Motorsport News Issue 179 - 12-25 May 2000

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$4.50 (N2$5.95 IncI GST)

NEWS

12-25 May 2000

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Holden teams say aero cut is too much - counter-proimsals rejected by Ford ...

foLBenetton? ■*LiJS i

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● McLaren 2-2 in Spain ● Besnard’s US campaign ● Coulihard^ liuiPl^ e^ape # V8 action from Eastern Creek and Phillip Island

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Webber for Benetton?

New Benetton boss Flavio Briatore" could fling Alex Wurz for Australia’s F3000 star are graduates from Mercedes-Benz’s youth program and, after Wurz made his debut at Benetton late in 1997,it was Webber who took his place in M-B’sGTteamfor’98.

EXCLUSIVE

By JOE SAWARD and MN STAFF MARK Webber is one of the drivers being con sidered by the Benetton team as speculation about the immediate future of Alexander Wurz with the team continues to mount.

At Barcelona last week end there were even hints that the Austrian may not survive with the team until the end of the sea son.

A Webber-for-Wurz swap makes sense. The Austrian has had a disas trous season in FI, quali fying an average of 15th (against team-mate Giancarlo Fisichella’s average of 11th). He has no points in the champi onship.

On the other hand Webber’s three F3000 per formances have been noth ing short of sensational, with third on debut at Imola, a win at Silverstone and a DNF at Barcelona, albeit with fastest lap.

The Benetton B200 was derigned with the lanky Wurz in mind but would fit Webber easily, as both dilvers are around 190cm tall.

New team boss Flavio Briatore is keen to shake the team out of its cmvent malaise and has a record for ruthless action. Back in 1991 Briatore master minded the removal of Roberto Moreno from Benetton in order to sign

DESPITE not fin ishing last week end’s Barcelona

taining his early momentum as the cham

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Wurz (L). (Sutton-lmages)

leap into FI would be too risky for the team. It is thought more likely that if Pizzonia wUl be signed up /as a test driver, perhaps / with a Formula 3000 deal for 2001 thrown in to sweeten the deal.

We have also heard rumours suggesting that up a young Michael Giancarlo Fisfchella may Schumacher(who had just be dropped by the team at made his debut in the end of the year to make way for Jarno Belgium) and he may fol Trulli. Trulli remains low the same pattern under contract to Briatore. agam.

The Enstone team is Webber apparently has expected to test Brazilian no contractual hurdles Antonio should he receive an offer youngster Pizzonia later this week at from another team. While Jerez and there is a possiWebber is the Aitows test bility that the 19-year-old driver, in recent weeks he Brazilian could end up has done no testing, which racing. In order to get the is odd considering the drive, however, he would amount of work he did have to be highly impres- over the winter. ● sive.

A WebberAVurz swap To date Pizzonia has would be ironic for done well in the British Walkinshaw, who lost a Formula 3 series but he power struggle to Briatore has done only a handful of at Benetton in 1995, and races in the formula and a also for the didvers. Both

iwiliis Pills ills iiwi CRAIG Lowndes has had a set back to his Darwin SCS prepa ration by rolling his HRT Commodore at Phillip Island.

The defending Shell Series Champion put car #1 gently onto its roof at Southern Loop on Monday.

“It was similar to Glenn Seton’s roll (at Queensland Raceway) last year,” Lowndes explained.

“The V8 Lites had churned away the earth a little. It started i;o go at about 200kmh, but was going very slowly when it went off and just lifted onto its roof “I was surprised it went over. I thought it was going to bounce down and I even had it in first gear, ,, ready to drive off...” ^ The roll, Lowndes’s first ever in practice or testing, will not inter fere with HRT’s progam. The car, which will need a new windscreen, roof panel and respray, will still leave with Mark Skaife’s for the NT this Saturday.

Lowndes is expected to have a new VT for the Queensland race on July 2.

-PHILBRANAGAN

pionship progresses.

A bad qualifying result evolved into race dramas (despite a brilliant start) and then a mechanical DNF for Webber last weekend (see coverage, page 21), but fastest race lap was a sign that the team had learned from its qualifying set-up error.

"We made it hard for ourselves in the first 20 minutes of the first ses sion, when the track was at its best and when the time needed to be done," Mark told us this week.

The next two races, at the Nurburgring and Monaco, are circuits which Webber has not driven on before and which the team has minimal data, but he remains positive: "ff you can go to a circuit with a good basic set-up, it should get you into the top ten in qualifying..."

In the meantime, the team hopes to get some dry weather testing com pleted in the UK (?) and Webber waits to hear from Flav...

So, we asked: Mark, is there any truth in the rumour that Benetton has been in touch with you?

“Yes, they have been in contact with me but they've been in contact with a few drivers.

“Gordon Message who is Benetton's sporting manager was at Arrows when I first tested with the team last year and I know he's been watching what I've been up to in Formula 3000 and also likes what I did in sportscars.

"For sure, it would be nice to do a test with Benetton and show them that I can do a competent job but more than that. I'd love the opportunity to go head-tohead with some of the other drivers they're apparently talking to. That way, we would get to see the true picture instead of all the hype and bullsh*t! “ I'm confident that the experience I've gained over the past couple of years would put me in a very favourable position."

Split splitter decision UiSi

HOLDEN

teams

are

unwilling to accept a ruling by the CAMS Performance Review Committee and con-

flict looms as the teams pre pare for next week’s round of the Shell Series in Darwin.

After granting a seven day deliberation extension, the PRC last week endorsed a rec ommendation by- TEGA’s Technical Manager Paul ■ Taylor that 100mm be > trimmed from Holden under wings as a means of achieving a 0.3 second per minute ‘slow down’.

●'% To cut or not to cut; Holden’s splitter.

WITH Jason Bright signing with Shell-DJR Wayne Gardner is now the Number One ‘Draft Pick’for the endurance races.

The Australian international, who win bt- racing in Japan later this season, is talking to "at least three" teams but is still some way from annoimcing where he will line up for the Q500 and BIOOO events. MN understands that the man at the front of the queue is Brad Jones...

■ The same sources suggest that Paul Weel was offered the BJR drive after his impressive run at the Phillip Island Shell round but elected to turn it down to run his own operation.

For an update on who’s with whom see news story on page seven.

F3000 race, Webber remains a close third in the series and confident of main F1? Despite his tyre problem in Spain Webber could replace

Who gets Wayne Gardner?

However, subsequent Philhp Island testing by HRT, with TEGA officials on hand, pro duced a “loss’ of some 0.54 sec onds and Holden teams are pressing their own Board to consider compromise proposals.

As Motorsport News closed for press, those proposals seemed to be getting nowhere despite pressure on Board Chairman Wayne Cattach

from the General’s teams to broker such a compromise.

The conflict appears not to be that the 0.3 second change is invalid: Holden’s gripe is that the 100mm trim is exces sive in achieving it. And already coming into play is the Holden teams’ view that such a change will be devastating at Bathurst.

Their view is that last year’s 1000 displayed no advantage to either brand - a claim not strongly disputed by Ford. As one Holden spokesman put it, "this would be like a half lap handicap for that race..."

Late on Tuesday, Cattach told Motorsport News in part that "the decision is a CAMS decision and due process has been followed.

"The Chairman of the PRC is the umpire and there’s no compelling reason not to accept the mnpire’s verdict."

Cattach agreed with HRT’s test findings ("the data was explicit and legitimate") but ' Continued on page 6

■ Speaking of Gardner, Jones, Ozemail and aU that stuff, surf over to Wayne’s killer new website for a look at what is 1 good on the ’net. www.waynegardner.com will keep you up to date with what he is up to, his racing history, has a discussion forum, a secure site to buy merchandise on-line and a fun zone. , ■ A petition was circulated at the Eastern Creek SCS round by Gatorade racer and lawyer John Cotter for drivers to sign ifthey were behind a change to the 32 car rule after Level 1 fi-anchise driver Rodney Forbes failed to pre-quahfy. AU bar five teams signed with two still considering their decision.

■ Toll Formula Ford driver Owen Kelly is being linked with a berth in the Young Lions car for the enduro races. Kelly, who was a Young Lion in 1998,is due to test the car after Darwin and has also been linked to a test with Paul Morris' Big Kev team as well as the second Perkins VT. ■ Roger Penske is back in the business of supporting the Indianapohs 500. After four years of boycotting the event as a member of CART,one of Penske's businesses. United Auto Group, will back rookie Jason Leffler and his Treadway team.

■ Also in Indy 500 news, Robby Gordon will return to try to win the race he came within one lap of winning in 1999.

Gordon will again drive the second John Menard-owned car in the field as team mate to Greg Ray. ■ Ross Halhday debuted new backing at Phillip Island in the foim of3M Innovations for the #61 Falcon EL. The car is the exMoffat Falcon involved in the Forrest's Elbow pile-up in 1998 and was taken on as a project by MTA Group 'Training for apprentice mechanics in Adelaide to work on. 3M has signed on for two years and Halliday is investigating his endurance driver options, a veteran South Austrahan a possibility. Former Commodore Cup champ Gary Baxter is now the team manager.

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n Aussie 500cc GP rider Gan-y McCoy's trip to the Spanish FI GP at Barcelona last week,from his home base in the nearby tax haven Andon-a was, apparently, a little* quicker than in past visits.

The usual three hourplus drive to Barcelona was cut to just over two hours, with the proud new Ferrari-owning winner of the South African GP having, obviously,found a few short cuts... li After a six hour sitting in Adelaide, the appeal lodged by Halt Australia over the disqualification of Matthew Halliday and Chris Stafffrom race two at the Clipsal 500 support event has been rejected by the Appeal Tribunal. n Nations Cup boss Ross Palmer's second FeiTari 360, destined for RPM team driver Wayne Park, was due to anive in Australia as Motorsport News went to press.

Park will front with the car at the next round in Canbeira next month.

H Melinda Price’s Nations Cup debut is also looking likely for Canberra with the second Prancing Horse Fen'ari 360 expected to arrive in Australia next Tuesday.

Trice will drive the Tom Warwick-owned Ferrari at selected rounds of the series while Marcos Ambi'ose will also get a chance behind the wheel when his schedule allows.

Q Apparently the supply of Ferrari 360s ' ai'ound the world has dried up with some 12 having been written offin various racing accidents all over the globe already.

Ferrari is reportedly reconsidering their production run of the model.

B Journeyman engineer Ian 'Wally' Walburn has left the Anthony Tratt/Toll V8 Supercar team after a brief sojourn. @ Steve Owen has been linked with a seat in Formula Holden as early as the Canberra round, perhaps with Chi-is Hocking's team if he can raise a budget. The joint ninner-up in last years' Formula Ford championship was unable ,, to raise the full budget 'for Gennan Formula 3 and has been keeping his eye in racing karts, recently winning the Clubman Light title at the Nationals. Andy Booth will run one of the team's cars at Canberra the second seat is open.

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Coulthard cheats death

By JOE SAWARD

DAVID

Would all passengers please move to the front of the plane: McLaren’s David Coulthard, his fiancee and personal trainer were lucky to escape this airplane crash in France last week. The pilot and co-pilot were, unfortunately, not so lucky.

Bright lands Indy ride

Bathurst winner also signs with DJRfpr V8 enduros JASON Bright has think it may end up being secured the backing of the Ford.”

Bright returned to Queensland government America the Tuesday after and will compete in this Eastern Creek and resumed year’s Honda Gold Coast Indy Lights testing at Indy 300 on October 15.

Phoenix last Thursday. His The former Bathurst win next race,as at Milwaukee on ner flew back to Australia two June 4. weeks ago to confinn the deal Bright is looking forward and organise a co-drive for the to his first drive in a 900hp Bathurst race in November. Swift.

Queensland Premier Peter “I haven’t driven one yet Beattie launched Bright’s but drivers tell me that a campaign with a pledge of Champ car is actually easier $300,000 funding. to drive than an Indy Lights As predicted in Motorsport car. The Champ car is more News last month Bright will refined and balanced and drive for a re-formed Hogan there is a little more room as Racing team. Team owner weU.” Carl Hogan, who withdrew While in Australia Bright his bespoke team at the end of also agreed tenns with Shell the 1999 season, has joined Helix Racing to drive for the forces with Swift (which team at Bathurst. Bright is recently lost its sole customer likely to share car 17 with team, Forsythe Racing) to Steven Johnson while Paul Radisich will drive with field an entiy in Queensland.

Bright’s supporters are Cameron McLean. also seeking sponsorship to allow him to race in two Mr Connections: other events, at Road Jason Bright caught up with America (August 20) and the some of his old team mates street course at Houston on at Eastern Creek recently.

October 1.

(Photo by Marshall Cass) At Eastern Creek last weekend Bright said that he was looking forward to the challenge; “The deal [with Hogan] was actually done before I signed with Donicott Racing (Bright’s Indy Lights team),” he said.

“We will be doing a fair bit GRliNFIlLP Mowers 'Racing and One of testing and, hopefully, be World Hotel Racing have announced an aligning of the two operations. able to raise the backing to do Road America and The team is planning to hold a launch in Houston as well.”

Sydney prior to the OR 500 at which the new team name, new AU Falcon (currently As yet there is no engine under construction) and new sponsors, in deal for the Hogan-Swift addition to Greenfield and One World team, which has at its dis Hotel, are scheduled to be announced. posal chasses which have (01 We’ve been struggling with what been designed for both Honda and Ford units. budget we’ve got,” Greenfield Motorsport team owner John McLean told Motorsport However, Bright has a lean News. “Joining up makes a lot of sense as ing towards the Ford powerwell as making the budget go further. plant, which would fit in ‘We talked to a few other teams about with his domestic commit mergers and the option of joining another ments. single-car Level 1 Ford team. But we thought “Obviously, I’d like to be that we’d become our own identity rather than able to give my sponsors maybe disappearing in a merger with one of some exposure both here and the Level 1 teams.” in the USA. The team is yet With Cameron McLean joining the Shell to decide whether they will Helix team for the Queensiand 500 and' run with Honda or Ford hut I

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FAl l oop, the ear he currently campaigns i will still be at the enduros, most likely in the hands of Rod Salmon and Damien i White.

The Greenfield transporter carried Salmon’s iL Falcon to the Lites round at : the weekend and the Queenslandrbased team has taken over preparing the ear.

I The actual merger of the two teams itself though “probably won’t happen until next year,” said McLean.

McLean, Jr will drive his current AU in the rest of the Championship races bar the ones to which he is signed to DJR. He and White will drive the two AUs in the 2001 SCS while Salmon will run his current EL in the Lites series.

The new car is being built at Greenfield’s workshop andi the plan is for White to runi in : the last two sprint rounds of the Shell Series ; before moving into the full-time ride in; 2001.

--AARON N0ONAN :

Coulthard

emerged unscathed last week when the char tered executive jet in which he was travelling crashed at Satolas air port in Lyons,France.

The pilots of the plane, David Sunders and Dan Warley, were killed in the crash but Coulthard, his fiancee Heidi WichlinsM, and his personal fitness trainer, Andy Matthews, were able to escape from the burning wreckage of the Lear 35 jet without injury.

The details of the acci dent have not been made public as an official enquiry is underway, but the plane was making an emergency landing because of engine prob lems.

There have been sugges tions that the aircraft was flying on one engine and that this stalled a few metres before the plane touched down. The left wing dipped and the plane turned onto its nose.

The impact tore off the front section of the plane but the fuselage remained intact and came to a stop the right way up.

Fire broke out but Matthews and Coulthard were able to get out of the gaping hole in front of them and helped Wichlinski to jump down.

When they were clear, Coulthard returned to see if an3frhing could be done for the pilots but they had both been killed in the impact.

The Satolas emergency services arrived within a minute ofthe crash.

Coulthard was on his way home to Monaco from Farnborouglh close to Airfield, McLaren's headquarters in Britain, at lunchtime on Tuesday.

He had chartered the plane from a different company than usual as the plane he usually char ters was being used else where.

During the flight the plane began to experience engine trouble and an emergency landing was requested at Lyons.

After the accident the three were taken to Edouard Herriot Hospital in Lyons but after a check-up were released, continuing their journey to Monaco by car.

Coulthard flew from Nice to Barcelona for the Spanish GP in a chartered executive jet.

Td be very unlucky if it happened again," he said.

Although Coulthard was able to drive in Spain he was in increasing pain as the weekend went on.

After the race Coulthard said that he had a cracked rib, tom muscles and severe bruising.

12 May 2000

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Besnnrd destined for Stones?

DAVID Besnard could soon make his VSSupercar debut in a Stone Brothers Falcon.

The young Sydney driver, who made hi§. GrandAm debut in Miami last"week for Dyson Racing, is likely drive the ex-Steve Ellery Falcon EL in the Lakeside and Mallala rounds of the Konica V8 Lites Championship in August.

The races will be subject to testing today (Thursday) in Tony Longhurst's Caltex Falcon at Queensland Raceway.

Ross and Jim Stone bought the EL as a chassis and parts from Ellery last month. It is being fully rebuilt after its Indy support race crash last October.

Besnard completed a test in Mark Larkham's Mitre 10 Falcon QR last week and, despite suffer ing from the flu, the 25-year-old was quick immediately.

Ross Stone is greatly impressed with Besnard's potential; "I have been keeping an eye on him for some time and I think he has a lot of ability. He's a real racer and I rate that very highly.

"Having the EL back is an ideal opportunity for us to see what the can do in a V8 without having to throw him in to a Shell Series round, which would also make it harder for our team.

"We will see how he goes in the two races in August and, if every thing works out, will try and put

together a limited program for 2001."

Despite having no V8 Supercar experience Besnard, who won the Formula Ford title in 1996, felt at home in the V8.

"The test went really well," he said. "I did about 16 or 18 laps on the day. My &st session I did about six or seven laps. I’d never been at the track(Willowbank)and I'd never been in one ofthose cars.

"My times were quite respectable in the first session. In the second session I went out and tried to go a little bit harder and then learned a big thing about these cars, which is that you don't necessarily drive them harder to go faster so I ended up doing similar sort of times.

"I was going to do a couple more laps thinking that I'd worked a lot more of it out, but then I started get ting a few spots on the windscreen.

Mark had to drive the cai- here this weekend so I didn't want to try and be a hero and try too haid. Considering the circumstances,and that I also had the flu and wasn't feeling too well, I think I did pretty well."

Stone pointed out that, while Besnard showed potential in the car, he was still some way from naming his co-drivers.

"We have two seats to fill along side Craig and Jony. We have our eyes on who we want to fill them and we'll announce them when we have a deal."

- BESNARD INTERVIEW Pg 11

Horn-mobile: David Besnard debuted in the US GrandAm series last weekend in this fabulous Lincoln-powered Riley&Scott. He’ll look just as good in a Stone AU.

... meanwhile^\Besnard debuts in US GrandAm BESNARD'S first drive for Dyson Racing ended with a gearboxinduced DNF. Besnard qualified the car fifth fastest at Homestead, but the Lincoln-powered Riley&Scott refused to fire on the formation lap.

After starting from the back of the grid Besnard charged to fifth in 10 laps but, towards the end of his stint, the car started to lose gears. Co drive Elliott Forbes-Robertson took

EXCLUSIVE by JORGE DELGADO

ONE of Formula One's gi'eat rivalries is brewing between Ferrari's Michael Schumacher and his

Mum, Michael said I’ve got a big head... With an intense family rivalry brewing between the Schumachers, it was ironic that these two fronted in Spain. (Photoby sutton-images)

n New South Wales has been foiled in its attempts to steal the Australian FI GP from Melbourne, the Melbourne Herald-Sun reported this week.

The Bracks Government is believed to be close to signing a contract with Bemie Ecclestone which would

Family rivallry brewing Schumachers

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brother, Williams number one Half.

Just one race after Ealf chopped Michael at the high speed Bridge bend at Silverstone's British Grand Prix,the two clashed again while battling for third place in Barcelona.

Ralf Schumacher tried to overtake Michael's struggling Ferrari but when the championship leader moved to block him Rubens Bairtchello - Halfs closest points = rival- leapt past them both into third.

That's how BarricheUo and Ralf finished though Michael, who pitted seconds later,fell to fifth.

'If Ralf wants a fight he'll get one,"said the older Schumacher.

'I am happy with what happened,but if he isn't that's his problepa."

Ralf is said to be fuming at his older brother's manoeuvre that resulted in both of them locking up their brakes.

Dad Rolf had the final word; 'I've had this before when they were karting.

I'm staying neutral."

"All three of us have got to share a helicopter to the airport.I'm not looking forward to it..."

over but, by the time the US veteran handed the car back, third was gone altogether.

Besnard struggled on but was fprced out 10 laps from the end of the race. The other Dyson entry, driven by James Weaver and John Paul Jr, also retired with gearbox failure after leading half the race.

The race was won by the Juddengined Ferrari of Mauro Baldi and Didier Theys.

; THE Tasman Cup will again be run at the end of; this season for Formula Holden. !

The announcement was made in New Zealand recently l with the open wheelers to race for the Denny Hulme ' Memorial Tfr'ophy at Manfeild on November 25/26 and the ; New Zealand Grand Prix to be run a week later at j : Pukekohe. The series will be backed by P&O Nedlloyd. ^ AARON NOONAN I

Quartly 100%

Lites driver OK after PI crash V8 Lites driver Gary Quartly has emerged largely unscathed from his heavy accident at Phillip Island on the weekend.

Quartly said on Tuesday that he may have had a chipped bone in his foot as well as some damaged ten dons and hgaments after the accident which occurred on the run up to Lukey Heights.

“I have no real recollection of the last half lap,” said Quartly.

“I know I was running behind Robert Smith and the last thing I can remember is sliding across the grass and looking at the wall thinking ‘this is going to hurt’.”

Quartly was knocked unconscious in the impact, either hitting his head on the roll bar or the door pil lar, waking up some 20 min utes later in the back of the ambulance.

“I didn’t know that there was a fire at all. John Trimbole (who crashed in the same race and was admitted to the same hospi tal) told me all about it at the hospital.

“The window net melted but there were no marks on my suit apart from a little bit of blood. My helmet was cracked but it did its job.

“The only thing I can gather about the cause is that I might have been look ing at the outside of Smith to outbrake him on the inside for the run over Lukey Heights and got a wheel off onto the grass or something.

“It’s then done a 180 degree spin and belted the wall, drivers’ door first.”

The car was a total write off and the team is looking for a spare body shell or complete car to continue the series with.

Car owner and team dri ver Neil Schembri was scheduled to drive the car at the next round at Oran Park.

“Neil’s been brilliant about the whole thing. He owns the car and his only concern was about me. I was supposed to drive a Landcruiser back home with some of the crew but he went ahead and booked me a plane ticket once I was out ofthe hospital.”

-AARON NOONAN

guarantee that the race be held at Albert Park until 2011.

Sources say that Ron Walker secured the race despite attempts from NSW Premier Bob Carr to move the race north, the latter keen to grab a major sporting event once the Olympics had come and gone. n VALE: Peter Jeffrey 1941-2000.

Former Ford Motor Company racing team member Peter Jeffrey passed away on Thursday, May 4 after a long battle with cancer.

Jeffrey, 59, was an original member of the glorious 'Lot 6, Mahoneys Road'crew during the halcyon GTHO days of the '70s. So great was the impression left by Jeffrey and his cohorts, he and other members of the Mahoneys Road team were remembered by Peter Brock in an article in MN (#169)about the once intense rivallry between himself and Allan Moffat.

"He [Moffat] was up the other end of the pits, surrounded by his Ford people -Peter Jeffrey, Col Russell, aU those guys.

We were up this end - Ian Tate, Frank Lowndes and Harry Firth. We flew TAA,they flew Ansett," Brock said at the time.

After Lot 6 closed, Jeffrey continued to work with Ford in r&d until his iUness prevented him from working.

Jeffrey is survived by his wife Renate,two children and four grandchildren. n The Arrows team ran into trouble in Barcelona over illegal fuel. Tom Walkinshaw’s team was found to have run illegal ftiel in Pedro de la Rosa’s car in qualifying on Saturday. The FIA stewards announced that de la Rosa would have to start from the back of the grid.'Walkinshaw appealed the decision but on Sunday morning, the appeal was withdrawn. n The British Racing Drivers Club has been ordered to appear before the FIA World Motor Sport Council on June 21 in Warsaw,Poland, to explain the problems experienced at the recent British Grand Prix. The governing body was reacting to reports from its officials about incidents during qualifying and the race and “the treatment of the general public”.

6

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12Mdy2000

Bentley or Bugatti for Le Mans?

n There have been suggestions that Damon Hill will take on a management role with the new Toyota FI team. This does not seem vei7 likely as it is hard to imagine that Hill will want to do the job. There is no doubt that Toyota is looking for a high profile personality to run the Operation and has also had talks with Martin Brundle.

SSi-

By GARY WATKINS AN aM-new sportscar that could bring the Bentley or Bugatti name back to the Le Man.s 24 Hours next

n Hockenheim has been promised help with funding the necessary work to upgrade the track

by Walter Boring, the industrial minister ofthe Baden-Wurttemberg region. The money(which will be at least $30m)will not be made available unless FI gives Hockenheim assurances that the Geman GP will stay at the track in the next few years. Work on changes at Hockenheim are likely to run into trouble with the powerful environmentalists in Germany.

0 There has been a lot of action in the telephone industry in recent days with Telefonica getting close to a deal with Holland’s KPN. This broke down at the last minute and both companies are now expected to bid for control of Orange. In addition, Telefonica has decided to break up its two-year-old partnership with MCI WorldCom. Telefonica sp ^sors Minardi, MCI backs Jaguar and Orange supports Arrows. n With the World Motorcycle Championship runners between thenraces in Jerez and Le Mans a number of motorcycle racers appeared in Barcelona. n Australian 500cc motorcycle racer Garry McCoy was a guest ofthe Sauber team in Spain (his Yamaha motorcycle being sponsored by Red Bull) and tried out the cockpit of one of the Sauber FI cars while former champion Randy Mamola also showed up. n BMW’s failure to sort out its problems with Rover have led to intense speculation that the Munich company’s chairman Joachim Milberg may be dropped later this year. Rumours suggest that Wendelin Wiedeking, the chairman of Porsche, is the man most likely to be offered the job. It is worth noting that former BMW chaii-man Bernd Pischetsrieder appeared in the paddock in Barcelona. He will shortly begin his new job as head of the Volkswagen subsidiary SEAT and speculation suggests that he will eventually become chairman of Volkswagen itself

Let’s see them drive this on ‘Becker’: Network 10 will broadcast the Adelaide sportscar extravaganza. (Photoby sutton-images)

1000 years on Network 10

By GERALD McDORNAN

ORGANISERS of Adelaide’s ‘Race of 1000 Years’ have finalised a deal with Channel 10 to telecast the New Year’s Eve race.

Panoz Motorsports Australia spokesman Bill West told Motorsport News last Friday that a two-hour high lights progi-am will air the week follow ing the event. / “We’ve been able to co'me to an agree ment with Network Ten for a delayed telecast of the race and we believe it

will be a fantastic complement to the actual event,” West said.

Tickets for the race have just gone on sale with West reporting that the response has been “enormous”, with cor porate facilities already 65 percent sold.

“It really has been incredible the response from both the corporate sector and the general public and we are extremely delighted.

‘We’ve yet to crank up our marketing of the race and I’m sure we’ll see an even greater response when we do.”

Support categories for the ‘Race of

1000 Years’ have yet to be finalised with West commenting that he’d had numerous approaches.

‘We have been approached by every single registered category in Australia, except V8 Supercars,” he said last week.

“We still determining exactly what will fit the bill and produce the best entertainment for the spectators. To that end, we won’t be maldng a decision until we’ve had a chance to look at everything and that decision’s hkely to come mid-June.”

1TMfor Bonington in 2001?

j

THE revived DTM tin-top series could expand outside Germany in only its second season.

A number of venues are under consideration for a foreign round next year, including Britain's Donington Park which hosted DTM rounds in 1991-94.

Opel motorsport boss Volker Strycek said: “We are planning races outside Germany in 2001, but nothing is certain at the moment. We would only have one or two, and it only makes sense to go to tracks in neighbouring countries, such as Donington, Zandvoort in Holland or Magny-Cours in France."

Strycek stressed, however, that the series would remain a largely domestic one this time around. The DTM expanded into the worldwide International Touring Car series in 1995-1996 before being axed as a result of spiralling costs.

Michael Bernard, vicepresident of series organiser the ITR, said:"We must learn the lessons of the past, but it we had a request

Good Old Days: The DTM could return to Donington,just like here in 1994.(Photoby Nigci Snowdon) to go back to Donington, we'd listen. That track holds good memories tor the DTM." This year's DTM comprises nine doubleheader rounds exclusively in Germany. Bernard said that

12 events would be the "absolute maximum" tor the series.

The proliferation of racing circuits in Germany over the past few years could mitigate against foreign DTM races. The

Sachsenring and the newfor-2000 Lauzitzring have one round apiece this year and are likely to push for the same two-race allocation as Hockenheim, Nurburgring and Oschersleben.

- GARY WATKINS

Teams split on splitter decision Continuedfrom page 3 noted that "the results of the test didn’t overwhelm the original aim and there is a reasonable view that the teams will claw back some of the time once they are able to adjust their cars to compensate for the change."

In reference to Bathurst, He con firmed general agreement on current parity there with the observation that "I’d certainly expect a review of this change prior to Bathurst..."

For its pai’t, Ford’s troops were understandably - supportive of the PRC’s decision and dismissive of Holden’s counter-proposals.

Ford Motorsport Manager Howard Marsden told Motorsport News that "given that the idea of equalising the success ratio is the game we think we are playing, then there is no argu ment that the need for adjustment is demonstrated - why isn’t relevant.

"My expectation is that the PRC’s decision will be accepted..."

While that may on the face of it be game, set and match, Motorsport News expects further activity in the lead-up to next week’s race which could go as far as a legal challenge to the PRC’s jurisdiction - in view of TEGA’s move toward technical rather than ‘contrived’ parity.

There are also Holden teams who have sworn to head north with front aero kit in current rather than modi fied form. Scrutineering in Darwin could produce fireworks...

year is under construction in Britain.

Volkswagen, which owns both historic brands, is building the car at the Eacing Technology Norfolk facility,formerly the Anglo-Japanese TOM'S team.

Work is already well advanced and the jfirst tests could be as early as the end of the summer.

The VW is bucking the trend at Le Mans by producing a closed GTstyle prototype rather than an open car. The decision was made after a short test program last November with sister company Audi's RTN-fouilt RfiC coupe.

Many beKeve that a coupe could still be competitive at Le Mans, despite new rules for 2000 that have hit closed cars hardest. One of them is Audi sports boss Wolfgang Ullrich, who abandoned the disappointing R8C project soon after Le Mans last year.

'1 don't think the coupes are really disadvantaged," he said.'1 still beheve that if you develop a coupe it would be quickest in qualifying."

VW has again refused to formerly acknowledge the existence ofthe RTN project. Marque motorsport boss Andre van der Watt was at Le Mans for last week's test day,but gave a firm "no comment"to questions about the car.

Back in November, however,he said there would he"announcement until we get our complete strategy sorted out".

VW is undecided on which ofits brands to take to Le Mans.Bentley was initially favourite, but the relaunched Bugatti marque moved into the ftame late in 1999. VW badgii^ is not out of the question either.

It is also unclear if it has been decided what engine to use. The complicated W12 tested in a Lola B98/10 is understood to have been abandoned, while VW is known to be considering a turbodiesel unit, probably for use in the car at a later date.

A VW attack on Le Mans would not represent a clash with Audi, according to Ullrich.

Volkswagen will be represented at Le Mans this year. A factorysupplied customer engine wil power two LMP675 class Reynards entered by the ROC team, which has secured backing from VW France.

r

U May 2000

VCo

0

udi dominant

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i

AUDI will start the 2000 Le Mans 24 Hour as red-hot favourites after domi nating pre-qualifying late last month.

In a devastating performance, the silver cars unofficially set the three fastest times, headed by Allan McNish.

The 1998 Le Mans winner with Porsche, teamed once again with Stephane Ortelli and Laurent Aiello, lapped the 13km circuit in 3:36.628 before crashing his Audi R8R at the Porsche Curves.

"I braked and went slightly off-line,” said McNish. "Once you do that you are on a recovery mission, and obviously I did not recover well enough."

Emanuele Pirro set second-fastest time in the second Audi that he shared with Frank Biela, while former Ferrari FI driver Michele Alboreto was third with Christian Abt and Rinaldo Capello.

Panoz struggled throughout the day with handling problems and set-up dis asters.

"We have a kit for Le Mans," said Australian David Brabham. "It would appear that the new parts are more efficient than we expected, and we need to do some more testing before the race."

Cadillac lived up to its claim that they were on an exploratory mission this year. Andy Wallace completed one lap before his gearbox failed, then the engine stopped on the second and his third attempt to set a time was thwart ed by the chequered flag.

"We need to find another downforce solution," said Butch Leitzinger. None of the cars made it into the unofficial top10 times, though the team was encour aged by its first laps around the French track, trying out aerodynamic modifica tions.

THE factory-backed ROC team is aiming to contest the second half of this year's American Le Mans Series with two "baby" prototypes.

The French squad is seeking finance to join the series after it debuts its two LMP675 ReynardVW 2KQs in next month's Le Mans 24 Hours.Team manager Hugues Lardy

MEMO Gidley will get one more chance to impress in the CART FedEx series, while

Karl Wendlinger was the fastest GTSclass driver in the Chrysler Viper, O.Ssec faster than his teammate Marc Duez.

It was no walkover for the Viper team, though, as the works Corvettes were hard on their heels, Ron Fellows setting a time of 3:59.1 on only his seventh lap ever around Le Mans on the Chevrolet's race debut.

The Chevrolet team was finding its feet at Le Mans on Sunday, and the Viper crowd had better get on their ranning shoes fast if they want to beat them.

Patrick Carpentier gets two more weeks to heal and prepare for his return.

Carpentier will not drive the Player’s Ford/Reynai’d for this week’s event in Japan'. The 28-year-old Canadian will sit out his

The King of Cool: He may be 60 but Mario Andretii can still cut the pace in the Panoz he will share with David Brabham and Jan Magnussen. But Audi (below) looks like the marque to beat. This is Michele Alboreto’s example.

PhotQs by Sutton-lmages

third straight event after suffering a broken -wrist in a fall at his home.

The driver was examined

by CART physicians last Tuesday and it was found that his range-of-motion was not sufficient enough to allow him to drive in the event at Tvhn Ring Motegi.

CarpentiePs loss is Gidleys gain as the American driver wiU pilot the No. 32 cai’for the third time, after taking over duties for Carpentier at Long Beach. Gidley has shown promise in his ffist two outings, earning a points-paying eighth-place ftnish’last week in Rio, and running in the top-10 before a mechanical malfunction at Long Beach.

Carpentier will likely be re-evaulated after the Japan race,,and hopes to return to the cockpit for the May 27 snow date running of the Nazareth event.

said:'The plans is to do the Nurburging ALMS race in July and then do the remainder of the sea son, but it all depends on money."

The ROC program is backed by VW France.

The engine project is masterminded at the Gennan marque's Wolfsburg motorsport headquarters and billed as a customer program.

The Roock team will use the same unit in a

c

L

A \

Mofi Memo

and Mallock go for ALMS

By GARY WATKINS

X

7

U

Lola B2K/40 expected in the ALMS later this year.

Meanwhile,last year's British Touring Car Championship-winning squad is aiming to build a prototype contender for Le Mans.

Ray Mallock, boss of the eponymous team, said:"Winning Le Mans outright is definitely on the to-do list as far as we are concerned.I'm sure Ray Mallock Limited will be back at Le Mans with a

S

I

prototype, but I don't know if it will be next year or in four years.

"Sportscar racing is now our focus. Touring cars has been good to us for a few of years, but it's good to go back to oui’ roots." RML is looking at several possibilities for its return to top-line sportscar racing more than a decade on from its last involvement. It is courting backing from major car makers but is

V

Mustang-based racer, which should be ready for a race debut in the American Le Mans Series before the end of the year.

Mallock's team built its reputation in sportscars.

It finished seventh at Le Mans with an Aston Martin Nimrod in 1982 and, as Ecurie Ecosse, won the Group C2 teams' title in the 1986 World Endurance Champion ship.

E

O F F E R MARK WEBBER SUPPORTER T-SHIRTS

r-Ai-:'

STOCKS SOLD OUT AT THE CP! Thanks to all our supporters - new supplies available now!

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also considering taking on Reynard,Lola and Panoz in the customercar market.

'There are a lot of dif ferent scenarios. There's a lot going on in sports car racing at the moment, so we can't say which route we will be taking."

Mallock's first new involvement in sportscars is with Ford special builder Saleen. The British squad is building its next generation Ford

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pi\)ducL*on, th* proceeds ol which will assist Mark m hiB Quost to go an me way tor Auscrano m Formuie umj

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8

bhh)Q®n‘8\j)®{?9

12 May 2000

ORANGE GOES AHEAD

By JOE SAWARD ORANGE,the company which is sponsoring the Aitows FI team this year,is as expected to be sold.

The company was owned by the Gei-man conglomerate Mannesmann but that has been taken over by Britain's mobile phone group Vodafone AirTouch.

In order to get clearance from the European Commission for the merger,Vodaphone was forced to agree that it would either sell or demerge Orange to avoid a monopoly situation in the British mobile phone market.

We hear that Vodaphone's institutional shareholders have told the company that it would prefer a sale rather than a demerger as a sale could raise money which could then be bid in the current wave of auctions for future mobile telephone licences.

The sale of Orange is expected to attract a lot of bidders with France Telecom, Telefonica and MCI WorldCom expected to be the frontrunners. It will be interesting to see what happens if Orange goes to either Telefonica or MCI as both are already involved in Grand Prix racing: Telefonica with Minardi and MCI with Jaguar Racing.

It is also worth noting rumours that Orange boss Hans Snook has been offered a job with Hong Kong-based conglomerate Hutchinson Whampoa (which originally established Orange and put Snook in charge) to build a new panEuropean mobile phone network for the new generation of phones.

Orange Boys: de la Rosa and Verstappen. (Sution-images)

otor racing never ceases to amaze me. Win a race and everyone wants to know you again. Even the guys at Motorsport News want me to do an column (only joking guys)...(ED; steady. Ingall, or we'll get a Perkins column ...)

I must admit it has been a while between drinks, my last win being the Queensland 500 last year. Even though I was second overall at Eastern Creek, just to win a race these days is a major effort and winning that third race was a much needed boost for both driver and team.

Timefor The Enforcer to do some Ejiforcing = in a safe and responsible manner^ ofcourse

A

fter race one, I thought it was going to be the usual Eastern Creek follow the leader type racing and I’m sure a few spectators were thinking the same thing. But the two races that followed were most entertaining, especially from where I was sitting.

Now I am a bit upset with Lowndes at the moment because he looks like he is trying to take over my ‘Enforcer’ name. Now look here Craig, that’s my driving trait, find your own! I must admit though I thought a couple of his passing moves were quite good actually and put it this way, if I had the chance I wouldn’t have done it any different, I was sitting right behind him when he went under Radisich and in my opinion was far enough inside and I considered the same manoeuvre in the first race.

A problem that I was,<)vorried about towards the end 6f last year with a majority of the drivers jumping on the ‘dangerous driving’ and ‘code of passing conduct’ band wagon was forcing the judicial system to be tough. I am not having a go at CAMS here for once, as it was demanded by some drivers that this occur.

Now we have the problem of drivers being penalised for any minor

Plenty has been said from both sides about the parity conflict but the fact remains they are making their judgement based off one team’s success and to base an adjustment off that is totally wrong. There is three or four teams bridging the gap to HRT,a couple of them being Ford teams. The reason - exactly the same as my team. We are just working harder, coming up with new ideas and getting our act together.

That’s got nothing to do with yy parity whatsoeve'-, just plain hard work. I give you an example from the weekend. In the first practice session I was in 24th position (and not from lack of trying), in the second practice session I was eighth and then in qualifying fourth. The car when we arrived at Eastern Creek was handling very evil indeed and through the persistence and hard work from the team, slowly chipped away at the handling until it was a competitive car.

We didn’t go there with a car that was a rocket ship just because it was a Commodore. The make of the car has little to do with it, it is all to do with the driver and the team that runs that car and nothing else.

I have to say I am very much looking forward to the next four rounds. Darwin in just over a week’s time has been sensational for us in the past, then the Canberra race in which we should be very competitive as we always are on new circuits.

Then, of course, the Queensland’ harden up and let what happens on race at Willowbank, where we have the track, get sorted out on the track.

As the old saying goes "what goes enjoyed wins at and of course my old around, comes around". favourite, Winton.

1 honestly thought before Eastern come Creek my championship hopes were Another out of the interesting weekend thing wasto how looking pretty sad, but all of a competitive the Fords were. So sudden it may have taken a turn for the better. much for the parity issue, with Seton Time for The Enforcer to do some as competitive as anyone and Radisich quite capable of winning Enforcing - in a safe and responsible manner of course ... the day outright.

u

tti indiscretion in which a bit of panel rubbing has occurred while making a legitimate overtaking move. This is what our sport is about-"diving for that smallest gap and having a go" and this is what the public want to See. Not drivers hesitant about overtaking because of the worry if it doesn’t come off, and there is a likelihood of being hauled through the judicial system.

It’s time for the pussy drivers to

New look for BOC series

Jordan confirms Michaels

THE

AUSTRALIAN engineer Sam Michael is expected to become chief designer of Jordan Grand Prix at the

Weight penalties, distance race and revamped'Independents class 2000/2001

BOC

Gases Australian Super Touring Championship will have three significant changes in its appearance when the series starts at the end of May at Oran Park.

Firstly, the definition of an ’Independent' driver has been changed. Previously an Independent was one with out factory support but the disappearance of the two remaining works teams has prompted the changes.

To be eligible for Independent status, competi tors must comply with three of the five conditions.

They are that the car must be a pre-1996 car, use a pre1997 aero kit, use a maxi mum of four new slicks for qualifying and racing at each round, use 18" wheels and that the driver didn't finish in the top three in either the Drivers' or the Independents title in 1997-99.

TOGA Australia has also introduced a success ballast system for the top three dilvers and cars in all races as well as a 150km endurance event.

Winliers of each race in the title will carry an addi tional 40kg at the following round with 15kg 'won' by sec ond place and 10kg for third, "When this type of rule is applied across the b'oard

Who are you calling Tubby, Fat Boy! Local Super Touring will follow its BTCC cousin, where James Kaye’s Honda plus 40kgs lead Alain Menu’s Ford plus 20kg. (Photo by sothweii) everyone is in the sapie situation so it does not favour or penalise any one car or team in particular. The rule only relates to outright results," said TOGA GEO Kelvin O'Reilly.

Defending champ Paul Morris, at whom the change is largely aimed, said that "it's a fair way of evening up the competition because it only applies to one driver or team."

The 150km endurance race is likely to be included in one

of the final fom- rounds offhe championship, although the venue is yet to be determined.

"It"rewards reliability and with the additional pit-stops it allows the teams to have a greater role in the outcome of the championship," said O'Reilly.

The points system remains unchanged from 1999, with 15 for a race win, 12 for sec ond, 10 for third, and decreasing allocations down to 10th place.

The endurance event will cany three-times the noi-mal points.

The regulations also allow for the return of four-wheeldrive cars to the champi onship with a minimum weight limit of 1070kg. The weight for front-drive cars remains at 975kg. and the are cars rear-drive unchanged at 1000kg.

A maximum of six Yokohama control tyres will be allowed at each round, as per 1999.

end ofthe year.

The 29-year-old has been working in Formula 1 since 1993 when he joined Peter Wright's technical team, doing data acquisition and lap simu lation work for Team Lotus.

At the end of 1994 Team Lotus went out of business and Michael moved on to Jordan where he has been ever since. Since then he has held a variety of different posts in the company in order to broaden his undei-standing of all technical aspects of the sport.

Our spies -within the team say that there is no intention of the team appointing a new technical director and that the job will be done by current joint managing-director Trevor Foster, who has a background as an engineer and as a manager in FI. Gascoyne is not due to move to Benetton until the middle of 2001 but he is expected to leave Jordan at the end of this season as the team is not keen or him to know too much about its future activities.

The Jordan bosses say they are confident that other engi neers will not follow Gascoyne to Benetton but there is a dis tinct possibility that two or three ofthe team will move.

-JOE SAWARD

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12 May 2000

9

Spanish GP staying THE Spanish Grand Prix will be held at the Circuit at de Catalunya,

Montmelo near Barcelona, until 2006, Formula One boss Befnie Ecclestone said on Sunday.

"We have extended our contract for at least another six or seven years," Ecclestone said.

President of the Catalan government Jordi Pujol

Traffic alert; Things will only get better - or worse? - with the end of AVESCO’s 32 car grid limit. (Photo by tyniey Rew)

All out for 32

By AARON NOONAN

AVESCO’s 32-cai’-n.iie has been smrffed.

Following a petition signed by almost all of the teams at the Shell Series round at Eastern Creek, the limiting of 32 cars in Shell sprint races this year has been scrapped for this year at least.

"Furrdamentally(the 32-car rule) was right but it was late in the announcement," said AVESCO CEO Wayne Cattach on Sunday.

"It was designed to cause teams to decide whether they would keep trying in the Shell Series or encourage them-to look at Lites. It was well thought through but not done i .rrly enough."

The lateness of the deci sion, as well as a paperwork bungle - which didn’t see the supplementary regulations changed to reflect the rule -

were the main reasons that the rule has not been able to be enforced. That gave means for drivers who missed out on a spot in the field in pre-qualifying at Eastern Creek, a start on Sunday in the 38-car field on a track that has a

density of47 cars. , Accordingly, the grid densi ties have been changed with 55 cars to start the FAI 1000 (as opposed to the 48 as previ ously announced) and 50 for the Queensland 500.

The top 32 cars from the Shell Series wiU therefore be automatic entries into the Bathurst race with the top eight Konica Lites teams also gaining automatic entry.

There will be two wildcard entrants and the rest of the field will be determined by pre-qualifying. Wildcards are also on offer for the Queensland 500.

The GMC 400 will only

have the top 32 cars in the Shell Series points after Darwin as that is the maxi mum grid density.

Cattach also revealed that there were moves to have Neal Bates in the field as a wildcard entry for his home town race.

However, that would have been at the expense of an AVESCO member who had scored points in the championship and the AVESCO board , wasn’t prepai-ed to put Bates in the field at the expense of a paid-up member.

Bates however will stiU be at the race, instead driving in the VB V8 Challenge.

Cattach also said that most

added, "All agreements are subject to discussions with the EU(European Union).

"The Catalan government and the Spanish government are involved with the EU

over some questions, despite this there is a very strong agreement. There is a new agieement until 2006."

The Spanish Grand Prix has been held at the Circuit de Catalunya since 1991.

Dallaras dominate at PhHHp Island F3

fying percentage would vary froin circuit to circuit.

CATTACH also confirmed that Pukekohe would host the opening round of the 2001 Shell Series. ^ The date, as announced at the press conference annormcing the race, we understand win be March 26, two weeks after the non-championship support races at the Australian Grand Prix.

The three race format will consist of three 100-kilometre races with a compulsory pit stop race on the fast and bumpy Pukekohe circuit,

D1 and D4: Bronte Rundle and Stephenson.(Photo by chris carter) CATEGORY debutante Darren Palmer and defending cham pion Paul Stephenson shared the Formula 3 victories at Phillip Island over the weekend.

Palmer beat home Stephenson and Chad'Jacobsen in race one whole Stephenson led home a DaUara 1-2-3-4 in race two with Palmer, Chris Coombs and Peter Hackett all close behind.

- AARON NOONAN

-

parts of the policy would be implemented in the 2001 Shell Series, with an announcement due after Bathurst this year as to the structirre.

He also,said that the quali-

'f

Engine Manogement& Data Acquisition Systems

p

Engine ManagementSystems = 24 June 200© ADL Dash Logger = 25 June 2000

By JOE SAWARD THE future of Peugeot in Formula 1 appears to be close to being settled.

The Fr-ench car company is thought virtual ly certain to end its relationship with Prost Grand Prix at the errd of this season. If Peugeot can sell the FI engine program it will have an excuse to leave FI and can use the money raised to pay for the World Rally Championship assault over the next few years.

The company which is thought most likely to buy the Peugeot technology is Toyota, although the vast Japanese company does not want to be seen to getting technology from Peugeot and so may choose to use the Yamaha name in FI. Toyota owns a small share in Yamaha and provides the company with con siderable business.

A deal to use Yamaha engines in FI would enable Toyota to have a second string FI pro ject which can be taken over if its own FI team flops.

This worrld tie in with stories we are hear ing that suggest that a consortium of technolo gy companies are about to take over Minardi

and that the Italian team will use Yamaha VIO engines next year.

Ultimately we ar-e sm-e that Yamaha is not plarming a long ter-m firtoe in FI. We continue to hear- that Yamaha has plans to build high performance sporfscars for the US market and that Toyota is happy for Yamaha to build the brrmd (which has been so successful in motor cycle ra.cing) and intends to change the name of its CART engines to Yamaha in 2002 when Toyota becomes involved in FI. ' This convoluted arrangement may not be as unlikely as it sounds. In 1993, it should be remembered, Ferrari acqirired a considerable amourrt of FI information from Honda after the Japanese company withdrew from FI. Yamaha sources deny any knowledge of these negotiations but we.beheve that the deal will happen if the purchase of Minardi goes ahead.

Alain Prost, in the meantime, is still rmsure what to do about arr engine as he continues to str-uggle to convince West McLaren Mercedes that it would be a good idea for Mercedes to have two engine supplies in 2001.

Attention to all MoFeC users and Intemstsd pBrsom.

MoTeC Australia will be holding two one-day training seminars focusing on Data Acqyisltiore and Analysis with the MoTeC Dash Logger and the MoTeC Engine Management Systems.

This will be open to all current MoTeC users and those intending to use MoTeC products. ^

The cost of attendance is $150 per person, per course and includes comprehensive course notes and relevant documentation. Morning/afternoon teas and lunch will also be provided.

Bookings are essential and places are at a premium so please be in contact with Jeanette at MoTeC on 03 9761 5050, fax 03 9761 5051 oremailjeanette.ralston@motec.com.au to reserve your place at the seminar.

0

PAI

Ambrose looking for V8 Qld 500 ride

By CHRIS LAMBDEN

home mm

FRENCH F3 Champion ship contender Marcos Ambrose is on the look-out for drives in Australia's

ii

Shell Championship Series

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May 21 .. .Hidden Valley ...Rd 5 Rd6 Jun 11 .. .Canberra ,Rd7 ,QLD .. . .

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major long distance races later this year.

The 23 year-old Tasmanian has a 'free' weekend at the time of the Queensland 500 V8 Supercar race and is also keen on the Race of 10000 Years

V8 Supercars'*

Jul 16

WHILE on the lookout for a drive in the V8 races, sports car race in Adelaide on , Ambrose has landed him New Year's Eve. self a part-time ride in the "Bathurst would be fantas tic, but it clashes with Macau, burgeoning Nations Cup category, Ambrose having so maybe I could do Willowbank for a team whose been pencilled in for a num ber of drives in Tom co-driver can only do Warwick's new Ferrari 360.

Bathurst," Ambrose said.

The 1999 European The Ferrari, which will be Formula Ford champion and ruji out of .the MelbourneAustrahan MotorSport Young based Prancing Horse stables, Achiever and International is expected to arrive in Achiever dual award -winner is Australia early next week.

Melinda Price will debut the finding his feet in the French series, finishing both rounds of car in Canberra early next month, the former Castrol the series at Magny Cours last Cougar alternating drives with weekend in the top 10.

Ambrose.

"Finishing seventh and - GERALD MCDORNAN ninth is not what I was hoping

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Winton World Superbike Championship*

May 14 . .Great Britain . . . .Rd 4 Rd5 Jun 4 Germany . , ,Rd6 Jun 18 . . .San Marino Rd7 .U.S.A Jul 9

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May 21 . . .Germany Jun 4 . . . .Monaco .

F!A Formula 3000 International C'ship R d3 June 3 . . .Monaco R d4 ■France

5 Jul 2

Jul 16

Austria

for," Marcos said this week, "but considering that we have improved the car by half a sec ond since our last race we have made considerable progress. I hope that the team can continue to improve the car so I can fight for podiums and wins."

The next round of the French series is on June 11.

Eyeing a V8 drive: Marcos Ambrose is hoping a drive in a V8 Supercar at the Queensland 500 might become available. (Photo by suHon-images)

. . .R d 5

FIA World Rally Championship* May 14 . . .Argentina IB Jun 11 . . .Acropilis

,R d6 Rd7

July 16 . . .New Zealand . . . .Rd 8 Rd9 Aug 20 . . .Finland

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Drag Racing Series ,R d7 ,R d8 ,R d9

May 7 . . .Atlanta . . . .

May 21 . . .Englishtown A'cy 28 . . .Dallas

Fedex Cart Championship May 13 . . .Motegi

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l_B Jun 4 Milwaulkee . . . ,Rd6 Rd7 Jun 18 . . .Detroit IB Australian Roily l_B

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Championship* Queensland Rd 3 Jun 25 . . .Goffs Harbour . . .Rd 4 ,Rd5 Aug 27 . . .Melbourne Oct 8 Tasmania ,Rd6

A bar where everybody knows your name: Norm, Cliff and Sam, aka Malcolm Oastler, Honda’s Takefumi Hosaka and BAR’S Craig Pollock talk FI in Spain. Will they be together in 2001 ? (Photo by sutton-images)

By JOE SAWARD THERE was much talk in Barcelona about the future of

World Grand Prix l_B SOOcc Motorcycle C'Ship* ,Rd5 IIB May 14 . . .France . . ,Rd6 May 28 . . .Italy I B Jun 11 . . .Catalunya Rd7 Jun 24 . . .Netherlands Rd 8 I B Formula Holden l_B Championship , Rd4 l_B Jun 11 . . .Canberra Jul 2 .QLD , Rd5 IB Jul 30 . . . .Oran Park , Rd6 I B

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British American Racing.

Honda says that has no plans to buy the team although an option is believed to exist for that to hap pen at some point in the future.

Despite the Honda denials, there is little doubt that Honda ulti mately wants to run its own Fl operation.

Honda re-entered the sport this year as engine supplier to BAR after British American Tobacco agreed to fund the engine develop ment program in exchange for the engines and an option to buy the team.

1 ten L J motorsport^ All event dates in this calendar were correct at the time of printing. Please consult any individual tracks and/or associations for dale changes.

Series or events telecast on Network Ten are marked with an asterix. Cheek your local guides for screening details.

.

Through this, BAT is in a posi tion to recover much of the money they have spent in Fl while Honda will be able to build up to a competitive level without having to worry about the initial set-up dramas. Using BAR as a Trojan Horse has been a good compro mise.

The new Honda engine is already very competitive but the BAR chassis is not very good. We also hear that BAT is unhappy

with the entire project and doesn’t want to spend any more money.

There are also worries that unless something happens quickly the team may lose its chief asset, Jacques Villeneuve.

There are welhfounded rumours in the Fl paddock that BAR is short of money. These seem to be confirmed by the fact that the team is taking legal action to reclaim half a million dollars from Mika Salo.

We hear that the company’s head of marketing, a major sup porter of the Fl program, Jimmy Rembiszewski, has been sidelined and there are also stories that the firm’s hea'd of sponsorships Tom Moser is also in political trouble within BAT. Rumours also suggest that BAR shareholders have agreqd to hand over more equity to BAT in exchange for money to keep the team afloat. While not confirmed, these shares would have to come from either Reynard or Mount Eagle Inc, who own 35 percent.

Reynard has recently cut back staff, laying off 50 recently due to a reduced demand for CART chas sis, although we believe Adrian

Reynard is unlikely to give awa y any of his shares in BAR. Half of Mount Eagle is halfowned by CART team boss Jerry Forsythe, while the other 50 per cent is believed to be owned by Craig Pollock and Villeneuve.

It is difficult to understand what is going on with Mount Eagle as Forsythe has broken his links with Honda in CART. At the same time there are persistent rumours that Villeneuve is about to sign for another team and if that happens it is hard to see how he can remain a shareholder in BAR. Our spies in Japan tell us that Honda is not happy at what is going 6n in Fl and would like more control. We also believe that BMW’s rapid success is worrjdng Honda bosses.

It is also interesting to note that Reynard’s Rick Gome, who recent ly moved to BAR, is now tipped to on the way to Lola where he is expected to head their CART team. Gome had been expecting a bigger role within BAR. Clearly there are some delicate negotiations taking place at the moment...

THE colourful Flavio Briatore has said his biggest concern since taking over Benetton again was, thanks to the slide from competitiveness of the team, the positioning of his motorhome in the paddock.

“It (the motorhome) is so far along I have to catch a taxi ... it’s close to the toilet,” Briatore told a gathering of reporters in Spain last weekend.

At the suggestion that this was perhaps better than being in the toilet itself, Briatore responded: “No, I am in the shit anyway.”

Briatore conceded the return to Benetton, heading Renault’s takeover of the team, was “a very big job”.

Having said that, Briatore will continue to maintain his townhouse in the upmarket Cheyne Walk in London, while also taking up a country residence closer to the team’s factory.

“I am going to be an English country genetleman, I will have the tweed jacket and everything,” he said.

“Perhaps I’il even get a dog on a leash to go walking. It seems that a black labrador is the preferred animal of choice of the landed gentry.”

- JORGE DELGADO

5

IM

l2Mdy2000

World Ressiiog Federation

Dave's back After a'while in the doldrums David Besnard is back with a vengeance. He tests for SBR today between US sportscar races for Dyson Racing.ED KRAUSE tracked him down. iViN: You've slipped back into Australia when we thought you were still in the US chasing a Formula Atlantic drive. What happened?

DB: I did four races with Hylton Motorsports in Atlantics last year and, half way through, I said to them,'iefs stop racing and go and test, because we didn't have enough money to do it properly'.

So we stopped racing but the testing thing never really happened.

I hung around for the rest of the year to see what was going on.

They would've had me for this year but i decided not to. They are a new team and have a bit to learn. I believe they will, but I didn't want to stay there while they were learning for another season.

MN: Were there any other drives on the cards?

DB: there were a couple of other there as well as Hylton, but for anything decent you need a motion dollars plus to race Atlantics competitively. There are so many South American drivers that are just paying for their ride, so it's very hard to get a decent drive over there unless you're paying the big money for it.

MN: When did you decide that you were not going to stay in the US full-time and come

AS we predicted exclusively, Jaguar Racing has confirmed that Neil Ressler is to be the new chief executive of the team.

Ressler will remain Chief Technical Officer of the Ford Motor Company but his supervi sion of the company's advanced research division will be handed over to Will Boddie, Ford's Vice of Global Core President

Accelerate, clutch, brake: Despite having a fair old lay-off Besnard remembered enough to qualify Dyson Racing’s Lincoln-powered Riley&Scott fifth fastest at Homestead. (Photo by smton-images) back to Australia?

DB: I went back over at the beginning of the year to talk to some sports car people, namely Rob Dyson, and to see what else is going on over there. I had a meeting with Rob at Daytona in January and after that trip I decided that unless I had the money it probably wasn't worthwhile being over there.

I thought I'd come back, think about my future and maybe look towards doing touring cars and stay here in Australia for a few years. I've lived gut of the country for a lot of my life already and I want to enjoy my racing now and maybe make some money out of it.

Also, by doing that there may / be a chance to get the backing to' go back to America and have another shot, like Jason Bright has done. That's not my plan, but it may be an option further down the track.

MN: Have you spoken to or tested with any of the V8 Supercar teams?

DB; I tested with Mark Larkham on Wednesday (before Eastern Creek) and I'll be testing with the Stones team in a couple of weeks after I get back from America.

MN: How did the test go?

DB; The test went really well. I

did about 16 or 18 laps on the day. My,first session I did about six or seven laps. I'd never been at the track (Willowbank) and I'd never been in one of those cars.

My times were quite respectable in the first session. In the second session i went out and tried to go a little bit harder and then learned a big thing about these cars, which is that you don't necessarily drive them harder to go faster so I ended up doing simiiar sort of times.

I was going to do a couple more laps, thinking that I'd worked a lot more of it out, but then I started getting a few spots on the windscreen. Mark had to drive the car here this weekend so I didn't want to try and be a hero and try too hard. Considering the circumstances and that I also had the flu and wasn't feeling too well, I think I did pretty well.

MN: But first you're having some more races in America?

DB: That’s right. Rob Dyson is talking about a five race deal. n I only got an email a week ago and then, with Easter and my getting the flu I only spoke to him on Thursday night. He said he'd love to have me for this race and to discuss four more after that.

Provided all goes well, then definitely another two and possibly another two after that.

r isliSif nnki

MN: Is that another way of getting back into America for you? Jan Magnussen took a Panoz drive as a way of getting into Champ cars. Is that something that's crossed your mind, another way to get back into the US? DB; It's another way of doing it, but right now I don't see myself as having to be in the US. I can enjoy my life here and do three years here dnd probably have a better chance then of doing,something in America.

MN: You've put a lot of effort into getting to Formula 1 and Champ cars for a lot of years.

Surely it's pretty tough to have to pull out now.

DB: I'm disappointed but I'm not going to let it get me down.

That's the way it goes.

Unfortunately if you don't have the money behind you it's very difficult. There are other ways of doing it, you can get some lucky breaks, but very few people get that.

It's a matter of enjoying my life now, coming back here and walking around every day with a smile on my face and like I say, this is the best way for me to get into America anyway. Look at Roberto Moreno. I'm not sure how old he is, but he's got to be pushing 40 so it's not over yet.

Engineering, and Bill Powers, Vice President of research.

The team also announced a restructuring of its board of direc tors, with the appointments of Wolfgang Reltzle, Chairman of Jaguar Cars, Jonathan Browning, Jaguar's Managing Director and Richard Parry-Jones, Ford's Group Vice President for Global Product Development, all joining the board.

Jackie Stewart remains a director and will work with the team's Commercial Director Rob Armstrong to find more sponsorship for the team.

Profit predicted for Indy GP TONY George, the owner of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, says that the United States Grand Prix in September will make a profit this year.

George was speaking during a conference on the business of motor racing at Indiana University's Kelley School of. Business in Indianapohs. He said that demand for tickets had been much stronger than expected and said that the event would be a seU-out.

He added that the Speedway should have built a longer infield road course so that more of the existing seats could be used for the FI event. At the moment the seat ing in Turn Three is too far from the FI track to be used.

"We could have sold them easily," George said.

The track is expected to have a crowd of around 200,000 for the September 24 race but George admitted that, if the demand for tickets remains strong in 2001, the infield course may be lengthened so that all 300,000 seats can be sold.

James Strong gets Salo and BAR In court battle Randy at 250kmh

SA

IT’S official: Champ Cars’ most eligible bachelor, Dario Franchitti, and Hollywood’s rising actress Ashley Judd are engaged to be married.

The 1999 FedEx series runnerup and the star of‘Double Jeopardy’,‘Kiss the Girls’(1997) and ‘A Time to Kill’(1996) will wed at a date to be specified in the future.

The 32-year-old Southern belle and 26-year-old speed demon have been happily cruising together since last May, when they met at a wedding reception.

Judd, who has just finished shooting a movie, helped nurse the ^Scot back to health at her Tenessee home after his pre-season testing crash at Homestead.

Country singing star Naomi Judd says her daughter's engagement to the Kool Team Green driver has been a "private family joy for months."

-PHIL MORRIS

11

JORDAN Grand Prix has committed to Bridgestone in a new,long-term contract.

The Silverstone,.UK-hased team has taken steps to strengthen its relationship with the Japanese company ahead of the anticipated 'tyi-e war' when Michelin returns to Fonnula 1 next year.

Michelin has already secured deals with Williams-BMW, Jaguar and, when it enters, Toyota. In anticipation of substantial develop ment by Michelin, Bridgestone has already tested a range of new tyi'es - as many as 10 compounds.

The announcement of the new Jordan/ Bridgestone affiance means that it is almost cer tain that BAR-Honda will lam on Michelins next season as Honda will want a foot in each camp.

- QUENTIN SPURRING

QANTAS boss James Strong has become one of the first passengers on the Marlboro Yamaha Team's new two-seat Yamaha YZR500 GP bike.

Mr Strong,a long-time motorcycle enthusiast, had two laps pillioning on the full-specification 1999 race machine at Jerez’s MotoGP round last week.

The 55-year-old airline head was piloted by for mer Yamaha Grand Prix star Randy Mamola.

Ml’Strong (55), who has also had the privilege of a ride in the McLaren team's two-seat Formula One racecar, was struck by the force of the brakes on the 190bhp Yamaha.

'The braking is very severe," he enthused after the ride.'The whole thing was a real thrill. It was a gi’eat opportunity and this is a great idea. It's very

different from the Formula One car. You are more involved on the back of the bike and it was probably more of a thrill for me."

Always a showman dui'ing his illustrious Grand Prix career, Mamola, who is now Eurosport's pitlane commentator, was clearly delighted with the reaction he received from the crowd.

"This is a huge buzz for me as well as the guys on the back," said the 40-yearold, who won 13 Grands Prix and finished runner up in the 500cc World Championship four times.

The Ride’ will also be experienced at the Italian, Catalunyan,Portuguese and Valencia Grands Prix, as well as at the big Marlboro Masters motorsports event at Zandvoort, Netherlands on 5/6 August.

BRITISH American Racing and Sporting Elite, the company which manages Mika Salo, are in legal action over the Finn's release from a BAR contract

last year which enabled him to drive for Fen’ari.

After the ’?9 Brazilian Grand Prix, where BAR driver Ricardo Zonta suffered leg injuries, Salo raced in Imola, Monaco and Spain.

The Finn recorded the first two BAR finishes: seventh in Imola and eighth in Spain.

Salo stood down when Zonta returned to action in Canada hut in July he was approached by Ferrari to stand in for the injured Michael Schumacher.

In order to be released from his BAR contract we hear that Salo had to agree to repay all he had earned from BAR.'Ihe current dis pute is believed to centre around this money. BAR is claiming that it is owed US$540,000 ($900,000) by Sporting Ehte.

Sporting Elite is expected to defend the case which will resume in two weeks.

- JOE SAWARD

12 l2Mdy2000

0

THE 2000 British Touring Car Championship has turned into an all-out

LClllLL^L'

Ford versus Vauxhall ~ „ j c j fight ^er rounds five and SIX at Ihruxton.

Yvan Muller won both races to move to second in the championship pomtscore, while Vai^dl partner Jason Plato grabbed a third and a second to make it a great weekend for the Tnple Eight squad.

“I did enough to keep up a gap at the front, said Muller, “I got a good start and pulled out a lead that I was comfortable with. You cannot

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The Frenchman and The Aardvark: Yvan Muller leads Jason Plato to at Thruxton.

(Photo by Bothwell Photographic)

What^s Germanfor ^Parity^

so you want ABSOLUTE

parity between V8 racers? Go to Germany.

That’s the indication after the latest round of pre-season testing for the DTM 2000 series, which kicks off on May 28 at Hockenheim.

Opel's Jo Winkelhock set the fastest time but the German veteran’s Opel Astra was just 0.081s faster than the Mercedes of former Grand Prix driver Pedro Lamy. In third place was Lamy's Team Rosberg team-mate, Darren Turner.

The 1996 ITC champion Manuel Reuter was fourth fastest for Opel, just 0.004s cuicker than the last DTM cbamplon Bernd Schneider in a Mercedes.

The top nine cars were covered by 0.5s- in a 61s lap, which is slightly longer than Calder.

The teams and cars, including Audi’s TT coupe, will have their public launch in Berlin on May 11.

Ze V8 Zupercars: Opel and Mercedes-Benz have already produced some of the best-looking racing saloons in the world. Throw in some Audis, some Volvos, and stir.

UK shakedown for Audi TT A LACK of time will mean that the new Abt Sportline Audi TT will undergo its first track testing in England next week.

The new Audi TT-Rs, which are being built for the DTM by Yorkshire company Fosstech (which also build Honda's Super Touring Accords) will be shaken down at a track in the UK to be announced.

"We're working practically day and night.

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the lights are never switched off in the workshop,” said team boss Hans-Jurgen Abt. "It would have been great to test in Oschersleben and show the car in action to the media, but our engineers are of the opinion that because of the extremely tight time schedule it would make more sense to remain in England until the presentation.

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most exciting car in the DTM. If it is as fast as it looks, then we'll be satisfied.”

Reigning BTCC champion Laurent Aiello, reigning STW champion Christian Abt, and Abt regular Kris Nissen will drive the three TT-Rs entered for the DTM opener.

Briton James Thompson will then join the team in a fourth car from the middle of the season.

Dd.

push too hard too soon at Thruxton because you never know if the tyres are gomg to Muller

dominated

„ the

jgp distance.

Behind, meanwhile,the battle gg^gj^d was between the ^ondeos of Rickard Rydell Anthony Reid, until Plato changed through from sixth and moved to third, through the fjgjd Plato and former Renault team-mate Alain jyjenu touched, which sent ^ gpj^^ Leslie, the 1999 pTCC runner-up standing in for the injured James Thompson, waited patiently behind Gabriele Tarquini to see what developed in a dice behind the leaders.

The Scot got his chance to move up to sixth on the last lap as Tarquini and Matt Neal collided when Tarquini made a last lunge. The inci dent saw Neal limp across the line in seventh with bro ken rear suspension and Tarquini also retire.

Race two looked like a Vauxhall treble but Vincent Radermecker, running third, had a tyre blow-out through the high-speed Church Corner and was eliminated from the running.

Plato led by 2.5s late in the race but was ordered to move over for Muller to win.

Plato slotted into second ahead of Menu, Reid, Tarquini and Independent Colin Blair.

“I’m a paid driver, I do a job for the manufacturer and I was asked to move over for Yvan,” said Plato.

“Whilst it’s something no driver wants to do, particu larly when you are in a win ning position, but you must always look at the greater picture. One day it could be my turn. I have to say the team did a fantastic job all weekend and I think we had the best car here, and that’s very pleasing but, as Alain said, it could be different at the next circuit.”

Rydell however, was ehminated on the first corner in an incident with Reid and Tom Kristensen.

Points: Menu 66, MuUer 60, Reid, Plato 57, Rydell 52, Tarquini 35, Radermecker 20.

Kristensen 17, Blair 12, Neal 11, Thompson, Leslie 5, Kox 2.

Advanced Driving Positions

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throughout Australia and overseas. To continue the extraordinary growth and success we enjoy, we have a need for one additional full-time and several part-time instructors. The full-time position is based in Melbourne, part-time positions are in Melbourne,Sydney and Brisbane.

Who are we looking for in a full timer? Well, for a start, you will need to be energetic, a self-starter, well-presented, honest, reliable, flexible and have motorsport experience (although your management qualities are more important than your lap times!) You'll need to be mature enough to have autonomy and responsibility in a number of challenging duties, and fit enough to work on local and interstate advanced driver programs for several days on the trot. You might have industry experience but you don't need it - we provide extensive training and support.

But there's more... full-time applicants will need to have extensive skills in sales, marketing, administration and/or computers. The ability to work alone or as part of a close-knit team, great attention to detail and an in-built aversion to laziness or sloppiness- and a burning desire to make a difference in the world and to be part of a challenging, customer-focussed organisation.

Part-time applicants need the above qualities too, without the office or sales skills!

These positions would suit those running other businesses or involved in part-time racing activities, and would involve working between 2 and 10 days per month, including weekdays, depending on your location and availability.

If the above sounds like you, we'd love to see an application and resume. Please specify which position you are interested in and send by Friday 19 May to: Jenny Sala Driveskill International Ply Ltd 41ATunstall Square East Doncaster Vic 3109

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0

0

Report by PHIL MORRIS SOMEONE had to come out of the Rio 200 CART race with a broken heart

Not just Playing; Tagliani had the race in his grasp until he spun at a restart.

and rookie Alex Tagliani drew the short straw.

(Photo by Sutton-lmages) After qualifying on pole position and leading most of race his dream win turned into a nightmare in a puff of smoke. huge cloud of billowing smoke covered the field.

With just nine laps remaining, Fernandez took the lead with the young Canadian spun out, Jimmy Vasser and Paul Tracy, sending a huge cloud of smoke whose car suffered some front into the air from his squealing wing damage after clipping tyres, and handing the lead and Tagliani's car in the confusion, the win to Adrian Fernandez. right behind.

Fernandez’s Reynard Ford Tagliani was able to continue started the- race 16th on the giid and had his prayers answered. with the race in the hopes of capHe had fought hard to move turing a few points and saving his through the field and finally, dignity. But just when it seemed with the help of attrition and things were back to normal, the excellent pitstops, found himself rookie spun again. This time the behind Tagliani and challenging spin was in Turn 4, on the restart for the lead. But it didn't seem after the yellow he had caused.

The caution flag waved again possible to get past Tagliani, who had driven a mistake-free i-ace to and the race finished under yellow as Fernandez Cruised to the that point.

Fernandez was happy to be finish line with/Vasser second second and was content to take and Ti-acy third.'

Tagliani was almost in tears at second-place points, when the impossible happened. After a the end of the race "I'm very disappointed for the restart on lap 98, Tagliani [Reynard Ford] pushed too hard team. The car was great. I did a mistake. into Turn 1, the car spun and a

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He added that he "ran out of [helmet visor] tearoffs and my visibility at the end was very bad."

It took two attempts to start the race. The first start was Waved ofT when Oriol Servia [Reynard Toyota] lost control as he exited Turn 4, causing his car to shoot across track and into the tyre wall, When the race finally went green, Tagliani took the lead from his pole position. Right on his heels was defending champion Juan Montoya [Lola Toyota].

For the next 30 laps, Montoya stuck to the rear of Tagliani's car like glue, and seemed ready to make his move and take the lead, But Montoya's day ended on the 31st lap with a broken gearbox, "We were just cruising around in second, getting good mileage," said Montoya. "We had plenty of power and were just waiting for

the middle of the race to pick it up and go for the win. It's just one of those races.

Montoya's team-mate, Vasser drove a steady race into second place, bringing Toyota its highest ever Champ Car finish. After he climbed out of,the car, Vasser said he was lucky to finish after Tagliani's spin.

I saw him [Tagliani] spinning in front of me and then coming back down the track. I lost him in the smoke and I thought he was still rolling down. So I decided to go for the outside. It was basically a 50-55 chance. It was more luck than anything."

Tracy [Reynard Honda] was followed by Cristiano de Matta, Christian Fittipaldi, Roberto Moreno, Mark Blundell and Memo Gidley to the finish line.

Points: Tracy 48, Vasser 42, Moreno 28, Papis and Fernandez 20, Tagliani and de Ferran 18.

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14

12 May 2000

Gobert may be 3 months JUST a week after his stunning Phillip Island win Anthony Gobert’s year hit the wall - literally - in Japan.

Tfife race two get-off sent Gobert barrelling across the gravel trap at 200kmh, knocking Gobert unconscious.

According to initial reports he has escaped serious injury with the broken shoulder but the smash looks likely to force him off a bike for the next three months at least. Doctors have told Gobert that, for the joint to heal properly, he must rest it for between 10 and 12 weeks.

A team spokesman said; "Anthony is resting at the moment. It is a miracle he wasn’t badly hurt because he hit the barrier with a lot of force.

We must listen to the doctors and do what is best for Anthony at the moment."

BIK

Jr takes Spain

Haga fails drug testing WORLD Superbike points ieader Noriyuki Haga has been told by the FIM that routine testing following the South African SBK round has suggested than an above average level of a naturally occurring compound was identified in his urine, according to a release from Yamaha.

This compound is found in a variety of dietary supplements, as well as in normal cold remedies and eye drops. A confirmation test has yet to be conducted.

Haga has said that he was no.' aware of having taken any prohibited products and that he will fully collaborate with the FIM in this matter.

"We were obviously surprised to hear that there may be a problem, but we are helping the FIM in every way we can to resolve it. Noriyuki has been working on his fitness and diet these last few months and we recognize that he is totally dedicated to achieving the championship title this year.

He would not intentionally do anything to compromise his chances, or damage the sport in any way. At this time we are awaiting the results of further testing."

Slight back this week?

AARON Slight could be back on his Castrol Honda at Donington Park this weekend.

The New Zealander will be tested by FI’s Chief Medical Officer Prof. Sid Watkins early next week. If Watkins passes the Honda star fit to race, following his life-saving brain operation earlier in the year, Slight will have to be tested again by an FIM official the day before the Donington WSB , round on May 14. ^ If the second official passes Slight fit to race then he will make his return to the WSB series at the British round.

"I feel fine and certainly up to the job of racing - now all I have to do is convince the officials I can race," said Slight.

0

Suzuki rider had less than Is of over all time to spare...

"That was some afternoon! 1

THE 2000 Spanish SOOcc GP had everything one looks for in fine theatre; drama, comedy and, in the finest theatrical traditions, an intermission.

American Kenny Roberts won the Jerez race, which was spht into two heats because of rain. The Telefonica Movista^,Suzuki rider led local Carlos but, as he crossed the startfinish line to complete 16.of the scheduled 26 laps, Roberts put up his hand to indicate that he wanted a stop to the proceedings, due to rain falling on the circuit. The organisers showed the red flag to halt the race.

Roberts thought that the Grand Prix had covered the required twothirds distance to be declared over, and he started his celebrations on what he thought was his slowingdown lap. When he got back to the startline area, however, he was told that it had been one lap short.

Instead, the race would be restart ed. Another 10-lap race would have to be completed, and the combined times of the two 'legs' would deter mine the results.

In additidn, the 500cc riders had not practiced in wet conditions, and therefore a 15-minute wet practice session had to take place before the second race could start.

After the first race, Roberts held an advantage of over 5s over Checa, with World 250cc Champion Valentino Rossi in third place.

Roberts chose 'intermediate' tyres at front and rear, but Checa, riding the sole-surviving Marlboro Yamaha, opted for an intermediate front with a 'slick' rear. It was the better choice.

Checa passed the Suzuki in the early stages but, after a big slide, realised that he had to be more cau tious. He eventually finished second in the second 'leg', which was won World Champion Alex Criville.

Roberts finished fifth on the road in the second 'leg', but it was just enough for him to win his second Grand Prix of the season. The

thought I'd won the Grand Piisc after the first race and was celebrating," revealed Roberts. "It was only when I got back to the start-finish that I was told I was one lap short of the required distance. The second race was tough, but my pit board exactly what was the overall position."

Checa was a comfortable second, and Rossi hung onto his first 500cc podium finish despite the pressure fi-om second i-ace winner Criville.

The first >-ace had started in comedic fashion when pole man Max Biaggi crashed on the sighting lap and his Yamaha caught fire. Biaggi managed to get back to the pits in time to take the delayed start on his 'spare' Yamaha, only to retire with a clutch malfunction.

THE 26-lap 250cc race was less dramatic.

Aprilia Germany rider Ralf Waldmann was a comfortable win ner from the Japanese Honda pair of Daijiro Katoh and Tohru Ukawa.

World Championship leader Shinya Nakano crashed his Chesterfield Yamaha Tech 3 Yamaha machine in the early stages, but he remounted to score what could be an important single point in 15th place.

Katoh, making his European debut on the Axo Gresini Honda, now leads the 250 World Championship by 14 points from Nakano.

THE 120,000 Spanish crowd got their 'home' winner in the 125cc race, which was also stopped after only half a lap - because of rain.

In the re-run, Eihilio Alzamora rode briUiantly to win from Italians Mirko Giansanti and Roberto LocateUi. It was a great afternoon for the Spanish Honda rider, who now leads the 125 World Championship by nine points firom Giansanti.

A. boy named Izutsu THE World Superbike Championship really is amazing.'

What if the first five races of the year were won by five different makes? What if one of those makes was NOT the dominant Ducati teams? And what if the first repeat winner of the season was, of all teams, Kawasaki.

No-one would believe it. No-one, that is, except for Hitoyasu Izutsu, who took the double in round three in Sugo, Japan.

The Japanese wildcard rider, who had not won a race for seven years anywhere [either in Japan or in.ternationally] ended his drought in the biggest way possible. Izutsu poured the pressure onto early leader Noriyuki Haga and, after eight laps, grabbed the lead and held on to win.

A three way fight for second and third place went the way of Haga, with Pierfrancesco Chili overcoming local Suzuki wildcard and foiTner Sugo winner Akira Ryo for the final podium slot.

Izutsu repeated the perfonnance in the second race of the day, taking the win fi-om his countryman Watam Yoshikawa after early l leader Haga succunabed to tyi-e problems to finish fourth.

Colin Edwards finished fourth and fifth in the two races, meaning that Haga's second and fourth place finish extended his championship lead to 10 points.

An electrical problem drained the battery on Chili's Suzuki, robbing him of valuable points.

It was a tough day in the land of the Rising Sun for the Australians. Phillip Island winner Troy Corser's finished in ninth and fifth places in the two races, which maintains him in third in the table, but it was worse for Anthony Gobert, who retired from race one on lap nine.

The NSW rider was spat off his Pl-winning Bimota early in race two and hit a wall head-on.

He underwent a precautionai-y brain scan after the lap' three accident.

In race one a crash

Land of the Rising Sons: Haga (above) leads the championship after Izutsu (R) won both Sugo races.

involving Carl Fogarty stand-in,'Troy Bayliss, at the first comer of race one initiated a series of events which saw five riders crash out.

Bayliss's team mate Ben Bostrom was among the fallers, who included Vittoriano Guareschi, Katsuaki Fujiwara and Igor Antonelli.

A disastrous weekend for the Ducati factory meant Bostrom scored only three points in race two, fi-om which Bayliss retired with mechanical trouble.

Points: Haga 104, Edwards 94, Corser 69, Chilli 59, Gregorio Lavilla 54, Izutsu 50, Gobert 36, Carl Fogarty 36, Yoshikawa 28.

IN Supersport, Jorg Teuchert and Christian KeUner had a 1-2 race finish in the 25 lap Supersport event.

Despite Suzuki's Stephane Chambon beating Yamaha's James Whitham to the final podium place, the British rider still holds the championship lead after two ofthe scheduled 11 rounds.

Iain Macpherson was the first Kawasaki home, holding off replacement Yamaha rider, Aussie Kevin Curtain.

Aussie youngster Andrew Pitt finished ninth on his Kawasaki.

12 May 2000

15

Poetry and the Grand Prix *fPress Releases

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here is a girl I know in Paris who gets very excited when one quotes Shakespeare to her. Give her a few lines of Macbeth and she will smile like a cat, become a little flushed and will lean back in her chair with a look of contentment on her face.

She knows it is a little bit strange but she cannot help herself. The words are so beautiful, she says, even though she cannot really understand them. The sound is enough. The prose has such poetry.

Poetry is not something that you hear much about in Formula 1, despite the fact that it has popped up in the most unusual circumstances in the past. If you think about it, it really is rather strange that there were poets in the trenches during World War I. So why should there not have been a poet of the paddock? The war poets were not fey limp-wristed fellows who wrote verses, downed a quick dose of arsenic and died in bed. They were poets with muscles and guns.

And yet Formula 1 racing has no poets - even the more robust punk poets have failed to put biro to exercise book on the subject of Grand Prix racing.

In the press room these days all the journalists are like teleprinters, churning out words. There is no time to worry about poetry in motion. Occasionally, one of the specialist magazine writers will have the time to come up with a nice first line or a tuneful paragraph but none of them will ever win the Nobel Prize for Literature. The heart-rending, brain-dredging work of the writer in search of a first line for his novel is not something, which affects the FI hacks. There are deadlines and all that arty-farty stuff is for the pretentious people with red-rimmed spectacles.

But would it not be a pleasure to read a fabulous lilting opening line or a few stanzas about the shiny racing cars and the romantic heroes who drive them? How many more people could be lured into the sport by a great opening line? One can dream of beginning an article with a seductive sentence like the one which Gabriel Garcia Marquez opened his Nobel Prize-winning book One Hundred Years of Solitude.

"Many years later, as he faced the firing squad. Colonel Aureliano Buendia was to remember that distant afternoon when his father took him to discover ice".

How can one not be drawn in to the story with a first line like that? How many questions have been’ asked in those few short t beautiful words?

Such erudite matters are rarely discussed in FI. Once many years ago I had an argument with a fellow journalist which lasted several hours over the line: "I had a

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farm in Africa at the foot of the Ngong Hills". He refused to accept that it was any better than "I used to live in a concrete tube beside the motorway". He just did not understand.

I guess he never had a girlfriend in Paris who got excited about Shakespeare...

C atalan culture: embarrassing mechanical failures Barcelona is noted for can be glossed having some of the finest over. In a Formula architecture in Europe.

1 press release But the racetrack is suspensions do not dominated by a large, fall apart at ugly pit building and a 160mph. This backdrop featuring large, becomes "a minor er, balls. problem". press release on the other.

A typical press release quote is One never knows on which side The which amazes me is as follows: Edgar Sprugbucket, a that,thing despite their headlong to put the dirty coffee cup... rush to outperform their rivals, no Norwegian driving for Team The rear of the Jordan press Pussycat, has crashed end-overracing team has yet embarked on end. He is unhurt but he has release is packed full of vital the literary approach. They build information: a list of team qualified 20th on the grid. bigger motorhomes, they hired better chefs. Their factories are personnel; Jordan's FI history to "It could have been better," date; the details of the drivers and being built by beknighted architects Edgar will be quoted as saying. their results in 2000. Arrows does and yet no-one has yet hired a poet "We did not maximise the the same but with less information performance envelope of the car. to produce their press releases. which may be related to having had At the moment, the press Tomorrow is another day and I am a long history without much to write release as an art form has only sure we will be able to make big home about. reached the level at which most of impact in the race."

Benetton uses the back of the words are spelled correctly its press release to list every and there is some punctuation. “ single sponsor involved in the In theory the team press They build bigger motor team with pretty all-colour release is a logical communication means of logos. And so one learns homes, they hired better communication. There are too fascinating things such as the chefs but no racing team has fact that the van Bommel shoe many journalists and drivers factory has been operating for have too many other things to yet hired a poet to produce 260 years and is known for its do to worry about saying the "sublime quality" which their press releases. same thing over and over obviously has had little effect again 312 times.

The best idea is to write on the performance of the cars.

Such inanities are worthless but their thoughts on paper and hand out copies to the hacks. That way they appear on pretty pieces of the pressmen do not have to infest paper which men with pigtails in art When youisanalyse muchthe money spent onhow printing the paddock and can remain in the agencies have spent days paper one wonders why the press Media Centre hammering away at designing. I have always thought it release has not developed as an their keyboards. Nowadays drivers would be fun to wallpaper my office concentrate on television interviews with them, so visitors could have a art form. But if poetry has been and every team issues an official slow to arrive, the competitive FI good giggle. folk have managed to make a race press releases on each day of a Grand Prix meeting. out of the production process of the This would be wonderful if the The the electronic haswonders enabled ofFerrari to start age press releases. The amusing thing is that the performance on the race press releases ever said anything of putting instant black and white value but, because of the controltrack is virtually mirrored by the photographs on the top of its press freak nature of some of the team performance of the press officers. releases. It is very clever that they can do it in the time available but I bosses, the truth has to be This year in Barcelona the pasteurised before it can be given to have yet to understand the point of it. unkinder souls in the Press Centre decided that it was time for the the world. And, so, about half an FI journalists know what the hour after the afternoon sessions, press release Grand Prix to have cars look like and the pictures are one will find the team press officers the benefit of official timing. The not good enough to be used in any hunched in comers with their bosses result was most instructive. publishable form. In other words, it with biros flashing in the sunshine as is simpler an exercise to show that The 'session on Friday in the words of the drivers are altered Barcelona ended at 14:00. An hour Ferrari has more money to waste later - to the minute - the first than McLaren. It is a bit like little to fit the official story. Many a time I have heard a driver deny that he press officers came through the boys comparing their biceps. door of the Media Centre and as said something which has been British American Racing, which credited to him by his team. often happens McLaren's Ellen used to be the World Champion In the warm and wonderful Kolby (sister of Formula 3000 money-wasting operation in FI, world of the press release rude driver Kristian Kolby) and Wolfgang came up with an interesting idea words are deleted. This is a family Schattling, the unflappable this year. They have a BAR press show. Spins and crashes can also Mercedes-Benz PR man, were the release on one side of the piece of be forgotten about and paper they hand out and a Honda first past the finishing line as they

burst into the press centre like a grey SWAT team and began distribution of the pearls of McLaren-Mercedes wisdom.

Fifteen minutes later in came the Lady in Red: Ferrari's curvaceous Stefania Bocchi, her press release complete with the instant Ferrari photographs. At 15:20 a ray of sunshine appeared in the form of Benetton's Julia Horden who is always dressed in two-tone blue and is never without a smile. She always seems to be glowing slightly from the excitement of producing a high-speed press release.

Soon it was rush hour and at 15:22 in came the Jordan girls looking like a pair of a bumble bees, buzzing from desk to desk in their black and yellow gear. To the best of my knowledge no-one of the press corps has been bitten by them yet...

Six minutes later in came the Silvia Frangipane from Williams, speaking four languages at the same time and delivering press releases to all four winds as a farmer would scatter seed across the fields.

At 15:32 the doors were darkened by a lady in black (with Orange highlights) as the Arrows press release thudded onto the desks. Four minutes later Minardi's lemon yellow and blue ladies arrived, looking like Spanish telephone boxes. The team's press release is almost always faster than the cars. Only a minute behind Minardi was Jaguar Racing.

Then there was a gap of 13 minutes before the arrival of the Frost press release, dead-heating with Sauber. And then nothing happened for 43 minutes before the British American Racing missive arrived. To give the team credit, the BAR press release is always the best written and one of the more informative, it always has a nice little headline like "A Gripping Tale".

Poetry in motion may be a nice idea, but obviously the motion is a bit slower than racing prose...

16 l2Mdy2000

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^ arcelona is a lousy track for actual racing, but that did not stop the 2000 Spanish GP from being one of the most dramatic of the season. JOE SMWARO reports. “ p^VERYTHING in Spain looked like it was backJL^to-front.

A McLaren was not on pole at Barcelona; Michael Schumacher was in his Ferrari. He led at the start but, during the pit stops, his team let him down. They waved him out early from his first stop, which compromised his second. Then a tyre let him down.

For the thii'd consecutive

case you are interested) by Alberto Divo's Sunbeam after a stiiring battle with Count Louis Zborowski's Miller.

Unfortunately the funding of the construction of the oval proved to be its downfall.

Repayments could not be met and after the one event it was

this year.* In the dying sec onds of the qualifying session Mika Hakkinen gave his all in an effort to knock Schumi from pole position and he nearly did it, ending up just 0.078s slower.

You can get closer than that but it is pretty difficult.

Same time, this year: McLaren went 1-2 in Spaih in 2000. And 1999.

And 1998. Mika Hakkinen comes home to a sea of Finnish flags - and one Australian flag, obviously someone practicing for next season.

year McLaren finished 1-2.

Last year it was a very dull race but this year it was gi-eat fun. After Schumacher seemed to have things under control, it all went horribly wrong and he ended up with fifth place.

David Coulthard drove anamazing race and did not let on until afterwards that he hau been in -real pain all weekend as a result of his

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Brave Heart: DC put a fatal plane crash and severe bruising out of his mind to finish second. Some would say he was abnormally brave to do so, but aren’t GP drivers like that?

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aeroplane crash a few days earher. It was heroic stuff.

And the Boy Button failed to score but he would have done if the BMW had not given up on him.

All in all, a good day for Grand Piix racing.

I see red people: Schumacher’s first stop was perfect until Man Holding Lollipop (R) let him go to o early. Man Holding Hose suffered a sprained ankle in the ensuing brouhaha. His name is Nigel Stepney.

The other chap’s name? Mudd ...

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Qualifying Itsince is coming up tomotor 100 years the first race was held in Catalunya. It was a pretty rough and ready affair on a track they called the Baix Penedes circuit, which was 17 miles of public road winding around in the hills behind the town of Sitges to the south of Barcelona.

The roads were so bad that year that the racing was shifted to another loop of road to the north of the city which became known as the Llevant circuit. And so it went on until the early 1920s when a local racing hero with the unlikely name of Frick Ai-mangue decided that Spain needed its own high-banked one and a quarter mile oval to keep up with Brooklands and Indianapolis. The work at Sitges-Terramar took 10 months and in October 1923 the track hosted the Spanish ●^Grand Prix.

This was in the days when men were men. If you came off on the inside in the top turn at Sitges-Terramar you went straight into a rock cliff so it was probably better to go over the top and end up in the trees. The race was won (in

closed down. But it is still there when you fly into Barcelona airport from the south. By the 1930s the locals were ready to try again and laid out a new track on the of Barcelona's roads Montjuich Park. Another track for heroes. In 1975 Rolf Stommelen's Embassy Hill went over the barriers and four people were killed.

The (Catalans went quiet for a while and then in 1991 bmlt a brand new aU-singing, all-dancing racing circuit called the Circuit de Catalunya outside the dull little Barcelona suburb of Montmelo. FI has been com ing back every year since.

It has been a Williams track six times in nine years but a Williams 'victoi^? looked unlikely this time as Ferrari and McLaren continued their battle. In recent weeks the Fen'ari seems to have clawed closer to the McLaren.

Rubens Barrichello was on pole in Silverstone but the weather was odd and so noone was really sure if Fen-ari had got ahead, In Spain the evidence was clearer. Michael Schumacher was on pole for the first time

The conditions were chang ing towards the end of the session with the wind slightly up and the sun coming and going and so none of the diivers reckoned they achieved what they might have done.

It is always like that.

"You always feel that you could have improved a little

bit here and there," said Schumacher, "but whether you could actually improve or not is another question."

It was important to note that Schumacher was the only major didver to use hard tyres.

Hakkinen had similar thoughts and said he did not

get the opportunity to max imise the potential of the car (or words to that effect). Both diivers also said that qualify ing was not that important and that all that mattered was the race so, despite the exciting action on the track, the post-race chat was really rather boring.

The man who had been in the spothght for most of the was David weekend Coulthard after his exti-aordinary aeroplane accident in France. David seemed to be pretty much his usual self, which was not really a sur prise. The media may be hung up on the idea of the driver needing counselling and such things but really it was aU very silly.' Racing dri vers are tough young men and so stepping out of an aeroplane accident is really not such a big deal.

Fourth on the grid was a good effort but David was dis appointed and rightly so.

"My grid position is not a reflection of what we were capable of today. I am quite sure thac I could have been on the front row but I had a fuel pick-up problem on my first run and I had to abandon it.

Rather than going to the spare car which was set up for Mika we decided to run the car with a shghtly heavier than normal fuel load."

Between the two McLarens was BarricheUo's FeiTari and the Brazilian reckoned that he too had not go the maxi mum out of his car.

Behind the battle of the big boys we had the best of the rest who on this occasion was Ralf Schumacher.

The Williams continues to show remarkably well this year with more than a few drivers muttering about the extraor dinary performance of the Williams chassis.

17

12 May 2000

1J(A

Strong opening: Schumacher led away from, almost, his brother after Ralf made another blinder.

Strong finish; Hakkinen got either a big steering wheel or a defective lazy susan for winning.

Shell game: Barrichello was smart enough to realise that Michael was opening a big door for him.

(Photos by Sulton-lmages/RaceAccess)

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"When they get a bit better engine next year they are going to win races," said one on Saturday afternoon. "The car has incredible mechanical gnp.

Ralf was only 0.2s behind Coulthai’d and 0.3s clear of the sixth placed Jacques Villeneuve. He has a great engine and a chassis which is, at best, nervous. At worst one might call it neurotic.

Imagine what might be if the Honda engine was in the back of a Williams chassis...

Schumacher was not too troubled in qualifying by Jenson Button on this occasior, "fr wasn't the best qualify ing I've had so far but it was n't the worst either as I am . just outside the top 10," said Button.

One must remember that we ai’e talking about a man in only his fifth Grand Prix. He may be riding the wave of success but he needs time.

Barcelona is a veiy technical track and it takes time to leam.

"Ralf is very good round here," said Jenson.

Button ended up 11th but

think seventh is a good result."

Frentzen reck oned that he should not have gone out early to get a clear run because the track speeded up in the final minutes of the session.

Ninth on the grid was Pedro de la Rosa in the Arrows which looked like a splendid perfor mance for the local hero. The

0.2s of a second would have put him seventh or eighth. It was close in the midfield.

Villeneuve said his perfoi-mance was down to a set-up which the team's develop ment driver Patrick Lemarie had come up with. It also helped that Honda's latest engine development is a big step forward.

Ricardo Zonta was back in

17th place on the grid, which was not a veiy good showing.

He said he was not happy with the set-up and that was clearly the case. One must also say that after the acci dent he had in testing at Silverstone the other day any driver needs a little time to rebuild his confidence in the car.

Seventh and eighth on the

EAmrs

grid were the two JordanMugens and on this occasion Jarno Trulli was ahead of Heinz-Harald Frentzen, although there was only a tenth of a second between the two ofthem.

"One minute there was no wind, the next there was a big gust and the next minute there was a gust from the other direction," said Trulli. "I

problem was that late on Saturday afternoon the man from the FIA who analy ses fuel emerged from his mobile laboratory and whis pered that the fuel in the Arrows was not legal. That was rather unfortunate because de la Rosa's sponsor is the Spanish fuel company Repsol.

Everyone in the business knows the fuel run by Arrows is not Repsol at aU but rather

Continued on page 18

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a product from France. Repsol provides money. On Saturday night the Repsol men were in a tizzy. They did not want to be associated with illegai fuel but they could not tell anyone they were not to blame.

Who was to blame? Fuel issues are always difficult.

But with a fuel fingerprint system there is no ai’gument.

The fuel was wrong. Why the fuel was wrong is not the issue. One cannot imagine that an intelligent man like Tom Walkinshaw would allow anything to be added to his fuel, particularly in the light of a number of unfortu nate disputes in the past over the legality of his cars. This sort of thing is not good for the image.

And so one must assume that somehow or other the fuel was contaminated. The team accepted that this was the case and so De la Rosa was bounced to the back of the grid. And then things got silly. Walkinshaw appealed and, while a bimch of Spanish

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12 May 2000 RalfSchumacher.

On the next lap Hakkinen came into the pits. There were no problems but he was still behind Schumacher's Ferrari when he got back up to speed. Hakkinen looked faster now and for the next 15

Continuedfrom page 17 journalists got excited, every one else yawned and went off to have dinner.

On Sunday morning Aitows withdrew the appeal.

Why? knows? In fact, who cares? Frankly such mat ters have no place in modern FI. It makes the sport look amateur.

Jos Verstappen qualified the second Aitows 12th, 0.3s of a second behind De la Rosa. Both Arrows drivers were using hard tyres.

Qualifjdng 10th (but start ing ninth) was Eddie Iiwine in his Jaguar. The car looked like a real handful - one cruel soul said that it looked more like a dog than a cat - and so Ii-vine's position was a pretty good effort. Johnny Herbert was back in 15th on the grid, having lapped four-tenths slower than his team-mate.

Herbert admitted that he had made a small mistake on his fastest lap.

It was not a good day for Sauber with Mika Salo 13th on the gidd and Pedro Diniz 16th. Diniz said he had prob lems with traffic, Salo said his car was perfect and that he could get no more from it.

They were 0.4s apart.

Benetton's lack of perfor mance continued, with Giancarlo Fisichella 14th and Alexander Wurz 19th. The team has some excuses but no-one was very interested.

Frost's performance was equally uninspiring, with Jean Alesi 18th and Nick Heidfeld 20th.

The Minardi boys were atthe back as one has come to expect but the anival of de la Rol'S made the back I'ow of the gild look very nasty. The lemon colom’s of the Minardi and the zesty orange of Aitows clashed honibly.

Race [55 laps] |ii Sunday morning Michael Schumacher was fastest in the warm-up and Hakkinen was not fai- behind, but Coulthard was a little fui’ther back than would have expected.

Little did we know in the paddock that at McLaren a monstrous bluff was going on.

David was suffering from the serious bruising from the plane crash and with each passing day it was getting

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laps the Finn remained right on Schumacher's tail, talcing an aerodynamic bulfeting but refusing to give up because he hoped that Michael might make a mistake.

On lap 41 the pair came in together and we had a race in the pits. This time, however, the Ferrari pit stop went wrong. Michael was sitting there for an extra 10 seconds.

Hakkinen was away in the lead and gone.

When he did rejoin it was clear that Michael had a

Behind the scenes: Honda and BAT may be arguing about the future direction of the team but Villeneuve qualified sixth and ran hafd until his engine blew.

Red Bull, blue boys: Mika Salo met Aussie two-wheeler Garry McCoy, while HHF had to settle for a three-wheeler.

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more difficult for him. But the team did not want to give anything away. Ferrari did not need to know that Coulthard was not 100 per cent fit.

At the start Michael Schumacher was slightly slower off the line than Hakkinen and, as is nonnal, he moved across to block Mika to make sure that the McLaren stayed behind.

As this was going on Ralf Schumacher was making a really good start and, as they headed doivn to the first cor ner, the Williams was ahead of both Barrichello and Coulthard. As they all came out of the corner Ralf ran into the back of Hakkinen, push-

ing the Finn a little bit side ways. This meant that his brother had a decent lead by the end of the lap.

Hakkinen had got every thing back together and was pulling away from Ralf, while Coulthard. and Barrichello were stuck in his wake. There was then a gap back to Villeneuve and the two Jordans, Frentzen having got the better of Trulli. Then came Button who had made a good start, getting ahead of Button and almost managing to pass TiTiUi as well.

For the first 18 laps it looked like this was going to be another of those boring Spanish GPs. Hakkinen sat on Schumacher's tail but

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overtaking him was another matter. It was a similar stoiy and for Coulthard Barrichello, who were stuck behind Ralf Schumacher's Williams. There was then another gap back to Villeneuve, who was keeping the Jordans and Button bot tled up.

Schumacher (M) stopped on lap 24. He had been at rest for seven seconds when he was waved away too soon.

The refuelling hose was off (just) but the Fen-ari refueller - the team co-ordinator Nigel Stepney - had not had time to pull back. As the car lit up Stepney was knocked down by the rear wheel. Stepney was taken off to the medical

4 ^ centre but he was lucky. He got away with a sprained ankle.

Ferrari reacted quickly a because lap later Barrichello came into the pits. The team reacted bril liantly. With the main refu eller down, the replacement Andrea Vacari took over. The team was organised and ready 30 seconds before Barrichello came in. The resulting stop was took 9.3s.

It was slightly longer than normal but it was good enough to get Rubens out ahead of Coulthard (who had selected second gear as he departed his pit and so chugged away rather slowly).

He was, however, stiU behind

problem because very quickly David Coulthard was on his tail. David - by now in con siderable pain - had pitted on lap 39.

Schumacher and Barrichello stayed out a lap longer. David's first lap out of the pits was a big effort but it was enough to get him ahead of both his rivals. And once he was ahead he was finally able to get up to full speed.

By lap 46 he was on Michael's tail. The Ferrari had problem with his left reai' tyre and air was leaking out.

At the start of47 David made his move, trying to pass Michael on the inside going into the first corner. At the very last minute Schmnacher reacted, diving across Coulthard's path. It gave David a big shock and he only narrowly avoided hitting the Ferrari.

"I was very surprised at how late he made the decision and we came very close to touching each other," David said.

David was not happy but on the next lap he made quite sure of his move and overtook Michael on the outside as they bralced for the first cor ner. There were no argu ments about that one. It was a McLaren 1-2 and Michael Schumacher was now falling back towards his brother and Barrichello, who were still locked together in combat.

When Ralf tried to pass his brother Michael blocked him.

Ralf was pushed wide and lost momentum and in a flash Barrichello was ahead of both of them. Ralf was annoyed and tried to grab back the place. After the race there was a frosty meeting between the two brothera.

Continued on page 20

F

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Snakey does it: Schuey leads on lap one, while HHF gets sideways. (Photo by sutton-images)

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What they said

Continuedfrom page 18 Michael then dived straight into the pits. There was no point in trying to struggle on. He could still get in and out before sixthplaced Button arrived. Two points would be better than nothing.

And so it worked out. The order was now settled at the front and Hakkinen sailed through to an important vic tory.

"I am over the moon," he said. "It was a fabulous job and I want to congratulate my crew on some great team work."

Coulthard's second place was a major achievement and finally he could admit that was in pain.

"I do have some injury to both my sides. Driving a Grand Prix car is not the best treatment, so that has got worse each day. I am looking forward to having a few days of rest."

Barrichello was happy to pick up third place and while Ralf Schumacher might have enjoyed a podi um finish, he was happyenough with fourth place.

Michael Schumacher was not happy with fifth place but there not much he could do about it.

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Secrets: Hakkinen and Barrichello share a moment.(Sution-imagcs; Mika Hakkinen: myself if they were going to crash. Then I got a good I can't really find the words run inside and passed both to explain how happy and of them. relieved I am to have

Cat chat: Jaguar continues to struggle for Herbert (above) and Irvine.

Fan male: Jos Verstappen is still number 1 for the orange army of Dutch fans.

Max and Rubens: Biaggi managed to stay upright for this poster shoot...

(Photos by RaceAccess)

Circuit de Catalunya, Barcelona

Button's brilliant career continued with what should have been sixth position. At the start he was trapped behind Villeneuve and the Jordans but the Williams team knew that the car was faster and so went for a change of strategy.

Jenson was called in early and emerged with clear track ahead of him. he then set some very impressive laps times (he ended up with the fourth fastest lap of the race) and was able to overhaul all three cars ahead of him. It did not matter that Trulli and Villeneuve both hit trou ble. Button had beaten them anyhow.

He was not going to make up the time he had lost in the early laps and, so, settled for a steady run to sixth place - which would have been his third points score in his first five races in FI - but the BMW engine let him down with a few laps to go (as it did in Australia), it is worth noting that if his engines had kept going Button would have scored a point in each of his first five FI races.

And if that has not stuffed the point down

the throat of his pre-season critics nothing will.

Sixth place thus went to Frentzen who had had a rather dull afternoon.

Still it was a point and they have been hard to come by for Jordan this year. Trulli blew his chances at his first pit stop when he stalled and so ended up 12th when he might have been sev enth.

Seventh place went to Salo, which was a good effort for the Finn given the rather poor perfor mance in qualifying. He made a good start to i-un 10th. As he had clear road ahead of him he stayed out for a long first stint and he was able to run without too much traffic. In the closing stages he was stuck behind Frentzen but there was no way he could overtake.

Zonta came home eighth thanks to an impressive start that saw him jump from 16th on the grid to 11th at the end of the first lap.

Villeneuve ran sixth in the early laps but immediately after his first pit stop on lap 21 he went out with an "undetermined mechanical problem".

Benetton's dreary weekend continued With

1 Hakkinen / 2 Coulthard 3 Barrichello 4 R. Schumacher 5 M. Schumacher 6 Frentzen 7 Salo 8 Zonta 9 Fisichella 10 Wurz 11 Irvine 12 Trulli 13 Herbert 14 Gene 15 Mazzacane 16 Heidfeld 17 Button

Ciicu:t kmgth: <1.730(un /Ra-c(tsUncc;6S fapc

McLaren Mercedes McLaren Mercedes Ferrari Williams BMW Ferrari

1 h 33:50.390 -I- 16.066 -r 29.112 + 37.311 -I- 47.983 Jordan Mugen-Honda H- 1:21.925 Sauber Petronas -I- 1 Lap BAR Honda + 1 Lap + 1 Lap Benetton Supertec -t- 1 Lap Benetton Supertec + 1 Lap Jaguar Ford -t- 1 Lap Jordan Mugen-Honda + 1 Lap Jaguar Ford Minardi Fondmetal + 2 Laps Minardi Fondmetal -I- 2 Laps Prost Peugeot -I- 3 Laps Williams BMW* -I- 4 Laps

* Retired with engine failure Fastest Lap: Hakkinen, 1:24.470 (201.586 km/h) Retirements: Verstappen Villeneuve Alesi de la Rosa Diniz

Arrows Supertec BAR Honda Prost Peugeot Arrows Supertec Sauber Petronas

25 gearbox 21 engine 1 collision 1 collision 0 Spun off

Lap Leaders: Laps 01-23: Sch umacher; Laps 24-26; akkinen; Laps 27-41: M. Schumacher; Laps 42--65: Hakkinen.

World Championship points: M. Schumacher 36, Hakkinen 22, Coulthard 20, Barrichello 13, R. Schumacher 12, Fisichella 8, BAR-Honda 6, Villeneuve and Frentzen 5, Trulli 4, Button 3, Zonta 1 and Salo 1.

Constructors: Ferrari 49, McLaren 42, Williams-BMW 15, Jordan-Mugen Honda 9, Benetton-Playlife 8, Sauber 1. ninth place for Fisichella and Wurz in 10th.

"Another race to forget," said Flavio Briatore. ^ It was a similar story down at Jaguar where Irvine finished 11th and Herbert 13th. Irvine “i^de a poor start and ended up stuck behind cars, which he felt slower, Herbert was keeping „ _ p _ ace with his team mate until if emerged that he had not been given enough fuel to get to the finish and so had to stop for a top up.

The Minardi team finished

14th and 15th, Gene's efforts being hobbled because he was not given enough fuel. It was not a good day for Spanish drivers and, fuel...

Nor was it a good day for Alain Prost. Alesi was bonked off on the second lap by de la Rosa and Heidfeld had another day that made wallpaper look interesting.

He finished 16th, three laps down.

There were 79,000 people there to watch the racing and they had a good day - and that is what FI is aU about.

claimed my first victory this season. We have been so close before but today was the day and the team did a fantastic job.

My start from second wasn't ideal, despite having a lot of traction. I didn't get the clutch to bite properly, j^ortunately, Schumacher didn't make a great start either so we were side by side coming into the first comer.

In the end, I had to give way because I was on the outside. Schumacher managed to pull away during the first couple of laps but When his tyres started to go off i was able to catch him and could start putting him under pressure.

The team did a great job in the second pit stop so I was able to take the lead.

David Coulthard: It's great for the team to get another 1 -2 victory.

During the first part of the race, I was stuck behind Ralf Schumacher but was putting him under pressure.

However, I got nowhere and the team decided to call me in early for my first pit stop.

Unfortunately! selected second gear instead of first so i rejoined the race in fifth. I gained a place in my second pit stop and could go around the outside of Ralf Schumacher when I exited the pit lane.

On lap 42 I overtook Michael Schumacher at the end of the straight to claim second. All in all I'm pleased that we scored maximum points this weekend.

Rubens Barrichello: Even though I finished third, I cannot say I had a very good race.

I got bogged down at the start and had too much wheelspin. Ralf and David got good starts but I was not prepared to risk everything in the first comer.

The race itself was a bit boring, because even if the car ahead is two seconds slower, unless the driver makes a big mistake, it is impossible to overtake here.

I was looking to overtake the car in front of me as happened at the first stop with David. As we are in the first garage, that normally gives you an advantage and I came in so fast. But then my stop was slow.

As I was following Michael and Ralf, I asked

Ralf Schumacher: I had a very good start and until the second pit stop could control both Coulthard and Barrichello.

After this, I tried to brake later than Coulthard in the first corner but it didn't work and I dropped to third place.

I would prefer to watch the video of Barrichello overtaking me before saying anything about this manoeuvre.

I am happy with my fourth place as it means three more points for the BMW WilliamsFI team in the Constructors ; championship.

Michael Schumacher: You cannot always have lucky races and today's race did not go so well for us. Maybe it had something to do with my tyre choice, but there were also other factors.

But considering the problems we had, at least we have scored some points. I am therefore only a little bit disappointed, because everybody tried their best.

We had a problem at the first stop and that gave us problems for the second one also. At the first one, the lollipop man lifted it and then put it down again. But it is impossible to stop that quickly. I felt I had driven over something and I looked in my mirror and saw a mechanic on the ground. I asked the team what happened but they did not reply.

Then I had, a slow puncture it was obvious that the race was out of our hands. I am not angry. I took two important points and we are still looking very strong for the rest of the season.

As for the move with my brother, all!can say is that racing is racing.

Heinz-Haraid Frentzen: It is very encouraging to have finished the race after the difficult start to he season we have had his year. Winning one point is an important bonus, especially on this circuit which is not one where either myself or Jordan have performed well at in this past.

Now we can look fonward to going to Nurburgring having sorted out our reliability problems.

We have a good track record there which hopefully we can continue.

Hal

in Spain

Webber qualifies 17th at Barcelona, charges, pits, charges again and DNFs. Bruno Junqueira wins and takes the title lead, JOE SAWARD watched.

THE

3000

"because the set-up was not

Championship is developing into a three-way fight for the title between Bruno Brazilian

Formula

right and there was no time to change it. That is the way it is in F3000."

Webber hoped to make up places at the start and he did just that, passing six cars on the run dovm to the first corner. But, halfway round the lap, Ke\dn McGarrity (Nordic Racing) ran into the back of the Australian and punc tured one of Webber's rear tyres. Both had to pit.

Although Webber rejoined

Junqueira (Petrobras Junior Team), Nicholas Minassian (Super Nova) and Australia's Mark Webber, the best rookie in the series in his European

Aitows Lola.

After Webber's victory in it was Silverstone Junqueira's turn in Barcelona although for much of the race it looked like Enrique Bernoldi of the Red Bun Junior Team might walk away with victory.

Bernoldi qualified on pole position but practice was overshadowed by a very heavy accident involving Mario Haberfeld (Fortec).

The Brazilian spun coming out of the fast final corner and came to rest in a cloud of dust in the middle of the track. Unable to see the car, Ar.'drea Piccjni (Kid Jensen Racing) hit the car side on.

Moments later Minassian arrived and also crashed into the wreck.

A large hole was punched through the side of Haberfeld's cockpit and he suffered a deep gash on his left thigh. He was fortunate not to break any bones. He also suffered serious bruising to his right calf and in the course of Friday night he imderwent an operation to help reduce the swelling.

Haberfeld, who had qualified seventh, will be out for one or two races.

Alongside Bernoldi on the front row was Junqueira, while Tomas Enge (McLaren Junior Team) was third, outqualifying his team mate and pre-season championship favourite Stephane Sarrazin once again. The Frenchman was down in 14th on the grid, Fourth and fifth on the grid were the two Super Nova cars of David Saelens and Minassian while Soheil Ayari completed the top six.

Webber and Silverstone fi'ontrunner Darren Manning both struggled with set up and qualified 17th and 19th, giving an indication as to just how competitive F3000 is these days. Another man who should have shown weU was Fabrics Walfisch (Astromega) but he demolished his car on his first lap out of the pits in practice and so failed to qualify.

"I knew on my first lap out of the pits that I was going to struggle," explained Webber,

and set fastest lap he eventually went out with a fuel pressure problem and so failed to add to his score.

This gave JunqueirA and Minassian the oppoiTunity to get ahead of Webber in the championship although in the early laps Bernoldi led Saelens, Junqueira, Ayari, Enge and Minassian. Ayari made a mistake and spun into the wall on lap four.

On lap 23 Enge also spun out of the action which moved Jefirey Van Hooydonk (Witmeur KTR) to fifth and Justin Wilson (Nordic Racing)to sixth.

Up at the front Bernoldi looked untroubled but he suddenly began to drop back with a slow puncture, Saelens and Junqueira closed right up and on lap 30 Saelens challenged for the lead at the end of the straight. Bernoldi moved to defend his position and Saelens had to back off, a move which allowed Junqueira to take second and on the next lap he passed Bernoldi to take the lead.

Later in the lap Saelens was also able to get past.

Bernoldi then fell behind Minassian, Van Hooydonk and Wilson but when his Red Bull Junior Team colleague Ricardo Mauricio tried the same manoeuvre, Bernoldi pushed him onto the grass.

Mauricio lost control of his car mid hit Bernoldi as he turned into the corner. Both cars spun, depriving the team of the chance to score a point and promoting Franck Montagny (DAMS)to sixth position.

With six laps to go Minassian overtook Saelens to grab second place and quickly pulled away but was unable to catch, Junqueira.

The result moved both men ahead of Webber in the title race with Junqueira now having 18 points, Minassian 16 and Webber 14.

The F3000 circus now heads on to the Nurburgring where the next race will take place on May 20.

International F3000 Ghampionship iRd 3 Silverstone(Spain)6 May 2000 1 Bruno Junqueira 2 Nicolas Minassian 3 David*Saelens ' 4 Jeffrey van Hooydonk 5 Justin Wilson 6 Franck Montagny 7 Darren Manning 8 Sebastian Bourdais 9 Stephane Sarrazin 10 Andre Couto

(Petrobras Jnr) 1 h 11m 52.069s + 3.564s (D2 Super Nova) + 10.779s (D2 Super Nova) + 12.332s (Witmeur KTR) + 13.852s (Nordic) + 15.688s (DAMS) + 18.291s (Arden) + 19.237s (Gauloises Fdrmula) + 19.927s (mySAP/McLaren) + 32.555s (Gauloises Formula)

Championship points: Junqueira 18, Minassian 16, Webber 14, Manning and Wilson 6, Saelens 4, Melo, Bernoldi and van Hooydonk 3, Enge 2, Gollin, Ayari & Montagny 1.

Super Nova over and out: Belgian David Saelens led until Bruno Junqueira (#6) put the heat on him.

Barcelona bound: Despite intimate track knowledge, Webber struggled in quaiifying, steering the EurobePArrows Lola to 17th. / But after a bit of biffo and a mid-race charge Webber was left to watch the end of the race from the pits.

Happy trio: Nicolas Minassian (L), Junqueira and Saelens celebrate on the podium.

(Photos by RaceAccess and Sirtton-Images)

K,

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of Foi Mark Skaife assumed the Shell Championship Series lead from early" pace-setter Garth Tander, who had a shocker in Sydney Holden hero Craig Lowndes didn’t win himself any friends. Russell Ingall also turned his season around with a strong result. Ford’s representatives returned the blue oval to the front, Paul Radisich taking one race win and Glenn Seton taking third overall. PHIL BRANAGAN reports. preliminary l rounds of the Shell A Championship title fight /.re over. After sizing each other up in the early rounds the heavyweights came out swinging for round four at Eastern Creek, with three differ ent race winners, some action from the stewards and a lot of peeved racing drivers after 39 laps of action.

Well, 26 laps. Mark Skaife won the first 13 lap race, which was dull as dishwater, but a great start won Paul Radisich the second and Russell Ingall took the third after some carnage in front of him.

Of all people Craig Lowndes left the track looking like the day’s vil lain. The three time Champion tangled with Garth Tander in race two and Radisich and Craig Baird in race three, cop ping a talking to and a 15 point penalty from the stewards over the Radisich incident.

Lowndes was cleared over the Baird clash but will face a hearing in Darwin for the incident with Tander.

Winners are grinners; Russell Ingall was delighted to take a strong race 3 win, while Mark Skaife celebrated taking the SCS points from Garth Tander at Eastern Creek The Rat’s back... and he’s never even been there before; Paul Radisich took his first race win for the Shell Helix team.

No, 1 don’t want fries with that: Ronald tells the gridgirls.com girls all about his big feet...

Photo by Marshal! Cass’

Qualifying

Talk cheap, so the ing is goes.

The talksay at Eastern Creek was not cheap, it was being measm-ed in thousands of dollars per millimetre, up to a total of 100mm - the ‘shave’ that was going to affect the Commodores.

Predictably, the reaction to the news was across Party .Lines, the Fords wondering why it took so long and the Holdens [except for HRT] wondering why they were Skaife won the day being penalised en masse for from Ingall and the what they perceived as one steady - and now threat team’s performances. ening - Glenn Seton.

Practice only reinforced Tony Longhurst showed their fears. In the first ses his best form for the year sion Lowndes and Skaife in the Caltex Falcon and were 1-2, 0.5s clear of Seton. there are a whole lot of In Prac #2, Skaife [on, admit drivers looking like tedly, ‘fresher’ tyres] led knocking on the door of Craig and Glenn again, but the podium, especially this time by a whole second. with the spectre of slow But he didn’t stop there, er Commodores in the tinkering with the car for next rounds of the cham qualifying. It didn’t work;the red VT looked like an overpionship.

steering pig, even pitching Skaifey off at Turn 2 before he pitted to have it righted.

That done, he slammed everyone with a lm30.98s to take pole by 0.4s.

Lowndes was second; 0.9s behind him was Todd Kelly in ninth. Three HRTs in the top 10. Zooommmm...

“That was aU we could do,” said Lowndes afterwards, refen'ing to the time. Skaife was 0.3s off his 1999 time*and was one of the many fo lose speed in the last 12 months.

What was happening? The Eastern Creek track was magnifying the change to Bridgestone’s new tyre much more than Adelaide, which was the first track where the rubber had been used. Cars were unbalanced; drivers and engineers were scratch ing their collective bonces.

Tander was third, smartly not playing the conservative, ‘let’s just drive for points’ angle [so he shouldn’t four rounds into a 13 round

championship] while team mate Jason Bargwanna was one of the scratchers, looking for balance in the other Valvoline car. He admitted that he had hardly helped matters by having only two ‘green’ sectors on his fast lap [green means the fastest sec tor he had done]. The other nine sectors were what had left him only 12th, more than Is behind Tander.

Following was Ingall who, apart from small car prob lems, was having a personal verbal stoush with John Faulkner [see breakout]. f

adisich was fifth, first of .he Ford Class. He had had a big jump: the Helix AU had been dovra in 18th until the Kiwi pulled the eyes on and, on a clear track, had a lunge all the way to top ofthe AU queue. He knew that he had the time in the car, he said, he just had to get it out.

Continued on page 24...

K

12 May 2000

23

War of Words.Gom rtune

K

Who you calling a tosser,then? John Faulkner raised the ire of Russell Ingall in qualifying and then, after having been warned, was ready for any further discussion...(Photos by Dirk Klynsmilh)

Silver streak: Russell Ingall’s silver Perkins-Castrol VT Commodore went like a blur on race day - the two-time Shell Series runner-up taking second overall for the day. It was the ‘Enforcer's’ best performance since the Qld 500.

(Photo by John Morris/Mpix)

THERE was a good old fashioned war of words after the Saturday qualifier when John Faulkner and Russelllngall got'a little too close at the end of the session, with n ingail’s Castrol VT clattering into the back of the Asia Online Commodore in the pit lane. '● I Ingall was fuming...

He had had a tough day anyway, with the silver Castrol VT jamming in gear and having a damper need attention [both in practice, when he was only 24th and eighth in the two sessions]. But then he happened across Fauikner who, he felt sure, had baulked him on not one, but two laps.

“What a total wanker,” Ingall said frankly. “I don’t know what I ever did to him - maybe i beat him in karts,/or something.”

Thereafter followed a frank description of what he wanted to do to Faulkner with a droveshaft - outside the circtiit, so he would escape the wrath of CAMS. Faulkner’s view?

“I had a hole in the tyre and had already let Larry through,” explained John.

“I saw him flash his lights from a long way back and was as far right as I could get.

“He aborted his lap a bit prematurely, in my opinion, but then he basically rammed me up the arse. Not a smart thing to do.”

Afterwards, cooler heads prevailed.

“Look, we shook hands and he

apologised for calling me a wanker,” Faulkner said. “I’m lucky I didn’t hear it. Race on. I treat him the same way I treat anyone else ” Sounds like a hot winter coming up, lads.

PHIL BRANAGAN

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12 May 2000 camper, again happy with his rac ing pace, but not starting from just inside the top 20.

Splitting the pair was Brad Jones. “I never thou^t I would be happy to qualify 17th but today I am,” he stated after going 33-26 in the practice sessions.

For a modestly-funded team, Paul Weel and Co continue to

n This Way Up Dept: That was the message that the hardworking Brad Jones Racing crew festooned on the OzEmai Falcon after their post-Adelaide endeavours. Jones had to be content with 17th on Saturday ; but the main question waadid ; the crew sipiwrite the ear off I their owui bat or was Mamie ' Fold'(MN April 14)to blame?

impress in 19th [after getting up to seventh in the second practice] while Mick Donaher was unlucky, setting a practice time [for sixth] which would have got him to 13th on the grid had he done it in quali fying.

Other drivers had a variety of problems. Larrj- Perkins was strug gling, looping the black Commodore in an uncharacteristic spin. He was 14th. Cameron McLean was 24th after an oil pump seal failure, Greg Ritter was right behind him after a diff problem stopped the Mike Imrie-owned Commodore in prac tice. But it wasn’t a bad effort - the current FF Champ will be exempt from pre-qualifying in Darwin.

Creditable performance: Glenn Seton’s AU continued with its Adelaide form, the FTR owner/driver finishing third overall at Eastern Creek.

x: c

One for the books: Paul Radisich’s lightning start in race 2 put the Shell Helix AU out in front. Despite all the close attention, and being passed for a fleeting moment, Radisich held on for his first SCS race win.

a:

BSeen at the track was longtime racing enthusiast Clint Robertson. The Olympic gold Medallist was fresh from arun; offto represent the big brown land in the K1O0O event in the Olympic kayaking in September and spent some tune with the i-Ford Tickford Racing team.

(Photos by Marshall Cass and Dirk Klynsmilh)

Continued from page 22...

Steven Johnson was 13th after the ignominy of going out in the slower group. Like many, a lack of rear grip was leading to comer-exit oversteer.

Seton maintained his return to form in seventh, just clear of Neil Crompton in 10th. John Bowe did a great job to qualify between them [eighth] after holing a sump in practice, prompting a quick engine swap from the CAT Racing team.

The overweight - 1440kgs - car seemed to be pretty prompt through the comers.

The Kmart cars continued to

f (■■The ti-aditional ‘Meet the i People' segment on Saturday afternoon was a little shorter I than .usual, which let Series ..Commentator Barry Oliver open the floor to pubMc questions. ©n,e ’bloke wias quick to respond, ma]]'fes a 'plea for a bit more ■ between the marqtties, ' whiGh led Mark Skatfe to ask “is i there a qsiiestion in there C'mywhere?*’ SJi>'Rqn Searle looks lise jorning [ ithe booming ranks of the ' Nations Gup ranks . The former !

Super Tourer vdl run a Dodge Viper from mid^season, the Ken Mathews-owned car being I prepared by long-time Searle edly Mike Quinn. i^.^lCorreGiion to our last issue; i Don’t look for the Bathurst ! Mototcycle TT on TV anywhere : soon. MM understands that the ‘ program will not make it to air on Network Ten for a variety of ; reasons.

Jli Peter Doulman was aboard ; the Gatorade VT white usual co; (friver John Cotter was aboard : orutches. The Sydney soMcitor I broke his ankle in Adelaide : when he fei off a pit bike and trapped bis ankle under a tree root. No puns or we’I sue...

■ Konica is back in the SCS. The major office equipment company, which back the V8 Lites series, has : rejoined.SteveElleiyaftera : sojourn with Tony Longhurst and Holden Racing Team.

■ Apologies to Stuart Kostera Sr and Johnnie Walker for the Stealth FF story in MN #178.

That was Walker in the photo with Stuart Jr and Brett Lupton.

Walker, who engineers Stu Jr’s car, was nicknamed ‘Stu’ at Eastern Creek. Sorry, lads.

:

Pos 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38

Driver Mark Skaife Craig Lowndes Garth Tander Russeli ingail Paui Radisich Tony Longhurst Gienn Seton John Bowe Todd Keily Neil Crompton Craig Baird Jason Bargwanna Steven Johnson Larry Perkins John Faulkner Steven Richards Brad Jones Greg Murphy Paul Weel Dugai McDougall Mark Larkham Cameron McConville Steve Ellery Cameron McLean Greg Ritter Peter Doulman Paul Morris Tomas Mezera Mark Poole Rodney Forbes Anthony Tratt Mick Donaher Steve Reed Paul Romano T revor Ashby Chris Smerdon Alan Heath Matthew Coleman

HRT Commodore VT HRT Commodore VT Valvoline Commodore VT Castrol Commodore VT Shell Helix Falcon AU Caltex Havoline Falcon AU FTR Falcon AU CAT Falcon AU Young Lions Commodore VT FTR Falcon AU Pirtek Falcon AU _ Valvoline Commodore VT Shell Helix Falcon AU Castrol Commodore VT Asia Online Commodore VT Kmart Commodore VT OzEmail Falcon AU Kmart Commodore VT K&J Thermal Falcon AU Pepsi Commodore VT Mitre 10 Falcon AU Autopro Commodore VT Supercheap Falcon AU Greenfield Mowers Falcon AU IMS Commodore VT Gatorade Commodore VT Big Kev Commodore VS Densitron Commodore VT John Deere Commodore VT Wynn’s Commodore VT Toll Falcon AU Ultra Tune TDK Commodore VS Optus/PPG Commodore VS Beaumonts Tiles Commodore VS Optus/PPG Commodore VS Hills Comrhodore VT Power Falcon EL Colourscan Falcon AU

Time 1:30.9810 1:31.3947 1:31.4235 1:31.5936 1:31.6316 1:31.9692 1:31.9808 1:32.2277 1:32.2921 1:32.3108 1:32.3415 1:32.4903 1:32.5037 1:32.5108 1:32.6180 1:32.6952 1 ;32.7565 1:32.7823 1:32.8148 1:32.9343 1:33.1146 1:33.2196 1:33.2803 1:33.3510 1 ;33.'4068 1:33.4407 1:33.5670 1:33.7050 1:33.7196 1:33.7489 1:34.0009 1:34.1993 1:34.3514 1:34.3009 1:35.1466 1:35.3503 1:36.1298 No Time

struggle in qualifying. Steve Richards [still an expectant dad] was 16th after running in the slower session, while Greg Murphy was 18th after his suspension man had rebuilt his dampers three times in one day. The cars were running much different settings which meant, in part, that what helped one car would not work on the other. Murphy was not a happy

Race 1 (13 Saps) The people in Supercar Australiaracing who think that V8 is overrated will use a Race 1 video as ‘proof. Skaife led away from Lowndes, Tander, Radisich, Ingall, Seton, Bowe, Kelly, Longhurst, Crompton, Baird, Murphy, Perkins, Faullmer and Richards.

And that’s how they finished, with only a couple of exceptions.

Kelly dropped back after being helped off at Turn 1 while, in the other direction, Jones made some good progress up to 12th.

McDougall and Richards clashed, Bargwanna had contact with Johnson in the first comer, leaving Bargs with damaged steering and Junior with enough derangement to send him back to 19th by the finish.

Ellery and Reed tangled, earning the former a not-so-Supercheap $2K fine and a suspended three month holiday.

But that was that, really. Fast?

Sure. Close? Yes. Exciting? Ummm ... lovely weather.

Race 2 (13 laps) The same thought they had people thing that sussed after Race 1 would have been tearing their hair out after Race 2. As bad as the first 13 laps were, this was an aU-time classic.

Skaife had crept a little fii’st time out and was a little careful at the light. Lowndes made a good start but, from four, Radisich made an absolute killer. The Helix car leapt between the front pair and was five lengths clear by the second comer.

Jumping jacks, flash: Brad Jones and the OzEmail team rebounded from their up-turned Adelaide campaign to record the rookie V8 team’s best result to date. (Photo by Melanle Brookep i

12Mdy2000

25

I

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w-

But the chase was a short one.

Tander, who had barged past the reds into the first corner, was all over the Rat by lap 3. The queue behind was Lowndes, Skaife, Ingall, Seton, Bowe and Baird, almost in a line.

Tander found a gap on lap 8. He nosed alongside Radisich, took the line in turn two and looked to have him. But you don’t win two World Cups by being a fairy; Radisich conceded, watched the Valvoline car I'un wide on the exit, hauled onto the tight exit line and pulled back the spot. Tander could have made a bastard of himself but didn’t; the Rat resumed the lead and hung on.

The following lap he looked at the right of Radisich at the same spot and Lowndes nosed to his left.

As they turned in red VT met white and Tander was bundled off, flattening a left fi’ont tyre. He pit ted and resumed,finishing last.

“Very un-Craig,” Tander said afterwards. “It’s not something that he does.

“Radisich and I did the same

thing the lap before and we man aged to both get through. He was hitting me all race. That’s how they react under pressure. Now I know.”

Lowndes was now attacking Radisich and looked outside at Doohan corner. In a flash Skaife was past into second [and into the series lead] and started throwing" his own kitchen sink at the #18 AU XR8 Falcon.

But Radisich, having survived the scare with Tander, was under control. The car’s sins through the corners and the odd punch in the bumper from Skaife were covered up by horsepower and dogged dri ving and the Kiwi held on by 0.29s to give Dick Johnson his first victo ry as a team owner.

Lowndes was third from an almost unobtrusive Ingall, Seton, Bowe, Baird, Lohghurst, Crompton, Richards, Murphy, Jones, the still feisty Monis and Bargwanna who picked himself up after his race 1 disappointment to grab 14th by the finish. And the car was unmarked ...

Perkins got a whack from Morris in the first comer and was out of it

Take no prisoners 1; This move by Lowndes on Radisich pre-empted the one which later cost the HRT driver championship points Take no prisoners 2: Crai^ Baird also felt Lowndes’s force, not finishing race 3 with the Pirtek/SBR AU. Baird had finished 10th and seventh in the first two races.

(Photos by Marshall Cass and John Morris/Mpix)

early, while Mezera also spun off and DNF’d. the decade A ago Perkins/Mezera duo had won the very first touring car race ever held at the Creek together.

&

Race 3(13 laps)

once-in-a-lifeThe problem time starts with are 'that you can’t repeat them. Radisich was away well in the final race and held the

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Continued on

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^ Burn rubber in one of Larry’s cars at Caider and get a photo to provelt personally signed by the driver v Rub shoulders with V8 Supercar drivers Larry Russell and Dugal in the Pepsi hot laps corporate entertainment facility « 5 laps for $975 at Caider Park on Tuesday 30 May 2000 <♦ Lunch with the Perkins Racing Team *>■ Tour the racing facilities Two cars on the track all day ●>> Limited positions available Bookings & further information ph 03 BBT 7 8933 or fax 03 9217 8958 ■ Caider - Tuesday 30 May 200G ● eastern Creek - Tuesday 25 July 2000 , * Queensland - Tuesday 12 September 2000

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28

/Ej®0@178J^!70

12Mdy2000 Continued from page 25... lead from Lowndes, while IngaU beat Skaife away after another conservative start.

Seton, Longhurst and Crompton.

Lowndes was probing around the rear of the AU

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Reborn racer: Tony Longhurst flew in the second SBR AU,the Caltex Havoline car finishing 8th, 8th and 4th in the three races.

Facing the music; The top five from qualifying fronted the media after Saturday’s grid decider,.

(Photos by Dirk Klynsmith)

hit in the tail from Bowe early on] was spinning onto the grass and into retire ment. didn’t touch him,” affirmed Lowndes. He had been struggling with his tyres and lost it in front of me.

and, when he saw daylight in “j had been struggling the last comer at the start of ^-with understeer f countered lap three, he went for the the other Craig. “Maybe gap and red hit yellow. something brolce - maybe.

Radisich spun to the end of But the rear snapped away, the field, and would just miss and...”

The stewards will look at points in 22nd. Lowndes lost all of him momentum a lap the matter prior to the later and fell down to eighth, Darwin races. Lowndes didn’t but would cop a 15 point quite get booed by the crowd, penalty over the incident. but the backlash from the Now Ingall grabbed the fans has been huge [see lead. Skaife chased hard but, P.50]. in second, wasn’t going to The rest of the race was commit suicide to get the much less dramatic. Ingall lead off him. Neither was led Skaife home, Murphy put Seton, Longhurst, Bowe and his qualifying dramas away Baird, who were running with seventh from Richards nose-to-tail. and Jones.

But Lowndes has resumed Bargwanna got turned behind the Pirtek car. By lap around in the first corner nine he was looking for that [again] but the star of the position and, suddenly, the show was Tander. He was blue car [which had had a 2'7th after a lap and motored

all the way to 10th, with both Jones and Richards in his sights. But when those two swapped spots on the last lap, any plans for more points had to wait.

It was a weekend of charges from the Valvoline team - and from the stew ards. A lot of drivers are starting to say that the rules on driving standards are good, as long as there is only one set applied. More than one star asked why the mid field ‘soft targets’ get fined and black-flagged, while the names walk off scot-free until the racing is over and the punters have gone home.

There’s a lot of bitter com ments out there...

But there’s much to like at the.moment. IngaU and Seton are back at the pointy end.

Tander and Bargwanna are fired up, and the Holden teams have to take to their spliiters with knives before they head north.

Two weeks until Darwin; cancel everything else on May 21.

3!^^^hiiwptoiii®yp Series- Round 4» Eastern Cre^ lacewayJ Race 1 (13 Laps) Driver 1 Mark Skaife 2 Craig Lowndes 3 Garth Tander 4 Paul Radisich 5 Russell Ingall 6 Glenn Seton 7 John Bowe 8 Tony Longhurst 9 Neil Crompton 10 Craig Baird 11 Larry Perkins 12 Brad Jones 13 John Faulkner 14 Steven Richards 15 Paul Morris 16 Rodney Forbes 17 Cameron McConviile 18 Steve Ellery 19 Steven Johnson 20 Greg Murphy 21 Mick Donaher 22 'Todd Kelly 23 Paul Romano 24 Greg Ritter 25 Tomas Mezera 26 Trevor Ashby 27 Steve Reed 28 Chris Smerdon 29 Mark Larkham 30 Paul Weel 31 Peter Doulman 32 Cameron McLean 33 Alan Heath 34 Mark Poole DNF Anthony Tratt DNF Dugal McDougall DNF Jason Bargwanna DNS Matthew Coleman

Race time 20:28.2877 20:28.5436 20:28.9333 20:35.0185 20:35.9255 20:36.3154 20:37.3385 20:39.0477 20:39.4871 20:40.3527 20:45.2583 20:46.8722 20:50.9938 20:51.3661 20:58.3909 20:59.4584 21:00.1371 21:04.2321 21:05.7787 21:06.1894 21:08.2127 21:10.8656 21:12.1388 21:14.6825 21:16.8556 21:17.0866 21:17.9231 21:18.1589 21:18.4338 21:19.0186 21:20.7467 21:26.7118 21:30.6668 11 laps 9 laps 1 lap 1 lap

Fastest On *1:33.2690 3 1:33.3928 3 1:33.4420 3 1:33.7816 4 1:33.9068 3 1:33.8491 A 1:33.8853 -'4 1:33.8817 3 1:33.9005 4 1:33.8573 4 1:34.2157 4 1:34.2889 4 1:34.4411 2 1:34.4978 3 1:34.9257 3 1:35.0740 8 1:35.0359 3 1:35.1392 3 1:35.0443 3 1:34.0833 4 1:35.5918 8 1:35.3391 5 1:35.9874 2 1:35.9036 3 1:35.6656 3 1:35.9084 3 1:35.8298 9 1:36.1778 5 1:34.4775 3 1:34.8519 3 1:35.5616 4 1:35.5109 4 1:37.2884 2 1:35.5211 3 1:35.5086 3 1:47.2743 1 2:04.1808 1

Race 2(13 Laps) Driver 1 Paul Radisich 2 Mark Skaife 3 Craig Lowndes 4 Russell Ingall Glenn Seton 5 6 John Bowe 7 Craig Baird 8 Tony Longhurst 9 Neil Crompton 10 Steven Richards 11 Greg Murphy 12 Bracj Jones Pauf Morris 13 14 Jason Bargwanna 15 Steve Ellery 16 Steven Johnson 17 Cameron McConviile 18 Todd Kelly 19 Mick Donaher 20 Mark Larkham 21 John Faulkner 22 Greg Ritter 23 Paul Weel 24 Dugal McDougall 25 Trevor Ashby 26 Chris Smerdon 27 Mark Poole 28 Peter Doulman 29 Steve Reed 30 Cameron McLean 31 Rodney Forbes 32 Alan Heath 33 Garth Tander DNF Tomas Mezera DNF Larry Perkins DNF Paul Romano DNS Matthew Coleman DNS Anthony Tratt

Race time Fastest On 20:44.8175 1:34.3127 3 20:45.0933 1:34.0491 3.

20:45.3955 1:34.0290 2 5 20:45.7294 1:34.2371 20:46.1001 1:34.2354 4 20:46.3775 1:34.3442 4 20:46.8121 1:34.3716 4 20:47.2989 1:34.3779 4 4 20:47.6645 1:34,4041 20:47.9678 1:34.3672 4 20:48.4510 1:34.5975 2 20:50.3488 1:34.5199 3 20:53.0083 1:34.8022 2 3 1:34.6101 20:53.2992 3 20:53.9791 1:35.0021 20:55.6089 1:35.2197 3 20:56.4027 1:35.3945 7 7 20:57.8710 1:35.2561 21:00.4454 . 1:35.3337 3 1:35.2355 7 21:03.7151 1:35.2094 7 21:06.3859 1:35.8334 6 21:09.8582 1:34.8220 3 21:15.4358 1:35.8080 4 21:16.1088 21:16.6745 1:35.9336 4 21:17.4293 1:36.3704 8 21:17.9144 1:36.4451 11 21:20.3458 1:36.4173 11 21:20.9004 1:36.3249 4 21:21.2476 1:35.3369 10 21:22.4112 1:35.3204 7 21:23.1182 1:36.8540 10 22:02.0073 *1:33.8828 2 1:35.4909 4 12 laps 1:35,0124 4 9 laps 1:35.3150 2 5 laps

Race 3(13 Laps) Driver 1 Russell Ingali 2 Mark Skaife 3 Glenn Seton 4 Tony Longhurst 5 John Bowe 6 Neil Crompton 7 Greg Murphy Steven Richards 8 9 Brad Jones 10 Garth Tander 11 Mark Larkham Paul Morris 12 13 Paul Weel 14 Cameron McConviile 15 Mick Donaher 16 Todd Kelly 17 John Faulkner 18 Craig Lowndes 19 Mark Poole 20 Rodney Forbes 21 Jason Bargwanna 22 Paul Radisich 23 Tomas Mezera 24 Chris Smerdon 25 Dugal McDougall 26 Greg Ritter 27 Peter Doulman 28 Steven Johnson 29 Alan Heath DNF Larry Perkins DNF Craig Baird DNF Cameron McLean DNF Paul Romano DNF Trevor Ashby DNF Steve Ellery DNS Matthew Coleman DNS Steve Reed DNS Anthony Tratt

TOT

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Fastest On Race time 1:34.2664 11 20:36.9171 1:34.0121 5 20:37.9709 1:34.1785 7 20:38.4453 1:34.2483 .7 20:40.9671 1:34.5668 6 20:43.5293 1:34.6612 11 20:44.5725 1:34.7634 11 20:46.1584 1:34.9247 10 20:49.0165 1:34.7947 4 20:50.5023 1:33.9828 6 20:50.6170 1:35.0423 11 20:51.7421 1:33.2388 3 20:54.0676 1:34.7564 3 20:56.1485 1:35.2599 4 20:56.6250 1:35.3408 5 20:58.0276 1:35.1696 3 20:58.5620 1:34.7907 4 20:59.1568 21:00.1817 1:34.4199 7 1:35.2389 2 21:02.5297 21:03.0050 1:34.8383 4 21:04.6562 *1:33.9110 2 1:34.6429 9 21:10.3837 21:11.1952 1:35.6216 5 21:14.0251 1:35.9757 4 21:15.5236 1:35.3161 3 21:15.8750 1:35.2855 4 1:35.9451 7 21:16.9860 1:35.1284 7 21:22.7706 1:36.9736 8 21:28.0060 1:34.8529 5 11 laps 1:34.7398 7 8 laps 1:35.6180 3 7 laps 1:36.1511 3 6 laps 1:36.9077 2 3 laps 3:09.9522 1 1 lap

Shell Championship Series points after round four; Skaife 480, Tander 476, Radisich 395, Seton 376, Lowndes 319, Ingail 312, Longhurst 296, Bovre 268, Johnson 266, Murphy 263, Bargwanna 256, Baird 235, Larkham 232, Richards 223, Crompton 184, Faulkner 172, Morris 172, Perkins 160, Weel 97, Kelly 96, Jones 80, McDougall 58, Ellery 55, McConviile 55, Forbes 48, McLean 42, Mezera 22, Ashby 20, Reed 19, Donaher 18, Poole 7, Doulman 4, Romano 1.

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By AARON NOONAN TWO

weekends

of

Formula Ford racing at Eastern Creek and Phillip Island, two rounds, four races and four different winners as the champi onship fortunes of some flourished, while others floundered in the barriers.

Luke Youlden and Nick Agland shared the honours at Eastern'Creek while the Kelly gang of Owen and Rick ambushed the opposition at Phillip Island to make it four different winners in four dif ferent races.

Owen Kelly's Toll Spectrum just survived a last-minute slipstreaminspired lunge from Youlden in race one while Rick Kelly swept from fourth to first in the space of Gardner Straight and Southern Loop to win race two.

For the former it was just rewards(having started from second after running a lowly 15th in first quahfying), par ticularly considering the injuries Owen sustained in a Porsche crash at the same track in 1996, while for Rick it was his first national race victory, and an impressive one at that.

"Our car was spot on and we were just biding our time," said the fonner.

action

Double

Youlden moved to the top of the points ladder with a win at the 'Creek and some strong runs at PhiUip Island, but, taking nothing away from the Victorian Mygale driver, was largely aided by the misfortune of former championship leader Leanne Femer.

The Valvoline Stealth had a huge 200km/h qualifying crash at round three which saw an all-nighter from the Fastlane team get her to the grid in time. "(Craig) Zerner spun in front of me at turn one and I went right but my wheel clipped him and I bounced off into the wall," said Ferrier.

Planes were delayed and cancelled, opposition teams bandied together to fix and replace parts and despite the banders the team continually was faced with they got the car to the grid, race tape and all.

Contact with Will Power left her out of the points in race one but she grabbed a gutsy third in race two.

The luck (or lack thereof) followed her to Victoria with an accident ahead sending

her to the grass leaving her out of race one points and a lowly finish in race two only bore a small handful.

Things were looking bright for Stewart McColl on both weekends with the Kmart Van Diemen on pole at the ’Creek and the ’Island.

However two heavy acci dents left him with no points, the first at Eastern Creek's infamous turn one left him buried in the tyres while a mistake exiting turn one while in a strong position in race two at Phillip Island left the New South Welshman one very shattered man, now equal 10th in the title chase and out of contention at the halfway jnark. He .was unin jured in both crashes.

Agland was in the thick of the action at the ’Island, con tact vrith Justin Cotter set ting off a chain reaction crash at Honda Corner in race one which eliminated a number of drivers including Stuart Kostera and Chris DeU. Dell was fined $250 for an incident with Daniel Orr at Eastern Creek but he did have the attention of the paddock for another reason.

Must have had something to do with the Chris Dell Racing:grid-girls...

Kostera struggled on both weekends (having to build one good engine out of two injured ones at Eastern Creek), and had it not been for his double wins on home soil in Perth, then the points would be telling a very sorry story. The happy-go-unlucky Fastlane driver couldn't take a trick, although he did pick up the Revolution Racegear Hard Charger Award in race two down south.

At least he left Victoria with a straight car - Will Power wasn't so lucky. The Spectrum driver rolled severTough times: Leanne Ferrier looks on as Brett Lupton goes to work on her Stealth after the Eastern Creek qualifying shunt.

(Photo by Marshall Cass)

29

Pay your Toll: Owen Kelly leads Luke Youlden, and Will Davison at Phillip Island. Kelly won the first race while namesake Rick came charging through from fourth to the win in race two. (Photo by Marshall Cass) Treacherous turn nine: Youlden grabbed the title lead after the ’Island but he did win a race at the ’Creek. In the background the sideways Chris Dell is about to loop it and collect the following Daniel Orr plus a $250 fine for the move ...

(Photo by Marshall Cass)

al times after contact with Chris Templer and Justin Cotter at the end of the front straight. He was largely uninjured.

Will Davison, running a limited campaign this year as he learns the ropes, was perhaps the man most likely to steal some points off the championship regulars. He proved that by taking two thirds at Phillip Island and despite not running at Barbagallo or Eastern Creek, sits equal fifth in the cham pionship. And he's stfil on Pplates!

After the hectic two week ends of racing there's now a breather for the Formula Ford teams and drivers before round five at Queensland Raceway on July 2.

The championship has altered dramatically in the past fortnight and this double leg has been critical in the overall picture of the champi-

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Up and over: Kostera gets launched as Will Powers by.

(Photo by Marshall Cass)

onship. Last year's was won by two points and the compet itiveness of 2000 could match it by the end ofthe series.

And there's three different chassis in the top three with and Stealth Mygale, Spectrum all vying for the win. The title is no walk in the park for Youlden though

with 12 points separating he and Ferrier.

The second half of the series will be compelling viewing.

Points: Youlden 104, Ferrier 92, Agland 72, Power 62, O.Kelly, Davison 54, R.KeIly 50, Kostera 49, Hanger 41, Mawer,McColl 26.

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12 May 2000

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Report by AARON NOONAN

THE headlines initially screamed ‘Lambo takes two’.

But after the racing in the GTP Nations Cup at Eastern Creek the Lamborghini Diablo of Paul StokeU had the headline halved by being dis qualified from his race two victory, thus handing the win to Ferraii’s Mark Noske, who leads the championship pointscore after strong runs at Adelaide.

The field at the Creek fea tured a little more variety with the debut of the Brabham Honda NSX of Ian Palmer, the 4.7-htre V8 BMW Z3 of Terry Finnigan as well as a Viper for former Porsche Cup champion Geoff Morgan.

All three though weren’t a match for the dominate Ferrari, Lamborghini and Porsche.

Richards snared pole hav ing picked up a considerable amom.ii, of time over his prac tice nm and belted them with a lm37.61s in just fom- laps.

Noske ran 15 laps but couldn’t match the GAMPS Porsche, the Prancing Horse driver a Uttle disappointed to be slower than he had been in previous testing.

StokeU benefited from some suspension changes to be third, 0.2s away from Richai'ds. The Diablo, with its 50kg weight reduction and chopped rev limit (6600i-pm), seemed to be a match for the others over one lap. The flow-

ing nature of the circuit would suit the Diablo better than Adelaide’s stop-start layout over a race distance.

Peter Fitzgerald was fourth, just 0.4s away from Richards on lm38.07s and he led the rest of the Porsche ‘class’ with Peter Bradbury, Mark Williamson, Ed Aitken and Greg Keene aU behind.

Darren Palmer, again in the RPM F360, was ninth while Morgan was 10th with Finnigan’s BMW in 15th, 5s offthe pace.

The start of any Nations Cup race is currently th& Achilles Heel of the Ferrari and again Noske was slow,'to get away and his front row start meant nothing.

StokeU and Richards swept past, with Richo in front by 0.3s aft,er lap one. StokeU kept the pressure on Richards and didn’t let the gap increase before he made the move to lead, ‘the’ being the operative word.

Beginning lap five the V12 power got StokeU alongside Richards and he went around the outside through turn one and kept the lead under brakes at turn two. It was impressive stuff.

Richards fell back into the clutches of Noske, who puUed the over and under move com ing out of turn nine and ran side-by-side before taking sec ond spot on lap seven.

That left no time for chas ing and StokeU greeted the chequer for the Diablo’s sec ond win, 4.8s clear of Noske, then Richards, Fitzgerald,

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Bradbury, Webb, WUUamson, Morgan,Palmer and Keene.

For race two Noske tried putting feet on both accelera tor and brake and then releas ing the latter.

“It just went brrp, bllep, brpppp,” he reported after the race.

That left the Lambo back in front and Noske trying to hold the inside line for turn one whUe coming under fire fi-om Bradbury.

But it was all a repeat of race one, except for any turn one bravado from StokeU - he was too far in front to have to worry about it. There was a moment though where Richo and Noske closed right up behind StokeU. “I had a big tank slapper

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All colours: StokeU, Richards and Noske shared the points around, while Palmer’s stunning Honda made its debut.

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and I nipped the rears coming down into the hairpin. I just had to put my head down,” he said.

“The brakes were borderline but this track suits the car.

The rev limit was border-

line as well because officials disqualified StokeU from his race two win for consistently exceeding the mark. This handed the win to Noske from Richards,(who again faded from the Ferrari), Fitzgerald, Bradbury and an impressive

debut from Morgan’s monster.com.au Viper.

The concessions for the Diablo by series organisers PROCAR, and its subsequent speed left Noske calling for something to be done to bring the Lambo back to the field.

“A hundred horsepower is a Uttle too much to give away,” he said.

“The chasses are aU pretty much equal but the horsepow er of the Lamborghini needs to be dropped.”

That was before the stew ards foimd the rev limit not being adhered to in the Diablo though...

Canberra is the next stop for the Nations Cup with more cars expected to join the series and boost the entry towards 30.

Points: Noske 53,Richards 47, StokeU 38,Fitzgerald 26, Bradbury 21, Webb 20.

King the Mazda Beater RIC Shaw’s domination of the Century Batteries Australian GT Production Championship was halted at Eastern Creek, albeit just for the one race.

The New South Welshman was beaten for the first time in the first race by Mitsubishi Lancer driver Mark King after Shaw took his fourth pole of the season, seven-tenths clear of King, who was followed by the similar car of Bob Hughes.

Phil Kirkham qualified his RX-7 fourth quickest ahead of Dennis Gilbert and the first Subaru of Scott Jacob. The Austar Impreza team had been hampered by leaking shocks, the problem though rectified in time for race one where Jacob and Peter Floyd’s Mazda made contact.

Both cars failed to finish.

At the front of the pack King and Shaw duked it out before the former took the win by 0.8s.

Barry Morcom grabbed third from Trevor

Haines, Gary Deane and Wayne Russell, a great run as top Class B car, his BMW now running in Challenge Recruitment colours.

Shaw reversed the tables in race two and cruised to the line ahead of Morcom, Grant Kenny and Kirkham, after King’s Lancer slowed with mechanical problems and limped to the line dead last.

Kirkham actually had been disqualified from sixth place in race one after ignoring a black flag, while Russell again picked up the Hippies Sports Touring class but had to fight off David Wood’s Integra.

The Pennzoil V8 Touring class honours were shared between Roland Hill and Scott Loadsman after Craig Dontas had taken the class pole.

Daryl Coon picked up two class wins in his XR6 Falcon while Warren Luff’s Peugeot 306 dominated the baby car class in the Esscargo machine.

- AARON NOONAN

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EASTERN CREEK INTERNATIONAL KARTING RACEWAY

www.east»rncr»ekkarts.com.au

Contact Jacky Boogaard Ph 02 9672 7530 Email: info@easterncreekkarts.com.au

No FARTing around: The Federation Against Rotaries and Turbos would hate Shaw and King.

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“jTT was a day of car■ nage in the second JLround of the 200 Konica V8 Lites series at Phillip Island with two frightful accidents over shadowing the tight con test between round win ner Ryan McLeod, Wayne Wakefield and Matthew White over the three races.

Both Gary Quartly and John Trimbole were involved in massive sin gle-car accidents in race one, both escaping large ly uninjured. Quartly ■ was taken to Cowes Hospital and discharged latfv in the. afternoon after observation, having been knocked uncon scious in the crash while Trimbole complained of a sore back after his 200km/h-plus crash but also was uninjured.

Out in front though it was the same suspects as Eastern Creek’s opening round, the three white Commodores knocking Dean Canto back into second in the series pointscore as the Ford driver struggled to find a setup which would work after missing the large part of a practice ses sion.

Qualifying

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It’s a squeeze: Ryan McLeod, Wayne Wakefield and Matthew White raced hard and close all day at the Island, the trio occupying all three spots on the podium.

Hey, this isn’t Sandown: Phillip Island provided a picturesque setting for the V8 Lites, as Sandown would have had it not elected to pass on its Lites round.

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s the weather looked more uncertain as time (which would have put him went by on Saturday, the in the top 25 at the Shell Lites teams and drivers round) and only Wakefield were keeping an eye on the looked capable of knocking sky. The officials were too him off with the two 15-minute Since Adelaide the qualifying sessions merged Graphic Skills team had into one half-an-hour blast added backing from Parts Plus which had enabled for pole.

This was the first Lites ■ them to give the ex-Mezera round with the new Bridgie car a birthday, and it was and many drivers couldn’t showing. Wakefield clocked get the best out of the tyre a 35.13 to be on the front when ‘green’. row with Matthew White in McLeod though was quick third. Commodores 1-3. to head out in the Kmart White used a set of new Commodore and belt in a tyres but by the time he got quick time, coming to grips a good lap in they had gone with the new generation away and third was all that Bridgestone tyre (Canto, was possible. The Victorian Wakefield and Holt the wasn’t the only one to fight three to have used the tyres understeering problems at Adelaide) obviously no with plenty of the field di'ama. speaking of the subject H e clocked a lm35.0571s post-qualifying.

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Shouldn’t Light Moves be spelt Lite Moves? Rod Salmon gets the One World ELM Falcon into a nice little powerslide. Salmon and Cameron McLean have now joined forces.

engine. He said that the - torque of the Chev-powered cars was just a bit too much Craig Hai-ris was top Ford to fight but the Warragulin fourth, 1.4s off the pace, based driver was doing a while Garry Holt grabbed great job in a car which fifth. doesn’t even have a PI dash, And Canto?

Rowse rather using a video The championship points camera bolted to the roll bar leader only had one hot as a means of checking up qualifying lap after a holed on his driving!

Kiwi Chris Butler was (some 27 holes according to Dean) radiator. Rod Sajmon ninth in the ex-Cougars, ran wide in front of Canto Parsons car which had been and flicked up a pild of dirt repaired at Peter Johnstohe and gravel that smashed Crash Repairs in Ballarat into the radiator and after the Eastern Creek severely reduced the crasfy outpointing Daniel amount of paint on the front Miller and Gary Quartly, having his first run in the spoiler as well ...

Salmon was right behind Gearbox Commodore for the in seventh, ahead of Tim year.

It was Quartfys first race Rowse. Rowse was perhaps the surprise of qualifying, in anything at the ‘Island The elderly VP was eighth and a run off the road in ahead of a number of much practice was the result, Formula Holden driver newer cars, running a fivespeeder and a Holden Craig Bastian was 12th in

Richard Mark’s car, running with One.Tel backing in “a toe in the water exercise” with Bill Sieders in 13th, now behind the wheel of the ex-Pirtek Bright EL which last ran at Hidden Valley ‘98 and in the Garry Willmington collection of EL Falcons.

Teammate John Falk wasn’t so fortunate, spear ing off the road on cold tyres in practice on his out lap.

The car (ex-Seton/Ryman EL used by Sieders at Eastern Creek) was sent to a local panel beaters for repairs and was back for Sunday. In fact the only thing interchangeable between the three Willmington-run cars of Holt, Sieders and Falk was the Speedline wheels. Spare parts for EL Falcon V8Supercars? Look under ‘W’ in the phone book.

Ballarat’s Robert Smith was 14th ahead of a strug gling Terry Wyhoon.

Wyhoon had a spin in prac tice coming onto Gardner Straight in the ex-Brock VS which had been fitted with new shocks as well as a sixspeeder and just didn’t get a clear lap. Excursions at Honda and MG didn’t help either.

Behind was Ross Halliday (who had an off in the exMoffat Falcon) ahead of John Trimbole (a second faster than at the Shell round). Bill Attard and Peter Field.

Field was perplexed. An electrical gremlin was crip pling the ex-Diet-Coke car.

The engine had been strong on the dyno but the minute it went in the car it didn’t want to play ball, a problem that the Talon Body Styling team had encountered at

12 May 2000

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...

bursting into flames.

Not Liteweight accidents; Safety crews arrived and John Trimbole and Gary stabilsed him before a trip Quartly both had bad to Cowes Hospital and the weekends at Phillip Island race was the subject of a Trimbole backing his complete restart.

Commodore in, while McLeod got the run from Quartly went straight in, the restart and put both in the first race.

Wakefield back to second Both drivers were taken to while White made it three hospital but later released. '=■ white Commodores sitting Trimbole’s luggage later got in a queue. the VIP trip home in the While the top three diced, helicopter, while Quartly * Canto made up ground, the took an ambulance.

BMC Software car strug (Photos by Marshall Cass) gling to find the right setup after missing a practice sesBathurst. Despite help from sion thanks to an off. His Mike Excel from Valvoline run though wouldn’t last Cummins as well as MoTec with the rear tyres not there was some headhanging on.

Harris slipped past at scratching going on.

Absentees were Geoff Honda on lap six while Kendrick and Daniel Natoli.

McLeod extended the gap to Kendrick was racing jet 1.5s. boats for the weekend while Wakefield was looking strong though and after a engine parts supply dramas few laps where he tried to kept Natoli at home. pull alongside heading down Race 1 (10 Saps) 1 Gardner Straight, pulled off Wakefield to lead take away fromled theMcLeod line but 1 the move win ahead of and McLeod, White (the three covered by the big mover was Rowse 0.7s), Harris, Canto, Butler who ■j'umped to fourth and Miller. behind Harris on the open Trimbole was the next to ing lap and began to menace the Falcon. strike drama though, loopBut the run was shorting the Daily Planet car lived when the red flags coming onto the straight came out after Quartly’s with two laps to run.

It went into, and then up, accident on lap two.

The Gearbox Commodore the earth bank on the inside had been in 13th and ran of the track before crashing straight on over the backback down again. ‘JT’ was side of the circuit, smashed OK but the car was a mess, into the earth bank and Garry Holt’s day ended

KONIOA V8

33

when he missed a gear and buzzed the engine in his exLonghurst Falcon, the con tinuation of‘one of those the for weekends’ Willmington team.

he second race, as is the case in the Konica series, featured an inverted top six, which put Butler and Canto on the front row.

While it was the Kiwi’s best shot at showing his competitiveness, the tailshaft didn’t agree and it broke heading out on the warm-up lap.

Canto assumed the front row by himself as the lone Falcon as Harris had head ed to the pits.

Canto as expected led the field but as the distance ticked by it was obvious the setup still wasn’t quite right and this time it was the fronts which went away, allowing Wakefield, McLeod and White to pick their way by and Canto to settle for fourth.

Once the Commodores had nabbed the Ford they quickly disappeared and that was the end of that Wakefield making it two from McLeod, White, Canto, Salmon and Bastian.

Halliday was seventh but ran off the road on the last lap and dropped to 10th. « We’re running the car a Continued next page...

III

Phillip Island Grand Prix Cireuit, May 7 2000

R1 R2 R3 Pts Qua) Driver Car 1 56 1 2 2 Commodore VS Ryan Mcleod 2 1 1 5 50 Commodore VS Wayne Wakefield 3 42 3 3 3 Commodore VS Matthew White 4 2 38 5 6 Dean Canto Falcon EL 4 4 4 DNS 24 Falcon EL Craig Harris 7 5 DNF 14 8 Falcon EL Rod Salmon 7 7 12 13 10 Daniel Miller Commodore VS 12 9 6 DNF 10 Commodore VS Craig Bastian 6 8 15 12 NC Commodore VS Terry Wyhoon DNF 6 DNS 8 9 Chris Butler Commodore VS 13 10 7 7 Falcon EL 16 Ross Hailiday 14 9 8 6 18 Bill Attard Commodore VS 11 12 4 Commodore VS 14 8 Robert Smith NC 2 Falcon EB 20 DNF 9 John Falk Commodore VP 8 10 11 11 1 Tim Rowse 15 1 Peter Field Commodore VS 19 DNS 10 Falcon EL DNS DNF Bill Sieders 13 DNF 0 Falcon EL DNS DNS 0 5 DNF Gary Holt DNF John Trimbole 17 DNS DNS Commodore VS 0 DNS DNS DNS Commodore VS 11 0 Gary Quartly Championship points after two rounds: McLeod 100, Canto 85, White 86, Wakefield 70, Holt 32, Schembri 30, Harris 24, Miller 24, Wyhoon 20, Kendrick 16, Salmon 14, Work 12, Bastian 10, Butler 8, Halliday 7, Attard 6, Smith 4, Falk 2, Sieders 2, Rowse 2, Field 1.

Pos 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 =9 =9 11 12 13 14 =15 =15 17 18 19 20

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34

Continued from previous page... bit too soft, Wakefield.

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12 May 2000

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“But then again we’ve just won two races so we really don’t want to change it!”

He’d lost one of his six tyres after it, flat-spotted in qualifying so there was some juggling to be done for race three.

Ford while Bastian retired, stuck in third gear.

That was one more than Kowse who had the gear lever snap off in his hand while in second gear. He toured around for 11th,just ahead of Smith and a delayed Miller,

gear, then the rest, and retired.

“Fve crashed, broken a tailshaft

tinned, Sieders’ given a ‘meat ball’ flag, a rear hub seal failure the cause of the smoke.

^ow a gearbox, so we have to be fgj. gojjie good luck,” said Butler, But it was the Kmart car which

H

arris’ bad luck stopped him from being a threat in the final race. Officials on the grid saw oil spilling from a car and pulled him off the line. Trouble was that it wasn’t Harris and he blasted into the race almost half a lap down. Fourth place was a very decent drive by the end of the 12

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who pitted to fix a loose spoiler.

Butler, carrying limited backing from Chicane clothing, lost fourth

The Willmington bad luck con-

Race 3(12 laps)

5

Grouse Rowse; Tini) Rowse qualified eighth and then finished 1§th, 11th and 1 tth in the older VP Commodore. Here he avoids tangling with Robert Smith's VS Commodore.

scooped the honours overall on the day ahead of Wakefield and White, “From three good starts a!t Eastern Creek to three absolute shockers here - I must have had my Mark Skaife book of starts here this weekend,” said McLeod, who now takes the points lead in the five-round series.

laps.

Canto got his start right again and moved through to lead from row two but the challengers

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weren’t far away.

Wakefield ran off at Honda after being squeezed out by McLeod. He resumed in fifth but there was problems.

Mud had been flicked up into the radiator earlier and started to cook the engine. Rather than risk a complete blow-up he cruised around to the line for fifth although a pull-down once back in Queensland would find the extent of the damage.

McLeod had the measure of Canto and he took the lead never to be headed with the Ford in sec ond. White was a distant third after an excursion ahead of the aforementioned Harris and Wakefield.

Wyhoon was a gi’eat sixth ahead of Halliday, Attard, Falk and Field.

Salmon beached the One World

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12 May 2000

35

Coughlin's domination continues Six w/ns in

seven races is greatest Pro Stock season opener ever

JEG Coughlin Jr has offi cially had the greatest start ever to an NHRA Pro Stock season with the second- generation racer taking his sixth win in seven events in Atlanta, Georgia last Sunday.

Coughlin continued his obliteration of the Pro Stock ranks with a final round 6.95sec/198mph to 7.09/195 victory over Bruce Allen the Jeg’s driver also posting consecutive passes of 6.94, 6.94 and 6.96 to defeat Richie Stevens, V Gaines and brother Troy on his way to the win.

Coughlin has now opened up a sizeable 289 point lead over five-time champion Wairen Johnson, who quali fied number one at 6.90 sec onds but lost on a huge .404 to .510 holeshot to Ron Krisher in the opening round, 7.03 to 6.94.

WJ’s son Kurt posted a ‘fastest ever’ 203.68 mph speed in qualifying on Friday and had backed it up with a 202.88 shot on Saturday for a new national record but the NHRA disal lowed the record.

It seems the nose on the AC Delco Camaro had a bit more travel than the aver age car, making the nose of the car more likely to trigger the finish line beams prema turely. The decision was backed up further by the incremental times and speeds.

While Jeggie Junior was writing his own piece of his tory, John Force edged clos er to re-writing the books with his 84th national event win, just one behind Bob Glidden’s all-time total.

Force conquered the

quickest Funny Car field in history with the Castrol GTX Mustang taking out Ron Capps in the final round for the second

over in the pits, forcing the team into another frantic engine swap and rebuild.

Angelle Seeling made it a double for Winston, success-

straight event and third time this season, overcoming a sizeable .479 to .541 holeshot, to post a motorexpiring 4.92/289 while Capps trailed at 5.02/291.

“When you run Capps, you have got to have it togeth er,” said Force. “I rolled in a little deep at the starting line and he killed me at the tree but this ol’ Castrol heap held together long enough for us to get the win.

“Man, I was looking out the window at his back fender and it was like I was racing the ‘Snake’.

“I thought ‘I can never beat that guy’, but we did and that’s that.”

Points leader Jerry Toliver lost to Force in the semi-finals.

fully defending her Southern Nationals title with a final round 7.31/176 to 7.31/180 win over David Schultz in the Pro Stock Motorcycle final round. “●I think I love this track,” said Seeling, whose team sHop is located in nearby Americus, Georgia, “Winning never gets old and it never gets easy but it’s so much fun.”

Randy Daniels backed-up his Virginia win with another ovenBob Panella Jr in the Pro Stock Truck final, 7.66/177 to 7.62/177 - the

Top Fuel foes Gary Sceizi and 'Tony Schumacher faced each other in the final round, the Winston dragster using a 4.62/310 to ptop the defending series champ’s 4.69/307.

Today was our day,” Sceizi said. “When you beat Schumacher and [crew chief Dan] Olson you’ve really accomplished something.

I’m just happy to win - we had to swap two motors before the final round.

Really we were a little weak all weekend, but we found a way to win.”

Scelzi’s team had four motors ready for elimina tions, preferring to swap powerplants between rounds with the short 75 minute turn-around time.

The team’s final round powerplant failed to turn

national mph record holding A/Fuel dragster to a shaking and pedalling 5.91/242 to 6.30/183 win over Doug Foley in the final of FederalMogul Dragster.

The Kenny Hirata tuned Piece recorded the fastest speed ever for the class at 269.78 mph in 5.38 seconds qualify on the pole.

Only 10 alcohol dragsters turned up for the event, Frank Manzo used a string of mid-5.6 second passes in his Kendall Dodge Avenger to win FederalMogul Funny Car, defeatmg Chuck Cheeseman in the final.

Australia’s Steve Harker lost in the first round - the

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(Photos by Cody Coleman)

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class attracting just nine entrants for the 16 car field.

- DAVID OSTASZEWSKI

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win margin a scant .005 sec, onds.

The win, Daniels’s fourth of the year, moves him to just 11 points behind Panella in the series.

Dave Hirata drove his

Two runner-ups

and one happy winner: Ron Capps and Bruce Allen -reached their respective Funny Car and Pro Stock finals, only to lose, while Gary Sceizi put reigning champ Tony Schumacher away in the final of Top Fuel.

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UMdy2000

n Sydney racer Geoff Crisp has been elected as the New South Wales ANDRA Divisional Director. Crisp replaces temporary DD Colin Linney, who was put in place to run the division after Teny Agland resigned in February.

V

n The fate of Canberra’s eighth mile dragstrip is still in the balance with the promoters cuiTently waiting on a decision finm the Supreme Court on their actionagainst the ACT government. The sitting judge has been dehberating on a verdict since December. n A rumour floating around recently, had Calder Park owner Bob Jane asking cuiTent Phillip Island track manager, Kevin Prendergast, to consider a career move to the Melbom-ne venue. The fonner promoter of Ravenswood and Eastern Creek has a long and distinguished cmner in drag racing,“Noddy also havuig held a position on ANDRA’s NCC for over 10 years. @ American Super Gas racer Mike Ferderer’s victory at the O’Reilly Nationals in Houston, Texas, his second ofthe season in the heads-up 9.90 bracket, hterally had everyone buzzing.

Having cut a perfect .400 fight against opponent Mark Buehring’s Camaro,Ferderer’s Pemizoil-backed roadster ran into a swaim of bees at halftrack -the eiTant honeymalcers heading doivn the hood scoop and into the carburettor!

“The engine had a couple of slight misses but it was okay after that, although I nearly lifted off the throttle,” the “Ferd’ said later.

Luckily he didn’t with his 9.930just holding out opponent Mark Buehiing’s 9.908.

Harker in second NHRA final AUSSIE Steve Harker’s return to the NHRA tour in i.. the US met with immediate success with the Brisbane alcohol „ ^ .

Funny Car racer reaching his second national event final round, as well as taking his first top qualifying spot.

Harker again took the runner-up spot behind reigning Champion Frank Manzo, this time at the Motol.net Nationals in Richmond, Virginia - his 5.74/250 coming up a little short against Manzo’s 5.61/256.

Harker’s potent Dodge Avenger had posted a stout 5.661/253.09 during the final qualifying session to steal the top spot from Manzo and he nearly duplicated it with a 5.67/252 first round bye.

A round two 5.78/250 downed Bobby Martin and a 5.74/247 win over former dragster racer Jay Payne put Harker into the final.

While disappointed at not winning, Harker said he Was delighted with his result. ’ “Manzo had lane choice and he took the right lane, which everyone favoured, Harker said. “The left has a slight bump and we hit that, which meant I had to pedal it a little. That proved to be the difference ...

“Still, a runner-up result is a great way to start things off.”

Harker will run three national and one divisional event on this tour. He will return home to Australia before again running the NHRA tour, rejoining at the US Nationals in September.

While all of Australian drag racing fans eyes were on Harker, Larry Dixon, John Force, Jeg Coughlin and Randy Daniels all snuck through to take repeat wins in Richmond.

Dixon became the first two-time Top Fuel winner this season with a narrow over Kenny Bernstein. „ ^ . n j t^i. i Bernstein s Bud King took ^ slight starting line advan^.^gg he looked to be on his way to victory when he lost cylinders, allowing Dixon’s Miller Lite car to

take a close, 4.67/314 to 4.69/306 win.

“What a win - racing Bernstein in the finals, especially the way he’s been running, is major league pressure,” Dixon said, It’s the beer battle and I sure didn’t want to call Milwaukee and tell them I got smoked by the ‘other’ beer car in the finals.”

Joe Amato recorded the quickest pass since the 90 percent nitro rule came into effect, qualifying first with a 4.563.

Amato lost to Doug Herbert in the second round.

John Force moved to with in two race wins of tying Bob Glidden’s all-time win record of 85 NHRA national events, capturing his 83rd, in a wild tyre smoking, 5.91/236 to 6.16/133 final round battle with Ron Capps, The win. Force’s second of the season, was also just the second time the Castrol GTX Mustang has made it past round two this season!

That just shows what luck can do,” the always excitable Force said afterwards, “My car rattled so hard I couldn’t see anything but Capp’s big US Tobacco Co sign. I thought he lifted ’cause I crossed.the centre line, but turns out I didn’t and he was just having the same trouble as me.”

Force again qualified on the pole, the 94th time in his career, setting both ends of the track record at 4.826/317.72 - the best flopper numbers of the season so far.

Take this to the bank: John Force wasn’t put off by Jerry Toliver’s talk in Richmond, taking his 83rd NHRA win.

Don’t forget the beer, man: Top Fuel winner Larry Dixon receives a little friendly advice. Dixon collected his second win of the season, downing the ‘other’ beer car of Kenny Bernstein.

(Photos by Cody Coleman)

“[Points leader Jerry] Toliver said he was going to win today, that you can ‘take it to the bank’. He wasn’t around after the semis, so I guess he must have gone to the bank a lit The Jeg’s Oldsmobile con tle too early!” a fired-up quered the quickest Pro Force added.

Stock field in history (6.905 “He better get ready for bump) and absolutely domi Atlanta ’cause we’re going to nated eliminations, setting continue to stay after it and low et of every round with prove what we can do.”

6.86/199, 6.87/200 and Toliver was stopped by 6.88/199 wins over Scott Capps in another tyre smok Geoffrion, Bruce Allen and ing race, 6.35 to 6.43.

Kurt Johnson.

In a repeat of the Houston With the win Coughlin final round, Jeg Coughlin defeated Jim Yates to has extended his points lead to 211 over Warren Johnson become the first Pro Stock driver in two decades to win - Johnson having qualified five of the first six events - on the pole at 6.83/201 but who was upset in round one a feat last accomplished in by Rickie Smith.

1980 by the late Lee Pro Stock Truck also pro Shepherd of Reher-Morrison duced the quickest field in fame. history (7.544 bump) and, Coughlin covered the quarter mile in 6.861s, low for the third time this year, Randy Daniels scored the et of eliminations, to stop Yates’s 6.90/199. win, this time over Mike

Coughlin, 7.49/179 to 7.50/179.

Points leader Bob Panella Jr set a new et record at 7.463s, but he lost in the semis. Daniels also re-set his own mph national record at 180.16.

Michael Gunderson sin gled to take the honours in Federal-Mogul dragster when low qualifier Art Gallant couldn’t make the call.

It marked the first time that two injected nitro A/Fuel Dragsters have advanced to meet in a final round of a national event.

Gallant was the low qualifi er at 5.32/263, followed by Gunderson at 5.37/257.

- DAVID OSTASZEWSH

Ford AU Coupe goes into production?

Rmnor had it before Summernats 2000 of a Ford AU Coupe making its debut at that Event.

With Holden unveiling its design concept “Commodore Coupe” at the 98 Sydney International Motor Show you could be forgiven‘for thinking that Ford had responded with its own version, they probably wish they had.

This stunning Coupe is not the work ofthe factory, but the work of award winning Coach Builders Troy and Clayton Hillier from Tenterfield in NSW. It took the Hillier boys just two months to take a standard Ford Forte and tmn it into this production looking AUXR6 Coupe, and they can do it with any ofthe Ford range including the exhilarating XR8.

Hillie?- Conversions are currently putting the finislring touches on a modi fied Red XR8 version of the A U Coupe, have 6 back orders with more coming in every day and no wonder as the “Coupe by Hillier” was designed right from the start witli full production in mind.

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37

1 ANDRA's Pro Stock backlash upond’s Owners Group angrily responds to rule changes - “We’ve been let down W-bank Moutsos lands Bunch ncM^ Pontiac i

By GERALD McDORNAN

AUSTRALIA’S Pro Stock

Drive niy car: Nick Moutsos has traded the Z24 and will have a new car on track next season. (PIuho by Joim Bosher) MELBOURNE racer Nick Moutsos has landed a Jerry Bickel-built Pontiac Trans Am to resume his promising Pro Stock career.

Moutsos purchased the car from New Zealand where its owner had only completed three passes in three years since purchasing the ride from its original owner, US Pro Stock racer Jerry Eckman.

The car comes with considerable history with Eckman having been suspended for two years from NHRA competition when an illegal nitrous oxide tank, hidden in the dry sump oil tank of the car exploded - Eckman the only competitor actually caught using nitrous oxide despite rumours of many NHRA Pro Stock competitors at the time also cheating.

Moutsos, who has reached the Pro Stock semi-finals at the Nationals on the last two occassions, purchased the Pontiac to replace his previous ride, a Chevrolet Z24, which he sold prior to the beginning of the current season.

‘The car has landed and I’m looking forward to getting it ready and running the full season next year,” Moutsos said last week.

“We had intentions of running the entire 1999/2000 season but delays with our engine kept us from doing that with the Z24.”

Moutsos said he is currently refreshing his 358 cubic inch Pro Stock Truck engine and, with the cylinder heads currently in the US, he expected the work to produce extremely competitive power.

“Our engine should be right and, with the new car, I’m sure we’ll be able to run with the best of them.”

- GERALD McDORNAN

COLOURFUL Funny Cm racer Scotty Cannon will expand his Oakley-backed team to a two-car operation with the announcement that his son, Scotty Jr, will begin hcenstng this week.

The senior Cannon believes the step up is neccessary, his decision spuired on by the success of the cate gory’s other two car teams.

“The records of the two-car teams speak for themselves,” Scotty said. “Jerry Toliver’s WWF team has benefitted ' from having two cars while Del Worsham tells me they are really gaining on their tune-ups and (John) Force and (Tony) Pedregon have been running great for a long time. I can’t sit back and let

expands

these teams put more ground between them and us.

“If you have eight runs worth of data on Saturday night then you’re way ahead of the game. Plus, if both cars qualify then you have twice as many chances to win on Sunday.

“The second cai- can also be used to test new stuff. Why not test stuff dming a race where you can be earning money then on Mondays when you’re just spending money.

“Nohody knows that daddy’s the boss better than Scott does and he knows what happens when you don’t listen to dad!

“There’s also no ego with Scott and he’s already a part of the gi-oup and he fits in.”

- PHEL MORRIS

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representative body. Pro Stock Drag Racing Australia, has lashed out at ANDRA following the sanctioning hod/s passing of new rules for the catego ry - the rules in contradic tion of what had been pro posed by the group, and commonly accepted by oth ers, for the better future promotion of the class.

The PSDRA proposed that aU new cars, beginning October 2001, be based on vehicles available in the Australian market, while the crnrent 6.51b per cubic inch weight break for mula be replaced with a 400d/2,3d01b standard.

The changes, which still allowed the current US bod ied cars under the 10 year rule, were proposed to help fans and sponsors identify more with the class while also raising its performance standards from the current mid-high seven second/low 170 mph range to low sevens at over 180 mph. They were also to allow the current cars to remain competitive and retain some market value commiserate with the costs already invested.

While accepting the basis of the’proposal, ANDRA’s NCC has seen fit to rule that all new cars must be Australian manufactured, while the current US bodied vehicles will also attract an additional 25 lb per year over four years handicap.

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simple changes to Super Stock now raises serious questions over the future market value ofthe current cai's.”

Current Austrahan-bodied cars, of which there are cur rently just"two (soon to be three), won’t be effected by be pro-active in its approach the weight changes. to the sport and despite the“ Further implications can work we have done, we’ve been seriously let down,” also be found with the decision to word ‘Australian manufac PSDRA president John tured’ into the rules as opposed O’Kearney said last week. to ‘Australian available’.

‘There are serious implica This means that vehicles tions on all levels for drag now available in Australia, racing due to the NCC’s deci such as the Ford Cougar and sion. We wanted to help the promoters and the sport but Dodge Neon, won’t be this flies in the face of what allowed to be used in the future, along with any other we were trying to achieve.” models such as Ford’s soonO’Kearney said the addi tional weight added to the to-be-released Mustang and cuiTent US cars will reverse the Chevrolet Camaro.

While not committing to any performance effect the change to the 400ci/2,3001b^ potential court challenges to formula had, while the fail-! ANDRA’s ruhngs, O’Keamey did say the PSDRA would ure to alter the Super Stock rules also meant the value of investigate all avenues open the'current Pro Stock cars to them.

“We’ve been told that was questionable.

“The additional weight we’ve still got 18 months to negates any reason for discuss things but talk is PSDRA members to invest cheap. The PSDR^ members aren’t going to let this sit. heavily in the upgrade to the 400/2,300 formula - why There is too much money at spend money to speed the cars stake and we’ll look at all of up while the additional weight our options to get this satis will just slow them down? - factorily sorted out as soon, as we can.” while the failure to introduce It also failed to i-ecognise a proposal to alter the Super Stock body rules to allow the use of cuiTent Pro Stock cars, without major and cosUy alterations, in the bracket.

“The PSDRA has tried to

STEPHEN Dupond put his blown ’48 Ford into the winner’s circle at Wdlowbank Raceway’s Coca-Cola Wild Bimch

Classic last Saturday night, Dupond qualified fourth and went through to the final with two solo wins after Andrew Searle didn’t ft'ont for the first round and Les Winter was shut down on the line after his burnout in round two, a cracked burst panel the cause.

John Payne progressed to the final at the expense of Mick Coleman and John Mol. Dupond grabbed a 0.15s advantage off the fine and held that to the finish, taking the win with a 7.57/181 on a 7.50 dial-in to Payne’s 7.317183 (7,2).

Victor Bray worked tirelessly throughout the afternoon to fix a blower problem suffered early in the day and returned later in the night for one pass. The Castrol’57 Chevy crossed the centre fine on a pretty'wild pass, ending up in the opposite lane. No times were recorded at the finish but the eighth mile timers were showing numbers close to what Bray was aiming for, Victorian Rod Ramford towed his potent C/Altered up for the Competition GARY DemsftaM lost a vention in Nevada.

Ehminator bracket and put The team were mounting ' Funny Car in a freak his car into the top workshop fire prior to a back-up body on their , qualifying spot, going nearly last weekend’s Atlanta race chassis at the shop three tenths under his index after having hurt their race ' event. with an 8.12/159.

The fire, caused by a body the previous weekend | Rainford met iVDragster spark from a grinder while in Virginia. driver Jon Sting, the only A spark fi^om the grinder ; work was being performed other qualifier under his created an explosion which, ; respective class index, in the at chassis builder J Ed Horton’s Georgia shop, luckily, didn t seriously j: final round with Rainford : resulted in the cm burning “iJ^ry any crewmen. taking a close win - an The team regrouped to 8.16/159 leading Sting’s to the ground - the damage front at Atlanta last week- ! 7.17/188 home. estimated at US$70,000.

Other winners on the “It’s worse than Funny end, qualifying their spare car on the bump in the quick- I night included Wayne Car fire I’ve ever seen,” said Nipperess in Super Densbam, who was actually est Funny Car field ever, Eliminator, Dale O’Dwyer m -PHIL MORRIS attending a sponsor’s conSuper Gas, Jeff Helmhold (Super Street), Peter Batley (Mod Bike) and Ben Bray in Junior Dragster.

Tony Wedlock and Craig Hasted fronted with the Pro Stockers, testing prior to the Wintemationals. Wedlock performed the better of the two with a storming 7.67/177 best.

Ashley Bailey also completed his licensing in the Bailey Brothers Probe nitro Funny Car, running down track with an easy 6.12/236.

The remains: Gary Densham’s burnt Funny Car. - KEN FERGUSON

2000 WINSTON DRAG RACING SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS AT MAY 7.

2000 Winston Top Fuel Championship 599 I Tony Schumacher 574 2 Gary Sceizi 552 3 Larry Dixon 513 4 Kenny Bernstein , 5 Joe Amato 455 -.394 6 Doug Kalitta 332 7 Cory Me Clenathan 329 8 Doug Herbert .

9 David Grubnic I 264 262 lO Don Lamptis.

2000 Winston Funny Car Championship 589 1. Jerry Toliver ..

2. John Force ....

559 528 3. Ron Capps ....

465 4. Tony Pedregon 389 » 5. Jim Epier 324 6. Scotty Cannon .

7. Dean Skuza ...

310 8. Whit Bazemore 300 9. Bob Gilbertson 297 10. Del Worsham 288

2000 Winston Pro Stock Championship 755 I .Jeg Coughlin ..

2. Warren Johnson 466 3. Jim Yates ....

427 4. Mark Pawuk . , 380 377 5. Troy Coughlin 6. Ron Krisher . . .

374 7. Richie Stevens 368 8. Kurt Johnson .. .36 !

9. Bruce .Allen .. .

35 1 lO.Tom Martino .

33 1

38

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12 May 2000

n Jack Roush and Valvoline are believed to be in deep discussions concerning their future sponsorship contract of Mark Martin’s #6 Ford Taunis.

It is said the cun-ent contract costs the oil company between US$810 million per annum, with Roush looking to extend the deal for the next three-five years.

Giant US retailer Walmart will also be joining the team as a major associate sponsor next season. ® Seven drivers had contact with the Richmond concrete walls after all experiencing blown right-front tyres.

Despite the Goodyear representatives offering a number of differing reasons, it is believed they spread word of caution to teams about their rightfronts which have caused problems at that track in the past.

S Richmond winner Dale Earnhardt Jr’s Budweiser Chev apparently just passed tech inspection after the race, with NASCAR officials carefully measuring the engine compression.

NASCAR is reported to have measured piston deck height, combustion chamber volume and gasket thickness - the engine just sneaking through!

“When it’s close, you have to check evei-ything,” NASCAR tech chief Gary Nelson said of the gasket check, the last thing done.

B Geoff Bodine made a retirni to the track following his spectacular Track crash at Daytona in February.

Bodine made it to the first caution on lap 172 of the 400 lap race, before handing the reins over to his brother Todd.

“This is a tough track to come back to. I wish I’d ran California last week [the original plan]. It would have better prepared me for this one,” Bodine said.

“I made a couple of rookie mistakes, stalling the car leaving the pits, and the second time I came in when the pits were closed. I knew it was going to be tough to finish.”

ustralian NASCAR revamp

By GERALD McDORNAN

AUSTRALIAN NASCAR will undertake a major revamp next season if the plans of a number of the sport’s competitors come to fruition.

Motorsport News has learned that NASCAR team owner Ken James is leading a push to assume control of the promotion of the sport.

After looking as though it had a promising future in Australia in the mid-’90s, constant management changes within the Bob Jane organisation, along with the resulting decline in team and sponsor support, the sport has been seriously desta bilised over the past three years.

It is believed James has won the support of Jane with the Melbourne promoter now having decided against run ning,events for the categoi-y at his Calder Park Thunderdome venue until it could prove to be financially viable.

Bridge leaves Calder Park

FURTHER indication of the Jane organisation’s decision to hand over the reins of NASCAR racing in Australia to team owners has come with the news that Calder Park Raceway’s motorsports manager, Peter Bridge, has had his contract terminated.

Bridge received notification from CP General Manager Warren Howard last week.

In a letter to Bridge, Howard said that “due to unfortunate business circumstances” Calder Park was being “forced to limit our motor sport activities for the present to track hire, venue hire and limited drag racing events.”

Bridge told Motorsport News late last week that, while he was disappointed in the venue’s decision not to retain him or his company. Bridge Motor Racing Sources have James offering a franchise sy,stem to competitors, the system being set up on a similar basis to the AVESCO/V8 Supercar organisation, with the costs being split up into three payments; initial, secondary and final franchise.

Management Pty Ltd, he understood that “business is business”.

“I believe I’ve been a loyal employee who’s put in more than what’s needed but I’m not bitifer about the contract termination as I do understand the situation,” Bridge said.

“Business is business and that’s the way things are. Quite frankly, my eight years here have been extremely enjoyable.”

Bridge said he was looking to promote his own series for AUSCARs, Sportsman, HQs and Legends on the Calder Park short road course, running a summer series on Saturday nights.

“I’ve decided that I’m going to pursue the idea and I’m a fair way down the track. I’m quite convinced I can have a nice little series.”

- GERALD McDORNAN

Already 21 team owners have committed the first level of funds to James’s proposal, with another nine10 owners apparently ready to join.

Gold Coast-based manage ment group IMG, who are heavily involved in the V8 Supercar series through

Prix support race is also on the list with one year stiU to run on the- category’s con tract for the event.

Adelaide ‘Race of a Thousand Years’ chief Bill West confirmed that he had been approached about putting the NASCARs on the support bill for the event on New Year’s eve, although no decision as to who would actually comprise the sup port list had been made.

While no confirmation has been given yet, it is believed 10 stockcars will be invited to compete in a demonstra tion race at the Honda Indy event, with the view to NASCAR replacing the V8s on the schedule in 2001.

nrnhardt Junior doubles up

By PHIL MORRIS DALE

Earnhardt

Jr

became the first repeat winner of the 2000 Winston Cup season with a strong victory in the Pontiac 400 at Richmond International Raceway in Virginia last Saturday night.

The Winston Cup rookie ended the series’ muchtalked about streak of 10 dif ferent winners in as many places with what has been described as a ‘right place, right time’ victory.

Junior led just the last 31 laps of the race, beating twotime Winston Cup champion Terry Labonte back to the flag in a close ran.

“I’m not surprised the car is doing it but I am sui-prised I’m winning races in the Winston Cup series,” a frank Earnhardt said later about his second win.

“If I hadn’t won that race at Texas, I’d probably be a

little easier to pass for Terry.

But since I’d won a race. I’d established some credibility, and I knew they were going to treat me'like a proven race car driver.

“When you’re out there doing business with those guys, it means something to be a consistent finisher and proven winner.

“Somebody might move out of the way for Jeff Gordon but might race Stacy Compton for evei-ything he’s worth. So that means a lot.”

The race looked to be going towards a victory for Rusty Wallace and then Tony Stewart, but Wallace gave the race away, the Stewart kicked it away - Earnhardt finding his way to victory lane.

Stewart’s dramas were interesting, the ’99 Rookie of the Year hitting Earnhardt’s car as the two were exiting the pits after the final cau tion flew on the 363 lap.

Stewart’s left rear tyre went flat and the #20 car cir-

cled the track to return to the pits...

The incident puzzled Earnhardt and his crew chief Tony Eury who wondered whether Stewart had not gone into “defence” mode. believed Earnhardt Stewart, who’d left his pit box earlier than the Budweiser car, had tried to squeeze him out of the action.

“Stewart made it tight out of the pits, and I did all I could to keep from running over the #60 crew guys [pit ted] ahead of me,” he said. “I knocked the right front fender off my car, and he had to come back in and get a tire put on.

“The right tyre changer on the #60 had to jump out of the way... I almost hit him. It was just a bad situation.”

Stewart was apparently furious about the incident, as to were NASCAR, with offi cials hauling the Joe Gibbs driver into their trailer for a ‘cool down’ after the race.

When he emerged, his

n Dave Marcis, who didn’t qualify for a spot in last Satm'day night’s Richmond race, bagged a 10kg Turkey, one ofthe largest ever caught in Virginia, when he went hunting last Friday morning. Marcis hasn’t qualified for eight of the 11 races so far this season. „ n International "Speedway Coi-poration, which bought the Richmond track last year, is planning to make major changes to the venue.

their promotion of the Adelaide, Canberra and Bathurst rounds, along with tile Honda Indy, are report ed to have been asked to help the NASCAR group search for sponsor funding for its proposed series.

The franchise group is looking to run a five-eight

race series nationally, with events planned to be run in each state - the proposed calendar including two races at the Thunderdome and one on Jane’s half-mile Adelaide International Raceway oval and road course races in Adelaide, Perth, Sydney and Brisbane.

The Melbourne Grand

most intelhgible remark was; “It’s not his fault, it’s not my fault, it’s just racing.”

Labonte and Dale Jarrett, who’d done his best impres sions of Cole Trickle in ‘Days of Thunder’ and hit every thing out on the track except the pace car, battled with Earnhardt over the final

laps, but neither had the momentum to ran him down in the home stretch.

Points leader Bobby Labonte survived several

scares in coming home 26th, but top rival Mark Martin fared worse with a 32nd

place finish. That allowed surprising Jeff Burton to take second in the standings, just three points behind Labonte after 11 races.

Results: Dale Earnhardt Jr (Chevy),T Labonte (Chevy), Jarrett(Ford), Rudd (Ford), Wallace (Ford), W Burton (Pontiac), J Burton (Ford), Stewart(Pontiac), Elliott (Ford), Earnhardt Sr(Chevy).

Dodge debuts

Evernham and Petty undertake first tests in Winston Cup Intrepid

Labor, 1972: It worked for Gough, will it work for Dodge.

DODGE’S 2001 Winston Cup Intrepid has taken to the track for the first time.

Kyle Petty undertook the first laps in the new Ray Evernham-constructed car at Homestead, Miami on May 2- the test a joint venture between Evernham’s, Petty’s and Bill Davis’s teams.

Feeling a little rusty: Pole sitter Rusty Wallace battles with Earnhardt Inc’s Steve Park at Richmond. Wallace went on to finish in 5th position while Park didn’t figure in the top 10.

“I felt like the test went good, it shook down well and drove good with no problems,” a delighted Evernham said later. “We made a slight gear change, but we got the car to maintain the same speed throughout the rest of our testing.”

While the body style is yet to receive NASCAR approval, Evernham said the Intrepid had been built to fit NASCAR’s box and the measurements of other cars.

‘The lines and the greenhouse area is a bit different and that’s something we’ve worked hard on, trying to maintain the Intrepid’s identity.”

- MARTIN D CLARK

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12Msy2000

NAS AH's heavy hand 1

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L

Biggest penalties everfor Mayfield/Talladegafuel dramas THE biggest penalty in NASCAR history was last week dished out to the Jeremy Mayfield/ Penske-Kranefuss camp following the dis covery of a fuel addi tive in post-race check ing at Talladega on

April 16.

NASCAR’s Mike Helton announced that team owner Michael Kranefuss was slapped with a US$50,000 fine, crew chief Peter Sospenzo was suspended until June 6 (covering four races) and Mayfield lost 151 points due to the illegal oxygenate - a performance stimulant - being found in the #12 car’s fuel.

“We have taken over 500 fuel samples this sea-

4

son and this is the first one that we’ve had not come back correctly, said Helton.

The team has said an unnamed crew member added the additive to the fuel, without anyone else’s knowledge, just prior to the final pitstops.

While the team has accepted the decision, Mayfield saying in a pre pared statement the team is “embarrassed”, others aren’t happy, believing the penalties not harsh enough, There’s three- things you don’t mess with, tyres, engine and fuel,” Mark Martin crew chief Jimmy Fennig said,

1

If you change the fuel around it makes the car

think it’s got a bigger motor.

“It should have been a stiffer fine - they should have suspended for three weeks, all of them...”

While Mayfield finished 14th in the race, a posi tion that would not nor mally attract NASCAK’s attention, the team had run the pole-setting engine in the race, thus requiring a post-race tear-down.

The loss of points has dropped Mayfield from seventh to 14th in the Wiilston Cup standings.

- MARTIN D CLARK

IVIore fines

39

n Kellogg’s has introduced a ‘racing’ version of its Apple Jacks cereal - titled Eacmg Apple Jacks- with three time Winston Cup champion Jeff Gordon featuring on the box.

To continue with the racing theme, the limited edition cereal(are they for real?)features red and blue and yellow and red swirled ‘jacks’ while the package has a patterned holographic rainbow foil and embossing. n Christain Lovendahl, crew chieffor the David Ridling-driven #19 Team Yellow Busch Grand National car, was lulled in a car crash last Friday afternoon.

Lovendahl, 27, the nephew of Mark Martin was thrown from the vehicle he was driving when his car left the road and overturned. Three over passengers were injured in the accident.

Police investigating the accident are reported to be looking into alcohol being the cause.

Stomp: Jeremy Mayfield’s celebrations in California were short-lived - the team coping the biggest penalties ever handed down by NASCAR.

n Craftsman Truck team owner Jim Smith has bought into Mattei Motorsports, the team which fields the #7 Nations Rent Monte Carlo

(Photo by Martin D Clark)

for Michael Waltrip on the Winston Cup tour -the announcdment being made on NASCAR’s A. It’s my shout; Mayfield and Kranefuss don’t know what’s ahead.

In-house decision: Jeremy Mayfield takes victory at Roger Penske’s California Speedway.

By MARTIN D CLARK DESPITE the odds, and with the threat of a penal ty from Talladega hang ing over his head (see sep arate story), Jeremy Mayfield drove the Mobil 1 Ford Tam’us to the win ner’s circle at Fontana on April 30 - the PenskeKi'anefuss driver becom

M

ing the 10th winner in as many races this season.

Mayfield looked to have the race in hand until a late caution again closed the field up, the subsequent restart also seeing the Taurus come under threat from Bobby Labonte when it spluttered with ignition problems.

With a flick of a switch to change ignition boxes, Mayfield was able to gather everything back up and con tinue on to his second Winston Cup victory and his first in two years.

It’s ironic, considering the Talladega problems, that

Mayfield’s car was later impoimded by NASCAR due to its roof height being lower than the 51 inches required his roof-jumping dance in vic tory lane apparently the cause!

Amazingly, Mayfield also suffered burns to his back, thanks to the oil tank behind the seat soaring to over 300 degr-ees.

But, even after the roof, burns and Talladega situa tions, the teams problems were not over, with the plane used to fly the crew braking down in California!

Winston Cup rookie Matt Kenseth led most laps at Fontana, having won the Busch race the previous day, although the findl restart saw him drop to third on the day.

Eventual runner-up Labonte who started 36th, believed Kenseth had the best car all day and the rook ie was robbed of a win.

“That last caution flag didn’t do him any justice,” he said.

The 500 miler was extremely competitive, with

22 lead changes among 15 drivers and plenty of side by side stuff on the wide flat-ish two mile oval.

Mike Skinner had a strong chance of winning his first race when he won pole at 186.061 mph, although ire still finished seventh in his 120th start. One has to won der how much longer Skinner has to wait for the elusive victory celebration...

Jeff Gordon had a ho-hum day in So-Cal - a track where he has enjoyed much success, including the first win here in 1997 - qualifying 26th and finishing a disap pointing 11th.

Results: Mayfield (Ford),B Labonte (Pontiac), Kenseth (Ford), Rudd (Ford), J Burton (Ford), Ward Bm-ton (Pontiac),Skinner(Chevy),R Wallace (Ford), Jarrett(Ford), Stewart(Pontiac).

Points standings after 10 races: B Labonte 1516, Martin 1496, W Burton 1443,J Burton 1396, Eai-nhardt 1384, Jarrett 13()5, J Gordon 1279, R Wallace 1271, Rudd 1251, Skinner 1194.

THE penalties continued to flow into the PenskeKranefuss camp following Jeremy Mayfield’s California victory, with crew chief Peter Sospenzo fined US$25,000 for another rule infraction.

During post-race inspection, NASCAR discovered the roof was too low or, in NASCAR terminology,‘under the specified height requirement.

The Mobil Taurus was immediately impounded and transported to North Carolina, no doubt to check if it measured differently in another state - the team receiving the car back five days later!

The measurement was apparently taken from the ground to the roof, 10 inches behind the top of the windscreen, about the middle of the roof panel-about the same spot where Mayfield jumped on the roof in victory lane!

Questions are now being asked of NASCAR as to why the irregularity was discovered post-race with the car having been ‘templated’ before the race, passing inspection.

Are NASCAR picking at the team for the sake of picking, or was there more wrong with the car that either party is not willing to divulge?

- MARTIN D CLARK

“Inside Winston Cup’ program last weekend. n Bruton Smith’s Las Vegas Motor Speedway is reported to be in discussions with authorities in order to build a high rise condominium block, similar to what is at Charlotte.

While originally criticised, Charlotte’s condos have now become hot property and,in the Monte Carlo in the desert, 50 new condos at LVMS would be expected to attract considerable interest.

- PHIL MORRIS

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U May 2000

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Shirl blitz: Andrew Sqheurele overcame troubles in qualifying to biilz them at Archerfieid SpeedsVay.

i

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Chris Metcalf

Mark New EXPATRIATE Zealander Mark Cooper outgunned his Australian rivals to take out a contro versial final round of the NASR Speedcar Series at Brisbane’s Archerfield Speedway.

, cesS.

"'

.^Photb by

Lo*leyj

n Steve Swingler survived a marathon race of attrition to take out the 2000 Queensland Compact Speedcar Championship at Archerfield Speedway.

Swingler,fresh from a successful tour of New

Cooper, who started the 30lap feature event from pole position, finished ahead of Troy Jenkins and Barrie Valentino in a gruelling race that saw just seven of the 17 starters survive to the finish.

The night was marred bya' nasty crash involving John Kelly in the final of the Pole Shuffle that put the cun-ent Queensland champion in hos pital and out of the cockpit for up to 12 months.

Time trials got proceedings underway and it was Sydney’s Brett Morris who cut the Premier Auto Parts Stealth. quickest lap, stopping the

By CHRIS METCALF clock at 13.330 seconds to Wanless Todd take almost a full second off TOOWOOMBA’S Andrew (Metalcorp/131-SHOP Stealth) the existing track record.

Scheurele repeated' his advanced into third position Former national champ effort of two weeks earlier on the penultimate lap when Craig Brady, Dave Lambert when he overcame an Dean McComb (Titan Garages and Kelly were next quickest engine misfire during Maxim) ran wide in turn four and were the only others to and allowed Wanless and qualifying to blitz the field go under 14 seconds.

Nathan McDonald to charge The four preliminaries in round two of the underneath.

Autumn Sprintcar were won by Barrie Wixted Intermittent showers dur Shootout at Archerfield (two). Cooper and Victorian ing the day and throughout hotshoe Mai-k Brown.

Speedway on April 29. the night kept spectator num Kelly barnstormed his way Having taken full advan bers down, but the extra moisthrough the Pole Shuffle tage, quite legitimately, of . ture in the rack resulted in a downing John Davidson, the only flaw in the innova Lambert, Brown, Jenkins, tive race format, Scheui-ele supei'-quick racing scuface.

McDonald topped qualify stai-ted his Lucas Oils Maxim Brady and Cooper to advance into a best-of-three final from pole position and simply ing aboard his self-constmctshowdown with Moiris. amaihflated his livals to score ed Fraser' Shores/RAAF MACl,winning both his heats At the start of the second an emphatic win. and collecting a new eight-lap round, the two cars touched When the chequer and Kelly was sent somer appeai’ed after 25 non-stop track record along the way.

The remaining heats were saulting along the main laps, the America-bound won by Darrell Hodges straight. Race officials speedster was almost a full (Valvoline Maxim) and acted swiftly to exclude lap clear of his pui'suei's.

Morris from the event and Ricky Mitchell finally put George Galea, who drove relegate him to the back of his run of misfortunes very v/ell mider pressure. behind him to clinch a run the pole shuffle starters in The three-by-four shootout the feature race, which put ner-up finish aboard his dash, which determined the him in seventh with Kelly now out of the equation.

When the feature got underway, Brady was an immediate casualty and head ed infield on the opening lap.

The race was punctuated

By BRETT SWANSON his decision to join the by incidents and accidents that eliminated Chris SCCA up as a share holder Gallagher, Stan Burrow, GEORGE Tatnell's tenure in NASR (the National Michael Harders, Les Porter, as President of the Association of Speedway John Davidson, Mark Brown, Racing) despite having no Sprintcar Control Council Grant Draney, and Todd official capacity to do so and of Australia (SCCA) is Wanless. flying straight in the face of over after Queenslander Kristian Frandsen annexed the member clubs who'd Peter Mitchell was voted fourth spot, with Morris, voted against committing Peter Lack and Lambert the in recently. any funds to NASR. 'The vote was 10 to 4 in Tatnell's deposition was only others to go the distance. probably as a backlash to favor of Mitchell, who is also - CHBIS METCALF

Zealand, took his Lockyer Plumbing Clark-Suzuki to the lead in the incidentplagued 25-lap final when Darren Vine headed infield in the closing stages.

The event attracted drivers from three states, as well as some visitors from far north

Shir! overcomes miss to win grid line-up for the main event, started smoothly enough with McDonald clear ing away for another win ahead of Galea and Darren Jensen in the opening clash.

Jensen then triumphed in round two, finishing ahead of Hodges and Drew Kruck (Titan Garages Eagle).

The third clash took forev

er to get started with three restarts required before a lap was completed. McDonald, who inherited a front row start when both Peter Thorley and Knack were ban ished to the rear for starting infringements, eventually took out the race over Hodges and Galea.

In the final encounter, from which the all-important series points are earned, McDonald again proved too strong from the front row in downing Jensen and Thorley.

An opening lap colhsion put Hodges and Galea out of the

equation, although both cars would return for the feature.

When the green flag flew for the feature, Scheurele immediately distanced him self from the pack and simply powered away to establish a lead that would grow to half a lap after just 12 circulations.

Behind Scheurele, a six-car troupe remained in close com bat throughout the event with no positional changes until McComb, who had shadowed Mitchell from the outset, made his only mistake with the white flag on di.splay.

Mitchell drove very well to keep his challengers at bay and secure the runner-up slot, with Wanless, McDonald, McComb, Hodges and Jensen completing this group.

Brock Dean, Kruck, Sherri Schaffer and ThoiTey com pleted the finishers, with only Galea and Adam McKenzie failing to go the distance.

Tatnell repimed as SCCA President

Max Oymesny Motorsport

Secretaiy as her position was up for re-election.

One of Mitchell's first tasks as President will be to investigate the validity of the SCCA's decision to buy a shareholding in NASR (whether the SCCA had the authority to take such action) and to see what needs to be done and can be done in this i-egard.

and Wayne Corbett.

These were the only four from the 19 car field who survived the carnage and made it to the finish.

Vine, the overwhelming pre-race favourite, was in control of the race and looked certain to take out the event until he headed infield with just three laps remaining,.

The four qualifying heats were dominated by Vine and Robotham, who snared two wins apiece and then found themselves starting from fourth and sixth in the main event. n Rain caused the cancellation of two state championship events in south east Queensland over the Easter weekend.

The Queensland Super Street Sedan Championship, scheduled for two nights at Gympie’s Mothar Moomtain Speedway, was unable to be completed despite the best efforts of the promoters and has been tentatively rescheduled for Saturday, June 17.

The supporting Super Sedan event, which had attracted a strong line-up of cars, wUl also be run on this date.

Also falling victim to the wet Easter weather was the Queensland Speedcar Championship at Yandina Speedway on the Sunshine Coast.

This event will now be ran on Saturday, May 27.

2000 WOMJ)OP OUTLAWS SEIIIS POINTS SC081

Australian Distributors for

Xoo$irr I

^^ RACING TIRE

the President of the Queensland association and favor of young racer Ricky Mitchell.

Highly regarded Jim Muir was returned again as Executive officer and Lance McMinn is again National Technical Officer with Bill Roberts taking a position as assistant to McMinn.

Vivienne Lewis remains as

Queensland, and it was Victoria’s Peter Robotham who finished second ahead of Darren Dillon

-

For more information on Hoosier Drag and Speedway Tyres call:

NSW; 02 9679 1990 Fax 02 9679 1187 VIC: 03 9331 6477 Fax 03 9331 7444 SA: 08 8332 0800 Fax 08 8364 0296

Greenwood 6/5/00

Point Standings To May 8, 2000 I. Steve Kinser....

2. Danny Lasoski ..

3. Mark Kinser....

4. Sammy Swindell 5. Stevie Smith ...

6. Dale Blaney ....

7. Joey Saldana....

8. Johnny Herrera .

9. Jac Haudenschild 10. Andy Hillenburg

2240 2232 2149 2145 2142 2039 990 1975 1969 1951

I I. Randy Hannagan :12. Lance Blevins ...

13. Donny Schatz...

14. Daryn Pittman ..

IS. Tim Shaffer 16. Danny Wood .., 17. Greg Hodnett...

18. Brooke Tatnell. .

19. Paul McMahan ..

20. Craig Dollansky .

1920 1900 1863 1827 1789 1771 1682 1580 1526 1451

I. Danny Lasoski 2. Steve Kinser 3. Sammy Swindell 4. Joey Saldana 5.Andy Hillenburg 6. Johnny Herrera 7. Dale Blaney 8. Stevie Smith 9. Tyler Walker 10. Tim Shaffer

1 1. Brooke Tatnell 12. Randy Hannagan 13. Mark Kinser 14. Jac Haudenschild 15.Danny Wood 16. Daryn Pittman 17. Lance Blevins 18. Christ! Passmore 19. Bill Robertson 20.Donny Schatz

42

/ZU(DO(o)[?S[^!7D

12 May 2000

Dillon and Wilson take titles

By WADE AUNGER

SOUTH Australian F500 driver Luke Dillon and Lismore Street Stocker driver'Dave Wilson suc cessfully defended their respective^. Australian Championships at Wynn’s Newcastle Speedway over the Easter weekend.

The duo conquei’ed fields of over 55 in their titles after two gruelling nights racing at the Tomago venue.

Wilson had to play the waiting game to score his win, having faced stiff oppo sition from local hero and early race leader Rob Maunder.

Dillon too had his share of concerns, having to thread his way back through the

field after an enormous ‘bicy cle’ in turn four during the main that nearly took him out of the ballpark.

Two days before racing commenced a sudden shower deluged the circuit and com pletely ruined curator Dale Gibson’s routine in preparing the surface, the result seeing the venue look more like a motocross track than that of a national title speedway venue.

Gibson worked some late night magic on the grader and the track was as fast as it had ever been come the first night of competition on Easter Saturday.

In fact it was so quick that Ken Sartori cranked his #30 Highway Hauliers RG Suzuki F500 to a new one lap record of 13.690s.

Whilst the majority of the heats were completed in the Imin 57sec mark,the Sartori and Dillon clocked times some 6s faster before the track inevitably slicked off late in the evening.

Thanks to some last minute comebacks, there were five former national titleholders in the field — Lloyd Thorley, Mick Pronger, 7*

Surprisingly, it was Wilson Trevor Harding, Tony Pryor Satori giind to a halt against himself then who scoffed at and Eoy Urpeth. the wall in turn four.

“I guess it’s not to be this rumours that Mackney’s car But one of the local was a httle too quick for the year,” Sartori conceeded. favourites was Brian “I don’t know whether we rule book.

Harris, but the #13 machine caused its driver headaches *“ would have had something “It’s perfectly legal. Brian’s all weekend and the final for Luke anyway because a good bloke and a good he’s been really fast, but I racer, and his motor is per insult would be a wreck in turn four of the main event guess we’ll never know.” fectly legal. It’s fast, but it’s Dillon never looked like legal,” he said. which took him out prema being caught once Sartori turely.

David Cassidy was in hot was out of the picture.

Fittingly, Sartori and form and qualified on the “We’ve found something front row alongside with this chassis, there’s no Maunder. doubt,” admitted father Kob Maunder had defied Garry DiUon. the odds for almost the r > “The car does pin the left entire race when mounting rear tyre down nicely out of pressure and a right rear R7 the turns which allows Luke tyre that spun on the rim to gain so much more corner finally caught up with him. ing speed than most of the The #66 Cortina slewed other cars.” sideways coming out of turn Queenslander Gavin Casey two allowing Mackney to did his best to make gi’ound charge after the leader. on Dillon but as the slick Morris stepped up to the nature of the track increased plate for third, with Cassidy so too did the margin Take it to the jax: David looking ominous in a battle between he and the leader.

Wilson made it two Aussie Dillon took the win from for the same position. titles in .9 row with victory at The wildcard in any race Casey, followed by Alcorn, Newcastle. at Newcastle though is Gai'y Tasmanian Viv Rockliff, West (Photo by David Lamont) Moms.

Aussie Trevor Harding and He was running strong local racer Michael Baxter. when the Falcon uncharac Dillon shared the front row Lismore can lay claim to of the feature but it was some pretty fast Speedway teristically dropped its radi ator contents as he crossed Sartori who led away at the drivers and National RSA greens.

Street Stocker champ Dave the line with two laps remaining, spreading a Nigel Skeers was the Wilson is one ofthe best. immediate challenger, but Each and every time he small lake of radiator his fate was sealed with a comes to Wynn’s Newcastle coolant on the main straight spin on a restart.

Speedway he gives the main and caused complete pande monium behind.

Gearbox problems saw event one heU of a nudge.

Local Comfortable running: Luke Dillon was too strong for the field. Here he holds off West Aussie Ken Sartori (#36) and .Michael Pronger (#4) on his way to another F500 Aussie title.

(Photo by David Lamont)

By PARIS CHARLES SPRINTCARS returned fo Mildura for the second time this season at Timmis Speedway and the large crowd that turned out witnessed Garry Chippindall take the Easter 2000 Open Sprintcar Cup. The heats were decided in favour of Chippindall, Peter McCarthy (two wins), Chris Evans, Harold Brennen Jr, and Ron Dalton.

Fresh fi-om Avalon and his Easter Trail duties, Dalton turned the tables on local McCarthy in the final heat with a well deserved heat win.

McCarthy was second while Rob Farrer took third after a fantastic dual with Darryl Botthams.

Botthams rode the wheel of Farrer and broke a steer ing bar. The luckless Botthams failed to finish any of his three heat races rele gating him to the final spot in the 15 car feature.

Chippindall led the field away, but it was Bothams who was the big mover, carving his way thi-ough the field to battle the top six fi-om the rear.

Brennan Jr brought out the first yellow with a spin and

If the young blocks was sent to the rear while his fight through the slower ti'affic ended in disaster later on when he tangled with Fairer in the Hifert car in tmu three for the only red light stoppage of the night.

This incident also caused Botthams to go to the rear of the restart as he spun to avoid the upside-down Breiman Jr. During the red light stop page, David Argus’ car caught fire due to oil on the exhaust of the N26 machine. The fire was extinguished which enabled him to restart while Evans fixed a wayward rear brake with cable ties after it dislodged on the first lap.

At the restart Chippindall lead the field away and Evans, now with a properly working rear brake, drove the race of his life to snatch n the lead away in a classic passing maneuver but the wiley veteran Chipindall fought to reclaim it.

Peter McCarthy and David Smith’s J&J battled for third in a close fight right to the finish line with McCarthy managing to hold Smith out.

Bottams showed tme class to come from the rear of the field to finish fifth with Argus rounding out the top six.

driver

Brian

Mackney would take some beating. Mackney had taken the big stick to Wilson in the NSW Championship at Grafton driving a potent LX Torana, and driven away with the champ’s trophy.

When Morris'expired, the stewards made the immedi ate decision to declare the event because of the danger ous nature of the surface, giving Cassidy third and placing unfortunately Morris last in the final wash-up.

O’Brien brothers at the ’Bridge

Photo by Frank Midgley

I’m right behind you ... Chippindall looks to round up Brennen Jr for the lead. (Photo by Paris Charles)

WESTERN Australia brothers Glen and Nathan O’Brien were unbeaten in their five heats to win the Australian Individual Sidecar Title at Riverview Speedway in Murray Bridge on Easter Saturday.

After the 20 heats the O’Brien’s had a 15 point maximum score followed by defending champions Mark Drew and Steve Blair from the Northern Territory and 1996 titleholders Andrew Cleave/Dave Power, both duos on 12 points.

In the final, O’Brien gated brilliantly to lead and win his first Australian title while Cleave claimed run ner-up followed by Drew and local hero Jim Irwin.

The following night the Australian Sidecar Team’s Championship

was run with seven teams competing.

At the end of 21 heats the South Australian team of Irwin/Les Bremner and Justin Plaisted/Klae Hobbs wore tied on 23 points with Cleave/Power and Deon Lynd/Shane Rudloff.

In a run-off, Plaistad, who had gated well all night, beat Cleave to give SA the team’s title. Third overall were the O’Brien brothers and Darren Nash/Peter Teale while fourth was Drew after a run-off against Grant Bond from New South Wales after both sides had scored 16 points.

Placings in both titles are provisional until the results of drug tests are received in a months time.

- FRANK MIDGLEY

12 May 2000

£)Lf(o

WHETHER Australian

it’s

Cyprus for WRC

the Rally

Championship or the AsiaPacific Series, Possum Bourne and Mark Stacey are the pair to beat in this part ofthe world.

The Subaru crew dominat ed the 2000 Rally of Canberra, leading almost all the way to lead home Japanese driver Katsu Taguchi in a Mitsubishi Lanier Gp A car.

Neal Bates was denied a local victory, his Toyota Corolla suffering a series of punctures'-before hydraulic problems left him stranded.

Cody Crocker capped another great weekend for the Blues, taking third for the Subaru Oz team.

A week of rain and atro cious conditions made the going extremely tough, with the opening stage, the infa mous Mineshaft, causing most problems. As car one on the road Taguchi took it rela tively easy while Bourne went just three kilometres before he had to stop and change a puncture.

They lost a lot of time but so did Bates, who put the Corolla WRC off early in the stage and bogged, losing an enormous amount of time.

Bates finally got back on the road out oflate time.

However the Toyota dri ver’s bad luck continued, hit ting a bank on SS3 breaking a lim and nmning a flat for almost four kilometres.

Another puncture on SS5 cost more time before an off into a culvert on East West put them out of the day's nmning But while the Australian was having problems Bourne had recovered, charging back from a 2min30sec deficit. He ripped time off Taguchi, who had grabbed the lead, and closed to with in Imin 10 by the end of S33.

Bourne took the lead at the end of four stages and finished the day over a minute ahead of the Japanese Mitsubishi dilver.

Kiwi Stumpy Holmes managed to roll his Subaru

Business as usual Wunners are grunners: Bourne and Stacey dominated in Canberra, though Taguchi/Ringer(R) chased hard. Bates and Taylor (bottom) were out of luck, limping home in the Corolla WRC.

on SSI, landing back on his wheels and continuing on.

However he then had a puncture in SS3 anft then had total fuel pump,'failure during SS5.

The Group N battle was quickly a one-sided affair, Crocker grabbing the lead while the opposition had problems. Ed Ordynski was 19s behind and taking it steady until a holed radiator overheated the engine and brought his rally to an end near the finish of SS 3.

This left Malaysian series leader Karamjit Singh (Proton Wira) in fourth out right and second Group N. "We want to gain points and, even if we don't win Group N, we will be happy with that," he smiled.

We are new to these roads

and next year we will be much much quicker than how we are this year. Finishing the rally is the first priority, then we can think about the rest ofthe Asia Pacific series, Simon Evans in the Mark IV Golf had a relatively easy day with httle F2 opposition. the Victorian working at coming to grips with the new car as he launched his attack on the Asia Pacific Championship.

The final day saw just six stages run in

the forest and the final super special at Epic.

Nutahara had lost time on Saturday night when he clob bered a kangaroo, shattering a windscreen and allowing Singh to close to within 6s of him.

The battle continued to rage throughout the day between the two until the final Epic stage when Singh ran wide and hit a concrete retaining barrier. The crash cost him any chance of winning Group N, Nutahara winning by 20s.

It also allowed Kiwi Geoff

2000 Rally Of Canberra

1 Bourne/Stacey Subaru impreza WRC Mitsubishi Lancer Evo V 2 Taguchi/Ringer 3 Crocker/Foletta Subaru Impreza WRX 4 Nutahara/Hayashi Mitsubishi Lancer Evo V Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI 5 Argyle/Smith Proton Wira 6 Singh/Oh

believed that, maybe, there was a chance the Australian round of the World title could "at some stage in the future move to the East Coast".

"I don’t know all of the internal politics of your rallying but you would have to say that this would be a fairly attractive option, given Perth’s isolation and the lack of coverage Rally Australia relieves on the

THE cancellation of the China Rally round of the WRC may mean that the Cyprus Rally will be added to the World Championship calendar this season.

The event, a round of the European Championship, will replace the cancelled rally in September, subject to the approval of the WRC teams.

The new event was discussed at last week's FiA Rallies Commission meeting.

It will be up to the teams to decide if it is logistically possible to slot Cyprus between Finland (August 20-22) and San Remo (October 1-3). If if is the event will go ahead as part of the 14-round WRC schedule.

"We like the Cyprus organisers. They’re very efficient," said Mitsubishi boss Andrew Cowan.

"The thing that concerns me is the logistics.

"The other serious concern I have is overheating. The average speeds in Cyprus will be quite low and we have no experience of running the current cars in these conditions."

Poms revolt

Asia-Pacific Raiiy Ciii^hip Rd 2,8-9 May

WILL the World Rally Championship come to Canberra?

That was the question that esteemed British rally journalist Martin Holmes was asking during his flying visit to Canberra for the sec ond round of the Asia Pacific Championship.

Holmes, who was at the rally as a guest of the organ isers, was trying to figure out why he was there and

43

East Coast," said Holmes, A lot of the organisers here have close links with Rally Australia and the government here in Canberra certainly seems keen to put resources into motorsport, not just rallying but also the touring car race here as well," he added, They have the roads, the organization, the proximity to Sydney and Melbourne and the’Super Special Stage

3:31:57.4 3:38:18.5 3:43:05.2 3:46:34.2 3:46:53.5 3:46:53.7

has a great atmosphere. I suppose it depends on the political will of the WA gov ernment and whether they are able to hang on to it.

"No-one believed' the Australian Grand Prix would move from Adelaide until Melbourne grabbed it off them, so anything is pos sible, particularly with the new power shift in the sport," Holmes concluded.

- JON THOMSON

Argy in a Lancer to sneak through second in Group N by just 0.2s, relegating Singh to third in class and sixth out right.

Evans’s time loss on Day Two cost him the F2 class win, which went to the Collins Honda Civic.

John MitcheU was the first of the FAI state champions home,taking eighth outright.

The brand new Proton Rally Trophy was taken by Victorian Ashlea James, who also took third in F2. The Protons enjoyed a 100 percent finishing rate in their first out ing and organisers predict a bigger turnout in Queensland for round two in June.

Despite Bourne’s victory Singh continues to lead the APAC title with 25 points, five clear of Bourne heading to round two in New Zealand in July.

-JON THOMSON

BRITISH rallying faces a split after a rebel championship for twowheel-drive cars, which seems likely to attract drivers and importer teams away from the ‘official’ series in 2001, was announced.

The rebel series, which is being administered by First Motorsport, is for the FiA's new Super 1600 category. It is a major shot in the arm for a class that the FIA intends to become a ‘juniod class for up and coming drivers in the WRC. Peugeot, Proton, Vauxhall and Volkswagen are already committed to the new championship.

Three others, said to include Fiat and Renault, are also reported to be showing an interest.

In contrast, no manufacturer has yet committed itself to next year's MSA British Championship, -JONTHOMSON

Blue Dream Team: Will Subaru Oz face WRC teams?

44

1

17 March 2000

Nationals Briefs Three classes were making their final appearance at National Championship level - Senior National Light, Senior National Heavy and Senior Piston Port. Craig Bertwistle, Brett Arnett and Clinton Dive hSve become the last ever Aussie #l’s in these classes as the AKA move to reduce the*number of classes at this level. n Shocking weather in the lead up to the event hampered teams and dri vers who were trying to leam the track and strike a good set-up. Fortunately the rain held offfor the three days of competition, but it was bitterly cold. □ Seven of the 16 class es were over subscribed and requiring repecharge races to determine the final fields. An all up entiy of 447 drivers was received, on par with last year’s event at Kalgoorlie.

H New South Wales dri vers won the state by state tally for wins, taking the chequered flag first in six classes. Next was Victoria (5), South and Western Australia (2 each) and Queensland (1) while Tassie, ACT and Northern Tendtoiy drivers didn’t win on this occasion.

McFadyen wins FlOO

By MARK WICKS

NEIL McFadyen has taken victory in the pre mier class, Formula 100 Light, at the 2000 AKA National Championships at Mount Gambier over Easter.

Having qualified fastest, McFadyen had to play sec ond fiddle to Michael Caruso in the opening laps of the final before making his move and going on to take a com fortable win.

McFadyen qualified on pole (35.256s) ahead of the impressive West Australian Daniel Elliott (35.481s) who has just recently made the from move juniors.

McFadyen took a comfort able win in the first heat, however Elhot threw out the challenge in heat two leading much of the race before McFadyen once again led the field home.

These two almost came unstuck at the start of the pre-final, going very deep into turn one, handing the lead to Tim Macrow and Caruso before Macrow threw the lead away several laps later. Camso went on the win the pre-final to start the final from pole where he went straight to the lead. However it was McFadyen who had

the ultimate pace, passing Caruso on lap six of the 22 lap final, driving away to win by almost three seconds.

“I knew they (the other drivers) were a way behind” McFadyen said, “but Tim (Craig, Team Manager) said to me to keep going as hard as I possibly can and don’t drop off.”

It was a weekend where defending champions were ultra competitive, four of the 1999 national champs finish ing secohd to the new title holders. Darren Clee (Senior National Heavy), Bart Price (Clubman Light), Jeff Cooper (Formula Yamaha Super Heavy) and Kip Foster (Clubman Heavy) all putting in super efforts but coming up one position short in their respective finals.

While these four placed second, three others were able to successfully defend their number one status and hang onto their gi’een plates for another year.

Mark Winterbottom put in a sterling drive to win Formula Yamaha Light, Anthony Higgs took a very popular win in Clubman Super Heavy overcoming hght drizzle at the end of the final, while Kip Foster defended his Yamaha Heavy National title in an emphatic fashion, domi-

Topsi-turvy: 1998 Champion Peter Topsi made a big move for the lead at the start of the Senior Piston Port final, but DNF’d after a clash with Daniel Gadd. (Photo by sean Hensheiwood) nating the results with Remo Luciani second as per last year. In fact Higgs, racing in front of the locals at his home cfrcuit, Wound up as a double winner also taking victory in Formula Yamaha Super Heavy.

In the Juniors, Ian Dyk won the race that mattered in Junior National Light despite Nick Simmons appearing to be the boy to beat, particularly after tak ing a flag to flag victory in the pre-final. In Junior

S Despite Monaco chas sis taking the most wins (five), it was PCR which won the Manufacturer’s Cup. This award uses a complex formula to factor in the number of entries of a particular brand agamst the '.'esults that brand achieves throughout the meeting.

0 Ben Savage was a star of the meeting, racing three classes and placing in the top three of each, winning Clubman Heavy after a brilliant battle with SA’s Steve Kwiatkowski.

The feat took on even more significance as Savage used the same chassis in each class and had to change engines, wheels and ballast between races!

■ Daniel Elliot lifted sev eral eye brows with his efforts in Formula 100 Light and Clubman Light.

Having just moved to Tony Kart cmd senior competi tion, the youngster quali fied second in FlOO, led the second heat and finally fin ished fourth. In Clubman Light he was second in the pre-final to eventually take a well deserved thii'd place, only two tenths behind winner Steve Owen.

■ The use of the ARC water-cooled engine in the Clubman classes was a virtual non-issue with almost every Clubman dri ver electing to use the Australian-made unit. An exception was Dean 'Ballard who took a Yamaha to a strong second in Clubman Super Heavy.

-MARK WICKS

s

National Heavy Blake Mills, who only time trialled tenth, worked his way through to the front for the win. Mills finally made his way around the outside of Blake Mooney to take victory by 0.107 sec onds - the closest finish at this year’s Nationals. Ryal Harris proved too good in Junior Piston Port while Jace Lindstrorh and Taz Douglas continued their battle from the Victorian Open in Junior Clubman, Douglas going on to take an emotional victory.

Mount Gambier’s Malcolm Kilsby was desperate to regain his National title in Formula 100 Heavy but admitted Jason Stania was the man to beat. “He was clearly the fastest out there.

I tried hard all race and he was just too good”.

Having qualified on pole for Clubman Light, Steve Owen was stuck midfield when the starter decided it Heavy Weight fighters: Rob Maori leads Murray Edgar, Dean Ballard and eventual winner and defending champ Anthony Higgs in Clubman Super Heavy.

(Photo b y Sean Hensheiwood)

was time for the green light to start heat one. In a desper ate attempt to make up posi tions, Owen crashed out in the opening lap. Despite this he recovered, only to come. under immense pressure from Bart Price in the final.

The Formula Yamaha Light final was a cracker after Rei.f Corhett made a flyer start from the second row to lead the opening laps.

Bart Price eventually caught Corbett, but contact between the two saw Price finish in the wood chips. Mark Winterbottom, and Ben Savage displaced Corbett who proved quick in the early stages.

“Reif got an awesome start and he had a gap on every one” winner Winterbottom said, ‘Tjut we managed to run him dovm.”

Savage, meanwhile, had to defend numerous challenges made by Steve Kwiatkowski in clubman Heavy, Kwiatkowski getting under neath Savage a number of times but never able to com plete the move. It was a bril liant (and fair) dice.

With only two laps remain ing Kip Foster shuffled Kwiatkowski back a position but could not catch Savage.

Victorian Superkarts kick off at Winton

THE start of the Victorian Superkart Series was held at Winton under mixed weather conditions with the ten new drivers hav ing a steep learning curve to keep things going in the right direction as well as all of the other intrica cies of karting.

The 125cc Rotax Max karts made their debut at the meeting with three karts appearing but the numbers should grow with the only requirement to step up from Sprint Kart racing being a gearing chance and of course a licence.

With the conditions as they were, it was difficult to get a clear indication of where their performance level will be but in the one dry race they slotted in behind the front-running

80cc gearbox kart. Stephen over at the front with Castles made the successul Knight, Graeme and Rod move up from his lOOcc kart Clarke and Crawford fightto take victory. ' ing amongst themselves.

Darren Formosa and Dean Crooke kept out of Jason McIntyre continued trouble in Junior with only their battle from Phillip one point separating Trent McIntosh and Ian Jones at Island with Rodney the end behind him.

Reynolds, Ben Castles and The wet didn't seem to John Sciarra joining in as slow Darren Dunn at all as the meeting progressed. This bunch came into the he disappeared into the dis Motorsport News,Esses on tance except in the final the last lap in the final of where he failed to finish, lOOcc Light with the overall leaving'Greg Bass, Roger Ganick and Dean RobeiTs to result hanging on the out come. Formosa tried a diffi fight out the 80cc class.

Mick Bakker had his 125cc cult move which didn't come off while he did, handing the kart going well with the final to decide between he and win to McIntyre.

Peter Hageman, but David Ken Knight started the day well in Heavy while new Barker overcame some early driver Stuart Crawford problems to play his hand in adapted well to the wet to the outcome as Hageman follow him home. Later in cruised home with a misfire the day, Gary Pegoraro took to beat Bakker by one point.

Understatement: The conditions at Winton made you want to drive 2mm off the ground ... (Photo by Mark Ooossens) Rookie Rod Conn overcame fuel problems to hang onto third.

Colin McIntyre blitzed the depleted National field running in front of the Internationals most of the time as well in the combined field.

Twelve Internationals

fronted up with Tony Rath, Wayne Schultz and Stuart Lord having turns at the front. In heat two Rath and Lord came together, tearing the rear wheel off Rath's kart, putting him out for the day while Lord repaired his damage.

- GRAEME BURNS

U May 2000

45

/I£(DO(o)l7S[p®fpO

Wet Mangalore

By BRIAN REED THE Victorian Historic Racing Register’s popular quarter-mile dash down one of Mangalore’s old WW2 airstrips on Sunday, April'30 attracted 86 entries, and in spite of the rain - (only the second time in 15'years when inclement weather has affected the event) - the vast majority turned up to do battle against the clock.

Had there been an award for ‘best noise’ it would sure ly have gone to Ray Sprague’s thundering AMC AMX. Instead, he had to set tle for ‘Fastest Time of Day’no mean feat considering the big American tintop was up against some classy opposi tion.

One car that should have

mtim

Go well, Go Shell, Bolwell: Allan Thomas’s Bolwell MkVIl takes off at Mangalore. (Photos by Brian Reed) been an outright contender (had conditions been right), was the March 72A of Ray Gibbs. A former winner at Mangalore, the 1972 F5000 car is now fitted with Weber carburettors (in keeping with its oiiginal configuration). It

was also fitted with slicks, and when the event was declared ‘a wet meeting’ Gibbs and David Doubtfire’s slicks-shod MG C GT were confined to the sidelines.

Fortunately the organisers perse vered wijth the meeting and, although practice and the first run were held in steady rain, conditions improved after the lunch break and times began to tumble.

A notable effort was that of ‘the smokin’ bandit’ Col Porter in his amazing httle 650cc Berkeley sports car. Porter left some bigger cars in a trail of blue smoke and took class honours as weU. Only casualty on the day was the Golford Special of Grant Patullo which blew a clutch in Spectacular fashion - but not before he had posted a class winning 16.10s. run.

for Tnrga Im

A RECORD 17 interesting and varied oldies will contest the Shannon’s Historic Competition in the 2000 Targa Tasmania to be held from May 8-14.

Heading the lineup is a fine example of the Car of the Century - a 1916 Model T Ford Speedster to be driven

by Tasmanian Jock McLean with Geoffrey Reader his navigator. The No.1 flag car . is a recreation of the 1923 Model T that contested the 1923 Indianapolis ‘500’ and will have the honour of leading the record 313-car field away on each of the six days of competition.

Two other cars entered from the same era are a 1917 Dodge Speedster of Bendigo’s Cled Davies and a 1919 Buick Speedster.

Cars from the 1920s include a 1925 Vauxhall l 30/98 powered by a 4.2-litre engine.

Overseas, the famous 30/98 established an impressive record in its era as a top competition car and, on the Australian scene, one driven by Sydneysider Boyd Edkins was a consistent performer in reliability trials, races, hillclimbs, and in setting Melbourne to Sydney speed records.

Other famous marques up to 1930 contesting the Shannon’s Historic category are De Soto, Essex, Oakland, Alvis, a Speed Six Bentley and a 1928 FrazerNash Boulogne.

The Post-Vintage (1931’46) field features Jaguar, Bristol, MG and John Lawson’s impressive 1938 Alfa Romeo Mille Miglia Spyder.

In 1999 the Shannon’s Historic Competition was further divided into Historic and Touring Classic in order to separate pre-war cars into their own competition while still catering for owners of classic cars who wanted a little less competition and a little more of the social aspect. This decision is aimed at bringing more Historic cars into the event, and means there are now four distinct sections of the Historic competition.

These grand oid cars add a special dimension to Targa Tasmania as they battle their way around the Apple Isle on their own competition and touring stages, and make special appearances at the car expos held at each overnight stop.

- BRIAN REED

‘1

Landmark: A 1916 Model T will be in the 2000 Targa. This is Model T #15,000,000, with Henry and Edsel Ford aboard.

John Wayne or Glenn Ford? Euan Murphy scampers away from the line in the Wayne Ford Special which took out Gp O (1966-69).

MAmMORe 2000 Class Winners Vintage(Pre 1931) Racing - over 2000cc VJarren Bonning (Gipsy Special s/c) 19.64s.

Post Vintage (1931-’40)Sports - all Capacities 18.83s.

Gordon Doering (SS90) Gp K(Post Vintage 1931-’40) Racing - all Capacities 15.32s.

(BWA s/c) Ron Townley Post Vintage (1931-’40) 15.87s.

(Austin 7 s/c) Glenn Bishop Gp Lb (1941-’60)Sports - up to ISOOcc Alan Bail (Lotus XI Replica) 16.06s.

Gp Lb (1941-’60)Sports - over 1500CC 16.03s.

Graeme Wright (Regah MG) Lb (1941-’60) Racing - up to lOOOcc 19.44s.

(Austin 7) Paul Schilling Gp IM Racing 15.23s.

Jim McConville (Cooper Alta) Gp Sa(1941-’60) Production Sports - up to lOOOcc Mike Devine (Austin Healey Sprite) 17.83s.

Gp Sa (1941-’60) Production Sports - 1001 to 2000cc 17.30s.

Paul Skewes (MG TC1 Gp Sb (1961-’69) Production Sports - up to 3000cc 17.47s.

Andrea Lawton -(MG C- GT) Gp Sb (1961-’69) Production Sports - over 3000cc AMC AMX 13.66s(FTD) Ray Sprague Gp Sc(1970-’77) Production Sports - over 2000cc 15.65s.

Jim Irvine (Datsun 240Z) Gp M Clubman 15.33s.

Brian Devlin (Lotus 7) Gp O (1966-’69) Racing - up to 2000cc 16.10s.

Grant Patullo (Golford Spl.) Gp O (1966-’69) Racing - over 2000cc (Wayne Ford Spl.) 14.24s.

Euan Murphy Gp Q (1970-’77) Racing - Formula Ford 14.51s.

(Elfin 620B) Philip Megson Gp R(Post 1977)- Racing & Sports 16.97s.

Wren FF Guy Miller Formula Libre - up to 2000cc 15.98s.

Andrew McKenzie Shelve Clubman Gp Nb (Pre 1965)- Production Touring 17.11s.

Darryll Combridge Ford Cortina Gp Nc(1965-’72)- Production Touring 18.50s.

Ford Cortina Russ Mead Marque Sports - up to lOOOcc 17.50s.

Col Porter Berkeley Marque Sports - 1001-ISOOcc Alpine Renault Alio 16.47s.

John Hardy Marque Sports - 1601-2000cc 17.85s.

Datsun Fairlady John Dunkley Marque Sports - 2001-2500CC 18.42s.

Jon Bate Morgan Plus 4 Marque Sports- 2500-3000cc 14.39s.

Gary McDermott Porsche Marque Sports - over 3000cc 14.61s.

Peter Brennan MG B V8 Road Registered - up to 2000cc ‘ 14.88s.

Lotus Elise Tony Bail Road Registered - 2001-3500cc Aaron de Fina Austin Healey 100/6 15.88s.

Road Registered - over 3500cc Ford Falcon XY GT 14.82s.

Ray Hamment

Dad and Dave, and Geoffrey, and Gary THE Brabham name fea

Every'one a Maserafi: Reg Hunt’s glofious 1956 Maserati 300S has found a new home in the USA. MJSTHAIIAN motor raemg fans from the ’SOs would well remember the fmnous Maseratis that contested the Australian Grands Prix at Albert Park, especially the 2S0F driven to victory in 11956 by Stirling Moss.

Another Maserati that captured the public’s iinag^ation was the beautihil 300S sports car ofReg Hunt,an original factory car built m 1956 mad raced by Luigi Musso and Sergio Mantovam. the Reg Hunt 300S was one of only 29 bruit between 1954 and 1958

and is powered by an in line,6-cylinder 3-btre engine with twin plr^s and Weber carburettors.

It develops 280bhp and has a top speed of 280km/h.

During 1980-81 the ear was rebuilt in Australia

by Otto Stone and Ermano Lotti-the latter connng horn Modena where be had helped build the car in 1956.

After resisting many offers horn overseas over the years,Hunt has finally succumbed to the pressure,and one of Australia’s finest racing sports cars has found a new home m the USA -BRIAN REED

tured prominently at the Race of Legends events during the Clipsal 500 meeting in Adelaide recently with Sir Jack and two of his sons (Geoff and Gary)taking part in one of the races.

David had originally been scheduled to race a Repco Brabham - that was until team boss Don Panoz heard about it! David Brabham is a key driver for the Panoz Team in the current Le Mans Series, and not suiqirisingly the man who backs the team didn’t like the idea of his man racing a 30-year old rear engined Grand Prix car with out wings in an event where there was likely to be some keen family rivalry.

As it was, eldest son Geoff said he felt like a Christian been tossed to the Rons when he went out on the track!

Fortunately Gary Brabham was available when

the 11th hour caU went out to fill his brother’s place and showed the sort of form that took him to a win in the Sebring 12-hour race with brother Geoff. Gary has also raced Formula Ford and Formula 3000 and finished second to Johnny Herbert in a Fonnula 3 championship in England some years ago.

As for David, he didn’t miss out entirely on the action! Panoz did relent a lit tle, and as our picture showed last issue, allowed him to drive in a special parade lap on the Saturday which featured all four Brabhams led by Sir Jack.

David will have a chance to show his true colours when he lines up again in the streets of Adelaide (this time in a more serious vein) for the six-hour Le Mans Series race on New Year’s Eve dri ving the latest front-engined, winged Panoz sports car.

-BRIAN REED

46 12Mdy2000

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200 laps and is claimed to call on 1300 659 904. reduce lap times and help minimise tyre wear.

Tyres coated with Hot Lap will reportedly run up to 50 degrees cooler, adding life to the tyre and GEOFFREY Bott is aiming to wants them to create an archive have a look at the back of the cupis designed to last for the prevent racing history been that will serve as a reference point board or under the bed and if you duration of the race. and will make the photos available. find any old photos you think A special formula is destroyed and lost forever.

The photos will be scanned and should preserved send them to The If you have any good pics from available for sprint races kept in a database including details Historicar Archive at P.O. Box 334, race meetings that are gathering of up to 45 laps with another formula for quali- dust and may be destroyed Geoff of the race, car driver and year. So Springwood, NSW 2777.

f.

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n Following the success of the inaugural Motorsport Expo held in Perth last month the event now moves to Adelaide.

Featuring top Australian racing identities such as Peter Brock, Alan Jones and Rachelle Splatt, the Motorsport Expo seeks to bring all disciplines of motorsport under the roof and make them accessible to the fans.

The Motorsport Expo is being held at the Wayville Showgrounds in the Wayville Pavilion and Ridley Hall on the 26,27 and 28 of May. n Pepsi and Perkins Racing are giving V8 Supercar fans an oppor tunity to ride in a V8 Supercar. For $975 you can experience 5 hot laps with Larry Perkins, Russell Ingall or Dugal McDougall. Included in the price is lunch and hospitality in the Pepsi Corporate facility and an opportunity to rub shoul ders with drivers and team.

To commemorate the day you will receive a photo signed by the driver.

Three days are sched uled and positions limited so get in early. They will be at Calder Park on Tuesday May 30, Eastern Creek Tuesday July 25 and Queensland Raceway Tuesday September 12.

For more details and book ings phone 03 9217 8933.

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Ph: (07) 3808 1986

S Gabrialla Court ^ Bayswatar 3153 Ph/Fax 03 97381588

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www.pcrfonmmcewholc.'iale.cnm.aii

salestsAixifonimiicewlwle.mt e.com.au ^

HOW TO GET

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Lunati Cranks, Rods, Race Cams & Valve Train Cdmposients ^ h^RMANCE in stock now!

WWHOLESALE Cutting

Edge

Tech

PTY LTD ology

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Ph: (07) 3808 1986

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FREE CLASSIFIEDS Motorsport News Classifieds are FREE for private sales. Classifieds from motor sport traders are accepted (marked with a ●) and must be prepaid, at the following per issue rates: $5 per 10 words (min $10 per ad), photo $10. Further enquiries to our advertising department, guards, front, boo. $2200, Ph 03 9569 3074. ™

Cars

HQ racer, #96 very good, competitive oar, lots of spares, ready to race, everything needed included, Can arrange shipping. $6000. Ph0417 128 314. IBO

J

Jaguar E-Type Coupe, Production Sports, 325hp, well developed. $33,000 ono, Ph 0414 801 699. leo LJ Torana Sports Sedan, fresh engine, 202 Phil Irving alloyhead 300hp, adjustable shock, 4 wheel disc brakes, lift off front logbook. Mid-mounted engine, ready to race. $7800. Ph 03 9350 1728 or 0418 311

320. 1E0

Torana LX hatch, Club Car project. 350 Chev, 9 inch 3.5 minispool, 12 inch rotors/Wilwood callipers, $10,500.

Ph 0402 212 432 or 08 8331 7424. lao BMW M3R, build no 3 of 15 produced for GTP compe tition with 242 kW, AP Racing discs & calipers. Group N spec suspension, BBS 17" wheels, ideal for GTP. club events or spirited road use, only 36,000km. Immaculate. $85,000. Will trade. Ph 07 5532 1833 AH or 0407 926 266. iBo

Alfa Romeo GTV 2 Itr, reliable, immaculately main tained Club Car, full cage, race seat etc. Spare wheels, plenty tyres, also tandem trailer to suit. $12,500 ono the lot.

Ph 02 9971 8027. leo Sports Sedan VL Commodore, chassis car new, 350 Chev, T10 dog box, 9" floater rear end, selling car for price of motor. OP in 45s, moulds & spares included. $18,000.

Ph Oi, 4736 7826. is.

MG Midget Marque Sports, successful interesting history. End to end disassembly & rebuild. New 1330 motor, EN40 crank, FCC gears etc. Near new slicks, extra rims & diffs. Full particulars & spec. $12,800 ono. Ph 03 9787 3050. .so

Ford GTD40, UK factory car, 1979. 302 Ford, 21 turbo B transaxle. Ford M/sport heads, aquasump Gulf colours, leather, air con, immaculate, race.road registered. $NZ59,950. Ph 00 64 9522 0887. ug

Future Tourers, Car 1 is a purpose built Future Tourer with new shell & best of everything. 400hp Benson/Burns engine, new TEX^-Racing Super T-10, Harrop cambered rear end, front row at October Bathurst '99, Spares package available $70,000. Car 2 is ready to race low km 400hp Benson/Burns engine, big brakes etc. Spares available $55,000. Also VT fully caged shell, ready to paint $15,000, brand new fully caged VS Future Tourer in primer ready for paint $9000.

Ph Bruce Williams 0418 349 555. 179

VK Commodore, CAMS approved full roll cage, new fuel bladder, splined full floating diff, freshened race proven 253 engine, 2 sets of brand new suspension for Thunderdome/circuit racing, near finished project. $5000.

Ph 0417 031 106. .79 Club Car Project VH Commodore, painted, log book, seat, cage, harness, top loader, 9" diff, big brakes, comp suspension, take Chev or Holden $6500. Ph 02 6554 8454. ,79 Sports Sedan, Chev Monza, 9" floater, T10, huge brakes, new paint & rear wing. Chrome moly spaceframe, heaps of spares, moulds etc. $15,000. Ph 02 4943 4346 or 0410 487 218. 179

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Ford Falcon XB GS 1975, 250ci, 6 cylinder, column 3 speed manual, 96,000 genuine kms, service books, 6 months rego, immaculate original condition, no rust, always garaged, original owner, great opportunity for enthusiast, $7000. Ph 02 9802 5603. .eo EH, suit road/race 300hp 192ci, Duggan crank, discs, LSD, 8x13 mags, sunroof, f/glass panels. Garaged Iasi 28 yrs, must sell $6000 ono. Ph 0412 428 465. .so

,7'

Tfiden Historic Group LB Sports, early Holden engine, gearbox, diff, Triumph 1800 roadster chassis, fibreglass body, full history, log book, cert description. $12,500. Ph Ian 08 8370 2773. i/g Future Tourer, brand new barred out bodyshell with AUSCAR A226 (complete motor & gearbox) includes fire system. $12,550. Ph 02 4936 1399. irg Holden HQ racer, blue/purple colour, roll cage, new RE92 tyres, new springs and shockers, complete, ready to race less seat & harness. $2500 ono. Ph 03 9510 4159 BH or 0419 328 604 ah. us

Free rally school goes with this car! Established company, easy to run. Escort Mkll, very duick, all the good bits. New 2 pack. Very well presented. $'1,0,000 ono. Ph 02 4969 2593. 179

Mustang Sports Sedan, 351 top loader, Harrop diff.

Bilsteins, AP brakes, dry sumped, BBS wheels, spare wets, some spares. $28,000 ono. Ph 02 4782 1145. 179

Open Wheelers

Mitsubishi Lancer Ewo 3, GTP winner, complete with ^ spares. $18,000. Ph Mark King 07 5539 6700 or 0418 189

*●068. 180

Torana LJ Sports Sedan, the best of everything, very competitive car with many spares. $15,000 ono. Ph 03 9764 1571. .80

during '99, heaps of spares $18,000. Ph 03 9467 4044. lac

Rare historic opportunity, 1975 Cheetah Clubman. ex-Peter Jones, eligible Group Q, 2 races since rebuild, exoellenmt racing history. Heaps of spares, enclosed frail er. $39,000. Ph 02 4389 2123 or 0409 835 567. us Off Road Buggy, Class 9, supercharged 4AGZE 2H c/r Kombi gig. superdiff, coil-over Bilsteins, CNC pedals, Haltech comp, Centrelines, huge intercooler, outright win ning car. $15,000 ono. Ph 02 4285 3086 AH. .ts Formula Libre, hillclimb & sprint chassis, custom made to suit large bore roadbike or small turbo engines from $600. Ph 03 5664 4219. m Formula Vee, frame only, front & rear ends, most parts. $2000. Ph 02 4577 2159 or 0413 585 359.

Formula Ford SJ97 Mygale, rolling chassis, 2 sets wheels, spare nose cone, exc cond. $26,000. Some spares. Ph 0413 585 359 or 03 9369 4812. ra Go Karts, Benson chassis, VGC. 100J motor, tacho, good tyres, c/w spare Arrow AX5 rolling chassis, both suit Clubman/Junior heaps of spares. $1600 ono the lot.'Ph 03 9801 8439 or 0419 500 168. .79 Bacchus Clubman, firsted raced 1965, BMC B series engine. Road registered. $12,000. Ph 08 9447 2410 or 08 9240 2558. ira

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I ♦ I PEPPBlattTEK Reynard 913 F3, 16V, 26mm Golf, ready to race. $40,000. Spares package & trailer available. No time wasters. Ph 03 5881 4411 BH or 03 5881 1506 AH. 179

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Subaru WRX ‘98 GTP, 2nd Class B Bathurst '98, 2nd Class B Oran Park '99, 2nd Class B Gold Coast Indy '99. fastest qualifier Indy '99. Many extras, new engine, very easy to convert to STi. Ph 02 9672 7530 or 0413 879 879. .79 Holden EH Sedan, yellow/white, 350 Holley, Aussie 4 speed, brand new carpet & upholstery. Premier bucket seats, American wheels, 179hp stroked to 192 mild cam. $6000. Ph 02 9627 2151. .79

PRB Clubman, road registered racer, well developed with fresh 195hp engine, Quiafe gearbox and diff. 3 sets of rims with tyres. $30,000 ono. Ph 0414 SOI 699. 180 Gheetab Mk VI rolling chassis, with body panels.

Belter than new, onboard extinguisher, 2 sets of wheels, 4 spot callipers with historic certificate of description. $12,500. Ph 02 9440 0950 AH. iw

HQ racer, front running Thunderdome car, now racing flat track. Entered for Hidden Valley, can be sold and left in Darwin. $5000 ono. Ph 0408 312 869. .79

CRD852 Formula 2, Eligible for Historic Group R. full history available, very reliable and race ready with fresh Ford engine, Hewland gearbox, mounted wets, spares include ratios, suspension, engine parts, wings, nose, plus many more. $14,500 negotiable. Ph Ian 0417 851 716 BH 03 9878 9515 AH IBO

Subaru WRX STi 1999, 2 door. Racing blue, 37,000km, reg until Feb 2001. $57,500 inc $3500 extras.

Ph 0418 385 447. 79

NASCAR Pontiac Grand Prix, new body, 18" Chev engine, fast and consistent car with complete with pit equipment, flat track set-up, Jerico gearbox, Alcon brakes etc. $40,000. Ph 0410 640 644, 180

Van Diemen RF90, complete ready to race, winner rd 4 99 Vic Series, 3rd overall '99 Vic Series, 2 fastest laps

Speedway

Porsche 911, drive to work or enter Targa or Porsche Cup 2000. Oz compliance, log book, current owner five yrs. New 3.5 litre 290 HP motor, $17,000 in rebuild since March 2000. Motec, LSD, turbo brakes, chrome moly cage, Koni susp. $45,000. Ph 0407 088 911 or 08 9240 4848 bh. ,79

Historic XM Falcon, Group N. Strong 170ci engine with triple Strombergs, 3 spd g.box, Koni shocks, near new Yoko tyres, foam filled fuel tarik, excell brakes & ducting, log booked, ready to race.’$8500. Ph 07 5546 3526. lao

more. $2500 the lot Ph 07 4954 5225 or 0427 969 876. leo

Sports Sedan, RX7 roller, 350 Chev top loader. 9" diff, chassis by Gene Cook, all moulds, panels, wheels, tyres etc. $27,000. Ph 02 6555 7588 or 0412 335 S73. 179 A9X 4 door, Group C, log book, floater. VH Commodore full Bathurst road oar, genuine factory body shell,'HD diff.

Very low kms. Ph Phil 02 9708 4636. .79 VK Group A replica, worked 202 (recon)f new trans with stage 2 shift kit, HSV interior, Alpine CD ($1500) HSV rims, new paint, too much to list. ($7000ono) Ph 08 9861 1486 or 0417 994 221. .79 LX Torana, hot 308 Super T10 g/box, Fore 9" diff, too much to list plus spares $10,000. Will consider trade with Group No LJ Torana. Ph 02 6297 1149 or 0417 693 871. 179 Escort Mk1, Sports Sedan, 4 link full floating, coil over rear end, 4 wheel disc Harrop front, Volvo rear, adjustable front suspension, 3 piece 15x10 alloy wheels, fibreglass

Birrana 276 Formula 2, Eligible Historic, chassis #20, last built. Isuzu-Hewland Mk9, spare ratios, engine parts, nose wing, wets etc. Little use. Excellent condition. $19,750 ono. Ph 02 4930 6277. .bo Go Karts, 2 A9 Arrows Clubmans, new engines, 24 sprockets, 14 wheels, 10 slicks & 4 wets, trolleys, chains &

CAE cageless Sprinter, Chev with Hilborn injection on methanol , CAE dog box, Schroeder steering box, Halibrand quick change, ready to run classic or vintage speedway. $30,000. Ph 07 5443 2348. ISO V8 Dirt Modified NSWf #21, two seasons old, com plete POA or as roller $10,000. Some spares available. Ph 02 4333 4070 or 0408 246 032. .ao Speedcar, Stealth Pontiac, well maintained & constructed, all USA gear. Weld, Kikely, Peterson, Auto Meter, Carrera, fast & reliable engine, will separate engine, chassis combi nation $39,990. Ph 02 9875 1041 BH or 0415 273 674. ISO Modified Production Commodore, fresh methanol engine, roller cam, fully worked, excellent HP, fully adjustable suspension, no expense spared. Considerable development undertaken, very competitive race car on tracks throughout Oz. $6500. Trailer to suit with storage cabinets $1800. Ph Martin 03 5024 2194 or 0418 322 951. .ao Modified Production VK Commodore, Jack Bros eng, Tilton ped & cyls, Auto Metre tacho & liq gauges, alii seal, f/cell, wheel, tyres, f/glass'jDlus more & spares. Quick sale. $7300 ono. Ph 07 4954 5225. lao Super Street Sedan LJ Torana, Redline cage, f/glass seat, 3.3 red, to current specs, racks, shells, tyres, mags, axles, plus heap more. Will separate. $4000. Ph 07 4954 5225 or 0427 969 876. .80 Torana LJ, board series class, very competitive & reli able. 192ci, numerous spares, race ready with duel axle tilt trailer. Complete package $5000. Ph 02 4657 1474. .so Graham Racing Speedcar HSW 14, Stealth/Gaerte complete or roller, 2x dash 12. Gaerte engines, both fresh plus comprehensive spares, loo numerous to list.

Everything must go. Ph Graham 02 9646 3826. .79 Pontiac Firebird rolling chassis, unfinished. Wide 5 quick-change diff, power steering, aluminium bead lock rims, plenty of other parts. $8500. Ph 02 4572 7018 or 0403 179 807. .79 Two Shaver engines, as used by Skip Jackson in 2000. Both complete with exhaust and fuel systems.

Priced from $33,000. Ph Paul 02 9829 7229 AH or 0411 829 720. .79

UMdylOOO space, Unmarked 2 sets tyres $350. Escort T/C sump. unused $300. Orig air cleaner $150, RS2000 gearbox $150. Ph 03 5156 2521. .so Hewland Mk9 gearbox, LSD, 3 yrs old, complete, as new some ratios. $5700. Ph 0419 214 808. lao Group rims, tour of with five stud pattern. Size 11” X 17” in new condition, will not separate. $2000, Also Group “A” VP racing style body kit with large rear wing used only on promotional car. $1000. Ph 02 4736 7826. 180

MB DirS Modified, Batmobile #23,' minus engine, with Bert trans. Winters long spline rear axle, Sanders front end, v/eld wheels, very competitive car. $10,000 ono Ph 02 4959 2185 or 0414 686929. 179

EiillBies Ford Escorf (KeaS), 1.6 long motor + 2 complete heads, 0 miles.-iirand new.from Ford S/Africa 45,000. Ph 02 9742 5652. ibo' Ford Sierra Cosworth, works cylinder head, ex-Peter Brock, as new, unique opportunity. $1500. Ph 0408 650 357 or 03 5168 1371. iso Chev 350, 010 block, new Anas pistons, Carillo rods, steel billet crank & stainless steel vales, 4 stage dry sump roller cam Jnr Victor manifold. Ferellie heads, MSD igni tion, 460HP. $12,000. Ph 02 4736 7826, ,eo Ford Twin Came, complete, 1600cc good horsepower.

Cosworth crank, Argo rods, forged pistons, Kent LI cams, big valves, twin 45 Webers, dry sump pump, receipts for all parts. $15,000. Ph 02 9440 0950 AH. iso Mazda II3B, PP race engine with 50mm IDA ignition sys tem, exhaust, 317hp@9000rpm, dyno sheets available, with RX7 turbo gearbox. $5000 ono. Ph 0417 861 588. iso Porsche 91111 engine, 3.3 turbo, complete with all accessories inc AC pump, intercooler, oi l cooler, PS pump, distributor, dry sump, spare cases. Genuine 125K, never raced, selling due to unfinished project. $8500. Ph 0418 170 193. ISO

Holden 6 cyl fiirbo engine, forged pistons, turbo kit 3 T04 turbos, water injection, 3 heads, heaps of spares, Ph 03 6330 1881. leo Chev VSSupercar, 5 litre steel crank new $2800.

Jesel cam drive (dry) new $1350, Perkins 18 degree Chev injection manifold complete with distributor. 2nd hand $7600. Ph Rodney 03 9587 6199 or Fax 03 9587 6807. 179

Fully reconditioned 355 Chev, nothing to spend, suit Super Sedan $8500. Also 6 cyl Chev, alloy Duggan head, triple carbie. 365hp @ flywheel, needs reconditioning $3500. Ph 02 4572 7018 AH or 0403 179 807. ,79 Chev 350, alloy heads, 4 bolt, just rebuilt and dynoed, a true 516hp. All bolt ons inc, cost well over $15,000. sell $9800. Open inspection welcome, would consider trade with speedway Modified Production Ph 02 6374 1303. 179

Turbocharger, new VL Nissan RB30 turbo and dump valve including water inlet & outlet cooling steel piping. $990 ono. Ph 03 9787 3050. iso VW flywheel, balanced & doweled pin to suit "L” box $160. Berg pushrods with oil squirters, top of line to suit type 4 two-litre. $100. Ph 02 6655 5715 or 0409 125 965. ISO

3 19-inch Snake Tongue, touring car rims, Centrelock, German-made, good condition. $600. Ph 02 6655 5715 or 0409125 965. 180 Renmax wheels, complete set of hand made wheels.

2x13"x10" and 2x13"x14", very rare. $2100. Ph 02 9440 0950 AH. 180 Kent Ford X-Flow, wide stem cam followers $35.

1275CC ASeries Double Valve springs $35. All new. Ph Keith 02 4340 2373. iso Cheetah race wheels, suit Mk 6 or Mk 7, four inch PCD in very good condition, fronts 9 1/4x13, rear 11 1/2x 13. Ph Ian 0417 851 716 BH or 03 9878 9515 AH. IBO Ontercomp SW11 comer scales, with 4 spare pads. $1950. Ph Ken Hastings 03 9480 4040 BH. im Ford T/C head, in good condition. Gas flowed and com plete with big valves. $3000. Ph 02 9440 0950 AH. lao Hart 41 SB cam cover, hard to find cam cover to suit Ford T/C. $1000. Ph 02 9440 0950 AH. .so Lucas fuel injection, complete system to suit Ford T/C. 6mm lines and completely reconditioned. $2000. Ph 02 9440 0950 AH. lao Gearbox/Transaxle, Hewland FT 200. Complete assembly with spare ratios, crown wheel & pinion etc. As new $15,000. Ph 02 9440 0950 AH. leo Electronic ignition system, crank fired system. $1000. Ph 02 9440 0950 AH. iso Porsche wheels, 2@ 16x12, 2@ 16x10, 3 pee Fuchs centres. $1800. Ph 03 9882 7041 or 0418 317 895. leo Off Road Buggy gearboxes, Kombi 2H c/r, 1800 3rd/4th, 7/38 3rd/4th and standard gboxes 2H, 1800 & 7/38-1700. Clearance sale. Parts. Ph 02 4285 3086

02 4573 6418. 179

Brake bias box, to suit Torana Group Nc racing. Ready to bolt in. Ph 02 4573 6418. ira VSSupercar, prim and sec exhaust (VT) new $2500.

Camshafts s/hand $400, roller rockers s/hand $600, roller lifters s/hand $200 Ph Rodney 03 9587 6199 or Fax 03 9587 6807. .79 Speedway Quicktrac dSIff, centre QC-531A, new $500. Ph Rodney 03 9587 6199 or fffi< 03 9587 6807. 179 V6 Formula Holden, steel crank new $2500, fuel rails, alternator, camshafts, w/pumps, roller rockers and studs,^ ^ timing chain sets. Ph Rodney 03 9587 6199 or fax 03 9587 6807. 179

9” Ford diff ratios, Richmond, all-ftew Street Series not Pro. 3.0, 3.15, 3.60, 3.89, 4.11, 4.86 $300 the set.

Ph Rodney 03 9587 6199 or fax 03 9587 6807. 179 VR/VS Supercar/Lites body parts, bonnets, boots, doors, front S hear spoilers, air jacks, tail lights, guards. Front & rear A.R.B., some new, some secondhand. Ph Rodney 03 9587 6199 or Fax 03 9587 6807. 179 Brembo alloy brake callipers, and discs to suit 7 series BMW, new pads, good 4 spot brakes. Offers. Ph 07 3359 5647 or 0417 638 688. 179

Transpoffters/Trtiiiei's

’92 Silverado, 4x4 injected 350, seat 6 with 8ft tray.

Lockable,toolbox, elec glass, cruise control, private import, rego till August. VGC, $32,000. Ph 07 5530 5248 BH or 07 5530 3731 AH. leo

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Ford Cosworth BDE ITOOcc, big valve head. New valves, springs, FI cams, fresh motor rings, bearings, cam belt, tuned extractors, Webers, new manifold, lightweight flywheel. .^‘'P Racing clutch, dry sump. $18,000. Ph 0418 582 882 dr 0408 522 175. 179

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vrt-TZCi

Capri, complete roller. Professionally built 3/4 chassis, ladder bar, autometer, B&M, Goodyear, Holley, Koni, MSD, weld wheels, RCI, proven car, excellent oondtion, suit Super Gas or Super Sedan. $15,000. Ph 03 9308 1454. 179

Toyota Celica 1990 Sports Sedan, shell. Fibreglass front & rear with flared guards to suit current Sports Sedan regs, comes with basic moulds, simple way to upgrade an old spaceframe vehicle. $1000 ono. Ph 03 9449 1404 or 0407 557 724. ibo Chev titanium inlet, 2.08 exhaust valves 1.60 $1200 the set. Yates titanium valves 2.10 and 1.60 $1200 the set.

Ph 0419 655 701 . IBO Lancer LA, LSD with 4,2 ratio, VGC $500, Competition spring set, coils & leaves, developed in Club 2E, $200. Ph 07 5597 2404 or 0412 215 373. ibo 1 Group “A” 2 stage dry sump, oil tank. Hardly used, with modify oil stick and breather outlets, $500 ono. Ph 02 6655 5715 or 0409 125 955. ibo Alloy wheels 14”x7”, 115mm pod, 105mm back-

Porsche AVS rims, 17x8s polished with alloy caps, brand new Pirelli P700 tyres 245x45 series never used.

Top c;ass show ri ms, also fit VW with Porsche stud pat tern. $1800. Ph 02 6655 5715. 179 Three 19 inch snake tongue touring car ri ms, centrelock, German made, good condition, regret sale. $700. Ph 02 6655 5715 or 0409 125 965. 179 Porsche parSs, 911 motor 3.2 (dissembled) 8x rims, Porsche Cup and FUcs type. Chrome mol ly roll cage (demountable/bolt-on), auto sports seats, fibreglass body kit, early 70s RS type incis boonet/lights, whale fail and grills. 3.2 inlet/exhaust & manifold. Other spares included.

Ph;0407 088 911. 179 Donovan Aluminium block, SB Chev, 4.13 bore, std.

Deck height $2500. Ph 0416 187 942. 179 Fuel cells x 3, $100 each, no offers. Wide five hubs $150 each. Other parts available. Ph 02 4572 7018 AH or_ 0403 179 807. 179 Turbo wastegafte, extra large suit U/8. $200. Ph 08 9260 2558. 179 202 steel mains caps, & stud kit $350. Knife-edged c/dore crank (202) .010" $350. 350 Holley, reco, with new redline manifold, suit 202 $300. MSDS ignition $100, Arias pistons 2023 + .003" suit turbo/supercharger $400. Ph 03 5422 1942. 179 Cola crank, forged 4340 chrome moly, 3.625 stroke,

tyres, front end, winch, 8 mths rego, VGC. $7000 with RWC.$6500 without. Ph 03 5792 2955. 179 Race car trailer business, covers all areas of motorsport, owner wishes to retire. Offered with all equipment & long lease if required. Ph 03 9359 9769. 179 Pantec purpose built dual axle, electric brakes, alu minium checka plate floor, crop tial door, side doors, tyre rack & 240 volt light setup. Suit small Sports Sedan, karts, motor bikes. Speedcar. $4000. Ph 02 6655 5715, 179

Old Formula 1 videos, pre-1994 on VHS, in particular the Adelaide GP preferably with qualifying & practice. Ph Cameron 08 8339 5589 or emaiic_cooper@looksmart.com.au. leo Books, Aulocourse, Automobile Year, Rallycourse, World Rallying. Any cond or quantity. Ph Mike 0412 904 638 or email; speedsigns@interact.net.au. 179 Whereabouts off, Terry Allen. Raced a Camaro in the late 60s, early 70s. Ph 03 9846 1626. 179 Trailer, up and over or to suit Super Sedan, some rego at reasonable price. Ph 0413 935 769 or 02 6297 7206. 179

Other

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1966 Ford F350, 318ci motor on gas, 4 sp gearbox, new tyres, removable side curtains, hydraulic tilt rear, warne winch, plenty of storage, 5.6x4m awning, sleeping facility. $15,000 ono. Ph 02 6236 9227. iso

5715. 179

Ford Trader 0812, turbo diesel. 17ft, f/glass body, bull bar, air con, nose cone, long range tank, load lokcers, tyre rack, low kms, serviced regularly & would make an excel lent service truck. $11,900 ono. Ph Ian 0418 562 253 or 03 9723 4478. 179 Ford F3SO 1976, banana uack V8, duel fuel, new paint,

Wanted

’’4]

LX 2 door, full chromemoly chassis, glass doors, hatch & bumpers, car to be sold as raced less engine, too may extras to list. $28,000 ono. Ph 08 8384 3927. ibo XB Falcon, 302 Cleveland, C4, 9”, 4.11 gears, new slicks, much more, 11.7 sec 114 mph, $10,000 or $9000 without N.O.S. Ph Mike 03 9799 2062 or 03 9547 0911 or see at Street National 2000. 179

wheels. Removable canvas top, December rego. $550. Ph 02 9688 3863. leo Enclosed lightweight trailer, suitable for open wheeler. Fully enclosed secure trailer built with steel chas sis with aluminium body. Single axle and brakes. $3000.

Ph 02 9440 0950 AH. ,»

nitrated, excellent cond $1800. Ph 0416 187 942. 179 S speed Mazda rotaty ‘box, suit Club Car/Sports Sedan, heavy duty gears, dog type rings, can convert to 5 speed, hardly used, $6500. Ph 07 3349 6075. 179 Axles, 25 spline to suit Nc Torana. Ph 02 4573 6418. 179 Detroit Locker, new to suit Torana Group No racing. Ph

AH. 179

Complete package SB Chev, 15” Jones (USA) Pontiac, 12 heads. Ferrea valves. Crane springs. Titanium retain ers, T&D shaft rockers, 2.5 inch Kinsler injection with stacks & air box, plus roller cam, big hp ex-Sprintcar $12,000ono.Ph 0416 187 942. 179 Hewland FGB, side plates (2 pair) as new condition, offers. Ph08 8269 2251. 179 1 Group A, 2 stage dry sump oil lank, hardly used with modify oil stick and breather outlets. $500 ono. Ph 02 6655

49

Bedford Bus, set up to take any race car, rebuilt engine, runs like new, camper at front, sleeps 4, professional set up. $7500. Ph 0417 128 31A iso Pantec purpose built, duel axle, electric brakes, alu minium checka plate floor, drop tail door, side doors, tyre rack and 240 volt light set-up. Suit small Sports Sedan, karts, motor bikes, Speedcar. $4000. Ph 02 6655 5715 or 0409 125 965. iso

The Great Race books, full set-offers. Magazines Autosport, CCC, SCW. 380 total,’offers. Ph 03 9397 6750. tec Aivis drop head coupe, 3rd owner 12 yrs, classic tour ing car, 1 of 5 in Aust. Silver with black leather trim. $24,000. Ph 07 3219 1141. iro Engine dyno, go-power 800hp, full instruments, auto & manual loading, perfect condition, complete unit, all fit tings, stand, adaptors, inspection invited, $26,000. Ph 02 6762 3636. leo Motor racing programs, Bathurst programs 80,81,83,84,87-95,97,98. EC $100. Castrol 500 82.85,86 $20. GP programs Calder 84. Adelaide 86,89.90,94, Melb 96,98,00 $50, 500CC bikes 89-91,96 $30. ATCC Programs Sandown '91,92, Phillip Island 90, EC $20. Ph 03 9720 2472 or 0418 546 216 BH. iso Grand Prix ports, Adelaide 1989-94, Melb 97. Mint cond, unopened boxes. $700 ono. Ph 0418 546 216 BH or 03 9720 2472 AH. iso Model Car Swapmeet, including VSSupercars, NASCARs, rally plus motorsport collectables. Mon May 15 (Adelaide Cup holiday) 10:30am-1:30pm Baptist Youth Centre, enr Rothsay Ave & Dorene St, St. Marys (SA), Ph 08 8276 5649. leo Beil Dominator helmet, size 62, brand new, never been worn, with helmet bag. $1450. Ph 03 9741 7084. iso 1995 Adelaide FI collector cards, complete set.

Plus Winner Exchange Card', plus 11 'Fastest Laps” sepcial cards, plus 1 "Pole Position" special card. Perfect con dition, del Aus wide. $150. Ph 07 3816 1214 AH. 160 oamvlBi

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,1 Fully enclosed, tri-axle trailer, electric brakes, break away syst, elec drop down tailgate, lightweight. Many more extras. $10,000 ono. Ph 03 9761 8269 or 0418 368 191. ibo Toyota Landcruiser, s/wagon, 6/82, FJ60, 6 cyl petrol, 4 spd, /VC, pwr str, CB, bullbar, 31 x 10.5/15 tyres, 90% tread, Sunraysia rims, electric & vacuum trailer brakes, excellent cond. current RWC reg 7/2000, $7800. Ph 07 3282 1404 or 0418 105 016. tao Go kairt trailer, single kart. Small & light, mini mag

Category: □ Sedans □ Open wheelers □ Speedway □ Drag □ Parts □ Engii nes □ Trailers □ Wanted □ Photographs □ Other

Descriptoort);

Western FI models, factory built, some pictured.

Brabham BT46, BT46B, BT48, BT50 BMW, Tyrrell 008, 011 & Toleman TG183B. Original boxes and very rare. $75 each or $450 the lot. Ph 02 9804 7223. 179 OMR 3 layer, new race suit. FIA-approved, red, size 60, suit L-XL, new OMP boots 11 1/2, L OMP gloves (all never worn) cost $1800, sell $1400 ono or will seperate. Ph 07 3630 5565 or 0403 078 783. i7d_ Tyre groover {TM1O0J, wSh blades $300. FMC castor camber gauge $175, turntables $125, 5hp Honda 2KV generator $350, Portapower $150, arc welders, transarc tradesman 230amp $250. Ph 03 5422 1942 or 03 5422 7037. 179

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NEWS

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Contributors General: Brian Reed. Grant Nicholas, .

Darryl Flack, Tony Glynn, Mike Kable, Mark Jones, Jon Thomson FI; Joe Saward, Adam Cooper Europe: Quentin Spurring, Gary Watkins US; Phil Morris l\IZ: 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, Mark Wicks Photographers: Sutton Motorsport Images, Dirk Kiynsmith, Bothweli Photographic, Marshall Cass, N npl 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

The HRT Shell Series?

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Dear Sir, After watching the Eastern Creek V8 round I was amazed at the unacceptable driving behaviour of our supposed champion, Craig Lowndes.

When HRT are first and second during a race, we never see them touching, but as soon as the only two championship rivals to team mate Skaife are leading in a race (Tander in race 2 and Radisich in race 3) Lowndes can knock them out without getting any penalty.

This is becoming the Shell HRT V8 Supercar Championship.

This needs to be sorted before us

Dear Sir, After reading Box Seat, about the British GP held at Silverstone

Send your letters to PO Box 1010 North Caulfield Vic 3161, fax to 03 9527 7766, or email to us at msnews@ozemail.com.au The staff of Motorsport News does not necessarily agree with opinions express by readers.

recently, I felt compelled to write to you.

The Silverstone track at Towcester (pronounced ‘toaster’) in Northampton is one of the world's fastest and most exciting race tracks and it is run by the most famous and exclusive racing car club in the world (ask any world champion that).

If this fabulous track needs an injection of money to upgrade its parking facihties, I couldn't think of a better person to donate some of the billions which he has made from Formula 1 than Bernie Ecclestone.

However, there is more to Mr Ecclestone's actions than meets the

paying fans start losing interest in our greatest formula ever.

Gai Toomey ErskineviUe, Vic

Craig’s biggest fan #1 Dear Sir, Not Mobil #1 with some of the fans: Craig Lowndes’ involvement in I just left Eastern Creek really incidents with Radisich, Tander and Baird at Eastern Creek has our letters pissed off. page buzzing.(Photo by Lynley Reid) How come the HRT 'pretty boy'. on and m,erely waited for the Craig Lowndes is allowed to push Craig’s biggest fan #2 off both the HRT championship Ford's rear’t;p'es to go off(as they Dear Sir, have done since the inception of rivals without getting a stop-go Having just watched the Eastern the AU). penalty.

Creek V8 Supercar round. I felt I He clearly 'got rid' of Tander Are we finally going to see a in race 2 and Radisich in race had to put pen to paper to express severe penalty handed down to curb my anger at the actions of Craig this unsportsmanlike behaviour 3 without receiving any Lowndes. (loss of all points scored at that penalty, while lesser budgeted How many chances does this guy round or suspensions should work), teams were given stop-go get. Having last year been or does Jeff Grech have to consult penalties for insignificant acquitted of punting off Danny his cheque book to pay another misdemeanours.

Osborne and Glenn Seton at pointless fine.

It is now very clear that Adelaide, he once again showed his I am a staunch Ford supporter Australia's most powerful and true colours at the Creek. The affluent team ban control the and along with my colleagues incident with Garth Tander was officials decisions. have had to endure frustrating If this is allowed to continue, me nothing short of disgusting and I times but never would we fail to see how any Clerk Of The celebrate race wins earned in this and my motor racing friends will Course can allow a driver to manner. A driver such as Garth skip Eastern Creek in protest ne:^ continue in a race after deliberately Tander thoroughly deserves his year.

Shame on you Craig. Remember driving another competitor off and success. He is consistent, fair and into retirement. damn fast. If the parity issue is your F3000 debacle.

More of the same in race 3 when not resolved and we are subjected I am really looking forward to seeing Australia's two best his frustrations of being behind to another year of Formula V8 international drivers in action - Paul Radisich showed and a Holden I'll be cheering for Tander Mark Webber at the AGP next year desperate move was made, again to smack HRT's ass! and Jason Bright at the Honda Indy resulting in the demise of the Excellent mag. Keep up the gi-eat in October. innocent party. work.

A driver of Lowndes' Glenda Wilson (supposed?) abilities should have Jason Collins known that the move was never Warners Bay, NSW Alexandria, NSW .’i'.

Motorsport News is published by

eye and, like all super capitalists today, he's out to destroy the establishment and all those great institutions which make Great Britain so interesting. jje has power and money but he lacks the one thing which all those super capitalists can't have.

Something which the Baron of Towcester has in abundance.

There is an old pub in Towcester in which Aussies like me love to stay, and there is a plaque on the wall over the fireplace which claims that Charles Dickens stayed there and wrote one of his books.

It's a shame Charles Dickens is not alive today as Bernie Ecclestone would have made a wonderful character in one of his novels.

By the way, the Baron of Towcester was once a Formula 1 constructor in those fabulous days before Mr Ecclestone took control.

His name, you may remember, is Alexander Hesketh the Silverstone track is situated on his estate.

Robert Harrison Balgowlah, NSW

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Silverstone, Dickens and Bernie ~ sounds ' like a Box Seat

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Australasian Motorsport News Pty Ltd. ACN No 060 I 79 928 Publisher; C Lambden

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Ph: 03 5261 0078 / www.nofear.com