap, the yellow first night, Pyne made the state Kane, made one mistake - he sat fl ag flew when Marshall lost a behind a guy when he should have ment, with a grin, that “only leg wheel in the back straight - Smith ends do it back to back” - unwit taken him straight away. and West (also with a collapsed “As soon as I’d realised he had tingly, he had made a prediction front-end) were also retirements. dropped in behind him, sorry, it that would see him entered in the was all over.

Craig Vosbergen, Hawkings, history books.

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By Tony Millar^ ■ Jason Crump has told his side of the stoiy as to why he left British League Champions Peterborough to join Kings Lynn.

“When Peterborough put their terms for next season to me, my deal was improved,” he said.

“I had ridden last year for a cut price deal because Jim Lynch had come in as the main promoter he used to sponsor me and was a good mate. “ But I have close friends in the world cIeiss riders fraternity and they all laughed at my deal. One of the guys even said he would not get out of bed in the morning for the money I was on.

“I have to ride my speedway as a business. When they put a deal on the table, they effectively told me ‘take it or leave it’ - if you don’t accept it, you can go.”

“Kings Lynn have been prepared to fork out a huge transfer fee for me and pay me what I want, which clearly Peterborough didn’t.”

On a personal note. Crump . added he is delighted with the Aussie contingent that will be racing in Europe this year and, in particular, at his new club. Kings Lynn, where he will be joined by Leigh Adams, Shane Parker, Craig Boyce and Travis McGowan.

“Australia is ruling the world at the moment at just about everything,” Crump added.

“We are world champions at cricket, rugby union, tennis and speedway... there’s no way in speedway our success can’t continue - we have the nucleus of a great squad.

■ Todd Wiltshire has agreed terms with Oxford to race as that club’s number one this year.

Sponsorship difficulties had threatened Oirford’s participation in the British Elite League this year, but promoter Steve Purchase has solved the problems.

Wiltshire will be joined by World number four and Grand

■ Hull Vikings has withdrawn from the British Elite League and will race at the lower Premier League level this year.

It means a likely return for former world champion Sam Ermolenko to his fomer club Wolverhampton, where he will race alongside fellow American Ronnie Correy.

Wolverhampton has lost the sei-vices of the Swedish GP brothers, Mikael and Peter Karlsson.

H Aussie Mick Powell, who has been riding in Britain for ten seasons, will be receiving a Testimonial this year with a special meeting on September 16.

Powell, from Sydney, has spent most of his career with Glasgow, but left mid-season last year to race on loan at Berwick.

He joined Workington on a permanent basis after signing shortly before Christmas.

H Adelaide rider Brett Woodifield is also expected to rejoin Ipswich, but has a conflict of interests with his Swedish .Second Division club racing on Thursday nights, which is the Ipswich ‘home’ night.

The 24 year-old has enjoyed his time back home, Ipswich colleague Tony Svab from the Czech Republic spending much of his time at the Woodifield home while enjoying golf and water skiing.

■ Adrian Newman, a 26 yearold from Melbourne, has joined British Premier club Isle of Wight after racing for the last two years at St Austell in the Conference League.

As he has British parents, Newman does not need a work permit.

“We had him watched several times last year and we had nothing but good reports,” promoter Dave Pavit said.

“He may find it tough at first moving up a Lea^e, but we believe he can bridge the gap.”

AUSTRALIAN SPRINTCAR CALENDAR

VSCTORSA. Western Auto ..Feb 12 Western Auto . .Feb 19 Western Auto . .Feb 26 Avalon . .Mar 4 Western Auto . .Mar 11 Western Auto . .Mar 18 Western Auto . .Mar 25 Simpson . .Apr I Western Auto . .APR 20

SPEEDWAY CITY S.A. All-Star Show ●Feb 12 S.A. Sprintcar Title .... .Feb 26 All-Star Show .Mar 4 Sprintcar Gold Cup .... .Mar 11 Mar 18 Bum Out Comp Aus, S/Car Stampede .. .Mar 25 All-Star Show ..

Aprs Bum Out Comp Apr 15

QLD SPRINTCAR Lismore ... .Feb 12 Archerfield

.Mar 11

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.Mar 18

Archerfield

Apr I

Archerfield Archerfield Archerfield ,

Apr 15 May 6 May 27

46 11 February 2000

MJ®O®[F0fp®[FO

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9

V8Supercar VS Commodore, as raced '99. complete rolling chassis less eng and gearbox. $39,000. Ideal Lites/Shell Series car, 018 Perkins chassis, never crashed.

Centre look wheels (2 sets), air jacks, current log book, major spares package also available. Fresh 6-speed Holinger available. Ph: Mike Imrie 0418 551 170. 173 V8 Supercar VS, ex-HRT. Holden engine plus lots of spares with spare engine. $75,000. Ph: 0418 449 139. m HQ Monaro, 2 door, most parts to complete. VGC, original GTS guards, suit Group Nc. POA Ph: 03 9725 3234 or 0418 389 438. 172

J

Shelby GT500KR, genuine car with correct tags. 4 speed, dark green/black trim. Quick sale required. Ph: 0418 556 934. 173 Ford XR6 AU. Raced Bathurst with Tony Longhurst 99. Offers $4050,000.3 sets viheete, other spares. Phone Jim 0419 791443. 173 Datsun 2000 — 11968, historic log book, Sb club plate registered. 140hp rear wheels. View at Phillip Island Histories. Car, trailer and 5 diff ratios. $25,000. Ph: 02 4323 3777 or 0412 282 452. 173 Escort Mk.l Twin Cam 1970, complete original oar minus front seats and engine. Rusty but restorable. Ideal Appendix J (Nc) or rally project. $3,500. Ph: 02 4323 3777 or 0412 282 452. 173 Torana XU-1, set-up for Targa, Classic Adelaide, full cage,.racing seats, harnesses, Terratrip, intercom, com plete with spares (spare motor). Excellent RW complete. $20,000. Ph: AH 08 8396 6878 or 0418 828 787

VS Commodore Supercar, competitive, reliable car, set up & ready to race, includes comprehensive pit equipment & spares package, ideal for V8 Lites or Shell Championship Series. Priced to sell - $105,000 ono. Call Rod Salmon 02 9898 1111 or 0418 444443 or email rsalmon@showtech.com.au. 173 Porsche 928GT '92 model, fresh engine & gearbox.

Full rollcage suitable Porsche Cup/Club Car - includes full MoTec M8, spare wheels, slicks & wets. $63,000. Must sell.

Contact 03 9589 7357 or 0417 996 928 or Fax 03 9589 7353. e-mail: mpdracing@bigpond.com. m Lancer Sports Sedan, 13B Bridgeport 300hp race engine. Cobra seat, six point harness, sell whole car a just engine etc.

Can arrange test drive. No dreamers. $4,000. Ph: 02 48221563. m Subaru WRX/GTP '98, Second in Class B Bathurst 3hour 98; 2nd Class B Oran Park 99; 2nd Class B Gold Coast Indy 99; fastest qualifier Indy 99. New engine, many spares and extras. Ph: 02 9672 7530 or 0413 879 879. m

Commodore Cup 44, new front suspension, still in bo diff & gearbox just reconditioned, needs short to run, heap of spares including painted panels. Urgent sale. $14,50 Ph: 02 9772 8454 BH or 02 9528 8392 AH. 172 Nissan Skyline 2 door coupe HR31, gunmetal gre 08/95 Australian compliance, RB20 intercooled turbo wil performance pop off valve. Kenwood sound system, RW( reg 05/00. VGC $11,750. Ph: 07 4691 5833. 172

Porsche 911 RS/CS, car like new, ready to race serious ly or at fun Targa/club events. Range of spares/wheels, all set-up info. Reg'oed, only done 10,000km since new, just repainted. $160,000 neg with or without spares. Ph: Jim Richards 03 9876 1960 or 0418 320 726. 172 Holden HQ, CAMS log book, good paint, many new parts, spare rims & tyres. $1,800ono. Must sell. Ri: 0418 625 004. m

LJ Torana Sports Sedan, fresh engine 202, Irving head, mid mounted. New tyres, 300hp, CR Muncie box, 4 adjustable shocks, 4 wheel disc brakes, fine springs, axles.

Log book, range of spares. Ready to race. Ph: 03 9350 1728,'. 172 Nissan Skyline 2 door coupe HR31, lightweight Nismo body shell. 2.5 litre 6 cylinder 24 valve twin cam EFi. AP rotors front and rear, Harrop 4 spot calipers, new and partly used Dunlop slicks, wets and intermediates. All .you need for an extremely competitive club car or sports sedan.

Needs assembly, paint and roll cage. Total value $40K■^, will take $19,000 ono. Ph: 07 4791 5833. 172

L

LJ Torana, currently logged as a Club Car, or easy con version to NC. Plenty of spares, diff ratios, wheels etc. $9,900 neg. Ph: 02 9671 1042. 172 Falcon XR8 AUSCAR, rolling chassis with Bilstein susp, fire system, autometer dash, diff, gearbox, 2 sets of wheels, fuel chum, jack etc. $14,500. Phone'Jamey 0414 952 601.172 Porsche Cup B Class winner 96/97/98, Trust Bank Porsche. In immaculate condition, fully maintained to high est level. Lap record holder @ Winton, Mallala, E. Creek etc.

Race at the V8 rounds in Porsche Cup or locally in Marque Sports. Extra wheels, tyres etc. $85,000. Ph: 0412 337 227. 172 RX2 Club Car, BB, 5 speed. Current log book, big brakes, adjustable struts with Bilsteins. New 14‘ 8Rs. Tagged cage, Kevlar seat. $7,800. Ph: 0418 554 829. m Escort rally project, plus heaps of parts to help finish.

Ail hard work done, all the good stuff (Bilstein, Brembo, Rerra.) $5,740. 1 have spent a thousand more! Ph: 0412 372 678.172 11994 Chevy Camaro, red with red & grey interior, removable smoked glass targa trips. Personally imported 2 years ago.

Returning to live in /Vnerica. $30,000 obo. Ph: 03 5529 2579. 172 HQ Race car, competitive, reliable Bathurst winning oar, idea! for entry level or serious contender, includes complete spare car, wheels, tyres, etc. Priced to sell $5,000 ono. Call Paul Taylor for further details on (02) 9898 1111 or 0419285 248 or email ptaylor@showtech.com.au 172 Corolla KE10 Club Car, 3rd 0-1600 '97 State Champs, 5 spd, LSD, 4WD brakes, new suspension, ful! cage, win dow net, Dorian, never bent in 30 years, original log books, reliable & immaculate, spare body plus parts. Genuine applicants only. $10,500. Ph: 02 4736 3882. 172 AUSCAR Sportsman Commodore, championship win ning engine, very competitive, always finished in top ten.

Car comes with full range of spares. Car cannot be described in 30 words. $10,000. Ph: 0410 640 644. 172

1968 Mini Cooper 'S', Group Nc 1330cc. Comes wil spare motor, wheels, too much to list. Have to make rooi for new race car. Sell $14,000 ono. Ph: 02 9747 6100 /V-i ( 0411 878 886 BH 172 Camaro Z28 '96, damaged front, perfect from wine screen back, immaculate interior, top base stereo, turb 700, electric everything. No engine. Good GTP project t repair and register. $5,500. Ph: 0412 156 766 anytime. 172 Datsun 280Z, mechanically sound, neat new Bridgestor radials, gold hotwire mags, neat interior, all gauges worl immobiliser, FM radio/cassette, reasonable body, registers until June. $1,690 ono. Ph: 08 9361 9906. 172 NASCAR Pontiac Grand Prix, new body. 18' Che engine, fast and consistent car complete with pit equipmen flat track set up, Jerico gearbox, alcon brakes etc. $40,00!

Ph: 0410 640 644. 172

Si

.23

280Z Batsun, triple Webers, Hollinger gearbox, R18 LSD with 4.6 ratio, strong body & steel cage, Bilstein sui pension. NSW rally rego, Teratrip and teraphone. $11,00!

Ph: Steve 02 4721 0357 BH or 02 4751 4620 AH. 172

Subaru Brumby, intercooled Easi turbo, Wolf computer, speed constant 4WD. A/C. power steering, 15x6 mags. Re Jan 2001. Much more, $16,000. Vtfill seperate motor g/box eti $4,490. Good autocross/hillclimb oar. Ph: 07 4162 5495. m Genuine Savanah/RX3 Coupe, alum foam tank, turb 12A, MicroTech computer injec, vent 4 spots, cambere rear end, race susp. Simmons, new tyres (2 sets) RWC Rec Immaculate. $10,500. Ph: 03 6394 3541. 172

HOTLAP WITH THE LEGENDS

1. The Promoter is Australasian Motorsport News Pty Ltd, PO Box 1010 North Caulfield. Vic. 3161, 2. Information on how to enter and prizes form part of these conditions of entry.

3. Entry is only open to residents of Australia.

Employees and their immediate families of the Promoter, Ticketmaster 7 Australia Pty Ltd, General Travel Group Pty Ltd, Singleton Ogiivy & Mather, Australian Grand Prix Corporation and their agencies associated with this promotion are ineligible to enter. To enter, consumers must pur chase Motorsport News between 30/12/99 and 17/2/2000 and complete the official entry form and enclose four official competition images of Allan Moffat and/or Peter Brock and nominate either Allan Moffat or Peter Brock as their pre ferred driver on the [entry form and send entry to PO Box 1010 North Caulfield 3161. Multiple entries accepted but each entry must be on a separate entry form and in a separate envelope.

All entry forms and competition images must be originals and no photocopies will be accepted.

No responsibility accepted lor late, lost or misdi rected mail, 4. Promotion commences 30/12/99, Entries close 5pm 20/2/2000. The draw will lake place at 11am at 61 Christie Street St Leonards NSW 2065 on 23/2/00.,The winners will be notified by mail and their nSmes will be published in Motorsport News on ^3/2000.

5. "Hotiap with the Legends Prize". The first valid entry drawn which nominates /Mian Moffat as the entrants preferred driver and the first valid entry

drawn which nominates Peter Brock as the entrants preferred driver will each win a trip for 2 people to Melbourne valued at up to $5,000 depending on point of departure, including return economy airfares from the winners nearest capital city to Melbourne (if necessary), 2 four-day grandstand tickets to attend the 2000 Qantas Australian Grand Prix and 4 nights twin share accommodation. The prize also includes the opportunity for each winner to be driven around the Albert Park circuit with their preferred driver in the vehide the relevant driver will drive at the 2000 Qantas Australian Grand Prix. The prize must be taken to coincide with the 2000 Qantas Australian Grand Prix from 9/3/2000 to 12/3/2000 and the lap around the Albert Park circuit must be taken on the date and at the time determined by the Promoter in its absolute discretion and the winners must be available to take the prize at this lime. The prizes are subject to booking and flight availability and flights may not be changed once the tickets are purchased. Rights are on Qantas Airways Limited only and not its subsidiary airlines (ie Sunslate, Eastern Australian, Southern Airlines and Airiink) and flights do not accrue frequent flyer points. Upgrades cannot be purchased either with cash or frequent flyer points.

6. The winners of the Hotiap with the Legends Prize must comply with all directions of the Promoter, the driver and race officials at all times, The winners must wear ail safety equipment and passenger restraining equipment as requested.

The Promoter reserves the right to refuse to allow

Terms and Conditions of Entry (see competition advertisement elsewhere)

a winner to take part in any or all aspects of the comply with the Conditions of Entry to the event, prize, if the Promoter determines, in its absolute 10, The prizewinners acknowledge and accepi discretion, that the winner is not in the mental or that motor racing and related activities are danphysical condition necessary to safely participate gerous and accidents can happen, and that parin the prize. As a condition of accepting the prize, tidpation in any prize has a degree of danger. To the winners must sign a waiver of liability and the extent permitted by law, the prize winners indemnity form as required by the Promoter, exclude, release and forever discharge the Notwithstanding any other conditions set out Promoter and the Australian Grand Prix and theii herein, the Promoter and the Australian Grand respective personnel from alt liability for claims, Prix Coqxtration at all times resen/e the right to loss, damage, costs or expenses (whether arising prevent any individual from participating in the under statute, from negligence, personal injury, Hotiap with the Legends Prizes for any reason death, property damage infringement of third party rights or otherwise) arising from or in conwhatsoever, 7, In the event of the unavailability of the Hotiap nection with the participalion in the relevant prize with the Legends Prizes for any reason outside or attendance at the event or otherwise howsoevthe control of the Promoter the winner will be er arising, granted 2 x syndicated (shared) Pit Exit Suite 11./HI entries become the property of the Promoter, hospitality tickets (the Ticket Prize') to the 2000 All entries will be entered into a database and the Qantas Australian Grand Prix from 9-12 March Promoter (or any third party nominated by the 2000 valued at up to $3,190. Airiares and accom- Promoter) may use entrants' names, addresses modation are not included in the Ticket Prize and and the winners image and their comments relating the Ticket Prize must be taken to coincide with to the prize for future promotional, maiketing and the 2000 Qantas Australian Grand Prix held from publicity purposes in any meefia vrartdwide without notioe and without any fee being paid.

9/3/00 to 12/3/00.

8. Spending money, meals, transport to and from 12. If the winner is under the age of 18 years, the departure point, transfers and all other ancillary prize will be awarded to a member of the winneris costs incurred as a result of taking a prize is the immediate family (as nominated by the winner) responsibility of the winners. The Promoter provided such person is 18 years of age or over accepts no responsibility for any variation in the and such person complies with all of the corrdiprize values. Prizes are not transferable or tions set out above in relation to the prize.

NSW Permit No. TC99/11483,Vic. Permit exchangeable and cannot be taken as cash, 9. All prizewinners and their companions attending No.99/3939 issued on 16/12/99, ACT Peimil No. the 2000 Qantas Australian Grand Prix agree to TP99/2264, N.T, 99/3626, S.A.T99/4280

28 Janudiy 2000

Torana GTR XU-1, Group Nc race car. 3rd 1999 NSW Slate Championship. $10,500, trade-in considered Ph0419440 973. 172 Gemini Ch* car, twin cam, 5-spd box, locked dift, steel roll cage, Yokohamas, log book. $5,500. Ph:07 3382 0636. 172 VW Golf GTi, 16V 3 door, c/r gearbox, traction control, out performs VR6, service records, 1 of less than 5 cars in Oz. Tornado red, excellent condition. $22,500. Ph: 08 8278 5988 AH or 08 8204 8869 BH. 172

Speedway Hi Bar Sprintcar. All you need is a motor. Lots of spares, good gear. Must sell $12,000. Ph;03 5282 2792 173 Modified Production TE Cortina, 250 x flow methanol engine, just been freshened up, 4-speed, p/steering, pro duction steering, 15" wheels, adj suspension, heaps of spares. No reasonable offer refused. Must sell, POA. Ph: 0419 388 192 or 035996 8509. m Speedcar Gambler. KSE, Willwood, gauges, Ellis bon net, 3 sets crash bars, 4 front axles, 11 rims/tyres, splined plus heaps more. Fully enclosed tandem trailer, all PC. $13,000. Ph:07 3800 0695.

V8 Dir* Modified. As driven by USA's Tim Fuller. Minus motor and box. Complete with winters, weld, zail etc. $10,000. Ph:02 6643 2207 or 0417 214 839. m

Super Sedan ex 97/98 Leslight car. This car has been totally rebuilt for this season, no expense spared. Run only twice. Complete car less engine & pumps.$26,000. Consider nor mal road car as trade. Money either way.Ph:073806 9900. 173

Super Sedan Gamaro. Ex-Australia One. Heaps of spares. Roller ready to race less motor. Engine parts avaiiable. $7000 neg. Ph:03 5447 1232 or 0417 106 711. 172

450hp, can supply thicker head gaskets to make more streetable. Only quality brand names used inside engine.

Will separate heads, carby, manifold from bottom end.$6,500 ono.Ph:0296048910or 0417253324.172 Nissan SR20 race motor, 2.0 It, MoTec throttle bodies, Moriss cams,ftcwed head, forged pistons, dry sump,alloy flywheel, just rebuilt and dyno turnin. 220+ hp, eMr 5 speed gearbox. $6,000.

MoTec M4computer ehi loom.$2,000. Ph:0408720 560. m 366 Chew, complete Super Sedan engine bow tie, brodix, full roller, cty sumped, Bowlaw’s carb & bell ctive pimp, sweet pte pump,K&N fter and accei Pro Sniter.$12000.Ph:0413079817..72 Rochester Carby, A9X - brand new in box, or will suit any Holden V8. Best reasonable offer. Ph: 0408 912 160. m Ford 367 stroked Cleveland, Venolia 13.5:1 pis tons, 4mab Grower billet steel rods, 4V heads extensive porting titanium valves, retainers. Yella Terra rockers, crane girdle, Romac, active inlet 600+ hp. $8,900. Ph: 0419 655 701. m Leyland V8, 305 bhp, 320 lb torque. Ivan Walker heads, roller rockers, Dave Mawer sump, custom inlet with 500 Holley, custom elec ignition clutch & 4 speed. $2,200. Ph: 0412 156 766 anytime. 172 Ford AUSCAR engine, dyno and set up sheets 380hp. $2,800. Phone Jamey 0414 952 601.172 fLeyland V8 race engine, roller cam, quad Webers, dry simp pan, extractors, engine plate etc.$4,000.Ph:0412156 766. m

Parts

So Kart Trailer, professionally built, exc cond, looks smart, carries 2 karts plus spares. Tows great $2,000. Ph: 03 9436 5203. us

Pi Dash 2+2, with loom and sensors. $3,500. Ring Rodney Ph: 03 9587 6199 or Fax: 03 9587 6807. .73 Race car transporter, 42' Pantec with 3 car capaci ty, electric winch, m/wave, fridge, plus '87 Mitsubishi prime Holden B-cast 1#8, cylinder heads, machined for large mover, 15 speed roadranger. Low K's, perfect cond. springs, polished chambers, throated with 3 angle seats and s/s 1 piece valves $550. Sach clutch $1000. Yella Terra $78,000 will seperate. Must sell. Ph: 03 9589 7357 or 0417 billet flywheel to suit Holden $150. Roller rockers Yella Terra 996 928 or fax 03 9589 7353 or e-mail - mpdracing@big5020 suit Holden V8, new in box $600. AUSCAR front pond.com. 173 Harrop discs & hats $1100. Dunlop Formula R 235/45 17" tyres, 4 new. $1600. Ph: 0417 558 452. its Harrop air jacks, brand new (never been used) $1500.

Ford 9-inch Richmond gear sets x2. Ratios 4:11, 3:00 $250 each. Gemini Coupe rolling chassis, suit 2L S/Sedan. $800.

Ph: 03 5629 9344 BH. 173 I] Axles, 25 spline to suit Nc Torana. Ph: 02 4573 6418. 173 App J EH gearbox, full reco, new tailshaft and unis bal anced, RPM clutch and solid centre P/P with steel flywheel balanced. New clutch and master cylinder. Cost $1000, sell $600ono. Ph:03 9439 7667 or 0419 321 664. 173 -lie. IflSIiKiri Gemini parts, reinforced crossmember and arms $100.

Baffled sumps $80 each. 4 of 13x7 Mawyer rims $100 (no centres). Gearboxes — Lynx manifold $50. Alloy callipers International race car transporter, Cummins and lots more. Ph: 0412 801 314. 173 n powered, 13 speed road ranger, 61,000 original kms, Escort Twin Cam, front body out, gearbox, diff and many fully equiped, 2 cars, tailgate lift, lounge/kitchen, annex, other body and mechanical parts from $5.Ph:0411 744 049. 173 flooring plus more. $87,500. Finance available. Ph: 03 Webers, triple sidedraughts with man'ifold. Suit red motor $1,000.

9782 2444. 173 Gearbox,XLM M21 with bell housing $500. Ph:0249510269.173 VR/VS Supercar body parts, bonnets, boots, doors, ¥an Biemen RF93, immaculate condition, top HP some guards, tail lights, front & rear spoilers, air jacks. engine, 3rd '99 NSW Championship, 8th Bathurst, front runner, Some new, some second hand. Ring Rodney Ph: 03 9587 race ready, spare springs, ratios, wheels, tyres etc, including 6199 or Fax: 03 9587 6807. 173 enclosed traier. Ph: Colin 0418 283 383 or 024655 9972. 173 18° Porsche tyres. 8 good second hand tyres. $60 each.

1973 Bowin P6 F2, F.Pacific, complete car less engine.

Ph:02 9628 8346 or e-mail: david_baxter37@hotmail.com. 173 Hewland FT200, Smiths gauges chronometric tacho, spare Ford 200OE C/R, Quaife S/C box, professional spec wheels, body panels, wings, suspension and jigs. Log book. $1,975. Rocket box Quaife SC/CR as new $1475. Fierra $19,000. Ph: 0411 258 037. 173 5.13 cup new $745, LSD centre & pinion 28 spline new Spectrum 07 Formula Ford, with MoTec system for $750. Ph: 08 8278 5988. 173 lease. National or state rounds. Call to discuss packages MoTec dash logger, extended mem, updated loom, with available. Ph: Keith on 0408 066 106. m sensors, shift light etc. Absolutely exoell. cond, only 4 races old: Bargain $7,200. Ph: Ken 0411 501 221. 173 Leyland VS parts, two engines, many heads including 2 Transporter 93 Hino Hawke. FD3W 150K white 6Traco heads, roller cam and followers, roller rockers, com speed, air, Bocar, 3/00 rego, on board generator. Atlas petition head gaskets, Leyland to Hewland adapter, dry Copco silent compressor, stainless methanol tank, tyre sump system. $1,200. Ph: 0411 258 037. 173 racks, work bench, storage racks, excellent condition Lucas fuel injection system, 8 cyl metering unit, 2x $46,000. Consider normal road car as trade. Money either mechanical and 2x electric pumps. Smith crossover mani way.-Ph:07 3806 9900. m fold and Vertex magneto to suite Chev F5000. $2500. Ph: Fully enclosed, tandem axle trailer. 2.3m x 2.4m x 5.2m 0411 258 037. 173 ramps, tyre rack, work bench & shelves. Side access door.

Dry sump system, suit SB Chev (Weaver)$1,650. Ph: 02 New (Sept '99) tandem rocker suspension, brakes and light 6255 0400. 173 truck wheels & tyres. $5,500. Ph: 0417 826 284. 173 Ford 2.8i engine & gearbox, $1000. 2.0 Itr EFi engine Trailer, brand new purpose built, dual axle, elec brakes, Formula Two CRD 852. Will be eligible for Group R, $1750. 5-speed gearboxes $500. Escort Mk.1 round head registered. Flat white aluminium sliding. Front office area light front ranels and grills (new) $250. 4.1:1 LSD $1500. fresh Ford Engine, Hewland Gearbox, Current Log Book, full and seating. Tie down hooks, alum ramps, rear door gas Many Escort, Capri, Sierra parts. Ph: 08 8349 4588. 173 history available, race ready, spare suspension, ratios, struts. 21ft X 7ft x 7ft. Suitable for Formula Holden/Formula Detroit Locker, new to suit Nc Torana. Ph:024573 6418. 173 engine parts wings, wets on wheels. $14,500 ono. Ph: BH Ford. $10,000. Ph: Craig 0412 895 560. 172 Hawk carbon metallic brake pads, suit Wilwood 0417 851 716, AH 039878 9515. 172 33ft Tri-axle trailer. 8ft wide, 7ft high, electric brakes. n Superlite & Dynalite calipers. Black and blue compound.

Living and workshop area, will carry 2 FFords or sedan & $100 a set. Ph:03 9435 5407 after 7:00 pm. 172 Quaife gear set, suit Ford, bullet box, brand new. '84 F100 LWB 4x4 351 4 speed on gas and fuel. Complete $30,000, will separate. Contact Tony Jory 03 6326 5555 or $2,500. Ph:03 9782 4144. 173 0418 130 133. 172 Mercedes Benz 190E, intercooled A.I.T. turbo kit.

Tri-axle trailer/motorhome, vehicle storage area, living ExcefertqLBityW,brand nsw.rejer beenfted $2960Fh 0412366157.172 insulated, sleeps five, main bedroom with separate access Chev titanium exhaust valves, 1.60 +200 $650, to bathroom. On board 6.5 kw generator, 32kg LPG storage, Holden titanium exhaust valves $600. Yates titanium valves kitchen area, hotwater, TV & video and rnuch, much more. A 2.10 and 1.60 $1,200 a set. Ph: 0419 655 701. 172 Clubman/Sporls 1300. SHW Corolla, Hollinger c/r, bargain at $50,000. Ph:0417 512 425. 172 1 Group A 2stage dry sump,oil tank, hardly used with modi mounted wets, registered trailer, 2nd NSW Championship Leyland bus, more than half work done to make super 95, 96. 3rd 91. 97. Easy convert Suzuki or Historic. $12,750. fy oil stick and breather outlets.$OT ono. Ph:0409125 965.172 car transporter. 6 cylinder diesel, 4 speed auto, new Ph:02 9918 8735. 172 Torana A9X Parts, orig hot L34 heads, as new full tyres, new battery, new electric winch and full length side hatchback interior (orig), orig black carpet - new, top a"&X Swift SC93 F. Christian Jory offers for sale ready to race. annex. All clean for any inspection, only requires rear wishbones - new. Best offers. Ph:0408 912 160. m Heaps of spares, top finishes in nal &state series. Lamer engfie, door and paint. Will pass roadworthy. Ph: 03 5472 4629 or 03 $18,000. Contact Tony Jory Ph:036326 5555 or 0418130153. m Torana GTR XU-t, original race wheels 13 x 9(2 rims), 54722110.172 Formula Holden Reynard 94D, for sale or lease.

13x8(2riTB)with Dunlop VGC sicks. Best offer.Ph:0408912160. m Tandem Trailer, Purpose built for Commodore race car.

Immaculate condition. Ready to race. Extremely comprehenSimmons wheels, & Dunlop tyres. Two ’OM‘^Simmons 17‘ x 7.5', two 'OM' Simmons 17' x 8.5" plus Dunlop' Almost new, low beaver back tail, tyre rack, jockey wheel, s'lve spares package available to purchaser. Also available brand brakes, hollow base, hotwire wheels, jerry can holders, Formula R 235/45 ZR 17", all as new $2,200 ono for the lot. new Treg trailer, electronic scales & all pit and set up equipment. great to tow. $2,800 ono. Ph: 0409 565 012. 172 Ph: 0418 230 018. 172 Contact Steve on 0882979741 a0407397622. it?

Aifab Gemini pilot, with cable and gearbox to suit Renault 16TS.$100 ono.Ph:075537 9780 or 0418 784 992. 172 Porsche AVS rims, 17 x 8s, polished with alloy caps, Sponsor wanted, for Subaru WRX running in Club Car. brand new Pirelli P700 tyres 245 ,x 45 series, never used. l Ph:W 3205 1570. 173 Top class show rims. $2,200. Ph:0409 125 965. 172 Driving suits. 2 or 3 layer. FIA approved in sizes M, VW Brand New, 2 litre heads. 48 x 38, Chevy double L & XL. Detail of size/colour and price to Nic. Ph: 0413 springs, suit Speedway, off road or performance VW. 504 723. 173 $1,000. Plus other performance goodies. Ph:0409 125 965. 172 V8 Supercar Team for 2000, needed by pitorew mem Parts clearance, Lakewood bell housing $220, Harrop ber with experience and very good knowledge. Please ring Mark on 02 9622 6509 or 0418 252 260. 172 14" discs and calipers $1600. Rear brakes $1000. Sierra dry sump pan $220. Borg/Beok twin plate race clutch $500. Ph: Reynard 93D, gearbox parts. In particular selector 0412156 766. 172 mechanism, oil pumps, shafts. Phone day Peter Brown 02 97430411. 172 Historic Formula Ford, '83 Reynard. Recent chassis Metering unit, Lucas mech P.l. 8 cyl 5 litre elect + mech up rebuild, 2 meetings since engine rebuild. Excellent race 1:18 scale model Ferrari 93A, Alesi or Berger by HP pumps included. Ph:02 997 8072. 172 record, maintained by Brook Motor Sport. Ph: Stephen on 02 Motorola two-way radios, 4 hand held. 1 in-car with Minichamps. Ph: 02 9874 0248 during the day. 172 45728886 172 Motorsport books wanted, 1977 Bathurst pro cabling & 3 hand held radios with 3 aviation head sets, desktop Elfin 600E F2. Group Q Historic log book. Chassis charger that can charge 5 radios at once in 1 hour and 4 spare gram, The Great Race 1991 No.11, The Great Race number 7126. Lotus 1600 twin cam. The best available, batteries. $2,900 ono. Phone Jamey 0414 952601. 172 1993 No.13, other Bathurst 1000 memorabilia also con nothing to spend. $39,900. Contact Ivan Clencie. Ph: BH Terratrip 202 plus, used once, as new. Excellent for sidered. Good prices paid. Private collector. Phone David 03 9761 6622 or AH 03 9762 1732. 172 AH 02 49681407. 172 club meets and rally. $200 ono. Ph:0418 230 018. 172 Arrow AX6, Midget/Rookie Go-Kart rolling chassis. New Harrop Full Floater, 9' just spent $600 on true up and fuel lines, new floor tray. Only 1/2 year old, as good as new. new bearings. Set up for Sports Sedan. 4 link, $1,200 or with $1,750 ono. Ph: 03 9598 5293. m Harrop brakes, $2,100. Ph: 0412 156 766. 172 West McLaren Mercedes, 3/4 length reflective team Formula Ford SJ97 Mygale, rolling chassis. 2 sets of Falken race tyres, RX06GB 9 x 205/60 R14. From $75 jacket. Made in Germany by Hugo Boss. West embroidary wheels, spare nose cone. Exc cond. Priced to sell. Ph: 0413 each. Ph:03 9435 5407 after 7:00 pm. 172 on back/breast, sponsors logos embroided on both 585 359 or 039369 4812. 172 Escort Twin Cam, brand new genuine Ford front shoulders. Not available anywhere unless you are a 250CC National Superkart, Zip Eagle. '92 Yamaha YZ guards. $1,200 set. Ph:03 9499 3088 or 0418 867 004. u2 team member. $1,700. Ph: 03 9808 7821 or 0418 337 250, heaps of spares, new tyres, excellent condition, ready Simpson race helmet, size 60. Super Speedway Shark 252. 173 to race. Must see. $5,000. Ph: 02 9820 1673. 172 with spoilers, never used. Cost $1,500, sell $1,000. Ph: Positions available, we at DMA need 1 fabricator,,2 Craig 0412 895 560. 172 mechanics, with Subaru experience preferred. Send H 4 X Triple Adjustable, Ohiins shock absorbers, set up C.V. to: DMA Motorsport, PO BOX 8037 Oakleigh East for FHolden. $8,000. Ph: 0412 895 560. 172 3166. 172 Racing car magazines for sale, Racing Car News 1970s to 1991, Australian Motor Racing 1980-1985, one off publications and Lakeside/Surfers/Bathurst pro grammes available. Also limited 1960's titles. Approx over 240 mags in total. Best offers ask for Tony. Ph: 07 3256 9505 AH. 172 Formula Vee, Scorpion 2 Torpedo' 1998 build no.1, exBell Sport II, full face helmet. SA95 approved, Nomex Keith Poole. Penske front shocks, in-car adjustable single lined, tinted visor, perfect cond, used only once, still in Penske shock rear, Momo 'batman' wheel, Willans harnessbox. New cost $675 & $115 for visor, sell $500 ono. Ph: 0412 es. Spare nose cone, gearbox, wheels etc. Finished 6th al 511 957. 172 Bathurst '99 out of 58 cars and 10th at Nationals in hands ol Engine dyno, go-power 800hp. Full instruments, auto & first year driver. Recent engine rebuild with receipts. Must Truck and trailer, 1987 Mils, A/C, air suspension, 28' tri manual loading includes all extras. Complete unit, inspec sell due to new project. $14,500. Ph: Matt 0418 373 938. 172 axle trailer. Hydraulic lift, awning, elec brakes. Al condition. tion invited. $26,000. Ph: 02 6762 3636. 172 Ph: Stan 02 4392 4160. 173

¥

Opem Wheelers

Wsuteii

Super Sedan Camaro, built by Danny Smith. Aust 1 1998, two seasons old, fast car, too much to mention. Sell complete. Ph:03 5176 1355 or 018 514 444. 172

Brans 1990 Z28 Camaro, MP fitted with 351 T.R.E. Buick and gite.825hp & 5351b torque. Dyno sheets available, 20 passes since bull Sell oar complete with spares for cost of engine. $35,000. May seperate or trade. Ph:0298371569or 0413483496. m

Engiiies BDA 1600CC Cosworth race engine. Historic three bolt head. As new condition buSt by Peter Lamer. Twin Cam Escort sheB(rolling)as new condition.$22,000 the tab Ph;039439 4029. 173 Suzuki Katana motor 650, turbo charged 4 cyl. Would Slit person with need for speed.$2,250ono. Ph:0394351516. m Ford S¥0 364. Ex.Scott Blomquist 99 engine. Best of everything, built by Jack Cornett CNC porting by Chapman, run for 2 meetings in a Super Sedan. Dynosheets available. $32,000, consider normal road car as trade - money either way. Ph:07 3806 9900. 173 Cortina Mk.1 GT, 120E engine, suit App. J or historic.

Phone for details 0411 744 049. 173 Off road racing, 2L VW Golf engine. Comes complete with USA adapter, flywheel, extractors, baffled sump, MoTec Grp2-3D ECU, crank trigger ign, & complete wiring loom. Quick sale at $2,400ono. Ph: 0414 367 997. m 308 B Cast beads, flat tops, Harrop crank and rods, + 40. $3,000. Ph;03 9725 3234 or 0418 389 438. 172 Lotus Twin Cam, 1760cc fully rebuilt, not started. $5,000. Ph:039782 4144.172 Cosworth all steel 1760cc, Ford crossflow built by Mass Engines UK. Complete exhaust to carbys roller rockers. double chain, steel caps, fully rebuilt, not started. $8,000. Ph:03 9782 4144. 172 Cosworth B0C 1700, large valve, all steel, fully rebuilt, not started. $16,000. Ph: 03 9782 4144. 172 Cosworth BOM 1600, large valve, all steel, fully rebuilt, not started. $16,000. Ph:03 9782 4144. 122 Chev SB, high performance 355ci carby to sump. 12.5:1 comp. Roller valve train, 4 bolt bottom end, approx 420-

49

©finer

Hraiisporters/Trailers

50 11 February 2000

DU(a

Motorsaort n

NEWS

Editorial E«iitor Phil Branagan Technical Editor Tony Glynsi Assistant Editor

Staff Journalist Aaron Noonan

World Touring Car championship when the Texaco Sierras were

Graphics Co-ordinator

disqualified and Brock inherited the win?

Advertising Administration Managing director Chris Lambden

Contacts 89 Orrong Crescent Caulfield North VIC 3161 (PO Box 1010 North Caulfield 3161) Phone: 03 9527 7744 Fax: 03 9527 7766 Email: msnews@ozemail.com.au

CompuServe: 100237,116S

Contributors General; Brian Reed, Grant Nicholas, Darryl Flack, Jon Thomson, Mike Kable, Mark Jones FI: Joe Saward, Adam Cooper Europe; Quentin Spurring, Gary Watkins US; Phil Morris NZ:John Hawkins ' .

Speedway; Brett Swanson, Dennis Newlyn, Sue Hobson, Geoff Rounds, Tony Millard (UK), Rally; Peter Whitten, Jon Thomson Drag Racing; Greg Ward, Jon Asher (USA), Dave Ostaszewski (USA), Nick Nicholas, Steven White, Ken Ferguson Super Speedway; Martin Clark (USA) Karts; Sean Henshelwood, Graeme Burns, Frank Viola, John Morris Photographers; Sutton Motorsport Images, Dirk Klynsmith, Bothwell Photographic, Marshall Cass, Nigel Snowdon & Diana Burnett, Tony Glynn, AFI Images, Neil Hammond, Slipstream Photographic, Thunder-Pics, Phil Williams, Allsport, John Morris/Mpix, Frank Midgley, John Bosher, Lynley Reid, Mike Patrick (UK), DanieL Wilkins, Wayne Nugent, Peter French, Chris Carter Artist; Bernie Walsh Cartoonist; Allan Schofield

:!

In response to Stan Chasen’s (Talk Converter, Jan 28, 2000 issue) idea of V8 Supercars on the Thunderdome, it sounds very improbable considering the political situation and track/car safety characteristics on ovals.

Gerald McDornan

Advertising Manager Brendon Sheridan

Larry and his team at Perkins Engineering are obviously an ^interesting bunch, always thinking about how to get the last bit out of their race cars and keep both Larry and Russell Ingall at the pointy end ofthe results sheets.

/

That’s not to say there isn’t a precedent - remember the 1987

Viv Brumby

1

Reality check Dear Sir, ;

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It was particularly pleasing to read that Larry wasn’t too proud to admit his design oversight in his chassis approach when running the Dunlop tyres - how refreshing to find a V8 Supercar competitor without an ego problem!

Personally, I find such stories to be of great worth, as they have invariably revealed many of the thought processes of the sport’s movers and shakers that the

Ite siafid Motonport NeiR

The other Australian round of the championship was on the combined road course^anked tri oval at Calder Park.

general public would be unable to access via any other medium.

The result is that we, the fans, are able to gain a meaningful insight into the secret world of motor racing and thus increase both our understanding and enjoyment of this most complex of sports.

That’s works BMW M3s, Sierras and Group A Commodores speeding round the Dome!

Personally, I’m into some kind of Daytona 24 hour idea, with a road course laid inside the oval, or maybe a revisit to the combined course.

This could be for some sports car category and be an endurance race

- something tells me V8 Supercars aren’t what we are after...

How about the new Ross Palmer GTP Nations Cup? This would be like an Aussie version of Daytona.

How about the Thunderdome 12 Hours on a combined Calder road/oval course?

It would revive the circuit’s public appeal I think.

Also, can we have a story on the history of oval racing in Australia.

I happen to know there was an oval circuit in Maroubra, Sydney, sometime during the 1900s-1930s and it was demolished.

My grandfather had something to do with it and I’ve seen historic photos of vintage cars speeding around this banked speed oval.

Man at work: Top Fuel Harley of runner-up American Steve Moore wowed the fans during the sensational ADBA world tour.(Chris Carter pic) that may read this magazine.

Why when being presented to the crowd, do you persist in facing the infield and not acknowledge the spectators who have paid money to watch you?

Even worse is when, after you wait all night for the A-Main,event and the drivers are finally put in the back of the ute to be presented to the crowd, they stand talking between themselves and basically ignoring the fans.

We, the spectators are asked to clap, cheer, etc and show support for the drivers.

It would be appreciated if the drivers could acknowledge the support of the crowd and their fans, Margaret Harvey, Portarlington, VIC

I. Hoon.

Email: hoon@zonar.net

Two-way street Dear Sir, I have just spent the weekend of the 29th and 30th of January at Warrnambool’s Grand Annual Sprintcar Classic and I have a question for any Sprintcar driver

nut than a bike fan, I attended the event and, for true enthusiasts, it was a great event and the organizers ought to be- applauded for their efforts.

Sadly, the crowd wasn’t huge, but the opportunity to witness drag racing greats such as Jim McClure, Johnny Mancuso and Bill Furr was too much for me to pass up.

I look at it this way, it was the two-wheeled version of Don Garlits, John Force and Kenny Bernstein.

Or, for circuit racing fans, Mario Andretti, Ayrton Senna and Nigel Mansell. Well, ok,j_not Nigel...

Well done Petej^Salmon for having the guts and intestinal fortitude for putting on the event.

And how good was it to finally see an event at Calder get finished!

TwO"Wheeled legends

Jeremy Sim, Pascoe Vale, VIC

Dear Sir,

Lifting the veil

Congratulations must go to the American Drag Bike Association for the recent Top Fuel Harley World Championship round at Calder Park, Even though I’m more of a car

Dear Sir, I must say that I was impressed

by Larry Perkins’ efforts with his sensational new VT V8 Supercar, as featured in your last issue.

Larry, thanks again - I really appreciate your open support and hope that Perkins Engineering and those of your peers who also don’t mind raising the consciousness levels of the fans enjoy a truly memorable season of racing.

Gordon Edwards Kensington, VIC

Future shutterbug Dear Sir, I thought compliments were in order about the photographic content of Motorsport News.

As Jon Asher rightly pointed out last issue, it’s refreshing to see LARGE shots of racing cars on the pages. I really liked the Sprintcar shots in the last issue.

When I leave school I would like to be a motorsport photographer.

How do I start?

Alex Li, Penrith, NSW ED: Good to see suet enttusiasm, Ales. Buy a decent camera,start stooting and keep at it. And save up for a digital camera,a laptop, lenses and one of tkose fanny armlessjackets...

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Motorsport News is published by

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Australasian Motorsport News Pty Ltd ACN No 060 I 79 928

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Directors; C Lambden (Managing). A Glynn

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Publisher: C Lambden

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Printed by; Wilke Color 37-49 Browns Rd Qayton 3168 Distributed by; NDD Ltd

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Material published by MOTORSPORT NEWS is copyright and may not be reproduced in full or in part without the written permission of the publisher. Freelance contributions are welcome, and while ail care will be taken. Australasian Motorsport News Pty Ltd does not accept responsibility for damage or loss of material submitted. _ Opinions expressed in Motorsport News are not necessarily those of Australasian Motorsport News Ply Ltd or its staff.

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Richard Fraser - 1999 winner or The U timate Ride.

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imagine this...You’re at the first Formula One race of the millennium, with jam packed crowds, all of the pros,and those beautiful machines waiting to purr...and you,

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yes you,get to do a lap around the Albert Park track!That’s right,we’re giving one lucky winner the Vide of their life’ in the Team McLaren Mercedes MP4-98TTwo Seater car.

GOT TO

Not only will you experience the ride of your life, you’ll also receive Grandstand tickets for two return Qantas airfares (if you’re interstate) and accommodation!

FORMULA ONE }

2000 QANTAS AUSTRALIAN

GRAND PRIX

2000 QANTAS AUSTRALIAN

ERAMD PRIX www.grandprlx.com.au

MELBOURNE 9-12 MARCH - QANTAS GP HOTLINE 131 641

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MOTORSPORT EVENT OF THE YEAR 1999.

Come and be a part ofthe nations biggestV8 party.

Its a three day line-up packed with loads of petrolhead action. See V8 Supercars burning rubber through the best street circuit in the world. We’ve got GTP’s, CSA Wheels Saloon Car Australia,Formula Holden,Mitsubishi Mirage and Formula Adelaide historic Grand Prix cars.

Plus front-line aircraft and Black Hawk helicopters.Then

of Haigh’s Chocolate Factory and a free Sportsnet T-shirt.

To book, contact Sportsnet on (03) 9482 9411, entail travel@sportsnet.net.au or call your local travel agent.

MOTORSPORT TOURS PACKAGE 2.

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if you’re still pumped after all that- you can party on after the race with entertainment and fireworks.

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SPORTSNET PACKAGE 1.

style) including breakfast, 3 day Trackside pass, 3 day V8

From $266* per person (self drive)

Includes: Return economy airfare ex Melbourne (Air/

Supercar Paddock pass and daily return transfers to the circuit. per person (air/land).

To book, contact Motorsport Tours on (07) 4691 5833,

Includes: Return economy airfare ex Melbourne (Air/

email motorsportours@ozemail.com.au or call your travel agent.

Land package only), 3 night’s accommodation at the Hotel

For more information visit us at www.clipsal500.com.au

Adelaide International (3 star), 3 day Trackside pass, free tour

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