Motorsport News Issue 180 - 26 May-8 June 2000 by V8 Sleuth

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26 May-8 June 2000

Inside V8 racing's greatest controversy

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Holden dominates despite parity cut

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Latest V8 Supercar moves: Big changes for 2001

● Schumacher^ home run

# Audi and Cadillac^ Le Mans challenge 1 2 ● Full Targa Tasmania report ● Steve Harker% US campaign 9 77132097 4012 ● Max Dumesny interview

We name Australia’s next FI driver

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26 May 2000

Ford's V8 quit tkre

FORD GM Geoff Polites last

week threatened to pull the com pany out of V8 Supercar racing at the end of this year as tensions in the current Ford/Holden parity row reached new heights. Polites (see story below) was clear ly unhappy about the way a revised Performance Review Committee deal - which will see Holdens get their 100mm undertray trim back for Bathurst - had come about and was scathing in his criticism of the cate gory’s management at a media brief ing in Melbourne last Friday. The threat comes at the end of a fortnight in which the action came thick and fast. In rapid sequence over a handful of days: ■ AVESCO’s Board was faced with a potential injunction from the Castrol Perkins Holden team which would have taken the PRC issue into the Federal Court(see other story); 1 A resulting deal was agreed by the Board which saw Holden teams cop the 100mm undertray trim now, but with a firm commitment to get it back for Bathurst. This was based on evidence presented by TEGA Technical Manager Paul Taylor which showed Ford and Holden with no disparity at last year’s FAI 1000; E CAMS released a Bulletin confinning the aiTangement; and finally,

Aawww - live it: It’s been a big week for V8s, the spotlight centred on the Ford and the series following Geoff Polites’s threats to stop investing in the category if they weren’t satisfied with the processes. (Dirk Kiynsmiih) n Ford boss Polites spontaneously vented his frustration at a general motoring writers’ briefing in Melbourne, threatening to pull Ford’s support from the category.

Ford's

“What transpired recently is a case of whoever yells the loudest, displays the most emotion and threatens the most legal action wins. “It is insane.” Mr Polites was not specific about what he wanted to happen now, but agreed that the sport needed an independent umpire who could not be influenced. He said that Ford's continued involvement in V8 Supercar racing was in jeopardy “unless something changes”. “If (the person responsible for the decision) is going to run the sport then I would say that I would seriously reconsider being involved next year. “The process is broken and if

A\^SCO CEO Wa^e Cattach this week recognised'Polites’ frustration, but suggested that following discus sions with Marsden, Ford's boss may now be more understanding of the situation: “He (Polites) was making a point, that Ford is in this for serious rea-

FORD Australia last week threatened to quit V8 Supercar racing in 2001 over a decision not to apply the latest parity adjustment to the Bathurst 1000. Company president Geoff Polites delivered a stinging attack on the sport, comparing it with the promotion of professional boxing. Former Motorsport News editor David Hassall was there: “Had I known that the sport was being run like this, we probably wouldn't have got involved,” said Mr Polites, right, who has committed Ford heavily to racing since taking the helm nine months ago. “It is a joke. The process is broken. Either you have parity or you do not have parity. “If you have parity then you bloody well do it. You can't have parity that says we are going to have one set of rules for the circuits where it doesn't matter and exempt it on the circuit where it might matter.

While the racing went on in Darwin at the weekend with, it must be said, little change to the estab lished order despite the Holden undei-wing change. Ford Motorsport’s Howard Marsden spent his time defusing Polites’ threat, instead pointing to a range of options to improve Ahe performance equalisa tion process(see story page 21).

sons, wants a level playing field, and doesn’t want to see leverage from either side affecting the outcomes. Fair enough. “I don’t think he was totally appraised of the processes. There is a strong technical argument for the Bathurst decision. “As an aside, while both Ford and Holden are entitled to express a view, this category is run by the Entrants...” INSIDE; Howard Marsden calls for technical equality in V8s - page 5 Marsden’s view on the rules process - page 5 Ford and motor racing - page 21

^Cummins' they are serious about a $200 million business, then they have got to fix it, otherwise we're not playing. “If you have parity, you (have to) have a system in place that demands parity and enforces parity and doesn't roll over because somebody threatens legal action. “How can you have a set of rules for one racetrack and a different set of rules for another racetrack? “Somebody threatened legal action, a lot of emotion was vented and the rules got changed and that's bullshit. “If that's the way they want to run it, what's the point of being involved? “We are investing serious, serious money in this and if you want to play in that game with that sort of money then you've got to have rules that everyone understands and is prepared to work to. What's going on now is none of that. “My beef is with whoever is running the thing -and I'm not sure who's running it. Who is running it?”

Give ’em the old one-two: A tough fighter on the track, Larry Perkins was (Photo by John Morris/Mpix) close to fighting in the courts over the parity rules. dence, TEGA and CAMS agreed to look at it again and the revised decision was reached,” week with Larry Perkins In the end a compromise was preparing an injunction to reached, with Holden copping overturn the recent PRC deci the 100mm underwing loss, but sion to chop 100mm from the regaining it for Bathurst. Holden front underwing. Perkins case was aided by the “The decision was wrong in leaking of a TEGA internal docu that the correct processes ment from Technical Manager weren’t followed and if that Paul Taylor to CEO Wayne wasn’t going to be corrected, we Cattach which analysed Ford were prepared to call upon com versus Holden performance at mon law to correct it,” Perkins Bathurst last year. told Motorsport News. The document analysed prac “My argument was as much tice, qualifying and race lap with TEGA as with CAMS, times from the 1999 FAI 1000. because the decision was reached It clearly concluded that “as by TEGA, then ratified by CAMS, can be seen from the information but it was CAMS who would have presented above, during practice, had to be the recipient of the qualifying and the race last year, action.” there was no disparity between Perkins had in fact prepared the two makes. two avenues of action, one an “I believe that the effects of the AMSAC Appeal, the second the latest PRC decision on Bathurst Federal Court iiyunction. will lead to an advantage to the “In the end, faced with the evi¬ Ford teams,” V8 Supercars came close to Federal Court action last

Air New Zealand Look out in the Skakey Isles. The date for the V8 Supercar return to New Zealand has been returned to the February 23 date. It W'as announced that it would be in March, but February suits the teams better. It is also likely to be a fly-away race, so please secure your jandles and return your chilly-bins to their full and upright positions... ■ Darwin's Hidden Valley is pushing hard for a five year extension to their current contract for a round of the Shell V8 Supercar series. AVESCO’s Tony Cochrane expects a deal to be finalised shortly, saying; "They've done a tremendousjob. They've spent $7.5 million here and we're pretty proud of it. Pro-rata, ifthat race was in Melbourne, they'd have a million and half people." The Darwin round will also give AVESCO a nice little springboard for any extension into Asia in 2001, or 2002. ■ James Brock has leased one of Bruce Williams' VS Commodore for the first round of the Future Tourer Series at Oran Park this weekend. The Bathurst-winning Brock (it runs in the family) had planned to run his new'VT Commodore but delays in its finishing have prompted alternate plans for the weekend. ■ Commodore Cup Champion Tim Shaw is also hoping to debut in the new Future Tourer Series in another of Williams' VS Commodores this weekend, with just a little budget difference standing in his way. Shaw had hoped to put together enough funding to nni in the V8 Lites series but the Tasmanian began looking at alternatives when the required dollars couldn’t be found. ■ The first round of the Ford Max Challenge for up-coming kart drivers t^es place this weekend at the Todd Road circuit in Port Melbourne. The five race championship series .will field 23 drivers with the top four at the end of the year going on to the Rotax Max World Final in the Caribbean in November. The field will include twotime Australian champion Jamie Whincup, Kate Friend and Neil McFadyen. ■ One ofthe nanie.s which keeps Iwing mentioned in relation to the second Castrol Pei-kiiis seat is Formula Holden stand-out Christian Murchison. Mureh has mi open-wheeier background and the glasses for it. doesn’t he ...

,26 May 2000

n An inquiry regarding the incident involving Craig Lowndes and Craig Baird at Eastern Creek viewed video footage of the incident and analysis of data downloads at Darwin. It was decided that there was inadequate evidence to support any breach of the rules by either driver.

Benz says no to Frost Supertec or fflugen likely for The Professor By JOE SAWARD MERCEDES-Benz's

II Wallets out boys; Paul Weel was fined $2000 for careless driving after a clash with Paul Romano in race one at Hidden Valley, while Craig Lowndes was slugged $200 for exceeding the pitlane speed limit in race two. Porsche Cup driver Trevor John was fined $300 and excluded from the race two results for not obeying a black flag. n Greg Murphy is scheduled to debut a new Gibson Motor Sport-built Commodore VT at the Calder SCS sprint round to replace his current Bathurst-wdnning mount. 1Patrick Carpentier has been cleared to drive in this weekend’s CART race at Nazareth. Carpentier had been out with a wrist injury since early April suffered during a fall down a staiway in his home. S Formula Ford speedster Stewart McColl has had his helmet stolen, 'fhe helmet- a Bell Dominator-is yellow chrome with maroon on the top. Anyone who can help Stewai't find his skid lid please call him on 0418 489 518. H Former F2 rally champ Rick Bates is one name we hear being connected with a test drive of the Colom'scan Falcon. The team nhw has Barry Seton building its engines. SI We understand that Marcos Ambrose isn’t the only Aussie racing overseas who is looking for a drive in the V8 endurance races. Italian F3000 driver Andrej Pavicevic is another faxing resumes ... n The final round ofthe Indy Lights championship will no longer be ran at Aruba in the Carribean-. Despite support from the Prime Minister and Parliament, ongoing diffetences between the government and various labour unions have put constraction ofthe facility on hold. It has been replaced by a race at Houston in support of the FedEx Champ Car Series on October 1 with California now becoming the final roimd of the Lights title at the end of October. n Two spectators were killed and another man was injured in a Bulgarian rally last weekend after the spectators were hit by Russian Sergei Uspenski's Subaru as they tried to push another car out of a ditch in the mountains of central Bulgaria.

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chief motorsport Norbert Haug said at the Nurburgring that the company will not he giving its Formula 1 engines to Alain Prost next year. “Why should we give engines to a second team?” he said. “It was never the plan. There was a discussion. These are rumours.” Haug added that Ilmor Engineering does not have the capacity to do it at the moment.

But the rumours will not go away and, judging by the amount of time Alain Prost spent in the McLaren and Mercedes-Benz motorhomes over the Nurburgring week end, he does not think the cause is lost. Mario Illien of Ilmor said recently that he would need six months warning to be able to supply another team, so time is definitely running out if Prost is to get a deal. But it is still not too late and our spies in the paddock suggest that Mercedes-Benz is considering using Prost to help develop a completely new generation engine in 2001 while McLaren will run

Pushing the off Button Montoya in, Jenson to Jag? By JOE SAWARD THERE is increasing spec ulation that Colombia's Juan-Pablo Montoya will return to Europe next sea son to take over Jenson Button's drive at Wilhams. The BMW Williams team says that no decision has been made but confirmed that it does have an option on Montoya for the future. According to media reports during the Nurburgring weekend. Sir Frank Wilhams has asked Ganassi if the team would be willipg to release Montoya for the 2001 season. Ganassi is understood to be considering the request. There qre several reasons why Ganassi may decide not to agree to a deal. Montoya is playing an important role developing the team's new Lola-Toyota package and has yet to win a race this year. While it is possible that Montoya could still win the championship it is more hkely that the fully competitive package will not be ready until next year and Ganassi is unlikely to want to have to take on another diiver to lead the team in 2001. Williams also knows that if

it decides not to take up its option on Button he will prob ably disappear off to another team and be lost to Williams. Button is understood to have received a huge offer to replace Johnny Herbert at Jaguai', but there are no real signs that the team will be competitive next year as there is still a lot of restruc turing needed. It is still at least two years before the team gets a really good windtunnel. Button would probably pre fer to stay where he is for the moment unless he wants to make more money rather than be in a position to win races. At this stage in his career that is not likely. But Button says that if he has to go he will. “I want to stay here for the next few years,” Jenson said, “but if it came to going to another team then so be it. We will just have to wait and see what happens.” According to Williams there is no need for a quick decision and the team would prefer to watch and see how Button develops in the months ahead. His career to date has been exceptional but there are some within the Williams empire who believe

that Montoya would be even better than Button and is ready to win races straight away. “The first step is for Chip Ganassi to decide when he wants to release Juan Pablo,” Williams said. “It's probably more likely that he'll want to get all three years out of him.” This would suit Williams better as Ralf Schumacher's contract could be terminated at the end of 2001, although the team has an option to keep him for a fourth season if it chooses to do so. BMW says that it is not important to have a German driver.

the current imits. This w«uld reduce the risks of mechani cal failure for the main Mercedes team while devel oping a new engine in racing conditions. The arrival of major com petition from rival car manu facturers is causing some of the big players to re-evaluate what is going to be necessary to win in FI in the years ahead. Mercedes-Benz has been surprised (and worried) by the immediate success of the BMW FI program and is now looking at ways to stay ahead. In addition to BMW, competition is expected to intensify from Honda and Renault and (probably) from Jaguar as well. Whether a deal can be stitched together for Prost in the time available remains to be seen but if not the French team will almost certainly use Supertec or Mugen engines in 2001 and prepare for Mercedes-Benz engines in 2002. In the circumstances the team will almost certain ly mn with Michehn tyres in the hope that this will pro duce one or two unexpected results while, at the same

time, providing MercedesBenz with a good idea about how competitive the tyres are so that if necessary McLaren can switch to them in 2002. The other issue which may be delaying a deal is that McLaren's plans to move into the new Pai’agon Technology Centre are running a little behind schedule and the team may not be in a posi tion to hand over use of the National Physical Laboratory windtunnel to Prost until the start of the design process for the 2002 cars. The fact that Prost's close friend and advisor Hugues de Chaunac has taken over the running of the Chrysler Le Mans 24 Hours program for 2001 with backing from Prost sponsor Playstation is not a coincidence. It may be that de Chaimac will also be moving in to help Prost in FI in the future as part of the deal. De Chaunac has very good relations with Chrysler thanks to the success of the Dodge Vipers, which are pre pared by his ORECA company.

Yahoo!in trouble too AS if Prost Grand Prix was not having a had enough week after Hang’s comments,it appears that major sponsor Yahoo!is also in the wars. Internet reports say that the world wide web giant will be banned from France for two months for adlegedly breaching govermnent guidelines on internet betting. The French government recently brought in regulations that limited the availability of on-Hne gambling across the board. The reports did not say whether Yahoo! would appeal the ruling,should any appeal be open to them.

vF1 Ferrari for Noske^

Michael, Eddie, Mark: Michael Schumacher headed a Ferrari 1-3 at Suzuka in 1997. The same car will now head to Australia for Prancing Horse driver Mark Noske.(Phoio by RaceAccess)

Photo by RaceAccess

On yer bike, sonny: Will Sir Frank let Button ride off?

MARK Noske will head to Italy in August to test a 1997-spec Ferrari F310B. The leader of the GTP Nation’s Cup, Noske will test the car at Ferrari’s test track at Fiorano after the car was purchased by Prancing Horse Automobiles(who run Noske’s F360 Nation’s Cup car) before heading to America to test a Panoz, as reported a few issues ago. “It’s all pretty exciting,” said Noske. ‘The Ferrari test team is rebuilding the engine and the gearbox at the moment so they’ll run the car for us when we head over to Italy for a drive. “It’s the last of the wide-track cars with the slick tyres and I think they’re going to

put the high downforce wings on it so it should have plenty of grip. ‘The year just keeps on getting better and better.” The F31 OB was driven by Michael Schumacher in the last four races of the 1997 FI season. It won the Japanese GP at Suzuka and is the car involved in the controversial incident with Jacques Villeneuve at Jerez which eliminated the German and gave the title to the Canadian. Once the car returns to Australia it will be used for demonstration duties with Noske behind the wheel and will join a Ferrari F40LM (one of only 12 in the world) in the Prancing Horse collection.

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26Mdy2000

Marsden: End the differences By GERALD McDORNAN HOWARD Marsden has called for an end to tech nical differences between the Fords and Holdens contesting the V8 Supercar series - and par ity adjustments per se by asking for an ‘equalisa tion’ of the marques. Marsden told Motorsport News in Daiwin that he and Ford were pushing for identi cal technical specifications between Commodores and Falcons next year. “The position I have pushed for next year is equalisation," Marsden said. Marsden believes both brands should have the same size undertrays, rear wings, front suspension, wheelbase, track and engine set-back. “Let's get rid of the differ ences between the brands and race equally.” Marsden said the move to equalise the cars wouldn't have any effect on each com pany's plans, thanks to the cars not being made to look any different.

“It's not going to affect our customer base from the mar keting of motor racing side but it will certainly stop the teams from bitching and whingeing at each other,” he said. While not complaining about the controversial Commodore undertray changes, Marsden did point to a couple of differences current ly existing between the two cars that do have an effect. “Despite the 100mm cut from the Commodore, it still is 10 percent greater in size than the Falcon undertray, while the location of the rear axle in the Commodore is a better design than the Falcon. “These things don't seem much but they do add up.” Marsden said he believes the principles of his argu ments will he accepted by the powers that be. WHILE Howard Marsden was calling for technical equalisation of the brands, Holden's motor racing boss, John Stevenson, said he believed the cars were

as close as they almost could possibly be now and he would rather see more attention turned towards the current racing for mats. “There is no doubt that if the races were mixed up more reverse grids, less 20 minute sprint race formats where the first car into the first corner generally wins, different races - then you'd have a better racing series than the one we've got now with all the constant gripes about parity,” Stevenson said. “We've got to make racing more interesting for the fans rather than what's happen ing with races like here in Darwin, and constant parity talk won't achieve that.” Stevenson acknowledged Marsden's point towards equalisation was solid, although he stressed that both brands had their advan tages, conceding that the general consensus was that the Holden teams were cur rently doing a better job on the track.

Future watching: Will Jacques Villeneuve and Craig Pollock still be a team? (Photo by Sutton) By JOE SAWARD very quickly and this is a process is now advancing worry for Honda. The compa- quickly with Honda engiTHE BAR-Honda rela ny took a serious hit on the neers now running their own tionship remains at the stock exchange last week BAR chassis to try out syscentre of much rumour- when its share price dived 22 terns they have developed for mongering at n the percent in two days when it FI. This is known within the announced that it expected moment, with British American Tobacco's interprofits to fall over 25percent team as the "athena project" car and is believed to have in the next financial year. est in the program appar One of the reasons for this Honda R&D electronics, ently on the wane and is the company's dependence hydraulics and pneumatic Honda keen to keep hold on the US market. The systems which are totally dif of Jacques Villeneuve Formula 1 program is ferent from those being run rather than losing him to - designed to boost Honda sales on the usual BARs. The a rival operation. in other markets around the ‘athena project’ car was Honda sources continue to shaken down last week at world and so it must be con insist that there are no plans sidered to be a priority. Santa Pod Raceway in to buy the team but action is Honda's insistence that Bedfordshire and will take needed because if the team there is no hurry to turn part in this week's testing at loses Villeneuve, it will not BAR into an all-Honda oper Nogaro. be easy to get a really top The whole question of ation is curious given the driver to replace him. current situation but it may Honda engine supplies Villeneuve knows that the be that the company does not remains unclear as the speciHonda VIO engine is strong want to have to invest a fication of the Jordan and that the BAR chassis large sum of money too soon engines in 2001 has yet to be will eventually become more after predicting a fall in prof- decided, although whatever competitive but he also its. happens these will be supknows that the new Renault There was some good news plied via Mugen. team is going to be strong for Honda last week when Honda may be happy to 'and will probably be willing the company moved ahead of continue with its current to pay him more money than Nissan in global sales for the development, hiding behind BAR will be able to afford... first time in its history. Mugen and BAR but the Unless Honda is willing to Honda is now the second danger is that Villeneuve pick up the bill. And there is biggest car manufacturer in will walk and that unless no real reason why Honda Japanese behind Toyota. BAR does a much better job should do that unless it can 'The long goal of Honda with a chassis next year be sure that it will have remains a Honda-Honda Honda's efforts in FI may be more control over the chassis team both from a marketing eclipsed by those of BMW situation. point of view and as a way of Williams and perhaps others BMW has done very well training engineers. That as well.

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and downplays quit threat

FORD motor racing boss Howard Marsden has played down Geoff Polites's threats to pull out of V8 Supercar racing, saying that the company was more concerned about the process of rule-making within the category. “Ford are investors in the series and, as investors, we must know where the industry is going and what are the control processes,” Marsden said. “At the moment we don't and that was Mr. Polites' concern after I briefed him on the situation this week-ifs not the changes, we can't argue about those.” Marsden said that Ford's understanding of the rulemaking process, at this stage, didn't allow for the Commodore's Bathurst allowance of retaining the 100mm on the front undertray. “Under the rules we thought we were running under, the PRC made a decision to make a change in the competitiveness of the Commodore. “Once that change has been made then, under the regulations, that change should remain for three race meetings and the committee sits again - deciding whether it was too much, not enough or just right.” Marsden said the Bathurst allowance for the Commodore had surprised the company and, as motor racing manager for Ford, made his job extremely difficult in explaining to the

board the decision process. “Ifs confusing for me, and for the Ford Motor Company, when I go to them and say 'this is what has happened and that is why...' when we've already read the rules and said we're happy to go with them.” Marsden believes the Commodore/Bathurst decision now opens up a can of worms regarding the competitiveness of each vehicle at each circuit on the senes. “It would seem they [TEGA, AVESCO and the PRC]would have the ability to look at the data from both the Falcons and Commodores, and look at the results, do a fair amount of mathematics and then say 'at Bathurst here is the answef. “Now, if they have that ability, surely then we must expect that they do the same for every circuit-that's logical. 'That's not how the words are written but that's what they've done and we'd be happy with that.” While not being unreasonable and pushing for individual circuit parity jDhecks between manufacturers at this point, Marsden is circumspect about Ford's attitude to the rule-making process. “Just tell us what the game rules are and, as investors in the series, if we're happy with them. Ford will continue to invest. - GERALD McDORNAN

Mika and DC fess up MIKA Hakkinen has denied recent reports that he has plans to retire from the sport at the end of the year. Hakkinen said in Germany at the weekend that he has a contract to stay at McLaren at least until the end of 2001. There has also been speculation in the European media that Hakkinen's wife Erja is pregnant and that Mika was planning to retire as a result. Hakkinen said that if there was a pregnancy it was a private matter. -JOESAWARD Photo by Sutton-lmages

Mika; I’m not retiring. I’m not getting any slower, David. David: I’m not retiring either, I’m just not getting any, Mika. WHILE Hakkinen was coming clean about his profes sional future, team-mate David Coulthard also brought the media into his confidence about his love life. The tough Scot admitted at the post-qualifying media con ference that he has not been able to have sex for two weeks because of the injuries he and fiancee Heidi Wichlinski suf fered in his French plane crash earlier this month. “With my cracked ribs and Heidi’s bruised chest, it’s a bit difficult,” he said. At those words Michael Schumacher, who was sitting next to him, began to edge away from him. “Don’t worry Michael, I don’t find you that attractive,” smiled the poleman.

n Roberto Moreno emerged as the quickest among 10 CART drivers to test at the Milwaukee Mile on Sunday. Moreno lapped narrowly quicker than Michael Andretti, with Mauricio Gugelmin an encouraging third for PacWest. The only incident was Paul Tracy who crashed heavily at turn three but was uninjured. n Indy 500 qualifier Stan Wattles felt so bad for his crew about biffing his car after he had qualified that he went out and bought a CD player, a whole pile of CDs and three days worth of food for them. That was how long it would take for them to fix the car ... n Eddie Cheever, Billy Boat and Robbie Buhl relaxed Monday night in an unusual way, safe in the knowledge that they were in the Indy 500 field. They attended the World Wrestling Federation's ‘Raw is War’ show at Conseco Fieldhouse. n Rose blooms again; Mai Rose is returning to V8 Supercar racing. The 1998 Bathurst Privateer winner has rebuilt his exPinnacle Commodore and intends to rejoin the V8 field at the Lites round at Oran Park on June 18. n Not a good weekend: The ARCA support race to the Winston at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Charlotte, saw yet another spectator injury over the weekend. Driver Darrel Lanigan blew a tyre which catapulted debris over the fence and gashed the wrist of a spectator. The spectator indicated to emergency crews that he was OK by waving at them with the debris in his hand! 11 Even Lowe’sier: A lawsuit filed by families of the three people killed in last year's IRL accident at the same venue has been settled without going to trial. Eight people were injured in addition to those killed after a tyre vaulted over the debris fencing having been launched by a following car. n Antonio Pizzonia, or ‘Jungle Boy’ as he has become best known, has extended his points lead over Tomas Scheckter in the British F3 Championship with a second place behind Japan’s Takuma Sato at Silverstone’s latest round. n SBK Kawasaki rider Gregorio Lavilla broke his pelvis in a fall at Monza on the weekend. He crashed heavily at the Ascari chicane during the second race and is likely to be out for three to four weeks.

lMo)G(DI70fJXS)[pO

26 May 2000

n Press reports in France indicate that Peugeot is close to selling its engine technology to a company called Asian Motor Technics. AMT is unknown but appears to be acting as third party for a major car manufacturer, believed to be Toyota which will run the engines badged as Yamaha VlOs. Oui- sources insist that the new company will supply engines to Mnardi next year although that all depenck on any VW deal as well. The paddock at the Nurburgiing featured a variety ofToyota visitors, some of them in disguise. We spotted Toyota men in Jenson Button jackets and wearing Jaguar Racing identification. One ofthe men involved is Italian Michel Adreani who worked as sporting director of Minardi in 1998. n Another man spotted in the paddock in Germany was a representative of Mitsubishi-which is now under the control of DaimlerChiysler. Mitsubishi looked at Formula 1 in the eai'ly 1990s when an engine was built for the Japanese company by the H^tuning firm and was tested in the back ofa F3000 car in Japan. H Robin Herd's plans to return to FI - remote though they were - are now virtually non-existent fol lowing the news that his March Indy International IRL team has called offits plans to run this year. Herd had hoped to use suc cess in the IRL as way of raising money to buy an FI team. H The 16 McLaren Formula 1 chassis which were being offered for sale by the Sultan of Brunei have been bought by McLaren. McLaren has been selling cars to the Sultan since the early 1980s and had the first option to buy them back. The Sultan has now decid ed to reduce the size ofhis vast car collection. n Alain Prost was wan dering around the FI paddock with his right hand strapped up, having injured himselfrecently by falling up stairs. All in all it was a dreadful weekend for the team with Nick Heidfeld being excluded from the paeeting when his car was found to be under weight and Jean Alesi fin ishing last. n There is speculation that team bosses are talk ing about changing the FI scoring system to a 20-1512-10-8-6-4-3-2-1 system as used in the 500cc(IP Bike Championships. There has also been discussion as to whether or not there should be a point for pole position and for fastest lap. The change would help teams look more impres sive because all ofthem would be able to claim to have scored points rather than having to admit that they scored no points at all when trying to sell spon sorship.’fhe plan is unlike ly to be successful.

By JOE SAWARD GIORGIO Pantano was testing for Benetton last week in Jerez. The 21-year-old Italian is one of the most highly-rated kartist of all time, having won a string of victories at inter national level - his record better than that of Jenson. Pantano is currently racing in the German F3 series with the KMS team and he leads the championship, despite being in his first full season in car rac ing. Benetton has announced that its planned test driver, Hidetoshi Mitsusada, who has never had a run in a car, is not going to continue with the team. Mitsusada has failed to qualify for all the F3000 races this year. He landed the Benetton deal thanks to backing from Japanese internet provider MTCI and one must presume that Briatore intends to refund the Mitsusada’s money. Brazilian driver Antonio Pizzonia had been expected to test for Benetton but we hear that he decided not to sign a six-page contract presented to him by Briatore before he was allowed to drive the car. We hear that Pizzonia has since been in negotiation with McLaren's Mysap.com F3000 junior team about a possible drive. While Pantano is an obvious choice for Benetton, the deal may not be done easi ly because the young Italian is being advised by former Benetton team boss Peter Collins, who is not a great Briatore fan and so will be very careful when it comes to talking contracts with the Italian team manager.

The Curtain falls

Pantano tries a Benetton

Smiling eyes; Giorgio Pantano iooked all smiles under his helmet when he sat his backside in the latest Benetton. (Photo by sutton images) A

Supersport Championship at Monza. Curtain was to have returned to Australia after the Bonington World Supersport round in order to fulfil his contractual obliga tions with Radar's Team Yamaha at the Formula Xtreme Tri-State meeting at Broadford, Victoria on April 21, placing his future with the Yamaha Supersport team in some doubt. Curtain's next outing with his team is scheduled for the Shell Advance Australian Superbike Championship round at Ipswich, Queensland on June 4. Also overseas, Chris Vermeulen started from pole on his way to finishing third in the Superstock race at Oulton Park, a week after winning the Bonington round in front of the SBK team managers. In the 600cc Supersports at Oulton the 17-year-old failed to have the same luck, DNFing after a collision with Ducati rider Scott Smart. He currently lies third in the Superstock Champion ship and fourth in the Supersport class and races next on June 25 at Snetterton. -DARRYL FLACK

AVESCO chief executive

officer, Wayne Cattach, Responded angrily to the leaked internal dociunent, from TEGA’s Paul Taylor, concerning the parity comparisons between the Commodores and Falcons. The document detailed sta tistical differences between the two cars, finally stating that the Falcon would have a distinct advantage at Bathurst - that final recom mendation allowing the Commodores to retain the 100mm, cut from the under trays last week, for the annual classic. Holden’s public relations representatives at the track distributed the document to media representatives in Darwin, along with also handing one to Ford’s Howard Marsden. T am horrified that infor mation prepared for internal discussion and copied to TEGA board members, as well as the two manufactur ers, could possibly be made public," Cattach was quoted in Racefax as saying. "Even more infuriating is that it has been turned into a propaganda document. "I shall be seeking the reassurance from all board members of confidentially of the information supphed." - GEKALB MCDOENAN

and so ate others Kga

CANBERRA hosts the next round of the SheE

AUSTRALIAN TT winner

Kevin Curtain has report edly broken his arm in practice for the latest round of the World

Cattach annoyed

Championship Series,so unpack your woolies and your walking boots. Several competitors from support events have contacted Motorsport News, upset with the news that there wtH only be room in the main paddock for the V8 Supercar The people’s car: Could an engine like this one in the ROC’s factory Le Mans challenger be the teams and their pantechs. future for Minardi? Although it’s not a solid deal yet, it could happen soon.(Photo by Sutton images) The support event teams will be situated in a separate paddock about Ikin from the pit lane. "Typical AVESCO bull shit," said one Nations Cup competitor this week (who, understandably, in all probability, it will come as the result of By JOE SAWARD wished to remain in the the company's takeover of BMW. The Munich manufacturer continues to background). RUMOURS of an Audi take over of Minardi 'They fix up the front row surfaced after the recent Spanish GP, say that it is going to remain independent but for themselves and every although the sighting of Audi executives in that will largely depend on the Quandt fami one else can go to helL the Minardi pit can’t be taken as confirmation ly, which has so far refused to sell its 48 per "I’ve been looking for of a deal - Minardi team owner Gabriele cent shareholding in BMW, despite some ward to the Canberra Rumi’s Fondmetal Technologies company tempting offers. performas all of the windtunnel development The Quandts like to be important players event for ages but now we are stuck with this. It’s work for Audi’s A8 sportscar team. in the German automobile industry and so it It is known that Rumi is trying to sell his is expected that it they do sell the deal will not enough that we will shares in the team’s holding company, with take the form of some kind of share- be in the coldest spot in the country at the start of the much talked-about Telefonica deal exchange arrangement which will result in winter, but we will have apparently now unlikely. the Quandt's emerging as the biggest share to lug our stuff back Telefonica wants the exposure that F1 holders in VW. wards and forwards. has to offer but does not appear to be very There has been speculation that this will "I know we are not all interested in owning a team. not happen until 2002 when the current VW professionals, but neither The Spanish communications company chairman Ferdinand Piech retires. His place are half of the V8 teams. has now also become a target for teams looking for cash and Flavio Briatore is is expected to be taken by Bernd Compare some of the Pischetsrieder, who will shortly become Privateer Commodore believed to be at the front of the queue. head of SEAT (a VW subsidiary). team’s resources with a Given that Telefonica now invests around US$20m for virtually no television coverage, Pischetsrieder was formerly chairman of team like Prancing it should not be too difficult tor Briatore to BMW and a man the Quandts trust. Horse’s and you’ll see sell them on Benetton. It is also significant that the heavy capital some red faces." gains tax laws change in Germany next The GMS 400 meeting Volkswagen will probably end up in F1 starts on June 9. but it may not be for two or three years and, year, a benefit for the Quandts.

Audi’s MinardiP

26M3y2000

AVESCO eyes Asian reund

2001 a possibility,2002 a certainty. Will it be Malaysia? By GERALD McDORNAN THE Shell Championship Series could be in south-east Asia as early as next year, although AVESCO’s Tony Cochrane says it’s more of a certainty for 2002. Speaking to Motorsport News last Saturday, Cochrane said he was leaving immediately after the Darwin race to travel to Asia and look at a number of potential championship race sites. While keen to introduce a second international race as early as next year, Cochrane did say that he was wary of a number of situations. “My main problem is that I am ner vous about the teams getting their heads around two overseas trips in the first year of the series going international... although I could be convinced either way,” he said. The transportation logistics, the trav el, custom differences and other areas are where Cochrane sees the problems which may convince him 2002 is the better option. “Even for us, we could be trying to do too much in one go next year.” Bill Gibson of Gibson Freight, the company responsible for the transporta tion logistics of many of the internation al motor racing events held in Australia, has been invited to the Canberra race in a fortnight’s time to investigate the transport situation for AVESCO and he will advise them short ly after. His advice, along with a promising trip to Asia by Cochrane this week, could well just see the V8s in Asia, most likely Malaysia, next June. “If you want me to give odds, certain ly for 2002 but you never know about next year,” Cochrane said.

and digital broadcasts,

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FORMULA one-style distal tele-vi

sion coverage is coming to V8 Supercars under a plan being put together by AVESCO’s Tony Cochraiie, and it could be available to some by Bathurst. Cochrane said AVESCO was working towards transmitting up to four chan nels from each round of the Shell Series in the future, ^ving viewers with the soon-to-be-released digital capacity, a variety of totally different views of a race. “Already Global TV, which provides the facilities for the coverage of the Shell series, has the ability to do some amazing things and they are planning to expand,” Cochrane. “It is certainly going to make the television coverage in the future very exciting.” The producers of the current coverage foi- Channel Ten are already using digi tal technology, even shooting for wide screen television, while Global TV already has one major digital outside broadcast unit and will expand to a sec ond later this year. Unlike Ecclestone’s digital Grand Prix coverage, Cochrane said his plans will be for the masses. “I can see a subscription price of $39.95 for the year - our coverage is going to be affordable for the mums and dads who like V8 Supercars. “We’ve got some amazing things planned with digital coverage of our races, datacasting information and even internet broadcasting, so it is going to be an exciting time over the next year or two for V8 Supercars and our fans.” While not saying how or who would broadcast the digital signal for AVESCO, Cochrane did say that he believed he believed negotiations with any broad casters would soon need to begin, 12 months before the end of Network Ten’s current contract.

%I Hidden opportunity: Darwin’s round of the Shell Series provides the V8s with the perfect opportunity to use the top end as a springboard into Asia. They may jump as early as 2001. (pnoto by oirk Kiynsmitb)

High interest in V8 rounds could create problems

PROBLEMS for a second international

race in 2001 might arise from the number of rounds teams would have to commit to. Currently AVESCO is again looking at 13 championship rounds next season, and a new south-east Asian race could bump that figure,up by one,if only one,instead of two rounds currently on the calendar,fails to retain its date. “AVESCO’s members

have had a discussion paper on next season’s championship for two months now and the board will sit down midJune and have a healthy discussion ff about what it proposes, Cochrane said. “We also have the situation about the Bathurst date and. whether it will move back to October-those discussions we’re currently in the middle of-so that too has a determining factor on

where the final round what we’re doing.” The traditional date of the 2001 series -will is still locked into a be held. “If we can sort that Bathurst City Council/ ARDC/Channel 7 out, then the final contract and round will be held in a contractual major capital city,” he obligations between said. Speculation those parties would '--continues that need to be sorted Sandown promoter before the V8s would Jon Davison,in be able to confirm the conjunction with IMG, Labour Day weekend. is close to securing a Cochrane has given ‘grand finale’ event for the Bathurst City his Melbourne venue. Council until June 30 -GERALD to sort the situation, which also determinesi McDORNAN

Halliday tests Mitre 10 Ford

liaiuwaic: uiiam.(mnoby Uirk Mynsmimi

FORMULA Holden front-run ner Matthew Halliday recent ly tested Mark Larkham’s Mitre 10 Falcon, becoming the fourth open-wheel driver (Simon Wills, Tim Leahey and David Besnard being the others) to test for the team at Queesland Raceway. Halliday, who had never sat in a touring car before, let alone driven one, com pleted 16 laps at QR and found the environment a lot different to his openwheeler. "You’ve got to force your self to go a lot slower in the corners, you just can’t slide them around," he said. "It was good of him (Larkham) to give me a run while the team’s in the process of evaluating drivers not just for the endures but also for maybe a second car next year. "(Driving at Bathurst) is probably 90 percent on my priority list at the moment although the test went all to plan. It’s a completely differ ent environment with the roof and all, as well as the seating position." - AARON NOONAN

n We )iear that the BBC and the Discovei7 Channel are planning a new series about high risk activities and are soon to film a reconstruction of Niki Lauda's accident at the Nurburgring in 1976, using stunt men. Lauda's Ferrari crashed at high speed and was hit by several other cars. The Austrian was pulled from the burning wreck by fel low drivers Artui'o Merzario, Brett Lunger, Guy Edwards and HaraJd Ertl. Edwards was later awarded a Queen's Gallantry Medal for his involvement in the rescue. n The new Italian Prime Minister Giuliano Amato was asked last week who he thought was needed to unify Italy's fragmented left-wing par ties before next year's elections. He replied Michael Schumacher, the suggestion being that it needed a miracle worker to get the various groups to work together... n Switzerland may have banned motor racing 45 yeai-s ago but thei-e are still plenty offans in the countiy. Last week 1500 people turned up to watch Sauber test drive)Enrique Bemoldi going up and down runways at the Buochs military airfield near* Lucerne. The Brazilian was doing aero dynamic verification test ing, which is about as interesting as watching paint dry. n It's official. Seating for the United States Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is sold out. There will be general admission tickets avail able for the September 24 event. The Indianapolis organisers hope that they will end up with a crowd of 225,000 on race day, which will be a modei-n record for Grand Prix rac ing. In the 1960s and early 1970s, crowds at the old Nurburgi'ing used to number a quarter of a mil lion. n Arrows sponsor UPC is to make 13 half hour behind-the-scenes documentai-ies about the Arrows Formula 1 team for its various cable net work channels. This will no doubt have reduced the price of the sponsorehip as An-ows will have been able to sell the coverage to its other sponsors. UPC has recently announced plans to make 750 hours of original and exciting new programming for its n vai-ious chamiels. this being cheaper than buy ing in existing matei-ial. n Benson & Hedges is reporting strong growth, for sales of the Benson & Hedges brand in Europe, the main tai^et for the FI sponsoi'ship of Jordan. The entire Gailahers com pany is now being run by Nigel Northridge, the man who did the dea! with Eddie Jo)-daji. and .so it Is likely to t-onlinue for some time vet. -JOESAWARD

M]®o®[f’sfp®[FO

26 May 2000

Octagon Michelin for Ferrari? Jaguar gets Targa targets Whitaker By JOE SAWARD

TARGA Tasmania has

been sold to the Octagon Worldwide organisation, headed in Australia by sports marketeer Steve Frazer. The move will see the tar mac which was rally pio neered nearly a decade ago by John Large and Max Stahl step up a gear for its 10th anniversary in 2001. A major naming sponsor, more high profile drivers and increased international repre sentation, are likely to be the immediate changes. All parties are adamant that Targa will remain a Tasmanian icon and the State Government has been given assurances that the basic organisation and format of the event will not be altered and that it will not be leaving the Apple Isle. However Frazer has not ruled out the possibility of the Targa format being used as a template for similar events outside Tasmania, re-igniting long-standing rumours of a Targa Victoria sister event. He is due to make a presenta tion to the entire Octagon Worldwide group on the acquisition and its potential in Athens in July. "I told the Tasmanian Government that this event won’t be going anyuvhere as long as it enjoys the support of both the government and the community," he said. "While our purchase includes the rights to the Targa name and concept on the mainland, we would obvi ously be very reluctant to do anything that would dilute the attraction of the existing event and, in any case, it would be extraordinarily diffi cult to achieve the type of legislation that exists in Tasmania to make the event work anywhere else in Australia." ’ The sale - understood by Motorsport News to be for around $1 million - took place on the eve of this year’s ninth annual Targa Tasmania, which attracted a record 313 entries for its expanded six day,2500km event.

THERE are rumours that

Ferrari may take a risk at the end of this season and

switch to Michelin tyres next year. While there are elements of risk involved in such deci sion Ferrari knows that Michelin tyres are likely to be very successful as the French company has enor mous motor racing expertise. Ferrari racing boss Jean Todt has good connections with the French tyremaker from his days as head of Peugeot Sport and signing up Ferrari would be a major coup for Michelin as it takes on Bridgestone. Michelin has already signed up deals with BMW, Jaguar and Toyota and more are expected in the months ahead. The Michelin test program has already covered well over 1000km and the data from those two four-day tests carried out by Tom Kristensen in a BMWengined Williams FW21B at the BMW test track at Miramas recently - is cur rently being analysed. Michelin's major concern Photo by Button-

By JOE SAWARD

Red attack: McLaren has a long-term Bridgestone deal, but Ferrari may look to former ally Michelin to take the fight to McLaren in 2001.(Photo by Sutton-images) at the moment is to see if the computer simulation work it has been doing is confirmed The Austrian had another BENETTON boss Flavio by what happens on the race track. terrible day as he crashed Briatore has confirmed The company has also col out after colliding with Alexander Wimz will stay lected data for wet tyres hav Johnny Herbert six laps with the team for the rest from the finish. ing sprayed the track surface ofthe season, despite at Miramas. The Michelin “I made a good start and continuing his run of test team is now expected to got to 11th, but when the pointless finishes at the start visiting Grand Prix cir rain came I struggled for Niirburgring. cuits around Europe. grip and was very careful not to slide offthe circuit. Yesterday the Austrian “Then close to the end of rubbished reports he could .CCW\ be showed the door after the the race I saw a chance to next two or three races. get past Johnny and the car Now.Briatore has said got a little bit sideways and I hit him. Wm-z’s place is secure for 'this year at least. '“I do apologise to Johnny, “He will definitely be with but that’s racing.” us until the end of the sea While Giancarlo son,” said Briatore. “I don’t FisicheUa has notched up 10 know where aU these stories points in six races, Wurz have come from.” has failed to score one.

Wurz staying

By JOE SAWARD THE Williams team announced a major sponsorship deal last weekend with the Allianz Group. The company, which currently manages investments worth $640bn ($1.1 trillion) and has a annual turnover of $50bn, will put in around US$12m a year for the next three years. We hear that Allianz's rivals Axa is interested in FI and representatives of Axa were spotted in the paddock at the Nurburgring. There is also talk that another major insurance company Zurich Re may be evaluating an involvement in the sport. Zurich Re includes of a number of financial companies which previously belonged to British American Tobacco.

Pick you favourite response; Alex is thinking A. / better my finger be pulling out, B. This car is an understeering pig or C. / wonder if that blonde from Bardot is rear?

MARTIN Whitaker, who was in charge of Ford's FI plans until the end of last year, appears to be in the process of trying to get back into Formula 1. The Englishman, who has spent the last few months in charge of the Ford World Rally Championship pro gram, appeared in the paddock at the European Grand Prix amid rumours that he has been offered the job as sporting director at Benetton. At the same time the Ford Motor Company appears to be considering whether or not Martin should be used to help Neil Ressler run the Jaguar Racing operation, which is in serious need of management at the moment. Whitaker would appear to be an imlikely front man for the Benetton team, which will become a factory Renault team in January 2002. While he has all the necessary con nections to play the pohtical role on Renault's behalf, he has never been a great lin guist and it is hard to imag ine that the French will want to be represented by someone who does not speak French. At the same time it makes a great deal of sense for Whitaker to be with Jaguar as he fits the clean-cut Enghsh image that Jaguar is trying to exploit as it tries to sell more Jaguars. One way or another it is very likely that Whitaker will be back soon in FI. In the meantime. Ford chief executive Jac Nasser and Jaguar boss Wolfgang Reitzle are still trying to decide where the new Jaguar Racing headquarters is going to be located. The current trend seems to be towards a site at Silverstone but the two men were at Gaydon proving gi'ound last week to see how best that could be used by Ford.

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.26May2000

I 1 \

Open wide and say woof: Flying vet Jim Cornish steps into the ex-Steven Richards Honda Accord for the BOC Gases championship.

IVo Super Prods in BOC entry THE 2000/2001 BOC Gases Australian

Super Toruing Championship begins this weekend at Oran Park and the most glar ing omission from the entry list is the absence of any Super Production cars. Eighteen entries have been received and they are all for Super Tourers. Leading the charge on his fourth 2-litre title is Paul Morris. ‘The Dude’ will again drive his 1996-spec BMW 3201 with which he won the 1999 title as well as the Bathurst 500, and is a white-hot favomite to dominate in the absence of any factory cars after both Audi and Volvo have elected not to continue in the categoiy. Behind the Bimmer though there has been some car-switching. Peter Hills’ Signature Security Services team of Ford Mondeos will return, although they are now being prepared by- Ralt Australia’s Graham Watson rather than by Mike Quinn. Hills returns in the #88 car while the #44 seat is filled by 17-year old karting whizz-kid Allan Gurr, who replaces Dean Canto. Another Mondeo pilot, Aaron McGill, has elected to step out of the V6-powered machine and into the ex-Richards Nissan Primera driven by Jim Cornish last season, while McGill’s Mondeo will be driven by expat'Kiwi Allan Letcher. Cornish on the other hand steps into the other of the Racing ProJects-run cars, that

being the completely-rebuilt Honda Accord used by Anthony Robson during 1999. The racing vet’s car is fitted with a 1998-spec aero dynamic kit which means that Cornish has to contest each round with four tyres to retain Independents Cup status. John Henderson’s Vectra was blindingly quick at times during 1999 and will return for 2000 while Tony Newman has elected to fore sake his status as an Independent under the changed rules and will use six tyres at each round in a bid for more speed. His Peugeot 406 did not comply because it was manufactured after January 1, 1996, and has 19-inch wheels but could still have been classed as an Independent had he elected to use four tyres. Another difference in the TC Motorsport team is the colour scheme; gone is the green and gold of BTCC Peugeot, blue and yellow are in. The Sydney-based Kiwi has another of the ex-BTCC works cars which may appear later in the- season, while his older 405 will be run by Carlos Rolfo. Other BMW-mounted drivers in addition to Morris are Luke Searle, Michael Dovraard and Anthony Robson while David Auger has landed the backing of Leatherman for his Alfa 155. Mike Fitzgerald (Peugeot 405), Jamie Miller (Toyota Camiy), Malcolm Rea (Toyota Carina) and Paul Leabeater (Hyundai Lantra) are also entered for the opening round on the short Oran Park circuit.

Ustras f®r Sam and Mel

SAY goodbye to Kmart’s Holden Vectras and hello to Astras. Holden GT Production car driver Sam Newman will step into an Astra for Canberra’s GTP races on the Queens Birthday weekend. Newman will be joined in a second Astra for the following race at Queensland Raceway when Melinda Price updates. No word on whether Sam will head to Germany soon to try out one of them Opel Astra DTM vagens...

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COMPETITION SEATS SB

oval race for DTM JUST as oval track racing in Australia looks like heading down the gurgler the DTM series will race at the new Lausitzring oval later on this year. The sixth round of the championship on September 3 will be run on the new complex in the former East Germany.

English DTM driver Darren Turner is looking forward to racing at the tri-oval track. '1 think it’s going to be pretty cool," said the Mercedes driver. 'The oval is going to be a new experience for every driver. We’ll all be at the same level so it will be really exciting." Turner will be looking to ft’iends in the States to

see if they can give him any hints for oval racing. '1 know toui'ing car racing is different to single-seater racing but I think some of the principles will be the same so I’ll be speaking to Dario [Franchitti] to see if he has any advice!" The first race in the championship will be held this Sunday at Hockenheim.

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03 I

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●Adelaide ●Ballarat ●Brisbane ●Cairns ●Canberra >o ; ●Central Coast ●Darwin ●Gold Coast ●Hobart ●Mackay ●Melbourne ●Newcastle ^ ●Perth ●Sydney ●Sunshine Coast ●Townsville ●Wollongong ●Auckland, NZ g

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James 4th in Scotland

ten home of

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JAMES Courtney now shares the lead in the British Formula Ford

BOB JAM T-MARTS

Shell Championship Series V8 Supercars* .Rd6 Jun 11 ...Canberra , .Rd7 Jul 2 QLD ,Rd8 Jul 16 Winton ... Rd9 Jul 30 Oran Park World Superbike Championship* ,Rd6 Jun 4 ....Germany Rd7 Jun 18 ...San Marino ,Rd8 Jun 25 .. .Spain Rd9 Jul 9 U.S.A FIA Formula One World Championship Rd7 Jun 4 Monaco Rd8 Jun 18 ...Canada ,Rd9 Jul 2 France FIA Formula 3000 International C'ship Rd5 Jun 3 Monaco ,Rd6 Jul 2 .France Rd7 Julie Austria FIA World Rally Championship* Rd7 Jun 11 ...Acropolis Julie New Zealand ...'.Rd 8 Rd9 Aug 20 .. .Finland NHRA Winston Drag Racing Series May 7 .. .Atlanta May 21 .. .Engllshtown May 28 .. .Dallas

'.Rd 7 Rd 8 Rd9

FedEx CART Championship Series* Rd 2* May 27 .. .Nazareth . ,Rd6 Jun 4 ....Milwaulkee Jun 18 .. .Detroit ... ,Rd7 ’Initial race snowed out. Re-scheduled.

Australian Rally Championship* Jun 4 Queensland — ,Rd3 Jun 25 .. .Coffs Harbour ...Rd 4 Rd5 Aug 27 ...Melbourne Oct 8 Tasmania Rd 6 SOOcc World Grand Prix Motorcycle C'Ship* ,Rd6 May 28 .. .Italy ,Rd7 Jun 11 ...Catalunya . Jun 24 ...Netherlands ,Rd8 ,Rd9 Jul 10 ....Donington . Formula Holden Championship* Jun 11 ...Canberra .Rd4 Jul 2 Rd5 .QLD Jul 30 ... .Oran Park ......Rd 6 Ford Max Challenge May 28 ...Westgate Park ..Rd 1

1 J

ten

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[motorsport^ All event dates in this calendar were correct at the time of printing. Please consult any individual tracks and/or associations for date changes. Series or events telecast on Network Ten are marked with an asterix. Check your local guides for screening details.

Goodbye? Have we seen the last of Bathurst’s famous pits? (oirk Kiynsmith)

Bathurst changes

MARCH 17 is looking the most likely date for the return of the Bathurst Celebration of Austrahan Motorsport. Motorsport News believes that the event, which was first held in October last year, will go ahead over a four-day meeting with events catering for more than 400 cars. While there is no news as to what the headline event will be it seems certain that the Future Tourers class, which is now owned wholly by Octagon Motorsports, will have an enduro race. That event may also cater for Super Tourers. Also likely is a Targa Tasmaniastyle road rally in the week preced ing the event. Last week Octagon acquired the rights to the Tassie event and is believed to be working on replicating it in a number of states.

ALSO in the wind for Mount Panorama is a new pit lane. For some time there has been dis cussion about the limitations of the old pit lane. At last year’s FAI 1000 Classic AVESCO boss Tony Cochrane called for government expenditure to upgi-ade the facilities for the 55-plus cars(and their equip ment) expected to line up for the 2000 race. While the NSW has scuppered any idea that they would invest in the event, a consortium of business interests has di-awn up plans to con struct a new pit complex on the out side of tha existing pit straight, oppo site the current pit building (which are owned by Channel 7). n While there is-no time frame in place for the construction the pits, plans would have to be approved soon to ensure that worked was com pleted prior to the November 19 race.

Championship after a fighting fourth place in the latest round of the series at Knockhill in Scotland. The 19-year-old started fourth, was shuffled back to fifth on the opening lap and then managed to sort out brake balance problems but the tight and twisty nature of the circuit made it difficult to overtake. Eventually Courtney got by fourth-placed Johan Fourie, but there weren’t enough laps left to run dovwi the top three with Brit Mark Taylor winning in a Mygale ahead of Courtney’s Van Diemen team-

mate,Swede Robert Dahlgi’en and Anthony Davidson (Mygale). '1 had trouble with the brakes and kept locking the rears,"said Courtney. '1 had to go five turns(of the suspension) to the front to correct it, but after that it was much better,I was much faster than Fourie and could get alongside him easily, but it’s so difficult to pass here and I didn’t want to throw away a points finish.” Taylor now is joint leader of the championship with Courtney with the sixth round to be run at Oulton Park this weekend. Points: Courtney,Taylor 57, Dahlgren 35,BeU 31, Davidson 29.

Come fourth: So he did. Taylor leads, Courtney fourth. (Photo by Sutton)

Bruno’s shower, Webber’s bath By JOE SAWARD

BRUNO Junqueira built him self a solid lead in the International Formula 3000 Championship with victory in an incident-packed race at the Nurburgring on a day when his championship rivals Nicolas Minassian and Mark Webber were both taken out of the race in accidents which were not of their causing. Junqueira drove a sensible race and his strategy in the changing conditions worked out. There was an element of luck involved but champions need luck to be on their side... Qualifying had been held in drying conditions and so the grid was rather odd with pole position going to David Saelens of Super Nova Racing ahead of Junqueira (Petrobras Junior Team). Third place went to Czech Tomas Enge of the mySAP.com team (McLaren's junior team) who once again outshone his team-mate and pre-season favourite Stephane Sarrazin who was way back in 15th. Enrique Bemoldi of the Red Bull Junior Team was fourth with Justin Wilson (Nordic Racing), Franck Montagny (DAMS), Soheil Ayari (Coloni), Fabrice Walfisch (Team Astromega) lining up behind him, Minassian was ninth while Webber was back in 16th after fail ing to be out on the track at the right time with the tyres at the right temperature. Silverstone poleman Darren Manning showed that Formula 3000 is a topsy-turvy

T-t-

The Junq Yard Dog: Bruno Junqueira seized the advantage early and was never headed at the Nurburgring, taking a big points lead to Monaco. Webber (below, with father Allan) had a shocker but still has clear hold on third place in the series. (Photos by Sutton-lmages) world by lining up 25th in his Arden Team Russia car. The conditions on Saturday after noon were difficult to predict. It was dry but the weather looked like changing at any moment. Saelens made a poor start and it was Bernoldi who took the lead on the run down to the first corner. Junqueira slipped into second place. Saelens was one of several drivers to arrive too quickly and go off. A total of 12 cars were involved. This led to the immediate retire ments of Saelens, Ayari, Kevin McGarrity (Nordic) and Fernando Continued on page 46

26 May 2000

Wllfiams tester lands CART drive

IRL Champ outguns CART Champ \Qreg Ray takes Indy 500pole ahead ofJuan Montoya

SIGMA Champcar will be the newest team in the 2001 CART FedEx Championship Series. The team, headquartered near Chicago Motor Speedway, has signed former Williams FI test driver Max Wilson. No details have been announced regarding engines and chassis. Wilson, 27, spent three years as a Williams test driver and three years in the FIA F3000 Championship.The team is owned by Chicago businessman Tom Wieringa, a current competitor in the CART-owned KOOL Toyota Atlantic Championship. -PHIL MORRIS

IRL beat CART in qualifying for the 2000 Indianapolis 500, with defending IRL Champion Greg Ray coming out on top. The American, driving for John Menard,clocked 223.471 mph to steal pole from CART Champ and Brickyard rookie Juan Montoya. Montoya ran 223.372 mph, with Eliseo Salazar putting one of three AJ Foyt entries on the outside of the front row. Ray picked up his first US$100,000 PPG Pole Award. "I was flat out all four laps and grazing the wall," he said. Ray’s Team Menard team-mate, Robby Gordon, qualified fourth and will attempt the Indy 500/Charlotte

600 double this weekend. Scott Sharp was fifth ahead of 1999 runner-up Jeff Ward! History was made also with the 2000 race being the first time that two women have qualified for the ‘Greatest Spectacle in Racing”. Rookie Sarah Fisher, who switched from a Riley & Scott to a Dallara chassis, qualified 19th on Pole Day, only one position (and .056 mph)behind former champ Al Unser Jr. "Actually, I don't think it (qualifying) was that intense," said Fisher. Lyn St. James just managed to scrape into the field making her once-a-year appearance. She only

made it when she climbed aboard Frenchman Stephan Gregoire’s back-up car. Only 23 cars completed qualification attempts on Pole Day on Saturday so all cars were in the field, leaving 10 spots available to second round qualifiers on Bump Day. Raul Boesel was tie quickest Bump Day qualifier and will start 24tti while Steve Knapp was 27tti fastest in IRNLS points leader Robbie Buhl’s back-up car, returning to racing after serious head injuries suffered at Atanta last year. The real drama on Bump Day was in the dying moments as Billy Boat attempted one last-gasp effort

to make tie race in which he finished tiird last year. After waving off his first attempt on Saturday, Boat hit ttie wall on his second attempt. On his second lap, the car did a quarter-spin and hit the wall. He walked away uninjured but all hopes were gone. Then,aboard A.J. Foyt Racing’s back-up car, in which veteran Roberto Guerrero had had two mns, Boat qualified at 192.105mph, only to be bumped by St. James. So Boat leapt into Eliseo Salazar's backup car, left the qualification box at 5:59 pm [one minute before the cut-off time for qualification attempts]and made it. Ah,'the stories of the Brickyard.

IF anyone needs a doctor at the Indy 500 there will be one in the Pace Car. ‘Dr Mark Greene’[ER star Anthony Edwards]will drive an Olds Aurora ahead ofthe 33 carfield on Sunday.

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12 26 May 2000

TXZ Four-way fight: The French GP was hard-fought but Criville prevailed.

“IT feels like it has been a long time coming but we have hopefully turned the tide," said Alex Criville relEixed after a race for the first time this season . The Spaniard was not at the top of paddock pundits list as the man most likely to stand on top of the podium, but then again things seldom go to plan in bike GPs. Gairy McCoy’s strong run continued, the Aussie over coming qualifying problems to post a fourth place finish, even if he was closing on the leaders fast. : A record 65,000 French bike racing fans flocked to the Le Mans circuit with the championship leader - and favourite for this year’s title Kenny Roberts - carrying an injury after crashing in the last moments of qualifying. Roberts badly twisted his right knee in the spill and couldn’t finish the session allowing Max Biaggi to grab pole from his Yamaha team mate Carlos Checa by just 0.054s, the Italian switching to the ultra-soft qualifying rabber at the very end of the session, only just managing to

{Photos by RaceAccess)

Honda lightbadc

complete two flying laps in time. In the race it was Biaggi who made the break early on, his YZR500 setting the pace in fine style - finally it looked as though the Roman

Emperor was on back on form. Until he crashed, Biaggi’s get-off left the way clear for Roberts and the Suzuki to try to make a break from the chasing field, Roberts managed to hold off

the chasing pack until lap 14 when his lap times started to drop, the pain of the injured knee proving too much of a handicap for lightening-fast laps. Kenny managed to keep

Everyone gets a go as Slight returns at Bonington eoo

PIER Francesco Chili (Corona Suzuki) and Colin Edwards (Castrol Honda)shared the spoils at Monza, Italy, on April 21, in a terrific day's racing that has left the Texan on top of the Superbike championship ladder. After losing out to the Italian in the first 18-lap leg by just 0.028sec in front of 81,000 fans, Edwards turned the tables in race two to Sneak home by a relatively comfortable 0.31 s. “After Chili beat me in the first race I was determined to leave here with a win," said Edwards, who also took the lead of the championship after his third win of the season. Following his bitter disappointment at Donington after leading the entire race until the last three corners, a wildly jubilant Chili out-foxed Edwards in the first leg, allowing the 35-yearold Suzuki star to claim his first win of 2000 with a brilliant move at the Parabolica on the final lap. Kawasaki's Akira Yanagawa picked up two third placings after coming out on top of a couple of great tussles with Aussie Troy Bayliss (Infostrada Ducati). Showing a surprising turn of speed after recovering from a broken collarbone sustained at the opening round at Kyalami on April 2, Yanagawa was able to best Bayliss by just 0.19 in race one and 1.61s in race two. After falling victim to two all-in crashes at his first appearance as a replacement for the injured Carl Fogarty at Sugo on April 30, Bayliss will leave the factory plenty to think about with his ultra-competitive performance nevertheless. He led several laps of race two after a sensational passing move into the first chicane, but burned his tyres out trying to keep pace with the leaders. “It's a pity about the small mistake I made on the last lap of race one at the Ascari chicane”, said Bayliss. “I was too slow in changing

the rest of the pack behind him for another teeth-clenching five laps before Criville and Norick Abe barged past. "I was holding on for as long as possible but I could see from my board that they were catching me. My knee started throbbing and I knew I couldn’t push any harder," said Roberts. While Abe sat on Criville’s tail for another three laps it was wunderkind Valentino Rossi who scythed past the slowing Roberts into the final podium position - but Doohan’s protege wasn’t con tent with third place and a second consecutive lowly podium place while wild-slid ing hero Garry McCoy past Roberts to take fourth, tow ing Alex Barros through too. Rossi was straight on the

attack, desperately diving around the circuit, trying to beat Criville into runner-up spot, Abe having already moving up to the lead on the Luis D’Antin Antenna 3 Yamaha. Criville But wasn’t about to let the best chance of a decent result all year slip away and barged back past Abe on the last lap - the Spaniard never headed to the flag. Criville warned his rivals that the French win was the start of things to come - and promised Roberts that he wouldn’t have it all his own way for the rest of the season: "Now we have our first win of the year I know I can keep hold of the title this year. We have just come through a very dark patch but now we have made some big improvements and proved we can do it," he said. Abe added: "I thought I had that race in the bag but I couldn’t hold Alex off any longer. My tyres were gone and I had some big slides." Points: Roberts 90, Checa 80, McCoy 61, Criville, Abe 54, Barros 52, Aoki 46, Capirossi 38, Rossi 37,

McLaren-Harley partnership on? NOPE, not at all. But it does give us a chance to run these photos of Tomo Tajnsek’s McLaren-inspired Harley Davidson custom. The Slovenian bike and Foimula One nut has built a carbon-fibre-clad killer which impressed even Mika Hakkinen, who signed the beast during a recent promotional visit. Like a closer look? Check out next month’s issue of Heavy Duty for more details. Thanks for the photos, er. bros ...

Local Hero: Chili’s Suzuki broke through at last and won at Monza, direction and Yanagawa got close enough to draft past me on the straight.” For Australia's other Troy, Corser, his eighth and sixth at Monza has dropped him out of touch of the Edwards, Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha) and Chili in the title chase, blaming a less than suitable set-up that prevented him from using the Aprilia's impressive performance. “In the first race we had some set up problems and I just couldn't push the bike hard. As the race wore on, I just dropped further and further back. I wasn't very happy, but I did the best I could. We changed the set-up for race two, and it was definitely better and I had a bit more grip, but I wasn't able to open the throttle hard exiting the turns and I lost a lot of time.” With a cloud hanging over his head in the wake of a positive drug test to both 'A' and 'B' urine samples taken at Kyalami, Haga exited the first race after a gear-linkage failure, but returned to claim fifth in race two behind Bayliss. The only other Aussie in the race, Anthony Gobert(Bimota) finished a lap down in race one in 22nd before retiring with an engine failure in race two. THE weekend before, at Donington, Edwards went wire-to-wire in Race 1 but crashed in Race 2 while under attack from Poms Neil Hodgson and Chris Walker. In the first race Edwards was at his tactical best. From the green he took

the lead, with only Suzuki’s Pier Francesco Chili able to get close, the Italian waiting for Edwards’ rear Michelin to give up the ghost on the abrasive surface. But Edwards had the last laugh. When Chili barged past the American on lap the American counter-attacked immediately, the Italian’s Dunlop-shod Suzuki left behind by Edwards’ V-twin. Chili and had to settle for second with former WSB Ducati factory man Hodgson a fine third. In Race 2 Edwards again led but the pack quickly caught the Honda and he was soon under siege from Hodgson and Walker. In a rare display of cracking under pressure Edwards lost control at Redgate Corner, leaving Chili with a healthy gap. But Hodgson, Walker and Haga started to close and, with temperatures near 40 degrees, the Dunlops on Chili and Haga’s bikes started to fade. But with 0.7s gap on the last lap it looked too large a gap for the home town heroes but a huge slide at Coppice threw Frankie up into the air. He landed back in the seat but by the time he had recovered it was too late and the Brits muscled past for a fantastic one-two. “It’s like a dream come true for me - I can’t believe it,” said Hodgson, “i don’t know what to say, probably for the first time in my life I am speechless after a race.” Points: Edwards 164, Haga 141, Chili 140, Corser 95, Yanagawa 79.

Deep iP

the heart of TeKas KEVIN Schwantz is in hard training for the Australian Safari in August. The former SOOcc world champion will race a Suzuki DRZ400 in the 5000km event.

oJCo

26 May 2000 stop I was just ready to get to the flag but during the pit a valve came loose so I had to comet back in for them to fix it. I was disap pointed but was still trying to get back up front be cause my car was just so fast." F o r Andretti, the victory marked his 39th career CART win.

Mikey's Lucky Str

By PHIL MORRIS MICHAEL Andretti's 'luck' finally took a positive spin in Japan. Juan Montoya, who had led 172 of the 201 lap race, encountered a bizarre boost problem in the pits, handing the lead and the victory of the rain-delayed Motegi race to the veteran driver. Andretti (Ford Lola) fin ished ahead of Dario Franchitti and Roberto Moreno. "For once, luck went our way," said a delighted Andretti. "It was a day when everything went gi-eat. This

thing is definitely not over. “We're only 36 points out and we have 16 races left, which used to be a whole season for us. There are a lot of points out there. It just feels good to get back up here [on the podium]." Although he ulti mately finished sev enth, it was Montoya (Toyota Lola) who dominated the race around the 1.549mile Twin Ring Motegi track.

He should have won: Brack (above) dominated practice but Andretti came through to win. Vasser (below) is so talented that he can drive his car backwards, apparently...

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The victory Starting from the pole, also allowed Andi’etti to estab the young lish a CART record for most Colombian consecutive seasons with at kept the field least one victory (13), break at bay lap after lap and ing a tie with Rick Mears. seemed headed for an easy Further, he moved into a tie victoiy. with A1 Unser for third place But things began to on the all-time Champ Car unravel when he made his career victory list while final pit stop on lap 174. In becoming the fourth different a strange turn of events, winner in as many FedEx the vent hose caught on the Championship Series events pop-off valve which pulled this season. the connection from the The race was delayed one electronic pop-off valve. day due to rain, but 65,000 Montoya was forced to pit again two laps later for , fans returned under sunny skies to watch the event. repairs, effectively elimi Franchitti (Honda nating him from any Reynai’d), who stared in 17th chance of winning. "I had such a great car position on the grid drove a today, it was so fast," brilliant race to finish second. Montoya said. "It was just For a moment it looked as awesome. After my last pit though he would take the win

as he made a hard charge with fom- laps to go. "I made a small mistake on said the last restart, Franchitti who was recording his first podium finish of the season. "I went high in Turn 4 to try and get a run on Michael but.got too high out of the groove and lost ground as a result." Moreno (Ford Reynai'd) fin ished third. It was his second podium effort of the season and moved him into a tie for second place in the driver points with Jimmy Vasser (Toyota Lola), who did not score at all after finishing 21st. Both have 42 points. "We had been quick all weekend," Moreno said. "The team came here quick straight out of the box and it stayed quick. The only hiccup we had was our last set of tyres, which were not as good as the others on restarts." Paul (Honda Tracy Reynard) continues to lead the championship with 56 points following a sixth-place finish, his fourth consecutive top-six finish this season. Cristiano da Matta (Toyota Reynard) finished fourth, his second such position. Kenny Brack (Ford Reynard) round ed out the top 10 after domi nating practice and qualifying second in his back-up car. Returning after a testing accident, Shinji Nakano delighted the hometown fans

by finishing 14th. Points: Tracy 56, Vasser, Moreno 42, Papis, da Matta 25,Fernandez 23,de Feiran 22,Andretti Franchitti 20, Tagliani 18.

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26 May 2000

BMW wins Brabham takes second at Silverstone ‘ELMS’

and with smoke trailing dog - BMW’s V12 LMR - behind the Audi, he made his cautious way round the track, yet, after JJ Lehto and crossing the line for third Jorg Muller won the place. Silverstone round of the I didn't know where I was ELMS. - I'm very happy to be third,” After struggling all week he said. In the meantime end Lehto and Muller made O’Connell stopped by the side steady progress through the of the track, promoting the field, using clever fuel strate second Audi to fourth, with gy and clean pit work to take DAMS’s Cadillac fifth and the the lead. Pescarolo Courage C52 sixth For Aussie David Brabham, in a race they regarded as it was a case of ‘what might pm’ely a Le Mans test. have been’. His Panoz had the Another team who were pace to win the event but had looking on this as a Le Mans to settle for second after his test session was ORECA, team was out-maneuvered in whose two Chrysler Vipers sailed through effortlessly to pit strategy by the BMW out fit and the car suffered power take first and second places in the GTS category. Olivier steering problems. In a race full of surprises, Beretta and Karl Wendlinger Muller had not even been took their third victory of the aware that he was leading in season, with Donohue and Archer a comfortable second. the final laps. Dick Barbour Racing took “I have to say that the team did a fantastic job. Everyone class honours in the GT cate said we were sandbagging, gory for the third time this but that's not true - the car season, with Bob Wollek and was really bad to drive. For Sascha Maassen taking their sure, this was a team effort. It second win in a row in the Porsche 911 GT3-R. proves that major panic gives The next round is at the a good result!” Mimmo Niirburgring on July 9th. In Poleman Schiatarella, in the Rafanelli the meantime,Le Mans... Lola B2K,led when the lights went green, staying ahead of a charging Brabham. But a broken throttle cable sent the Lola back to the pits after seven laps, and the team was victor in round eight. GABRIELE Tarquini made sure never again in contention. The start was the key to success every manufacturer has won a Brabham inherited the for Ford's Rickard Rydell. The round of the 2000 British Touring lead, which he kept until Swede,second on the grid alongside Car Championship when he took Allan McNish,in the Audi R8,_ team-mate Alain Menu, was quicker Honda's first win of the year in slipped past him in heavy off the line and headed the field into round eight at Knockhill. traffic. After a safety car peri The Accord driver led from the the first comer, Duffus. Menu was od on lap 22, while the DAMS close behind but could not fend off green light to the chequered flag to Cadillac was pulled out of the claim the win. Earlier Ford scored the 1998 BTCC champ's challenge. gravel, the pit-stops started Fellow Ford man Reid, however, another 1r2-3 finish, with Rickard for fuel and tyres. From this suffered from wheelspin at the start Rydell beating team-mates Alain point onwards, the differing and bogged Menu and Anthony Reid to win round strategies of the teams came down which seven. into play, with Brabham opt ailowed Matt Neal took two victories in the ing for a single fuel stop com Tarquini to Michelin Cup for Independents while pared to most car's two stops. the Class B honours were shared pull alongside “It didn't work,” he admit between Mark Lemmer, who won to chailenge ted after-wards, when the carfor third round seven, and Alan Morrison, finished second behind the BMW. “We went the wrong way - perhaps, with a differ ent fuel strategy we could have won.” Brabham and Magnussen were also struggling with a car which had lost power steering in the early stages of the race. “I just kept on - it takes time to adapt to the dif ferent feel of the car-, but then it was OK,” said the Aussie. McNish built up a comfort able lead by mid-race but his team-mate Capello dropped back slightly, but the car eventually regained the lead. “I had picked up something on the tyi-e, and it got better,” he said. After the final splash and dash, Capello emerged close behind second-placed Johnny O'Connell’s Panoz, with Muller's BMW in the lead. On the final lap, everything changed. “I knew something was wrong with the car, either a tyre or the suspen sion, but I didn't have radio contact,” Capello explained. “So I came into the pits, and they waved me through, Different Kaliber; Tarquni took his first win at Knockhill. If Muller (inset) telling me it was the last lap.” wins the title will just be be mistaken for Mick Molloy? (Photos ty sutton and Bothweii) The car gave way, however. THERE’S life in the old

Honda

Something o!d, something new: Brabham’s 2000 Panoz and McNish’s ’99 Audi turned on a great battle before Muller and Lehto (L) steamed by, aided by great BMW pit work.

breakthrough

place. The pair went into the plunging Duffus side-by-side and touched which sent Tarquini's Accord into retirement. The Safety Car appeared at the end of the first lap. Rydell got the jump at the re-start, two laps later, and was never headed for the remainder of the 22 laps, despite a mid-race challenge by Menu. Tarquini dominated the Feature, fending off Menu for much of the race to win by 3s. Eight laps from the end Menu lost control of his Mondeo at Duffus and spun into retirement, promoting James TJiompson to second. But Thompson lost his first podium of 2000 after his Honda failed a ride-height check after the race. ^ Rydell was promoted to second from Reid, who had started from ninth on the grid but charged through the field. The unluckiest driver of the day was Vauxhall's Jason Plato, who came off worst when four cars all went into the hairpin on the first lap. Only three emerged up the start-finish straight and Plato's Vectra was left stranded in the gravel trap. He eventually dragged it out but by that time was nearly a lap down and had to play catch up for the remainder of the race, finishing a creditable eighth. Neal took his second Michelin Cup victory of the day, finishing fifth overall. Neal was passed early on by Reid and Muller but held off Radermecker for much of the race. In Class B, Morrison (Peugeot 306) gained revenge over Lemmer to further strengthen his lead at the top of the table. Points: Menu and Rydell 79, Reid 77, Muller 72, Plato 63,Tarquini 52, Radermecker 27, Neal 25, Kristensen 23, Blair 17,Thompson 10, Leslie 5, Kox2.

V8s for’01 BTCC? THE British Touring Car Championship should adopt the same rulebook as the new-look DTM, according to one of the bosses of the(^rman series. DTM rules man Michael Bemai’d believes there’s no reason the combi nation of V8 engines, rear-wheel drive and spaceframe-chassis shouldn’t work in Britain. “We know from experience that the DTM is more cost-effective than Super Touring,” said Bernard, for mer technical chief at Opel. “In Super Touring we would spend £50,000 ($130,000) to gain one tenth. You cannot do that with our formula because there are no loopholes in the regulations.” Opel motorsport boss Volker Strycek claimed that the marque could run eight Astra Coupes in this year’s DTM for the same cost as its three-car attack on the 1999 German Super Touring Championship. The German formula has never been considered for next year’s BTCC, but Honda Motor Europe sports boss William de Braekeleer believes it could have been had the timing been right. “There’s agreement that the only viable way of ensming a full BTCC grid for 2001 is to adopt a formula akin to Super Production, something that already exists," he said. "If we’d had the same discussions eight months ago then I think DTM rules could have been considered.” The new owners ofBTCC organiser TOCA are considering two different options for next year’s series. One is the adoption of a formffia somewhere between Super Touring and Super Production that would result in a cut in lap times of about 6s. The second proposal is to intro duce the so-called Superstars cate gory based around V6 and V8engined machinery. -GARY WATKINS

" 26Mdy2000

Midnightfeasts, heaven and hell and living dangerously

he other day at midnight I was flicking through the many TV channels to which the satellite dish now gives access and, out there amidst the religious networks, the unwatchable twaddle from Libya and the channel which shows episodes of ‘Friends’ dubbed into Polish, I stumbled on a new one called the Nuvolari Channel. It was all about old racing cars. One can only presume that the owners of the Nuvolari Channel were out picking flowers one day in Tuscany and stumbled into a barn which was full of cans of old film about motor racing in the 1920s and 1930s. To this they have added lots of rallying footage (which is pretty cheap at the moment) and they will now be able to run it over and over again until it becomes as familiar as episodes of ‘Friends'. The modern demand for television programming has no bounds and, according to the current line of thinking, it does not matter whether you have singing chefs, stripping housewives. Formula 1 or The Muppets. All that matters is that the screen never goes blank and people have something to look at between the advertisements. Quality has rather suffered. The other day the Arrows team‘s new sponsor UPC announced that it has plans to make 750 hours (an entire month) of original new programming for the various TV channels it operates. Creating new programs is now cheaper than buying old^ films. Six and a half hours of this will be a behind-the-scenes documentary about the Arrows Formula 1 team. Coming soon, no doubt, we wiil have a soap opera called ‘Bernie‘s World’, a sitcom called ‘Going Round in Circles’(complete with canned laughter as Flavio Briatore walks in with his hat on backwards). Before you know it Eddie Jordan will have his own talk show. And if that is not endiess programming I do not know what is. Afew years 1 had an Italian barber whoback never stopped talking about Ferrari. He. will probably end up with his own TV channel one day. “You know Nuvolari?” he asked me one day as he clipped away. “Magnificent! He was the best of all time. He never gave up. Never. You know what he was? He was the romance of motor racing.” Enzo Ferrari, a vicious judge of drivers, who knew them all from Felice Nazarro to Ayrton Senna, was once asked who was the greatest. “There’s no answer,” he replied, “but if you want me to name names, you could say that Tazio Nuvolari and Stirling Moss had similar styles. They were both men who put everything they had into racing with any kind of car, in any circumstances and on any track.” Even his greatest rival Achille Varzi was forced to admit it. “Nuvolari,’ he said, “was the boldest most skilful madman of us ail.”

It was like this: David Coulthard has made a remarkable return to racing remarkable to everyone except him and other FI drivers. The spirit of Tazio Nuvolari lives on; the ‘tourist’ at the Nuvolari memorial is Emanuele Pirro.

Edwards was in the paddock over the weekend. ‘They keep bringing it back every year,” he said. ‘‘I really do not understand why. It was a long time ago.” What was it that captured the public imagination about the crash? it was not the fact that men rushed into flames to rescue their rivals. That often happened in the 1960s and 1970s. The only possible explanation is that the story became part of motor racing folklore not because of what happened but because Lauda fought back from horrible bums to return to racing within six weeks of being given the Last Rites. And a year later went on to win the World Championship for a second time. at accident was the end for

To _ G rand Prix racing on the old

Nuvolari was so loved by his generation that 50,000 people watched his funeral cortege. His tomb in Mantova is inscribed simply; “You’ll race still quicker on the highways of heaven”. The irony, of course, is that in an era when all the top drivers died at the wheel, the bravest man who took the most risks died peacefully in his bed. As a child he jumped off a roof with a homemade parachute. Later he bought a crashed Bleriot aeroplane, reassembled it and tried to make it fly. It crashed and caught fire. He took up motorcycle racing soon after World War I (during which he had served as an ambulance driver). His life was nothing if not action-packed. Nuvolari was tiny, under five foot four. He had dark, piercing eyes, a toothy grin and a jutting jaw. Once when he was hospitalised he received a telegram from the Vatican and the well-known Italian poet and nationalist Gabriele D’Annunzio presented him with a golden tortoise pendant. It became Nuvolari’s badge and appeared on his writing paper. In 1947 he drove his last great race, the Mille Miglia. Against far more powerful cars he led the race until his engine cut because of rain. Clemente Biondetti took the victory. “I did not win,” admitted Biondetti later, “I merely finished first. The just and desen/ing winner is Nuvolari, the greatest racing driver in the world.”

It is hard to imagine a driver of the modem generation saying such a thing of a rival. And even if they said it you would not believe them. “I think Nuvolari was born to drive,” Rene Dreyfus mused. “He was so instinctive, his reflexes were uncanny and he seemed to do everything right. We all tried to emulate him a little, but it didn't work.” the Afew daysChannel after discovering Nuvolari it was time to head off to the Nurburgring, the scene of Nuvolari’s greatest victory 65 years ago where he beat nine of the best racing cars of the era from Mercedes and Auto Union in an outdated Scuderia Ferrari Alfa Romeo. On Saturday morning the radio in the my hotel room at the Nurburgring snapped on at some eariy hour and I awoke to the sound of Belinda Carlisle singing: “Ooh, heaven is a place on earth”. I smiled and rolled over. I was in motor racing heaven. The hotel is right alongside the old circuit, far enough away from any village to be almost a Schumi Fan Free Zone. There are beautiful views, there is basic but wholesome food and a rather gay waiter. But out of my hotel room window I can see a gap between the trees, about 100 metres away and there I know is a piece of tarmac on which magic was done and where legends were created. The locals call the Nurburgring ‘the

Green Hell’ but I think I prefer Ms Carlisle’s interpretation the 14 miles of tarmac, wiggling in and out of the valleys was where the wizards on wheels like Nuvolari did their conjuring tricks. In the modern world in which an insurance company can sponsor a Formula 1 team it seems rather unlikely that such a place could ever have existed but it is still there and if you buy a ticket you can drive around it and marvel at what motor racing used to be like. “We used to race anywhere and everywhere,” the great Denny Hulme once told me.“We didn’t take any notice of the trees, power poles and rocks. We just raced. If you looked back now you’d say we were bloody stupid but we didn’t know any better. Now we have the most incredibly hygienic circuits you have ever seen. Some people criticise them. They say it’s terribly boring motor racing. Yes, compared to the old Nurburgring, I suppose it is. “But,” he added, “it’s better than going to a funeral every Tuesday morning.” To the modem generations the Nurburgring is best known as the place where Niki Lauda crashed in 1976 and was dragged from his burning car by his colleagues Brett Lunger, Arturo Merzario, Harald Ertl and Guy Edwards. The crash was in the news again last week because of a re-enactment of the crash being filmed for a BBC TV documentary called ‘Living Dangerously*.

Ring. It was impossible to make it safe enough to ensure that marshals could get to a crash quickly enough to save a driver. The unbelievable grandeur of the place was the cause of its downfall, Lauda’s comeback was all the more exceptional because for many drivers a big accident is the end of their career. They realise that they are mortal. Others are not affected. And some drive even faster than they used to do because they reaiise what a frail thing life is and how easy it is for them to be kilied. And rather than scaring them it focuses their minds on what they want to achieve. When David Coulthard scrambled out of the aeroplane crash recently many in the modem world of F1 mused about whether it would affect his performance. David said it would not. A little later he reflected that he felt it had made him stronger and it seemed in qualifying at the Nurburgring that it had. Could it be that this year David Coulthard will finally emerge from the shadow of Mike Hakkinen and show that he has broken through into the really big time? It will be fascinating to see. Perhaps UPC should make a fly-on-the-wall documentary about David, rather than the orange and black gang. Six and a half hours about Arrows might become a little tedious. But, then again, a warts and all documentary about David is unlikely to be suitable viewing for all the family, They would have to show it after midnight...

16 26 May 2000

£AS,

Parity Lost and found the Valley f the Hidden

Report by GERALD McDORNAN

he Shell Champion ship Series' trip to

Darwin proved to be an interesting one, despite the lack of pass ing on the track.

care but I do know that more needs to be done to make it less processional. Thank god no one got hurt but if it was n't for the carnage...

Practice and

Qualifying

EEveryone used the nine 'theelse more things Parity was the main issue change, the more they stay leading up to and during the the same' so we might as with the VT race well... Commodores trimmed of The more things change in 100mm from the undertray. -V8 Supercars, the more they The Ford teams weren't comappear to stay the same, plaining but they still with the HRT Commodores weren't overly happy, sajdng of Lowndes and Skaife, the change wasn t enough Respite the 100mm cut from and, at a track like Hidden' uhd'ertray, pretty much Valley, it wouldnt be notice- dominating practice and qualifying. Naturally, the Holden dri It was, perhaps, to be vers- said they had more hxpected with the undertray understeer through the turn modifications not really but the final result added meaning a great deal, if anyanother win to the string of thing, at this circuit, totals the VT has. all eyes were centred That said, the Ford teams on the timing monitors to appeared to be on the come- gee if 'parity' was being back but was that because achieved and, if you counted of the changes, or more the number of cars in the top thanks to the fact they've iQ or top 20, and thought a worked a little harder or 50-50 split of VTs and AUs thanks to the new meant parity between the Bridgestone tyre being suitmakes, then you would have ed a little better to the been fairly much satisfied Falcon than the last? after qualifying. Who knows? If you'd listen ■Despite the numbers. to the Holden guys you'd though, the politicking have one reason, and the behind the scenes was Ford's the opposite. Sitting incredible and quite timefrom where I was, I didn't consuming, almost making

the action on track sec ondary to the in-pit races. Although sitting on the front row, the HRT pair did n't have completely untrou bled runs, Skaife spearing off a few times in practice and Lowndes's early run ending with power steering failure. But when the time came to put the new mbber on they were right on the money, making the most of their opportunities. “Things were moving fair ly quickly out there,” Lowndes said later. “On my first run of tyres I sat it on pole and then pit ted to watch and while I was sitting there I dropped to 10th. “Thankfully, the second lap was a good, clean one and we were able to put it back on the front row.” Skaife was just as happy, although he said a major error coming onto the front straight cost him pole. “I went off six or seven times in practice I was try ing that hard but the bal ance of the car was good and I'm happy where I am,” Skaife said. Parity, of course, meant if you've got two Holdens on the front row, then two Falcons had to be on the second row... and they were with John Bowe and Glenn Seton lining up in third and

Looking for a clean sweep; Tender got the best of the start in Race 3 and he and Skaife now have a healthy lead. Bet Skalfey didn’t have to sweep the garage, though ... (Kiynsmith)

fourth.

Bowe and the CAT team continued with their resurgence, although John was quite matter-of-fact during the press conference, saying the changes to the Commodore meant nothing, especially if Skaife had made mistakes on his qualifying lap to make

the front row. “My lap was as good as any I've ever done so I'm glad Mark made that mis take, otherwise we’d be so far behind,” the former Shell Series champion said. Touche... Championship challenger Garth Tander qualified his car sixth, right next to Mark

Larkham's Mitre 10 AU, Tander struggling a little after a solid test at the 'sim ilar' Winton on the previous Monday. Larko was natural ly pleased to be included in the top five quahfiers press conference and was looking for a solid result on race day. Paul Radisich qualified the lead Shell Helix Falcon in seventh although a problem with rear traction, something which has con stantly plagued him, contin ued to be a drama. “We're struggling with traction but I also made a mistake on my hot lap going into the hairpin and ran wide, costing me time, so I'm pleased we ended up sev enth.” While the Rat was not overly excited but 'pleased' about qualifying, it was quite the opposite to Steven Johnson. Junior just strug-

Cause and effect; Lowndes looked steady in Race 2 until he picked up debris and ran wide, allowing Tander through, it was a case of more of the same in the final outing, a tyre going down and beaching the number 1 HRT VT. (pnotos by oirk Kiynsmith and James smith)

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26 May 2000

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I see red, I see red, I see red: Race 1 looked ominous, with Skaife leading Lowndes for a 1-2. But the weekend didn’t quite work out like that, with Skaife, Tender and Seton getting to compare Oakleys on the podium.(Photos by Dirk Kiynsmith) gled from the beginning and slow practice times saw him listed in the bottom 50 percent for qualifying. Johnson hoped his weekend couldn't

get worse but it did... I just can't find any grip with the car and, by being in the slow gi'oup for qualifying, it just made things worse,”

Bargs cleans up: Bargwanna is keeping his chin up despite a tough start to the season. The battle among the privateers was entertaining, as always. (Photos by Dirk Kiynsmith)

●c

he lamented. “When I had my one chance on the new tyres, I got baulked... they [the bot tom 50 percent] just don't know you're coming like the faster guys do.” With good form coming out Eastern Creek, Russell Ingall was expecting good things in Darwin and, after concentrating on race set-up early, the #8 Commodore found itself listed second quickest after practice. Hidden Valley appeared to be living up to expectations, until Ingall was baulked on his fast lap in qualifying and, despite improving on his practice time by 4/lOths, he found himself well back in eighth. Team - mate and boss, Larry Perkins was a little over a second off the front row, but back in 18th. That's the closeness of the category, so measuring parity is made that little bit harder. Performances by Tony Longhurst, Greg Murphy and John Faulkner were notable with the three run ning solidly in ninth, 10th and 11th - all 'reborn' through a variety of reasons - while Paul Weel and Brad Jones in 14th and 15th put in their best qualifying runs to date. As with any other race.

some teams were struggling with front grip, others with the rear, but qualifying proved to be fairly much of a much-ness with most ending up where they belonged, although some didn't run to potential and form. Parity count: Top 10 Holdens 5, Falcons 5; Top 20 - Holdens 9, Falcons 11.

>■

Race 1-18 laps For Larry's boys, it was Everyone wasexcitement' hoping forin a little more just something else, the Darwin than we've seen in team having changed an recent times with the three engine after the morning race sprint format. warm-up when a piston And, while we got a few broke. The troops made the moments of excitement subsequent engine swap throughout the first race, it with 10 minutes to spare. all ran pretty much to plan._ If anyone wanted some for many, surely adding real drama (apart from a weight to discussion regard false start) they got it soon ing changes in the format. after the race actually got At the beginning we got a underway when, heading little something when the towards the third turn, starter made a mistake, giv Richards dived in deep, got ing the green light too quick on the grass and turned ly, with only half the cars himself around, taking thundering off. Positions Bargwanna and Radisich, everywhere changed but the amongst a few others, out. red flag flew moments later For Ford's great hope and we had to do it all gggjjj y Radisich, his first race was A concern for Perkihs done almost before it began. Richards was pretty cir reared its head not long cumspect about the dramas after when, on the second which he began; “I made a warm-up lap, his car would mistake and went in too far, n't start, necessitating a

push start - a! dull battery the cause.

then got hard on the brakes to avoid hitting the cars in front. When it put wheels in the dirt it just went ai’ound.” Perkins, who was also affected, was a little more concerned. “The driving standards out there are abysmal,” he said later. Bargwanna was left won dering what he had to do to get his Valvoline/Cummins Commodore up the front in qualifying to avoid being in the wrong places at the wi'ong time. “I just got hit in the rear, I don't know by who, and it broke the rear wheel,” he lamented. Sadly for Bargs, it just got worse... Out in front, as usual, things were fairly settled Continued pn page ]8

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Looks like ve are ze convoy having “We've got ourselves a convoy and V8 Supercars roll into Darwin'screamed the : headlines on the front page : ofthe city's major daily ' newspaper last Friday, while : reporting on the parade of i transpoiiers through the city centre. The report and j headhnes were fine. The : public support ofand i reaction to the parade was ' terrific. But,there was one n veiy nrajor slip up-the ; photo ofthe transporter they i showed was,in fact, a ; normal’TNT ear freighter i that was canying a Porsche

I on top!

i . JBIA worrying sign spotted ; in the credentials ofiBce rcarried a warningfor aU to ‘look outfor Australia's serial pest,Peter Hore. The sign !featured photos ofthe ' difi'erent'looks' Hore has used to get in other major ' events around the nation, 'along with pictures ofhis tattoos.It was said that Hore ; was actually caught within i jthe circuit and was ejected before he.eould perform any of his acts, as he was in [ Adelaide for the recent 500. : BJohn Faulkner's crew j got the award for most road I kills on the near4i000 km I trip to Darwin, with the total n reaching i!7. The count j included four kangaroos, i three sheep,one small cow I fold nine birds! Thankfully, the Darwin trip was the last for the now substantially fiinded Asia Online team's I battle-scarred truck with a j new Volvo prime mover I puUing the team's ; transporter to the next round ^/in Canberra. I 5B.The trip to Darwin also [ proved to be tough for HRTs chef, Andrew Crawford, who : rode his BMW motorcycle up I the Oodnadatta track, i.Crawford took a 120 kmh I tumble on a river ford near i Mataranka. Thankfully, he ; survived the fall and made it to Dmwn to feed the troops. .■ For the first time, AVESCO has made available to interested fans the radio frequencies of all the race teams. Listening to team 'banter' via scanners is a popular part of Winston Cup NASCAR racing in the US although it is doubtful Winston Cup drivers would have as colourful conversations with their crews as would some of our own drivers. The new frequencies for each team at

each race will be available from the www.v8supercar.com.au website.

n AVESCO's planned V8 Supercar sim game being designed for Playstation is still a little over a year away thanks to the introduction of the soon-to-be-released P2 Playstation format. The game had been closed to release prior to Sony's decision to release the new format console earlier this yeaTi n What, no record crowd? After seeing record attendance figures at what seemed hke every V8 event for the last three years, AVESCO's numbers for this year's race at Hidden Valley -32,547 spectators for the three days-were around 500 lower than in 1999. n “Race ofthe Year’, the Chpsal 500 in Adelaide,is already being promoted strongly, especially in the north with a number of promotional girls present at Darwin handing out brochures for the 2001 race. 'The brochm-es were promoting a price freeze on tickets for the next year's race aroimd the streets in Adelaide, provided they are purchased by the end of June. n Steve Elleiy had a new engine man on board at Darwin. Craig Hasted, current Australian R’o Stock Champion,is preparing the Supercheap team's engines for the rest ofthe season. Hasted, a Ford speciahst, runs a T-Bird in the quarter mile discipline. n Steven Richards may have had other things on his mind in Darwin.Since Eastern Creek wife Angela started the third generation to the racing dynasty, Cla3ton James Richards arriving more or less on time (and not with 100mm shced off anywhere). Apparently three teams already claim to have an option on the Mttle tacker for Bathurst 2022. Congi’ats to all. ■ Speaking of young’uns Layton Crambook was back racing HQs at the Valley. The 1999 star V8 Supercar rookie ran 5-3-3-7 in the four races, while Phil ‘Splitpin’ Brock was also in the 35-pluscar field. - GERALD MCDORNAN

Reminiscing: Layton Crambrook. (Phoio by oirk Kiynsmuhi

.T—-

;

The Deep North; The was a big field of V8s to take on the northern heat in front of a good, but not great, crowd. (Kiynsmith) Continuedfrom page 17 with Skaife leading from the start ahead of Lowndes, Seton, Tander, Longhurst and others - only Bowe real ly having troubles, with the CAT Falcon running on six cylinders, a problem which eventually dropped him to 21st.. Weel's early race perfor mance was noted by many with the KJ Radiators AU running strongly In ninth before a split oil cooler helped turn him around and out of the picture. When Weel was running back in the pack, a little leaning on Paul Romano turned the embattled Queensland driver around this race reputed to be Romano's last until the team can regroup - the result see ing cars spearing off every where. Mark Poole wasn't so lucky, the John Deere Commodore hitting

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

Driver Craig Lowndes Mark Skaife John Bowe Gienn Seton Mark Larkham Garth Tander Paul Radisich Russell Ingall Tony Longhurst Greg Murphy John Faulkner Neil Crompton Craig Baird Paul Weel Brad Jones Jason Bargwanna Steven Richards Larry Perkins Steve Ellery Cameron McLean Mick Donaher Mark Poole Dugal McDougal! Cameron McConville Steve Reed Paul Morris Rodney Forbes Steven Johnson Anthony Tratt Trevor Ashby Paul Romano Peter Doulman Chris Smerdon Alan Heath Mike Imrie

Romano's and tearing the front splitter of Romano's VS Commodore, the unit jam ming in the front of Poole's car and necessitating a trip to the pits to tear it off. You would think, it being a VS front that didn't have the 100mm taken out, Poole might have kept it where it was... By just on half race dis tance, the first 18 lapper had seemingly settled down and the HRT cars continued with their systematic running of races, “rhe lead bunch, which included Skaife, Lowndes, Seton, Tander, Larkham and n Ingall, at least provided some moments where the pressure applied was firm but not forcefiil. A little pressure from Larkham had the Mitre 10 Falcon leaning on Tander's car for a moment although subsequent smoke out the GRM VT was from a failing gearbox seal and not from a rubbing tyre. \

After his fourth place fin ish, Tander was fairly posi tive about what lay ahead during the rest of the day. “If I can get past Seton, then I should have a good chance of running with the other [HRT] two,” Tander forecast. How right he proved to be. Seton was pleased with his third, the FTR Falcon having qualified strongly and given the factory Ford driver more hope for another strong result from the round follow ing thirds at Adelaide and Eastern Creek. The ‘second’ group of lead ers which included Tony Longhurst, Greg Murphy, Steve EUery, John Faulkner and Brad Jones. While happy with his finish, Murphy is still fhistrated by the fact that he's constantly running a few lOths off the pace in the sprint races. Jones, who really doesn't like anything but winning, was content with the

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Car HRT Comnriodore VT HRT Commodore VT CAT Falcon AU FTR Falcon AU Mitre 10 Falcon AU Valvoline Commodore VT Shell Helix Falcon AU Castrol Commodore VT Caltex Havoline Falcon AU Kmart Commodore VT Asia Online Commodore VT FTR Falcon AU Pirtek Falcon AU K&J Thermal Falcon AU OzEmail Falcon AU Valvoline Commodore VT Kmart Commodore VT Castrol Commodore VT Supercheap Falcon AU Greenfield Mowers Falcon AU Ultra Tune TDK Commodore VS John Deere Commodore VT Pepsi Commodore VT Autopro Commodore VT Optus/PPG Commodore VS Big Kev Commodore VS Wynn’s Commodore VT Shell Helix Falcon AU Toll Falcon AU Optus/PPG Commodore VS Beaumont Tiles Commodore VS Gatorade Commodore VT E-Wine Commodore VT Salvation Army Falcon EL Morgan Motors Commodore VT

s Time 1:08.6062 1:08.6767 1:08.8415 1:09.0000 1:09.0320 1:09.0530 1:09.1488 1:09.1562 1:09.3320 1:09.3372 1:09.3814 1:09.4001 1:09.4214 1:09.4657 1:09.6100 1:09.6636 1.09.7283 1:09.8078 1:09.8183 1:10.0582 1:10.1173 1:10.1344 1:10.3197 1:10.3836 1:10.4310 1:10.4505 1:10.4594 1:10.4637 1:10.8458 1:10.9518 1:10.9726 1:11.1335 1:11.4361 1:12.2185 1:13.1999

OzEmail team advancing at each round. They will be a team to be reckoned as the year wears on. Come Bathurst, watch out... Of note was Johnson's charge from 28th to finish 13th. While still not happy with the Shell Helix AU, Johnson was, at least, smil ing a little as the result was earned through perseverance and hard work, giving him a little faith in the job he's doing. “The cai-'s no better but, at least, I'm not down where I was,” was his fi-ank offering. Also putting in a strong, creditable performance was Dugal McDougaU. The Pepsibacked driver in the third Perkins Commodore finished in 12th, ahead of the more fancied Johnson and Baird. McDougall's day continued on with much of the same and the Pepsi camp cracked a few cans of the bubbly at the end of the day... Other performance of note was Anthony Tratt's 14th place finish in the Toll AU, having started in 29th, Tratt apparently finding his way past almost the same people as Johnson. Parity count: Top 10 Holdens 6, Falcons 4; Top 20 - Holdens 10 (inc two VS), Falcons 10.

The turned second out 18like lapper Eastern much Creek's first race, pretty uneventful in the true scheme of things. Up the front, the leading bunch all made solid starts, with Tander moving past Seton to run into third. The race was settled, fairly much until mid-race and then, only for a few fleeting moments, did anything happen. The interest at the begin ning was how far forward Radisich, Bargwanna, Perkins, Richards and others would get, charging from the real’ of the grid. It didn't take long to see how Richards and Bargs would do, with the two entangled in an incident with Mike Imrie's Commodore. Again, Richards was out, although Bargs solContinued on page 20

Smoke gets in your eyes: After his Eastern Creek win Paul Radisich was favoured by many but The Rat had a shocker. Here his Helix AU struggles in with a blown tyre.

26 May 2000

●J,

Lateral thinker: Despite losing 100mm worth of downforce John Faulkner had his best outing of the year in the Asia Online Commodore.

Palm Pilot: Seton is heading in the right direction in the Ford Tickford AU. Can a win be far away? (Photo by Dirk Kiynsmith)

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20 26 May 2000 Continuedfrom page 18 diered on to finish a strong 15th and Imrie 25th. Radisich moved through the field to finish 16th, just three places behind team mate Johnson's car. Some excitement came on the second lap when Ingall's car lost power and the cham pionship contender slowed dramatically. Ingall's race was run and he was heading towards the'pits when, while tiying to keep out of the way, Cameron McConville's Autopro Commodore used the front of Ingall's car as the comer apex - the yellow and red VT flying high in a spin, out of the race! Things settled down from there, up until the ninth lap when Tander went past Lowndes into second when the 31 HRT Commodore put a wheel off the track in turn four, the mistake actually destroying the rubber and leaving Lowndes to slide around on the rim to the pits. The resulting pit stop in a short sprint race also meant Lowndes had no chance to regroup, finally finishing in 22nd. l The order didn't really change up the front, although a number of places did towards the end of the top 10. Faulkner took advantage of Lowndes and IngaU's demise, moving from 10th to sixth, Murphy moved up a spot to seventh, while we also had Baird bringing the Pirtek car up from' 14th to eighth. Crompton also finished in the top 10, having started in 18th. Ellery continuing with his ninth place result from the first race. Whi,le the shuffling was nice the race, honestly, didn't stimulate the mind... The biggest news coming out of the second race was how the track surface was again breaking up in the fourth tm-n and the hairpin, with many saying that, while it wasn't as bad as last year, at that point, it certainly did require everyone to be more precise. Oh, by the way, parity count: Top 10 - Holdens 4, Falcons 6; Top 20 - Holdens 8, Falcons 12.

Race 3-18 laps Tander last race wonand thefor start theinfirst the time this weekend we had a car other than a HRT 'VT out

front.

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Riasr 21,2 ilili

$M Ctiamptonship Series - Romid 6, HMdeti Race 1 (18 laps)

Fastest On Race time Driver 21:17.6196 1:10.0337 3 1 Mark Skaife 21:17.8830 1:10.0175 4 2 Craig Lowndes 21:18.8264 1:10.1912 6 3 Glenn Seton 21:18.8379 1:10.1077 2 4 l Garth Tender 21:19.2493 1:10.0286 4 5 Mark Larkham 21:19.7746 1:09.8916 4 6 Russell Ingall 21:20.7432 1:09.9146 6 7 Tony Longhurst 21:23.2553 1:10.3556 2 8 Greg Murphy 21:30.1979 1:10.3346 6 9 Steve Ellery 21:33.6040 1:10.4630 5 10 John Faulkner 21:37.1308 1:10.7226 12 11 Brad Jones 12 Dugai McDougall 21:43.1479 1:11.0528 11 21:44.2668 1:11.0803 7 13 Steven Johnson 21:49.1692 1:10.3802 11 14 Craig Baird 21:50.4581 1:11.3236 11 15 Anthony Tratt 21:53.7026 1:10.8148 2 16 Steve Reed 21:56.7308 1:11.3945 9 17 Rodney Forbes 21:56.8922 1:11.0148 11 18 Neil Crompton 22:03.0768 1:11.4777 9 19 Trevor Ashby 22:05.0819 1:11.5449 12 20 Mike Donaher 22:10.6898 1:12.7925 12 21 John Bowe 22:13.4342 1:11.9588 18 22 Alan Heath 22:29.7070 1:11.8095 6 23 Chris Smerdon 22:30.0996 1:13.3790 11 24 Mike Imrie 25 Mark Poole 17 laps 1:11.4396 4 DNF Cameron McConville 12 laps 1:11.5795 5 DNF Cameron McLean 8 laps 1:10.8926 7 DNF Paul Romano 6 laps 1:11.7540 5 DNF Paul Weel 6 laps 1:10.7907 4 1 lap 1:44.6096 1 DNF Larry Perkins DNF Steven Richards 0 laps DNF Paul Radisich 0 laps DNF Peter Doulman 0 laps DNF Paul Morris 0 laps 0 laps DNF Jason Bargwanna

Race 2(18 laps)

Race ti me Fastest On Driver 21:17.0160 1:10.1183 10 1 Mark Skaife 21:18.8647 1:10.0957 5 2 Garth Tander 21:22.8420 1:10.1141 5 3 Glenn Seton 21:23.9675 1:10.0741 4 4 Mark Larkham 21:25.0874 1:09.8779 4 5 Tony Longhurst 21:27.1828 1:10.0935 5 6 John Faulkner 21:27.5632 1:10.3248 6 7 Greg Murphy 21:28.3734 1:10.0547 4 8 Craig Baird 21:28.9413 1:10.1199 5 9 Steve Ellery 21:39.5904 1:10.9812 4 10 Neil Crompton 11 Dugai McDougall 21:39.8203 1:10.8280 7 21:40.9692 1:10.6704 7 12 Brad Jones 21:46.9414 1:11.2907 7 13 Steven Johnson 21:50.6539 1:10.8730 6 14 Larry Perkins 15 Jason Bargwanna 21:51.3854 1:10.8078 6 21:53.9442 1:10.7482 7 16 Paul Radisich 21:55.4969 1:11.4998 6 17 Mark Poole 21:55.7765 1:10.8085 6 18 John Bowe 22:00.2823 1:11.1015 5 19 Paul Weel 20 Cameron McLean 22:05.1806 1:11.0292 6 22:05.4925 1:11.8454 11 21 Paul Romano 22:12.6535 1:09.9178 13 22 Craig Lowndes 22:24.0167 1:12.2852 6 23 Chris Smerdon 24 Trevor Ashby 17 laps 1:11.2420 4 25 Mike Imrie 17 laps 1:13.9429 13 N/C Steve Reed 6 laps 1:11.4023 6 16 laps 1:11.5081 4 DNF Anthony Tratt DNF Paul Morris 14 laps 1:10.9550 10 DNF Alan Heath 13 laps 1:12.1717 12 7 laps 1:10.7975 5 DNF Rodney Forbes DNF Mike Donaher 6 laps 1:11.9050 4 DNF Steven Richards 4 laps 1:11.2788 2 2 laps 1:11.9040 2 DNF Russell Ingall DNF Cameron McConville 2 laps 1:12.3069 2 DNS Peter Doulman

Race 3(18 laps)

FastestOn Driver Race time 1 Garth Tapder :21:15.2371 1:10.1544 10 21:15.9145 1:10.0306 6 2 Mark Skaife 21:21.9792 1:10.3922 6 3 Mark Larkham 21:27.4518 1:10.1514 15 4 Glenn Seton 21:32.1861 1:10.6972 5 5 John Faulkner 21:33.7911 1:10.6616 7 6 Craig Baird 21:34.2059 1:10.5544 6 7 Greg Murphy 21:36.8626 1:10.8078 6 8 Neil Crompton 21:37.0377 1:10.5939 10 9 Larry Perkins 21:39.7019 1:10.4878 16 10 Russell Ingall 21:48.5004 1:11.5292 15 11 Steven Johnson 21:51.8345 1:10.9533 4 12 Brad Jones 21:52.4640 1:11.2768 3 13 Paul Morris 21:55.6448 1:11.4637 4 14 Trevor Ashby 21:56.9472 1:10.6727 14 15 Steve Ellery 16 Dugai McDougall 22:00.7938 1:10.7’714 6 22:09.6048 1:11.3571 3 17 PaulWeel 22:10.3660 1:12.2368 15 18 Chris Smerdon 22:13.6639 1:11.7717 6 19 Anthony Tratt 22:25.1318 1:12.6141 13 20 Alan Heath 21 Mike Imrie 17 laps 1:13.5378 13 22 Steven Richards 17 laps 1:10.4889 13 DNF John Bowe 15 laps 1:10.8063 3 10 laps 1:09.9977 6 DNF Craig Lowndes DNF Cameron McLean 6 laps 1:11.5061 6 6 laps 1:11.3163 3 DNF Tony Longhurst 4 laps 1:12.2918 3 DNF Rodney Forbes DNF Paul Radisich 2 laps 1:12.8143 2 1 lap 1:22.9389 1 DNF Jason Bargwanna DNF Mark Poole 1 lap 1:23.6852 1 DNS Steve Reed DNS Paul Romano DNS Peter Doulman DNS Mike Donaher DNS Cameron McConville

SCS points after Round five: Skaife 596, Tander 584, Seton 476, Radisich 403, Ingall 360, Lowndes 355, Longhurst 352, Murphy 339, Larkham 328, Johnson 312, Baird 299, Bowe 272, Bargwanna 266, Faulkner 252, Crompton 232, Richards 223, Perkins 194, Morris 186, Jones 130, Ellery 109, Weel 105, McDougall 100, Kelly 96, McConville 55, Forbes 54, McLean 43, Ashby 34, Reed 29, Mezera 22, Donaher 19, Poole 13, Tratt 12, Smerdon 4, Doulman 4, Romano 1, Heath 1. . looking at,” Tander said, Skaife tried hard to pass to make it a clean sweep but he couldn't find a way past, finally settling for the win on the day. “These sorts of tracks Darwin, Winton and Ipswich - have been our bogey tracks and it's only been with hard work that we've been able to get the result we wanted,” Skaife said, ■“I riied'hard to pass him in the last race but he drove exceptionally well and I couldn't get past.” Seton was delighted with I another strong result, while also being frank about the pressure on the FTR team, “It's no surprise to know I had a Bunsen burner under my backside ● following Wanneroo,” he said. The new tyi-e has thrown a lifeline to us and, with the championship only five races old, the series is far from over.' “We're now looking for ward to CanbeiTa. The track is new for everyone and if we've got a good chance for a win, it has to be there. For a little while' Faulkner's Asia Online car

Back in the pack things ran in front of Seton, were again desperate and, if . although the FTR Falcon this had been the AFL, there found its way past on the would have been plenty of ninth lap. The result for. players charged for being Faulkner on the day was his involved in a melee. What best ever SCS result, consisactually happened and who tent finishes giving him a hit who is still a little fifth place finish. Larkham finished in third, unclear, but the damage was the Mitre 10 driver taking a enough to end Radisich's day, Barg's day (if he hadn't ● fifth, fourth and third on the had enough anyway) and, day, much to his and the not long after, Bowe's. team's delight to claim Tander brol^e away to a litfourth on the day. tie bit of a lead but Skaife Longhurst had looked as reeled him in, although though he'd end up fifth but strong driving by the VCRT the Caltex Havoline AU driver kept him in front and headed to the pits just before took him on to win, quite half distance with engine surprisingly, his first race of , troubles - a disappointing end to what had been a the year. U It is a little of a surprisa strong weekend. , that it's taken this long to Murphy's day ended with actually win a race but another seventh, fellow kiwi championships are all Baird passing him for sixth about consistency, being during the run home with the there at every race and Pirtek AU, Murf still frusthat's what my team is trated by a lack of progress.

“I can't complain about the result on the day as it's the best we've had all year but we're still 3/lOths off the pace. We need some more speed for the sprint race'fe.” The demise of a few of the contenders early in the last race meant the charge to the front from some of the others who'd started down the back was a little easier - Ingall making it to 10th by the end of the race, having been up to 13th by lap nine - his late race charge slowed by strong battles with Jones's OzEmail and Johnson's Shell Helix Falcons. Lowndes also ran strongly early, up to 10th fi'om 22nd by the sixth lap, although a spin created tyre dramas, and another spin followed by a third into the sand totally finished him off. In the end, there really wasn't much racing and, had it not been for the carnage, the day would have -been quite uneventful. Commenting that the first and third races did provide some excitement, AVESCO's Tony Cochrane did say that the second race wasn't the greatest show: “The format will change radically in 2001, no doubt about that,” Cochrane said. “We worried about the mileage the cars are doing and creating too much extra expense for teams but we are looking at some major changes. We've got lots of new ideas, for next year.” Thanks again Tony... And, before we forget:.. Parity: Top 10 - Holdens 6, Falcons 4; Top 20 - Holdens 10 (inc one VS), Falcons 10 (inc one EL). For the day: Holden first and second. Ford third and fourth. Races': Holden - three ■ wins and three seconds. Falcons - three thirds. Parity? How do you mea sure it? Obviously, not in lots of 100mm. The next round-will be an unknown. It may also be 32 degrees in Canberra next month - farhenheit

ADELAIDE surgeon Greg Keene scored back-to-back victories and surged to the series points lead in Round 2 of the 2000 Pirelli Porsche Cup at Hidden

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2SMa^200Q FORD motor racing boss Howard Marsden was besieged in Darwin on the weekend, everyone wanting to know if ‘it’ were true. You couldn’t avoid ‘it’ - the Northern Territory Times’s front page story was headlined by ‘Ford’s threat to quit V8 Supercars’. Naturally, everyone wanted to know in what context the comments were made and if the company had any real intentions of leaving the burgeoning sport. Marsden was at pains to point out to those who enquired, and there were many, that the blue oval company just wanted to understand the processes of the sport and it wasn’t concerned about the product - it had faith there. “We are major investors in the sport and Mr. Polites was just express ing that we needed to understand the process of the business in which we are investing. “There was nowhere in particular that the out come for Bathurst was written and, whether it be Geoff Polites, Ford, or any other investor, it should be clear.” The arguments over parity were many and var ied and while Marsden said the company wouldn’t complain about the adjustments to the Commodores - that would be seen as ‘whingeing’ the process to allow the changes to be reversed for Bathurst did raise many more questions. “It raises the logical question of ‘If we have the data to make a judgement on one particular track, do we also have the abili ty to make specific parity changes for every other track?’ doesn’t it? "Unfortunately, I can’t give a logical answer to that." Mardsen gives Calder as a prime example. “Using the same meth ods, we can input data that shows the Fords are nof competitive at Calder - so, do we now make changes, as that’s the game which has been pre scribed the [by Commodore/Bathurst decision]?” Suggestions that the Commodore has been dis advantaged by the latest parity adjustment man dates Marsden to ask the question “Can I not inter pret it the other way by saying the Commodores have always had an advantage?” “Who has the largest undertray today. Marsden asks before The answering; Commodores are still today 10-percent larger and the area in which they are larger is THE advan tage.” Having said that, he

Blue Oval Blues Ford's motor racing boss, Howard Marsden, ran into a minefield in Darwin. Whiie dodging the bullets being fired from all camps, GERALD McDORNAN caught up with Marsden fora frank discussion on the “Ford Withdraws” headlines, parity, progress, the future and the past

' across the top at Bathurst, so it is very easy to balance a car if the tune-ability of the car is such you make adjustments in other s to compensate. has been suggested Holden's strangleon race wins is a ction of the engineerand race talent on books: While I accept the len camps have very ited people, I cannot pt that the Ford s aren’t - it is a very Plicated issue. arsden points to the !S Brothers, Brad and as the prime exam-

Going the extra 10 percent: Despite the Commodore’s undertray being trimmed it’s stiil 10 percent bigger than Ford’s version (right) (Photos by Dirk Klynsmith)

was quick to point out that at just about every track in the country, except Phillip Island and across the top of the mountain at Bathurst, it

really didn’t much matter about the 100mm being taken. "I don’t think the Commodores have been penalised except, poten-

tially, at Bathurst, but that hasn’t changed, so noth ing really has. Aerodynamic effect really is not very large in this country, apart from

“They’re good racers but they are sitting back in 17th-20th. Now Brad’s better than that but they’re going through this learning curve and they

When thefateful day came in 1974, when a decision was made to stop Ford^s direct investment in motor sport was made, they coitldn ^t see that26years later that mistake would still be costing the company -Ford missed an entire generation.

can’t go out often enough and practice like HRT did before limited testing was introduced. “Our ability to catch up is not there.” To overcome the dis parity between the teams and their knowledge of their product, Marsden is promoting the adoption of an AFL-style ‘draft’ for testing, offering more testing days and tyres to struggling teams and younger drivers. “By offering more days it should help even out the competition and that’s what it is all about - even competition.” But what about costs? “Yes, naturally there has to be a limit to the money being spent but let’s never forget that motor racing is an expen sive sport.” Marsden has also sug gested extra track testing - free practice - prior to each round of the series, a situation that he believes will allow teams to be better prepared come qualifying and the race. "My suggestion is that for the weekend of a race, two full hours of practice are allocated - I suggest ed Saturday morning but they’re [AVESCO] looking at Friday afternoon. “That will allow those teams who come to a race circuit not as well organ ised as a HRT, time to get their act together and put on a better show for the customer. It’s thinking outside the parameters.” So what about the threats to withdraw from motor racing? Does Marsden think that could happen? “I come from the 1960s when, around the world. Ford was a standing Joke, building cars with sidevalve engines, threespeed gearboxes and vac uum operated wipers. People didn’t want to know about Ford. “Then we built better mouse-traps such as the Mustang and Falcons and went motor racing in a big way. It changed the Image of the company. “Then the fateful day came in 1974, when a decision was made to stop Ford’s direct invest ment in motor sport. They couldn’t see that, 26 years later, that mistake is still costing the company Ford missed a generation. “We’re again changing the image of the company and we’re here 'now because we want to be. “We don’t want to try and run the sport, or con trol it. “We aren’t complaining about the decision in rela tion to the Holdens at Bathurst - there are two Ford people on the board of AVESCO after all, like there are two Holden peopie. “We just want to know how the game is being played so we can make a valued Judgement of it being a worthy invest ment. That can only be logi¬ cal...

Report by JOE SAWARD perfect world of blue skies, cotton wool clouds and bright in the wet is the per The Eiffel Mountains fect setting for a yellow flowers. But creating the United States of Europe Wagnerian opera. is not the work of moment Thunderous noise rattles because while Americans are the grandstands and sliding happy to be “Irish Americans’ along at the front of a cloud of' or ‘Polish Ame\ricans’ you spray, comes the Red Baron rarely hear of a English as a vast choms of red-capped Frenchman or a French fans cheers him on to victoiy. German. The nations of It was a close run thing but Europe have httle in common the fact that Mika Hakkinen and much in opposition. Let and Michael Schumacher us not forget that the French picked the same strategy decided the issue. To beat and the British fought a war that lasted one hundred years Michael you have to do some and the Germans invaded thing different. Now if France three times in 70 Hakldnen had pitted a lap or years. two earher... But the experiment goes on. We all pretend to be good Practice and Europeans and to like one Qualifying another while retaining deepseated prejudices which we dare not speak in the modem The of uniting world for fear that the is aidea curious one, Europe based more on fear than on logic. If European economic subsidies will be cut off... the waning tribes of Europe can be united with one anoth The European Grand Prix er, the idealists of the 1950s outdates the European Union said, future generations will but it is just a mad a concept not have to suffer the disas in the modern age because ters and privations of the the Formula 1 world is quiet then very recent past. ly at war with the European It is an admirable idea. A authorities.

Oh God, Michael’s doing that ‘jumping thing’ again: It was in Germany. It was raining. You know the rest. Beavis and Button: Jenson starred,on Friday but DNF’d after punching a hole in his Williams’s nose. (Photos: sutton-images)

●i ■

■j

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It would be more honest to say that really the European Grand Prix is just an excuse to give the Germans an extra Formula 1 race but one can-

not call it the North German GP because otherwise the French will complain (although the Monaco GP is really only a second French

pn\N

race) and the Italians would whine because they want two races (despite the fact that we all know where the San Marino GP really takes place). In fact the only major European nation which is really doing it wrong (as usual) is Great Britain which can barely manage one GP

Wingless wonders: Eddie Irvine and Rail Schumacher managed to tangle up their rear wings. Both DNF’d. (Photos by Sutton-images)

when really there should be one at Silverstone (the Scottish GP) and one at Brands Hatch. Being European is. only usefijl if you are a racing dri ver with mongrel parentage. This means that you can get money from different divi sions of Marlboro in silly little countries in which no-one else wanted the available sponsor ship. Such people have largely been swept up and put into the FI dustpan nowadays and we know from where everyone comes. And every one knows that the Schumacher Brothers come

26 May 2000 from Germany. On Thursday they tried to convince every one that they really love each other still, despite their race track spat in Spain the other day. No-one was convinced but it all sounded like good PR and it kept everyone in the newspapers and we all know that this is really all that matters in the cynical world of Formula 1. All that matters, that is, apart from pure speed because drivers may be nice chaps and hugely talented but the only thing that mat ters is the result and the men who produce them are stars and the men who do not are wallpaper. And after an exciting raininterrupted qualifying session David Coulthard was where it really matters: on pole posi And Michael tion. Schumacher was not. Michael had a face like thunder and had blown two chances of taking pole position but in front of a television camera Michael said that everything was perfect and that it was all according to plan. “I am quite happy,” he said. And we all believed him because we all like fairytales. David Coulthard really was happy and, bless him, he does not try to pretend how he feels. The fact that no driver has won from pole position since Hungaiy last year gave DC a target to aim for. Mika Hakkinen was in third place on the grid and admitted that he was not very satisfied with that. “I haven't felt 100% comfortable with the car throughout the weekend,” he admitted. “We have made a lot of progress but the car is still not performing at its opti'miun level.” With the McLaren and the Ferrari so finely balanced this year, race engineering has become very^important and David now seems to be getting the upper hand of Hakkinen on a more regular basis. Rubens Barrichello was fourth once again and he said he was “happy” as well, Perhaps they should change the name of Maranello to HappyviUe,Italy. lankly, to be happy to be

Almost getting away with it; Hakkinen’s blinding start got him ahead of Schumacher but then, 10 laps later, it started to rain. Just like a shop-bought one; Arrows went well, scoring a point in Germany. Verstappen found himself ahead of Barrichello (below) while Pedro de la Rosa duked it out with Giancarlo Fisichella’s Benetton for fifth and sixth, and the honours in the ‘Supertec class’. (Photos by RaceAccess and Sutlon-lmages)

second is an indication that the team is either full of hot air (the most likely explanation) or that they are a bimch of losers, which Michael Schumacher has often proved in the past is not the case at all. So it mustjust be hot air. You would think by the way they behave at Ferrari that the truth is an impleasant social disease. In the press room it would be hard to find anyone who believes anything that the people at Ferrari say and there must be a moral in that somewhere, Fifth fastest went to Ralf Schvunacher and he was “satisfied” with that. It was a good effort for BMW in the team's first year in FI. We did not expect them to be this good, “Ralfs fifth position reflects our present performance level,” said Gerhard Berger. Jenson Button was threetenths of a second slower tlian Ralf but such is the competition at the moment that this meant that he was down in 11th'place on the grid. Jenson complained that he never managed to get a clear lap and, having lost most of the morning session with a spin, he was at a slight disadvantage. He had been fastest of aU on Friday. Sixth on the grid was Jamo TruUi in his Jordan. “The car felt really good,” he said. “It is just a shame we

did not finish even higher. We were certainly capable of it. The car had more potential but the weather condi¬ tions meant I could not realise it.” Heinz-Harald Frentzen reck¬ oned that he could have done really weU but he ended up 10th. “The words ‘would’ or ‘could’ do not get me a good grid posi¬ tion,” said Heinz. “It is very frus¬ trating.” Frentzen's problems were caused mainly by trafSc. Seventh place on the grid was rather a surprise in the form of Giancarlo Fisichella, who was having a good day with the Benetton, although the Roman was angry with Ralf Schumacher who slowed him down when he was tiying to go for a final flying lap. As a result Fisichella, Jacques ViUeneuve and Ricardo Zonta all failed to get to the startfinish line to start their final flying laps. The cynics might suggest that Ralf did it deliberately Continued on page 24

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DC grabs Michael’s pole: Coulthard grabbed pole position after Schuey had two shots at it, missing on both. That, and starts, seems to be McLaren’s biggest edge. (Ptiotos by RaceAccess)

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24 26 May 2000

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given that FisicheUa and Villeneuve were both in a position to bump him from fifth place on the grid - but it is hard to imagine that one of those nice Schumacher Brothers (who get on so well together) would do such a thing. Alexander Wurz was 15th on the grid, doing very little to bolster his sliding position within the Benetton team. Wurz had the good gi-ac.e to admit that he had not done very well. In fact Wurz was originally 15th on the grid but Nick l Heidfeld had originally been 14th. This was the first time we have seen anything vague ly interesting from Heidfeld this year and he was(obvious ly)“very happy” until the FIA men put his cai- on the scales and discovered that the car was two kilograms under the minimum weight limit. Rules are rules and so he was out. The Frost team admitted that it was a mistake. There had been some new parts which made the car go faster but the team needs to buy a new calculator because when it was aU added up the total was not quite enough. Jean Alesi was 18th but he had had to use the spare car after his car's electronic man agement system had lunched a gearbox. The spare was set up for Heidfeld and Alesi went i-ushing off and prompt ly spun off. He then went back to the pits, jumped into the race car again and rashed off, the gearbox turned itself into metallic muesli. Beneath all the disasters, however, there were signs (finally) that progress is being made at n Pi'ost. ^ Eighth position on the giid (which was about right) was pretty much business as usual for Eddie Irvine's Jaguar. “I'm not too despondent I'm in the hrmt,^ said Eddie. The same could not be said (again) for Johnny Herbert, He was 17th on the grid (ris ing to 16th in the postHeidfeld world) and'he was “thoroughly disappointed”. Ninth was a frustrated VUleneuve who failed to get a

Early exit; Jarno Trulli qualified sixth but a lousy start left him in the ruck, causing him to tangle wheels with FisicheUa. Jordan’s supporters were up in arms about it. (Sutton-images) final qualifying run due to Ralf Schumacher driving around rather slowly in the final minutes ofthe session. “I'm not very happy,” he said. “We're quicker than our quickest lap in qualifying showed. Someone at the front chose to slow everybody behind and prevent them from having a chance to improve their times.” It was a similar story for Ricardo Zonta. But he ended up a disastrous 19th on the grid as a result. The Arrows team produced the usual 12th and 13th on the grid which was a pretty duU perfoi-mance. Pedro de la Rosa beat Jos Verstappen by a tenth of a second. Sauber had a really dull day as well with Pedro Diniz 15th and Mika Salo 19th-. Both drivers missed their final flying laps, All this left the two Minardis in their habitual location on the back of the grid with Marc'Gene faster than Gaston Mazzacane. “There is not much to say about this qualifying,” said V Gene. Well at least he wasn't “happy” about it...

any weather forecasting in the Eiffel mountains is pretty much a waste of time,because it can be pouring down on one side of a grandstand and RaC© (66 laps) there will be girls in bikinis e weather forecast for on the other side. So when it rains you never _ Sunday had never been very good but, then again. know whether or not to pit because aroimd the next comer it could be dry. Making a good NOrburgrtng start at the Ring is not quite as vital as ■5^ at some other 1421 »QD.307s ' ■ 1 M. Schumacher Marifeo'rbilferryS-: 'n*4J29sf~ 2 M. Hakkinen McLarenHMercf|;&^l ,, tracks as it is possi 3 'D. Coulthard MctlSren-Mercecles! .IBeiaps;^ ble to overtake so irr 4 R. Barrichello Marlboroag that it is not just a 5 G . FisicheUa Beneftc^j-SjSj&ferteC 05 66 laps ri^ ■ question of follow . 66 laffs'f6 P . De La Rosa Arrrfi^SG(Sertec 65'teps 7 P . Diniz Sa^ar-Petronas ing each other 8 G . Mazzacane ^-^mardi-Ford around like the car 9 J. Alesi oii-Kuive ,-;^^®auber-Petronas riages of a train. If 10 J. Button Williams-BMW 62 lapA 61 lad^ a car is measm-ably 11 J. Herbajlj n , Jaguargj5,gsworth 12 A . Wurz'" ' B'enettocj)£uperted n quicker than anoth-. . KlilVO ●' ^ 8,-Fastest Lap: e2^.879mph/199.365kph

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sure whether to stop or go. The first to take the risk was Herbert. He had nothing to lose as he was down in 17th place. He was in and out and by the time the others had followed he had gone up to ninth. But it was two laps from ninth on the grid to fift^ before McLaren brought in in the first turn. In part this Coulthard. He was still able was due to the fact that on to vault from foiuth - he had the run down to the first cor been pushed back by ner others were not having a Barrichello as the rain inten sified and the McLaren good time. Ralf Schumacher had became more of a handful decided to go with full tanks up to second place. and the car was a handful. “Obviously none of the Irvine came off the fine like a front-runners wanted to take snail in a big hurry and had the risk of coming in to the to work hard not to be pits for ram tyres and finding bounced back more places that they were slower,” than he was. Trulli and Michael said. “Then some dri FisicheUa were hurtling down vers started to come in for to the first comer when they rain tyres, and as soon as we tangled wheels. TruUi's sus saw they were faster we went pension broke and the car sti’aight in too.” Schumacher was not fish-tailed in a very hairy fashion. helped by a slow pit stop but “I was lucky to keep dri he stUl emerged JUST ^ead ving,” he said. “Otherwise it of Coulthard. By the end of would have been very danger the lap he was 4.9secs ahead. Hakkinen was another five ous.” Fisichella's car was not seconds behind him. “I lost valuable time at the reaUy damaged and so he was able to keep going but first pit stop,” Mika said, Villeneuve had already “because there was a problem passed him. Also making a with the right rear tyre.” Hakkinen quickly caught good start were the two Arrows cars which dived into and overtook Coulthard and the first comer and elbowed tried to close the gap to the Frentzen off the track which Ferrari but it drifted out to enabled the pair and Wurz to nearly 20s by the time get ahead. Diniz also took to Michael came into the pits in the'dirt as did Alesi behind the mid-race. Hakkinen went him. In all the rough and ahead and for a few laps he tumble there were winners was able to build his lead as and losers. Frentzen was a he was running with a light tank of gas while Schumacher loser and so was Button. At the front Hakkinen was struggled with a heavier car. On lap 45 Hakkinen came in control but Schumacher was in a huny. Behind them in. He was not far enough Coulthard obviously had a ahead to stay in the lead and problem and was dropping so Schumacher was ahead by back, keeping Barrichello just over 10s. To start with Schumacher behind him. “At the end of the first lap built up the lead but as my car developed a problem,” Hakkinen struggled wdth his David explained. “I was heavy car but then the Finn struggling with the rear for began to close in. The two the rest of the race. I had to men were going in and out of concentrate on keeping it on traffic and towards the end the track. I don't know what the gap came down to just it was but I suspect it was under five seconds but then nieQhanical rather than aero ’. he was stuck in trafiic and all hope vanished. dynamic.” “I would certainly have got The gap between Hakkinen and Schumacher remained very close,” Mika said, “but about half a second. They Michael could have pushed traded best times but kept harder.” And so Hakkinen backed within a tenth of one another, said. “Probably because I was too slow to react.” Almost immediately he came under pressure from Barrichello. Behind the big four came Villeneuve, who had made an amazing start (again) to go

Continuedfrom page 23

er it will go ahead. But the start oftany FI race is still vital and this time Coulthard made a poor start and Hakkinen made a bfinder. “I enjoy getting away fast like that,” he said. “I was happy to do it because the disappointment I had in quaLifying was fixed.” Hakkinen made sure that Schumacher was not able to get ahead. The German later complained about the move but, given his own behaviour in the past, he has no right to paint himself as a saint. If he is willing to give out such treatment, he must expect it back. The two cars touched but there was no damage. Coulthai’d was less content to be third. “I missed the lights,” he

puUing quickly away so that by lap 10 they were nearly 4s clear of- Coulthard and BarricheUo. And then Michael pounced. On lap 11 as the first drops of rain fell, Michael pulled out from behind Hakkinen and sailed past him as they dived down to the chicane behind the paddock. Moments later the rains came stronger. For the next couple of laps, no-one was

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Lap Leaders: ent-/l4-15<fj[l. Schumacher; 16, Barrichello; 17?3|i, Sctidj,. r; 36^jH;Hqkkinen; 46-67, Schumacher.''--''' :f'/ /'J . ~ 0-/ Retirementsiffi^//f f /J Lap 0 J. Trum y- / /-XlSrdap-Mugen-Honda accident (Rsichella) Lap 2 H-H,&eM2'e^,-iJordguit|Mugen-Honda Engine Lap 27 M. R ®(u@^*l?gtronas gearbox/spun off Lap 29 R. SdâcH%Wilj^^^W ' accident (Irvine) Lap 29 E. IrvijJg ^^^î^BpSyCCfsworth spun off/wing broke ppwTij^î^lK-Supertec crashed da engine ^46 jy Wnafdi-Ford accelerator broken Lap 47 BAR-Honda spun off mpionship Points: M. Schumacher 46, Hakkinen affd 2S|7Barrichello 16, R. Schumacher 12, FisicheUa 10, i-S(j||i^neuve 5, Trulli 4, Button 3, Zonta/de la Rosa/Salo 1. 53^ CShstPuctors: Ferrari 62, McLaren-Mercedes 52, Williams-BMW 15, Benetton-Supertec 10, Jordan-Mugen-Honda 9, BAR-Honda 6, Sauber and Arrows 1.

Marlboro 7

off in the last couple of laps and finished 13 seconds behind. It was not the true picture but there was no rea son to push. Behind him the battle between Coulthard and Barrichello raged. Kubens stopped a lap after his team mate, which was too late, and he lost a lot oftime and ended

up dropping to ninth place. The Ferrari men decided to give him a fight fiiel load to try to make up the lost time and he charged up to fourth again passing Verstappen, Irvine, de la Rosa and FisicheUa. He then had to pit but as three of the four men behind him had by then wiped them selves out, he had no-one to pass before his third stop on lap 51. He charged up onto Coulthard's tail at the end but there was no way he could pass. “Maybe I should have been on the podium,” he said. Maybe. Fifth place went in the end to Rsichella which was quite

9J&

26 May 2000

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the problem and so he drifted back to 10th and that meant that when Irvine and Verstappen decided to have their accident he became the victim. “I saw the accident com^ ing,” he said, ‘Tout I expected them to slide off onto the inside. I could not avoid hit ting Irvine's car.” When Button stopped sev enth place went to Diniz. He had had two spins along the way which was not bad con sidering he was last in the early laps. The position was more down to survival than anything else. Salo looked to be doing aU right after stop ping nice and early in the rain storm but he then a driveshaft broke and he ended up in the gravel. Mazzacane finished eighth which was the result of a race without too much in the way of drama. Marc Gene did a better job early on but then spun and ultimately went out with a throttle failure. The only other man run ning at the finish was Alesi and he was a bit disappointed after a typically aggressive Alesi race. He pitted a little too late and then had a gear box problem and so pitted again. The pitlane speed lim iter did not work and so Jean was soon back in again for a stop-go penalty. By the time he had done aU that everyone Smoke a Mild Seven: Benetton looked better in Germany, with Fisihella taking fifth. (Sutton) else had gone home. Of the teams who failed to done at the start Jenson had get a car home, pride of place “I knew the best I could somewhere in Belgium. Verstappen's race was also been running 13th.'When the _ went to Jordan, which lost expect was fifth place if both the McLarens and the over within a matter of rains came the Williams team’ Trulli on the first lap and Ferraiis finished,” he said. moments. He managed a few left Ralf Schumacher out too Frentzen who went on the more corners when the rear long and when Button needed third lap, laying a smoke Wurz's race was not too bad to come in he. could not screen which would have hid (for a change) but he lost the went out and he went spin benefit of a good start by ning off into the tyres and because his team-mate was den a battleship if one had already there. This meant happened to have been pass spinning at one point, which removed a number of compo dropped him right back. He nents which will have to be that he did not pit until five ing at the time. And so to BAR. After then found himself stuck stuck back on again at some laps after Herbert had been behind Herbert and Button point. the first to switch from dry to Villeneuve's great start, it was downhill all the way. He and could do nothing until De la Rosa came home in wet tyres. Button lost out when the sixth place to give the Orange The result was that made a mistake and leaders came through to lap people a ray of sunshine after Herbert made up places and Fisichella got ahead. The them. He then made a daft some a series of very gloomy Jenson was back in 15th. He team then called him in too challenge on poor old Johnny races. He drove a good race, kept going while those around late and he dropped from Herbert and dumped them got himself ahead of him fell away and eventually sixth to 13th. He was bounced both in a gravel trap. Verstappen and he then found himself up with up as others went awry and “I am sorry for Johnny,” made short work of Irvine Herbert. It was a learning was running seventh when he came in and retired with an and Ralf Schumacher. race. Wurz said, “but that is rac Ralf Schumacher also had engine problem. ing.” He pitted on the same lap Zonta's race was less of a After the race Johnny as Coulthard, which was the a pretty disappointing time. sounded as though he did not right thing to do, and so The one-stop strategy made thrill. He was stuck behind care too much. Perhaps he emerged in fourth when the car very hard to handle Herbert early on and thenreally did not care. Perhaps everyone was back on the cir and he dropped back from started to have gearchange he should care a little more. cuit again. Fisichella caught fifth on the grid to ninth troubles and had a spin . He Racing drivers should be and passed him and he then before the rains came. eventually spun off on again angry young men not fell behind Barrichello as well Staying out too long added to on lap 52. a good effort. He recovered from his bnish with Trulli to run seventh and then got ahead of the struggling Ralf Schumacher. His next target was Villeneuve and he got him when the Canadian made a mistake. Fisichella pitted on the same lap as Schumacher and Hakkinen, which was proba bly too late, and so made up no places, although he was able to pass'de la Rosa soon afterwards. Towards the end of his stint he was overtaken by Bamchello and when he stopped again he dropped to sixth. With de la Rosa having to stop again as well, Fisichella was able to get back to fifth.

resigned to fate. Irvine dropped back in the early laps but then managed to get ahead of the struggling Ralf Schumacher. He stopped two laps after Herbert but it was enough to make up some places and run sixth until Barrichello went steaming by, but then he got into a fight with Verstappen and we all knew it would end in tears. Jos got ahead but Irvine did not lift and so the two col lided and they went off, tak ing Ralf Schumacher with them. Eddie rejoined but the rear wing fluttered off like confetti from a bride's bottom and Eddie ended up sitting in a gravel trap. The rear wing is reported to have landed

but when both men pitted again, Pedro went back up to third before he stopped again on lap 48. That dropped him to sixth. Seventh place should have gone to Herbert but Wurz nailed him and it would then have gone to Button if he had not made a hole in the front of the car by bashing Herbert from behind while making a wild lunge to pass the green man ahead. Jenson managed to keep going after that and did not even lose a place but rainwater snuck in the front of the car and caused an elec trical failure which left his engine with no oomph with three laps to go. After the hurly-burly was

What they said

Michael Schumacher: This is one of the best days of my life because it is the first time I have won in Germany with Ferrari. I have seen my fans standing here for three days in this bad weather and I hope this win has warmed their hearts a bit. I knew we were strong but that it would also be a tough fight. It was also interesting and enjoyable. Everything was perfect and the car worked well in the rain. The only critical point was when it started to rain. None of us at the front wanted to pit as it was not clear if this was for real. As soon as we saw others going taster on rain tyres, then I came in immediately. I had some problems with aquaplaning, especially towards the end, as by then I had done over 30 laps on the same tyres. In the past I have dreamed of going to Monaco with this sort of lead. Sometimes dreams come true! I have done well at Monaco in the past and I hope that will happen again.

Mika Hakkinen: I made what was probably one of the best starts of my career to take the lead from third on the grid. The problem we suffered from in qualifying had been solved and the balance of my car was very good. I lost valuable time in my first pit stop when there was a problem with the rear right tyre. However, I was able to open up a significant gap to Schumacher during the middle section, but unfortunately on the last few laps before my second pit stop, I was held up by a backmarker and lost too much time to stay ahead of him after the stop. Towards the end, I was catching Schumacher and would have been closer to him if I hadn't, once again, been stuck in traffic. Rubens Barrichello: I'm a bit disappointed as I could have done better than fourth.

pitAmpitmofi The race was difficult mainly because of the lack of visibility caused by the rain. The car was good except that I had a small problem with my down shifts. My initial thought is that maybe I stayed out one lap too long on dry tyres. The three stop strategy which meant I had to overtake slower cars in poor visibility was not ideal but it was definitely the quickest way to make up lost time. I had been looking forward to a closely fought race for some time now. Maybe I should have been on the podium today. Giancarlo Fisichella; I'm really happy about these two points for me and the team, it is the result of good work with the engineers all weekend. I did a good start and the incident with Half Schumacher and Jarno Trulli wasn't my fault, but luckily my car was only very slightly damaged so I was able to drive it without problems. I was aggressive during the race and did some overtaking. Then in the wet 1 tried to push hard but keep a small margin as I knew that the best I could expect was fifth position if both the Ferraris and McLarens finished.

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28 26Mdy2000

Four ringed circus I f the form book is anything i to go by, this really should l!l be Audi's year at Le Mans. All the signs are there. The German manufacturer learned its lessons on its debut in 1999, put them into practice at Sebring with a 12 in March and, therefore, now goes into the 24 Hours with a proven package, a strong driver squad and a team which has won many times with another marque's products. And what's more, its major competitors from last year - the works BMW and Toyota squads - have gone elsewhere and, thus, the Audis faced no serious opposition when they comfortably topped the times at the pre-qualifying day on April 30. On paper, everything is falling into place. Audi is the latest in a long line of manufacturers which has recognised that victory at Le Mans is a valuable addition to the corporate CV. Over the past 20 years the company achieved an enormous amount in rallying and touring cqrs - with a little diversion irito TransAm and IMSA GTO along the way. But Le Mans is special. Until the latter days of its Super Touring program, competition was seen mainly as a way of promoting Audi's four-wheel-drive products. When it ran out of arenas in which to compete (as 4WD became outlawed) this raison d'etre had to be abandoned. But by looking at 2WD, new doors were opened. Motor sport boss Dr Wolfgang Ullrich agreed that Le Mans was the logical step, possibly as a taster for FI. But while Toyota and BMW have followed that route, Audi currently insists it won't so, for the moment, sportscar racing has its full attention. Last year the marque had a somewhat schizophrenic approach to Le Mans, with its German team running open prototypes and the British Audi Sport outfit unemployed after the Super Touring withdrawal running closed cars. The former proved quicker and more reliable, and, against very tough competition, Audi impressed by bringing two of the cars home in third and fourth places. It's widely acknowledged that it's impossible to win first time out (although McLaren managed that against weak opposition in

the wet 1995 event) so such a strong double finish was considered a pretty good start for the men from Ingolstadt. Since then a new R8R has been built and the twin-turbo V8 engine has been further refined and tweaked. For 2000 Audi decided to focus on the ALMS series with the open cars and the closed cars were quietly forgotten. By committing to a full series, Audi has ensured that both the team and car will be in top shape by the time Le Mans rolls around. The regular driver squad is first rate. The anchors are loyal Audi touring car veterans Emanuele Pirro, Frank Biela and Rinaldo Capello and they are joined by ex-FI star Michele Alboreto and two men who have gained vast Le Mans experience with Audi's former rivals; Allan McNish (Porsche and Toyota) arid Tom Kristensep (Porsche and BMW). The team did a tremendous job at the

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The old and the not-so-old: Audi has already made huge progress with its 2000 R8R, compared to the '99 car (below).

Winner: McNish (R) won in '98 with Porsche. (Porsche photo) the old car after Le Mans. Sebring 12 Hours in March, dominating the event as “They came out with the Biela/Kristensen/Pirro 2000 car. with all guns headed a one-two finish. blazing! I guess it's a Although it is shorter, characteristic of the Sebring is acknowledged as German manufacturers that being tougher than Le Mans they put the toe in the water in many ways, so Audi's a little bit, see exactly reliability was proven what's required and then beyond all doubt. they come out fighting. And “I think they've learned a they did that with this year's tremendous amount in the car. last couple of years,” says “It's different in every McNish. way from the front to the “When they came at the back. It is a completely end of 1998 the cars looked different car quite radical at the time but, aerodynamically it's a major in the next couple of months, step forward. It's got less they looked a little out of drag for more downforce. date aerodynamically. They 'They've done quite a lot were caught on the hop a of work with the engine, even since the start of the little bit by the single roll hoop that BMW went with. I year. We were first and think they realised that they second at Sebring and. for had to do a heck of a lot of its first race the car was work and they did that with very successful, but they

didn't sit back, they continued to work very hard to get as much out of it as we can.” Competing in the ALMS series will certainly ensure that the team stays sharp. “They realise that they do need to race to keep that momentum going,” says McNish. “It's true to say that there isn't the same depth of competition at Le Mans this year, but I still think that to win it you will have to have done an extremely good job.” The winning Sebring trio remain together for Le Mans, where the squad will be bolstered by the addition of Laurent Aiello, Stephane Ortelli and Christian Abt. Seven of the nine drivers were with Audi at Le Mans last year, and indeed five of them were in the cars that finished third and fourth. This experience is obviously extremely valuable but, more importantly, the team enters the race with a line up which includes five past Le Mans winners in Kristensen, Alboreto, McNish, Aiello and Ortelli, all of whom scored their triumphs with Porsche. It's a huge bonus to have so many men on board who know how to win the race and who won't panic if a delay costs a few laps. They know that patience is what wins 24 hour races. And twice around the clock is an awful long time ...

Someone old, someone new ■EVERY year, it seems, a team heads to Le Mans with The Gun driving line-up. Take Allan McNish, who won for Porsche in 1998 and wiU be Toyota’s FI test driver. Or Laurent Aiello, who was a works driver for Porsche and won the BTCC last season with Nissan. They are, in the main, sports car mercenaries, going to whichever team offers them the best chance of winning and, presumably, financial incentives in line with their experience. And the same goes for the team boss. Reinhold Joest ' was closely associated with Pbrsche for many years, and his record in the 24 Hours is amazing. In 1984-'85 he scored back-to-back successes. In that first season Klaus Ludwig and Henri Pescarolo recovered from a first lap fiiel pump problem to win in their New Man-hveried Porsche. The following year the team returned with the same chassis, 956-117, the same yellow and black colours, and the same lucky number seven. This time Ludwig was joined by Paolo Barilla, and with a little assistance from 'John Winter', they trounced the factory Rothmans cars. The key was the

remarkable fiiel economy displayed by the Joest car. The mpg figures left the opposition scratching their heads, and rivals still grumble about it. In 1996 Joest again displayed impressive fuel mileage, its turbo engine making a mockery of the Le Mans equivalency rules. The winning car didn't have any problems, as that lucky number seven worked its magic once again. Davy Jones, Manuel Reuter and a then little-known rookie called Alex Wurz'were delayed only by a routine brake disc change, and spent 3m35s less time in the pits than the second-placed GTl Porsche. In 1997 the very same car won again, this time with Alboreto, Stefan Johansson and Rristensen aboard. Joest also managed the winning factory 962LM 'GT' car in 1994. Reinhold and his men ai-e battle-hardened 24 hornveterans, prepai’ed for any eventuahly and aware of every httle tweak and nuance that brings success at Le Mans. Their experience, plus that gained by the drivers with other teams, looks like adding up to a winning recipe for Audi Sport. -ADAM COOPER

Hired guns: Audi’s 2000 Le Mans dnving line-up.

26 May 2000

The star spangled banger acnvf.

WHILE Audi attack Le they might be - even if it is Mans 3000 with all eyes just behind Audi ... “There's two things that on the podium, Cadillac Cadillac is known for: leading has its sights finnly set on technology and expressive 2001. design,” Cadillac general While General Motors, the manager John Smith said. biggest manufacturer in the “We've been wandering in world, is not going to La the woods at least two Sarthe to get its butt kicked - . decades in how we choose to and, to be fair, its Corvette' express ourselves. But Le C5R was only 0.3s shy of the Mans will emphasise our Dodge Vipers in GT2 pre total commitment to new qualifying - there are few, if any, expectations'that technology.'' Smith also said Cadillac Caddy’s new Northstar V8 hopes to attract yoimger con wiU contend for the race. In sitaple tenns, Cadillac is sumers in Europe than in the where Audi was 12 months United States, where the ago; a manufacturer with a average Cadillac owner is in his^Os. Le Mans tends to first-generation ALMS racer. attract yomig, upscale people So, why do it? In a word, im.age. GM, from large European cities. A big part of GM’s strategy which has been endeavouring is the race car. The Le Mans to build its -image internation 24-hour marathon has as ally, especially in Europe, is much popular appeal and in the midst of a US$70 mil lion ($110m) program to re- ' name recognition with position its products. It has Europeans as the Indianapolis been building entertainment 500 does with Americans. The Cadillac Northstar Le complexes in France, reinforc.Mans Prototype, built by GM ing its corporate presence, which still drags far behind’ and Indianapolis-based Riley the Euro prestige brands of & Scott, is powered by a 4htre version of the Northstar Mercedes-Benz (which is now part of the DaimlerChiysler V8' engine with dual tur n empire, of course), BMW, bochargers. Although no power output Jaguai’ and’others. Potential buyers of those numbers are given; it's brands may not automatically believed that the unit has the neighbourhood of 800-plus be willing to add Cadillac to that list. But, next month. horses, which should be more-

than enough if the car. is going to stay up with the heavy hitters on the Mulsanne. The engine is a develop ment of the current 4.6 litre Cadillac Northstar engine with, presumably, a Tot of Oldsmobile Aurora in its inner workings. The mechani cal and structural ‘bugs’ of the Aurora 4-litre V8 racing engine have long ago been eliminated by virtue of the fact that it wass almost the sole engine used in the Indy Racing League Indy Car series for three years. Ironically, as Cadillac steps up to bat. Olds now has a 3.5 litre V8 for this month’s Indianapohs 500 assault, The chassis by Indianapolis-based Riley & Scott, appears to be a match for the current Lolas and Ferraris, even if it does lag a little behind the 2000 Audis and Panozes. Of course, CadOac is not a Le Mans virgin. Briggs Cunningham, a noted sports car racer either side of World War II, entered two Cadillac Model 60s in the 24 Hours in 1950. In those days, the race was only open to off-the-showroom-floor stock cars that had to have fom’ seats and if they were touring cars, their cloth tops had to be up.

Look familiar? Yep, Caddy’s Northstar looks a lot like Audi’s R8R. The driver here is sportscarveteran Andy Wallace. Detail of the Riley & Scottbuilt car (right) is fabulous. When Cunningham ran his Cadillacs, his stock-bodied entry placed 11th and beat the one that he had rebodied for improved aerodynamics. Those days of running pro duction cars in big-time pro fessional races are gone forev er, but it would sure be nice to have the Cadillac name up in the top 10 of that famous French race once more.

Rebuilding the image: Cadillac has been quick to build on the racing image. Fifty years ago Briggs Cunningham took two type 60s to the race. (Photos by GM and Sutton-images)

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Team Grey Power: Richards(who became a grandfather the day after the event) and Oliver(who already was one) were invincible in the Y2K Targa Tasmania.(Photos by joei Strickland)

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Targa Tasmania looked very much like ‘business as usual’. Jim Richards and Barry Oliver notched up an amazing fourth outright victory in their Porsche 911 GT3 ahead Peter of arch-rivals Fitzgerald and Michael Mansour, driving the 1999 event-winning Porsche 911 Turbo. Meanwhile in the burgeon¬ ing Classic category, which represented 189 of the record 313 entries. Adelaide’s Jeremy Browne scored the plum victory of his long rally career, hosing off a formida¬ ble array of factory-entered Where’s Wally? Here’s Wally. Walter Rohrl is one of the legends of the sport but his Tasmanian luck still seems to be all bad.

Crick OT Rick? Crick and Bates battled for the glory of Honda and Toyota respectively. The sign says ‘Crick’, though Bates might have just seen the ‘rick’ part...

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and private Porsches in his superb ex-works 1969 Lancia Fidvia 1.6HF. A pair of fiercely-driven bug-eye Sprites dominated the disappointingly small field in the Shannons Touring Classic and father and son John and Andrew Lawson in their 1938 Alfa Romeo Mille Miglia Spyder appropriately lead a quahty field of 17 vehicles to the fin ish in the Shannons Historic competition. However below the sur face, the 2000 Targa Tasmania was drama-fillq_d, both on and off the six day, 2500km course. A major accident on Day 2 left a Sydney driver in a crit ical condition. Then there was the controversial elimi nation of the second-placed Nissan GT-R of Warwick Freemantle and Nick Watchorn on the opening section of the final day; the dramatic 11th hour exclusion of the Datsun 1600SSS of provisional Classic competi tion winners Graham Copeland and Jon Siddins and persistent rumours that Targa Tasmania has been sold to a Victorian-based organisation (see separate story).

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[y The 313 crews who eventu ally made the cut comfort ably eclipsed the previous Targa record of 278 starters in 1994. The Monday Prologue in George Town counted for nothing but starting order on Day 1. Richards established the pecking order with a blis tering time of 3ml2.6s over the 5.08km ‘round the hous es’ course, pipping Fitzgerald by just 0.2s with Ray Ldntott third to make it a trifecta for Stuttgart. Power also ruled the day in Classic, with Len and Gayle Cattlin in their mag nificent V8 Supercar-based 1967 Ford Mustang heading Mike Roddy’s potent 1975 Jaguar XJS and Gary Tierney’s 1965 Mustang. In the Shannons Touring Classic, the Bug-Eye Sprites driven by Phihp Nichols and John Williamson cleaned up Brian Titheradge’s 1955 Jaguar XJ40, while John Lawson in the Alfa, led Robert van Wagen’s amazing 1949 Bristol 400 and the Batagol Bentley in Shannons Historic. The balmy autumn weath er held for Day 1, which took competitors on a loop north west of Launceston to Devonport and return. It was no surprise in Classic to see that Walter Rohrl had already showed the 356’s rump to the opposi tion and had pulled out to an early lead over the Batten/Best Volvo PV544, with Porsche racer Rex Broadbent and Michael Goedheer third in their super-wide 1974 911RSR. But in ‘Modern’, it was Ray Lintott who set the pace, heading Richards and Bates, with 1999 winner Fitzgerald and runner-up Freemantle off to a slow start in the minor placings. Dan Bowden and Michael Browne spHt the two Sprites of John Williamson/David

Petersen and Philip Nichols/Philip Blake in Touring Classic. But the pat tern for the Shannons Historic was already set for the event, vnth the Lawsons in their Alfa taking up sta tion ahead of the van Quinsee Wegen/Nigel Bristol, with the Batagols third in their Speed Six Bentley. With the fine weather holding for Day 2, many com petitors started to turn up the wick - some to their regret. Targa’s reputation for being as hard on crews as it is on drivers was under scored on the Devonport morning stage when Sydney couple David and Lisa Culkin slid heavily into a tree, their Porsche 968CS taking the full impact on the driver’s door. David was hospitalised with serious head injuries but, at the presentation din ner, Targa Managing Director Robin Wheeler announced the good news that the 40-year-old Sydney businessman was taking meals and on the mend. After moving up to third in Modern, Fitzgerald’s Targa chances erupted in a cloud of rubber smoke in the Longford town stage which ended the day when the ABS system on their Porsche inexplicably failed, causing a massive lockup which virtu ally destroyed the car’s two front Falkens. They soldiered on with the world’s two biggest flat spots to Hobart at the end of Day 3, but then were forced to change both tyres and cop a two minute penalty after the casings began to delaminate. In Classic, Paul Stuart and Mark Connelly (1974 Porsche 911 Carrera) took over third place from Broadbent, while, status quo was preserved on both the Shannons categories.

(Photos by Simon Weame)

Mazda has a 323, BMW has a 323... Car #323 was the 1963Porsche 356B 2000 GS of Klaus Bischof and Hermann Ruettger, known as ‘Dreikantschaber’(“triangle scraper”).

On Riana, the rain was so heavy that even Richards admitted to backing off dur ing a five car Congo line which eventually saw him follow Fitzgerald - but head Bates-to the stage finish. Cethana was no better for many competitors, notably Rohrl, whose 356 broke its gear selector hnkage, leaving him in neutral. Despite bor rowing tools from a local farmer, the dual world cham pion and his navigator could not repair the problem in time and they were out. The car was repaired in Burnie and they completed Day Six, Fitzgerald/Mansour Porsche “but I am now a tourist”, a into third in the 1995 GT-R disappointed Rohrl reported. Richards now had Nissan. In Classic, Rohrl was in a Freemantle 63s back and on class of his own, but behind his heels, with Bates third, them, the rapid and very Jeff and Nerida Beable well-driven 1969 Marcos fourth in their similar 3000GT of Hans Mergozzi Nissan GT-R and Fitzgerald and Ludwig Schoen had fifth, but catching very rapidsnatched second position, ly. with Broadbent/Goedeer Then on the opening and back in their in the big notoriously slippery Hellyer Porsche RSR. Gorge stage, the pack was The Huon loop out of shuffled again. Running with Hobart on Day 4 was run in the other fast cars at the tail largely dry conditions and of the field as a result of their good showing in the the carnage which has char Prologue, acterised the day was merci Monday fully absent this year. Freemantle spun, backed However it also saw a new into a bank and pushed the threat emerge in Classic, Nissan’s exhaust system into with the rapid 1969 Datsun a rear tyre. Knowing they 1600SSS of Copeland moving could not continue without behind the Marcos into third flattening the tyre and cop ping a further penalty, they place in Classic. Now on fresh front rubber. tried to lever the exhaust Fitzgerald was in sixth place away, but in the process they at the start of the day behind were passed by the ‘999’ car the Bates/Taylor Lexus, but which officially closed the was rapidly making up his stage, penalty and looked certain toSo they were stuck, unable be chasing Richards and to compete because the stage Ohver by the time they got to was now a pubhc road again the West Coast. and unable to pass,the ‘999’ Right from the start Rohrl car to get to the next stage had been praying for rain without exceeding the speed and the field got it - four- limit and taking the heavy days’ supply at once - on Leg penalties which went with 5 from Hobart to Burnie. that. Lintott,was the first to feel Tlys minor slip dropped its effect, with the Sydney them from second to 69th driver losing the 911 Turbo place and totally out of conunder full acceleration just tention. At the time of writ50m from the finish of the ing there was some behind relatively straightforward the scenes discussion Hobart Domain stage and whether they would be smacking a wheel off on the awarded a ‘Derived’ time for kerb in the process. He and that and subsequent stages, Gocentas were on a plane to which would allow them to Sydney that afternoon, their be classified as finishers and hopes for their first Targa receive their Targa trophies, win dashed. but there is no question of At one stage the Colebrook them finishing in the placstage near Richmond was ings. more like a river than a road With Freemantle gone. and Gregory Garwood report- Beable, then Fitzgerald ed spinning up to five times attacked the modestly-powin a straight line at over ered Bates/Taylor Lexus and 160kmh in his 1974 Porsche - by Hobart, the order was 911RSR - fortunately with- Richards, Fitzgerald and Beable. out contacting the scenery! The fine weather finally broke on Wednesday night and all crews faced the daunting prospect of a wet and slippery Sideling stage as they headed off on their 10 special stage East Coast run to Hobart. Unaccustomed to playing second fiddle to anyone, Richards powered his GT3 through the 13.81km Sideling to set fastest time and by Hobart, he and Oliver had surged past Lintott to take the lead for good. Meanwhile traditionally slow starter Freemantle had the moved past

Neal’s brother Rick, in a 1999 Toyota Celica, was also in line for a top 10 fin ish after dicing all rally long with twice Targa winner Greg Crick in a Honda Integra Type R. But a wheel banging ‘off on the Queenstown special stage destroyed his chances, leaving Crick to finish an excellent sev enth outright one place ahead of 1999 third placegetter Paul Stokell in the Batmobiies and Bricks: There’s something for everyone in Targa, from the Montgomery/ Lotus Ehse. Cox BMW 3.0CSL to the Williams/Hewson Speedwell Mini Sprint,(pnotos by joei swckiand) In Classic, things were even more dramatic, with the Copeland/Siddins Datsun heading the StuarffConneUy Porsche, with the Lancia Fulvia of South Australian Jeremy Browne and Stella Plenderleith out of Burnie. But on the trip south, first Browne then Garwood in the RSR got past Stuart and that’s how they finished on the podium. But in a dramatic turn of events, the Copeland Datsun was found to have illegal front and rear suspension parts, the wrong final drive ratio and a limited slip dif ferential - all well outside the provisions of. the ‘Standard’ category in which it was running. The vehicle was disqualified from the The Luftwaffe: event and the crew were Who said a Porsche GT2 given a one month suspen couldn’t fly? Certainly not sion. Michael and Max Stoschek, Browne was now rightfully' who got some serious air awarded first place and at under their 993. the official presentation (Photo by Joel Strickland) night only a few hours later, spared the Queenslanders nothing in a stinging attack anniversary with another six on their integrity and the day format, but with a shufneed to police standard vehi- fling of days and with many cle rules in classic motor stages run in the reverse sport events. direction. Another entry pf In Classic Touring, the more than 300 cars is target-^ Nicholas/Bake Tasmanian ed and a number of expresSprite started the final day sions of interest are already in second place, ahead of the in. 356 Bowden/Browne Porsche, but they had no answer to the speed of the Williamson/Patterson Bug Eye, which went on to take a well deserved win. And in Shannons Historic, the Lawson Alfa remained unchallenged, heading home van Wegen/Quinsee Bristol 400, with the Batagols a fine third in their bulky Bentley. Next year’s Targa wfll cel ebrate the event’s 10th

TARGA TASMANIA 2000 RESULTS MODERN 1. Jim Richards (Vic)/Barry Oliver(Tas) 2. Peter Rtzgerald (Vic)/Michael Mansour(Vic) 3. Jeff and Nerida Beable (Vic) 4. Neal Bates (ACT)/Coral Taylor(NSW) 5. Lynn Rattray (Tas)/Tony Jackson (Tas) 6. Garry Scott(NSW)/Richard Francke(NSW) 7. Greg Crick (Tas)/Brian Dunstan (Tas) 8. Paui Stokeil (Vic)/Peter Roberts(Tas) 9. Bernie Stack (SA)/Mark Forgie(SA) 10. Max Warwick (Vic)/ Ruth Williams (Vic) CLASSIC

1999 Porsche 911 GT3 (17m0.6s time iost) 1996 Porsche 911 Turbo (22m58s) (23m18s) 1997 Nissan GT-R V-Spec N1 1999 Lexus IS200 (24m00s) 1995 Mazda RX7 (27m29s) 1995 Mazda RX7 SP (27m42s) (28m28s) 2000 Honda Integra Type-R 1999 Lotus Elise (29m27s) 1995 Porsche 911 RS (30m01s) 2000 Porsche 911 GT3 (34m01s)

1. Jeremy Browne (SA)/ Steila Plenderleith(NSW) 2. Gregory Garwood (Tas)/ Chris Bulk (Tas) 3. Paul Stuart (Vic)/ Mark Connolly (Vic) 4. Geoff and Leon Duggan (Tas) 5. Chas Latter(NSW)/ Terry Smith (Old) 6. Brian and Linda Dermott(Vic) 7. Peter Cook (Tas)/ Brendan Spurr (Tas) 8. Tony and Matt Holmes(Tas) 9. Paul and Christine Freestone (Vic) 10. Norman Henry (Tas)/Kyry Keo (Tas) SHANNONS TOURING CLASSIC

1969 Lancia Fulvia 1.6HF 1974 Porsche 911 RSR 1974 Porsche 911 Carrera 2.7 1969 Datsun 2000 Sports 1972 Holden Torana XU-1 1962 Austin Healey 3000 Mk II 1972 BMW 20002 Ti 1979 Ferrari 308 GTS 1958 Austin Heaiey 3000 BN4 1965 Alfa Romeo Giulia Super

1. John Williamspn (NSW)/ David Patterson(NSW) 1960 Austin Healey Sprite 1958 Austin Healey Sprite 2. Philip Nichols (Tas)/ Philip Blake(Tas) 1956 Porsche 356A Carrera 3. Dan Bowden (Qld)/ Michael Browne (Qld) 1955 Jaguar XK140 4. Brian Titheradge (NSW)/ John Shuttie(NSW) 5. Andrew Williams (Tas)/ Graham Smedley(Tas) 1959 MGA 6. David Currow (NSW)/ Jennifer Shannon(NSW) 1965 Fiat Abarth 695SS SHANNONS HISTORIC

Lex-ury motoring: Neal Bates and Coral Taylor had an IS200 Lexus for the weekend one fitted with a Super Touring engine. They finished fourth outright.

1. John and Andrew Lawson (Vic) 2. Robert van Wegen (Qld)/ Nigel Quinsee (Qld) 3. Barry and Cheryl Batagol (Vic) 4. James Earl (Vic)/ Phillip Shudmack (Vic) 5. Des and Tony Donnan (Qld) 6. John Felder (Vic)/ Hugh Venables(Vic)

(20m22s) (25m07s) (25m 17s) (25m54s) (28m02s) (28m51s) (29m19s) (29m20sj (29m43s) (34m01s) (20m 13s) (21m42s) (24m28s) (38m35s) (57m38s) (1h06m42s)

1938 Alfa Romeo Mille Miglia Spyder(28m57s) 1949 Bristol 400 (34m42s) (42m45s) 1930 Bentley Speed Six (51m01s) 1933 MG Magna 1928 Frazer-Nash Boulogne (1h06m12s) 1930 Oakland 8-101 (1h14m21s)

32 26Mdy2000

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Dramatic Targa Tas

A RECORD entry of 17 cars contested this year’s Shannons Historic

it out of commission for some time before it coifld be moved off a tree stump. One wag was heard to say as Cled wandered off into the distance he thought he was looking for a suitable piece of wood to carve a new spoke for one of his wheels! After some running repairs the second oldest car in Targa pushed on successfully to the Hobart finish on Sunday night. May 14. Davies now reckons he can come up with a secret weapon to win the Historic Competition next time around. Don’t forget to put petrol in it, Cled!

competition in Targa Tasmania 2000. Heading the field was last year’s flag car, the ,1938 Alfa Romeo Mille Miglia Spyder of Victorians John and Andrew Lawson, and it set a cracking pace right at the outset by recording fastest time for the Historic cars in the Prologue at George Town over the 4.72km course. It also made all the right noises! The winner of the trophy for “Most Spectacular Drive’ in the Prologue usually goes to a more modem haii-y chested car, but this year it ■ Targa Tasmania 2000 was won by Wes and Dianne created a memorable first Wilkinson in their 1928 when 1928 Essex Super 6 Chevi'olet National AB Tourer driver Phillip Tilley Roadster. was manied to Soplue at the Tlie couple attracted the Launceston Country Club on attention of the judges by not Simday, May 7. only the Chevy’s straightline It was a smart move by speed but for a brave passing the couple - a ready made . manoeuvre at a George crowd of sui-prised guests Town roundabout that had who had turned up for what the Crowd applauding at the ' they thought was the nearby hospitality villa. competitor’s Welcome Unfortunately Wes spent Cocktail Party, a pleasant more nights on his back on location, and a switched on various conei-ete floors ' celebrant, Targa Tasmania around Tasmania carrying chaplain Peter Wilhs to out major mechanical caiTy out the nuptials. repairs,'but thanks to some Rev. Willis really got into late nights and miracles the swing of things, such as perfonne'd, they made it to his invitation for the smiling the finish at Wrest Point Casino after an eventful Targa and Wes held aloft his crankshaft to the applause of the big crowd. ■ Queensland’s Des and Tony Dorman suffered a rare mechanical failure when one of the chains driving the gears of his 1928 Frazer-Nash Boulogne decided to let go in the Prologue. A lost’ call was put over the PA system and soon after one of the officials appeared with a length of chain he had found on the side of the road. The Frazer-Nash was soon back in action again and performed faultlessly for the rest of the event. ■ Cled Davies had an auspicious start to his first Targa Tasmania even before the cars boarded the ‘Spirit of Tasmania’ for the trip to Devonport. With navigator Rod Griffin he was seen pushing his 1917 Dodge Speedster into the grounds of the Port Phillip Specialist School on Friday morning where the children were to be treated to rides in some of the competing cars. The problem? Cled had run out of petrol! Dramas continued for the old Dodge, and a big ‘off left

■ By far the largest number of entries for Targa Tasmania 2000 contested the Classic categories. Entries totalled 313 this year - a record, and of these no fewer than 189 took part in the Classic Competition and the Shannons Touring categories.

●-

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Down to a T: Jock McLean and Geoffrey Reader were in the elements in the 1916 T-model Ford. Richards and Oliver were in their element too, winning another Targa Tas. (Joei swokiand)

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Petrol, at last: Cled Davies and Rodney Griffin in the 1917 Dodge Speedster. couple to exchange key rings. Only trouble was the honeymoon was a short-lived affair - Phillip’s navigator on Targa was car owner Peter Bushby from Tasmania. Meanwhile, Sophie armed herself with the credit cards and went shopping. PROVISIONAL OUTRIGHT RESULTS - SHANNONS HISTORIC COMPETITION 1. John Lawson/Andrew Lawson 1938 Alfa Romeo Mille Miglia Spyder 2. Robert van Wegen/Nigel Quinsee 1949 Bristol 400 3. Barry Batagol/Cheryl Batagol 1930 Bentley Speed Six.

This number of Classic cars almost equalled the total line-up of cars that took part in last year’s event. Interest in Targa Tasmania Classic was high as it allowed tme competition amongst cars of many ages, equalised by handicap, so that driver and navigator skill, mechanical performance and reliability were critical in determining the outcome. And this was certainly the case! Of these only ten crews contested the Shannons Classic Touring competition - a section for entrants who were less enthusiastic about serious competition and

opted for the supposedly more gentile-touring event. Notable were two competitors who soon forgot they were meant to be touring. They piloted a pair of‘bugeye’ Sprites that really got into the swing of things and some spirited driving ensued. PROVISIONAL OUTRIGHT RESULTS - SHANNONS TOURING COMPETITION 1. John Williamson/David Patterson 1960 Austin Healey Sprite 2. Philip Nichols/Philip Blake 1958 Austin Healey Sprite 3. Dan Bowden/Michael Browne 1956 Porsche 356 Carrera Coupe

■ This left a huge field of almost 170 cars to contest the Targa Tasmania Classic Competition spearheaded by two fabulous Porsches brought to Australia by Klaus Bischof from the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart. Bischof, the curator of the museum, drove one of the cars (a rare 356B 2000 GS) while the other (a 1960 356 GT) was in the hands of dual world rally champion Walter Rohrl. Not surprisingly there were DNFs and lots of hard-luck stories, including the demise of the Rohrl car. After building up a seemingly invincible - lead in the Classic Competition, Rohrl suffered a rare gearbox failure and slipped way out of contention while the problem was being rectified. Rohrl had driven brilliantly in the event, and after another competitor expressed amazement at the high speed sideways slide across a railway line with the little Porsche facing the right way for the exit from the corner, the laconic German said "I thought everyone did it that way!" ■ The second car from the Porsche Museum was an unusual 356B 2000 GS nicknamed the ‘Dreikantschaber’ (‘triangle scraper’) by the mechanics who worked on this not-sopretty coupe. It made its competition debut in the 1963 Targa Florio, with Edgar Barth and Herbert Linge scoring a brilliant third outright and first in class. That same month they drove the ‘Dreikantschaber’ to fourth overall and another class win in the 1000km race at the Nurburgring. Swiss driver Herbert Muller also drove the ‘Dreikantschaber’ coupe in his successful bid for the 1963 European GT championship, and in 1964 Ben Pon and Joe Buzzetta teamed to win their class and fi nish 11th outright in the Sebring 12-hour race. After only one season as factory cars, the ‘Dreikantschaber’ was replaced by the 904 GTS, which by this time had

been homologated as a GT car. The ‘Dreikantschaber’ also features a strange looking exhaust system that protrudes from the back in a most unglamorous way. Not a pretty sight, but in the hands of Klaus Bischof and Hermann Ruettger it performed admirably in Targa Tasmania 2000. ■ The Denny Hulme Award is traditionally awarded to a crew that overcomes great adversity, shows courage, persistence and humility and still get their car to the finish. This year’s winners Steve Rixon and Grahame Dodd had travelled many uneventful kilometres from Brisbane in their 1985 Jaguar XJS-S to compete in Targa until 20km from Shepparton disaster struck. The Jag was following another vehicle which suddenly veered to one side and their Jag was literally sprayed with something that at first resembled water. The container of the substance, an errant portaloo then hit the bonnet taking out most of the front of the car. (Had it gone through the radiator it would literally have been a case of the s-t hitting the fan!) After inspecting the extensive damage the pailcancelled their booking to Tasmania, but at that point Spiteris in Melbourne came to the rescue with the necessary parts including a new bonnet taken from what was the first XJS ever to come to Australia. After many phone calls and much pleading the TT Line squeezed the big Jag into the last possible space onboard and the Rixon/Dodd car arrived in time for the start of Targa. Sadly they missed their chances for a Targa Trophy when they blew a radiator hose on the Cethana special stage, but at least they will be going home with one trophy as well as lots of memories of their time at this year’s Targa. There’s no truth in the rumour that their trophy is to be renamed the Dunny Hulme Award! - BRIAN REED

26 May 2000

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Two Aussie WRC events? Cyprasslammed RMIY OZ ORCANISERS URCED TO “SEE OIC PICTURE By JON THOMSON MOTORSPORT News’s recent story speculating on the potential for Canberra ■ to host Australia’s round of the World Rally Championship has drawn angry response from organisers of Telstra Rally Australia.

According to noted British rally scribe Martin Holmes, who floated the story, the reaction from Rally Australia was not good - but he stands by his comments, adding that the Perth-based rally needs to see the “big picture”. Holmes says that speculation among European rally media is that Australia could potentially be in line to host

Subaru, Ford or Peugeot?

not one, but two rounds of the World Rally Championship sometime in the future. . This will be particularly necessary if anti-competition and tobacco sponsorship regulations continue to impose problems for traditional rallies based in Europe,” he said. .“The FIA is ‘scared stiff of the European Commission and is looking around for alternatives and ways of host ing the World Championship outside Europe. “There is no reason why there couldn’t be two rounds of a World Championship in Australia: one on the west coast the other on the east. The Rally of Canberra could be called ‘The Rally of the Pacific’ if you like,” said Homes. “They do it in FI Germany has two races and so does Italy and, from what I could see, Australia would be

ideally placed to start that trend in rallying.” contacted Holmes Motorsport News by phone following the reaction by Rally Australia to the stray. “Many of the teams find the European rallies more diffi cult and harder to compete in than those outside Europe and certainly, aU of the teams love competing in Australia,” said Homes. “It is difficult to stage a World Championship rally and the task requires a degree of government input and co-operation which both the Perth event and the Canberra event has, support which many European and Asian events lack. “I would be logical for Australia to have two rounds of the World rally Championship and it certain ly wouldn’t receive a hostile reaction fi-om the teams.”

60 km limit

Blue Brothers 2001? Will Colin go, stay, or join Burns? (Sutton) \ .

COLIN McRae's patience with Ford is wearing thin aftm: his 15th non-finish in 19 rallies with the Blue

Oval.

The Scot has admitted he is giving serious thought to a move when his A$20million contract expires at the end of the year. “The options are open at the moment. We're looking at Subam, Peugeot and Ford for 2001,” he said. “I would say we've got almost no chance of winning the World Championship now. It needs Richard to have a complete disaster and us to have some wins, and you have to say that Subaru is

■

looking very strong at the moment. I think he'll take a lot of beating,” the 31-year-old \§cot stated. He added that he is already turning his attention to 2001. McRae's willingness to remain with Ford is unlikely to be boosted by the team's post-Argentina press release, which implied that his retire ment resulted from a near accident in a water crossing during the second leg that loosened the sumpguard and may therefore have allowed a stone to damage the oil pump drive belt - which ultimately caused his retirement the next morning. -JON THOMSON

THE longest special stage held since the FIA imposed distamce Imita tions in 1986 looks set to form part of this Jdly's Redly of New Zealand. The stage, Parahi-Arainia, wil form the meat of the second leg, north of Auckland, mid will cover 59 kilometres. It has been created by combining separate Parahi and Ararua stages on previ ous r#es and there v® be a short section of asphMt on the link road between the two. It wM! be twisty and dem^ding, but top crews reckon it won't be too hard on tyres. "I think it's good. I quite like long stages, and they have certainly helped me in the past," triple New Zealand winner Colin McRae commented. McRae clinched al three wins in the Shaky Isles on the 40km Motu stage and will be hoping his Ford Focus can last the distance

Tower of Focus: Look for changes in NZ. (Suuon) tMsyear. ^ The usual limit for World Championship rallies is 30 kilometres, but the sport's goveramg body, the FlA, takes a relaxed view of granting dispensations if it is satisfied that there is no sEdety risk. -JON THOMSON

PRESIDENT of the FIA Rallies Commission Shekhar Mehta has issued a robust ●5 response to critics of the decision to bring the Cyprus Rally into the World Championship in place of the China Rally in September. Teams and drivers have been highly critical of the decision to take the World title to the Mediterranean island for the first time, after years as a leading European title round. One of the most vocal critics has been Carlos Sainz's co-driver Luis Moya. ‘It's the first time anyone asks our opinion about Cyprus. We are not very happy. If you tell me we have to make a rally in Japan or Germany or the USA, we would be happy, but Cyprus? “Nothing against Cyprus, but there is a war there and I cannot see why we should be there how many cars do Ford and Mitsubishi and Subaru sell in Cyprus?” said Moya. “The manufacturers all said without a proper plan of how the logistics were going to work, it was definitely not going to be possible,” said Ralliart chief Andrew Cowan. “At four months notice to travel from one end of Europe to the other, we still don't have a plan, so how the FIA can come up with a solution without considering our situation beats me. “It's cart before horse. We'll do it - we'll have to do it - but the way the situation has been made is not fair.” Other sources maintain that the FIA has done little to win over the main players and point out that Cyprus has a number of advantages from the FIA's point of view, not the least being the fact that it is outside the European Union. It is thought that the Cyprus government has already provided

Critical; Ford’s Luis Moya, financial guarantees that the rally can meet World Championship standards. Defending the decision Mehta made a robust attack on the critics of the decision. “One or two of the drivers who talk about marketing know as much about marketing as I know about nuclear physics. If you don't replace events, you'd be the one sport that didn't. We tried to find a replacement for Indonesia [in 1998], but there wasn't one that fitted in with the shipping schedules. It'll be difficult for the teams, but they'll manage,” Mehta said. He also dismissed the idea that the tobacco question had played any part in FIA deliberations. Unlike many other countries, including European Union members and Australia, Cyprus takes a more lenient view of tobacco advertising. “I can tell you quite frankly in the Rallies Commission the tobacco question never came up. It was done purely on the basis that it was the right time of year and the logistics work out. “The organisers said they'd lay on a ferry and they'd bear the expense, there was plenty of time for the teams to talk to each other and come up with a problem list. The drivers obviously just don't like doing 14 rallies.” - JON THOMSON

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26Mdy2000 Report by JON THOMSON RICHARD Burns has reaffirmed his favouritism for the World Rally Championship with one of his best wins so far, tak ing a character building win in the Rally of Argentina. Burns won by lm06.6s after an array nf problems on the opening day, a blistering second leg and further prob lems on the final day. Complete failure by the Ford team once again meant Burns had to fend off the challenges of Peugeot's Marcus Gronholm while a Mitsubishi, clearly lacking pace, gave Tommi Makinen a consolation third place. Gronholm had a huge test ing accident just days before the event but he put it behind him to lead the rally by nearly nine seconds after the first three stages, leading Burns, who lost time on the first stage as he had to clean the surface as the first car on the road. Colin McRae picked up a 10 second road penalty on the way into stage four, the second of the day. The brake fluid boiled on the descent to the finish of stage three and he thought that a loose brake pipe was in the hydraulic system, so stopped to effect repairs. In fact it was a sen sor pipe, non-essential to brake performance. But it was Sainz who assumed the lead after a tense battle with Gronholm and McRae during the sec ond half of the day. Burns had suffered prob lems late in the day when an electronic switch sending hand brake positions to the transmission failed and the centre diff was instructed to nin ‘free’. In addition he had a sticking throttle and a slip ping clutch. If that wasn't enough the engine had been lacking power since it ingest ed some water in a very deep ford. “We have two days left. If everything works perfectly we could be OK, but we haven't had a clean run so far and 40 seconds is a lot,” said Bums Sainz arrived back in Villa Carlos Paz leading the rally by 4.2s from Gronholm with McRae in third, Kankkimen fourth Makinen in fifth and Bums stmgghng in sixth.

On the second stage of leg two Sainz's rally came to an end when he crashed the Focus heavily in wet and slippery conditions. It was a left-hand bend and I thought the car was going to jump, but it only flew a little and hit the rail on the inside. I don't really understand why," said Sainz. Gronholm grabbed the lead in the Peugeot but had McRae behind, intent on catching him despite the Scot having to fend off an attack from Burns. McRae ordered the Focus's gearbox changed as a precaution as he charged on in pursuit of the lead. However Bums continued to close in on the lead, using softer compound tyres than the opposition and reaping the rewards. Makinen had not been on the pace of the leading group throughout the first two days struggling to come to grips with the car and his tyre choice. Bums bounced back after a dreadful opening leg to win all but one of the stages on the second leg to grab the The Master’s Apprentice; After another dominant win in Argentina, Burns looks like the one most likely to end Tommi Makinen’s championship streak at four. (Phoios by RaceAccess)

WRC RoiBid 5 RaHy

Arg^l^na

1 Bums/Reid Subaru Impreza WRC2000 2 Gronholm/Rautiainen Peugeot 206 WRC 3 Matdnen/Mannisenmaki Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI Subaru Impreza WRC2000 4 Kankkunen/Repo 5 Loix/Smeets Mitsubishi Carisma GT Ford Focus WRC 6 Solberg/Mills

4h10m20.7s 4h11m28.1s 4h11m52.3s 4h12m43.5s 4h18m54.3s 4h21m20.3s

Drivers’ points; Burns 38. Gronholm 24, Makinen 23. Sainz 17, McRae 14 points, Kankkunen 14. Manufacturers points: Subaru 54, Ford 31, Mitsubishi 29, Peugeot 29, SEAT 7, Skoda 5, Hyundai 1.

lead and set up a battle for top honours with Gronholm and McRae on the final leg. The final day saw more rain and treacherous condi tions, only making Burns' achievements over the open ing stages all the more remarkable. He took 30s off Gronholm over the first two stages but was stiU not at aU happy, having had a punc-

ture at the end of the first and had to slow down twice to avoid animals on the road and then with an overheat ing engine. McRae was well-placed to give Burns some anxious moments on the final leg, only to suffer another engine failure. The Scot has expressed his frustration at having to drive the last leg of

Still number 1: But for how much longer? Makinen finished a steady third. (Photo by sutton-images)

n *5; .>●

Coming and going: Peugeot continues to make progress, with Gronholm leading most of Day 1. Out of luck: Sainz struggled, leaving Fetter Solberg as Ford’s only points scorer. rallies wondering if the engine will let go. The car and both drivers are clearly on the pace but the reliability continues to let them down. Gronholm was now in a clear second, acquitting him self well in unfamihar coun try and with Makinen charg ing fast from behind. Makinen had made a wrong tyre choice for the first two stages which were very muddy, losing almost half a minute, while Hyundai continued to have troubles throughout the rally. Both Alastair McRae and Kenneth Eriksson struck trouble on the last day, McRae struggling into the top ten as Eriksson was fighting back fi-om as low as 22nd. He made it into the top 10 by the finish. But nothing could be taken away from Bums who, after a faltering start, had gone on to cement his win with a marvellous second leg.

avenging his Argentina result from 1999 (when team-mate Kankkunen had taken the win from him on the closing stage). Bums's margin was over a minute, which m the current era of the World Championship is an eon. ‘Without a doubt this has been the toughest event of the year for me,” said Bums after the event. “The conditions were very difficult and muddy - and right up until the end of the rally anything could have happened. There certainly wasn't any opportunity to take it easy - I was pushing aU the way.” Gronholm drove a magnifi cent rally for Peugeot, a per formance which will give other teams cause for concern on later events in the season. Makinen was beaten for pace and, although he made some bad tyre choices, he was no match for Burns,

Gronholm or either of the Fords while they were ranning, indicating that the once-dominant Lancer is showing its age. Hyundai collected its first point, after a rally-long battle against a host of reliability problems. The team is mak ing progress on the way to its first full season next year. Seat, on the other hand, seem to be making little headway against their prob lems, both cars shuddering to a halt on stage six with clutch failure in one of the rally's 39 water crossings. They will be praying for a better result on the next round in Greece, but that is a very tough environment in which to turn roimd a team’s mechanical fortunes. Gustavo Trelles from neighbouring Uruguay again took Group N in his Lancer but is struggling to keep pace in the Production car title this year.

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26Mdy2000

Nomad 'slammer breaks cover

n Playstation fans haven’t been forgotten by the IHRA with America’s ‘other’ sanctioning body also developing its new, about-to-be-released drag racing PC computer game for release in Playstation foimat. 'The new game, which will be released as PC format in the next couple of months and Playstation by the end of the year, will feature Top Fuel, Pro Modified,'Top Alcohol Funny Car and mountainmotored Pi'o Stocks. Players will be able to race at a variety of tracks and make up to 70 adjustments on the vehicles.

Exclusive shot: Former Brisbane street car racer Craig Thompson is heading to Top Doorslammer with this new Murray Anderson-built, carbonfibre-bodied Nomad. THE secret shroud around the latest masterpiece under construction at world championship winning chassis builder Murray Anderson’s workshop has been removed... The 1957 Chevy Nomad wagon, being built for champion Brisbane street racer Craig Thompson, is the latest in a line of potent Top Doorsiammers to roll out of Anderson’s Melbourne-based shop and is targeted at the top of the ciass.

“We’ve planned on using only the very best equipment available to us so we can run with the best doorsiammers in the world,” Thompson told Motorsport News last week. “Currently, we are in final negotiations with Victor Bray for a 12 month contract to set us on the right track tune-up wise and, once the car is finished and assembled, we will be out testing.” Thompson said the Nomad features Anderson all round, the Aussie Anderson chassis also

being complimented by a Brad Anderson-topped hemi and 16-71 hi-helix roots blower. “We’re planning to make an impression and be around for some time...” The Nomad will be backed by, and run out of Thompson’s CRT Performance Brisbane operations, CRT having won the national Performance Car Shootout for street cars the previous four years. - GERALD McDORNAN

Critchley back in the ball park

TROY Critchley has rebound ed from two non-qualifying efforts at the first two IHRA events of the season with a

strong 228.07 mph charge at a match race held at Englishtown, New Jersey recently. The run, the fastest by a legal IHRA Pro Mod car, returns Critchley’s Johnny Rocca-owned team to, form after a frustrating beginning to the year - the team having been the pre-season favourites to take out the IHRA title. “It was a tyre-shaking, out of control, should have got out of it, fool of a run, but it showed we’re heading in the right direction,” Critchley told Motorsport News last week. “Everyone thought we were a championship threat at the start of the year, especially following . our pre-season testing form, but it hasn’t worked out that way yet. “We’ve burnt, blownmp and melted everything we could and run nothing decent yet, but the Englishtown match race perfor mance shows we’re back on track. “The run wasn’t really that good and the track wasn’t flash at all Jim Oddy and Fred Hahn couldn’t get off the startline with their car - so the end result was good. Critchley and Rocca are now scheduled to contest the opening round of the Canadian Pro Mod series before heading back to the US for the next IHRA race, with the Australian expecting more good results. The team have also added a new Crane digital ignition system to Rocca’s ’49 Mercury Pro Mod, the unit enabling the team to better control their tune-up, along with a new engine for their upcoming campaign. “We have installed some nice, fresh pieces into the car and I think we can start to make a move in both the Canadian and IHRA series.” - GERALD MCDORNAN

Happy days are here again: Troy Critchley and Johnny Rocca are confident of more success.

FORMER Eddie Hill crew chief Fuzzy Carter passed away on May 17 fol lowing a short battle with cancer. He was 41. Carter began working for Hill in the early 19'80's, beginning as the Texan’s truck driver before working his way to the top spot on Hill’s championship-win ning Top Fuel team. Together with Hill, and their respective wives, Jana and Ercie, Carter and Hill created a formidable team that carved a spot in the history books with drag rac ing’s first-ever four-second pass and an NHRA Top Fuel championship in 1993. Carter called drag rac ing’s first sub-five second pass, a 4.990sec run record ed during qualifying for the IHRA Supernationals at the Texas Motorplex on April 9, 1988, his greatest moment.

While carrying the crew j chief tag, Carter openly i that Hill admitted remained the team’s tuner ; and he merely worked as ; the foreman who directed I the crew. I, “This is a sad, sad day for myself and Ercie,” said last i week. “Fuzzy was like a son | to us. He and Jana lived ; with us here for 10 years, j and I still think of this i back bedroom as his. i Always will. It’s hard for us ’ to believe he’s gone.” Carter most recently tuned for Top Fuel new- ; comer Terry Mullins in , 1998 and 1999 and fell ill this year s ; during Gatornationals. Carter is survived by his wife; Jana, brother Jim i Bob; sisters. Debbie Wyrick. Donna Franklin, ! and Carla Shaw: and his i mother, W-ilie Carter.

English fuel season opens Resurgent Funny Cars kick ojfSanta Pod and Avon Park year

THE European drag racing season is solidly underway with two recent events in England marking the beginning of what is promis ing to be a hectic year. Santa Pod’s new ‘Thunderball’ event, which runs a Top Fuel verses Funny Car format, signalled the beginning of the season over Easter and promoter Keith Bartlett was impressed with the show and has promised more in the future. Despite awful weather and constant rain that brought delays and an early end to the event, the action was spec tacular. Veteran Funny Car racer John Spuffard won the event, soloing to the

title with his Dodge Avenger when foi-mer alky racer Peter Beck couldn’t make the call with his fueller due to breakages. The Santa Pod opener also saw alky and Pro Mod action with the UK dragster series seeing the experienced Rob Turner take victory with his Meyer dragster. Nick Davies was the class of the limited three-car Pro Mod field, running a string of 6.7sec pass es to take the win over Holland’s Henri Joosten. Avon Park’s season opener two weeks ago was highlighted by a three round match race between the fuel Funny Cars of Spuffard and Gordon Smith.

Despite Smith setting a personal best of 5.79s in his last match-up with Spuffard, the Showtime car was too good on the weekend, taking two of the three races. The Showtime Dodge also set a new track record at Avon Park of 5.51s. Four alky dragsters were also a part of the Avon Park show with Turner again making the final round, but top qualifier Dave Wilson won on the day - a holeshot giving him the advantage in a close 6.43s to 6.43s race. Turner did take some consolation in setting low elapsed time of the event at 5.80s, shutting off to just 212mph.

n It looks as though the Albury-based Brooks family might be off the track for a little while with team boss Tony last week picking up their crashed ‘63 Corvette doorslammer from chassis builder MuiTay Anderson un-repaired. Word has the $8,000 chassis bill coming in weU under Brooks’ previously quoted estimates of$10-15,000 to repair the damaged car, although Brooks has said he currently hasn’t got the funds to fix it. n Former Competition racer Mike Tiimey is expected to take delivery of a new, Wayne Daleybuilt VT Commodore Pro Stocker following the Winternationals next month. Tinney has purchased a 352 cubic inch splayedvalve Chev from Pro Stock Champion Peter Ridgeway for his move into the heads-up,factoiw tin-top class - the Townsville racer expected to join the Pro series next season. n Prior to taking delivery of his new Pi'o roller,'Tiimey is believed to be heading to the Winternats in an attempt find out how difficult the often-tight Pro Stock class actually is. 'Tinney is reported to have come to an agreement with the Townsville-based Smith & Wai-e Pro Stock team, supplying his new powerplant to run in their Mike Reilly-built Pontiac Trans Am for the one event. While Tinney is looking to get a handle on his potent new comlxi, Smith & Ware are hoping to return to their giant killing form of past years. n Fellow North Queensland racer John Barbargallo is expected to make his Pro Stock at the Winternationals. Barbargallo has impressed with his Ford Probe while running Super Stock’s B/Gas class, but the addition of a five speed is sure to speed up his Polito-clone mount even more.

36 26Mdy2000 n Continuing on with Pro Stock, rarely seen Brisbane Pro racer Mark Marchetti is believed to have a new engine on the way from PRE’s Melbourne workshops. Once he finally overcame a terrible run of bad luck and actually got to the track, Marchetti impressed with his stunning Pontiac Formula. When you think of coupling the Reilly-built piece with PRE’s proven horsepower-making ability, Marchetti could prove to be a hitter sooner rather than later. n Word has it that incumbent Pro Stock Champion Peter Ridgeway i-ecently received a call from a major Pro Stock Truck team in the US searching for tyres. It seems the current supply of Goodyear tyres, which have been made in South America for the last 18 months or so, aren’t quite as good early in their life as the previous Americanmade versions and the older US-built rubber hoops are hotly sought after items! H Calder Pai-k drag racing manager Steve Allen has resigned and will leave the position on June 2. It is believed soon-to-bedeparting CP motor racing manager,Peter Bridge, has put his hand up for the position although no decision has been made. Bridge’s contract with the venue was recently terminated, with track general manager Warren Howai’d notifying Bridge that all activities at the venue, apart from track hire and drag racing, would cease for'the foreseeable future. H With the departure of Ronnie Sweai'ingen as Crew Chiefin the Helen Hofmann/Cristen Powell camp, Andy Nerring has stepped in. Nerring is a former Hofmann crew member and a gi'aduate of the Paul Smith Drag Racing School. Johnny West will also be assisting the team on a part time basis - West being available thanks to Bob Vandergriff parking his Top Fuel car after not being able to find a sponsor to fund his campaign. n Long-time European alcohol Funny Car racer Smax Smith has made the move to nitro. Smith purchasing English racer A1 Jackson’s entire Funny Car operation. Jackson’s operation is a proven midfive second deal, and Smith’s move to the fuel coupe class is another indication that the category is, like the US, making a resurgence. - GERALD McDORNAN/DAVE OSTASZEWSKI

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Carr won't fund Eastern Creek Read says “now is the time to accept WSM JIM Read has quick ly responded to New South Wales Premier Bob Carr’s comments that the state govern ment has ruled out any financial assis tance for drag racing, by saying his propos al for the Western Sydney Motorplex would be totally pri vately funded. Carr confirmed the government had consid ered options to modify the current ARDC-run Eastern Creek facility to again provide the sport with champi onship drag racing in the state - missing since early 1997 - but said that no tax payers funds would be committed. “There are proposals for Eastern Creek but there won’t be taxpayer money going into it,” Mr Carr said. “There is interest in drag racing and we’re

looking at the circum stances under which we’ll create opportuni ties for someone from the private sector to build a drag racing facility but the state will not operate such a facility,” the premieradded. Read’s response was quick and to the point. “The premier has been totally mis informed about what’s going on and people within his own depart ment have been given confirmation three times of funding in place to immediately begin construction of the Western Sydney Motorplex on the site next door to Eastern Creek,” Read said this week. “We have the funding in place and, with the govei-nment’s allowance to use the land - for which they’d receive a moderate income from the lease - we would

soon be able to provide an incredible economic benefit for the greater western Sydney region. “There is no need, and hasn’t been any need to look at the Eastern Creek option. It was always going to be too much to achieve too little. The time for acceptance of our Western Sydney Motorplex proposal has come.” Government com missioned surveys have revealed that the cost of building a new dragway could cost more than $7 million. The NSW govern ment according to reports in the Sydney Morning Herald com missioned a Sydney surveying company during 1999 to cost the construction of an international standard drag strip at the exist ing facility. The options exam ined included modify-

ing the existing facility to varying levels cost ing between $1 million and $4.7 million, excluding the cost of either moving or modi fying the grandstand to meet safety stan dards. A stand-alone track parallel to the main straight and linked to the existing pit facili ties was costed at a minimum of $7 million - some experts putting the figure closer to $12 million, just $3.5 mil lion less than Read’s privately-funded WSM. Another problem with the Eastern Creek option was the construction of the sur veyed options would need the raceway to be closed for between three and eight months for construction, mean ing further significant financial hardship for the embattled ARDC. -JON THOMSON/ STAFF

Dream; Could we soon see proper drag racing return to Sydney.(Photo by Nix Pix)

Englishtown too cold to run

Major crisis suffered by nitro cars when traction prores to be too good — major damage done PERSISTENT

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and cold temperatures forced the NHRA to cancel final elimina tions at the MATCO Tools 'Spring Super Nationals, opting to re schedule the event to September 9. Despite just two quali fying sessions being held for the fuel cars and three for Pro Stock, there was major news coming out of the event for each category. The unseasonable tem peratures created a major tyre problem for the nitro cars, despite the cold starting line producing a lack of traction. It was the complete opposite for the top-end of the track, some report ing it to be the best ever traction - the conditions actually ripping chunks from the tyres. Most of the fuel teams said that their cars were hooked up so well that the motors were turning several hundred rpm less than normal for the speeds that were being recorded. The increased tyre tem peratures in the “core” of the tyre, and the tyres being unable to dissipate the heat from the extra tyre flex and blistering, caused chunking and shredding of the slicks down to the underlying tyre cords. Whit Bazemore suffered

the worst damage as the left rear tyre on his Kendall Camaro exploded at the finish line. Bazemore kept the car in its own lane but the explosion damaged both the chassis and the body beyond repair. Frank Pedregon also suffered a failure, strip ping the entire tread area off the tyre and tore a 10inch hole in the rear deck. Several Top Fuel teams also reported damage to the wings from tyre dehris. Both the Top Fuel and Funny Car fields were ‘inconsistent’, the condi tions playing havoc with the performances of many, thus the bump spots were nothing to write about. In Pro Stock, Jeg Coughlin equalled the current 6.822 national record held by Warren Johnson to lead the field the bump spot sitting with Kurt Johnson at a record 6.880. Eighteen drivers had recorded personal bests with 13 of those not mak ing the show. Fourteen cars ran over 200 mph with W.J. topping out at 201.76 mph to set the track record The records continued in Pro Stock bike with Matt Hines setting a new national record of 7.138 to lead the field. -DAVID OSTASZEWSKI

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Chunky: Frank Pedregon’s new 2000 Pontiac Hopper was missing a little bit of the body work after a tyre peeled apart. Pole man; Larry Dixon continued with his good form putting the Miller Lite car in the number one spot in qualifying. (Photo by Pontiac Racing and Cody Coleman)

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26 May 2000

Harking on about it

Like most Australian drag racers, Top Alcohol Funny Car racer Steve Marker had a dream of one day being able to try match his skills against the world's best in the US. To realise the dream of racing in the US takes lots of money and incredible sacrifices but, thanks to the hard work having been done. Marker and his wife Janelle found themselves in the position where they could leave their successful Marker Transport business and head stateside. Now on their second racing tour in the US, the Markers have proven to be every bit as good as most expected, reaching two NMRA national event final rounds. GERALD McDORNAN spoke with Steve Marker about their experience in the US, their goals and plans for the future. MOTORSPORT NEWS: You have now been to two NHRA'national event final rounds, so how close are you to your first win? STEVE MARKER: Who knows in this ganne! As long as you're there and you have similar sort of luck as we had in Virginia, who knows. Frank Manzo, who has beaten me both times, is a very, very tough and smart racer who can read a race track. He's the best alky tuner in the world and really knows his stuff and he's hard to beat.

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problem running over here. I've always treated every racer the same - both here and at home. Anyone can beafyou at any time, you just have to treat them all the same. Experience is what the Americans have plenty of and is what we're lacking for tuning to the various conditions and the way they change so quickly. One day things can be perfect in the morning and the afternoon things will be totally different, that's the biggest challenge, tuning to the track and conditions at the time. The 75 minute rule MN: Your performances in between rounds is also a the US, both last season and now - the beginning big challenge - in 'Richmond we were down to of your second 'tour 40 minutes between rounds have been exceptionally good. Where you ever and we just didn't get any time to think about the tuneintimidated by running against the big-name up and, by not be able to think a little about the Americans, or are you know comfortable with changing conditions quickly who you're racing? enough, you get left behind. Manzo works on the car SH: I don't have any

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and does all the tuning as well. They're just so experienced at their tracks and with what they're doing. MN: What made you actually make the move to racing in the US? It was spoken about for a few years but you finally made the move in 1999. SH: It was just a dream to come to the US and compete with other Funny Cars on a level playing field, as well as competing with the best In the world. We've got limited opportunities at home and, regardless of what you're going to do at home, a dragster will always have the advantage over a Funny Car. The performance level could be made to look the same but a dragster will always have the advantage, as can be seen here - if you haven't got lane choice, it will be more critical to a Funny Car than a dragster. Funny Cars are

2000 Winston Top Fuel Championship 599 .374

(i Doug Kalitla 7 Cory Me Clenathan

Ph: 02 4332 8755 Fax: 02 4385 8395 8 Doug Herbert .. .. y David Grubnie . .. Mobile: 0411 470 712 21 Sanctuary Place Bateau Bay NSW 2261

Blurred speed: Australian Steve Marker has matched it with the best alcohol Funny Car racers in the world in the United States. Lining up more soldiers: Marker, wife Janelle and crew member Brian Marsden ready another bullet for competition. Focusing on the competition: Marker believes he, along with just about any other Australian drag racer, is as good as anyone in the world. He just has the opportunity to prove himself correct. (Photos by Diana Harkcr)

obviously a lot more unpredictable and less consistent than a dragster on any given day, on any given lane. MN: Is that a problem wiih^ Australian Top Alcohol with virtually everyone, except yourself and Steve Reed, having moved to dragsters? SH: If you love Funny Cars, it's not a problem. We had more Funny Cars in the beginning than what we had dragsters and that is gone now. I can't see more Funny Cars than dragsters coming back in a hurry. They are difficult to get consistently down the track. Most of them have invested heavily Into the dragsters and you can't blame them for not switching to Funny Cars over night if that's where the advantage is. If they want to change the class, it has to Continued next page...

2000 WINSTON DRAG RACING SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS AT MAY 21. I Tony Schumacher 2 Gary Scelri i Tarry Di.von 4 Kenny Bernstein . .“i Joe Amato

10 Don I.anipus ....

.3.32 31.3 455 .394 332 329 264 262

2000 Winston Funny Car Championship .ssv I. Jerry Toliver .. 559 2. John Force .... 328 3. Ron Capps .... 4. Tony Pedregon .s. Jim Epler b. Scotty Cannon . 7. Dean Skuza .. . 8. Whit Ba/cinore V. Bob Gilbertson 10. Del Worsham

463 .389 324 310 3(K) 297 288

2000 Winston Pro Stock Clmmpionship 1 ..leg Coughlin .. 2. Warren Johnson 46b 3. Jim Yates . ... 42? 4. Mark Pawtik . . .380 .3. Troy Coughlin 6. Ron Krisher . . . 7. Richie Stevens S. Kurt Johnson . . s). Bruce Allen . . lO.Tom .Miutino .

.1 <:

.174 368 36 1 33 1 33 1

38 26 May 2000 base, there are a lot of talented people at home. I don't think it's out of anyone's reach, especially in Top Alcohol. »e

When only the best will do: To run with the best, you’ve got to have the best equipment and Marker has done just that, purchasing a 40ft American Eagle motor home,along with a two-car 32ft trailer, to transport the racing operation around the US in style. The team sleep in the motor home and trailer at the track. Nothing Funny here: The Funny Car is all state-ofthe-art- Dave Uyehara chassis, carbon-fibre 2000 Dodge Avenger body and all Brad Anderson mechanicals. It’s exactly what you need to mn consistent 5.5-5.6sec runs at over 250mph. It’s already taken Marker to two final NMRA final rounds. (Photos by Diana Harker)

get to race at home again? SH: Obviously. We just , weren't getting enough be a long term change. It races in Australia to get on just can't be done short top of the various conditions term. and the tune-up. Because We just wanted the you race here every opportunity to compete with weekend you just learn so other Funny Cars, so we n much'ahd get on top of came to the US to do it. . things quickly. Now, with our business set At home, it's so far up the way it is, and now between races and you that we have everything set can't get on top of things. up iff the US, it is actually I've learnt more here in cheaper for us to race here the last two visits. I'm pretty than at home, especially confident that I can now run with the'currency exchange. in the 5.60s zone fairly We had the opportunity to easily, just from what 1 do this and that's what we learnt here last year. did - and we're having a lot I can take the of fun. combination we have here and be very successful with MN: Knowing how hard it it back home, just from the is to set up a racing amount of work we've done operation in the US from here. Australia, and now having With the same actually done it, does that equipment back home, we know weight heavily may not be as fast as we against making a racing return to Australia in the are here but we'll certainly be more consistent. I'd near future? expect to see us where we SH: No, we're still looking should have been, we and thinking about it at the should have been in the flat moment. We're looking at 70s anyway... bringing this car back home at the end of this season MN: What's your long here, or probably picking up another rolling chassis and term plan in the US - do sending it home. We're you have a five-year plan, looking around before or just taking things as making a decision. they come? This tour lasts four races SH; We're just taking it one and then we'll be home for year at a time. As long as a few months. We will be we enjoy things, we'll back for the US Nationals continue. Our plan was, if and we'll stay with the tour we came back this year and until Houston and, at that it became too difficult, we'd time, we'd like to have just ship the car and another car so we can ship equipment back home and one back. that would be it. But we're I plan to run the still having way too much Australian season next year fun and things haven't been - have a car back by a hassie, so it's been good. November so we can test at If we're still In business home. at home, and because it's been fun, we'll seriously MN: Do you feel your consider coming back again experience in the US will next year. It's just a year by give you a greater year thing. We'll make a advantage when you do decision about next year

Continued from previous page...

There's a lot of talented people indrag racing in Australia and if they were given the same opportunities they'd achieve just the same. around Indy and then make plans to do that. Our first option will be to order a new car for here and bring this one home, although it may be better to just buy another roller and take that home as this car hasn't done a lot of runs and it still should be a competitive car here. MN: When you actually got to the US you ran

competitively straight away. Did you then have a bit of a realisation that Australian drag racers are a fairly competitive apd intelligent bunch straight away? SH: There's a lot of talented people in drag racing in Australia and if they were given the same ^ opportunities they'd achieve just the same. In all facets of sport, for the population

MN; Do you get much reaction from Aussies in the US, people coming up to you and saying 'hey, great to see you here giving it to the Americans'? SH: Oh, yeah, just about every race there's Australians here following the racing and they'll drop by and wish us luck, which is great. It's amazing the amount of people that are over here all the time cruising around. They don't come specifically to see us but they come by and that's great. WIN: Do try and play on the Aussie in the US with the local media and the track commentators, or would you just prefer to keep things quiet? SH; We're just here to have fun and I don't expect to be treated any different to anyone else. I've never been one for blowing our own trumpet, I don't think I'm doing anything that anyone else can't do. I've played the whole thing lowkey and I'm not interested in the rah-rah-rah. We're here to have fun and learn and that's what we're doing. MN: You're using a motor home for travelling around and staying in? SH; We've got a 40ft American Eagle motor home and a 32ft two-car trailer with a lift in it where we put the race car up top and the tow car down the bottom - it works brilliantly for us. MN: How is it with everyone living in the motor home together. SH: Same as last time where we had no problems at all. A couple of the guys sleep in the trailer, which takes the pressure off! We've got five here with us this time, so the trailer comes in handy... The whole country is set up for motor homes and

that's made travelling around so easy. There's so many truck stops that cater for the motor homes. MN: So the plan now is just to finish off the tour and then regroup for September on? SH: This tour is four races long - three national events and one divisional, which we've still got to do. When we come back we've got the option to do a race every weekend from Indy to Houston, both national and divisional races. The people over here that run the divisional races are great people and they really want us to try and help support those races. A divisional race at Bristol comes to mind, one we did last year, and that was a fun race and we want to do some more of those. MN: Good track Bristol? That's one of Bruton Smith's new style of facilities, like Las Vegas. SH; Oh, yeah. Bristol is modern and just state of the art and a great track. Most of the tracks on the east coast are very nice, flat tracks. Richmond in Virginia, where we made the final recently, was a little bumpy in the left lane where they'd laid some new concrete from the 330 foot mark out to half track but they're going to fix that. m:Finally, does it still pretty good when you pull to the line and there's someone like Frank Manzo, or Bob Newberry sitting beside you? SH: We've become part of the show now, so it's just like racing at home. When we were back home it felt really weird when we saw some of the events on television 'cause we knew all the guys on the startline, the crews, the officials... It's no different to racing at home, it's just natural now. No different to racing Gary Phillips or Steve Reed. The best part is that we're on equal footing, racing Funny Cars and everyone has a chance to win.

26 May 2000

PJIA

n Winston Cup team owner Andy Petree showed his drivers Joe Nemechek and Kenny Wallace how to win when

VAIE - Adam Petty 1980-2000

AMERICA’S royal

family of racing, the Pettys, suffered a second tragedy with in a month when fourth-generation racer NASCAR Adam Petty passed away from injuries sustained in an accident while practising for a NASCAR Busch series race at New Hampshire International Speedway on May 12. He was just 19 years old. Petty, the son of Kyle, grandson of Richard and great grandson of Lee, crashed heavily in practice, with the driver’s side of the car impacting the concrete safety barriers side-on . after the initial contact ' spun the cai’ around. Immediately following the aecident, it was , speculated that the I throttle on his #45 j -Sprint Chevrolet had . stuck open.

crews Safety removed Petty from the wreck and he was ■transported by heli copter to the nearby Concord Hospital, where he was pro nounced dead on arrival, head trauma the cause, The fourth-genera tion racer’s death comes just a month after family patriarch Lee died after a long illness - Lee being NASCAR’s fi rst triple champion and also the winner of the inaugur al Daytona 500, the sport’s biggest annual race. He was 86. Lee Petty’s death was said to have been the deciding factor in Richard’s recent decision to hand the reins of the family racing operation over the Kyle. “I’ve seen my father in 10 million different situations in his lifetime, from laying in a hospital bed to standing on top of a car in the Daytona 500 victory lane, but I don’t

gi’ieving family. A private funeral with family and friends was held on Monday, May 15 in Noith Point, North Carolina near

the family’s home. Adam is survived by his parents Kyle and Patti, grandparents, sister Montgomery Lee, and brother, Austin.

5^1?.

REACTION to Adam Petty’s tragedy was swift with NASCAR president Bil France releasing a statement saying: “It is difficult to

SpftfPCS^^ I ● Sh % * A tragic loss of life: Adam Petty. (Sutton-images) think I’ve ever seen of the Adam’s accident him this emotional with his daughter about anything,” Kyle Montgomery Lee, who said at the time of his is an accomplished father’s reaction to equestrian. The pair Lee’s passing. immediately returned Kyle was on his way to the United States to to England at the time be reunited with their

Kyle Petty skips races

Family release statement concerning Adam’s death and, understandably, askfor privacy to grieve IN the wake of his son, Adam’s tragic death, Kyle Petty opted not to run in ‘'The Winston’ , last Saturday night and the veteran will also not compete in the this weekend’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte. Kyle’s seat is being filled by Petty truck team driver Steve Grissom in the 600. Whether Kyle will return to the seat beyond that remains uncertain as the stunned Petty Enterprises team are yet to make any comments about the incident and the team's future. ‘We’re all hui'ting right now, said Grissom, “I’m just really glad there’s something I can do to help out.” The Petty family issued a brief statement on May 19th; “On behalf of Kyle, Pattie, Austin, Mont gomery Lee and every one in the Petty family, we are truly grateful for the outpouring of sup port, prayers and love we received over the past few days. “This is a very difficult time for all of us, but we so appreciate the way our friends and fans from all over the world have expressed their love for Adam. We thank each and every one of you.” Kyle and family remain

kii

Dynasty: The Petty family the late Lee Petty, ‘King’ Richard, Kyle and Adam.

(Agencies)

out of state on an extend ed trip and Richard and Lynda Petty were at their

Wyoming home over the Winston weekend. The Petty-owned Busch Grand National team that Adam drove for will also next week end off and, again under standably, plans haven’t been announced as to its future. It’s too early to tell whether Kyle’s other son, Austin, will follow in his older brothers footstep’s, Austin having competed in some Late Model events, but a lack of suc cess was discouraging for both himself and the team. - MARTIN D CLARK

express our sadness over the passing of Adam Petty. On behalf of the entire NASCAR family, we extend our hearts and prayers to his parents Kyle and Patti, his grandparents Richard and Lynda and the entire Petty family. The Pettys are an inte gral part of the sport of NASCAR. The entire NASCAR community will miss Adam Petty.” Charlotte president

‘Humpy’ Wheeler con- : curred, saying it was a i terrible tragedy to lose i someone so young and ‘ fidl of life.

,iT^i

Petty racing genes. He was a very talented dri ver and a real gentle man on and off the

Complete, near complete or rollers. Front or rear steer. Buick, Pontiac.Lumina, Commodore,

highlights in our 40- | year history when he i won here in his ARCA ; debut in October 1998. ; “That was truly a i special moment to see : him with the entire ' Petty family in victory : lane. 'This untimely loss ■ will touch all of us ; deeply for a long time to : come.” Weekly television Inside i program Winston Cup telecast their show direct from the funeral seiwices for Petty, with sister Montgomery Lee giving the memorial, while numerous dri¬ vers and team owners also paid tributes. q:

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Lest we forget: All Busch teams paid tribute to Adam Petty at New Hampshire International Speedway last week.

■ Robby Gordon decided to miss last weekend’s ‘The Winston’ at Charlotte while he concentrated on his Indy 500 campaign. Gordon was originally going to skip this year’s 500, having come within one lap of winning last year. TMs year’s race will be the third time he’s run both the 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 on the same day. ■ As if we hadn’t had enough special paint schemes for the year already, Dale Earnhardt Jr is expected this week to announce a commemorative ‘job’. An Olympic version of Junior’s Bud #8 Chev is expected to be unveiled at Charlotte this week, with both Earnhardt and drag racer Kenny Bernstein believed to be running the ‘five circle beer’ cars later this summer. ■ Arrington Manufacturing, builders of Dodge’s W8 engine for the NASCAR truck series and the R&D house for Mopar’s new Winston Cup engine program, is expanding its facility to include a new 50,000 square feet building to cater for the increase in work. Arrington is expected to employ a further 50 people in the expanded operation, having secured US$1 million in funding fi'om local government. ■ Team owner Joe

We need ears for the Australian National Sportsman Super Speedway Series in 1001

Oldsmobile, Thunderbird, Early Monte Carlo.

Complete, near complete or rollers. VB, VC, VK, VL, VN, VR, VS Commodore, XD, XE, XF, EA, EB, ED, EL Falcon

Send details and current specification of your car and/or requests for further information to:

Australian Grand Natinnals Series

Australian Grand Natinnals Serins

Fax 03 9720 9976 email: harally@free.net.au

PO Box 5030 studfield 3152

■ Tony Stewart jumped behind the wheel of Jaret Schroeder’s Indy car - a car that he co owns - during last week’s practice for the Indy 500. Stewart did 12 laps, running a best of 218.2mph. The ‘99 Winston Cup rookie of the year has an agreement with team owner Joe Gibbs not to contest the 500 this year, having run both Indy and the NASCAR Coca-Cola 600 race on the same day last year.

track. He provided one : of the most memorable

Wanted ti bey We need cars fer the Australian Grand Natinnal Super Speedway Series in 2001

he got behind the wheel of a speedway car at TriCounty Speedway in Hudson, North Carolina on the Mother’s Day weekend and won the feature race on the night!

“There is no question : Adam inherited the ‘

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POBox 5030 studfield 3152

Gibbs is asking NASCAR for some help in the aerodynamic department after the first few races this year have seen success for the Ford and Chevy marques, but little from the Pontiac's. "It's obvious and it's been proved in the wind tunnel," remarked the owner for Bobby Labonte and Tony Stewart, "Im looking to get it corrected.” - MARTIN D CLARK

40 26Mdy2000

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Charlotte disaster as bridge collapses 107injured but luckily no deaths as fans fall on to interstate freeway below By MARTIN D CLARK

Call 911: Emergency services attend to the scene at Charlotte Motor Speedway, North Carolina last Saturday night. 107 people were injured in the dramatic incident although, luckily, no one was killed. (Photo by Martin D Cla*)

HJ goes Winston Gup

Pro Stock champ teams with Derrike Cope

involvements with PRO Stock di-ag racing , We have a lot of work to Winston Cup teams in the do to get a bunch of small champion Warren past, the most notable block Chevy’s ready to Johnson is going run 500-mile races. It’s being former Funny Car Winston Cup racing. racer Raymond Beadle, quite a challenge. ' The five-time NHRA' “We have been building who won a Winston Cup champion has announced motors for some of the championship with Tim the formation of a new Pro Stock Truck teams so Richmond as driver, and WinstomCup team. Quest we’re very familiar with Kenny Bernstein, whose Motor Racing, with 1990 the small block motor, Quaker State-backed Daytona 500 winner team won races with but a IVASCAR piece is a Derrike Cope. whole different animal.” Brett Bodine driving. Johnson, the third AnumberofNHRA - PHIL MORRIS gi’eatest winner in NHRA drag racers have had history, will build and supply motors for the new team. The team is expected to have a car ready for testing in the next three months, with a debut not slated until next season. It is believed Johnson, Cope and a third, silent partner, have engaged the services of a major marketing company to sefeking sponsorship of the operation, although they are said to have enough finances in place to begin their campaign. Wliile not having built stockcar engines in the past, Johnson is more than familiar with the small block powerplants (NHRA Pro Stock cars use 500 cubic inch big blocks), building similar 358ci units for two NHRA Pro Stock Truck teams. “It looks like Dad’s going Winston Cup racing,” son Kurt Johnson said last week. “This all started when Derrike contacted us four or five months ago and asked if we’d be interested in building Gas and turn, gas and turn: Having teamed with 1990 motors for him. It just Daytona 500 winner Derrike Cope, WJ will now need to fig kind of went from there. ure how to make a car turn left.(Photo by Oave Ostaszewski)

* P ;

together until the final crash from about five feeiitabove A pedestrian bridge used the gi'ound. Thankfully no cars were to transfer fans across the under the bridge at the time. busy four lane Highway Luckily for the injured, the 29 to their cars in front of incident happened just 200 the Charlotte Motor feet from the track’s medical Speedway collapsed right command post. after the running of ‘The The bridge, similar to Winston’ race last those used to cross freeways and highways in Australia, Saturday night. was constructed just five The accident happened around 11.15pm with 107 years ago and met North people caught on the bridge Carolina department of when it collapsed - of a total transportation interstate of 170,000 spectators at the standards. While the bridge was con event - being transpoi’ted by ambulance, either road or structed by the raceway, the air, to four nearby hospitals track management have said that the have continued with with injuries. The bulk of the injuries inspections every two years, were to the head, limbs or as would be done if it had back of the victims with been built by the state. Raceway officials say around 15 critically injm-ed. Miraculously no one was pedestrians, golf cars and the occasional car used the killed. “All we can do right now is bridge. However one local resident pray for the people who were said he had seen a construc injured,” said speedway pres tion grader and a truck car ident‘Humpy’ Wheeler. “I’m not concerned about rying steel advertisement the safety of this place, we’ve supports cross the bridge to had excellent architects, the new dirt track the previ excellent engineers all help ous week. Speedway officials us with any improvements denied the report. we’ve made.” Obviously this could have About 100 feet of the con weakened the bridge sub crete walkway collapsed stantially, if the statement were true, although there is slowly into a ‘Y shape onto the highway below, the steel no doubt the claims will be reinforcing wire holding- investigated by the state.

The following day state engineers inspected the sec tions of the collapsed bridge before its removal later that evening in readiness for the major traffic that uses the route for travel from Concord to Charlotte each weekday. The engineers would not comment on what caused the bridge, which was designed to carry three times its weight, to collapse, but they did say the steel cables buried in the concrete showed signs of pos sible con’osion. Engineers also inspected a second bridge constructed later than the one that col lapsed. Having just settled a law suit for an undisclosed amount out of court for the May 1999 IRL crash at the track that claimed three lives. Motorsports Speedway Incorporated, the company which owns the facility, will no doubt be slapped with another, possibly more serious suit which, depending on the outcome of the investigation, could come from the state and up to 100 individuals. "I don’t think we’re jinxed, we’ve had a mn of bad luck maybe,” said speedway PR boss Jerry Happens. As Motorsport News went to press eight people remained hospitalised, all still in critical condition.

Earnhardt Jr’s Winston Dad can have the money, Ijust drive ROOKIE Dale Earnhardt Jr whipped the field in this first ever appearance at ‘The Winston’, NASCAR’s annual all-star show, last Saturday night at Charlotte. Junior won over US$500,000 while decimating the field in the most dominating fashion - having even visited the pits for new tyres just three laps into the final 10lap segment. “We had a 10-minute pit stop and the tug nuts came loose after that,” remarked Earnhardt about his need to visit the pits. “By the grace of God, the caution came out when I needed it. ^ “Right after it happened I said ‘Don’t worry about it, don’t be down, we’ve got to concentrate on this race’.” Earnhardt even hit the wall on his way to the win, the incident failing to slow his charge to victory lane. “I don’t know why I hit the wall, I just ran out of race track. I knew that thing was fast, the four tyres really paid off for us. I’m going to give the money to pop - he’s knows what to do with the money... I just drive.” And drive he did! The Winston features three segments, one 30lap race where the winner receives $50,000, then there is a 10-minute break before segment two, which again pays 50grand to the victor.

That’s my boy: Earnhardt gives his son. Dale Jr, a big hug. It’s not eveiy day that your son wins you US$500 grand! (Pholo by Martin D CUuk)

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Snap€m

After the second 30-lapper, it is left to each team’s discretion as to whether to pit or not. If they do, track position is given up for the final 10 lap sort out, which pays a whopping $500,000 to the winner - two and a half times '99’s payout! In the end Earnhardt senior finished third, just behind Winston Champion Dale Jarrett, ‘Senior’s’ car a battered colourful Chevy. “Pretty isn’t it?” he quipped post-race. “I thought I could get up there and give Jarrett some trouble. I looked in my mirror and here this red thing (Jr) comes. I knew i just needed to let him go on. I thought I could go up there with him, but I couldn’t.” Jerry Nadeau finished a creditable fourth with pole sitter Elliott back sliding to eighth. Final results; Earnhardt Jr $516,410,Jan-ett $141,410, Earnhardt $61,410, Nadeau $75,282,J Burton $41,410. T Labonte $36,410, R Wallace $34,410, EUiott $182,910, B Labonte $36,410, W Burton $31,110.

- MARTIN D CLARK

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Skip/ZEMCO split

chassis for the Sydneysider to dehut at Grand View Speedway LATE last week leading on Tuesday May 23 (as Australian Sprintcar Motorsport News went to press). racer Skip Jackson parted Shaun is an owner/dricompany with John ver and he realises what is Zemaitis’ Pennsylvaniarequired to make a car run based Zemco Team, with fast," explained Jackson. local driver Kasey Kahne "John and PeeWee Zemaitis taking over the car. provided me with the opportuni After winning multiple ty to race in Peimsylvania and I series titles at Knoxville thank them for that. It’s disap Raceway (Ohio) with the pointing that our results didn’t Jensen Construction Team, reflect the effort that was put in. Jackson decided to move his "After competing in 17 family to Pennsylvania for meets in this region I’m this year’s US Sprintcar sea starting to get the feel for the son where he had the oppor various layouts and racing tunity of competing at 35 to surfaces, so I now feel certain 40 race meetings. that I’m in a position to gain Jackson’s last drive with the some strong results." team was at the World of It is believed that the Zemco Outlaws meet at Williams cai- had a set-up problem that Grove Speedway, where he resulted in it spinning out scoivd a sixth placing in his heat without providing the driver and finished fifth in the B-Main. with any indication. As a result On the next night Kahne of the recent driver changes, tore the car up at Williams' the team will be addressing the Grove, the Zemco .Team machine’s handling quirks. putting together a new Maxim "Racing for John was good. for the event at Hagerstown. Unfortunately things didn’t After the weekend Kahne work out the way we both wanted them to. left Zemco, resulting in them approaching Jackson with the "You never know we may view of him returning to the 'team up once again some fold. He declined their offer time down the road. In the meantime I’m striving to and this week he joins up with . team-owner Shaun Keen. rack up some wins before Keen, who is basecL at returning back to Australia Carlisle near Harrisburg has for the summer month’s of assembled a brand new J&J racing.' By GRANT NICHOLAS

F I I I I

Moving up: Nathan Smee will move up to Sprintcar racing full time this season after running several meetings in Sid Moore’s machine.(Photo by Tony Loxley)

Just Smee again LITRE Car Champion Nathan Smee will make the transition to

Change of scenery: Skip Jackson moves on from the ZEMCO team and finds a new ride with Shaun Keen. (Photo by Tony Loxley)

full-time Sprintcar rac ing next season. Well-known for his championship successes in the litre car ranks, Smee will drive for the Computers Re-Bom team. Full details of the car are still unavailable at the moment. However Smee has done some testing and is likely to be driving a car with a Jeff Jackson chassis. He has held the NSW litre car title for two years in a row, and was leading the Australian title until he was crashed out by a slower car.

Smee

also

drove

ings at Parramatta City Raceway last season and showed that he has the talent to be successful in the category. Computers Re-Bom will run a two-car team this season, continuing their sponsorship of Mark Bertacco. The company will also sponsor a two-car team in the litre car ranks with drivers Jeff Pickering and Gavin Norman, as well as continue their sup port of Parramatta and Newcastle Speedways. -JULBE PEARCE

By GEOFF ROUNDS SOUTH-WEST Victorian David Swayn has won the highly-sought after Australian Sprintcar 1999-2000 Rookie of the Year award. The award is voted by members of the annual National Sprintcar Poll and the former Fornula 500 racer was voted the coun try’s best rookie ahead of other nominees Luciano Monte of Western Australia and David Abbott of New South Wales. Reigning World Series Sprintcar champion Brooke Tatnell, who is currently on tour with the World of Outlaws in the US, has earned his second

Sprintcar leased from Sid Moore at several meet

. J

Australian Driver of the Year title, according to the poll. Tatnell defeated popular American ace Donny Schatz , who was runner-up. Schatz’ car owner, Shane Krikke compiled a top unit to win Team of the Year after

Speedway City in Adelaide will receive the Promoter of the Year plaque for her efforts in staging the Sprintcar Australian Championship in Februar>L Greg Foster of Seaford claimed his second Builder¬ Manufacturer of the Year

preparing an outstanding team for the entire speedway season across Australia.

Award, The Australian National

Kerry Madsen won the Wildcard Driver of the Season for his exciting Sprintcar performances, while Queensland’s Bill Mann won the coveted Outstanding Contribution to the Sport Award and Motorsport News contributor Wade Aunger won the Media Person of the Year. Wendy Turner of

Sprintcar Poll is an official awards program of the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame and Museum in Knoxville, Iowa with a select panel of media members, promoters, sanctioning offidais and manufacturers casting the votes. They will be distributed on August 11 during the 40th running of the Knoxville Sprintcar-Nationals.

42 26 May 2000

Vale Print the blue or blue the print? Eddie Barke ii

EDDIE Barke, a member of that elite group of speedway drivers competing during the ‘golden era’ of Midget auto racing at Tracey’s Speedway in the late 50s and early 60s, has died aged 82. His health had declined steadily following a stroke he suffered on Anzac Day. Barke began his racing career in the 1955/56 sea son, taking over the wheel of Wally Keobecke’s Ford when Wally was forced into retirement after he lost an eye in a hunting accident, Barke made an impact immediately, capping off his rookie season in fourth place in the Victorian Championship. He then purchased Ken Parfrey’s Holden, which he drove with much success and maintained to a high standard. The car is still being oper ated today by is son Barry, secretary of the Victorian Vintage and Classic Association. -KEVIN EMMERSON

On the loud pedal: The on-track action continues to get hotter in Australian Sprintcar rac ing but is NASR’s blueprint the one that is right? (Photo by Tony loxiey) Opinion by BRETT SWANSON PRIOR to being ousted as SCCA President, George Tatnell had explained at the annual conference the reason behind his desire to have the SCCA join NASR. He said that the prime reason was that the SCCA could then have some control over NASR and also that NASR had agreed to leave the rule and decision making up to the SCCA. John Hughes, General .Manager ofNASRthen proceed ed to lay down NASR’s blueprint for the future of Sprintcars

which left a nasty taste in Tatnell’s mouth as they had clearly changed the rules with out the consent ofthe SCCA NASR’s blueprint is based on the results of a survey they conducted in which only 46 car owners and drivers responded. NASR believes that this is a representative picture despite the fact that there are according to Caltex Havoline crew chief Bill Roberts, “twice that many cars registered in New South Wales alone.” One sensible thing from the NASR plan is the intro duction of a weight limit in order to' save costs through the use of ultra lightweight components such as extreme-

ly light weight axles, titanium brake rotors etc. The NASR proposal also espouses two classes of cars based on engine capacity,: 360ci and 410ci. The former are now the numerically dominant class in Western Australia and the Northern Territory and, despite resis tance from promoters in Victoria, the SRA (Sprintcar Racing Association' of Victoria) has been trying to establish the 360s as a sepa rate class in the Garden State for many years. The arguments for going

THE Pennzoil World of Outlaws series continues

DEAN McComb emerged

its way across the United States of America -with

victorious in the inaugural Channel Ten Sprintcar Showdown at Sundown

the same faces up the front. In the latest rocmd at

^ ^ -gt

conducted over two nights at Maiyborough Speedway and Carina Speedway near Bundaberg on May 12 and 13. While McComb didn't win either feature race, he quali fied in both 3x3 lap shootouts and then finished in the top four each time. On opening night (the first n Heat winners were Jensen, appearance by Sprintcars in Brock Dean, Andrew Maiyborough for eight years) Scheurele and Cairns hotDarrell Hodges bounced back shoe Scott Davis. from his spectacular Lismore Round two saw Jensen outaush to take out the feature race. sprint the field from the out He started from pole posi side front row and lead tion and with a slick, dusty throughout the feature event. track offering few passing Hodges stormed through opportunities, was untroubled the field from position 10 to in winning the 25-lapper. secure a runner-up finish on Todd Wanless (131-SHOP the night and a third place Stealth) annexed second posi- result overall, tion ahead of Darren Jensen, Peter Thorley secured his with McComb and George best result thus far with a Galea completing the top five. fine third place finish in the

Max Oumesny Motorsport

Hagerstown Speedv^ay, Stevie Smith moved himself up to fourth in the points tally with a feature win ahead of Mark Kinser and Joey Saldana.^ Aussie Brooke Tatnell missed a start in the AFeature, running fifth in the B-Feature. A night earher though it had been Greg Hodnett who stole the show. Hodnett wasn’t sure when he would race again after a fractured left shoulder blade in an earlier round of the WoO series at Tri-City Speedway in April but returned to the seat. Driving for Champ Car star Jimmy Vasser in the #12 Wirtgen Maxim,Hodnett led all 20 laps to win the Preliminaiy Feature in only his fourth race since returning.

"I really want to thank Tyler Walker and P.J. Chesson for filling in for me," Hodnett said. "They did a greatjob and we learned a lot finm them actually. They helped us get our car faster." Hodnett beat home Mark Kinser and Smith while Tatnell grabbed 13th in the 26-car field. Equally impressive was Fred RahmePs nm on May 19 at WOhams Grove Speedway when rain forced officials to declare the feature race while Rahmer was in the lead. After the previous night’s preliminaiy program, Rahmer and his crew built up a new car and it paid oft! He took the lead after defending champion Mark Kinser suffered a flat tyre and retired. "We really got the breaks tonight," Rahmer admitted, "Mark had the fastest car here. I don't think we could have caught him,and then I don't know if we would have had enough fuel to finish the race if we had restaited.

"I'm just so glad we could finally win one here at'The Grove'for aU the Pennsylvania fans. "We were embaiTassed Tuesday night at LemervUle, and we looked pretty bad last night. We stayed up all night and huilt a brand new car and put in a brand new Don Ott motor, and I'D tell you this thing runs!" The other Aussie, Skip Jackson, ran with the Outlaws at Lemerville and aquitted himself very well. Jackson qualified 18th, ran fifth in his heat but then rolled in the feature after contact with JefFShepai’d. Meanwhile, Tatnell con tinues to improve as the rounds tick by. His results from the past fortnight include a strong seventh in the A-Feature at Kentucky Lake and a sec ond in the B-Feature at Terre Haute. The New South Welshman now sits 17th in the WoO points standings, while Steve Kinser leads the championship chase.

2000 WORLD OF OUTLAWS SERIES POINTS SCORE

Australian Distributors for

Xoo$itr|

^^ RACING TIRE

feature, only succumbing to the Hodges challenge in the closing stages. McComb,who started at the rear of the small field in 11th after winning the shootout, finished fourth again. Scheurele brought his Lucas Oils Maxim home in fifth spot to secure sec ond place in the series standings. On this occasion, the heats were shared between Hodges, Wanless, Scheurele and Steve Mortimer.

to keep the 372s competi tive, will this really be a cost saving initiative or is it just bowing to the wishes of the big budget teams at the expense of the lower budget teams? Why is NASR so keen on aligning Australia totally with some American rules when its own blueprint states: “The continuous and increasing popularity of 360cu.in. Sprintcars in the US, together with the lack of growth in the 410cu.in. cars, illustrates the significance of the effects of costs on the ability of racers to continue to compete. “When the significantly higher racing costs in Australia are taken into account, it would be foUy to ignore the U.S. trends.” So aren’t the US trends saying then, despite national television coverage of the Outlaws series and the high est level of commercial sup port and interest in it, that 410s are not the way to go, even for the Americans who can buy their gear a lot cheaper than we can? Wouldn’t it then be folly to go the way of the 410s in Australia? Sure am glad I don’t own a car anymore!

OUTLAWS UPDATE

IcComb's win without winning By CHRIS METCALF

the 410 route,j like the Outlaws in the USA, are based on cost. The argu ment that good secondhand 410 engines can be sourced in the USA has been one mentioned at various occa sions, although they would need to be freshened up anyway once they were landed here and ail of the top teams will purchase brand new engines, or top of the line 410s. The other is that the extra horsepower put out by these bigger powerplants means a shorter life for all the other componentry, such as drive lines, diffs, tyres etc. With Australian tracks being predominantly small by American standards that raises a number of questions. Do we really need 410s? Can our small tracks handle the extra speed with safety and can the majority of our drivers handle the extra speed and power? Those in favor of 410s, and use the NASR, also International Interaction argu ment - that is, that the Americans can race here and the Aussies can race in the US. While planning a five year phasing-in period for the introduction of 410s with initial weight penalties

For more information on Hoos/er Drag and Speedway Tyres call:

NSW: 02 9679 1990 Fax 02 9679 1187 VIO 03 933f 6477 Fax 03 9331 7444 SA: 08 8332 0800 Fax 08 8364 0296

Hagerstown 22 Hay 2000

Point Standings to 20 May 2000 I. Steve Kinser 2. Danny Lasoski ... 3. Mark Kinser 4. Stevie Smith .... 5. Sammy Swindell . 6. Dale Blaney 7. Joey Saldana 8. Andy Hillenburg . 9. Johnny Herrera .. 10. Jac Haudenschild

3061 2975 2954 2938 2901 2761 2732 2704 2670 2594

I I. Daryn Pittman .. 12. Lance Blevins ... 13. Donny Schatz ... 14. Danny Wood ... 15. Tim Shaffer 16. Greg Hodnett... 17. Brooke Tatnell.. 18. Randy Hannagan 19. PaulHcMahan . 20. Brian Paulus ...

2567 2530 2499 2439 2411 2213 2194 2175 1905 1856

I. Stevie Smith 2. Mark Kinser 3. Joey Saldana 4. Craig Dollansky 5. Steve Kinser 6. Johnny Herrera 7. Andy Hillenburg 8. Greg Hodnett 9. Lance Blevins 10. Dean Jacobs

11. Donny Schatz 12. Daryn Pittman 13. Tim Sh.iffer 14. Daie Blaney 15. Danny Wood 16. Jac Haudenschild 17. Jeff Rohrfaaugh 18. Ed Lynch,Jr, 19. Danny Lasoski 20. Fred Rahmer

l^®0(o)[?8m®i70

26M3y2000

Taking it to the Max After another season of Sprintcar racing right across Australia^ Max Dumesny talks about the 1999/2000 season and where Sprintcar racing and speedway in general is headed. He spoke to AARON NOONAN Motorsport News: We’ve reached the end of another season of speedway. How would you describe season 1999/2000? Max Dumesny: A lot better. We started off a little slowly and we had our ups and downs at the start of the season but it got better towards the end. We had a pretty good closing to the season - generally, I was pretty happy about it.

racing is on the up and up. The Sprintcars are a dominant speedway force without a doubt and we’ve got more and more big races.This season we had a $50,000-to-win race and next season we look like having maybe even more major races.

paying them to be there makes it a pretty good feat. MN: Is the quantity and quality of overseas drivers that we’ve had in 1999/2000 going to be as good as it ever gets? MD; Seeing as more and more of them are trying to

ValvoMne, you know what Max means: The Victoria #5 Valvoline machine is as much a part of Sprintcar racing in Australia as the dirt itself. Dumesny rockets around Parramatta (above) and finds time to sign on the dotted line for the fans (right) at the same venue.

MN: Highlights? MD: Certainly the Australian Title would have been one and, probably, the Parramatta $50,000-to-win race as well. The South Australian Title was good too. MN: Lowlights? MD: The South Australian one was pretty low in the end but the (Grand Annual) Classic at Warrnambool was probably one of the biggest let downs[where Dumesny for.the first time in his career failed to qualify for the AMain race]. It was pretty heart-breaking. MN: When things like that happen, and despite the success you have during the year, does it get to be a bit of a grind when things don’t always fall that way? MD: Oh yeah, for sure particularly towards the end of a season. It’s always a tough grind but overall, I wasn’t too disappointed with the year I had. Towards the end of January everything gets to be a pretty heavy grind. You just race so often it gets a little bit that way. MN: The move to the newer Maxim chassis looked a good one, particularly considering the results in the Victorian Titles at Western Auto Raceway and on the Easter Trail. Was the car radically different to the previous one? MD: No, there wasn’t a great deal of difference. They’re very similar really. The way you set it up is a little different and it’s made with a view of making the whole package work better (as an overall unit). If we had it the same as the other car it probably would have performed just as well. MN: Turning to the overall picture, where is Sprintcar and speedway racing in general headed? MD: I think Sprintcar

(Photos by Brett Swanson and Tony Loxley)

little bit much -1 don’t think there’s more politics than in lots of other years. I don’t think it’s that big of an issue. It may have been in Victoria with a chosen few who caused it for quite a few people. On the whole, it all remains the same really. u

You W be dreaming ifyou thought you could purchase something and go and be competitive with those guys (the Outlaws). Fd be better off spending it on a snowboard and heading offto the snow I think MN: Does that strength in Sprintcar racing take away from other categories of speedway? MD: If I were a genie I’d know that one... MN: Is it fair to compare Sprintcar racing to VSSupercars, its circuit racing cousin, in terms of popularity amongst its respective fans? MD: I think so. We haven’t got the levels of exposure that the touring car teams have got, or the great influx of cars they’ve got at the moment. We’re lucky in the sense that we’re able to pull American competitors from the ‘States. The Classic this season at Warrnambool was an example. I think we had eight Americans competing which is something else in a form of motor racing in Australia -to have eight internationals without actually

get out here. I think it can get better. MN: The politics of Sprintcar racing have, to a degree, overshadowed the racing for a little while. Do you steer clear of that? MD: Well I try to! The politics have mainly been created by a few, not the majority. The few who have caused the politics are just generally troublemakers who come and go as they please. They come in, cause as much trouble and then leave everybody with those troubles. MN: Out of it ail, is there a positive to be drawn? MD:(Long pause) I don’t know if you’d say any positives or negatives. I guess something’s got to end up being positive but I don’t know. Time will tell. I think perhaps you’re drumming up the politics a

MN: The popularity and backing, both in attendance and sponsors, of series such as the World Series arid QSSS has obviously helped the sport. Is it healthier that say five years ago? MD: I’d say so. There’s certainly a lot more money involved out there at the moment. A lot of people are spending an awful lot of money on teams and equipment. MN: Is television coverage the sole issue in Sprintcar racing taking the next step up? MD: The television would be a major issue, as well as a bit more guidance as to how to make the whole series a little bit more profitable for everybody. The prizemoney hasn’t really changed much in the last 10 years. It needs to go up a little bit but it can’t without sponsorship. I don’t think the tracks can afford it. It all revolves back around the issue of television coverage. We’ve got more and more races being televised. A few this season were televised live on C7 Sport. It’s not exactly Channel Seven (free-to-air) but it’s something that Sprintcar racing very rarely gets.

MN: Looking now to the off-season, what do you have in store? MD: I guess i’ll be getting a new chassis and I’ll probably go for a trip to the ’States to check out what’s happening. Quite a few people will do that. It’s an annual occurrence. MN: No plans of perhaps diversifying into other types of racing again? MD: Not really. I’ve had a go at most other things and I’m quite happy doing what I’m doing. The touring cars cost way too much money, particularly the amount of time chasing the sponsors. NASCARs are pretty well at a standstill at the moment so there’s not much else I’d like to do at this stage. I’ve been and done Outlaws in the past. I’ve raced with the Outlaws since 1985, I’ve had a second in a WoO race and I’ve won a Trophy Dash at a couple and beat Steve Kinser and Doug Wolfgang and all those guys on different occasions. I’ve been there and done that and the budgets to do it over there are ridiculous.

Australian dollars at the moment are worth half of nothing so you’d be dreaming if you thought you could purchase something and go and be competitive with those guys. I’d be better off spending it on a snowboard and heading off to the snow I think! MN: Of the front-running teams here in Oz, what sort of budgets are we looking at? Are we getting into the millions yet? MD: 1 really don’t know. We’re talking hundreds of thousands. But you could go out there and win a race with an $80,000 car if you’re the right person. You don’t need all this other stuff like trucks and trailers and all of the equipment stacked in your trailer - you don’t need all of that to win a Sprintcar race. That’s the one good thing about it. People can rock on up with an open trailer and a good Sprintcar, two spare tyres and go there and win a race. MN: Sounds easy! MD: It does, doesn’t it...

I I

44 26 May 2000

Todd Czechs Ihings out in Prague

By TONY MILLARD

Photo by Mike Patrick

How Swede it is to be successful THERE'S been early suc cess for Aussies racing in the Swedish League. Jason Crump(above) scored 10 points as his club Vargama won 59-37 at Smedema who were led by Czech GP winner Billy Hamill. Todd Wiltshire, Steve Johnston and Craig Boyce were all in the Vastervik team that beat Team Svelux 55-41 and Shane Parker raced for Kaparna in their 61- 35 home win against an Omarna team that included Jason Lyons. ii Mai'k Lemon,the 27year-old rider fi-om Bairnsdale, Victoria could be on his way back to British speedway. Lemon missed out with the withdrawal of his club Hull from the Elite League during the close season, but is now being earmarked for a team place at Oxford, wliich will be making changes after a poor'Start to their season. Lemon is also a possible target for Belle Vue but the Manchester club has had its track temporarily closed diie-to the unsafe condition of the track after stock car racing. n In Poland, Todd Wiltshire’s success contin ued, with an eight point return for League leaders Bydgoszcz as they beat Gdansk 49-41. Leigh Adams totalled 16 points as he led Leszno in a surprising home defeat 47-45 by Pila, and Jason Crump and CraigBoyce scored 10 and 9 respectively as Gorzow went down 47-43 at Czestochowa. n Leigh Adams tops the averages in Britain’s Elite League. After nine meetings for his club Kings Lynn, he averages a staggering 10.55, having dropped just 16 points to opponents all season so far. Todd Wiltshire, racing for Oxford, cun-ently lies eighth, Adams’Kings Lynn teamate Craig Boyce is 10th and a fourth Aussie in the top 20 in Jason Lyons of Belle Vue with 7.89. -TONY MILLARD

TODD Wiltshire, the 31 year-old from Sydney making his Grand Prix debut, enjoyed a marvel lous night at the Marketa Stadium in Prague, Czech Republic, to take fourth place. But for an unusually poor start in his final race could well have led the field. The event was won by the American Billy Hamill, with the minor rostrum places going to the British pair of Mark Loram and Chris Louis. But Wiltshire was the first rider ever to make the final on his GP debut. There was disappointment though, for fellow Aussies Jason Crump, Leigh Adams and Ryan Sullivan. Gold Coaster Crump was thought by many to be a like ly World Champion this year but he has ground to make up after being eliminated after only his second ride ,having been seeded through to the main event after his perfor mance in last year’s series where he finished sixth. An engine tuning problem saw Crump simply coast round for fourth place in his first outing in heat 13, which meant he had to finish in the first two next time out in heat 16. But motor problems meant another last place, meaning the Aussie hope will

have to qualify through the races in eliminating Linkopping at the Swedish GP. Leigh Adams from Mildura fared marginally better, finishing just a place in front of Ci’ump in heat 16 after having given best to a speedy Loram and Henrik Gustafsson in heat 14. Ryan Sullivan had a mar ginally better night than his two colleagues. The Adelaide rider, also seeded to the main event for his eighth place last year, came third in a re-run of heat 11 after Tony Rickardsson had been excluded after causing the only stoppage of the night when he tumbled into the fence when chasing Wiltshire. Second place behind local veteran Toni Kasper ensured Sullivan of a place in heat 20 and the chance of making the semi-finals. But he trailed in third behind Wiltshire and Louis and he, too, will have to start in the first four heats in Sweden. For Wiltshire, though, it was a case of almost non-stop success. He won his opening race ahead of the untried Brit Carl Stonehewer, the Swede Mikael Karlsson and the lacklustre Dane Brian Andersen. He was fast too behind Kasper with something in hand over third placed Peter

Premier Mike

By GEOFF ROUNDS

IKE Van Bremen’s stellar speedway season was rewarded recently when he won the Premier Speedway Sprintcar aggregate for the 1999-2000 year. Van Bremen clinched the season’s total with 20 points, winning from Rob Rankin (17 points) and Brooke Tatnell (15). In the Super Rod division, newly-crowned Victorian Champion Wayne Honeyman (20 points) won from Adam Verhoeven of Cobden with Greg Cockayne third. The Sportsman class was a family quinella to the Lock family of Simpson. Murray Lock (33 points) beat Phil Lock and Colac’s Gary Balcombe. During the evening at Russell’s Creek Football Clubrooms in Warmambool, a special presentation was made to long-serving club member and current committee man Neville Pike. Pike was acknowledged

for his services to speedway and accepted the award from current manager Graeme Hose. Hose announced that the 2001 Grand Annual Sprintcar Classic is scheduled tor January 27/28. He said that the annual date was decided following a proposal by Premier Speedway to keep the traditional date when the issue was discussed at the recent Australian Speedway Promoter’s Association conference on the Gold Coast. He also confirmed Premier Speedway's traditional World Series Sprintcars round on 1 January 2001. The second annual Gough and Gilmour CAT $50,000 event will be on February 2/3 at Parramatta, while the Australian Sprintcar Championship is scheduled for February 10/11 at the newly-named Brisbane International Raceway,(formerly known as Archertield International Raceway).

Karlsson in heat 8 which ensured he made it to the main event. A second place in that re-run heat 11 involvihg only three riders meant he was effectively just a ride from the semi-finals. But he had to give best to Mikael and Loram Karlsson in heat 18. That meant it was either first place or go home in heat 20 when he flew from the gate and was never headed. He repeated the exercise in his semi-final ahead of Loram, World Champion Rickardsson and Stonehewer, to leave him facing former champion Hamill, Loram and Louis in the final. The Sydneysider started well enough and was with Hamill at the first bend but the British pair wore him down and both went by before the end to leave Wiltshire beaten but far from disgraced in his first ever GP. “I don’t know what to think," he said afterwards. "I got so far and then missed the rostrum and that’s disappointing. “I’m in the top four and I’ve got to walk away from here with a smile on my face. “I’m here now and I am going to make the best of the Grand Prix series." Wiltshire, who came third in the world championship in 1990 before suffering hor rific injuries (including a

Another Aussie on the money overseas: Todd Wiltshire grabbed a fourth in the Czech Republic round of the Grand Prix Series. American Billy Hamill is the man that the Aussie is chasing. (Photo by Mike Patrick) double fracture on the pelvis and a cracked vertebrae) decided to have another crack at the sport in Europe but was not sure about rac ing in the GPs. “When I came back to the sport in 1997, I could not make up my mind. It had brought about my undoing when I crashed (in the

Australian Final at North Arm in 1992) but I’m here now and I’m going to make the most ofit," Wiltshire said, The second GP of the series is at Linkopping in Sweden on June 3. Points: Hamill 25, Loram 20, Louis 18, Wiltshire 16, GoUob 15, Rickardsson 14, Karlsson 12, Stonehewer lo, Sullivan 9.

Vaughan’s SA SS round WAIKERIE’S Sunline

wins.

Speedway was the place to be on Mother’s Day with the running of the fifth round of the Australian South

Murphy scrapped for secformer just holding off a very deter mined challenge. At the start of the fea ture, Miller got the jump, while in the middle of the field, Cory Reed looped his Pontiac TransAm causing a sensational chain reaction. Rookie driver Andrew Leach was left with nowhere to go and squashed the front of his car while Dennis Miller punctured the right rear tyre of his Coolacab Adelaide/Enzed IROC Z as he was hit by another innocent victim in the pile up. On the restart, Vaughan was able to turn the tables on Miller and jumped into the lead while a very disappointed Murphy was forced to retire with a mechanical problem.

Super Sedan series. Bill Miller opened pro ceedings with a first(heat win aboard his Blair At&ol Auto Parts TransAm. Steve Murphy was a very close second in his IROC Z while Andrew Keen was third. The in-form Steve Vaughan rocketed away to take heat two while heat three was a first heat replay, with MUler claiming the victory from Murphy and Keen. Miller used every ounce of horsepower from his Rob Stevens Race Engines powerplant in the Trophy Dash to get the jump from Vaughan and claim a hat trick of

Vaughan

and

On lap 11 Royce Walden was forced to retire the Burton Paint and Panel TransAm after colliding with another car which broke a front shock, while Collin NeviOe retired one lap later in his VT Commodore. With one corner to go Miller tried an outside pass on leader Vaughan and it was a drag race to the finish line, with Vaughan holding him out by less than a nose the in length Performance Techniques Pontiac. Andrew Keen was third and was kept very busy defending his plac ing from a hounding Peter Evans in his Dyers Transport Commodore, in-turn defending from a fast finishing Robbie Marchant. -PARIS CHARLES

26 May 2000

Juniors clash at APS opener A COLLISION in the final comer of the Junior Intercontinental A class punctuated the action at the opening round of the 2000 APS Racing Series for CIK classes. Queensland drivers Geoffrey Grant and Ryal Harris made contact going through the final turn - Harris going on to win, Grant despondent and stuck in the kitty litter. MARK WICKS reports.

ADELAIDE’S

Bolivar

Raceway was the scene for round one of Australian karting’s pre mier series. Tricky track conditions took their toll on tyres, par in the ticularly Intercontinental A class, where several drivers fronted for the finals with virtually no rubber left, unable to fit new boots because of tyre restriction rules.

Pettaras Press Formula A Neil McFadyen (Top Kart/Comer/Bridgestone) made his debut in Formula A in the best possible way, tak ing a strong victory in the final having come under pressure form Michael Caruso(Tony KarWortex)in the opening laps. This '..was,' despite McFadyen initially qualify ing back in sixth position, Caruso having taken fastest time from Brendan Dive and Chris Cox. 1998 champion, Ryan Wlodzinksi was looking super competitive after winning the opening two heats, however exclusion from heat three and

an engine problem in the pre final ruined his weekend. Reigning FA champion Jamie Whincup (Tecno/ Parilla/Bridgestone) made a last minute decision to defend his title and, after qualifying in the back half of the field, must have been questioning his decision. Whincup worked his way to a respectable fourth. Third place went to Bradley Brown, another who did not shine in the heats but had a good package for the final. Joshua Pontello claimed a well-earned fifth, having made his way to the front of a magnificent battle for the minor placings.

McPherson Media Intercontineota! A The largest field in the APS Racing series, ICA required qualifying heats to detennine who would progress to the finals, Brendan May (Mike Wilson/Dunlop) gave notice of his intentions, qualifying fastest ahead of the justmoved-to-seniors Regan Payne(PCR/PCR/Dunlop). However it was the man who qualified thfi-d that raised

B. May or May. B? Brendon May drove a cool race to dominate ICA at Bolivar. (Photo by Sean Hensheiwood)

KartOz Junior Intercontinental A

(Photos by Sean Hensheiwood)

The juniors mixed it up and turned it on in the best rac eyebrows. Adam Klunyk, ing of the weekend. deputising for the injured Bart Fresh from winning the Price, stunned on his debut AKA nationals, ‘The Lad’ with his outright speed. Ryal Harris took pole by the The problem was that by narrowest of margins over Sunday’s finals, Klunyk had impressive APS Series new already played his aces and comer, 12 year old former had no rabber left to be comRookie Andrew Thompson petitive. May, Payne, (Swiss HutlessWortexWega) Klunyk, Jason Hryniuk and and Tim Slade (Top Kart/ Barclay Holden (Azzurro/Fox/ Comer/Bridgestone). Bridgestone) shared the heat Thompson and Harris wins with May also taking shared the heat wins while the pre-final, Jace Lindstrom (Arrow/ Daniel Elliott (Tony Parilla) got it all together for Kart/Parilla/Vega) made the the pre-final, leading home best start from grid two to fellow Arrow driver Shane lead the final, but May didn’t Price hnd CRG’s Geoffrey waste time overtaking Elliot Grant. ^ ~ and moving away into an Lindstrom lead the start of unassailable lead. the final with Glenn Powles Elliott was soon under fire (Tecno/Parilla/Bridgestone) and would eventually fall to close behind having started fifth. Holden was able to move sixth. Thompson’s great up from grid eight to take sec weekend took a dive when he ond, 4s behind May in what fell back to the end of the turned out to be a rather pro field on the opening lap. cessional race. Kiwi Jonathon Powles made a move on Reid (Kosmic/Rotax) made a Lindstrom for the lead, solid start to the series with Grant, Harris and Price all third, ahead of Hryniuk. making their way past

Ford looks to the future By MARK WICKS

SAME engine, same chassis, same tyre. That’s the concept behind the Ford MAX Challenge, the first round of which is at Westgate Park Raceway (Todd Road)this weekend. Sponsored by Ford, the ultimate aim of the series is to find a young karting tal ent which Ford can then take under its wing and nurture into a full-time rac ing professional. One of the major prizes up for grabs is a factory Ford drive in the 2001

Formula

Ford

Championship while the top four drivers in the series will get to race at the Rotax MAX World m the Challenge Caribbean in November. Despite utilising the same Drew Price Engineering manufactured frame, competitors from other manufacturers will be free to display their ‘rival’ brands and sponsors. 'Tyres (Bridgestone) and engines (Rotax FR125 MAX) will be allocated to the drivers at the track where they wiE be able to

tune their package within specified parameters and to ensure equality and that there is no tampering with engines, the 28hp, watercooled 125cc MAX will be sealed and handed back to the organisers at the con clusion ofthe day’s racing. The series has attracted

some of the countries top drivers including the APS Racing Series yoimg guns Neil McFadyen, Mark Winterbottom, Jamie Whincup, Michael Caruso, Jason Hryniuk, Tyson Pearce, Matt Wall and William Yarwood.

APS Briefs KENTON Ferguson won the first round of the ReSa support class. Ferguson (TibiKart) bat tled with Michael Rosenblatt(Energy)early in the final before taking the win over John Grother (Mike Wilson), Rosenblatt and Peter Darmanin (Swiss Hutless), n A number of Intercontinental A drivers were calling for a rule change to allow two sets of tyres for the meeting- as per Formula A - having struggled to make their tyres last. While Bridgestone dominated the entry on sheer num bers and won two classes (FA and JICA), Dunlop comfortably won ICA and Vega also proved competi tive, particularly in juniors on Andrew Thompson's Swiss Hutless.

n How good is he: Neil McFadyen leads pole-sitter Michael Caruso, in the early laps of the final. They’re too young to drink the champers so just give ’em trophies instead... Junior Intercontinental A final placings (right). L-R Glenn Powles, Ryal Harris and Josh Hunt.

A list oflesser known dri vers will be eager to show up these established stars, and, running identical equipment, it will be inter esting to see the outcome. Other non-CIK competi tors who could also do well include former AUS-

CAR Champion Darren McDonald, Jason Varley and Gavin Walker as well as 2000 Millennium Open winner Kate Friend. V8 Superear drivers Glenn Seton and Brad Jones, along with Ford Howard Racing’s Marsden, are scheduled to attend the meeting.

Lindstrom as well. With the laps running out the pack hunted Powles down, Ryal making a move which let Grant and Piice through. Lindstrom’s race turned sour after contact with Powles put him off the track and down the order. With Price driving into the pits thinking he saw a black flag, Harris was left in the lead with Grant applying pressure. Harris left no doubt he would defend his lead in the final cor ner covering the inside fine in dramatic fashion. Grant was caught out by Harris’ slow mid comer speed and ran over the rear wheel of the Azzurro ending up in the catch trap and out ofthe race. This allowed Powles to catch up at a high rate of knots for second, but Harris held out for the win. Third was Josh Hunt ahead of New Zealand’s Colin Corkery, both drivers putting in a solid final hav ing straggled for speed in the heats, Nick Simmons brought his Top Kart/Comer /Bridgestone machine home fifth fi-om 15h on the grid.

n Azzurro leads the AON Manufacturer's cup after the fii'st round, ahead of Tony Kart, Tecno, Top Kart and Mike Wilson. Eighteen manufacturers (three Australian Azzurro, Arrow and Omega)scored points at Bolivar. n Neil McFadyen has kept his enviable record intact of winning the opening Bolivar round of every CIK series he's com peted in. Each time the meeting has also repre sented his debut in the relevant class, JICA in ’98, ICA in ’99 and FA this year. n DPE's Adam Klunyk was called in at the last minute to replace Bart Price in Intercontinental A. The reason? Price had broken a collarbone in a serious testing accident at Todd Road. Bart is expect ed to be back for round two at Ipswich on June 17-18. Whether Klunyk will also drive, despite being immediately on the pace in Adelaide, has yet to be decided. -MARK WICKS

AKA to be sued? 100 engine runs alongside THE ARC engine compa ny has made moves to sue , the Yamaha KTIOOS in the Clubman classes and it the Australian Karting appears ARC wish to prevent Association. any ’KTIOOS only’ classes A Federal Court hearing was to have taken place in from being allowed again. Meanwhile, the AElA’s Melbourne on Wednesday as Motorsport News went to National Karting Council has done another about-face press. regarding Formula Yamaha Several issues relating to the Queensland technical regulations and at their enforcement were to Championships in June. Having initially rejected have been heard. It is believed the AKA’s an application to run decision to re-introduce the Formula Yamaha (in line Formula Yamaha class at the with a previous AKA press National Championships release), the NKC have now given the green light for the instigated the action from ARC, along with crankshaft KTIOOS class to contest the dimensions that appear in Championships, despite the the AKA rule book which impending threat of a legal iiyunction from ARC. ARC do not agree with. -MARK WICKS Currently the ARC Spec

46 12Mdy2000

Formula 3000 [continued from p.lOJ Alonso (Team Astromega), the Spaniard's car coming to rest on top of Ricardo Mauricio's Red Bull machine. Further back Jeffrey van Hooydonk (Witmeur KTR) tipped Jamie Davies (standing in for the injui-ed Mario Haberfeld at Fortec) into the back of Webber's European Aitows car, putting the Australian out on the spot. l "If you qualify poorly it is hai’d to stay out of trouble," he said. "I knew there would be a lot of carnage at the start because it was very diffi cult to get any temperature into the front tyres. I didn't really care what position I was in, I just wanted to get through the first comer." In addition to the seven cars that retired on the spot four others had to pit for repairs: Andreas Scheld and Davies, Minassian and Bas Leinders (Kid Jensen Racing). The men to gain the most from the accident were Jaime Melo (Petrobras Junior Team) who went from 11th to fifth, Andre Couto (Gauloises Formula) who jumped from 19th to sixth and Manning who drove over the chicane

to avoid the crash and leapt from 25th to ninth. For the next five laps the field ran behind the Safety Car as the mess was cleared up and then the race was on with Bemoldi under pressure from Junqueira and behind them Montagny losing out to Enge. On lap 10 Leinders spun in front of Minassian and the Frenchman had no choice but to go off in avoid ance. The Safety Car was sent out again. Two laps later the race was on again but on lap 14 Bemoldi's car suddenly went out of control at the chicane when the rear suspension broke. This put Junqueira into the lead with Enge second and Couto third, having overtaken Montagny. Rain began to fall almost immedi ately and while Montagny was over taken by Melo and then Wilson, Fabrizio Gollin (Coloni) went hur riedly into the pits for wet tyres. On the next lap Wilson spun and stalled. Montagny arrived with nowhere to go and piled heavily into the Nordic car, fortunately without either driver being hui-t. The Safety Car was sent out for a third time.

Photo by Sutton-images,

Out of luck: Webber only made the first corner before getting hit- twice! The rain was coming and going at different parts of the circuit and now the drivers were faced with the choice of whether or not to switch to wet tyres. Scheld was an early stop per and he was eventually followed by Junqueira, Walfisch and others. This left Enge in the lead ahead of Couto and his team-mate Sebastian Bourdais, Sarrazin and Christjian Albers (European Arrows). They were on slicks. Everyone else, led by Scheld, was on wets. When the race restarted on lap 22. It became clear that the wets were better and Scheld, Walfisch

and Junqueira began to move through the men on slicks. On lap 23 Walfisch ran into the back of Enge in the spray, the front end of the Astromega car being launched high into the air. Fortunately it did not flip. As Enge spun out of control Junqueira spun as well but man aged to rejoin to run second to Scheld. Melo was third with Gollin fourth while shck-users Albers and Couto tried to keep up. The track was drying now and Melo disappeared from the front of the field with the first oftwo stop-go penalties. Scheld continued to hold

V(OJL

off Junqueira until lap 29. Two laps later Albers blew his hopes by spin ning off but the gap between the wet users and the survivors on slicks was growing. The track was not drying fast enough. Junqueira was fortunate when on lap 33 Andrea Piccini (Kid Jensen Racing) spun in front of him. By lap 39 the track was begin ning to favour those on slicks but with only a handful of laps remain ing there was too much time to be made up and so Junqueira came home to win ahead of Scheld and Gollin with Couto and Bourdais a distant fourth and fifth. Sarrazin picked up the final point, his first of the year. After the race Scheld was dis qualified because a piece of tank tape was attached to his front wing to hide the aerodynamic settings. Apparently this is illegal and so the car was thrown out. All rather neb ulous and silly. The result means that Junqueira is now in a commanding 12 point lead in the series as the field heads to Monaco for the fifth round of the championship.

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CLASSIFIED

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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.

Seciqiis/Sports Cars

Alfa Sprint Sports Sedan, spaceframe construction, 13B PP rotary engine. Mazda factory housings, fuel inject ed by MoTeo, 5 spd Getrag with Holinger gears, AP t/plate clutch, alloy flywheel, independent rear end, alloy diff, AP 4 spot brakes front & rear on 14" rotors. Centrelook hubs, Simmons wheels 10.5x17', spares, models the lot. $28,000. Ph 07 5594 1706. .8. HG Monaro, Group Nc, raced once, high HP 350 Chev (James Race Engines), best prepared touring car at Phillip Island Histories. Must sell, new project. $60,000 ono. Ph 0418 545 185 or 03 9425 9443. .b.

EH Holden Sports Sedan, 208 eng, triple Webers, M21 box, looked diff, Volvo front brakes, rack & pinion steering, fibreglass front/boot lid, great beginners car, $5000 ono. Ph 02 6683 2216. isi MASCAR Pontiac Grand Prix, ready to race with spares, all offers considered. Ph 0413 075 214. iei

Sports 1300 Mallock U2 Mk21 B, built 1996, new 130hp Corolla motor, very good car, no money to spend plus tully enclosed trailer & spares. $19,000 ono, Ph 08 8339 3534 or 0407 605 840. ibi Ford Escort Sports Sedan/Club Car, very reliable & fast, easy to drive. Falcon diff with Watts link adjust front end with spares $6500. Ph Adam 0402 252 271. iei HQ race car #18, front running car, ready to race. Lap record holder Phillip Island, must sell $6900 ono. Ph 03 9587 3226 (Dave) or 03 5998 7358. .8, VS Commodore V8Supercar parts, huge list includ ing; diff housing, rear axles, heavy duty tailshafts, Tilton clutches, wheels, Yokohama slicks & wets, air dam, rear bar, air box, front air scoop, alloy radiator, complete exhaust system, race seat, brake calipers & rotors with hats. Iron uprights, shocks, cylinder heads, cranks, camshafts & loads more. Prices neg. Ph 0418 313 482. lai HQ racer, fully prepared, fresh motor & diff, plenty of spares, log books, must sell. $3000 ono. Ph 02 4647 1896 or 0414 471 892. ibi

Lancer Sports Sedan, Cobra race seat, six point har ness, rollcage etc less engine 8 gearbox. $1500 ono. Ph 02 4822 1563. 181

Toyota Corolla Levin Coupe 1992, factory special, 4AGZE 1600CC, twin cam EFi, supercharged motor, extractors 5 speed, 4W discs, ABS, mags, roll cage, AC, CD, PW, imported race/rally use, no compliance, serious performer. Sacrifice $8000. Ph 0419 886 544. ibi Torana hatcfi A9X replica, club car, 500hp (dynoed), 350 Chev, dry sumped, t/loader, floating 9", huge brakes, Simmons, 1 season old + Bedford Pantec transporter, well worth $25,000 ono, Ph 03 6243 9387 or 0409 521 810. 181 Prince Skyline GT, fully imported B2, ex-NZ Carlos

Neate race car litted with Stage III factory race kit. Only one known of this type . $20,000. Ph 02 4274 4498 BH. la. Mini Sports Sedan, 1330cc, SPV4 cam, Russell head, SCCR g/box, Torana brakes, coil over front etc. Log book, Oran Park 49.8, NSWRRC winning car $3400. Ph 02 9773 1909. .6. Subaru WRX STi '99, 2 door, 1 of 400, damaged front right & dent on RH 1/4 panel, will supply most parts. For further detail please Ph 0415 499 600. .s.

engine, fast and consistent oar with complete with pit equipment , flat track set-up, Jerico gearbox, Alcon brakes etc. $40,000. Ph 0410 640 644. .so .2^

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 & more. $2500 the lot Ph 07 4954 5225 or 0427 969 876. ISO

Speedway

Oh 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. .bo Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 3, GTP winner, complete with spares, $18,000. Ph Mark King 07 5539 6700 or 0418189 068. .bo Torana iJ Sports Sedan, the best of everything, very competitive car with many spares. $15,000 ono. Ph 03

Tilton Racing clutch, with aluminium flywheel & spare plates $1300. Romao full floating 5-litre Commodore diff $1700, Electromotive crank trigger ignition & coil pack $600. Assorted Hoosier & McGeary speedway tyres 15'x8" $70 each. Ph 03 5024 2194 or 0418 322 951. ib.

9764 1571. .80

Reliant Scimitar 1970, totally rebuilt, chassis up, only 45,000 miles from new, 2 owners, ideal Targa car. Registered, like new. Ph 02 9630 1553. .a. HQ race cars, 3 of for urgent sale, competitive cars including log books, sealing sheets and accumulated spares. Price ranges up from $3200 each and all offers considered. Ph 0417 893 446 or 08 8389 3446 AH. .b. Mitsubishi Lancer Evo V, turbo, white, 2-litre, GTP race history, ready to race, includes some spares, genuine enquiries. Ph 0407 713 105. .a.

HQ racer, #96 very good, competitive car, lots of spares,' ● ready to race, everything needed included. Can arrange shipping. $6000. Ph 0417 128 314. ibo

Jaguar E-Type Coupe, Production Sports, 325hp, well developed. $33,000 ono. Ph 0414 801 699. ibo 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. ibo 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. iso BMW M3R, build no 3 of 15 produced for GTP competition 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. leo

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. Ph02 9971 8027. im 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 02 4736 7826. m MG Midget Marque Sports, successful interesting history. End to end disassembly 8 rebuild. New 1330 motor, EN40 crank, FCC gears etc. Near new slicks, extra rims 8 diffs. Full particulars 8 spec. $12,800 ono. Ph 03 9787 3050. leo

Open Wheelers

NG Elfin Formula Vee, race ready and competitive. Top HP, Elliot engine, just rebuilt. Complete with trailer and spares $12,000. Will separate, car less engine $6000, Elliot engine $6000. Trailer $2000. Ph 03 9804 7642. .e. Formula Libre, Kawasaki fuel injected IIOOcc machine for hillclimbs, sprints. Spares, moulds, setup, jigs etc. Fully enclosed tandem trailer. $9600. Ph Lee 03 5332 6900. tei Spectrum 06, “One of the fastest Formula Fords I’ve ever driven - Christian Murchison 29/3/00”. Complete with top HP DAMEC engine, just 1 race meet new. 3 sets wheels, huge lisr of spares, 28 sets of gear ratios, Dorian. With MoTec and data $34,500, without MoTec $27,500, Lamer engine $3500. Front & rear jacks also available, stands & engine fitting trolley. Ph Michael 08 9377 2999 or Jamie 08 9356 1415. ib. Formula Ford Van Diemen RF93/95 update, body work, complete with Lamer engine, front adjustable Koni spare corners, 2 sets wheels, ratios, maintained by Peter Banfield Motorsport. $22,000 ono. Ph Darren 0407 649 807. isi Formula Ford Van Diemen RF89, ex-Paul Morris, OLD State series winner in 98/99. Top condition, chassis never damaged, two meetings since engine reco by Speedtech. Some spares, $14,50O-Trailer $3000. Ph Peter 0418 184 456. isi Brabham BT16 F2 1965, Cosworth SCA Hewland Mk7 6 speed, FIA papers, superb and race ready. NZ$80,000. Ph 64 9 412 8500 or fax 64 9 412 8512. ,ai

; \ Grand Prix Midget, Noel Freeman's Australian Championship winning car. Stinger chassis, Suzuki 1197CC, Mikuni RS40 flat slides, power steering, all the good gear. $10,000 ono. Ph 03 5250 4080. iai 372 Shaver engine, Rodeck block. Dash 12 heads, all lightweight internals, complete with exhaust pipes & fuel pump, 700hp. 590FtLb torque. $25,000. Ph 08 9724 1336. lai V8 Dirt Modified, SA5, Ford 351C, with some spare parts, currently registered. Steering box needs repair, oth erwise ready to race. $7500 ono. Ph 08 8556 1203.

^HOL asaW 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 801 699. ibo Cbeetab Mk VI rolling chassis, with body panels. Better than new, onboard extinguisher, 2 sets of wheels, 4 spot callipers with historic certificate of description. $12,500. Ph 02 9440 0950 AH. ibo

Van Diemen RF90, complete ready to race, winner rd 4 '99 Vic Series, 3rd overall '99 Vic Series, 2 fastest laps during ‘99, heaps of spares, $18,000. Ph 03 9467 4044. i®

CAE cageiess Sprinter, Chev with Hilborn injection on methanol, CAE dog box, Sohroeder steering box, Halibrand quick change, ready to run classic or vintage speedway. $30,000. Ph 07 5443 2348. lao V8 Dirt Modified NSW #21, two seasons old, com plete PDA or as roller $10,000. Some spares available. Ph 02 4333 4070 or 0408 246 032. ibo 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. i® Modified Production Commodore, fresh methanol engine, roller cam, fully worked, excellent HP, fully adjustable suspension, no expense spared. Considerable development undertaken, very competitive race o^r on tracks throughout Oz, $6500, Trailer to suit with storage cabinets $1800. Ph Martin035024 2194 or0418 322 951. i® Modified Production VK Commodore, Jack Bros eng, Tilton ped & cyls. Auto Metre tacho & liq gauges, alii seal, f/cell, wheel, tyres, f/glass plus more S spares. Quick sale. $7300 ono. Ph 07 4954 5225. 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. i® Torana LJ, board series class, very competitive & reli able, 192ci, numerous spares, race ready with duel axle till trailer. Complete package $5000. Ph 02 4657 1474. i®

Birrana 276 Formula 2, Eligible Historic, chassis #20,

Chev 3S0, dynos a true 413kW, alloy heads, new methanol or Avgas carby 8 Crane race ignition inc, open inspection welcome. $15,000 worth, must sell, now $7950 absolute minimum Ph 02 6374 1303 after 5pm. ie> 13B PP rotary engine, Mazda factory housings, light weight Hi comp rotors, MoTec injection on 5Smm throttle bodies, alloy flywheel, stainless steel exhuasl. comes v4tb all electrics ECU etc. $9000. Ph 07 5594 1706. m 4 cyl Pontiac, lightweight Scat crank. Jesel rockers.

CRD8S2 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 .®

Historic XM Falcon, Group N. Strong 170ci engine with triple Strombergs, 3 spd g.box, Koni shocks, near new Yoke tyres, foam filled fuel tank, excell brakes 8 ducting, log booked, ready to race. $8500. Ph 07 5546 3526. lao EH, suit road/race 300hp 192ci, Duggan crank, discs, LSD, 8x13 mags, sunroof, f/glass panels. Garaged last 28 yrs, must sell $6000 ono. Ph 0412 428 465. i» NASCAR Pontiac Grand Prix, new body, 18" Chev

Super Sedan Commodore, quick change diff. beed lock, rims rear, Afeo front arms, power steering with spares, wheels, tyres, panels etc. ASCF & Board rego. $5500 ono. Ph 02 6351 3049 or 0408 022 627. rs. AMCA race car, complete, LH drive, power steer, needs minor work to be competitive, drivable, must sell, urgent. $7400. Ph 0407 527 807. 181 Sprintcar chassis, Drake, high bar 1993 model. Only used 4 times since new. $500 ono. Ph 0410 493 242 or 03 9728 4839. .et Sprintcar, '85 Gambler HiBar, CAE quickchange and driveline, 305 Chev, complete car, ready to race plus spares. Currently running with VSC modified Sprintcars. Will sell complete or as roller. Ph Rick 03 5626 8376. ibi

Eitaiwes

26 May 2000

HjjhOCDLFSfJXDli’O

genuine offers. Ph 02 6288 6924 AH. i8i BMW M3 engine, 2.3ltr, 16v 220hp 1988. Excell cond, complete with wiring harness & brain etc plus 5 spd Getrag box & numerous bits, perfect for E30 or 2002 or E36 318is. $13,000 ono. Ph Mick 02 9757 2966. i6i Cosworth Sierra Tuifao engine, full works engine, stripped for inspeotion, complete less turbo, V serious engine, 500bhp + loads of extras and spares.$8000 ono. Ph 08 8396 6640. lei Chev splayed valve engines, 1 new 1 used, com plete with fuel systems and exhaust. Ph Pat Purcell 02 9755 3458 or Dean 0417 252 321. ibi Holden 186 (x2), 1) roller rockers, 12 port head, elec tronic ign, extractors, light f/whl, bottom end slightly worked. 2) standard head, bottom end built to same spec, as '79 Round Oz C'Dore. Both need freshen up. $1000 for both. Ph 03 9366.6872 or 0428 535 245. isi 454 LS-6 Chev, recondition 40 thou balanced & shot pained, flat top pistons, 8000km very strong pulling, com plete $5000 ono. Ph 0409 846 717. lai Ford 1300 C/Bow, Ritter built, steel, carbs, clutch, dry sumped, ready to race. Dyno time only. $6300. Ph 029211 2854. ibi Ford Escort (Kent), 1.6 long motor + 2 complete heads, 0 miles, brand 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. ibo 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. ibo Ford Twin Came, complete, 1600co 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. lio Mazda 13B, 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. lao Porsche 911 engine, 3.3 turbo, complete with all accessories inc AC pump, intercooler, oil cooler, PS pump, distributor, dry sump, spare oases. Genuine 125K, never raced, selling due to unfinished project. $8500. Ph 0418 170 193. IBO Holden 6 cyl turbo engine, forged pistons, turbo kit, 3 T04 turbos, water injection, 3 heads, heaps of spares. Ph 03 6330 1881. ibo

Brags

EFi V8 heads. Complete with pumps, surge tank, SVO man ifolds & Ferrera Race Valves. New. Ph 0413 998 642. iei Chev 350 parts, Yella Terra platinium rockers, 4x6" Carlllo rods, 6 x 035 JE pistons, 5 x 030 Ross pistons. Grower roller lifters x 11pr, comp roller lifters x 7pr, 2 x roller cams, rev kit, make an offer. Ph 03 6424 4544. lei 4 rally wheels, Compomotive, white, 6J x 15, suit Mitsubishi VR4 or GSR,$480. Ph 03 5156 2607. isi Diff, 9' to suit LH Torana, 31 spline, big bearing axles $800 ono. Also Willwood 4 wheel discs, calipers tp suit race car, cost $5000 plus, sell $2000 ono.Also race rims, 4 17x8 Ausoar, suit Commodore $800 ono. Fax 08 9537 2428. lei Suzuki GSX 1100 crankshaft, welded, Falicon knife edge rods, crank polished, new big end bearings, straight cut gear. $2000 ono. Ph Dale 0418 993 559. 161 Speedcar/Litre Sprint, Duralite 13x10 Beadlock vari ous rims from $350. Ph 02 6288 6924 API. isi FBI tail tank, flat bottom, suit Sprintcar. $900 ono. Ph 02 6288 6924 AH. 1QI Hewland DG300 gearbox, suit Off Road buggy $10,000. Ph 02 9627 2151, ,ei Haitech computer,$600, Heltec computer complete with wiring loom & injectors $1200. Both brand new. Ph 029627 2151. iai Jimco off road racing frame, ’A' arm front end, with Stubbs, CNC front brakes, rear arms with Summers Bros floaters, aluminium panels. Ph 02 9627 2151. isi Fuel injection, Chev 18 degree, HRT, complete less injectors $2850.Also Raceline 5 stage dry sump pump $1750. Ph 0418 341 261. lai Triple 45mm Weber, short Warnsford manifold, link ages, fuel rail, air cleaner to suit Holden 6 cyl. $1350. Ph 03 9366 6872 or 0428 535 245. lai Holden gearbox (x2), M206 cyl A1 V8 needs rebuild. Both with bell housing & shifter. Ph 039366 6872 or 0428 535 245. lai Holden diffs, non LSD, LX-LH 3.08 complete drumdrum, LC-LJ 3.36 complete drum-drum. Ph 03 9366 6872 or 0428 535 245. .a. Commodore AUSCAR, mag & Speed nuts, 8 wheels $800, 4 slicks brand new Dunlop Formula R 235/50 15’ $1200, Centre Force If pressure plate $400, 4 speed Munci g/box $700, turbo 308 bell housing to Munci $100, standard 308 pattern bell housing to T10 g/box $180, Harrop front brakes complete $2500, 308 race engine complete $5000. Ph 0418 500 287 or 03 9432 9482 AH. iai Subaru WRC 75 hr bag tanks, 1x98 Premier with fuel box & sender $2000, 2x99 fuelsafe $1500, AP brake calipers CP3720 & CP3620 $4500 car set. Ph Richard 64 9238 5732 NZ. ta. VL turbo inlet & exhaust, manifold complete with all plumbing etc. No turbo $600 ono. Brand new VL Turbo block, still in packaging from factory $600. Ph 02 9520 5039 or 0418 405 687. lai

Brabham magnesium wheels. 12' x 13', wobbly pat tern, unmarked $2200. Ph 02 9211 2854. .ai MGTC gearbox, Needham rebuilt, unused. $1100. Ph LX 2 door, full chromemoly chassis, glass doors, hatch 02 9211 2854. ,a. & bumpers, car to be sold as raced less engine, too may EF Falcon, brand new shell with 4 doors and bodtiid. extras to list. $28,000 ono. Ph 08 8384 3927. lao Ideal for .VS Lites. $3500. Ph Tony 08 8250 1903 AH or ' 0427 501 903. lei , ' 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 Modified Bike, Kawasaki 1045co laydown frame, beet 0407 557 724. lao ET 9.7@131mph, current tech $6500 or must sell engine Chev titanium inlet, 2.08 exhaust valves 1.60 $1200 less carbs $2500. Full details Ph- Andrew 03 9729 0987 the set. Yates titanium valves 2.10 and 1.60 $1200 the set. after 7pm. ibi ' Ph 0419 655 701. 160 Lancer LA, LSD with 4.2 ratio, VGC $500. Competition spring set, coils & leaves, developed in Club 2E, $200. Ph Alloy fuel tank, 100 litre, foam filled, 915L x 640W x 07 5597 2404 or 0412 215 373. ibo 2''45H $350. Volvo front brake callipers $120. Mk.ll Escort 1 Group “A” 2 stage dry sump, oil tank. Hardly used, fibreglass boot lid & bonnet $120 pair. Ph 03 9898 1522 or with modify oil stick and breather outlets. $500 ono. Ph 02 0407 326 548. lal 6655 5715 or 0409 125 955. leo Ford top loader, gearbox and linkages, original 34,000 Alloy wheels 14”x7”, 115mm pod, 105mm back miles. $600 ono. Ph 02 4274 4498 AH. IBI space. Unmarked 2 sets tyres $350. Escort T/C sump, unused $300. Orig air cleaner $150, RS2000 gearbox Super Sedan quick change, brand new. Winters ali $150. Ph 03 5156 2521. iso tubes $2900. Chev Vertex Magneto $700. Just been Hewland Mk9 gearbox, LSD, 3 yrs old, complete, as reconditioned. Ph 0407 527 807. lai new, some ratios. $5700. Ph 0419 214 808. lao EL Faicon racing body, located at Russell Caddy's. Group “A” rims, four of with five stud pattern. Size 11" $2000. Ph Pete r02 6655 5996 or 0413 348 526 or email X 17” in new condition, will not separate. $2000. Also ford_gt@one.net.au. lai Group "A” VP racing style body kit with large rear wing Ford Cleveland, parts 3.310' stroke, internally balanced used only on promotional car. $1000. Ph 02 4736 7826. im nitrided crankshaft, 5.950' Ridgecrest alloy rods, 4' std Turbocharger, new VL Nissan RB30 turbo and dump Glidden-design Venolia pistons. Will not separate, as new. valve including water inlet & outlet cooling steel piping. $990 ono. Ph 03 9787 3050. iso $1950. Ph 03 5472 4116 or Fax 03 5470 6966 or email farrell@iacoess.com.au. lai VW flywheel, balanced & doweled pin to suit “L" box Cheetah race wheels, suit MK 6 or MK 7, 4 inch PCD $160. Berg pushrods with oil squirters, top of line to suit type 4 two-litre. $100. Ph 02 6655 5715 or 0409 125 965. m in very good oondition, fronts 9 1/4 X T3, rear 11 1/2X13. Ph Ian 0417 851 716 BH, 03 9878 9515 AH. lai 3 19-inch Snake Tongue, touring car rims, Centrelook, German-made, good condition. $600. Ph 02 Assorted Springs, various rates, various lengths. Suit 6655 5715 or 0409 125 965. leo Open Wheelers. $50 pair. Ph Ian 0417 851 716 BH, Benmax wheels, complete set of hand made wheels. 0)9878 9515 AH. iBi 2x13"xl0" and 2x13”x14", very rare. $2100. Ph 02 9440 Mazda, 4 ROH 5-spoke wheels with caps 7x15, near new with 0950 AH. 160 Hoosier slicks, 10 laps old. $1450 the lot. Ph 03 9844 2876. ibi Kent Ford X-Flow, wide stem cam followers $35. Slide injection, suit 3sg Toyota, ex UK BTCC, LSD suit 1275C0 ASeries Double Valve springs $35. All new. Ph Escort as new, for banjo Mkll. Ph 036249 2684 181 Keith 02 4340 2373. m MoTec cross ram fuel injection, manifold. Suit Ford Cheetah race wheels, suit Mk 6 or Mk 7, four inch SVO Hi Port heads, ideal for touring car, also suit Holden PCD in very good condition, fronts 9 1/4x13, rear 11 1/2x

Parts

13. Ph Ian 0417 851 716 BH or 03 9878 9515 AH. leo Dntercomp SW11 corner scales, with 4 spare pads. $1950. Ph Ken Hastings 03 9480 4040 BH. leo Ford T/C head, in good condition. Gas flowed and com plete with big valves. $3000. Ph 02 9440 0950 AH. m Hart 416B cam cover, hard to find cam cover to suit Ford T/C. $1000. Ph 02 9440 0950 AH. i8o Lucas fuel injection, complete system to suit Ford T/C. 6mm lines and completely reconditioned. $2000. Ph 02 9440 0950 AH. leo Gearbox/Transaxle, Hewland FT 200. Complete assembly with spare ratios, crown wheel & pinion etc. As new $15,000. Ph 02 9440 0950 AH. ibo Electronic ignition system, crank fired system. $1000. Ph 02 9440 0950 AH. ibo Porsche wheels, 2@ 16x12, 2® 16x10, 3 pee Fuchs centres. $1800. Ph 03 9882 7041 or 0418 317 895. leo

new tyres, removable side curtains, hydraulic lilt rear, warne winch, plenty of storage, 5.6x4m awning, sleeping facility. $15,000 ono, Ph ^02 6236 9227. m 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 0409125 965. m

Transporters/Trqiiers 'Ir

iToiiYjtear

■;v'

Fuliy enclosed, tri-axle trailer, electric brakes, breakaway syst, elec drop down tailgate, lightweight. Many more extras. $10,000 ono. Ph 03 9761 8269 or 0418 368 191. 180

'86 Isuzu FSR, 5 tonne, 22ft pan, very economical, bench es, lockers, shelves, built-in compressor, generator, 240v wiring, 10x6m awning and walls, erect in 10 min. Ideal for karting, FF, sports car or small tourer. $23,000. Ph 02 9838 4944 BH. 161

Ford Trader 5 speed, long range fuel tanks, 2001 reg, suit Formula Ford or Vee, small sedan. Includes ramps, winch and large annex. $6500. Ph 03 5275 2305 BH. ibi

Toyota Landcruiser, s/wagon, 6/82, FJ60, 6 cyl petrol, 4 spd, A/C, pwr sir, 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, leo Go kart trailep, single kart. Small & light, mini mag 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. ibo

Wanted

ifji

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k 9 r ■

Mitsubishi Canter DFE211 ‘85 excellent condition, 136,000kms, 5 speed diesel, car licence, repainted, dual fuel tanks, water tank, gates, tool box, tipping tray & ramps. Great transporter for race car. $11,000. Ph 07 5498 7784. lei 42ft Pantec hydraulic tail lift, fits 2 cars, shower, bathroom, sleeping quarters, full size fridge. All offers con sidered. Ph 0413 075 219. i6i

Tri-axle 33ft x 8ft x 7ft high, as new, built to carry 2 Formula Fords or Sedan, 240 vblti& 12 volt workshop area, large annexe, electric brakes on all wheels + 84 F100 4x4, 351 gas &fuel $30,00 the lot or $15000 eaoh. Ph Tony Jory 03 6326 5555. ib. Isuzu transporter, Panteo, twin cab, turbo diesel, hydraulic tailgate lift, genset, long range fuel tanks, sleeps 3, big annex, 240v power, much more. $20,000. Ph 0418 767 990 or 07 5522 7056 AH. ibi

'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. ibo

Bedford Bus, set up to take any race car, rebuilt engine, runs like new, camjoer at front, sleeps 4, professional set up. $7500. Ph 0417 128 314. ibo

1966 Ford F350, 318ci motor on gas, 4 sp gearbox.

Drive wanted, in any Victorian State Series- FFord, HQ. Superkart etc. Pref circuit racing. Ph 03 5962 3618 after 5pm. 181

Any parts for Hewland LG series boxes, LC 400/500/600. Ph Graham 0412 156 766 anytime. i8i Your old race car photos, for the "Historicar Archive' for access by all. Send to; PO BOX 334, Springwood 2777 or Ph 02 4751 7511. i8i Mechanical fuel inecjtion, to suit 9.200' Ford Cleveland, C302B heads. Also 750cfm methanol carburet tor. Ph 03 5472 4116, Fax 03 5470 6966 or email farrell@iaccess,oom,au. ibi Books, Autocorse, Rallycourse, World Rallying, Automobile Year, any cond or quantity. Ph Mike 0412 904 638 or e-mail speedsigns@interact.net.au. isi Old Formula 1 videos, pre-1994 on VHS, in particular the Adelaide GP preferably with qualifying & practice. Ph Cameron 08 8339 5589 or emailc_oooper@looksmart.com.au. iso

Bther

TAG Heuer Chronograph, watch. Senna style with leather strap. As new, minimal use, new battery. Circa 1996. $1900. Ph 03 9890 6782. isi Books, The Great Race volumes 1-16, Bathurst programs 1985-1997, Bathurst videos, huge amount of racing memo rabilia including posters, other videos (500cc motorcy cles). Full collection $3000. Ph 0418 488 368 or 02 4328 1923 AH. 181

Exhuast tube bender, 3 phase Binnie, computer con trolled, as new condition $10,500. Can inspect in Castlemaine, Vic. Ph 03 5472 4116 or Fax 03 5470 6966 or email - farrell@lacoess.oom.au. ibi Chassis dyno, Schultz, water brake, 10' rollers, speedo, huge fan $5000. Ph Ray Gulson 0408 628 677. lai The Great Race books, full set-offers. Magazines Autosport, CCC, SCW. 380 total, offers. Ph 03 9397 6750. iw Alvis 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. ibo 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. lao 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 8991,96 $30. ATCC Programs Sandown '91,92, Phillip Island 90, EC $20. Ph 03 9720 2472 or 0418 546 216 BH. IBO

Grand Prix ports, Adelaide 1989-94, Melb 97. Mint cond, unopened boxes. $700 ono. Ph 0418 546 216 BH or 03 9720 2472 AH. leo Bell Dominator helmet, size 62, brand new, never been worn, with helmet bag. $1450. Ph 03 9741 7084. lec 1995 Adelaide FI collector cards, complete set. Plus 'Winner Exchange Card', plus 11 'Fastest Laps" sepcial cards, plus 1 “Pole Position” special card. Perfect condition, del Aus wide. S'fOO. Ph 07 3816 1214 AH. t»

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50 26 May 2000 Size doesn't matter?

MMotorsport Dear Sir, n

NEWS

Editorial

Editor Phil Brasiagan Assistant Editor Gerald McDornan Staff JournaEist Aaron Noonan Grapfiics Co-ordinator Viv Brumby

Advertising

What is all the fuss about? 100mm obviously did nothing significant to the Holdens at Darwin,so why couldn't Holden 'cop it sweet?'

David Pye Pyimont, NSW ASST ED: Darwin, and most tracks coming up are not very 'aerodynamically influenced'. Bathurst, though, is - hence Holden and Ford’s reaction.

.4 :

Send your letters to PO Box 1010 North Caulfield Vic 3161, fax to 03 9527 7766, or emaii to us at msnews@ozemaii.cont.au The staff of Motorsport News does not necessariiy agree with opinions express by readers.

Vanessa Livermore, Wollongong, NSW;

Anyone for tickets?

Advertising Manager Brendon Sheridan

Give me dirt!

Administration

Dear Sir, On page 10 of your fine publication there’s an advert stating that Network Ten is the 'home of motorsport.' Nothing could be further from the truth. As an oval dirt-track speedway fan, their motorsport program “RPM’ will not cover Australians in this form of motorsport, be it international or Australian for that matter. More dirt: Reader McKenzie would like to see more of the dirt track stars To say that they just don’t cover speedway motorsport is just not Tander should’ve backed off and On the rev limiter good enough. didn’t. Bad luck Tander! That was To think the sport of motorcycle not Craig’s fault, it was Garth’s.. solo speedway bike racing is a sport Dear Sir, Lowndes on Race three Jason Colhns you are an absolute with Australian origins that now Radisich. Again Lowndes was past tosser! Garth Tander "fair and struts a totally international stage! Australia and the world has a consistent"? What a short memory the B-pillar and three-quarters of a fourth official FIM World Motor some of us have. I remember a car length in front. Paul came back in on Lowndes and that’s why Sports Championship - the World couple of years ago when Garth Radisich came off. "consistently" took out six people 500cc Speedway Championship GP. On Ten’s coverage, the aerial shot Australia has speedway drivers per race and bugger all happened to shows what really happened, but I also in America in the World of him. If you want to talk about Eastern suppose you and the other Ford Outlaws series, so why Network tossers missed that huh? Ten doesn’t cover this form of Creek, let’s talk about it. Why If you read Ingall’s column in the motorsport is beyond me. wasn’t Richards given a stop-go or last issue, he said that Craig did the Could Motorsport News ask any other penalty for hitting right thing and he would have done Network Ten’s Sports Manager McDougall in race one and also the same. Mike Audcent why RPM won’t cover , hitting Bargs in race one. In race Craig, I hope you do appeal dirt track speedway. two Morris hit Perkins, Forbes on against the points penalty, because And for anyone who saw Todd Mezera - both incidents Perkins Wiltshire’s brilliant rides in the and Mezera lost placings. Race you’ll win them back. Jason, what do you think these coverage dn C7 Sport on May 6 in three and Bargs on Ellery. Where’s guys do - race around until they see Prague at the first round of the the fine or stop-go for that? Lowndes and Tander in race two. someone in front of them who is World Speedway GP, wasn’t it a joy Go back and watch the race again beating them in the championship to watch? and then decide to take them out? Come on Network Ten, cover and you’ll see that Tander ran a Give me a break, you reckon Australians in an Australian- little wide coming out of the comer. Lowndes stuck his nose in the gap "just wait for tyres to go off. In a invented motorsport. and was past the B-pillar into the sprint race you haven’t got time. Also, while I’m at it, Motorsport next corner, so it was Lowndes' Mike McKenzie, News, how’s your form last comer. Mliperra, NSW.

Mareagmg Oarector Chris Lambden

Contacts 89 Orrong Crescent Caulfield North VIC 3161 (PO Box 1010 North Caulfield 3161) Phone: 03 9527 7744 Fax 03 9527 7766 Email: msnews@ozemaiI.com.au

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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 NZ: John Hawkins Speedway: Brett Swanson, Dennis Newlyn, Sue Hobson, Geoff Rounds, Tony Millard (UK), Rally: Peter Whitten, Jon Thomson Drag Racing: Greg Ward, Jon Asher (USA), Dave Ostaszewski (USA), . Nick Nicholas, Steven White,^ Ken Ferguson Super Speedway: Martin Clark (USA) Karts: Sean Henshelwood, Graeme Burns, Frank Viola, John Morris, Mark Wicks Photographers: Sutton Motorsport' Images, Dirk Klynsmith, Bothwell Photographic, Marshall Cass, Nigel Snowdon & Diana Burnett, Tony-Glynn, AFI Images, Neil Hammond, Slipstream Photographic) Thunder-Pics, Phil Williams, Allsport, John Morris/Mpix, Frank Midgley, John Bosher, Lynley Reid, Mike Patrick (UK), Daniel Wilkins, Wayne Nugent, Peter French, Chris Carter Artist: Bernie Walsh Cartoonist: Allan Schofield Motorsport News is published by Australasian Motorsport News Ply Ltd ACN No 060 1 79 928

Publisher: C Lambden Printed by; Wilke Color 37-49 Browns Rd Clayton 3168 Distributed by; NDD Ltd Material published by MOTORSPORT NEWS is copyright and may not be reproduced in full or in part without the written permission of the publisher. Freelance contributions are welcome, and while all care will be taken, Australasian Motorsport News Pty Ltd does not accept responsibility for damage or loss of material submitted.

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Dear Sir, Could you please send me details regarding ticket sales etc. for the American Le Mans Series Race of a Thousand Years to be held in Adelaide on 31 December 2000? Natalee Howe, Via e-mail Ed: Phone Panoz Motorsport Australia on 08 8342 5777 or email: lemans@panoz.com.au for details.

Don't forget dirt track Deal’ Sir, I love your magazine and I buy it every fortnight thanks to your great coverage of all sorts of motor racing, especially dirt track speedway my favourite. For some reason though your dht track coverage has fallen off over the last few issues. All we now get to read is long race reports and not much news. There has to be more going on than just racing. I like V8s and everything, but the speedway really needs to pick back up again. You can not forget dirt track. Peter McEvoy, Lidcombe NSW ASST ED; The balance of race/news coverage does ebb and flow a bit from issue to issue as the news itself does and as the season comes and goes. As you will have seen in this issue's Speedway pages, there is a fair bit of dirt track news and opinion around right now. Thanks for the feedback, though, and continue to enjoy Motorsport News.

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Opinions expressed in Motorsport News are not necessarily those of Australasian Motorsport News Pty Ltd or its staff.

magazine (P.25)? Lowndes didn’t touch Baird at afl until Baird completely lost it and Lowndes had nowhere to go. Oh yeah, and the commentators on TV - no wonder everyone thought Lowndes was a bad boy with you lot around. Friends like you...

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The inaugural GMC 400 will forever change the face of the National Capital.

Be there when the V8 Supercars take to the streets

surrounding Parliament House on the June long weekend. Call Ticketek for information and bookings. For accommodation with ticket packages contact Canberra Getaways on 1800 100 660 or your local travel agent, www.gmc400xom.au

(02) 6219 6666

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CANBERRA & Events Corporal

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NAT IONAL

CAP I TAL

GREY 5732

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Strap yourself in the passengersBaroroneo v Burn rubber in one of Larry’s cars at Calder and get a photo to prove it personally signed by the driver <* Rub shoulders with V8 Supercar drivers Larry, Russel! and Dugal in the Pepsi hot laps corporate entertainment facility v 5 laps for $975 at Calder Park on Tuesday 30 May 2000 v Lunch with the Perkins Racing Team

Castro!

*> Tour the racing facilities v Three cars on the track all day v Limited positions available

DUGAL McDOUGALL ^ MOTORSPORT

For bookinps and further information phone 03 9217 8933 or fax 03 9217 8958 Calder - Tuesday 30 May 2(X)0 l Eastern Creek - TuesdJHE^HBP

2000