Motorsport News Issue 207 - June 8-21, 2001

LATEST: HOLDEN/FORD LINE-UPS ●ft-

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FI’s great designer fiasco

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THE LIGHTNING FAST FALCON XR8.

NOW CHARGED WITH 220kW. .< The massive power of the new 220kW Tickford enhanced V8 throws you back in the body contoured seats.

The low slung body slices through the air. And standard 17” alloys, side skirts and body coloured mirrors on both the XR8 and XR6 VCT ensure breathtaking looks. So for striking looks and electrifying performance, see your authorised Ford Dealer now or call 1800 503 673.

XR8 shown with optional body kit. FCL3162/V3

) www.ford.com.au

We have ignition

ntursttn Issue 207 8-21 June 2001

INSIDE

News and Opinion

6

Young blokes in AUs Ford name their drivers.

10

Sprechen Sie Deutsch?

Alesi for DTM or CART?

12

So we agree then Ferrari admits to vote control

14

See you in court dept.

BAR'S appeal, DC to be sued Motor Mouth

25 .I

26 82

Mr Newey and Mr Gorilla Box Seat Just who is St Emilion?

Talk Converter HRT's points and drivers

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V/ t.

Features 28 30 56

Fiorinotto and Lowndes And the Oscar goes to ...

Longhurst and Mezera HRT's VoyogAlgjg|.BIokes Darrell Gwynn speaks Top Fuel man still a winner

Race Coverage

32 34

42 * LATEST: HOLDEN/FORP UNE-UPS

46

Monaco Formula 3000 Webber's slams them Michael's fifth Monaco

What a great race! Dramatic, tense ... Oh, it was all a dream Penske storms Indy 500 CART 5, NASCAR URL 0 Phillip Island Konica Truckle doubles up at PI

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Regular Departments

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FI’s great designer fiasco

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Motorcycles Rallying Drag Racing Speedway NASCAR Histories National Scene Marketplace

Monaco triumph lorWobber

Photos: Cover; Sutton-lmages (plus digital work by Viv Brumby) and Marsh/Bothwell. Contents: Sutton-lmages, Chris Carter, Slipstream.

3

A wanted man Ifyou want to win in FI, you need Michael Schumacher or Adrian Newey on your side.

That's makes Newey a $50 million bargain THE recent history of the World Drivers' Championship can be summed up as being Michael Schumacher versus Adrian Newey.

Nigel Mansell and Alain Prost won the 1992 and '93 titles in Newey-designed Williamses.

When Schumacher won two crowns at Benetton, the Williamses he beat were designed by the balding Englishman. While Schumacher was re-establishing himself at Ferrari in 1996, Williams drivers Damon Hill and, a year later, Jacques Villeneuve won Drivers' crowns.

The following year, Newey joined McLaren and the silver cars started a renaissance. Driver's titles for Mika Hakkinen followed in 1998 and '99 until Schumacher struck back last season.

Newey was born in Warwickshire on 26 December 1958, and was not a good student. He was fascinated by racing cars, not schoolwork, and dropped out of high school, later

moved on to March's Indy car program, designing the 84C and its successors, and engineered Bobby Rahal to the 1986 title, In 1987, now March’s chief designer, he moved into Formula One, developing March's Leyton House 881, which was the only car to pass a McLaren-Honda in race conditions in McLaren's allconquering 1988 season.

He was recruited by Williams's Patrick Head (below) in 1991 and was instrumental in the dominance of Williams's FW14.

He joined McLaren in controversial circumstances in August 1997, after some months of being on 'gardening leave' from Williams.

Newey is a keen collector of cars and motorcycles. He has competed in several classic events and has even driven one of his own creations, a WilliamsRenault FW16, in the 1995 Goodwood Festival of Speed (bottom).

- PHIL BRANAGAN

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getting an Ordinary National Diploma (equivalent of a TAFE diploma). At 15, he designed and built an electronic ignition system.

Later, he undertook degrees in astronautics and aeronautics at Southampton Universtity, and almost dropped out of those as well but, with support from associates at March Engineering, graduated. In his final year,,1980, his thesis was on ground-effect aerodynamics of race cars.

After a brief spell with the Copersucar team, he joined March, with his first design being a revamped (and ungainly but effective) 82G sportcar. He was 4

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Legal battle likely over

by JOE SAWARD/STAFF McLaren technical director Adrian Newey has found himself in the centre of an extraordinary $50 million tugof-war between McLaren and Jaguar over which team he will be contracted to next season.

Last Friday(June 1)saw a bizarre series of press releases fi-om both of the teams, each claiming within hours that they had secm-ed the services of Newey when his current contract exphes in August 2002.

The likely outcome ofthe dispute between the two teams could be decided in the near future in the courts.

At the recent Monaco Grand Prix, there was talk behind the scenes that Newey,42, had told

McLaren International and Adrian Newey wish to confirm that he will continue with the team heyond the term of his existing contract"

- McLaren media release

Jaguar Racing’s Bobby Rahal that he would join the team when his current McLaren contract expired in August next yeai\ It was rumoured that Jaguar lured Newey with a five-year deal worth £3.5 million($10 million) a year.

However, on 'Tuesday, McLai-en boss Ron Dennis suffered a personal loss when his mother passed away and Newey could not,

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future of designer Adrian Newey

Should I stay or should I go: Newey, in grey, has himself in a pickle and Ron Dennis (left) and Bobby Rahal (above) are both determined that he will be with McLaren, and Jaguar, respectively, in 2002. (Photos by Sulton-lmages)

ambition of having a share in a team.

Last Monday, Jaguar spoke again, releasing the following; “Adrian Newey has a legally binding contract with Jaguar Racing and this has been confirmed

by Queen’s Counsel.

“As things currently stand, Adrian Newey has indicated that he will not honour that contract. We are, therefore, considering legal action against both Adrian Newey and McLaren International.”

The question now is ‘what is the validity of a letter of intent’. The answer is, probably, not a great deal and that is a disaster for Jaguar Racing but the team must accept that if you live by the sword (as was the case when the team poached Pedro de la Rosa from Prost Grand Prix a few weeks ago) you die by the sword as well. u

apparently, bring himself to inti-ude on Dennis’s grief to tell him he was leaving McLaren.

On Thursday, while Jaguar was preparing a media release announcing their coup, Denrris learned of the news and quickly went to see Newey at his home near the McLaren factor-y.

It appears that the two men reached some sorT of agr-eement and that Newey quickly irrfor-med Rahal that he would be staying at McLaren. But Jaguar’s Communications and Public Affairs department had already progr-ammed the automated release of its statement and Rahal did not stop it being sent.

In the Jaguar press release, Newey was quoted as sa}ing that “I have enjoyed hugely my four years to date at McLaren and take gr-eat satisfaction from the success that we as a team have achieved. But,in the end the prospect of working once again with my close friend, Bobby, whom 1 have known since 1984 at March Racing, combined with the prospect ofthe exciting challenge that Jaguar Racing offers proved irresistible.”

Our sources say that Jaguar took the step because it had secured a letter of intent from Newey that he would join Jaguar when his current contract expires. It appears that after this happened, Dennis realised that he was in trouble and came back to Newey with a better 8 lune 2001

offer that convinced Adrian to stay.

A few hours later McLaren issued a statement of its own, which read; “McLaren International and Adrian Newey wish to confiim that he will continue with the team beyond the term of his existing contract.

“A fuller statement will follow later today.”

Five and a half hours later, McLaren issued second release, headed ‘ADRIAN NEWEY TO STAY AT MCLAREN’,in which Newey stated; “I regi-et any speculation which has been caused by my conversations with my good friend Bobby Rahal. I came very close to working with him again and have agonised over this decision.

“I infoi-med him of my decision to remain at McLaren some time prior to the release(being)issued this ● morning by Jaguar Racing but 1 understand that the mechanisms of this release made it impossible to stop and I am soiTy for any embarrassment that it will have caused to my friends at Jaguar and McLaren.”

One can only speculate on what McLaren offered Newey but it must have been di-amatic to convince him to stay. It might even have been shares (or options)in the McLai’en team. Newey has long beheved that top designers are poorly rewarded for their work in compmison to team owners and has haihom-ed the

I am sorry for any embarrassment that it will have caused to my friends at Jaguar and McLaren" -Adrian Newey

Jaguar may have been assuming that, as Newey is Rahal’s fidend, that a full contract was not essential. When you are battling with Dennis you cannot make such assumptions. Jaguar must now accept that it is not going to get Newey and that it must look elsewhere for a new technical director.

For his part Rahal, speaking at the Milwaukee CART race, is adamant that Newey will be in green at the end of next season; “Adrian has signed a contract and he is legally committed to join Jaguar in 2003,” he said.

For Newey even to have considered the switch. Jaguar must have showed him some impressive plans. The Jaguar Research and Development Centre (complete with a windtunnel) will be finished by the end of this year.

It will be too late for the 2002 car but will be tried and tested for the design of the 2003 machine.

It is also believed that Newey has technical ‘sign-off’ rights on all aspects of what will be the Jaguar R4, including the architecture of the Cosworth-developed engine.

NEWS HHF doubtful for Canadian GP THE late mail from the UK indicates that all may not be well with HeinzHarald Frentzen, The German is apparently feeling the after-effects of his wallbanger at Monaco and it said to be suffering, at least, severe bruising in the rib department. We hear that Ricardo Zonta, Jordan's test driver, has been told be on stand-by for the Canadian GP on June 8-10.

■ TOCA Australia has confirmed its dates for the 2001/02 Super Touring Championship, as listed in the last issue of MN. ■ Cameron McLean won't have any problems feeding his pets in the future, the Greenfield Mowers pilot has picked up backing from VIP Pet Foods for the GMC 400 and the Barbagallo round of the Shell Series.

■ Kiwi Matthew Halliday made his Indy Lights debut at Milwaukee on the weekend,finishing ninth. 'I knew before we came here that this was going to be a steep learning curve and the race proved to be just that,’ he said. Throughout the weekend I've experienced mechanical problems, weather disruption, a near miss, handling difficulties and the chance to put in some good laps while the car felt good," Dorricott Racing's Townsend Bell won the race in a field of only 10 finishers.

■ Don't ask John Bowe for a beer in Canberra this weekend. With JB tied up racing the CAT Falcon in the SCS races, the Bud Mustang will be driven by Mark Noske this weekend, so the brewskies will be on him ...

■ Anthony Davidson has won the prestigious Pau street race for Formula 3 cars. The BAR test driver qualified on pole and took a go-to-whoa win from Mattieu Zangarelli and Bjorn Wirdheim, runners from the French and German series respectively.

Takuma Sato was penalised for a jumped start and eventually retired with a broken airbox.

■ Geez the Yanks are slow: While Australia has had V8 Supercars belting around in between both the New and Old Parliament Houses in our nation's capital, the Yanks are just cottoning onto the idea. American Le Mans Series officials are in discussions with city officials from none other than Washington, D.C. about a race in the future.

■ The Shoe is back. No, not Michael or Ralf (or even Tony) Schumacher, but Trevor Sheumack is getting back behind the wheel in Canberra. The Michelin tyre man will climb aboard the Subaru WRX he has shared with Dwayne Bewley around the streets of the nation's capital.

Wonder which tyres he will be on?

5

Pit stop rethink Fopdl No Safety Car stops for CMC 400 among changes

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Stay where you are: As in 2000, there will be no stops under Safety Car at Canberra.

A LATE change of mind hy V8 group TEGA means that drivers will NOT he able to pit under Safety Car conditions at this weekend's GMC 400.

At the same time, teams will for the first time be able to use electronic speed limiters to ensure their drivers comply with a savagely slow 40km/h pit lane speed limit.

In order to relieve expected pit lane congestion and remove the chance element relating to the deployment of the Safety Car (which has acted against those leading the race at previous events) TEGA had proposed allowing teams to pit during Safety Car periods.

However, a further agreement by two-car teams to utilise just one pit lane boom to further ease congestion,forced a rethink.

HRT manager Jeff Grech, a TEGA Board member explains: “With the single boom agreement in place for CanbeiTa, we reahsed that two-car teams would be penahsed unfairly ifcars were allowed to pit imder Safety Car conditions so the decision was reversed.

“The speed limiter is a good decision - at least drivers will now be able to concentrate on where they are going in what is a tight pit lane environment. If, in practice, 40km/h is found to be just too slow, the ability is there to adjust the

(Pholo by Difl< Klynsmilh)

speed for subsequent days.”

Pit stop windows will still apply for the compulsoi-y tyre(and fuel) stops and thus, as has become the norm, a flood of cars will most likely pit on the first available lap - although two-car teams will of course have to stagger their stops in order to seiwice one car at a time.

It all adds up to a logistical test for team managers, with crucial decisions needing to be made early in the running.

With serious points available for all three races, plus the top 15 shootout, it’s a crunch weekend for the championship contenders...

- CHRIS LAMBDEN

FIT

THE driving line-up for Ford’s V8 Supercar assault on the Queensland 500 and Bathurst is taking shape with the news that Dean Canto is to join Ford lickford Racing for the enduros and Simon Wills willjoin John Bowe in the CAT Ford.

Canto, 20, will join Glenn Seton and Steven and Jim Richards in FTR’s two Falcons. Driving pairings are yet to be announced.

The winner of the 2000 Konica series, Canto drove for the team at the Q500 last season, and is looking for a good result in the races.

“FTR want to win those races and they have the machinery and personnel to back that up,” said Canto. “Working with three drivers that have 48 Bathurst starts amongst them is great experience which I’m sure to benefit from.”

Canto has been racing a Falcon for RPM International Motorsport in the Shell Series this season, taking an impressive 10th place in the first race in the Adelaide 500

in April.

RPM boss Terry Steer said that the car would definitely be entered for Bathurst and, perhaps, Queensland.

“It depends on the drivers,” he said. “Geoff Full will be one of the

Tone and Tom

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1988 Bathurst 1000 winners Tony Longhurst and Tomas Mezera will again be in the same team for this year’s Queensland 500 and Bathurst enduros, with the Queenslanders announced as Holden Racing Team’s drivers for the two big races.

With the championship positions of Mark Skaife and Jason Bright still far from clear and with the two races still a way off, the actual pairings will be announced closer to the races.

'That depends on the state of the Shell Series Championship at that point,” said HRT General Manager Jeff Grech. “If both Mark and Jason are close to or still leading the Series, we will consider all our options at that time.”

Longhurst has driven one of Rod Nash’s Holdens in 2001 after nearly winning Bathurst last year with Stone Brothers Racing, while Mezera has run his own car on an infrequent basis.

For our chat with the twosome, turn to page 30.

Biolorspori news

NEWS

earns get signing

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n Former 500cc GP winner and Channel 10 commentator Darryl Beattie is to take part in the Australian Safari. Beattie, below, who raced for Honda and Suzuki in his road racing days, will ride a Honda XR650 in the Moto Division of the off-road classic.

Wills joins CAT and IMoske to DJR? -ncKFoto rkVX

In the gear: Canto and Wills will be in front-line Fords for the enduros.

(Photo by AF1 Irtages)

drivers and we are still talking to some others, but it will be their decision whether they go to Queensland and try to pre-qualify.”

Meanwhile, the two back-to-back Australian Driving Champions will share the black and yellow AU in both the Q500 and at Bathurst after Wills tested impressively for

the team last month.

“I am really thrilled \rith this chance because finm what I have seen, Briggs Motorsport is leaving no stone untmued for the endurance races this year,” Wdls said.

Wills has been competing in the Konica V8 Supercar Series this season aboard his Team Dynanuk

Commodore VT, winning the opening round at Wakefield Park.

He ran in the enduros last season, sharing the Pirtek Falcon with Craig Baird, and finished seventh at Bathurst in the Stone Brothers Racing Ford.

The FTR and CAT announcements leave DJR as the only two-car Ford team to announce its drivers.

However, former Formula Ford champ Greg Ritter has long been rumoured to be in the team’s second car, and tested with the team at Queensland Raceway last Wednesday.

Also testing with Ritter was Mark Noske and the Ferrari Nations Cup pilot seems likely to link up with him for the enduros.

Noske confirmed that he did some 15 laps in DJR’s spare AU but said that he hadn’t heard anythng back fi-om the team.

One man who won’t be driving for DJR is Wayne Gardner, who confirmed to us on Friday that although he and DJR had spoken, he wouldn’t be driving for the team.

- PHIL BRANAGAN AARON NOONAN

White tests for Stone Bros

LAST year's Konica V8 Series runner-up and Mike Kable Rookie of the Year winner, Matthew White, tested with Stone Brothers Racing at Queensland Raceway on May 31.

White was scheduled to complete "three or four" runs in David Besnard's Caltex Flavoline car, however engine problems conspired to see the car parked after just a few laps.

It was enough, though, for White to develop some early impressions of the Ford, having driven his 8 June 2001

Look son, just don’t backchat Ross and Jimmy and you’ll he fine: Greg Crick passes on some pointers to (Photo by Dirk Klynsmiib} Matthew White. ex-Perkins VS in the Konica Series last year and in the Shell Series this year.

"Probably the most amazing thing about it

was the brakes. They were incredible, I was just sailing past where I was stopping last year and I still wasn't anywhere near the

car's potential.

Following the problems with Besnard's car. White got a second chance when the team put him behind the wheel ● of Marcos Ambrose's machine.

'It's hard to compare the two Fords, because Besnard's car wasn't quite right, but Ambrose's was going pretty well and it was just great."

"Ross (Stone) said he was happy with what I did, and he's the sort of guy who is usually pretty straight, so. . ."

-MARKGIEMHNMMG

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■ Craggill 2.0: We hear that the next generation Australian Superbike star has arrived. World Superbike Championship racer Marty Craggill has welcomed son Max to the team, partner Diane thoughtfully delivering the little tacker between SBK races.

Congrats.

■ Speaking of Ducatis, our spies at Donington have uncovered some gossip about the Italians' new GP1 engine, currently undergoing bench testing. The 990cc V-twin has gone through the 230hp barrier on the dyno with, reportedly, the 15,000rpm mark already being surpassed, courtesy of a very small 58mm stroke. We also hear that the jigger could be track tested in a 996 Superbike chassis within six weeks.

■ Shawn Giles dominated the latest round of the Australian Superbike Championship at Winton.

The Suzuki rider won all three races.

■ Aussies were out of luck in the famous Nurburgring 24 Hour race.

After taking class pole, Ross Palmer, Peter Floyd, Maher Algadri and Altfrid Heger finished 49th in their BMW M3, Lynden Riethmulier was 97th in an Alfa 156, Ian Green was 137th in a Nissan Sunny GTi, the Atkinson brothers 163rd in a Nissan Skyline GT-R and Dennis Cribbin 181 st in another M3. Peter Zakowski, Pedro Lamy and Michael Bartels won in their Chrysler Viper GTS-R. ■ Going to the GMC 400 in Canberra with a pre-purchased ticket? Then leave the family truckster at home. You will be able to 'Park 'n Ride' to the track from five locations around the national capital from Friday to Sunday. The spots to be are the bus interchanges at Beiconnen, Woden and Tuggerong, with additional stops at EPIC and opposite the Rydges Canberra. And take your woollies . ..

1

NRC quits FHolden

FORMULA Holden has been dealt a massive blow with the withdrawl from the category of Arthur Abrahams's IMRC International team.

Abrahams has accepted an offer from an American consortium for the team's three Reynard chassis, engines, spares and on-going technical support to compete in a newly-introduced open-wheeler category in the US. "It's a combination of issues I suppose," Abrahams told Motorsport News on Tuesday.

"The fact is that we'd sold one of our cars a long time ago to America and, at that time, the same people had made an offer for all three. I knocked that back because we were going to run this season but, after Darwin, when it was clear Stewart (McColl) wasn't able to continue, and I read the disparaging reports elsewhere about the state of Formula Holden, I made an executive decision."

McColl, who has had a strong Formula Holden debut and sits second in the title behind Rick Kelly, has been unable to secure a budget

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to allow him to continue with the Melbourne-based team.

"Obviously the whole thing's very disappointing for the team and I, but I respect Arthur's decision and really have to thank him for giving me an opportunity and I'll keep working on finding an endurance drive in the V8 races and work on getting into V8s next year," said McColl.

"I was looking forward to having a crack at the championship but it would seem I won't be doing

Formula Holden for the rest of the year."

Abrahams is working to place his other driver, Emerson Newton-John, in a competitive ride for the rest of the season, though the American won't run in Canberra.

It appears likely that he may join Rick Kelly at Birrana Racing for the rest of the championship.

"I love my open wheelers but it disappoints me greatly that open wheel racing doesn't have the recognition to get sponsorship," said Abrahams.

"Our cars are quite expensive to run and if you haven't got a I $150,000-plus sponsor/s, you're going to struggle to put the right sort of driver in the car. Our V8 program continues and maybe I'll look again at open wheelers in a few years time when we see what direction it's heading in."

Dale Brede will continue unaffected in the team's Konica Series Commodore VT, while the Canberra Formula Holden round will be the first round with no NRC presence since 1993.

- AARON NOONAN

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A pre-race shakedown with his F3000 team made all the difference, according to Monaco F3000 winner Mark Webber.

Webber, who moves back into second spot in the championship, reveals in his Motorsport News column (see page 33) that jumping straight from the FI Benetton into F3000 qualifying wasn’t proving the easiest thing to do and that the special pre-race F3000 shakedown had made all the difference.

“With all the toys and buttons on the FI Benetton now, the left foot braking, the carbon brakes, the whole thing is such a different kettle of fish to the F3000,” he told us this week.

The shakedown allowed Australia’s PI hopeful to set the pace from the outset, take a strong pole and convert that into an all-the-way, convincing win.

8

With most of motorsporfs movers and shakers ■and financiers - present, the win puts Webber back in the limelight as FI teams start to think about 2002.

“The first item on the agenda is for Benetton to take up their option on me for next year,” Mark said this week.

“That should happen over the next month or two hopefully, then it’s up to the guys to sort out whether I'm worthy of a slot on the grid somewhere.

“Clearly, the top three teams are settled, but I think there could be a number of possible opportunities elsewhere.

“There's plenty of work to be done; Monaco’s history now and we’ve got to keep pushing on.”

- CHRIS LAMBDEN

Hills

Super Touring

by PHIL BRAHAGAN PETER Hills will be appealing his five-month suspension over a positive drug test - but he will not be racing again.

The Team Mondeo driver, who was suspended after testing positive to cannabis at the Wakefield Park round of the BOC Gases Super Touring Championship on January 28, has lodged an appeal with the Committee for the Ai'bitration for Sport(CAS).

Regardless of the result of his appeal, he will quit racing and sell his racecars.

“We will definitely be appealing it,” Hills said this week.

“But I have had enough. I wanted to race next season but, after this, I’m stopping racing.”

Hills was found to have traces of marijuana is his system after a drug test was conducted by a representative of the Australian Sports Drug Agency(ASDA) following the second race of Round 7 of the championship. As a result, he has been disqualified from his fom-th and ninth places from the round, and will be forced to return any prizes he has won in the sport since then.

Hills says that the positive test came as a result of passive smoking after being in the presence of others who were using the drug in the week prior to the event.

“We refute CAMS’s claims.

There may have been traces found but our defence is that it came from passive smoking. Test results back this up.”

Hills also casts doubt over the way in which the test was conducted which, he says, contravenes CAMS’s own drug testing guidelines.

“There are several problems,” he says.

“Firstly, the notification of the drivers to be tested was not correct. The rules say clearly that, during the conduct of a meeting, the choice of drivers to be tested is to be made by a steward at the meeting. At other times, that choice is to be made by the President of the FIA.” Bob Anderson, who was the Chief Steward at the meeting, told Motorsport News that he was not aware who had made the choice. fflolorsDon news

NEWS

Will appeal

driver to fight marijuana suspension

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"We Will definitely be appealing it. I wanted to race next season but, aner this, I'm stopping racing ti

- Peter Hills (left)

“I was not even aware at any stage that it (drug testing) was proposed or happening,” he said.

Prior to Hills’s appeal being lodged, a CAMS spokesperson said that he believed that the candidates to be tested were nominated by an ASDA representative, which contravenes the drug testing policy of both ASDA and CAMS. An ASDA spokesperson told Motorsport News that the Agency’s role was not to nominate candidates for the test; “That is for the sporting organisation to nominate, in this case CAMS,” she said. “Our role is conduct the testing.”

Hills continues; “The guidelines also say that the driver is to be ‘chaperoned’ to the test. That didn’t happen.”

CAMS’s regulations say; “Should a competitor be chosen for full screen drug testing, they will be notified as soon as possible B June 2001

after the event (e.g. when they arrive at the pare ferme or presentation area etc) and will be accompanied by a chaperone who will generally be within arms length, but at all times in sight, of the competitor between the finish of the event and the time the sample is taken.”

Hills is adamant that he was not advised of his dmg test until back in his pit, during which time he had removed his race suit, started a debrief and started to drink a beer. However Tim Shaw, Geoff Emery and David Gittus, who were the other drivers drug-tested at the same time, were accompanied by an ASDA representative straight after their races until their tests were complete. Shaw, Emery and Gittus all returned negative results.

CAMS instigated its drug testing policy at the start of the 2000 season and the first tests on drivers were conducted at the

Clipsal 500, where eight drivers were tested. At Calder last season, a further four tests were done, and four were carried out at Wakefield Park in January.

CAMS’s Chief Executive Officer Peter Hansen said that, since the case was now subject to appeal, it was difficult to comment.

“However, I understand that Peter Hills has confirmed that the sample was his, so if there are competitors competing and taking drugs, that is a great concern to us,” Hansen said.

Having an athlete failing a drug test because of‘passive’ marijuana use is not new.

In 1998, Canadian snowboarder Ross Rebagliati was stripped of a gold medal he had won at the Winter Olympic Games at Nagano, Japan, after testing positive to marijuana. The gold was initially passed on to Italian runner-up, Thomas Prugger.

Rebagliati said that the positive test was due to passive smoking, claiming that cannabis was present at a team party prior to leaving Canada for Japan. His test indicated a reading of 17.8 nanograms/millilitre, 2.8ng/ml above the threshold set down by the International Ski Federation.

In spite of the fact that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) lists marijuana as a banned substance (rather than a performance-enhancing drug), the IOC did not have a threshold for the presence of the drug.

Four days later, the CAS ruled that the IOC’s decision was improper and reinstated the Canadian with immediate effect, returning his gold medal.

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P?K-.tc. tf/ SUostream Pholooraartic:)

■ V8s in Canberra We pack ouir beanies; anditlfiermals, and head to the national capital as the V8 Supercars roll into townftor the GMC 400.

Howwili the Ford teams, take the fight to the bays in red?

PLUS ■ Le Mans Parlez-vxous Sportscars? And can you. do it for 24 hours?

■ F1 .in: IMomreal This time, McLaren must geti it right ■ Christmas trees in June?

Willowbarnk gears up for the Konica WVinternationals

r.i: 22 JUNE Contents coirict stiins of going to pwss

9 j

ten home of

motorsport] Shell Championship Series V8 Supercars * Jun 10 ... .Canberra .

,R d5

Jun 24

Perth ....

,Rd6

Jul 15 ... .Calder Park

.Rd7

Jul 29 ... .Oran Park .

.RdS

Aug 26 ...Ipswich ...

.Rd9

Sep 9 Oct 7

Winton ...

Bathurst ,.

.Rd 10

Nov 11 .. .Auckland .

.Rd 12

.Rd 11

Konica V8 Supercar Series * ...Lakeside

8

Rd 5

Aug 12 .. .Mallala .

Rd6

Bathurst

.(non Championship)

FIA Formula One World Championship Jun 10 ...Montreal

,Rd9

Jun 24 ... .Nurburgring*

n R d 10

July 1 ....Magny Cours" ..

Jul 15 ... .Sllverstone* ... .

,Rd12

Jul 29 ....Hockenheim* .. ,

.Rd13

,Rd 11

n - denotes F3000 round also SOOcc World Grand Prix Motorcycle Championship * .Rd6 Jun 17 ... .Catalunya . .

Jun 30 ... .Assen

.Rd7

Jul 8

Donnington ,

.RdS

Jul 22

Sachsenrlng

,Rd9

FedEx CART Championship Series * Jun 17 .. .Detroit.. ,

,Rd7

Jun 24 ... .Portland

.RdS

Jul 1

Cleveland

,Rd9

Jul 15

Ontario .

,Rd 10

World Rally Championship* .Rd 7 Jun 17 . . . .Acropolis . .

Jul 22

.Rd S

Safari

Aug 26 . . .Finland . . . .

.Rd 9

Sep 23 . . .New Zealand

■ Rd lO

SBK World Super Bike Championship* Jun 10

.Rd7

Lausitzring

Jun 24 . . , .Misano

.Rd8

J ul 6

. Laguna Seca

,Rd9

Aug 5

Brands Hatch

RdlO

Jun 10

. . .Canberra . . .

Nations Cup*

.Rd3

Jul 22 . . . .Ipswich

.Rd4

Aug 19 . . .Eastern Creek

■Rd5

Sep 9

,Rd6

Sandown . . .

rten1

L

J

home of

motorsport All event dates in this calendar were correct at the time of pnnllng. Please consult any individual tracks and/or associations for date changes.

I

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

CART OP DTM? GP veteran Alesi to quit FI for USA or Germany?

by PHIL MORRIS THE future of Jean Alesi could be up in the air, with the veteran French driver expected to quit Formula One at the end of the year.

Alesi, who turns 37 next week,is said to be considering a move to the Champ Car series, and a number of CART teams are said to be considering testing the current Frost GP driver before the end of the year.

It has been a tough year for Alesi with Frost, with the pre-season promise shown in testing not being reflected in race results. After topping a number of vrinter tests at Estoril and Barcelona, much was expected of the Prost-Acer, which uses the same specification 2000 Fen-ari engine as the Sauber Petronases.

However, despite the experience advantage that Alesi has over his team-mate Luciano Burti and Sauber’s Kimi Raikkonen and Nick Heidfeld, the Swiss cars have consistently out-sped the French, withAlesi’s sole championship point

Phil saves Phil for Canberra PHIL Polites has had his GTP season put back on track with the help of another Phil, Kirkham.

Polites, who had his Holden Commodore stolen in Melbourne last month, will race Kirkham's Mazda RX-7 in this weekend's round of the Century Batteries series at Canberra.

Meanwhile, Polites and his crew will be hard at work preparing another Commodore for the remainder of the series. With the support of Holden, he has secured another car and a spare engine, which is being prepared by Frank Lowndes, who built Polites's original racecar.

Polites currently leads the GT Performance class in the series, and an RX-7 could be handy around Canberra ...

New challenge? Jean Alesi could be US or Germany-bound,(sunon-irtrage)

coming from a sixth last time out at Monaco.

Em-opean sources suggest that Alesi has already had talks with a number of people in the USA about

Jag looks at BP deal

getting a competitive drive for 2002.

However, Motorsport News believes that Alesi has another option - the German DTM series.

Management of both MercedesBenz and Opel are believed to have been quietly disappointed with the response of the public to the 2001 series, and have apparently commented that the current crop of young drivers in both squads have largely failed to have made an impact with the spectators.

Alesi already has informal links with the AMG team, and has a very high public profile throughout Eui’ope, especially in Italy where he is still revered as a Ferrari driver, despite having driven subsequently for Benetton, Sauber and Frost.

There is some talk that, should Mercedes be successful in signing him, he could join Bemd Schneider in the squad next year.

Alesi has raced in touring cars before, having had a couple of outings in and Alfa Super Toming car in the early 1990s. He is also a regular competitor in tarmac rallies, most recently last winter in a Prodrive-prepared Subaru WEX. Fi

l »●

mm The end of Texaco? Maybe. (Sutton-images)

JAGUAR could be closing in a deal with oil giant, BP. Although a major player in the sport from its earliest days through to the 1960s, the fuel giant’s presence has been sporadic ever since. Much like Goodyear, however, BP could be drawn back in as its two main rivals make their presence felt in Formula 1 Shell (with Ferrari) and Exxon Mobil (through Mobil’s backing of McLaren and the recentlyannounced deal for Exxon to back Toyota's efforts in 2002).

Currently, BP-owned Castrol is in Formula 1 through association with BMW.Williams, but the

opportunity for BP to put its trademark green and yellow livery on the cars is thought not to exist.

By contrast, Jaguar feels that it has established its presence in the sport strongly enough in its first two years to reduce the amount of Jaguar branding on the cars in such lucrative areas as the Big Cat branded engine cover.

Should it net BP sponsorship, the gi-een of Jaguar and the gi-een of BP would mean little in the way of an image change whilst dramatically reducing the operation’s running costs to Ford Motor Company.

-JOESAWARD motorsport oews

NEWS n Many people have dreamt of seeing Formula One cars at the classic Road America course. Well, program 18-21 July 2002 into the Palm Pilot, because that's when up to 30 3-litre historic FI cars will be let loose on the 6.4km Wisconsin track.

The Road America Historic Grand Prix is expected to attract cars from the 1966-1983 'normally aspirated' all over the world. Sounds good ... n Goodyear may yet be deciding about its return to Formula One, but the company is certainly well up in customer relations. The company is to replace the recalled Firestone tyres on Ford's large 4WDs in the USA, the tyre giant forgoing the bill on the expected 13 million returned tyres. The cost is said to be around A$4 billion.

Hck on track

takes third at Croft

Courtney returned to his podiumways in the most recent round of ;,iJtij^S|itish Formula 3 Championship at Croft. ^;'20-year-old from Sydney finished third in .._^„/-st race, but was well back in ninth in Race ‘"af^r-qUalifying fifth and 11th respectively. ___^,(i|Hony.'Davidson and Takuma Sato shared !f\e.-',raee was. rp»- ■’ we fifst race was vintage Courtney, the '"■;;f6.f.rfrer karting world champ finding himself in 'S'eyen^h after missing the start due to clutch ■.,ptob1ems...;But he was quickly gaining ground, ■' ritaking it to fourth in lap 2 when Derek Flayes ■ and ;SatO'collided, and then chased the Jamie

Spence/Andy Priaulx battle, which was settled when Spence pitted with damaged suspension.

From there, Courtney had to withstand the attentions of Sato and Nicolas Kiesa, but Courtney held them out for the podium spot.

From the second row, Sato blitzed them in the second race to win from Spence and Flayes, who ran into each other and caused the race to be red-flagged. Fortunately for them, the results were taken back to the preceding lap on a countback.

Championship points: Sato 109, Hayes 96, Bruni, Priaulx and Davies 80. Courtney 73, Davidson 55, Lotterer 54.

MAIMME FOLD: THE ULTIMATE TRACKSIDE FAN-BOY PytlAAiCTeAiAoF

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... EyeCATcrlNd

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n General Motors are due to hold a press conference just after we go to press in regards to its Indy Racing League engine program for 2002 and onwards. As reported previously, expect the announcement to be that Chevrolet will be the badge carried on the engine covers of their 3.5-litre V8 with the phasing out of the Oldsmobile name. n Following a strong run with AJ Foyt's team at the indy 500, Donnie Beechler will stay in the team for this weekend's round at Texas in one of Foyt's Dailara/Aurora. Dick Simon, whose car didn't qualify for the '500 and whose crew then actually ran Beechler in the race, has withdrawn his team from Texas due to a lack of sponsorship.

■ The IRL's experiment of running Indycars on the superspeedways of the south is floundering with Atlanta Motor Speedway dropping the category from its 2002 schedule. The circuit follows Charlotte, also owned

by Humpy Wheeler, in dropping the League, particularly following the death of three spectators at the North Carolina venue in 1999.

By Allan Schofield y HAVe To A uTtif am He?fTrl(5'-iTS4r A4P Tomas Wa* Jto Ttic<fV FokTtetK

£ FoK

11

IS Alain's

Jpsam over?

Gome, McCaw Unkei ta buy-out r;

Ferrari admits

Prost and Sauber have signed over then

/

THERE were many rumours in the paddock in Monaco indicating that Alain Prost is about to give up his dream to build a successful FI team and is to seU his organisation.

The Prost team has not been a great success and hopes of a big leap forward in performance this year with Ferrari engines(badged as Acer VlOs)fell flat. The team is very short on sponsorship but at Imola was boosted by the anival of Luciano Bm-ti with several millions of dollars from his previous employer, Jaguar.

But the money has been eaten up and the team needs more. Team partner Pedro Diniz has been trying to engineer a takeover of the team from Prost in recent weeks but the Brazilian does not appear to want to pay the price being asked by the four-time world champion.

The suggestion is that a deal will be stmck involving a switch to Renault engines in 2002(which is why Prost has recently bolstered his links with young French drivers Stephane Samazin and signed up Jonathan Cochet) but we have also heard suggestions that the operation may be taken by an American investor.

For some months, there has been talk of US plans to have an

American FI team with big sponsorship in place and discussions over branding. It is interesting to note that the arrival of Burti at Prost linked former Reynard shareholder Rick Gome to Prost, as Gome manages the Brazilian driver.

Gome is very well connected in the United States and is known to have FI ambitions. He was nmning race operations at BAR but was ousted during the political upheavals at the end of 1999.

Gome’s connections in the United States are spectacular, thanks to his work with Reynard in CART in recent years and we have heard stories that he might be involved in a US-backed FI team. His name has been linked to PacWest Racing’s Bmce McCaw, a Fonnula 1 fanatic who has an extensive collection of FI cars in Seattle.

It is perhaps not a coincidence that the biggest ship in Monaco harbour this year was Le Grand Bleu, which is owned by the McCaw Family.

Although neither McCaw nor Gome were spotted in the paddock. it is believed that negotiations were going on the ship, where Bernie Ecclestone was staying for the weekend.

-JOESAWARD

FERRARI has landed a massive US$150m ($300m) deal with Vodafone.

The three-year deal is one of the biggest-ever deals for a company that IS not the title sponsor of an FI learn The Ferrari team will run Vodafone badging on the sidepods, the nose and the front wings.

Before concluding the deal, Vodafone had lengthy negotiations with Jordan Grand Prix as a possible new title sponsor for the team which is currently backed by Benson & Hedges. We hear that B&H wants to pull back on its involvement in FI but hopes to stay with Jordan as a secondary backer.

We understand that Ferrari won the day because, in addition to the 12

by JOE SAWARD FERRARI'S sporting director Jean Todt has confirmed the long-held suspicion that the Sauber and Prost Grand Prix teams have signed over their say in any debate on Formula 1 to him in exchange for their engine deals.

Prost, which runs Ferrari VI Os badged as 'Acer' after one of the team sponsors, and Sauber, which brands its Ferrari units as 'Petronas' for the same reason, have agreed to go along with Ferrari on any voting within the Formula 1 ranks in exchange for the 2000 championship-winning technology, most recently demonstrated by the trio's vote to veto the reintroduction of

signage, Vodafone landed an option to become the Italian team's title sponsor if Marlboro decides to withdraw from Grand Prix racing.

The secret of the deal is that most of the space on the Ferrari is actually owned by Marlboro but that the cigarette company does not brand the entire car in order to keep the Ferrari red. Our sources say that the deal with Vodafone was actually between Marlboro and Vodafone.

Based in Newbury in England, Vodafone is the world's leading mobile telecommunications company. It has a market capitalisation of around US$200bn and claims 83 million customers in 29 countries.

electronic driver aids.

Todt believes this to be the sensible path to take, and that Mercedes might have missed out by not opting to supply its llmor-built powerplants to Prost this year.

"They did not want to spread their energy or change their present focus," said Todt.

"Prost and Sauber cannot do something that goes against the direction we think the sport should be going in," he continued.

It is understood that Sauber's engine guru, former Honda and Ferrari technical chief Osamu

X

CREDIT SUIS

The company is heavily involved in sports sponsorship with deals including sponsorship of the Manchester United soccer team, the Australian national rugby team, the English cricket team and one of the world's leading horse races, The Derby.

The announcement is bad news for Jordan but also for Benetton Renault Sport, as Vodafone has been sponsoring Benetton this year. That deal was leftover from ar agreement made with D2, the German telephone company which was swallowed up by Vodafone as part of its massive hostile takeover of the Mannesmann engineering group.

- NICK GARTON

rhiiio hv Miinlultoihwi-U

motorsport news

NEWS

control

n There's a little bit of a war brewing in the US in regards to CART'S feeder series - Indy Lights and Toyota Atlantics. Both are struggling for decent sized fields (just 12 Lights cars ran at Milwaukee) and Indy Lights president Roger Bailey has been put under a 'gag order' by CART president Joe Heitzler for publicly blaming CART leadership for Indy Lights' dwindling fortunes. It appears likely only one will survive or a new category will be born out of the two.

FI votes to Scuderia Goto, has been given permission to develop the team's Ferrari engines along his own path this year after Sauber objected to having its exclusive customer deal split with Frost under the customer program 'Scuderia Ferrari Per'.

Currently both teams are supplied with the Ferrari units in a similar specification to that which Michael Schumacher's FI-2000 carried to his emotional victory at last year's Italian Grand Prix - although the high content of exotic metals such as beryllium is now outlawed.

Any changes Goto makes for the better are also likely to be procured by Ferrari in its bid to retain the drivers' and manufacturers' world championships in 2001.

White, silver or... red? Will Ralf stay at BMW.Williams? (Photobysution-images) HALF Schumacher’s manager Willi Weber is putting pressure on the BMW.Williams team to re sign the German.

Schumacher is due to drive for the team until the end ofthe 2002 season, but Weber has been suggesting in the German media that Ralfis close to signing an extended deal with Williams.

Our sources say that a deal is not that close and that Weber may have gone public in order to increase pressure on Williams to do a deal quickly because BMW wants a Geiman driver.

West McLaren Mercedes would obviously express an interest in Ralf as he is German and competitive.

Jaguar Racing might also been a bidder although, without Adrian Newey,it is not going to be easy to attract top drivers.

Williams is in the very

comfortable position of being able to choose between Schumacher and Juan-Pablo Montoya. Both men are under contract until the end of 2002 and Williams also has first call on the services of Jenson Button in 2003 and 2004.

Montoya has impressed a lot of people in FI and has rattled Ralf on a number of occasions. But he needs more FI experience and while he may ultimately be a better package than Ralf, the German would seem to be a better bet for a World Championship challenge in 2002.

Williams is unlikely to be cajoled into signing up Ralf at the moment, preferring to see how things develop before committing to one driver or the other. This may mean that Ralf will end up being snatched by a rival team but it seems that Williams is willing to take that risk.

-NICKGARTON

Schumacher, Barrichello resign with Ferrari

t

FERRARI has stamped out speculation about its driving teams for the next year with the announcement that Rubens Barrichello has been signed for an extra season and that Michael Schumacher, left, has extended his deal until the end of 2004.

There had been considerable speculation that Barrichello would be moving on at the end of this year and that Ferrari, would then sign up Kimi Raikkonen to be Schumacher's partner in preparation for the 8 June 2001

day when Michael will eventually retire. By the end of 2004, Schumacher will be coming up to his 36th birthday and may decide that he has enough FI. Raikkonen will then be 25 and have four years experience in FI and, if his development continues, will be in a position to become the Ferrari team leader.

It is possible that Raikkonen might be switched to Ferrari when Barrichello's contract ends in the autumn of 2002.

- JOE SAWARD

n Newman-Haas drivers Christian Fittipaldi and Cristiano da Matta will debut WheelFX technology at the next FedEx Championship Series round in Detroit. The system, developed by British-based Adfiash Limited, places light-emitting diodes on the wheels which constantly display sponsor's logos regardless of the speed, a good idea especially considering the difficulty in reading sponsor's names on open wheeler cars as opposed to stock cars. Kmart, Texaco/Flavoline and Toyota will appear in bright red in what actually appears to be a glowing disc brake. n Pedro Lamy has been snapped up by the ORECA Chrysler squad just days after turning his back on the German DTM touring car series. The former Grand Prix driver quit his drive with the Rosberg Mercedes team and was testing the Chrysler LMP within a week. The move was an obvious one: Lamy won the 1998 FIA GT2 Championship in an ORECA-run Chrysler Viper. Fie will renew his driving partnership with Olivier Beretta, his FIA co-champion. n Le Mans-born Francois Migault will make his 24th start in the famous 24 Flours this year. The ex-Formula 1 driver will race the British Rowan team's Pilbeam-Nissan MP84 alongside Martin O'Connell and Warren Carway. The deal renews a relationship with the designer of the car, Mike Pilbeam, who was responsible for the BRM P201 he drove in a couple of Grands Prix in 1974. n Flideshi Matsuda has replaced Bentley-bound Eric van der Poele in Dick Barbour Racing's LMP675 prototype squad. The Japanese, who has started the Indy 500 four times, joins Didier de Radigues and Sascha Maassen in the team's lead ReynardJudd 01Q. Former Porsche factory driver David Murry has been signed to fill the vacancy alongside John Graham and Miika Duno in the second car. n Toyota has dropped its backing of eight-time Pikes Peak Hillclimb champ Rod Millen as they wish to concentrate their efforts on winning in Champ Cars. Millen is in negotiations with 'another manufacturer" in regards to returning to the unlimited class in the event.

13

Enge for RIP: Gabriele Rumi Minardi/ Coke?

(Photo by SuHon-lmages)

by JOE SAWARD

TOMAS Enge may be poised to join European Minardi in 2002.

Enge, who is currently third in this year's Formula 3000 championship, is backed by the Czech arm of Coca Cola, a longsought after sponsor in the sport, and an opportunity for him to move up to the top formula with Coke money behind him could well be a reality.

European Minardi is believed to be currently negotiating with Ford-owned Cosworth Racing for a supply of customer engines based on those that power the Jaguar Racing team, as Ford seeks to instil selfsufficiency on its racing programs.

A Cosworth-led lift in Minardi’s performance, combined with the revenue available through Coca Cola, could see the underrated team and Enge make themselves serious midfield contenders throughout next season.

- NICK CARTON

GABRIELE Rumi,the former owner of the Minardi FI team, died last month at the age of 61.

Riuni had been battling stomach cancer for about a year.

Rumi came from a wealthy background, inheriting an iron foundiy in 1961. Rumi was introduced to motorsport by a visit to the Monte Bondone hillclimb, near Trento in northern Italy in the 1960s. He was too old by then to have a conventional racing career but competed in both hillclimb and Formula Monza races.

In 1970 he decided to concentrate on the business, which had been started by his grandfather, and diversified into the light alloy business, producing parts for engines and other automotive uses.

In 1972 he began producing lightweight wheels for high performance cars. Business boomed and by 1983 Rumi began to support the efforts ofPiercarlo Ghinzani, who was driving for the tiny Osella team. The following year Rumi’s Fondmetal racing wheels were used by Williams, Tyrrell and Ligier.

At the end of 1990, Rumi bought

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I -I

the Osella and reorganised it under the Fondmetal name, opening a new factory at Palosco near Bergamo. He then commissioned Robin Herd’s design bureau in Bicester - hastily renamed Fomet 1 - to build him a car for 1991.

Rumi was not satisfied with the chassis and at the end of the year did a deal with Astauto - Sergio Rinland's design office in Tolworth - which was made up of many of the old design staff from Brabham.

The Rinland-designed GR02 was a good car but the team ran out of money before it could be properly developed and rather than incur

debts, Rumi took the tough decision to close down the operation.

Gabriele maintained his interest in FI and joined forces with former FeiTari aerod3mamicist Jean-Claude Migeot and bought the Casumaro windtunnel, one ofthe most advanced in the world at the time.

The new company, Fondmetal Technologies, began doing automotive consultancy work for racing teams, enjoying a long relationship with Tyrrell and, more recently, with Benetton.

In 1996, Rumi was one of a consortium which bought Minardi and, a year later, he bought out Flavio Briatore and became the majority shareholder in the operation.

Once again, he invested heavily in staff and equipment and Gustav Brunner built some good cars but the team never had the engine to do the job and money once again began to run out and last winter Rumi gave up the dream for a second time.

Although Minardi was never very successful, it had a huge international following because of its role as the FI underdog.

Rumi is survived by his wife Maria Carla, his son Stefano and daughter Alessandra.

wears a different suit RIP:) T3

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-

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A HEAVY price for highjinks seems to be heading the way of title contender David Coulthard if a law suit against him is successful.

It has been alleged by former air hostess Lucy Kennedy that, in April 1999, she was injured in a road accident due to negligence.

She states that she was one of three girls who met Coulthard and his personal trainer in a bar near Nice airport and 14

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subsequently accepted their offer to go to a party in Monaco.

Ms Kennedy alleges that the other two girls sat on the back seat of his Mercedes whilst she sat on his trainer's lap on the front passenger seat without a seatbelt. Coulthard is then claimed to have crashed in the entrance to the tunnel during a rain storm, deploying the airbags and knocking Ms Kennedy out.

The case is being brought because Ms Kennedy claims that

the injuries to her back and legs caused her to lose her job, and is seeking US$28,000 ($55,000) in lost wages and legal fees.

She claims to have gone public with the story out of anger that she hasn't heard from Coulthard's legal team for five months, although a spokesperson said that they have not received replies to their request for an independent medical report made last July.

- JOE SAWARD

GRAND Prix winner Vittorio Brambilla died on Saturday at the age of 63. He suffered a heart attack while working in his garden in Italy.

Brambilla began racing motorcycles in 1957 and won the Italian national 175cc title the following year. He also raced go karts before becoming a mechanic for his brother Tino.

Vittorio returned to racing in 1968 in Formula 3 and won the Italian title in 1972, by which time he was already racing in Formula 2 with March.

He won several F2 races and with backing from Beta Tools bought his way into FI in 1974 with Max Mosley's March factory team.

Vittorio's great day came at the Osterreichring in 1975 when he surfed to victory in the rain-shortened Austrian Grand Prix in a works March 751 which also had taken him to pole motorspon news

I

NEWS

BAR loses appeal Raikkonen keeps his fourth from Austria

DESPITE the best efforts of its national sporting body Britain’s Motor Sport Association - British American Racing has failed in its bid to have Sauber’s Kimi Raikkonen penalised after its appeal was heard by the FIA's International Court of Appeal. bar’s original protest, lodged at the Austrian Grand Prix, contended that the fourth-placed Sauber of young Finn Raikkonen illegally passed the Frost of Luciano Burti under yellow flags.

The protest was rejected by the stewards of the meeting, but BAR took the costly option to appeal their decision at the sport's highest level despite the fact that only one appeal has ever successfully overturned a stewards’ decision in recent years.

Ferrari was thrown out of the 1999 Malaysian Grand Prix after its barge boards were adjudged to be outside legal guidelines, but the team's subsequent appeal against the penalty was successful.

BAR, meanwhile, was penalised this year in the season-opening

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1

All clear: Kimi’s points are safe after BAR’S appeal was booted. Had it been successful, Olivier Panis would have taken fourth. (Photo by Sutton-images) Australian Grand Prix when, ironically, Sauber protested that bar’s Olivier Panis passed its other driver, Nick Heidfeld, under yellow flags.

The FIA’s statement on the appeal was succinct: “Having listened to the explanations of all

the parties involved and examined the various documents and other evidence, the Court rejected the appeal and decided to confirm the Stewards' decision (document number 44)of the 2001 Formula One Austrian Grand Prix.”

-NICKGARTON

mono Brambilla

position earlier in Sweden. He is best remembered for spinning off and wrecking the nose of the March as he took the chequered flag in Austria, completing the slowing down lap with the front of the car askew.

Brambilla moved to Surtees in 1977 but the cars were not as competitive as the March and Brambilla had a lot of accidents as he pushed too 8 lune 2001

hard. That year he began a relationship with Alfa Romeo in sportscars, helping the firm to win the World Championship for Sportscars with the T33SC/12.

At the end of 1978 he suffered serious head injuries when he was hit on the head by a flying wheel in the massive pile-up at the start of the Italian GP at Monza. The crash

claimed the life of Ronnie Peterson and left Brambilla in a coma for several days. He recovered sufficiently to drive (albeit briefly) for the Alfa Romeo factory team in Formula 1 in 1979 and 1980 before drifting into retirement.

His son Carlo tried racing in Italian Formula 3 in the years that followed but failed to make the grade.

Nicknamed affectionately 'The Monza Gorilla', Brambilla was a very fast but often vvild driver.

Doubts have often been passed on his pole position in Sweden, the suggestion being that a March team member swung a pitboard in front of the timing beam just before Brambilla really got there but there is no doubting that single win in Austria.

For more on Brambilla, see Motor Mouth on page 25.

- JOE SAWARD

n The shadow of rubber-related disqualifications in the wake of the Monaco Grand Prix has been avoided. Both Jaguar and Ferrari had its rear tyres closely inspected by the FIA after they ended the race with the regulation grooved almost completely eroded, but no action was subsequently taken. n Maserati is soon to re-enter the world of international motor sport, according to its president, Luca di Montezemolo. The famous Grand Prix and sports car marque has been out of the front line of competition since the late 1950s, although a onemake series for its unloved Biturbo of the 1980s and '90s has only recently been killed off. It is thought that Champ Cars is the likely destination for Maserati's next sporting program. n Toyota's new windtunnel at its Cologne base will be big enough to hold two cars as it seeks to find an aerodynamic solution to the problem of cars getting - and staying — close enough together to promote overtaking, one of the main problems in the modern era. n Sauber Petronas Engineering (SPE) has gone into a consultancy agreement with Japanese Formula Nissan team DoCoMo Team Dandelion Racing. Dandelion Racing will promote the SPE business in Japan and in SPE will provide power train and vehicle engineering support. n European Minardi is planning an end-of-season spectacular with all of its Formula 3, Formula 2 and Formula 1 cars, the European Formula 3000 team and the two seater European Minardi FI x2 car where lucky prize winners will be driven by 1992 world champion Nigel Mansell. n Among those in the paddock at Monaco were CART drivers Adrian Fernandez and Max Papis. With major FI, NASCAR and Indy Racing League events all on the same day, CART has decided to leave the date free. This has also helped the teams to get everything back to the US after their annual visit to Twin Ring Motegi in Japan. n The boss of BMW Motorsport, Mario Theissen, blotted his copybook somewhat in the days leading up to the Monaco Grand Prix when he was competing on the Mille Miglia with Williams technical director Patrick Plead as his co-driver in one of the few surviving BMW 507s which had been lent to the pair by the BMW Museum in Munich.

Theissen collided at high speed with a Mercedes-Benz which turned across his path. Fortunately, neither man was injured in the crash.

-JOE SAWARD 15

Audi joes youth

Time to launch the Gulf War on Le Mans: Johansson has gone for (Images du Sutton) youth for the ‘Vingt Quatre Heures du Mans’.

Stefan picks his partners

RISING Sportscar star Tom Coronel will race for Stefan Johansson's Gulf Audi team in the Le Mans 24 Hours next week.

The confirnnation of Coronel, 29, was one half of a surprise announcement. Also announced as a Gulf driver alongside team owner Johansson was BAR test driver Patrick Lemarie, who had been due to race for Ascari in the 24 Hours.

Coronel and Lemarie emerged as candidates for Gulf seats only last week. Lemarie sealed his drive after a successful try-out in the Arena Motorsport-run Audi R8 at Snetterton on Wednesday.

Former Le Mans winner Johansson admitted that there were financial considerations in the move that left the previous front runners for the seats, Jean-Marc Gounon and Mimmo Schiattarella, in the cold.

"They came into the picture late when we decided to weigh up all the available options," he said. "It came down to who could put a deal together. We worked jointly on various sponsorship opportunities that enabled that to happen."

- GARY WATKINS

BMW looks @ Lo Mans THE BMW factory has admitted that it couid return to the Le Mans 24 Hours next year for the first time since winning the race outright in 1999.

The Munich marque’s motorsport director, Gerhard Berger, right, has hinted that it could take its controversial new M3 GTR American Le Mans Series contender to La Sarthe in 2002.

“Next year we will look at our agenda and see if it fits in with our programme. I’m sure that we will be back in the ALMS next year, and we will look at Le Mans. I think. It is also a question of budget. We don't have unlimited resources for our programmes outside Formula 1.”

Berger also suggested that 16

[Photo by Sutton-images)

customer versions of the V8powered car could be available.

“We would like to see many teams racing our car,” he said.

- GARY WATKINS

Tough decision: Pescatori will take over the late Alboreto’s seat in the best Sportscar in the world.

(Photo by Sutton-lmages)

by GARY WATKINS ITALIAN Christian Pescatori is the surprise choice for the final seat in Audi’s factory squad for the Le Mans 24 Hours later this month.

Pescatori,the reigning SportsRacing World Cup champion,takes the place of Michele Alboreto, who was killed at the end of April during pre-Le Mans testing and will share the second Joest-run Audi R8 with Rinaldo Capello and Laurent Aiello.

Audi sports boss Wolfgang Ullrich said;“Christian proved he’s a quick and reliable driver.

You don’t win titles without being competitive.

The decision was made after Pescatori tried an R8 at an undisclosed German track in the middle of May. “We gave him a chance and he showed us he could handle the car.”

Ullrich explained that Pescatori’s stature was important in the decision.

Whoever we chose would have to drive with Aiello, who

is not very tall. That influenced us.’

Pescatori claimed that he had heen surprised to be contacted by Audi.

“This a great opportunity for me,” he said.“The Audi is a very fast car, but I don’t think it wiU be a problem for me.”

The deal remains a one-off, but Ullrich said there was a chance the Italian coidd race with the team again this season if required. Audi is likely to use three drivers in each car in October’s Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta.

Pescatori graduated to sportscars in 1997 after a three-year stint in Formula 3000. He raced a Porsche 911 GTl for Scuderia Italia that season and temporarily moved over to toiu-ing cars with the team the following season.

He won the SRWC in a JMB Ferrari 333SP in 2000 and is racing a Ferrari 360 for the French team in this year’s FIA GT Championship.

He is also contesting a partseason in the FIA Sportscar series, the successor to the SRWC,in a Scuderia Italia 333SP. molorspon news

NEWS

Toyota lagging HAVING got its testing program back on track, " the Toyota Formula 1 team has suffered another setback, with the announcement that its Coiogne headquarters is behind schedule.

Originally intended to be launched to the Formula 1 media at the time of the European Grand Prix at the nearby Nurburgring, Toyota: sent out a red-faced apology that it would not, after all, be able to open its doors as previously planned.

"Although the technical side of the facility is operational, final completion of the buiiding work. conference centre and restaurant areas has ' been slightly delayed," read the short statement.

After success in World Rallying, Champ Cars and Sportscars, the road towards Formula 1 has been a hard one for the Japanese giant, after electing to create its own team from scratch.

Originally intending to race this year, the postponement to a 2002 race debut cost a $12 million fine from the FIA, then the test car was' involved in a heavy accident in its first test sidelining its driver Mika Salo with back injuries from which he has subsequently recovered and returned to the program.

It intends to enter its first world championship season in 2002 with Salo and test partner Allan McNish at the wheel, filling the last of the 12 spaces available for teams hoping to compete in Formula 1.

- NICK GARTON

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Q

A COMBINATION of good driving and good fortime handed Jason Plato a pair of wins in the BTCC races at Silverstone.

Plato spent much of a wet race locked in battle for the lead with teammate Yvan Muller before the matter was decided when the Frenchman encountered problems in the pits.

On Muller’s first visit, the works Vauxhall team were unable to lift the Astra Coupe from the ground for its compulsory tyre change. Muller then had to endure a drivethrough penalty after his crew was found to have entered the pit apron 16 seconds too early.

Plato first captured the lead from polesitter Muller with a daring lunge through Becketts on lap one, but Muller counter attacked quickly with a move on the inside through Copse a lap later.

A slight error at the hairpin by Plato allowed Muller to pull away, however the gap soon closed again

r. MPSjaWi-

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#

as the leading car's tyres began to fade.

The catastrophic pitstop relegated Muller to third behind Phil Bennett(Egg Sport Vauxhall), a position that was sealed by the penalty. It is Bennett's best-ever BTCC result.

“I'm fairly upset and it's frustrating,” said Muller.

Red and white Vauxhall slurpies: Jason Plato, above and below, was the shining light in the dark of Silverstone. The new-spec BTC Touring cars certainly look the part and they aren’t easy to drive. We wonder how Plato's fitness is when he looks like this after a race!

(Photos by Sutton-lmages)

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“I spent long enough in the pits the first time and coming in twice was unnecessary. I don't care whose fault it is though. It's the team's fault and we're all part of the team and we all make mistakes. But still, we have to . improve in times of stress.”

Understeer problems struck Muller early in the second race, and some flamboyant driving from Plato helped him find a way past in the stadium section on lap four.

Muller stayed in touch, but with the Egg Sport cars bearing down from behind, played safe and settled for second. On this occasion, James Thompson got the better of team-mate Bennett to take third, despite being forced onto the gi-ass early in the race.

“Not vei-y gentlemanly,” he said afterwards.

Points; Muller 108, Plato 99, Thompson 89, Bennett 66, Soper 30, Luby 29, Eaves 27, Harvey 16.

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Italian MotoGP

]

Wl-Bassosed: Alex Barros, above, took the 500 win after Valentino Rossi, top right, found the wet a little too wet.

This is quaiifying: Because Tesuya Harada (31) is trailing Marco Melandri (5). In the race, the Japanese rider pumped ’em.

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weather looked to be I the winner in the Italian A. 500cc Grand Prix at Mugello, but the history books will probably list Alex Barros.

The Brazilian, left, won an incident-filled race,in which Valentino Rossi played a headline role, the Italian falling off with a lap to go while disputing the lead ofthe restarted race.

It was an entertaining GP. Rossi took pole from the rejuvenated Kenny Roberts, and the leading group took off to do battle for the first eight laps until the heavens opened, bringing play to a 45 minute halt.

Then,on a sighting lap for the restart, Rossi dumped his Honda down the road and had to get a ride back to the pits in time to jump onto his hastily-readied spare, on which he was 12th on the opening lap.

Roberts ran at the front of the pack for most of the race and, with five laps to go, Rossi was still in ninth. But when Norick Abe took the lead, Roberts somersaulted over the bars, Torhu Ukawa ran off the road and the West-Hondas of Banns and Loris Capirossi took the lead.

Then came Rossi. Seemingly from nowhere, he vaulted through the field, on successive laps in ninth, seventh, sixth and fourth on times combined from the two legs. But then he had the front wheel wash out on a puddle and he was sliding down the road in his new flowerpower leathers.

“I had a good race until then - but I am not injured in the crash. I pushed a bit too hard but I wanted to win, as I want to at every track and in every condition. It was not meant to be my day today but I hope that my fans enjoyed the show!”

So Barros took his fourth career win from Capirossi, Biaggi and Alex Criville, while Carlos Checa and Aussie Anthony West(who had to cut a plaster cast off his wrist to race) also felt the Mugello tarmac.

“I had a few moments out there and,every time I did, it was like a wake-up call to ease off the pace a little and get the bike home,” said Ban'os after the race.

“It was fun racing. The conditions made the track very dangerous out there though. Loris came very close at one point and there was so much spray being thrown up from his bike that it was very difficult to see anything.”

“I saw that Rossi had crashed he feU in exactly the same place that I had been forced to pick my bike up after a massive moment the lap before. I saw him come past and thought that his pace was too much -1 guess it was!”

Points after five rounds: Rossi 91,Biaggi 70, Capirossi 65,Abe 64, Barros 60, Criville 57.

MUGELLO was always bkely to be Daijiro Katob’s Waterloo and so it proved, witb Apriba dominating a boring 250 GP. Tetsuya Harada led the Aprilia 15 to take his fu’st won of the year from Roberto Rolfo, Marco Melandri and Roberto Locatelli. Katoh, whose Honda was never at home on the FeiTari test track, was 10th.

Points: Katoh 106, Harada 101, Melandi-i 78, Locatelli 60, Rolfo 55, Nieto 49.

NOBORU Ueda took Honda to the victoi-y circle in the 125 GP. The Japanese rider took a clearcut win from Gino Borsoi’s Aprilia, while Manuel Poggiali(Gilera) was

third.

Points;Borsoi 75,Azuma and Poggiali 72, Ueda 53, Ui 50, Nieto 43.

500CC GRAND PRIX SCOREBOARD 2001 1

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WORLD SUPERBIKES

Dalsa more like it: Chili leads Hodgsvti and Cnrser on the way to winning Doninglnn V second SBK race.

IT was a weekend for new winners in the sixth round of the World Superbike Championship at Donington, with Weil Hodgson and PierFrancesco Chili swapping the top places on the rostrum.

The Brit and the Italian shared first and second places In the two races. For both riders, it was their first win of the 2001 season.

The opening race was all allBrlton/Ducatl affair, Hodgson's only challenge coming from poleman Steve Hislop's privateer 996, but that was settled in Hodgson's favour when Hislop speared onto the grass at around 200kmh before wrestling the bike onto

terra firma to take a chastened third place.

After taking second, Chili was fired up for Race 2 and raced elbow-to-elbow with the Briton and Troy Corser, who was 11th in the first race after choosing the wrong tyre in the greasy conditions. But the Suzuki was good enough to hold out the two Latin twins to win.

"After I saw Neil make a break at the front of the pack and try to go away I was telling myself that I must make a move and go," smiled Chili later. "I knew Troy was catching so I made sure I was riding smoothly and securing the lap times."

It was a remarkable turnaround for Chili who, as recently as two races ago, criticised his Suzuki's performance, Hodgson was also delighted after the races, "The first race was a dream but the second was a lot tougher," he said. "I loved racing against these guys. The action was so close out there but we never touched at all.

Frankie was very safe to race against."

While Chili was scoring the first win for a four-cylinder bike this year, twins dominated the rest of the races, the Hondas of Colin Edwards and Tady Okada mixing it up with the Ducatis of Ben

Bostrom, Ruben Xaus, John Reynolds and James Toseland.

Akira Yanagawa, eighth in Race 2 on his Kawasaki, was the only other 'four' to make an impression.

Troy Bayliss struggled all weekend. The Aussie was hampered by poor tyre choice in Race 1, and finished ninth in the second after set-up problems.

Of the other Aussies, Marty Craggill (15-16) and Broc Parkes (20-14) scored points, while Steve Martin struggled to a 17-18 result.

Points: Bayliss 160, Corser 143, Edwards 141, Chili 119, Hodgson 103, Bostrom 97, Yanagawa 89, Gregorio Lavilla (Kawasaki) 77.

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21

►

Milwaukee

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Kenny Brack doubled up at Milwaukee. PHIL MORRIS reports

FOR SALE

EN?4Y Brack emerged from a ace-long battle against Michael Andretti to claim victory in the Miller Lite 225 at Milwaukee The Swede, who^ crossed the line 1.307s clear of Andretti, has jumped from being winless in CAKT to having tasted success twice on the trot in less than a month.

Also on a roll is Kiwi rookie Scott Dixcn, who continued his great form by claiming the final spot on the podium, ahead of Bruno Junqueira and Adrian Fernandez.

“My pit crew just did an excellent job on my two pit stops and we were able to gain some positloi>s in the pits, which is always one of our goals,” said Dixon.

“I didn't take on tyres on my last stop, so we really put the Firestone tyres to work today. Again, we really made good fuel out there, and thanks to my engineers

f?or giving me an excellent car. We were hoping they didn't call the last yellow because I had plenty of fuel and wanted a chance to have another run with Michael and Kenny.”

Brack's win was Lola’s Booth, and also made the #8 Shell Team Eahal Ford/Lola driver the first multiple ■svinner of the 2001 season ai result made to seem all tilie more remarkable by the tfact that Brack's race was ffllrnost over before it began.

Entering turn one of the ifirst lap, Brack had a big nnoment with Hello 'Castroneves following an ;ambitious lunge from the Indy 500 winner.

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Helio and I got side-by-side, te came down a little bit, and we both got sideways because I had to correct a Hittle bit. I don't know why we didn't hit. We didn't hit.

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CHAMP CARS —

Unlucky number six: da Malta, above, was caught out again by other people’s mistakes and his title lead seems so long ago ... Meanwhile, Scott Dixon, right, had another dream run, picking up third for PacWest.

(Pholos by Boyd/Bolhwell Photographic)

but it was vei-y, very close,” Brack commented afterwards.

Brack recovered, but Castroneves was not so lucky, spinning into the wall and cleaning up Cristiano da Matta along the way, the Newman-Haas driver taken out in the first corner by a spun car for the second time in a row after Junqueira took him out at Motegi.

The incident brought out the first of five yellow flags on a day that saw 17 cars make it to the final flag, eight of which were on the final lap.

It also set the stage for an early shower for Paul Ti-acy, who was hit

by Castroneves or da Matta in the first turn fracas, and spun into the wall when the gi’een flag came out on lap 12 when a damaged part failed as the car came up to speed.

Six cars made an early exit as a

ntf result of accidents, and Tora Takagi was excluded from the race on lap 135(of 225)for ignoring blue flags and forcing Jimmy Vasser, who was tiying to lap him, into the wall.

“Tora was a lap down and I was working on him for a couple of laps. Finally, I had a run on him, . and when I got alongside, he just squeezed me and drove me down to the inside wall,” Vasser said.

CART Chief Steward Chris Kneifel was more forthright.

“Tora initiated the contact and it was uncalled for,” he said.

“Prior to the contact, Jimmy made a couple of legitimate overtaking attempts and then as they crossed the start/finish line Jimmy pulled alongside Tora, who began to squeeze him. We will not tolerate such actions.”

The wrath of the stewards was not restricted to the Japanese driver - Alex Tagliani was demoted a position for blocking Alex Zanardi, dropping the FrenchCanadian to 12th.

The race weekend began on an odd note when both the practice and qualifying sessions were rained out on Sautrday, prompting Kneifel to announce that the gidd positions would be determined by current chamionship rankings.

Brack thus started from pole alongside Castroneves, although he was not awarded the one point for pole as he did not earn the privilege on the track.

The race was won and lost on mileage. Andretti was helped by a late yellow following a comingtogether between Christian Fittipaldi and Nicolas Minassian,

but the veteran was still forced to conserve his fuel. Brack, however, could go all the way.

“It's never good when you have a restart late in the race because if you screw up it's easy to let someone have a run at you,” he said.

“I made a good restart and I think maybe Michael had some problems at the end, but it was a great victory.”

“This was a strange race,” Andretti confirmed.

“It was won on mileage. I cruised in the middle of the race and I think everyone did. I had a huge understeer at the end and I had to go into the tmms really carefully so I could even get out!”

Points: Brack 70, Castroneves 47, da Matta/TracyATasser 40, Dixon 38, de Ferran/Andretti 36,Kanaan 34, Junqueira 23, Fittipaldi 22,Franchitti 21, Papis 14, Fernandez 10, Zanardi 8.

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Will Suzuki dump SBK?

Blue pipes in GP racing! Manabu Kamada tilts Honda’s RC211V prototype over in testing at Sugo last week.

Honda unwraps the 5 HOT on the wheels of Yamaha’s Ml four-stroke GPl bike comes the first look at Honda’s V5-engined prototype testing in Japan.

Honda has been keeping mum about the bike fitted with its RC211V engine, despite releasing photos of the bike last week.

What is interesting about the bike tested at Sugo by Manabu Kamada is that it doesn’t look much like a Honda NSR500. It appears to utilise a Yamaha-style ‘Deltabox’frame, with a fuel tank mounted until the engine, as per Honda’s last four-stroke GP bike, the ill-fated 1981NR500.

According to observers, the bike also runs a form of traction control which, rather than eliminate wheelspin a la Formula One, limits it to a ‘controllable’ level.

WHILE the bike itself remains a mystery, there appears to be a good chance that it may get a famous name on board for next season - Roberts.

Kurtis Roberts, the son of twotime 500 champ Kenny Sr and brother of current Champ Kenny Jr, is being mooted to join Honda’s GPl line-up for 2002.

Kurtis, who won the 600 Supersport championship in the USA last season, has been piloting a Honda SPl in the AMA Superbike Championship in 2000/01 and has become highlyregarded at Honda for his testing ability.

Again, Honda is keeping quiet regarding Roberts’future, but sources in Europe suggest that Roberts HI will be testing the bike in Japan as soon as current racing commitments allow.

24

SUZUKI could be on the verge of pulling out of the World Superbike Championship.

European sources say that, in spite of Frankie Chili scoring the make's first win of 2001 at Donington, Suzuki management is tired of seeing its four-cylinder bike blown away by the V-twins of Ducati, Honda and Aprilia.

The Japanese are seeking approval for the GSX-R1000 to run in the series next season.

Should Suzuki pull out, Chili and Alstare team sponsor Corona beer are likely to be moved to Suzuki's GP1 effort for next season.

tv n

WAYNE Gardner has put a troubled start to the All-Japan GT series behind hint with an emphatic win at Siigd's third round of the series.

After a fifth and an eighth in the first two races, Gardner and co-driver Shinichi Yamaji fp/ctured above/sped through the field in their Zent/TOMS Supra to score Toyota's second win of the series.

Both Gardner and Yamaji struggled to match the pace of the Hondas in the cooler Saturday afternoon qualifier, but Yamaji qualifying eighth, 0.7s off the Akira lida/Daisuke Ito NS-X. Yamaji started the race strongly, pitting after 45 laps in third place, and Gardner's cause was further helped with slick pit

work which put him second behind the Takeshi Tsuchiya/Katsutomo Kaneishi Honda.

A Safety Car came outfor five laps while a burning GT300 car was sorted out and,at the restart.

Gardner attacked.

"It took a while for the heat to get back in my tyres," said Gardner,"and, after about five laps, I caught the Honda and set aboutfinding a good place to pass.

"I finally decided to go for it at the end of the main straight, and got to pass the #8 NSX under brakes- up the inside. It was difficult, but I managed to hold him out until I got the car stopped and turned,and then drove as hard as I could to get away."

The former 500cc world champion pulled a 4s lead before the Honda started to claw back the gap but Gardner, using traffic to his advantage,built the lead back, winning the race by 10s.

'Two years ago,I led the race here at Sugo,but the car caught fire and put me out, so I feel like I was owed a win here," he said.

'The team is ecstatic, and for me it felt so good to back up on the top of the podium getting soaked in champagne again. I can't wait to bring the trophy home to show the kids."

The bad news for Gardner is that he will be slugged with a 60kg weight penalty {50kg for the win and 10kg for Gardner's fastest lap)for the next round at Mt Fuji on August 5. moiorsport news

OPINION

PR, Alesi and The Gorilla

w

ITHIN the slightly organised chaos that is Motorsport News's office, we have a 'story board' that keeps track of what happens within our two-week publishing cycle.

When something happens in the sport, we write the subject up on the board. Either we will pursue it from this end or, hopefully, Saward, Garton, Morris or A.N Other will track it down 0/S and write it up. Add photos, blood, sweat and tears, late nights, coffee and pizza, me swearing at the computers like a crazy person and there's your favourite read every 14 days. Not quite that simple, but close.

For this issue, it seems, we needed a separate white board headed 'Adrian Newey'. The balding English design guru appears to be well and truly embroiled in a Grand Prix soap opera but, unlike many such events that occur in the highpowered world of Formula One, this one was played out in public.

Out of the MN fax spewed a media statement and we wrote it on the board;'Newey joins Jaguar'. Then, a few hours later, we wrote up another; 'McLaren keeps Newey'. Then, another; 'McLaren definitely keeps Newey'. Then, from Milwaukee; 'Bobby keeps Newey’.

We might write up 'Newey goes to Disneyland' but it seems unlikely. Then again ...

Such imbroglios are, usually, played out by wealthy men, wearing designer clobber, behind rather expensive closed doors.

They way they would have it, the first we poor punters get to hear

about it is when the Usual Suspects appear, dressed to the nines, hair immaculately groomed (sorry, Adrian) and smiling as they shake hands. Privately, they may want to haul out a Kalashnikov and start firing but, on the surface, all is sweetness and light and they are the best of life-long chums.

Not this time. The respective PR people from McLaren and Jaguar, Ellen Kolby and Nav Sidhu, much have been wringing their hands over this episode. And it is not over yet; Ron Dennis and Bobby Rahal have not got to where they are in the business by taking a backward step. This story does, as we say in the publishing business, have legs. There's going to be a legal argument or three and there’s a long way to go.

Perhaps Ms Kolby and Mr Sidhu better take some of sponsors Finlandia and Becks products to Montreal, sit down together, and have a drink - followed in short order by several others. In the last week, they've earned it.

“Isewhere in the news pages, — Phil Morris has uncovered a story whereby Jean Alesi might hang up the FI bits and pieces and head to either CART or the DTM. The latter makes all sorts of sense for Monsieur Alesi. The German series is suffering from a bout of seriousness at the minute, with the young drivers in the series this year about as interesting as, well, the young drivers in the series last year.

The manufacturers are concerned that, while professional, the drivers do not have the desired chutzpah to

motivate the fans to go out and slap down a deposit on a CClass, an Astra coupe or a TT. Alesi, who has charisma to burn, would be just the ticket to fire things up a bit. Not to mention the fact that he can drive. A bit. _|ow ironic that this is talked I about at the same time as the passing of Vittorio Brambilla.

The Italian's nickname, the 'Monza Gorilla', is by itself more entertaining than many drivers' careers, not to mention the fact that Brambil la actually won a Grand Prix.

It was in Austria, in 1975, and it was wet. Very wet. So wet that the powers that be decided to hang out the black and white washing after 29 of the scheduled 54 laps. Vittorio took the flag, took both hands off the wheel to celebrate, and spun the car into the wall! The subsequently crumpled nose of his Beta March took pride of place at his home ...

Brambilla was a good driver.

Behind him in that race were James Hunt, Tom Pryce, Jochen Mass, Ronnie Peterson and Niki Lauda, all drivers of quality. He took a pole position that year too, in Sweden, so he was not lacking ability against serious opposition.

The other Brambilla stories I like come from his Formula 2 days.

Vittorio's English was not good, and his engineer, March's Robin Herd, spoke little or no Italian. But both had studied Latin and, so, with no other common language, Brambilla competed in Formula 2, a serious affair, in an car engineered in a schoolboy's version of a language out of popular use for hundreds of years.

Motor Mouth With Phil Branagan

His brother Ernesto also raced and it was from Monza that another famous Brambilla story emerged. During a test day, Ernesto's car stopped near the Lesmo Curves and, rather than wait for him to leg it back from the forest, Vittorio fired up the March and headed off to see what the silencio was all about.

Vittorio stopped to pick him up and, with Ernesto clinging to the rollbar, headed back in. But, somewhere on the way, the red mist descended on Vittorio and he, as they say, gave it the berries.

Apparently, Ernesto was last seen cartwheeling off at The Parabolica at something over lOOmph (without the further aid of mechanical motivation) while Vittorio continued none the wiser and totally unconcerned. Luckily, Ernesto was not badly hurt.

Vittorio Brambilla was 63 when he died at home following a heart attack last month. He had been mowing the lawn at the time.

And they say that 'Motor Racing is Dangerous'.

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N the front door of my Anyway, the house was then is the headquarters of MI6). One new house there is a sold to a man who had pictures can imagine that complicated small plaque on which ’ of himself on the walls, in battle acronyms such as NAVELEXSYSSECENGCEN or the sun is depicted above the dress behind the lines in Iraq during The Gulf War. He also had ' SIGDASYS mean something to words 'carpe diem'.

I ■would like to claim that I a wooden truncheon hanging by someone somewhere. But why ●'nkpfeWwhat it.meant because I the back door. I thought it rude to in the world are the expressions V .'ajti'sO Wbll. educated, ,but Latin , ask why.

'Daffy Duck', 'Mickey Mouse' and 'Bugs Bunny' included on Wasj^ewfef- a strong point and I the list? o, this is why I ended up " dpbp^d, it as soon as I was surfing around the shadowy ^ellofAi;ed 'to do so. And so I had to The world has gone mad, I 'iofieat and nip on to the Internet corners of the Internet. Holy thought, and set off to visit Moses, what a lot of itb; discover that "carpe diem' is Bordeaux. My views of global for 'seize the day' and conspiracies there are in the insanity were then enhanced as world! I read some very unlikely we trolled along the road that !e^-?Afeomes 'originally from a poem by stories about Princess Diana and ■passes by St Emilion. This is .-■^Horace) “Carpe diem, quam the like.

God's own country with the ^J^,rpin.imbm creduia postero"-, Finally, having failed to finest vineyards in the world on discover the motto of MI6 (how either side of the road. And every ^^^'b.^sibl'eTothe future".

S-/;^“S'eizethd day, trust as little as now and then there is a black ■ lit is-.a good motto in.life. And if can an organisation have a motto when it does not exist?) I man standing beside the road. A * .vyas a motto that was black man? Yes, a life-sized twostumbled upon a website which ^'^madevfor Grand Prix racing, it is listed 'spook words'. These are dimensional figure standing f' ^'-^^^ArpddlSm. ■ words or expressions which spookily beside the road. ^"A^lV".The"other reason I wanted to Sometimes there are two activate government computers !?,-;:^’ikhoyv;ai;jout the motto was -3: '■■ lib.eCause (someone told me that so that any e-mail featuring such together. Once I saw four.

What could it all mean?, I .■'tbe-hduse was formerly owned a word is recorded and analysed wondered. by listening services.

It made ■=i3.y.a -.gentlennan once employed .i Jarnes Bond's Firm, the fascinating reading.

One can understand it with “The other day in Austria, we Secret Intelligence Service .y ' ’(known to the world as MI6) and hurtled through a village, saw words such as 'flashbangs', 'Semtex' or 'mole' (that bloke on a policeman and stamped on the ' ' suggested that this was MI6's motto.

ITV-F1 .com needs to watch out!) brakes. It was only then that we realised the policemen was twoIt seems that the gentleman in and it is not surprising that any email with the address 64 Vauxhall dimensional and designed to question was heavily involved in slow down drivers who did not such activities as he had the Cross would excite interest (as it great misfortune to have died in a helicopter accident on the Isle of Mull in 1994. English readers will have heard of the accident.

For those who do not know, w I would think that more people have got tiddly and there was a disastrous crash which claimed all the top secret fallen in the harhour than have been killed racing intelligence officers who were cars around the streets" working in Northern Ireland at the time.

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26

know better. It works once. I guess that once in a while the Austrian cops come along and switch the wooden man with a real one to catch the locals.

It turns out that the black men of St Emilion are also there to slow down people who drive too fast. Each black man represents a person killed at that spot. It is terrifying, although one has to admit that there are times when you are left wondering how the hell someone managed to kill themselves in that location'.

After a while, I began to wonder if any racing driver would ever race if they had such things on racetracks. Monza would have a bigger crowd of black men than attend the average club race. I doubt there would be a place on the old Nurburgring where one would not be able to see a black man. .

Monaco, on the other hand, would have very few. I would think that more people have got tiddly and fallen in the harbour than have been killed racing cars around the streets. Every year, we go to Monte Carlo and worry about wheel-over-wheel accidents and how the race is living on borrowed time, but every year we go back.

It is at Monaco that the deals are done. It is the time of year where it is useful to know what executives in massive corporations actually look like, because you might easily bump into a serious heavy-hitter and brush them off, thinking they were tourists.

Monaco always has a few rent-

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■?^miat:how they are going to To set up a rival World ■'●jiswit'i-heir o-wn World Championship is so dumb that I quest for there is simply no justification for t. >,.;^^!n«sy-'has-,ruined many.things it. Yes, perhaps, the car i. ■ ^®^e;'h%orv of the world and it companies will make some more ' ^'frtg^i'taa'tf'mahk has not money and, perhaps, the \'f^rnad'm‘tfc'lp'from all of this. 'i mi damage can be repaired within ^ mfetini se .creates g rowth, }■ 10 years - but is it really worth lyisfedfeates'collapse. it? Of course not... ,.^^"l;t4®s.',hpttake a genius to

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Bernie Ecclestone and Leo Kirch did not get to where they are today by being fools. They know that they will have to settle for less than they are currently squeezing out of the sport. But they want to get as much as they can. Now is the time for compromise rather than confrontation.

Or, in the words of my front door, seize the day. Get a deal done before the fools rush in and destroy everything that has been built up with such care over so many years. ' Quam minimum credula posterd, as Horace used to say.

Where speed meets commerce: Credit Suisse, Red Bull, Pelronas and Bridgestone zoom out of the tunnel at Monaco. Kiini Raikkonen and Peter Saitber were involved, too. h\ Mike IhuiiiPMoi Alhiit-

Oscar Fiorinotto

Behind every great driver

While Craig Lowndes has been the primary focus of the new-look Gibson Motorsport in 2001, AARON NOONAN spoke with another of the pieces of the puzzle ofsuccess in the now Ford-mounted team - Lowndes's new engineer, Oscar Fiorinotto

Looking for every little bit of an advantage over the rest: As Lowndes's chief engineer, Fiorinotto, along with the Gibson team, are responsible for putting the best car under Lowndes that they can.

1

(Photo by Aaron Noonan/M News Digital)

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HERE have been countless numbers of tunes during Network Ten’s coverage of V8 Supercar racing this season where you’ve heard Craig Lowndes make reference to a character named ‘Oscar’.

The Oscar he’s referring to is Oscar Fiorinotto, Lowndes’s engineer and a man who, along with the rest of the engineers in the V8 paddock, is just as big a part of any on-track success as the driver.

Fiorinotto actually started on the opposite side of the fence as a driver back in 1989, with two to three years of Formula Ford in the New South Wales state series behind the wheel of Tomas Mezera’s old car, a 1974 Calboro, though a lack of finances brought a move away from the cockpit and into engineering.

From there he went to Formula Ford and Formula Holden with Phoenix Motorsport and then to the United Kingdom with the Peugeot and Toyota Super Touring works teams before running those cars back in Australia with Phoenix.

In late-1997 he joined Lany Perkins’ Castrol team where he was Russell Ingall’s engineer for two and a half seasons.

The duo had a successful time, finishing runner-up twice in the Shell Series in 1998 and 1999 and again he made trips overseas, furthering his knowledge of Ohlins shocks in the USA.

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“V8 Supercar racing was at that pointjust getting really competitive and at Perkins Engineering was where 1 leamt about V8s,something I’m very grateful for,” says Oscar.

“But times change and you have to move on and then I moved over to Gibson Motorsport halfway through 2000 and worked with Steven Richards and Greg Murphy, finishing consistently with top fives in the sprint races and on the podium at both endm’os.

“We were looking really good for 2001 and then of course Fred (Gibson)came back and we changed manufacturers and it was a whole new ball game. We’re got a threeyear-old (ex-Pirtek) car which we’ve constantly developed into a racewinner and, with Fred and Alan (Heaphy)back running the show, it’s made for a good atmosphere.”

And,ofcom'se, he gets to work with the most successful driver in the histoiy ofthe V8 class- Lowndes.

“Craig is a fantastic driver and we’re very fortunate to have someone like him but all the same, he’s got to have the equipment under him to be able to do the job and, especially after Adelaide, we’re really getting on top of the car.

“The engineer’s job is simply to give the driver as good a car as he can. But it’s a whole package and everyone’s responsible.

“In a nutshell, we generally analyse and assess data before a race meeting in very fine detail and then we try and come up with

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a something which would be “A good interaction and relevant for that circuit. communication between the “We base a lot of our initial set engineer and the driver goes a long up on previous data,(but)in our way to a good result. unique case, we don’t have that “We set ourselves pretty high luxury because we haven’t got the goals - there’s an old saying ‘aim data from last year with this car low, go slow’. We weren’t expecting and we haven’t been there before to win races as early as we did but with Craig. we certainly expected to be up there.”

“At this stage, we have to draw Fiorinotto is quick to point out most of our data from testing and try and compare that to the circuit too that the engineer isn’t the sole person responsible for making a we’re going to next. car perform.

“I guess the biggest job for an “We’re(engineers) a very major engineer is to be able to tune the part ofthe result but we’re only part car at the race circuit and get the best out of the driver and of the of a puzzle that makes up the team.

“There’s the car, particularly \\ mechanics who with the minimal time which is actually available in these physically ft implement the high pressure conditions. changes to the car, - Fiorinotto on season 2001 the sub-assembly “This is very much a datapeople and the gathering year for us. We’re setting engine people who veiy much factor into putting the car onto the race ourselves up to have a shot at the track. We can have the best chassis title next year.

“The cuiTent Stone Brothers car in the world, but you have to have the best engines and the best we have is very much our own car. mechanics and pit stops.

We’ve done a lot of work on “And, of course, you have to dampers, brakes, a lot of the organise yourself so as you don’t geometry is our own, so it’s very much our own car. With the new wear your people out, and Fred and Alan do a very good job of that. car (which is intended to debut at It’s definitely not the glitz and Oran Park), we’ll improve the shell as best as we can as well.” glamour everyone thinks it is.”

The driving experience Debuting a new car is a big Fiorinotto has put him ahead of thing for the team, but Fiorinotto the opposition, allowing him to and Lowndes have been busy not appreciate more what Lowndes just trying to win races, but build says, feedback-wise. a relationship and get used to the “I think that has a very big part Ford after the duo have spent all of what I do. There’s Formula 1 of their V8 Supercar lives in Holdens. engineers that have done driving courses to tiy and learn that aspect “With Craig, he gives us 110 of being a driver. One of the percent every single time the car hardest things for goes out. As far U as the cars are an engineer is being able to concerned, they communicate are a lot different with the driver in though they’re their own very well matched now.

- Fiorinotto on Lowndes language.

“We can talk “The way the like rocket scientists but it has to car reacts to changes has been the be communicated to the driver in a hardest part of adapting to the Falcon. The Holden is probably a way he can understand and put bit more nimble than the Ford but into practice.” we’ve been able to tune the Ford to Something which Craig has done where we like it. pretty damn well ... jB|

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Niezera and Loncihurst Motorsport News: I gather that the call from HRT came out of the blue?

Tomas Mezera: Yeah, I was really surprised - very happily surprised.

I remember yelling out to my wife 'Guess who just rang!'.

I couldn't believe it, because at the same time, things with my own team were very down.

Because of things beyond his control, the sponsor who has backed me all this time had to ring a little while ago and say he couldn't continue.

Up to that point we had a plan for this year and we were already into it, and had spent some of the budget. And then we had to stop.

It wasn't looking good.

I was a little bit down - and then Jeff (Grech) rang... When something like this happens, you jump on it straight away!

MN: Other than your drive with Brad Jones last year, you've had a pretty long relationship with Holden...

TM: Over the years. I've had a good relationship with Holden not just racing. I did driver instruction and other drive days and launches and then, recently, the Norwell centre switched to Holden, so I've had a bit to do there too.

So it made sense to race a Holden if I could. Given the problems with my own team, I had spoken with Brad about driving with him again, although nothing was signed.

I would have picked up a reasonable drive in a Holden for Bathurst, and had been talking to a couple of teams, but this is THE best one.

And at this stage of my career when a lot of teams have been

opting for the Young Guns approach - it is tremendous. It seems that things are swinging back the other way a bit - when you look back at the conditions in last year's Bathurst race, a bit of experience is maybe a good thing.

All that, I think, played into my hands in terms of getting this

drive.

MN: You managed the team during part of its difficult, early period and so now, returning as a driver, what degree of change have you noticed?

TM: The amount of change since I was there is amazing. But even more amazing is that they didn't achieve it by replacing people. All the key people are the same, but everything they do is 100 percent better.

Look at their technical and engineering infrastructure, the marketing infrastructure, and their management. Really, you can't fault it.

They've taken their time and they have improved a hell of a lot with the same people.

MN: While this gives you the opportunity to re-establish your driving credentials at the pointy end of the field, do you expect to pick up knowledge and information which will help your own team to make progress? Do you expect to notice a significant difference when you do drive an HRT car again?

TM: I'm not sure what the future is for my own thing - I'll take it as it comes. My aim always was to have something set up when I stopped racing, something with good infrastructure, so I could continue to be involved - like Garry Rogers,

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Tomas Mezera and Tony Longhurst are he Raceway and Bathurst with the Holden Racing "tt was quite funny in Adeiaide. Tony and I were on die same rowL We weren't ttaffar off the pace"

- Tomas Mezera

In terms of comparing the cars, if you look at the lap times from qualifying and races, as we have, you can sometimes be a second and a half - or less - off the pace and you're at the back of the field!

It was quite funny in Adelaide.

Tony and I were on the same row.

We weren't that far off the pace, but we were starting back around the corner!

Quite frustrating...

So you're not going to hop into a leading car and suddenly feel five seconds quicker.

It's all the little things - braking, suspension, gearbox, engine which add up to tenths or fractions of tenths. A couple of tenths in each segment and suddenly your not 20th, you're in the top 10.

MN: No word on who you'll be driving with yet?

TM: No. I think that will be decided quite close to Queensland. But look at the four drivers - any combination is going to be good. Both cars will be competitive...

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INTERVIEW

>eT

^ding to Queensland Team. We spoke to them

Motorsport News: How did all this happen, and when?

Tony Longhurst: After my wonderful association with another team last year, I was at the airport In Bathurst on Sunday afternoon thinking about a seat for next year. I gave Mark Skaife a call on Monday morning and asked what they were going to do, He said he would talk to Jeff about it. Actually, that's what led to the Nash drive; Nash had been talking to Jeff about doing something and he (Grech) said, 'You'd better talk to Tony about doing something,' and after a month or do, we did it.

MN: Did you really think at that stage that you were going to get a positive result out of it?

TL: I thought so. I had just been driving around the front the field at Bathurst after jumping into the car in 25th position, or whatever it was - I was way down the field and I took it up to the lead. Why wouldn't I get a drive with HRT? MN: You have raced against HRT for a long time. What are your impressions of the tearn?

TL: It just blew me away to get down there and see their infrastructure. No wonder they have won the championship four or five times, and also been the runner-up on the times they haven't won. They just have it all together.

MN: You had no idea what facilities they had while you were racing against them? And, if you had known, what would you have done?

TL: I would have joined HRT 10 years ago!

What they have is special; they

are in a different league to everyone else. It wasn't until I went in there last Monday that I realised that.

MN: Any idea what the plan is yet?

TL: Not yet. The team has to run a couple of more races before making a decision one way or the other. The position of Mark and Jason, and the position of the opposition, will decide all that. If they are neck-and-neck in the championship, it could be 'divide and conquer' rather than put them together. It's just a mathematical thing.

I don't care where I am. I'm in the best team. If I drive with Mark, great. Same with Jason. If It's Tomas and me, great. I'll be in the best car.

At Bathurst, I was under a huge handicap with David Besnard in the same car. He qualified outside the 107 percent, his laps times were four to six seconds a lap slower than me and I was put in the position where I had to drive my butt off for the last three hours of the race.

Going with this team, with the calibre of the driver pairings no matter which way you look at it, it will be much different this year to what it was last year.

MN: Thirteen years after you and Tomas won the race, you are back in the same team.

What are your thoughts?

TL: I don't think it's bizarre, or anything. I've known Tomas for a long time, and a couple of times I've almost ended up driving with Tomas. I've been working towards driving with Tomas a couple of times and that is going to be good.

I've been to Bathurst a lot of times, and there have been times when I have been due to win the race like last year, or have something like a throttle cable break, which cost me the race one year.

MN: What are your memories of winning with Tomas in 1988?

TL: I was really looking forward to the cheque after the race, to be honest I From where we were then to where we are now ... We thought that we were in the elite then, and everything was hard and tough.

That race unfolded and it was a very, very easy victory - everybody else broke down and that was that.

The situation with the competition now is much different. When I was going to my first races, I was up against Peter Brock and Allan Moffat. At places like Amaroo and Oran Park, you would have pole position then, one second slower, second on the grid then, half a second later, third.

I lined up at Darwin one and a half seconds of the front of the grid and I was back in 27th or somethingl It is amazing how much how sport has grown and how much it has become harder. It is much more competitive, and dearer, for all competitors.

There was a time there when some people may have had a car benefit, which I certainly had when I was with BMW, and some drivers had a huge advantage over others, and some competitors could never compete. That's certainly not the case now.

I'm looking forward to driving the car. I wanted to jump in and take it for a run last Monday (at HRT's photo shoot)!

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31

the improved forai ofNordic’s Justin Wilson, the Queanbeyan driver had a lot of pressui'e on his shoulders heading into the sti'eet race classic.

Last year, he made a strong ,v Monaco debut, despite walling the car at the end of qualifying. He was running in fourth until crashing out of the race with two taps to go.

This year, he also crashed at the end of qualifying, but there the similarities with 2000 ended.

Webber topped the sheets in both r n sessions, snaring pole, and led all . 50 laps of the fifth round of the Formula 3000 Championship to vault back into second place in the series. It was a polished performance.

The only ‘bad’ nev/s for Webber, apart from the qualifying bingle, j,'.' w'as the fact that series leader s' Wilson was right behind him at the 32

Monaco, Webber was in total control and so became the fn-st Australian to win on the streets of Monte Carlo since Dave Walker won the Formula 3 Gr<md Prix in 1971. And Webber sponsoi', Foster’s, had a massive boat in the harbour, full of celebrating Aussies. /”"Vualifying was an exciting affair vy with the top men trading times as the track improved with each lap. In the end, Webber pipped Wilson and Dan-en Manning, but it was close. There were nine cars within a second of pole position and 20 within 2s.

Frenchman Stefane Sarrazin was stuck into one of the Prost Junior Team cars(which had previously been driven by Nicolas Filliberti). He did a remarkable job for a one-off run, qualifying fourth

Junior Team ), who was just ahead of Brazil’s Ricardo Sperafico in his Petrobras Junior Team entry.

Eighth was a pretty good effort for Ricardo, who had been drafted in to replace Spaniard Antonio Garcia in the second Red Bull car.

The top 10 was completed by a disappointed Tomas Enge (Coca Cola Nordic Racing)and Fabrizio Gollin (Coloni), while there were disappointing performances from David Saelens(European Minardi) in 15th, Antonio Pizzonia (Petrobras Junior Team)17th and the tw'o Astromega cars: Dino Morelli was 18th and Giorgio Pantano was 23rd, In the real estate business position is everything and it is also true of races around Monte Carlo.

If you are at the front, you tend to stay there because overtaking is tough. Very tough.

dearly into the lead, the two Yorkshiremen behind him tangled when Manning slid into the rear of Wilson at Ste Devote.

“I was heading for the first corner," Wilson said,“when I heard this massive ‘thump'behind and my car was pointing in every direction, but I managed to control it and carry on.” ‘‘WTien tile team told me on the radio that Justin had been hit by Manning,I was not disappointed." admitted Webber after the race.

Manning removed the nose of his car and had to head for the pits for I’epnirs, leaving Webber leading Wilson, Sarrazin, Bourdais and Sperafico.

At the Grand Hotel Hairpin, Andrea Piccini (Europemi Minardi) knocked Jaime Melo(Durango) into a spin and the cars behind all ended up .stopped at the .scene.

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FORMULA 3000

Success is the best revenge Y Y OU don't have to be Einstein to work out that winning at Monaco - be it the FI race or the F3000 race - is particularly satisfying, as it is a pretty special place and one at which the driver is acknowledged as playing a major role in any success. There are a lot of influential people there and there's quite a lot of business going down as well.

So for us, it was the perfect race to get the F3000 championship back on track and to take the win so emphatically made it a perfect (well, almost) weekend.

Having set what would be the pole lap late in qualifying, I was on another which was heading toward being better (you can't afford to sit back and assume your time will hold over those last desperate minutes) but I clipped the wall at Rascasse, ripped the right hand side off the car, then ricocheted across to the other wall - the pinball effect...

It turned that day into a 19-hour one for my crew, but they put it ali back together perfectly.

had been pretty disappointed with Barcelona, where we couldn't get a balance in the car and I crashed it in the first session, which put us back for the whole weekend - although we finished seventh.

I wasn't as disappointed with the DNF at the Al-Ring as I'd come off a big week of FI testing with Benetton, qualified sixth but got taken out in the first corner shunt.

ARK Webber had a lot to .do at Monaco in 2001.

After ordinary results at Barcelona and the Al-Ring, and the improved form of Nordic’s Justin Wilson, the Queanbeyan driver had a lot of pressure on his shoulders heading into the street race classic.

Last year, he made a strong Monaco debut, despite walling the car at the end of qualifying. He was running in fourth until crashing out of the race with two laps to go.

This year, he also crashed at the end of qualifying, but there the similarities with 2000 ended.

Webber topped the sheets in both sessions, snaring pole, and led all 50 laps of the fifth round of the Formula 3000 Championship to vault back into second place in the series. It was a polished performance.

The only ‘bad’ news for Webber, apart from the qualifying bingle, was the fact that series leader Wilson was right behind him at the flag. Still, a four point swing is not to be sneezed at, especially when gained in dominant fashion in front 8 June 2001

But we did need a result at Monaco and the best way to avoid first corner drama is to be on the front row. If Wilson had beaten us there, it would have extended the points gap to two race wins, which could have made it difficult. As it is, it's down to just over one race win (11 points) and there's a fair way to go...

M

onaco being the track it is, it was crucial to turn pole into a first corner lead. We'd noted a number of the FI teams doing "launch control" starts out on the grid, so I lined my car up on one particularly good stretch of rubber - even though the FI cars don't wheelspin, they still lay good rubber!

I was pretty sure I could get away well, so the next crucial thing was my braking point at St Devote, which had to be spot on.

I knew there'd be some desperates trying to make spots at turn one and the concertina effect would start where I braked and I didn't want to get nailed in the rear.

After that... well at Monaco, if n you're in the lead, you can pretty much control what happens.

However, I didn't want to finish with a train of cars behind me and I wanted . to win in style, with as much space behind me as possible.

That's what we did, I had five seconds by half distance - although that got wiped out by the Safety Car late in the race. Just before that, we pulled six-tenths on one lap and broke the F3000 lap record - the car was working really well... of the People Who Matter in Monaco.

Webber was in total control and so became the first Australian to win on the streets of Monte Carlo since Dave Walker won the Formula 3 Grand Prix in 1971. And

ou're allowed to celebrate a bit if you win at Monaco. I don't often have a few beers, but on this occasion we did. I then had to be up early Sunday morning for a breakfast with the Foster's people, I was a bit top-heavy in the head, but the show went on...

The win also meant an invitation to the Sunday night gala ball, where I ended up on stage with Michael (Schumacher), It's the first time I've met him and it was good - he's a bit of a hero of mine. He had a pretty easy race and told me he'd watched mine and had some nice things to say, so that was pretty cool.

0

world Wide Webber with Mark Webber

ne thing we did specificaliy do for Monaco was to have a shakedown run with the F3000 car to ensure that it was the last car I drove prior to the race weekend.

We made that decision after the Al-Ring - where I'd come straight from FI testing.

While the team know I need to continue with the FI work. Super Nova boss David Sears felt it was tough on me and the team to lose that vital little bit of time while 1 acclimatised back to the F3000 car.

With all the toys and buttons on the FI Benetton now, the left foot braking, the carbon brakes, the whole thing is such a different kettle of fish to the F3000. Even when we've got the optimum set-up and fresh rubber on the F3000, if you've been in the FI car recently, it just doesn't feel nice.

Early on, I can't feed sufficiently good information to my engineer, because I can't feel the car properly it feels so light in comparison and in the quick corners it feels like there's no grip.

I know howto be quick in the F3000 car, but it's difficult to simply unplug one and plug the other straight in.

The shakedown in the F3000 car prior to Monaco made all the difference and from here on we'll be trying to ensure that's how it is as much as we can.

From here on it's all about scoring points, particularly keeping an eye on the two Nordic cars, so my approach and level of aggression will need to vary depending upon where they are.

It'd be nice to win the next four in a row, but at the end of the year it's the points which will count...

Webber sponsor, Foster’s, had a massive boat in the harbour, full of celebrating Aussies.

lap. In the end, Webber pipped Wilson and Darren Manning, but it was close. There were nine cars within a second of pole position and 20 within 2s.

Frenchman Stefane San-azin was stuck into one of the Frost Junior Team cars(which had previously been driven by Nicolas Filliberti). He did a remarkable job for a one-off run, qualifying fourth ahead offellow countryman Sebastien Bom-dais(DAMS).

Sixth on the gi-id was Austria’s Patrick Friesacher(Red Bull

ualifying was an exciting affair with the top men trading times le track improved with each

RiSUllS P3000, Rd 5.

Monaco 50 laps/l5l.3km

1. Webber (Aus) 2. Wilson (GB) 3. Sarrazin (Fr) 4. Bourdais (Fr) 5. Sperafico (Br) 6. Mauricio (Br) (CZ) 7. Enge 8. Gollin (ila) The King of Queanbeyan: Webber, Sarrazin (L) and Wilson celebrate (Photos by Sutlon-lmages) after the race, which Webber led from the start.

Super Nova 1h13m21.07s +0.893S Nordic Racing +7.247S Frost Junior +8.737S DAMS Petrobas Junior +17.098S Red Bull Junior +24.037S +24.566S Nordic Racing +48.408S Coloni

Points: Wilson 3i, Wsbber 20, Enge 18, Leindors 12.

Jaime Melo Jr IDurango) 8, Bourdais and Pizzonia 7, Danen Manning (Arden Team Russia) 6, David Saelens 5.

33

Monaco GP

I

F the race for the World Championship comes down to a fight between the brilliance of Michael Schumacher versus the nous of McLaren’s technical department,it looks like the German will rule the day.

While the triple World Champion surged to his 48th career win at Monaco, and a commanding lead in the 2001 title chase, McLaren’s hopes were dashed as soon as the cars were waved away on their formation lap.

After a thrilling battle in qualifying, in which David Coulthard pipped Schumacher right at the end of the session, the McLaren-Mercedes died just as it was about to move, forcing Coulthard to trail around behind the pack and take a starting position 21 spots further back than he had anticipated.

Given such a gift, Schumacher speared away after an early challenge from Mika Hakkinen ended when the Finn parked the other McLaren when it started pulling to the right. After an exploratoiy pit stop, Mika stopped for good, his title aspirations, slim as they were, being rushed to an intensive care unit where they were declared over.

Rubens Barrichello took a flatteringly close second place after Schumacher deigned to stroll the last few laps, while Eddie Irvine gave Jaguar its best result with a third place after a feisty weekend in which the Irishman looked more like the man who almost won the 1999 title.

Coulthard? He was, simply, stranded by the tight Monaco track.

He quickly disposed of one car but spent 40 laps bottled up behind the stubborn Enrique Bernoldi, the Brazilian refusing to yield to a potentially faster car. Once Bernoldi pitted, DC blasted through to fifth but, by the time he had clear road, Coulthard was already a lap down. Later, acrimonious words were exchanged between the McLaren and Mercedes outfits and those of Aitows but, at the end of the day, fifth and some sympathy was all Coulthard had to show for his weekend.

The talk beforeGrand the start ofwas the all 58th Monaco Prix oftechnical gizmos - or, more directly, the lack of control which “launch control’has displayed in previous races.

At many events, stalled cars on the grid was an inconvenience; at Monaco,it could be a disaster.

McLaren, Fen'ari, Jordan, BAR and Sauber had all voiced concerns over the systems and were, in some cases, busy toning the things off for Monaco. The FIA, having 34

allowed the blasted things back into the sport in the first place because it had no way of guaranteeing that they would not be used if illegal, allowed the teams to take some extra practice starts to Get It Right.

Free Practice started on a dirty track, placing an emphasis on drivers’ car control. Michael Schumacher quickly bested the pack by 2s, while for the first time since dinosaurs roamed the French Riviera, or that he had a decent car strapped under his butt, Jean Alesi temporarily saw ‘P3’on his pit board. He ended the horn- in 10th.

In the second session, it was the tmm of the Silvers to reply, Hakkinen challenging Michael atop the sheets. Third was Ralf Schumacher, who had a crack at ‘Shunt of the Day” with an off at the Swimming Pool, only to be bested by his team-mate,Juan Montoya taking both ends off his BMW.Williams with an Olympicstandard wallbanger at the Rascasse.

“Two cars in the barriers is not an ideal way to finish the first day of practice for a Grand Prix,” said Patrick Head darkly.

Quite.

Come Satm-day(Friday is, for Formula One, a unique rest day in the Principality), more offs on the green track. Jos Verstappen added to the atmosphere by having an Asiatech explode, while Luciano Burti challenged Montoya’s mantle by having the brakes go MIA at Ste Devote, the Prost using some scenic parts of the seaside to slow the blue toboggan from around SOOkmh.

The qualifying session started quietly enough with Arrows getting a double whammy of TV airtime for its sponsors as first Verstappen and then Bernoldi put in their first efforts in glorious isolation. The Dutchman was quietly bedding in his new engine whilst the Brazilian put in a chaste perfoimance, scarcely even glancing towards the barriers instead of giving them a big old kiss, as is the wont ofthe truly committed.

Speaking of commitment, out came Jacques Villeneuve. Not a happy himting ground for BAR’s erstwhile champ,is Monaco, but he wiped two and a half seconds off the Arrows pair and wandered back to his pit garage.

Honda rival Heinz-Harald Frentzen followed on for Jordan, who more than kissed the barriers at Portier in the pointy-darty EJll. It was fun but scruffy, and out of quite hterally nowhere Giancarlo Fisichella stuffed the Benetton on provisional pole with a Im 20.545s lap.

This was immediately eclipsed by h-vine, thmsting the newly aeroenhanced Jaguar into the Im 19s bracket with aplomb. Hakkinen

..FORMULA ONE

I J

had three reaeons to smile at Monaco: hJHi worst race 01 the season.iJOE SfflAIARD reports

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No need for team orders: In a word, Michael Schumacher crushed the opposition at Monaco, his main rival David Coulthard losing any chance after stalling at the start.

Keep thee behind me: Schumacher walked the final lap, allowing team-mate Rubens Barrichello to get flatteringly close at the flag.

(Photos by Sulton-lmages)

followed, easily getting down to a Im 18.552s and then Coulthard, rattling through Tabac,took four tenths off his team mate’s best, prompting a deluge of Schumachers.

Ralf put in a crisp lap, a tenth behind Hakkinen for P3. Michael seemed out of sorts, choosing worndown rear tyres but unable to put them to good effect after getting in the way of Bernoldi’s second flying lap and being forced down the escape road at the chicane and coming straight back to the pits.

Ferrari’s woes were compounded when Barrichello, with a clear track in front of him, could do no better

than P5. At the halfway point Schumacher tried again and split the two McLarens as DC put in an all arms and elbows effort that took him down to Im 18.029s.

Hakkinen took his next shot, and showed truly terrilying commitment through Ste Devote and the Swimming Pool to take provisional pole into the Im 17s.

Ralf Schumacher gave Williams cheer, deposing his big brother for third, and his team-mate Montoya’s flying circus gave the crowd a cheer with some lurid crisis management continued on page 36 35

Nionaco GP QUAIIFYIHG MpnaGo/IVIpiite Carlo I 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22

David Coulthard Michael Schumacher Mika Hakkinen Rubens Barrichello Ralf Schumacher Eddie Irvine Juan Montoya JarnoTrulli Jacques Wlleneuve Giancarlo Fisichella Jean Alesi Olivier Panis Heinz-Harald Frentzen Pedro de la Rosa Kimi Raikkonen Nick Heidfold Jenson Button Fernando Alonso Jos Verstappen Enrique Bernoldi Luciano Burti Tarso Marques

GB 0 Fin Bra D GB Col Ita Can Ita Fr Fr 0 Spa Fin 0 GB Spa N Bra Bra Bra

West McLaren Mercedes MP4/16 Marlboro Scuderia Ferrari F2001 West McLaren Mercedes MP4/16 Marlboro Scuderia Ferrari F2001 Compaq BMW.Williams FW23 Jaguar Cosworth B2 Compaq BMW.Williams FW23 Benson & Hedges Jordan Honda EJ11 Lucky Strike BAR Honda 003 Mild Seven Benetton Renault B201 ProstAcerAP04 Lucky Strike BAR Honda 003 Benson & Hedges Jordan Honda EJI1 Jaguar Cosworth R2 Red Bull Sauber Petronas C20 Red Bull Sauber Petronas C20 Mild Seven Benetton Renault B201 Minardi European PS 01 Orange Arrows Asiatech A22 Orange Arrows Asiatech A22 Prost Acer AP 04 Minardi European PS 01

B B B B M M M B B M M B B M B B M M B B M M

1:17.430 1:17.631 1:17.749 1:17.856 1:18.029 1:18.432 1:18.751 1:18.921 1:19.086 1:19.220 1:19.245 1:19.294 1:19.316 1:20.033 1:20.081 1:20.261 1:20.342 1:20.788 1:20.823 1:21.336 1:21.771 1:22.201

Ceramic Innovations

INNOVATIONS1 producers and suppliers of the Official Australian Grand Prix Port 'VO’v i;\A^vwviv.Cf>ramiclnnovatiDns.cam.tiu ph 03 9555 9011

continued from page 35 at the chicane. The Colombian was the fastest man of all on the blast out of the tunnel, clocking 298km/h with BMW’s considerable assistance but.remained in the bottom half ofthe top 10 all afternoon.

Michael Schumacher’s all-ornothing effort was well worth the wait. He anived at Ste Devote having travelled though the entire braking area with the inside front locked up, gathering it all together mid-comer and scaring the barriers on the exit. This set the tone for the rest of the lap, a raffled-looking champion putting in some ragged genius to thump in provisional pole by a margin of three tenths of a second. Golly.

Frentzen threw his last iim out of the window after exploring the older asphalt at Fortier as the session drew to a close, but the three pole contenders were absolutely locked in a world of their own.

Hakkinen went first, putting in an impressive first sector that faded away a fraction at the end, and a fraction was all it needed to mean no improvement.

Schumacher also missed out on that fraction after getting out of shape past the Casino. Hakkinen then went again and,right up to the Rascasse, seemed to have got himself on pole. The fi’ont end washed out on him however, and it was left to Coulthard to show that with a good rub of the green, his crisp presence in the cockpit is up to the challenge of Monaco, of Schumacher and (whisper it), even the world championship itself.

You can’t fool Monaco, it’s seen it all, and with a lap of Im 17.430s he thoroughly deseived top spot.

“There was potentially a little bit quicker time but it was just a matter of trying to finish the lap,” said DC. He did so admirably.

continued on page 38

Ouch: Ralf Schumacher, above, had a big practice crash and was ordered to spend the rest day, er, resting.

Return to splendour: Jacques Viileneuve, right, won the battle of the BARs, no doubt aided by Olivier Panis below right, searching for a decent wet set-up.

Dad’s Army: The Button family had a mixed qualifier Master Jenson a full second behind Fisichella, but dad John Button made the best of it...

(Photos by Sutton-lmaqes)

molorsDorl news

FORMULA ONE

The return of the Awful Tower BACK in the early 1970s, when the Bee Based on the March 721 - already In the Awful Hall of Fame - Colani took it to the Gees were just another vocal group yet to discover disco,there were some next level, with a front-mounted airbox, classic cars competing in Grand Prix sidepods and a single rear-view mirror racing. mounted on a central pylon in front of the driver.

The 72 championship was won,of The result was, urn, interesting. The course, by Emerson Fittipaldi in the car lacked downforce, and hence speed gorgeous Lotus 72D,from the Tyrrell of but, with March and Cosworth Jackie Stewart and Denny Hulme's mechanicals, it was reliable. Stommelen, McLaren. Elsewhere in the pack,there were the BRMs in Marlboro colours,the who had a pretty good record in Formula sole Matra Simca of Chris Amon and,of 2, got it up as far 10th in two races, in course,the Ferraris.

Spain and Brands Hatch.

The team battled away for a while, And then there were the ugly cars; .the'STP Marches, which ran in 71 with eventually becoming part of Hexagon Racing which disappeared without a ;found coffee tables for front wings,and trace. .ihe!Eifelland.

'The what? The Eifelland, a dream of Why the history lesson? Because the ghost of Eifelland reappeared at iGefman caravan manufacturer(yes, ■ Monaco, with two teams attempting to lir'eally) Gunther Henerici. He and his maximise their downforce on the street ‘'.long-time driver Rolf Stommelen had FI circuit with aerodynamic add-ons. The :ambitior\s and;wanted to do things their Arrows of Jos Verstappen ran Thursday toWhway. practice with a high, nose-mounted :: Enter design guru Professor Luigi front wing, but Jordan took the gold in tiolahf, who tjad already designed the Ugly Olympics, presenting its EJIIs .sjio'rtscprs, and who Was keen to make in Eifelland-inspired trim, a small wing ^his.frtarfcin GP racing. He wanted curves mounted right in front of the drivers' ■,^ri ra cars aiid he vyanted them now. helmet ^he result was the Eifelland Type 21, Tt seems to make some difference," %ybe the ugliest GP car of all time.

rJ r r j V.

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Jos said when questioned about his vision. 'You can still see very well and it doesn't disturb the view, so it's fine."

The police acted swiftly. FIA Technical Delegate Jo Bauer quickly issued a bulletin, describing the devices as a "dangerous construction" in contravention of Article 2.3 of Formula One's technical regulations. Arrows and Jordan got out the hacksaws to avoid being disqualified if they appeared with the gee-gaws again.

The next chapter in the Ugly story remains to be written.

And what ever happened to Colani?

Not much... he only designed Mazda's original MX-5 sportscar, and some of his work can be seen at the tracks today in the form of Canon's T90 SLR camera, as well as an ongoing legacy of designer building products in furniture, glassware and other industrial products.

The Prof is still a major influence in design today from his base in Switzerland.

Just don't expect him to design another FI car again.

Yuk. Yuk. Yuh Arrows (top) and Jordan appeared with these devices.

29 years after the Eifelland (below) had a centrallv-inoiinted mirror. t

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Nionaco GP continued from page 36

Any chance of a good Monaco ended whenrace at Coulthard’s Benz went to sleep on the line when the cars were flagged away.

The McLaren boys got him going again but it was long after the last car had departed and so David had to start at the back and, at Monaco, that is that.

Coulthard had a heavy load of fuel(he went 65 of the 78 laps) and he found himself stuck behind Bernoldi’s Arrows, trolling along with enough fuel to get him to lap 43. The weight difference of the two cars was probably about 50kg and that meant a second and a half or two seconds per lap.

By the time that the Arrows went into the pits, David was a lap behind the leaders. His lap times went from lm24s and lm25s to lm21s and lm20s. But it was too late.

He was able to clamber up a few places and with a high attrition rate he ended up fifth, taking two points home with him. But, with Schumacher getting 10 points again, the gap at the fi'ont grew to 12 points. Everyone else is wasting their time.

After the race, Michael was not oveijoyed with his 48th victory; “I was asked why I didn’tjump on the podium,” he said. “Honestly, I don’t feel that emotional because it has been a very straightforward win. It wasn’t anything exceptional, nothing exceptionally happened through the race, which could make you emotional.

“It’s always nice to win in Monte Carlo. It’s always special, but it was strEughtforward. It was tiring to some degree. The only thing you think about is reliability. It is very easy to make mistakes here. It is a hard circuit and, although it was an easy drive, it was still hard.”

Michael was never really challenged after Coulthard disappeared. Hakkinen tried to keep up but he couldn’t do it in the early laps. Then he pulled up closer to the FeiTari and, as he was doing so, the car suddenly started to pull to the right. Mika decided to go into the pits to have the car checked over. The crew could find nothing obvious and Mika was sent out again, but the problem was still there.

“I decided it was impossible to go flat out,” said Mika. “There was no other option than to retire. We are not sure that the problem was but I Imow that I didn’t hit anything.”

Hakkinen’s problem lifted Rubens Barrichello into second position, and there he stayed. For five laps when Schumacher pitted, Rubens led the race but there was no way he was going to beat 38

Michael(even if he was allowed to do so, which is doubtful after what happened in Austria). The problem was that from early in the race Rubens had cramps in his foot.

Ross(Brawn)became a physiotherapist because I was telling him that if he knew something I could do inside the car because it was really, really bad,” said Rubens.“At one time I could hardly feel my right foot. He was saying ‘drink water, drink water’, but after a while that was gone. I was having quite a lot of problems.

I was asking God to give me a chance to race because the car was brilliant. I never had a car as good as this one today The end result was not an indication on how close the two FeiTaris were in terms of performance. In the final laps.

Michael was not pushing much and let a 10s gap dwindle down to 0.4s at the flag. It looked good on television.

It also looked veiy good in the Constructors’ Championship.

Ferrari has 76 points, McLaren has 44, Williams has 18. There is no such thing in FI as a foregone conclusion, but a 32 point advantage is useful. However,two McLaren l-2s, with Ferrari failing

Automotive Group), but it certainly cheered up the folk in Milton Keynes and Northampton. It has not be easy at Jaguar Eacing in recent months, but hard decisions and hard work have finally paid off.

The team’s new aerodynamic package worked well.

Irvine described it as “by far the biggest development I have ever experienced in FI”.

Even in his moment oftriumph (well, sort of) Irvine managed to spoil the moment with a pop at those in the FI media who have criticised him in recent months.

Team boss Bobby Rahal behaved with more dignity; “The magnitude of the task ahead of us cannot be overstated enough, and the challenge now is to turn this maiden podium into consistency Jaguar Racing is not here to make up the numbers. Our long-teim goal is to win the World Championship. That takes time. resources, stability and consistency.

Nevertheless it is just reward for the work everyone has put in.

And while the cameras rolled on Eddie and Bobby, let us not forget that the groundwork for their achievement was put in place by a man who was in the paddock for the first time this year: Neil Ressler

r <<

I

to score, and the two teams will be equal again.

Logically, McLarens Ferraris nm into if trouble, thirdorplace will go to a Williams, a Jordan or a BAR. But not at Monaco.

Third place went to Irvine in his Jaguar. This may not occasion dancing on the streets of Dearborn or nightingales singing in Berkeley Square (home of the Premier

built the foundations for the team.

It was not easy and, at the same time, he had to cope with his daughter’s terminal illness. He took it, and he has taken the vicious criticism that has been heaped upon him. It was right and fair that he was there to see the first glint of what may become a shining future.

Pedro de la Rosa’s race was solid and he was running 10th when he suffered some form of hydraulic

failure that left him without gears and without a throttle, n the closing laps ofthe race ■Irvine was shadowed by Jacques Villeneuve, the only sm-vivor from the fom' Honda-engined cars.

Jacques had qualified ninth, ahead of Olivier Panis (for a change) but behind Jamo Tmlli’s Jordan. Heinz-Harald Frentzen was the slowest of the four men, down in 13th on the grid. moiorspon news

FORMULA ONE RESULTS Monaco GP, May 212001, 18 laps/262.86km

4

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

M,Schumacher Barrichello Irvins Villeneuve Coulthard Alesi Button Verstappen Bernoldi Raikkonen

Retirements R. Schumacher Marques Alonso Frenlzen Fisichella Trulli Burti de la Rosa Hakkinen Panis Montoya Heidfeld

Old blokes, new points: Jean Alesi and Eddie Irvine turned back the clock a few years at Monaco. Alesi got sixth by hanging around till the finish, but Irvine had the renewed Jaguar close to the pace, taking the marque’s first podium finish in third place.

(Photos by Sutlon-images and Marsh/Bothwell)

It was a dreadful weekend for HHF and it ended in dramatic fashion when something went wi'ong while the Jordan was travelling in the region of 290kmh.

The car went hard into the metal banders on the left. Fortunately for Frentzen, the car stayed on the left and slid down the road, gidnding against the bander until it came to rest, a sorry heap of carbon composite and mangled metal,just before the chicane.

Frentzen complained that he had

had a unhealthy bash on the head but he was unharmed.

Trulli’s race was a lot better. He was in the top six by the end of the third lap and when Hakkinen fell by the wayside he moved up to fifth.

Md then on lap 31 a ghost somewhere in the machine drilled (or perhaps blasted) a hole in something and lots offlammable stuff fell out and caught fire.

1:47'22.561 1:4772.392 1:47'53.259 1:47'55.015 77 laps 77 laps 77 laps 77 laps 76 laps 73 laps

ri9.770 1 70.329 1 70.681 1 70.417 r19.424 171.151 171.580 171.646 172.053 170.705

57 laps Electrical 56 laps Transmission 54 laps Gearbox 49 laps Spun| off 43 laps Gearbox 30 laps Hydraulics 24 laps Gearbox 18 laps Hydraulics 15 laps Suspension 13 laps Steering 2 laps Spun off 0 laps Collision

Fastsst lap: Coulthard, on lap 68,1T9.424 Drivers' points: M. Schumacher 52, Coulthard 40, Barrichello 24, R. Schumacher 12, Heidfeld 8, Trulli 7, Montoya and Frentzen 6, Panis 5, Raikkonen, Irvine and Hakkinen 4, Verstappen, Alesi and Rschella 1.

Constuctors' points: Ferrari 76, McLaren/ Mercedes 44,, Williams/BMW 18, Jordan/ Honda 13, Sauber/Petronas and BAR/Honda 12, Jaguar 4, Arrows, Benetton/Renault and Prost/Acer 1.

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continued on page 40

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Nionaco GP continued from page 39

and had to pit. The problem was mended by the mechanics and Raikkonen rejoined fom- laps down and drove a steady race to the finish.

On paper, not a great race. But young Kimi, whose previous Monaco experience was limited to a belt around the Swimming Pool complex in a go-kart, set the sixth fastest lap of the race, even ifin getting the Sauber mobile the mechanics by-passed the traction control system. That, after outqualifying the experienced Nick Heidfeld by 0.2s on his first trip to Monte Carlo.

Heidfeld’s dreams of gloiy ended on the first lap when he was punted into the wall at Fortier, apparently

by Verstappen.

“I rode up over his wheel,” said the German. “It was quite high and I crashed into the barriers.”

Jamo parked the mobile blow torch and the fire marshals did what fire mai'shals are supposed to do.

Olivier Fanis’s at theHe races was none too day exciting. was ranning 10th until the 13th lap when the car stopped steering in the slow corners and he decided it would be a good plan to stop to see if the engineers could figure it out.

The car was checked over and sent out again, but the problem was still there and, so, Olivier retm'ned to the pits and then wandered off to the paddock.

And that left Villeneuve. As others fell by the wayside he moved up to fourth. He did not hit anything. He did not break anything. The car kept going.

Jacques has never been vei-y good at Monaco, but this year he was.

Perhaps we are seeing the start of a Villeneuve revival.

“We scored more points than a lot of teams,” said technical director Malcolm Oastler,“and that is gi'eat foi' our championship challenge.”

T

here was not much left ofthe midfield and, so, fifth place fell to the recovered Coulthard and sixth to Jean Alesi. The Frenchman might have been fifth had it not been for a puncture with less than 10 laps to go when he was about half a minute ahead of the McLaren.

Jean is always good at Monaco and Prost had done some development work and come up with a new aerodynamic package (which was somewhat overdue) and the one point was enough to give the team a little hope. The paddock mmours suggest that soon the team will be sold. Maybe the result comes too late.

Alesi’s team-mate Bui’ti had the front wing run over by Verstappen at the first corner. This meant he had to pit and,so, dropped to the back of the field. He later went off and retired.

The Fire Department Guys; Jordan, and Honda, had a bad weekend, (Photo by Suttori-lmages) losing Frentzen and Trulli, above, to blow-ups.

Benetton did not a great afternoon but ithave was better than most this year. The Monaco circuit is not one on which one needs enormous top end power, so the Renault engine(which has verylittle of that) was not such a handicap for the drivers.

Giancarlo Fisichella(who is always good at Monaco)qualified 10th. Jenson Button had a less easy time and was 17th. In the race, both men stayed out of trouble in the early part of the race and ended up sixth and ninth on lap 43, despite the fact that Fisichella hit the wall qrrite hard at Ste Devote on lap 35. Amazingly, the car was not badly damaged and Fisichella continued on his way, without losing a place until the same thing happened again (this time the result of an hydraulic failure) and he did the same again at the start of lap 45. On this occasion the wall removed the left frorrt wheel from Fizzy’s car.

Button stayed cool and kept his car going. The important point of

I MARL’S

I

the race was just before Coulthard’s pit stop when he and Button battled to see who would emerge ahead. David won that race but Jenson crossed the line to finish seventh. It was the best run he has had all year.

“It was nice to be racing for something,” he said. “It was good fun.”

Eighteen seconds Button at the finish wasbehind Verstappen’s Ajtows and Bernoldi, his team mate, was a further lap down in ninth place. As always,Arrows ran with light fuel loads. Verstappen tangled with Buifti at the first comer and nearly went off but he recovered and overtook six cars before his pit stop. This went wi'ong and so Jos plummeted back down the order but he rose back up again to eighth. Bernoldi did a solid job. ' to make it to The carSauber of Kimi theonly flag other was the i Raikkonen. He suffered a wheel sensor failm'e while running 10th

Williams should have points because, untilgot lapsome 58, Ralf Schumacher was nmning third. Then he suffered a power steering failm-e and that was really that.

Montoya made a good start to move ahead of Irvine but within a few laps he was tiying to pressurise Ralf into a mistake and instead made a mistake himself and slid into the ban-iers in the Swimming Pool section on the thud lap. His race was over.

“I made a mistake and paid for it,” he admitted.

The other team that failed Both to get a car home was Minai’di. cars ran well until Fernando Alonso suffered a gearbox failme (again) and Tarso Mai'ques suffered a di-iveshaft failure. With the other underdogs doing well, Minardi really suffered and is now firmly last in the Constnictors’ Championship.

As Monaco GPs go, it was not a great race but with Schumacher winning for a fifth time he joins a very select gi'oup of Monaco aces.

But a classic it was not...

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molorsport news

FORMULA ONE

^4

'●He was trylrig tbilie'TRranv and wallow In some kind of glony by holdjiig^ ; Ho'slnot a man, he's an Idiot" _

i<dj)M^ jbmi<J.was uniair to him. I am on the track to race and tcLimorove myself so one day [ will be in his position'W^ - Enrique Bernoldi

[Photo by Mafeh/Bothweil

FOR almost half the Monaco Grand Prix, leader Michael Schumacher, seemingly, didn't exist.

All eyes, and TV cameras, were pointed at the Enrique Bernoldi/David Coulthard battle over 15th, then 14th, as the tight Monte Carlo streets dictated that a car with, maybe, a two second edge in performance was stuck behind a slower one in front, and on the racing line.

Lap after lap, the silver McLaren menaced, except for when Coulthard moved over for lapped cars. Lap after lap, the Orange Arrows stayed in front, until Bernoldi peeled off into the pits for a fuel stop after 43 laps of tedium.

After the race, there were words - harsh words.

McLaren boss Ron Dennis and Mercedes-Benz Motorsport chief Norbert Haug both spoke with the Brazilian, though Dennis denies Bernoldi's claim that he threatened him.

"It is true I spoke to Bernoldi,” said Dennis. “I felt a driver contesting 15th who was effectively chopping across a driver who was contesting a world championship was acceptable for a period of time.

But the length of time it happened was unacceptable, “If that team is so desperate for television (that) it has to resort to those strategies, then you can question the behaviour of the team as a whole.”

The rookie driver's version of events are different to Dennis's.

8 June 2001

Photo by Sutton-Images

If that team is so desperate for television (that) it has to resort to those strategies, then you can question the behaviour of the team as a whole"

11

- Ron Dennis

"They were both very aggressive," he said. “They told me, 'if you continue drive again in that sort of way, you are not going to be in Formula 1 very long'. I was very scared because they were very aggressive.”

But Dennis refutes the claims; "That's rubbish. I said nothing of that sort.

“It was quite a while after the race and I was cool, calm and collected and I was not angry. I have no influence over his career at ail. I just told him that, in my opinion, it was unsporting behaviour.”

Further, Bernoldi defended his driving; "There wasn't a blue flag,” he said. "If there was, and I had ignored it, I would have been disqualified, wouldn't I? The team just kept telling me to concentrate on my position and push. There was a lot of pressure from Coulthard because he was of course, faster than me. He set pole position, after all.

"I don't think I was unfair to him. I am on the track to race and to improve myself so one day I wi ll be in his position. It was not easy to drive with him behind. There was so much pressure so I was worried about making mistakes, I was thinking, because he was so close to me, if I hit the wal l he would hit me too."

Arrows principal Tom Walkinshaw didn't hold back; "I think he's (Dennis) talking complete nonsense,” Walkinshaw said. “I think his comments are totally inappropriate, from a team owner of a multiple World Championship-winning team.

His car fai led on the grid, and his man was last. And my guy was fighting for the position he was in, and his guy was one position behind us.

“If he wanted to get past, he could do the same as (Jos) Verstappen had to do to six or seven cars in the race, which was overtake them. Not expect the whole sea to open up in front of him, just because it's painted in silver and black and a

McLaren badge on the side. He never even tried. He didn't even have one poke at him, did he?”

Typically, Walkinshaw, who has a reputation for not mincing his words, defended his man; "I think it's wholly inappropriate that two people of the stature (Dennis and Haug) that they have in the sport go and verbally abuse a kid like that for doing nothing else but getting on with his motor race."

The final word goes to Coulthard who, after having time to consider his response, was much more vitriolic than he had been after the race ended; "The sporting gesture would have been to pull over but every time I tried to have a go, he kept turning across me,” he said. "He was trying to be a man, and wallow in some kind of glory by holding me up. I don't think his actions make him appear a better racing driver or more desirable to other teams.

"He's not a man, he's an idiot."

Motorsport News usually runs the quotes of the drivers who finish on the podium.

But, as a sporting contest, the 2001 Monaco Grand Prix was as soporific as motor racing ever gets. What possible gems were Michael, Rubens and Eddie going to say at a post-race news conference after a snooze-fest like this?

And hey, this stuff is much more interesting . . .

41

Indianapolis 500

by PHIL MORRIS ^ n "^EAM Penske came to the I Indianapolis 500 this year JL having failed to qualify at their last attempt back in 1995.

Helio Castroneves arrived at the track never having won at an oval before.

Fast-forward to the end oflap 200, and cue scenes of Castroneves scrambling up the debris fencing and pouring milk over his head against the backdrop of a Penske team that were celebrating a 1-2

finish.

“I used to kiss the wall,” a jubilant Castroneves said, refeiTing to crashing in practice earlier in the month of May. “This time, I get to kiss the girls.

OK, girls. I'm ready!”

The 26-year-old Brazilian became the eighth rookie to claim top honours in the 500 after finishing 1.7373s ahead of teammate Gil de Ferran, and extending the Penske team's win record at Indy out to 11.

It was the second year in succession that a rookie had claimed the top prize, following Juan Pablo Montoya's triumph last year. This has only happened once

The kid loves his chain link: Castroneves continued the tradition he started in CART iast year, above, on a day where Penske were dominate. Jimmy Vasser, beiow, rejoined Target Ganassi for the weekend and ran fourth, equaiiing his best ’500 result.

"This time, I get to kiss rr the giPis! - Castroneves compares winning to kissing the watt in practice before, when Frank Lockhart and George Senders won in 1926 and 1927.

“To finish 1-2 is much more than I or anyone on the team expected,” commented the 2000 CART Champion, de Ferran, who chased his team-mate right to the end.

“Naturally,I would have liked to have been first with Helio second, but that’s the way it worked out today. He drove a gi'eat race.

“It may have looked easy at the end, but it was a very tight and competitive race. I thought I had him, but he just beat me.

“I didn't want to pull all the way out into the fast lane, and when I hesitated briefly, my engine kind of coughed a little bit and he got by.

That could have made a difference in the race, but so it is.’

42

(Photos by Robert Laberge/ALLSPORT. Bolhwell Photorgraphic and Sutton-lmages)

Castroneves captured the lead in his No. 68 Team Penske Dallara/Oldsmobile on lap 149 after Tony Stewart pitted during a caution period, and was never headed.

The top five finishers were all regulars from the CART series, with Michael Andretti, Jimmy Vasser, and Bruno Junqueira crossing the line behind Castroneves and de Ferran, while sixth place was claimed by NASCAR star Stewart. The top-finishing IRL driver was seventh-placed Eliseo Salazar.

The Indy 600 virtually guarantees an eventful race, and the 85th running of the event was no exception.

First, there was the weather. Rain caused a caution

I

motorspori news

IRL

pman

Just the year that Penske comes back too ... Michael Andretti was a contender all day in the Motorola car but had to settle for third.

(Photo by SuHon-lmages)

period between laps 107 and 118, before the deteriorating conditions finally led to the race being stopped on lap 155, delaying the action for a little over 16 minutes.

However, it took only the fragment of time required for the cars to make the first corner ofthe first lap for the race to be turned on its head.

Dropping slightly low on the inside and hampered by cold tyres, pole-sitter Scott Sharp flung his car up the banking and into the wall, where two separate impacts tore off the front right wheel and shredded the sidepod. Race over.

Cold tyres claimed a number of scalps in the early stages of the race, with several departures being accompanied by yellow flag periods.

Sarah Fisher spun on lap 8 and belted the outside wall, cleaning up dual Indy runner-up Scott Goodyear in the process, and eliminating both cars from the

race. Fisher climbed from her wreck unhurt, but Goodyear required some help. Complaining of back pain, he was taken to the medical centre and later found to have sustained a fractured vertebrae.

IRL points leader Sam Hornish Jr lost it on the exit to turn four following a restart on lap 18, causing previous two-time 500 champ AJ Unser Jr to clout the wall at the start of the main straight while trying to avoid him.

Unser had an early shower, but Hornish’s team was able to repair the car and send him back into the fray to pick up some points and retain his title lead.

During the red-flag period, it also seemed that the services of Target Chip Ganassi Racing substitute driver Richie Hearn might be called upon when continued on page 44 43

Indianapolis 500 Indy Briefs SCOTT Sharp's first corner crash puts him in a select group of drivers.

He joins Roberto Guerrero as the only drivers not to complete a lap of the race having started from the pole. At least Sharp took the green flag - Guerrero crashed on the parade lap in 1992 ... n Believe it or not: In all of Roger Penske's victories at Indy, he's never had a 1-2 until 2001. And scoring 11 wins from 27 starts make's Penske a winner 40.7 percent of the time he'd been at Indy...

-

B IRL veteran Davey Hamilton was announced as the winner of the Scott Brayton Trophy during the Indy 500 Victory Celebration after the race. Hamilton, who drives for Sam Schmidt's new team, has started all 47 IRL races since 1996 and received the award for best exemplifying the spirit of the late Brayton.

Buhl and Bruno; Robbie Buhl, above, was looking strong in the final stages but walled the Purex G Force, while rookie Bruno Junqeuira, left, flew the flag high for Team Ganassi, ending up sixth, right behind team mates for the weekend, Jimmy Vasser and Tony Stewart.

E3 Aerosmith's Steven Tyler sung the national anthem prior to the race but also had an involement in one of the cars. Jeff Ward's Heritage Motorsports team picked up backing from the band's new album 'Just Push Play'. The new wild pink and silver paint scheme will be on the car for the rest of the IRL season.

Q Jaques Lazier will stay in the TeamXtreme car for the next two IRL races at Texas and Pikes Peak.

11 On lap 110, Gil de Ferran took the lead, putting a Penske-owned car out front in the Indy 500 for the first time since 1994. Penske teammates Al Unser Jr. and Emerson Fittipaldi combined to lead all but seven laps in 1994 Indy 500.

/

dp-1

(Photos by Suttor.-lmages)

m V held it for 12 laps, increasing his total record of laps led at Indy to 398, and reinforcing his Stewart came in complaining of leg cramps. bittersweet record of having led “I'm okay,” said Stewart later. more laps at the 500 than any other winless driver.

“I couldn't get offthe throttle a He also became one of a select couple oftimes. I thought the throttle gi’oup of drivers who have led at was sticking, but it was my leg.”

Indianapolis in three different The gi-eatest threat to decades.

Castroneves’s lead followed the Andretti’s race came unstuck in eighth and final caution period, when de Ferran seized a chance at the pitlane, when he locked up and the restart to make a bold move clouted the rear of Stewart's car, around the outside that saw the who in turn had been baulked by Castroneves. cars run neck and neck through the first turn.

“Everybody got The caution into a big pile-up,” Andretti said. “I had come about after got the worst of it tl because I was at .

Robbie Buhl, who had been the back ofthe pile.

-Michael Andretti “What I want to in second know is why place and Penske came back the same year I looking strong, spun on the turn did!’ two exit on lap 166.

Castroneves saw off de Ferran’s After claiming the chequered flag, Castroneves competed a victory lap challenge though, and extended and parked his car on the starthis lead on all but the penultimate finish line before leaping out and of the remaining laps, when he pefoiming his trademai’k victory became bogged down in lapped traffic. salute by scaling the fencing.

This time, he was joined by his All up, a total of eight drivers pit crew, who leapt over the pitwall enjoyed a spell at the front, and up the fence in one of the most including, tantalisingly, Andretti, spirited and unorthodox victory who briefly looked like making celebrations in the event’s history.

2001 his year after coming so close “I knew he was going to do so many times in the past. something stupid,” a grinning de He took the lead on lap 49 and continued from page 43

What I want to know is why Penske came back the same year I didi

ANTHONY EDWARDS M Celebrity spotting: Among the celebs at Indy were 'ER' actors Anthony Edwards, Noah Wylie and Erik Palladino. Edwards has a heavy involvement with the Cure Autism Now group, who backed Robby McGehee's car in the race. Also on deck was long-time race fan Tim Allen.

- PHIL MORRIS 44

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Ferran said later. “I just didn't luiow what it would be.”

The Brazilian completed another slow victory lap before pulling into Victory Lane to receive the BorgWarner Trophy and traditional bottle of milk.

“Look at this, guys,” Castroneves said when he received the milk.

“I've been dreaming of this.

“For me, it’s my first win on an oval, so I couldn't have picked a better one,” Castroneves remarked a short while later.

“It's fantastic. I know how important experience is here, so I moiorsporl news

IRL

Around the US in 1100 miles IF his race day schedule is anything to go by, NASCAR star and occasional ' Indy 500 runner Tony Stewart is a guy - with little appreciation for the concept of free time.

TONY STEWART'S INDY RACE DAY; n 10:20 a.m.: Driver introductions. » 10:42 a.m.; Drivers to cars.

10:58 a.m. Pace laps. ( 11 a.m.: Starts race. Runs in the midfield early on, and is elevated to the lead on lap I 47 following a combination of attrition and ( pitstops by frontrunners. He himself pits, and is relegated several positions.

On lap 130, IRL officials move Stewart to the front of the field following a pitlane indiscretion by the Penske cars. Drivers had been instructed in the driver's meeting n to exit their pit stall to the inside lane of the pits. Both Castroneves and de Ferran use the high-speed outside lane, blocking Stewart, who had to brake suddenly and was hit from behind by Michael Andretti.

1:47 p.m.: Rain starts, race halted.

1:48 p.m.; Pulls into pits.

1:50 p.m.; Climbs from car.

Back aboardfor the run to theflag: Stewart gets back in 1:51 p.m.; Runs from car to First Aid . after the rain delay, which tightened his schedulejust a station in Gasoline Alley complaining of leg ; hit, but not enough to put Richie Hearn into the car. cramps.

(I'holo l'S‘ Siilliiii-linogs'yl

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One corner: That was all pole-sitter Scott Sharp lasted ...

(Photo by Jamie Squire/ALLSPORT)

8 June 2001

’I ;

85th Indianapolis 5i Final Results -200 laps

*9

listened a lot to Rick Mears, Bobby Unser and Al Unser Sr. I went to them, and they said the last 50 laps are what counts. So when I was in the lead with 50 laps to go, I said,‘This is mine.’

“My car wasn't the fastest by itself, but it was fantastic in traffic. I just tried to always keep thinking ahead, and we stayed cool and calm all day.”

Roger Penske didn’t climb the fence with his victorious crew,

1;52 p.m.: Receives stretching therapy and a massage that helps alleviate the problem.

1:58 p.m.: Drivers called to return to cars. A passing golf cart gave him a lift, only for Stewart to realise that it was travelling in the wrong direction. He leapt off and sprinted back to the car himself.

2 p.m.; Returns to car for restart.

2:02 p.m.: Climbs back into car.

2:03 p.m.: Cars started. Stewart is in fifth place.

2:48 p.m.; Finishes sixth, climbs from car in the pits. He's a little disappointed with the afternoon's work. “They had a driver that made too many mistakes,” he said. “So it's my fault.”

2:51 p.m.: Arrives at helicopter at helipad in Indianapolis Motor Speedwayinfield.

2:53 p.m.; Takes off in helicopter for airport for flight to Charlotte, N.C., for: ' NASCAR Coca-Cola 600, arrives after the drivers briefing so put to the rear of the .. —i field (43rd). Spins early'but fights thrpU'g'fi.'.'J to finish third as races ends under.liglita St' Feels strong and fresh as opposed to ii 1999 when he did ‘the double’.' :

though if anything, the result ofthe '500 and the open arms with which his great team were welcomed back to the Speedway may have knocked over another couple offences between CAKT,the lEL and the general perception of the two.

Penske described it as the greatest day of his life and you can bet your bottom dollar he’ll be there in 2002 shooting for 12 wins.

Points: Hornish 152, Salazar 131, Giaffone 100, Shai-p 97, Calkins 89.

PCS DRIVER Helio Castroneves 2 Gil de Ferran 3 Michael Andretti 4 Jimmy Vasser 5 Bruno Junqueira 6 Tony Stewart 7 Eliseo Salazar Airton Dare 9 Billy Boat 10 Felipe Giaffone 11 Bobby McGehee 12 Buzz Calkins 13 Arie Luyendyk 14 Sam Hornish Jr 15 Robbie Buhl 16 Mark Dismore 17 Greg Ray 18 Buddy Lazier 19 Cory Witherill 20 JeretSchroeder 21 Robby Gordon 22 Jaques Lazier 23 Davey Flamilton 24 Jeff Ward 25 Donnie Beechler 26 Eddie Cheever 27 Jon Flerb 28 Stephan Gregoire 29 Nicolas Minassian 30 Al UnserJr 31 Sarah Fisher 32 Scott Goodyear 33 Scott Sharp

RAGETIME/LAPS CAR 3hr48ni29s Penske Dallara/Aurora -1.73s Penske Dallara/Aurora - 5.74s Motorola Dallara/Aurora - 13.98s Target G Force/Aurora - 27.26s Target G Force/Aurora - 37.56s Target G Force/Aurora Harrah's Dallara/Aurora 199 laps TeamXtreme G Force/Aurora 199 laps CURB Dallara/Aurora 199 laps 199 laps Hollywood G Force/Aurora Team CAN Dallara/Aurora 199 laps 198 laps Bradley Dallara/Aurora 198 laps Meijer G Force/Aurora Pennzoil Dallara/Aurora 196 laps Purex G Force/Infiniti 196 laps 195 laps Delphi Dallara/Aurora Johns Manville Dallara/Aurora 192 laps Tae-Bo Dallara/Aurora 192 laps Radioshack G Force/Aurora 187 laps PDM Dallara/Aurora 187 laps Conseco Dallara/Aurora 184 laps TeamXtreme G Force/Aurora 183 laps Mi-Jack Dallara/Aurora 182 laps/engine Aerosmith G Force/Aurora 168 laps Harrah's Dallara/Aurora 160 laps/oil leak Excite@Home Dallara/Infiniti 108 laps/electrical EPSON Dallara/Aurora 104 laps/accident 86 laps/oil leak Heritage G Force/Aurora 74 laps/gearbox Target G Force/Aurora StarPak G Force/Aurora 16 laps/accident 7 laps/accident Kroger Dallara/Aurora Grill2Go Dallara/Infiniti 7 laps/accident 0 laps/accident Delphi Dallara/Aurora 45

Phillip Island

WhtepWII I

With two rounds to go in the Konica V8 Supercar Series, David Parsons is looking every inch a championship winner, particularly after taking his second round win of the year at Phillip Island. AARON NOONAN reports from the land of penguins round, while pole-sitter Paul rwi™ Konica V8 Supercar I Series is all about(or mostly about) giving young drivers and crews a chance at picking up experience in the V8 class, though it isn’t a bad thing if you’re a little hit, shall we say, older, and looking to keep your eye in.

David Parsons continues to prove the point that experience beats youth most times with his second round win of the series at Phillip Island, extending his points lead in the championship chase.

The Gibson Motorsport driver won the first race of the day and ran consistently at the front in the other two to take the round win over Team Dynamik’s Simon Wills, who fought back from qualifying dramas to take the other two wins.

His ex-Gibson VT suffered a head gasket problem prior to qualifying on Saturday, forcing the Kiwi to miss the session and line up 22nd and last on the grid. He ran ninth in the first race before the ‘inverted 10’ grid format vaulted him to the front row and two race wins.

Leanne Perrier picked up another consistent round result, the Valvoline driver third for the 46

Dumbrell ended up fourth after taking pole in the Wynn’s VT. He speared off at Honda Corner in race one and recovered to all but snatch the race three win from Wills by 0.0054s, though it was a case of wasting superior car speed.

Ford’s lone hope was Michael Simpson, subbing for Craig Hams in the Castrol Falcon AU while its regular pilot was away overseas with business commitments.

However,the Queenslander was forced out of the weekend with a blown engine in race two after a strong third in the first race.

Practice/Qualifying

A

A s is generally the case for a place like Phillip Island at this time of year, Saturday was cold and, with the skies looking like the/d throw a fit at a minute’s notice, officials decided to combine the two sessions for the fastest and slowest 50 percent of the field into the one, 55-minute, session.

But Simon Wills wouldn’t be taking part...

The Chev V8 under the bonnet was cooking itself in practice, with the Kiwi watching the temperature

ica

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imciiptRCftRStRltSB

rise as far as 130 degrees. An air lock was suspected which caused head gasket failure, so he sat out qualifying and the team went about re-fitting the motor that had been used at the Wakefield Park and Oran Park rounds.

“We’re learning everytime we go to a race so we’ll put this in the memory bank,” said Wills.

Meanwhile, the two Gibson Motorsport cars were going about business as usual, Dumbrell taking his second pole in two rounds with a lm33.9380s, onetenth faster than Steven Richards went in the same car at the beginning of last year.

‘PD’ reported that he was feeling a lot more comfortable with the

motorsport news

Monica vs series nature of the ‘green’ tyre and was getting the most out of it.

“It’s all about getting more accustomed to the cars,” he said.

“My Formula Holden experience is relative. You have one set of tyres and you’ve got to be on it in qualifying.”

Team-mate Parsons filled the front row for Gibson Motorsport, albeit 0.64s off the pace(“we chased a race package and we think we’ve got it”) while Ferrier made leaps forward on her second set of tyres to be third, though 1.1s off Dumbrell.

She speared off twice on her ftrst set of rubber but got it all together when the second set were bolted on.

Dale Brede was fourth in the NRC Holden on his team’s test track, though wasted the second practice session and his first set of tyres in qualifying by going the wrong way on set-up.

“We could have gone quicker but I got held up on the second set,” said the Canberrian.

Things weren’t going as rosy for Owen Kelly. The Winton round winner always knew the VT Commodores would be tough to beat on the fast and flowing Phillip Island layout considering their aerodynamic advantage, but fifth was a bit of a surprise.

He’d had a vibration earlier on which saw his crew change the tailshaft, axles and diff centre and to make matters worse, ended up a spectator after spearing off on his second set of tyres.

“Fd done two laps on the second

Chequered tmes: Wills and Dumbrell, above, were separated by 0.0054s at the end of race three, while Leanne Ferrier, right, jumped back onto the podium after a fourth at Winton and a shocker at Oran Park.

(Photos by Marshall Cass and Dirk Klynsmilh)

Filling in for the weekend: Michael Simpson, below, was the best Ford driver until the Castrol Ford’s engine went silent.

(Photo by Slipstream Photographic)

Champers down the back: Wills and Parsons, left, engage in some bubbly action.

continued on page 48

(Photo by Dirk Klynsmilh)

/Qualifymg i POS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22

NO 80 82 33 90 96 88 63 20 25 48 145 81 59 61 49 89 37 38 72 84 500 73

DRIVER Paul Dumbrell David Parsons Leanne Ferrier Dale Brede

CAR

TIME 1:33.9380 1:34.5789 1:35.0869 1:35.4099 1:35.4346 1:35.5206 1:36.3416 1:36.5285 1:36.7481

Wynn's/GMS Commodore VT GMS Commodore VT Valvoline Commodore VT NRC Commodore VT Biante/JFR Commodore VS Owen Kelly Michael Simpson Castrol Falcon AU Simon Emerzidis Simon's Earthworks Falcon EL One Fone Falcon EL Garry Holt TWR Commodore VS Terry Wyhoon Eddie Abelnica Melb Cheap Cars Commodore VT 1:36.8003 1:37.1462 RPM Falcon EL Aaron McGill 1:37.5007 CTC Commodore VS Tim Rowse 1:38.0615 Team SA Falcon EL Adam Wallis 1:38.3277 3M Falcon EL Ross Halliday 1:38.5435 Shaw Commodore VS Ric Shaw 1:38.9524 Actron Air Falcon AU Kevin Mundy 1:39.2228 Bill Attard Xerox Shop Commodore VS 1:39.3955 MotuI Commodore VS Peter Field 1:41.9530 Smith's Trucks Commodore VS Robert Smith 6:29.5379 Daniel Miller Air-Liquide Commodore VS No Time Alan Heath Coopers Falcon AU No Time Simon Wills Team Dynamik Commodore VT

KV8SSRound4 Pliiiiia Island 47

Phillip Island ’Island Briefs QUIP of the weekend went to Leanne Perrier, At the Saturday post-qualifying press conference the Valvoline driver was asked by Network Ten's Grant Denyer about her fitness, adding that he'd heard that she could out benchpress the whole GRM team.

When Denyer mentioned that it wasn't perhaps a good indication of the crew, Perrier responded with 1 bet I could bench press more than you,,,".

The jockey-sized Trackside host was last seen muttering something about a gym membership for when he got back to Melbourne ...

D Owen Kelly's Commodore had a new backer at the 'Island. Biante Model Cars appeared on the flanks of the JFR VS and will be there for the final two rounds of the series at Lakeside and Mallala. No word whether they're releasing a model of the Tasmanian yet...

Wills at the front of the second race? It was a first considering that Wills had won all three of the opening races at each of the rounds prior to Phillip Island and he didn’t let the opportunity slide.

(Photo by Dirk Ktynsmith) a Walking the pits on Saturday was former Holden Young Lion, Stephen White, above talking with Simon Wills. White, who had his house and all of his possessions destroyed by fire at Australian Grand Prix time earlier in the year, is keen to pick up a ride in the V8 class, his previous experience including two rounds of the Shell Series in 1997 in the HYL Commodore. n Also wandering the pits at Phillip Island was Sports Sedan gun Darren Hossack, Formula Holden front-runner Stewart McColl and Formula Ford standout Jamie Whincup. n The fields for the Konica Series have dropped a little in recent times.

Missing from the Phillip Island round were Phonsy Mullan (car suffered chassis rail and suspension damage from Winton), Scott March (oar looks like being leased for remaining rounds) and Rod Salmon (Falcon AU for sale with increased business commitments). n Disco Dale: NRC Racing's Dale Brede must be the king of flairs and Saturday Night Fever. How else can you explain the disco ball which hangs behind his Commodore's rear view mirror?

-AARON NOONAN 48

continued from page 47

Race 1(12 laps)

set but made a mistake at the Southern Loop and ended up in the sand,” he said.

‘You don’t realise how quick you’re going through there until you’re going through there sideways.”

In the end he was fifth, closely followed by Simpson in the Castrol AU,1.58s off pole. With his own EL about to return from the paint shop after the Winton carnage, the Queenslander was still getting accustomed to the various intricacies of the newer model car.

“The times were even on new and old tyi-es,” he said, adding that the car was faster than him and that he was still getting used to the brake pressure of the car, which was significantly different to that of his own car.

Returning to the category was Simon Emerzidis in his ex-Seton Falcon EL and the New South Welshman took seventh ahead of Garry Holt and Terry Wyhoon.

From there the speed of the cars dropped away, with Eddie Abelnica completing the top 10 ahead of Aai’on McGill (having his second run in the RPM Falcon EL), Tim Rowse and Adam Wallis, returning to the Team SA Ford.

The conditions were aand, lot better looking for Sunday under bluer skies, it was Parsons who swept through the opening few turns to take the lead from his team-mate Dumbrell, with Perrier, Simpson and Kelly in tow. Brede was back to sixth after a tardy start.

If you were looking at the big picture though, the place to look was back in the pack as Wills carefully carved his way through the field, with 10th place or slightly better his goal.

While the GMS cars began their own little dice, it didn’t last long, for Dumbrell screwed up at Honda Corner, spearing off down the escape road and rejoining in sixth.

“I got the brake and throttle at the same time ...” he said later.

That left Truckle to hold out Ferrier to the flag, while Simpson’s car speed was strong, the top Ford driver in third.

However, by lap seven. Wills’job was done and he was up to ninth, just ahead of Shaw. Needless to say, the Team Dynamik machine was lapping a little bit slower than one would expect, especially considering that this would be the first time all season that Wills didn’t win the first race of the day.

Kelly held out Brede and the recovering Dumbrell, while Holt, Wyhoon, Wills and Ric Shaw rounded out the top 10.

Race 2(12 laps)

R

ace two was all pretty predictable. Wills got a good start and shot off in the lead, while the rest of his rivals with similar car speed were stuck fighting their way through the traffic to get to the front.

But rather than any other white Commodores doing the chasing, this time it was a white Ford, with Simpson in fact blowing away both Wyhoon and Shaw down the Gardner Straight on lap 2 to take second and go after Wills.

Parsons, Dumbrell and Ferrier, who picked off Wyhoon on lap 7 having been stuck behind him for a little while, led the pack of chasers.

Wills was really in ‘keep it straight and drive it clean’ mode, though a big understeer moment through turn two helped Simpson close the gap.

It didn’t mean anything in the scheme of things though.

The Ford came to a smoking halt at Honda Corner with just one a half laps to run with a blown engine which meant the end of the weekend for Simpson and a runner-up position for Parsons, molorsport newt

Monica vs series

Wham bam: ¥im Rowse and Allan Heath didn't spare the spoilers ...

(Photoby GhriS'Gartar]

with Dumbrell and Ferrier holding station behind.

Kelly was forced to fight back from the rear of the field after being bounced into the grass off the start by Dumbrell,following Wyhoon and Brede seventh However, the highlight of the race was undoubtedly a four-way dice a bit further back down the road involving Alan Heath, Tim Rowse,Aaron McGill and Kevin

Mundy. The first duo banged everything that can be banged on a V8 Supercar, the result ending in the favour of the Ford driver in eighth, with Rowse ninth.

The Warragul Holden driver has been very impressive in his older ex-Perkins VS and the race further underlined his speed. Add his results to those of fellow VS’er Wyhoon and the old Holden still isn’t an entirely bad option ...

Race 3(12 laps) Despite smoking begin the third the and tyi'es final to race, Wills again ran fi’om the front of the pack, with Parsons in pursuit.. though it soon became very apparent that ‘Truckle’s’ tyres had seen far better days, as he struggled to hold onto the back of

the Kiwi.

But the man to watch was Dumbrell.

He grabbed third from Fenner when she made a mistake and ran wide, and then took his more experience team-mate at Honda Corner on lap nine. Parsons leaving a gap big enough, well, to drive a truck through and not wanting to hold up the Wynn’s driver.

By the time Dumbrell set off after Wills the gap out to over two seconds, but Wills had a vibration which was slowing him, and, adding to that the fact that Dumbrell was reeling off a string of lm35s, it was going to be a close-run thing.

Wills tried to slow him down coming out of the final turn but his former Formula Holden rival sling-shotted himself out of the slipstream in a last-gasp effort to snatch the race win.

But even if he had finished

continued on page 50

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Phillip Island

>5,

Konica Rd 4

A Phillip Island c/s

RK8 1(U MH) PQS DfliyER RACniME/UPS 19:25.4181 1 Parsons 19:25.9260 2 Farrier 19:28.7488 3 Simpson 19:36.1372 4 Kelly 19:37.1740 5 Brede 19:38.5548 6 Dumbrell 19:50.9541 7 Holt 19:51.4588 8 Wyhoon 19:53.8945 9 Wills 20:01.4910 10 Shaw 20:09.4005 11 Heath 20:10.4993 12 Bowse 20:10.6450 13 Mundy 20:10.8451 14 Emerzidis 20:12.3609 15 McGill 20:18.8756 16 Halliday 20:20.6002 17 Abelnica 18 Field 20:23.3431 20:33.5663 19 Attard 20:41.8443 20 Smith DNS Wallis, Miller

EiSTEST 1:35.8208* 1:35.8548 1:36.3114 1:36.7047 1:36.8384 1:35.8998 1:36.7859 1:37.6837 1:37.4489 1:38.0907 1:38.1959 1:38.9431 1:38.6662 1:37.9433 1:39.3245 1:38.8763 1:38.3490 1:40.2248 1:39.7827 1:41.0476

Usee 2(12 IH<) 1 Wills 2 Parsons 3 Dumbrell 4 Ferrier 5 Brede 6 Wyhoon 7 Kelly 8 Heath 9 Bowse 10 Holt 11 Mundy 12 McGill 13 Shaw 14 Abelnica 15 Emerzidis 16 Halliday 17 Attard 18 Field 19 Smith DNF Simpson DNS Wallis, Miller

1:35.8597 1:36.0183 1:35.3623* 1:36.0017 1:36.4472 1:36.6565 1:36.8416 1:37.7547 1:37.9294 1:37.1720 1:37.5610 1:37.0230 1:38.0903 1:37.8373 1:37.4761 1:38.5812 1:39.9166 1:40.6872 1:40.3686 1:35.9676

Q3

19:27.3154 19:29.9513 19:30.2177 19:34.3529 19:36.2652 19:36.6803 19:51.7351 19:54.1458 19:56.5361 19:57.9638 19:58.0573 19:58.1905 19:58.7222 20:02.4958 20:07.6678 20:08.1155 20:27.5078 20:27.9172 21:04.3722 10 laps

Bks 3(12 IMS) 1 Wills 19:29.3598 1:36.3549 2 Dumbrell 19:29.3654 1:35.7298* 3 Parsons 19:314518 1:36.6318 4 Ferrier 19:32.6546 1:36.1317 5 Brede 19:42.1748 1:36.0804 19:48.6157 1:36,7329 6 Kelly 7 Heath 19:49.3769 1:37.5506 8 Bowse 19:50.1326 1:37.5173 9 Emerzidis 19:55.4501 1:37.8254 19:56.3018 1:37.3753 10 Mundy 19:57.1968 1:36.8701 11 Wyhoon 12 Shaw 19:58.1383 1:38.0865 20:27.4274 1:39.2157 13 Halliday 14 Field 20:34.6039 1:41.2527 15 Attard 20:42.3990 1:40.8370 16 McGill 1:38.3891 10 laps DNF Abelnica 1:39.1053 8 laps DNF Holt 1:38.0771 3 laps DNS Wallis, Smith, Miller, Simpson Points: Parsons 858, Dumbrell 788, Wills 784, Kelly 736, Ferrier 702, Brede 692, Wyhoon 606, Simpson 490, Holt 482, Bowse 470, Halliday 464, Attard 432, Shaw 420, Heath 402, Harris 384, Mundy 368, Mullan 318, Bose 260, Abelnica 236, March 222, Miller 218, Sieders 198, Field 190, McGill 176, Donaher 164, Wallis 140, Emerzidis 122, Cooper 114, Full 110, Mork94,Smith 82, Crick 20.

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continued from page 49

5And the Fords just keep falling off: Kevin Mundy took to the grass, 3bove, while Simon Emerzidis, below, slipped off in pursuit of Garry Holt.

(Photos by Marshall Cass and Chris Carter)

0.0054s (the gap between the two at the end)closer to Wills, it either wouldn’t have mattered or there would have been a long night at the Steward’s Room.

It was a white flag though and no a yellow one so no more Eastern Creek-like controversy McGill had earlier run off and damaged the splitter of the #145 Falcon and he pulled up on the main straight to wait for the finishers to take the chequer, not wanting to run another lap.

A white flag flew, indicating a slow moving vehicle, though everybody thought it was a yellow, but that didn’t stop Dumbrell from trying to steal the 'win, which he just missed out on in one of closest finishes in V8 Supercar history.

In fact, Wills thought the flag was yellow, while Dumbrell didn’t see it at all!

“You just tiy to win by the smallest possible margin, really,” said Wills at the post-race press conference, his tongue not far from being firmly wedged in his cheek.

The vibration just got wors« and it affected my straight-line speed. I saw the flag coming out of the last corner and thought ‘na, he won’t give it a go’, but he did! Good » on him for trying!

Parsons tip-toed around on the dying rubber to hold out the charging Ferrier for third(who

'took third for the round), while Brede, Kelly(who again had to fight through the field after early 'race contact with the NRC car), ®eath, Rowse, Emerzidis and IMundy completed the top 10.

The result pushed Parsons a little further clear of Dumbrell in ’the title chase, with Lakeside and (Mallala to come.

“After the third or fourth lap I was starting to struggle and Paul got underneath me,” said Parsons.

“A few more laps and I reckon Xeanne could have done me (as

well).

The Shell Series circus hasn’t “visited Lakeside or Mallala since T998 so the top teams in the (Konica Series with newer model

cars won’t have a truckload of data to draw on, which should close the front runners up at least for a little while and help throw a couple more up the front.

Throw Wayne Wakefield into the mix in Queensland as well as it being the home tracks for Harris and Simpson, and the championship is quite as clear-cut as it seems with plenty of points up for grabs in the final six races.

The final two rounds of the series will be worth watching, though catching the consistent Parsons will be hard.

And we all thought Craig Lowndes was the only guy who would be doing any winning for Gibson Motorsportin 2001 ...

Contact your state's karting office for details

A

feniiii’ The Australian Karting Association Inc For information about karting & how to get started call NSW

02 9623 4351

VIC

03 9362 1144 www.vka.asn.au

QLD

07 3844 8507 www.akaqld.asn.au

TAS

03 6272 6848

SA

08 8242 3513

WA

08 9409 4441

hn|)i//wrtwjrxhjx.4 ouVscn/ALjv.i'irxk'x.Nin

NT

08 8978 2916

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Malty of Cyprus

OLIN McRae has moved in to contention for the World Rally Championship with a brilliant tactical win in the Cyprus Rally.

McRae paced himself over the first two legs to be in the box seat at number two on the road behind Subam’s Richard Burns for the final day to avoid the burden of sweeping the road clean.

Once again, road position, or lack of it, went a long way to deciding a WRC event, prompting more calls to have the FIA sort out what is fast becoming the most contentious issue in world rallying.

The Scot’s win places him just seven points behind series leader Tommi Makinen who failed to score a point after crashing out on Day 1.

Burns paid dearly for leading the field through the final stages and followed McRae home, while Ford’s Carlos Sainz took third.

The Spaniard is now within one point of Makinen, while Ford takes a useful lead at the top of the Manufacturers’ standings.

Aussie navigator Glenn Macnell had a great result, taking fourth with Japanese driver, Toshi Arai.

52

Day 1

Fetter Solberg and Kenneth Eriksson were the early pacesetters, but Marcus Gronholm reminded everyone he was the World Champion by taking the lead with a fastest time on SS3, while Solberg was soon out with a barbequed Subaru on the same stage after an oil leak found his exhaust system.

Erikkson’s run didn’t last either; the new Hyundai Evo lost turbo boost on SS4, dropping to eighth after losing two minutes. There was more bad news for MSD, when Piero Liatti stopped with a blown engine and Alister McRae was 14th and struggling with the handling of his Accent.

But the big retirement came a stage later; after damaging his suspension on SS2, Makinen rolled down an embankment after missing a fast right-hander, retiring on the spot.

The big news was tyres, with the rocky conditions leaving drivers searching for grip.

“We had no tread left for SS4,” explained Eriksson. “It made it

Playing it hard: McRae and Nicky Grist took their second straight win the Scot sticking doggedly to a plan to not lead the first two days.

The Lancer has Landed: Makkinen had his worst run of the season, ending the event with a beached Mitsubishi on Day 1.

(Photo by Sutton-lmages)

● ^ ●-]

motorsport news

WORLD RALLY very hard under braking near the end. It's very hot, the roads are very hard and it’s solid rock, which really kills the tyres.”

Gronholm surged through the end stages and took time to change a gearbox, but kept top spot - and first car status for Day 2- at the end of the day.

Day 2

Sainz and Burns started fast, with the Brit taking the lead, while Peugeot’s hopes now rested with Gronholm after Didier Auriol in sixth had his 206 overheat and, eventually, retire.

The third Pug, that of Harri Rovanpera, had already parked permanently with suspension failure on Day 1.

Ford tried to even the score, Francois Delecour stopping with an engine failure, but McRae gave the blue oval a boost by taking 7s off new leader Burns on SS12. It was stalemate; McRae was close enough to be able to challenge on the final day, while Burns was stuck in the lead and, hence, would have the problem of sweeping the stages on Day 3.

The other challengers were Sainz and Gronholm, both within striking range, and setting up a grandstand finish ...

Day 3

Anyone with any doubts about what was happening only had to look at the opening stage times to realise that Burns was a sitting duck.

McRae started conservatively, taking back Is on the opening stage, but he was fastest by 7.8s on SS16, while Gronholm was in third but catching both Burns and McRae. But, despite Gronholm having better ‘track position’, tyre wear was tipping the equation in favour of the two leaders. The Pirellis on the Fords and Subarus were wearing better than Gronholm’s Michelins and that was proving to be an advantage, but the Finn settled the argument, slowing on SS18 and stopping on SS19. Fuel pressure problems led to the car’s

Results 1 2 3 4 5 6

Colin McRae/Nicky Grist Richard Burns/Robert Roid Carlos Sainz/Luis Moya Toshi Arai/Glenn Macneal Freddy Loix/Sven Smeets Pasi Hagstroem/Tero Gardemeister

retirement and Peugeot packed up to head home.

Burns was philosophical; “Basically, we haven't got as much grip as the cars running behind us, but there's not much you can do about that,” he said.

“We’re driving as hard as we can and I think we’re done the stages pretty near perfect.

“If it was a level playing field.

I'd like to think we’d have a good go at Colin, but it’s not.”

On SS21, McRae settled the issue; he was 8s faster than the Subaru and that was that. At least Burns would not have to face Sainz, the Spaniard having two punctures on the penultimate stage, leaving him in third as McRae cruised home to his second successive win.

“Tactics played a very big part,” admitted Ford Rally boss Malcolm Wilson. “You can't take anything away from Colin's performance, but there was a psychological battle last night over who would run first on the road and we won it.”

Great news for Australian fans was the result for Aral and Macneall. The Japanese driver and Aussie navigator were fourth in their Subaru, while Pasi Hagstroem who won the privateers’ class in his Corolla ahead of Alister McRae’s works Hyundai and both factory Skodas.

Makinen continues to lead the title despite not scoring in Cyprus but now has a slim one point advantage on Sainz in second with McRae now third and Burns fourth.

The championship moves just a short distance across the Mediterranean to Greece for the next round in a fortnight.

TWO Aussies, Glenn MacNeal and Claire Parker(who, ironically, were married to each other until recently) performed brilliantly as co-drivers in Cyprus.

MacNeal (with Japanese hero Toshi Arai, above)finished a superb fourth while Parker guided British driver Natalie Barrett to 22nd outright and eighth in Group N. The result makes Barrett the first woman to score points in the FIA Teams Cup after taking third in the class.

-JON THOMSON

: - «

M

a

Keeping an eye: If we are supposed to think that it was a straight fight (Photos by Sutton-lmages) up the front, what does this sign mean then?

Colin and Rich go at it

& Ford Focus Subaru Impreza Ford Focus Subaru Impreza Mitsubishi Lancer Toyota Corolla

5h07m32.7s 5h07m49.1s 5h07m59.2s 5hl3ml1.0s 5hl3m42.9s 5hl7m05.2s

Drivers' points: Makinen 27, Sainz 26, McRae 20, Burns 15, Rovanpera and Auriol 10, Delecour 9, Loix 7.

Manuiacturers' points: Ford 50, Mitsubishi 47, Subaru 22, Peugeot 20, Hyundai 10, Skoda 9.

WRC Round 6 Rally of Cyprus 8 June 2001

Aussies abroad

AT the official post-rally press conference, winner McRae and runner-up Burns were in open disagreement over the validity of McRae's tactic of slowing up at the end of day two to avoid the number one starting position on day three.

The tactic is almost certain to come into play again at the next WRC event, the Acropolis, "There's not much difference between car one and car two on the road, but it's always nicer when the gaps are small to be the one coming from behind," said

McRae

Burns vehemently disagreed, saying that under normal circumstances, "I don't think that there's a single stage in the entire world championship where Colin would say he could take a second per kilometre off me, like he did on the third stage today, in a straight fight," McRae's reply to the question of whether he would have won starting first was succinct, and will quite possibly add to any psychological needle match developing between the two British stars; "Yes."

33

..M: n

WRC changes Three cars for all events in 2002?

THE World Rally Commission has proposed some interesting changes that could change the complexion of the World Championship in the next few years.

Most interestingly, the commission has proposed that manufacturer teams run all events in the championship and not pick and choose events, as has happened with Skoda and Hyundai.

The proposal also specifies that each maker nominate two drivers for the season and three cars per rally, with the third car to be driven by other drivers during the year. All three cars will be eligible for manufacturers’ points.

This would mean that threecar works teams would become the norm on WRC events from 2002.

The proposal means that Peugeot has won its argument after the French maker championed the idea with the commission.Agreement was not unanimous, as the change will make it increasingly necessary for teams to run

three cars if they want to win the Makes crown and consequently significantly increase budgets.

Ralliart has admitted that the chance of it running three cars is slim because Mitsubishi is unlikely to run three cars on a regular basis.

But as Ford’s Malcolm Wilson pointed out, Skoda is the only works team which did not enter three cars in Cyprus, while Subaru’s David Lapworth says that the budget increase from two to three cars is not huge.

Hyundai,on the other hand, believes that the decision is an indication that the Commission is too heavily weighted in favour of the bigger (and richer) teams.

The commission has also granted RaUy Australia a dispensation to come up with its own seeding system for leg two and three to prevent sledging on the early stages in a bid to avoid being first car and sweeping the roads on the critical final day.

- JON THOMSON

ecce in style

FORD'S WRC operation is considering using Jaguar's new X-type small sedan as a replacement for its ageing Escort Cosworth recce cars.

Malcolm Wilson's operation will be getting rid of the Group N Escorts at the end of the year and, without a suitable production Ford replacement, Colin and Carlos could be practising in Jaguars - or even Volvos - next season.

World Rally Championship rules stipulate that recce cars

54

are near-standard, which means that four-wheel drive can't be fitted to a car that is sold only in two-wheel drive.

Peugeot found itself in a similar position and uses Mitsubishi Lancers for practice.

While Colin McRae is said to favour the woodgrain and leather of the Jag, below, teamboss Wilson is edging towards the Volvo and an S70 will arrive at his team headquarters for evaluation shortly.

-JON THOMSON

> f*.

4*

. ' / '1

/

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Spencer for hire: Spencer Lowndes will strengthen Mitsubishi’s ARC campaigr

Lowndes

by JON THOMSON

THE question ofjust who would get the second Ralliart Mitsubishi drive in the ARC has been at least partially answered with news that Melbourne-based driver Spencer Lowndes has been given the drive at the Rally of Queensland.

Subject of enormous speculation over the past few months following Mitsubishi’s decision to test a horde of‘young guns’, the decision to go with Lowndes for Queensland may not be a permanent one.

Lowndes has been told that his drive in the car that Ed Ordynski ran last year is just for one event at this stage.

However,it is believed that if the 27-year-old performs to expectations he could secure the seat on a permanent basis.

According to Mitsubishi Australia’s marketing manager Kevin Taylor, the Lowndes announcement will strengthen the team’s Manufacturer’s Championship chances against Subaru.

“Spencer has been selected to drive the second Lancer in Queensland. He’s an extremely capable driver and we have expectations that he’ll do very well,” said Taylor.

Lowndes was obviously ecstatic at being given the chance to drive the number two Mitsubishi in Queensland.

“It is fantastic and it is really now up to me to prove I can do the job,” he said.

“It was difficult on the testing day. With so many fast young drivers trying to show they could do the job, it was hard knowing just how fast to drive and what the Ralliart people wanted to see.

“I was very conscious that it was important not to do anything stupid and, obviously, I didn’t, otherwise I wouldn’t have gotten the nod.”

Lowndes has been rall3ring for six years and, in case you don’t know,is no relation to Supercar pilot Craig.

He started his rally career in a Ford Escort before quickly moving to a Mazda 323 turbo 4WD,but has been faithful to the Mitsubishi marque since moving to the ARC arena. moiorsport news

u i >''

RALLY NEWS

ArCom forum The Pros and the others

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ARCom chairman Garry Connelly will host a rally forum at Sydney’s Auburn RSL Club.

Everything from safety, insurance, the environment to vehicle Eligibility and events will be discussed.

The forum will run from 12:30pm to 5:00pm on Saturday, June 23, enabling country-based competitors to get to Sydney to take part. No invitation is necessary and everyone is welcome to attend.

A similar forum will be held in Victoria in the near future.

-JON THOMSON

A PROPOSAL to limitWorld Rally Championship entries to a maximum of 90 cars has received the backing of TV rights holder David Richards, who says that amateur and professional rallying will most likely develop in different ways.

"There will be a different kind of rallying evolving for amateur drivers because the requirements of the amateur and the professional will not be met by a single rally," says Richards.

"I can see the appeal of all-night, long-distance rallies, but for

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professional WRC events,that is not the future," he added.

“I applaud the idea of an oldfashioned RAC Rally forthe clubmanand if there's a demand forthat,the national motor sport authorities will provide it.

"I would question running them side by side. It could even be a qualifying event with, say,the top 10 automatically qualifying for their WRC rally.

"I see this change is an opportunity to advance things," he said.

-JONTHOMSON

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Jylia back in a Peygeot?

JUHA Kankkunen could be back behind the wheel of a Peugeot for the first time in over 10 years if a deal to drive a Grifone 206 Peugeot on this year's Rally Finland comes off.

Kankkunen is contemplating a run in the semi-private Peugeot but only if he can't get a works drive.

The 42-year-old Finn won the first of his four world titles in a Peugeot 205T16 back in 1986 but was shelved by Subaru at the start of this year leaving him without a drive.

Kankkunen won his home rally just two years ago for Subaru, but was deemed to be too old to enjoy a full-time drive, despite demonstrating his pace in 1999 and last year.

- JOIM THOMSON

8 June 2001

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We’ve waited six long years. Finally South Australia has once again

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landed a round of the Australian Rally Championship.

The 2001 Coopers Pale Ale Rally SA has already drawn the big

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names of the sport including reigning Australian champ Possum Bourne, .V

Adelaide’s Ed Ordynski, as well as Cody Crocker, Neal Bates, Dean Heixidge and Stewart Reid.

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So come and see the Subarus, Mitsubishis, Toyotas, Holdens and Fords ''s'

flying high and getting sideways in the Mt. Crawford forest and at a

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Tickets shirt at $16.50 plus BASS booking fee. To book, call 131 246 or visit www.bass.sa.com.au. If you wish to compete or ai'e interested in

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a corporate hospitality package, call the Rally Office on (08) 8340 4899.

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55

!f determination wasl^tal^bn a^Jiuman form, It would iook a lot like Darrell Gwynn. JON ASHER caught up with him for a chat about iife as a team owner, the NY Yankees deai, and the accident that left Gwynn wheelchair-bound.,. competing on the WHEN NHRA Jerry circuit Gwynn with his was ‘Baby Huey’roadster, a little kid coidd usually be seen, tagging along, begging to be allowed to do anything that had to do with the race car.

As that young man reached high school age, he stopped asking if he could help, because by then he’d become an integral part of the family’s race team.

A short time later, young Darrell Gwynn finally got his chance behind the wheel. His impact is evident in any NHRA record book you pick up,from his numerous victories in alcohol dragsters, to his selections to the All-Star Drag Racing Team.

When he made the transition to Top Fuel, everyone who followed the sport realised they were watching the beginning of a legend. Good looking, with an endless smile and whip-smart, Darrell Gwynn appeared to have the world by the tail. His charisma was magical.

Few were surprised when Kenny Bernstein asked Gwynn to join him in a two-car Budweiser effort. ‘King Kenny’ would remain in his Funny Car, and Darrell would carry the Bud banner into the Top Fuel wars. It appeared to be an ideal pairing, and for Gwynn it was mostly all good. He knew how to drive, and in Bernstein he 56

had the ideal mentor when it came to learning the intricacies of marketing and promotions. Like a sponge, Gwynn absorbed valuable lessons fi-om Bernstein, including one that, at the time, was a bitter pill to swallow.

Having decided that he would soon switch to Top Fuel himself, Bernstein was smart enough to realise that he couldn’t fire Gwynn at the end of one season, and six weeks later begin competing with a dragster himself. It would have been a public relations A m an in demand: Gwynn being interviewed by David Rieff for ESPN. nightmare, so instead, he {Photo by Jon Asher) dumped Gwynn a full year before his own switch in brewer’s interest up! the controls of a Mopar Partsclasses would come. backed fueler, a car that seriously But, it all came to an abrupt end contended for the NHRA Winston From the outside it looked like on a windswept day at Santa Pod Raceway in England. Appearing in championship. The team scored so Gwynn got a raw deal, but well that crew chief Ken Veney and an exhibition race, Gwynn’s car unbeknownst to almost everyone, Dunn were both elected to the Allliterally broke in half, catapulting Bernstein was tirelessly working Star Drag Racing Team. behind the scenes to line up a the remains into the guardwall at Dan-ell, who had appeai-ed on a huge speed. Darrell Gwynn sponsor for Gwynn. Deep down, he the team as both Alcohol Dragster knew he owed him that much, and would never walk again. and Top Fuel Driver, would receive Within days of his return to he scored with, of all companies, one more All-Star honomy the Miami, where his plane was met Coors Brewing. In reality, it was a prestigious Ollie Award, by a huge mob of reporters, mark of Bernstein’s intelligence, because while his first intention emblematic of one’s career-long Bernstein was on the phone contributions to the sport. This is assuring Gwynn that, personal was to help his young friend, he not an award presented lightly, differences aside, the first priority also realized that bringing Coors was to get Darrell well. and in this instance, precedents into the fray would keep Budweiser interested. were broken by the fact that not As everyone knows, Gwynn returned to action as a team owner only Darrell won the award, but it There’s nothing like a little with the talented Mike Dunn at was also presented to his parents brand competition to keep a

molorsDort news

DRAG RACING Another age: Gwynn in his Coors Extra Gold Special at the 1990 NHRA Gatornationals (left), less than a month before his career ending crash in England.

Front row seat: Gwynn (behind car) keeps a close watch as Dunn launches the La Victoria Salsa machine at the 1993 Southern Nationals in Atlanta (below).

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In tune: Gwynn’s tuner Ken Veney (below, left). “He (Gwynn) shut the car off on a qualifying run, so when we got down there to pick him up I asked him why he did that. He told me it was gonna smoke the tyres, so I looked at the printout, and sure enough the driveshaft speed had started to climb. He was a natural all the way,” Veney recalled a decade later.

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as well. For his father Jerry, in recognition of his talents as both driver and team manager, and for his mother, Joan, because of her unstinting efforts on behalf of the Drag Racing Association of Women.

When Gwynn was informed that his Mopar deal would not be renewed, many expected that his team wouldn’t race again, but that’s when he became most determined. Veney turned to building a few tractor pulling engines to keep himself busy, and Darrell kept other teams away from Dunn by paying his salary, despite not having a sponsor.

'That all changed when just before Indy last year it was announced that Hank Steinbrenner and his father, George, would sponsor Gwynn racing for the next three seasons in a car that would carry New York Yankees pinstripes in blue and gold.

Thus far in 2001, all Dunn has accomplished are two race victories and the honour of having scored

(Photos by Jon Asher)

the fastest speed in drag racing history of 331.61mph. As if that weren’t enough, at the Advance Auto Pai-ts Nationals at Heartland Park Topeka Dunn scored the quickest elapsed time ever under the 90 percent nitro i-ule, a 4.495s, and the fourth quickest overall.

Proving that his earlier speed mark was no fluke, Dunn rocketed to a 331.53 on that run, but alas, when the team switched from qualifying to race mode, their performances slowed just enough to prevent back-up runs for official records.

Still, no one is likely to forget these efforts in the near future.

Not a bad start, eh?

MS NEWS: It’s been 11 years since your injury. What’s your life like today?

GWYNN: Life for me now is certainly better than it was right after I was injured. Amazingly enough, even to this day I’m learning more all the time about how to improve the quality of my

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life. From emotional things, to physical things and even mechanical things, things are better now.

Obviously, I’ve got a lot of things to be thankful for at home with my new beautiful baby of almost three years of age (daughter Katie Brianne).

She wants me to leave my office early every day so I can come home and spend time with her. Even after a bad day of racing, when I come home there’s a lot of smiles on everyone’s face.

MN: We were surprised by how outspoken you were in a recent article about the loss of your Mopar deal. What caused you to talk that openly about that kind of thing?

DG: That relationship (with Mopar) was six months over by then, and when Jerry Garrett from Autoweek came to me and asked about it, he caught me on a candid day. You can’t hide the truth about what goes on behind the scenes, and those were the facts. I’m thankful for what Mopar did for

us, but this N.Y YankeesSteinbrenner thing wouldn’t have happened for us without their leaving.

MN: Tell us what you were doing during the time you were without a sponsor.

DG; As successful as we were from the performance and race team standpoints, 1999 was a very good year for us. We had a lot of loyal people working with us, and we didn’t want to see this(team) break up even though the sponsor was going away. Everybody kinda himg in there.

Some people got side jobs, and others just hung in there. The key players were still in place to go out and make our team successful at some point, and that’s really how this whole Steinbrenner-Yankees thing came about.

They were interested in motorsports, and I think they were impressed by all the loyalty our team was showing, and I also think they liked the fact that we were in south Florida.

When you think that no one’s continued on page 58 57

Darrell Gwynn the track is good. So, the team headed to Memphis to run on the watching and listening, and you Monday following the think no one loves you, suddenly national event there, the Steinbrenners call you and say, where guys had been ‘Hey, you’ve got everybody in place running 4.50s and the down there, and we’ve been like. On one of our first reading about you, and it’s runs out there the car unfortunate that you haven’t put a ran 275 miles an hour to deal together yet, so why don’t you half track, and at that come up (to New York) and talk to time nobody had even us about your team.’ run 270 to half track It was pretty refreshing to know under the 90 percent that someone had been paying rule, so we thought we attention to us. were really, really fast, Bittersweet: The Mopar years (above) provided some good results but came to an or there’s a clock problem! unhappy end.

MN: Did you know Hank We made one full run (Photos by Jon Asher) Steinbrenner before the phone and the car ran 4.64, but call?

Vegas the thing ran DG: We had been talking for about the clocks were way wrong, because it actually ran a 325, and it had two a year prior to the call. They had low fifty. They placed the computer had an interest in our team, and cylinders out when it readout from the 4.64 over a 4.54 we’d stayed in touch with them, got to the finish line. run we’d made the previous year, That car really wants but we certainly had no idea what and the intervals were right there. to run. I don’t think their time frame was going to be. we’ve scratched the They’d just told us that maybe MN: Why did your team make surface of what this some day we could do something those few appearances last together. car is capable of season instead of waiting for We’re being very big debut at this year’s IMN: When the Yankees conservative at this Winternationals? program came together, and time. We just want to DG: Because we had so much to win some rounds and you guys began testing, there learn about running the car under some races. were a lot offrustrating the 90% rule. We thought we’d try results. Tell us about that.

To be honest, this to get a lot of the bugs worked out DG: We went to Gainesville car is a weak dog to before the season began so we Raceway, and even though that half track. We really could come out and try to win the track can be one of the best in the haven’t been able to 2001 Winston championship. We country, at the time the track, for get after the clutch wanted to make an all-out assault some reason, wasn’t right. the way we’d like to on this year’s championship. either. I have told It was our first experience with the 90 percent nitro rule, and we our guys to start Fatherly touch: Jerry Gwynn gets his fingers MN: Where did the 331 mile didn’t know if we were making getting nasty with it! dirty per hour run come from? enough power, but the car seemed Our main guys, Ken (Photo by Jon Asher) DG: We’d been knockin’on the like it wanted to run.

Veney, Todd Smith and door to do that this whole year.

After 25 or 30 attempts there Mike Sullivan and I are time we’ll be able to maximize.

We’d run some low 320s at some of (with tyre smoking results), we like,‘Wovr, if we can ever get it all Even in a 10-year period I’m not the other races during the course just threw up our hands in disgust pulled together on one run this car sure we could do all of the things of the year. At the and said, we’ve just got to go is capable of some mind-boggling we’ve talked about doing already.

Summitracing.com Nationals in somewhere else, where we know numbers, certainly a mid 4.40 at about 330. I don’t think it can run MN: What did winning the 4.45 and over 330 at the same Ollie Award mean to you and time, but anything’s possible. your parents?

DG: That was pretty cool. That was another case of not having a MN: Who do you think your main competition is? sponsor, sitting at home, and wondering if anyone had ever paid DG: Right now there’s about 15 cars we’re worried about, because attention to Jerry Gwynn as a race car driver, Jerry Gwynn as a we can beat ourselves on any given father. Mum as a mum,and Mum day. as the treasurer of DRAW, and my wife Lisa as the woman behind MN: How long is your program with the N.Y. Yankees? everything I did.

You really begin to wonder if DG: It’s a three year program. anyone’s ever noticed those things.

But, to be sitting on the sidelines MN: What’s your plan beyond and get that award was really the end of the three year special. period?

DG: Well, we’d like to see this MN: How long do you want to progi’am continue on. It’s a great stay actively involved as a program for NHRA Winston drag team owner? racing to have the sport of baseball DG: Probably for five to 10 years. in drag racing. It’s a unique After that I’m going to go to Isle marriage between two fathers and Mirada down in the (Florida) Keys two sons. There’s a lot of unique and watch my daughter gi’ow up, The start of something big: Dunn in the La Victoria Salsa machine early things about this, and there’s a lot and have fun! Then I’ll let my wife in his partnership with Gwynn. of unique marketing opportunities (Photo by Jon Asher) pay the bills for a little while! that I don’t think in three year’s continued from page 57

58

motorsport news

DRAG RACING All set for Winternationals

Tony io-back IN a final round, beer-brand battle for the points lead, Kenny Bernstein’s ‘Budweiser King’dragster motored to a winning 4.62/317 to down the 4.64/313 from the Miller Lite car of Larry Dixon at the Advance Auto Parts Nationals at Topeka on May 27.

It was Bernstein’s second win in two weeks, the veteran being joined on the winners’list by Tony Pedregon in Funny Car, Ron KiTsher in Pro Stock and Don Smith, who took his first Pro Stock Truck victory.

Bernstein was very consistent on race day, recording 4.61/318, 4.62/317 and 4.68/313 wins over John Smith, Darrell Russell and low qualifier, Mike Dunn. Dixon made his way to the final round with victories over Rhonda Hartman-Smith, Doug Kalitta and Gary Scelzi.

Dunn,the low qualifier, stunned the crowd by recording tbe fourth quickest time and second fastest speed in drag racing history.

The N.Y. Yankees dragster stopped the Heartland Park Topeka timers at 4.495 seconds and 331.53 mph. The pass is the first in the .40s since the 90 percent nitrous rule.

Tony Pedregon took out his boss, John Force, in the Funny Car final round for the second straight event, recording a winning 4.91/309 to defeat Force, who lost traction and slowed to a 6.03/246.

It was Pedregon’s 12th career win and first at Topeka. The win also propelled the team to sixth place in the standings.

“I think this will erase any speculation about multi-car teams and whether there’s real racing out there,” Pedregon said.

8 June 2001

Job security?

Pedregon (above) beat his boss for the seco nd time * straight.

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You’re gonna kick whose butt?

Pedregon’s crew chief John Medlen shoots the breeze with his counterpart from Force's car, Austin Coil.

(Photos by David Oslaszewski)

Pedregon qualified second, posting a 4.823 at 324.83 mph. The speed was the fastest ever recorded by a Funny Car and a 4.88/320 first round win over Bruce Sarver was the closest Pedregon came to backing up the speed for a new record. The Castrol Syntec Mustang also defeated Johnny Gray and RonCapps.

Force low qualified his Castrol Mustang at 4.80/316 in yet another record quick field and trounced the two biggest opponents of his three car operation in the early rounds.

A 4.95/305 sent Chuck Etchells packing and a 4.85/319 trailered Whit Bazemore. Force then used a 4.97/300 to defeat Tim Wilkei'son.

Ron Krisher gi-abbed his first Pro Stock victory of 2001 with a final round win over Mark Pawuk.

Krisher recorded a winning 6.96/198 while Pawuk, who appeared to have the race in hand after a huge .481 to .542 holeshot, got out of the gi'oove and very close to the wall, slowing to a 7.07A97.

Krisher’s Eagle One Chevy Cavalier defeated George Marnell, Mike Edwards and Vieri Gaines

enroute to his third career victory.

Don Smith became a first time winner in Pro Stock Ti-uck with a surprising final round victory over point leader Randy Daniels. Smith recorded a winning 7.65/157 while Daniels turned on the red bulb, throwing away a 7.53/179 pass.

Smith’s Texas Harley Chevy S-10 had defeated Bart Price, Greg Stanfield and Jeff Gracia in the early rounds.

Daniels took over the point lead from Bob Panella, stopping the back-to-back series champion in the semis. Daniels also took wins from Jeff Naiser and Mike Coughlin in the first two rounds.

Brandon Bernstein just missed making it another father and son double when he was stopped in the Federal Mogul Dragster final round by Shelly Howard. Howard posted a winning 5.53/258 in her blown alcohol dragster to get by the 6.62/248 laid down hy Bernstein’s A/Fuel dragster.

Jay Payne scored the win in Federal Mogul Funny Car, stopping Vern Moats in the final round, 5.76/248 to 5.78/248.

- DAVID OSTASZEWSKI

JUST under 450 entries were received for the Konica Winternationals at Willowbank.

Including all drivers, riders, and crews, this amounts to an estimated 2500 participants.

Among the first entries received were from this year's Nationals Top Fuel finals pair, Jim and Steve Read.

Their bout will be decided on Saturday night, and will see the first of three Top Fuel golden Christmas Trees awarded for the weekend.

The most coveted prize in Australian Drag Racing, the 2001 Winternationals marks the first time that ail three of the awards that are handed out during the year will be won at a single meeting.

Doorslammer fans also have plenty to look forward to, following reports of the strongest field ever assembled in Australia.

An initial line-up of 13 drivers will spend Friday and Saturday attempting to qualify for one of eight available spots in Sunday's finals.

Fleading the field will be multiple champ Victor Bray(who, incredibly, is is still chasing that elusive first Winternationals win), along with Robin Judd, Nationals finalist Peter Kapiris, and Brett Stevens.

All other Group One categories will be well represented, though the largest field will come from the Sortsman Super Sedan category, with 85 entries. n The Mopar Parts factory Pro Stock team of Darrell Alderman and Mark Osborne had their first peek at the new Pro Stock Neons recently.

David Nickens, owner of the Alderman and Osborne cars, expects to take delivery of the machines soon after the Sears Craftsman Nationals at Gateway International Raceway, Illinois, later this month.

"From the looks of it, they are going to be extremely fast race cars," said triple Winston Pro Stock Champ Alderman.

"With the aerodynamic numbers they've had from the wind tunnel, they should be real good.

"The cars are also using a four-link suspension, which will also make them extremely fast."

"I was very impressed with all of the body lines," Osborne said.

"The fenders, tail lights and windows are really tucked in tight.

We should run some real good speed and elapsed times with that car.

"There's not much comparison with our current Dodge R/Ts," Osborne continued.

"Across the rear of the Pro Stock Neon, 1 can put my chest on the back bumper and spread my arms the whole length. With the R/T, that's doesn't happen."

- AGENCIES 59

V IN a record shattering weekend, Kenny Bernstein recoi’ded the quickest elapsed time in dbrag racing history before capping it off with his third straight Top Fuel victory at the Lucas Oil Products Nationals in Joliet, Illinois.

Bernstein roared down the Route 66 Raceway quarter mile in 4.477 seconds at 330.88 mph, setting the new national elapsed time record.

Also setting new national records were John Force, who

recorded the quickest Funny Car pass of all-time at 4.763 seconds and Mike Dunn, who upped the speed record to 330.55 mph.

Spectators were treated to some of the closest and quickest side-byside drag racing that the sport has ever produced.

Temperatures between 10-15 degrees, along with a heavy cloud cover, coupled to a smooth track with teeth, enabled racers to throw everything they had at the track.

Bernstein collected win number 57 by stopping Gary Scelzi in the

final round, clocking a winning 4.54/322 while Scelzi smoked the tyres 200 feet out, pedalled and finally gave up the chase.

The Budweiser team had yet another flawless weekend, qualifying on top with the recordbreaking pass.

In eliminations, Bernstein shot to a 4.56/319 round one win over John Smith, and in round two he again dipped into the .40s with a 4.49/324 blast to defeat Doug Kalitta’s 4.61/322.

In the semis, he lined up with

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Doug Herbert and took a close 4.53/323 to 4.59/316 victory.

Scelzi and Team Winston qualified in the third spot with a 4.54/329 and got progressively quicker throughout eliminations.

A round one 4.54/325 defeated Luigi Novelli, while a 4.52/325 stopped Mike Dunn’s 4.60/322 in round two.

Scelzi then recorded his quickest pass of the day in the semi finals when his 4.50/318 took out Larry Dixon’s 4.53/322 in the quickest ever side-by-side race.

Bailey conquers Canada

THE IHRA tour moved north of the U.S. border on June 1-3 for the second running of the 2nd Annual Mopar Parts Nationals at Grand Bend Motorplex, Canada, presented by Castrol.

Rainy, cold, and foggy conditions interfered with final eliminations for a few hours on Sunday, but eliminations in the professional categories were able to be completed late into the night.

Jim Bailey scored an upset win in Top Fuel as he defeated new points leader, Bruce Litton, in the final round. Bailey, driving the Havoc dragster of Foxworth and Rex recorded a final round 4.91/286 for the win as Litton lost traction.

After qualifying in the fifth spot at 4.96/266, Bailey downed Shirley Muldowney with a 4.93/274 and low qualifier(4.76) Clay Milican with a 5.02/261.

The win was well deserved for the team, because it was one year ago at this event that driver, Doug Foxworth, was seriously injured in a violent crash.

Litton had qualified his Wix Filters machine in the second position at 4.79/303 and improved to a 4.69/306 in a first round defeat of Jim Head.

In the second round, Litton established a new IHRA world record record at 4.656 seconds at 315 mph while stopping previous point leader, Paul Romine.

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Alan Pittman returned to the Pro Mod winner’s circle after a one event hiatus to score his second career win as he defeated Quain Stott.

In a classic blown versus nitrous match, Pittman saved his best for last as left first with a brilliant .418 reaction time and never looked back, recording a 6.24/222 to 6.38/219 victory.

Pittman had qualified his ‘41 Willys on the pole at 6.29/219 and used laps of 6.33/221, 6.29/221 and 6.29/222 to defeat Ronnie Hood, Carl Moyer and Mike Janis.

Janis, a winner at the last event in Virginia, looked like the car to beat in eliminations.

Stepping up from his number four qualifying spot of 6.30/217, Janis recorded back-toback laps of 6.19/227 and 6.20/226 to derail the similar blown cars of Chip King and Al Billes.

Janis's JanCen 63 Corvette suffered clutch problems in the semis and sent Pittman into the final round.

Quain Stott, the number two qualified car at 6.29/222 had taken out Harold Martin and Todd Howard in the opening two frames and met Troy Critchley in the semi-final round.

Stott’s LeeBoy Paving Equipment 63 Corvette left first to take a holeshot victory over the Majesty Racing blown Willys of Critchley, 6.31/221 to 6.30/221.

Gene Wilson drove Charlie Hunt’s Mercury

Cougar to its third straight victory of 2001 to take Pro Stock honours.

In a final round battle between the number one and two qualifiers, Wilson defeated the Chevy Cavalier of Angelo Alesci, 6.61/208 to 6.63/208.

In the first three rounds of eliminations, Wilson strung together three 6.58s all at 209 mph to defeat the Chevy Camaro of Anthony Paone, the Ford Probe of Elijah Morton and the Pontiac Grand Am of Ron Miller.

Screaming Eagle Nitro Harley rider, Doug Vancil, won his first event of 2001 after settling for runner-up efforts at the two opening events of the season.

Vancil streaked to a final round 6.55/204 to stop the 6.63/209 of Steve Stordeur.

Vancil had low qualified the Vance & Hines Harley at 6.45/215 and recorded 6.47/205 and 6.49/209 victories over Bob Malloy and Mark Conner in the first two rounds.

Dale Brand took a wild, holeshot win in the Alcohol Funny Car final round, stopping John Vouros.

Brand left first and used up most of his lane, never lifting, to take a 5.88/234 to 5.85/236 victory.

A first round 5.88/234 defeated Doug Weaver while 5.94/233 and 5.85/235 runs took out class heavies, Jimmy Rector and low qualifier, Mark Thomas.

- DAVID OSTASZEWSKI motorspori news

DRAG RACING Happy hunting ground: Mike Edwards cleaned up in Pro Stock (left).

Marker heads home

Emergency measures: Worsham debuted a new colour scheme at Joliet (right, above), only to damage the car in qualifying, necessitating some improvisation for the finals (right, beiow). He won, by the way.

JOLIET was the last event on Aussie Steve Marker's mini-tour.

Marker qualifyed in the seventh position with a 5.84/248 and lasted until the second round.

A first round 5.95/237 defeated Jason Rupert and set up a round two match with Marc White.

(Photos by David Ostaszewski)

Del Worsham claimed his second win of the year after taking out John Force in the final round in a thrilling fender-to-fender battle on a holeshot.

The CSK/Mountain Dew Pontiac recorded a winning 4.81/314 to upend the Castrol Mustang’s quicker 4.80/321 in the quickest side-by-side Funny Car race ever.

Worsham qualified with a 4.83/315 which was good for only sixth in another record quick field which had a 4.900 bump spot.

A supercharger explosion on their last shot launched the body skyward and forced the team to switch back to the regular red CSK body, lettered with the Mountain Dew logo. Following the late-night thrash to get the car back together, Worsham powered past Bruce Sarver, teammate Frank Pedregon and Jim Epler with 4.80/320, 4.85/313 and 4.83/315 passes respectively.

Force left with the elapsed time record and increased his point lead with his runner-up effort. The Castrol Mustang ran a ‘soft’ 4.85/316 to defeat Jerry Toliver in the opening frame.

Force then repeated his display with a pair of 4.77s at 319 and 317mph to knock off John Lawson’s Lucas Oil-backed

(Photo by Davdd Oslfiszewskl)

Marker had an early lead, but his 5.84/248 fell short as White reeled him in to take a 5.64/252 victory.

Marker will return to the U.S. later this year, where he will compete at the U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis and run the remainder of the NHRA national event schedule.

Pontiac, and Whit Bazemore.

Mike Edwards drove his Youth Life Chevy Cavalier to the Pro Stock title with a final round win over Jim Yates.

Edwards left first and never looked back as he recorded a winning 6.84/200 to stop Yates, who trailed at 6.88/200.

Edwards posted consistent laps of 6.81, 6.82 and 6.82 all at 200 mph to defeat the Dodges of Darrell Alderman and Larry Morgan and the Pontiac of Warren Johnson.

The Split Fire/Peak Pontiac also went 200 mph on every run in eliminations as Yates took 6.83, 6.82 and 6.84 victories over Richie Stevens, Vieri Gaines and George MameU. Antron Brown defended his event title in Pro Stock Motorcycle when final round opponent, Angelle Savoie red-lighted. Savoie

threw away a 7.15/184 to give Brown the victory at 7.18/185.

Brown also defeated Clarence Markham, Geno Scali and Reggie Showers to advance into the final round.

Savoie tied the national elapsed time record of 7.103 but failed to improve on it for a new record, despite setting low e.t. in every round with a string oflow teens in wins over Brian DeLong, Shawn Gann and Craig Ti-eble.

Pro Stock Truck crowned a new winner for the second consecutive event as Scott Perin scored a final round win over Greg Stanfield.

Federal Mogul Dragster driver, Brandon Bernstein,joined his Dad in the winners circle as he piloted the Darien and Meadows nitro burning A/FD to a final round win over Mike Strasburg, 5.39/259 to a slowing 6.47/161.

- DAVID OSTASZEWSKI

n The track surface of the Mid Michigan Motorplex has been completely reprofiled in preparation for the IMRA CARQUEST Northern Nationals in late July.

Both lanes have been completely refinished, ironing out problems that remained after the track was resurfaced last year. n Tom 'The Mongoose' McEwan joined such drag racing luminaries as Wally Parks, Shirley Muldowney, and Don Prudhomme when he was nominated into the Motorports Mali of Fame in Michigan.

McEwan was presented with the Mall of Fame's 'Horsepower' award

by Prudhomme at the induction dinner on June 6.

Other inductees on the night included double FI champion Emerson Fittipaldi.

- DAVID OSTASZEWSKI /AGENCIES

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www.darrendifilippo.com.au 61

Kemenah a chance for World

JK Racing has added two names for possible inclusion into the already swelling ranks of the 2001/2002 World Series Sprintcars competition.

Victorian owner Jim Knight has confirmed that he has spoken seriously with son Steve and Ohio All Star hard charger Chad Kemenah about running their two car operation for the entire WSS campaign this summer.

“Steve is certainly ready to be included, but we’re waiting on Chad to find about his commitments to the All Stars Presentation Banquet in November before he can be fully sure of involvement,” said Knight.

“Naturally, we’re hoping he'll be able to make it. Chad is getting man-ied at the end of his All Star season, but he’s going to have walked down the aisle long before we’d need him to fire up for Kwinana.”

Kemenah is expected to give his Australian car owners an answer on his availability within the week.

If he does confirm his willingness to line up for the Western Swing and World Series kick-off at the QUIT Motorplex and Bunbuiy it will make it even tougher for organisers to whittle down the field from the cun-ent list of 31 interested drivers.

laei

(Photo by Brail Swanson)!

Better late than never: It took 25 years but Berthe Robertsfinally has Newcastle Track Title on his mantlepiece.

(Hiolo by llaviil Umtini)

Bernieing up the po

CHAD KEMENAH The list includes: Skip Jackson, Max Dumesny, Brooke i’atnell, Monte Motorsport(two cars), Stephen Bell, Cameron Gessner, Andrew Scheuerle, Drew Ki-uck, Robin Dawkins Racing, Ti'evor Green, Darren Jensen, Darrell Hodges, David Brown, Reno Motorsport(two cars), Whalan DuPont Racing(two cars), Nathan MacDonald, David Anderson, Adam Constable, Walsh Brothers Racing, Tony Bartlett and Darryn Maggs, Peter Attard, Jayme Maiolo, Mike Hanlon, Paul Bastow and Mike Van Bremen.

V8 5upercar

FOR SALE

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Ph Garry 0413 879 879 62

IT might have taken him 25 years, but Raymond Terrace Super Sedan driver Bernie Roberts has finally won the Newcastle Speedway Track Championship.

The Carline Mufflers proprietor narrowly edged out seeond-year superstar in the making David Robertson (who won almost everything else including the Gough and Gilmour series) to claim his biggest award to date.

"Nobody was more surprised than I was when they read out the points," said an obviously thrilled Roberts.

"It looks like consistency does pay off with these things."

Despite only recording one main event win this year during the Gough and Gilmour Series takes (which took his career total to two), Roberts still notched up plenty of points.

"It's tough to win main events at Newcastle," he explains.

"It's a tight little place and there's always plenty of fast cars so any time you even make the top three you've done well."

So what has he done differently this year that got him the Track Championship?

"I think to begin with, the points system this year really is a true reflection of driver form, last year wasn't. I don't think

I'm driving a great deal different to last year but I think we have a great car and we know it a bit better."

Roberts's 17-year-old son Simon is a talented karting exponent who has until now never really considered a career on dirt; unlike other second generation stars Luke and Clayton Pyne, David Robertson and Joel Carrig.

"This season I've spent so much money on Simon's karting that I'm really weighing up whether I should just build him up a Super Sedan with all the spares we have instead of staying on the black track.

"Certainly I have enough equipment to build him a second car but it does take a big effort to keep two Super Sedans on the track."

Bernie will be a busy man this year off the track as well, having formed a promoting body for Super Sedans (V8 Super Sedans Australia Pty Ltd) with Brian Watts that will contract to the Newcastle Speedway and provide racing at that venue.

"It's going to be time consuming, but it's something the sport desperately needs, and Brian and myself think we can boost the promotion of Super Sedans to another level."

- WADE AUNGER motorsport news

SPEEDWAY Speedway Briefs THERE will be a minimum of $67,500 more prizemoney on offer for World Series Sprintcar main events this season.

Managing Director David Lander has announced sweeping changes to the prizemoney, points fund and tow money format for the 2001/2002 series and believes that the increased payout at both the front and the rear of the A-Main field will encourage even greater competition.

Soon to be announced will be at least two major events that may pay as much as $10,000 to win. Payouts for the top five in standard World Series Sprintcars A-Main events will be $5000 for a win, $3500 for second, $2500 for third, $2000 for fourth, $1600 for fifth.

npOTof of Outlaws

going to Eldora Andy Hillenburg has been peedway since 1987 and hasn’t won there. But that was until last weekend.

The Oklahoma native, along with the rest of the World of Outlaws field, had to wait for the rain delays to clear until overpowering Johnny Herrera in the Parsons #6 machine (which he replaced Brooke Tatnell in)to get the win.

Hillenburg qualified 10th and won his heat before running fourth in the Dash to start the 35-lap AMain from the front row alongside Herrera.

Herrera, who was looking to make it a triple having already won his heat and dash, looked to have things pretty much under control until he got caught up in traffic with six laps to run, allowing Hillenburg to apply the pressure.

“I didn’t think I was going to be able to catch up with him (Herrera),” Hillenburg said.

“Johnny was ranning strong out front, but I got a pretty good run on him down the backstretch and I barely cleared him down here.”

Danny Lasoski held on for third, which allowed him to close within 32 points of series leader Mark Kinser, who ran sixth at Eldora.

Donny Schatz and Steve Kinser separated the duo.

n There won't be another Queensland Summer Sprintcar Shootout championship in 2001/2002. However, Bill Mann plans to run two tri-race series in December and January/February, each over a week. n Revolution Racegear is the first company to join World Series Sprintcars as a promotional partner.

"We already have representation within the event with drivers such as Skip Jackson and Max Dumesny so it makes sense for us to increase our exposure on the circuit," said Managing Director of Revolution Racegear, Dale Rodgers.

One and two: Andy Hillenburg, top, and Johnny Herrera, above, were {Photos by Marlin 0 Clark) the top of the pops at Eldora.

Kelly out on her own

Max Dumesny Motorsport Australian Distributors for

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(Photo by Tony Uoxloy)

SYDNEY Sprintcar star Kelly Linigen is out on her own.

Well, sort of.

Her Dad and car owner Brian is taking a back step from the sport and Keily has formed her own operation known as KLR Keily Linigen Racing, which is madly enlisting sponsors at present for $200 a pop.

A raffle draw before the start of the season will decide which of the already 47 strong supporters will get their logos on the main wing.

n John Pyne has been buoyed by the success of his new Pontiac (he only entered five shows last season but finished in the top three in many of the Newcastle point-scores) and is building a sister car for son Luke to run in 2001/2002. Luke however may be looking at ail his options; having saddled up in the Steven Lynch Sprintcar "for some fun" at PCR's final meeting of 2001. Not surprisingly, the 19-year-old looked smooth. n "Should I stay or should I go?" may well be the question rattling around in Sydney Speedcar star Brett Morris's head. These days a successful businessman and father of two, Morris is considering putting a young talent in his car and enjoying racing from an owner's perspective.

Of course, if the Australian title went to Newcastle...

- WADE AUNGER

2001 WORLD OF OUTLAWS SERIES SCORE Standings to May 28, 2001

I.Mark Kinser ...

2. Danny Lasoski .

3. Craig Dollansky 4.Steve Kinser...

5.Andy Hillenburg 6.Joey Saldana...

7.Donny Schatz ..

8.Jeff Shepard ...

9.Brad Furr 10. Paul McMahan

3048 3034 2923 2903 2866 2838 2804 2793 2786 2741

11. Stevie Smith....

I l.Tim Shaffer

13.Danny Wood ....

14. Randy Hannagan 15. Dale Blaney ....

16.Jason Meyers 17. Brooke Tatnell.. .

IS.Jac Haudenschild 19. Brian Paulus ....

20. Daryn Pittman ..

Rolling VYheels Raceway, May 30 2736 2704 2637 2636 2602 2598 2162 1979 1758 1665

I. Stevie Smith

I I.Daryn Pittman

2. Mark Kinser 3. Paul McMahan

12. Danny Lasoski

4. Joey Saldana

14.Jeff Shepard

13.Andy Hillenburg

5. Danny Wood 6. Steve Kinser

15.Jason Meyers

7. Johnny Herrera 8. Tim Shaffer

17. Date Blaney

16. Randy Hannagan

9. Brad Furr

18. Craig Dollansky 19. Lance Dewease

10. Donny Schatz

20. Butch Schroeder

63

Burton bounces back

First win for Roush Racing in season 2001 at Coca-Cola 600

JEFF Burton ended a nn season long slump for himself and the whole Roush Racing operation with a win in the May 27 Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte.

“Never give up,” said Burton in Victory Lane.

“This reminds me that we can still do it. I’ve been saying all along (that) this team hasn’t quit. This is a gi-eat night for us.

“The problem seems to have been the(way the) tyres don’t talk to you the way the old ones used to - I’ve had trouble telling the crew what is wrong with the car.”

Burton, who started 18th, didn’t begin to show his hand until the second half of the longest event on the schedule, which lasted four hours and 20 minutes.

For Burton it was his first win of 2001, entering the event 25th in points with just one top 10 finish and five results of 31st or lower.

He headed rookie Kevin Harvick by 3.19s at the checker, with ‘Superman’Tony Stewart pressing Harvick for the runner up slot.

Stewart ai’rived in a helicopter from Indianapohs with 40 minutes to spare after finishing sixth at Indy. But he brought out the first caution in Charlotte when he spun his Joe Gibbs Pontiac on the second lap, luckily without contact from the couple of cars that were following him at the rear ofthe pack.

Bobby Labonte looked to have things sewn up after starting back in 24th. He worked his way to the front, but while trying to pass Jerry Nadeau for the lead on lap 236 of 400, he looped his Pontiac around, airing the sixth and final caution. But just like his team mate Stewart, Labonte rallied back to finish fifth.

The two front-row qualifiers, pole-sitter Ryan Newman in his Penske Taurus and Jeff Gordon, both suffered problems. Newman was fighting hard to hold off Gordon for the lead on lap 10 when he lost control and wadded his car into the wall in a big way.

Gordon who looked to have the race won, had problems on pit road when Casey Atwood wrecked to air a yellow flag. Gordon had a lightening pit stop, but when leaving his pit, Kenny Wallace hit 64

the right front fender and knocked out any chance Gordon had of winning the event. He finished 24th.

Mark Martin gave Roush a second good result in fourth with Ricky Rudd and Ward Burton, who both had been caught a lap down at some point, rallied to finish seventh and ninth respectively.

Final result; J Burton (Ford), Harvick (Chevy),Stewart(Pontiac), Martin (Ford),B Labonte (Pontiac), Spencer (Ford), Rudd (Ford), Jarrett(Ford), W Burton (Dodge), Mayfield (Ford).

- MARTIN D CLARK

Things go better with Coke: Jeff Burton, right, finally put Roush Racing back at the front of the Winston Cup field at Charlotte in the Coca-Cola 600.

He forgot NASCARs don’t have wings like they do at Indy: Third was a sensational performance

by Tony Stewart, above, after this early race spin.

i

(Photo by Martin D Clark)

V8s a-go-go in the UK WITH Champ Car racing set to debut at the new Rockingham oval later in the year, the UK’s own form of NASCAR racing ASCAR - has kicked off in support of the Coy’s Festival at the new circuit, giving stock car racing the first bragging rights to having raced on the track.

With Chev Monte Carlos, Ford Tauruses and Pontiac Grand Prix just like their Winston Cup cousins among the field, the cars all use identical small-block Chev V8s, making 565hp fields of up to 20 cars expected during the first season of racing in the class which is run by racing entrepreneur Mike Schmidt.

None other than John Cleland broke through to take the classes’ first win in the Chev team for which he’s the team manager.

No team orders, we’re guessing ...

Just call him John Cleland Jr: The new ASCAR racing series kicked offat the new Rockingham uvai in the UK and it was none other than the down prince oftouring car racing himself, John Cleland, left, who took away the silverwarefrom the category's opening race.

(P/tains by Sultnn-litui}(cs)

motorsport news

NASCAR NASCAR Briefs Hit my NASCAR one more time: Pop princess Britney Spears wiil be the grand marshai of the Pepsi 400 at Daytona on Juiy 7. We want to see one of her dance numbers on the grid though ...

Q -

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Wired for winning: It was the DuPont Chev of old at Dover, Jeff Gordon, above, moving to within 50 points of (Photo by Sutton-lmages) title leader Dale Jarrett. Jimmy Spencer, below, found things a little more difficult. foy MARTIN D CLARK JEFF Gordon totally dominated Sunday’s race at Dover, blistering the field to lead by eight plus seconds at some points of the race and heading all but 19 laps of the 400 run.

“That was incredible, I wasn’t expecting that today. It felt like the DuPont Chevi-olet of the old here at Dover,” said Gordon.

Amazingly, the only on-track pass for the lead was by Rusty Wallace, who led one lap early, with the remainder of lead changes happening during the cycle of pit stops.

Steve Park finished second and given a handful of extra laps could have been in contention for the win as both he and team-mate Dale Eandiai'dt Jr closed in on Gordon.

Park was penalised for a stray wheel on pit road and given a 15 second penalty, so did well to rally back.

Unfortunately, Johnny Benson, who was fourth in points going in to the race, hit the wheel on pit road, damaging the front end of his Valvoline Pontiac and dropping him to eighth in points.

n Dale Jarrett suffered bruised ribs and not a cracked rib as first thought foliowing his Charlotte qualifying wreck. Nerve blocks have been used while Jarrett is in the car to numb the pain for the current points leader.

Ricky Craven had a strong run late in the going, especially when Gordon’s car tightened up before the final pit stops, but a fast stop under the green flag with 48 laps remaining kept Gordon ahead of the competition and a small tyre air pressure adjustment seemed to make the difference to the Hendrick Chevy’s handling.

Craven suffered a right front wheel problem in the pits and dropped from second place to an 11s deficit once stops were complete, though he still finished a creditable fourth.

Two early cautions for wrecks wiped out the cars of the previous day’s Busch winner Jimmy Spencer along with Jerry Nadeau, Ken Schrader, Bill Elliott, Kurt Busch, Michael Waltrip and Casey

Atwood.

Final results; Gordon (Chevy),Park (Chevy),Earnhardt Jr(Chevy), Craven (Ford), Jarrett(Ford), Marlin (Dodge), Stewart(Pontiac), Harvick (Chevy), Martin (Ford), Budd (Ford).

Points standings; Dale Jarrett 1861, J Gordon 1811,B Wallace 1727, Stewart 1703, Marlin 1699, Budd 1691,Park 1654, Benson 1623, Earnhardt Jr 1560, Harvick 1521.

35 FOLLOWING his hard testing wreck at Dover, Joe Nemechek 3s wiii be out of action until at least Daytona on July 7.

■I Nemechek, who drives the #33 Oakwood Homes Chevy ■I Monte Carlo for Andy Petree Racing, suffered a broken 5^ right shoulder, elbow and bruised a lung in the accident ^1 on the ‘Monster Mile’, which Goodyear engineers put ■ down to low tyre pressure, causing the right front tyre to H go fiat.

BP

cCP 8 lune 2001

n Foiiowing a iackiustre start to 2001, PPi Motorsports has reieased some of their team members in the search for better resuits. One other to move wiii be Joe Garone, crew chief for rookie driver Andy Houston, aithough he wiil remain with the team until July, when he will join NASCAR's new R&D facility at nearby Conover, North Carolina, Garone had been with PPI's stock car effort since its inception, and previously crew chiefed Bill Elliott's self-owned team, it could have just been coincidence, but Ricky Craven's PPI Ford finished fourth at Dover...

\ f; oAWNOOO HOWIES

■ 1

mate Bobby Hamilton, willthe drive the until Nemechek Bobby Hamilton Jr, left, son ofcar Nemechek's team¬ is cleared to race and speculation is that Nemechek may have a head injury that his family wants to keep quiet until his recovery.

It’s an important time for the team as they have lost their backing for 2002 and strong results are important to keep the #33 team open for business next year.

- MARTIN D CLARK

n In somewhat of a surprise move. Petty Enterprises (already a three car operation), has announced they will pair up with Mailing Racing and driver Stacy Compton to share information and try to better their two struggling Dodge operations.

The teams are way down the points standings: Compton is 31st, John Andretti 32nd, Buckshot Jones 39th and Kyle Petty, whose missed six events, is 44th. n Due to rain washing out qualifying at Dover, the starting grid was assumed under points order, giving Dale Jarrett and Jeff Gordon the front row. Those to go home due to low points order included Rick Mast, Kyie Petty, Lance Hooper, Dave Marcis and Jeff Green in a third Richard Childress entry. Green will run the Michigan race this weekend in leau of the Dover event in his limited schedule this year.

■ Kenny Wallace and Eel River Racing have picked up sponsorship for 15 races from CF Sauer spices and their Dukes mayonnaise.

■ Greg Biffle, Roush Racing's rookie Busch Series driver who has run in the top three in points most of the year, looks set to move to Winston Cup a year earlier than the originally planned 2003. Biffle has posted nine top 10 results in 14 races this year and won two events. Expect to see the 2000 Truck Series champ in a Grainger-sponsored Roush Cup car later in the year.

- MARTIN D CLARK 65

h

25fh Historic Winton

\

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\

by BRIAN REED IT’S hard to believe that a quarter of a century has passed since the Austin 7 Club first joined forces with the Hartwell Motor Cycle Club to present the inau^ral Historic Winton meeting back in 1976.

Since that time, Historic Winton has grown into one of the most important meetings on the Australian calendar.

It has also developed a worldwide reputation, as evidenced by the numbers of overseas entries over the years.

In 2001, it was no exception.

Almost 400 car and motorcycle entries, ranging from the early 20s to the late 70s, made the trip to central Victoria, including regular visitor Peter Giddings from the USA. With help from Penrite Oils, Giddings appeared with not one, but two very famous cars - his 38/49 Talbot Lago, and a highly credentialled 1932 Alfa Romeo Monza,(see page 68).

Sadly, the beautiful French racing blue Talbot Lago was damaged during its second outing after finishing an impressive seventh in Saturday’s five-lap

scratch race, and was out of action for the rest of the weekend. Good news is that the damage does not appear to be too serious.

Other overseas entries included the 1968 Mallock Mk8B of Neville McKay from Macau.

All up, there were 256 carsand then there were the motorcycles. In recent years, the bikes have been organised by the Historic Motorcycle Racing Association of Victoria, and in one event alone, the All Powers Post Classic, there were 53 entries. As someone in the crowd said, “The/re just like ants!”, as Mick Neason powered his way to an impressive win on his 1972 Honda.

Although smaller in numbers, the sidecars were equally spectacular, with Frank and Ashley Cuttell (1971 Honda) and the combination of Tom Browne and Daniel Shaw (1962 Harley Davidson) dominating the Classic and Post Classic events.

With support from regular sponsor Scallywag Socks, the

Are you watching, McLaren? John Scott’s Milano MG obviously has no problems with its launch control, climbing up the back of Stuart Poweii's Faux Pas. The incident foiiowed a spin by Andrew Wiliington in the MG. (Photo by Neii Hammond)

Tread carefully: Bert Bajema explores the limits of adhesion in his 1939 Monza Ford V8.

(Photo by Slipstream Photographic)

bikes turned on a gi'eat show.

Sadly, the last few races had to be cancelled during Sunday’s competition because weather conditions had deteriorated to a dangerous level.

Not surprising, the biggest car fields were the Group N touring

cars. Such was the response for the 25th Historic Winton that they were divided into two substantial gi-oups according to lap times.

Russell Pilven dominated the slower group in his 1968 Datsun 1600, a car built over the Christmas break with help from his brother. For a first outing for car and driver, it was a great effort.

The first three competitors in the slower Group N handicap were pinged for breaking their handicap and victory went to fourth finisher Kevin Brown (Morris Cooper S).

Of the quicker tintops, most impressive was Robert Burns in his bright orange Chrysler Charger.

He was the only Group N driver to get into the lm07s in practice, and dominated the Saturday fivelapper ahead ofthe more fancied Ford Mustangs, with the gaggle of Minis snapping away at their heels.

John Mann’s Mustang finally turned the tables in the last event on Sunday’s progi'am, with Buims finishing third behind the Mustang of Michael Miceli after a titanic battle for the minor placing with motorsport news

!

i

HISTORICS Get a grip: If it wasn't raining, it just wouldn’t be Winton. Peter Giddings, behind the wheel of his Alfa-Romeo Monza (left), comes to terms with the wet conditions.

Marching ahead: Richard Carter throws down the gauntlet in his 1973 March 73B (below).

David and Goiiath: The 1967 Morris Cooper S of Henry Draper takes the fight to Brett Wiseman and his 1970 Ford XW (below left).

(Photos by SlipstreamPhotographic)

Henry Draper’s Morris Cooper S. Peter Melick’s Cooper S had an easy win in the handicap.

Although Richard Stanley’s 1926 Amilcar/AC was the quickest Group J & K car in practice, it seemed to fade when the real thing came along and this gave the opportunity for Patrick Ryan to dominate in his 1936 MG TA. Ryan had a comfortable win on Saturday, winning the Keith 'T>'rrell Memorial Ti-ophy ahead of (ireg Neal(1939 Plymouth Spl.) and Giddings’s Alfa Monza.

He repeated his good form on Sunday, again leading home the Plymouth Spl. On this occasion, Jim Russell (1935 Ford V8)held out Giddings for third spot.

Feature race for the Groups J & K was the much prized Col. Arthur Waite Trophy. This was won by Ballarat’s Graeme Clarke who repeated his 1997 victoiy in his 1930 Austin 7.

This combined J & K race was won outright by Adam Benyman, who was driving the very famous ex-Louis Chiron 1928 Bugatti.

Dick Willis continued his recent good form in the ex-Alec Mildren 1959 Cooper, taking both Group Lb

scratch races in the process.

Ian McDonald (1957 Repco Holden) and David Reid (1955 Crowfoot Holden)scrapped for the minor placings, each taking a second and a third.

The George Coad Memorial Trophy was won

by Alan Esmore from St. Arnaud driving his 1950 ex-Bill Pile MG TC with bodjrwork by the late Game Cooper of Elfin Sports Cars.

Although quickest of the Group Sa & Sb cars, the 1963 Marcos GT of Roger Ealand had to concede to Garrie Lawson’s 1960 Tidumph TR3A when the production sports cars came out to play.

Don Harris scored an impressive win in the main eightlapper in his immaculate white MG B, while the handicappers again frowned on the first-acrossthe-line TR3A of Andrew Gibson and awarded the handicap to Ian Nelson’s MG B from NSW. Ealand’s Marcos GT was second

ahead of the Healey of Rob Jamieson.

Neville McKay practised strongly in his 1968 Mallock Mk8B to be second fastest of the M,0 & Q sports cars behind the flying Elfin 360 of Ian Ross, with Ian Pope’s 1964 Lolita BMC Mkl next.

In a close finish, Saturday’s five-lapper went to the Lolita, with Scott Whitaker’s 1970 Milano GT2just getting home ahead of the Elfin of Ian Ross and McKay’s Mallock.

Ross turned the tables in the eight-lap feature on Sunday after Pope controlled the race from the front for all but the last lap.

In spite of the damp conditions, their lap times were three seconds a lap quicker than on Saturday, and it was encouraging to see several Clubman sports cars entered in this

category.

The Lotus Super 7 of John Evans just got home in the handicap from a fast finishing Ian Pope with John Sexton’s Lotus Super 7 third.

'The Groups M & 0 racing car field was well patronised with Cooper, Brabham,Elfin, Rennmax and a big contingent of lesserknown makes on the grid.

The greasy conditions played into the hands of Keith Simpson whose nimble 1967 Eagle Imp took pole position.

Simpson won the Saturday scratch race in poor conditions from Robert Hands(Rennmax BNl)and Murray Bryden (1963 MRC Lotus 22 FJ).

After also practising smartly, Max McPherson looked like stealing the main race on Sunday, but Simpson wore him down in the closing stages and went on to wn narrowly with McPherson (1964 Elfin Imp)just getting home from Bryden and Hands. A gi-eat finish! continued on page 68 61

L.

2Sfh Historic Winton Could be a regular street at peak hour: Heading the Lb Sports Conga line (left) is the 1948 MG Vulgarilla of Ian Mawson, with Wayne Sayers’s 1960 Efiin GTS, Ian Tate’s 1954 Prefect Special, Gerry Lawson’s 1957 Lotus Le Mans II, and Russell Budge behind the wheel of a 1959 Zephsca Ausca all close behind.

(Photo by Neil Hammond)

Back in black; Scott Whitaker’s Milano GT2 gets busy in Group Q. (Photo by Slipstream Photographic)

continued from page 67 The Phil Irving Ti-ophy Race was a five-lap handicap for M & 0 racing cars, and a popular victory went to Peter ffi-ench (1965 Rennmax)from Len Nation (1963 Austin Spl.) and Mike ffrench (1963 Monaco Peugeot).

A quality field assembled for the Groups P & Q events which included Formula Fords.

Andrew Rohson flew around the short course at Winton in 58.66s during practice in his 1976 Chevron, hut clearly had problems in the Saturday scratch race. He finished well down and took no further part in the meeting.

This opened the door for Richard Carter, whose 1973 March 73B handled the miserable conditions best and won from Malcolm Miller (1973 Elfin 622) and the first of the Formula Fords - a 1970 Palliser

driven by Andrew Makin.

Unfortunately, Makin spoiled his good work with a couple of spins in later races, while Carter continued on his winning way narrowly taking the eight-lap scratch race on Sunday ahead of Peter Whelan (1975 Chevron B29).

Laurence Burford’s 1975 Royale RP21 was the best of the Formula Fords in third place.

With more than half the field missing from the final P, Q c& FF five lap scratch race, including Robson and Carter, Whelan made the most of the opportunity to steer the Chevron home ahead of fellow South Australian Malcolm Miller (Elfin 622) and Burford’s Royale FF. The Regularity competitors set off in orderly fashion behind a pace car, and winners on the weekend were Ron Boyle(1938 MG TA), and Ron House, who scored a winning

double in his 1925 Vauxhall.

Most impressive in the pouring rain was Doug Partington’s 1922 Wikner Ford Spl, whilst Ken Stuchbei-y took a bagging from a purist in the comfort of the stand for participating in his 1928 Stutz with the hood up!

A nice touch was the reunion of

the Hartwell Hotshots, a trad jazz band that first played at Historic Winton more than 20 years ago.

There are a few more grey hairs, and mayhe their power-to-weight ratios aren’t as good these days, but they pumped out some hot music at the Austin 7 Cluh’s 25th celebration on the Saturday night.

Double team (P^o^.by

68

trofitn Photographic)

IT was difficult to walk a dozen paces at Winton without tripping over an interesting car of some description, and two particuiar standouts belonged to regular visitor Peter Giddings.

One was a 1950 Lago-Talbot (above, left) which was originally run as a factory car with Philippe Etancein in the driver’s seat. The car was also campaigned at the 500 mile race in South Africa in 1950 with Froilan Gonzalez at the wheel, alongside the sister car piloted by Fangio.

The car’s history also included a period spent as a three-seater sports car, before it was restored and converted back to its Grand Prix configuration.

Also present was Gidding’s 1933 Alfa Romeo Monza (below, left).

Like the Lago-Talbot, the Monza has an intriguing history,'having first been registered to the Scuderia Ferrari in August 1933.

It possibly had a run as a Grand Prix car early on before being earmarked for sportscar work. Its race history includes a seventh place in the 1934 Mille Miglia, as well as runs in events such as the Targa Abruzzo.

The vehicle passed through a succession of owners and a few modifications before landing in Malaysia in 1950, where it is known to have raced at least once. The car Iwas later dismantled and put into storage for several decades before being recovered and restored in the early 1990s. molorsport news

HISTORICS

Acting a little coy \

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(Photos by Sulton-lmages)

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A selection ofimagesfrom the COYS Historic Festival in Rockingham, UK, on May 26-28: Historic racing sometimes comes at a price (left). (Probably a very high one in this case). Others were morefortunate (below right), while Nigel Mansell overcame great physical hardship (probably) to complete afew CART demonstration laps (below, left).

K

Adeiu, Catalina WHAT was listed as 'the last speed event at Catalina Park’ in Katoomba was conducted by the Vintage Sports Car Ciub of Austraiia on May 5.

Catalina Park was a popular NSW motorsports venue which opened on February 16,1961, and earned a reputation for inclement weather.

As if knowing it was its 'iast hurrah,' Katoomba turned on the traditional wet, foggy conditions with iots of autumn leaves on the track for the Historic hiilolimb.

But it didn't deter 61 owners of pre-1970 vehicles from taking part in four timed runs, inciuding 11 drivers who had their first taste of 'real' motor sport.

There was a 50-year difference in ages of both the competitors, and the participating cars, making for an interesting cross-section of motoring history, Aii class winners received trophies that were replicas of those presented at the originai February 1961 meeting.

Fastest Time of Day went to Henry Walker's Nota Sportsman, the Fastest Lady award was won by Suzanne Bendeich (Morgan 4/4), Fastest Under 21 was Martin Mach (Holden EH). The Nota Din of Terry Harris was judged Car of the Day. Another nice touch was the souvenir program, which was a copy of the one from the inaugural February 1961 meeting.

The next VSCCA meeting for pre1970 cars will be held at Wakefield Park on August 12 and will consist of a Bol d'Or and hillclimb. For more information call Rob Rowe (02) 9627 9455.

■ Human remains discovered at the bottom of Coniston Water, in England's Lake District, are believed to be those of speed record-setter Donald Campbell. Divers recovered the partial remains late last month, a few weeks after the wreckage of Campbell's craft, 'Bluebird', was raised to the surface.

The remains were draped with a Union Jack and brought ashore at Pier Cottage, the place from which Campbeirieft in 1967 fopr his fateful record attempt, before being taken away to nearby Furness General Hostpitai for an autopsy and DNA testing in the hope that the identity of the body could be confirmed.

Campbell died 34 years ago when the Bluebird flipped and disintergrated while in the midst of a new water speed record attempt.

- BRIAN REED/AGENCIES

8 June 2001

69

natunal I Hacking around scene

by PHIL BRANAGAN

IT may not be Formula Dallara - quite - but Formula Hackett seems an apt description of the Formula Three races at the Island.

Hackett was too good for the opposition, which was reduced by two when the team cars of James Manderson and Chas Jacobsen detonated engines in qualifying, sending the team home early. The first race was a walkover, but the second was a ripper.

Hacketts main rivals were Kiwi Daynom Templeman and Darren Palmer in the two Bronte Rimdle machines. In Race 1, Hackett was on pole from Templeman and the two leapt away, while Damien Digby's fifth grid spot turned pearshaped when his started in third gear, caused by his long legs getting jammed up.

Hackett zoomed away and set a new lap record of lm28.3841s, 1.3s under Manderson’s lap record on his way to an 8s win. Likewise, Palmer was a comfortable second from Templeman, the neat 398 of Mike Beeley and Digby who found his gears and made great gains once mobile.

Templeman did Hackett a big favour when he stalled on pole in Race 2, allowing Hackett to howl away from Palmer, Beeley and Chris and Glenn Coombs.

Templeman was eighth once he got moving, picking off the cars of Graeme Holmes, Digby, the Coombeses and Beeley on his way to third.

But the battle for the win was much more competitive. Palmer taking the fight to Hackett all the way, both cars running low-28s in an enthralling battle.

Hackett’s Alfa Romeoengined car had superior straight-line speed. Palmer's Speiss-Opel superior grip thi-ough the comers.

The two went at it Major League but, at the finish, Hackett prevailed by 0.25s after a great race.

Behind Templeman came Beeley, Digby, Coombs, Holmes and David Choon.

70

edied

ron Noonan

AUSTRALtAN FORMULA 3 CHAMPIONSHIP

Nothing like open wheelers on the ‘Island: Peter Hackett and Darren Palmer, above, battled it out in race two at Phillip Island, though it was the former who added two more wins to his career Formula 3 tally. Mike Beeley, below, picked up a pair of fourths.

(Photos by Dirk Klynsmith and Slipstream Photographic)

molorsport news

NATIONAL

The Bear's Back HNiMinns

Scenery scenes: Two from two was the order of the day for Kent (Photo by Dirk Klynsmilh) Youlden at Phillip Island.

THE Ford teams may be struggling in V8 Supercar racing, but tbe Henry's Falcon was the race car of choice in the Century Batteries Australian GT Production Car Championship.

Former ProdCar champ Kent Youlden won both races and Class C honours in his Coffey Ford XR8, while Daryl Coon’s XR6 took two Class D honours after leading in Race 2.

In the first race, Coon won the start but Youlden swept past on lap 2 to take the lead.

But that was short-lived. In the midst of the Class E battle, Jim McKinnon had his Castrol Holden Astra go see-saw on him at Southern Loop, going inside into the grass and then outside.

Once into the kitty litter, the Astra dug in a barrel-rolled four times, landing on its lid on a tyre barrier about 3m from a wire fence that marked off a spectator area.

McKinnon was winded but unhurt, and the race was red-flagged.

For the five lap restart, Coon got the start but Youlden swept past to take the win from Coon, Scott Leadsman’s Commodore and Alan Holgersson's ex-Ratcliff Toyota

Camry. Just to give all the local manufacturers a look-in, Rob Chadwick's Magna was next from John Mcllroy and Brian Carr.

In the Class E fight, Kosi Kalatzidis beat Luke Youlden’s Astra by 0.003s, while Rick Bates lost a wheel in his Daihatsu Sirion.

While Coon led away in the second race, Youlden missed the start completely, allowing Leadsman, Holgersson, Chadwick, Carr and Richard Winston to beat the Bear away.

While Youlden started to recover, Coon soon had Holgersson right up his bumper, the Camry challenging the Ford all the way until Youlden split them at Honda on lap 5, taking Coon around the outside of Southern Loop a lap later for the lead.

That was all the Bear needed, sneaking away to win from Coon, who held out Holgersson by about a metre. Leadsman, Chadwick, Carr and Winston.

The Class E wins went to Kosi Kalatzidis, whose MyCar Proton Satria out-lasted the troubled Astras, as well as his team-mate Nigel Williams, who tangled wth Youlden Jr on the first lap of Race 2.

- PHIL BRANAGAN

flWE^LU

(Msleman MATTHEW Coleman usually spends his winters instructing young skiers to'Bend ze knees', but the young racer handed out a driving lesson to the rest of the Porsche Cup field at Phillip Island.

Coleman cruised to tv.'0 wins m the Century Batteries Porsche 911 GT3, his only real challenge being seeing how close he could get to his sub-record pole time.

In the first race, Coleman leapt away from the pack, while Wagg found the 50kg penalty In his GT3 enough to lose places to Michael Turner, though Wagg grabbed the spot at Siberia on lap 2.

By then, Coleman was 2s clear of the pack and, after stretching the lead to 8s, cruised home Wan easy win.

Tne battles were behind, Wagg and Paul Whitmarsh swapping posiwn ortfH Wagg got the upper hand, despite Whitmarsh getting 'Within 0.03s of Geoff Morgan's 1998 lap record.

8lune 2001

Further back. Ken Jarrett got the best of a dice with John Good and Turner, snatching fourth at the end, aided by Good stopping with a broken gearbox.

Race 2 was a replay for Coleman, blasting away from Whitmarsh and Wagg, with Jarrett holding fourth.

And that was how things stayed until lap 9 until Wagg suffered a fuel blockage and, after struggling around, stopped just past the start/finish line. He lost spots to Jarrett, Turner, Michael Minshall, Trevor John (whose ex-Fitzgerald 944 Turbo has its first race ruined with a stop-go penalty), Hennig, Don Tryhorn and Luke Warwick.'

In Class B, Jack Crocker had the double shot to pieces until the very last lap of Race 2 when his engine went sour, handing the class win to Don Tryhorn in his 964RS. - PHIL BRANAGAN 71

Brock Jr back m Ute

by AARON NOONAN

THE Holden Commodore V8 SS Ute used by Peter Brock and son James in this year's Targa Tasmania is making an assault on another tarmac rally, though this time with Brock Jr handling the driving chores.

Brock, who finished third in the 2000/2001 Future Tourer championship in a VT Commodore, has entered the Autopro Revolution Racegear Winter Classic Rally, scheduled to be run in and around Ballarat this weekend (Queen's Birthday).

"We're going to have a bit of fun and it's a bit of a test for next year's Targa Tasmania," Brock told us this week.

"We've made a few changes for the machine and we'll incorporate them into the vehicle for Targa next year.

"There's a new diff centre in there and some changes to the power steering and also some changes to the engine mapping, which were problems we had at Targa this year. It's just fine tuning basically.

"Oh yeah, and we took the rear muffler off because we wanted to make it sound a bit more of a grunter!"

Chris O'Toole, Brock's Future Tourer mechanic, will be navigating for him in the rally, which was first run by the Ballarat Light Car Club in 1997, and has a limited entry of 60 cars,featuring a strong emphasis on navigation as well as performance events and, above all, fun.

A wide range of machinery will take part in the event, from four-wheel-drive turbo charged Nissan Skylines and Subaru Imprezas to a Maserati Ghibli, a wide range of Alfa Romeos, Porsches, Holden Commodores, MGs and BMWs. The event, which is run in Ballarat and surrounding Western Victoria, begins at Sam on Saturday June 8, and ends on the afternoon on Monday June 10.

72

Switching seats, well sort of: James takes over the wheel of the Ute that he and Peter ran in Targa earlier in the year.

ri

: '4

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Ford in front: Anthony Evangelou (#28) was the man in form at Phillip Island in the Saloon Cars.

(Pbnto by Marshall Cas.’:)

Swinging Saioons

THE highly successful CSA Alloy Wheels Saloon Car Challenge has continued its 2001 national championship in support of the Konica V8 Supercar Series at Phillip Island.

Ford Falcon driver Anthony Evangelou started off the weekend in the perfect fashion, taking pole position with a 1m54.0462s lap, ahead of Bruce Heinrich (Falcon), Gavyn Croft (Commodore), Julian Newton (Commodore), Leon Fletcher (Commodore) and Lorry Gatt (Falcon).

The weekend’s first race blasted away on Saturday afternoon, with Evangelou again the class performer, taking the chequered flag clear of Croft, Newton, Heinrich and Fletcher, just four seconds covering the group of cars on a layout which is well known for spacing the cars all around its 4.45 kilometre expanses.

Sunday’s second and third races saw a reversal of form, Evangeloua again a winner in the former, while Fletcher took race three.

motorsnort news

NATIONAL Karting Briefs MATTHEW Wall’s decision to sit out the opening round of the Ford KartStars series paid dividends when he won the Senior Pro Formula Australia class at the Murray Bridge (SA)Street Race that was conducted on the same weekend.

South Australia's Reif Corbett led most of the senior final but it was Wall who came through in the end on the drying surface to take home the winner's cheque of nearly $4000.

Corbett held on for second with Aibury's Grant Anderson third. Leigh Gailace won the Junior Pro Clubman feature with Eddie Wignall and Tim Slade completing the top three.

And here she is: The ex-Jim Richards BMW 635 is up for auction so you could have your very own piece of Richo memorabilia. And imagine how much more it will be worth if he can pick up his seventh Bathurst title this year in the FTR Falcon ...

those were BMWd^s

by AARON NOONAN IT’S amazing what you find in an auction of camival-style fairground-style collectables.

While there will be rare original feature items from Luna Park in Melbourne and a large range of pinball machines,jukeboxes and the like, there’s an item which gives this story some relevance for Motorsport News.

Nestled in amongst the auction is the original Group C JPS BMW 635 CSi touring car as driven by Allan Grice and Jim Richards ...

Just when you thought all of those icons of that glorious era of Australian touring car racing were dead, buried or hacked up into some god-awful Sports Sedans, comes the news that the car will be in the auction on June 17 at Bumper Action in City Road, South Melbourne.

The car, which is the first of three BMW's built by Frank Gardner’s team, is currently owned

by Melbourne Formula 3 racer Tony Freeman, who has had the car for the last seven or eight years after it had a spell in Adelaide.

“It’s been verifyed by BMW Australia, Pip Larldn (original team head mechanic)and Jim himself several years ago,” said Freeman.

“I always intended to put it back on the track but the lack of a 8lune 2001

n Wollongong-based BRM Formula A driver Jason Burns wili compete in a round of the Italian National Championships this weekend (June 10) at the Mottola circuit in Italy. Burns will be using factory-tuned TM water-cooled engines for the effort which was set up by Australian BRM importer Steve Pettaras. n Vega tyre importer IKD will be conducting a series of training days at kart circuits around the country in the coming months. Spearheaded by Vega-backed driver Troy Hunt, the training sessions will be free of charge for karters to attend and will cover a number of facets of kart set up. n Remo Racing's Remo Luciani has just recently announced he will be importing and distributing the Trulli Kart in this country. The brand of Jordan FI driver Jarno Trulli, the Trulli Kart is actually constructed by Tony Kart although all dealings of the product run through Jarno or his father. Stocks are not expected until at least July.

suitable class and the like has made it difficult.”

The car is in original specification as a rolling chassis minus motor(the original motor now is in Larkin’s race boat in New South Wales!) and drivetrain, with the only non-genuine item being the seats. It seems Jim took the seat with him to the Group A 635 ...

Freeman has most of the mechanicals required to put it back on the race track including a complete genuine 24 valve motor.

Of the other two Group C cars, one went to New Zealand and was converted to Group A spec and raced by Neville Crichton in 1985 in JPS colours as team-mate to Richards, while the other was sold in Sydney and destroyed.

The BMW made a controversial

debut in 1981 with Allan Grice at the wheel, its 3.5-litre six cylinder engine prompting organisers of the AMSCAR Series (which had up until then been for three-litre cars) to extend the engine capacity rule by half a litre to allow the car in, prompting an outcry from the three-litre brigade.

Grice and David Hobbs shared the car to seventh in its first James Hardie 1000 that year before Jim Richai-ds joined the team for the 1982 season.

But while the BMW was up against the highly successful HDT and Moffat Mazdas at the time and therefore didn’t feature as a prominent race winner, its sixcylinder purr still makes the heart flutter with memories of good ’ol Group C ...

n Australians performed admirably at the World Superkart Challenge at Laguna Seca last month.

Brian Stockman, driving his own Stockman/Honda 250cc International kart qualified second to former 500cc World Champion Eddie Lawson (Anderson/Yamaha), who went on to win the event. Highest placed Aussie in the final was Steven Trapper (Stockman/Honda) who finished sixth behind Wayne Rainey as Stockman fell to 12th by the end. n Bolivar JICA winner Tim Slade tested a Formula Ford at Queensland Raceway recently. The 15 year old South Australian tested an ex-Mark Webber RF95 Van Diemen for Greg Fahey with a view to possibly running in the category next year.

-MARK WICKS

n

Lights on at Lake

Carnage aplenty at Queensland State Championship

7 The clean-up continues: There was carnage aplenty in the Improved Production class at Lakeside, Daniel Wilkie’s Mazda RX7 ended up with a total of five rolls to its credit.

(Photo by Mark Jones) 'by MARK JONES THE Queensland Gemini Racing Association ran a state championship meeting at Lakeside Raceway on May 27.

Originally a two day meeting, it was altered to a one-day meeting because of economic pressures and a couple of crashes,(including a fence repair), put the already packed program behind schedule and saw the final race of the day a sundown and headlights-on affair for HQs and Geminis.

For the host category, Ron Lange finally got his first pole position.

The championship race saw Lange

and Kris Walton stage a desperate battle for the win.

On lap five, Walton left the track at the Kink and regained the track at the Karrussell and tm-ned right to rejoin, whilst Lange took avoiding action. Out of the last corner the two dived at the line together, with Walton winning by 0.05s.

Danielle Argiro ran around the outside of Rod Dawson and Darren Suhle to claim third in another desperately close battle. In the earlier scratch race,Argiro defended all race from Dawson, while Lange won out front. The Gemini handicap race, held among the HQs, was won by Scott

More carnage: The action wasn’t just limited to the Improved Production cars, with Justin Senescall and Josh van Kalken the victims.

(Photo by Mark Jones)

u

Holden, Chev, it’s all General Motors to me: Karter Wesley May, above, has taken delivery of his 1993 Bathurst winning Commodore from Owen Parkinson and debuted at Lakeside, while Chris Fing, right, was really in a class of his own in the Sports Sedan field.

(Photos by Mark Jones)

Nicholas on his return to the category, while Candice Walker just held out Lange for second.

Improved Production had a dramatic meeting. In the Championship race, Tom Horton (Mazda RX3) broke a driveshaft on the line, and a disorganised field saw a clash between Ross Dillon (Commodore VN), Cameron Legatt(Gemini) and Daniel Wilkie (Mazda RX7) ending with Wilkie climbing Legatt’s wheel and rolling five times.

Prom the restart Dillon stopped while Paul Scott(RX7)juddered away. Dave Wood (ex-Wakefield RX3)then held out Stephen Thompson (RX7)in an excellent debut victory.

In Formula Ford, Ash Lowe (Swift SC93K)had backed it in the previous day and ran sans engine cover with the driver not in wonderful shape. Will Power (Stealth) won a fantastic battle for the championship race ahead of

fellow National series runner Marcus Marshall(Van Diemen RFOl). Lowe came through the field to finish third ahead of Ian Moncieff(Van Diemen RF91)and Kurt Wimmer(Van Diemen RF95), before being loaded off to hospital with a mild concussion from the accident the day before ...

The seemingly uneven battle saw Chris Fing’s Chevy Monza take the Sports Sedan Championship race over the superb under two-litre Gemini of Ian Woodward. Woodward was well clear of Bryce Francis(Honda Civic-Chev) and Colin Smith (Rover Vitesse-Chev).

Earlier, Fing had won the scratch race from pole sitter, the VSSupercar Commodore VS (the 1993 Bathurst winner) of Wesley May, with Woodward third.

'Ti-ent Usher (Jabiru) blitzed the first Formula Vee race, but was beaten by Doug Angus(Bee Cee) in the second with Ed Doherty (Bee Cee) and Russell Wliite motorsport news

NATIONAL

iside

Cox takes first win of Ford KartStars

l race meeting

i

Oh my God, it’s Nige in ’84! Eric Barnes was in lopform a! MonnI Collon.

(Photo hv Shirk Jam’s)

Cottoning On

S'

J (Spectre) close behind in a fantastic battle.

HQs were a Craig Yates benefit, the National Champion picking up two wins before finishing fourth in the reverse grid race. Dale Youd had a pair of seconds with Gary Bonwick and Tim Young sharing the thirds. In the Reverse Grid,Youd won from I Bonwick and Rod Boyle.

Earlier in the opening race, Justin Senescall and Josh van Kalken crashed heavily on the straight.

The subsequent fence repair pushed the program into the evening and several races were cancelled.

In Sports Cars, Cam Anderson won the first race(PRB Clubman)from Russell Kempnich’s Porsche 930S and Peter Hayes (911RSR). Kempnich won the second race from 8 June 2001

THE MG Car Club hosted the Queensland Hillclimb Championship on June 3, with a good field of national level cars turning up to prepare for the Nationais iater this year at Mount Cotton.

What they were greeted with was a completely resurfaced circuit, with some re-profiled earthworks and much infield landscaping.

The track however was very green and slippery, and several cars were caught out, with Simon Lake in particular launching over the nut shell banking at the hairpin and into the trees, in initially a very scary moment that Lake was able to walk away from. The AxtellSuzuki suffered component failure on the downhill approach to the hairpin.

Fastest on the day though was Eric Barnes in the supercharged Toyota-powered Farrell F2. The gorgeous black open wheeler posted the only sub 41 second time, with a

40.48s on the final run, blowing Peter Gumley's SCV away by over a second (41.65s).

Third was the locally-based Hawk Mk 2 driven by Bill Norris.

The Suzuki-powered car also took the Paul Aitken Award for top motorcycle-powered car.

Fourth fastest was the amazing Zip Kart of Paul van Wijk. The 500c Honda engine screamed the tiny special around in just 42.27s to just beat Peter Finlay's March 77B (42.85s).

Tom Donovan was sixth fastest in his Van Diemen RF85based special with his second timed run, striking the Armco hard at the finish line.

The Vince Appleby Award for fastest sedan was taken by Alan 'Gundy' Hunt and his awesome Torana XLI1 Sports Sedan while, the Glynn Scott Award for Sportscars was taken by Jon Siddons (Datsun 240Z) and the Martin Tighe Award for Formula Ford was claimed by Darren Harris (Kookaburra).

- MARK JONES

CHRIS Cox took victory at the first round of the 2001 Ford KartStars series on May 27 after a dominant display at the spectacular Raleigh, NSW,circuit.

It was the first time Cox had run in the one-make Rotax powered series, the New South Wales driver more accustomed to the high giip and high revving Formula A class karts.

Cox showed his blistering pace from the outset by qualifying fastest, over three tenths of a second ahead of pre-season favourite Mark Winterbottom.

He then went on to win all three heats ahead of Winterbottom with William Yarwood and Bryce Godfrey taking turns for third.

Winterbottom got up to win the pre-final when Cox fell to third after being swamped at the start. Godfrey continued his good run taking second,Yarwood fourth and British driver Adrian Estasy fifth.

Winterbottom made the most of pole position for the final to take the early lead ahead of Yarwood. Cox turned up the tempo mid-race to pick off Yarwood and then hunt down Winterbottom, catching and passing the Ford-backed driver in a matter of laps.

From there, Cox etched out a comfortable lead to take the win, setting fastest lap on lap 22 of the 23 lap final.

Winterbottom and Yarwood, both front runners in last year’s series, took the other two podium positions. Craig Clements worked his way up to fourth ahead of Godfrey with foiiner Daewoo racer Dean Oven taking a well earned sixth.

-MARK WICKS

Ford KartStars Results Rd 1 - Raleigh

42

, ...ip !>l

Something about Queenslanders: First there was Wayne Wakefield's (Photo by Mark Jones) wagon, now a winged RX3?

Anderson and Hayes.

John Lawrence dominated Saloon Cars in the only Holden, beating Ti-oy Norris and Mark Holt

in race one, and Holt again in race tow, but was beaten to the win by the invited Group N XUl of Matt Jackson.

1. Chris Cox 23 Laps 2. Mark Winterbottom +2.319S 3. William Yarwood +3.472S +4.762S 4. Craig Clements +7.040S 5. Bryce Godfrey +10.110s 6. Dean Oven +11.972s 7. Taz Douglas 8. Andrew Torti +12.963s +13.300S 9. Cara Talbot 10. Darren McDonald +14.338s 11. Andrew Mill +14.794s 12. Josh Arandt DNF DNF 13. Adrian Estasy Fastest Lap - Chris Cox 46.597s 75

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● Chrome moly custom cages ● CAMS Specifications ● All classes rally to V8 Supercar

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● Tig welding, including fabrication ● Engine modifications, suspension, etc

Ph 03 9725 3234 or 0418 389 438 motorsDort news

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PIPPUU^C RACESHOP gives you the opportunity to promote your products and services to the widest possible range of motorsport 11H competitors and enthusiasts. Advertising in RACESHOP costs as little as $50 per issue! Call Brendon Sheridan on 03 9527 7744 now!

EBC"’ Kevlar® Brake Pads Now available in Australia

- J RALLY

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Hi Flow Alloy Heads

The ultimate power fix for your Holden l Available for early and VN Style V8 l Super flow potential compared to ported iron heads l Greater thermal efficiency and half the weight of iron

212a Mahoneys Road Thomastown Vic 3074 Ph 03 9462 3210 Fax 03 9462 2516

www.yellaterra.com.au Ph 03 9555 5522 Fax 03 9555 4152

g^RANE R^ams

THE HIGHEST QUAUTY GEARS DM THE RACING INDUSTRY

Stato Distributors

NSW;(02) 9678 9977 QLD:(07) 3808 1986 VIC;(03) 9794 5177 WA;(08) 9353 1155

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Australian Importer and distributor:

^HIUHIVIUNU

Phone (02)9678 9977 wvm.rocket.au.com

TRADE ENQUIRIES WELCOME salcs@rockctlndustrlos.com.au

CRANE

Ph; 08 8363 5566 Fax; 08 8363 5633 M TECHNOLOGIES www.cranecams.com.au :^PTY. LTD.

COMPOMOTfVE

MOTORSPORT WHEELS |

RACING CAMS ^ For all your ■sky Race Cams, Valve Train Tools & Components!

VIC 03 9386 5331 “ NSW 02 9676 8655

Performance

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WHOLESALEta

Visit our Website or call us for your nearest distributor.

Ph: (07) 3808 1986 www.perfonnancewholesale.com.au

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Authorised Distributor

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Phone 5 a 8*str®l*«8 (07) 3807 6870 |

CUSTOM JkLUanNtUM FUUHATOfiS^^

RADIATORS, INTERCOOLERS & OIL COOLERS ● Offroad cars ● Motorbikes ● Boats ● Hot Rods ● Street Cars ● Circuit Cars Contact Paul Weel on 07 55 981 499 or Fax drawings to 07 55 981 980 HANDBUILT AND ALL AUSTRALIAN MADE

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JOR Crwl»»H04!sH7150

Melbourne 44 Racecourse Rd North Melbourne 03 9326 6088

_raee£V brakes

Sydney Unit 6 29 Newton Rd Wetherill Park 02 9609 1101

Competition disc pads ● Race brakes ● Pagid ● Hawk ● Endless ● Performance Friction Over 10 years experience of brake modifications and upgrades for road and race. Caliper conversion 1, 2/4 & 6 piston. Custom made disc rotors.

Manufsclurars & distributors oft

High performanco & racing disc brakes

CROWCAMS

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l Fast profile design service to your requirements l Custom ground roller, solid and hydraulic -m' profiles using unique computer controlled machines for unrivalled accuracy fCEOWi l Matching race valve train components cwsi including PSi(USA) valve springs and a huge range of one piece super duty pushrods Ph 03 93S7 0469 or Fax 03 9357 0001 Visit our website: WMV.crowcams.com.au

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The True Performance Alternative l Extremely durable bonded dampening material l Easy to read computer etched timing marks l Available in economical cast iron Street, versatile iron/steel Street/Race and all steel SFi approved Race versions Ph 02 6921 5126 Fax 02 6921 7536 Visit out website www.precisionparts.com.au

The USA’s first choice In race valve springs now avalUMe in Australia l 4s used by top US teams including Hendricks Motorsport (NASCAR), John Force(Funny Car), Warren Johnson(Pro Stock) l Specific super duty spring design for endurance(circuit, speedway and marine)or Drag Race applications deliver consistent pressures and longer spring life.

Available from the exclusive Australian distributor

CROWCAMS

Ph 03 9357 0469 Fax 03 9357 0001

MIOELC

www.sumidei.com Full range of new and rebuilt SU fuel pumps and carburettors in stock. ●Carburettor respirations. ●Throttle body rebushing ●Fuel Pump repairs.

>»s

Ph. 02 9759 5598 Fax. 02 9758 1155 email. tnfo@sumideixxlm

RACING PRODUCTS Complete ranse of Grower Crankshafts, Con-Ro4s, Race Cams

^h^ORMANCE

& valve Train _ VtwHOLESALE'Si Components avallablet ' Visit our Website or call us for your nearest distributor.

Ph: (07) 3808 1986 www.perforniaiicewholesale.coin.au ^ motorsport news

KW4>

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nuNuiw The Finest in

●Sliailes six square mBtres ●WelglisiinlyTligs

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High Performance Plumbing, Hoses, Hose Ends and Fuel Fittings

● Matntaancs fres

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Distributed nationally by:

● fits to oars, traBers, 4x4, oiitdoar padiis"^ Visit our website

www.spectrunishade.coni.au

1800 089 089'

SPE

41SON Chrome Molybdenum Steel

Large inventory held in stock Sheet - cut to your requirements, sold per square foot Tubing, round, square, solid rod per linear foot Aircraft aluminium Billet metals 2024T3, 6061T6, SCAT, Rresleeve

Phone (02) 9678 9977

/ JFWm MM'

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rww.rocket.au.com

I xtreme racing products J

TRADE ENQUIRIES WELCOME sales@rocketindustrle3.com.au

Hawker Pacific

S ^

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Call us today with your requirements

Freecall 1800 654 983 Freefax 1800 808 158

Rallu IVlBtersI

General Auto Instruments

HPC’s exhaust coatings provide superior protection against thermal fatigue. ● Exhaust System Coatings Piston coatings ● Wettable dry film coatings ● Non-wettable dry film coatings

DISTRIBUTOR

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VIC 03 9386 53 SA 08 8387 3522 NSW 02 9676 8655 WA 08 9293 3500 TAS 03 6273 7555 NT 08 8941 5388 OLD 07 3217 1188

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HPC High Perlorniance Coatings Pty ltd Ph 03 5802 4710 G Walssn Giid ludgstrlal Park teioiatlii 39S3

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SPECIAL l-PERFORMANCE 308-355 CJ. STROKER CRANKSHAFT

Engineering

Lunatri Cranks* Rods* Race Cams & Valve Train Components in sfoch now!

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Visit our Website or call us for your nearest distributor.

Ph: (07) 3808 1986

$1111 incl GST PERFORMANCE & REUABIUTY ●NEW NODULAR CASTING PRECISION CNC AAACHINED, GROUND TO EXAQING TOLERANCES *SU1T 308 RODS,

HARROP ENGINEERING AUSTRALIA PTY LTD 96 Boll Street P<«

^ww.perforniancewholesale.com.au ^

Telephone (03) 9474 0900 Fax (03) 9474 0999

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Contact your state distributor...

Hardiman Auto Supplies (02) 9771 5877 Motorsport Connections (02) 9838 7272 (03) 9794 5177 Victorian Speed Pro (07) 3808 1986 Performance Wholesale (08) 8363 5566 Crone Technologies

Gogear Racing Services

(08) 9443 4400

TRACrfOA/ SUSP£NS/OA/CENr/fEi

57 TAUNTON DRIVE CHELTENHAM VIC 3192 TEU (03) 9584 4499 FAX: (03) 9584 4008 ■ We hove" dealers in all stater

● Kits and overhauls available ● High flow intercoolers and kits ● Link engine management systems ● Oil coolers and oil coolers kits ● Silicon hoses and bends ● Tein suspension kils Ph 03 9584 4499 or fax 03 9584 4008 Email avo@bigpond.com or check out our websile www.avoturbo.com

Distributors for Victoria and Tasmania

rwR

TBPPy Wilson Racing For all your high performance needs ● full service and tune up ● engine rebuilds ● intercooler upgrads ● link plug in engine management systems ● latest 4-wheel dyno testing equipment

Ph 03 ossa aaaa or os asaa aooa 57 Taunton Drive Cheltenham vie 3192 78

SMia AUSTRAL

Ph. 02 9758 1966

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Trade enquiries welcome Fax. 02 9758 1155

1509001 registered duality assured.

Trade enquiries welcome

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Ph. 02 9758 1966

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Fax. 02 9758 1155

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:F^yokohama

Your high performance tyre and suspension specialists

Manley Race Valves.

Inlet $29.95 Inc GST ea.

Exhaust $29.95 Inc GST ea.

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5 Laser Drive Rowville VIC 3178 Tel 03 97M 281 1 fax 03 9764 8740

RACING AV#N TYRES

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America’s premium oil pump & timing component manufacturer.

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RACING BATTERIES

[This space could be yours Call Brendon on 03 9527 7744 Tor details

Max Ellery Publications

NEW RELEASE Extensive detail on how to rebuild a

Holden V8 rrp $38.45 |

Available at all good motoring outlets.

For jour nearest stockist eall 03 5430 5000

and Electrical Components for severe environments

Haivker Pacific

Ph: 02 9708 8503 Fax: 02 9790 3306

Email : custservice@spares.hawkerpac.com.au

FUEL SAFE AUSTRALIA

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● Body Shells, for Rallying & Off-roadi

22 Carlington St Regents Park NSW 2143 Phone 02 9743 7005 Fax 02 9743 7610 Mobile 0410 637 005 aotetsHsil Mws

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MARKET PLACE

mFREE Sedans/SDorts Cars

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iNj

k :

z

Forward to Motorsport News Free Classifieds, PO BOX 1010 North Caulfield 3161. Fax: 03 9527 7766.

Email: msnews@ozemail.com.au. Make sure to list your category.

ir

1- ■

SEN'-

—- 10SS1?I XL

Commodore VP '93, supercharged 5.7 litre (355 C.O.M.E. crank), aluminium intercooler, turbo 350 race built gearbox, quick shifter. Car has run 11.2 seconds @ 121 miles at Eastern Creek (with time cards)m engine has 525 horsepower on Optimax fuel. Too much to list. Go to WWW.BL057L.COM. $26,500. Ph George 0419 245 216.208

1988 BE Familia4x4, PRC rally car, Autronic 1800 GTX g/box with viscous c/diff. Adjustable susp, braided brakelines, VDO gauges, 303 Taratrip, big radiator, eng and p/steer coolers. Eng and gAox recently recon, gapless rings & ceramic coating.

Many spares, inc engine. $10,500. Ph 0418 411 038. 203

Alfa 105 GTV Sports Sedan, mid-mounted Nissan SR20 engine and 5 speed, pushrod sus pension, Wilwood pedal box, IRS, alloy uprights, Golf radiator. Unfinished project pro fessionally built. $6000 ono. Ph Grant 07 3277 3114. 208 1990-1993 Mazda MX5, MIAT supercharger sys tem with intercooler. A brand new kit, still in box.

Unused and complete. Get that elusive 195+hp for your MX5. Owes $12,000, must go. Best offer.

Ph 07 5529 0827 or 0416 003 911. 208 V8 Mkl Escort Sports Sedan, got to go, too many toys. 5 litre with top loader etc. Log book, fibreglass panels, very light, very quick, needs a lit tle TLC, $7990 ono. Ph 07 5529 0827 or 0416 003 91 1.2tB Escort Mark II Club Car, ISOhp Datsun rods, forged pistons, twin 45, 5 speed. Sierra 4.4 diff, Yokohama 032 and Hoosiers, road rego NSW, 4 wheel trailer, log book, 52.6 at Oran Park, 1:15 at Wakefield and spares. $8000 ono. Ph 02 4659 6296 ah or 0416 280 550 bh. 20B Nissan Urvan LWB, 2.7 diesel. 4WD, air, electric window, doors, doors, sun roof. Suit camper or work or service van. $14,500 ono. Ph 07 5529 0827 or 0416 003 91 1.208

Mazda RX5 Turbo, ADR compliance, as new 13B high compression turbo motor, 3" exhaust, adj Koni suspension, large dia, x/drilled rotors, alloy 4 spots, polished B45 Simmons, Recaro seats, 1/2 roll cage, special electrics and ignition.

As new duco and tyres. Spares include new but ton clutch and new factory racing flywheel, much more. Close to $30,000 spent over num ber of years. Asking $8500 ono. Ph 03 9387 3936. 208

Wixoniw+T Msc« cwnirs', MirjiCAu.w irjTaw

absolutelyfree*

*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 on 03 9527 7744.

Classifieds can be mailed, faxed or emailed. Classifieds are not accepted over the telephone.

Nissan SSS Bluebird 4WD, rally reg, electric everything, ABS, climate air, ideal tarmac rally car, log book available. $14,900 ono. Ph 07 5529 0827 or 0416 003 911.20B

I

M2

Classifieds

2 issues

The Olympus Ford Group O Historic Sports, unrivaled winning record 1966-1996. Highly com petitive in Group Q at a fraction of the cost of the big boys and the quickest Clubman. Owned by me since 1969. C of D, race ready. $28,000. Ph 08 8339 1264.208 HQ Holden, race winning car has beaten or set faster laps than any presently advertised HQ. Spare sealed engine and gearbox. 3 sets 8" alloys, good tyres, turn key to race at front. $4500 ono. Ph 02 6765 4277 or 0419 441 164. Can deliver NSW or QLD. 208

n).

Mazda RX7 Sports Sedan, 13B PP. car and motor just rebuilt from ground up. Ready to race with spares and all information. $22,000 ono. Fast and reliable. Ph 0409 798 589.207

JRN Clubman, mechanicals based on '93 Mazda RX7 Series 6. 13B twin turbo rotary, 5 speed, IRS, LSD, 4 wheel vent discs, ABS, mags, hi-tech clubman project. $20,000. Chassis No JRN 003. Ph 0419 886 544. 207

Porsche 911, early model, body stripped and undercoated, genuine 2 litre 'S' engine with carbs and injection, gearbox, turbo, torsion bars etc.

Ideal for historic race car. $20,000 ono. Ph Gary 0418 551 870 or 03 9888 4006.208

XT Falcon GT Nc, 400+ HP, 302W roller cam, steel rods. Arias pistons, top quality parts used, reliable and quick car. Low 61s at Lakeside, new wheels and tyres, race ready. $35,000. Will trade.

Ph 07 5546 3526 or 0419 700 534.207

Porsche 964 RS-R, Class A, Porsche Cup race car, CAMS log book, 3.6 L Varioram, G50 gearbox, race ready, top package, convertible to Class B, comes with 2 sets of new slicks S new tyre rack trailer. $71,500 ono. Ph 07 5473 0344 or 0419 277 584. 207

EH

Ford Escort Mk II, Sports Sedan/Club Car, com plete with fully enclosed trailer, Many features, great package. Must sell. Best reasonable offer. Ph David 08 8270 2358 for details. 20a

Mazda R100, 5sp, LSD, 13x7 mags, OMP raceseat, RPM 4-point harness, dead 12A motor, Classic Historic Reg. Many spares, gearbox & engine not installed.$5000. Ph 03 9898 1800.20B VS Commodore Sports Sedan, new space frame and body, push rod front susp, alloy radiator, shocks, seat, tank, windows, pedals, steering, instruments etc. One third of cost $5250. Ph 0412

Nascar Chev Calibra #32, one of Aust fastest. Set up for road course, new engine, Jerico, Wilwood brakes, pit equipment & much more. $55,000. Ph 0419 886 338.207

Toyota Celica ST-162, Club Car, Wolf 3D ECU with hand controller. 270 degree cams, headers + 2" exhaust. Roll cage, Viper lugarno 15" alloys, Yokohama A510 tyres, 14" wheels, A008 tyres, Kenwood 10 stacker CD, 4 pt harness, Cobra seat, Koni shocks, whiteline a/roil bars, h/d springs. $9000 ono. Ph 03 9802 1108 207

>ui

156 766 anytime. 208

Mazda RX7 Series 1, with extended port 138 engine and turbo gearbox. Good mechanical and straight body. $5500. Ph 07 5497 6396 ah or 07 5497 6733 bh. 20a

iL Subaru RX Turbo, full Group A (original one of ten). 147 Hp at wheels with 34mm restrictor. Fresh Koni shocks. Full cage, Sparco seats, Terratrip, etc.

Ready To Rally. $ 11,500 ono. Car in Melbourne. Ph Mark 0438 076 024. 208

Mazda RX7 1990 Series 5, 13B turbo (not for registration), 3-inch exhaust, race seat, Simpson harness, spare wheels, set up for Supersprints, complete with registered trailer, all in immaculate condition. $11,000 ono. Ph 02 4626 1935. 70B

8 June 2001

V8 Supercar VS Commodore, Chev, Holinger, Harrop, in excellent race ready condition, this car has done 2m13.2s at Bathurst. Make your mark for just $85,000. Ph 0417 781 188 for details. 208 Camaro, current shape body with doors and hatch etc. To suit Sports Sedan $3000, marly other parts and race components etc. Ph 0412 156 766. 20s

Nascar Chev Lumina #23, set up as ride car or ready to race on roadcoarse. Spares including wheels, tyres, helmets, suits, pit gear, wet tyres. $28,000. Ph 0419 886 338. 207

Dr,

370

Zi

Saloon Car, currently leading National series after first two Konica rounds. Fully rebuilt with brand new engine. Fastest Saloon Car in the country, ready to win & nothing to spend. P.O.A. Spare Engine also available. Ph Kurt Kratzmann 0419 705 531 or 07 3368 1188 bh. 207

Cortina TF Club Car. outstanding valve, 4.1 350hp, 1/loader already developed, ready to race, nothing to spend. Ring for details. 0/Park 50s. Car, trailer and spares $8,000 ono. Ph Ken 0403 011 924. 207 HQ Holden, professionally built at great expense for millionaire gentleman-racer, Bruce 'Crispy' Toole. Very, very competitive despite Crispy's insis tence on saluting every driver he overtook.

Professionally maintained in perfect 'ready to race' condition from new. Accidentally bought by the present owner, late one evening, following a long and thorough analysis of a round of golf with Crispy. $5000? Ph Stanley 0411 333 336.207

79

Open Wheelers

h \ 93 Lotus 7 Replica, Toyota 4AGE Efi and 5 speed, alloy body panels. F/glass guards and nose cone, low kms, compliance, RWC, reg 'Kitcar'(not trans ferable) tonneau, Pirellis, mags, immaculate condi tion. $28,000. Ph 0419 886 544,

Mini Roll Cage, Full CDW steel bolt-in cage built to CAMS^IA specs with intrusion bars. $1200 Ph 0419 675 597. 208

Spectrum 06B, excellent car with full factory his tory, complete with MoTec and spares. This car is 100% race prepared, no expenses spared. Also available with top Lamer engine. $28,000 rolling chassis. Ph 0417 000 099. ros

Ford Bullet gearbox (close ratio), brand new $2500, also 4.44 diff centre, ex road car. never raced or rallied. $400. Ph 08 8264 2948. 208 Hewland FT200, transaxle $10,500, spare ratios, 4 Koni coil over shocks $450 each. Lucas fuel injection for Formula 5000 $1600. Ph 03 9336 2248 all hrs. 20a

Ralt RT4, ex-Jacques Laffite AGP and Menage Racing display car complete with Jennings BDD. Still on original log book (21 meetings), this car has not turned a wheel for 15 years and is in 100% original condition. Complete restoration has just been completed. Huge spares package inci ratios. $75,000. Ph 0417 000 099. 208

Super T10 transmission, near new, 400kms max. Cost $3800, sell $2000 or $3000 with bore beck triple plate race clutch, bell housing and shifter. Ph 0412 156 766. 203 Formula Vee, Elfin Malmark. Log booked, rebuilt John Dean engine and dyno and latest specs. Spares, enclosed light trailer (new brakes).

Will run top 12. $7000. Bought NSW FVee. Ph Nic Jones 03 9850 1888.207

350 Holley (re-coed), with new rediine manifold, suit Holden 6 $300. Knife-edged C/Dore 6 crank (202)"010 $350.202 steel main caps and stud kit $350, Starfire rods, floating bushes $250. Ph 03 5422 1942 or 03 5422 7037.208 Sports Sedan/NASCAR parts, 9" full floater, 3.9 Detroit locker, 4 spot JFZ, will separate $2500. Fuel cell and churn and catch can

Nissan Pulsar sedan 1990, CA18 turbo motor.

Microtech injection, show engine bay, front mount intercooler, custom paint work, JIC fully adjustable n coil-over suspension, 17" Jazz wheels, Momo steering wheel, Kenwood CD player, featured in Hot 4s twice. $10,350. Ph 08 8353 1200 or 0402 123 301.207

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Australian champion class 2 off- road buggy.

Southern Cross Mark 4 frame, 145 kilowatt Toyota 4AGE, Renault 4 speed bullet proof box. Sway A Way axles, torshion bars link pins. CNC pedals with adj bias. Sparco rack. Lots and lots of good stuff in great car, fresh rebuild this year and ready to race. Genuine reason for sale $15,000.

Complete with ail spares Inc engine. Email: acebutler@ozemail.com.au. 20a Formula Atlantic Kaditcha, the 1984 faaory car, just been extensively refurbished by Barry Lock.

Cosworlh BDD with 900 miles from new. FT200

Commodore HSV SV89, limited edition, service books, sunroof, full electrics, always garaged, leOkms, 5.0 litre automatic, tinted windows, white, full history, immaculate. $18,500 neg.

RWC. Ph 0417 552 001 or 03 5127 5670.207

with many ratios. New bodywork, superbly engi neered. Will fit a bigger driver. Very reluctant sale to best offer over $50,000. Ph John Broadbent 0418 764 703.208

$1000, dry sump, suit Chev $150, dry sump tank $450, air gun and reg $100. MSD soft touch rev limiter $120. Ph 03 9749 3054 or 0408 700 084. 207 Webers, IDF downdraught 40mm $700. Dry sump pump, single stage plus tank $350, 36mm downdraught Weber $150, 4 speed Corona gearbox $80, Mazda rotary oil cooler $100. All prices are ono. Ph Graham or Derek 0401 291 344.207 Lola T360 Formula Atlantic, 1974, historic log book and C of D. Good history, lots of spares and body moulds. Fresh engine, ready to race. $56,000. Ph Colin Haste 02 9918 3468 or 0428 225 709. 207 Go Kart, Arrow AX6 Yamaha 'S'. 6 months old, little use. New tyres and stand. $2200. Ph Nic Jones 03 9850 1888 bh. 207 Historic Formula Ford Elfin 620B, Group Q log book, certificate of description, Lamer engine, many spares, includes trailer. Ready to race. $22,000. Ph 03 5367 4380. 207

Parts 2 fuel churns, 1 vent bottle, 1 overhead fuel rig and tower. Ph 02 9630 6509.208

Yep, another HQ race carl winner of 5 Australian Hiliclimb class wins. Never beaten five years of com petition. No expense spared, comes with fresh top HP engine, nothing to spend. Delivery assistance.

View at Motoring Show at Homebush on May 26/27. Ph Peter 02 9642 2979 or 0410 734 191.207

Formula Libre Demon Special, 1985 Van Diemen chassis with supercharged alcohol-inject ed GSXR 1100 motor. 1 st in class and 3rd outright in 2000 season of NSW Hillciimb Championship. $ 13,900 ono. Ph Tom 02 9607 5908 or 0407 167 397.208 1975 Puma Sports 1300, Toyota with twin Webers, 5 speed Sprinter box, BMC rear, 4 wheel discs, never raced since rebuild. Reluctarit sale. $6500. Ph 02 9720 9499.208 Go Kart, CRG KALI Indy SL. lOOJ blue-printed motor, wet tyres, kart starter, 2 suits, many more extras included. $2700. Ph 02 4938 7560. 207

HQ Holden NSW #20, new engine, August 2000, excellent condition, heaps of spares. $5000.

Also, spare BRE engine, little use. $1800. Ph Mark 0408 965 182.207

Van Diemen 94/95, only 13 meetings old, never bent, currently 3rd in Victorian State Series with rookie driver. Lamer engine, some spares. $27,500. Trade or swap for road car. Ph Ricky 03 5275 2305 bh. 207

Mazda RX7 Series 6, carbon fibre fuel tank $1200. Complete rear suspension with diff and brakes $1200. Standard 16" x 8" wheels $400.

13B PP rotor, housings and end plates $1000. Ph 041 1 271 571.208 VS Commodore Sports Sedan, set of fibreglass bodywork complete set except rear guards includ ing 2 front spoilers, cheap at $1200. Also, V8 Supercar carbon fibre wing with mount $800. Ph 0412 156 766. 208 Chev Vertex Magneto, complete, overhauld by Hardimans. Moroso mechanical tacho 0-9000 rpm with cable. $1250 ono. Carrillo rods, VGC. 6". $1950 ono. Ph Steve 0414 967 437.20s VS Supercar rear wing, $800. Harrop E VF2 brakes from $1000 set for rotors/hats/calipers.

Other parts available. Ph 0412 156 766.208 Lancer Evo 5, front bar and rear wing, fair condi tion, $1400. Ph 0403 224 501.20s Lancer Evo 5 wheels, 17 x 7.5, 3, with tyres, fair, $1000. Ph 0403 224 501.208

Porsche Cup slicks, 18" four Dunlops and four Pirelli. Good condition, must sell. $160 per set of 4 or offer. Ph 0409 637 097.207 Cylinder heads, Chev Brodix 10, just re-cond. $2250 ono. Ph 08 9355 4000 or 0419 995 505. 207 l Clutches, 7.25, 5.5, 5.0 single, twin, triple plate, sintered or carbon, AP-Ti!ton-QM, new/used. Spare covers, rings, plates also avail able. CCl Ph 0418 925 767. l Pedals, brake/clutch, floor mount/hanging, new/sued. Also available, bias valves, bias cables, master cylinders, reservoirs etc. CCl Ph 0418 925 767. l Brake calipers, discs, pads. Mega range, new/used, exc condition - AP, Alcon, Brembo, Outlaw, Wiilwood. Overnight delivery, CCl Ph 0418 925 767. l Hewland, DGB, 5 speed transaxle, top condi tion, new 9:31 CWP, ratio choices and spares available, $14K ratios, over 300 in stock to suit DGB, GFGB, TPT, FT200. CCl Ph 0418 925 767. l Oil coolers - heat exchangers, Earls, Setrab, Serck, 6-70 row, new/used, also used water to oil heat exchangers, over 100 in stock. CCi Ph 0418 925 767. l Racecar parts, brake parts, chassis stands, diff oil pumps, exhaust collectors, fuel cell acces sories, oil filters, quicklift jacks, ratio boxes, radi ator caps, springs, spoilers, wings etc. CCl Ph 0418 925 767. l Uprights, fabricated/cast, fronts/rears, various sizes, new/used, also CVs, driveshafts, wishbones, rockers, pushrods, all top quality, exc condition.

CCl Ph 0418 925 767.

SHyxW Send us your classified ads and we’ll run them for FREE* CRtBBOFV: □ Sedans □ Open Wheelers DSpeedway DDrag DParts □ Engines □ Trailers □ Wanted □ Photographs DOther.

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NOTICE TO ADVERTISERS Please use the form provided and print clearly. Please note we are unable to return photographs used in classified ads. Ads will appear as soon as possible after receipt. ‘FREE Classifieds are for the sale of private goods and vehicles only, not business advertising (Trade advertisers see Classifieds header for rates). Photos marked "proof" will not be used,

moiorsRort news

MARKET PLACE Lotus Cortina SPV racing ciutch, new and spe cial balanced steel flywheel. New ring gear. $500.

Complete. Ph 03 5244 1339.207 l Air jacks, new/used, iarge range, most applica tions, quick release handles available, top quality.

C.C.I. Ph 0418 925 767. l Radiators, aluminium, new/used, single/dual pass, top quality, large range, various sizes, suit all applications, fr $300. CCI Ph 0418 925 767.

Super Sedan Chev Monte Carlo, 327 Chev fuelie heads, Maggi, roll rockers etc, Wilwood brakes and hubs all round, alum bead lock wheels, quick change diff, Sharlin p/steer rack, t/tail tacho, spares Inc 2x350 blocks. Dash 10 Brodix alum heads (re-cond), plastic fuel tank, wheels, tyres, race rack, currently racing, $13,000 ono, Ph 08 9355 4000 or 0419 995 505. 207

Sprintcar, ex-Kerry Madsen low-bar Grizzly, roller all good gear, make good 360 car. Ph 03 5025 7339 or 0417 506 700.207

Speedcar Stealth Pontiac, 12 meetings from brand new, top condition, very reliable package.

Will separate Deluxe chassis kit, rolling chassis, engine, team selling out, parts for sale, wheels, oil tank, shocks, torsion bars, springs. POA. Ph 02 9875 1041.20B

Open class sedan, Camaro body, 307 Chev on methanol, powerglide. $1950 ono. Ph 02 9632 6728 or 0427 611 030. 207

Transporters/Trailers Purpose-built enclosed trailer, to suit Formula Vee, single axle, mag wheels, fold down rear door with built-in ramps. 9 mths NSW rego. Ph 0418 461 494. 208 Toyota Dyna transporter, come service truck.

Dual cab 6 cyl diesel, new 5 speed, very good con dition. 6 seater, ex-furniture truck. $9500 ono. Ph 07 5529 0827 or 0416 003 911. 208

Modified Production, VL/VK Commodore, 90% completed project, all good quality equipment, PRO shocks. Autometer gauges, Mallory pump, Charlyn power steer, heaps of spares. $8500 neg. Ph 07 5598 5746 or 0417 738 229. 208 Modified Production TE Cortina, 250 xflow methanol engine, adjustable suspension, p/steer ing and reduction. Ready to race, very competitive car with plenty of spares. Will sell complete or less engine. POA. Ph 03 5983 6393 or 0419 388 192.

Chev 355 race engine, new, never run. Big HP full roller, Brodix 10 heads. Weaver dry sump sys tem, mag triple plate, lots more. Suit Formula 5000 Libre car or similar. $30,000+ spent, $25,000 ono. Ph 07 3207 6172 or 0415 902 250. 20B

Ford Lotus twin cam engine, out of Escort Mark 1 twin cam. Good running condition, complete engine with clutch and carburettors. Ph 0408 122 101.208 Chev, near new 360, Maxwill Motors built Sprintcar engine, all good gear, dry sump etc, good HP, could convert to Super Sedan. Ph 03 5025 7339 or 0417 506 700.207 Chev 350, 010 block. Grower lightweight crank, Carillo rods, TRW lightweight 12.5:1 pistons, 270 Crane roller cam, gear drive, fully machined, too much to mention. Never run, just assembled. $6000. Ph 03 5633 1230.207 BMW M3 engine, 2.3ltr, 16V, 220hp. 1988 com plete, with 5 spd Getrag box. Ideal for 2002 or E30 conversion. The lot for $11,000. Ph Mick Mitchell 02 9757 2966. 207

Golf F2 motor, complete with downdraught carbys. Ph 08 8562 1834.20a Video footage, private collector needs video footage of 1980 Bathurst 1000 telecast or film footage. Good money paid. Ph Mike 07 3285 5073 or 07 3408 6025 ah. 208 Books, motorsport, especially Autocourse, Rallycourse, World Rallying, Automobile Year. Ph Mike 0412 904 638 or email: speedsigns@interact.net.au 207 Pit to car radio, Ph Alistair Russell (NZ)0011 64 9 378 6514 or email: heatherwackrow@clear.net.nz 207

Books,The Great Race yearbooks volumes 10,11,12, 13. Also, Ford - The Racing History by Chevron. Ph Bill 0414 499 066 or 02 9626 1830. 207 Videos, ATCC, AMSCAR/Better Brakes, also Bathurst 1000 from 1970s and 80s. Ph Bill 0414 499 066 or 02 9626 1830. 207

Sprintcar '94 Gambler, Winters, Sanders, Neils, Willwood, weld, Carrera, fuelsafe ultralight.

Autometer fluid, splined wheels, radiator, 2 top wings, car is complete roller minus seat, p/steer pump, belts. $11,000 ono. Ph 0407 252 338 or 02 4658 0657 ah. 207

Bus '72 Ford, 6 cyl turbo diesel, 5 speed, semi auto, seats 8, bunks and storage, suits small to medium sedan. Rego 11/01. $14,000 ono. Ph 02 4333 4070 or 0408 246 032.206 Heavy duty car trailer, suit large car, dual axles, new tyres, electric brakes, ramps, three years old, ex condition, $1500 ono. Ph 07 5577 1005. 207 Car trailer, single axle, brakes, winch, dolly wheel, suit small car, 1.6m x 3.2m, excellent con dition, tows very well. $2000 ono. Ph 0419 898 835. 207 Coach/transporter, 1980 Bedford 600 diesel motor, front mobile home, rear entrance for Super Sedan, many extras. $15,000 ono. Ph 02 4730 3440 or 0419 989 010. 207 F100, ex-ambulance, 1984, new tyres, 2400kg tow rack, bed, stove, 12 cupboards, ideal tow/storage vehicle, ideal for kart. Good condi-

Race Suit, Flamecrusher nomex/wool 2 layer in excellent condition. Similar look to RPM "Prostyle" suit. Will fit 170-175cm and 80kg. $330 nego tiable. Ph Leigh 0417 419 017.208 Limited edition, signed photographs of the V8s at the Adelaide 500. Individually numbered, framed and personally signed. Only 5 of each driver ever made. (Each photo is 20x30 inch). $400 ono. Ph 0408 307 279.20a

Lancer CE GSR turbo motor, rare current model factory DOHC 1 .8lt turbo, includes auto 4WD box, many extras. $5000 ono. Ph 0403 224 501.20a

after 6pm. 208 Set of VS Simmons wheels, or set of 15" Hotwires to suit L34, A9X Torana. Chev stud pat tern. Ph 03 5428 3916 bh. 208

Fully enclosed tandem trailer, suit Formula Ford or open wheeler. CW annexe, lift-up top, tyre racks, work bench etc. $2500. Ph 03 9435 7082. 207

B June 2001

Racing Suit, RPM. double layer, blue/yellow in colour, gloves, boots, blue in colour and fireproof underwear. Bell Sport II helmet, all in Revolution gear bag, used twice only. Excellent condition. $1200. Ph 0404 085 417. 2oe

Wanted

Isuzu '82, good condition, 230hp turbo intercooled, 22ft pan, hydraulic tail lift, long range tank, belly lockers, nose cone, sleeps six, with RWC. $25,000. Ph 03 5275 2567.207

Super Sedan EL XR8, fresh 4 bolt 350 steel crank, Bowtie heads, Truscott carb, 3 link torque link rear, fresh Q/C diff, coil overs. Good entry level car with potential. Good rubber, spares. $8500. Ph 0407 161 734 or 07 4045 0328. 207

Engines

Wanted to lease, HQ racer or old Sports Sedan by mature age driver. Required for six races from Nov 2001. All offers considered. Ph 0409 637 097

Race car transporter, Volvo FIO 1981 and 38' trailer. Currently setup to transport 6 Formula Fords. Lots of bench space and belly lockers, awning and winch. Offers. Ph 08 9302 4774. 207

Sprintcar, 1999/2000 Eagle chassis, complete car, ready to race or sell as roller. Ph 03 5025 7339 or 0417 506 700.207

Other

Chev engine 360ci, 4 bolt block, 60 thou bore, 13:1 comp ratio, steel crank, ported Chev head, Victor Jnr manifold, 750 Holley, approx 500hp, three meetings old. $4500. Ph 03 5942 7739. 20a Formula Ford engine, new manifold, carby, fuel pump, 5 port pump (oil pump), water pump kit, drive away, no more to pay, best offer. Ph 03 5482 2011.20a

Speeilwaw

Formula 500, Stealth chassis, Gardner running gear, front and rear. Pro shocks, Jawa engine, Bewley and Neb clutch, spares include bonnet, axles, wheels and radius rods. Fully rebuilt and ready for next season.$7500 ono. Ph Chris 02 9679 1499 ah or 0404 004 640. 20a

tion. $7500. Make an offer. Ph Mark 0408 965 182. 207

Experienced co-driver, required for classic road rally events. Driver and car owner campaigning Alfetta GTV and Lancia Strains. Long term com mitment required. Professional and serious interest only. Ph Craig 0414 638 428.207 Motor Racing Australia magazine, up to $25 for issue Number, around 47,48,49 with Jason cover. on Bargwanna

Ford Duellie Lariat 1987, 7.3 diesel XLT, complianced 9/97 , VGC, needs reg, only $34,500 ono.

Ph 03 9330 4612.208 Australian Motor Racing Yearbook, No 10, very good condition, hard to find edition. $132 + postage. Ph 0408 413 309. 20s Books, large collection, 100s, racing, drivers, exotic cars, bikes. Autocourse, Automobile Year, Bathurst, AMRYB etc. Send 3x45c stamps for list ing to: Motor Books, PO BOX 850, Newport Beach, NSW 2106.20a Queensland Raceway competitor pass, gives free track time, spectator entry, discount competi tion entry and garage hire, plus much more. $1750 (includes transfer cost). Ph 02 9456 0101 or 0408 757 709.20a Race suit, 2 layer size large, never worn $400, race boots size II never worn $200, Shoe! helmet model RF-4V, still in box $400, Shoe! helmet model X4-WV, worn once. $400. Ph 0403 554 373.20a Glovebox books, owner manuals, service books.

Suit most Holden and Ford 50s to 80s. From $10.

Ph 0402 580 008 or 07 5520 2223.207 Generator, 2.5 kva double power point, fuel gauge, 6 hp Briggs 81 Stratton, brand new, bought for $1150. Will sell for $750. Ph 07 5593 3850 or 0416 207 781.207 Race suit, Italian OMP brand, red, new, never used, triple layer, cost $750, sell $450. Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane. Ph 07 5502 9302 or 0413 991 947. 207 Slot Car Track, suit 1.24 Scale Cars. 18 ft long 11ft wide, 4 lanes, banked curves, fully comput erised professional style (aprox 80ft of track).

Asking only $2500 (well below replacement cost). Will also swap for motor bike, juke box etc of same value. Ph 02 9144 5092 or 0413 131 408. Email: moweroneup@aol.com.au 207 Slot Car bodies, 1/24 scale. HRT, Coke, Castrol and DJR colours. Brand new, very rare plus two race slot cars. $150 ono. Ph 0408 637 097. 202 Sponsors wanted, to any successul WA racing businesses who would like to sponsor a first time karting racer. Ph 08 9294 1814.207 Helmet, ARAI GP3K, size small, worn four times.

Paid $1100, sell $700. Ph Kosi 0419 524 752.207

email:youknowwhoiam2000@hotmail.com 207

pnotographs

Drags vs Commodore, blown 454 Chev, full chassis etc, car won runner up in class at Brisbane Hotrod Show. Has been tested and rebuilt ready for sale as a new car, for more information call Chris 07 5467 3122 or email at dl040322@hotmail.com.au 20a

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Suzuki GSX 1327 Modified Drag Bike, C/W 1200 piston 8: barrel kit spare, complete roller, 44mm rectron carby, performance electronic com puter, dyna ignition plus extras. Will sell separate, offers considered. Must sell. Ph 03 9431 2540 or 0407 549 912.208

Power Tour Mallala, photographs for sale of Trucks, V8 Stock Cars and Daewoos. Ph David Batchelor 08 8634 5310.20a

81

OPINION

lotiRporl EDITORIAl STAFF Editor: Phil Branagan Staff Journalist: Aaron Noonan Staff Journalist: Mark Glendennlng

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ADVERTISING Advertising Manager: Brendon Sheridan

ADMINISTRATION Managing Director: Chris Lambden

CONTACTS 89 Orrong Crescent North Caulfield Vic 3161 (PO Box 1010 North Caulfield Vic 3161) Ph: 03 9527 7744 Fax: 03 9527 7766 Email: msnews@02email.com.au

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82

HRT got off lightly manufacturers sports model; in Mick Donaldson's letter(MN # the case of the Ford the XK8, and Holden the SS. The same 206) prompted me to think.

And yes, drivers have been with the rear spoiler, and also penalised for the behaviour of for the undertray to be as per their team, when there was no the factory spec with no way of the driver controlling undertray! that behaviour. There were The reason for this is to several drivers penalised at promote better racing, with Hidden Valley for their pit more opportunity for passing, and also so the cars return to crews allowing wheel nuts to get away. production car looks that can In rall3dng, the driver of a be related to by the public as the cars they drive and not car is repsonsible for their service crew.

Sports Sedans.

There was an While I occasion in the understand that the drivers will last couple of years of a car cry out that the cars would be being excluded from the results dangerous and undriveable of a rally becuase their service crew without the huge were doing wings and donuts after the undertrays, there event. must be a way for this to The driver was nowhere near happen safely, where this was and it would put some of the going on and excitement back would probably instead of the not have allowed ludicrous reverse it to happen, but Young Lion too young? Did Romano deserve a look-in for an enduro he was excluded seat with HRT this year? Reader Kingisey thinks so. grid system and (Photo hy Slipstream Photographic) the Very anyway. dangerous pitSo maybe HRT and Bathurst drives? stop system that, in the sprint gotoffhghtly? This sort of behaviomYou have decided to opt for races, the cars don't need anyway! is dangerous and sends the wrong EXPERIENCE. I would have Keep up the good work message to race fans. Getting tough thought that racing the last six Peter Webb on offenders might make people stop years at Bathurst and only failing and think next time. petewwebb@hotmail.com due to mechanical failures would Robert Bruce have been more than enough robert.bruce@hotmail.com Champion Champ Cars experience.

I write to say thank-you to As part of the agreement with Channel 10 in reganis to its Mallala overlooked Romano, I was under the Champ Car coverage.

I have just seen the 2001/2002 impression that “HRT technical Thank you for taking six-odd TOCA Super Touring calendar and expertise would give Paul every races to give us Paul Page and I am extremely disappointed to see opportunity to show his potential” Parker Johnstone as opposed to that the Mallala round has been (Quoted from HRT media release, the commentators from Em'osport. dropped.

20th March 2001), but it is obvious Paul and Parker are informed It is unfair to have four rounds that this has not been forthcoming. and entertaining and do the cutting in NSW and nothing at all in What a slap in the face you have South Australia. The distance to the pit interviews as opposed to given to Paul and his supporters can't be a reason because the Eurosport who just stop talking to who would have more than drop in the chats because they’re series is going to Tasmania, so I assumed that he would be would like to know the reason for not originating them. It makes for a guaranteed a (hive in one of the two much more flowing telecast. our round being dropped. I don't HRT cars for the endm-ance races, The variety of angles, chats with understand how TOCA expects to or are you afraid that with the right team managers and extremely revive Super Touring by reducing equipment he may show up some of well-informed pit commentary of access to events. the more fancied drivers?

Jon Beekhuis and Gary Gerould I thought the Mallala round was Come on HRT, put your money make it good to watch. If we could usually quite well attended, but it and expertise behind an excellent just get some V8 pit reporters who seems we are to lose another great driver and person, and give Paul were the same ... event to the Eastern states. the opportunity he deserves, And thanks Channel 9 for telling Sandra Kingsley Surely no one in NSW will mind us who won the Indy 500 on 05brock@hotmail.com only having three rounds there so Nightline five minutes before the that we can still have one in SA? telecast...

Naomi Maltby Extra V8 spice The Indy telecast was fantastic Clarence Gardens, SA No one can argue that V8 with pit reporters who could read Supercars are at the top of the tree the race and not just tell us what The Romano factor at the moment, but I have a was going on but what it all meant SHAME ON YOU HRT! thought of how to make the action in the big picture. a little more appealing to the John Crennan, please explain!

Keep climbing those fences, Helio, general public and race fan alike.

Why would you choose Tony and not Kenny Brack’s wheel...

What I propose is for the front Longhurst and Tomas Mezera over Craig Morters bumper to be replaced with a your new Holden Young Lion Paul email - addi'ess withheld Romano for the Queensland 500 replica of the one from each motorsport oews

converter

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M;rrr 6odd $240 Ctesic JOKk^t

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HRT Team T-Shirt White/Red

HRT 6300 $35

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Delivery Address:

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Phone: (Home) Phone: (Bus) I (Inc $10 Postage & Handling^ □ Cheque/Money Order Enclosed ] (Inc $10 Postage Si Handling) □ charge my Credit Card with 1$ □ Bankcard □Visa □Mastercard Expiry Date[

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Please Note: All prices shown include GST

Postcode

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1575 Princes Hwy, Oakleigh 3166 P.O. Box 181, Oakleigh 3 166 Phone: (03) 9567 3422 Fax: (03) 9568 5309

iPdr- det-aif$: abouil the complete I'llOlf raiige of M||T merchan.dtses visit oiM? web site at wwwvgW5.com.au/shop

For more information contact No Fear(03) 5261 0078 www.nofear.com