Motorsport News Issue 209 - July 6-19, 2001 by V8 Sleuth

Australia $5.50 NZ $6.95 inci GST

Domination!

Brother Love

Will F1 pressures drive the winning brothers apart?

Tin.

Perth’s V8 Future: street or all-new track? The Rat makes It three from three for Ford in WA

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We have Ignition

nttirsfMt Issue 209 6-13 July 2001

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INSIDE News and Opinion

TWR plans thwarted? A third Ho\den V8 team?

V8 Supercar tyre deal Bridgestones or Dunlops? Flavio's French connection Briatore in Prost deal?

9 10

. MobilD

27 28 82

Falling into place More enduro drivers named Motor Mouth Happy Birthday to MN Box Seat On the choo-choo with EJ Talk Converter Sheene unpopular in the west

Features

v/wvM.hSV.Com.avi

Bright past. Bright future Jason on life at HRT

McLaren's black beauty The first carbon FI car, 20 years on Porsche's Le Mans 917

The ultimate racer, 30 years on

Race Coverage

24 38 48

How does Webber jump so high? Radisich breaks through Pole,3 wins, Rat-a-tat-tat Schumacher's FI double Michael and Ralf dominate as McLaren stalls out of title race

Regular Departments

lEXCLUSIVf]

HRT's ji plan

Formula 3000 times two

GMD7 PilTiSTB

forJ World Domination!

'(weiHfrfAustfallph)i

Brother Lowe li« WHinIng Urc

Perth’s V8 Future: street or all-new track?

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The Rat makes it three i from three for Ford in WA 2 Photos: Cover: Marshall Cass and Sutton-lmages. Contents; Dirk Klynsmith, Sutton-lmages, Paul Nathan.

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Motorcycles Histories

64 68

Drag Racing NASCAR

70 72 74

Speedway Rallying National Scene

Marketplace 1

The Brothers How long will Michael and Ralf be able to act like brothers, and not adversaries?

THE Schumacher brothers are close. They always have been. But will the natural bond between the brothers from Kerpen survive their ontrack rivalry at the front of Grand Prix racing? It is, for example, difficult to fathom what must have been going through Michael's head as he walked back to the pits having lost the championship lead with only two races to go at the Nurburgring back in 1997. The Ferrari's race was effectively over at the first corner, where brother Ralf managed to take himself, his Jordan team-mate Giancarlo Fisichella, and Michael out of the race in a single move. Afterwards, he was rather more charitable than would have been the case had it been anybody other than Ralf that cleaned him up: "It is a shame that the incident happened with my brother but I don't think anyone is to blame for what happened as it was not a deliberate move. These things can happen and that is motor racing." Michael was similarly accommodating at Silverstone last year where, having made a bad start and dropped to eighth, he found himself unable to get past a determined Ralf. "I didn't want to risk having an off with my brother. Not being my brother, I would probably have reacted differently. But I didn't want to see my brother running into me. That would have caused some damage probably to me or to him. 1 didn't want to risk that. So obviously I backed off and gave him the run." Michael seems to have this under control, as was illustrated at the 2000 Spanish

Mobil

Grand Prix, where he threw brotherly love out the window in the interests of the team by making contact with a hardcharging Ralf, allowing Rubens Barrichello to nip past, before darting into the pitlane. "He looked for the fight and he started it," Michael told a German newspaper. "If he's not happy, that's too bad. He could have overtaken on the outside but no, he had to try the inside." For his part, Ralf was too livid to speak immediately after the race, but was diplomatic a few days later. "Nothing has been changed in our good relationship," he said. "It's a lot of fun when we are out there on the track duelling against each other." The Schumacher brothers have fought it out on the track for the last three races in succession, with Ralf currently proving to be the main beneficiary of both Michelin's improved performance and the ever-evolving BMW.Williams. Michael was prepared to make ● some concessions to his brother as late as last year, but his blocking move off the startline at the European Grand Prix suggests that he now considers Ralf to be a real threat. Any lingering doubts that the younger Schuey may have had about the latest development in his on-track relationship with his brother was well and truly put to bed. "I owe him one, definitely," said Ralf after taking pole at Magny Cours. "He never would do it," added Michael. "No, never ever," continued Ralf. "...I have to protect my position as he has. Normal thing, isn't it?"

One, Two, Three, Four... Five, Six? TWR Australia has HRT and Kmart Racing

ThiPdTWR team plan AN ambitious plan to further expand the munber of V8 Supercar teams owned and operated by TWR Australia could be thwarted by V8 teams’ organisation TEGA. TWR Australia currently operates both Holden Racing Team and Kmart Racing teams from its Clayton base but, in recent weeks, has set about creating a third potential team under the same corporate umbrella. However, the signs are that TEGA would prefer overall independence of teams and is planning to further address the ● issue as part of a process that is currently revising the TEGA constitution and teams agreement. At the same time (see separate story) an unconfirmed story is suggesting that TWR has also submitted a proposal to Holden to take over the running of Holden’s entire motor sport managementat the expense of the cun-ent Holden Motor Sport sti-uctoe, headed by John Stevenson. In the interim, our industiy sources tell us that TWR has approached current Stone Brothers

"We don't want to see organisations gobbling yp other teams and running several under the one umbrella ft

-AVESCO CEO Wayne Cattach backers Caltex for sponsorship to run a new Holden team which would include Tony Longhurst. Longhurst- who split from the Stone Brothers Ford team at the end of last year in less than amicable circumstances - was recently confirmed as a long distance co-driver for this year’s HRT squad. At the time he told Motorsport News that had he known more of HRT’s expertise “I woidd have joined them 10 years ago...” In recent days, Longhm-st has also been busy looking at options available to acquii'e a Level 1 franchise - having sold his own to the fledgling Brad Jones Ford team 18 months ago. We hear the asking price turned out to be many, many times the motorsport rows

NEWS

TWR’s Holden Motorsport bid

Australia

jnder its wing, but a bid for a third team may come to nothing. (Photo by Noei Papeiera)

Retail outlet: Will Kmart Racing be the ‘final’ TWRAteam? (pmoby oirkKiyrsmiih) amount involved at the last transaction... Longhurst declined to comment when Motorsport News quizzed him on the'TWR option on Thesday: “I’ve got a few balls up in the air at the moment for next year, but for now I’m working hard with Rod Nash and looking forward to the two races with HRT later in the year,” was all he would say. 6 July 2001

TEGAis also resisting suggestions for an increase in the number of Level One franchises, from its current 13. SBR boss Ross Stone reacted succinctly, when Motorsport News spoke with him this week about the reported developments: “I don’t want to comment about it other than to confirm that we have a contract in place with

TWR Australia has proposed a take-over of Holden Motor Sport. Motorsport News' spies have suggested that the group, headed by boss John Crennan, has proposed that it administer Holden's motor sport budget - presumably at the expense of the current HMS structure, including motorsport manager John Stevenson. While Stevenson himself this week disavowed any knowledge of such a push, another Holden motorsport heavy confided to Motorsport News that "Crennan tries that approach every couple of years... "How on earth they could independently administer Holden's motor sport dollars to include people like Perkins' and Garry Rogers' teams is a mystery. "It won't happen. Holden aren't that silly..." Caltex until the end of 2002,” he said, adding: "However, I would have thought tlhat an organisation that professed to be such hot shots at sponsorship would be bringing new companies iato the sport- not trying to acquire other team’s sponsors...” CEO Wayne Cattach this week confirmed AVESCO’s philosophy on tine subject: "The current Board has a view that the sport’s best interests are definitely served with a diversity of robust teams - as it is in FI,” he said. "The new teams agreement is still being finalised, but the consensus would seem to be against teams grouping under one roof We don’t want to see organisations gobbling up other teams and running several under the one umbrella.” While a couple of organisations owm and operate up to five teams in NASCAE’s 43-team Winston’ Ctip competition in the USA, more than two out of the 13 Level One franchises operated by AVESCO would be a higher stake in percentage terms. At the moment, the Kmart team is operated under a complex arrangement with Bap Romano, who owns a Level One fi-anchise, while his son Paul Romano benefits from a spot in the Holden Young Lions team, which is operated out of Queensland.

Hulio hullo Skaifey, wot’s all this then? MARK Skaife got a nasty surprise when he returned to his hotei room after the Perth SCS round, interrupting a burglar. ‘Stone Cold' Skaife relieved the offender of his ill-gotten gains and subdued him until the long arm of the law arrived to cart him away. The perpetrator appeared in a Perth court last Friday. And no, the villain did not ask him for an autograph ... n Paul Morris's new Commodore VX will be ready in time for Oran Park's SCS round on 29 July. The Big Kev team is planning to run Matt Neal in the race, the long Pom slated to share with Morris at Queensland and Bathurst. Morris is also due to test FF frontrunner Will Power soon, but will only run one car at the enduros. n Gibson Motorsport is also due to run two cars at OP, with the new '00' AU nearing completion at the team's Melbourne HQ. Neil Crompton, who will share a car with Craig Lowndes in the enduros, will race the ex-Bright/Baird Ford Lowndes has driven this season. n There will be a testing frenzy at Calder today (Thursday), with HRT and Kmart Racing both due to run both of their cars. HRT's Tomas Mezera and Tony Longhurst are due to drive the red rockets for the first time. n You won't be able to take Spot and Rex to the race, but your mutts may like to watch the Queensland 500 on television. The race will be sponsored by VIP Pet Foods, which has been seen recently on a number of race cars, including Cameron McLean's Falcon, Tony Quinn's Nations Cup Porsche and Will Power's Stealth FF. n Matthew White will share the Caltex Havoline Falcon AU with David Besnard at Queensland and Bathurst. White, who tested impressively for the Stone Brothers team last month, finished 10th at Queensland last season in his own privateer Commodore VS, sharing the old banger with Terry Wyhoon. n Gary Lee Kanawyer has won the 79th Pikes Peak in Colorodo. Kanawyer's Wells Coyote open wheeler won in 10m39.76s, 34 seconds outside the outright record held by Steve Millen. Per Ekiund's Saab 9-3 Viggen was second in the Open class in 12m08.30s. The event was marred by the death of Chandler Bruning Jr, who crashed his Chevy Monte Carlo during qualifying. 5

Honda keeps BAR, Jordan HONDA Racing's technical director, Katzutoshi Nishizawa, has dismissed intense speculation that the Japanese giant was preparing to ditch either British American Racing or

Jordan from its engine supply deals in 2002. "I don't understand why this rumour is circulating," said Nishizawa."We will supply both teams next year. In fact, we presented our

2002 engine to both teams in Malaysia and we already have had se\Aeral meetings with them. We never planned to drop either team." - JOE SAWARD

... but will BAR lose Pauls and Villeneuve? \

THERE could be a major change, or two,in the wind for British American Racing. Despite saying that Olivier Panis is "almost . certain" to stay with the Honda works team .next season, there remains a possibility that the Frenchman could return to McLaren, depending on the. immediate future of Mika Hakkinen. Sources suggest that McLaren has re-signed David Coulthard for next season and rhariagement is making positive noises about ; Hakkinen, but there is still the chance that the Fjnn may retire at the end of the season. Panis, who resurrected his stalled career by test-driving for the West-backed team last .season, is very highly rated by the McLaren's : engineers, and there are suggestions that the .' team's current reliability malaise has not been helped by the fact that the race drivers, and not 'test driver Alex Wurz, have been doing much of the testing of McLaren's MP4/16. Insiders point to the fact that, in 2000, Panis .t was often as fast or faster than Coulthard and Hakkinen in testingjj position Wurz has rarely infilled. -V "I am very please'd-to work with BAR but we n need to wait a little to speak about the future but'f ann very confident for my future," Panis ^ said. . Panis has, apparently, been given a 2002 ●contract by BAR principal Craig Pollock, but has_yet to sign it . . . ■■i. "We have to wait a little for the future, but I'm

quite close to fixing it with this team because it's a really good engine, we have a really good relationship with Jacques (Villeneuve), everything's fine I think. We don't need to change," Meanwhile, Jacques Villeneuve has admitted that he is considering alternatives to BAR for next season season. "I am looking very seriously at what is happening everywhere. You always have to prepared just in case," said the 1997 world champion, who has scored points in just two races this year. "But that doesn't mean that I am leaving. "It is always good to know what is happening everywhere, so unless you are 100 per cent blocked or have decided to stay, then you need l to know what is happening everywhere." BAR and Jordan were said to be in competition for a continue engine deal from Honda, but the Japanese company has pledged support for both teams for 2002. As to what would happen if either, or both, drivers leave BAR, currently the team employs journeyman Patrick Lemarie, a close friend of Villeneuve's who would not be expected to stay witUhe team if the Canadian leaves. Italso uses Formula 3 stars Takuma Sato and Anthony Davidson as test drivers, but neither are considered to be ready for FI. But that was said about Jenson Button in 1999, and Kimi 'Raikkonen last year ...

■ 4

Dunlo BRIDGESTONE and Dunlop are expected to fight out the control tyre contract for V8 Supercars. Tenders for the three-year deal closed at the end of June, and a decision regarding the supplier for the Shell Championship and Konica V8 Supercar Series for the next three years could be annoimced in the next two weeks if Bridgestone gets the deal. Bridgestone, which has held the control tyre rights to the categories since 1999,is favoured by many V8 Supercar team owners to retain the deal, most citing the costs in testing new rubber should a change occur. “We are evaluating the tenders now,” said AVESCO’s Operations Manager Tony Manson this week. “If Bridgestone wins the tender, there is no issue. If it’s close (in commercial terms), we will have to give them a proper crack and do some tyre testing.” Whatever company wins the tender, it is believed that orders will need to be placed by the end of September to allow the production of up to 12,000 slick tyres to be scheduled into the successful company’s international production schedule. While details of the tenderers, and the tenders themselves, are

Bathurst V8 test unlikely A PROPOSED Bathurst test day in September now appears unlikely to happen. The test, which was loosely set down for September 15/16, is due to be discussed by TEGA's board later this month, but it now appears that the teams will forgo the opportunity to test their V8 Supercars on Bathurst's all-new track surface. A number of V8 team members Motorsport News approached in Perth said that they were against the idea on the grounds of cost, while others welcomed the opportunity to blood new drivers at the track. If the day does not go ahead, it will also avoid a clash with the Sandown 500, in which several V8 Supercar drivers are likely to co-drive in the Nations Cup event. A decision is likely after the next TEGA board meeting. _ PHIL BRANAGAN motorsport rows

NEWS

p V Bridgestone confidential, Motorsport News hears that Yokohama, Pirelli and Michelin did not bid for the deal. Yokohama, which supplied tyres for the Privateer category within V8 Supercar racing prior to Bridgestone’s current control tyre deal, was expected my many observers to mount a substantial bid to wrest the deal from Bridgestone. However, sources indicate that the Japanese manufacturer, which currently has the control deal for Super Touring, Formula Holden and Formula 3, evaluated the contract and decided that a V8 Supercar program did not fit within its current race t3rre production capabilities. Pirelli’s local motorsport manager Rod Wilson said that the company would continue to concentrate on its programs in Nations Cup and GTP,Porsche Cup and rallying, while Michelin’s 'Trevor Sheumack said that the company did not have the local capacity to service such a large contract. -PHILBRANAGAN

n Paul Gentilozzi has|von the Cleveland round of the L|S TransAm series. His Rocketsports Jaguar XKR beat Stu Hayner's Mustang by 4s in the wet, moving Gentilozzi into the series lead for the first time this season, n Nicky Hayden goes Jurassic! The American Superbike prodigy will suit up for the Laguna SBK round in a oneoff paint scheme, his Honda and leathers promoting the upcoming 'Jurassic Park III' movie. n While John Faulkner Racing continues to plough on in the mid-field of V8 Supercar racing, it seems highly probable that Winton Konica Series round winner Owen Kelly will join JF for the endurance races, provided a budget is sourced. Faulkner told MNews last week that he was a definite for Calder and Oran Park but meetings with potential backers would hold the key for any continuation after that. n Emerson Newton-John has abandoned plans to run in Formula Holden and has instead placed his focus on V8 Supercars. He tested NRC Racing's Commodore at Phillip Island recently.

Rubbery figures: We could know the supplier of V8 Supercar tyres for 2002-4 by the end of the month. (Photo by Dirk Klynsmith)

Perth: street or track? A’YESCO is pursuing a Perth street race with renewed vigour following what could well have been the final Shell Series race at Wanneroo. However, at least two parties in WA are also pushing for permanent circuit proposals, based on land adjacent to Perth’s international airport.

An updated proposal from AVESCO relating to a street race was delivered to WA Events Corp

last Friday.

“It’s definitely back on the table,” AVESCO CEO Wayne Cattach said this week. “We’re sensitive to the State’s position of continuing with the rally,” he continued,“but our case

Brock versus Johnson: The fans love all of their racing in the west, but will they be getting a street race or a new track? (Photo by Marshall Cass) 6 luly 2001

n One of motorsport's greatest photographers, Louis Klemantaski, has died in London at the age of 89, Klemantaski, who retired in 1982, started shooting racing after World War 2 and took his cameras in five Mille Miglias, finishing second in Peter Collins's Ferrari in 1956. He is survived by his wife of 46 years, Ursula.

must have been helped by the lock out of people at Wanneroo.” While AVESCO is aware of at least one of the permanent circuit proposals - another is expected to be presented to the WA Government this week -it is pushing the street race case. “We’re focussing clearly on the street race option,” Cattach continued,“even if it is a transitional arrangement which eventually moves to a new permanent circuit. “We believe we have a good case - the cost of running a street race is $2m less than it costs WA to stage the rally.” In the meantime, Motorsport News understands that two groups are now working on separate permanent circuit proposals, one of which - a $25 million dollar Flstandard 4.8 km complex - was scheduled for government talks this week. Watch this space...

n Kiwi Matt Halliday has improved in Indy Lights, taking fourth in the Portland round. Plagued by handling and gearbox dramas during qualifying, the Formula Holden graduate started 10th but improved to finish behind Ireland's Damien Faulkner, Rudy Junco and Derek Higgins. n They just get younger: New Zealand Formula Ford wunderkid James Cressy is heading to Australia. The teenager will drive one of Graham Watson's cars in two rounds of the Formula Holden series. He tested at Oran Park on Monday and, reportedly, lapped in the 64s bracket. n More testers: Formula Holden teams have been busy testing, with Birrana Racing and Hocking Motorsport running at Calder last week. Rick Kelly did the duties in the Young Lions car, while Christian Murchison was joined by a number of other drivers in the Hocking cars. Porsche Cup Champ Simon Froude and Sports Sedan driver Richard Catchlove sampled the cars at Calder, while John Teulan sampled the car at Winton the day prior. The series will run at Calder next weekend in support to the Shell Series. 7

GP insurer collapses FORMULA 1 teams have been assured their insurance claims from the European Grand Prix last weekend will be honoured,despite the liquidation of Independent Insurance last week. Independent Insurance ; handled insurance for most of the Formula 1 teams placed with leading brokers TL Clowes, and its collapse came . after weeks of speculation about its future. To ensure that any claims will be met, TL Clowes has since re-insured the teams with another insurance company. Independent still theoretically covers the teams, so any subsequent claims would depend on assets made available by the liquidators. “We wanted to make sure that our clients were protected," said TL Clowes joint , managing director Paul Dudley. “This has been communicated to the teams and we have had positive support." The business that TL Clowes handled directly with FI drivers was not placed with Independent Insurance, so they are not affected in any way. - NICK GARTON

Arrows-Cosworth

Walkinshaw bags Jag’s rebadged VIO for 2002 by JOE SAWARD

THE Orange Arrows team will this week announce that it will he running customer Cosworth VIO engines next year. Team boss Tom Walkinshaw has been looking for a new engine deal since the relationship with current engine partners Asiatech turned brittle and in Canada Walkinshaw said;'We’ve signed a two year contract but we’ve both got options at the end ofthe year, whether we continue it or not, we need to convince each other that it’s a good idea, so we’ll see what happens. We have to make a decision on engines for next year definitely within the next months to five weeks at the latest." This may still come to pass, as the cost of buying a supply of Ford engines - rumoured to be in the region of US$20 million per season - has not been a concern to the team since entering its partnership with Asiatech. Orange will retain its title sponsorship for 2002, and is beheved to cover the cost of the Cosworth engine deal with extra

funding coming from smaller sponsors such as Red Bull, which may yet seek to increase its involvement with the team as it seeks to further its American profile.

Look after that engine, I might use it next season: Arrows will be getting Jaguar’s Cosworth-developed VIO engine next year. (Photo by Marsh/Bothweli)

It will be Renault-Ei French powerhouses reunite

\ French heaven: Renault, MIchelln et Elf dans Formule 1. (WarsivBoihweii) 8

WHEN Renault Sport makes its fuU-scale return to Formula 1 in 2002 it will be with its original title sponsor, the French fuel giant Elf. Elf has long been associated with the Regie, including its previous Formula 1 campaign as constructor of both engine and chassis of 1977-85, its return as engine supplier of 1989-97, its World Rally Championship campaigns and the victorious turbo Le Mans effort of 1978. The team,in its final season as ‘Benetton’since Renault’s buy-out in March 2000, will next year be entered as Renault-Elf, taking the lion’s share of team branding in exchange for the development of fuel and lubricants for Renault’s FI progi-am. The partnership has notched up 95 victories to date with the Renault, Lotus, Williams and Benetton teams. - NICK GARTON moiorsport news

NEWS

FHolden future set

Holden, teams to continue to support Gold Star class

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There’s nothing like a V6: Formula Holden’s future Is looking bright, with (Photo by Dirk Klynsmith) the category’s continued support from GMH.

BIG changes may be on the way for beleaguered Prost

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Grand Prix, with Flavio Briatore rumoured to be close to resuming a role with the team. The Italian, currently with the Benetton-Renault team, is said to be close to securing a deal to supply Asiatech engines to the four-time world champion in return for a 30 percent stake in the French outfit. Briatore is said to be

B^ planning to delegate day-to-day H management at Renault before B the car giant assumes namingB rights control of the Benetton B team next season, and is P thought to be negotiating with K Asiatech to market the B engines which are currently ■ used by Arrows. 6 July 2001

If such a move was to happen, it would be ironic on two fronts; Briatore sold the team, formerly known as Ligier, to Prost four years ago; and Prost moved to using Ferrari engines this season after a nightmare season with Peugeot, which sold its FI interests to Asiatech .. . Briatore's motivation for the move is reportedly to try and place Fernando Alonso with Benetton. To do so, he would need to move Jenson Button to Prost, and an engine and/or ownership deal may al low this to happen. Also in the mix is our own F3000 contender. As Flav told ITV at last weekend's French GP,. "I have two young drivers to consider-Alonso and Webber..."

HOLDEN is to continue its support of the Formula Holden category, despite the class’s current small fields. A meeting was held in Melbourne last week to discuss the category’s future, and Holden Motorsport Manager John Stevenson emerged stating that the manufacturer would “absolutely” continue to back the openwheelers. “They have a temporary lack of entries at the moment,” said Stevenson. “You do get one team or another moving out of the class, which takes a few entries away, but that is not permanent. “It’s a problem for a number of open-wheel categories. It’s part of the effect of the growth of the Konica Series. ‘Young blokes think that the Konica Series is the best route into V8 Supercar racing, but if you talk to any of the drivers in the Shell Series who have some through Formula Holden, they would say that their time in the class was very beneficial in terms of racing and getting to grips with fast race cars.” Stevenson said that the meeting, which was attended by a number of leading FH teams, produced a “number of good ideas for the long and short-term.” “One of the problems is that the support programs, like Formula Holden and Formula Ford, have to pay for their TV coverage. We are all looking at that.” Birrana Racing principal Malcolm Ramsay, who attended the meeting, said that the Formula Holden ‘honour roll’ was, in itself testament to the ongoing success of the class. “When you look through the leading drivers in V8 Supercar racing, most of them have, at one stage, driven in the class,” he said. “Mark Skaife, Jason Bright, Jason Bargwanna, Craig Lowndes, Greg Murphy, Mark Larkham ... the list goes on and on,” he said. “Add to that Mark Webber and Scott Dixon and you have a fair idea how important the class is. “What we have is an open wheeler category which offers unrivalled value for money in comparison with anything overseas. The step up in budgets to get into Formula 3000 or Indy Lights is huge. We have a gi-eat class and, with Holden’s support, we are looking forward to a great future.” -PHILBRANAGAN

(Photo by Slipstream Photographic]

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■ V8s... Next stop, Calder Park. Ford will be out to make it four on the trot, Skaife will be out to extend his points lead, and a lof of people will be out to stop both of them ... and more V8s The Konica Series heads to Lakeside with just two rounds remaining.

■ The Germans are coming The Schuey Brothers Circus sets up the big top at Silverstone. One show only! ■ Adelaide ARC Bourne and Bates get set to fight it out in the City of Churches.

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ON SALE JULY 20

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Weel gets Leahey by AARON NOONAN

WITH Craig Baird moving across to the new Bud Racing V8 team for the endurance races,the K&J Thermal Products Racing team has moved quickly to sign a driver to partner Paul Weel. Volkswagen GTP works driver Tim Leahey will join the Queensland-based team for the Queensland 500 and more than likely Bathurst. "We're doing the QR 500 and if everything goes well we'll do Bathurst," said Leahey. "It's been a tough year trying to get a drive. Obviously financial difficulties kept me out of doing a Konica Series deal for the season but Paul and Kees have kindly given me an opportunity to show what I can do." Leahey has been largely on the sidelines in 2001, keeping his hand in by driving Volkswagen's Beetle in the GTPerformance Championship after having won in Formula Holden at Winton last year and finishing ninth in the Queensland 500 for Garry Rogers Motorsport with Greg Ritter.

Time to Stoke the Ford?

WITH nearly all of the seats filled for the rapidly approaching endurance races, one of the main seats left is in the second Shell Helix Falcon AU. There’s been various names linked to the seat, including Mark Noske, who will now suit up in Bud Racing’s Falcon, but the latest whisper is Nations Cup Lamborghini star Paul Stokell. "I don’t have a drive at the moment," Stokell told Motorsport News on Tuesday. "I’ve been talking to various teams but at this stage I’m nowhere near signing anything." Stokell had signed a deal to drive again with Steve Ellery in the Supercheap Ford, though a clash with Nations Cup duties at Bathurst meant he was released from his contract. Ironically, the Nations Cup races at Bathurst won’t happen, leaving him available for a ride in the 1000kilometre classic.

SBK Warld Super Bike Championship* Laguna Seca

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1 ten home of

motorsport I I

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

The Weel Deal: Tim Leahey will join the K&J team for Queensland and more than likelv Bathurst. (Photo by Dirk Klynsmith)

;(Photo by Slipstrof

Photographic]

IN other enduro news, Brad Jones will share his car with John Cieiand, the double British Touring Car champion who has previously raced at Bathurst with Peter Brock and Mark Skaife. The Scot raced last year in the Wynn’s Commodore with Rodney Forbes. It will be his eighth Bathurst start. - AARON NOONAN/PHIL BRANAGAN motorsport news

NEWS

Konica Series rivals Ferrier^and Dumbrell team up

n Brett Peters has extended his lead in the GT-Performance championship after a CAMS hearing in Brisbane upheld his appeal over being disqualified from the second race in Adelaide in April. The Queenslander had finished third but was excluded from the results and docked 10 title points for having a car one kilogram underweight. He now leads Phil Polites and Gary Deane by 32 points. n The Tallinn Grand Prix in Estonia, the motorcycle event where five-time world champ Joey Dunlop was killed last year, has claimed another victim. Estonian Tonu Raak was in a sidecar when he spilled out and rolled down a hill into a tree. Monday was the first anniversary of Dunlop's death.

will be Mendier to each other CBampionShip to make the mg step up to the Komea Series in.a 600 off the track now and will help horsepower Commodore where she each other to get the best Ti :!ÂRllYr]^gers Motorsport has consistently run in the top possible results in the giye ypuibija endurance races, but there wiifT" three or€our ears,” said Rogers. spcohd once again M be no holds barred in the Konica “Paul has fought tooth and e^^)%dtu!Aaic;e %acC8j/with Series because we are both nod’ with i|ieanne in the Konica Sje^lesi^îâlaiEieanne Series and has impressed me fighting to win the Pl^fifrieF with his professionail:, coTnmitted Chamipionship,” said Dumbrell. and mature pini'^B'jil^heTteam^ #35 car ||aPlt;up|p.dlaspn. approach to his racing this. i l^^jâÂapdârul ^ year.” > t WulhKeitier ?f|ip'^jadrsiif]i«,puhiatb0ithithe' i ^ n'een§lindi^06;andft^ is a Bathurst ¥8> i 'V rodMe^ her 1% ■®^ntiûrstlt'0O||lPnce'th6y have year-old partner plîshed?their respective Konica Dumbrell= who ' kweries campaigns, with the sits second in -^hultiniai'e-round of the series . the’Kemqa ■’iobeifetd-at'iiakeside this: Cummins , wehbend. n points '^-vrilihe wSepao maian'g'Ms.ithird i if '“-ILieaqncil^s developed ve^ ■ Cuniiln»i;| Bathurststart. Fonuula Ford where she wm/WspeJ took third overall'in the 200,0 “I guess we ? llpX AARON NOONAN

MAHIIMIE FOLD: THE ULTIMATE TRACKSIDE FAIM-BOY fA^q,WrtiTA,5loCi<SoSTeR ^ AoStRauAS SoT ^ Week of spout tiIe Some ATi)leTeS you Tube-Tuefe's Tile Eeericii CAkHRiIWAPAIReToOi Ft (jP.TilEFirstCEiCXeT the'SHe'RpFtweak' Test is Ok), AitP TiIek) WaRHiE, AHP (ZIENIH there's An. tHe ActiOk) / \ ’TheSiIlTaHoFSiePEE PRo/AWlMgi,Ep«H ! / , V M‘6RATH

■ Veteran sportscar engineer Eddie Hinkley is leaving Bentley's Apex Motorsport team for a new position with the British-based Cadillac squad. Hinkley, who engineered the thirdplaced EXP Speed 8 at Le Mans earlier this month, was also a key member of the TWR-Jaguar squad in the 1980s and 1990s. ■ The Most circuit in the Czech Republic will host the August round of the ELMS originally scheduled for the Salzburgring, it had been confirmed. Series boss John Macdonald said: "Most is an unbelievable place. It has everything you could want. It is a great circuit with a mixture of fast corners and twisty bits."

By Allan Schofield

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n Dave Price has been relieved of his duties as director of racing at the Panoz Motorsports factory squad. Team owner Don Panoz claimed that he wanted to centralise the management structure of his operation at its Georgia base and that the Britishbased Price couldn't devote sufficient time to the role. Price, who has other business links with the Panoz empire, will remain as an advisor to Don Panoz.

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at 11

Alex shines

ALEX Davison drove impressively to finish fifth in a special appearance in the Porsche-Pirelli Supercup series at the Nurhurgring. The 21--year-old Melbourneborn driver, who is currently racing in the German domestic Porsche Carrera Cup series, was invited to participate in the Supercup round, which served as a support race to the European Grand Prix. Davison qualified his Team Hewlett Packard/Porsche Centre GTS coupe in eighth, and made a blinder of a start to claim two positions before the first corner. He maintained good speed in the early stages of the race before dropping away from the

leaders with fading tyres. “I think I drove well today, and I wouldn't do anything differently if I could do it over again”, Alex said. “It's a good advertisement for the quality of competition in the Carrera Cup.” Those who finished in the Australian's wake included current Supercup championship leader Marco Werner, ex-Indycar driver Alessandro Zampedri, and 1998 Le Mans winner Stephane Ortelli. The top five places were all taken by German Carrera Cup regulars, with the win going to Jorg Bergmeister ahead of Timo Bernhard and Marc Lieb. - MARK GLENDENNING

Lr JAMES Courtney kept his points tally ticking over with a pair of podium finishes in the latest round of the British F3 championship at Castle Combe last week. After qualifying fourth for the first race and fifth for the second, Courtney went on to iii'i.ih third in both events before a 17,000-strcng crowd. A pair of wins for Anthony Davidson and two secondplaces for Takurma Sato conspired to produce identical podiums for each race. Sato set the pace early by daiming pole from his Carlin C'ratorspo.d teammate .Drivrdson, but the Japanese n ir'ver was in trouble early with ,gf".e problems, bavdsor-r capitalised, making

{Photo by iiunoivimage&;

a blinder of a start, capturing the lead on the opening lap, and vanishing into the distance to claim the flag. The struggling Sato was quickly under pressure from Derek Hayes, who had rocketed up from sixth on the grid, but he in turn had his rearview mirrors filled with Courtney's Jaguar. Courtney drew alongside Hayes on lap six, and moved into third when the Northern Irishman missed a gear coming out of the chicane. He then caught Sato, and looked to be on target for second until a minor mistake, which unfortunately came at the same time that Sato's engine prolDem cleared itself up. Andre Lotterer. Courtney's teammate, finished sixth.

The Davidson/Sato battle resumed in Race 2, the pair making contact on the first lap. Jamie Spence reclaimed his starting spot of second by passing Sato at the Esses. A spin by Michael Keohane at the same spot on lap one brought the safety car out a few tours later, but nobody benefited significantly from the restart; Davidson launching off into the distance as soon as the race resumed. Sato finally captured second from Spence three laps later but could not close the gap to Davidson, who reset the lap record on his way to victory. Spence fell victim to Courtney a few laps later, promoting the Jaguar to the final spot or, the txxisjnr'.

Points; Sato 132, Hayes 130, Davidson 121, Courtney 113.

MEANWHILE, Courtney is scheduled for his first run in an F1 Jaguar in two weeks. Courtney, who turned 21 last week, was preliminarily pencilled in for a private test last week at Monza, but will now take the wheel during the regular FOA test, which kicks off at Monza on July 17. "Jaguar aren't making a big fuss about it," Courtney's manager Alan Gow said this week. "It's his first run, but he and F3 team-mate Andre Lotterer are expected to do quite a bit of the donkey work for the remainder of the .year."

NEWS

Penalty costs Ryan win

AUSTRALIAN teenager Ryan Briscoe was robbed of a second-straight win in the Italian Formula Renault Championship when he was dealt a penalty after taking the chequered flag. Briscoe had a 4.5 second lead in hand when he crossed the finish line at Monza two weeks ago, but he later received a

10.6s penalty for passing under yellow flags. "On the first lap, the safety car was called on to the track. When the yellow flags came out and I backed off, many positions were changed in front and behind me.

"When I thought I was getting back my original position, I must have overtaken too many cars,

and therefore I was penalised at the end of the race," a disappointed Briscoe said afterwards. The Sydneysider was among several drivers to be stung by officials in a race that saw five of 12 laps run under the safety car. The win was later claimed by 16-year-old Argentine driver Martin Ponte. Briscoe currently lies third in the Italian Formula Renault Championship, five points behind teammate Cesar Campanico and 31 points shy of Fabio Carbone. Meanwhile, Briscoe finished in fourth place after qualifying in third in round six of the Formula Renault Eurocup series at the Flungaroring last weekend. Current points leader Augusto Farfus led from pole to the flag, ahead of Cesar Campanico and Fabio Carbone, who saw off a late move from Briscoe to claim the final podium spot. Briscoe finished the weekend as the highest-placed junior (under 21) driver.

illip Island Ho!

What’s faster-a 500, a 750 Streeter or a P-plater? A TWO-WHEELED version of the speed comparison will be one of the highlights of the Qantas Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix at Phillip Island. The 12-14 October event will feature Aussies Kevin Magee and Daryl Beattie taking on Randy Mamola on a 750cc road bike, a 250cc road bike and a SOOcc GP Yamaha respectively. “Boy, I better win!” Mamola said. “I’m going to let down all those SOOcc riders if I don’t win this battle!” Similar to the Formula OneWS Supercar/road car race at Albert Park last March, the bikes will be sent away at intervals of approximately 20 seconds and, all going to plan, should cross the line at the same time. Mamola will also ride Yamaha’s 2-seater GP bike, scaring the life out of‘lucky’ passengers, as he did last year. There will also be a ride to the Island, with Wayne Gardner heading a convoy from his home town of Wollongong to the track, with thousands of riders expected to join the convoy heading south. Of course, the main interest will be in the racing, with the all-Italian battle between Valentino Rossi and Max Biaggi at the head of the 500 field, and the expected challenge from home,led by Red Bull Yamaha’s Garry McCoy, right, and Ant West’s Honda. In the 250s, the war of Japan is expected to continue between Honda’s Daijiro Katoh and Aprilia’s Tetsuya Harada, while teenager Toni Elias is expected to upstage the established 125cc stars in his first season. There will be more Superscreens to show the action, and special tickets will be available for family gi'oups. 6 July 2001

Berger calls for Concorde update BMW's sporting director, ex-Formula 1 racer Gerhard Berger, has said that the five manufacturers threatening to form a breakaway series of their own unless they receive a more beneficial involvement in Formula 1's earning capacity need not be at loggerheads with SLEC,the commercial rights holders for the sport. Fiat, DaimlerChrysler, Ford, Renault and BMW are pushing for more of a return on their investment and more incentive to stay involved in their costly campaigns by buying in to the profit-making industry of Formula 1. SLEC, the Formula 1 rightsholding company built up by Bernie Ecclestone and now shared between him and German media giants KirchGruppe and EM.TV, is reportedly asking too high a price for the manufacturers to consider it worth their while. In return the manufacturers - which supply Ferrari, McLaren, Williams, Jaguar and Benetton - have said that they will simply start their own series unless an accommodation can be reached. Under European Commission rulings, the FIA would have no option but to ratify a rival series, thereby bringing about a potentially catastrophic split in the sport. Berger insists, however, that such drastic action need not be taken. "For me, it's only a question of time before a reasonable discussion between the manufacturers and Kirch begins," he said, as Kirch now effectively controls 75 percent of the commercial rights to Formula One. "Kirch is a media company, and Formula One is a product that can help it in which the manufacturers can guarantee stability." - NICK GARTON 13

Ralf re-signs until 2004 by JOE SAWARD

DESPITE much being made of potential interest from Ferrari and Mercedes in his Services, Ralf Schumacher will remain loyal to BMW and Williams, having signed a new deal which will see him stay with the team until 2004 - at a reported price of US$40 million (A$80 million). The younger Schumacher, never one to shy away from controversy, helped drum up the speculation prior to his re-signing by stating that “perhaps Hakkinen has given up. Perhaps internally he is already preparing for retirement”, and that he ‘did not want to exclude’ Fen'ari. Since joining Williams, however, the younger Schumacher’s wild performances of his early FI career have been put behind him. The team chose to overlook his previous over-exuberance and turn him into a winner in the long term ‘as McLaren did with Hakkinen’, a team source said at the time. Having now taken his first victories, with Michelin and BMW clearly making their way to the top, it was never likely that

Toyota names Panasonic AS Motorsport News was closing for press comes the news that Toyota are about to announce their major backer for their assault on the 2002 Formula 1 World Championship. The deal will reportedly be with Panasonic, the division of Matsushita Electric Industrial Co Ltd which up until now has been involved in Champ Car racing and currently has signage on Scott Dixon’s PacWest machine whch won at Nazareth. Matsushita has supplied electronic devices to Toyota for more than 30 years. The team is currently in the midst of its testing program with Mika Salo and former Le Mans winner Allan McNish prior to making its debut at Albert Park next March. 14

I®',

Why the worry? Ralf Schumacher obviously is thinking of something far worse than his re-signing with BMW.Williams until 2004. World poverty perhaps? (Photo by Marsh/Bolhwell) Schumacher would look too far afield, and although Williams is not known for paying its drivers well, it is thought that BMW was keen to help fund its German

star’s contract. “I want to drive in a team which is successful,” said Ralf. “But I admit that my financial requirements do not come far behind.”

If the new deal means that Ralf is a satisfied man,then it seemingly casts a long shadow for Jenson Button, although Sir Frank Williams refuses to rule the young Briton out of his team’s future. “It is very, very possible that Jenson will be back in a Williams car in 2003,” he said, reinforcing his belief that the present ‘character building season he is having at Benetton can only serve to stiffen the 21-year-old’s resolve. Button is under option to Williams but was ‘loaned’ to Flavio Briatore’s team for two seasons to make room for Juan Pablo Montoya. The Colombian’s style in and out of the car is somewhat different to Button’s - the team nicknaming him ‘Monster’- but as Williams pointed out: “There are different ways to skin a cat.” Although he is forced to watch Williams, Schumacher and Montoya from far behind with his present team. Button remains upbeat about having the weight of Renault behind his present team. “Benetton and Renault have both been world champions before and they know what they are doing,” he said. “I hope to win a race next year.”

Memo's the man CHIP Ganassi has not got to where he is by hesitating, and he sure didn't mess around when it came to sorting out his 2001 driver malaise. The four-time CART champion owner tossed Nicolas Minassian to the four winds after six troubled outings with Ganassi Racing, replacing him with former supersub, Memo Gidley. After having no testing in the team's Lola/Toyota, Gidley put in a circumspect outing with the team in Portland, where he qualified 25th (and second-last) and was out on the first lap. But the American repaid Ganassi's faith at Cleveland, finishing second behind Dario Franchitti after qualifying fifth. "This is huge for me," said Gidley when the change was announced. "This is why I live in Indy; this is why I work out every day; this is why I drive my go-kart all the time. This is what I planned for and worked for." The team maintains that Minassian is not

®TAReerCiUeUe

out of the picture permanently but, after being blown away by team-mate Bruno Junqueira all season, and with Gidley's performance at Cleveland, it would be unwise to bet on seeing the Frenchman back in Target red any time soon ... - PHIL MORRIS motorsport nows

NEWS Ploto h'/JameiSnrith

n V8 Brutes has its own motor mouth. Former MN staffer and now Holden Motorsport PR operative Gerald McDoman has grabbed the Fox Sports mike with both paws and will be aboard for the whole series. Try to say some nice things about the Fords, Gerald... n Porsche junior driver Timo Bernhard will share the White Ughtning/Petersen Porsche 911 GT3RS with Britain's Johnny Mowlem for five of the remaining ALMS rounds. The German will skip two rounds because of his Carerra Cup duties in Germany.

the huih

THE TOGA Touring pre-season is gaining momentum,with a number of new cars under development for the 2001/2002 season. There are at least two Commodores being prepared, one for Steve Williams from Sydney. Williams, who has been an irregular competitor in touring cars and V8 Supercars, will drive a VX with support from Cromer Exhausts, and will run the car alongside Peter Muir’s Mitsubishi Magna V8. Greg East, who debuted the Drive.com.au

Magna at Oran Park last season, will contiaue to drive the car, and will start testing the car at Lakeside later this month. Another Commodore being built is one for the Parker brothers, current Commodore Cup racer Geoff Parker running the car alongside Ray Sidebottom’s APS Racing VT. There is also suggestions that a Toyota Cainry is about to be started in Sydney for a yet-unnamed driver ... -PHDLBRANAiGAN

and Baskerville a chance? THERE could be a change of venue for the November Super Touring/TOCA Touring race in Tasmania. Currently gazetted for Symmons Plains, the race may now be held at the Baskerville track near Hobart. TOCA Australia Chief Executive Kelvin O'Reilly said

last week that the organisation was in the process of considering the change, subject to CAMS approval. "I understand it's quite a good track," he said, "and we would be happy to have a race there." Baskerville has lost out to Symmons Plains, which ran a

round of the Shell Championship Series until 1999. Apart from the attraction of running at a new track,the larger population of Hobairt, as compared to Launceston, is likely to-supply a larger crowd for the race. - PHIL BRANAGAN

Spare car switcheroo THE FIA World Motor Sport Council has approved the recently-proposed ruling that will cover a loophole in the changing of cars in the final moments before a Grand Prix with immediate effect. World Council met in Paris prior to the French Grand Prix to confirm that if a driver wishes to change cars before the formation lap, they will no longer be permitted to do so after the 15-second signal, which signals that all team members must leave the grid. That means if a driver’s car fails on the grid before a formation lap, he will not be permitted to change to his team’s spare car and start from the back of the field or the pitlane, as has happened in the past. - NICK GARTON

6 July 2001

n Bridgestone was forced to respond to Michelin's increased pace by bringing out its latest compound between the back-to-back European and French Grands Prix before it had been tested by all of its teams. n Jean Alesi will drive his 1991 Ferrari up the hillclimb course at this year's Goodwood's Festival of Speed. Jenson Button will also be present and acting as riding mechanic for Renault's ex-WRC star Jean Ragnoti in the 13-iitre 1902 Renault city-to-city racer. n Rumours are that the Concorde Agreement, by which the commercial aspects of Formula 1 are managed, is to be redrawn over the next few months, with Bernie Ecclestone having told the teams to prepare for some hard bargaining as a bigger share of Formula 1 's profitability looks likely to be heading their way. n Hyundai is rumoured to be building up a Formula 1 engine program as, having survived the Far East economic slowdown the Korean company seeks a new up-marketimage. n Ferrari debuted a new 'environmentally friendly' motorhome at the Nurburgring, that is bigger and double insulated but 95 percent recyclable. n Sauber's growing list of sponsors gained a new addition in time for the team's trip to the Nurburgring, in this case financial software company Temenos. n Bridgestone Motorsport boss Hiroshi Yasukawa believes that Goodyear is coming back to FI. "I would not be surprised if Goodyear was to return to Formula 1," he said. "Bridgestone, Goodyear and Michelin are the world's three biggest tyre manufacturers - it makes sense for us all to be competing in Formula 1."

Leave it boys, there’s no time; Switching to fhe spare car for a Grand Prix once the 15s signal goes (Photo b/ Sunwi-lmages) out is now a no-no.

n Michael Schumacher has admitted his guilt at attempting to knock Jacques Villeneuve off the circuit at the Jerez title decider in 1997 - and blamed it on Ayrton Senna. "I grew up with Ayrton Senna and remember incidents with Alain Frost and Senna," he said. -JOE SAWARD/STAFF 15

Cadged a Wan' Piemen or P; liMEPanolorgjlni'satidiiiis Foree rather than a Panoz. eyeing!ancientryUnto the Meanwhile, Panoz Motor r LKHPefS ‘bahy' protO^pe arena^foii'inext season,, Iports ihas announced that from) team owner ©on Pahoz, who the third round of the AhMS (the : also runs chassis eonstruGtOrs X-Pactor ©randiPrix of Sonoma, ! Van.Piemen and ©riio(iee, has Sears Poinh 22 duly), they will be iMOadster S initiated^ ar\învestigation into the running: two ; desighdf:(ohe#f.!thei|ightweight iproto^pes, instead' Of this year's 'LMP'-®7. i---/C0htenderss 'this decision has been lanoz said',‘We are ilookingi made, after tong, and careful I l atpiSipr0jeet,.,Weare consideration and: was not one >>cohsidering:doing!§.joint that was ireaCheditightly asjl! am p--'Venture ■pth.ahotherdesig^^^^ company.” \ someone who generally prefers to took forward rather than ■, : ■, ®etaiis.!îthe^plans have yet. ; V< tQll3etieshed: outv!!|ut ,it would i ■ back,” said P,anoz. ' ‘‘Hcwever, It'S no secret tfiat . ;:iffiostt|ili6jy; be a customer Gar_ the manage a tmis that is ipuf ■; ■^<mthi'a*Gpnwentiona|fjrear‘iehgine' ■ ■ '2001 car a new chassis, new ^Vfayoht. fhat'wOuid almost . ●engine andrinew gearhox" has ' ■ .icâiniyêiin i0ourd‘le

been going through a troubled; time. “The marriage of the three started out well in Texas Which, looking back, was definitely the honeymoon period. Since then, the three have started to fight and; we now need some time out of the limelight, away from race meetings, to- work through those problems and fix them." hlo decision has yet been made about how many races the lyMP'-l' cars will contest, though 'Franck Lagorce wilt be reglacing.'BrazHian Gualter Salles for the remainder of the season:. Lagorce will drive with Klaus ©raf. r^.'^^^'G^APyWATISIfilS/SfAFF

2002

League picks up C

;

WHILE the Indy Racing League was making its debut at Richmond’s three-quarter mile oval, League officials released their 2002 calendar and it includes Michigan and Nazareth, two venues dumped by the FedEx Championship Series. The IRL, which will be entering its seventh season, will have 14 races in 2002, the most since it began in 1996. “The diversity of the racetracks represented on the 2002 schedule will provide challenges to the teams and drivers, and the end result will be something racing fans will enjoy,” said Tbny George, president of the IRL. “From the 1.5-mile, high-banked Texas Motor Speedway to the facility here at Richmond to Indianapolis, the teams will be tested on all types of ovals at firstclass venues.” The season will kick off at another former CART venue, Homestead-Miami, on March 2, and end at Texas on September 15. The Nazareth race will run on April 21, two weeks later than the CART race, while the Michigan race - which is yet to be determined whether it will be a 500 miler - will be on July 28, a week later than this year’s CART event. In fact, there are five former CART circuits on the calendar (Homestead, Phoenix, Nazareth, Michigan and Gateway). -PHIL MORRIS

Sando

Mobil D

PROCAR Chief Executive Ross Palmer and Sandown International Raceway promoter Jon Davison have confirmed that terms have been agreed for the return of the famous Sandown 500 to the Australian motor racing calendar in 2001. The race, for Nations Cup and GT Performance cars, will be held on Sunday, September 18 and won't be a round of the PROCAR championships for the respective categories. We're excited to be involved with Jon Davison in a race that has a prestigious /y

Start prepping your Porsche for September: Jim Richards wiii have a chance to add his name again to the Sandown 500 winner’s iist. Richo won with Tony Longhurst in 1985 and Mark Skaife in 1989.

(Photo by Dirk Klynsmith)

moiorsport news

IRL calendar set ART venues Michigan and Nazareth for 14 race season r:"

TA£BC

NEWS n Jos Verstappen has been retained by the Arrows team for 2002. The Dutchman, who has made 59 successful passing moves this season, scored the team's only point to date in the 2001 world championship in Austria. 'It means I can focus completely on my driving now,' he said after signing the deal. n Michael Schumacher, who took his 30th Grand Prix victory for Ferrari and the 49th of his career in the European Grand Prix, has publicly thanked Rubens Barrichello for the supporting role he took on in 2000. "He's protected me when I was in difficulty and certainly I will sooner or later pay him back for what he has done for me,' said the German. "Watch and you'll see it happen.' n Luciano Burti has offered his side of the split with Jaguar Racing prior to the Spanish Grand Prix, claiming to have been 'a little annoyed'. "I had a watertight contract,' said the Brazilian.

Follow me: Since Al Unser Jnr’s move ot the IRL, things have followed. First there were his former CART (Photo by indyracing.com/Ron McQueeney) rivals running at Indy, now it's the tracks coming along ...

^002 Indy Racing League schedule ar 2' .' Homestead-Miami

kV.'.

July 7

Kansas Speedway

July 20

Nashville Superspeedway

g.arT7--'Phoenix Nazareth Speedway V\ ' ''' l Si l\5ay:26' . Indianapolis 500

July 28

Michigan

Aug 11

Kentucky Speedway

i,)J:Unj8; ■' ' Texas Motor Speedway

Aug 25

Gateway

ypun 16

Pikes Peak

Sep 8

Chicagoland Speedway

Jun 29

Richmond

Sep 15

Texas Motor Speedway

m 500 done place in Australian motorsport since 1964 and to have secured it for our teams and sponsors," said Palmer. a Winning the Sandown 500 will mean a Nations Cup or GTP drivers going into the record book alongside many of the greatest names in Australian racing such as Brock, Moffat, Richards, Brabham and Lowndes. In fact, we already know some of this year's intending entrants will be pairing up with leading V8 Supercar drivers." The event, which will be the 33rd Sandown 500, after the 6 July 2001

event wasn't run in 1966, 1967,1999 and 2000, will be televised on Network Ten here in Australia as well as Fox Sports and will also be telecast in New Zealand. The 500 will be the feature event of the meeting, which will also host championship rounds of the Nations Cup, GT Performance and GT Production championships. In addition, the support card will be filled by the V8 BRutes, the Australian Formula 3 Championship and the Toyo Mitsubishi Mirage Series. - AARON NOONAN

n Ralf Schumacher, who spent much time in his youth thrashing round the old Nurburgring Nordschleife, feels that its offspring, the current Grand Prix circuit, is a little bland. The circuit has very high safety standards," he said. "But, typical to many modern circuits, it lacks character and there are no big challenges." ■ Indian driver Narain Karthikeyan has hinted that he will join Sauber as its test driver after becoming the first North Asian to drive a Formula 1 car in a test with Jaguar. Karthikeyan, who is believed to bring money from Indian brewing giant Kingfisher, but Swiss driver Marcel Fassler is also up for consideration. -JOE SAWARD

I I

Larkham Motorsport offers for immediate sale the No. 10 Race Car currently campaigned by Mark Larkham in the Shell Championship Series.This quality Larkham Motorsport engineered car, based on a Beehag body shell, is only 10 months old and a proven race vkinner (Calder 2000). Car will be sold as a complete unit, ready to race including LMS engine. POA. For further information contact Adam Perry 07 5594 9033 or 0407 408 619

Tom, Pat and Steve play Gulf TOM Coronel and Patrick Lemarie will get a second chance to drive the Gulf Audi in this month's European Le Mans Series race at Estoril. Coronel and Lemarie were due to share the R8 prototype with team boss Stefan Johansson at Le Mans, but didn't get a chance to drive after the car retired after just three hours. Johansson said: "It was only right that I did the honourable thing and gave them another chance," Johansson didn't rule out giving Guy Smith, his partner in the opening two rounds, another chance in the car. "This is strictly a one-off. I'd be very happy to have Guy back, but nothing is decided."

Prodrive goes into ALMS PRODRIVE is aiming to enter its new Ferrari 550 Maranello in the American Le Mans Series before the end of the season. The British operations has targeted a debut at October's Petit Le Mans round for its GTS class contender, which raced for the first time at last weekend's Hungaroring FIA GT Championship race. Project manager George Howard-Chappell said: "The intention was always to build a car that eligible for both the FIA and the ALMS. I had car Inspected last week by the Automobile Club de rOuest [the Le Mans rulemakers). Petit Le Mans would be nice race to do." - GARY WATKINS

Wanna buy an MG?

THE lightweight MG prototype that caused a stir at the Le Mans 24 Hours last month is to go on sale to privateer teams. MG has agreed with Lola, builder of the LMP675 class contender, that it can sell replicas of the car that ran as high as third in the early stages of the race. An MG spokesperson said: "The MG brand is all about accessibility. We would support anyone wanting to race one of our cars. The more MGs out there the better." Lola managing director David Bowes said: "We could have a car ready for a customer in a couple of months. The chassis is reliable and we are not far off resolving the reliability issues with the engine." No price had been fixed for an EX257 customer car, but Lola claimed that a turn-key car would be little more expensive than the £535,000 it asks for its B2K/10B LMP900 chassis without an engine. "The MG-Lola wouldn't be a million dollar car," said Bowes. "It would be cost effective, which is in the spirit of the MG brand." Lola has already received a number of inquiries about the EX257, according to Bowes. "We've had one team talking to us about taking

one to Le Mans next year, and another about doing some American Le Mans Series rounds this year. A third team from Japan has contacted us with regard to putting in a different engine. It could be adapted to aln a V8. It seems certain that the Chamberlain Motorsport-run factory EX257s will race again this year following the Le Mans success. It was decided to look into extending the race programme at an MG board meeting last week. Bowes said: "We are looking at putting together a race programme that fits in with our needs to develop the car for Le Mans next year and the company's marketing needs." That is likely to encompass the Petit Le Mans enduro at Road Atlanta in October and next year's Sebring 12 Hours, which would both ideal preparation for the 24 Hours. MG will go into the 2002 Le Mans with a revised version of this year's car rather than an all-new chassis. Bowes said: "There is no reason to change the chassis, but we will be entering into a major programme of aerodynamic development over the second half of this year." - GARY WATKINS

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FERRARI sporting director Jean Todt visited the Le Boimget Airshow outside Paris in the run-up to the European Grand Prix in order to represent the team and its championship-winning Fl-2000 car of last season on the Finmeccanica display stand. The high-tech firm has had an association with Ferrari since 1999, and Todt was telling potential customers of the ways in which advanced technologies have assisted his team’s rise. “Aerospace technology is very useful in our sphere of activity, he said.“The transfer of

technology centres mainly on the application of new materials, and experimentation with new technologies in terms of structures, transmission and aerodynamics as well as quality control and the use of laboratory equipment. Todt also detailed FeiTari’s dealings with Agusta-Westland, of helicopter renown, with whom he said the team had focused on “fluid dynamics and hydraulic systems”, and with Alenia Aerospazio the team had negotiated the intricacies of “driver-equipment interface. -JOESAWAKD moiorsport news

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Niisano SBK

Corser and Aprilia talk it over TROY Corser has refuted reports in the Italian media that he will be fired by Aprilia at the end of the season. The former world champion held talks with the team last week In MIsano, and Is due to have further discussions with team management at the next SBK round in America. Team insiders have said that they are upset that the Aussie has retired from recent races in Italy and Germany with a vibration problem, which has not been verified by the bike's on-board telemetry. “To be honest, I am not exactly sure how that meeting went- it was all a bit weird," Corser told Britain's Motorcycle News. "But since then, I have been told that Aprilia is looking for a new rider according to the Italian press. I don't know what to make of that." Corser took a double win in the opening round of the series at Valencia but, since then, has failed to win a race. He is currently third in the points behind Ducati'sTroy Bayliss and Colin Edwards (Honda). "I know there is a problem with the tyres and wheels somehow moving out of balance during races and the team know that is happening too but there doesn't seem to be anything I can do or say to make Aprilia believe it," Corser said. "This is not exactly the kind of support I thought I had from Aprilia and it's not helping me focus on winning races." Corser's woes were further compounded by the performance of Aprilia test rider Allessandro Antonello, who finished fourth in the second Misano race last week. Rumours suggest that Aprilia will launch a MotoGP program for 2003 and take on Honda, Yamaha and, probably, MV Augusta in the premier series. That would make the team a prime target for the best riders in the world - including, presumably, Corser ... 20

IF you weren't on a Ducati at Misano, you were pushing vermicelli uphill. Troy Bayliss and Ben Bostrom shared the wins and the seconds at the Italian track and ate the pasta instead of pushing it... The Aussie extended his series lead with a strong first race, riding Misano's long triple left-hander faster than anyone and grabbing the lead from the American on the final lap to get home by 0.5s. Colin Edwards took third place, but only after Gregorio Lavilla was pinged for passing the Honda under a yellow, officials reversing the positions after the flag. In Race 2, Bostrom made the

most of between-race tweaks to his 996 and zapped up the road, while Bayliss had to move through traffic to a safe, if distant, second. Again, Lavilla was best of the rest on the born-again Kawasaki, while Aprilia test rider Alessandro Antonello was a strong fourth. Edwards lost the Honda in Race 2, remounting to take an 11th place, but cemented second in the championship after Troy Corser struggled in both races. Unlike Antonello, his Aprilia was out of sorts in the tyre department on the twisty track, Corser forced to settle for seventh and ninth. The other Aussies had mixed

weekends. Broc Parkes got the best of the results, a fine seventh in Race 2 after a Race 1 DNF, while Steve Martin, who again shone in qualifying, was 13th in Race 1 before a second race retirement. In the 'veteran's' camp (sorry lads) Marty Craggill's Pacific Ducati had a 19th and a DNF, while Peter Goddard's new Benelli Tornado, above, showed a ton of potential, running just outside the points before an engine problem in Race 1 and a crash in the second after scraping the bike's threecylinder engine's casing. Points: Bayliss 250, Edwards 203, T Corser 179,Pf Chili 153, Bostrom 147, Hodgson 141, Lavilla 116, Yanagawa 110.

The walking wounded

JOHN Kocinski is recovering from a testing fall in Spain two weeks ago. The former GP rider was thrown offYamaha’s YZR-Ml four-stroke at Barcelona and broke his left arm. According to Yamaha management, Kocinski,pictured right, had almost completed the third and final day of the test when the accident took place, in which water leaked onto the rear tyre from a split hose in the cooling system. Doctors who operated on and plated Kocinski’s arm say that he should be fit to return to testing in approximately a month. Meanwhile,Aussie Anthony Gobert is also fighting off injuries after a high-speed fall at Loudon in America. The Yamaha rider has a wildcard entry for the Laguna Seca SBK round this weekend, but whether he rides will depend on his recovery from a dislocated shoulder and broken arm. Following the California SBK race, the Aussie is due to fly to Japan where he will test the Yamaha R7 he his due to race in the Suzuka 8-Hour race.

moiortport news

DUTCH TT Who goes where in Silly Season?

Coming through; Max Biaggi stalks Alex Barros before Valentino Rossi - and the rain - came through. IT was shaping up to be The Battle in 500cc racing. Max Biaggi and Valentino Hossi had swapped the lead in the Dutch 'TT and were just about to go at it. The pitlane was on its toes; the massive crowd was settling down to see the Clash of the Italian titans. But then, it rained. Biaggi was in front when the red flag halted proceedings and, so, took the win to close the gap to Rossi in the SOOcc title race to 21 points. After poleman Loris Capirossi took off at the start, shadowed by team-mate and 2000 TT winner Alex Barros, Rossi had surged through from eighth at the first corner and as stalking. Biaggi, sensing his arch-rival was looming,stepped up the pace and took the lead; Rossi disposed of both West-Hondas and chased after him. Blasted Dutch weather... “It was a fun race but I wish it had lasted a few more laps,”

said Rossi after the race. “Valentino and Max were riding dangerously and I saw them make some mistakes,” said Capirossi, who was riding his 50th 500 GP.“I was waiting for a chance and I am sure I could have got it because we were riding a second below the real ft possibilities of the tyres. Behind the three Italians came Barros and Shinya Nakano, who shot past the fading Kenny Roberts and his team-mate Sete Gibernau to grab fifth in an increasingly impressive rookie 500 season. Aussie Ant West took 15th and the final point on his Bee Cee Racing Honda V-twin, while Garry McCoy qualified but, again,failed to take the start after the pain of his broken scaphoid (broken in France) proved too much. IRISHMAN Jeremy McWilliams took his maiden GP win in impressive style, gliding his Aprilia through

australianniotorcycleexpo .com 31 August to 2 September 2001

6 July 2001

Points: Katoh 136, Tetsuya Harada (Aprilia) 121, Marco Melandri (Aprilia)88, Roberto Locatelli (Aprilia) 73, Roberto Rolfo (Aprilia) 71, McWilliams 68.

TEENAGER Toni Elias stormed to his first GP win on his Honda in the 125cc race, holding out fellow Honda rider, Arnaud Vincent. Elias, winner of a talent contest last season, became the first Spaniard to win a GP in more than a year. He is now third in the points behind Manuel Poggiali and Gino Borsoi. Points: Poggiali (Gilera)88, Borsoi (Aprilia)85, Elias 77, Nobby Ueda (Honda)76, Azuma(Honda)72, Cecchinello (Aprilia) 66.

500CC GRAND PRIX SCOREBOARD 2001 Spain July 2 I.Max Biaggi 2.Valentino Rossi 3.Loris Capirossi 4.Alex Barros 5. Shinya Nakano 6. Kenny Roberts 7. Sete Gibernau S.Tohru Ukawa

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the damp to wins by 16s. On hand-cut slicks, McWilliams led home Emilio Alzamora’s Honda and David De Gea (Yamaha). Runaway series leader Daijiro Katoh was 11th after gambling on slicks on his Movistar Honda.

THE MotoGP Silly Season rumour mill went into overdrive in the Netherlands at the weekend, with the latest talk of a split between Kenny Roberts Jr and Suzuki. The World Champion, who has had a miserable season so far, is being connected to Honda, possibly partnering younger brother Kurtis in a twobike team. More talk is that Sito Pons, who runs the two Honda NSRSOOs for Loris Capirossi and Alex Barros, has delivered an ultimatum to Honda to supply front-line hardware or he would pack up his riders, and West tobacco money, and run two Yamahas next season. Currently, Pons has to wait for current bikes and/or updates, despite the fact that his black NSRs have been consistently faster that the Repsol/HRC bikes of Alex Criville and Tohru Ukawa. Speaking of smokes, the annual Max Biaggi-to-Honda story is back, this time linking the temperamental Dutch TT winner and sponsor Marlboro with Erv Kanemoto. The diminutive American is currently running Bridgestone's low-profile (sic) testing program, so it seems that the Italian may also be in line for Japanese tyres if he jumps from Yamaha/Michelin. And, for the piece de resistance... what about Valentino Rossi leaving Honda? Apparently, the mercurial Italian is being linked to the return of MV Augusta to MotoGP racing. Now owned by Piaggio, Europe's largest motorcycle manufacturer, Rossi is said to have been made a huge offer to join the famous red and silver team for 2003. Our sources suggest that the figure being mentioned is in excess of $10 million a year for three years ...

9.Jurgen Van Den Goorbergh 10. Noriyuki Haga

...Yamaha ....Honda ....Honda ....Honda ...Yamaha ....Suzuki ....Suzuki ....Honda Proton KR ...Yamaha

Standings to July 2 136

n .Valentino Rossi, Honda 2.Max Biaggi,Yamaha 3.Loris Capirossi, Honda 4. Norick Abe,Yamaha .. 5. Shinya Nakano,Yamaha 6.Alex Barros, Honda ... 7.Alex Criville, Honda .. S.Tohru Ukawa,Honda .. 9.Sete Gibernau,Suzuki . 10. Kenny Roberts,Suzuki

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Lazier wins first Indy car race held at Richmond

Mi/Ve he.missed the pits on one occasion and bad to nm another lap. Buddy Lasier too strong in Vholo hy inihTiiciny.i. ^Ron \Jca QicillQfige at Michinond. bKjPHIL MORRIS okhrenqitw!

BUDDY Lazier has begun to make his move in his attempt to become the first back-toback Indy Racing League Champion, with his second win in a row,this time on the threequarter mile Tjull-ring’ at Richmond International Raceway. Lazier led 224 of the 250 laps and moved to second place in the points, while series leader Sam Hornish Jr took second place in the race to consolidate his lead. The race itself was run at night but still in hot and humid conditions, which took their toll. “This is one of the most physically demanding races I've run,” Lazier said. “I’m beat. We picked up a lot of momentum. This is two weeks in a row. I can’t believe it. It's an amazing day.” Lazier blasted past pole-sitter and younger brother Jaques(who later crashed out on lap 15), Sarah Fisher (another crashee, this time on lap 111) and Eddie Cheever, to take the lead on the first lap and he simply blitzed the field, only surrendering the lead to Eliseo Salazar on lap 188 when he missed his pit and was forced to run another lap before re-pitting. He rejoined behind Salazar and Cheever, who were dicing for the lead, and inherited it when the duo crashed out at turn three. Cheever was okay, though the Chilean was taken to hospital for x-rays. It was a welcome return to foim for 6 luly 2001

foilCBfm IfflMi ill

Three-quarter mile action: The first Indy car race at Richmond saw a decent sized crowd in what is really NASCAR-land. And it wasn’t just Buddy Lazier among the sucoess. His younger brother Jaques, right, scored the pole for Sam Schmidt’s team. (Photos by indyracing.com/Ron McQueeney)

GaUes Racing, with A1 Unser Jr and Frenchman Didier Andre rmining third and fom-th, with the top 10 completed by KeUey Racing team¬ mates Scott Sharp and Maik Dismore, Donnie Beechler, Jeff Wai'd, Robbie Buhl and Buzz Calkins. Greg Ray didn’t even start. He crashed heavily in practice and wasn’t cleared to race. Points; Horaish 269, Lazier 219, Sharp 201, Salazar 191, Giaffone 185, Boat 159, Ward 144, Calkins 139, Dare 129, Unser Jr 127.

Nurburgrina/Maany Cours

Mol

Webber ^'5. 1

Above the rim: Webber did a great impersonation of Michaei Jordan after trouncing them in France, grabbing the trophy and dunking it on Tomas Enge and Justin Wiison ... (Photos by Sutton-lmages)

ARK Webber has crashed Nordic Racing’s Formula 3000 party with a win and a second in the two races in France and Germany respectively. The 24-year-old scattered the opposition with a dominant win at Magny Cours, a week after following Tomas Enge to the flag at

the Nurburgring. In both races, Webber qualified second in his Super Nova Lola, with the Coca Cola-backed driver taking pole for both events. In France, Webber took advantage of Enge at the start, the Czech trying to chop across the grid to keep the Australian behind him. But Enge missed a gearchange and, once through the first corner, Webber reeled offthe only six sub lm30s laps of the race to pull his lead out to six seconds. Thereafter,

he sat on the cushion and ran home to win by 7.5s. In doing so, Webber closed to within one point ofthe series lead and became the first driver to win three rounds this season. “As we left the line I thought, 'Oh no',” Webber said. “But then I saw his car stutter and it was like Christmas had just come. “I was able to slip by to his outside and then claim the racing line for the second turn. “As we came into the hairpin on

the first lap I could sense Tomas breathing dovra my neck. “I perhaps braked a little later than I should have done, but I came out of the corner OK and just focused on minding my own business from that point on. “I could see from my pit board that I was pulling away - and that was a nice feeling. “I think I derived a little more satisfaction from my win in Monaco, but I was absolutely delighted with how things went today.”

RESULTS 13000,RdO^ Nurburgiing 35 laps/isoaokm 1 2 3 4 5 6

●r:.'●Tcwnas tngc s

CESKA POJI^TOVNA

Tomas the Tank Enge: Enge was just too good in Germany, taking poie and a 6s win over Webber. 24

1 2 3 4 5 6

Tomas Enge Mark Webber Ricardo Sperafico David Saelens Ricardo Mauricio Antonio Pizzonia

Nordic Racing 50:50.598 +5.626 Super Nova Petrobras Junior +8.663 European Minardi +18,687 RedBullJunior +20.883 +21.756 Petrobras

RESULTS 13000, Rd 1, Magny Couis 35 Iaps/14e.l5km

54:39.769 Mark Webber +7.4M Justin Wilson Nordic Racing +9.793 Tomas Enge PatrickFriosacher RedBullJunior +21.055 Darren Manning Arden Team Russia +23.349 +24.i56 Sebastien Bourdais DAMS

Points: Wilson 37, Webber 36, Enge 32, Leindors 12, Melo, Bourdais, Saelens, Pizzonia and Manning 8.

moiorspon news

FORMULA 3000

rebounds! As Webber pulled away, Enge struggled to keep series leader Wilson behind him. Behind them, Ricardo Mauricio went off at the first corner and bounced across the gravel, causing Zsolt Baumgartner (Frost Junior Team) to go off. The Hungarian ended up stuck in the gravel while Mauricio ended the lap in the pits with suspension damage. The only man making any real progress on that first lap was Giorgio Pantano (Team Astromega) who went from 11th to ninth and moved up to eighth by passing Saelens in the course of lap two. But Enge's were a lot more interesting as the race progressed and he came under more and more pressure from Wilson. It was not simply a battle of honour between the two men. The championship lead was at stake. If Wilson finished third, Webber would lead the series, but if Enge could be displaced Wilson would remain on top of the points table. With four laps to go Wilson made his most serious challenge and got alongside Enge but he did not have the momentum to complete

And no Red Bull: Patrick Freisacher, brother of ex-Formula Flolden driver Markus, has his best results of the season in France with fourth.

tbe manoeuvre. And so it went down to the last lap. “I knew I had to brake at exactly the right place before the hairpin,” said Wilson. “I had to be fast enough to pass him and not too fast because otherwise I would overshoot.” Wilson did the job brilliantly. Enge locked a brake and Wilson went down the inside and edged Enge outwards at the exit. “I was disappointed,” said Enge, “but I was very happy that I kept the place for as long as I managed to do. Justin pushed me really hard.” Friesacher, Manning and Bourdais completed the top six.

THE previous week at the European GP meeting, it was Enge’s turn to dominate, taking pole position and leading Webber to the flag by almost 6s. Enge snatched pole position from Webber by 0.067s, with Ricardo Sperafico (Petrobras Junior Team) only 0.004s behind Webber. But all of Webber’s good work almost went west at the start; “The car stalled,” he admitted. “I hit the button and I was just about to raise my hand (indicating that he had stalled to the rest of the field) when it caught.”

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Under the circumstances, it was no surprise to see the Nordic car rocket away, but Webber gathered it up to keep second in a boring race, despite taking to the grass at the chicane on lap 28. The best news for Webber was that Wilson spun off and damaged his suspension, causing him to retire on lap eight. Sperafico took third from David Saelens, Mauricio and Antonio Pizzonia. The results means that Wilson has 37 points, Webber has 36 and Enge has 32 - and the next race is at Silverstone, where Webber took a brilliant wet win last year. “A lot can happen yet - it is still far too early to be thinking about the championship,” Webber said. “I know Wilson and Enge are going to give me some tough opposition, but I'm looking forward to the fight.” - JOE SAWARD/STAFF

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CHAMP CARS Pi

LJ by PHIL MORRIS

COMBINATION of daring strategy and good fortune helped Dario Franchitti break a 29-race losing streak at Cleveland last weekend. The race was won at the first corner, but not in the way that one would normally expect. Contact between Oriol Servia and Patrick Carpentier at turn one led to Carpentier, Tony .Kanaan, Roberto Moreno, and Michel Jourdain Jr taking excursions onto the grass. Franchitti also left the circuit while attempting to avoid a spinning car, and found himself s’:"relegated to last. Figuring that he couldn't lose p.'any more positions, the Scot r-*’ took advantage of the caution oeriod by entering the pits, topping up the fuel, and hoping like nell that there would not be too many more yellow periods during the afternoon. Incredibly, it paid off. That yellow period would prove to be the only one for the entire race, and Franchitti was able to continue without stopping again for the rest of the day. After spending much of the race patiently working his way through the field, he eventually inheriting the lead when Memo Gidley ducked into the pits for a splash-and-dash, ‘ V\le were just saving fuel and passing people when we could. At the end, Kyle (Moyer, team manager) told me I had to save fuel and watch out for (Bryan) Flerta and Gidley behind. I thought, 'how am I going to do both?' There is always some error in

the fuel, so you don't want to cut it too close. The pressure was on. We were last at one point but first when it counted," said Franchitti. "I only had about one gallon of fuel left in the tank. If it had gone just one more lap. Memo probably would have got me." Dario may have won, but Memo was the star of the show. Still driving for Chip Ganassi on a race-by-race basis after stepping in to fill the seat vacated by Nicolas Minassian, Gidley led 57 laps, and maintained the pressure on Franchitti to the very end. "This is all about chasing a dream," said Gidley, who eventually finished just 0.305s behind Franchitti. "It is why for the last eight months I was getting up in the morning, working out, and driving my go-kart. Today we were fast and one of the cars that could win the race. I was running flat out every lap." Dario was not the only driver to end a long dry spell at Cleveland. Flerta's third-place finish was his first podium appearance since he won at Laguna Seca in 1999.

y V_y

"This feels lijr-e a victory for us. It has been tough going this season. We are a new team and we have struggled a little bit, but we have been working hard to get things turned around, and we are really starting to gel," Flerta grinned. It was a quiet day for most of those at the business end of the championship table. Gil de Ferran was happy to finish fourth, with teammate Heiio Castroneves back in 12th after calling the wrong fuel strategy. Kenny Brack was sixth, while Scott Dixon was back in 20th. Polesitter Mauricio Gugelmin, who had a scary moment during his first pitstop when some wayward fuel spraying from his refueller ignited, eventually crossed the line in 10th place.

ne week earlier. Max Papis recovered from the bottom of the timesheets in practice to win from pole in Portland. The Italian led most of the race, which was reduced to 76 of the scheduled 98 laps in accordance with the two hour time limit following a total of nine caution periods. Moreno finished second.

■a,

V n

HONDA HONDA feroA HONDA _

TEXACO

1.472s behind, with Christian Fittipaldi rounding out the top three, de Ferran had already spun on the pace lap, and intermittent rain turned the race itself into a near-lottery, with early dramas when five cars spun without serious damage on lap one. Papis led the field at the restart, followed by Cristiano da Matta, and Dixon (who eventually finished seventh). Papis dropped to third behind Fittipladi and da Matta, both of whom had elected not to pit during the previous caution period, trailed by Moreno, Flerta, and Franchitti. Paul Tracy, who had been making great progress through the field after starting 13th, belted into Bruno Junqueira while accelerating out of his pit bay. Junqueira's race was over, while Tracy lost a lap while his crew sorted out damage to the car's left-front suspension. The leading Newman/Flaas pair pitted under yellows on lap 41, handing the top spot back to Papis, who quickly broke free of Moreno. A final rain shower played into the hands of Fittipaldi, who took advantage of his wet-weather ability to pick his way from eighth to third in the closing stages. "I'm very glad that I can finally show my emotions," smiled Papis. "We've gone through a lot of disappointment in the last year and a half. We drove a fantastic race and the team gave me a fantastic strategy. I drove one of the most tactically and smart races that I've ever had. We kicked their ass! Points; Brack 84, Castroneves 70, Franchitti de Ferran 56, di Matta 55 .

NiGOlas^who? Gidley (f/marn-)-starred in Clevelandi but was ibeaten by Dan© s sharp fuel strategy. A week earlier ini' Pertiand, Kenny iBrack iSbovej (Photos by SoHon»tmagQ9) _pfesumal?ly..had his circuit map the wrong way round... Mtantan

v:.

■'3

OPINION

The more things change..

” ight years ago this week, we — launched Motorsport News. _ Apart from providing the excuse to crack a bottle of something once everything has gone to press, that fact started a meandering thought process about what has (or hasn't) changed about motor racing during that time. Retrieving a dusty copy of issues one and two from our store proved to be an interesting starting point - one of the things which has changed most of all is Motorsport News itself (and the technology involved in producing it)! Ah, those early, text-heavy tabloid pages. It was a good start and it certainly rattled the cage down at that long-established publication, but evolution is a must as the information and leisure reading worlds race onward - and Motorsport News has moved with it. The headlines in that opening month, July 1993, make for intriguing retrospection: 'Holden Team Crisis' - HRT was fending off rumours that it had no long-term future. Team Manager Neal Lowe had left ("they've got no budget and that's about it") to be replaced at the helm by lead driver Tomas Mezera. GMH motorsport manager John Lindell was quoted as saying “the results this year have been an embarrassment to all of us and acutely embarrassing to Tom Walkinshaw..." Wow, things have changed. 'Ford Furore' - a proposal for V8 Falcons to use, wait for it, Holdenstyle front uprights was being violently opposed by Ford, in the person of then-motorsport manager Peter Gillitzer.

Glenn Seton had just tied up the Touring Car Championship for Ford; Mark Skaife the Amaroo Park-based AMSCAR series for Gibson Motorsport (Holden). Geoff Brabham had just won Le Mans in a Peugeot team run by... Jean Todt. In Formula 1, Ayrton Senna was half-way through his last season with McLaren, proclaiming "we can't win another race this year" (he went on to score a remarkable final GP win for McLaren-Ford in Adelaide), while Alain Prost and Damon Hill were dominating for Williams-Renault. FI team owners were up in arms about draconian changes being rushed through by the FIA's Max Mosley, banning active suspension and traction control and clearly a breach of the stability provisions of the Concorde Agreement. In the end a compromise was brokered by ... Bernie Ecclestone. James Courtney had just turned 13, Mark Webber was 16. Both were racing karts... Our first corporate mobile phone was brick-sized and the internet... Inter what? And that was July 1993.

“ast forward to July 2001. Locally, data acquisition has become a buzz-word, touring cars have become V8 Supercars, Tony Cochrane has become part of motorsport vocabulary, as have franchises, government-backed street races and control tyres. HRT has won four of the last five championships, Craig Lowndes has taken on Peter Brock's 'people's champion' mantle and Steven, not Dick,

Johnson is winning for Shell, Traction control and numerous other aids are back in FI, the tyres are grooved, McLaren is losing races before they even start and Michael Schumacher has won 50 Grands Prix. Mark Webber is so close to an FI race drive it hurts, James Courtney is powering along a year or two behind, in F3, and Ryan Briscoe has become a future FI dark horse.

“ “he world, and motor racing, has changed. Well, some of it. Is the motor racing world a better place? For those taking part at the top level, particularly with an ownership stake in teams - be it FI or V8 Supercar - the answer is an emphatic yes. As with most professional sports, the money has spiralled upwards. FI team owners are multi-millionaires, more so as the trend for sell-outs to car manufacturers progresses. On the local front, it's a bit of a struggle for some - but all of a sudden a TEGA Level One franchise is starting to look like quite an asset... Yup, as anyone will tell you, it's a business these days, not just sport. Hmmm. The indirect result, in both FI and our own V8 Supercar contest, has been a continuity of rules and regs (change equals cost) which sees the competing cars look more and more alike and closer and closer in performance. While our own V8s might be accused of it to a far lesser degree, there are FI races today where a single passing move in a whole GP is excitement-plus.

■;»

Motor Mouth

With Chris lambden Now, I 'm still hooked - probably always will be - but sooner or later there is a big decision to be made by FI if it is to retain the less-committed follower. It has painted itself into a corner, tinkering around the edges with rules and regs, grooved tyres, a few centimetres here and there. What's needed is a 'clean sheet' start. Like 1961. Like 1966. Like 1989 (when turbos were banned). It'll cost, and that will hurt, but if they are thinking long-term, someone is going to have to take the bull by the horns. It may come to that here with our V8 Supercar contest too, at some point. Remember the huge buzz at the start of the V8 formula? In both cases, sporting bodies have relinquished the greater part of control to the competing teams themselves and that makes change harder to agree on. It is the sporting contest, not the commercial razzamatazz, which ultimately attracts race fans. If everyone understands that and thinks long-term, the next eight years could be quite a buzz...

l^mriy was bal^jaced: Glenn Scum won the ,/^sb crown m me retcr iFacknm Falcon. Here he splashes thnuigh the murk at Watmeroo Park. 6 July 2001

Some time later in T Suggesting to a Formula 1 team boss that catching a train is a good idea evokes much the same facial expressions as proposing a trip to bathe in the Ganges"

.4/1 Irishman and a Canadian walk into a BAR:Despite iheir differing backgrounds, EJ and Craig Pollock share much:they both, have Honda iPholo by Suaofi-lmagat engine deals, own an FI team and a sun lamp...

HE man bustling up the platform at the Gare de Lyon in Paris looked vaguely familiar. But he seemed out of context and I did not have time to place him. I was rather busy at the time. As the seconds ticked away before the train was due to depart for Nevers, I was on the mobile phone frantically trying to help a colleague who was running around the station looking for the right platform. At the same time, I was trying to convince the controlleurthat the train did not have to run on time. Normally, the trip to Magny Cours is not stressful. The train takes the strain. It is a trick I learned from the old days when Ligier staff regularly rattled between Paris and Nevers. It is quicker and a lot less hassle than driving up and down. If you buy a first class ticket, they give you a little table on which you can work as you rush through the French countryside. So, in effect, you have a mobile office in which to work and the only real interruption comes when a man in a hat comes along and asks for a ticket. If you have one he is very polite and goes away.

But this year it all went wrong. The train started to move. I jumped on. The mobile telephone battery died a second later. And when I sat down I found that the man seated next to me was Eddie Jordan. He had been the strange figure, struggling up the platform dragging a rather natty black leather bag, and looking a little puffed. Suggesting a Formula team bossto that catching1a train is a good idea evokes much the same facial expressions as proposing a trip to bathe in the Ganges. But there he was and judging by the dirty look that came my way, it was clear that he was upset about something. The train drew away and Eddie was already muttering a lot of words beginning with F and I looked woefully at my ticket to see the time the train would eventually arrive in Nevers - two hours and 25 minutes later. EJ and I go back a very long way and, whenever I edge towards anything close to criticism, he tends to get ruffled. This time I had had a

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MSiorspon

FORMULA ONE

Pogues les Eaux pretty big go and now I was going to have to pay. For some reason, I was reminded of Jean-Paul Sartre's wonderful play 'Huis Clos' in which three characters find themselves in a small room and in discussion realise that they are in Hell and that each is there to irritate the others. It did not help that Eddie was hungry and the train did not have any form of sustenance. This further convinced Jordan that the executive jet is the only way to travel. Eventually a banana and a stale bagel were purloined and EJ negotiated a half bottle of water from a race fan and things began to calm down, although once every 20 minutes he launched into another stream of abuse before drifting off into tales of the good old days when we used to tramp around Europe together as members of the European Formula 3 Championship circus. The mobile telephones were fading in and out (as they do on trains) and, so, the opportunity to ignore one another was somewhat limited and, so, Eddie and I had a crash course in one another after a few years when all we had found the time

6 Jtriy 2101

to do was to nod across the paddock.

Getting chats days with is a peopleproper in FI these rare thing because of sponsor functions, technical meetings, deadlines, photo opportunities and mobile telephones. Despite all the F words, I found myself liking Eddie as I used to like him when we were younger and less serious. And when we discussed what I had written, I agreed that, yes, perhaps it was a little too harsh, even if (I thought) the point was a good one. EJ disagreed. It posed an interesting question: Should the media have an opinion or should they simply report the facts? Of course, it is a joyously naive idea that such a choice is available. It is not. Journalists have to do what their publishers tell them to do and publishers have developed some interesting ideas in recent years about the ethics of journalism. But the one thing that dictates all is the bottom line. Publishers want what sells. And what sells is what the people want. And apparently, what people want to read is opinion. Bald facts are interesting but what do

they really tell you about why something happened or what effects that will have? People want to know what people in the paddock are saying. They want to be in there. This is why there are so many opinion columns that exist featuring writers pictured (with arty-farty lighting) wearing black polo neck sweaters. If one accepts that this has to be the case, where does one draw the line? What is an acceptable opinion? The Formula 1 team owners do not understand that the press does not exist to enhance their business and to make them look good. They have got around the problem by creating in-house magazines which always tell what they consider to be the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth about the team in question. Funnily enough there is never any criticism in these magazines and they sell in very small numbers. Most are given away - or thrown out of aircraft. And so, the only guide to whether opinion should be read or rejected comes when predictions become realities. Or not, as the case may be...

The Box Seat With Joe Saward

Jason Bright

The Holden Racing Team’s new recruit has had an up-and-down start to 2001 but is still right in the title fight MN’s AARON NOONAN spoke with Jason Bright about the season so far and how he’s been received as a Holden driver Motorsport News; Has 2001 been what you expected it to be?

Unfortunately with the testing rules the way they are and with meetings so close together, it's been hard. We haven't actually done a test day with the car yet(HRT were due to test today, as Motorsport News hit the news-stands). We've been trying to get on top of it in the practice sessions at the race meetings and, although there's been a couple of times where we've thought we possibly have got on top of it, we get to the next race meeting and it's still not right. We're probably lucky to still be as close in the championship as we are. I think we'll get on top of it pretty soon and we should be able to run competitively again at Calder.

Jason Bright: Well I guess we're in the hunt for the championship and that was the main priority. The last couple of meetings I'd say haven't really gone to plan. Earlier in the year we were competitive, probably more competitive than what we would have expected to be in the first couple of races with the amount of testing that we did. The last couple of races though haven't gone as smoothly as we would have liked but at the end of the day we've still scored good points and we've kept ourselves well in the championship. MN: But it's not a co-incidence that your results started the slide once you stepped into the new car at Eastern Creek? JB: I'd say yes. The new car's certainly caused us some problems. It's had us a little bit baffled.

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MN: Where's the trouble? Is it the way HRT have set-up their cars in the past and you having trouble adapting to that or vice-versa? JB: Earlier in the year at

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INTERVIEW

Siunher two shootingfor numher one: liri;^fu has quickly won his fair share o/ Ians since his move to the Hohlen Racing Team. On-wuck success has been there as well lor the hov frnm Moe.

Adelaide, Phillip Island and the Grand Prix I pretty much just ran what they had (set-up wise) an3’ didn't have any trouble. Admittedly, Canberra was quite difficult with the crests in the road and everything there but I still don't think that was the major problem. At the time I thought it could be the problem and we tried some things to change the car to suit me a little bit better, I still think it was something else.

We still think there s been something else that’s been causing the trouble and we'll soon know. I'm pretty sure after the day at Calder we should have a better handle on what's been going on. MINI: So do you want the car you started the year with (the one now used by Greg Murphy in Kmart colours) back? JB; I guess it's been frustrating. We came off Adelaide really happy and I felt that we had the

best car in Adelaide and we could run with pretty much anyone there. Then, all of a sudden, we're struggling to qualify in the top 10. It's certainly been hard to take because I've never, ever, struggled to qualify well in my whole career or be competitive l

so the last't; in any race meei four meetings have been pretty tough. I'm pretty sure we can get on top of it. We were second-quickest continued on page 32

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6 July 2001

Jason Briciht

You’re in my old car! Well so are you! Bright replaced Lowndes at HRT and they ended up in one another’s old cars! And Bright even ‘did a Craig’ in winning at Adelaide, left, from the back. Talk about stepping into the shoes ... (Photos by Noel Papalera, AF1 Images and Slipstream Photographic)

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continued from page 31 in the wet at Canberra and quickest in the warm-up in Perth. It's just a matter of getting everything right. MN: How much of a blow has the last few rounds been to your confidence? It has to have some kind of an effect. JB: No, not really. Considering the car has been pretty difficult to drive, in the practice sessions we've been really, really struggling. In Perth we were absolutely nowhere - out of the top 15 and to scramble into the top 10 was a bit of an achievement as far as I was concerned. We managed to race to seventh or eighth on the day, which was quite good. Same with Canberra. We qualified 17th and as the days went on we gradually got there and ended up sixth overall. At Eastern Creek and Darwin we qualified 32

JB: Well certainly with the nowhere but managed to finish format this year, if they were all on the podium. sprint races we'd be struggling a I've been happy with how bit more for sure. we've raced and really happy Fortunately they're not and with the pit strategy and you've got to race to whatever everything format it is. I think else around there's only been it. We just 'Tm not that concerned one race all year haven't been about ir' (Phillip Island) able to get the car - Bright on possibly being where we actually labelled the team’s number two lost out in the pit speed out of it. But we've strategy. Everywhere else still managed we've managed to come out of it to get good results considering. pretty well. MN: That's really been a cornerstone of HRT success in MN: Given the recent, well, fall-away in terms of results of the past. Even when things the #2 Commodore,is it a aren't all hunky dory and the dangerous time for you in the cars aren't the fastest things fact that now that the out there,the team comes up defending champion has the with something to get their series lead he could assert cars up the front through himself as number one, leaving other means, whether it be pit you in a back-up role, the one strategy or whatever. How you don't want to be in? much of that is making up for JB: Not really, I think it's still the lack of speed and the reasonably early days. If you had problems you've had?

said to a lot of people at the beginning of the year that at round five you'd be 100 points behind Mark Skaife and 200 and whatever points in front of the rest of the competitors, I think everybody would have been pretty impressed. As it turned out, at round three/four I had a 70 point lead over Mark. We've just got to get on top of some of the problems we've been having and we'll be back in there. At the first couple of meetings we certainly weren't struggling for speed. I'm not that concerned about it. At those meetings where you're having a tough weekend, the priority's to score the points and concentrate on the championship. MN: You said just before that, in essence, it's been the race formats which have helped keep you where you are. Your views on the formats, points etc. motoriport newt

INTERVmW

JB: I guess it's a matter of 'that's what we've got' and you've got to drive to that championship. If we had five minute sprint races you'd change your theory. But, at the end of the day, we haven't. We've got a really good format which certainly has proved itself. Going to Perth and back to the sprint format, it was as boring as hell. I've always wanted this format with longer races. I've never really believed in the sprint format because it was only ever brought in because there wasn't enough cars to run around for an hour. Now there is and it all adds a whole new aspect to it with pit stops and you've got to race to that format so you do whatever you have to do to win the championship using that format.

MN: How has the reaction of the fans been to your manufacturer move? JB: It's been great. I was a little bit curious at the start of the year in two ways. The first being how the Ford fans were going to react and the also how the Holden fans would come on-board. The guys at the team have worked together for quite a while so there's a lot of stability at Holden Racing Team as well and I guess that's what really makes the team tick - the quality of the guys working there and how much they want to stay there. I guess there were a few upset Ford fans and there probably still is but the Holden fans have been great. It's been more of a surprise how we've been accepted there. Racing in America for a year probably helped. MN: Speaking of those international aspirations. Are they still bubbling along? JB: For sure. I've still got the desire to race internationally. My ear's still to the ground but I'm concentrating on winning the Shell Series and we'll wait and see what pans out after that. MN: And the guy who you replaced for the Honda Indy last year(Memo Gidley) has gone and picked up a drive with Target/Chip Ganassi. JB: Yeah. I haven't watched the race but I've taped it so I'll have a good look at it today ... MN; I can't let it slide. After that little gaffe on the Phillip Island

Adelaide Attacker: Bright’s last-to-first win in the second leg of the Clipsal 500 set him up for what was looking like being a couple of blockbuster rounds. That was until things turned the other way with the introduction of a new car. (Photo by Dirk Klynsm ith) podium, where you thanked your former manufacturer, are you 100 percent certain which car you drive?... JB: I still don't believe I said that! I haven't even watched the video of it.

I still don't reckon 1 said it! I said 'for the fans', not the 'Ford fans'. MN: I can provide the video if need be ... JB: Send it to me - I still don't reckon I said it!...

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VER the decades McLaren has produced some super successful cars. The remarkable M23 was in action from 1973 to ’78, won two World Championships, and formed the basis of a very successful Indycar. The Hondapowered machines of 1988 to ’91 won four straight titles, and in the first of those seasons MP4/4 won 15 of the 16 races it started. However, the most significant car in the team’s history didn’t actually earn a championship, or even win many races. The original MP4 of 1981 not only laid the foundations for the team’s success in subsequent years, it also sparked a fundamental change in the way FI cars were built, and in so doing helped to make the sport much safer. During the ensuing two decades, it had become commonplace to see drivers walk away unharmed from wrecks that, previously, would have

raised genuine concerns for their very survival,let alone health. The remarkable turnaround, and the reason that McLaren’s original MP4 was so significant, can be summed up in two words - carbon fibre. The “black magic’ material had never been used as the major component in chassis design and, until designer John Barnard designed and built a car from the material for then-new McLru-en International boss Ron Dennis, carbon fibre was largely an unknown in race car design. The turning point was 18 July 1981, when John Watson won the British GP in the first MP4. Carbon fibre had proven itself in competition; Barnard had forever changed the way race cars would be built; and Dennis’s McLaren dynasty had had its first success. A controversial figure at times, Barnard remains one of racing’s most intriguing characters. After McLaren, he went on to spells at

Benetton, Ferrari(twice),Arrows, amd now calls Frost home.In 1989, his Ferrari 640 was the first car to wrin a Grand Prix with a semi automatic gearbo.x. But he’ll always b« best known as the man who csniie up with the carbon fibre chassis. After learning his trade at Lola, Barnard worked briefly at McLaren in the ’70s, before heading Stateside to Pamelli and then Chaparral. His 2K Indycar design proved remarkably successful, setting new standards that other marques had to follow. Team boss Jim HaU received most ofthe public credit for John’s work, and somewhat disillusioned, Barnard headed back bo Europe in autumn 1979. ■‘The first tMng I did was get together.with Hector Rebaque, but that project literally stopped overnight,” he recalls. “Then Patrick Head told me that this guy Ron Dennis was looking to get an P2 car designed. I wasn’t really

interested, but Ron phoned me up. and asked me to come and have a talk.’ Up till then, Dennis had been running Marches in F3 and F2 under his Project 4 banner. Whether Ron upgraded his plans or hadn’t told Head the full story is open to debate, but by the time he met Barnard, the talk w’as only of building an FI car. ‘He had this idea of doing FI as the next step,” says John. “I was very nervous about the whole thing. I had a look at his set-up, which wasn’t very big, and I thought it was a bit iffy. In typical Ron fashion he said, ‘Alright, I’ll do a deal with you. Come and work for me, and if it folds or whatever. I’ll pay you another year’s salary.’ I thought I could handle that! In those days we didn’t talk about contracts - that was the deal, done. “The first thing was to find a drawing oflice, so in an upstairs corner of his place we bmlt this

metorspon news

"I remember Gordon Murray saying in the magazines,'it's crazy, It it hits something there's going to be a cloud of black dust and it'll be completely destroyed' It

-John Barnard

thing we called ‘the rabbit hutch’. Later at the Christmas party, they gave me a great big stuffed rabbit, which my kids thought was great! “Anyway,I had a drawing board and started thinking about an PI car. It was a time when ground effects was really on the move, so the objective was to optimise it. That meant using the biggest underwing I could get, which entailed a very small section chassis. I wanted to get the bottom 6 luly 2001

of my chassis down to not much bigger than the driver’s bum! “I explained to Ron what I wanted to do, and the facts were quite simple; if you wanted to make a chassis of smaller section and retain the stiffness, you had to change the material. I thought about making a monocoque in thingauge sheet steel, but when you looked at the properties of carbon, that had to be the answer. It had eveiything; light weight,it was stiff, and it was strong...” It seems very logical now, but at the time the decision represented a bold piece oflateral thinking. It’s remarkable that a guy with only limited experience in FI was cocky enough to take such a gamble, especially when employed by a fledgling team,the budget of which was far from secru-e. “I think you only do things like that when you’re young. The first thing is get the idea; second thing is, design it; the third thing is, get it

made. I just knew I could do it. Ron was very gung-ho. It was a very simple deal between us. He said, ‘you tell me what you want to do technically, and I’ll get the money". That’s how it went, and it bloody worked too!”

There wasknew still avery longlittle way to go. Barnard about carbon fibre - not many people did - and, before he committed to the idea, he did some research. “Carbon fibre was around,it was known. The first instance in racing was on Graham Hill’s car(in 1975), when they ran a few strips in the wing endplates. I’d heard about this stuff, and I wanted to find out more about it. I had a contact at British Aerospace at Weybridge, and I looked at what they were doing things like engine cowls for the RB211(ED: The RB211 is Rolls Royce’s jet engine used in the Boeing 747 and Lockheed L-1011 airliners).

“I went away to think about how to do it. I had to think of a way of making a chassis in composite using the machining capability and technology that I knew I could find, mounting things on it in ways that I’d been used to doing before. “I needed an assistant. I’d met Alan Jenkins at Rebaque- he was helping out and wanted to get into racing - so he came and worked in ‘the rabbit hutch’ with me.I gave him a lot of old drawings from the Chaparral and so on, and said, ‘Here you are, draw the pedals up like that.’He hadn’t even done proper manufacturing drawings before, but he was dead keen, we got on alright, so away we went. “In the meantime, Ron was trying to get the money. That was getting harder and harder, although he didn’t let on at the time.”

continued on page 36 3S

McLaren MP4/1 Standard setter: By modern standards, the MP4’s slab-sided tub was crude but it set the tone for today’s cars. But it’s black: And it didn’t disintegrate. The original MP4 tub, left.

continued from page 35 In fact, Dennis was gambling on persuading Marlboro to join him in the graduation from F2, but since the tobacco giant already backed McLaren and Alfa Romeo,this was not a straightforward process. “One day, a young marketing guy came from Marlboro. I gave him this piece of unidirectional composite; in one direction it was totally weak, and in the other it was very strong. He bent it the wrong way and it snapped in an instant! It was like,‘you’re going to make an FI cai' out of this?”’ The biggest headache John faced was finding a facility in Britain capable of doing the composite work; nobody was interested. Then a friend from the Indy days, shock absorber engineer Steve Nichols, recommended an American company. “Over here, they either said, ‘it’s too much for us’, or ‘you guys are mad!’What we were planning was way above what people were trying to do in commercial aircraft, so there’s no way us guys could do it. Steve was calling me,trying to get into racing in England, and he knew someone at a company called Hercules in Utah. They had an R&D section set up just to do crazy things - one-offs and odd jobs. “By this time, we’d got a onethird size wind tunnel model built, and we had it painted up in Marlboro colours for a presentation. The next day, we were on the plane with our model in the overhead rack! I’d got a load of drawings, and they(Hercules)said ‘We’ll have a go.’So we sent the tooling over there.” Meanwhile, Dennis was hard at work behind the scenes. In September 1980, it was revealed that Marlboro had engineered a merger between the new Project 4 outfit and the struggling McLai’en team, which had failed to come to terms with the ground effect era. The stakes were raised considerably; if Barnard’s car didn’t work, Dennis was going to be in big trouble.

he MP4 chassis was formed from five major components, and consisted entirely of flat panels, since the technology to make curved pieces was still a few years away. The prototype had an aluminium front bulkhead, but otherwise was entirely made from the new material. “The first chassis was a little bit wrinkly on the outside; with that thickness of lay-up it was very difficult to avoid wrinkles, so it didn’t look the cleanest, nicest thing we’d ever seen. But it was extremely strong. We’d built a rig at Project 4 to torsion test it, and it 36

UNJPART ■]

Day One: The key players face the acid test at the MP4’s maiden test, bottom Barnard (left, in overcoat), Watson (in car) and Dennis (right, in tie). (Photos by Sutton-lmages)

r’H.

Patrick Head told me that this guy Ron Dennis was looking to get an F2 car designed. I wasn't really interested, but Ron phoned me up, and asked me to come and have a talk"

- John Barnard

was more than I needed. For the second one, we pulled some phes out of the skins and we knocked the weight down. It came in a bit less stiff, but it was lighter. “I remember Gordon Murray saying in the magazines, ‘it’s crazy, if it hits something there’s going to be a cloud of black dust and it’ll be completely destroyed’. We were worried about what might happen if the mechanics dropped spanners on it...and things like that. It was an unknown.” The novel chassis design was public knowledge almost a year before the actual car was launched on Mai'ch 5,1981. Just two days later, Colin Chapman stole some of McLaren’s thunder when he announced the twin-chassis Lotus 88; he cheekily claimed that the MP4 was already “a little bit out of date.” But while Lotus had gone some way down the composite route, with a Kevlar mix, Barnard’s commitment was much greater. Like many of his rivals, Chapman suggested that pure carbon toe was not safe. “The Lotus was interesting, but a different concept. They had gone for making a flat panel of carbon/honeycomb, folding it around machined aluminium bulkheads, and gluing over the inner split. Itechnically it was a much lower level to go in at. But Chapman was my design hero. I remember sometime in ‘81 he came up to me at an airport and said, ‘That’s a really nice chassis you’ve done. Congratulations!’ That wasn’t bad, coming from him...” Andrea and Watson had to De useCesaris the antique M29 at the start of the season, but once the MP4 came on song, it improved rapidly. In consecutive races, Wattie’ finished third in Spain, second in France and a memorable first in Britain. Silverstone was to prove the team’s only win, but over the next two seasons, updated MP4s would score five more victories before the team’s TAG Turbo engines amved. Meanwhile, de Cesaris proved the resilience of the tank-like prototype tub with an impromptu moiortoorl news

RETROSPECTIVE When I got back to the pits everybody was very concerned that I'd been seriously inlured or worse.!just said,'Sorry guysr

rv -r

-John Watson, right

crash-testing program. “The very first one was the one de Cesaris crashed 21 times in 1981! It was perfect, because the first one was so strong...” But his team-mate made the biggest impact,in every sense... “Watson had that big moment at Monza, which ripped the engine off the back. It looked really bad, but he got up and walked away. That was the turning point. Not only did racing people start to think, Tiang on, it didn’t all fall apart in a black cloud of dust’, but we also had the Civil Aviation Authority contact us. They were grappling with how to certify composite structui'es in aircraft, and they were really interested in that particular shunt.” In retrospect, Watson de for Cesaris deserve a lot and of credit climbing into the unproven MP4 and heading out into the unknown, like a couple of bold test pilots. While Auidrea was just 21, and perhaps a little lacking in, er, imagination, Wattie had seen a lot of big shunts up close. In 1973, he had broken his legs at Brands Hatch when a Brabham tub folded around him; he knew that an accident could hurt. “When you get involved in something as new and as different as that,” says Watson today,“there’s always a sense of apprehension. But I think the more you became familiar with it, the more you understood about, the more you had confidence in it. “At first, it was very difficult to accept the trust of John and Hercules that this was a much better construction than a metal chassis. Somebody had to have a shunt in the bloody thing to prove a point, and Andrea was the one who managed to do that fairly regularly! And it did confinn that carbon construction correctly applied, was the way to go. It wasn’t always used correctly. “The thing that was notable about the car was in terms of comfort; parts of your body suddenly developed bruises which you didn’t get before, for example when you braced yourself down by the steering wheel bulkhead, and 6 July 2001

in; us

s on your elbows. Carbon was so unyielding. Aluminium always seemed to give fractionally, was a little bit softer, whereas this was unbelievably painful.” Wattle’s accident at Monza put any niggles about cockpit comfort into perspective. “Monza was very graphic because it was televised, the shunt was widely seen. When I got out ofthe car it was only then that I realised I’d lost the engine and gearbox. I had no injury whatsoever, barely even whiplash, but when I got back to the pits everybody was very concerned that I’d been seriously injured or worse. I just said,‘Sorry guys!’ “I believe the chassis was then taken back to Hercules. They used it to display the strength and properties of that material, particularly to the US military they were looking for a lightweight form of underbody cladding for helicopters, to prevent serious damage from ground fire. It was part of their sales pitch; Hercules would show the video, and people would go,‘Gee, how’s that guy - is he alright?’And then they’d pull back the curtain and there was the bare chassis. It probably more than quadrupled any investment they made...” Gradually everyone else followed, and the technology also fed down into the lower formulae. Drivers stepped unhurt from accidents that would previously have had far more serious consequences, although in' the early days some manufactm’ers clearly got their sums wrong. Still, the carbon tub has made a greater contribution to safety than any other single innovation. “It’s something I’m very conscious about,” says Barnard. “I’d like to keep a clean safety record; for me the worst one was Gerhard Berger’s in ’89 at Imola. That did shake me. I’d already made up my mind that if he was gone,I was out of the business. But then Bernie came back to the paddock and said he was alright. That was as close as I want to get...”

First of its kind; Watson gets the cheqtiered flag at SHverstone on Jttly IK IVSI, above, and di.seeti.s.ses his pro.spects with Ron Deititis. bottom.

That winning feeiing... HAVING handed McLaren a home win when his Brabham hit problems four years earlier, John Watson was the beneficiary of some good fortune when he scored a hugely popular win at Silverstone. Watson took the innovative and controversial MP4 to third in Spain, and then second in France. Silverstone was next, but any chance of a victory seemed to evaporate at the end of the fourth lap. Ferrari's Gilles Villeneuve 'did a Scheckter' and spun in front of the pack at Woodcote, taking World Champion Alan Jones and McLaren's Andrea de Cesaris with him. Watson came to a halt on the grass, and when he got going, the pacesetting Renaults were long gone. Fie soon started regaining places, helped by

retirements at the front, and when leader Rene Arnoux suffered engine problems, Watson caught and passed him. "The winners that day were the people who’d paid to come and watch a race," says Watson. "To be in a position where you've got so many people supporting you and willing you on and hoping that you're going to win, and then to have to deal with their responses, it was something I've never experienced. "In fact, I didn't know how to deal with it. After the podium, we were on the back of a truck, and we came round Copse Corner. You couldn't see the racetrack for people. I said, 'What are these people doing?' And Jacques Laffite (who had finished third) said, 'It's for - ADAM COOPER

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AUL Radisich did not win any beauty contests in Perth. He did not cure any diseases in the west, and he failed to clarify the position on Australia/South-East Asian trade quotas. But The Rat did pretty much ever3rt;hing else he could in the sixth round of the Shell Championship Series. After taking pole position, he led every lap of all three races and took three fastest laps on the way to three straightforward wins. It was Ford’s third win in a row, after Darwin and Canberra, and the first time in four championships (12 races)that Craig Lowndes has lost a single race at the track. While Radisich was in sparkling form,the really bad news for championship aspirants was that Mark Skaife, after qualifying fifth, took three second placings, while Greg Murphy came through for third on the day(s) after a steady 38

run in the Kmart VX. Where were Ford’s other warriors? Steve Johnson was handcuffed in qualifying by the effects of a virus, but stood up manfully in the races to haul through to fourth at the end. Marcos Ambrose had engine problems in qualifying and started from the clouds and, with Russell Ingall, had a stop/go penalty ruin his weekend in the final race. And the other Fords were stuck in the ruck, all margins reduced to almost nothing in Wanneroo’s 58-secondodd lap times. Given his lousy position in the points, Radisich’s performances appear unlikely to have a decisive effect on the outcome ofthe championship, but more significant was the fact that Ford won on a flowing, medium-speed track straight after the point-and-squirt efforts of the GMC 400. More than most recent developments, that is

Lift that outside wheei: Paul Radisich was untouchable In Perth, taking home a maximum score In his DJR/Shell Falcon and celebrating accordingly.

Shell Championship Series Round 6 22-24 June 2001 an indication that the Broadmeadows Boys, and DJR in particular, really have turned the corner. The other big news for the weekend was the crowds; 7000 were claimed on Friday, 18,000 on Sunday and 32,000 on Sunday. The potential accuracy of crowd numbers are usually treated with suspicion these days but, regardless, the tiny track was packed and thousands and thousands were turned away from the track on raceday.

(Photo by John Moms/Mpix and Dirk Klynsmith)

Perth-ites are friendly, enthusiastic and love their racing. The team merchandise was flying out the doors. AVESCO will make news by saying that the voters deserve better and that the state government should step in. That is right; they should ...

Qualifying The congawestwai-d, line of transporters shuffled with the crews,in various stages of weariness after a cornucopia of post-Canberra repairs, following moiorsport news

SHEU CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES

The

iMck MURPHy

shortly after on cut-priced airliners for, perhaps, the final V8 Supercar race at BarbagalloAVanneroo. It did not take long for the ghosts ofthe nation’s capital to re-emerge. Cameron McConville and Steve Ellery got together four minutes into the first practice session (causing particular angst because they were neighbours in pitlane) while Prac #2 brought more excursions, with Skaife launching 6 July 200T

I .

over the hill and into the dust, followed quickly by Weel(up to the axles at iWn 1) and both Gibson Motorsport cars, Lowndes quickly following Rodney Forbes into the WAboonies. McConville and Ellery were , summoned to speak to the powersthat-be over their incident and the result was a $2000 fine for continued on page 40

DJR's Paul Radisich dominated the sixth round of the Shell Championship Series in Perth, taking pole position and leading every iap to take three wins in front of a massive crowd. PHiL RRANAGAN reports from the west

Barbagaiio

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

00 18 5 29 1 2 15 51 11 3 35 34 17 600 43 10 4 6 31 9 021 46 54 75 21 23 24 7 40 14

Russell Ingall Craig Lowndes Paul Radisich Glenn Seton Paul Morris Mark Skaife Jason Bright Todd Kelly Greg Murphy Larry Perkins Cameron McConville Jason Bargwanna Garth Tander Steven Johnson John Bowe Paul Weel Mark Larkham Marcos Ambrose Steven Richards Steve Ellery David Besnard Jason Richards John Faulkner Tony Longhurst Anthony Tratt Brad Jones Trevor Ashby Paul Romano Rodney Forbes Cameron McLean Tony Ricciardello Daniel Miller

fQualilying^

Castrol Perkins Commodore VX Gibson Motorsport Falcon AU Shell Helix Falcon AU Ford Hckford Racing Falcon AU Big Kev Commodore VT Holden Racing Team Commodore VX Holden Racing Team Commodore VX K Mart Racing Team Commodore VX K Mart Racing Team Commodore VX Castrol Perkins Commodore VX Optus Lansvale Commodore VX Valvoline Commodore VX Valvoline Commodore VX Shell Helix Falcon AU CAT Racing Falcon AU K&J Thermal Falcon AU ICS Smartcar Falcon AU Pirtek Racing Falcon AU Ford Tlckford Racing Falcon AU Super Cheap Falcon AU Caltex Havoline Falcon AU Team Kiwi Commodore VT John Faulkner Racing Commodore VT Rod Nash Racing Commodore VX Toll Racing Falcon AU OzEmail Falcon AU Lansvale Commodore VS Holden Young Lions Commodore VX Gibson Falcon AU Greenfield Mowers Falcon AU Imrio Motorsport Commodore VX Air Liquide Commodore VS

57.5199 57,6501 57,6540 57.6865 57.6949 57,7511 57,8041 57.8250 57.8490 57.8711 57.8908 57.9347 57.9686 57.9711 57.9811 58.0102 58.1150 58.1624 58.1833 58.3656 58.3729 58.5317 58.5815 58.7332 58.8153 58.9301 58.9666 58.9841 59.0393 59.1690 59.8969 59.9580

iiiiijiilf y

Give it the boot; Steven Ellery had no fun, tangling with Cameron McConville in the first practice session and then Garth Tander in the race. (Photos by John Morris/Mpix and Marshall Cass)

continued from page 39 McConville for ‘failing to exercise due care’. The session was red-flagged and the pitlane muses were quick to assign reasoning to the odd sight of the #00 car- being towed in; ‘They are obviously collecting ‘dirt data’,” one hypothesised. Maybe. Then, more stoppages. Weel skated off again. Red flag, restart. Brad Jones tried it- twice.

Red flag, restart. It took almost 62 minutes for a 45 minute session. The calendar said ‘winter’ but the meteorologists disagreed and the weather was, even by Perth standards, unseasonably flawless. That was the ‘problem’; the track temperature for the first session (which stai-ted at 8:30AM)was 11 degi’ees, while two hom's later when the second session started, it was continued on page 42 moloriporl naws

^SHEtl CHAMPIONSHIP SEBIIS

Pliolo hv Dirk KlviLsnia

DESPITE its current Labor Party government, Queensland is for good reason considered to be a right-leaning state in the Commonwealth we call home. One thing which is conning right is Big Kev Racing. Paul Morris and the lads from the Gold Coast have been, slowly and steadily, making ground in the recent past, The Dude' and his men getting to grips with the art of balancing a 620 horsepower, 1350kg V8 Supercar on four springs and dampers and getting the most out of the tight technical package with which the teams must cope. Underlining this, Morris lined up third for Wanneroo's first 20-minute sprint, his careerbest qualifying performance. "At Darwin we were quick," said Morris later, "but I mucked it up in qualifying. And then we went well in qualifying in Canberra." He also went well the last time the circus hit the west, running in the top 10 and finishing ninth overall in the three races. Add to that the

fact that, like the opposition, he was on a learning mission, as the last time the V8s raced in Perth, the class was on Bridgestone's superseded 261 tyre, and he was racing a VS "A bit of it is me," the multiple Super Touring Champion continued modestly. "The whole team is really still getting to know the car, learning about lots of little things. "We still have a hell of a lot of work to do, but it will be the same for everyone." Big Kev Racer Mk. 2 is on the way, expected to be ready to test before the end of the month. While the team develops their new self-built car, the current VT (which is actually the three-year-old 037 chassis, which HRT built in for Greg Murphy to test the floodwaters at Calder in '98) remains competitive. The good news for the team is that there will be second BKR Commodore later in the season. Matt Neal is due to race it but don't necessarily expect that he will he in the older Morris car just yet... - PHIL BRANAGAN

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Looks like Shell; feels like hell IN the chill of Canberra, Steven Johnson was on top of the world; his first pole position, his first race win, his first round win. Dick Johnson Racing headed west with plenty of (justified) confidence. Fast forward two weeks and there was a different Johnson in Perth. Bluntly, he looked, and sounded, like hell. Cold in Canberra and he was fine; warm in Perth and he was sick as a horse. "I picked it up six days ago," he said on Saturday. "I feel really bad, and I am coughing inside the car. Never done that before." Johnson Jr had been to the doctor twice before practice and had qualified well off his expected pace. But, when it came time to race, he was right on the pace. After dropping back to 15th at the start before he regained _ his composure and hauled through the pack. One by one, he picked them off to finish Race 1 in ninth place. The next day, he made a more solid getaway and, again, hit his stride running. One by one, he picked cars off and chased, running down Lowndes by the finish to get to fifth. In the final race, a good start and Ingall's penalty

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26 degrees and rising. That fact, combined with cars going off and dragging dirt back onto the track, meant that the teams were chasing set-up as, minute by minute, whatever grip that the track had was evaporating. Case in point- Jason Bargwanna’s second session-leading 58.50s was unreachable after 30 minutes, with even Bargs struggling to get within

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But, when the going gets tough, the Tough Go At It. All the weather meant was that tyre wear would be at a premium and the assaults would be short and sharp. When the cars rolled out,it was 30 degrees on the track. IngaU set the ball rolling with a 57.9291s, only to be bounced immediately by Bright, who was

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got him onto Murphy's tail (below) before he snuck past for third. Johnson will not get huge plaudits for his weekend in Perth because Radisich was so dominant. But, if it came to giving an imaginary award to the driver who gave it everything under duress at Wanneroo, it may well go to Jilly and Dick's young lad. - PHIL BRANAGAN

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^mHepeoV Home and Away: The best thing that can be said about the GRM Commdores in quaiifying is that they were close, Jason Bargwanna pipping Garth Tander by 0.034s. Breathe deeply: Longhurst made lots of ground in Race 1, including making this move on David Besnard in the (Pholos by Marshall Cass) Caltex Havoline Falcon ...

topped by Seton and,in turn, Radisich. Then Paul Morris, impressive again as at Canberra, took third, while the second sets of rubber were being readied for an all-out effort. In all the brouhaha. Ingall’s first time stood only for 10th but The Enforcer came back -with a vengeance, a 57.5199s lap good enough for provisional pole and last spot in the Shoot-out. Also making major strides was, almost inevitably, Lowndes, who was languishing in 12th before he hauled the oversteering Gibbo AU to second on 57.6501s. It looked like a triumph of determination over physics. While the times were being set at the front of the field, two drivers who would not feature in the battle were the winners ofthe last two rounds of the SCS. Marcos Ambrose was having engine hiccups in the Pirtek Falcon and would not have a chance,from the slower session, to get into the shoot-out. He would start 18th after having about a lapand-a-half between misfires. Set-up time was compromised and the Stone crew set to yanking out the engine when they had a chance after qualifying. The other recent Ford winner, Johnson, was stranded in 14th and feeling sick (see breakout). Lowndes had bumped McConville out of the Shoot-out, but it left Perkins on the ‘Brunp’spot. With Ambrose struggling, Larkham and, perhaps, Ellery and Besnard in the slower group, LP looked vulnerable, but he(and the following five cars from the faster session) stayed intact, courtesy of the rising temps and some debris on the exit of Turn 1 after Trevor Ashby had the Optus VS get away from him. LP was in and the Game was over. And, deservedly so; the Castrol Racing veteran was in fine form, the ‘Alitalia’ VX having no changes worth mentioning since it came off the truck. continued on page 44

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Barnagallo SCS Round 6 Racemrav

@3 Race 1 - 20 laps

1 Paul Radisich 2 Mark Skaife 3 Russell Ingall 4 Glenn Seton 5 Greg Murphy 6 Craig Lowndes 7 Todd Kelly 8 Paul Morris 9 Steven Johnson 10 Jason Bright 11 Jason Bargwanna 12 Cameron McConville 13 John Bowe 14 Steven Richards 15 Steve Ellery 16 PaulWeel 17 Tony Longhurst 18 Marcos Ambrose 19 Cameron McLean 20 David Besnard 21 MarkLarkham 22 Brad Jones 23 Garth Tander 24 Rodney Forbes 25 Trevor Ashby 26 Daniel Miller 27 John Faulkner 28 Jason Richards 29 TonyRicciardello 30 Anthony Tratt DNF Larry Perkins DNS Paul Romano

19:54.3879 58.5664* 20:07.1084 59.1932 20:07.9112 59.1850 20:12.9802 59.1830 20:14.2149 59.2263 20:15.7621 59.3712 20:17.6385 59.4758 20:21.9303 59.0514 20:22.1160 59.5218 20:22.4493 59.4567 20:23.4569 59.7577 20:23.6898 59.6323 20:24.4428 59.3761 20:26.9333 59.9316 20:28.4693 60.2222 20:31.7350 59.8726 20:31.9801 60.2587 20:32.6995 59.7380 20:35.3380 60.2300 20:37.3195 59.9649 20:37.6718 60.1021 20:38.7016 60.4658 20:38.9816 59.6665 20:39.1450 60.4518 20:40.2700 60.3888 20:43.8293 60.7873 20:47.9452 60.2678 20:48.8773 60.2882 19 laps 61.6124 19 laps 60.4311 13 laps 59.2634

Race 2-20 lags 1 2 3 4 5 6

Paul Radisich Mark Skaife Russell Ingall Greg Murphy Steven Johnson Craig Lowndes

Todd Kelly

8 Jason Bright 9 Steven Richards 10 Cameron McConville 11 Steve Ellery 12 Cameron McLean 13 John Bowe 14 Garth Tander 15 Tony Longhurst 16 Marcos Ambrose 17 Brad Jones 18 PaulWeel 19 Trevor Ashby 20 MarkLarkham 21 Rodney Forbes 22 Larry Perkins 23 Anthony Tratt 24 Jason Richards 25 John Faulkner 26 Paul Romano 27 Daniel Miller 28 David Besnard 29 TonyRicciardello 30 Glenn Seton 31 Paul Morris DNF Jason Bargwanna

19:56.1629 58.7317* 19:58.5085 58.9068 19:59.1999 59.1306 20:09.1658 59.2753 20:09.7246 59.6307 20:13.8735 59.1857 20:14.6507 59.6628 20:18,7938 60.0442 20:19.3805 59.8874 20:20.2471 60.0473 20:23.4217 60.1754 20:24.1127 59.8717 20:24.5741 60.0140 20:26.1813 60.0023 20:26.8250 60.2001 20:27.2598 60.2132 20:28.7332 60.2247 20:31.1479 60.2618 20:31.6930 59.8849 20:35.5024 60.1296 20:35,8123 60.2866 20:43.7761 60.6428 20:45.4918 60.4427 20:45.7774 60.2869 20:46.0264 60.9094 20:46.1929 60.4212 20:47.3693 60.8348 20:53.0507 60.2975 19 laps 61.2909 18 laps 59.7838 16 laps 59.6817 Slaps 59.5457

continued from page 43 One man not in his usual form was Cameron McLean. “I told them as soon as the (first practice) session started the engine was not right,” he said.“They thought is was just the warm-up ...” but a rocker change later proved the driver correct. The first four cars out in the Top 10- Perkins, Murphy, Kelly and Bright- stayed in order, but then came Skaife. The lap looked ugly, but it was fast, a 57.6773s. Pole? Nope. Morris knocked him over at once, by 0.04s. The old Big Kev Racer(the original VT that HRT raced in 1998) was flying, and he was on pole until the Ford rolled out. Bang. Seton on pole. Bang. Radisich on pole. And there he stayed. It clouded over, almost on queue.

when Lowndes rolled out for his lap. But the 27-year-old was off the mark in seventh and Ingall was ‘only fourth. Recent winners in Perth have come only from the front two rows ofthe gild, it was DJR’s second in a row, the first non-HRT pole since 1995 and Ford’s first in the west for nine years. Timely.

Race 1(20 laps) Histoiy says; Start on the at racing hne fthe even numbers) Wanneroo and the first comer shaft not be thine. The line is on the' inside and, unless you make a perfect start, you get hung out. History ain’t wrong. Seton found the wheels spinning at the light and that was the end of his race; he fell to fourth and,just on 20 minutes later, he was stiU there. While Radisich leapt away.

Morris muscled past the Ford Tickford Racing car, dragging IngaU with him. For a brief time, it looked like The Dude would challenge The Rat, sticking commendably close for the first two laps. But then, the Kevmobile started to feel the pinch in the rubber department; Ingall eased past, followed by Seton et al. Morris would finish eighth. Radisich stayed on the hammer, only falling above the 60s barrier in traffic until lap 19, when he backed off. u It was just because I had a clear track,” he said. “It was a comfortable pace, so I stayed there. They don’t come much easier than that.” The “easy” margin was 12.7s. Behind, the big mover was Skaife. He moved to the engine room of a nine-car train after picking off Seton and started to run down Ingall steadily, trying not to

Race 3-20 laps Paul Radisich 1 2 MarkSkaifa 3 Greg Murphy 4 Steven Johnson 5 Craig Lowndes 6 Todd Kelly 7 Jason Bright 8 Garth Tander 9 Steven Richards 10 Cameron McConville 11 Cameron McLean 12 Jason Bargwanna 13 John Bowe 14 PaulWeel 15 Jason Richards 16 Tony Longhurst 17 Russell Ingall 18 Trevor Ashby 19 Rodney Forbes 20 Anthony Tratt 21 Steve Ellery 22 David Besnard 23 John Faulkner 24 Marcos Ambrose 25 Daniel Miller 26 Paul Romano 27 Larry Perkins 28 Brad Jones 29 TonyRicciardello DNF Glenn Seton DNS Mark Larkham

20:10.6998 59.6357* 20:11.7570 59.6977 20:15.2091 59.7308 20:15.3989 59.8465 20:20.4744 59.8551 20:20.6441 59.8637 20:26.9058 60.4316 20:27.2352 60.1081 20:29.6846 60.3860 20:30.3088 60.2004 20:32.1299 60.3040 20:32.3419 60.2472 20:32.5620 60.0650 20:36.5730 60.6384 20:36.9652 60.4894 20:37.8384 60.7454 20:38.6489 59.8928 20:44.2996 60.7785 20:44.7951 60.3866 20:45,4944 60.9540 20:45.8334 60.2759 20:50.0336 60.8671 20:50.4064 61.1562 20:50.9994 59.9764 20:51.5796 61.2868 20:52.0518 60.8450 20:59.4000 60.2973 19 laps 60.6753 19 laps 61.4260 Slaps 61.1646 Olaps No time

cHiixeD

Tight squeeze: Lowndes made good starts, but Skaife was ready for him in Race 3 and ingaii tried to foiiow the (Photo by Marshall Cass) HRT Commodore through before being pinged for a jumped start. moiorsport news

SHELl CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES Seton, Murphy emerging from the line to take fifth from Lowndes, Kelly, Morris and the impressive Johnson, who was running better in race trim (between bouts of coughing)than he had in qualifying. After falling back to 15th at the start, he picked off cars one by one to get to ninth. Giesunheit. Perkins had caused palpitations in the pit lane when he locked up and understeered into the sand at Turn 1, but the car was deemed to be not in a dangerous spot and the

destroy what tyres he had left. By lap 14 he was pushing for a way past and,two laps later, eased inside coming down the hill. “I thought, with six laps to go (sic), TU make a bit of a prick of myself’,” admitted Ingall,“but the car wouldn’t let me.” Behind, there was all manner of stuff happening, mostly in line as nine cars trailed around behind

race ran out. The cause was mechanical, not mortal; a brake bleeder broke and Perkins found himself with no front brakes. Back in the pack, one of the best performances came from Longhurst, who picked up seven spots on the way to 17th, at one stage forcing his way past David Besnard at Turn 1. With neither driver having expressed particular

continued on page 46

Crowds on and off the track: There were almost as much of a jam on the track as there was in the car parks... Brakes, tyres and shock absorbers: Seton was forced to play catch-up after a brush with Lowndes in Race 1. {Photo Marshall Cass and Dirk Klynsmith)

presents Round 5 of the TRIPLE M

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LAKEStOE RACEWAY - JULY 7 & B See local Ford heroes Simpson and Harris take on the Southern Holdens: Wills, Parsons, and Ferrier Photo; e^phcDak

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Barnagallo admiration for the other, several seconds passed before everyone in pitlane exhaled... And Ambrose,lack of set-up time showing, was also in arrears. The left-rear tyre was stuffed;“We have something to work on now,” said ‘Cos’as he set to the computers on Saturday night. At least the engine was fine...

Race 2(20 laps) More perfect weather, a the massive crowd rolledand down narrow roads ofthe COW (City of Warmeroo)to take in The Show. If race wins rarely come easier than Radisich’s first, they rarely come more boring that his second. As they had done in the Formula Ford race, the starting lights took the morning off, prompting the starter to haul out an Aussie flag to get it going. Radisich leapt away while Skaife wheelspun, but managed to hold onto second. That was that; The Rat pulled a gap at once, stayed on it for a while and came home by 2.34s in another crush. The big mover at the start was Lowndes. The black Ford dodged through the opposition from sixth to briefly challenge IngaU for third before he settled in. But the Gibbo car started to struggle for grip at the front(on used tyres), Craig being passed after four laps by Murphy, then Johnson. But, on the way, Lowndes had had contact from the front of Seton’s car. The FTR Falcon circulated for eight laps with the splitter dragging,losing many spots before pitting for a new tyre and race tape. While the race settled up front, there was a nine-car train battling outside the top 10, with Ambrose right in the ruck after a good start before the car started to fade and he was passed, again, by that man Longhurst... Again, Johnson charged, making gains when they presented themselves. But this time, he was taking spots off drivers like Murphy and Lowndes. He made it through to fifth. There were no Safety Cars, despite the fact that Bargwanna beached the GRM Commodore at Kolb on lap 4 after getting a whack from Morris. The Dude was fined $1000 over the incident.

Race 3(20 laps) It clouded at last, but the start was over delayed because of Mark Larkham losing a wheel off the Karcher Ford and rolling on the out lap (!). That meant that the grid sat there for around 10 minutes,the front row men of Radisich and Skaife heading over the pit wall to 46

The effects of pressure? There is no evidence that this man, Mark Skaife, gives this man Paul Radisich, the runs. But both drivers snuck off for a pre-Race 3 wee one while the Larkham Falcon was cleared away... Quietly does it; Without ever threatening the leaders, Greg Murphy drove superbly for third overall. [Photos bv Dirk Klynsmith, Marshall Cass and James Smith)

check for stray snakes before the formation lap. Apparently,they both found a snake’s hiss ... Eventually, the lights started the race and Radisich won. Not quite that simple, but close to it. Just straightforward and not particularly inspiring, by 1.05s. The interest was whether Ingall could get around Skaife but that was taken care of by a jumped start. For a moment,it looked like no advantage, no foul, but then, out came the numbers for the black flag. At first, it looked like it was for Daniel Miller, #84. But then, numerology davraed; it was not #84, it was #8 and #4- Ingall and Ambrose. Both came in to serve their sentence and,in Ingall’s preferred 20 minute sprint format, the fight was as good as over. Ingall was 26th by the time he got going again. Ambrose resumed 30th and only got

to 24th by the finish. That promoted Murphy to third and Johnson to fourth, and they finished that way. But, once again, Steve hunkered down and gave chase, terrorising the Kmart car for the last third ofthe race, but faihng to find a way past. While Johnson was catching one Kmart car, the other was all over the strugghng-for-grip Lowndes, but Kelly failed to get around the Ford, but Bright did manage to find a way past Richards’s FTR example further back. While Ingall battled through to 17th, the other Castrol car fared less well, Perkins assisted into the Shell Comer boonies by Jones. Bradley will face the law at Calder over the incident, and he later had to stop for a new tyre. So, Radisich won again. After the race. Ford’s PR army dusted off their tomes to look up the last time

the Blue Oval scored three in a row,the last Ford driver to win pole and three races in one weekend and. possibly, see if any of Nostradamus’s other predictions had come time. Three guarantees emerged from the weekend; Radisich was untouchable in the races; and Skaife is proving that way in the pointscore. And all those dissatisfied punters who couldn’t get in to see the races are notjust fans -they are voters which, be sure, Mr(Jochrane has reminded the government several times by now... Points; Skaife 1612, Bright 1503, Ingall 1268, Johnson 1268, Murphy 1121, Ambrose 1068, Steven Richards 1063, Kelly 1032,Lowndes 1023, Seton 994, Radisich 977, Tander 930, EUery 815, Bowe 782, Bargwanna 773, Perkins 768, Larkham 676, Longhurst 621, Morris 589,Jones 571, Weel 531, McLean 518, McConville 481, Faulkner 479, Tratt 441, Besnard 405, Jason Richards 378, Ashby 366, Romano 359, Forbes 346,IVler Mecklem (Commodore)336, Dugal McDougall (Commodore)314, Tomas Mezera 224 (Commodore),Steve Reed (Commodore) 166, Dean Canto (Falcon) 134, Greg Ritter(Commodore) 128, Ross Halliday (Falcon) 116, Mathew White(Commdore)75,Alan Heath (Falcon)66,Angus Fogg (Commodore)52, Peter DouLman (Commodore)48, Garry Holt(Falcon)

motorsport news

:Pnoio oy Marshall Cass)

ill's Willi Wild West -by AARON NOONAN VICTORIAN Will Davison has moved himself back to the top of the pointscore in the chase for the 2001 Australian Formula Ford Championship with two victories at BarbagaUo Raceway. The Valvoline/Cummins Van Diemen RF2001 driver took pole position by a full half a second and overcame all sorts of adversity to take the title lead from Will Power with two difficult wins. He battled Power in the first race and managed to hold on as his tyres faded, while in the second the 18-year-old was shuffled back to third but fought through to take the win. “The car was really good on a single qualifying lap but it didn’t quite suit the longer distances once the tyres started heating up,” said Davison. “Race two was more perseverence and hard racing.”

That Bosch battery must have some kick! Nick Agland lifts his (Photo by John Morris/Mpix) Spectrum entering the pit straight. There were dramas for the whole field to contend with over the course of the racing. The lights failed at the start of the first race and the starter hurriedly started the race with a green flag. After much consternation down the pitlane it was re-started, while the second race was blighted by oil on the circuit from the race’s opening stages, which resulted in the front runners tippy-toeing around. Stewart Kostera enjoyed a

return to form in the Johnny Walker-run Stealth, the locd taking a third and a second, spending the majority of his time fending off another Stealth driver in Daniel Elliott. The young karting graduate, driving for Brett Lupton’s Fastlane Racing, took a pair offourths, but pulled off the move of the year, taking Power and Kostera at turn one at one stage. Power, sporting new backing

from VIP Pet Foods, had a second and a third, the latter result snatched from Elliott on the last comer of the last lap of race two. Andrew Jones was his usual consistent self, the birthday boy (turning 21)taking a pair of fifths as the rest engaged in all sorts of grass and sand tracking in the fight for the podium spots. The weekend was a disaster for two championship contenders in Nick Agland and Jamie Whincup. The former’s Bosch Spectrum finished sixth in race one but he spun in the oil in race two, while l^incup had a dive in his Mygale’s oil pressure, forcing him out of race two. David Clark debuted a brand new 2001 Van Diemen for Optima Motorsport, but struggled for ranning time and could only manage a 13th in race one and a sand trip-delayed 25th in race two. Points: Davison 110,Power 107, Whincup/Jones 60, Kostera 43,Agland 32, Barton Mawer 26,Elliott 24.

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What might 48

have been

The European Grand Prix was shaping up as a titanic all-Schumacher battle until Ralf was penalised for a pit infringement JOESAWARD reports from the Nurburgring

HE 2000 European Grand Prix was looking like a classic. After the Schumacher brothers qualified on the front row and were shaping up for another Canada-type battle. Michael, who had squeezed Ralf against the pit wall at the start, led, but Ralflooked like the dominant force, biding his time until the pit stops. On this occasion the two men came into the pits at the same moment and Michael got away fastest. As Ralf rejoi ned, he was aware that he was about to fall behind the one-stopping McLarenMercedes of David Coulthard and he hurried out of the pits at a rate of knots. On the way out Ralf ran over a white line. Tt was prohibited. He was given a 10second stop-go penalty and that was that. Michael was gone. Ralf dropped back to fourth place. Juan Pablo Montoya had a confidence-building weekend and came home in second place; while the lacklustre McLaren performance ended up with

David Coulthaird m third place and Mika Hakkinen sixth.

he talki ng point of the race was the start, as Michael edged his brother towards the pitwall as they accelerated down to the first coraer. It was pretty vicious stuff. “The start wasn’t as perfect as it was supposed to be,” said

Michael.

“Again,I had a little dip where I lost out a couple of metres and then I saw Ralf on the inside and not knowing what strategy they were on, thinking they may be only on (one stopi, I had to make sure I would be first in the first cornel-. So I used the maximunn that the rules allow you,to move over once, and tighten up the line. That’s the way you have to work, unfortunately.” It was a move that Ralf did not appreciate but he held his tongue. “It is between the two brothers,” said Sir Frank Williams,“but Ralf was not too impressed.”

FORMULA ONE As usual, the Michelin tyres took Barrichello’s one-stop race put a dozen laps to get up to speed and, paid to him on lap 44 and, so, Ralf was back to third but there was in that time, Michael was able to build up a lead of two and a half nothing he could do to stop seconds and then suddenly Ralf Coulthard going ahead when it was was setting the fastest laps and time to stop for the second (or pulling his way up on to Michael’s rather third) time. He got to the tail. Within five laps he was there flag a rather disenchanted fellow. and hustling his brother. On lap 18, Michael made a With Ralf ofthewas way, the mistake on the run down the hill chase ofout Michael led by towards the hairpin. The Ferrari Montoya. For once, Juan Pablo had ran wide after Michael locked up an untroubled time in qualifying his rear brakes. Ralf went for the and there was a feeling of inside but Michael came back onto momentum as he went into the the line quickly and the moment race. It was good for his confidence and it showed. There was not much was passed. he could do to match Michael. “Other than that,I was pretty “The car was very competitive,” much in charge,” Michael said. “I was in trouble in general in that he said. “The first few laps of the first stint, the car handling wasn’t race, I took it really steady. I knew Ralf and Michael were going to go, so good so we made some corrections at the pit stop.” and I said ‘Take a couple of laps, get into it and just build up the At the first stop, the Ferrari boys changed the front wing settings. At \ pace slowly’.” And that was what he did. At the the second stop they modified them end of the first stint, Montoya was again. By the end of the race able to close to within three Michael had a very strong car. But seconds of the two men ahead of by then there was no opposition. him. He led for a lap before his own Ralf’s challenge went off the stop. The second stint was rails at the pit stop; “I was looking in my mirrors when I left the pits and, obviously, I concentrated more on the traffic behind me than on the line.” When he emerged, Ralf was behind Coulthard’s McLaren but it took Ralf only a couple oflaps to get rid of David and then he was off again in pursuit of Michael. But _ this time, the Ferrari was able to hold the gap and then came news of the penalty. It was a pretty small mistake but the FIA stewards were harsh. Ralf was given a 10-second stop-go penalty. 'That was, basically, the end of his challenge because, by the time he had paid his debt to society, he was back in fourth place, having lost more than half a minute.

disrupted by a wild moment as he tried to find a way to pass Coulthard for third place on lap 33. At the chicane Montoya went bouncing across the dirt. “I got really close behind him but when I hit the brakes, I just locked the front t3Tes,” he said. “I didn’t even try to turn. Just went straight. It was safer.” That was the only adventure he had but, at the end of the stint, the gap to Schumacher had gone out to eight seconds. The final run to the flag saw the gap come down to four seconds but Montoya knew that Schumacher was pacing himself At the end ofthe day Juan Pablo was satisfied. And so was the team.

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Michael ran the flag enjoying the day. It to had begun badly when the spare car failed as he was doing his recognition laps. It failed at the worst possible point away down at the bottom of the

hill.

continued on page 50

- VT l n1

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On the limit; Ralf Schumacher had the fastest car in Germany, but had his race ruined by a stop/go penalty, leaving his brother to do the high jump. Brotherly love: Michael has already chopped Ralf against the pit wall and heads into the firt corner safely in the lead. (Photos by SuHon-lmages)

IVARSTEtNEIt

European GP continued from page 49 When all was said and done, the battle between Ferrari It was too far to run back in time to get into his race car and so Michael ran round in circles for a couple of minutes (it looked remarkably like panic) and then he commandeered a BMW motor scooter and, without a second thought rode back to the pits (waving to the crowd), giving his brother’s engine manufacturer a marvellous piece of publicity. It was an amusing interlude before tbe battle commenced. In fact, it meant little because his race car was in the garage and ready for him and he was back with plenty of time to get to the grid. In the end, he sounded almost disappointed that Ralf disappeared with the penalty but a home win is a home win and Michael will take them whenever he can get them. Would he have beaten Ralf? “Under normal circumstances we should have been able to do it,” he said. “But it would have been a very close battle.” arrichello chose to race with a one-stop strategy and a poor start dropped him from fourth to seventh at the start. And there he stayed until the pit stops began. When he pitted on lap 44 he was up to third place but the stop knocked him back down to fifth and there he stayed all the way to the flag. “It was rather a boring race from me,” he said. It was, however, enlivened by a spin in the closing stages but he recovered from that without losing a place.

and Williams-BMW completely overshadowed the McLarenMercedes team. For some reason, the team seems to have been knocked sideways in recent weeks. Perhaps it was the Newey Affair, perhaps the embarrassing technical glitches. Whatever the case, the cars never looked very threatening and Ron Dennis seemed to be more interested in criticising Formula 1 magazines(and getting them all mixed up)than he was in getting his team to improve. It was all very odd. Looking in from the outside, one cannot help but wonder if the problem is not one of tyre performance. Coulthard seemed convinced of that. “Unless the tyre we have available to us works well on our car, I don’t think we have something in the set-up that we can change,” he said. The implication was that the Bridgestones worked better on the Ferraris. It was much the same as we saw at the end of last year. Mika Hakkinen made up a place at the start(passing Bari’ichello) but he did not seem to be anything like his normal self after that. He was on a one-stop strategy (as was Coulthard) but he had no defence at all when Barrichello came at him in the middle of the race. Rubens simply drove past. It was a very rminspired result but at least it was a result. The fastest lap of the race told the story. Coulthard’s fastest lap was four-tenths of a second faster

IiiftiimNa Euro pe/N uriiurgrino *

POS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22

HUT DRIVER 0 Michael Schumacher 0 Ralf Schumacher Col Juan Montoya Bra Rubens Barrichello GB David Coulthard Fin Mika Hakkinen Ita Jarno Trulli Heinz-Harald Frentzen 0 Fin Kimi Raikkonen 0 Nick Heidfeld Can Jacque Villeneuve GB Eddie Irvine Fra Olivier Ranis Fra Jean Alesi Ita Giancarlo Fisichella Pedro de la Rosa Spa Bra Luciano Burt! Bra Enrique Bernoldi N Jos Verstappen GB Jenson Button Fernando Alonso Spa Bra Tarso Marques

CAR Marlboro Scuderia Ferrari F2001 Compaq BMW.Williams FW23 Compaq BMW.Williams FW23 Marlboro Scuderia Ferrari F2001 West McLaren/Mercedes MP4/16 West McLaren/Mercedes MP4/16 Benson & Hedges Jordan/Honda EJll Benson & Hedges Jordan/Honda EJll Red Bull Sauber/Petronas C20 Red Bull Sauber/Petronas C20 Lucky Strike BAR/Honda 003 Jaguar/Cosworth R2 Lucky Strike BAR/Honda 003 ProsVAcerAP04 Mild Seven Benetton/Renault B201 Jaguar/Cosworth R2 Prost/Acer AP 04 Orange Arrows/Asiatech A22 Orange Arrows/Asiatech A22 Mild Seven Benetton/Renault B201 Minardi/European Minardi/European

TYRE B M M B B B B B B B B M B M M M M B B M M M

TIME 1:14.960 1'.15.226 1:15.490 1:15.622 1:15.717 1:15.776 1:16.138 1:16.376 1:16.402 1:16.438 1:16.439 1:16.588 1:16.872 1:17.251 1:17.378 1:17.627 1:18.113 1:18.151 1:18.262 1:18.626 1:18.630 1:18.689

/^lUiv/^Ceramic Innovatians INNOVATIONS

producers and suppliers of the Official Australian Grand Prix Port www.ceramlctnnavatians.coni.au ph 03 9555 9011

David and Goliath: Ralf Schumacher spent little time getting past David Coulthard, thrilling returning McLaren Technical Director Adrian Newey. Best so far: Montoya, below, put up career bests in qualifing and the race. Ralf, can I borrow... When Michael had his spare stop on the warm-up lap, he quickly grabbed a BMW scooter, far right, and headed home. (Photos by Marsh/Bothwell and Sut(on-lmages)

FORMULA ONE

than Hakkinen’s. And Mika’s best was beaten by Luciano Burti in the Frost.

The man to get inJarno with the toponly three teams was Trulli, who snuck sixth place at the start when Barrichello went away slowly from the start. But the Honda-powered teams were really nothing to worry the big boys on this occasion. Jarno ran around in sixth and would probably have ended up with a single point had it not been for an oil leak from his gearbox. This resulted in the gearbox seizing up completely on lap 45. Worse was to come a few laps later when the second Jordan spun out as a result of a traction-control failure. Heinz-Harald Frentzen’s race was not good at all. He had qualified eighth and dropped to 10th at the start. He suffered big problems with his rear tyres but was running eighth when his car broke. “It is clear that we are not realising our potential,” said Eddie Jordan with alarming clarity.

At the end of the day, British American Racing ended up with the only Honda car to finish but Jacques Villeneuve’s result was not one that would have had the cleaning ladies at Honda clearing the trophy cabinets. Villeneuve was full of praise for his car, his team, his strategy and his driving but did not have much good to say about his tyres. “What hurt us was the fact that we were unable to get the best out of our tyres,” he said. “I could not have gone any qmcker today.” One wonders if the men at Bridgestone will be hstening or whether BAR will have to go and see Michelin at the end of the year. Olivier Fanis’s race was compromised in the first corner. He had overtaken Villeneuve at the start but then everything became very cramped and Olivier lifted off and he went from 13th to 17th. And there he stayed until lap 24 when he spun off, probably as a result of a gearbox problem which was probably caused by an electronic glitch. Mixing it with the Honda brigade all weekend were the Jaguars and, when the flag fell, the two cars were still running and Eddie Irvine and Fedro de la Rosa were seventh and eighth. It was a steady reliable race. “I could not have done better today,” said Irvine, mirroring the remarks of Villeneuve. Irvine blamed everything on the team’s poor qualifying. De la Rosa spent most of the afternoon battling with Villeneuve and managed to get to the line 1.7s ahead. “That was the best team performance of the year,” said Bobby Rahal.

f the other teams, there was not much really to report. Sauber qualified ninth and 10th

continued on page 52

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European GP RESULTS European GR June 24 2001, 67 laps/305.234km n

:'v

-1

'm-j 1 M. Schumacher 2 Montoya 3 Coulthard 4 R, Schumacher S Barrichello 6 Hakkinen 7 Irvine 8 de la Rosa 9 Villeneuve 10 Raikkonen 11 Fisichella 12 Burti 13 Button 14 Alonso Retirements Ales! Verstappen Heidfeld Frentzan Titilli Bernoldi Ranis Marques

Ih29m42.724 1h29m46.941 1h30m07.717 Ih30ml6,069 Ih30m28.219 Ih30m47.592 1h30m48,922 66 laps 66 laps 66 laps 66 laps 65 laps 65 laps 65 laps

1ml8.612 1ml8.354 1ml8.498 1ml8.883 1ml8.537 1m19.273 1ml8.674 1ml9.737 lml9.797 1m20.498 lm20.729 1ml9.105 lm20.069 lm20.937

64 laps Spun off 58 laps Engine 54 laps Halfshaft 48 laps Spun off 44 laps Clutch 29 laps Gearbox 23 laps Electrical 7 laps Electrical

Fastest lap: Montoya, on lap 27, lml8.354 Drivers' points: M.Schumecher 63, Coulthard 44, Barrichello 26, R, Schumacher 25, Montoya 12, Hakkinen 9, Heidfeld 8, V'ilonouvfl, Raikkonen and Trulli 7, Frentzen 6, Panis 5, Irvine 4, Alesi 3, Fisichella, Verstappen and de la Rosa 1. i Constructors' points: E Ferrari S4, McUren/Mercedes 53, BMW.Williams 37, |i Sauber/Petronas 15, Jordan/Honda 13, BAR/Konda 12, H Jaguar/Cosworth 5, Prost/Acer 3, Benetton/Renault 1 and Arrows/Asiatech 1.

(innovations

continued from page 51 (with Kimi Raikkonen ahead of Nick Heidfeld again) but in the race there was nothing in the way of real news. The problem was blistering tyres and that meant that Raikkonen ended the day

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faster lap than Hakkinen. Jean vHesi would have finished 11th but he spun off while trying to pass Raikkonen in the closing laps and so he ended up classified 15th.

loth.

Heidfeld had a collision with

Jean THesi on lap 54 and was forced to retire with a broken driveshaft.

n this occasion Minardi got one car home. Alonso struggled with an engine problem but he got to the finish in 14th, which was good when you consider that he has not seen the chequered flag for a long time. Alas, Tarso Marques had no such luck. He had an electrical

Benetton managed to get both cars home, with Giancarlo Fisichella 11th and Jenson Button 13th, but both drivers complained about their cars sliding around a lot. The team now goes to MagnyCours looking forward to a new engine package and a better result. Well, it could hardly get worse.

Ceramic Innovations Official Australian Grand Prix Port

Over-Steer! Eddie Irvine qualified the Jaguar R2 12th and finished seventh - in a hurry. We can’t imagine why... (Photos by Sutton-lmages)

Burti hisheFrost home to 12thdragged place and too talked a lot about blistering tyres which caused him to go off early on and

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meant he had to pit to clean out the radiators. The team did not change the tyres because of a radio mix-up and so Burti’s struggle went on. iMter his second stop he was very quick on new rubber and set a

problem, which caused the gearbox to malfunction and so he went out on his eighth lap. The Arrows team had nothing much to say. Both cars retired; Jos Verstappen ■with an engine problem and Enrique Bernoldi with a gearbox failure.

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Q; Michael, how much pressure was Ralf giving you? Were you in charge of the situation? Michael Schumacher: Except for one moment, yes. I ran wide in Turn 5 because I locked up rears and then fronts. I couldn't see where he was at this moment, so I tried to leave a little bit of space, although not making it too easy for him to overtake. But other than that, I was pretty much in charge. I was in trouble in general in that first stint; the car handling wasn't so good, a lot of oversteer, so we made some corrections and after that I got going very well and when I needed to push, I was able to do quite good lap times. Q: Corrections in the car, or at the pit stop? MS: No, corrections on the car, physically. During the pit stop. Q: Was your pit stop a decision on that very lap? MS: No. We knew we were going in, and then I was told on the radio that Ralf was coming in the same lap, so I was aware of that. 1

Q: He gave you quite a hard time at the start, too, but you seemed to cope with it. Tell us about it. MS: Yeah. The start wasn't as perfect as it was supposed to be. Again I had a little dip where I lost out a couple of metres, and then I saw Ralf on the inside and obviously I knew the strategy I was on - not knowing what strategy they were on, thinking they may be only on [a one-stop strategy]- so I had to make sure 6 luly 2001

I would be first in the first corner, otherwise I would be in trouble. So I used the maximum that the rules allow you, to move over once, and tighten up the line, I think that's the way you have to work, unfortunately. Q: Juan Pablo, a certain amount of relief to finish second? Juan Pablo Montoya: Yeah, the last two races I made pretty silly mistakes and gave away quite a lot of points, and we had quite a lot of reliability problems in the beginning of the year, but things are getting much better now. I lost quite a bit at the beginning of the race, the car was very positive and I was getting a lot of hassle with it, so I thought, 'Just take it easy and get to the end.' Q: I think you had a little off at half-distance; what happened then? JPM: 1 was trying to pass David and got really close behind,_but when I hit the brake I just locked the front tyres and didn't even try to turn. Just go straight and it's safer. That was the only moment. Q: David, after starting the weekend fastest, what was wrong in the race? David Coulthard: From a balance point of view, we were using up the rear tyres quite quickly, so we had a lot of oversteer early in the race, which is a little bit different to what we were struggling with in qualifying, so there are two separate issues. Friday we were working to understand how to improve the

car in qualifying, so probably why there was such a big gap between ourselves and the others, but obviously the reality is what happened at the end of qualifying. As you could see, we were quite bit adrift and in the race, probably O.Bsec a lap off as well. Q; Where do you stand against the Williams? DC: Well, they clearly have reasonable acceleration whether it's low drag on the car, or maybe their rubber's not quite so sticky out of the corners. It can't possibly be the engine, because we have the best engine! Q: Juan Pablo, how do you rate your car against the Ferrari and McLaren? JPM: I think we're a bit ahead of the McLaren - a little bit, at the moment. It's a bit surprising, to be honest. With the Ferraris, very similar I would think. We're slightlyquicker than them, but we've still got to do a little bit more work because it's a little bit and a little bit. But we're getting consistently up at the front, so it's definitely getting better. Q: Michael, do you miss battling Ralf to the end? MS: To some degree, yes, because it would have meant David would be another place behind! Anyway, it's natural that I would rather see my brother there than anyone else; it's normal. Q: Michael, was the initial plan to race with the T-car? MS: No. We had a doubt over a

nttfe^n^so we changed ard i was supposed to do one iap. Q: Michael, do you think it was fair to push your brother near the wall at the start? MS: I don't think he touched the wall. It's tight, and maybe for the person who has to lift off it seems unfair, but on the other side that's the way the rules are written. You're allowed to do this, and you have to make sure that you stay up front, so we had this discussion at length some time ago and I think it's clear what is allowed and what isn't allowed. Q: What were the emotions like on the slow-down lap with the crowd? MS: Beautiful. It's always something special, being at home. It always is a big pleasure, especially if you win the race, to go slow and absorb everything the people give to you and to some degree celebrate with them and have a bit of contact. Q: How easy is it to miss the white line in the pits in the heat of the race, like your brother did? MS: It is something you need to watch. I heard it was very close, in terms of how much he actually crossed, but I remember some other things which have happened to me in the past and I remember thinking that they were a bit hard, but these things are done sometimes. On the other side, if you know about it you should watch out, just like not hitting a wall or something else, but a stop-andgo is a pretty hard decision.

French GP

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The Beginning and the End; Ralf Schumacher converted pole position into a first iap lead, right, and pulled away before the first round of fuel stops. But Michael was in front when it counted, above. (Photo by Marsh/Bothwell)

HE race started. The race finished.And by the end of the afternoon Michael Schumacher had clocked up his 50th Grand Prix victory. It was a nice achievement but as a spectator sport it was rather lacking in what one might call interest. Unless you were there to appreciate the noise and the violence of these marvellous racing machines driven by the best drivers in the world, it will not have meant much to you. For those in the grandstands it was a great spectacle - as any FI race is - but for the millions watching on television it must have been rather dull. For those who like an afternoon nap all that was missing was a big Sunday lunch... As is becoming normal during the 2001 season, Michael’s main challenge came from within the family. Ralf Schumacher celebrated his 26th birthday by taking his first career pole position and leading the first part of the race until Big Brother got a better second set of tyres than Ralf. 54

Bpotheps

Michael sped off to win, while Ralf made the best of it with a distant second. The other BMW man,Juan Pablo Montoya, was bravely ranning a different strategy and looked a threat until he and Ralf got their positions muddled before Juan’s VIO engine became a V9(or eight) and he parked it. This time, McLaren shot itself in both feet. Mika Hakkinen didn’t move an inch after something in his MP4/16’s gearbox broke, while any shot David Coulthard had at a podium finish effectively disappeared when he was given a stop/go penalty for speeding in pit lane. Worse, Ferrari used flexible pit strategy to haul Rubens Bai-richello from eighth on the grid to third.

For a race cure which turned into a soothing for insomnia, the French Grand Prix promised a lot more. In qualifying, we had the familiar situation of the two

Schumacher boys hard at it and, on this occasion, Ralf came out ahead of Michael. The two McLarenMercedes were there too: Coulthard slightly faster than Hakkinen. Then came Jarno Trulli in his Jordan-Honda and the top six was completed by Juan Pablo Montoya with the second Williams. But the Colombian was using the harder

The Red Party: After the race, Schumi celebrated his 50th win with the Ferrari lads. Keep pushing, I can still catch the Benettons: Hakkinen had another zero weekend after failing to get off the line again... (Pholos by Marsfi^olhwell)

motorsport news

FORMULA ONE

If your name was Hakkinen or Montoya OP anything except Schumacher for that matter - you had a sad weekend in France, as Michaei and Raif dominated again. JOE SAWARD reports from Magny-Cours

& The Other

Michelin t3a’es and seemed to be contemplating a rather different strategy. The Bridgestone runners, too, had rather better tyres than of late and so there were hopes of an exciting race. But things started badly when Hakkinen’s McLaren failed AGAIN. McLaren, that paragon of efficiency, had made another mess of it. Hakkinen was left sitting on the pre-grid, muttering short Finnish words as everyone drove off and left him sitting there. Eventually the car was pushed away into the pitlane. The mechanics worked on it but it was going nowhere. After the race the team admitted (with admirable honesty)that the disaster had been caused by “an incorrectly assembled component in the gearbox”. Team Principal Ron Dennis made the point that “through thick and thin we are a team and we all make mistakes”. Sir Winston Churchill would have been proud of these stirring

6 July 2001

continued on page 56 55

French GP fUiiimNC ffrance/linagiiir oa^urs PCS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22

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

CAR Compaq BMW.Williams FW23 Marlboro Scuderia Ferrari F2001 West McLaren/Mercedes MP4/16 West McLaren/Mercedes MP4/16 Benson & Hedges Jordan/Honda EJ11 Compaq BMW.Williams FW23 Benson & Hedges Jordan/Honda EJl 1 Marlboro Scuderia Ferrari F2001 Red Bull Sauber/Petronas C20 Lucky Strike BAR/Honda 003 Lucky Strike BAR/Honda 003 Jaguar/Cosworth R2 Red Bull Sauber/Petronas C20 Jaguar/Cosworth R2 Prost/Acer AP 04 Mild Seven Benetton/Renault B201 Mild Seven Benetton/Renault B201 Orange Arrows/Asiatech A22 Prost/Acer AP 04 Orange Arrows/Asiatech A22 Minardi/Eurppean PSOl Minardi/European PSOl

NSr D 0 GB Fin Ita Col D Bra D Can Fra GB Fin Spa Bra Ita GB N Fra Bra Spa Bra

lYBI M B B B B M M B B B B M B M M M M B M B M M

^ *

TIME 1ml 2,989 lml2.999 lml3.186 lml3,268 lml3.310 lml3.625 lml3.815 lml3.867 lml4.095 lml4.096 lml4.181 lml4.441 lml4.536 1ml5.020 1ml5.072 lml5.220 1ml5.420 lml5.707 1ml5.774 1ml5.828 1ml6.039 lml6.500

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continued from page 55 words, but the fact remains that the team is about to overtaken in the World Championship by BMW.Williams. The aim of the organisation is to win motor races and, at the moment, that is not happening. No-one is going catch Ferrari this year in the Constructors’ World Championship. Michael Schumacher can stop for tea on his way to a fourth Drivers’ World Championship. Ferrari has done a good job; Williams is nearly there but not quite - but McLaren has thrown away too many chances. At the French Grand Prix, as in other recent races, the only threat to Schumacher has come from his brother Ralf. On this occasion, Ralf took the lead at the start and, in the early part of the race, it was

Michael was tracking him. When Ralf went into the pits on lap 24, he had a three second advantage. But something went wrong at the right rear of the car. The pit stop was 2,8 seconds slower than Michael’s, which followed a lap later. The result of this was that Michael was ahead for the second stint and he began to pull away. Ralf said he could do nothing about it. “The second set of tyres didn’t work at all,” he said. “After the pit stops I had understeer/oversteer just everywhere and it was really difficult to drive, it was just sliding round the whole circuit. That’s why I was so slow.” In just 20 laps the gap between Big Bro and Little Bro went out to 20 seconds.

No, not Firestone: Rally’s pole was his first, BMW’s first since Gerhard Berger [Benetton] in itaiy in 1986 and Micheiin’s first since Patrick Tambay [Renauit], France, 1984. Landmark? Benetton had Renault’s Evo engine for the first time in qualifying, Fisicheiia and Button, right, iining up 16th and 17th. darning along: Jarno Trulli, below, qualified and finished fifth for Jordan-Honda. (Photos by Marsh/Bothwell)

It emerged that the only threat 1

meal' T,

motorsport news

FORMULA ONE to Michael’s domination was going to come from the second Williams driven by Montoya. The harder tyres were not good enough to give him the option to go for a one-stop race but they did mean that he could nm a longer first stint and, so, make up places. Things began to look good when he jumped from sixth to fourth (it helped that Hakkinen had disappeared). Juan then drove strongly and was in the lead when everyone else dived away into the pits. He was not going to stop until lap 30. That dropped him back to fifth but, second time around his rivals began to pull off. Coulthard disappeared with his 10-second stop-go penalty; Barrichello was on a three-stop strategy and, so, disappeared as Halfzoomed up behind him. Ahead were Ralf and Michael. The Ferrari was 15 seconds ahead of the Williams but Montoya was hoping to do something about that. But he then had to spend six laps looking at the back end of his team mate’s car. If one analyses the lap times the minimum time lost was six seconds. The reality was probably more like 12. From theWilliams body lan^age on the pitwall,of itthose looked as though there was a lot of

frustration going on but it seems that it was not down to Ralf deliberately not moving aside - or, at least, that is what everyone said afterwards. Ralf explained that he had had a problem with his radio. The cynical folk in the paddock did not believe this explanation. They thought that Ralf was just being selfish. Who can tell? In the end the team put out a secret pitboard signal which told Ralf to pit immediately. He obeyed. This freed Montoya to go after Michael but it was too late. Montoya’s lead was only five seconds. An additional 12 would have made 17 but Juan Pablo’s pit stop, when it came deprived him of 25 seconds, so there is no real way he could have won the race. In the end it was all irrelevant because, on lap 53, Montoya’s car slowed suddenly. The engine had failed. “The main thing was being on a different strategy to Ralf to try to beat him,” said Juan Pablo.“And I was ahead.” The point had been made. That left Michael with no-one to challenge him. When the various strategies had all been played out he was leading and Ralf was continued on page 58

Tomorrow's

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French GP continued from page 57 behind him. The damage had been done. Barrichello’s three-stop plan had worked out, but no-one seemed to bother to point out that if Coulthard had not had a 10-second penalty and Montoya had not broken down, the strategy would have resulted in Rubens finishing in the same position he had held at the end of the first lap. But points are points and Ferrari collected 14 of them, and when there are only 16 on offer during a weekend, this was a pretty good haul.

Coulthard worked hard to third try to pass Rubens for the last of the race but there was nothing he could do.

RESUiTSfrench GR iJuly;2p01. IZJpS/a05.886Rm

Home Boy: Luciano Burti out-sped Jean Alesi all weekend in the Prost battle. Super Mario, brothers: BMW’s Mario Theissen shares Half's birthday cake with ‘the enemy’. Too Fast! Coulthard got hit with a pit lane speed penalty. (Photo bv Marsh/Bothwelll

I 2 3 4 5 6 7 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

M.Schumacher R. Schumacher Barrichello Coulthard Trulli Heidfeld Raikkonen Frentzen Ranis Burti FIsichella Alesi Verstappen de la Rosa Marques

Retirements 16 Button 17 Alonso ONF Irvine ONF Montoya ONF Bernoldi ONF Villeneuve ONF Hakkinen

Ih33m35.636 lml6.286 Ih33m46.035 lml6.585 Ih33m52.017 lml6.181 Ih33m52.742 lml6.088 Ih34m43.921 1ml7.369 71 laps lml7.538 71 laps lml7.311 71 laps lml7.540 71 laps lml8.250 71 laps 1ml8.253 71 laps lml7,968 70laps lml8.817 70 laps lml8.662 70 laps lml7.508 69 laps lml9.608 68 laps Fuel pressure Engine 65 laps 54 laps Engine 52 laps Engine 17 laps Engine 5 laps Engine Gearbox Olaps

Fastest lap: Coulthard, on lap 53, lml6.088 Drivers' points: M,Schumacher 78, Coulthard 47, R. Schumacher 31, Barrichello 30, Montoya 12, Hakkinen 9, Heidfeld 9, Trulli, Villeneuve and Raikkonen 7, Frentzen 6, Panis 5, Irvine 4, Alesi 3, Rsichella, Verstappen and de la Rosa 1. Constructors' points; Ferrari 108, McLaren/Mercedes 56, BMW.Williams43,Sauber/Petronas 16. Jordan/Honda 15, BAR/Honda 12, Jaguar/Cosworth 5, Prost/Acer 3, Benotton/Renault and Arrows/Asiatech 1.

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“The 10-second penalty ruined my race,” said David. “I had to face the consequences of my mistake. After that I was pushing as much as possible.” Coulthard said that the World Championship was not won nor lost butjudging by the length of the scowls in the McLaren garage on Sunday evening there was a feeling that it is rather unlikely,

fthe rest there was little of

much interest to report. The fastest lap from outside the top three teams went(again) to Eddie Irvine’s Jaguar but the mean green machine did not make it to the flag. Eddie had qualified 12th (which was about normal)and then a long first stint took him up to sixth. The pit stop dropped him to ninth. In the course of the afternoon he managed to pass two cars and he would probably have finished seventh if the pneumatic valve system on his Cosworth engine had not failed. Pedro de la Rosa had looked

quite good in qualifying but, on the final parade lap, the throttle failed and Pedro was able to coast down to the pits. He set off a lap down on everyone else and drove hard all afternoon, but his only reward was to pass a Minardi in the closing laps of the race. He set the ninth fastest lap ofthe race and finished 14th.

The Jaguar qualifying performance was once agam responsible for the team’s inability to beat the Honda-powered cars and it was Jarno 'ItTilli who led the way on this occasion. He finished fifth and HeinzHarald Frentzen came home eighth, his race including a spin and a botched refuelling stop. The performance demonstrated reliability but the suggestion that Trulli was challenging the top teams was simply not true. Trulli

motortpon nsws

finished 68 seconds behind the winner in a 72 lap race. So it does not take an accountant to work out that the cars are one second off the pace.

n this occasion British American Racing was not in the ballpark. Jacques Villeneuve ran eighth early in the race and Olivier Panis finished ninth but this is not the stuff that the team needs right now. “We were really struggling with grip,” said Panis. “The car was sliding around so much.” The demise of Villeneuve came after just five completed laps. The engine cut.

Sixth seventh wentand in the end topositions Sauber, with Nick Heidfeld taking the point and Kimi Raikkonen following him home. It was a solid but unexciting performance after several poor races. Luciano Burtiinmanaged to get his Frost home 10th place. This was a good effort for the young Brazilian, who completely overshadowed Jean Alesi all weekend. Jean struggled to find a good set-up but Luciano had less trouble. “Obviously we were expecting

Business as usual: And now for the news on the Arrows ... that is all. much more from our home race as we came here with a new aerodynamic package,” said technical director Henri Durand. “We have not been able to use all of its potential and we have struggled all weekend with a lack of grip. We must understand why it happened.” The lacklustre Alesi finished

12th.

ut if Frost was less than impressive at the team’s home race, the Benetton team (othenvise known as Renault Sport) had a complete disaster. All year, Renault

(Photo by Marsh/Bothwell)

people have banged on about the new version of the engine which was coming for Magny Cours. It came. It saw. It was conquered. To describe the new engine as a damp squib is an understatement. This particular squib was at the bottom of a very foil bucket. Everyone tried very hard to dress it up as a big step forward but Giancarlo Fisichella’s 11th place and Jenson Button’s retirement (with a fuel pressure problem four laps fi'om the finish) would seem to suggest otherwise. Now we must watch to see if there is any political fallout...

Ihe Arrows team, as usual, deserves merely a passing reference. The cars qualified badly and ran moderately. Jos Verstappen finished 13th. Em-ique Bernoldi stopped after 17 laps with an engine problem. Minardi managedalthough to get two cars classified, only one actually finished. Tarso Marques finished 15th and was happy to have done so. Fernando Alonso stopped with five laps to go with an engine problem, but the Spaniard was still classified in 17th position.

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I 59

French GP

What they said

Highlights of the post-race media conference Q: You seemed to have really enjoyed this one. Michael Schumacher: Yes, yes. It was hard work, and winning is .'always enjoyable. In the way it went today, it was fun. Number 50 is a great number. For the ichampionship it's a big step M,- forvyard, and so it was obviously a.very exciting race in all means. rQ: Mow tiring was it out xthere? it f’^Si'Magny^Cours is a tiring still: have a bit of flu f^^whidhi^ cauaht in Nurburgring, ^«^hTd!i':i& not yet gone, so I’m jM^ptCiraJly a little bit more tired l^^han hormally. But the last stint the-rabe,-because I had quite ,a:,bjg ,lead ..after the second stint, ‘I'dtyypsn't too tough, jsjhat what the sign 'Revs Was.all about? S;'Itjb just S' precaution. We areTri'a comfortable lead, just isawO'the.engine a bit. It's less y,S.' K0uld:g.et it,going quite easily, did your clutch gi|^mj'o%IPms;affect you after the ●£-’2g|t(rt? ; .F^.M'ivNot at all. During the pit ;; 'i'.r.stbp ypu don't use the clutch in t ■ ' ■ -tjh'b same,way as you do at the .Start; you just dump it and you ● ' i gb; At the start, you obviously <■ want to take the performance ■from it, but we couldn't. ■■We knew we had a problem. We thought we'd fixed the problem, because that's why we went out to the grid fairly late, just to install everything and check everything, but on the grid we saw again a little concern but it was enough to keep, just, second place. It was pretty exciting in the first corner. Q: How were the tyres? MS: As you saw, the second set compared to Ralf was really good. His first set worked fairly well against my one, but my second was really good. The last one, I don't know. We need to check. It looks like there was too much pressure in the tyres, because I never had the same grip that I had before. Anyway, it was enough, because we just took this lead in the second stint due to some 60

problem that maybe Half had at the pit stop, but probably anyway because he stopped a bit longer than us. We could have maybe jumped, but we will never find out. What we know is that we were fast in the second stint, Ralf then seemed to be a little bit faster in the third stint, but not enough, luckily. Q: Ralf, what was the problem with your first pit stop? Ralf Schumacher: I don't know. I think the right-rear wheel didn't get on. I just saw in the mirror that he was struggling, and that he was turning to say, "No I'm not ready," but I haven't spoken to the team. Q: You also mentioned it was difficult to drive. In what way? RS: Just in the first stint, I was surprised how good the car was balanced, how good the tyres were, and it was always a concern after my tyre choice since yesterday. I didn't want to risk a good position in qualifying, but then after the pit stops I had understeer/oversteer just. everywhere and it was really difficult to drive, just sliding 'round the whole circuit, and that's why I was so slow. With the third set it came a bit better, but never as good as at the start. Q: You mentioned you had a problem with the brakes. RS: The first 10 laps today, I just couldn't find a balance with the car. I tended to lock wheels into the hairpin, and actually I was lucky to have a bit of space in the first two laps not to lose position there, because I had to go wide from the beginning. Q: You've moved up to third in the championship. Can you dream of second? RS: I think it's possible, but second or third doesn't really change a lot, does it? I want us to win, and obviously he (Michael) is on that for this year. I'll try next year. It would be nice if it is possible, but McLaren seems to have closed the gap a little bit in performance. They had a bit of bad luck today, so I'm sure it's

going to be difficult. Q: Rubens, you had a tremendous battle with David Coulthard at the end there. Rubens Barrichello: I had a problem with the last set of tyres. That's the only time I had a problem. I think I blistered the rear tyres, so it wasn't such a concern changing directions or putting the power down, but it was braking. I had to anticipate my braking a hell of a lot, and the first time he got alongside me I braked in my normal place and almost went straight; almost off the track. The other time was with a backmarker who just didn't move quickly enough. It was a good battle. At the end of the day, from where I started I wasn't thinking I could finish third in peace; it was going to be some battle. Q: What were those qualifying problems? RB: Yesterday there was a little bit of a misunderstanding between the team and myself. Something that I have asked was misunderstood, and at the end we didn't get the car that I wanted. This morning was the proof that the balance was back. Q: Michael, you always say that the record doesn't mean too much to you now, but the victory No. 50 sounds special for you. MS: There is a difference. I mean, some people seem to misunderstand my meaning of the thinking. There is a priority, which is coming to the race weekend and fighting for the performance and the achievement. That's to win the race, and over the year you want to win the championship, and that's what you're focused [on]. And you're not focused to say, 'I want to win the record for the most wins, or

the record of the most championships.' That's not my target. 1 work each year for the championship. Obviously I'm very delighted having now achieved win No. 50, but people seem to misunderstand my feeling about these statistics. I always said they were second priority, but they do mean something to me. Q: Ralf, there was a period during the race when Montoya was climbing all over you and there was some agitation among your pit crew. Were you getting any messages because of that? RS: No, I didn't get any messages, but that might be a different thing. My decision was, anyway, after I saw my performance and Juan closing up, I decided to go in earlier. The problem we had was conversation. The team got (to hear) me, but I couldn't hear the team. Something with my earpieces went wrong, so I just called the team to tell them I was coming in, so whatever the team wanted I don't know. Q; Ralf, when did your radio fail? RS: I don't know. I didn't hear anything from the team after the start, so maybe it must have been around that time. As long as you don't speak to the team, you don't notice. Well, at a certain stage I didn't get a real answer: I just got noise in one ear. One didn't work at all.

HISTORICS

AvGas/Gp F Junior N update growing up

THE ongoing debate over the use of AvGas in Historic racing has reached an interesting stage. The CAMS Historic Commission recently recommended to CAMS that the continued use of this fuel be permitted in all 5th category vehicles (including Groups N and S). The decision, reached at its latest meeting, is subject to impending federal legislation that may prevent any automotive use of leaded fuels, unless an exemption for Historic racing can be obtained. The Commission is working closely with CAMS administration to prepare a submission to government seeking such an exemption. Meanwhile, there has been a comprehensive review of Group N Touring Car regulations by the Commission in consultation with the State Group N Associations and the Australian Historic Touring Car Association. The review should see the end of various problems and inconsistencies which have arisen in interpretation. An initial draft of regulations has been drawn up covering the introduction of the former Group C touring cars to the 5th Category in 2002. This new group will most likely be identified as 'Nd' and, after some details are refined, the draft regulations will be circulated to all interested parties for comment. Also, Australian Historic Motor Racing Promoters (AHMRP) has been reconvened in order to provide independent comment on various matters impacting on the conduct of Historic race meetings. The AHMRP will also address the issue of co-ordination of the calendar - a move that has been welcomed by competitors and promoters alike. - BRIAN REED

TEffi Australian Formula Junior Association continues to grow. Currently, the AFJA has 80 Juniors and five Group M F3 cars on its records. A number ofANP 1500 owners are also keen to convert their cars back to original FJ specifications. The local movement received a boost in New Zealand after the appearance of Geoff Manning in his attractive Volpini FJ (the exBandini car) at the Phillip Island Classic in February. Geoff wrote a glowing report on this meeting in the local edition of 'Bespoke', and considerable interest is being shown by overseas drivers who want to compete in Australia after the NZ Southern Festival of Speed in early February. The AFJA is confident it can establish a Junior Tasman series to accommodate this interest. Cars continue to surface, including the 1962 Australian FJ Championship Elfin which was driven by Frank Matich at Catalina Park, Katoomba. The car is currently owned by Charlie Mitchell in WA and, like so many FJs over the years, has been fitted with various engines. It is hoped that Charlie will restore the car as a Junior, for in this guise it is an Australian icon. Another ex-Matich Elfin has also changed hands recentlythis one the ex-Adam Berryman car, which, in 1962, was an official works entry of Elfin Sports Cars. It, along with an ex-Geoghegan Lotus 20, has been acquired by Ed Holly from NSW. Both will hopefully be restored back to FJ specifications. Meanwhile, the UK-based Formula Junior Historic Racing Association is keen to sign up Australian owners and enthusiasts and can be contacted at 4 Wool Road, Wimbledon, London SW20 OHW,UK. email:rabagliati@cableinet.co.uk. -BRIAN REED

BRAKES ■“» V;' t \ f

6 July 2001

1$ that a gun in your tyre...?

THE return of Michelin to Formula One this year is a welcome shot in the arm from the innovative French tyre manufacturer. Michelin was, after all, the first to shod a race car (a Peugeot) with pneumatic tyres. The race was the gruelling 1895 Paris-Bordeaux-Paris road race over 1,178kms. Before the 1920s, Michelin had perfected the removable rim in racing, and in more recent times challenged the monopoly of Goodyear when, in 1977, it introduced radial tyres to FI on the Renault RS01. The company won its first FI Grand Prix the following year with Ferrari's 312-Ta. But speaking of's

device appeare'd at the 1921 Paris Salon. It introduced an invention to warn the driver of a deflating tyre: "The device consists of a tiny gun complete with lock and cartridges. The trigger is rubber covered and rests on the base of the rim. " It cannot be released so long as there is adequate air pressure in the tube. To cock the gun it is only necessary to press a plunger, and, if the cartridge has been inserted, the device is ready for use. "If the tyre becomes deflated, the lack of pressure on ffie beading releases the trigger, and*-

^oud report gives the warning.” ■Sure makes all the new FI ladgetry seem tame! - BRIAN REED

classic & sportscars

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Porsche 917

Ihe 817-Par ch IIM the future, when we reflect on Audi's 2001 Le Mans win, it will be interesting to compare how the impact of the R8 stands up against another German-built Le Mans winner that preceded it by three decades. Like the R8, Porsche's 917 was designed to accommodate a change in regulations, and did it so effectively that a further rewrite of the rulebooks was ordered to end its supremacy a couple of years later. At the end of the 1960s, the FIA was trying to find a way to make top-level Sportscar racing accessible to more manufacturers. The World Championship of Makes had been limited to three litres, however, the governing body elected to relax the restriction on five litre engines for Sports Cars (with a minimum production of 25 units). The new five-litre rule had taken Porsche by surprise. They had

anticipated a three-litre regulation, and the 908 engine was designed accordingly. Popular opinion was that the ultra-light three-litre cars may still have an advantage, and Porsche considered staying with the 908 until it was discovered that Ferrari were preparing 25 new machines. Ferdinand Piech received permission from his uncle. Ferry Porsche, to design a new car, and on 25 April 1969, 25 identical 917s were presented for homologation. The car had made its first public appearance a month earlier, when an example featured at the Geneva Motor Show. It carried a price tag of around DM140,000, which, when you consider that the current figure hovers around US $2.5-3.0 million, makes blue chip stocks look like a comparatively poor investment. The model received FIA clearance a month later. Built around an ultraJig

aluminum tubular spaceframe, the 917 was powered by a newlydesigned flat-12 engine (which was, in effect, a pair of six cylinder 911 powerplants joined together). By the end of 1969, the car was producing around 600bhp, and at an early test at Le Mans, Rolf Stommelen was clocked at 216mph down Mulsanne straight. Controlling the power, though, presented some problems. One of the team's factory drivers at the time, Brian Redman, was quoted as saying that the car "weaved all over the road - it had no downforce". Nevertheless, a 917 led most of the 24 Flour classic in 1969 before parking with clutch failure just four hours from the finish. A similar problem had put the second 917 out of the race after 90 mimiies, while the third entrant, dntveaby privateers John

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crashed at a high-speed turn. Fleavily-laden with fuel, the car exploded, killing the driver. There were happier moments in 1969 though, not the least of which was the 917s first win in the hands of Jo Siffert and Kurt Ahrens in the Austrian 1000km race at Zeltweg. The burden of developing both the 908 and the 917 was too great for Porsche's technical staff to manage alone. The seven workssupported 917s were taken over by John Wyer's Gulf-sponsored team for 1970, and resources were immediately allocated to solving the inherent handling problems. The crucial moment came during a test at Spa, when team, engineer John Horsman attached a makeshiftpjece of dsdaw across . n ,

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HISTORICS Briefly historic

Mans that year - the 917K (K being an abbreviation for kurzheck, German for short-tail), and 917L [langheck, or long-tail). The L was considered to be quicker down the straight, while the K was thought to have an edge everywhere else. Against the backdrop of movie cameras filming for Steve McQueen's 'Le Mans'film, Vic Elford took pole in a 917L, travelling at up to 238mph down Mulsanne. Dr. Porsche himself had the honour of flagging the cars away at the start on race day, a privilege that marked the company’s 20th anniversary of participation in the event. After an incident-laden race, Dickie Attwood and Hans Hermann brought their 917K home to claim Porsche's first

sweep was rounded out by a privateer 908. The 917 won virtually every race it entered in 1970 and 1971, including back-to-back Le Mans successes, with the sole blemish on their record being Andretti's victory for Ferrari at Sebring in 1971. But the powers-that-be were less than impressed and announced that engine capacities would be cut to three litres for 1972, effectively banning the 917 from racing in Europe.

Undeterred, Porsche headed across the Atlantic, where some quick modifications led to the creation of 1972's 917/10 - a spyder-bodied variant of the Le Mans car with a turbocharged version of the flat-12 that churned out lOOObhp. The car was developed into the 917/30 for 1973. The Porsche 917 spyders went on to win 14 of the 17 Can-Am races held during those two years, but that's another story...

In good company: Alex Davison,right, got to catch up with Bob Wolleck, Vent Schitppan and Porsche's Lucas Ltthr in Adelaide last Decenther. (PhiiliifiMirii^v Ptira-hcl't

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Planning for the VHRR's Historic Sandown meeting in November is well under way. The VHRR is keen to develop the Tasman Challenge component of the meeting, an event that last year relived the glory days of the Tasman Series back in the 60s and 70s, and the club is hopeful of attracting more Kiwi cars and drivers this year. Max Warwick has organised three containers for the visitor's cars to be shipped to and from New Zealand, and hopefully we'll again see cars such as Begg, McRae and McLaren FBOOOs taking on the best of the Aussies on November 10-11. n As mentioned previously, another important date for the diary is the HSRCA's Eastern Creek Historic race meeting on September 8-9, where the focus will be on the 'one-off Australian Special. There will be special 'Special' races, regularity runs and displays of cars that display the amazing Aussie innovation and ingenuity which has been a feature of our motor racing culture. For more information contact Colin Haste on (02)9973 2375(w) or email: hastbld@acay.com.au n After the success of last year, the Victorian Mini Club Inc. will again hold its Mini Show 2001 in Hall 1 at the Melbourne Showgrounds Exhibition Centre on Saturday, July 14. The whole gamut of Mini history will be covered, from the first 850s through to the famous race and rally days. Even the Mokes will feature, and there will be a special tribute to the late John Cooper, with one of his early 500cc race cars on show. For applications, contact Jan Small (03) 9744 7126, Henry Draper (03) 9458 2111 or email:minishow@mini,org.au n Geelong's Roy Williams has the happy knack of unsurfacing some unusual, one-off Historic cars, his latest acquisition being a Lotus 23 look-alike known as the 'Co-Ad'. The car was built in Taree, NSW, from 1971-74 by Trevor Cohen and Ian Adams (hence the name): the body being a copy of a 23 fitted with a Lotus twin-cam engine and 5-speed Hewland gearbox. It appears the Co-Ad first ran in the New Zealand Challenge at Christchurch in 1977, and later raced at Amaroo Park and other NSW circuits. Previous owners include Fred McCombie, Stephen Dalziel and Malcolm Coulsell. Roy is keen to build up a history of the car, and anyone with any information can reach him on (03) 5229 3375. - BRIAN REED 63

Sydney strip progressing

THE planning and development of the new drag racing strip in Sydney is progressing rapidly, according to David Cook. "From the outside it looks like the land is just sitting there and nothing's happening, but behind the scenes it's really going at a great rate of knots," said Cook who, along with Jim Read, is largely responsible for spearheading the project. Presently, much of the effort is being directed toward dealing with planning requirements and other administrative tasks. Renewed enthusiasm for the project on behalf of the government is a major factor in the accelerated rate of progress - a very welcome turnaround from the dramas of the past. As it did last year, the NSW Government sent a delegation of senior representatives to observe the Winternationals, and again they came away with glowing reports of the friendly atmosphere and the safe, familyoriented, alcohol-free environment. Also present at Willowbank this year was Brendan O'Reilly. Director of the NSW Department of Sport and Recreation, O'Reilly

chairs the Co-Ordination Committee that is responsible for wading through the approval and planning requirements, and was reportedly 'overwhelmed' by what he saw in Queensland. The latest version of the drag strip plans suggest that the Sydney drag community are in for a treat. Included among the features are a 1/4 mile long, 100 metre wide pit area with sufficient space for around 600 teams. Trees will both contribute aesthetically and help alleviate line-of-sight problems from the road. And then there is the size. "Potentially, we could have jet boats using one end and an offstreet meeting at the other end, and never the twain would meet," said Cook. There have been suggestions that the commencement of work on the site is imminent, although Cook was a little more cautious. "We can only speak about that (construction and racing dates) in the broadest sense, but at this point it looks like construction could start toward the end of this year, with racing starting next year." - MARK GLENDENNING

AIR dates set, Cal LAST month we reported that Calder Park and Adelaide International Raceway were close to announcing their calendar for the 2001/2002 drag racing season. air’s calendar has now been released, although scheduling problems are still delaying the

confirmation of Calder’s dates. South Australians would be adwsed to keep the following dates free; 22 Sep n SA V WA Wild Bunch 20 Oct Springinationals-TF 17 Nov 2001 Xbp Doorslammer and Top Fuel Bike 12 Jan 2002 National Open 9 Feb 2002 TA/ Pro Stock

c Qeanng up: Another season, another ^^^ancefoC Victor Bray to conquer all

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AUSSIE Pro-Mod pilot Troy Critchley completed a few runs behind the wheel of Fred Hahn’s Summit Racing Corvette in New York earlier this month. Critchley, currently without a drive following team owner Roy Singleton’s decision to sell up, completed the laps as a stand-in for Hahn, who had other commitments. The test was part of a development program that the team, under crew chief Jim Oddy, have been running in an effort to iron out some lingering teething problems with their new Murray Anderson-built car. “Jim’s been trying to sort out his new car, and the way to do that is to do laps,” Critchley said. “He and I have known each 84

other for a while and we get on pretty well, and he just called me up one day and said ‘Do you want to go testing?’’, and I was like ‘Yeah, right...where’s my camera!’’’ Where the test could lead in terms of landing Critchley in the driver’s seat on a more permanent basis is unclear. While Critchley maintained that the test was purely a shakedown it has been rumoured that Hahn is considering retirement. In the meantime, Troy is working on Ron Kammes’s Corvette, and keeping his driving options open. “It’s frustrating, especially because we had been doing so well, but there have been a few inquiries so we’ll just have to see what happens.” - MARK GLENDENNING

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motorsport news

DRAG RACING

Helmet Impeundeil The monthly Rocca Brothers meetings will continue as normal. Meanwhile, the first meeting at Calder Park has been pencilled in for 15 September. There is a question mark over the next event, which was a Top Doorslammer meeting marked down for 27 October, tecause the CART race at Surfers Paradise is being held on the same weekend and there are concerns that some of the Doorslammers might not be abieitpunake the trip to

Melbourne. n

The Gilend,er resumes withevents'scheduled for 24 n ,Noveihljre.i’ 17 January, and 23 , Pebipai^%eifbre concluding witbiithe3iJationals on March Hi:-. 14-1.6

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THE helmet worn by Peter Sammut during his horrifying crash at the Winternationals has been impounded by ANDRA. ANDRA's Tecnhical Officer, Morrie Huckel, was unwilling to make any comment regarding the failure that occurred in the helmet, however it is believed that the inner and outer shells became separated during the accident.

equipment standards) to discuss what happened, and I wouldn't like to comment just at the moment." Sammut's Nissan 300ZX was destroyed when it rolled over during a run against the Celica of Trevor Maas. The Celica began to move toward Sammut's lane, whereupon Sammut attempted to take evasive action and clipped the wall near the finish line. The car flipped several times, subjecting the driver to loads that were reported to be as high as 33g. - MARK GLENDENNING

"I wouldn't like to say what failed on the helmet at this stage," Huckel said. "We are talking to (helmet manufacturer) Simpson and SFI (a body that administers

Drag briefs WHO says that NSW needs a drag strip? Despite the lack of facilities, NSW entrants (including Jim Read, pictured below), claimed this year's ANDRA Professional Racer's Cup. The prize is awarded to the state whose Group One (Top Fuel, Top Alcohol, Top Doorslammer, Top Bike, Pro Stock, and Pro Stock Bike) competitors take home the most wins at the Australian Nationals and the Konica Winternationals. Second place went to Queensland, followed by South Australia, Victoria/Tasmania, Western Australia, and Northern Australia.

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n set.in stone, we’ll y6u know! . |feo, as was suggested ;5P^.lime ago, the ^CJ*asing popularity of Ibdihfdnthly street . :^^|jngs at Calder will events held on a f^thightly basis from ^st'onwards. P|fey will be held on i'’alttgi!niate Fridays. >f¥TlV!ARK GLENDENNING

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New rules for 2001/2

A RECENT meeting of the AIMDRA National Council in Adelaide led to the finalisation of submissions for regulation changes for the upcoming season. More than 70 submissions were received, and the changes will be implemented over the next 18 months. Most of the new rules will come into effect on October 1 this year, while others will come into play during 2002. General changes to the racing regulations include; ■ Revision of Group One seeding criteria to allow re seeding of brackets up to one hour before racing. ■ Making the claiming of ANDRA National Records optional, with the onus on the competitor to present the appropriate official and 'claim' the record. ■ The requirement for track clearance should a vehicle break on the burnout and stop more than 100 feet from the 6 July 2001

startline. ■ 4WD vehicles may compete in Super Sedan. ■ Turbocharged four, six, and rotary sedans in Group Three are permitted to use nitrous oxide. ■ Electronic engine management systems will be allowed in Super Sedan and Modified Eliminator. ■ Cast Supercharger pulleys are prohibited in all Group One and Two classes. ■ Steel flywheels/pressure plates or steel bellhousings will be required in vehicles quicker than 10.99 (1/4 mile). ■ Steel harmonic balancers or suitable shields will be required in vehicles quicker than 10.99 (1/4 mile). ■ Full 360 degree shielding of tailshaft/universal joints will be required in the driver area where fabricated floor is used for supercharged sedans in AA/G, BB/G, CC/G, /WAP, BB/AP, and Top Doorslammer. ■ In Group Three, the outcome

of a dual breakout will be determined by the electronic timing equipment. ■ Rollover protection for closed Hot Rod vehicles in Modified Eliminator may be sedan regulations. ■ Vehicles meeting SFI standard in its entirety will be accepted for ANDRA competition, ■ The expiry date of Technical Inspections has been amended to September 30th from the 2002/2003 season. ■ ANDRA has confirmed its right to impound vehicles and/or equipment in the event of an accident. (Which, coincidentally, coincides with the impounding of Peter Sammut's helmet following his crash at the Winternationals) There is also an extensive list of rule changes that apply to specific categories. For ful l details, visit the www.ANDRA.com.au, or contact your Division Director.

n Continuing the state theme, Victoria/Tasmania also tasted success by winning this year's ANDRA Shield. The award is given to the Division whose racers score the greatest number of round wins during eliminations at the two ANDRA National Championship events held each season. Victoria/Tasmania finished ahead of South Queensland, followed by South Australia, New South Wales, Western Australia and Northern Australia, ■ A little under 1,5 million 'impacts' are being claimed for the Winternationals television coverage in Brisbane. An 'impact' is similar to a 'hit' on a website, where every incidence in which the event appeared on television (including news reports and specialist programmes such as RPM) are multiplied by the number of viewers of that programme to produce a total figure. A total figure of 1,469,400 impacts were recorded, most of which came from nightly reports on commercial television stations. No figures have been released for the rest of Australia, but replays of Robin Judd's Doorslammer fire would have to count for a few hundred thousand on their own... ■ Last issue's report of the Konica Winternationals included a picture that, according to the caption, featured Tommy Easton. In fact, the 'crowd pieaser' in question was Peter Merrigan. Apologies to Peter...the personal responsible (me) has been shot. (It's OK, it's only a flesh wound). -MARK GLENDENNING 6S

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mM/ defeated Jim Yates in w w the Pro Stock final round of the fifth annual Sears Craftsman Nationals to tie Bob Glidden for the all-time Pro Stock win record at 85. Also scoring wins in Madison were Doug Kalitta and Tony Pedregon, both of whom grabbed their third wins of the season. Tasting victory for the first time in their careers were Pro Stock Bike rookie GT Tonglet and Pro Stock Truck racer, Taylor Lastor. Johnson qualified on top and negotiated the tricky racing surface on Sunday for his second straight victory and upped his final round record to a perfect four for four in 2001. Johnson’s GM Goodwrench Service Plus Pontiac posted 6.93/200, 6.89/200 and 6.94/200 wins over John Nobile, Mike Edwards and Brad Jeter before topping Yates in the final round, 6.90/200 to 6.93/200. Johnson downplayed the significance of the win. “I think the media is making a bigger deal out of the Glidden deal than we are,” Johnson said. ‘We’re after the championship this year, bottom line. “It’s possible to win the championship without winning a race, but that’s not the way we want to do it. This new car is definitely a better hot-weather car and I think experience played a big part in the win.” Yates’s Split Fire/Peak Grand Am advanced into its fourth final round of the season by besting both Troy and Jeg Coughlin and 86

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On song: Kalitta (top) took out points leader Bernstein in Top Fuel. Up there with the best: Warren Johnson (above) equalled Bob Glidden’s all-time win record in Pro Stock. (Photos by David Ostaszewski) consecutive years spun the tyres in the opening round and was upset by former Funny Car racer Scott Weis, who carded a winning 4.83/305. The loss dealt the Winston team a possible deadly blow to any chances of defending their championship title. Scelzi is currently riding a 12race winless streak, the longest in his career. Pedregon also won the Funny Car final round on a holeshot, topping Tommy Johnson Jr. in the final round. Pedregon drilled Johnson at the tree, .468 to .531, to take a 5.00/296 to 4.98/293 victory. The Castrol Syntec Mustang is now three for four in final rounds this season, and Pedregon has jumped all the way to third in the championship point standings after being as low as 11th following the Atlanta event in May. Pedregon had also posted quicker reaction times against his earlier opponents, clocking

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Greg Anderson, and remains in second place in the standings behind Johnson, who increased his lead to 76 points. Mark Pawuk, Jeg and Mark Osborne round out the top five. Kalitta defeated point leader, Kenny Bernstein in the Top Fuel final round on a holeshot, 4.77/302 to a quicker 4.75/309. Bernstein, racing in the backyard of his longtime sponsor, Budweiser, could not overcome the .471 to .535 holeshot by Kalitta and had to settle for runner-up honours for the third time at the event. After qualifying eighth at 4.65/301 in much cooler and cloudy conditions, Kalitta scored 4.71/302, 4.71/303 and 4.76/301 wins over Paul Roraine, Scott Weis and Darrell Russell. The win vaulted him to third place in the championship table past Mike Dunn, whose N.Y. Yankee team struggled in the heat for the second straight week and suffered a first round loss to Bobby Lagana Jr. “Any time you go against Kenny, you have to be on your game, especially here in this town where you know he really wants to win,” said Kalitta. “We knew he’d be tough, but Connie had the hot weather tuneup in there today and it worked. “The key was getting down the track every round. If you spun the tyi-es today, you were done early.” Bernstein had qualified third at 4.60/315 and recorded 4.65/316, 4.72/308 and 4.79/300 wins over Joe Hartley, David Grubnic and Tony Schumacher in making his fifth final round of 2001. Low qualifier, Gary Scelzi, who won this event for three

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5.04/300, 5.06/298 and 5.85/216 times in wins over Jim Epler, Tim Wilkerson and Del Worsham. “It feels good to be able to celebrate out loud,” Pedregon said. “I hope Tommy doesn’t take it personally, because I went crazy down there when I got out of the car. It has just been building up for awhile and I was finally able to let it all out without making my boss mad. I didn’t realise that I had won on a holeshot and the important thing is that we are back in the points chase.” Johnson in the Skoal Blue Camaro, with new crew leader Mike Green, had qualified eighth at 4.90/305 and looked brilliant on Sunday, stringing together 4.95/302, 4.99/296 and 4.99/293 wins over Bob Gilbertson, Bruce Sarver and John Force, who still heads the championship point standings list. Rookie Pro Stock Bike rider, Tonglet, picked up his first win in a thrilling side-by-side final round race with first time finalist.

motorspon news

DRAG RACING Drag Briefs

Rowe rules Pro Mod

LARRY Dixon remains in second

DAN Rowe took top honours at the NHRA Madison Pro Mod exhibition, gearing up for

piace in the NHRA Winston point standings following the Madison event.

the finale at Indianapolis during the running

of the 47th U.S. Nationals. Rowe, (right), recorded career-best numbers during the event, posting a final round 6.27/221 to defeat the tyre-shaking effort of Ed Hoover. Rowe qualified his immaculate '38 Chevy on top at 6.23/223 and recorded runs of 6.24/220 and 6.23/222 to stop the Blown Hemi of Chip King and the nitrous '00 Dodge Viper of Rickie Smith before upending Hoover in the final. "This is unbelievable," said Rowe. "It is always good to come out against these guys from the east coast in Pro Modified. We know they're strong and we didn't know how much we had to bring to the table. We stepped it up and it all came together." Hoover's nitrous equipped '63 Corvette, coming off an NHRA exhibition win in Atlanta, had taken out the blown cars of Ron Kammes and Thomas Patterson to reach the finals.

ShawnGann. Both riders recorded identical reaction times with Tonglet’s 7.32/187 holding off Gann’s 7.33/178. Wins over Geno Scali, Steve Johnson and Ron Ayers sent Tonglet into his second final round and the win moved him fi'om ninth to a tie for sixth place in the standings. The team had elected to debut a new Kawasaki at the event, but broke some pieces on Friday and reverted back to their Suzuki for the remainder of the event. Gann advanced into the final round by defeating Joe DeSantis, Craig Treble and Angelle Savoie, who encountered ignition problems in her semi-final round loss. Savoie did take over the point lead when low qualifier and point leader coming into the event, Antron Brown, was left at the starting line in the opening round, and lost to Ayers, 7.34/183 to a much quicker and faster 7.25/188. Lastor defeated Randy Daniels

Dixon had qualified the Miller Lite dragster in the second spot with a 4.57/318 pass and stopped Luigi Noveiii with low e.t. of the opening round at 4.64/313. Dixon, however,

Kammes '00 'Never Enough' Corvette barely missed qualifying on top in the program, running a 6.24/220 to settle into the second position during the final qualifying session. Kammes had switched from an Eagle to a Thundercraft powerplant at an IHRA event in Canada earlier this month and has steadily improved his performance in every outing. Troy Critchley has been a tremendous help in the increased performance level of Kammes, who has picked up nearly four tenths of a second in less than one month.

in an all Chevy S-10 Pro Stock Truck final round, 7.52/179 to 7.52/180, to claim the first win of his career. Lastor, a former Pro Stock campaigner, also defeated John Coughlin, point leader Boh Panella Jr and low qualifier, Todd Patterson. The wins over Panella

- DAVID OSTASZEWSKI

2001 Winston Series Ciiampionsiiip

wins over Jeff Naiser, Victor Cagnazzi and Greg Stanfield. The next event on the NHRA Winston Drag Racing Series will be the inaugural Pep Boys 50th Anniversary Nationals, July 5-7 at Pomona Raceway. The Pomona event begins the tough Western swing, where the tour will contest four events over five weeks.

TIPflEL Kenny Bernstein Larry Dixon Doug Kalitta Mike Dunn Darrell Russell Gary Sceizi Tony Schumacher Doug Herbert David Grubnic Rhonda Hartman

1051 971 862 848 786 747 638 567 496 441

FINNTCII John Force Del Worsham Tony Pedregon Bruce Sarver Ron Capps Whit Bazemore Frank Pedregon Tommy Johnson Jr Dean Skuza Gary Densham Warren Johnson Jim Yates Mark Pawuk Jeg Coughlin Jr Mark Osborne

1033 762 727 726 686 679 624 602 569 513 884 808 749 707 620

PIISTieillKE Angelle Savoie Antron Brown Matt Hines Craig Treble Reggie Showers

6 July 2001

n Gary Sceizi and Bruce Sarver both qualified on top in their respective classes, making it the first time that Alan Johnson-owned cars had occupied the pole positions in both Top Fuel and Funny Car. While Soeizi was derailed in the opening round, Sarver managed to get by Jerry Toliver in a smokey first round battle. Server's day ended in round two when he met up with eventual runner-up. Tommy Johnson Jr. n Al Hofmann and the Jim Dunn Mooneyes Pontiac snapped a five event DNQ streak with a 4.88/304

qualified for was the Bristol event last April, where they hung on to the 16th spot. Dean Skuza crewchief Lance Larsen lended some advice

PIISTfCK

Closing in: Tony Pedregon closed the gap to Del Worsham in the Funny Car points chase. (Photo by David Ostaszewski)

first time this year that Dixon had not reached the semi-final round.

blast that put him in the top half of the field for the first time this year in seventh. The last event the team had

and Patterson coming on stellar holeshots. After faihng to qualify for the first four events of the season, the win in Madison pushed Lastor from 12th to eighth in the standings. Daniels entered his fifth final round of the season with round

spun the tyres and lost a pedalling battle in the second round with Tony Schunnacher. The loss marked the

615 582 574 486 390

Points after Madison, iii

and the team replaced a $5 toggle switch, which apparently remedied the situation. Hofmann faced Del Worsham in the opening round and lost a close, 4.95/298 to 5.01/295 decision. n Ron Capps and the Skoal Green car had a surprising DNQ in Madison, putting a small dent in their championship hopes. Capps's best numbers of the event were 4.97/292, . which left him 18th on the list and a spectator on Sunday. Capps also lost ground in the standings as he fell from third to fifth. Chuck Etchells' Sunoco Camaro and the third John Force car, driven by Gary Densham also failed to make the cut. n Veteran tuner Roland Leong is the latest addition to the Etchells Racing Team. Leong will start work for Chuck Etchells at this week's NHRA round in Pomona, where he will be crew chief on Jim Epier's Camaro. The hiring of Leong, who has a long history of involvement in the NHRA both as an owner and crew chief, and was most recently employed by Ron Capps, is the latest step toward recovery from the problems that have plagued Etchelis's team in the past months. - DAVID OSTASZEWSKI / MARK GLENDENNING 67

When Jeff Gordon won recently at Dover, it was Hendrick Motorsporfs 100th Winston Cup win. MARTIN D CLARK takes a look at the driving force behind the most successful team in the current era of NASCAR racing- Rick Hendrick. JEFF Gordon's recent victory at Dover gave Hendrick Motorsports 100 series Winston Cup wins and it was team boss Rick Hendrick who dedicated the win to someone who wasn't at the track, his father. "I want to dedicate this win to my father, who got me started in this sport as a teenager when I would ride in the back of a pick up truck to the races with him and help with a team he was involved with," he said. "Pop,this one's for you." Just like Hendrick's first Cup win,the owner was not at the track for the landmark 100th victory,for at 83,'Pop' had successful heart surgery the following day and Rick was with his father that day. Hendrick's first win came with Geoff Bodine back in 1984 at Martinsville and they have been stacking up ever since, with some of the sport's more notable superstars, aKhough Jeff Gordon's success story of a win in every 4.9 races is unbelievable for 271 starts. Hendrick became the youngest Chevrolet dealer in his early 20s when he purchased City Chevrolet in Charlotte, made famous by the movie Days of Thunder, which Hendrick had a major part in making. Even Hendrick's lake house was used in the movie and he acted as 'technical director'. providing the cars and becoming friends with actor Tom Cruise. He grew his business

automotive groups in the US, crew chief, the late Harry Hyde, whose house and any once employing now-team owner and close friend Felix car nut's'dream garage' was Sabates as a car salesman, used. Things progressed to a Busch Series team,in which not long after Sabates Dale Earnhardt won the first immigrated from his native event for Hendrick in the Cuba. Indeed,even I was employed 'second division', and a by his Charlotte Porsche factory-supported Corvette Trans Am team that has been dealership... dead for several years. Hendrick's racing interests Along with Gordon, started in power drag boat Hendrick has had superstars racing, which he became like Terry Labonte who successful in winning more than one championship, but brought him a championship to add to Gordon's two, he was approached about Darrell Waltrip, and the late starting a team involving Tim Richmond. Tim won country music star Kenny seven races in 1986, but Rogers and Richard Petty, retired of ill health in the and the rest is history. Well almost. spring of the following year. Hendrick arrived in "That guy had God given Daytona in 1984 with a talent," says Hendrick."He sponsorless car and Geoff was just phenomenal and he Bodine, but Rogers and Petty had a good time doing it." Problem for Richmond he were not along for the ride. Bodine managed to finish had too much of a good time eighth in the'500 and strung doing it - he died from AIDS, contracted no doubt from his three wins up for the first year. 'loose' lifestyle in which The team now employs alchohol and hard drugs over 300 people housed on a were just part of the icon's life. 60-plus acre site just outside Charlotte. Across from the Life off the track has not site is a long bungalow, half always been plain sailing for Hendrick either. An ordeal the house being garage space. From there started with leukemia, which is now Hendrick in remission, and federal Motorsports, charges of mail thanks to then-

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Listen here sonny: Jeff Gordon, above with Hendrick, has been the man who has taken the most wins for Hendrick Motorsport in its 100 Winston Cup wins. iPlum by

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fraud linked with bribes in his Honda car dealerships have knocked him down. But he's back after one year of house arrest and a controversial plea bargain from President Clinton just before his term in office was up. Hendrick still thinks racing is tough to figure out, but he is probably one of only three current Winston Cup owners who do have it worked out. "If you ever think you've got it in cruise control, watch out," he quipped. The way Jeff Gordon and new crew chief Robbie Loomis have jelled this year has helped take Gordon to j 54 career wins and make it look apparent that they certainly have not got it in 'cruise control'...

The man: The DuPoni ff24 Chev, JeJJ Gorclon and Rick Hendrick has pro\>ed to be one ofthe most familiar .sighis in NASCAR racing. iPhoit hi- Sui

motorsport news

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NASCAR Seats Point Briefs SEVERAL circuit racers were given the opportunity to run in the Sears Point race. Robby Gordon subbed for Mike Wallace and finished second, Boris Said drove for Robert Pressley and finished 11th. Brian Simo was in for Hut Stricklin and finished 42nd, while Scott Pruett finished 12th for the injured Joe Nemechek and Tom Hubert qualified Buckshot Jones's Dodge, but Jones started the car at the rear of the field.

n NASCAR have said the one engine rule they were considering implementing for the New Hampshire event now looks unlikely to take place. The Rile that will mandate one engine for a weekend is, however, being considered for races of 300 miles or less in 2002. Currently teams use an engine to qualify with and another to race, sometimes using a third for practice.

He can turn left and right! Tony Stewart took his first road course win at Sears Point in The Home Depot (Photo by Sutton-lmages) Pontiac Grand Prix for Joe Gibbs Racing. by MARTIN D CLARK TONY Stewart captured his 11th career win in the June 24 event at the Sears Point circuit nestled in the Sonoma California wine valley, and his first career circuit victory moved him into the upper tier of current NASCAR drivers. Stewart passed and held off a hard-charging Robby Gordon in the closing laps, while Jeff Gordon finished third. “The pit crew won the race for me,” said Stewart. “We were decent at the beginning, the second run we weren’t as good, we tried something and it didn’t work, but on the last stop the guys made a great change and it really made this car come to life.” The winning move came when Kevin Harvick, who was trying to get a lap back on fresher rubber, nudged Robby Gordon in the tricky hairpin at turn 11. That was all Stewart needed, and he dived around the outside of the pair as they wrestled to gain control of their slipping machines. “Unfortunately,I guess Harvick was trying to make his lap back,” said Robby. “It probably wasn’t the right time that late in the race with the 20(Stewart) and me racing so hard. He tapped into me, got me sideways and the 6 July 2001

20 got by both of us. That’s racing, but what comes around goes around.” Harvick went on to finish 14th, getting his lap back when the final caution came out. When the green flag waved for the final time leaving an eight lap shootout, Stewart shot out of a cannon, leaving Gordon in his dust and not able to make up ground on worn out rear tyres. Jeff(Jordon headed the most laps from his pole position and dominated 54 of the 122 laps. “I lost track position and I made a couple of mistakes out there, getting into turn 11 when the tyres were getting old,” remarked Gordon. “I lost the lead and I lost second. I got in there too hard and the back end would just wheel hop. It

looked like Tony had the best car there at the end anyway, he was coming strong.” Gordon opened us his advantage in the standings over Dale Jarrett (who finished 26th) by 90 points. Jarrett was headed for a top 20 result even with gearbox problems, but was involved in a last lap fracas with Johnny Benson, Harvick and Terry Labonte that left Stewart racing back to the caution flag for the win. Final result; Stewart (Pontiac), R Gordon (Ford), J Gordon (Chevy), Rudd (Ford), R Wallace (Ford), W Bxuton (Dodge),B Labonte (Pontiac), J Burton (Ford), Elliott(Dodge), Martin (Ford). Points standings; Gordon 2351, Jarrett 2225, Rudd 2206, Stewart 2117, Marlin 2108,R WaUace 2038, Benson 1922, B Labonte 1906, Harvick 1894,Park 1858.

Back in a NASCAR: Having been fired from the Kodak ride earlier in the year, Robby Gordon ran a one-race deal in the Nations Rent Ford. And (Photo by Sutton-lmages) finished second!

n Kodiak chewing tobacco will not be back to sponsor Mailing Racing and driver Stacy Compton in 2002. Compton has struggled with the Dodge program and is currently 33rd in points with just one top 10 result. n Kenny Wallace resigned from Eel River Racing on June 27. "This is a move that I thought needed to be made so that I can move on," said Wallace, who will be replaced my Mike Bliss. Bliss ran 24 events at Eel River in 2000 with Viagra backing, before being ousted from the ride. n What started as a tribute to Dale Earnhardt when fans started signing and marking messages on the late driver's souvenir trailers back in February at Daytona has turned into acts of vandalism. Permanent markers have also been used to write on the trailers of Earnhardt Jr and Kevin Harvick, but this has spread to writing on other trailers, with many of the messages obscene or slandering. Charges were filled against one person at the Michigan race, but catching offenders in the future seems unlikely. n Larry McReynolds, a TV analyst with Fox TV for the first half of this year is to work for Petty Enterprises as a consultant, mainly on the Buckshot Jones Dodge. He worked previously as a crew chief for Richard Childress and Robert Yates.

laff

n Reigning Busch Series Champ Jeff Green is not being considered for the third 2002 Childress team to be backed by America On Line. Green, who is approaching 40, has been deemed too old for the image AOL want to portray. Meanwhile, Mike Skinner's position at Childress still looks in jeopardy. Greg Biffle, under contract with Roush Racing in the Busch Series, is apparently still a candidate. - MARTIN D CLARK 69

WSS line

Three Americans amongst by AARON NOONAN

THE NASR Board of Directors has decided to take a change in direction and instead of appoiting a Generai Manager to repiace John Hughes, has appointed American Chris Kingston to the position of Marketing-Promotion Manager. Kingston, from Indianapolis, was formerly the Director of Operations of the American Le Mans Series as well as shared management responsibilities for

BPAmoco’s NASCAR Winston Cup and World of Outlaws programs. He also managed the Amoco Knoxville Nationals for six years, and worked with Sammy Swindell’s Channellock Tools Outlaws team in marketing and promotion. Kingston has been in Australia for the past five months, but only recently had his extended working visa approved.

Kinser fined WORLD of Outlaws front-runner Mark Kinser has been fined US$2500 for an altercation with an official on June 21 while his father, car owner and crew chief Karl Kinser, was detained by state troopers and later released after an alercation with an off-duty Nebraska state trooper serving as a security guard at the race two nights later. Kinser apparently got into a disagreement with the trooper after Mark Kinser won the race. He was held temporarily but not arrested said Outlaws officials. "In all honesty, it was just miscommunication between our team and an Outlaw official," said Mark Kinser. "They both stemmed from the same thing." 10

WORLD Series Sprintcars has announced the 17 drivers it has contracted for the 2001/2002 series, and there’s no less than three Americans among the list. Heading the charge on the Australian summer is Donny Schatz, who will again team up with the Monte Motorsport team with former Krikke Jackson crew chief Keith Giles spannering the car. In addition to the World of Outlaws star, Brad Furr will run his own operation out of Perth with local crew chief Kim BusweU, while Danny Smith will again team up with Tasmanian Robin Dawkins’s Kart Magic team. Furr has the chance to achieve a unique double. He could just win the Rookie of the Year Award in both the World Series as well as the World of Outlaws, but he’ll be up against the charismatic Victorian Darryn Maggs,Luch Monte and Stephen Bell. However,the youngest driver on the list is unknown 17-year-old Alice Springs rookie Danny Riedy. Riedy, a young golfing protege, is backed by the family business,‘Sahara Tours’ and isn’t the only Northern Territorian among the line-up. He’ll be joined by Mike Hanlon for the WSS season, the Territory duo so enthusiastic about the upcoming season that they are competing with no travel money contribution at aU! After a roller-coaster ride in the United States, Brooke Tatnell will return in an attempt to take out his fifth World Series Sprintcar crown aboard the Tatnell Racing/SheU Helix machine, while his major rival for the 2000/2001 version. Max Dumesny, will again be back in the Valvoline Maxim. Dumesny will be aiming at his fourth WSS title, and another man doing so is Skip

Jackson, who will again be behind the wheel of the Krikke/Jackson machine which debuted in last year’s series. Queensland has by far the biggest number of representatives among the list, with every major name in the Sunshine state signing up for consideration and therefore making it a tough decision for organisers to cut down the list. Those who made it were Drew Kinick,(whose Titan Garages team will scale down to a one-car operation), Queensland Sprintcar Summer Shootout Champion Darren Jensen, and cousins Andrew Scheuerle and Cameron Gessner. South Australia will be represented by second-year WSS racer Tony Bartlett, who now has two new engines and two new cars, and Trevor Green, who will again suit up in the colours of ADRAD, having driven this past season largely for Geoff Kendrick’s operation in Western Australia. motorsport news

up announced

17 driver roster for 2001/2002 season 2001/2002 Dpiveps Signed to W(M*ld Sepies Sppintcaps

American invaders: Danny Smith, above, and Brad Furr, below, will both be attacking the Aussies in World Series Sprintcars. (Photos by Martin D Clark and Warren Bridge)

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Danny Riedy (NT) Sahari Tours Racing Andrew Scheuerle (QLD) Scheuerle Racing Donny Schatz(USA) Monte Motorsport Danny Smith (USA) Dawkins Racing Brooke Tatnell (NSW) Tatnell Racing

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Speedway Briefs BROOKE Tatnell has picked himself up a ride in the United States for the remainder of 2001. Tatnell replaces Aaron Berryhill in the #66 Trop Artie Sprintcar owned by Court Grandstaff. The Trop Artie team has been focused on the National Championship Racing Association (NCRA)and All Star Circuit of Champions (ASCoC)series and had his first run on June 29 at Wichita, Kansas. n Australian drivers have had a relatively successful time in the latest round of the World of Outlaws series at the Iowa Ethanol Classic at Knoxville. Skip Jackson was the best performed, qualifying 10th in the 57 oar field before winning his heat. He ran 11th in the A-Main, while Kerry Madsen was 14th, having earnt a start in the A by fiinshing fourth in the B-Main. Jackson had finished ninth in the Preliminary A-Main the night earlier. Jamie Moyle won the C-Main and ended up 14th in the B, while Stevie Smith actually took out the A-Main ahead of Danny Lasoski, Tim Shaffer, Johnny Herrera and Craig Dollansky. n More World Series Sprintcar calendar changes: The Triple Z Lismore Speedway will host a round of WSS for the first time ever. "The track is virtually a complete cornering oval, so it always provides close competition. I think drivers and fans alike are going to have one hell of a night on January 16," said promoter Greg Coombes. The venue will host round 14 on Wednesday night, January 16, n And also in WSS news ... Newcastle-based Len Edwards is the new Chief Steward for the 2001/2002 season, Edwards has a 20-plus year heritage with various forms of Speedway competition as both a competitor, an administrator and a steward. He is a former Vice President and President of the Newcastle Litre Car Club and has served as the Chief Steward for three State titles and two Australian Championships.

2001 WORLD OF OUTLAWS SERIES SCORE Standings to June 30, 2001

I. Danny Lasoski . 2. Mark Kinser . .. 3. Steve Kinser. ..

^ ^ RACING TIRE

Tony Bartlett (SA) Bartlett Racing Stephen Bell (QLD) Performance Wholesale Racing Max Dumesny (VIC) Max Dumesny Motorsport Brad Furr (USA) Sanmina Racing Cameron Gessner(QLD) Gessner Racing Trevor Green (SA) Green Brothers Racing Mike Hanlon (NT) The Gem Cave Racing Skip Jackson (NSW) Krikke Jackson Motorsport Darren Jensen (QLD) Jensen Racing Drew Kruck (QLD) Titan Racing Darryn Maggs (VIC) Maggs Motorsport Luch Monte (WA) Monte Motorsport

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4. Craig Dollansky 5. Andy Hillenburg 6.Joey Saldana . .. 7. Donny Schatz.. 8. Jeff Shepard .. . 9.Paul McMahan.. 10. Stevie Smith..

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11. Brad Furr 12-Tim Shaffer. . .. 13.Danny Wood ... 14. Randy Hannagan IS.Jason Meyers 16. Dale Blaney . . . 17. johnny Herrera. IS.Jac Haudenschild 19. Daryn Pittman . 20. Brooke Tatnell..

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14. Kerry Madsen 15. Jason Meyers

6.Andy Hillenburg

16. James Chesson

7. Joey Saldana 8. Mark Kinser

17. Donny Schatz 18. Danny Wood 19. Randy Hannagan 20. Leonard Lee

4. Johnny Herrera

9. Brad Furr 10. Paul McMahan

Sydney Darling Harbour set

2^65

A new look: Rick Bales won his class in Targa Tasmania and is now lurning his attention to a Subaru Group N carfor the ARC.

RC ride MARK Waugh used to be nicknamed 'Afghanistan'because he was the forgotten Waugh - and while you could hardly call Rick Bates forgotten, he hasn't enjoyed quite the same profile of his twin brother and Toyota works driver IMeal in the past few seasons. However, with Neal set to lose Toyota patronage at the end of the season, brother Rick is about to re-enter the rallying fray with a full-scale attack on the 2002 Group N title. Bates will be at the wheel of a Les Waikden-built Subaru Impreza STI, partnered by former Stewart Reid co-driver, Michelle Murphy. Bates and Murphy have formed a company and started the team themselves, with the goal of taking the Privateers Cup and, possibly, the Group N title next season. The pair will team together for the first time at the Saxon Safari in Tasmania in August after picking up the car from Walden the week before to prepare for the tough Tasmanian ARC round. It has been almost 18 months since the talented Canberran has had a serious go at local rallying after Daihatsu withdrew its 72

support and left Rick having to run the F2 Charade as a privateer. Bates had clinched the Australian F2 title for Daihatsu after taking the NSW State Championship in an ex-Neal Bates Toyota Celica GT Four. Rick's record on track is just as impressive as it is in the forest racing, having raced everything from V8 Supercars to a tiny Daihatsu Sirion GtvI. The new team will be called Rick Bates Motorsport, and operate from Rick's workshop in Canberra where he will handle preparation of the Subaru. Bates admits the task of re adapting to a four-wheel drive turbo rally car after devoting so much time to racing and front-wheel-drive machines will take some

time. "I'm sure we will learn a great deal this season and be ready to take on the Privateers Cup competitors in 2002," he said. "I haven't driven a fourwheel-drive for a while but I am sure it will come back pretty quickly." The team is currently in negotiations with a number of potential sponsors with further announcements to be made shortly. -JON THOMSON

by JON THOMSON SYDNEY will play host to the NSW round of the Australian Rally Championship in 2002, according to plans leaked to Motorsport News following a high-level meeting last weekend. Plans for the Harbour City Rally were outbjied to members of the NSW Rally Panel by Rally of Melbouirme boss Glenn Cuthbert l who wil,apparently, take the commercial risk for the NSW venture., while a local official will be Clerk of Coiuse. Accordi.ng to the presentation delivered to the NSW panel last weekend, the rally will be centred on Darliffig Harbour in Sydney’s CBD, with stages in the forests of the Central Coast and a central service park at Ourimbah. The presentation was apparently delivered to a hostile NSW panel that was keen to have the rally staged by a NSW club or organiser. When contacted by MN, Cuthbert confirmed he delivered the presentation but said that he wasn’t at liberty comment on the issue.

“I don’t know who gave you the details because it was delivered in confidence,” said Cuthbert. According to our source, wellknown Sydney rally identity Graham Eoser, who was clerk of course for the famed Dunlop 2GO rallies of the mid-1980s, will be Clerk of Course for the event. Support for the Sydney event is being sought from the NSW Government in line with ARCom’s stated aim ofencouraging government backing for major rallies, similar to that demonstrated by this weekend’s Rally of SA. Organisers will be seeking both financial and infra-structure support from the state government, which does not have a strong track record of assisting motorsport in Sydney. It is also believed a downtown tarmac special stage could possibly be staged close to Darling Harbour’s rally HQ. Wliether the Victorian-based organisation gets the nod to run the rally or Not, it is clear the most populous state in the country should have a round for the National Championship and Sydney would be the ideal base, motorsport news

RALLY

fOP ARC to HQ 2002 event

Acropolis too tough, say teams

Flat left over Coathanger: Drivers like Scott Redder will be heading for postcode 2000 for next year’s ARC round. {Photo by Steve Baker)

PEUGEOT is leading calls that the Greek round of the World Rally Championship,the Acropolis Rally, is too tough for modem rally cars and should be scrapped from next year’s Super 1600 junior World Championship. Peugeot Sport boss Jean Pierre Nicholas, already smarting from losing all of his 206 WRCs from the outright battle, was less than impressed with the Greek conditions, particularly for the fledgling Super 1600s. “This rally for sure is inappropriate for Super 1600,” Nicolas said. “There is no race: all the young drivers, they are being told to go carefully. All the cars are destroyed, the objective is to find the good young drivers and they are all going slowly.” Ford’s Super 1600 boss Philip Dunabin backed Nicolas too, saying that the rally was too hard on cars. “Whether you get a result or not is a matter of preparation and it doesn’t necessarily prove anything about the drivers,” he said. -JON THOMSON

Possum bombs at home POSSUM Bourne has had a disastrous home round of the Asia Pacific Rally Championship,failing to finish the final two legs of the three-day rally. Bourne badly damaged the front end of his brand new Impreza when he hit a bank on SSI and finished the first day in third place behind local Bruce Herbert in a Subaru. Bourne’s crew only finished the new-shape Impreza at 6.30am on the first day of the rally and the Kiwi was still adjusting to the car throughout the first leg. Italian Nice Caldorola was out ofthe rally on stage three after running off and crashing. Both Nico and his co-driver were unhurt. Herbert took victory on day two to retain a strong lead going into the final leg while Bourne was forced out on SS9 with a blown turbo and decided to withdraw from the final leg as

well, handing the advantage to his APAC rival Karamjit Singh in the Proton. Singh was fourth after day two and was again first Group N car home just ahead of local Reece Jones in a Lancer. With Bourne out of the rally, Herbert had a clear shot at the final leg and easily took victory by lm57s over Andrew Hawkeswood, with another Kiwi GeoffArgyle completing a local trifecta by taking third overall in his Lancer. Singh was overtaken for fourth overall and Group N honours on the final stage by Kiwi Reece l Jones in a Lancer Evo VI. The results give Herbert the lead in the A-PAC Championship on 19 points, one clear of New . Caledonia’s Jean Louis Leyroud,’. with Bourne and Singh equal, third on 16 points as the titleheads to Malaysia for the nejct round on September 7-9.*. -JONTHOMS0i2 3

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Non Porsche Cup regulars steal the German show at Barbagallo Raceway Fitzy in a Porsche that’s not green!: The Victorian was in fine form in the West, while Dorn Beninca follov^/ecl for a pair of seconds. {Marshafl THE first visit of Porsche Fitzgerald took race one behind Cup to Barbagallo Raceway the wheel of Wagg’s 993 Supercup saw another first in terms of and was fifth in the second race, the race winners for season while Beninca, again behind the 2001. wheel of TNT’s GTS which he is While Martin Wagg and Paul campaigning in Nations Cup this Whitmarsh have been the year, had a pair of seconds. dominators of the series, Peter Local Walter Epple retired from Fitzgerald, Dominic Beninca and race one when the brakes jammed on (!) but recovered to win the local Walter Epple all threw the second race in his 911 Carrera RS cats amongst the pigeons in the Date Event Circuit WA round of the series. ahead of Beninca, Kevin Clifton, 7th Calder, Vic Victorian Motor Racing Championship Coffs Harbour, NSW NSW Rally Championship:4 8th Hillclimb Winter C)up:3 Collingrove, SA Ansell Park, NSW NSW Motorkhana (ihampionship:6 14th Experts Cup Rally Collie, WA SE South Australia Rallye of Mount Gambler OLD Rally Championship:3 Townsville, OLD ! TAKING the thin Tour de Course Murray/North-East Victoria field of W Sto^lc 15th Victorian Off-Road Championship:3 Bendigo, Vic ; Gars to Victorian Hillclimb Championship:4 Gippsland Park, Vic ; Queensland was Mildura, Vic Victorian Rally Championship:4 21-22 State Races an excellent idea y7 Oran Park, NSW M Powerhouse 500- Oz Off-Road C'ship Kempsey, NSW : for.Tony jQ PROCAR event Southwell, right. Queensland Raceway Hillclimb Mount Cotton, OLD SIB' The Fireworks .. Autosport Cup Walky Park, SA I King Monte Carlo - n Club Superkart Racing Calder, Vic driver took his first I Victorian Motorkhana Championship:6 Somerton, Vic pole position with 28th NSW Rally Championship:5 (Photo by Mark Jones) Taree, NSW : dramatic style, Multi-Club Autocross Powranna, Tas ' setting it on his first flying: lap. George Derrick Memorial Trial Erica/Heyfield, Vic In> the races he was second in: race one, f0.urth in race two and State Race Meeting Lakeside, OLD took his.debut win in the Reverse .©rid at the end of the day. Tasmanian Motorkhana Series:2 Kellyfield, Tas Despite all that, the champion of the Stockers in Queensland NSW Motorkhana Championship:? Nirimba, NSW : was Andrew Miedecke with two comfortable wins in races one WASCC Championships Barbagallo, WA ^ and two, the results extending his title lead. To make sure your event is listed in future issues, write to (PO BOX George Elliot(Monte Carlo) was next best, taking a relatively 1010, Caulfield North 3161)or email(msnews@ozemail.com.au) the untroubled third, second and third in the three races. National Scene Editor with details of your event. eMARKJONES

National Racing Calendap July

motorspon news

NATIONAL

Inky blots out QR AUSTRALIAN SUPER TRUCK CHAMPIONSHIP

by MARK JONES IT didn't matter what the opposition did, Inky Tulloch was the best of the Truckers at Queensland Raceway in the latest round of the Power Tour series on June 24. Rodney Crick even debuted a new Volvo, though it mattered not. Tulloch took race one on the Clubman Circuit in a canter, although some resistance was provided by the All-Trans MAN of Luke Sieders. Tulloch has extended his series lead out to 27 points and is in the box seat to retain his title. For the reverse grid race. Inky fought through to third. For the Super Prix, the Light Trucks would get a complete half-lap start on the big rigs. Ken Bedgood led 10 of the 15 lap Super Prix before falling prey to the rampant CAT Freightliner Century. At the end of the day, the only complaint Tulloch

could voice was that Queensland was too liot for the visiting New Zealander ... Early in the Super Prix, Sieders made the most of the running ia the distinctive silver and blue MAN,leadirng the charge towards the SBRs but was shadowed by Tulloch until the Kiwi took third on lap 7. Tulloch had tried to, pass several times down the straight but Sieders had the line into tun Itew rig, no luck: Rodney Crick debuted his new Volvo NH12 but didn’t have fFTe" one and it took three weekend he was hoping for. (Photo by Mark Jonesi|| attempts before the CAT Freightliner made Scarcella were also spaced well out ‘Captain Kangaroo’to miss the move stick. Sieders then as were the surviving SBRs of qualifjing. A smoke meatball flag harried Tulloch, maiding sure he Bedgood and Graham Spencer, was banded out during the knew who was followirng. Reverse Grid race whilst with the rest of the field lapped. The top three gapped themselves for the rest of the race For Rodney Crick it would be a challenging for third, and another miserable debut for the new Shell engine failure ended Crick’s race with Tulloch well clear of Sieders, at turn three of lap one of the Rimula Volvo NH12.A major while Dobson ran out oflaps to engine blow up in practice caused Super Prix. threaten Sieders. Bajeema and

The Wall too Tall

Karting KartStar kids: The Ford KartStars series continued on the weekend in Newcastle, with Matthew Wall a winner. The next round ofthe seines will be in Geelong on the July 21/22 weekend.

VICTORIA’S Matthew Wall has clinched the second round of the Ford KartStars series at Newcastle NSW on the weekend. Wall took a narrow win over round one victor Chris Cox with Mark Winterbottom third. Cox started the meeting where he left the previous round, qualifying fastest on his home circuit. Wail was less then one tenth slower and was desperate to score well having missed the opening round in May. Wims in the opening two heats confirmed Wall’s pace before Mark Winterbottom took the third heat, Matt only 0.177s behind. Cox then redeemed himself in the 15 lap pre-final, Wall again second. Cox led the early laps of the final with Wali, Winterbottom

and William Yarwood in tow. Wall made his move for PI in the closing laps and despite a last lap attempt to regain the iead by Cox, ran out the winner by 0.398s. Winterbottom was two seconds further back in third followed by Yarwood, Bryce Godfrey and Craig Clements. David Reynolds was the stand out performer in Junior Ciubman, winning four of the five races. Reynolds took a narrow win in the finai ahead of Andrew Thompson and Tony D’Alberto. Reigning Australian Champions James Love and Anthony Contarino continued their dominance of Junior National taking first and second respectively with Nick Lowe third. -MARK WICKS

KART STARS SCOREBOARD JULY 2001 Round 2-Newcastle July

l. Matthew Wall 2. Chris Cox 3. Mark W'interbotom 4. Williain Yarwood 5. Bryce Godfrey 6. Craig Cl ements 7. Josh Ara;ndt 6 July 2001

8. Deam Oven 9. Andfrew Torti 10. Caro Talbot 11 . Adirian Estasy 12 Andrew Mill ]3 Taz Douglas 14 Darren McDonald

Standings to July 1

I. Chris Cox 2. Mark Winterbottom 3. Williom Yarwood . 4. Bryce Godfrey . . . 5. Craig Clements. . . 6. Dean Oven 7. Andre'w Torti .. . . 8. Joshua Arandt . . . 9. Coro Talbot lO. Adrian Estosy . . .

201 108 175 171 167 148 144 141 137 137

Industry Ne}/s^s

Bell Revolution Pepsi Racing Gear

OO for photos

SOUTHERN Cross Promotions is offering all Australian photographers the opportunity to participate in the Australian Motorcycle Photographic Awards. These will be displayed during the Australian Motorcycle Expo at the Royal Exhibition Buildings, Melbourne fi'om 30 August to 2 September,2001. A total prize pool

of $5000 cash is up for grabs. There are seven categories, including Best Road photo. Best Off-Road photo. Best Freestyle photo. Best Bike portrait. Best Rider portrait. Best Non professional photo,Australian Photo of the year and a special award will be given out to the Australian Motorcycle Photographer of the Year for $1000.

Easy to fit Extra Power Max Engine Protection Used by the Mitsubishi Ralllart WRC team.

StHsei L

RMA

A selected panel will judge the categories on Thursday 30 August 2001 and the -winning photos will be acknowledged in the display. If you have any queries, please contact Mark Petersen at Southern Cross Promotions on (03)9974 6350. To have your product or company featured in Industry News call Brendon Sheridan on 03 9527 7744

SHADE SPECTRUM SHADE

Now available in 3 sizes 2.4m X 2.4m 3m X 3m 4.5m X 3m to cover all situations. Maintenance free. The 60 second shade stnjcture.

Hawk Performance disc brake pads have the stopping power and brake modulation to reduce lap limes and put you In the winners’ circle - with 8 dittereni race compounds.

'Trade onquMes welcome

AUSTRA

The entrants will be selected from the current motorcycle media or nominations can be made by contacting Southern Cross Promotions. This award will be judged prior to the Expo by a panel ofjudges within the motorcycle industry. All photos must be delivered by Wednesday 8 August 2001 to: Southern Cross Promotions,PC Box 4163, Hoppers Crossing 3029. Each photographer can submit two photos per category. The entry fee is $11 per photo.

HAWK^

High Performance Air Filters

Ph. 02 97S8 1986

THE range of Pepsi racing gear has been very popular at the tracks this year. Dugal McDougall Racing has employed the services of Race Ready to retail the latest range which includes caps, t-shirts, anoraks and fleecy tops. The gear is available at all V8 Supercar rounds. If you can’t make it to the track, or wish to avoid the rush and be geared up before you go, Race Ready has a website featuring all the gear and a secure ordering system. Visit the merchandise van at the Calder Park V8 round, visit www.raceready.com.au or phone 03 9801 5099.

an all-new fire resistant liner that provides comfort as well as perspiration management, and an advanced, ultra-lightweight tri weave composite shell, that offers the user weight reduction with strength. The SA2000 Bell Vortex (pictured) is the helmet of choice for champions such as Craig Lowndes and Skip Jackson. For further information, contact any of Revolution Racegears 18 stores across Australia on Freecall 1800 804 778.

NEW to Australia, the 2001 range of Bell motorsport helmets are now available at your local Revolution Racegear store. Now with SA2000 snell certification, the range has been developed over a number of years to reflect the changing requirements of drivers in all forms of motorsport. New features for 2001 include

^ RACING PRODUCTS

Fax. 02 9758 f <55

VICTORIA 37A Fenton Street 0nl<leigh3166 Ph: 03 9543 6222 Fox: 03 9543 6244

QUEENSUND 3/26 Expo Court Ashmore 4214 Ph/Fux: 07 5531 0181

Eastern Raceparts

1800 089 089

lie Iridium Visarsl Ml Teih rhors of thoiie fa lunpam Anrlfaj, IF, f3, 13000 A fI

AnthGlare AnthFog

Ayalleblo In red, blue, geld S tSher

World karting Champions 2000

I XwilAND/

IS 'HEADERS

* K< Brand

Hoiley Performance System Distributors

Tradi

Serck

Ph/Fax 02 9526 6666

Ph Byran Miller ● Mobile 0417 274 507 ● Ph 02 9524 3389 ● 1 Tamba Place Lilli Pilli NSW 2229 ● Email easternraceparts@hotmail.com

PRO-GOID

10 row - 44 row AN,BSP S push-on llWngs

AUSTRAL

Phe 02 9758 1966 76

Fax. 02 9758 1155

from

raCBItSSiS

the lightest hose and fitting systems ever developed.

Phone I m ustrmtSe (07) 3807 68701

Kart Australia Pty Ltd

6-30 Foundry Road Seven Hills 2147 Ph 02 9620 60SS Fax 02 9839 9055 ■ide r-paixi - Tcrf <oi. Kosirx fa». Verta i UC >acr

iqui !0/ni

on Coolers

60 Years of experience of staying cool underpressure.

1st, 2nd, 3rd Both fomuh Svper h 4 hmuia 1st, 2nd, 3rd In Ftmulsh laic aidlai 4usfrof/an Oteania Cup 2000

wart /to hehet i

k ■■■>: b,- Itcty Dryn Kff

ENTRIES NOW OPEN

KiyE^2001^MSCA ^OEfl Relay Race

Winton 25th & 26th August Details: Owen Crombie, Event Secretary AH 03 9894 4270 Fax 03 9878 8417 e-mail arlyd@smartchat.com.aiB

moiorspon news

MARKET PLACE

m race shop

nI **

RACtSHOP gives you the opportunity to promote your products and services to the widest possible range of motorspo^* competitors and enthusiasts. Advertising in RACESHOP costs as little as $50 per issue! Call Brendon Sheridan on 03 9527 7744 now! ^^^susedbyIhe

mi:.

RACING BATTERIES

[ Casirol Perkins ] ^^^aelng Team^

CROWCAHKS

^Hi Flow / Alloy Heads

l Fast profile design service to your requirements

HI PERFORMANCE ENGINE PARTS

l Custom ground roller, solid and hydraulic

The ultimate power fix for your Hoiden

profiles using unique computer controlled

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

and EletfritaS Components For severe environments

Hawker Pacifk Ph: 02 9708 8503 Pax: 02 9790 330£ Email : custservlce@spares.hawkerpac.com.au

machines for unrivalled accuracy l Matching race valve train components a huge range of one piece super duty pushrods

www.yellaterra.com.au Ph 03 9555 5522 Fax 03 9555 4152

State Distributors

NSW;(02) 9678 9977 QLD;(07) 3808 1986 VIC;(03) 9794 5177 WA;(08)9353 1155

r Phone (02)9678 9977 www.rocket.au.com

Australian tmportar and distributor:

I^HlUHMUNUi

TRADE ENQUIRIES WELCOME sales@rockotindustrlcs.com.au

COMPOMOT/VE MOTORSPonT WMeeis

VIC 03 9386 5331 NSW 02 9676 8655 SA 08 8387 3522 WA 08 9293 3500 TAS 03 6273 7555 NT 08 8941 5388 QLD 07 3217 1188 51-KVILfc www.stuckey.com.au

CRANE

Ph; 08 8363 5566 Fax; 08 8363 5633 TECHNOLOGIES ^PTY. LTD. www.craneoams.com.au

Visit our website: www.crowcams.com.au

race valve springs now available In Australia ‘As used by top US teams including Hendricks Motorsport (NASCAR), John Force(Funny Car), Warren Johnson(Pro Stock) l Specific super duty spring design tor endurance (circuit, speedway and marine)or Drag Race applications deliver consistent pressures and longer spring life. Available from the exclusive 4usfra//an distributor

CROWCAMS

Ph 03 9357 0469 Fax 03 9357 0001

ISKYi RACING cams!

^Co

Visit our Website or call us for your nearest distributor.

Ph:(07)3808 1986 www.peifonnaiicewholesale.coin.au

l Extremely durable bonded dampening material l Easy to read computer etched timing marks l Available in economical cast iron Street, versatile iron/steel Sireet/Race and all steel SFi approved Race versions Ph 02 G92X 5126 Fax 02 6921 7536 Visit out website www.precisionparts.com.au

3c-

^1?

22 Carlington St Regents Park NSW 2143 Phone 02 9743 7005 Fax 02 9743 7610 Mobile 0410 637 005

CUSTOA0 AaUJsmnnuM

RADIATORS, INTERCOOLERS & OIL COOLERS l Offroad cars l Motorbikes l Boats l Hot Rods l Street Cars l Circuit Cars Contact Paul Weel on 07 55 981 499 or Fax drawings to 07 55 981 980 HANDBUILT AND ALL AUSTRALIAN MADE

6 Inly 2001

LruiJ [7=1

W Sole Australian ( Distributor

0 -100 km/h in under 4 setonds Phone 9739 6323 WWW.liyMiTOiidaRciin<e.<oin Jo* ClroolioAH0418547-"

Melbourne 44 Racecourse Rd North Melbourne 03 9326 6088

Demmnd thm hmstt High performance engine components for over 30 years, Race, atrip or street.

SMiai AUSTRAL

Ph.02 9758 1966

Sydney Unite 29 Newton Rd Wetherill Park 02 9609 1101

Trade Wt

Fmx. 02 97S8 i133

I'v.^

racejv bralces

ill

RACING PRODUCTS

Cemplete range of grower Crankshafts, Con-Rods, Race Cams ^^iiRFORMANCE & Valve Vrain Components available! YJlwholesales;

Competition disc pads l Race brakes l Pagid l Hawk l Endless l Performance Friction Over 10 years experience of brake modifications and upgrades for road and race. Caliper conversion 1, 2,4 8i 6 piston. Custom made disc rotors. Manufacturers & distribht

[TITTfi

The True Performance Alternative

For all your Ishy Race Cams* Valve Train Tools ^^n^l'ORMANCE & Components! YfWHOLESALEIZ

ARia

Ph 03 9357 0469 or Fax 039357 0001

mUxml w TOE HS6HEST QUAUIY GEARS SN THE RACING INDUSTRY

CBOW CAMS

including PSi(USA) valve springs and

of,

High performance & racing disc brakes

' C-./.i.l t-4*r

T.,i

Visit our Website or caii us for your nearest distributor.

Ph:(07) 3808 1986 L

www.performancewho!esale,com,au

motorsport news

m race shop

nows

Remarkable Windows of Opportunity for Engine Experts

NEW RELEASE

* Accurate, Repeatable, Versatile l Take maaual control or hands-free l Local design, support, development. Installation ond on-site training l Top names demand lop equipment(users inc KIZPRO, HSV, HR!& John Sidney Rocing) For r* InU lotion and o l Engine, chassis, go-kart or motorbike di

|Pfc|DvnoLoq Dynamometer

41SON Chrome Molybdenum Steel

Max Ellery Publications Extensive detail on how to rebuild a Holden V8 rrp $38.45 Available at all good motoring outlets. For your nearest stoekist call 03 5439 5000

ittralion lontaiti

AREX Computing POBojISI Montrose Vie 3765 Pli03 97SI ll« fox0397SI 2I73 Mob 0408 055 541 {moil oeldiiqnielbpi.Dig.ou

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

Hawicer Pacific Call us today with your requirements Freecall 1800 654 983 Freefax 1800 808 158

l^allu Meters I

General Auto .Seat Instruments DISTRIBUTOR

HPC’s exhaust coatings provide superior protection against thermai fatigue. l Exhaust System Coatings Piston coatings l Wettable dry film coatings l Non-wettabie dry film coatings HPC High Perlarmance Coatings Pty ltd Ph D3 5BB2 4713 B Witiii Hill lilistriil Pirt liiiiilti aasa

-i®BHa.3S^TZ' l Sales l Service l Repairs teMOZ 9648 5090 Fax 02 9748 0610

%'i

W Sole Australian ' Distributor

J-Jsj

Bolts built for serious racers Light l Strong l Durable

Visit our Website or call us for your nearest distributor.

Fast delivery to your door only $10 For a free catalogue call 0418 9144 92 Fax 08 9247 2034 or email boltman@blgpond.com

Ph:(07) 3808 1986 ;

wiy^eiformancewliolesaie.com.au

57 TAUNTON DRIVE CHELTENHAM VIC 3192 TEL (03)9584 4499 FAX:(03)9584 4008

Contact your state distributor... Hardimcin Auto Supplies (02) 9771 5877 Motorsport Connections (02) 9838 7272 (03) 9794 Victorian Speed Pro ’ 5177 Performance Wholesale (07) 3808 1986 (08) 8363 5566 Crane Technologies Gogear Racing Services (08) 9443 4400

liratTHl liBmtl

liBBl

'We hove*' dealers in off

l Kits and overhauls available l High flow intercoolers and kits l Link engine management systems l Oil coolers and oil coolers kits l Silicon hoses and bends l Tein suspension kits Ph 03 9584 4499 or lax 03 9584 4008

Email avoBtbigpond.com or check out our website vw/w.avoturbo.com

SF5IMPSOJVJ

Simpson Safety Equipment Australia 4/138 Bath Road Kirrawee NSW 2232 Ph 02 9545 0068 Fax 02 9542 1795 AUSTRALIAN DISTRIBUTORS

TWR

BOB ROA/IANO

Performance Motors

Fax. 02 0758 1155

Ph. 02 0758 1966

PERFORMANCE WORK l All mechanical repairs l Ali makes & models l Subaru performance upgrade kits

i”3vve^

387 Lytton Rd Morningslde 4170 Fax 07 3395 8266

1500001 registered Quality asMurad. Trade enquiries welcome

sMim AUSTRAL I A

°^WaM!CS

TRACr/ON

5 Laser Drive Rowville VIC 3178 Tel 03 9764 281 1 Fax 03 9764 8740

iy'YOKOHAMA AV#N

RACING TYRES

Distributors for Victoria and Tasmania

Your high performance tyre and suspension specialists

ar The Finest in High Performance Plumbing, Hoses, Hose Ends ana Fuel Fittings Distributed nationally by:

Mobil 1

Ph 07 3395 8255

Fax. 02 9758 1155

Ph. 02 9758 1066

HRLTECH

Authorised Queensland distributor for Haltech Engine Management Systems. Inhouse installation & programming carried out in our fully equipped workshop on Dyno Dynamics 4WD chassis dyno.

Terry Wilson Racing

RACE PRODUCTS

World's leaders in Motorsport Safety Technology Helmets l Suits l Boots l Gloves l Harnesses l Crew Gear l and all accessories for all motorsports Quality l Price l Service

RCS - The new racing clutch system from Sachs l 5,760 combinations possible l torque range 300 - 1800 nm l individual tuning to any vehicle Sachs Boge Australia Pty Ltd Ph 02 987S 5388 Fax 02 9875 323CL Email: info@sachs-boge.com.au

For all your high performance needs l full service and tune up l engine rebuilds l Intercooler upgrads l link plug In engine management systems l latest 4-wneel dyno testing equipment Ph 03 assa aaaa or os ossa aooa 57 Taunton Drive Cheltenham VIC 3192

Trade enquiries welcome

AUSTRAL I A

Afn«r/ca's premium oil pump 6 itmnufmctunr. timing

Premium Motorsport Hose & Fittings! W

SMUM

IlDVTkMGEAfr

^^^EeDFLOW K I I

Manley Race Valves. Inlet $29.95 Inc GST ea. Exhaust $29.95 inc GST ea.

Affordable lightweight heat treated 4130 chrome moly tubular bolts. Thin section nylocs - stainless steel an washers - 2024T4 aluminium bolts

rfERFORMANCE WHOLESALEZZ

STUCKEY TYRE

Check out our web titc:

www.stuckey.com.au ^5 SERVICE

Fu n SII2 471B EmiI!: h|erit@tp|l.ciB.ai Wcl: irww.bpeiiUi|t.cii

RACEBOLTS Performance Race PUstens, Rings & Sudgeon Pins available now!

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

Phone(02)9678 9977 www.rockkau.com

lXRPJtfl\

« (xtreme rachg productsj |

TRADE ENQUIRIES WELCOME sales@rocketlndustries.com.au

™

neioriport HWt

■"FREE Sedans/Sporis Gars

AU V8 Supercar, As new McLean-built AU Falcon, 2000 build with large spares package. Perfect for Shell or Konica series. For all the details check our website www.teamxtream.com. Ph Rod 0418 444 443. Price negotiable. 210 ●-S-

MARKET PLACE

Classifieds

2 issues

absolutely free*

*Motorsport News Classifieds are FREE for private sales. Classifieds from motor sport traders are accepted (marked with a ●) and must be prepaid at the foilowing 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. 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.

Mustang 1982 model, hatchback, complete, low miles, LHD, can be coverted to a road car or into a race car, same as Kevin Clark's Sports Sedan shape $6500 ph 03 9510 7418 or 0412 678 943.210

Mazda RX3 Sedan, 12A 5sp 4'11 diff, roll cage. Hotwires, Koni shockers. Harness, All spares included, suit road/club car. Must sell. $4500 ono ph 04 2851 9311 210

Ford Cortina 1981, with 1996 XR6 engine, man ual, 1 owner, no rust, lowered, mag wheels, CD player, A1 condition. $8000. Ph 02 9774 2560 or 0403 317 430. 209

1 ST-2? SAAB 900 Aero Sports Sedan body shell, panels and moulds for sale $6000. Ph. 03 9543 5763.210 Sports Sedan, Mk 1 Escort. Fibreglass front, works flares, steel cgae welded, Bilstein shocks, 4 wheel discs, Z20 engine, unfinished project, $3500, Ph. 02 4578 3745.210

Group Nc HD X2, CAMS log book, all steel engine, 260hp best parts, triple Webers, Bathurst head, roller rockers, XU-1 limited slip. Autosport seat, alloy cage, 8 7x3 Chevoits with as new slicks. 4 7x3 Chevoits with hand grooved slicks, purpose built hillclimb, sprints, Targa. May separate. Ph 0409 465 837 or 03 9439 7667.209

Toyota Corolla Club Car, hillclimb, 20V 4AG, LSD, 16-inch, Group A wheels, spares, reliable, ready to go. $4500 ono. Ph 02 6584 3454. 209

V8 Supercar, Ex Alan Jones/Longhurst Falcon EL. Excellent Konica car, best Ford at WInton, 3rd and finished 22nd at Bathurst 2000. Available after Mallala Konica round. Fully prepared with spare engine, all spares and pit equipment. A competi tive car at a realistic price! Ph John Scotcher 0419 475 475 or 08 8340 2040.210

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. $28,000. Will trade. Ph 07 5546 3526 or 0419 700 534.2.0 VL Commodore Group A, total rebuild and restoration, 4 sets wheels and slicks, 4 sets new slicks. Spare Getrag. Ph 08 9045 4305 or fax 08 9045 5443.2.0 Group C Falcon Coupe 1976, new SOOhp Cleveland, ready to race, good paint, original Bathurst colours. Ph 08 9045 4305 or fax 08 9045 4432. 210

Nissan SR20 Turbo, 5 speed Silvia sedan, 3-inch exhaust, roller bearing turbo, big intercooler, large rear wing, 17-inch wheels, 300ZX turbo brakes, immaculate and priced to sell. $13,900. Ph Phil Howe 0418 131 428 ah or 03 9449 8221.210

Celica Sports Sedan, less engine but with all moulds a DG transaxle Lola upright a axles a brakes. POA around $30,000 or will sell shell a moulds but no mechanicals for $2500 ph 03 9510 7418 or 0412 678 943.2.0 Oatsun 240K sedan, Holden 253 V8, alloy fly wheel, crank scraper, windage tray, vented front disc brakes with 4-spot Willwood callipers, rear disc brakes, 15" alloy wheels, alloy cage, CAMS logbook, numerous spares inci registered trailer, 2 complete 253 engines suit rebuild. Spare seat, harness etc. Ph 02 6582 6082 or email for pics etc scott_keys@hotmail.com 2.0 I

v r\ ● ●

HQ roller, new Prostars, tyres, new suspension, bushes etc, complete except rollcgae and engine, heaps spares, setup assistance available, $1750 ono, ph 07 5577 1005.2.0

Escort Mkl Sports Sedan, fuel injected 2 litre, fully welded roll cage. Excellent Club Car, log book and spare parts. $8000 ono. Ph 0412 537 609.209

EXA Sports Sedan, 20B PP Triple Rotor. RWD LHD Fuel Injected, full space frame chassis, lift off front and rear, professional build and National Championship ready. Raced only 4 times since completion, suit new buyer. Fully adjustable dou ble wishbone suspension all round, LSD, Spool and Locked Diffs. Equipped with Fire Bomb, Full instrumentation and Centre-lock wheels. Spare Gearbox, Axles etc. New Pyrometer, Bump Steer gauge. Camber caster gauge. Electric winch trail er, New wets and Drys. All you need to race this car except the dollars is included. 473 HP, 860 kgs. $35,000. Ph. 03 9808 8966 bh or e-mail sunroofs@netstra.com.au 209

New Commodore Cup car #26, 1 meeting old, WInton Vic State Rnd 1, time 1m41.00s. Professionally built, no expense spared in this cars construction. Spare wheels, tyres, steering rack, front spoiler, potential front running car. POA. Ph 03 5428 3916bh or 0419 037 588 ah 209 VL Group A Walkinshaw, ex-Larry Perkins, in full race trim with new 5.7 Holden engine, 540bhp, brand new Tex gearbox, full Harrop suspension and rear end with camber wedges, FR90 Simmons. Never been raced since engine rebuild, will trade (no wives). Ph 0412 399 987. 209

-d?

6 July 2001

Mazda RX7, ideal for road/supersprint. 13B mild port, excellent body, modified brakes/suspension. Two sets wheeis/tyres. NSW registered to March. $5250. Ph 02 9938 5344 bh or 02 9997 1170 ah. 209 Alfa Romeo Alfetta GTV, 2.0L Sports Sedan, Marque Sports or Club Car. Everything that can be done has been done. Too much to list. Phone for details. Steve 03 5339 3118 BH 0408 486 384 AH. 210

Escort RS2000 1979, 4 door, 2L 4 speed, rego 8/2001. Aussie-buit original RS2000 with matchign numbers. Snow white with black trim. Excellent condition. $5500 ono. Ph 02 4975 1408 or 0414 734 204.209

HQ race car, top 10 2000, heaps of spares, panels, doors, rail, gearbox, motor. Urgent sale, offers. $4000? Ph 07 5520 4855 or 07 5593 6368.209 Street Sedan VK, 308, 4 speed, front running car. Cheapest form of V8 racing. $9800 complete with spares. Ph Scott 0414 978 307 or 02 9892 4440. 209 VT V8 SS Commodore, has been running in GTP V8 touring car series. Owner has new car, must sell. $40,000, all spares included. Ph Scott 0414 978 307 or 02 9892 4440.209

Open Wlieelers

'\vfi li\

' Nissan GTR R34, fully prepared for road or track. Done only 5,600km, in as-new condition. For a full list of modifications, dyno sheets and spares Ph. 0418 751 585. $99,500. 210 Gemini 1984 rally car, full NSW rego till August, engineered 6 point cage, Bilsteins, skid plates, sump guard, not rallied since rebuilt, 2 sets mags/tyres, professionally built. Very good condi tion WSQ272 $3700 Ph Russell 02 8923 5331 bh 02 9456 1128 ha. 210

Mitsubishi Station, can be rego, HKS carbon clutch, Xtrac diff, alloy flywheel, 6 point harness es, full Group A with papers. Secan coolers, seri ously competitive, needs tidying. $15,000. May separate. Ph 07 5502 8168.209

Mini Group N, logbook, SC/CR gearbox, SC drop gears, ZF diff, fresh top HP engine, very clean and ready to race. $ 11,000. Ph Frank 02 9905 5770.209 Commodore VP Sports Sedan, fully equipped, including Willwood brakes, 9" diff, adjustable sus pension, alloy cage, new Sparco seat with 3" har ness, T5, no motor or wheels. $6500 ono. Ph 08 9359 2100 bh or 08 9453 1717 ah. 209

Swift SC97k Formula Ford rolling chassis, all latest factory upgrades. Will accept Kent or Zetec engines. Exc cond with current CAMS log book. Will trade or consider offers. Phone Ray 0418 327 155(Vic). 2to 1989 Lola, new transaxle, new steel FHolden V6, all Lola inventory, 89 spares. Ph 08 9045 4305 or fax 08 9045 4432.2.0

Superkart 125, 5sp, spares inci work stand, rims, tyres, fuel pumps, chains. Call Regan on 0411 114 254 or 9327 2888 $2800 Drive gear available. 210 Ralt RT4, 1981 Formula Atlantic FT200, complete minus engine, stored for 15 years. Full ownership history available. AU5$24,000. Ph 0011 64 9 274 8646 NZ or fax 0011 64 9 274 8642 NZ. 209 Stolen on 26/6/01,1979 P.R.5 RH 01, converted to Formula Libre,(Formula 2 specs) Mk9 Hewland gear box, Rebel a OZ 8" & 10" x 13 wheels fitted with Avon slicks, Willans 6 point harness, 1600 crossflow, twin 45 Webers, Cosworth Dry Sump System. Also, enclosed trailer. 23' x 6' x 6' , 4 Wheel electric brakes, tapered front, colourbond white ribbed steel, dark blue around the bottom and mudguards, 2 side doors, 2 side windows, fold-down rear door, registration number K25315. Ph Peter Robinson 02 4933 8167 or 0411 487 640.210

Brabham BT16 F2,12.65, Lucas downdraft MAE Ford, orig cond, ex-Aust car. AUS$45,000. Ph 0011 64 9 274 8646 NZ or fax 0011 64 9 274 8642 NZ. 209

Historic MGTC, built by Bruderlin and Thomas. No 123, ex-Peter Candy, new Tate engine, super charged, new wheels, tyres, brakes. Excellent con dition. $39,500. Ph 03 9889 5777.209 Piranha P3 1997 F-Libre, Fresh-built Kawasaki 2ZR1100, many spares, wings, 3 sets of wheels, suspension, wets. Champion of Winton, 3rd 1998, 1st 1999, 2nd 2000. $15,500 ono. Ph Dennis 0417 01 1 652.210

250 International Superkart, Yamaha TZ 'J' model, new fairings, wing etc, in spotless condi tion with extensive spares kit, also very regretful sale. References available. $4000. Ph 02 6040 3020 or 02 6025 8386 ah (will take credit card payment). 209 Formula Libre Chassis (off road), $600 + $700 for front suspension no shocks + $700 for rear suspension no shocks Ph. 03 5664 4219.210

Super T10 race gearbox,'W ratio 4 speed 1st 2.64 2nd 1.75 3rd 1.33, magnesium case and tail housing, fresh build x USA $4800 contact Nev 0418 323 495.210 Fuel injection manifold, suit pre-injection Holden V8. 8 x 50mm throttles, trumpets, fuel rails, injectors, regulator, complete, just bolt on $1950. Ph 0417 326 171.210 Yella Terra, 3 alloy heads suit pre-injection Holden V8. Bare. New $2400, sell $1700. Can supply valves and springs. Yella Terra 5020 shaft type roller rockers suit Holden V8. New $1028, sell $400. Ph 0417 326 171.210 New Willwood 4 spot calipers, still in box with pads. $500 pair. Ph 02 6582 6062 or email for info scott_keys@hotmail.com. 210 Weld Pro Stars, 15x15 $600, Weld Draglites 15x12 $550, 31x13x15 Goodyear's 90% $600, McCreary 285x15 $300, 32x17x15 Goodyears $300, Ph BH 0413 336 631 AH 03 9300 2150 email jrm2142@hotmail.com. 210 Ford Gear reduction starter, $250, Strange 6.0 Pro Gears $450, 2x 1050 dominators $500 each. BH 0413 336 631 AH 03 9300 2150 email

^ I*

250 International Superkart, Yamaha TZ 'A' model, raced 5 times only, beautiful condition with extensive spares kit, very regretful sale, references available. $8800. Ph 02 6040 3020 or 02 6025 8386 ah (will take credit card payment). 209 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 4380.209

Parts Go Kart, Arrow AX6 with rebuilt engine. Complete with stand, lap timer, tacho and spares. Comes with custom-built 2 kart trailer. Like new. No more to spend. $4000. Ph 0407 512 648.209

Aluminium race seat with cover. Large $180 ono 500 Holly on John Cain 500 2 BrrI manifold $220 ono Ph. 0413 272 063.2.0 Supra 5 speed gearbox, to suit V8 Holden Commodore, complete with bell housing & clutch, low kms, $750, contact Nev 0418 323 495.2.0

Detroit locker, suit Torana Group Nc or any banjo, housing comes compiete with axles. $850. Ph 0417 059 902.209 l Air jacks, new/used, large range, most applica tions, quick release handles available, top quality. C.C.I. Ph 0418 925 767. l Clutches, 7.25, 5.5, 5.0 single, twin, triple plate, sintered or carbon, AP-Tilton-QM, new/used. Spare covers, rings, plates also avail able. CClPh 0418 925 767.

l Brake calipers, discs, pads. Mega range, new/used, exc condition - AP, Alcon, Brembo, Outlaw, Willwood. Overnight delivery. CCI Ph 0418 925 767.

Tachometer, Auto Meter Sport - Comp in dash 3 3/4" Brand new, never used, $160 Ph 02 9872 1660 210

heat exchangers, over 100 in stock. CCI Ph 0418 925 767.

BMW E30 parts, electric mirrors, rear suspension crossmember, rear bumper, steering wheel, driving lights, all cheap, exc cond, Ph 03 6394 4906 or 0407 543 006. 209

Tony Kart Esprit, raced at Oran Park by Jarno Trulii, last factory drive before he moved to F3, now FI, display or drive, $4000 ono ph 0419 423 734.210

Mazda BFMR, 5 spd 4WD gearbox $650. Complete diff assembly $250. Ph 0412 146 555.209 Muncie Super T10, out of S/Sedan. Timed gears complete with shifter. Low kms. $950. Ph 0417 059 902.209

jrm2142@hotmail.com. 210 Smiths chronometric tachos, 1 x 0-12,000 rpm with tell-tale, 1 x 0-10,000 rpm w/t/tale, both in working order. Also r/angle gear boxes RH & LH rotation. Phone Ray 0418 327 155 (Vic). 210 Mallory dual point Dissy, suit Holden 6 near new $180 ono. M20 6 CVC 4 speed gearbox & shift $300 ono. Torana race sump and large pick up $100. Ph 0413 272 063.210 Ford RS500 BBS 17" wheels, centrelock hubs, wheelnuts used & new, driveshafts, tailsh'aft, new steel flywheel, 1 pair Bilstein front inserts 351 c/203, dry sump pully Mondrel newSgall tank with heater 9" diff gears 2.75/3.25 used, 4.44'4.57 new, V8 Supercar front disc 141/2" rear 13 1/2" Ph 03 9359 6066

Alloy rim, 16x10, suit S/Sedan. $150 eac. Spax coil overs, 3 sets, $500. 13+14" composite 3 piece rim, early Holden/Torana $140 each. Ph 0417 059 902. 209

Ford unique parts, genuine Boss 302 heads, full reco and optimum porting. Boss 302 forged pis tons. 302W Keith Black pistons, 302W motorsport cam, Scheiffer alloy flywheel, stainless core-7SH plug lead. Ph 03 9587 3741.209 Simmons B45 15" mags, restored to mirror fin ish, centres stripped for colour coding, suit Mazda 4 stud, will swap for Sll, SHI rotary and gearbox. Will send COD. $850, be quick. Ph Chris 0417 431 945. 209

Perkins twin throttle body, manifold with cold air pick-up and filters. Suit Holden V8 $3250 ono. Ph 0417 512 285.209 MotEc 3D engine computer, with loom, hand controller, does everything including turbo boots, connects to lap top, was running 12A turbo, will swap for Sll, SHI rotary and gearbox, will send COD. Be quick, $950. Ph Chris 0417 431 945.209 Ford UK unique parts, genuine ZF diff centre. Genuine BDA cyl sleeves. 2 litre motoisport cam. Vanderweil twin cam bearings. Ph 03 9587 3741.209 Irving alloy head, suit Holden 6 cyl IncI inlet manifolds. Suit Webers, complete with roller rockers, EC. M21 gearbox, suit 6 cyl EC. Holden 6 cyl head special values. Ph 0418 828 787. 209 13x10 Avon slicks, used with rims 4 stud, suit Corolla, Nissan, Sigma pattern etc. $200.-Ph 0407 668 835.209

l Pedals, brake/clutch, floor mount/hanging, new/sued. Also available, bias valves, bias cables, master cylinders, reservoirs etc. CCI 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. CCI Ph 0418 925 767. l Oil coolers - heat exchangers, Earls, Setrab, Serck, 6-70 row, new/used, also used water to oil

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. CCI 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. CCIPh 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.

Speedway chassis with Pontiac body, was a light car, A5CF reg, not damaged, ideal board car $1300 or body $300. Plus four grain scales on wheels $1000. Ph 02 4572 5949. 210 Sprintcar 90 JSR, roller, complete less engine, with spares $7000 ono. Purpose-built Sprintcar trailer $2500 ono. Ph. 03 5567 6321 A/H. 210 AMCA National, ex-Aust 2 Vic li, competitive car, ready to race. Also a brand new car, 100% com plete, 2 chassis also available. Serious racers inspection a must. Ph Chris 0400 216 960.210

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motorsport news

MARKET PLACE Engines

e,rm

Lotus twin-cam engine, aii steel race engine, 45 DCOEs, wet on dry sump, compiete from $10000. Lotus twin-cam road engine from $5000. Lotus twin-cam head complete from $2000. All components fully rebuilt, negotiable. Ph 07 5463 6730 fac 07 5463 6772. 210 Boss 302,2x4 bolt blocks. Steel crank, heads etc. Offers. Ph 08 9045 4305 or fax 08 9045 4432. 210 AMCA National, complete car less engine. Enforcer chassis, new car with all he best gear (2 engines available). ALso tri axle trailer with tool boxes, tyre rack, new brakes, reg 11/01. Car $9000, trailer $3000, will sep. Contact Peter 03 9807 7073 A/H, or 0412 863 420. 210

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. roa

Litre Sprintcar, 94 High bar, A14 methanol carbs, Kirky seat, QC Hailbrand diff, spare wing, engine, wheels, ready to race on regis tered trailer. $5500 will trade for sprintcar roller Ph. 02 4647 8531 or 0402 293 3380. 210

Transporlers/Traners Purpose-built enclosed trailer, to suit Formula Vee, single axle, mag wheels, fold down rear door with built-in ramps, 9 mths, NSW rego. $2000 ono. Ph 0418 461 494.210 Tri-axle trailer, custom-built 2000 to suit FFord. Hydraulic brakes, lockable side access (both sides). Internal dimensions: width 1.8m, height 1.5m, length 4.5m weight est. 700kg. Two-part paint. Must sell. $6000. Steve 03 9460 8333(bus) 210

Super sedan, complete less motor, leaf spring wide 5 hubs, winter Q/C, Powerglide box, Willwood brakes, alloy rims. Complete with spares & moulds. $11,000. Ph 07 3267 8192 or 0419 382 769. 210

EASlEMCtin^ UH72*1K

Transporter for sale, ex-Wayne Gardner, exAlan Jones, built by Lusty. 3 cars, recondi tioned, change area, kitchen, airbed etc, Ph Garry 0413 879 879.210

Sprintcar JSR, roller, Winters diff, KSE, Pro shocks, weld, Duralite wheels, Willwood, good condition. $12,000. Ph 08 8250 7905. 209 Super Sedan Corvette '96, fully rebuilt, 3 shows old, live axle, knock off front, 364ci Chev, Brownfield alloy heads etc, C&S carby, all excellent cond, bert box, spare wheels, front end springs etc, great little front runner car. $25,000 ono. Ph 02 6368 2748. 209 . 1- W i 1 '●it '

Ex-Tony Longhurst transporter, is in good condition and features tyre racks, storage, belly lockers, aluminium ramps, a work bench and compressed airlines. $27,500. Ph Martin Wagg at Team JMC Porsche 0419 777 930. 209 Race car trailer, dual axle, electric brakes with o/ride, covered-in front, tyre rack. Brand new, cus tom-built, suit Commodore/Falcon/HQ. $4500. Ph 02 4577 2779 or 0407 272 165.209 Car tandem trailer, MRT banana back, mags, winch, brakes, reg, used twice. $1750. Ph 0409 465 837 or 03 9439 7667. 209

Speedcar roller, Gardner, Winters, Lee, FBI, Carrera, Sanders, alloy radiator, alloy helms, weld, new Kirkley seat, paint and powder coat, all good gear. $11,000. Ph 07 5498 9818 or 0417 784

VOOUIEA

997. 209

Super Sedan, VP Commodore, complete roller, some spares. $2500 ono, Ph 0408 475 662.209 Hino 6 cyl turbo diesel, 22 ft aluminum pantec, long range fuel tanks, 5000 lbs Warne winch, side lockers, annex, work bench, 12v-240v wired,

Fender Bender, 4 meets old, with spares, must sell, all offers considered, $1000 ono. Ph 02 4625 9478 or 0402 944 514. 209

6 July 2001

Honda generator, security system, custom cabi nets, 12 month registration. Genuine sale. $16,000. Ph Andrew ah 02 6021 6828 or 0412 741 874. email: aziems@goughgilmour.com,au 209 Coach/transporter, 1980 Bedford 500 diesel motor, front mobile home, rear entrance for Super Sedan, many extras, excellent condition $15,000 ono. Ph 02 4730 3440 or 0419 989 010.20s

O, Sponsor wanted, to help fund a Formula Vee team. First time racer and need some help. Ph 0403 593 256 or 02 6249 7834. 210

'J u

IBMW MPowel

Super Sedan, J Pyne chassis and AU Falcon, body kit interior. Excellent condition. $2500 ono. Ph 02 4730 3440 or 0419 989 010.209 Production Sedan Torana, 3.3, Torana box, P/Squicksteer, 15" wheels. Ford radiator and fans. Quick and reliable, all spares included. Must sell. $4500. Ph 03 5358 2528 or 0428 519 311. 209

v: / BMW 24 valve M5/M6 motor from '85 M5, Complete motor including exhaust and loom (no computer). Currently in parts ready for rebuild. $10,000 ono. Ph Tony 0408 316 457. rio Mazda 13B PP race engine, recent rebuilt, lightweight internals, steel flywheel, paddle clutch, Weber, long primaries exhaust, complete with all accessories, very good condition, $3600 ono. Ph 03 9484 2008, email simon.oaten@aer.com.au. no Toyota 3SGE-T, intercooler 5 sp, 4WD, still in front 1/2 cut ST185 GT4 Celica, complete front. $1850 ono. Ph 0412 146 555. m MG Midget race engine, the very best compo nents used. 8 port head etc, plus 5 speed c/r gear box. Fresh engine. Ph 0011 64 4 4762 682. roo Holden 308, 400hp, only raced 5 Supersprints, Yella Terra gold roller rockers, stainless valves, solid cam and lifters, forged flat top pistons, A9L rods. $4400. For more info call 0419 145 456. ro9

Hyper Stimulator Pro F1 with trailer, fully reconditioned simulator with twin axle trailer. Rare opportunity to own replica FI car along with PC, monitor and accessories. Simulator car can be used inside or outside the trailer. Trailer solidly built, tows well, includes power with doors that cna be used as a shelter. Trailer can be easily used to transport Formula Ford or similar race car or for merchandise transport. Offers may be considered to sell separately. Complete price $35,000. Ph CAMS 03 9593 7777 or email: marketing@cams.com.au 209 1:43rd models, collectors clear-out. Stewart, Clark and Coulthard. Matra, Tyrrell, March, Lotus, Williams. 9 items. Ph 03 6261 3408. 209 l Air Seat belt harnesses, 4 point, FIAapproved OMP 3-inch belts, suitable for almost all types of motorsport in red, blue or black.

Chev bowtie engine block, steel caps on all 5 journals. 0.060" bore, suit dry sump. $3200 ono. Ph 0412 399 020.209

Only $399. Mention this ad to get a free 'V type crutch strap valued at $89. Sam's Auto One. Ph 02 9633 2899. Mail and phone orders accepted, we will ship anywhere in Australia. Also have the best range of NGK racing spark plugs. 209 Motoring books and magazines, large run of Autosport 1968-1994. Autocar and The Motor UK 1950-1964, Racing Car News, various, Modern Motor 54-98. Ph 08 9279 7003 or fax 08 9377 3939. 209

Drags

Driving suits, top quality FIA imported suits at discounted prices. Many styles and sizes. Ph 02 6562 7762.209

Sprintcar engine, alloy Rodeck, 12 Brodix JE, Carillo, Summers Bros, Jessell, Gambler dry sump, Kinsler injection. $26,000. Ph 03 9796 2066 bh or 03 5942 7126 ah. 209

210" rear-engine dragster, fully enclosed trail er to suit, 350 Chev, Powerglide, SSoo Stall, All the good gear, Simpson, Autometer, Weld, Current Tech, Log Book, race ready, runs 8.7 at 150 all day. $25,000 call Fletch 03 5777 3530 210 HT Monaro, 10 point cage, aluminium radiator, ladder bar rear, M/W 35 spline axles and spool, rack and pinion, glass lift off front, doors, boot, $6500ono Ph. BH 0413 336 631 or AH 03 9300 2150 email jrm2142@hotmail.com. 210 2 S81S engineering J/D's, fit 6ft drivers, both with spare engines, run low lO's. $5000 each. First to sell recieves electric starter and trolley, and spares. Ph. BH 0413 336 631 or AH 03 9300 2150 email jrm2142@hotmail.com. 210

Other Automobile Yearbooks, 14-34 (1966-1986), good condition, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1963, no covers on these four books. $1800 ono Ph. 02 9987 0330.210 Michael Schumacher's Ferraris, Minichamps 1:43rd scale collection. From 1996, plus others. Private collection. Ph 0408 680 243.210 Formula One videos, full season, all races from TV, 96, 97, 98. $60 per year plus post, two races per tape. Ph Andrew 02 4948 4472.210 Biante Brock U GTR XU1 Torana, scale model $2800 ono Ph 03 9796 7592.210 Motor Racing Yearbooks, 11,12,13, $35 each. Plus Bathurst programmes '83,'84,'85, $30 each, or the lot $160, Ph 08 8389 1457 ah 210 Aral GP3K helmet, size XL (61-62), white, in good condition, $600, can send to anywhere in Australia, ph 07 3263 6919 or 0403 447 544. 210 Motoring books and magazines. Large run of Autosport 1968-1994, Autocar & The Motor UK 1950-1964, Racing Car News, various. Modern Motor 54-98, T. McGrath 08 9279 7003 fax 08 9377 3939.210

Race seats, brand new race seats, available at discounted prices, various styles and colours. Ph 02 6562 7762. 209 Hyper Stimulator, immaculate condition, extra wide and long version. Comes with moulded fibreglass seat and butterfly styled steering wheel with gear paddles behind and a pedal box. Works with all Windows 95/98/2000 computers and driv ing programs. Comes with orginal software from factory. Unpainted and unstickered. $1100 ono. Ph 02 46556 266.209 Race suits, 1 x RPM 2 layer, size M-L, red, brand new. $500. 1 x RPM 3 layer, size M-L, black and white, brand new. $700. Ph 0419 242 025. 209 Double layer race suit, $370, Ph 0407 668 835. 209

Wanted Falcon XE, Group A 19" rear wheels and tyres. Ph 03 9359 6066.210 2 Kart trailer, max height 1 .8 meters, wheel arches on outside, front and rear doors, not built on 6x4 trailer. Ph Robert 03 9568 1615 or 0414 528 381. 210 Sponsor required, for talented driver for Improved Production Car racing with an ex Group A Walkinshaw, ph 07 5577 1005. 210 Group C Touring Car, prefer pre 1980 3 litre or 2 litre car, happy to restore but must be basically complete with log book. Ph John 0416 060 220 or 02 6259 5688. 210 Hotwire 10 x 15 wheels, to suit Falcon. Gold or black centre. Ph 03 9359 6066. 210 Formula Ford, '89-'93, Must be good condi tion, pay cash, prefer R/F, Swift, Reynard. Ph 0407 713 700. 210 Magazines, Australian Motor, May, July and August 2000 editions. Ph John 07 3378 4635 or 0417 562 942.209

OPINION

■Mwsporl EDITORIAL STAFF

Editor: Phil Branagan Staff Journalist: Aaron Noonan Staff Journalist: Mark Glendenning

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CONTRIBUTORS

General; Grant Nicholas, Darryl Flack, Mark Jones, Jon Thomson FI: Joe Saward, Adam Cooper, Nick Garton Europe: Quentin Spurring, Gary Watkins US; Phil Morris Speedway: Brett Swanson, Julie Pearce, Geoff Rounds, Wade Aunger, Tony Millard (UK) Rally: Peter Whitten, Jon Thomson Histories: Brian Reed Drag Racing: Greg Ward, Jon Asher (USA), Dave Ostaszewski (USA), Nick Nicholas, Steven White, Ken Ferguson Super Speedway: Martin D Clark (USA) National: Mark Wicks, Sean Henshelwood, Michael Shaw Photographers: Sutton Motorsport Images, Dirk Klynsmith, Bothwell Photographic, Marshall Cass, Nigel Snowdon & Diana Burnett, AFl Images, Neil Hammond, Slipstream Photographic, Thunder-Pics, Phil Williams, Allsport, John Morris/Mpix, Frank Midgley, John Bosher, Lynley Reid, Mike Patrick (UK), Daniel Wilkins, Peter French, Chris Carter, James Smith Artist: Bernie Walsh Cartoonist: Allan Schofield Motorsport News is published by Australasian Motorsport News - ABN 55 125 120 702 Publisher: C Lambden Printed by: PMP Print 37-49 Browns Road Clayton 3168. Distributed by: NDD Ltd Material published by MOTORSPORT NEWS is copyright and may not be reproduced in full or in part without the written permission of the publisher. Freelance contributions are welcome, and while all care will be taken, Australasian Motorsport News does not accept responsibility for damage or loss of material submitted. Opinions expressed in Motorsport News are not necessarily those of Australasian Motorsport News or its staff.

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Evil Barry Part 1 Re: Comments made by Barry Sheene regarding the recent race meeting at Wanneroo Raceway. Firstly, I would like to ask what right Mr. Sheene has to make such comments on air? Is he on the Cochrane payroll, or does he work for Channel 10, employed to report on the V8 Supercar events and not get involved in political arguments devised to help further line the pockets of Mr. Cochrane at the expense of grass roots Australian motor sport? What a pack of lies. I was a spectator at that event and I have never been to a race meeting with so much atmosphere and seen so many true motorsport fans enjoying a top days racing. True, the WASCC were embarrassed by the huge crowd that turned out, and it was difficult to get in and out of the circuit, but surely this should be seen as a positive for all parties concerned and steps must be taken to make sure these problems do not occur again. Mr. Sheene’s comments about the toilets are totally incorrect. There are five toilet blocks in the paddock area, not two as reported, and regarding his comments about the price of food, I wonder if Mr. Sheene has ever had to pay for his lunch at any racetrack while working for Channel 10 or Mr. Cochrane? Dick Ward Yokine, WA.

Evil Barry Part 2

converter drinks. But after a couple of attempts and co-operation between the various parties, the Queensland Raceway problem is almost resolved. There is an obvious difference between the two situations: in Queensland, AVESCO have a vested interest - they have already taken a handout from the QLD government - so they have to co operate and make things work. Finally, why didn’t RPM give Wanneroo the opportunity to give their side of the story? Perhaps they are working for Cochrane too. Mike Heyman Melbourne, VIC

Seniors circuit

As we got near the circuit at Queensland Raceway about three weeks ago, race car in tow ready for a good weekend’s racing, we got held up in some traffic. “This is excellent,” I thought, “look at all these cars actually queuing to get into the circuit for a State Championship meeting. Wow, mayhe we are doing something right.” Wrong. All those WRXs and Hyundai Excels were actually going to the drags for a four-cylinder day thing. I found out later there was $12,000 in prizemoney being offered! Somewhat disappointed, I went

along to the drivers briefing a little later and looked around. More than half the drivers there had grey hair then it suddenly dawned on me. Circuit racing is for old people. With no sponsorship, no prizemoney and the horrendous cost of competing, they’re the only ones who can afford it. And this hasn’t been lost on the young who stay away in their droves. Maybe we need to re-focus our strategy for State level circmt racing. By the way, on the way out, I reckon there were more cars in the car park at the drags than there is at a V8 round. Brian Ferrabee (54 yrs) Worrybusters@aol.com

Desperately seeking Smokey

In your May 25 issue(MN #206), your article on the death of Smokey Yunick mentioned that he had an autobiography. I would like to know where and when it would be available. David McPherson Launton, QLD MG: Not sure whether Smokey’s book will be released in Australia. It’s a three-volume set, and pre release orders are being taken at his website (www.smokeyyunick.com). I hope you’ve been saving up though - the regular edition is priced at US $95, while the autographed ‘Collector’s Edition’ is US $250.

To the point

Is anyone out there taking hets on how long it will take Perkins, Grech and the other Pussies (Lions?) to start whingrng about parity ? Surely after three in a row, it is time for Hhh-Hho-Hold (can't say that word) to put forward thier annual requisition/legal threat etc. for an advantage at the Mountain? Peregrine baileyw@towers.com

Is Barry Sheene on the payroll? Surely this must have appeared to be the case to any viewer who watched RPM last Sunday. Sheene delivered a tirade of complaints about Wanneroo relating to exorbitant food prices, spectators being turned away, toilet facilities and generally sub standard conditions for the paying public. Then Mr Cochrane appears, playing Mr Nice Guy, proceeding to explain how the WA Sporting Car Club had tried, but ultimately the sport had outgrown the facility. The only option left was for the WA government to bankroll a street race. “After all, look what the Rally of Australia has done for the State.” A similar situation existed with Queensland Raceway - in fact, far worse. People could not get in, some drivers almost missed qualifying and they made you leave yoiir eskys of food and drink at the How far is too far? Todd Kelly gives Barry some tips about where to find gate so you were forced to buy cheap food and toilets without queues at last year's GMC 400. (Photo by Slipstream Photographic) their gold-plated hot dogs and motorsport news

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