Motorsport News Issue 261 - July 9-22, 2003

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maMrsport Issue 261

9-22 JulV 2003

news and opinion 4

Peter wants in Brock speaks on ownership

6

Battling Back Canto keeps his seat for the season

10 #46 retires at 46 Faulkner hangs up the helmet. Sob 12 Brit Supercars No, ICS does not mean “I Crash Sierras' 16 Gronhoim quit threat At least, it sounded like he said that...

23 Motor Mouth Lambden qualifies for long service leave 24 Box Seat Saward talks Aussie about Stoddy 82 Talk Converter So, why didn't

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Ifolden Ownership:

by CHRIS LAMBDEN

MARK Skaife was due to track test HRT's first built-from-scratch VY

; THiE saga of the ownership of the Clayton-based Holden V8 Supercar > teams continues, meeting was held last Friday between TEGA Chairman Kelvin

in Centre Road, Clayton.

All three team.s, Flolden Racing Team,Team Brock and Kmart Racing, and their respective prospective owners, Mark Skaife, Kees Weel and

! O'Reillv, Holden's Ray Borrettand lawyers representing both parties. : "We met with Rav Borrett at their

John and Margaret Kelly, are believed to have been required to clarify details of their submissions to the

, request to further re\'iew the matters ■ that the TEti.A Board had advised the

TEGA Board prior to being approved as team owners.

prospective new owners that we of concern in their proposed relationship rvith Flolden and Holden Motorsport," ^ said O'Reillv.

As well, there is now the prospect that Peter Brock may become in\ olved as a team owmer in some capacity (see separate storv).

While O'Reilly and the TEGA Board are obviously anxious to see the whole matter settled, no deadline

"I feel we made some ground and we are expecting revised draft documentation to be provided by the end of this week."

O'Reilly would give no further .information regarding the matters, ; other than the fact that the meeting was "long and detailed".

However, Motorsport News beliexes that there is a substantial list of items : of which TEGA has requested further information. These range from the nature of the sponsorship and ; technical arrangements the teams have with Holden and Flolden Motorsport, ■ and each other; the level of autonomv that the teams will have under the proposo'd arrangements put forward in i the teams' proposals; and the location of the teams in the same busine.ss park

per se has been set for the resolution of the matters and all three teams will continue to run as thev have since the start of the season.

Unfortunately, in the case of TB and KRT, that means that no testing logs have yet been issued and that the teams' driver.s, Jason Bright and Paul Weel, and Greg Murphy and Rick Kelly, are not vet able to test their cars away from race meetings.

That latter fact is also thought to be delaying the teams from finalising their driver pairings for the endurance races, starting at Sandown in September.

-PHIL BRANAGAN

Commodore on Tuesday, as MNews hit the presses.

Delayed some months due to the pressures of racing, and supplying two associate teams, the new car

will debut without the new-spec Holden Motorsport engine.

It will, in all other respects, be a full-on VY. As Skaife explained (see Five Minutes with Mark Skaife,

page 26): "It makes a difference, in terms of the roll cage is constructed at the front - without having to accommodate fiont strut towers.

The engine is also in a different location, so there's a number of subtle differences between it and the interim car. And we've also had to allow for putting both the current and new engine into this car."

Without pre-judging the outcome of the preliminary testing, the defending V8 Supercar champion is clearly hoping the car will be reliable enough and fast enough to debut at the next round of the V8 championship,in a fortnight, at Queensland Raceway.

It replaces his current converted VX, which is now quite long in the tooth, in racing terms; it made its debut at the 2001 Queensland 500 in the hands of Skaife and Jason Bright.

"The car I've been using is twoand-a-half years old. Our original

plan was to roll the new car out at

the start of the year, which just shows how late we've been with VY," he said.

"However, we've got a number of good, little technical things in the new car, plus the fact that chassis development has come on a bit in two-and-a-half years.

"We're in the business of turning out cars that are, hopefully, faster than the previous ones, so you'd hope that a two and a half year up grade on our lead car would offer us some gain!"

A successful test will come as good news for team-mate Todd Kelly, whose car was substantially damaged in a shunt in Darwin.

Unless there is a hitch with the new VY, Kelly is likely to take over Skaife's existing car as the team has yet to decide on the viability of rebuilding his damaged hybrid VY. It sustained damage to most of the chassis rails, the diff housing, and right-front suspension, as well as a creased floor.

Kelly's old car was the oldest that the team has. HRT 043 was built as a VT for Craig Lowndes, prior to being updated to a VX. After Rick Kelly made his first appearance in the car at the end of 2001, it was

'rested' and used as the team's spare last season until the crew updated it to VY specs last summer.

So the team's first purpose-built VY has a lot of fine car history to live up to ...

Holden saga: Brock wani

PETER Brock is a serious late entry into the team ownership melting pot as the saga surrounding the sale of the teams formerly owned by TWR forges on.

Confirmation of Brock's interest comes hot on the heels of an unconfirmed rumour that the former racing legend would cement a deal that would see his name depart from the team currently owned and operated

by Kees Weel and merge with the current Kmart team.

The marketing and merchandising opportunities alone offered by a Brock/Kmart marriage would be considerable.

Since it was announced that John and Margaret Kelly, parents of Todd and Rick, had 4

agreed to buy the Kmart team and would buy Bob Forbes's 00 Motorsport Level 1 franchises to operate it under, the TEGA Board has been embroiled in discussion as to the bona tides and/or desireability of the arrangement.

At the same time, Kees Weeks potential purchase of John Faulkner's two Level 1 franchises to run 'Team Brock' under, is also under the microscope.

Enter Brock.

"TEGA clearly isn't happy about some aspects of all this and asked me to go in and talk to them. They wanted to know how I'd approach running a modern team, I told them, they asked if I'd like to do it, I said

motorsport news

NEWS

Ambrose Beater?

HRT prepares its first 'proper'Commodore VY for Skaifey

f

Ross joins the gang AS if he hasn't got enough on his plate, what with Ambrose and Ingall and that Winterbottom lad, we hear that Ross Stone is now a member of the Touring Car Entrants' Group Board.

Stone takes the seat previously occupied by fellow Ford team owner.

Bob Forbes, who has stood down following his decision to sell his Level 1 licences. n Konica front-runner Mark Porter has confirmed he will be driving for a Level 1 team in the Sandown and Bathurst endurance races this year.

The Kiwi was very tight lipped on the deal, ony confirming that it was signed and awaiting an announcement. n Cameron McLean has driven 11 V8 Supercars in 2003 but does not have a Championship point to his name! The ex-VIP Petfoods driver has been lending a hand to Mark Howard, Brett Peters , David Thexton and a host of other drivers this year, keeping match fit while tutoring the V8 newcomers.

Hurry up, this one's for the Boss: Skaife's new Commodore VY

n Ford Performance Racing driver Craig Lowndes has re-signed a personal sponsorship agreement with leading automotive accessories retailer Autobarn for a further two years. Craig has been a integral part of Autobarn's nationwide advertising campaign for the past year.

features a number of changes, most notable that the front end of the roll cage not longer has to accommodate the old shock towers of the VT/VX model.

Upgrade me to HRT 1.03: Kelly's VY, which crashed in the third race at Hidden Valley, will need a substantial rebuild.

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ts in on ownership 'absolutely' and it has gone on from there," Brock confirmed to MNews.

Brock has spoken with Holden about the concept and told MNews this week that he had the necessary funding in place to make it happen.

"Above all, this has to be resolved soon, because it's killing two teams. Neither has been able to go out and test since the start of the year. I can't believe it's taken this long - and the thing is still unresolved. It has to be rectified."

Brock's entry into the team ownership story comes as he expresses some frustration with the current Team Brock set-up: "There's no doubt that there are times when it's difficult,

9 July 2003

when decisions are being made relating to an organisation that has your name attached to it, yet you're not responsible for those decisions," he said.

"When something's got your n

Above all, this has to be resolved soon, because it's killing two teams ff

-Peter Brock name on it, you want to have some control over it."

The current Team Brock arrangements follow the dissolution of a three-way partnership with Ron Harrop and Rod Nash, which ran a single car team in 2002.

Brock's comments add some credence to the Kmart rumours (above) although he was quick to pencil in a 'no comment' on that specific suggestion.

"There'is however an outcome or two which, if either happened, it would be something that many hadn't really considered to date," is all Brock would say.

In the meantime, the talking continues. Holden Motorsport boss Ray Borrett spent some hours in meetings with TEGA's Kelvin O'Reilly last week as the pair addressed what has been described as a 'substantial list' of queries relating to the proposals already on the table (see separate story).

-CHRIS LAMBDEN

n Hands up if you want one Australian Pirelli Motorsport Distributor, Rod Wilson has announced the addition of a new range of safety products under the recently formed Motorsport Innovations banner, which includes the famous HANS device by Schroth.

Wilson's Motorsport Innovations expects to be fully geared and trained to install HANS by the end of August. n More fines were handed out at Darwin after the sixth round of the Supercar season. Anthony Tratt was fined $500 for not attending a drivers briefing while Dick Johnson Racing and Garry Rogers Motorsport were fined $750 each for their drivers not attending a autograph signing session.

But the weirdest incident occurred between the Team Dynamik cars of Simon Wilis and Jason Richards.

Simon Wills apparently failed to obey the proper directions or instructions of an official after an incident the pair, which ended with car #44 catching fire! n After this one week cycle (to better align publication dates with major events for the second half of the year) MNews now returns to its regular fortnightly schedule. The next issue will thus appear on Wed July 23.

5

Yes, it has been 10 years since we launched Motorsport News and here are some of the messages we have received.

Ten years I Motorsport News is a publication I've always asssociated with the words 'honesty' and 'integrity'. I thoroughly support your venture.

Peter Brock Ten years in any industry is a great milestone but in the tough league of the Australian motorsport media, I think that you have done a great job to achieve your 10th anniversary.

Allan Moffat Congratulations to Motorsport News on reaching its 10th anniversary.

It is the best motorsport magazine in Australia as it covers everything from Formula One, Sportscars V8, rallying, club racing, speedway to bikes and the balance is spot-on.

Second NZ Tilings race closer Six contenders for 2006 V8 race

by PHIL BRANAGAN

potential second NZ race in 2006," affirmed Cochrane."We want to have

A SECOND V8 Supercar round in New Zealand moved a step closer to fruition this week, AVESCO Chairman Tony Cochrane crossing the Tasman to discuss the potential event with a number of parties.

Cochrane flew to NZ last Monday, primarily to discuss a new television contract to take affect at the start of the 2004 season. Cochrane said that AVESCO was seeking a new four-year deal.

two years' notice for the race,should it happen."

Cochrane said that the potential event could be either on a street race

'We wiU be interviewing for a

or held on a permanent racetrack.

"There are six hands in the air for a race and four of those are permanent racetracks. Whatever happens, we will not be making any announcement about an event until February, 2004."

Should the race happen,it would likely be held back-to-back with the current race in Auckland.

DEAN Canto will remain with the Briggs Motorsport V8 Supercar team for the rest of the season.

Canto, 22, was put 'on notice’ for the Darwin round of the Championship Series, prior to which team principal John Briggs had been in contact with a number of drivers regarding unseating to former Konica V8 Series champion.

However, Canto performed well at Hidden Valley, taking 14th overall and will remain with the team for the rest of the season.

"He will be staying with the team," said BMS spokesman Colin Speairs on Monday.

"We think it's important to have a little bit of stability in the team."

Mark Webber Congratulations on 10 years of stupendous service to the motor racing industry and well done. I look forward to the 20th year celebration.

Greg Murphy Congratulations Motorsport News on your 10-year anniversary. You're the only magazine that covers Speedway and recognises it for what it is, a great crowd-pulling sport. It's a creditable magazine, with all the info I need, home and abroad. I look forward to another 10 years of Motorsport News reading ...

Brooke Tatnell I am an Australian living abroad, so now more than ever, I admire and respect the way MNews supports the Aussie drivers and riders overseas. It helps our guys in their quest for world-wide success and when people like Mark Webber, who has finally made it, do so the staff at MNews can sit back and be proud.

Well done gang, and I look forward to another 10 years of reading.

Leigh Diffey SPEED Channel Commentator 6

Move a bit to the north, sweetie: Ingall has been in Far North Queensland checking out... the next street race?

Ingall checks out Townsville A V8 Supercar race at Townsville is looking more likely following a fact-finding trip to the Queensland town two weeks ago by Russell Ingall.

The Stone Brothers Racing driver trekked north to visit the site of the proposed track last month.

Ingall describing the layout as "having potential".

"It does need a bit of work but it certainly is interesting," Ingall said.

"It's a little bit like Wellington; it has the same sort of feel, because it is near the coast. It has a good straight and a combination of wide-open areas and others that go between buildings."

AVESCO Chairman Tony Cochrane said that there was strong local support for a race in Townsville.

"There are a number of people working diligently

towards hosting a race in the future," he said.

"There seems to be a fair amount of private money in their bid."

One thing that appeared to be working against a potential Townsville race was the attitude of the Queenslands Events Corporation, which at Queensland Raceway last year had a public fallingout with the V8 Supercar body. However, Cochrane's latest comments appear to have put that to rest.

"They might be there (on the calendar) for next season, or the season afterwards," said Cochrane.

"There will be no increase in the number of rounds, 13, for at least the next two seasons; TEGA's members have requested that AVESCO ensure that."

- PHIL BRANAGAN

motorsport news

NEVUS

Todd goes AWOL TODD Wanless was missing from the Konica V8 meeting at Phillip Island due to business commitments. The Metalcorp Recyclers Falcon driver has every intention of returning to the series at Winton on August 3. n Former Touring Car driver Charlie O'Brien will step into a Carrera Cup Porsche for the remainder of this season.

The 48-year-old Gold Coast resident will team up with Lyall Williamson's International Motorsport NZ and received his first taste of Porsche power in the official Carrera Cup test at Queensland Raceway on Monday.

—* John Morns/Mpix

Dumbrell to keep VX?

PAUL Dumbrell may race a Commodore VX for the remainder of the season.

The Castrol Perkins rookie, who will share his drirdng duties with Tomas Mezera at Sandown and Bathurst, may not step into the team's new Commodore VY until the 2004 season.

Team boss Larry Perkins confirmed on Monday that the newer car was nearing completion and may,if needed, be race-ready in time for the Oran Park round of the V8 Supercar Championship Series on August 16/17.

"I have to read my rules carefully," said Perkins. "If we run it once, I believe that we might have to stick with it for the rest of the season. I will have to check that with my

friends at TEGA." Perkins said that, so far, there had been little to choose between the on-track performances of die VXs and the VY's.

"The deciding factors could be the fact that we have about three cars(VXs)and 15 or so engines, and about 5000 parts and they are all good."

Perkins said that he thought that Dumbrell would stay in the car for the time being.

"You never know what is going to happen but I would not think that it is likely - it is extremely unlikely - that Tomas could have a drive," he said."You never know, Richo might break his arm,but I don't think so ..."

n PROCAR have announced , capacity fields for round five of the Australian GT Performance Championship and Australian Production Car Championship at Oran Park this weekend.

The PROCAR meeting will also include the all-new Australian Porsche Drivers' Challenge. n Will Power's confidence continues to climb after a successful British F3 test at Snetterton last week. Power ended the day with the fourth quickest time of lm02.79s in his Fortec Dallara, just under two tenths slower than Adam Carroll's timesheet-topping 1m02.60s.

Both Power and fellow Aussie Will Davison, who already has a win in the series under his belt this year, will be back on the track for the next round of the British F3 series at Oulton Park this weekend. n The wildcard riders in the next round of the Superbike World Championship at Laguna Seca this weekend are Suzuki Yoshimura's Mat Mladin and Aaron Yates, Kawasaki USA's Eric Bostrom and Giovanni Bussei, who recently replaced Anthony Gobert at the Ducati Austin team.

H Australian 125cc bikes will be a support category for this year's SKYY Vodka Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island on October 19. In what effectively is a straight swap from 2002, the Aussie 125 combatants will replace-250cc Production machines on the support class program, and will square off in four races before the three main MotoGP events get underway.

I am just getting used to this one: Castrol Racing's Paul Dumbrell has had to endure a tough maiden season in the V8 Supercar Championship Series and may stay in a Commodore VX for the remainder of the year.

9 July 2003

n Canadian CART series leader Paul Tracy celebrated his 200th start at Cleveland with a bike ride around the circuit, with 200 other cyclists following. Led by the CART pace vehicle, the bikers completed their lap of the Burke Lakefront Airport circuit before Tracy went on to claim provisional pole and finished second.

7

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Are our faces red with embarassment? We could not fit all the messages in one column -so we had to make room for a few more.

BRITISH American Racing had its practice and qualifying sessions in France disrupted after its cars were seized last Thursday.

French-Canadian businessman France Corbcil has been in dispute with tire team for some time about a

From the old Formula Ford days to the present, the faces at Motorsport News have not changed that much, and they are some of the few journalists I usually talk to! We have not had a fight over all the years, which is amazing, and a rarity.

Well done on your anniversary. Even though we give journalists a hard time, you are the people behind the scenes that give the punters the insight into what happens in the sport.

Russell Ingall Congratulations. I think that everyone at AVESCO and in V8 Supercar racing knows that Motorsport News deserves all the support it gets and the support from the public.

Tony Cochrane Congratulations on making it to 10. I am an ardent reader (and buyer!) of the magazine and one thing that Motorsport News has always been is . professional. The magazine always looks good and the guys have always been fair with the drivers - and that means a lot. I look forward to many more.

Wayne Gardner Great effort Motorsport News, it certainly doesn't seem like 10 years. It has special significance to me because it was the year when 1 won my first ARC title. As a former columnist in Motorsport News, I wish you all the best for the future.

Nea! Bates When Motorsport News first hit the street, it was a transformation in the way motorsport was reported in this country with lots of detail and in depth knowledge, written by true enthusiasts actively involved in the sport.

It is great to see the tradition continuing a decade on.

Congratulations and keep up the good work.

Ed Ordynski

GRAND PRIX AIR CANADA 2003

A man and his mates: Stoddy's approach has won him few friends amongst the FI team boss fraternity - but frankly, we doubt that he cares about that very much ...

Stoddy's Game

"We have a rule that has been PAUL Stoddart's threat to run his Minardi's without launch there for many years saying that and traction control at all driver aids are prohibited," FIA President Max Mosley told Silverstone next week may come to nothing. ^ the media in Magny Cours.

The Australian team owner "If there were a protest it would be a matter for the has a two-hour meeting at stewards."

Magny Cours on Sunday Our sources say that the morning and said that his threatened action, which could meeting in Magny Cours was a lively affair, with several team have seen him protest every bosses accusing Stoddart of other car on the grid, may not trying to blackmail them. come to pass.

Stoddart made his threat Stoddart says that he is simply fighting for what he was against the background of his promised and says he has very continuing fight for money which little choice. Stoddart says he he says was promised to him has documentary evidence to last winter as part of the soback up all of his claims. called 'fighting fund'. Various Stoddart's concern is that the other team bosses say that sport's smaller teams may face Stoddart has no right to any economic extinction and, faced money because the deal was conditional on the rules with the possibility of the grid reducing to only eight teams, remaining the same. having the bigger teams run three Stoddart has responded by cars each (which they could afford saying that if this is the case he to do) would block the remaining will not support the changes smaller teams out of the points, which the big teams want, which include the continued use leading to their demise. of traction-control in 2003 and The problem is that the big FI teams are not involved in the new rear bodywork in 2004.

Formula 1 to ensure that the But it appears that, following sport survives. They are there to the Sunday meeting, Stoddart will back down and the black and win and do not appear to care if this causes the sport to die. white cars will run as they were The only way that this can be in France while he negotiates stopped by the FIA, which is not the next part of his pursuit of the allowed to intervene in 'fighting fund' money. commercial matters, is for the Leaving the issue open stil l rules to be changed to cut costs further will serve no purpose at and thus help the small teams to all because the FIA says that it survive and thus reduce the will uphold the rules as they stand and those rules do not advantages enjoyed by those allow for traction-control from with the most money.

JOE SAWARD/STAFF the British GP onwards.

five-year deal with Teleglobe, which he claims Ms PPGI company negotiated for BAR in 1999. The deal was worth an estimated US$12m (AUD$17.5m)a year and the commission on the deal claimed by CorbeU is around US$3.2m (AUD$4.7m).

Some weeks before the Monaco GP, Corbeil tried and failed to get a court order to seize BAR equipment at that event. After that there were talks with Corbeil and,in expectation of a hearing in June, BAR says that it agreed with Corbeil for there to be no further legal actions until the end of June.

BAR claims that tMs agreement was broken by Corbeil, and as a result bailiffs arrived in the Magny Cours paddock and seized the BAR equipment with an order from the Commercial Court in Nevers. The following morning,BAR went to court and the order was lifted when the court niled that the issue was not

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Decisions; Being Webber's team mate didn't help Yoong or Pizzonia's reputation much. On the other hand, the Jag does look nice ... motorsport news

NEWS

i BARS

Marko’s chance

briefly

WILLIAMS is to give Estonian racer Marko Asmer his first proper FI test this week in Barcelona this week.

The youngster has already tested for the team doing aerodynamic test at the Vairano testing facility in Italy, The team is keen to see how Asmer does, as his application and feedback impressed the team at Vairano.

Asmer is a protege of Harald Huysman, who helped develop the career of Jenson Button. n The crowd at Magny Cours this year was around 10,000 down on last year. The race drew an official crowd of 101,326 this year compared to 110,000 last year. Most of the races this year have had smaller crowds than in recent years with the likely explanation being the state of the world economy.

one for the commercial court but rather for a civil court.

David Richards, the boss of BAR, then launched a withering attack on PPGI,saying that BAR would take action against Corbeil for the damage he had caused the team during the weekend and for what it claimed were defamatory statements made by Corbeil.

"It was a complete abuse of the French legal system," Richards said, "and one has to question the morals of

ing Green?

THERE are rumours in Formula J circles that Sauber driver Nick Heidfeld is going to be recruited next year by Jaguar Racing to replace Antonio Pizzonia.

Heidfeld is nearing the end of his contract with Sauber and is looking to see what else is available, MercedesBenz is believed to have an option on his services for one more season but it is unlikely that company is going to take up the option.

That will only happen if there is a customer supply of engines to another team and although such a deal has been discussed with Jordan it remains to be seen whether this will become a reality.

Heidfeld has done well at Sauber against highly-rated team-mates Kimi RaiKkonen and Felipe Massa, although there remain doubts as to whether he is a Grand Prix winner. He is, however, highly experienced and a good team player and the presence of a German in the team would help to boost the profile of Jaguar products in Germany, one of the company's key target markets.

- JOE SAWARD

9 luiy 2003

the people involved. Now we are going to go for damages against them."

CorbeU was willing to give up, however,and went to the civil court in Nevers on Friday afternoon and as a result of this hearing bailiffs turned up at the circuit on Sunday evening.

"BAR is completely within its rights under French law to remove its cars and equipment from the circuit and return to the UK in order to prepare them for participation in the

n A delegation from Shanghai was present at the French Grand Prix on Sunday and it seems that the Chinese are currently still discussing possible dates for the inaugural Chinese Grand Prix, which is scheduled to take place next year. It is expected that the event will either be at the end of September, possibly on the date currently belonging to Indianapolis or in October.

It IS possible that the Chinese and Japanese races will be linked and that Indianapolis could become the closing race of the season.

British Grand Prix," BAR said in a statement.

"Any suggestion that this action is contrary to French law or any orders that PPGI may have obtained is totally false."

The team reiterated its intention to take punitive action against PPGI for the damage caused. .The case is due to be heard on October 15 in a Monaco court, after the summer recess.

- JOE SAWARD

1 »

I

Nose job, Michael-style MARK Webber absolved Michael Schumacher from blame for the bizarre pit lane collision that damaged his Jaguar in Friday morning's free practice for the French Grand Prix.

Ferrari was fined $15,000 by the stewards of the meeting, who said it was to blame for releasing the German into the path of the Jaguar “when it was unsafe to do so.” . ' “I certainly do not hold him responsible,” said a bemused Webber.

“Ferrari was obviously undertaking some pit-stop practice and, as I approached Michael in the pit lane, the lollipop man lifted the lollipop and gave the ‘go’ signal to Michael. As it happens, I was driving past and he took my front wing off. I understand the FIA have fined Ferrari and as far as I’m concerned, that's the end of it - these things happen.’

Webber’s primary concern, once the dust had settled, was the fact that the damaged front wing was of a new spec and its destruction left the team in a difficult position spares-wise.

“I couldn't really afford to damage another one, let’s put it that way,’ he told MNews.

n Accoiding to reports in the Italian newspaper Corners della Sera, Flavio Briatore is planning to start his own airline, flying rich punters from Milan and Rome to the Costa Smeralda in Sardinia. If it happens, it would put Briatore in competition with the Aga Khan's Meridiana, which has failed to make money on the routes in recent years and has been for sale for some time.

The airline business is currently very flat and one can buy aircraft for very little but the cost of running an airline is high and there are many complications in trying to start an airline business, not least the need for an operating licence, which is worth around US$20m lAUD$29m).

The newspaper said that Briatore would have first class only planes (similar to an idea tried by Paul Stoddart) and that the airline would be called Billion Air. n The Le Mans-winning Bentley sportscar will appear at British Grand Prix with a demonstration run for the fans. The lap of honour will take place on Sunday morning.

The event will also boast a full range of support races, an air display from the Red Arrows and the post race Grand Prix party, which will be headlined by another British institution, the rock band Status Quo. - JOE SAWARD 9

home of

motorsport] 2003 V8 Supercar Championship* Jul 20 ... .OLD Raceway

.Rd7

Aug 17 .. .Oran Park

.Rd8

Sep 14 ...Sandown Oct 12 Bathurst

,Rd 10

Rd9

Oct 26 ... .Surfers Paradise ....

.Rd 11

Nov 9 ... Pukekohe

.Rd 12

Nov 30 .. .Eastern Creek

.Rd13

2003 Konica V8 Series* .Rd5

Aug 3 ... .Winton

Rd6

Aug 30 .. .Mallala Oct 11 ... .Bathurst

.Non Championship

2003 FIA Formula One 1 Jul 20 .

Championship* ....Rd 11 .Silverstone .

I Aug 3 .

.Hockenheim

Rd 12

1 Aug 24

Rd 13

I Sep 14

.Hungaroring .Monza . , .

J Sep 28 I Oct 12 .

.Indianapolis .Suzuka . . . .

Rd 15

Rd 14 Rd 16

2003 CART Championship* .Rd 10

Jul,13 ... .Toronto ....

Jul Z1 ... .Vancouver . ,

.Rd 11

Aug 3 ... .Elkhart Lake

Rd 12

2003 IRL Championship* Rd9 Jul 19 ... .Nashville ..

Jul 27 . . . .Michigan ..

,Rd 10

Aug 10 .. .Gateway ..

.Rd 11

Aug 17 .. .Kansas City

.Rd 12

2003 MotoGP Championship* ,Rd 8 .. .Donnington Park

Jul 13

Jul 27 .. . .Sachsenring ...

,Rd9

Aug 17 .. .Brno

,Rd10

Sep 7 . . . .Estoril

.Rd 11

2003 World Rally Championship* .Rd8

July 27 ...Germany Aug 10 ...Finland .

,Rd9

Sep 7 . , .Australia

,Rd 10

2003 Australian Rally Championship Aug 10 .. .Rally Of S.A Ocl5 .Melbourne

Rd4 . Rd5

Nov 16 .. .Tasmania

. Rd6

2003 Pro<ar Championship ,Rd 5 Jul 11 . .. Oran Park ..

Aug 8 . . . Phillip Island

.Rd 6

Sep 19 . . .Winton ....

Oct 23 .. . .Gold Coast .

,Rd 7 Rd 8

rten1 L

I

home of

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

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

Va/e

Bill Reynolds WE are sad to report the passing of BHI Reynolds, designer and builder of Wren Formula Fords, who died in early June at the age of 79.

Bill was among the sma enthusiastic group who began Formula Ford in this country and was the first Australian chassis builder, with three Wren chassis appearing among the grid of 10 cars at the first Australian race at Sandown in November 1969.

Bill was actively involved in the organisation of the category in the early years and was an original committee member. Fie was awarded Life Membership of the Association in recognition : of his efforts.

As well as designing and building chassis, Bill spent a lot of time building engines, one of which took Jeff Summers to victory in the 1982 Driver to Europe Series.

Shortly before his death the 'Formula Ford Australia committee sought Bill's permission to name the n annual Constructor's Trophy in his honour. We extend our sympathy to Bill's family and many friends.

- ROB SIMPSON

Time for a change of luck: In his 20th Bathurst, Glenn Seton, right, will be looking for some help from Craig Lowndes to get win #1.

Lowndes, Seto Saddle Up FORD Performance Racing will team its aces, Craig Lowndes and Glenn Seton, in the endurance races.

Lowndes, a two-time Bathurst winner, will share the team's CAT-sponsored Falcon BA with Seton, who will be searching for his first win in his 20th Bathurst start.

"Glenn Seton would have to be the best driver who has never won at Bathurst," Lowndes said, "Fie has had some terrible luck there and it would be fantastic to be a part of his first success there, as we will be major contenders. I'm absolutely

delighted with this pairing."

Seton says that the race "can't come soon enough."

"For as long as I can remember I have wanted to win at Bathurst," he said. "This year I have the best chance of making this dream a reality by being partnered with one of the best drivers in the country."

The team's second entry will be shared by David Besnard and Owen Kelly. Ironically, both drove for Seton's team at Bathurst last season, Besnard replacing Kelly after he became ill the day before the race.

- PHIL BRAIMAGAIM

moiorsport news

NEWS JOHN Faulkner has driven his last V8 Supercar race.

Faulkner, who now runs the Holden Young Lions program from his Queensland base, said last week that he would not be driving in the V8 Supercar enduros at Sandown and Bathurst.

"I am past it," the New Zealand-born driver said last week.

"There was something there, if I wanted to do the enduros, but I am not that enthusiastic, to be honest.

"What I want to do now is to run the (HYL) program and see the young guys move through. I have had a good run and I have no regrets."

Faulkner, who turns 47 next month, had a successful

career with Team Toyota Australia before turning to V8 Supercars. He won his class in the Bathurst 1000 in 1986 and '88 and then turned his hand to Thunderdome racing, finishing third in the 1994/95 championship and third the following year in NASCAR. He moved into V8 Supercars in 1996, driving an ex-Peter Brock/Holden Racing Team Commodore. He won the 1997 Privateers' Championship in the ATCC,always running under his familiar number 46.

Faulkner, who earlier this year sold his two Level 1 licences to Kees Weel's Team Brock, will continue to run the HYL Konica entries of Dale Brede and Tony D'Alberto.

So,who'd ya get?

Endurance V8 Supercar lineups taking more shape

THE V8 Supercar endurance teams' line-up is looking a little clearer, with a number of teams due to test potential drivers this week.

Both Larkham Motorsport and Briggs Motorsport were due to run drivers at Queensland Raceway today (Wednesday), with both teams looking at a number of candidates.

LMS will pair regular drivers Mark Larkham and Jason Bargwanna in the team's lead entry, which is likely, but not certain, to be a new BA. The team has a completed bodyshell in its Gold Coast HQ but is in the process of finding time to get the car completed and tested prior to the Sandown 500 endurance race on September 12-14.

While the team would not name its likely drivers for the second entry, a spokesman did say that they were also going to keep an eye on other drivers testing at QR for otiier teams.

Briggs's situation is similar in that regular dri\'ers Paul Radisich and Dean Canto will share a Barra in the endurance races but the team is still searching for a co-driver to partner Phillip Island Konica victor Matthew V\Tiite in the other BA. With that in mind, the team was due to test Phillip Scifleet, former Formula Ford champion Adam Macrow and Alan Simonsen at QR. The latter is an interesting addition. The Danish-born driver made a substantial impression driving a Group 2 Ferrari 360 Challenge in Iris Nations Cup debut at Albert Park in March and, despite having no V8 Supercar experience, it does show that he is well thought of by any team willing to 'think outside the loop' when testing drivers.

9 July 2003

Probable Endurance Lineups

Mark Skaife/Jim Richards “ Holden Racing Team Commodore VY 2 Todd Kelly/Tony Longhurst Holden Racing Team Commodore VY 3 Cameron McConviile/Tim Leahey Lansvale Smash Repairs Commodore VX 4 Marcos Ambrose/Russell Ingail Pirtek/Caltex SBR Falcon BA 5 David Besnard./Owen Kelly Ford Performance Racing Falcon BA 6 Craig Lowndes/Glenn Seton CAT/FPR Falcon BA 7 Rodney Forbes/TBA 00 Motorsport Falcon BA Castrol Perkins Commodore VY Paul Dumbrell/Tomas Mezera 9 Mark Winterbotlom/Mark Noske Pirtek/Caltex SBR Falcon BA 10 Mark Larkham/Jason Bargwanna Drrcon LMS Falcon BA 11 Steven Richards/Larry Perkins Castrol Perkins Commodore VY 15 Cameron McLean/Andy Priaulx Kmart Racing Commodore VX 16 Marcus Marshail/TBA Team Brock Commodore VX 17 Steven Johnson/Warren Luff Shell Helix/DJR Falcon BA 18 Max Wilson/Tony Ricciardello Shell Helix/DJR Falcon BA 20 TBA/TBA Drrcon LMS Falcon AU 21 Brad Jones/John Bowe OzEmail Racing/BJR Falcon BA 021 Craig Baird/TBA Team Kiwi Racing Commodore VX 29 Paul Morris/Wayne Wakefield Sirromef/NEMO Racing Commodore VY 31 Steve Ellery/Luke Youlden Super Cheap Racing Falcon BA 33 Jamie Whincup/TBA Repco Valvoline/GRM Commodore VY 34 Garth Tander/Nathan Pretty Repco Valvoline/GRM Commodore VY 44 Simon Wills/Jason Richards Team Dynamik Commodore VY 45 Nicolas Minassian/TBA Team Dynamik Commodore VY 46 Dale Brede/TBA Holden Young LionsCommodore VX Team Brock Commodore VX 50 Jason Bright/Paul Weel 51 Greg Murphy/Rick Kelly Kmart Racing Commodore VX 65 Paul Radisich/TBA Betta Briggs Motorsport Falcon BA 66 Matthew White/TBA Betta Briggs Motorsport Falcon BA 75 Anthony Tratt/Paul Stokell Toll Ipec Falcon AU 99 David Thexton/TBA Thexton Motor Racing Falcon BA DzEmail Racing/BJR Falcon BA John Cieland/Andy Jones With the move by Tomas Mezera to Larry Perkins's team,Jim Richards and Tony Longhurst are now the men most likely to join the Holden Racing Team, while the newest name to come into contention with Team Brock is Marcus Marshall. The

Konica V8SC round but the identity of his co-driver is still a mystery.

Team Dynamik is due to test drivers, includmg FF star Neil McFadyen, at Mallala in the first week in August, and shortly after make an announcement who will

Carrera Cup regular made a strong V8 Supercar debut at Phillip Island's

share driving duties with Frenchman Nicolas Minassian.

Yoong wants $$$ ALEX Yoong says that he wants US$200,000 ($300,000) in salary that is owed to him by Minardi.

Yoong says that this is the balance of his salary for last year. Minardi boss Paul Stoddart says that he is taking legal action to get money from sponsors in Malaysia, who failed to pay US$1.5m (AUD$2.2m)that was promised. Yoong says that these deals were not related to his salary.

The fact that Yoong was even in. the car was, however, linked entirely to the belief that his presence would attract money from Malaysia and without that it was unlikely that he would have been seen in FI. At one point, it should be remembered, Yoong was stood down because he was not performing well enough.

The fact that he was paid a salary by the team is, in the circumstances, rather a surprise. n American Formula 3000 racer Phil Giebler has been competing this year with the Den Bla Avis team.

Giebler is on the verge of a deal that will find the money he needs to finish the season in the FIA International F3000 Championship.

Unfortunately, Giebler was forced to miss the event in France because he is still suffering from the after effects of a dislocated shoulder which resulted from a crash at Monaco. Giebler hopes to be fit for the Silverstone round of the series in a fortnight. n On Thursday evening at Magny Cours the principal players at Ferrari -Jean Todt, Ross Brawn, Michael Schumacher, Rubens Barrichello and Felipe Massa - met with the top men from Bridgestone, including Fliroshi Yasukawa and engineers Flisao Suganuma, Hirohide Hamashima and Kees Van der Grint at the La Renaissance restaurant in the Magny-Cours village.

Although everyone has played down the significance of the meeting, it is fairly clear that solutions are needed to the current domination being enjoyed by the Michelin tyres.

H Mike Gasoyne appeared at the French Grand Prix in Renault team gear and refused to discuss his future with the team.

Rumours say that Gascoyne is in the process of negotiating a deal that will allow him to leave Renault and move to become the technical director of Toyota.

Renault wants compensation, as Gascoyne has another two years to run on his contract, and it is anticipated that, in addition to that, Gascoyne would have to spend six months on 'gardening leave'.

- JOE SAWARD 11

More Konica Rounds?

Seven l€>okingpossible, but lO^s too many

SOURCES at the recent round of the Konica Series have revealed that next year's championship will be a longer affair.

For 2004,there could be seven, if not 10 Konica rounds, with at least three of those as the support class to the main Supercars.

Since the inception of the Konica series back in 2000,the championship has grown a from a five to a seven round series (including the non-championship Bathurst 30-lapper).

Phillip Island round winner Matthew White

said, while he is happy for the series to become bigger, he is still a little sceptical. u Going to 10 rounds is probably too big, said White. "It would really hurt the small teams a lot.

"From a driver's perspective, it would be a good idea to have more rounds. But looking at it from a team owner's perspective, I would say that one or two more rounds would be enough."

- GRANT ROWLEY

Mugen's Tax Woes

THE Mugen engine company is in big trouble in Japan for tax evasion.

Last week the company chairman Hirotoshi Honda and the company's former auditor Norio Hirokawa were

both arrested and charged with evading tax on more than US$25m ($38m)of revenue which was paid to the company between 1997 and 2000.

The pair are alleged to have cooked the books by means of a leasing company owned by Hirotoshi Honda.

Investigators claim that the US$8.3m that should have gone for tax was invested m Tokyo real estate.

After his arrest, Honda stepped down from his position as head of the company,although Japanese sources said that Honda had cooperated with the authorities throughout the investigation and that his arrest had come as a big surprise.

As one of Japan's richest people Honda had no real need to cheat taxes and the suggestion we have heard is that he knew very little about the alleged scam.

Until 1999 the Honda Motor Company was a 40 percent shareholder in Mugen but those 12

shares were returned to Hirotoshi

twice but when the Honda Motor

Honda. The Honda company said it had been aware of the investigation into Mugen but was "very surprised" at the arrests. Honda and Mugen have long had close links and in 1986 the main company commissioned Mugen to buUd an engine for the new Formula 3000.

Company announced that it would be supplying factory engines to Jordan and British American Racing m 2001 Mugen was forced to withdraw from FI. -JOE SAWARD

After this was successful, Mugen built a prototype FI engine and in 1991 was given the job of preparing Honda VIO engines for the Tyrrell team while the main company ran the V12 with McLaren.In 1992 Honda pulled out of FI and handed over its engines to Mugen and the company entered FI with Footwork.

In 1994 Mugen switched to Team Lotus but then went on to Ligier for 1995. The following year the Benetton-lookalike Ligier-Mugen won the Monaco Grand Prix with Olivier Panis driving.

Mugen joined forces with Jordan Grand Prix in 1997 and in 1998 there was a second victory with Damon Hill's victory at Spa. The 1999 season resulted in further success with Heinz-Harald Frentzen winning

act on proposed British'P Supercar' senes

by QUENTIN SPURRING and PHIL BRANAGAN AVESCO is seeking to stop a proposed new British touring car series using its V8 Supercar name.

Chairman Tony Cochrane said that the company would seek to have the FIA prevent the new series being called the SCV8 Supercar Championship.

"We are only really aware of the press release/' he said. "(But) we have concerns about the use of our name. That will cause confusion with our international television audience.

1 have written to the FIA about that."

The new series will feature reardrive 'silhouette' touring cars powered by 550bhp V8 engines and is planned for 2004, when it will go head-to-head with the longestablished British Touring Car Championship.

The SCV8 Supercar Championship

Something’s brc THE rumour in the Formula 1 paddock in Magny Cours was that Williams will soon announce a major new sponsorship deal with the American brewing giant Anheuser Busch and that Williams will appear with Budweiser backing on the cars.

Budweiser is keen to get into Formula 1 but lengthy negotiations with the Ferrari team failed a couple of months ago, despite the fact that Budweiser and Ferrari seemed to be the perfect match.

Williams seems an unlikely partner given the policy that allows BMW to dictate the Williams livery. This means that all sponsors must appear in blue and white. Over the years Williams has managed to convince all of its sponsors to accept this despite the fact that most want to see their own logos in their original colours.

It seems, however, that results are more persuasive than colour schemes and that Budweiser will appear in blue and white livery on the two Williams-BMWs, probably from the British Grand motorsporl news

NEWS

On location AMONG those seen in the paddock at Magny Cours were France's bestknown film maker Luc Besson. Besson was involved in the production of a film about the Le Mans 24 Hours in the course of last year and has enjoyed considerable international success with, Subway(1985), Le Grande Bleu(1988) and Nikita (1990). Also visiting were former FI team owner Guy Ligier and Renault chairman Louis Schweitzer.

But... it's a PEUGEOT:

project is now being finalised by a consortium comprising former BTCC champion Andy Rouse, right, his long-time associate Pete Hall and motorsport marketing consultant Roger Etcell. They say that the new series will tour the UK as the headline attraction of the BRDC's

Andy Rouse tests the prototype 'V8 Supercar'Peugeot 406 at Rockingham in June, 2001. That project never saw a racetrack in numbers and was powered by a 4litre, quad-cam Lotus V8. Maybe this time, lads?

British F3/GT race package.

The formula will allow for different four-door body shapes and | will aim for power/weight ratios that I are twice that of current BTCC cars.

1 at a fraction of the costs. The spaceframe chassis are already under build by Rouse-Hall Motorsport and all will be powered by 3.2-litre naturally aspirated V8 engines, built

by Nicholson-McLaren.

"Motorsport fans have a thirst for ultimate power and high-quality racing," said Etcell,"with dramatic cars and star 'name' drivers - a format wltich is currently not seen in Britain, but is enjoyed in other

countries with series such as the Australian V8s, the DTM and NASCAR. The new series will, like the V8 Supercar Championship Series, operate on a franchise system, with five four-car franchises in its first year. Teams will be able to choose to mount the bodywork of as many as 17 different models.

This is Rouse-Hall's second attempt at launching such a series.

Two years ago, the company produced a similar car, powered by a 4-litre Lotus V8, with transmission mounted at the rear of the car.

However, the proposed formula did not gain backing.

The new venture has the long-term backing of the BRDC and Haymarket Publishing, which produces the British motorsport publications Aiitosport and Motorsport News. It has yet to gain formal approval from the MSA,Britain's ASN.

iwing at Williams.BMW Prix onwards.

We hear that the deal is for five-years and is worth around US$1 Om ($15m) a year to the team. This will give the familycontrolled Anheuser-Busch company the chance to make a ! big impact in Europe.

The St Louis-based 'King of Beers' is one of the world's largest brewing companies but has only a fraction of the international market and it sees Formula 1 as way to increase sales of Budweiser across the world. It currently sponsors one of the leading drivers in Winston

Cup, Dale Earnhardt Jr, left.

Although the sponsorship of Williams is only modest in size it is expected that there v\rill be considerable investment in activities and advertising supporting the sponsorship.

In recent years Williams has been sponsored by the German brewing firm Veltins but that deal came to an end recently, opening the way for the Bud deal.

The team refuses to say anything about a link with Budweiser but an announcement is expected shortly.

- JOE SAWARD

n The European Union would find it difficult to stop Formula 1 and other motorsport teams if they were determined to work around its forthcoming ban on tobacco advertising in 2005, according to Ford Racing legal adviser Jeremy Courtenay-Stamp.

"The question is, whether essential brand colours can constitute an emblem which would fall foul of the ban," he said.

"In practical terms, they can't."

His comments came a week after the FIA World Motor Sport Council withdrew its own proposal to introduce a tobacco sponsorship ban in motorsport, instead 'recommending' that competitors and promoters should cease such advertising from 1 October 2006(the World Health Organisation date).

The FIA was following advice to the effect that the governing body woula have no legal standing to enforce any such ban. n The Formula 1 team principals ail now expect the Spa-Francorchamps road circuit in Belgium, to return to the Grand Prix fixture list in 2004.

"We suspect Bernie (Ecclestone) has got it on the calendar already," Sir Frank Williams said.

Last week's World Motor Sport Council meeting approved dates for a 17-race 2004 calendar but has yet to confirm any venues. n Scuderia Ferrari sporting director Jean Todt confirmed this week that his team would not support the provision of money from the soKalled Formula 1 'fighting fund'to Jordan Grand Prix, as long as Jordan continued to sue Ferrari sponsor Vodafone.

Giving testimony in the ongoing case at the High Court in London, Todt said that his team was willing to support the concept of such a fund in principle, but only for the benefit of the European Minardi Cosworth team.

Asked whether this position could not be seen as blackmail, Todt replied: "That is not our interpretation. I think Jordan is free to have his interpretation, as we are free to have ours, but don't forget that this money belongs to us.

"It's clear that we do what we want with our own money."

- JOESAWARD /QUENTIN SPURRING 13

Monari Mawer wants more F3 How many Auss'ies will be In European F3 racing in 2004?

BARTON Mawer is looking to follow in the footsteps of fellow Aussie Will Power after negotiating a test with leading British Formula 3 team Fortec in November.

Mawer's trip, which is scheduled immediately after the final round of the Australian F3 Championship (in which he sits in second place on the points table), will also see the NSW-based driver test for Euro F3 outfit Mucke Motorsport, who are based in Germany.

"It's going to be tight,” said Mawer. "We'il basically do the last race here in Australia, then go

straight to the airport and leg it! But it's really great. We're just going over there to try out the car, have a look at the scene, and see what we can do for next year. It's all happening!"

The test was arranged wi*:)! the help of Fortec engineer Phil di Fazio, an ex-pat Aussie who was also instrumental in securing Power's drive with the team this year after the O.ueenslande'-'s original arrangement with Diamond Racing fell through after the fourth round.

- MARK GLENDENNING

Diri itenvmf/]

THE announced abandonment of HSV’s 427 road car will have no effect upon the eligibility of the Nations Cup Monaro.

Originally envisaged as a prestigious, super-high specification road-going Monaro with a build limit of 50, the HSV427 was the basis upon which the Nations Cup Monaro was homologated prior to the Bathurst 24 Hour race last year.

However, PROCAR sources this week confirmed to MNews that there are no set production volume quotas required for a car to be declared eligible for the series and reiterated that the Nations Cup is not a productionbased class, opting instead to describe it as a ‘low-cost, Australian GT series’. Thus, eligibility for the category is ultimately at PROCAR’s discretion.

According to HSV, the canning of the 427 was put down to concerns that it would be economically unviable - despite the fact that orders for all 50 planned cars had reportedly been placed.

Challengers, get ready!

LU ENDURANCE driver line up queries were raised at Phillip Island over the weekend,with a number of combinations confirmed, denied and tight lipped.

Dick Johnson Racing will enter two cars in the 30 lap Konica race at Bathurst,the seats filled by regular Konica steerer Tony Ricciardello and DJR endurance driver Warren Luff.

Steve Owen,who drove with Dale Brede at Bathurst last year in the CAT Falcon, will take Ow^en KeUy's seat in the Smith Trucks Commodore for the 1000km race. His partner at this stage is imconfirmed, but is said to be an 14

I4.

IBI

experienced campaigner at the mountain.

Young Lion drivers Brede and Tony D'Alberto will botli be at Bathurst in October,but in what capacity is unclear.

Brede will most likely drive theHYL car in the 1000km event but has not locked into any deal as yet, while D'.Alberto will definately drive in the 30 lap race.

Bob Jones may grace the mountain for one final fling this year. The father of Konica driver Robert could team with his son for the endurance races,in what would be the first father/son combo at Bathurst since Luke and Chris

m

Sieders in 2000.

Konica newcomer Jose Fernandez, above left, unveiled Fujitsu as major sponsor at the Island last weekend,and also confirmed that he is speaking to a number of Bathurst regulars for a shot at the lOOOkm race.

David Thexton has also revealed that he wUl enter a car in the 30 lap Bathurst race.

Thexton will lease a car for the Konica 30 lap race and contest the annual Bathurst classic with one of three drivers on his short list in his yetto-be completed BA Falcon. n - GRANT ROWLEY

PORSCHE competitors have contributed a new category to the PROCAR Champ Series, with the Australian Porsche Drivers Challenge set to start a four-round series next weekend at Oran Park circuit The Challenge will comprise two Saturday afternoon races at the season's remaining PROCAR independent rounds at Oran Park, Phillip Island and Winton, with the finale at Mount Panorama during the Bathurst 24-Hour weekend.

Known previously as the Australian Porsche Cup and still run by the Victorian-based Porsche Racing Association, the Australian Porsche Drivers Challenge is due to field 28 cars - ranging from GT3 to 944 Turbos - in three classes at Oran Park.

The Class A Porsche GT3s also are eligible for Group Two of PROCAR's Donut King Australian Nations Cup Championship, and six are entered for that series' fifth round races on Sunday, motorsport news

i; It's not Game Over

427 off the road but on the track: The 427 Monaco will not be driven on your local roads, but the race-versions will continue to be at a track near you ...

I A SUDDEN Illness was the cause behind the premature end to Alex Davison’s ALMS debut at Road Atlanta last weekend.

Davison had been slated to I partner Scottish driver Robin ■Liddell in the PK Sports Porsche 911 GT3-RS. However, the .Australian became ill soon after the morning warm-up session prior to the race. He suited up for the race start, but as his condition worsened it became apparent that he would not be able to race and French driver Jean-Philippe Belloc was drafted in as an eleventh-hour replacement. Davison’s condition had improved considerably by the 9 luly 2003

time he arrived back at his current home in Germany on the following Monday, but he said he was mystified by the illness.

"The most obvious culprit would be food poisoning, but Robin and I had breakfast and lunch together," said a frustrated Davison.

"We ate the same foods and outside of that, I didn't eat anything unusual." He added that he had been careful to keep his fluid levels up in the 35 degree race-day heat.

'The team said it was up to me, it would be my decision whether or not I would start the race, but 40 minutes after the start I had to

accept that I was just too ill to drive.

"Of course, I am really disappointeo to have come all this way, only to end up not taking the start, but the team wasn’t upset with me for what had happened. I may have only done fewer than 20 laps there, all told, but we learned a lot and I'm very happy with the way I progressed."

Davison, who has spent the past three years as a front-runner in the German Carrera Cup Championship, will get a second shot in the ALMS when he rejoins the PK Sport outfit, above, at Sears Point at the end of the month.

NEWS

The eject button THE new contract extending the partnership BMW Motorsport and WilliamsFI through 2009, which was announced at the European Grand Prix, includes much closer technical cooperation, although it has been disclosed that each holds an opt-out clause The extension deal, agreed 18 months ahead of the expiry of the existing agreement, includes the construction of a second wind tunnel, due to be operational in early 2004.

BMW director Dr Burkhard Goschel said, "We're very pleased to have placed collaboration with WilliamsFI on a sound and long-term basis. This new contract envisages enhanced integration between the two partners.

Sir Frank Williams commented, "BMW have been an extremely impressive and highly motivated engine partner since 2000. 1 have every confidence tnat, with the structure of this new agreement, we will be able to draw from a deeper pool of BMW resource n Ford Premier Automotive Group chairman Richard Parry-Jones has written to the other Formula 1 manufacturers with a proposal to make affordable' engine packages available for the longer term benefit of existing and new independent teams.

"We're keen on retaining our customer business and I suspect others are (also! pushing for it for their own interests," he said. Meanwhile, Mercedes-Benz Motorsport boss Norbert Haug has confirmed that "more than one FI team" has approached him for a supply of rebadged engines in 2004, "We haven't gone into the details so far," Haug noted, "This will happen within the next six weeks. We need to put all our effort behind it and one team is the maximum." n Facing increasing criticism, following the near-collision at the Nurburgring in which David Coulthard had to take punitive avoiding action, Renault FI team driver Fernando Alonso declared his innocence in a statement during the French Grand Prix weekend.

"I am happy that I have been able to prove that I didn't brake early, like some said. The race director checked the data from the laps before and after the incident, and all of it made clear that I braked at the same point.

A lot of people say that I braked early and was not sporting, so I was happy to show I was in a normal situation.

Actually, I was surprised to see him (Coulthard) go off. I took the inside line up to the chicane to protect my position and then, when I saw in my mirror that David wasn't there, I felt a bit bad because it was a good fight. But I know what happened was just a normal part of the weekend."

- QUENTIN SPURRING 15

The Pri

NSW round c

by JON THOMSON

ARC re-jig for 2004 THE ARC calendar is in for a re-jig in 2004, with some key events moving to give Australia’s round of the World Championship space for its move back to November.

Rally Australia will be the last round of the World Rally Championship next year, and will get a midNovember slot.

The Rally Australia move will mean that its September date will be given over to the Premier State Rally, while Safari Tasmania, which this year is in November, will get a bitterly cold July

date in 2004.

The WA Forest Rally will again open the series in March, with Rally Canberra at the end of April or early May, while Rally Queensland will remain in June. Rally SA will be held in August following Tasmania, while Rally Melbourne fakes an October date.

Details are yet to be ratified and confirmed by ARCom, however MNews has been told that the current plan is a certainty to be rubber-stamped.

- JON THOMSON

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Oberon/Bathurst region.

It is likel)’ the Premier State will still start at Eastern Creek with two spectator stages before heading over the Blue Moimtains to its new base.

Tire travel times to Bathurst or lithgow are no more than the journey from Easter Creek to Wyong, and will provide more variety and better stages according to ARCom chit'f Garry Connelly.

A real lack of useable roads, poor access and a lack of media opportunities made the Central Coast

ISUHKOHl I

THE new NSW round of the ARC is likely to switch its focus across the Great Dividing Range instead of north to the Central Coast in 2005 if plans come to fruition.

The Central Coast event this year was beset by poor weather, poor facilities and some organisational shortfalls but is being given another chance to prove itself in 2005 when it could be moved to the

Gnonhom quit tlii^eut REIGNING WRC Champion Marcus Gronholm has threatened to abandon the sport if changes proposed by the FIA are introduced next year.

The Finn was responding to proposals revealved by the FIA following a meeting of the World Council.in Paris two weeks ago.

The changes, some of which could come into play as early as next year, are aimed primarily at controlling costs and could significantly change the face of World Rallying.

Among the more significant proposals is the plan to extend the length of each event to incorporate recce into the program.

But Gronholm believes that the proposals take things too far.

"This is really just bullshit," he told Autosport.

"I can't see how any of this could be a good idea. Take the idea of doing our reconnaissance in the rally car - really?

"If we are supposed to be doing the recce in our rally car,

/ MRIMI

I we'll end up listening to the engine and looking at what the car is doing on that stage. It's just a crazy idea. Who thinks these things up?

"I feel from my heart about this," he continued, "I feel it is wrong, and if the changes are made then I do not want to be part of the sport." motorsuorl news

NEWS

smier Moving West? yf ARC in the frame for a move inland location a difficult task for rally organisers.

Plantation forests, easy access and a wide variety of roads are what is

apparently driving the decision to move the NSW event.

"It is important that we will have a link with Australia's largest dty and

give spectators the chance to experience rallying first hand," said Connelly.

"The West,I feel, is a much better option all round."

Bemie the Kind FORMULA 1 ringmaster Bernie Ecclestone has.donated some thi eeday Paddock Club passes for the 2003 British Grand Prix (at Silverstone 18-1920 July), to raise money for the Great Ormond Street Hospital Children's Charity.

"The hospital is a vital resource for the whole country and I'm thrilled to be able to contribute to this important charity because all funds raised will be going to a very worthy cause," said Ecclestone.

"The money will be going to the hospital's important cardiac wing to help them to continue with their groundbreaking work."

The charity is running a phone-in competition so that fans can try their luck to win a pair of the VIP passes.

There is also a sealed auction with bids of over £5000(AUDS12000) per ticket accepted at email auctions@gosh,nhs.u n The local Elmbridge Borough Council has approved the plans submitted in December for a new Mercedes-Benz Heritage & Technology Centre on the 150-acre site of the historic Brookiands oval racing circuit near Weybridge, UK. The plans will now be referred for final national government approval.

- QUENTIN SPURRING

For details of your nearest Falken dealer call: Brisbane (07)3848 1800 l Sydney (02)9725 6280 l Melbourne (03) 9587 4666 Darwin (08)8932 2626 l South Australia & Tasmania (03)9587 4666 9 im 2003

1?

Chasing the Mighty Peso THE rise of Fernando Alonso, left, is creating much new interest in Formula 1 in the Spanish-speaking world and, of course, creating all kinds of opportunities for big new TV deals, sponsorships and promotions.

With Bernie Ecclestone currently negotiating the next generation of TV contracts, the Spanish market is important, as all the signs are that Alonso is going to be a big star if he continues to develop at the same pace as he has been this year.

Spain could be the key to other big markets as well and it is worth noting that Bemie Ecclestone was in Milan last week for a meeting with Argentina's vice-president Daniel Scioh. The pair discussed the possibility of a new race in Buenos Aires.

The biggest problem for Argentina is financing the event, as the country has gone through some dreadful economic instability recently. A new government was recently elected and it is looking at ways of improving foreign investment.

It sees Formula 1 as a good way to draw attention to the country. Hie last Argentine Grand Prix took place in 1998, although tlie event dates back to the early 1950s when the Autodromo was built bv President Juan Peron.

The discussions in Milan aapparently centred on the plans to revive the Autodromo Osenr Galvez in Buenos Aires with increased spectator capacity and major resurfacing and infrastructure work.

Scioli said that the government will not be a position to invest any money in the program, but added that there may be ways of finding the finance through some of the institutions, presumably government-owmed companies and perhaps regional authorities.

Ecclestone has confirmed that FI w'ould like to be back in Buenos Aires as it could easil)’ be twinned to the race in Brazil and would increase interest in the sport in Litin America.

- JOSE SAWARD

Wale

Briggs Cunningham AMERICAN motorsport legend Briggs Cunningham has died at I the age of 96.

I' He was successful as a i Sportscar driver but much more so as an entrant, notably with his own Floridabuilt Cunninghams, as well ■as with Ferrari, Maserati and ; Osca customer racecars, : and with a team of factory; supported Jaguars. .The scion of a very wealthy Cincinnati family, ^Cunningham began building racecars in 1940 and, post: war, set out (at first with . Luigi Chinetti) on a mission ' to win Le Mans and other major sportscar races [ worldwide. This evolved into the first successful attempt ; by an American constructor to break into European-style sportscar racing since Stutz in the 1920s.

The first Cunningham (an ugly sedan-based vehicle nicknamed 'Le Monstre') was raced at Le Mans in 1950. He returned with two purpose-built C2R sportscars in 1951, and (after building Vignalebodied C3R production versions) with three effective C4Rs in 1952, returning home with a class victory.

One of these Chrysler V8 powered C4R racecars then won the 1953 Sebring 12 Hours, the inaugural race in the newly established FIA 18

World Sportscar Championship, in the hands of John Fitch and Phil Walters. This was the team's only victory at this level, but (JARs finished third, seventh and 10th at Le Mans that season, and two came in third and fifth there in 1954.

The last Cunningham was the C6R, powered by a 3litre, four-cylinder MeyerDrake Offenhauser engine, before the company closed in 1955. Cunningham then became a Jaguar importer and ran a US factory team of three D-Types, enjoying much success.

Also during the 1950s, he was attracted by ocean yacht racing and, in 1958, he defeated the British entry to win the America's Cup for the USA with his yacht 'Columbia'.

However, Cunningham continued to run racecars and, in 1961, he entered an FI Cooper T53 Climax in the United States Grand Prix.

Cunningham's Jaguars continued to compete at Le Mans until 1963, when he retired as an entrant. His last race as a driver was at Sebring in 1966.

The Cunningham Automotive Museum in Costa Mesa, CA, housed his personal automobile collection until it was closed in 1985.

- QUENTIN SPURRING

JEEP will be put to the test in this year's Australian Safari, to be held in the New South Wales outback from August 2330.

Chrysler jeep Australia has officially entered two vehicles in this year's Safari; a 2003 Jeep Cherokee Limited, powered by a 2.5-litre turbji diesel with manual transmission, in the Showroom 4WD class and a Jeep Wrangler 4.0-litre petrol hardtop m the Production 4WD category.

Team owner Colm Hunter will drive the Wrangler, with Bronwyn Humphrey as co-driver, while a crew for the Cherokee will be finalised in the coming weeks.

'The heroic Willys-MB that started the

Jeep legend w as built to endure and I cannot think of a better vehicle to carry me during this year's Australian Safari," Hunter said.

Gerry Jenkins, Managing Director of Chrysler Jeep Australia said the company was proud to be contesting this year's Australian Safari, which is being run over a 4606km course exclusively through the New' South Wales outback, starting and finishing in Bathurst.

"I am really looking forward to the event," said Jenkins, "it's always a challenge and this year's course looks set to be more challenging than ever, but with the Jeep name behind me, I cannot be more confident."

Bend it like Michael

FORMULA 1 World Champion Michael Schumacher made many new fans when he lined up with soccer greats Ronaldo, Luis Figo, Zinedine Zidane and other stars last week to play in a charity match between UNICEF and the Luis Figo Foundation in Portugal.

Played at Porto, the event raised funds for disadvantaged children. Soccer-mad Schumacher played for both teams during the course of the match, and was credited with assists in two of the goals with excellent passing of the ball.

-QUENTIN SPURRING moiorspon news

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BRYAN Herta cried. Dario Franchitti cried. Michael Andretti probably cried, too.

Herta has done most things in a racecar and added sobbing to the list when he won Kansas Indy 300.

Just before his Andretti Green Dallara/Honda ran out of fuel, the American crossed the line to take Iris maiden IRL IndyCar Series win, his first oval win in 10 years.

"I've never cried in a race car, but I cried when I crossed the finish line," said Herta. "It hit me so hard."

Herta took a big risk on strategy, miming the final 61 laps of the race without stopping. Just after the flag, his car staggered to a halt, out of fuel, but it had been very close.

Herta is subbing for Franchitti, who opted for back surgery to treat injuries he sustained in a motorcycle accident and will miss the rest of the season.

Gil de Ferran led with 15 laps left when he was forced to pit, giving the lead to Tony Kanaan. Eight laps later.

Kanaan was forced to pit, giving the lead to Herta. De Ferran and Penske team-mate Helio Castroneves sat and waited but Herta found a fuel-saving tow behind the lapped Robbie Buhl and that was that.

"We were looking to draft off of somebody to save fuel," Herta explained. "We knew we had everybody covered if we could just save enough fuel. I was looking for somebody, and Robbie happened to be the guy I hooked up with."

The Penske pair finished second and third.

"They said, 'Herta's not going to make it.'," said Castroneves. "I was like, 'Get out of here.'"

Poleman Scott Dixon led the first 53 laps before being slowed by fuel pickup dramas, but the last word belonged to Herta; "I've been the flavour of the month; I've been ground into a little smidgen of an ash," Herta said. This is just kind of a funny business that way."

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I remember this bit: Bryan Herta took a gamble on fuel and made it - just - to the flag, top.

Red versus White: Castroneves and Dixon battle at Kansas, above.

Points: Kanaan 279, Dixon 248, Castroneves 247, de Ferran 239, Brack 217, A1 Unser Jr 203, Scott Sharp 176, Sam Homish Jr 167, Tomas Scheckter and Felipe Giaffone 159.

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motorsport news

IRL/CART

Burger King

by PHIL MORRIS

IT was the weekend of the French GP and the start of the Tour de France and,for neither of those reasons, the PA system at Cleveland's Burke Lakefront Airport track played Le Marseillese.

Sebastian Bourdais celebrated the arrival of McDonalds as a sponsor with a win at Cleveland, the Frenchman aided by brilliant pitwork from the Newman-Haas Racing crew.

Bourdais took pole position but was beaten away at the start by Paul Tracy but in the final round of stops, the red car beat the blue one and even a late-race yellow could not stop him from taking CART'S first

road race held under lights.

"It feels very good," said Bourdais, maintaining the colours theme, "My car turned red this weekend with the arrival of the McDonald's sponsorship along with the Lilly sponsorship. I'm very glad. The black car seemed to be a symbol of bad luck and I'm glad that car is gone."

It was also Bourdais's first win in the USA, So far, all his wins have been in the series' fly-away races.

The experienced Tracy boxed Bourdais in at the start to take the lead, while Bruno Junqueira held third in his understeering Newman-Haas Lola. The Brazilian held a watching brief, waiting to see if the two leader tanged but, by the finish, third was the best he could manage.

Fourth went to Patrick Carpentier, who had a late-race battle with Mario Dominguez, Michel Jourdain Jr and Oriol Servia. The group came up to lap Max Papis, Jourdain was forced to hit the picks to avoid hitting the Italian and Carpentier and Dominguez took advantage.

Alex Tagliani took eighth, with rookies Ryan Hunter-Reay and Darren Manning rounding out the top 10.

After Bourdais's breakthrough win on US soil, anything seems possible. Hamburgers on croissants - on Bastille Day? And, would he like French Fries with that?

Points; Tracy 117, Junqueira 109, Jourdain Jr. 97, Carpentier 82, Bourdais 74, Oriol Servia 66, Fernandez 65, Dominguez 61, Alex Tagliani 51, Manning 45, Mario Haberfeld 41, etc.

Do ya want Freedom Fries with that? Sebastien Bourdais

1 ?! s 3

emerged from the pack to win and later got to clown around on the podium, above ...

Great Scottf he’s not leading!

SCOTT Dixon's amazing leading streak was extended at Kansas but, ultimately, came to an end. The Kiwi led the first 53 laps of Sunday's race, extending his run of consecutive laps led to 343, an IRL record. The streak covered three races - the last 84 laps at Pikes Peak, all 206 laps at Richmond, and 53 laps at Kansas. He eventually suffered a fuel-pickup problem.

"Our car was very good; we were able to stay up front for most of the day," said Dixon, who finished sixth' and remains second in IRL points behind Tony Kanaan.

"We're still in the points race, so we just need to keep finishing races and we II be OK." n CART'S first road race under lights was well received by the drivers who, predicatably, said that vision was their biggest problem.

"I was having some problems seeing because my visor was very dirty," said Adrian Fernandez. "I went through my visor strips quickly.

I didn't have a clean visor for the last 40 laps."

"Vision was difficult," agreed British rookie Darren Manning. "My visor got pretty severely pitted and that caused a lot of glare."

H The race was also a hit with the locals. Attendance on Saturday night event vyas 58,741, with a three-day total of 112,232. Television rating were solid, if unspectacular, with the main advantage that the race got out of the same timezone as the clashing Kansas IRL race. n Brazilian Tago Monteiro missed the CART race after a heavy crash in the afternoon warm-up session.

Monteiro hit the wall exiting Turn Eight early in the session, doing substantial damage to the FittipaldiDingman Ford-Reynard and suffering a slight concussion in the process.

Monteiro's car was repaired by race time but CART medical director Dr, Steve Olvey ruled Monteiro out the race. n Coming man AJ Allmendinger won a wild CART Toyota Atlantic Championship race in Cleveland. The American took the lead from Michael Valiante on lap 17 and led the rest of the way en route to his third victory of the season. n Felipe Giaffone was hurt in a crash at Kansas. He sustained a broken right femur and pelvis when his car crashed on the 56th lap of the race. Giaffone was taken by helicopter to KU Medical Center in Kansas City, where he was listed in stable condition Sunday evening.

- PHIL MORRIS

9 July 2003

21

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22

motorsporl news

OPINION

Blowing Out Camlles Senna;'We <an*t win another rote'i««ni5i.3

Motonpori Ford furore LiS

COLOUR HOLDEN FOSTER INSIDE

Factory man rejcxts rocfica! pn^sol .£rt!ry.*a

m

St"—?--;

WiN’Ihe Ride of Your Ufe

Issue 1, 1993: It took some allnighters but the new team got it out, and on time. As would become usual, there was an awful lot to read. |j How wM they handicap the Holdens?

Motorsport m NEWS

WE RE BACK! M^cjn rucabi trabibMl Bithmt date -

to NZ In 2001

HJM Dramatic Adelaide win for Skaife Ul FerrariSBS WEBBER Sw'" COURTNEY on fire in Europe

If

Pntiat/taert

l-ir.cfph- pester

Issue 177, 2000: MNews is still a tabloid-size magazine, with a typical blend of news from Australia and around the world.

HOW. way & wnon;

Issue 196, 2001: Now in magazine format and, for once, MNews' New Year issue is out one day late - deliberately - so rve can take you inside Craig Lowndes' headline making move from Holden to Ford.

9 July 2003

s

O,think back: what were /ou doing in 1993,10 years ago?

The whole V8 Supercar thing, as we know it now, was in its infancy. Mark Skaife was heading up Gibson Motorsport (still with the Winfield money); Glenn Seton and Dick Johnson Racing were the Ford troops and, er, HRT was, er, not exactly a force to be reckoned with ... yet. And LP would win Bathurst, with Gregg Hansford sharing the Castrol car.

Russell Ingall was heading for a win in the UK Formula Ford Festival, while a young Mark Webber was just starting out in Formula Ford back here In Australia. The contenders in the

tabloid to news-magazine, from black and white, to full-on colour.

As techno innovations have hit the communications industry, MNews' content has also subtly evolved.

Despite the immediacy of things like the internet, MNews has continued to break big news stories from within Australian, and occasionally international, motorsport. As well, though, you will now find the analysis behind the news, the reaction, the followup.

M

News has been very, very lucky. Lucky, in that from day one, it has had a great team behind it.

Final production day is very much an all-day unscheduled pit stop, it's not for the faint-hearted and if the refueller rr gets it wrong by half a second, then there's mayhem!

'93 national series were Craig Lowndes, Jason Bright, Jason Bargwanna and Steven Richards.

Alain Prost was about to win his final world FI title, Ayrton Senna was in his last full season and a young Michael Schumacher was making his presence felt big-time at Benetton.

Seems like a long time ago.

In Melbourne, a small and enthusiastic bunch of motorsport journalists spent the first two weeks of July sweating over the first issue of a new motorsport newspaper. In those days there was only one motorsport newspaper in Australia, owned then as now by one of the big publishing boys, although it was in those days a fortnightly publication.

Motorsport News would slot into the alternate fortnight and provide Australian motorsport fans with, in effect, a weekly dose of behind-the-scenes motorsport news and action. en years and 260 issues later, Motorsport News is still here and, dare I say it, thriving. In a world of media mogul publishing, it remains unique among highfrequency news-based magazines - independent, and happily so.

While its prime opposition has remained essentially tabloid in looks, tabloid in editorial policy, MNews has quietly evolved from

A magazine such as this isn't too dissimilar to a successful race team. It relies on having a good crew, each doing their bit, to succeed. Final production day is very much an all-day unscheduled pit stop. It's not for the faint hearted and if the refueller gets it v/rong by half a second, then there's mayhem!

In an era when television current affairs has sunk to diet fads and building rip-offs to pander to its supposed audience, and media in general is distrusted for its over-hyping of much of the news, MNews has, deliberately, remained reasonably straight up and down in its approach to motor sport (okay, okay, the enthusiasm gets away sometimes!)

That's because everyone on the MNews team Is a motorsport enthusiast.

It makes'a difference.

And what motorsport over the of past decade? itself It's easy to be critical of most sports or sports management these days and it is all too easy to pine for the good old days, which were so much simpler, it seemed.

But that is to be unrealistic.

Sports that haven't embraced the needs and requirements of the commercial world have faded.

Yes, there are those which are simply too commercial, but we are stuck in a user-pays, supply and demand world.

I

Motor Mouth Willi Chris Lambden

In Australia, the top end of town, V8 Supercars, is thriving, perhaps at the expense of the second-tier, traditional national championships - although the booming Victorian State Racing series is an example of how grass roots motorsport can not only survive, but thrive.

Internationally, FI is the bigrating show and is gradually turning itself around and regaining its audience. And, finally, we again have some personal interest in Grand Prix racing, with an Aussie headed for very big things and others pushing in the wings.

You can argue night and day about whether it's better now, or it was better then, but fortunately one thing still remains: after all the politics, the rows, the speculation, the aggro, the personality clashes, the legal challenges or the bloodyminded security man at the gate!?), at the appointed hour every weekend, the lights go out and the racing starts ...

And, quite often, that makes it all worthwhile!

V8 t>RTVER MOVES- LATEST

■I

rsport

THAfi I

L^rry PerWns MU us why he's decided to retire

Brssi iitemeiis iivofesi Formula One

SCHUEY SCORES, MONTOYA FUMES Canberra V8s ● CowIn's 314 tnph at the WIntemats

Issue 233, 2002: Over a casual chat in Canberra, Larry Perkins lets us - and you - know that he is retiring from driving full-time.

23

How to Mako Friends

I

N Stanley Kubrick's 1964 film Dr. Strangelove,the actor Slim Pickens plays a B52 pilot called Major TJ 'King' Kong, who ends the movie riding a nuclear bomb down towards the earth as the world is about to be plunged into the war to end all wars.

It is all simply because of the incompetence of the governments involved ...

There are those in the Formula 1 paddock who think that the same scenario is now being acted out in Formula 1 racing, and that the man sitting on the bomb is Minardi boss Paul Stoddart.

Stoddart is not popular with his fellow team owners, but you have to respect him for having the guts to stand by his beliefs and take on the big teams. He may be irritating to them, but there is no reason and no logic in Stoddart embarking on his current course of action unless he is utterly and completely convinced that he is right. He says that he has the paperwork to prove everything he says. To date, he has not made this available to the media.

Thus far, we have seen one skirmish when Stoddart gave McLaren's Ron Dennis a good public spanking in Montreal.

Dennis made a series of statements and Stoddart proved them wrong, it was ail very unseemly.

Stoddy is now threatening to blow Grand Prix racing sky high unless Dennis and his chums stick to the commitments which Stoddart says they made to him in January while trying to figure out a deal between the big teams and the little teams.

Stoddart says that he and Eddie Jordan have so far complied with their side of the bargain, but the big teams are refusing to honour their commitments. Dennis said that the agreements were all conditional on the rules being stable. The arguments after this become very complicated, but the basic line is that i; this is the case, then there is no agreement on raction-control afte' the Bntisi. Grand Prix.

So S'cddart is saying that if there is no agreement, he will :ur, his cars without driver aids from Silverstone on.vard.'.

“This opens up the possibilit» ' that Minardi cou d protest all the other cars in race and so win a Grand Prix, The FtA says tf.at it wili apply the rules as they are '..vritten i;r its role as the legisiatoi of the sport, Stoddart is not a popular figure among his peers but he does not

- T.

I

1

care. He believes that a deal is a deal and he has lots of bits of paper which he says prove his point. Dennis says that he has been completely honest throughout and resents suggestions that that he is not telling the truth.

It Is a right royal mess and it is gone beyond all the arguments.

From where I am sitting it looks like a personal duel between the two men involved.

And High Noon is coming ...

Stoddart knowswho thatwill there are team bosses never forgive him because he refuses io play the game and talk about money only behind closed doors.

The team oosses say that he is dan^ag ng the sport with his argument'.;, but one wonders if this is actually the case because the coverage that Stoddart generated has beer m.inimal and the whole business i ..' incredibly conx'iicatet' and too ; such for mo.h "D/ com^^ertaTcis to ●indn, sta.-ri tnensel/tn, let alon.' expia n t: the masses.

One cai ' rven ask the quest cr. cf .vrether it is mC' . to dowiththt 'act that Stoddart has the chetr- to suggest that there are othei team bosses

FORMULA ONE

and Infuriate People

\

who are not telling the truth. But who can say, because because despite their calls for financial clarity in FI the team bosses refuse to discuss the issue of whether or not Stoddart should get money from a Formula 1 'fighting fund'?

We should not forget that FI folk are a pretty vicious and greedy lot. Everyone says they are 'a close friend' of everyone else, but it is the kind of friendship that exists between experienced beauty queens.

You smile and wish your enemy luck and then sink the fingernails in as deeply as possible as soon as their backs ■‘X

■Tf

,

u

are turned. There are no virgins in a Formula 1 team managers' meeting.

What Stoddart is threatening to do is obviously not in the best interests of the sport, but he says that he feels he has to do it because he is left with no choice.

Fie has tried negotiation. He has played the games the other teams wanted. He has shut up and waited and nothing has happened.

M

inardi and Jordan are both teetering on the edge of extinction. If that happens, the eight remaining teams will probably agree to run three cars ; each next year. This would work i because the cars could all count J the points they score towards I the Constructors' title and thus i there would be no non-scoring cars getting in the way of disrupting the World Championship.

But this is fool's gold. If each of the big three teams run thre^ cars, there will be little chance for other teams to score anything, ard that means that in me longer-term, furthar teams will run into financial t'ouble and fall by the wayside. The sport will be weakened rather than

strengthened.

The problem is that the big FI teams are not in the sport to ensure that the sport survives.

They are there to win and they wear blinkers. If they continue along this path the sport will eventually die because there will be only three players left. It is a pattern that has been repeated over and over in the history of the sport when manufacturers are left to their own devices.

The only way that this drift to disaster can be stopped is if the rules are changed to reduce costs and thus reduce the advantage of those with the most money. Under the current arrangements in the Concorde Agreement, the teams can block anything they do not like, which is why the FIA has had to resort to such tactics as the January 15 reinterpretation of the FI rules.

The big teams ate ell comolaining, but it is their c A-n tacit that this has been necessary.

The FIA says it will apply the rules as they are written and Stoddart is saying he will not back down.

If It all comes out into the open, everyone is going to get

i

The Box Seat With Joe Saward hurt - but it is hard to see where there is a solution.

Once upon a time, Bernie Ecclestone ii#d the clout to make everyone listen nut there are so many petty jealousies and mistrust now 'hat th's is not going to happen.

It is a horrible mess and i.itess someone has the good sense m stop it all happening, Stoddart is going to ride the bomb right into the ground . ..

muermam

sutton-

25

Five minutes with

Mark Skaife

it's nnoving to he a tough Utle Uetence for the champ and the 'peal' VY has taken longer to build than he'd hoped. On the eve of its debut he spoke to GHRISimoom WiOTORSPORT NEWS: The defence of your title is proving quite a tough proposition. Did you expect it to be this competitive? The BA? MARK SKAIFE: The Stones finished off very well at the end of last year. Marcos was quite dominant at Sandown in November and until they rolled out this year I don't think we knew just how everyone was going to stack up.

We're certainly not in panic mode, by any means. We still have to evaluate our full, genuine VY Commodore and I guess that with the interim car, we're the only ones who have taken it to Marcos on a regular basis.

IVIN: It's close, though, isn’t it.

One gearchange, on the face of it, decided the result in Darwin ...

MS: Yes, a bad mistake. And also a bad stop in that last race.

That took away our ability to put any kind of pressure on him in the last race, where, I thought his car wasn't quite as good, in comparison with ours, as the earlier races. If we hadn't lost track position to Murphy and Bright, there was, I think, the possibility of putting some pressure on in that race. I think he was holding us up.

MN: You're on the verge of debuting your first full-on, purpose-built VY. Despite the fact that you're sticking with the current engine for now,is there enough in the new car to hope for some increased performance?

MS: Yes, this is our first non hybrid VY. It makes a difference in terms of how the roll cage is constructed at the front without having to accommodate front strut towers.

The engine is also in a different location, so there's a number of subtle differences between it and the interim car.

And we've also had to allow for 26

putting both the current and new engine into this car.

The car I've been using is also two and a half years old. Our original plan was to roll the new car out at the start of the year, which just shows how late we've been with VY. Once you actually start racing, everything just takes so much longer to do.

However, we've got a number of good, little technical things in the new car, plus the fact that chassis development has come on a bit in two and a half years.

We're in the business of turning out cars that are, hopefully, faster than the previous ones, so you'd hope that a two and a half year up grade on our lead car would offer us some gaini MN: You're about to run the new car for the first time - any expectations in terms of degree of improvement?

MS: It's hard to pre-judge. As I said, there are some technical gains in terms of weight distribution, centre of gravity etc,

has been pretty good.

But saying that, the new engine programme is like the new car programme - it's behind, because now we're in the race season the priority is servicing the race engines.

So in terms of getting the brand new engines up and running and into the brand new cars, we're running behind, because there's been a massive amount of work on.

I don't think people have grasped just how big an engineering exercise VY has been. It's bigger than it was from VS to VT. MN: Do you have a timetable yet as to when you'll get the new engine in a car?

MS: There's still a lot to be done.

There's a big difference between having an engine or two on the dyno and having a number of engines, with spares, with some confidence in durability, to be able to go racing. You can't just say "it's done 500kms on the dyno, let's fire it ini"

"Tliepe'd have been a lot of fines and dPhre-throughs that day!" of the basic platform you have to work with. Whether you can tune the car the same, who knows?

I never go into these things with pre-conceived ideas. It's better to wait until you've driven it, got your brain around how to tune the individual car - they're all individually a little bit different.

MN: How far away is the new engine? What are your expectations, given what you've seen and your own dyno testing?

MS: Everyone's been raving that there are gains, but at the moment we haven't found any gain over our 18 degree engine, because our 18 degree engine

Above all, we're trying to avoid the possibility of mechanical dramas as we head into what we think,is the strongest part of the year for us.

It's a real dilemma, when to roll it out. At this stage, my read on it is still a bit grey until we get further into the programme.

MN: With Ford's winning being done, effectively, by one team with a string of Holdens running in behind,the parity review that's been discussed lately may well see the Fords make a gain ... a bit ironic?

MS: It's a bit ironic when you look back at the previous season, when people were saying that there were only two Commodores at the front which

were going well ... to now be assessing it in a different light.

I'd like to be involved in that discussion ... but there's such a mix of models in the Commodore line-up at the moment, that you'd have to be pretty careful.

There's no doubt that the VX, with a couple of years of development, is a great car, but the VY will need to be addressed on its own merits.

What I do question, what I do find interesting, is the Ford performance away from the Stones, Looking at how well the Stones have the BA working, and they've done a magnificent job, why aren't DJR, the Jones team, FPR consistently closer to them?

I don't understand why only two Fords can be going okay.

When you look at Holden, there's the red cars, there's the Kmart cars, there's Team Brock cars, there's Valvoline cars, there's Castrol cars.

That demonstrates what I've said over many years - Holden teams, over-all, do a better job.

When you now look at the Stone Brothers in a BA Falcon and where they sit and why there aren't any other Falcons in the mix, it's amazing ... I don't understand it.

MN: It's MNews'tenth anniversary this week - how was life treating you ten years back?

MS: It was the first year of Gibson Motorsport's link with Holden; the change of regulations. I was battling week in, week out, with John Bowe, Dick, Glenn Seton - and Tomas wasn't going badly.

1 remember the opening round, at Amaroo. One of the best touring car rounds ever.

More blokes spearing into each other than you've ever seen in your life ... Talk about the judiciary today - there'd have been a lot of fines and drivethroughs that day! motorsport news

Mjrshjll Cass

27

nve minutes with

ama

Nathan Pnetty

Nathan Pretty has very nuichly gone from heing a part-time Uriver with a tot of time on his hanfts to one of HoUen's Uip go to men.

MARK ELEVDBiatNG interrupteii a game of golf to ask about it MOTORSPORT NEWS: Starting with Nations Cup, Oran Park is coming up,and we're going to see the first parity adjustment for the Monaro. How is that going to change things?

NATHAN PRETTY: I guess we're in need of it, that's for sure. Both Peter (Brock) and myself are struggling a little bit on the tighter tracks against the other two.

Even the Lamborghini - it's quite surprising how fast that is still, so hopefully it's something that will allow us to be up the pointy end a bit more and stick with them at least, and not let them run off into the distance.

MN: The parity has generally been pretty good in Nations Cup this year, but do you think it has fallen against you a bit so far?

NP; It has, but it was expected because of the 24 Hour thing.

The Symmons Plains race, I mean that just fell my way - I just stayed out of trouble, really, and didn't have any mechanical failures.

But we're still staying on the podium, that's the main thing, just gathering points.

MN: Obviously it was built as an endurance car, but has it been hard to get the Monaro working for the sprints?

NP: Yeah, yeah, it is, for sure.

Every track we go to, the car hasn't been there before. So we're always gathering new information and trying to learn about the car.

So we're testing at each track, and we can't really afford to make any major adjustments to see if we can make some major time up, because it's just too risky to get lost at the tracks. We need to be staying up the front.

MN: You're working alongside a mildly famous team-mate this season in Nations Cup. What does he bring to the 28

team apart from a lot of autograph hunters?

NP: He's great for motorsport, and great for the class, and great for our team, you know? It's fantastic having him as a team mate because I've grown up idolising the guy. And to be racing alongside him is even better again. And Pete's just happy to go racing and drive the car.

I do a lot of the set-up changes on my car, and if they work we'll try them on Pete's.

Or he might make some other ones and if they work we'll put them on mine. At the moment I guess I'm probably just trying a few more things to see if we can make the car better. If he's happy with the car, he tends to pretty well leave it a bit and just go racing.

MN: You seem to be a lot busier now than you were a year or two ago. As well as Nations Cup, you've got the 24 Hour,the V8 endurance drive, the Safari ... It must be nice to have so much going on.

NP: Yeah, it's great! The guys at Holden have really been looking after me. It's a relationship that I guess I've been building up for a number of years, but I've always had Holden in me from my first

race car. That's all I've ever driven. So to actually be a part of the factory. I'm really making the most of it. With utmost respect.

I'm really trying to up my profile and just trying to ... a V8 drive is obviously the ultimate, but I'm absolutely thrilled with everything I'm doing at the moment.

To be doing all those things that you said is just awesome for me, considering that a few months ago I was just doing a handful of races here and there.

MN: Does it help you as a driver, to be getting so much seat time in so many different cars?

NP: Yes it does, well and truly.

Just driving all the different things - the Safari car in itself is abso/ufe/y enjoyable.

MN: Really?

NP: Yeah! It's a bit of me, it's a bit of the country, you know? (laughs). You're out in the bush, and you've really got to have a good understanding of the car as well, mechanically, because if something happens when you're out hundreds of kilometers from your service crew, you've really got to know, first-hand, roughly how to fix it yourself so you can

at least limp it back there.

If not, then fix it so that you're back in a competitive car and can keep pressing on.

MN: That reminds me of you rocking the Monaro by the side of the track at the 24 Hour last year to get it going again.

NP: Yeah, well that's right! Same thing. It's just one of those things from driving the cars that my dad and myself really built.

Having the understanding of how they work, and also having a never-say-die attitude. Just as much as I can do myself to get the car back to the finish line or the pits. I'll do it.

Whether it's on three wheels or whatever (laughs). Tie a log to the bottom and steer an old log - whatever you've got to do to get back there, you know? And let the professionals deal with it then!

MN: How are the preparations for the Safari coming along?

NP: The cars are coming along.

It's a new team, so it will be interesting to see how it goes.

The car should be a great car, I mean it's a great product in itself anyway. And once again, partnered with Pete again ... it will be interesting. mciorsport news

INTERUIEinr X

I 5= /-

/ n

V S'

Dirk Klynsmith

9 July 2003

29

The Man of Marcos Ambrose is having an amazing year in the V8 Supercar Championship Series, with four straight wins(and counting). He told CHRIS LAMBDEN how, and why and what he wants next

MOTORSPORT NEWS: Are you pinching yourself? Can you believe just how well everything is going for you and SBR? Four in a row is big in any motorsport formula ...

MARCOS AMBROSE; It is quite amazing. We didn't expect it. But the hard work we've been doing for the past two years is paying off.

We knew that when we got the right equipment, the BA Falcon, that we were going to have a turn for the better and that we would be in a position to challenge for the championship.

But four in a row ... a great effort by everyone in the team.

A lot of things have come right.

I seem to be driving better this year; our crew are working really well in the pit stops; and we've got a consistently fast piece of kit beneath us. It's been a lot of effort to get to this point.

MN;The latest round was probably the closest of the lot - one gearchange seeming to decide the outcome. It seems to be you versus Skaife in terms of speed - is that where the challenge is going to continue to come from?

MA: The Darwin race was close, but you could also go back to the shoot-out, where two hundredths of a second was the difference between being on pole and not being on pole. That really changed the course of the weekend as well - from that point on, we were on the back foot.

I think Mark is going to be the main challenger for the rest of the year. It appears that myself and Mark appear to have a relative advantage over the field it's usually myself or Mark who is setting the pace. On reflection, I should really say FIRT and SBR. That's where the challenge will 30

come from. Consistency will help Bright and Murphy and Richards to stay in it, but for outright speed, the challenge is definitely going to come from Mark Skaife and HRT. MN: Darwin again, last race, first corner. We're you aware that Skaife was'trapped' outside you? Did you actually hold him there, so Tander could squeeze through?

MA; Not really! I think Mark had a pretty good start to begin with but I clawed it back as we headed down to the corner, where it was toe-to-toe. At that point, Mark was in a pretty awkward position - I was on the inside and I knew I had him covered if I got through the corner cleanly and safely.

There was no intention to block him wide - it's just that when I saw Mark brake, that's when I braked, because then I knew I had the corner safe. I was a bit conservative around the corner, which allowed Tander and the others to catch up and allowed Garth to squeeze inside Mark.

It wasn't an intentional thing to

MA: It doesn't change the way I drive. I drive to finish and to go as well as I can for the sponsors and for myself and for the team. It hasn't changed the way 1 race.

What is coming up a lot is the need to be consistent. You can have any points system you want, as long as the best guy at the end wins. I just hope that this year, the best team and driver wins the championship - that's all you can ask.

'The guys at SBR are always looking for new ideas and new ways forward and I think we've done that. We've got stuff in the pipeline which we're excited about, which is yet to come"

- Ambrose on his team

push Mark wide. When you defend the corner, that's just what tends to happen; you tend to slow it down a little bit more.

MN: The points system, and particularly the lack of points gain for wins, has come under discussion. Wins will always win out in the end, but do you think they went a bit far in taking away the win incentive?

With the system we have, the series is exposed for that not to happen. By penalising DNFs so much and not rewarding wins, it is weighted too much towards consistency and finishing rather than trying to go for the outright win.

It hasn't changed the way I race or, 1 think the way Mark races, but there are one or two others playing the consistency game out there.

MN;SBR was credited with having the best handle on the AU Falcon, but that gap over the other teams seems to have if anything grown with the BA. What is it that the Stones have that creates that success?

MA: I can guarantee that nobody out there works harder than we do. We knew where the deficiencies were with the AU, more than anyone else did, and so were able to tailor the car to suit that. When we got a weapon that had some potential, we were able to fine-tune it quicker.

I'm sure that the other teams will catch up, but in this game, to catch up and then make ground is a big ask, because we're always improving as well. It's going to require a pretty big effort from them.

MN: Do you find that when you go to a track, like Darwin, where nobody tests, that you drop onto a good set-up quite quickly? Is there much margin, much of a window for adjustment from track to track?

MA: Yes, definitely. The guys at SBR are always looking for new ideas and new ways forward and molorsDort news

INTERVIEW

the Moment

You do the Hokey Cokey and you turn around: That's what it's all about.

Marcos Ambrose is getting used to winning, and celebrating.

I think we've done that. We've MN: With SBR a fair way clear, got stuff in the pipeline which mostly, of the other Ford we're excited about, which is yet teams and a string of Holdens to come. lining up behind you, isn't it kind of ironic that, if there's a Development r.ever stops.

Look at the speed we have this parity adjustment, it looks year with engines compared with likely to go in your favour?[ED: The top 10 Fords and Holdens last year and the year before. are factored into the parity There are consistent gains in equation], engine, consistent gains in MA: In my opinion, it's justified. chassis dynamics. All those things are coming together. There The car we've got right now is still a relative compromise and are always gains to make.

The rules have made them small there are still areas that aren't - a tenth or so, here and there right on the car. but they are still warranted, still But you've just got to look at the results. needed to move foiward.

I'm not bleating that we need a It's going to be hard for the other teams, because we have parity adjustment- it'd be wrong for us to do that while we're such a clear direction at race winning races - but there are a meetings. That's what some of lot of teams out there that aren't the other Ford teams don't have. getting it together. It's just like it They don't understand what they was a few years ago with the are looking for and we know, Holdens, when they got a parity clearly, how to make these cars adjustment gain with their go fast. And when we don't have it. we know how to find it. undertray.

It's a shame to see that the At Wanneroo and Darwin, we were competitive but not quite as AU, after 3-4 years of terrible results, finally gets a parity quick as HRT at the start, but we managed to claw it back throughout the weekend. continued on page 30 9 July 2003

31

continuea from page 29 adjustment when no-one really cares about it I I hope that TEGA, as they did in the past, can see a team being exceptional, above the actual parity of the car.

IVtN: The wishbone front end doesn't appear to have been the immediate gain that some might have thought it would for the Holden. Is that the case, or is it a case of them taking a little while to learn how to get more out of it?

MA: We'll have to wait and see.

As I said, HRT and SBR are the two class teams right now.

We've got our new weapon, HRT hasn't, fully, yet. Until they get the new car and the new engine, we won't see the real form of it.

Steven Richards was quite interesting last weekend. We all expected them to have a 'donk' of an engine, and he really wasn't around all weekend.

Of all the tracks, Darwin is an 'engine' one ...

MN:Team-mates are always a benchmark. Russel's had a bit of bad luck, but to date you have his measure as he settles in at SBR. Still working together well?

MA: Very well. When Russell came on board, he was always going to rock the boat to some extent, but I didn't know by how much. Baggage came with Russell, but I've been absolutely, totally 100 percent happy with his integration into the team.

He's really become a team member. That's one of the things we really push at SBR; we really are a team. We're friends and we all hang out together at weekends and we try and keep it at that level.

Russell's settled in very, very well and he's been very quick.

He's pushing hard, getting good times, but he's just had rotten luck.

The team fully supports him and knows that he's just had a bad run. Time wil l turn it around.

Even when he's had a bad couple of weekends, he's still totally optimistic and that's what we need.

He's a fantastic asset, and I'm so pleased it's worked out this way. I'd heard about Russell, the aggressive character and so forth, and we haven't seen any of that. He's just a great addition to the team.

MN: Ross Stone has said he's working on the option of putting the two of you together in one car for Sandown and Bathurst - is that your preferred option?

MA: Definitely. To win Bathurst you need two good drivers; two top line drivers, and being the only team in the pit lane which has two different prime sponsors for our two cars, it puts us in a unique position.

We have to do a lot of work behind the scenes if that's to happen. Signage, car colours and so on. There's a lot to work out.

I'll understand if it doesn't come off; I'll understand the reasons why, but I hope for the sake of winning Bathurst and the championship, that we are able to turn up together.

MN: An issue emerged at Darwin with regard to security; people apparently walking around with cameras on their feet and thus screens in front of your cars in the garage. Can you believe all that - FI maybe, but in in our own V8 Supercar category?

MA: No I It just shows where it's at. To find a gain, you've got to look outside the square sometimes - and if that involves

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Am Gun, will Travel: After an aborted attempt at the French F3 Series in 2000, Ambrose changed focus to the British Championship. Here he speeds to fifth at Croft in Alan Docking Racing's Dallara-Mugen/Honda.

The Stuff that Dreams are made of: The 2003 battle between Ambrose and HRT's Mark Skaife, below left, is pulling in the punters.

cameras and things, it's part of the competitive package.

It's happened in other series around the world. When people are desperate, that's what they start to do I We know we have an advantage in technical know-how with the car that other people are trying to get to see, so we're just protecting our own interests.

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MN:The front of the V8 grid is heavily populated by drivers who, as young blokes, went and had a go in Europe, which must say something, even if none made it big-time. You got as close as it's possible to get to winning two Formula Ford Festivals - do you ever wonder how it might have panned out if you had won one of them?

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INTERUIEIAf

MA: To be honest, I don't think it would have made any difference.

When I was over there I realised, half way though 2000, that I was in my third year over there (in French F3), struggling for equipment in the position I was in. I looked at myself and said 'that's the way it's going to be over here if I'm going to keep going, because I don't have a country behind me or I don't have a multi-national company behind me."

That's simply how it was. I didn't have the right people around me to make any use of a result such as winning a Festival.

You look at guys like Jensen Button and Kimi Raikkonen and all the guys who have won the Festival and moved on, they've already had the people behind them to make it work. I just wasn't in that position. If I had my time again. I'd probably do things differently.

But it's still critically important for a driver to go over there and learn; it's like an apprenticeship really. The stuff I learned in Formula Ford and F3 over there is stuff that I'll never forget and that I've been able to put into practice down home.

It's not just driving the car. It's

-a

all the stuff that's outside the square - living away from home in a foreign country; looking after yourself; trying to read people and be a team player; keeping the whole thing rolling along.

Even now, guys like Will Davison seem to be having a tough time. 1 saw with interest the comments Alan Docking made(MNews #260). Will is in the middle of that learning process - he's made mistakes, but I bet he won't make them again.

But if he comes home to V8 Supercars, I'm sure he'll be a very competitive package because he's learnt.

MN: Having made your own decision to come home, are you relaxed with the way life and your career is now going?

MA: Yes. My career is where it needed to be. There's a definite point at which you go from a 'wannabe' professional to an actual professional. I think I

I'm really happy where I am.

I'm lucky to be with the crew I've got and in this car in this era.

It's a boom time for us and I just hope it all keeps going forward.

You hear reports of things going on inside the series that could destabilise the whole environment, but I hope we can get through this period.

There's been such massive growth, even since I've been here from the start of 2001.

There's bound to be a few ripples along the way, but I hope that the series keeps moving forward and it remains the great series it is.

It's one of the best series in the world. It's so enjoyable to be part of it.

MINI: It's MNews'10th birthday this week - what were you doing 10 years ago?

MA: I would have been in Junior kart racing in Tasmania. I was alright - just a bit of a punk really! I'd won a couple of

I want to be enjoying my racing, hopeluily winning championships, when i'm 60!".

- Ambrose Issues a challenge to Mitchell Skaife and Jack Perkins made that transition back in 2001 - and that was a year that was boom or bust.

I said to myself "look, Ross Stone has given me the opportunity to be in V8 Supercar.

I really want to be here; I really want to do a good job."

I tried to look and tried to be, as impressive as I could. I went out hard for pole, and I was fighting for race positions and I made a few mistakes, crashed into people, spun off, whatever.

But I did enough that year to justify coming back. That was my turning point and from that time on, the decisions I've made have all been the right ones.

EARL'S PSmRMANOEm

Tasmanian Championships, but we would venture across to the mainland once or twice a year, but wasn't doing much. It wasn't until 1995 that I actually came out of my skin and won my first national title. That was my turning point.

In '93 I was still in the wilderness. I remember being a Motorsport News fan, going to the newsagent every fortnight to see what was going on. You're a bit starved of information in Tasmania ...

MN: So in 1993, any motorsport aspirations were yet to come ...

MA: Yeah, I was totally in it just for the fun. Up until my first year in Europe I had no idea that I could make it a profession.

Back in '93 it was the last thing on my mind. I think I was chasing girls ...

MN: Looking ahead, what are your aspirations? How long can a V8 Supercar career go in this modern era?

MA: To win in V8 Supercar, to be competitive in V8 Supercar, you've got to commit yourself.

There's a lot of commitment and a lot of pressure around it. For that commitment and pressure, you've got to have the satisfaction from it and enjoy it.

I'm loving it right now. 1 really enjoy the challenge of V8 Supercar and the battles I'm having with Skaife and everyone else down pit lane. Once you start to lose that enjoyment, it'll go west.

My priority right now is to make sure that, in 10 years time. I'm still enjoying the racing. The commitment and pressure is nothing compared to the enjoyment. Right now, that's where I'm at and I have to keep looking for fresh things to maintain that excitement.

I don't know what's down the road, but I know right now that I'm very excited about the opportunity with SBR. I look forward to every race weekend.

I have no intention of hanging up my helmet - ever! I love it.

Things change, but you have to make sure that the pressures and commitment can remain throughout each successive year. It's where some guys get confused. It gets hard for them, their results start to wander and then, all of a sudden, they're under pressure.

I don't want that. I want to be enjoying my racing, hopefully winning championships, when I'm 60!

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33

10 years Later Its been an amazing decade in motor racing- the massive growth in V8 Supercar racing, the emergence of MichaelSchumacher and Ferrari and the new names and faces. We look back at how the world was when Motorsport News started and speak to the big winners of the 1993season

Maybe we should do a TV show: In 1993, Mark Skaife, left, was doing his winning in the AMSCAR series at Amaroo Park, while a young (...?) Russeti Ingail, right, took the top step at the Brands Hatch Formula Ford Festival.

^

i'

""●Vos.com

Trading Yellow for Red: The serious young Michael Schumacher at Benetton in 1993 is a lot happier 10 years and five titles later ...

BOSCH

Spark Plugs

Still Smiling: lohn Bowe was a Shell man, then a CAT and is now an Aussie Male.

.

The Raikk Stuff: Take one kiddie, below, add a CRG kart and wait 10 years and you have 2003 McLaren star Kimi Raikkonen, left.

nstorspon news

i

! Glenn Seton I

IVi 1993,there was no such thing as a V8 Supercar. Yes, 5-litre V8-powered Holden Commodores and Ford Falcons existed but the term 'V8 Supercar' was still four years away.

But the first year of the new wave of Australian Touring Cars was in full swing and, when the dust cleared at the series finale at Oran Park, Glenn Seton was the ATCC champion, Seton, then 28, hit the ground running for the '93 season. His Peter Jackson Racing outfit had had a busy 1992, running two Ford Sierra Group A cars in the championship and building a new Falcon EB for the following season.

"There were a few teams working on V8 Supercars in 1992," says Seton. "There was Dick Johnson's, Holden Racing Team and us. They ran at the Bathurst Media Day and in the race in '92. That was a good thing but I wouldn't say it was a huge advantage."

The move was a massive one.

From the 2-litre, turbocharged two-door Euro Sierra, PJR was breaking new ground with the bigger, heavier Falcon.

"It was completely different from where we came from. We were running Sierras, which had an independent rear end and a McPherson strut front end.

Driving a Supercar was my first experience with a live rear end and a double wishbone front end, so we were pioneering a bit. But we got on top of it pretty quickly."

"The driving technique was pretty much the same as driving the Sierra - no, it was actually 9 July 2003

easierto drive. It was heavier than the Sierra and didn't have as much grunt as the Sierra, which was demanding to drive: you had to be very careful on the throttle.

The Falcon was more progressive and you had a lot more control over the throttle."

The car hit the 1993 season V

V

1993 Australian Touring Car champion

off in testing at Phillip Island just before the Oran Park round. That was the time that Alan Jones had to step into my car for that race he was running second in the championship - so I had to run a new car at Oran Park."

It worked. With Seton already having the title in the bag, AJ

"To win it, running your own race team,running it with your father, is something special"

-Seton

Dirk

like a comet. As would become common, Seton dominated the season-opening, non championship Winfield Triple Challenge at Eastern Creek, winning both races. He had to follow Johnson and Mark Skaife home in Race 1 at Amaroo Park and John Bowe in Race 2, and had a lousy weekend at Symmons Plains, but won at Phillip Island, Winton, Eastern Creek and Mallala to build a handy points lead.

"It was pretty reliable in 1993," Seton remembers, "We got the car into the top 10 at Bathurst (in 1992) and it was quick from the day we ran it.

"Bathurst was a setback; we broke a tailshaft. At Sandown, we had a mechanical problem that stopped us but the second car won, with Skippy (David Parsons) and (Geoff) Brabham. Apart from that, the only setback was when Drew Price wrote one of the cars

finished sixth on the day and Seton's team celebrated a 1-2 in the championship.

"The first championship is always the most rewarding," says Seton. "That is what you strive for all your life, all your career. To win it, running your own race team, running it with your father, is something special."

He was also the last owner/driver to win the title when he took his second crown in 1997 (until, and unless, Mark Skaife does it this year) and the last Ford driver.

Seton has been at all the V8 Supercar events over the last decade and is well-placed to compare now and then.

"The cars have not come forward a whole lot. If you looked under a car from 1993 and then looked at one today, the biggest changes are in engine development and shock

absorbers. The basic design is still the same. You can't compare tyres, because we have control tyres now, and the aerodynamics are different. But they are the main areas that have changed.

But otherwise, they look the same, take away Project Blueprint and the cars at the same. Well, the Fords are."

So, how much horsepower is a lot?

"The first engine we ever built had 495 horsepower. The second one had 530 horsepower; that was the first race engine we built, we ran it at the '92 Sandown 500. By the time we got to Bathurst that year, we had 560 and we ran with 570 all the way through the 1993 season.

We hit 600 in 1995, maybe into '96.

"We made the biggest gain in the third engine, 530 to 560. That was all down to the new cylinder heads we had; everything else was the same."

Compare that with today's numbers. While not too many people disclose figures, and numbers vary from dyno to dyno, most of the frontrunners have 630 horsepower to play with and the really good engines are nudging 640. Progress is slower now than the heady days of 1993 but six-and-a-half is not far away.

The other big difference now is the size of the teams, "We had about 12 people.

Now teams have around 30 people. We worked pretty hard and there was a lot to do."

And they did it well. Seton may have had his share of heartbreaks, particularly at Bathurst, but his 1993 season was really one to savour ...

35

//T CAMiE to Adelaide to try as I hard as usuai and try to win the race. In fact, 1 was probably trying harder than usual in qualiitying, so as to have the best car possible for the race on Sunday.

"I would have liked to have been on pole position in my last race and I could have done belter in qualif\'ing on Fridav, becau.se we had a few' problems. On Saiturday the track was not good enough to beat Ayrton's time. I also had some problems with the active suspension..As usual with this kind of car, it is very difficult to tell what the problem is. It is very frustrating for the driver because it is diil'ficult to correct. We know' we ha ve had a problem for a long time but it needs a lot of work.

"I think the work McLaren has done in the last few weeks is having new programs on the active suspension on their car. It is much better now. We did not improve. Our car is more or less the same one we had at the beginning of the season, but everyone else has improved.

"But I wasn't really disappointed not to be on pole. I have had 13 poles this^xar but as I haven't always won w'hen I started from pole.

"In the drivers' briefing, all the other drivers applauded me but it was difficult for me before the race. I 36

kept thinking that it was the last time I would put on the gloves and everything. It was difficult to keep up my concentration, but the motivation was there.

I made a good start, perhaps the best of the year but 1 was on the wrong side of Ayrton and there was no way I could pass him. I braked a little bit sooner just to try to be behind him into the chicane but there was no w'ay I could overtake.

I liad changed some things on the car after the morning warm-up and I had much stiffer settings. The car v\'as com; well but I just had to get used to it.

"After a few laps when I had warm tyres, everything was working. I think 1 was just a little bit quicker than him. It was planned for me to stop once. I wanted to stop early but when Ayrton stopped and 1 w'as leading I had a lot of traffic and I lost

I((ept {limiting that it was itie iast time I would put on the gloves and everything. It concentration

II

- Alain ^osit A

five or SIX seconds in one lap and then the same on the next. So 1 was reailv frustrated because if I had known that I would have stopped immediately. But it did not work out the way I wanted it to.

Towards the end, the car w'as jumping a lot and was not as good as at the beginning. Damon was especially quick onto the straight and it was like this year he was quicker in some places and I was quicker in some other places. Overall I think I was quicker than him but I started to have problems w'ith the car. But 1 was trying to compete with him. When Damon tried to pass me, I did not want him to o\ ertake, but 1 didn't want to close the door so 1 kept to the left but braked very, very hard. That was a fun momentl "I thought Ayrton dro\’e a very good race. For sure, I would have loved to w'in it, bul l knew it w'ould be difficult today. The end of the season hasn't been easy for us because we lost part of our advantage. 1 think I had a good race but it was very difficult to go better than that, especially as the track is not an easy one for us. But 1 am quite happy to finish with a good result and a good race. But it is a very strange feeling for me and I am very tired. moiorsDort ne“>s

-IBB3 REVISITED

Remember

er TSJtiij

Aiain Prost had the ’93 world title trophy in the luggage - and had announced his retirement — when he came to Adelaide for his last GP. After his final battle with arch-rival Ayrton Senna he spoke to JOE SAWARD "When you lose a race during the season and you are fighting for the champions'hip, then you are disappointed. If it's the last race because it is the last one you do not think about the next one and it is very different.

"1 like Adelaide, ft is the best design we ha\’e in a city. You can ox-ertake and have fun as a driver. 1 always say that Adelaide 1986 was my best championship and my best win. If 1 had one photograph to keep with me after my retirement, I would keep the picture that was taken then when I was out of the car and I jumped for joy. That was my best memory by far.

"1 will miss the technical part of FI the most, working with the people inside the teams. Outside the teams it was more difficult for me and I won't miss that for sure.

"At the moment, there is no prospect of me becoming a 9 i!ily 2003

FormuJa 1 team owner. If there is a good possibility ... there are plenty of bad possibilities and I don't want to be involved in a bad project.

Formula 1 is not the end of the world. You can also enjoy different kinds of cars and racing, as long as you have a steering wheel in your hand. But just for fun.

"I'm still doing a lot of sport. I enjoy a lot of things other than Formula 1. 1 always enjoy my life, but talking about the pressure, 1 think it's true to say that in FI, thmgs happen a lot in Europe and being French and living in Europe you always get a lot of pressure.

"So for sure, 1 will feel a little bit more free and my life should be a little bit better. I am quite happy to change and maybe I will be much, much happier - or maybe not. I really don't know. For sure it will be different."

IT was an easy year for Prost as the Williams-Renault was the dominant car and Frost's team-mate Damon Hill was still a 'new boy', learning the ropes and not really being able to mount a real challenge until half way through the season.

"We could have won every GP this year," said Williams at the time. "But life is never that easy in FI. I'm satisfied with the way things have gone.

We've succeeded and there's been some good motor racing.

"There is one peculiar problem in FI at the moment: the Renault VI0 engine. You cannot blame Renault for doing the job properly and you cannot expect Williams to give up all the technical and commercial advantages which it brings us.

That is not our job. Our job is the opposite. The last thing we want to do is to lose it, but just supposing we had had to race with an llmor or a Cosworth.

Can you imagine what the racing would be like?

"Formula 1 is about making the most of opportunities. It is no secret, for example, that I want Ayrton Senna to race for us. Those negotiations came to nothing in the past b^ause he was never free when I was in a position to take him and we had no vacancy when he was in a position to move. It is as simple as that. I was more fortunate with Alain."

Although Williams admitted at the time that the team had an advantage over everyone else, he still respected Prost as a driver - even if he did drop him at the end of the year.

"I think Alain is very quick," Williams explained, "and he's canny. Pie'll only go as quick as he has to.

"When 1 signed him 1 knew

his experience and his talent as a test driver would make a significant contribution to the team. I've never doubted his aoility as a racing driver because I found out the hard way when he was beating us.

"What I admire about Alain is his ability tc go stunningly quickly without giving the impression he's driving all that hard. And yet sometimes if he had to he can qualify like Ayrton Senna does,(he) is dancing for grip, right to the edge. It is a lovely lap to watch. You don't see that very often from Alain because he isn't pushed enough.

"Despite the wins, this year has only been enjoyable to a limited extent, because of the politics we are now in. There is a lot of unhappy stuff going on.

It consumes a lot of everybody's time and takes away some of the enjoyment.

"But," he added quickly, "race weekends are generally still a lot of fun."

- JOE SAWARD & 1 a

IISW N

"What I admire about Aiain is his abiiity to go stunningiy quickiy without giving the impression he's driving aii that hard" - Williams on Prost, left

37

D

ESPiTE covering 1000km of Mount Panorama in a shade under six-and-ahalf hours, there was never more than 50s between the Castrol Commodore VP of Larry Perkins and Gregg Hansford and the similar.

Winfield-liveried car shared by Mark Skaife and Jim Richards.

It was a 161-lap, toe-to-toe siug-fest. Neither car looked likely to drop its bu''tjle under pressure - this wa.n a race that would be won and -osf on the basis of a couple of tactical calls.

And Larry's team got it right.

Perkins had already won Bathurst three times before alongside Peter Brock, but this time was different. In 1993 he won at the Mountain with his own team and the difference, he told MNews at the time, was like night and day, "It's an entirely different feeling," he said. "Wtien I was with Brock, I was also responsible for the preparation of the cars. I ran his workshop, so to win those races was excellent because I knew the preparation side of it had to be absolutely right.

"When I joined the HDT, as it was known then, the second car had failed to finish Bathurst six times straight, but when I was there, the second car finished three years straight and finished first once and second another time. That was tremendously satisfying from a work point of view.

"But this one is head and shoulders above that because I 38

\\

As a driver, it is the most satisfying thing to race against someone whose abiiity you've got totai respect for" -Larry Perkins, with winning co-driver Gregg Hansford, right

have had the responsibility of owning and operating the team totally. 1 had to hire the co-driver and so on. Every decision has been mine, and that makes it unbelievably more satisfying," The glow would no doubt have been made a little warmer by the fact that the Perkins/Hansford Commodore Vvras powered by the Holden engine, which was considered very much the 'Option B' when compared with the Chev powerplant that most other Holden frontrunners, including the Winfield team, had at their disposal. But LP reckoned that for him, going down the Chev road was never a consideration.

"Sticking with the Holden engine was probably one of the easiest decisions I've ever had, because I've got about 15 Holden engines, I've got many customers who own Holden engines, and many customers who rent Holden engines from

me," he said.

"If I vyent to Chevrolet engines, I would obviously be seen, to them, to have abandoned them, but the real problem is that I'm simply not in the position to write out the money required to purchase Chevrolet engines.

"It was really a case of not going racing, or use the Holden engine. And there was no, and there is still no good set of facts on the table that says the Chevrolet engine is going to be quicker."

Perkins conceded that the Chevs - and Fords, for that matter - had one inherent advantage in that the cylinder heads were specifically designed for racing, with better air flow that theoretically would lead to more horsepower. How did the team overcome it? "Oh, we do everything else right."

This was certainly true where strategy was concerned. A

critn'31 elemeiU of the win was the taoi tnat Perkins s car made one less step tnan the Winfield mach I e, and also made just a single (, ad change.

We were surprised that the others had to olan for more stops," admitted Larry, "but v;e followed out race plan and they followed theirs. We wore'^'t sure how big a problem it would be ‘hat, for instance, Winfield were running two full-time drivers and I had Gregg Hansford, who was only a oncea-year driver. Because I couldn't give him the miles that I wanted to, 1 was unsure if he could match the pace. And all I can say is that he did a much better job than I could ever have hoped for."

As much as it was a race won and lost in the pits, the on-track element of Bathurst 1993 was Mount Panorama racing at something very close to it's best. Rarely do we see the two leading contenders engaged in a race-long stoush without either car suffering a problem and at the end of the day it was this, Perkins would say, that was the most rewarding thing about the weekend, "The actual race itself, when I was out there racing Mark Skaife and Jim Richards, toe-totoe, when you're a driver forget the team ownership and management - as a driver, it is the most satisfying thing to race against someone whose ability you've got total respect for. And to come out on top on the day is unbelievably satisfying." molorsport nswt

1303 REUISITED

GeoffBrabham

T the start of 1993, Geoff Brabham would never have dreamt what would happen to him at Le Mans on June 19/20.

Brabham, then 41, was out of a drive since Nissan withdrew from the American Sportscar racing scene. He had no plans to race until one fateful day when tlie phone rang.

"1 wasn't chasing anything," he says now. I was at home and a call came out of the blue. I was liviiag in America at the time and 1 was asked, 'Would be interested in having a drive at Le Mans?' 1 said,'With whom?'And tire reply w'as,'I can't telll vou'..."

Little did he know'who',or why.

The car w'as to connect him w'ith Peugeot's massive-and finalassault on the Le Mans 24 Hour race.

"It sounded w'eird to me. Until, the next tiling I knew,(Peugeot Sport team manager)Jean Todt was on the phone. Why? Three years before that, 1 was in the Nissan at Le Mans and 1

was on the pole. We went well and could have w'on tine race but w'e had a fuel problem.

"Anyw'ay,I guess they were watching. I never found out."

Soon - very soon - Brabham was swept up into the three-car team and was about to come to terms with the magnitude of Peugeot's effort.

'The team did five 24 hou r tests and 1 did tliree of diose. They were all at Paul Rictud and we went from there to the race.

It was huge.They had three cars. nine drivers,200 people and that was the only race they were doing that year. Todt was leaving to go to Ferrari straight after the race and the whole team was being disbanded. Tliey all knew that. They put everytliing into it.

They had to. After finishing first and third the year before, and having

won the World Sportscar Drivers' and Manufacturers' title in 1992, Peugeot's brief was to achieve nothing less than a 1-2-3 finish at Le Mans.

The weapon chosen was the Peugeot <?05 Evo. With a 3499cc VIO engine,six-speed sequential gearbox and traction control, it was virtually a two-seat Grand Prix car.

"The 905 was the best car 1 had ever driven," remembers Brabham.1 had driven cars like that, like the Nissan, but this was umj better than anything else.

"We were in low-downforce configuration because Le Mans is such a quick circuit so I tlaink we had around 25 percent of tire maximum downforce. If you ever went to 100 percent,on a tight track, there was no way you could drive the car for any lengtli of linre without tearing your head off your shoulders. It was pretty impressive."

So, to the race. The team had a plan and they stuck to i t.

"They focused on one car to get pole. It was ... not weird but, when we got to the track, all they wanted us to do was tluee laps each. We qualified and then they parked us.

Fine, but the only drama I had was

I was a foreigner, in fAeciassic French race, in a French car and he [Todt] put me in the car to finish the race, i'ii never forget it hut I just n don't know why...

U

Geoff Brabham

Winner, 1993 Le Mans24 Hour

my three laps were scheduled for the dark and 1 wanted to run with some

light."

Brabham also felt... if not out of place exactly, then a little like a kid in a candy shop.

"There was no logical explanation why 1 was there. From a team perspective,I remember thinking, 'There are 200 people here and 1 am the only person who cannot speak French!' All my team-mates were French, the whole team was but there was nothing put on me to be a mentor for the other, younger guys. 1 was just one of the guys."

The race started. The opposition was Toyota's team of TSOlO prototypes, the only cars with the pace to challenge the 905s. But the otlier Peugeots struck problems, with exhaust dramas (related to vibrations) forcing the other two cars to make unscheduled stops before the half-way mark.

But all was not quite perfect in car #3.

"In my first stint, my seat belt came undone and 1 had to make an unscheduled stop. That cost us a n minute and it was not until we were half-way into the race that we got into the lead. We led the last 12

hours. The other cars were running the same pace - flat out. The Toyota were marginally quicker than our cars but they kept having little problems; they would fall back and then catch us up. Then the last Toyota fell out with about three hours to go."

So, Brabham and co-drivers Eric Helary and Christophe Bouchut were about to deliver a coiijj dc grace. And, better for Brabham; he was taken out of sequence and given the final stint in the race.

"Todt came to me with a few hours left and said he wanted me to be in the car when the we crossed the finish line. An amazing honour.

"Why he did that, which created a very special moment for me? No explanation for that. He just shrugged his shoulders.

"I saw him at tlie Grand Prix Ball in Melbourne about fi ve years ago and 1 asked liim again; why he did that? Again, he shaigged his shoulders. 1 don't know why to this day. I was a foreigner, in the classic French race, in a French car and he put me in the car to finish the race.

I'll never forget it but 1 just don't know why ..."

Brabham's car won by a lap from Yannick Dalmas/Thierry Boutsen/Teo Fabi, with the Philippe Alliot/Mauro Baldi/Jean-Pierre Jabouille 905 another seven laps back.

Brabham returned to Australia a few years later and raced V8 Supercars in enduros and for BM W's works team in the BOC Gases Super Touring Championship. He and brother David won the 1997 Bathurst 1000; tlie only other man to win at both Le Mans and Bathurst is Jacky Ickx.

But... zu/iy did Todt put Brabham in for the final stint? Next time you see Todt, tell him Brabham is still, wondering.

Looking mt w

HILE looking back at the last decade of motor racing, it is also a good time to look forward at what the sport might look like in 2013.

What will Formula One be like in 10 years' time? Will Ferrari continue to be the team to beat? Will Ferr.ari, Williams and McLaren still make up the 'Big Three' teams and, if they do, will they have the same partners as they have now?

And, most importantly to the fans of the sport; what will the cars look like - and will they be able to race?

If history is any guide, they will be a lot different to what they are now.

Architecturally, 2003-model FI cars are way different to their forebears from 1993. The engines are smaller, though more powerful; the relatively simple aerodynamic package from the early 90s is way different to that now;and the present cars are 40

narrower, uglier and run on smaller and (ugh) treaded tyres.

So, what will change in the next 10 years?

A lot of what will happen on the technical front will hinge on what will happen on the political front.

The bible by which Formula One is conducted, the Concorde Agreement, expires at the end of the 2006 season.

Until that time, teams are bound by all the rules and regulations currently in place. Also until that time,each team also holds the right to veto any major changes to the sport.

But there is a monster in the shadows- and it is called the Grand Prix World Championship. The GPWC proposes to give a significant role in the future of the sport to the manufacturers involved and the

organisation is looking to increase the financial share paid to the teams - in fact, to virtually double it.

The reasons for doing this are obvious; manufacturers are taking a greater role in the decision-making of the teams and want more still. Do not

forget that several of the teams are owned by major companies; Fiat is the largest shareholder in Ferrari, Ford owns all of Jaguar Racing, Toyota has its own team and DaimlerChrysler owns 40 percent of McLaren International. Other teams, like Jordan and Minardi, are currently financially vulnerable and could, potentially, sell out to a manufacturer in the future.'

Whether or not the GpWC takes control of FI will be decided by Ferrari. Wherever the Horse decides to Prance will be the world championship that the public will follow.

If the GPWC does win control, there will need to be massive changes to the cars. The intellectual copyright

of the current cars is held by Bernie Ecclestone's Formula One Administration (FOA)and any 'new' Formula One will be required to technically distance itself from the current rules.

But, even if Ecclestone holds on and,since he became a shareholder in Minardi last month, Bernie is technically a member of the teams that have aligned themselves with the GPWC,so he.could have an each way bet - in 10 years, he will be 82 years old. By then, whatever plans he has made for succession will, presumably, be in place.

"O egardless, the cars will have to be ivchanged. History suggests that, whenever the power curve gets too high,significant steps are made to lower horsepower. A current 3-litre VIO produces,in the best cases,just under 900 horsepower. Unchecked,in motorspori news

L

FOBIV1UI.A ONE '13

the Oystal Ball The last decade has seen startling changes in Formula One design = but what will the nextlO years hold?

PHIL BRANAGAN looks forward to FI, 2013, with a iittie advice from some weii-piaced friends

2013, that will be over 1000.

Any changes will not be popular.

"There would be an awful uproar among the Formula One teams about the cost involved," says Ford Performance Racing's John Russell, formerly of Jaguar Racing."But there is usually an awful uproar about something."

Or, to quote one of Honda's engine men; "We are in the business of developing engines. Even if we raced Formula 3 cars ... the engines would still cost $300,000..."

And,of course,in the past changes 9 July 2003

have largely been brought about by the teams, which control the sport. If the manufacturers have a greater say, that may not be the case.

With the increased development of electronics, the surest way to reduce power is to reduce engine capacity to, perhaps, 2.5-litres. This could be combined with any or all of; a reduction in cylinders (eight is the most likely, since the manufacturers all market luxury cars with that configuration motor); restrict airflow into the engine (via an air restrictor and/or banning high airboxes); or an electronic rev limiter, which with the

sophistication of current gizmos (never mind what might be around in 2013) would be a nightmare to police.

But there is another alternative; turbocharged engines. Yes,forcedinduction was booted out of FI more than a decade ago but recent practice has shown that a set configuration engine (ie, a fixed number of cylinders and their layout) with proper monitors can produce good racing; witness CART. Whenever power starts to get out of hand,lower the maximum allowable boost and start again. You can even do it with a mechanical pop-off valve, and if one

engine has to last all weekend,forget about qualifying 'hand grenades'.

With CART investigating the possibility of changing its regulations something similar to the FI 3litre/VlO formula,such a thing is unlikely to happen. But never say never in motor racing. consensus is that the current N'ext: aerodynamics.

The general generation of FI cars are way too reliant on aerodynamic grip (as opposed to mechanical grip) to

continued on page 42 41

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continued from page 41

attempt to ban laimch control and traction control but tliat has been met

provide close racing.

"We have good qualifying cars but bad racing cars," says long-time FI designer Ralph Bellamy.

"If you maintain the amount of downforce at the front of the car, you get more 'energy' working for you at the rear. You can'dump' the airflow to the back of the car - but you must do a good job at the front. That is the end of the car that gets the first crack at tire air, after ah."

If you look at a 1993 front wing and its endplate and compare it to the same from now, you would see huge differences.

"The air travelling around the endplates and barge boards is critical," says Russell."We understand a lot more about it now."

So,how to reduce the effect?

Control wings -front and rear.

"The difference between the best

with strong resistance from the teams.

NASCAR has been much more

rear wing and the worst now would only be about five percent," says Russell."A modern FI car is just a big F3 car, really."

"There's a lot of ground effect now," says Bellamy."Rear wings are small, relative to what we ran years ago, but they work quite well.

Underbody aero has no drag penalty; the gains you make are free,"f^ou can replace it with above-body aero. I know it is difficult to write a rule that can't be chiselled through by someone like me."

So ... take away the game. Make the teams rim identical wings, with half the downforce compared to today, on all circuits. The aerodynamicists will still run their cars in wind tunnels all day and night, but their gains will be minimised if they have to keep the biggest pieces of the puzzle identical.

Both wings would need to have flat endplates to stop (well, hinder) development. Make them large so that the teams have advertising space to sell and, while we are doing that, give the now airbox-less cats a vertical dorsal fin for the same reason.

So, will the designers get back to what play with?

Slick tyres. Not just slick tyres, but w-i-d-e slick tyres.

"Slicks would aid grip hugely," says Russell."The current grooved tyres have done nothing for tyre development,so the (tyre)companies are not even that interested, and it is not like we have seen other categories rush to grooved tyres just because they are used in FI..."

The high aero/low mechanical grip equation of the current cars have done nothing for the racing. How many times in recent years have we seen even a top driver unable to correct a slide - or even a twitch? hi fact, some qualifying saves from the likes of Juan Montoya and Kimi Raikkonen have 44

i

2?

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successful but, with its cars having the electronic sopliistication of a lawn mower,nothing from stock car racing really applies to FI. Except, perhaps, a control ECU, which would be theoretically sustainable if tliere continues to be only one engine configuration in use.

T

he format of 300km races looks

Times change: Alain Frost's 1993 Williams Renault, above, looks like a bus compared to Ralf Schumacher's 2003 Williams BMW, below. Note completely different profiles and lack of any common sponsor ...

. 1-

sCastrotT _AlHanz»

It is not like we have seen other categories rush to grooved tyres just because they are used in FI It

- Former Williams and Jaguar engineer John Russell drawn gasps because they have stayed on the track. With current cars so dependant on their downforce to get aroimd a comer,once tlie aero platform suddenly degrades (ie, in an oversteer situation) downforce leaks away and the cars simply fly off the road -even with Michael Schumacher

driving.

What else will FI get back?

Ground effect- or, at least, an element of airflow through the car's sidepods tliat produces a low amount of downforce. For better or worse, ground effect cars generally work better in nose-to-taU situations than flat-bottom cars, except at extreme speed (like on superspeedways). That would also do away with bargeboards, which could be replaced with sidepods that run from near the rear of the front tyres to near the front of the rears. That also reduces the

that may come along to replace it would be a version of Constant Variable Transmission (CVT), which is currently outlawed in the regulations.

"We actually had a working version of CVT when I was at Williams," says Russell."We got it to the testing stage before it was banned."

The advantages of a CVT in a road car are numerous and Honda has a version of that type of transmission in its Jazz. But with the teams so far down the development road with their current'boxes, it would take a major shift to change things now.

The FLA has already had one

likely to remain in place for the foreseeable future.

Races of that length package neatly into a two-hour time frame, even allowing for advertising. Wliile cars may slow down slightly, any increase in race times are unlikely to greatly affect the duration of TV broadcasts.

But the races could change in other ways. The current sporting regulations allow for pitstops actually, they make them practically mandatory - but will pitstops survive? In the post-September 11 world, any risk deemed to be unnecessary by the world's insurance companies is frowned upon, and refuelling a car in a 300km race may be deemed to be such a risk. With 20 men standing around a racecar which twice takes on 50-plus kilos of volatile fuel, the possibilities to enlarge on Schumacher's Austrian GP fire do not bear thinking about.

And pitstops have artificially stopped people from racing the current generation of cars on the track. Why risk everything on a pass if you can get by in the pits?

T

he location of the races is sure to evolve. In 1993, there were 16 events and four of the tracks -

Kyalami, Donington,Spa and Estoril - no longer have FI races. Austria is gone for next season and Imola and, if you believe Bernie, Silverstone are 'on the bubble'.

With the coming ban on tobacco advertising in Europe and the impending expansion of FI into the Asian and Middle Eastern markets.

nn

possibilty of cars interlocking wheels (which is rare, but not unknown,now) and gives the cars more bodywork on which to satisfy sponsors,

Hm

't is hard to see a reversal in the .current trend in transmjssion design.

Semi-automatic and automatic gearboxes have been around in FI for 14 years now and it is tough to imagine that coming to an end in 10 years' time. Perhaps the only thing

moiorsport news

the changing geography is sure to continue.

"Trust me, watch China," Ecclestone recentiy told UK newspaper The Guardian. "Europe will be third world in 10 years' time."

Will there be more races? The teams have said that they do not want any more than the current 17 races but most of the well-funded team seem content to incinerate money by testing as much as they can. That may change if the dazzling 2003 performances of 'Friday testing' teams Renault and Jaguar encourage more to take 'The Heathow Option'.

Cigarette sponsorship is already slowing. In its place has come a greater level of manufacturer funding and/or ownership, and an injection of capital from the communications sector, either telcos

or computer companies. Both are volatile but growing markets and the current players in FI seem to be well-established, even if not all are glowingly profitable.

A decade is a long time in such arena. Ten years ago, people with mobile phones were pointed at - and the entire PC industry is barely 20 years old.

It is reasonable to expect the political correctness that has forced the demise of tobacco advertising will not stop there and that it is likely to shift focus to alcoholic beverages, potentially giving sponsorship from makers of beer and spirits a harder time in the future. But the unevenness from

BLOBAL MACHmERY CaMRAlMY

Presents **madlel af the month

country to country of legislation regarding sponsorship is a possible factor on deciding where races are held in the future.

I

Kytie

Smoking could be good for you: The bane of traction control still remains; will there be a way around it so we can see this, above?

Generation Cap: In times past, one car has come along, like Lotus's 78, below, and made everything else (like the McLaren M23 following) obsolete in a moment. Who will find the next big breakthrough?

And,even without legislative pressures, sponsorship evolves anyway. Ten years ago, Williams Grand Prix's major commercial partners were; Renault, Elf, Canon, Camel,Sega, Bull computers and Goodyear. Today, not one of those companies is on the team's FW25s.

More will change in the future.

So, what will Formula One,2013, look like?

Let us hope that there are more cars on the grid, and that more of them ate competitive. Motor racing always goes in cycles and no team can dominate forever.

It would be great to see the cars diving three-wide into a corner on proper racetracks, as opposed to the constant-radius monstrosities that afflict the sport now. Progress means that the cars will be faster; that is what the thousands of people involved are working on.

But let us also hope that, when decisions are made about the future of the sport, they are made with the most important people in the sport the fans - in mind. Formula One can be great - but only if there are people watching ...

9 July 2003

Having worked at three V8 Supercar events safari have found I ready love the excitement of being at the track with the fast cars and the petrolfumes. I am a Holden girl through and through. My first car was a Kingswood and I have had Holdens ever since. My favourite driver is Mark Skaife but I like Todd Kelly too.

Being a country girl, I have had many varied jobs in my life. Let me tell you about the most interesting. I have worked in the meatworks as a slaughterer (the only female I know of doing the job in South Australia), also at a pig farm in the mating pens, cherry picking, contract cleaner, service station and as a self employed beautician. I am currently working part time at a potato farm as a grader and Harvey Norman in computer sales.

Asfor my modelling I have worked in TV commercials, showings.

Swimsuit competitions, catalogues and promotional work at the race track and product launches. I would like to get more photographic work and incorporate this with being able to travel overseas.

To date I have travelled to Singapore and the Maldives and would love to see America and Canada.

I own my own horse so that keeps me fit.

For more pictures of Kylie visit www.sppromotions.com.au

3Promotions.

PO Box 4052 Patterson VIC 3204 Phone/Fax 03 9557 7750

Call the CMC Help Linefor the location of your nearest CMC Power Tool stockist, or to order the latest CMC catalogue EMC Help Line 1300 800 001 45

nncHEUN

fan

SfflRS Has Ferrari's extended dominance of FI been courtesy of Bridgestone? The Japanese fell well short again at Magny Cours and Williams took full advantage.

JOE SAWARD was there

R

alf Schumacher and Juan Pablo Montoya finished 1-2 for the second consecutive Sunday afternoon and by doing so put BMW Williams within three points of Ferrari in the Constructors' World Championship. If this goes on the World Championship is going to be cakewalk - and not for Ferrari.

Much of the advantage has been gained by Williams doing some serious aerodynamic development on the once-recalcitrant FW25 but above all else by the latest Michelin tyres.

The tyres are both consistent and fast and unless Bridgestone can come up with an answer, it may be too late.

"1 am sure the loss of this race will serve only to inspire us to produce better and faster tyres," said Bridgestone's technical manager Hisao Suganuma."We will strike back, there's no doubt about it."

B

efore the race, the men from Bridgestone were busy trying to exude confidence but beneath the smiles, there seemed little chance that something miraculous had happened overnight. The weather was hot and dry and that meant that Michelin would once again have the

advantage in the race. And so it proved.

At the start Ralf Schumacher and Montoya took off into the lead.

Michael Schumacher's start was less of a success and he was suddenly swamped by the two McLarens. Kimi Raikkonen was ahead before they got to the first corner and as they went through the great wide sweeper Michael Schumacher and David Coulthard were side by side. In the end Michael won the day, but it was a close call.

"That was exciting," Michael said, with his usual understatement.

In the early laps Ralf was able to run away from the rest of the field without too much trouble. Montoya tried to hold on but it was clear that it was not going to happen and Ralf's advantage went from 1.2 seconds at the end of the first lap, 1.9s at the end of the second and 3.3s but the end of lap four. Then the gap stabilised.

Montoya knew that he was in trouble.

"I was not too comfortable in my car today and I was losing time, especially in the third sector," he said.

The gap between Montoya and Raikkonen also grew at a steady rate.

After an early challenge, Michael Schumacher dropped away from Raikkonen and fell back into the clutches of Coulthard and the two Renaults, Jarno Trulli on this occasion being ahead of Fernando Alonso.

"The car had a good balance and was handling well," Trulli said.

Nothing much happened until the first pit stops which must have been a blow for the circuit authorities which had invested $8m in creating a completely new final comer. The aim of this was to improve the overtaking opportunities but it did nothing of the sort. The cars ran around in line astern.

The only real excitement in those early laps came from Rubens Barrichello, who made a mistake at

the end of the first lap and spun as he came off a kerb on the start-finish line. He rejoined at the back of the field but had lost any real chance of a good result, having to work his way through the backmarkers.

In an effort to improve his chances, Ferrari changed Rubens'strategy to two stops. It helped and he ended up seventh, although without the track speed to take anything out of Mark Webber, whose Jaguar showed its best race pace of the year to date.

The battle the front pretty much theat same in thestayed first and second stints. Montoya was five seconds behind at the first stops. His cause was not helped by the fact that he lost four seconds when a wheel moiorsport news

I

f

nut stuck but he had made up some time on his 'In' lap and so the actual deficit by the end of it all was only around two seconds. Ralf was able to edge away again in the second stint but in the third Montoya was suddenly able to close the gap.

"Maybe we got the tyre pressures wrong," said Ralf "The car did not feel very good and I had some problems with that set."

The result was that Montoya moved in quickly, closing right in as the third stops approached. Juan pitted two laps earlier than originally scheduled in an attempt to get out ahead of Ralf but it did not happen and on his final set of tyres Ralf began to pull away again. Montoya backed off and cruised for home.

9 July 2003

If all had gone well for McLaren Raikkonen would have been in third

machines and fuel was pumped into the car. But the fuel hose did not

place - but all did not go well.

At the first stops Coulthard was able to get ahead of Michael Schumacher and so the two grey cars ran third and fourth. They maintained the position after the second round of stops, but it was during this handful of laps that Raikkonen complained of traffic problems - and lost sufficient time to lose his place to Michael when the Ferrari made a rapid stop.

Coulthard should have been able

come off cleanly and there was a misunderstanding, which meant that David tried to take off before the crew was clear of the car.

One mechanic was knocked over and a barge board was knocked off and by the time DC was out on the track again, he was behind both Michael and Kimi. And there he stayed. In the last few laps Raikkonen lost brake performance but he managed to scramble to the line. The McLaren shattered a disc on the

to take advantage of Raikkonen's troubles but he was in difficulties of

slow-down lap...

his own. When he came into the pits the refuelling rig did not function.

The refuellers decided to switch

Sixth had driven place went another to Webber sensible who and mature race for Jaguar. At the start

Mark benefited from the disappearance of Barrichello and then chased after the two Renaults.

The Jaguar actually had the pace to close a little on the blue cars as the race progressed but they both ran into trouble and so Mark vaulted up to sixth place and there he stayed, on the lead lap, until the end of the race.

Unfortunately, the Jaguar boys had miscalculated on the first stint fuel and Mark lost quite a few seconds on the last sector of his in lap as it started to run out.

"I might have overtaken the Renaults at the first stops but I lost some time when I ran out of fuel

continued on page 56 47

Doing

o

I .

8 ^

^uuon-ima^esxom

Coming Man: RalfSchumacher led a Williams 7-2 on Safurdaf and was a satisfied camper afterwards, right.

If only they gave'Friday Points'; i The new-for-2003 qualifying ' ' format produced its most bizarre result on Friday when Jos Verstappen, below, led a 1-2 for Minardi Unfortunately, it did not last long, Justin Wilson's car weighing in 2,5kg light.

J M

NE of the nice things about visiting MagnyCours is that in the village near the racing circuit there is a rather good restaurant. it is the kind of place where one does not go without a benefactor paying the bil because by the end of the evening, one receives a total which looks as though it might be for the purchase of a small car rather than a few fiddly starters, some rather nice steaks and a couple of bottles of wine.

It is not the kind of place where journalists generally go by themselves but on Thursday evening, due to some confusions, a little group of British press found'themselves dining there on their own ticket.

As the evening progressed, it became clear that something was happening in one of the dining rooms at the back of the hotel.

Ferrari people were arriving one after another: Michael Schumacher, Rubens Barrichello, Felipe Massa, Jean Todt and Ross Brawn. There were no engine people ... And into the room also went all the top men from Bridgestone: Hiroshi, Yasukawa and engineers Hisao Suganuma, Hirohide Hamashima and Kees Van der Grint. It looked like rather more than a jolly get together.

It seems that the topic of conversation that evening was what Bridgestone was going to

do to solve the pFoblems of its eurrent FI tyres. Everyone has been very polite in recent weeks, saying that their cars lack grip, and no-one has come right out and said that the tyres are not good enough but there are cracks beginning to appear in the wallpaper.

"We are just not quick enough," said Jordan's chief engineer Gary Anderson on Saturday morning in MagnyCours.

"The car is all right for one lap on new tyres but overall v\fe need to find more grip and I have to say that I do not think the tyre situation is helping us at all. There is no specific problem with the cars and it is frustrating and annoying."

When it is wet, the Bridgestone cars are suddenly very competitive but if the track dries, suddenly the Michelin cars are ahead and everyone is talking about lack of grip again.

And even the brilliance of Schumacher and the speed of the Ferrari F2003 GA are not enough to make up the difference. Michael won in Canada (because the Williams driver threw away their chances) but in Monaco and at the Nurburgring Michael could do nothing;.

F

riday at the French Grand Prix was a day of amusement rather than reality. The morning test session was in the dry but then the rains began to fall and for the rest of the day they came and went.

The drivers had to learn a whole new section at the end of the lap and we had drama down at BAR where the cars had been seized by bailiffs and there was a court case. It messed up the team's weekend from the very start.

The new qualifying format means that the time at which a driver runs can make all the difference and sure enough we had a surprise. The track was drying as the session went on and so the fact men who run first on Fridays were struggling in the wet and the backmarkers were able to make an impression.

And it was the perfect ending

J

i

FORMULA ONE Grand Prix^

ft Iff for a crazy story for Minardi ended up first and second on the grid. The Jos Verstappen fans went berserk and there was probably some dancing on the streets of Amsterdam. And before you write in and complain that Amsterdam has only canals, it is fair to say that during the celebrations one or two Verstappen fans probably fell in the canals as well for they are a rowdy lot.

But everyone knew that this was not going to last.

"We will enjoy our 23 hours of glory," the Dutchman said:.

Minardi actually enjoyed its one two for only a few minutes because it was found that Justin Wilson's car was underweight because the crew had forgotten as

a

middle of the session was able to do enough to grab third from Raikkonen but he was threetenths down on the WilliamsBMW boys and that is a lot of time in FI these days.

"I was the fastest through the speed trap in the first sector," he explained, "but I would like to trade that for pole position.

Obviously we are losing out in the second and third sectors but I don't know why."

Michael knew why. So did everyone else.

It was obvious.

Rubens Barrichello was only eighth. Jacques Vilieneuve was 12th in his BAR-Honda and the rest of the Bridgestone runners were strung out between 14th and 20th.

"Obuiously vwe are losing out in the second and third sectors but I don't Itnowf vuihy"

- Michael Schumacher not talking about tyres

to adjust the ballast when the decision was taken to switch from wet to dry tyres. Wets weigh more than dries - and Wilson did not weigh enough ...

On Saturday morning, the weather was better and so everyone went to work to do two days of work in the space of a morning. And the normal dry weather pattern began to emerge. The Michelin men were at the front and the Bridgestone men were being vague about a lack of grip.

Wilson was the first to run in second qualifying and it was clear that the Minardi was not going to be a threat and the lap times came swiftly down from Tm19s, to 1m17s, to 1m16s.

The fourth runner was Ralf Schumacher and he did a Tm15.019s.

A good lap. Kimi Raikkonen could not beat it, nor could'Jarno Trulli and while Juan Pablo Montoya got within a tenth and put his Williams into second, noone else really looked like much of a threat. Michael Schumacher running in the

“The Bridgestone teams all talked about the race and how everything has been directed to getting a good race set-up but it did not look very likely that we would be seeing a Bridgestone winner. In fact the only man who might possibly do it (without rain) was Michael Schumacher and that would be brilliance alone-.

The field was clear for Williams and McLaren and Williams seemed to be on top of the game.

"An all-Williams front row in Canada did not result in a victory," said a cautious Patrick Flead. "There are so many possibilities to get it wrong in the race. Ferrari might not look very strong today but you must never underestimate Michael Schumacher."

The danger, the team felt, was in the first part of the lap where Michael was quick, if he could get ahead at the start he might be able to hold back the Williams-BMWs (as he had done in Canada).

Both Williams drivers were

FranceJ July 5 2003 4 R Schumacher(D)

3 J P Montoya(CO)

happy with the situation - which was not entirely surprising...

McLaren had Kimi Raikkonen fourth and David Coulthard fifth and both men said that there was no much to report. The two men were down on the speed of Williams-BMWs and both wondered whether this indicated a different strategy on Sunday or whether the Williams FW25 really now is that quick. It is hard to tell.

The Renaults were sixth and seventh with Jarno Trulli faster than Fernando Alonso but both were almost a second off the Williams pace. The drivers were talking about getting points not challenging for victories...

The Jaguars were next up with Mark Webber ninth and Antonio Pizzonia not far behind but just behind Olivier Panis in his Toyota. The team was happy.

"We wanted to be in the top 10," said Webber, "and that is where we are. The cars are reliable and I hope that 1 can pick up some more points in the l race.

Jaguar's battle was going to be with Toyota as Panis was 10th and Cristiano da Matta 13th.

Olivier had hoped for better but found that warmer temperatures made the car more difficult to drive.

D

own in the non-Ferrari Bridgestone race, Vilieneuve was on pole which was a good effort given the trouble the team had had.

"We made a good recovery today," said David Richards.

Vilieneuve was 12th and Jenson Button 14th. The latter had done a particularly good job as his race preparation was compromised still further on Saturday morning. After having had just one flying lap on Friday he lost around half the available time with an engine failure. To qualify 14th in the circumstances was a good effort.

Next up were the Saubers with Nick Fleidfeld 15th and Heinz-Flarald Frentzen 16th. The team said that they lacked grip.

No surprise there.

Then came the Jordans with Giancarlo Fisichella 17th and Ralph Firman 18th.

1 M Schumacher(D;

6 K Raikkonen (FIN)

a !

5D Coulthard (GB;

m .7 J Trulli(i]

3

BI«bi 8 F Alonso(E)

2 R Barrichello(BRA) i‘14 M-Webber (AUS) ●200 Panis (F) |;1f- A Piaonla :BRA) 16JViileneuve (CAN) mCBTii 21 CDa Matta(BRA) 17 J Button ;G8; N HeMfeld (D,

Si

lQHHFr)enl2en;Di 11 G RsIchOto 12RRrman (IRL) 19 J Verstappen (NLl

3 3

18 J Wilson (GB)

KM

" Poor grip has been the story ' of our weekend," said Gary Anderson.

And down at the back were the two Minardis with Jos Verstappen 19th and Justin Wilson 20th.

Life was back to normal.

Wilson would probably have done better but for a last-minute switch to the spare car after his own suffered a driveshaft failure during the short pre-qualifying warm-up.

"It is not a surprise that the euphoria of yesterday did not continue today," said Paul Stoddart, "but we're pretty close to the Jordans and we might be able to keep with the Saubers so we could be looking good in the race," You really cannot knock enthusiasm ...

as

JL

I

Get used to it?

A Williams front row and a Williams 1-2 as the field bits the first hairpin. Having just given best to Schuey, Coulthard has to fend off TruUi's Renault.

Glum, or Klum?

Flavio Briatore and Heidi Klum, below, were fairly upbeat before Renault's home race but the day just wouldn't go as planned.

continued from page 47 coming in for my first stop," he said.

"After that I pushed hard again."

Indeed. It was the most impressive race yet for the increasingly competitive team, Webber under a minute behind the leader at the end.

Another three points in the bank was also good news for jaguar although the chance to add some more was wasted. Antonio Pizzonia was running next in line behind Webber for the first h\'o stints, albeit a little way back, but at his second stop however he had a problem with the

rear jack asid lost a couple of vital seconds.

This meant that the Brazilian was stuck behind the Toyota of Cristiano da Matta, which was on a two-stop strategy. By the time he was clear of the Toyota he had lost three places to Barrichello, Olivier Fanis and Jacques Villeneuve. Pizzonia finished 10th.

"There is always an element of risk involved with race strategies and 1 was unlucky today," he said.

The demise of both Renaults came via engine problems, Jarno Trulli suffering from an electronic problem which eventually stopped the car

and Alonso going out with a major, smoky engine failure.

One of the men to benefit from Pizzonia's problems with da Matta was team-mate Panis and, as a result of the delay, Olivier ended up picking up a point.

Ua Matta reckoned that he had made the wrong tyre choice on Saturday and was stuck with the tyres he had. In fact, he was the onl)Michelin runner not to run the new, softer option. A bad .mistake. He finished 11th.

Villeneuve ended thewhich, meeting just outside the points given

TECHNO-NOTES

by Paulo Filisetti

M

agny Cours and the Nurburgring are both medium-level downforce circuits so, unsurprisingly, aerodynamic changes between the two races, a week apart, were limited.

Ferrari came to Magny Cours with two different options for the rear wing. One solution (pictured, 1) was characterised by the flap sporting two small 'U' profiled cuts at the extremities, while the second solution sported a deeply downwards curved profile of the flap. This solution was the same used in Monaco, featuring an additional advanced profile.

Toyota, as in Monaco, introduced a clever change to its aero package (2), providing a simple solution. In fact the front wing sported vertical gurney tabs fixed in the middle of the flap in a similar fashion to the solution adopted by Jordan last season on some tracks with a T-shaped Gurney tab in the middle of the flap.

This kind of solution, in a few words, divides-the flap into smaller sections, providing an higher speed to the air flow, due to the venturi effect.

Minardi introduced its new front wing (3), resulting from its tests at the Casumaro wind tunnel last month. The wing creates additional downforce, but with less pitch-sensitivity when compared with the previous wing.

It also, surprise, features end plates effectively identical in profile to those on the Ferrari F2003 GA, including the side winglets.

Jordan used the same rear wing that was initially introduced at Imola, but sporting sculpted endplates, a curved profile flap and an additional advanced profile (4), This wing demonstrated its efficiency particularly in the second sector of the track, providing a very good balance to the car, and a pretty good top speed. moiorsporl news

ONE the difficult nature of the weekend, was not a bad effort. Villeneuve was happy to get his first finish for a u'hile and hopes that he can build on that in the races ahead.

Jenson Button was chasing Villeneuve in the early laps, no mean achievement given his lack of running during the weekend, but it all went wrong for Jenson at the first stop.

The pit crew could not get the re.fuelling nozzle to connect to his car and so switched to the second machine. Due to an oversight, only a small amount of Riel was delivered and, by tlie time the team had calculated the scale of the problem, it was too late. Button had run out of fuel.

This was followed by more legal problems after the race and the BAR

Li

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●IT.

9 July 2003

management left Magny Cours happy to see the back of the place.

Two laps down but running at the finish were the two Saubers with Heinz-Harald Frentzen 12th and Nick Heidfeld 13th. Frentzen had been on a three-stop strategy but there was a misunderstanding at the final refuelling and he tried to leave the pit too soon (a la Coulthard). Tliis cost him time but he still finished more than 20 seconds ahead of Heidfeld.

"The two-stop strategy chosen for Nick was wrong," said Peter Sauber.

Three laps down at the finish in 14th place was Justin Wilson who struggled tluough to the finish on a two-stop strategy and troubled by a transmission problem. Jos Verstappen in the other Minardi decided to go for a three-stop strategy and ran well in

iulton’imagcs,

the early laps but a broken exhaust and a loose wheel nut meant that by the end of the race Jos had made five stops and was back in 16th.

Between'the two Minardis was Ralph Firman. Fie had planned for a two-stop strategy but had to stop again because of a bad vibration in the final stint. Still it was better than Fisichella who went out with an engine failure on his 43rd lap.

A classic race it was not but it sets up the championship for an mtetesting three-way fight between Ferrari, Williams and McLaren in the six remaining races this year ...

Mow, about that contract: Half finds Frank Williams waiting for a chat as he waits in the podium ante room, above.

Fisi, over and out: Giancarlo Fisischella parked the Iordan in the sand when the engine let go and jogged (unhappily) home.

■V.

51

I

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/

FORMUiAl

WORLD

2003 French Grand Prtx - Overall Race aassiflcation after 70 laps l 306.686 kms - Prcndslonal No.

o

R7i

2003 FIA Formula One World Championship

1

Drhmr

Nat

4

Ralf Schumacher

GER

BMW WllliamsFl Team

70

1:30:49.213

3

Juan Pablo Montoya

COL BMW WllliamsFl Team

70

1:31:0^026 '' 13.813

1

Michael Schumacher

GER Scuderia Ferrari Mariboro

70 j iT31:68>81

6

Kimi Raikkdnen

FIN

38.047

18.479

Entrant

Time

West McLaren Mercedes

Gap

f

-I19.568 n 05.755

Kph

Best

203.866

1:15.698

203.350 ri:15.512

37 36

j i

203.136

1:16.303

19

^

202.452

1:16.609

19

5

David Coulthard

GBR West McLaren Mercedes

70 J 1:31:27.260 70 1:31:29.502

40.289

02.242

202.369

1:15.981

17

14

Mark Webber

AUS

Jaguar Racing

70

1:31:55.593

66.380

2'67091

201.412

1:17.068

47

2

Rubens Barrichello

BRA

47

Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro

69

1:30:50.156

FRA "Panasonic Toyota Racing

69

lV31:07.144

I LAP I 1 LAP ILAP 'i 16.988

200.917 200.292

1:17.104'

20 Olivier Panis

1:17.398

36

16 Jacques Villeneuve

CAN

Lucky Strike BAR Honda

69

1^1:32.508

1 LAP

25.364

1:17.786

49

15 Antonio Pizzonia

BRA

Jaguar Racing

69 i 1:31:33.401

ILAP

n 00.893

199362 199.335

1:17.416

67

21

BRA

Panasonic Toyota Racing

1:31:41.234

1 LAP

07.833

199.051

i:17.87Q

63

Cristiano Da Matta

lol Heinz Harald Frentzen

GER Sauber Petronas

69 I ] 68 1:31:00.155

9 ,Nick Heldfeld 18 ;Justin Wilson

GER Sauber Petronas

68

1:31:23.765

GBR

European Minardi Cosworth

67

1:30:59.279

12 Ralph Rrman

IRL

Jordan Ford

67^\ 1:31:31.286

19 Jos Verstappen

NED European Minardi Cosworth

66 1:31:36.188 Not Classified

2 LAPS

1 LAP

197.640

1:18.099

18

2 LAPS

23.610

196.790

1:18.994

21

3 LAPS

25

1 LAP^ 194.763

1:19.588

3 LAPS : 32.007' 193.628

1:19.345

13

4lAPS‘'j" ILAP

1:18.754

66 33

190.566

7

Jamo Trulll

ITA

Mild Seven Renault FI Team

45

0:59:43.004

DNF

199.251

1:17.025

8

Fernando Alonso

ESP iMild Seven Renautt FI Teem

43

0:56:22.508

DNF

201,672

1:17.029

11

11

Giancario Fisichella

ITA

42

0:56:34.296

DNF

196.294

1:19.093

23

Jenson Button

GBR Lucky Strike BAR Honda

21

0:28:03.507

DNF

197.688

1:17.149

Jordan Ford

:

Fastest Lap COL I BMW WllliamsFl Team

3 [Juan Pablo Montoya

210.292

1:15.512 on lap 36

Drivers' Championship Points: M. Schumacher 64, Raikkonen 56, R. Schumacher 53, Montoya 47, Alonso and Barrichello 39, Coulthard 29, Trulli 13, Webber 12, Button and Fisichella 10, Frentzen 7, da Matta and Villeneuve 3, Heidfeld and Panis 2, Firman 1.

Constructors' Championship Points: Ferrari 103, Williams BMW 100, McLaren Mercedes Benz 85, Renault 52, BAR Honda 13, Jaguar 12, Jordan Ford 11, Sauber Petronas 9, Toyota 5.

Grand Prix of France

' Positions lap by lap

July 6 2003 Nat Car

1 Ralf Schumacher

GER Williams

2 Juan Pablo Montoya

COL Williams !|

3 Michael Schumacher

GER Ferrari

4 Kimi Raikkonen

FIN McLaren

5 David Coulthard

GBR McLaren

6 Jarno Trulli

iTA Renault

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7 Fernando Alonso

ESP Renault

Ml ;

8 Rubens Barrichello

BRA Ferrari

I 9 Mark Webber jI ' 10 Olivier Panis 1

7^ Aoddent (J) Mechanical failure

Grid Position/Driver

12 Jacques Villeneuve

CAN BAR

13 Cristiano Da Matta

BRA Toyota

14 Jenson Button

GBR BAR

GER Sauber

16 Heinz-Harald Frentzen

GER Sauber

17 Giancario Fisichella

ITA ,Jordan

19 Jos Verstappen 20 Justin Wilson S2

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FORMULA ONE

j

IImm tm tmck, the highspeml cimmw& rmlly flow o say that the guys at Jaguar were happy with the 1 outcome at the French Grand Prix would be a massive understatement.

It may not have, from al l accounts, been the most exciting Grand Prix of all time, but for us it represented another solid step forward as we work on bridging the gap to the Big Boys.

Despite a couple of smal l dramas, it represented our best race performance to date by a long way, with points for sixth place as a bonus.

In the past we've tended to finish more than a lap down on the race winner but on this occasion I ended up just over a minute down on Ralf - and less than 30 seconds behind the McLarens. That's under half a second a lap on average over the race distance to the silver cars, which il lustrates the steady progress we've been making.

The team is very happy . .. othing ever goes totally smoothly, though, and there were a couple of interesting side issues this weekend.

The one which got all the press was my pit lane collision with Michael Schumacher on Friday morning. The entry road to the pit lane is very short and 9 July 2003

has a right-left and then you're immediately in pit lane, with Ferrari in the first set of garages.

I was just coming in normally when, out of the blue, Michael 's lol lipop man made an error and let him go just as I appeared. I couldn't believe it!

I stopped as quickly as I could but ended up with my front wing knocked off and the two cars locked together in the fast lane.

The worst thing about it was the wrecked wing. It was something new and losing it didn't leave us in a great position spares-wise.

The Ferrari team apologised and we got back to business.

Weharder had planned to run the of our tyre options at Magny Cours, as we had done in Germany, and ran throughout Friday and early Saturday morning with it until Michelin pushed us to try the softer option.

It was obviously good over a single lap but as I put together a long run, it also turned out to very stable in terms of degradation.

Certainly our previous problem, with degrading rears, wasn't there, so we happily went with the softer rubber for the rest of the weekend - in fact, I think all the Michelin,runners with the exception of Da Matta, were on

it. When Cnstiano realised his mistake, it was too late to change.

N

inth was a realistic result for us In Saturday's qualifying after Friday's rain-inspired topsy turvy result. We take the view that, if everyone is on similar fuel, the now regular top four are likely to take the front four rows.

It's pleasing to think we're the best of the next group and the next thing is to continue bridging that gap to those in front.

We avoided near disasater late in my first race stint when, as a result of a miscalculation, I very nearly ran out of fuel on my in lap. As it was, the fuel pressure dropped alarmingly, but I made it into pit lane having lost 4 or 5 seconds.

From there the race went well. In terms of speed, I was able to make time up on the Renaults, although it's doubtful I would have caught them if they'd finished. In the end, that became academic.

After the third stop, Peter my engineer got on the phone to say I had Barrichello wel l and truly covered and just to play it as I saw it. I went into our 'safety' mode - slightly reduced revs and so on - but the car was bri lliant and the times were pretty much matching the front-runners.

-■SI

I really enjoyed the secondhalf of this race. I love the track, the high-speed chicanes really flow and, despite our brake wear being a bit on the heavy side, the times were there. t's the British GP next, always a big one for the British-based teams. Before that, we've got three days at Barcelona to evaluate some aerodynamic stuff which we hope will keep us on the up. Silverstone's probably not our best track, if the recent testing is anything to go by, and we may face a bit of a challenge from Toyota and BAR, We' ll see. n the meantime, response to the 10-day walk/run/ride/kayak adventure around Tasmania (reported in the last issue of MNews) in November, has been great.

I'm hoping to confirm the participation of a number of interesting people on some, or all, of the segments over the next period of time. There are also spots for members of the corporate community, which will add to the sponsorship pool.

Personal ly, it will be a great challenge but the bottom line is that the two charities we are supporting, CanTeen and Brainwave Australia, will hopefully benefit significantly.

53

While three different cars may have won each race, you can't beat consistency GRANT ROWLEY caught all the Konica action from Phillip Island

c

ONSISTENCY paid for Matthew White at Phillip Island last weekend.

The Gulf Western Oil driver overcame his own fluctuating fortunes to score his first Konica round win.

Mark Winterbottom,shooting for four round wins from four starts looked to be the man to beat. But an

I

It's moments like these: White locks a brake on lap one at Honda corner.

He played a successful game of catch-up for the rest of the weekend.

54

engine change mid-meeting set the Stone Brothers team back. However, second overall for the SBR driver consolidated the series leaders championship position.

Brett Peters was a surprise podium finisher, but as they say in the classics

-'first you gotta finish ...

Qualifying Ittodidn't longin for Winterbottom asserttake himself qualifying.

Nine minutes into the session, Mark cut a lm34.7026s. With two minutes remaining, he went even quicker. It was not required. In the end. White finished 0.6s off the Stone Brothers Ford, who just beat fellow Falcon driver Andrew Jones.

Owen Kelly was the first of the Commodores ahead of V8 Supercar debutant Marcus Marshall.

Winterbottom's third pole of the

motorsRort news

V8 SUPERCAR I

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P: year was a huge improvement from practice.

"You're always learning in this category," said Winterbottom."I probably drove a bit better in that session and the car was great."

Race 1

w

hite led the field from the outside of the front row at the

start, beating Winterbottom into turn one.

Steve Owen and Michael Porter were banging doors after the start on the notorious main straight at the Island but both survived the contact.

White's weekend was then thrown into disarray after just four comers.

His Gulf Western Falcon locked its brakes into Honda hairpin and speared off the road and out of the lead. He rejoined the circuit well outside the top 10.

"I jumped on the brakes as I was still turning and it unsettled the car," said White after his mistake.

Winterbottom did not wait for an invitation to take the lead, and would not relenquish it once he had it.

A raging battle developed between Kelly, Andrew Jones, Luke Youlden and Dale Brede. Jones put enormous pressure on Kelly, but the Smith's Trucks Commodore driver had the measure of him.

Tony Ricciardello looped his DJR Falcon on the first lap and fell to 30th.

The 24-year-old made up nearly 10 positions before running wide on the marbles at Siberia and clouting the tyre wall.

"It's just one of those things that shouldn't happen," lamented

SI

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A major accident on the front straight brought the Safety Car out for its first appearance of the weekend. Phil Nichols stuck his ex-

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DJR/Cameron McLean EL Falcon into the pit wall on the exit of the last turn. The once pristine Falcon now resembled the shape of a banana. It is unlikely that car will compete on a race circuit in anger again ...

The race restarted with three laps remaining and Winterbottom wasted no time in building a winning margin. The SBR driver scored the win by a comfortable 3s.

On the penultimate lap, Youlden spun out of fourth at Honda. Brede brushed the side of the AU,smashing Youlden's window and filling Brede's car and helmet with glass.

Kevin Mundy was running competitively until he opted for the grass to miss any contact.

Owen took advantage, moving up to third in the melee. Kelly looked to have second place secure, until he exited Siberia on the last lap. His Smith Trucks Commodore fuel tank was empty and he finished a miserable 27th.

Andrew Jones made gain of Kelly's problems,finishing in front of Owen, Brede,Porter and Marshall.

Race 2 (Reverse Grid) Starting off on mission from grid 'win' six,after Youlden his Race set

what a Wreck! Steve Owen actually finished the second race, despite his cars slight nose-job.

POS □RIVER 1 41 Mark Winterbottom 2 28 Matthew White 3 12 Andrew Jones 4 72 Owen Kelly 5 27 Marcus Marshall 6 30 Luke Youlden 7 46 Dale Brede 71 Tony Ricciardello 9 64 Mark Porter , 10 56 Kevin Mundy 11 14 Steve Owen 12 40 Brett Peters 13 69 Robert Jones 14 88 Peter Gazzard 15 47 Craig Bastian 16 25 Terry Whyoon 17 96 Tony D'Alberto 18 no David Russell 19 98 Grant Elliott 20 26 Peter Doulman 21 300 Tony Evangelou 22 55 Jose Fernandez 23 100 David Thexton 24 77 Tim Rowse 25 59 Jamie Miller 26 37 Mark Howard 27 58 Derek Van Zelm 28 89 Adam Wallis 29 87 Graham Crawford 30 90 Peter Best 31 666 Phillip Nichols

Qualifying^

CAR Milligans Food Group SBR Falcon AU Gulf Western Oil Falcon AU Brad Jones Racing Falcon AU Smiths Trucks Commodore VT Howard Racing Falcon AU Super Cheap Auto Falcon AU Holden Young Lions Commodore V,X Dick Johnson Racing Falcon AU Hydraulink Racing/IRC Commodore VX Actron Air/PCR Falcon AU Imrie Motorsport Commodore VX Century Bat/Greenfield Mowers Falcon AU Spies Hecker Racing Commodore VX 3M/Scotts Transport Falcon AU Abacus Property Trust Falcon AU Kitome Falcon AU Holden Young Lions Commodore VX Chance of Lifetime Racing Falcon AU Sydney Star Racing Commodore VS AC Delco Commodore VX ANT Racing Commodore VS Fernandez Racing Falcon AU Thexton Motor Racing Falcon AU V8 Racing Commodore VS Pedders Alexandria Commodore VX Howard Grp/Baulderstone Falcon AU Motorsport Engineering Service VT Sydney Star Racing Falcon AU Crawford Motorsport Falcon EL Allied Chemical Cleaning Commodore VS NMS Racing Falcon EL

TIME lm34.1620s lm34.7636s lm34.9361s lm34.9962s lm35.1376s lm35.1801s lm35.3036s lm35.4325s lm35.8713s lm36.1474s lm36.6128s lm36.7982s lm37.1161s lm37.1206s lm37.4905s lm37.8507s lm38.0768s lm38.0847s lm38.0994s lm38.5397s lm38.5942s lm38.7621s lm38.7659s lm39.0708s lm39.0945s lm39.6883s lm39.8442s lm39.8846s lm40.4859s lm49.3654s lm49.B760s

1 spin. By the end of the first lap the

continued on page 56

Round 4 Pliilllp Island

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'BEEN 55

ICraniisa Me eiipercsar e@rias continued from page 55

to make another trip through the 40km zone.

young Super Cheap driver was in front of the field. A brave but ultimately imsuccessful challenge from Kelly was the only factor for Youlden before'taking his first race win for the year.

“It was always going to be tough with Owen behind me," he said after his win."But I'm very happy with the result."

VVinterbottom had a minor spin early in the race, but recovered to finish sixth despite the car dropping onto seven cylinders late in the race.

Race 1 top 10 finisher Craig Bastian had a brief spin at Siberia, while Robert Jones suffered a smokey end to the race.

The safety car intervened on lap seven after a controversial incident betw'een Brede and Tim Gordon.

Dale Brede was having a productive race, charging up into the top 10 by the end of lap 1 after starting 26th. The Young Lion was in fourth by lap 6 but got tangled with Tim Gordon, who w'as about to go down a lap. Gordon beached his white Falcon at Lukey Heights while Brede's weekend ended prematurely. A broken steering rack and upright signaling the end of his round.

"Gordon w'as wnde and I

Race 3 SBR changed Winterbottom's engine during the break, but he was forced to start from pit lane. To make matters worse,a slipping clutch made his attempt at keeping his unbeaten round record in 2003 a difficult task.

Pole position starter Andrew Jones broke an axle on the warm up lap. The BOC Gases pilot pulled into the pits at the end of lap one and out of contention.

All the chaos opened the door for White. A faultless driving performance secured the yellow Falcon the Race 3 win and his first round win m the Konica series.

"It great to take this step, said White."To come here and be on the front row is just great."

White led every lap, gradually etching out a comfortable 11.5s gap.

Bad Brede: Above, Brede's would have been in contention for the round win had a collision with Tim Cordon not sent him off the road.

First for '03: Youlden took his first race win for the year, below.

But the Victorian knows there is a lot of work to be done if he wants to match the speed of Winterbottom.

"We are still going to have to work very hard, because Mark's car is clearly a superior package."

Porter and Brett Peters made fine starts and arrived at the first turn

soon swallowed up by Youlden and Kelly.

Youlden went on to finish second, wliile Kelly pulled to tire off the track with damage and mechanival issues.

Winterbottom drove his sick car to

second and third. Peters though was

continued on page 58

thought he saw me," claimed Brede." But he just turned in."

White finished the race in third place after starting the reverse grid heat from 23rd.

"I made a bit of a mess of the start, and you certainly wouldn't repeat half those moves I made out there, said White."Sometimes you've gotta make desperate moves.

Sometimes you win,sometimes you lose..."

Marshall had a gear lever snap during the race and was forced into pit lane. During his visit to the garage, the Carrera Cup regular exceeded the pit lane speed limit, and was forced

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continued from page 56

Konica V8s Rd 4 Phillip Island

seventh place, which helped him finish second overall.

"The way the guys worked to put the engine in was excellent", said the series leader."I have confidence in the team and it's a credit to them.'

Aace 1 (15 laps) PQS DRIVEH RDCniME/LAPS FASTEST 1 W/bottom31m34.l871s lm34.9649s 2 Jones 31m37.7509s lm35.5600s 3 Brede 31m4l.9995s lm35.7749s 4 Porter 31m43.6824s lm37,3037s 5 Marshall 31m44.4729s lm36.2506s 6 White 31m45.1087s lm35,7107s 7 Peters 31ni47.4644s lm37.1684s 8 Jones 31nn48.6797s lm38.0675s 9 Bastian 3lni48.9143s 1m37.5710s 10 D'Alberto 31m54.1759s lni38.1085s 11 Doulman 31m55.7767s lm38.7683s 12 Whyoon 31ni57.4656s lm37.7591s 13 Russell 31m58.6312s lm38.7448s 14 Fernandez31m59.0139s lm39.0959s 15 Rowse 3tm59.2920s lm39.0459s 16 Miller 31m59.5561s lm39.4411s 17 Wallis 32m00.1055s lm39.2526s 18 Howard 32m02.1l44s lm39.2169s 19 Thexton 32m02.5304s lm39.0971s 20 Mundy 32m02.6959s lm36.9766s 21 Gazzard 32m09.8809s lm37.1793s 22 Crawford 32m09,9191s lm40.2860s 23 Youlden 32ml3.6889s lrti35.6804s 24 Evangelou32ml3.7947s lm40.4071s 25 Best 32m21.9220s lm43.1681s 32(7132.8031 s lm35.7116s 26 Kelly 27 Owen 32m41,6583s lm36.7132s 28 Elliott lm40.0539s 14 laps lm41.7373s 29 Gordon 13 laps DNFNichols 7laps lm40.1103s DNFRicciardello 4 laps lm36.3621s DNFVan Zeim 2 laps 5m50.2444

We tvere losing about 3s a lap in the last race with the slipping clutch but when you soldier on you end up getting points.

We only lost eight points to Matthew in the championship so it's been a pretty good weekend.

Ex-Subaru dri\’er Peters showed some of the young pilots that consistency pays, finishing third overall with a 8-11-3 scorecard.

The Century Batteries/Greenfield Mowers Falcon used all his experience to score his first Konica podium.

"You can just about end up anywhere in these Konica races," said a happy Peters. "If you keep your nose clean and keep trying to finish jour a good chance.

Mark Porter had a minor touch with Ricciadello in race three at turn one, which ended with the Hydralink Commodore spearing off at warp speed. A ninth place finish, fourth overall in the round and third place in the series is not a shabby result.

Marshall starred in his debut Supercar meeting, finishing ninth overall but was ruing a couple of ontrack incidents.

It's unfortunate because we could have finished on the podium. referring to his gear stick breaking.

It took Marcus over half the last race to get by Peter Gazzard, who was driving a very wide 3M Falcon.

"We really had the car working W'ell but Gazzard was holding me up.

David Russell impressed in his Chance of a Lifetime Ford, as did Young Lions driver Tony D'Alberto.

Both youths finished inside the top 10.

So Winterbottom's winning streak came to an end. White wons his first Konica round and Phillip Island pro\ ided excellent July weather. Let's see what the tight rural Winton circuit produces next month ...

(

Favouring the fortunate: White, top, became the first driver to beat Winterbottom to a round win.

Next time: Ricciardello can only hope that things will get better after a disappointing Island weekend.

The Man: Winterbottom dropped a mere eight points to White. The New South Welshmen consolidated his strong championship lead.

Race 2 (15 laps) 30m35.7727s 1 Youlden 30m37.2962s 2 Kelly 30m38.5085s 3 White 30m39.1289s 4 Jones 30m43.6391s 5 Gazzard 6 W/bottom 30m43.8786s 30m45.2388s 7 Russell 30m48.3760s 8 Owen 30m49.4835s 9 Porter lOFernandez 30m57.1088s 30mS8.2311s 11 Peters 12Doulman 30mS8.6233s 13Evangelou 30m59.7823s 31m00.1374s 14 Wallis ' 31m02.0683s 15 Rowse 31m03.3815s 16Thexton 17Ricciardello31m07 3619s 18Miller 31m07.7321s 19Howard 31m09.1588s 20 Crawford 31 ml 5.2915s 21 D'Alberto 31m23.0159s 31(1753.74215 22 Best 32m02.1888s 23 Bastian 14 laps 24 Mundy 25 Marshall 12 laps DNF Brede 6 laps DIMF Jones Slaps DNF Gordon Slaps DNF Whyoon DNF Elliott Race 3(22 laps) 35m38.9913s 1 White 35m50.4663s 2 Youlden 3 Peters 36m09.4587s 4 Marshall 36mll,1586s 36ml8.2960s 5 Owen 36m20.1600s 6 Gazzard 7 W/bottom 36m20.4655s 8 D'Alberto 36m36,2899s 3Bm48.5177s 9 Porter 10 Bastian 36m49.2778s 11 Russell 36m56.0343s 12 Rowse 37m01.5672s 13 Miller 37m05.0912s 37ml2.4707s 14 Mundy 15 Thexton 37m19.1953s 16 Howard 37m19.7532s 17 Fernandez 21 laps 18 Ricciardello21 laps 19 Doulman 21 laps 20 Crawford 21 laps 21 Gordon 21 laps 22 Wallis 20 laps DNF Evangeloul7 laps DNF Jones 16 laps DNF Elliott 8 laps 6 laps DNF Kelly

lm36.4706s lm36.5120s lm36.0835s lm35.9226s lm37.8770s lni37.0343s 1m37.9492s lm38.3068s lm37.8693s lm38.6732s lm38,0522s lm38.9931s 1m39.7955s 1m38.9673s lm39.5293s lm38.9924s 1m37.2165s lm40.4682s 1m39.8427s lm41.6732s lm37.9810s lm42,4351s 1m38.5391s lm37.0961s lm36.9987s lm36.6588s lm39.6689s lm43.0316s

lm36.0941s lm36.7036s lm37,3703s 1m36.9298s 1m37.6538s lm38.0398s lm37.2875s lm38.2412s lm36.9815s lm38.4927s lm38.4569s lm39.6554s lm39.9293s lm37.4691s lm39.5746s lm39.9494s lm39.0525s lm37.4875s lm38.3493s lm41,7033s lm42,3331s lm40.1905s lm40.6417s lm36.0870s lm41,9183s 1m36,6418s

Points: Winterbottom 730, White 684, Porter 610, Peters 554, Gazzard 548, Kelly 540, Youlden 514, Mundy 514, Fernandez 496, Brede 492, Ricciardello 440, Miller 412, Russell 408, Bastian 392, A. Jones 356,

(potorsport news

vs / F4000

Hartley home and hosed

by GRANT ROWLEY

i

1

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;

Safe and sound: Hartley, above, is on track for a Cold Star. Christian Jones'F-iOM dehut ended prematurely, below.

Uirk

A SMALL field of Formula 4000 - Powered by Holden machines ventured to Phillip island for round three of the Australian Drivers Championship.

Kiwi young gun Nelson Hartley took two convincing wins last Sunday, extending his series lead and placing those who want to win this year’s Gold Star under enormous pressure.

Hartley qualified third behind a fast but fragile Ricky Occhipinti and fellow Kiwi Jonny Reid.

Hartley snatched the Race 1 lead off Occipinti at the start, and did not lose his spot from there.

Chris Hocking and Ian Peters came to blows at MG corner. which resulted in Hocking flipping his car. The safety car was deployed but it took the nfarshalls a long time to clear the wrecks.

After seven laps under caution and with upside down race cars still on the track, the officials elected to stop the race

after 75 percent of the distance had been completed and full championship points could be awarded.

During the safety car period, F4000 newcomer Christian Jones clouted the pit wall while getting neat into his tyres. He was unable to start the second 'ace.

Terry Clearihan grabbed second place in all the confusion, ahead of Wintrn winner Paul Trengove.

For Race 2, a depleated field of seven cars took the starting grid. With Jones (damage), Hocking (more damage) and Occipinti (engine problems) all out of action, the small field was led home by Hartley, Daniel Gaunt and Trengove.

Reid had a disasterous weekend, stalling or the start for heat one. He eventually finished fourth.

In the second race, ne stayed with Hartley i.i the opening stages of the 'ace, but was forced :o stop after an engine failure "She just let go on me," said Reid. "I hao r o warning."

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2003 has been a quietyear for Ralliart so far, but Ed Ordynski got things moving in tht taking the honours in the Premier State Rally. JON THOMSON reports from the mua

o

UT of a weekend of mud and slush, massive alterations to the course and some event organisational shortfalls, Ed Ordynski emerged as victor of the Premier State Rally.

The win saw the Mitsubishi driver break Cody Crocker's five-heat winning streak and continued Ordynksi's wimring form on NSW rounds of the ARC. Ordynski's victory came after a late heat one lunge that took liim to within 4.8 s of Crocker and a heat two win at the expense of the Subaru lead driver, who lost around lm20s with a diff failure on the first stage of the heat.

Torrential rain in the week leading up to the rally severely tested the organiser's resources, but a respite on Friday enabled the drastically altered rally to go ahead,starting with two tarmac stages at Eastern Creek on Friday night which drew around 2000 people, according to ARDC estimates.

As morale-boosting as the win was for the struggling Mitsubishi Ralliart team, it came as a result of some intelligent tyre choice and the 6i

opposition's problems, more than any great performance increase for the difficult Lancer Evo VII. Simon Evans had an early problem with a loose wire in the Subaru costing him dearly through day one where he took fifth, but recovered with a strong performance on day two taking second in the heat and second overall.

"The loose wire was a real frustration but we nailed it on day two and we are getting closer," said an undaunted Evans, juha Kangas took third overall for the rally, capturing his first ARC podium with a fourth in heat one and a third in heat two.

"I am still looking for more speed, it was a very tough rally and I am glad to be here," said Kangas.

Ordynski, like Crocker, used some of his limited stock of Pirelli World Rally Championship tyres to get an edge quite literally in the treacherous and changeable conditions.

The Pirellis enabled Ordynski to be more committed, knowing that even if a slippery day-covered corner popped up he had the turn in and response he needed.

The Mitsubishi driver pinpointed the fast and challenging Watagan Rd stage as the one that enabled him to take victory.

"That was tire stage where the car worked best and we built our gap on both passes of heat two," said

confidence is high. Now our focus is on Adelaide and we will have to be at our very best to beat Ed in his own back yard."

Crocker had to work hard for his heat one victory, fighting back after a disastrous run at Eastern Creek on

Ordynski.

Friday night where he finished 11th.

He found himself first on the road and battling the worst of conditions on Saturday, chasing first Evans and then Scott Pedder.

However Evans's electrical

Simday was drier and with a defined dry line being laid down and this gave Evans an opportunity to chase Ordynski right to the finish.

Tire dodgy conditions were felt most in heat one when the mud and clay was treacherous at best. But as the sun and the numerous passes over the stages dried and packed the roads, it was the lead Subaru's failed rear diff that had the biggest impact on results.

Part-way through the opening test on Sunday morning, the Subaru reverted to two-wheel-drive and slowed Crocker enough to drop him well down the order.

"You are always going to have days were things don't quite work out in this sport, and we really can't complain this season," said Cody.

"I know we have a really good package at the moment and our

problem and brake knock-off in the Pedder car gave Crocker the advantage he needed.

Sunday was not a good day for the Subaru team, with not only Crocker's problems but an engine failure for Dean Herridge's car at the end of the day's fourth stage. The car returned to service on the end of a tow rope, out of the rally after a sixth in heat one.

Ordynski drove superbly over the closing stages of the first heat to finish just 4.8 s behind Crocker. The Mitsubishi driver had been almost 10s off the lead for most of the day, sitting back a little while the others battled at the front. Sitting fifth on motorsporl news

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The full field: The Eastern Creek Super Special Stage offered the rare treat of seeing the entire ARC field lined up in grid formation.

Excit-Ed: Ordynski, below left, didn't neccessarily have the strongest mechanical package in NSW but Ralliart still managed to notch up their first win for the season. t

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right direction again by iy NSW central coast the road also gave Ordynski much better road conditions with which to attack over the last fe\^● stages.

The most intense battle of the rally was between Ordynski and Evans over the closing stages, with the Subaru driver as always attacking ferociously and narrowing the gap on the Mitsubishi, but it was too little too late. The margin stopped at 6s.

It was a strong scoring weekend for Ralliart with Ordynski's win and Lowndes taking a fourth in heat two and a testing eighth in heat one.

Lowndes, who took fifth o\’erall for the weekend, did not have the advantage of the Pirelli WRC-spec tyres that Ordynski had used and in the testing conditions on Saturday it was a telling factor.

Mark Thompson showed good form on his home rally, again partnered by his mum Rita in the ageing Evo V Lancer. He took a seventh and a fifth to be equal with Lowndes for the round, showing that he is knocking on the door of the works teams.

At Toyota, the rally was another weekend of frustration and character building problems.

9 July 2003

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Neal Bates understeered into a

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small tree on heat one, breaking the gearbox oil cooler and forcing his retirement just before stage three.

His brother Rick was out of the rally at the end of the first leg after overheating the Corolla thanks to the massive build-up of mud. Tire problem caused a split block and he could not restart the rally on day two.

A 14th place on heat one for Rick and a sixth for Neal when he restarted on Sunday again underlined how much work still lays ahead for the Toyota team, which was lacking up to a second a kilometre in pace.

The net result for the weekend saw Ordynski close a little on Crocker's strong series lead, jumping from fourth to be second, 32 points behind the Subaru driver with three rounds completed and tlvee rounds remaining.

The Championship heads to South Australia next month for the Cooper's Rally of SA in the Barossa Valley, where Ordynski is hoping he can make further in roads into Crocker's lead - but weather will almost certainly prove a major factor once more. .

JbhnMorris/apJ^

So close, yet so far: Once Crocker dropped out of the picture it fell to Evans, above, to carry the fight to Ordynski. But in the end, a combination of bad luck and Ordynski's determination got the better of the frontrunning privateer outfit.

HEATl 1. Crocker/Foletta 2. Ordynski/Stewart 3. S. Pedder/Humm 4. Kangas/Rabbett 5. Euans/Evans 6. Herridge/MacNeall

Subaru Mitsubishi Mitsubishi Mitsubishi Subaru Subaru

51:46.3 51:51.1 51:51.9 51:59.6 52:45.7 52:45.7

HEAT 2 1. Ordynski/Stewart Mitsubishi Subaru 2. Evans/Evans Mitsubishi 3. Kangas/Rabbett Mitsubishi 4. Lowndes/Randall 5. Thompson/ThompsonMitsubishi Toyota 6. Bates/Taylor

45:43.3 45:49.3 46:21.1 46:43,5 46:50.6 47:25.7

Points: Crocker 106, Ordynski 74, Evans 71, Kangas 58, Lowndes 50, Herridge 50, S. Redder 38, Thompson 32, N, Bates 22, Manufacturers: Subaru 264, Mitsubishi 218, Toyota 808

ARC Round 3 Premier State Rally 61

A decade of dust

intense forest race, where AH,the good old days. 1993 Evo 1 Lancer with Mark Stacey sitting beside him. was a great year wasn't it? every second is vital," says : Interest rates were still How has rallying changed?

Bates. "Back then you could soaring over 10 percent, Paul Well in just about everyway it is have a puncture and lose two ^ Keating was PM and MNews more professional, it is faster minutes and make it up. Now, was born. Well, one out of and far more competitive. Ten you lose 20 seconds and you've three isn't bad! years ago cars could be serviced lost the rally. on the side of the road and Things were very different in "But for all of that, rallying is there was no recce, rallies were n rallying back in July 1993. It was far more professional and is a year when Didier Auriol won blind and your average ARC growing into one of the premier round covered the best part of the WRC in a Toyota Celica, Neal motorsport categories in the Bates did the same in a similar eOOkms, including night stages. country and is no longer a poor car in the Australian Today there is recce and pace second cousin to circuit racing, Championship and Richard Burns notes, servicing can only occur which is a great thing." was a 22-year-old rising star who in sen/ice parks, there are no Ed Ordynski subscribes to the captured the British rally title. night stages and an ARC round 'nostalgia isn't what used to be' Here in Australia there were 15 is lucky to have more than philosophy and while conceding rounds of the national rally 200kms of competitive stages. that the days when a bloke in a championship as the title adopted The question everyone asks: home-built car could win a n a European championship style Was rallying better then than stage or an ARC round are long co-efficient system. now? Well, it's hard to say. gone, he doesn't necessarily ' With a tribe of works cars Certainly it was easier to catch see that as a bad thing. the action.

You had more running around in the ARC in "Times change and rallying 2003, it is easy to forget that 10 chance to catch the cars at a has changed," said Ordynski. numerous points on a course years back we only had two "It is more professional and it : factory-backed cars running spread over many kilometres is in much better shape than in around, and the quality dropped but there were plenty of '93, when really only two cars downside as well. ' off pretty quickly after that. could win the title. There was For a start, there wasn't as These days we have six or no TV, no real awareness of the much action to catch. You had to ' seven factory cars, and three or sport and getting sponsorship drive all over the countryside to four privateers capable of was'incredibly difficult in 1993. grab a single glimpse of a rally challenging the top order.

"It is a different animal today. car flashing past, spraying you One tragic similarity between We have strong fields, with dust or mud, and TV season '93 and this year is that particularly at the top level. The we lost a couple of great Kiwi coverage of the national title was challenge still ahead is to create virtually non-existent, save for competitors in tragic more awareness so that we get circumstances. Possum Bourne's some sporadic news coverage. growth and strength right the But what of the driver's untimely death in May this year way down through the fields. came almost 10 years after the perspective. Have the changes "Overall though, you wouldn't go death of his co-dnver Rodger made rallying better or worse? back. The sport is so much better Neal Bates is 10 years older Freeth in a freak crash, at Rally and a lot wiser than he was today in just about every way."

Australia in September 1993. when he won his first title back And so say all of us. Happy Rodger's demise ended birthday Motorsport News, and in '93, and reckons that while i Possum's tilt at Ihe ARC title in it will-be interesting to look the sport was a much bigger i r§3 and Nfeal Bates took the ' first of the three Australian adventure then, the enjoyment baeks|rom your 20th toirtoday titles he has won to date. is still the same today despite ‘ and see where rallying nas traveil'ed by 2013. tl^e massive changes.

Ed Ordynski won his second Australian Group N tittehn art- 3i| Igallyingis now a far.mor,ea.*^«^'

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THE mooted overhaul of World Rally Championship rules has been tempered somewhat by the World Council meeting in Paris on July 3.

While no firm decisions have been resolved, some of the revolutionary concej5ts have been apparently thrown out or altered significantly heading to the next scheduled meeting in Germany on July 23.

The contro\'ersial recce system borrowed from the French 1000 Pistes Rally has apparently been thrown out by the World Council. Instead, it has now proposed normal recce practices, most likely in the two days prior to the start of each WRC round, making each rally a five-day proposition,

Sushi time!

THE FIA is moving to give Japan’s rally Hokkaido one of the two new WRC slots proposed under its rally shake-up from next year.

The organisers of the Hokkaido Rally, Japan’s round of the Asia-Pacific Championship, have issued a statement welcoming the chance to join the World Championship in 2004.

“Japan is indeed ready for a World Rally Championship round in 2004,” Organising Committee Chairman Kenichiro Nakajima said.

The organisers maintain that they can cope with whichever means of transporting equipment the manufacturers prefer.

The host town, Obihiro, is 15 kilometres from an airport capable of handling jumbo jets and is an hour’s drive from a deepwater port.

The event, which uses loosesurface stages on the most northerly of the main Japanese islands, is scheduled to run in September.

- JON THOMSON molorsDort news

RALLYING

5

only one day more than the 1000 Pistes system.

However recce cars will be almost

group of mechanics.

The move to ban turbocharging on WRC machines from 2006 has been

certainly scrapped, with teams using rally cars for recce, with a GPS and telemetry-based system to limit speed while practicing the stages.

Gravel crews are also likely to be banned,delivering further cost savings to teams.

Another cost-saving concept that the World Council is proposing is for flexi-service, where teams could reduce service personnel on rallies by up to a third. Team cars would be pulled out of pare ferme and regroup at varying times to allow teams to service aU their entries with just one

rejected with the cars likely to retain forced induction while the much debated Regional Rally Car formula has yet to be satisfactorily sorted.

The other big news for Australia from the World Council meeting is that Rally Australia will from next year revert to November. This will mean is will become the final round of the series, a move that many believe wiU establish the event as a major end of year party event in a similar way to the Adelaide GP was for FI back in the 1980s and early 90s.

- JON THOMSON

It’s a give and take thing

Oh whai a feeling:

It’s Tree Day 27‘^’July

NEAL Bates was doing the right thing by his backers at Toyota Australia by planting four trees at Eastern Creek last Friday as part of Toyota's backing of National Tree Day at the end of the month.

However while Bates planted four trees, the net affect for reduction of green house gases and the overall greening of Australia only yielded three trees after the Corolla driver clobbered a sapling on the first forestry stage on Saturday morning.

Arriving too quickly at a fast right hander, Bates attempted to wash speed off. But the mud took over and he found himself understeering into a decent size sapling that gave its life to the red and white Toyota.

Not only did Bates wipe the tree out, but the crash damaged the gearbox oil cooler which was badly leaking by the time he got to the next stage.

The accident prompted one wag to speculate that the Toyota may have featured 'three on the tree' I rather than a 'five on the fioor' I gearshift. s - JON THOMSON

Ford hits ^Pause^

They've got one, why can't we; Ford has a strong WRC presence, but it will be at least next year before a works Blue Oval enters the ARC.

FORD has put its entry into Australian rallying off until at least 2004 as a result of budgetry constraints following its decision to give increased support to its V8 Supercar teams, including the new FPR outfit.

The plan to run a Focus in Australia’s Group N P class alongside Toyota’s Corolla Sportive has been on the drawing board for some time, with Ford President Geoff Polites having told MNews that there will be a Focus In Australian rallying at some stage in the near future.

The coming road-going Focus 4WD turbo that is about to be launched In Europe will almost certainly help the development of a local rally program here In Australia.

- JON THOMSON

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Your li^Victorian M C ^ specialist H Helmets, I Racesuits, Gloves, I Raceboots

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eason approaches the halfway point, with the na night race marking the start of 20 straight in 16 different states. run 20-straight weekends is something I still can't stand," commented Rusty Wallace. an't believe we have to do that because TV says we :o do that, I think that's a poor excuse, if it's true, I know why we can't move stuff around to get a to run continuous eveiy week is just ridiculous. t Kenseth has a stranglehold on the points ngs over Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr., who jnner-up for eight weeks - the highest 'Little E' has een. It's no surprise to see Gordon high on the but Kenseth holding the lead has been somewhat ndsider. Only three finishes outside the top 10 this lave secured that spot and a healthy lead for the Poush pilot. thardt Jr. continues to improve in consistency over years, which has been key to his point position.

Bobby Labonte is getting stronger as the season unfolds and is a definite threat for his second title after a horrible 2002. Jr's DEI stablemate Michael Waltrip has been a real surprise coming off his win in the rainshortened Daytona 500. Waltrip has stayed in the top 10, and after a 13th place run at Sears Point he moved to fifth. The highest he's ever finished a season is 11 th, and along with Kenseth, he's the only driver to have sat at the top of the standings this year.

Kenseth's fellow Roush competitor Kurt Busch has a season-leading three wins but has lacked consistency. _ ..just like Goraeq's tearri-rnate Jimmie,.Johnson, who had a a'slump ever since.

T^W^fe6'^yse^jgr,tl:i&t;eilij3iy6'55th'-.yictory now for over two years, Kevin Harvick and Sterling Marlin continue to ●feeti^round the lower Half :of the first 10, while Tony itches forward after a horrible first half of the J' Stewa season in defen'se-ola,^crown that realistically he can't be expected to defend.

Last year's Rookie of The Year Ryan Newman continues to surge forward after two wins and frightening rolls earlier in the year, and can be expected to finish the year in the top 10, maybe at the expense of his Penske teamWallace. Jamie McMurray holds a slim advantage in this t-rapkie battle over the 2002 Busch Series Champ Greg'Bfffle.--^ Dale Jarrett has had a'year he would like to forget thus far. After winning the second race of the year at Rockingham,the 46-year-old went into Daytona having nose-dived to 29th in the standings.

"Obviously we've readjusted our goals for this year. remarked Jarrett. "We need to get back to finishing in the top ten and take it from there We have to realise that this iisn't something that's going to change overnight.

So the second half of the season officially starts this Sunday at Chicago. For the most part the races so far have been entertaining, with 12 different winners in 16 nMgnto, hilt hrnrrth'~Tnint lead is unprecedented in > . 'y, recent years and we can look for that to shrink some as the likes of Gordon and Labonte step up to the plate. moiorsport news

NASCAR

Totally Biffled ON a single tank of fuel, Greg Biffle drove the final 41 laps into the record books under the lights at Daytona on Saturday night when he became the first rookie driver to win a race at the 2.5 mile superspeedway.

The 33-year-old won in his 23rd Cup race and made him the only first-time victor thus far in 2003, and the 14th different driver to win in 17 races.

"I don't feel like I've won a Winston Cup race or been in victory lane at Daytona," said last year's Busch Series Champ."I never thought in a million years I'd win my first race at Daytona under the lights."

Michael Waltrip, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kevin Harvick had the strongest cars of the race, Harvick heading 54 of the 160 laps, but at the end of the second and final caution several cars pitted for a splash of fuel. Wlren the race ran caution-free to the chequers, it paid dividends for Biffle through one more green flag pit stop when the majority had to pit again.

Others on the same page included runner up and Roush team-mate Jeff Burton and Ricky Rudd, who both posted their best 2003 results, and Terry Labonte. Bobby Labonte almost joined them,but ran dry while chasing Biffle for the win.

Only two cautions marred the event, the first when Jack Sprauge pimted Dave Blaney into a spin. The second incident occurred when a third-rumiing Kurt Busch apparently cut a right rear tyre, sending him spinning and sweeping seven cars into the melee. Those brought into the carnage were Robby Gordon,Steve Park, Mike Wallace, Ricky craven, Joe Nemechek and Jamie McMurray, .All of the Roush cars struggled in qualifying, apparently because of the downforce packages that they were running. Biffle started 30th, tire fastest of the five-car team, while Roush driver and point leader Matt Kenseth started 37th, bungled a pit stop early by overshooting his stall, but expanded his advantage by six points over Earnhardt Jr., who finished seventh - one spot behind Kenseth and seven places in front of Jeff Gordon, who Jr. passed for the runner-up slot in the standings.

- MARTIN D CLARK

Heeere’s Johnny JOHNNY Sauter will drive the Morgan McClure Kodak Pontiac at Chicago this Sunday.

He is also to test with the team at Indianapolis in readiness for the August 3 Brickyard 400. Sauter won the 2003 Busch Series race at Chicago. No decision has been made on a permanent replacement for the fired Mike Skinner. n A spectator in the grandstands was injured late in the Daytona race when the bonnet flew off Robbie Gordon's Chev and into the crowd at turn two.

The woman was said to be conscious but suffered a cut to the forehead, however her condition beyond that is unknown.

The bonnet had been damaged earlier in the race. n An illegal fuel cell was discovered in the Morgan McClure Chevy during post-race inspection at Daytona. Stacy Compton, in one-race drive for the team, started the race from pit road as the team scrambled to make the necessary changes. A fine from NASCAR was expected during the week.

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Final result; Biffle (Ford), J Burton (Ford), Rudd (Ford), T Labonte (Chevy), B Labonte (Chevy), Earnhardt Jr.(Chevy), Mayfield (Dodge), Harvick (Chevy),Jarrett (Ford).

Points standings; Kenseth 2551, Earnhardt Jr. 2371,J Gordon 2348, B Labonte 2296, Waltrip 2159,Johnson 2079, Busch 2067, Harvick 2049, R Wallace 2019, Marlin 1998.

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n A trio of Winston Cup interlopers swept the top three positions in the Busch Series race at Daytona on Friday evening.

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A SAFER place to

NASCAR has completed tests and will use the SAFER barrier on the four outside turn walls at the three-quarter mile Richmond Speedway this September.

The barrier was first used at Indianapolis Iasi year, where its outer steel plate reinforced with steel tubes and impact-absorbing foam proved to be effective.

For its part, Richmond has seen some hard crashes in recent years. Jerry Nadeau wrecked there in May,^ leaving him with head injuries from which he continues to recover. « NASCAR’s goal is to erect the barrier at several tracks by the end ot\this year, witjj New Hampshire looking likely to be next on the list - MARTIN D CLARK

●> ●

Dale Earnhardt Jr, above, led all 100 laps from pole, beating his DEI Cup team-mate Michael Waltrip and Jamie McMurray to the flag.

Jr. also won the restrictor plate Busch races at Daytona in February and at Talladega in April in his selfowned Chance 2 Chev.

■ Jon Wood, 21, won his first Truck Series race at Kansas Speedway on Saturday. Driving a Ford, he held off Roush team-mate Carl Edwards for the win, Jon is the son of Eddie Wood and grandson of Glen, who founded the Wood Bros racing team in 1953 that Ricky Rudd currently drives for, - MARTIN D CLARK 6S

DIntv deeds Vish Australian Speedway has had its fair share of highs and lows since MNews first went to print 10 years ago.

BRETTSWANSON took a closer look...

New South Wales touri

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LOT has happened over the 10 years that Motorsport News has been covering Speedway and Sprintcars.

Some of them have been good, and some not so, but here's a look at the highs and lows of circle racing in Australia.

Bacchus Marsh Speedway,or Western Auto Raceway as it was titled, made its debut in spectacular style attracting a CTOwd estimated to be around 17,000.

Tliey witnessed a tliriUing tliree way side-by-side lunge to the line betv\'een Max Diunesny,Gai'ry Brazier and David Mui'cott in tlie Victorian championsliip on a chiUy April night.

Everything about the'WAR Zone' was big - the opening crowd, the track, the speed, the crashes, and also its early demise less than 18 months later. Sadly, this potentially brilliant speedw'ay sits largely idle despite numerous parties showing a keen interest in the facility.

Australia's longest-running speedway venue, the famed Claremont Speedway, finally closed its doors in 2000 despite some huge pressure from fans and competitors.

The local Government bowed to the pressure and Claremont was replaced w'ith the latest state-of-the-art facility at Kwinana Beach. Sadly, the more remote location of the venue has had a significant effect on the West Aussie industry.

The other big dowmer for the West Australian scene was the deaths of the Krikke Boys, Darryl and Jason.

This tW'o young men will long be remembered tliough through the annual Krikke Boys Memorial.

Prize-money for some of our high profile events has continued to grow, although many would argue that it has fallen behind compared to the ever-escalating cost of competition.

The Grand Annual Sprintcar Classic continues to be, arguably, Australia's premier race, with a long and proud tradition.

The $50,000-to-w'in special at Parramatta City Raceway is challenging the Classic and mdeed far oubweighs it in terms of the winner's purse. How'ever, the pay-off back through the rest of the pack is small, and it is yet to build its owm tradition. One thing it did do was raise the bar in terms of Australia's first live speedw'ay telecast. Sadly, rain w'ashed out the initial feature race and led to the notorious 66

by GREG BOSCATO

»rr«f'F-rf

The legends: Max Dumsney, above and Carry Rush are both stalwarts of Australian Sprintcars. situation of the championship trophy being stolen. Since then, the race has belonged primarily to the field of rampaging Americans like Outlaws Donny Schatz and Joey Saldana.

Similarly, the Aussie Title has been an almost exclusive domain of NSWbased competitors. Garry Brazier, Skip Jackson, Kerry Madsen and Max Dumesny have dominated the title.

Prominent Novacastrian Brooke Tatnell can call the World Series Championship his own,but that OZ #1 has continued to elude him.

Jackson, Madsen,Tatnell, Lynton Jeffrey along with playboy Pete Murphy make up the nucleus of Aussie drivers who can be termed 'professional' Sprintcar racers, making their livmg almost exclusively from racing Sprintcars both here and in the USA. WSS crowned its first-ever

American Champion when Daryn Pittman beat Robbie Farr to the 2002/03 title.

PCR announced that a 'full-blown' Outlaws race will be conducted in Australia in 2004. Tl-iis is possibly the biggest news for Australian speedway ever. Hopefully a full compliment of Outlaws drivers will make the journey down imder next year.

PCR amiounced earlier this year that for the 2003/04 season, it will allow 410ci engines to compete. This has caused another major rift between the Sydney club and the National Sprintcar Body as PCR continues to put itself ahead of the sport on a national basis.

The pay-off may come for WSS, who may pick-up a lot of Sydneybased competitors not wanting to race 410s but wish to compete at a higher level than locally at PCR.

IN a major coup, the Parramatta City Raceway has joined forces with NSW Tourism to promote the big World of Outlaws meeting to be held at the Sydney track next January.

According to the PCR Managing Director Steven Green it will be a joint promotion, with NSW Tourism not only spreading the word throughout Australia but also to New Zealand and of course, in the United States.

In an interesting development, BC Motorsport owner Cyril Peel with MIN Motorsports Management and the PCR, NSW Tourism has become part-naming sponsor of the famous Knoxville Nationals with the event now being called the 'Ford Dealers of Iowa Knoxville Nationals presented by Visit Australia’. The combination will help make the Americans aware of the big January PCR meeting.

In a joint announcement from Knoxville Raceway and MIN Motorsport Management about the ‘Visit Australia’- Down & Dirty Down Under Tour, Bruce Neimeth, Vice President, General Manager for min Motorsports Management said:“We can’t think of a better place to kick off this program than Knoxville Raceway, the Sprintcar Capital of the World.”

The Down & Dirty Down Under Tours is a business created to take advantage of the exceptional values in travel costs between the USA and Australia.Tourists during this period will have direct access to reserved seating at PCR for the sprintcar racing plus access to Sydney Harbour, the Olympic facilities and, best of all, it will be motorsport news

SPEEDWAY

ation nghts

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sm and PCR unite to promote Worid of Outlaws'Down Under'

summer in Sydney.

The Knoxville Nationals is the Indy 500 of the world sprintcar scene and with up to 10 Aussie competing this year, sponsorship of the annual event will certainly boost the coverage of the first ever World of Outlaws race staged in Australia. With international tourism down, the ‘Down & Dirty Down Under Tour’ is going to be an ideal way of promoting not just Sydney and our local speedway scene, but the entire country.

New Maxim for Green

Condon comeback WHEN Sprintcars crash, they often bite hard and New South Wales Sprintcar driver Lawrence Condon knows this only to well after crashing in spectacular fashion at Parramatta City Raceway in March this year.

It appeared that the steering arm broke on the Yamaha Bikebiz Twister as he exited turn 4, sending.Lawrence into the front straight wall at a great rate of knots, which destroying the front end of the car. The force of the crash crushed and fractured three vertebrae.

Fourteen weeks later, a much happier Lawrence is now up and about and is looking forward to getting back behind the wheel of his Sprintcar again next season.

"While resting up I have been trying to teach myself not to turn right while in the Sprintcar and to only do so once the car is parked back on the trailer!" said Lawrence.

- PARIS CHARLES

WINNER of the Titan Garages PCR Sprintcar Series Trevor Green wiii be lining up in a brand new Maxim sprintcar supplied by BC Motorsports at Parr.'matta next summer.

Green told MNcws last week that his Atrad Radiators Eagle wdll be staying in Adelaide. To defend his Parramatta crown, Trevor will be using a brand new 410 engine.

He added that this next season he will have the best of both worlds, traveling up from Adelaide each iveek to contest the 410 cubic

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9 July 2003

THE big screen is back! After a twoyear absence, the giant video screens will return to World Series Sprintcar events in the 2003/04 season. Avalon Raceway's Jeff Drew is expecting an excellent response from the fans. "When you go to the footy or cricket these days you expect to see at least one giant screen for replays and information.

I'm glad speedway can keep up with sports like that." n ^he QUIT Motorplex in Western Australia has released its calender for the 2093/04 season. Ten Super Speedway events are on the cards, with the Car Craft Sprintcar series set to be the highlight of the season.

The first of the Super Speedway shows begins on November 1, followed by meetings on Nov. 15 and 29, December 26 January 3, February 7 and 21, March 6 and 27 and April 17. n Domain Ramsay is set to step up to the top echelon of Speedway next season, purchasing near brand new equipment from veteran racer Wayne Milburn. His chassis is a '99 Foster and comes with a potent Maxwill Motors powerplant. The car has only ever raced three times, and on its debut outing won the 2002 South Australian 360ci Sprintcar Title. n Max Bell is expected to be suiting up for WSS action ne.xt season. Last season, Bell purchased a Maxim chassis from form Australian Sprintcar Champion Phil March. The Bell power-plant is expected to be a bullet as it has been built by long-time friend Peter Finch.

Finch has been keeping busy in recent years working amongst the V8 Supercar ranks. n Former drag racer Simon McKean will |oin the sprintcar ranks this season. With the SA drag racing scene in a state of turmoil at present, Simon spent last season pit crewing for rookie Sprintcar driver Damien Eve, Over the season, Simon became hooked on the winged warriors and decided that a squirt in the dirt would be the way to go, McKean purchased Eve's 98 J&J as a roller and will utilise his drag racing powerplant after bolting on a set of control heads.

- STAFF/PARIS CHARLES

inch sprintcar races at Parramatta.

- GREG BOSCATO

Max Dumesny Motorsport

Bigger is better

2003 WORLD OF OUTLAWS CHAMPIONSHIP KNOXVILLE RACEWAY JULY 5 1. Danny Lasoski

8. Jason Meyers

14, Don Droud, Jr.

2. Tyler Walker

9. Joey Saldana

15. Ricky Logan

3. Terry McCarl

10, Randy

16. Wayne Johnson

4. Donny Schatz

Hannagan

17, Jason Sides 18. Lyntpn Jeffrey

5. Kerry Madsen

11. Stevie Smith

6. Paul McMahan

12. Kraig Kinser

19. Daryn Pittman

7.

13. Steve Kinser

20.'Jaymie Moyle

Tim Shaffer

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2003 STANDINGS JULY 7 1 Danny Lasoski 2 Steve Kinser .

3 Joey Saldana ..

4 Daryn Pittman 5 Donny Schatz.

6 Jason Sides ..

7 Mark Kinser..

8 Brian Paulus .

9 Paul McMahon 10 Tim Shaffer..

5516 5468 5142 5080 4797 4747 4172 3940 3470 3229

11 Randy Hannagan...

12 Kraig Kinser 13 Sammy Swindell 14 Jeremy Campbell 15 Johnny Herrera ..

16 Craig Dollansky..

17 Jac Haudenschild.

18 Bob Bennett....

19 Jason Meyers ...

20 Shane Stev/art..

3178 2994 2962 2928 2852 2785 2715 2642 2369 2266

67

One fo Bright road ahead ANDRA CEO Tony Thornton reflects on the past ten years of championship drag racing- and looks at what lies ahead

1993 was a pivotal point for Australian drag racing as the impact of some earlier developments emerged.

Ten years ago, Sydney's Eastern Creek Raceway had been open for a couple of seasons, the Australian Nationals had been given a long term home in Melbourne and Willowbank Raceway's Winternationals event had been elevated to National Championship status, Winfield had moved to support the Australian Top Fuel Championship and Perth's Ravenswood track continued to stage ANDRA Championship rounds after running the Nationals.

On track, the term 'doorslammer' was stating to appear, and locals like John Zappia and new Castrol signing Victor Bray were racing alongside American Wayne Torkelson. Rachelle Splatt ’completed her Top Fuel licencing in January and went on to win the Nationals a couple of months later. 1993 was the year that ANDRA Drag Racing stepped forward, and Sydney's Graeme Cowin closed it perfectly with his momentous 4.89s Top Fuel pass in December.

By the mid-1990s, Australia drag racing boasted annual attendances of more than a million fans.

Splatt and Cowin achieved notoriety at the international level, and so did Bray-without ever racing outside Australia.

In drag racing terms, the late '90s saw things 'nose over' somewhat. The decision by Eastern Creek Raceway to cease competition events in 1998 had national implications, and the 2001 withdrawal of tracks in Melbourne and Adelaide

added to the challenge. Of course, drag racers thrive on challenges and despite the reduced opportunities, ANDRA licence and membership numbers have remained reasonably stable in recent years.

As we look at things in 2003, work on the Western Sydney International Dragway is proceeding at a pace, Willowbank Raceway is preparing for the second stage of their major upgrade, and the Kwinana Motorplex is planning its fourth successful season. As well as providing world-class venues for Australia's fastest motor sport, these three drag racing super-tracks provide regular access for off street competition as often as twice a week in the summer months.

The future is positive and bright.

Encouraged by the industry's achievements in Brisbane, Perth and Sydney, the enthusiasm of racers and fans in their own areas and the need for legal off-street and entry level opportunities in the major centres, groups in Melbourne and Adelaide are working with ANDRA to develop venues. Regional activities continue successfully in places like Mackay and Gladstone (OLD), Darwin (NT), Naracoorte and Whyalla (SA), Wellington and Cowra (NSW)and Newman (WA).

Congratulations to Motorsport News on their decade of great motor sport coverage. The next 10 years promises to be another exciting period for Australian drag racing, as we're sure it will be for Motorsport News.

UPSETS were the flavour of the weekend at the Sears Craftsman NHRA Nationals in Madison, Illinois two weeks ago.

The points leaders and top qualifiers in the various Pro classes fell like dominoes in the early rounds of the meeting, producing several surprise results and keeping the title hopes alive for a number of competitors whose prospects had been looking marginal.

Three of the four fastest qualifiers were sent packing in the opening round of elinrinations, and by end of round two, all of the Pro class points leaders were on their way to the shower too.

The biggest shock came in Funny Car, where Del Worsham, right, overcame his number 16 qualifying slot to earn a spot in the final against John Force - the only reigning Champ to make it to the last round. Both cars had improved throughout the day, but when it came to the crunch Worsham was in touch when it counted most.

The 25,000-strong crowd watched tire Checker Shuck's Kragen car go down the strip in 4.884s/312.35s to beat the

Shaken, r

-TONY THORNTON CEO

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68

BILL Kuhimann, the first Doorslammer pilot over 200mph, was involved in a nasty qualifying crash at St. Louis.

Kuhimann, above, encountered violent tyre-shake right off the starting line. Fie got out of the groove and close to the wall and then darted back across the track. Fie hit the lefthand wall almost head-on.

The impact was so hard it lifted the back-end into the air and burst into flames. The car bounced back off the wall and back across the lanes and came to a stop against the right hand wall, still burning.

According to Kuhimann, the car launched hard and had a motorspon news

DRAC RAGING

IP the underdogs

Vale: Mike Kase VETERAN chassis builder Mike Kase, who built record-setting Funny Cars in the early 1980s for Kenny Bernstein and Dale Armstrong, passed away June 25 as the result of a cardiac episode. He was 61.

Kase built numerous drag race cars and parts, specialising in Funny Cars.

It was there that he met Torrance resident Armstrong and in the mid1970s built for him the famed Alcoholic Plymouth Satellite Alcohol n Funny Car and later, his revolutionary Alcohol Dragster entries, in 1980, Kase and Armstrong teamed up to field the Speed Racer Dodge Omni. The team scored three runner-ups in 1981, and Armstrong closed out his driving career by driving the Speed Racer to a national record 5.891 at the 1981 Winston World Finals at Orange County International Raceway.

Djvid Ostaszvwski

4.936s/314.09mph recorded by Force in the Castrol GTX Ford Mustang.

Doug Kalitta also kept his Top Fuel title hopes in sight with a 4.602s/312.35mph run downing first time finalist Scott Weis's 4-.805s/298.27mph effort.

After throwing away a number of opportunities to red lights this season, Ron Krisher made a perfect getaway to take out the Pro Stock final over AUen

Johnson. Krisher was marginally slower down the track than Johnson,recording a 6.843 against Johnson's 6.840s,but a 0.026s to 0.054s reaction to the lights was enough to secure the win.

Meanwhile, Harley Davidson came within a whisker of recording its first Pro Stock Bike win, but was ultimately denied by an amazing come-from-behind effort by Geno Scali against GT Tonglet. Scali gave

Tonglet a 0.010s to 0.031s head start, but recovered to cross the finish line in 7.139s/187.99mph against Tonglet's 7.177s/T85.46mph effort.

Points: Top Fuel: Dixon 1109, Kalitta 902, Russell 720, McClenathan 657, B. Bernstein 629.

Funny Can T. Pedregon 1106, Bazemore 963, Worsham 801, Densham 762, Capps 734. Fro Slock: Anderson 1063, K.Johnson 993, W. Johnson 759. Pro Stock Bike: Scali 596, Savoie 528, Gann 475.

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shimmy, but it wasnt anything that he hadn't encountered before, so he decided to stay in the throttle. Kuhimann debated as to whether the shake hurt the run and made the decision that it would be fine, considering that a mio-6.30 was pacing the show. Suddenly there was no control and it made an immediate left turn.

Upon inspection at the far end, it appeared that a wheel had broken during the run, causing the shake and subsequent loss of control.

Kuhimann may have a car ready for the AMS Staff Leasing event held during the U.S. Nationals in Indy.

- DAVID OSTASZEWSKI 9 July 2003

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IT is said that sooner or later all things must come to an end, although for a very long time it appeared that Clay Millican's winning streak in IHRA Top Fuel would prove to be an exception.

But Bruce Litton, above, put paid to that during the IHRA's first visit to western Canada when the show rolled- into Edmonton for the Rocky Mountain Nationals two weeks ago. Litton's Lucas Oil dragster downed the defending Champion's Werner Enterprises machine 4.917s/299.30s to 4.877s/283.64mph, ending Millican's previously unblemished 2003 record, and giving Litton his first win since Rockingham in 2000.

Quain Stott also racked up his first victory of the season when he nailed Rick Destefano in the Pro Mod final. Stott qualified his '61 Corvette in the number one slot and never run slower than the 6.40s mark on race day.

He overcame Destefano with a 6.352s/226.92mph run.

Funny Car produced another first-for-2003 winner in the form of Mark Thomas, who took out Canadian favourite and top qualifier Rob Atchison. Thomas's Ethanol-backed Avenger scooted down the track in 5.919s/240.00mph to beat Atchison's 6.008s/237.90mph effort.

Jason Collins and Rick Jones faced each other in the Sunoco Pro Stock final in a classic Ford versus Dodge showdown, and it was the Blue Oval that went home with a smile. Collins was first away at the lights and never looked back, recording a 6.720s/207.08mph to take the win.

n Mitch Stott, odds-on favourite to win the 2003 IHRA Pro Mod title, headed to Edmonton for the IHRA event, which apparently has not won him many friends among fellow IHRA racers who had planned to not make the trip.

The IHRA point system awards a bonus of 31 points to all drivers who compete at every event during the season, giving the Stott brothers an extra round and a half worth of points toward the championship. n 111 the Pro Modified battle between Edmonton and St. Louis, the NHRA Pro Modified event at Gateway featured the last five out of the six World Champions in IHRA competition. Four of those champions are Shannon Jenkins, Mike Janis, Fred Hahn and Tim McAmis, The fifth is Scotty Cannon, who has since moved into Funny Car. n In Edmonton, the absense of the IHRA regulars made room for several west and northwest coast teams, as well as some seldom-seen Canadian entries.10 of the 16 qualifed cars belonged to teams that rarely venture into IHRA territory. n Kenny Bernstein qualified No. 1 for the first time since his unexpected return to the cockpit and the 66th time in'his career at St. Louis. He drove his Budweiser dragster to a 4.596s/323.12mph run to pace the field.

But his sucess in Madison, where he was the defending event Champion, was short-lived. In the opening round, Bernstein had the parachute deploy when he stepped on the throttle. He led the race through the first 200 feet but the tyres broke loose.

He pedalled, but to no avail, as the chute held him back to send Hartman-Smith into the next frame.

- DAVID OSTASZEWSKI 69

Holding Back

While most of the racing werld is forever leokini time stands still. BRIAN REED reflects en 10 year!

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MAJOR change over the past 10 years is that most of the drivers are 10 years older - a factor that has not gone unnoticed by the CAMS licensing authorities.

"They've lifted the bar," said one seasoned racer who finds it increasingly difficult to convince those in charge to renew his humble C2 licence.

In spite of licensing difficulties and ever-spreading administrivia, historic racing has undergone a period of unparalleled expansion, as evidenced by the growing internationalism of this form of the sport.

The past decade has seen not only many overseas drivers coming to our shores but lots of famous cars, some of which were from Australia previously.

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are turning out to see real This trend is likely to racing instead of the increase, given the excellent processional stuff dished up publicity generated by so often these days. The meetings such as the Phillip Island Classic, the Tasman atmosphere is there - and for spectators and competitors Challenge at Sandown, alike, it's affordable.

Winton's all-Historic meeting Cost is a relative thing in (now in its 27th year), Targa Tasmania, the Classic Adelaide motorsport. ft was the late Rally and the Tattersall's Ken Tyrrell who said tongue in Historic Demonstrations cheek "It's no more expensive to go racing today. It cost me during the Australian Formula all the money I had then, and One Grand Prix carnival, to name but a few. And the it costs me all the money I have now!” Yet spiralling arrangements are reciprocal. ,costs are impacting on most Crowds are flocking to branches of the sport.("These experience the unique sights, sounds and smells of historic days it's really motor business rather than motor sport," motor sport (yes, the emphasis is still on 'sport'), and an encouraging sign is the number of younger fans who

reflected Sir Stirling Moss at a recent AGP meeting at Albert Park).

Historic motorsport hasn't become prohibitive and exclusive, and has generally remained affordable. The 'baby boomers' have been given the opportunity to realise their dreams!

Historic touring car racing especially is on a high - gone are the days when the 'tin tops' were the second-rate support events on the program, and nowadays the fans flock to see the

the Years

HISTORICS

forward,there are some for whom i of Historic racing in Austraiia Mustangs, Minis and Monaros in action.

The growing popularity of historic motorsport can be gauged by the fact that Wakefield Park circuit near Goulburn, NSW was set up specifically for histories, (although these days it is used for other forms of racing as well.)

Whereas much of today's other racing is aloof and the superstars are

unapproachable (except to the chosen few), historic motorsport remains user friendly where the fans can move freely amongst the cars and drivers and feel part of the action. There's no place for prima donnas in the historic scene!

There may be a general greying of the driver population and many of the

cars are escalating in value, but it is encouraging to see a number of the younger generation taking part including a fair proportion of female drivers.

And there's still room for the amateur event. Long live the Eddington Sprints!

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Commodore Carnage!

The boys ruin their toys at the Island crash-and-bash-fest

COMMODORE Cup competitors had an eventful meeting at Phillip Island last weekend.

Two major incidents highlighted the event. Young Jason Domaschenz was involved m two nasty incidents which has set the Commodoe Cup field back an estimated $40,000 in repair bills.

Domaschenz collided with Geoff .Fontaine at turn four on lap one of Race 1 and spun the Axent Global Commodore VH. This sparked a nasty chain of events, with many of the competitors behind the incident becoming involved.

Peter Knight and David Githis both copped heavy damage.

In the second race, Domaschenz all but destroyed his orange Commodore on the front straight in a frightning accident on the start/finish line.

But driving away from the carnage and recording hvo fine wins was Marcus Zukanovic. The PIARC/AMI Collision Centre VH scored pole position by nearly Is and cruised around the Island circuit to record two solid wins.

Geoff Emery and crash man Domaschenz picked up a second place finish each, while Neil Crowe, Sport Sedan diiver Darren Hossack and Lee Holdsworth fought over the minor placings.

Christian D'Agostin and Mark Papendell picked up two top 10 placings in the competitive field.

- GRANT ROWLEY

The calm before the storm; Above, the Commodore Cup field pours into Honda hairpin. On the exit of Honda, below, all hell broke loose in a crash that infuriated some competitors ...

motorspori news

KARTING

Lammers too good

Bas Lammers has stretched his lead in the European Formula A Championship after a win and a second placing at the Braga, Portugal last month.

Lammers qualified second fastest then won all of his heat races, bar one. Carlo van Dam took the other final with the Tony Kart of David Gregory on the podium in both finals.

Wade Cunningham headed the CRG/Maxter team, the Kiwi qualifying fastest in his group and an excellent fifth overall, just 0.2s off pole which went to Britain's Ben Hanley.

Cunningham remained fifth after the heats having taken a succession of strong seconds and an eighth before placing a disappointing 17th in Final 1, but recovered to 10th in Final 2.

Australia's Michael Patrizi had his best run yet, qualifying 36th out of 64 drivers and finishing all his heats well inside the top 20.

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GOLD Coast driver Josh Hunt has made a stunning North American debut by winning the second round of the CART Stars of Tomorrow Grand Prix.

The race was held at the Briggs & Stratton Motorplex International Kartway, situated on the inside of the Road America circuit.

The CART-sanctioned series is run to CIK International regulations and it’s debut year has attracted massive fields of more than 50 drivers in both the ICA and ICC categories alone previously unheard of in the US. Driving for the J&J Biesse Team in ICA, Hunt took a superb victory on Saturday’s Race 1 before coming from grid 23 to take fifth in Sunday’s Race 2. Also in winning mode was Graham Rahal who took out the ICC class in front of his father. Indy 500 winner Bobby.

Hunt’s win was the second time an Aussie has won ICA in the US after Ben Horstman's victory in the US GrandNationals in Las Vegas last November. That win - against such drivers as ChampCar star Bryan Herta, Toyota Atlantic pilot Danica Patrick and five-times world champion Danilo Rossi - was ironically for the same Biesse team Hunt drove for on the weekend.

- IAN SALVESTRIN

n Following the trend set by a handful of other clubs around the country, the Southern Kart Club that operates the Bolivar circuit in South Australia has now installed a permanent out-grid cover. The domed structure was officially opened last month and will protect comoetitors from not only rain in winter, but the searing Adelaide summer sun.

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is OK: Hunt is JH in impressing the heal US brigade in the CART Stars of Tomorrow Grands Prix.

HQ and Gemini enduro in Qid

THE fifth round of the Queensland Racing Championships was held over the July 5/6 weekend at Morgan Park Raceway, A 23 lap mini enduro was held for the HQ and Gemini competitors, with the battle of the top four HQs stealing all attention.

The 25 car field saw Brett Cooper push through from the second row to win from a Paul McCahon. Mike McLoud and Gary Marks. Further back in the Gemini battle, Matthew Picken was the first home in eleventh. McCloud won the State Championship race from McCahon and Cooper. McCahon and Cooper shared the other victories.

The Gemini Championship saw Eddy take victory over Picken and Kandice Walker.

Eddy and Picken shared the other wins with Matthew O’Grady taking the reverse grid event.

National series Formula Ford competitors Shannon O’Brien, Daniel Pappas, Tony Le 9 luly 2003

Messurier and Chris Gilmour returned to the state championship, but none could stop Derek Pingel (Lola T87/50 Holden) from taking the Racing Car Championship win. Pappas (Stealth RF93) was second ahead of Chris Gilmour (Van Diemen RF96B). Pingel, Pappas and O’Brien (Van Diemen RF03) shared the scratch races with O’Brien breaking the Formula Ford lap record. Charlie Clements (Swift SC92F) won a handicap event.

Steven Morcombe (Westfield SEi) took the points in the Sports Car round. From the back of the grid. Grant Watson (Prosport Mulsanne Kawasaki) climbed to second, but stripped fourth gear in the process, removing him from the remainder of the meeting. Peter Saunderson (Radical) was third. Watson and Morcombe won the other races with an ecstatic Brian Ferrabee (Mazda MX5) winning the

handicap race.

Shane Hart (Bee Cee Jabiru) again demonstrated his prowess in Formula Vee at Morgan Park with five from five wins. Perennial rival Trent Usher (Bee Cee Jabiru) was second in the championship race with Tristan Hughes (Elfin Crusader) third.

Anthony Zulian (Stockman 125cc) won the four Superkart races he contested, with Tyrone Gautier (Tag Blue 250cc) winning the last race. Sports Sedans and Improved Production shared races most of the weekend with a desperate Trophy race going to Chris Fing (Chevrolet Monza) after a final lap tussle at Siberia with Colin Smith (Rover Vitesse Chev) and Bob McLoughlin (Commodore VL) who finished second and third. Steve Draheim’s Datsun 1200 turbo was the form of Improved Production all weekend.

- MARK JONES

m The CIK-FIA has decided that the 2004 World Championships will again be a one-meeting event, citing the need to curb costs for the teams as the reason why a world series will not be re-introduced. Like this year, the lOOcc Formula A category will carry the World Championship title.

In related changes, the 2004 European FA Championship will be cut back from four to three rounds.

Venues will be released in October. n The World Superkart Challenge has been confirmed for September.

It will be the third annual running of the Laguna Seca spectacular that supports the American LeMans Series round. Eddie Lawson is the defending champion and it is expected that several Australians will once again make the trip to the US. NSW's Brian Stockman has been the best performed so far, piloting his self-built machine to third last year. n Shane Wright holds a narrow lead over Yiani Harpas in the South Australian Youth Superkart Championship after two of three rounds. The Championship has been devised to promote youth and Superkarting and is funded by the CAMS foundation, the SA Government and several kart trade sponsors. The scheme operates across a number of classes and provides subsidised fees for drivers who qualify (they must be under 25 years of age and have not previously held a CAMS licence).

Oxley has Bolton!

John Bolton and Chris Oxley shared the spoils at round four of the MGF Trophy at Hidden Valley Raceway two weeks ago.

'Chance of a Lifetime’ winner Bolton picked up the first win in the hot Darwin conditions, followed by Oxley and Jamie Cartwright.

Race 2 saw Oxley grab the advantage, beating Cartwright and Bolton to the line.

Oxley’s consistency gave him the overall round win and moves him into third in the series.

Both Race 1 and 2 saw incidents at the first turn, with Doug Gilford, Bruce Thomlinson, Gary Vastag and Dave Griffin getting involved in lap one. turn one panel-bending.

Points; Cartwright 336, Bressington 279, Oxiey 254, Derums 246, Boiton 239.

The Ken and Leanne Show

Marshall Cass

V KEN Douglas and Leanne Perrier dominated the Improved Production field at Phillip Island last weekend.

Douglas picked up both the wins, ahead of Fei rier in her Mazda RX7.

Paul Rule and Bengamin Schools were other top performers on the day.

Kayning the Locais Kiwi gives the Yanks a fright...

lohn Tlhuvley

IMPROVED Production and the HQ Holdens shared Hidden Valley Raceway late last month.

Tne power of Edward Au--Tm's Co.r'imodo''e was just too much tor .his '^’roduction opponents.

Austin scored pole and three of the four race wins. Ross Dillon and Adam Ueberqang. above chasing Austin and Diilon, gave

chase all weekend, but couldn’t match the speed of Austin.

Uebergang claimed the other win.

In the HQ battle, Phil Brock, below, easily dominated the class, grabbing pole and all four race wins. Gavin Thompson chased Brock, but to no avail. Marian Bujnowski and David Ling were other top performers in the HQs.

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VETERAN New Zealand driver Kayne Scott finished sixth in his first start in the Trans-Am Series at Sears Point, California in the United States last weekend.

Scott, a multiple NZ Trans-Am champion took his Megatech/KIT Car Wax Chevrolet Corvette to an impressive series debut, qualifying 10th in the 19 car field and finishing on the lead lap.

Scott said that the meeting, which supported the NASCARs, was simply amazing.

74

”It was a great result and the event itself was awesome," said the Kiwi."150,000 fans all crazy about racing is something else.

And the Kiwi is looking forward to returning Stateside soon.

"We are heading back for the final round at Puerto Rico where we are j looking for even better results." | Ex-Indy Car driver Scott Pruett claimed victory after qualifying on pole and leading every lap of the race.

- GRANT ROWLEY tnotorsport news

Aiming high

Andrew Thompson has an enviable list ofachievements in Karting with eleven state titles and two national championships.

But as MARK WICKS found out, Thompson, at the tender age of15, is in the final stage of his karting career.

MOTORSPORT NEWS: You're leading the Ford KartStars series but you had never raced a Rotax prior to the first round. What were your expectations prior to the series?

ANDREW THOMPSON; I'd only done one proper test day and I had bronchitis so I wasn't quite sure. I was doing good lap times but wasn't sure if that would convert to racing. I expected to be in the top 10, but didn't really expect to win it. I just wanted a good finish to get some good points, but it worked out a bit better than that.

MN: With a win and a second, what's the plan of attack for the remaining rounds?

AT; Get points, finish and get some good results.

MN: As opposed to going all out for a win?

AT: I'll still try and win ,f i can, but you can't win all the time.

MN:In the CIK series, you started out in Formula A but quit that after round two and moved to Intercontinental C. Why? AT: The main reason was to learn gear changing in a race situation and also to learn about front brakes. That way, if I do make it to race cars. I'll have a better idea of what to do. Also, ICC is also a lot cheaper to run than Formula A.

MN:So ICC is effectively your last step in preparation for car racing?

AT: Yeah, probably. They're fast, they've got grip and gears ... they're quick!

MN: Will you compete at the Rotax Nationals?

AT: Probably. To win the place in the World Final you have to be eligible first, so we're racing at Lismore this weekend to do that.

WIN: You've driven a whole bunch of kart brands, particularly in the last three years - Tony Kart, Swiss Hutless, Birel, CRG, Arrow.

Why all the changes?

AT: Two reasons. One is finding help. Living in Byron Bay we're away from people (in the industry). Now Arrow is perfect because Jon (Targett) is just an hour down the road and he builds the engines and gearbox.

He also keeps the chassis and we thought that would be a

better alternative. He's the best person to give us help right now.

The other reason is that it's good to get the experience of all the different brands and the way their chassis behave. I can now jump into pretty much anything and be used to it.

WIN: And it's not just four wheels you can adapt to ...

AT: Jon and Raelene (Hopper) bought me a unicycle for my 14th birthday and a week later at the Oceania Championships he bet rne $10 I couldn't ride away, turn around and ride back. But I did, He lost 10 bucks!

"i cmi't even get a aroper car licence yet.

It

- Thompson

WIN: What's the long term plan for Andrew Thompson?

AT: I'd like to go to Formula Ford, but I'll have to wait and see how the KartStars series goes. If I can stay in the top four, then maybe I have 3 chance to move on from there. But I am still young and might still be 15 when they test the KartStars winner. I can't . even get a proper car licence. yet.

The kid from Byron: Thompson, above, at the CIK championships and. below, in KartStars, has impressed everyone with his speed and results.

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mraceshop

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rSIMPSONJ RACE PRODUCTS

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

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fLomEnmmuMm www.performancewholesale.com.au

Ferrea J

COMPETITION STAINLESS aJHANIUM. Phone or 3808 1986

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The USA’s ITrst choice in race valve springs now available in Australia

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l As used by top US teams including Hendricks Motorsport

l Extremely durable bonded dampening

(NASCAR),John Force(Funny Car), Warren Johnson(Pm Stock)

Easy to read computer etched timing marks Available in economical cast iron Street, ait steel SFi approved Race and new Serpentine for Chev, LSI, LTl etc Ph 02 6937 BBSS Fax 02 6921 7536 Visit out website www.preclslonparts.com.au

1

^S^EEDrLOW ■1 Premium Motorsport Hose & Fittings! ^ Wt

WUMvALVEsMBisfomwmMi or visit oar website for your nearest distributor.

Visit our website: www.crowcams.com.au

The True Performance Alternative

Phone or 3808 1986

or visit our website for your nearest distributor.

3* 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

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SuperFlow Corporation

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l Fast profile design service to your requirements l Custom ground roller, solid and hydraulic profiles using unique computer controlied machines for unrivalled accuracy t, l Matching race valve train components ^ including PSi(USA) valve springs and a huge range of one piece super duty R pushrods Ph 03 9357 0469 or Fax 03 9357 0001

The l ultimate power fix for your Holden

Further Information and Bookings: 03 9217 8866 OF 07 3396 3666

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Contact your state distributor...

Hardiman Auto Supplies (02) 9771 5877 Motorsport Connections (02) 9838 7272 (03) 9794 5177 Victorian Speed Pro Performance Wholesale (07) 3808 1986 (08) 8363 5566 Crane Technologies Cogear Racing Services (08) 9443 4400 A.

Bchining controa Hifihoat quality ona in tha Induatry

PT> 3290 5911

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CAMS racing and rally licence courses @ Oran Park monthly $605 in your car.

Includes lecture and OLT.

International Racing Drivers 5chool For more info ph 02 9873 1773, fax 02 9871 1018 or email peter@finlays.com.au w w w . f i h ays.com.au

J7I7JVXOJP

NOW

IN

TYRES STOCK

Aiumlnium Competltiog Wbeel Nuts O-SO Tyre Pressure Bauies 10 Carnegie Place Blacktown NSW 2148 p 02 9676 8655 f 02 96765300 ● e garydunlop@ozemail.com.au

www.garysmotorsporttyres.com.au

9 July 2003

Over 10 years experience of brake modifications and upgrades for road and race. Caliper conversion 1, 2, 4 & 6 piston. Custom made disc rotors.

Manufacturers « distributors ot

rates High pwrformai

a racing disc brakes

MATLAEOON

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Engine building Vehicle & engine development & machining service

OI4S.M5

ICS

For your engine tuning and development needs

Pastel Address PO Box El Gisborne VIC 3437 Tel/Fax B3 B4SB 11E3 Mobile D4DB B34 EBB Email KBBLKAHS@blgpond.com.au

AX

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www.performancewholesale.com.au

www.performancewholesale.com.au

or visit our website for your nearest aistributor.

oil Coolers

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FT

_raee. brakes

Competition disc pads ● Race brakes ● Pagid ● Hawk ● Endless ● Performance Friction

Crankshafts ^

M|Serck

or visit our website for your nearest aistributor.

Queensland 07 3341 9911 Sydney 02 9609 1101 Melbourne 03 9326 6088

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Vtmilsm-pitilUB

MPIRFORMANCE. MENmmRiNGsm Phone or 3808 1986

Available from the exclusive Australian distributor

campCAMS Ph 03 9357 0459 Fax 03 9357 OOOl

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MOTORSPORT

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consistent pressures and longer spring life.

■

Formula Ford Test Drives - $654.50 in our cars. No pre-requisites. 40 laps at Oran Park. ●ngin* combination V^«. « and 4 cyllniior Oufeicnat <tail rry In tho Inctuatry CMC AH nos

l Specific super duty spring desig i for endurance (circuit, speedway and marine)or Drag Race applications deliver

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m mm Phone or 3808 1986

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or visit our website for your nearest aistributor.

RAcmpisToms S(Pm

9^ cssmssmsfmmmm 1 V * J n 7 ^il! OS'itlssiiseescsgxatSsaaa 7u~i T n \ L t A (SB mffifSBtsssDtnsfiayfjiiwam^

Ph. 02 9758 1966 Fax. 02 9758 1155

Phone or 3808 1986

or visit our website for your nearest aistributor.

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irace shop

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PERFORMANCE CAMS a VMEiTRAINXOMPMENTS

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AUSTRAL I A

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or visit our website for your nearest aistributor.

Fax,02 9758 1155

www.iJerforniancewliolesale.coiii.au

Windows of ^pporfynify for Engine Experts o Aicurote, Repealable, Versatile

H

Phone 07 3808 1986 E

Trade enquiries welcome

Ph. 02 9738 1966

bpecialists (n l Turbochargers ball 5 bearing and non ball bearings l Kils & overhauls available * High flow intercoolers and kils ® Link engine management systems ® Oil coolers and 2 oil coolers kils® Silicon hoses and z bends l Tein suspension kits

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For more informotton and'O demenitrattoa rontect:

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SPECIAL HI-PERFORMANCE 308-355 C.l.

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1 21 Kellets Rd Rowville 3178 Ph 03 9764 2811 Fax 03 9764 8740

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Your high performance tyre and suspension specialists

nflOTOrSpOri mini ir 1 UO UtflVB U3yS

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StaubH Connectors The world’s leading dry brake connector, available for every wet line on a racer. As used by F1,WRCand Touring Cars.

Contact: KusseH at EBC Brakes far a brochure an 03 34BS 3S10 J8

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Race logistics RACE LOGISTICS interstate transport

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Now based at Morgan Raceway Warwick Leo will personally instruct small classes (6) on technique and vehicle set up -

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Engineered isotropic finishes for carbon & alloy steels, stainless steels 8t titanium components.

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

Distributors for Victoria and Tasmania

Workshop MamuaSs for cars and bikes Mow To's for jiiist aboiiit e¥erythiiiig

Steel Main Caps to suit! most V8 applications ,

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Professional race car logistic and event specialists Security for car and equipment Contact Neil Griffiths on 0418 474 816

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● One man operation ● Easy to use ● 16 litre capacity ● Quick a clean A range of ehvifonmehtollyfriendly products to keep your work place clean.

Ph Brett Youlden 0402 456 281 or email bvoulden@ozemail.com.au

THE OMI\/MlMG FUflCE

CLASSIFIEDS

news

Classifieds

Iron iHst $25

online f/ncf hundreds more race vehicles and parts for sale at www.my105.com

SEU

your motorsport vehicle, parts, memorabilia with our all-new combined magazine/internet classified service.

Courtesy of an agreement between Motorsport News and internet classified service my105.com, your advertising will appear in both for as little as $25.

Yes 3 months on my105.com AND one insertion in Motorsport News for just $25! HOW?

Just log on to www.my105.com and follow the prompts!

Alternately, you can still use the classified form on these pages (surcharge applies for the service of entering the ad onto my105.com)

LOG ON NOW — IT’S THE SMART WAY TO SELL YOUR EQUIPMENT!

LOLA T=492 S2000(1978)

www.myl05.com/66989

This beauitful historic sports car has been subject to a recent freshen-up and is absolutely race ready. It is totally original and unmolested, right down to original gearbox & engine numbers, as it left the factory. Very quick and a delight to drive, low maintenance and ultra reliable. (Group R). $48,000 ONO. Stephen (03)9710 1444,

Sedans/Sports Cars

Datsun 240Z Race car, 1st U3ltr/ 5th outright 2002 VMRC Sportscar class, L28 2.9itr motor. Triple webbers running avgas, R200 LSD,4 spot calipers, new hawk pads, new vented rotors, 16 x 10 Dunlop slicks, fibreglass panels, spare g-nose front and much more, laps ph island in 1:47, can help new owner with set up and maintenance.

20.000. Ashley 0418 508 756 / (03) 9555 7848. 262www.my105.com/66083

Mazda RX7 One of the quickest cars in Targa Classic Division. Proven track record Baskerville 59.4s. Upgraded Microtech ECU and many spares. This car is ready to race/rally in 2003, $26,000 ONO. Kym 0409 211 614. 262 www.myl05.com/40907

Porsche 930/964, Body 3.8 RSR wing, coil over suspension 3.3 Itr turbo, G50 gearbox, fully rebuilt motor, new turbo, three sets of wheels, race ready. $53,000. Garth 0411 700 666. 262www.my105.com/88878

RX3 Sports Sedan, Coupe, alloy cage, Needham 5 speed, konis, LSD Mazda diff, series 4 brakes, big wing, front air diffuser, 15 inch race wheels, log book, no motor. $4,750. Rodney (07) 3396 9255 / 0403 254 387 262www.my105.com/38750

1 Porsche 944, Challenge race car LHD. motor and gearbox renbuilt, at the end of 2002 season. 2002 lap record holder at sandown with trailer. $25,000. Garth 0411 700 666. 262www.my105.com/49958

9 lulv 2003

Lotus Motorsport 200, Brand new engine with dry sump. No expense has been spared on this beautifully presented car. A true pleasure to drive with lap times at Eastern Creek under 1:40, $150,000 Neg, Mark 02 9838 8374 / 0408 976 958. 262 www.myl05.CO m/30841

Mazda RX7 1993, Vielside kit, roll cage, alloy rear wing, 13b Peripheral port, massive Trust T88 turbo, fat Trust inter cooler, giant waste gate and custom exhaust, greddy race BOV, metal clutch, Apexi digital meter, race style suspension, purchased only as a race car as cannot be complied. Sthousands spent on it. $34,000 will take trade in, Kerry 0418 835 727. 263 www.myl05.com/76349

TORANA HATCHBACK, Torana Hatchback Genuine 5 Litre SS Hot 308 L34 Yella Terra Heads & Roller Rockers,Runs on premium unleaded, M21, 9in 4WDIscs, Big Brakes, 6 Point Cage, Harness, Stratos Seats, Koni Shocks, 5 Spoke Alloy Wheels, Excellent Rally or Club Car, Road Car, Will help organise freight for buyer. $6500. JOSEPH 0418 293 330. 261 www.my105.com/47220

VK Commodore Sports Sedan, Chev engine, top loader box, 9 inch diff, mid mount engine, easy to maintain, ideal car to get started, V8 power at a budget price, sell with motor $19,990 or without $9,990 just add yours, Cams log book. Greg 0417 580 760.261 www.my105.com/69663

Porsche 944, Race Car LHD All works performed by Fitzgerald Racing Services High HP Motor, Honed Turbo, LSD Racing Diff, Gearbox Reco Last Season, Cromolly Lower Arms ADJ Suspension, Full Roll Cage, Log Book 4 sets Wheels, Done Targa Tas and Porsche Cup. Great Balanced Car Nothing to do, just get in and race. $29,500 Neg. Lee (03) 9464 3955, www.myl05.com/68517

Westfield Sierra Cosworth, Specialist high performance vehicle. 245 BHP, Flat Slide Injection, Dry_ Sump, Button Clutch, Motec M4. 4 Vented Disks, 5 Link Rear 2.5" AVO Shocks, 3” 6pt Harness, Quaife Sierra 5 speed, LSD, Rose jointed, 13" Wheels with Yokohama 032 Tyres. Professional engine rebuild just completed. This is an excellent track car but don't have time to use. $36,500 Or Best Offer. Brett 02 6285 3644. 26i www.myl05.com/91004

Gemini Sports Sedan Rolling Chassis, suit rotary or piston engine. Ideal car for Warwick 2 litre series, 2 sets wheels, 2 front spoilers + extras. Comes with parts to suit rotary installation: RX7 Turbo gearbox, new clutch, flywheel and driveshaft plus 51mm Weber & extras. Please email for details.

Will split car and mechanicals. $7,500 Neg. Mark 0416 ' 067 014.

261. www.my105.com/56041

c

T

2001/2002 Championship winning WRX Sti, still holds QR lap record, rally rego, Moly cage, profiex shocks, Momo seat, Autronic, extra wheels, would be unbeatable club car. $34,000 ONO. Brett 07 3284 8844. 261 www.my105.com/67352

Commodore VL, Ex Self Dirve Race Car at Calder. Professionally maintained by V8 Toy Factory. Ready to race. Low cost maintenance, easily modified to Production Car, Auscar or reliable Club Racer. $9,500.

Warwick 03 5221 5522 261. www.myl05.com/49715

78

Open Wheelers

i 4

Ford XF, Ex self drive Race Car at Calder.

Professionally maintained by V8 Toy Factory. Ready to race, low cost maintenance. Easily modified for Production Car, Auscar or reliable Club Racer. $9,500 Or Best Offer. Warwick 03 5221 5522 / 0412 030 962 261. www.my105.com/50481

Porsche 930, Genuine turbo, all steel, LHD, FAI app full roll cage and harnesses, fresh and standard 3.3, K29 turbo, Kokein intercooler, New 17” Simmons, good Bridgestone 540s, alum, oil cooler, Padig pads, Pyro, MSD ign, adj boost (330 400hp), RSR 3.8 wing, make an ideal Targa or club car. Why knock the good one around? $45,000 ONO. Kerry 0417 518 660 /(03)6331 0466. 260www.my105.com/99536

■n Toyota Supra Sports Sedan, Toyota Supra 2001 Old State Sports Sedan Championship Winner, midmount 6Ltr Chev, ford topioader. Independant nine inch diff, too much to list, comes complete with spares and fully enclosed trailer, POA - call either 0418 729 732 or 0417 607 084. POA. Wayne 260 www.my105.com/33119

f Championship Winning GT3, Quickest GT3 in country, proven track record.

Complete with ohiin shocks. 3 sets of wheels, nations cup computer, PI data logger, upgraded ECU and many spares.

This has car has had no exspense spared and is ready to race/rally in 2003. New paint and all original parts incl. $180,000 Neg. Matthew 0412 553 455.

260 www.my105.com/75661

Python SR 302, Championship winning car, 1998, 2000 3rd 2001, 302 Windsor 500 and hp John Sidney built engine, 4 speed to loader and more, ready to race with 2B log book, eligible for Prod Sport NSW and Sport Car Class VIC. $65,000. George (03) 9696 0646 / 0402 053 116. 259 www.myl05.com/86492

Commodore Cup Race Car, new engine, gearbox and front rotor's, professionally built, ready to race. $23,000, Cameron 0418 318 866 260www.my105.com/75696

J

I

VAN DIEMEN RF 86, Unique model with spare set wheels, nose cone, gear ratios bodywork & other spare parts. Rolling chassis - can supply new engine. CAMS Log Book. Ideal restoration project for someone wishing to make a start in Formula Ford. Suit state series competitor or club racer. Help can be supplied to buyer. $12,500 Not Neg. John 0418 130 600.

262 www.my105.com/53909

Toyota Corolla IMP Production Car, 4AGE 20 valve engine, autronic engine management, TRD, C/R, g/box, 4.3 LSD, Sparco seat and harness, log book, on tandem axle, braked trailer, $12,500. John (07) 3207 8559. 260 www.my105.com/43891

■MYGALE FORMULA FORD, Just fully rebuilt by Mygale Australia - no expense spared with all latest factory updates. Ritter Race Engine at zero kirns. Full set up for all Australian tracks and assistance. Spares package with car, $32,995. Greg 03 9580 7047 262www.my105.com/73905

W/fP

I i

RALT RT4/81 ROLLERS, Car#1 ex Bowe very original restored car,wets,gear sets,COD.Car#2 ex O'Brien,Cesario,rebuilt tub.little to complete.Both have conect ID# and documents.offers on either or both required.Engines available. Neg. Peter 0418 556 934 262 www.my105.com/53909

Nascar Pontiac Grand Prix, 2nd last race, 650 HP engine, well sorted and reliable, with spares ready for next Nascar race 216-03, must sell, $30,000. Daryl 0410 640 644.260 www.myl05.eom/6409

Cann Suzuki, Cann Suzuki, Hillclimb Formula Libre. Cams Log book, long history.

Freshly Rebuilt IIOOcc Suzuki to 1260cc.

Very quick under 1300cc car with registered trailer at $8500. $8500 ONO. Ron Hammond (02)4996 4129/(02)499 64129, 262 www.my105.com/41264

Formula Ford Historic Bowin P6F, car is well maintained, Ritter engine, spare ratios, log book and COD. Akvays a top performer, and in excellent condition. $25,000 ONO. Vince 0418 509 145.26i www.my105.com/54032

Mk 6 Cheetah F2, Fully restored. 1600 cc Celica engine dyno time only. Webber 45 carburettors. Hewland gearbox. Brand new chrome exhaust system. Fire system fitted.

Eligible AF2 or Histories. Spares including head and mounted wheels. Also included purpose built, fully enclosed refurbished trailer with 12 months registration and full length side and rear annex. Excellent car. $39,500 ONO, Alan 02 6367 3030 / 02 6367 3222. 261 www.my105.com/69423

GWG 1967 Group 0, Log book and Cams certificate of description, motor fully rebuilt, four speed Hollinger Box. $24 ,000. Bob (03) 5428 2583. 259www.my105.com/97101

I TifiFway to sell your gear! From fust $25* lust log on

I

(*$25 applies to ads entered directly onto my105.com)

online classifieds

Category; □ Sedans □ Open Wheelers

news Description:

□ Parts □ Engines □ Trailers

□ Speedway

□ Wanted □ Photographs

□ Drag

□ Jobs

□ Other

Please keep ads to no more than 50 words, plus up to 6 photos if desired.

Advertising can aiso be suppiied using this form ($10/$15surchagetotextonlyAext + pic advertisements) Advertisements wiii appear in next possible issue of Motorsport News PLUS the m '105.com websiteforthree months.

Please read & cross the desired services and calculate the total.

X standard ad and one inlusion into Motorsport News □ Pius Photo Processing fee $5 ADDITIONAL OPTIONS:□ Extra issues X $25 per issue □ Feature ad on Motorsport News and my105.com homepage for $75 per issue

= $35

TOTAL = $

I enclose a clieque/money order/credit card details tor the payment of the total amount above.

□ Amex □ Bankcard □ Visa or □ Mastercard for the amount of Card no

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NOTICE TO ADVERTISERS Please use the form provided and print clearly. Please note we are unable to return photographs supplied for use in classified ads. Ads will appear as soon as possible after receipt. MN/myl05.com classifieds are for the sale of private goods and vehfcies only, not business advertising Photos marked "proor will not be used.

motorsport oews

CLASSIFIEDS Bikes

Speedway

I

f M. A Modified Production, EL Ford, Front runner,2 Seasons old. Adjustable suspension. Auto Meter gauges. Race tyres.

Ready to race. $10,500 ONO. Don 0418 643 901. 261 www.my105.com/58339 Sprintcar High Bar Rolling Chassis, Lightning Chassis, new tank, almost complete. $4750 2 Maxim Chassis $1200/5750 Also a range of Sprintcar parts including Quick change diffe, shockers with dyno sheets, bars with test sheets, complete front axle, bare front axles, front and top wings, tyres, rims, bonnets, side bars. Quad with push Bar $1100 . Dennis 08 8269 2928 / 0408 844 841,280www.my10S.com/2S409

Production sedan VK Commodore, Moe engines 202, Tilton clutch, Redline cage, adjustable suspension. Auto meter gauges, includes spares. Ex Aus 1-2 (2001-2002). $9500.00 ono Ph John 0412 687 563 or (03)5134 4812. $9,500.00 ONO. 260 www.my10S.com/81149

2002 All Super Sedan, John Brown Chassis, all the best equipment used, open axle diff, Burt Box, 363 Cleveland engine 700HP, no expense spared on building of this car, only raced one meeting. Plus all spares. $35,000 or will separate. 0419 989 010 / (02) 4730 3440.

259 www.my105.com/4465

1988 Ducati 750 F1, 20,000 Km excellent condition. Two owners. Second elderly owner purchased in 1990 at 9,000 Km and never reved over 5,000 RPM. This rare FI is for the Ducati collector. $18,000. Lindsay (03)5243 4884 260www.my105.com/71344

Predator Dirt Drag Bike, GS 750 Wisco'd to 850cc, too many extras & spares to list, professionally built motor & frame running nitro's with imported rear tyres, only 4 passes since top end rebuilid, looks & goes great, spent over $15,000. Refer to www.my105.com/63226 for other Predator, both bikes for $7,000 GS75020160, (JB0422617). Darren 0427 839 691. 259 www.mylO5.com/17841

Used Racing Tyres, 3 x Bridgestone RE610S 225/50/16 25% left $50 ea ono. 4 x Dunlop Formula R D96J Wets 205/60/15 80% left $75 ea, ono. 2 x Formula R D78J 195/60/14 60% Left $50 ea, ono. 1 x Dunlop Formula R D78J 185/60/14 25% left $30 ono. 2 X Yokohama A-028 225/50/16 25% left $25 ea. Jim (02)4731 4988 / 0414 314 988 262www.my105.com/12863 Porsche Parts, 1 set fully adjustable bilstein suspension (currently on PorscheGT3) excellent condition, fully refreshed in 2002. Spare spring, 1 spare shock, Neg $3,750. 1 set OZ racing 18° rims (PorscheGT3) $4,200 or original GT3 rims $4,500. Lightweight door and floor inners, to suit PorsoheGT3 $2,100. Race exhaust GT3 $2,200. Cobra evolution race seat $500. Detachable steering wheel $250.

Separate or sell lot for $8,500. . Dean 0418 507 403. 259www.my105.com/88971

9 luly 2003

372 Alloy Sprintcar Engines, 372 Sprintcar Engine Maxwill Built, Just freshened with new special stroke scat crank, Kinsler F.I.J and Mallory Super Mag III, Just dynoed and set to go, $28000 also a 372 Sprintcar engine,Maxwill built as raced in 02/03 season, $25000 2 3/16 Hilboum Fuel Injection complete with latest 1 peioe air filter$1800 Aluminium Radiator $200 Roller Camshaft $150 Pro Iron Lightning Steel Cylinder Heads - Complete, Ported, Good HP $2500 . Dennis 08 8269 2928 / 0408 844 841, 260 www.my105,com/1589

Transporters/Traiiers

FORD F250 1991 & 36ft Goosneck trailer , NC, Powersteer, Low kms, CD, EFI, Trailer as 240V, Belly Lockers, Annex, Heaps of Storage. . $29,000 ONO. Henry 0417131 989, 262www.my105.com/35479

1^ Dual Cab Car Transporter, Dual cab Misubishi 515 Pantech. 6 cylinder turbo diesel only 284000km. Long range fuel tanks able to carry 2 race cars. Lots of storage space, checkerplate floor, tyre racks, internal lighting with 240 volt power, air compressor, electric winch & ramps.

Interstate del neg. Ready to go nothing to spend, $46,500, Ph: Leanne 0438 370 793. $46,500 Neg. Leanne 0438 370 793. 259 www.myl05.eom/47670

Collectable/Memorabilia Biante Models - All Signed, 1 x Johnson XE Palmer Tube, 1 x Moffat Cobra Coupe 1977, 1 X Moffat Coupe 1978.0415 178 696 254 www.my105.com/92629

Driver/Crew Apparel

Chev C30 & Enclosed Trailer, Chevy C30 Dual Cab with 22ft Enclosed Trailer, currently used and decked out as a sprintcar transporter, 6 seater, Gas/Petrol (350L Tanks), Black, Tri-axle trailer fitted with electric brakes and break-away system, air compressor. Travel with the speed of a car and the room of a truck. $35000. Dennis 0408 844 841, 262 www.myl OS.com/24901

Predator Dirt Drag Bike Kid's, Kid's Deltex drag bike, comes with original frame very good goer & promo bike. Refer to www.my105.cm/17841, 150 Deltex (JB0422616). $1,500 ONO. Darren 0427 839 691. 259Www.my105.com/63226

Racing Suits/ Helmets, 2 Full suits RPM Racegear.Nomex Three, Blue & White size M Racesuits.gloves M.shoes size S.Bell Helmet SR-PRO Size 7 1/4 or 58,with carry bags.These suits and helmets were used in 2 Targas and are very clean and well looked after, $975 each set.as I will sell seperately. $975 each set ONO. Tony 07 55321400 / 07 55773077.254 www.myl05.com/22200

Wanted Escort Race parts, 4 or 5 speed close ratio gearboxes 'Rocket type' or similar. 4.1 & 4.4 crown wheel & pinions. Quick rack steering rack. Anthony 0419 340 927 /03 6343 6193.

261 www.myl O5.com/10410

HiHif.niy1Q5.eoin Trailer Car / Boat, 6m x 2.5m, with totally enclosed 6m x 5m x 2m high annex. Fitted tool box on draw bar and ramps. $6,500.

0408 369 070. 260www.my105.com/7375

Parts

Sprintcar Parts, Chassis & Engines, Large range of used sprintcar parts including diffs, wheels, axles, chassis and engines. For a full list Fax (08) 8269 5969 or e-mail lightning@picknowl.com.au. 262 www.myl05.com/69516

Engines

Custom Built Suzuki GSXR 1100, fully polished with immaoulate paintwork, complete Kevin Schwantz race replica, full service history, with new Micheiin tyres, chain & sprockets, only 11,000 kms since built, No 750,(JB0522957). Craig (02) 9825 9723. 259www.my10S.com/18430

TRAILER, New 2.98 long x 1.82 m wide.

Professionally built. Uncovered, single drop axle, jookey wheel, hinged ramps. 12 months registration (June). In Sydney. $2,200 inc GST. Peter 02 9873 1773. 259 www.my105.com/2735 Coach Transporter, 38ft midmount, B58 Volvo 275HP, four speed pre select gearbox, air brakes. Maxi brakes exhaust, tubless tyres, aluminium chequered plate drop back rear door, eleotric winch, new carpet in front section. Pontoon lounge fridge. $20,000 ONO.0419 989 010 / (02)4730 3440.2S9www.my105.com/14138

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More refined searches Kawasaki ZX9R 1999, reg. till 6/03, 11800 kms, 1st regd 2000, comes w/ all riding gears; 2 helmets,2 jackets, 3 gloves, boots, bike lock, bike cover.AK 244. . $10,000 ONO. Edwin 0417 320 135 / (03) 9364 5369.259www.my105.com/78965

Browse the ‘motorsport catalogue' of new parts and accessories WPA Transporter, Dualcab , turbo 6 speed, complete with generator, compressor, ellectric winch for car, winch for tailgate, 130000 kirns, has seperate front room, fitted out for super sedan. 45000+ GST ONO. michael (07) 5437 7603.

258 www.myl05.com/77696

Coming Soon ...The Motorsport directory and membership areas

Get it seen Get it sold!

81

OPINION

motorsport EDITORIIl STAFF Editor: Phil Branagan «editor@mnews.com.au Assistant Editor: Mark Glendenning « mark@mnews.com.au Staff Journalist: Grant Rowley « grant@mnews.com.au

PRODUCTION Adv & Graphics Co-ordinator: Viv Brumby o viv@mnews.com.au

ADVERTISIN6 Brendon Sheridan - PR Driven Tel; 03 9550 0870 Fax: 03 9550 0816 mobile; 0407 007 286 “ ads@mnews.com.au

AOMINISTRUnON Managing Direaor/Publisher: Chris Lambden » publisher@mnews.com.au

eONTACTS 357 Nepean Highway, Brighton East Vic 3187 (PO Box 7072, Gardenvale, ViC 3186) Ph: 03 9596 5555 Fax: 03 9596 5030 Email: mnews@mnews.com.au

Milestone Marcos Congratulations to Marcos Ambrose and the Stone Brothers Team. It is good to see a Ford up there and mixing it with everyone else.

But to aU the Ford Fans, well 1 wouldn't be dancing in the street just yet! It is interesting how HRT,GRM and Perkins(won't say Kmart & Brock because they are yet to prove themselves with a VY)can sort out the new front end and still be at the pointy end!

1 wouldn't say GRM have a bottomless pit of money! What's going to happen this time next year when these teams have 12months of testing behind them? Apart from Stone Bros and BJR, the rest of the Ford teams are a joke!

Marcus Arundel marra400@hotnmil.com

Accommodate Holden The Bathurst 24 hour race is for GTP type (production based) racing cars, correct?

CONTRIBUTORS FI: Joe Saward, Adam Cooper, Paolo Filisetti Europe: Quentin Spurring, Gary Watkins, David Addison US: Phil Morris, Martin D. Clark Speedway; Brett Swanson, Julie Pearce, Geoff Rounds, Wade Aunger, Tony Millard (UK), Greg Boscato Rally: Jon Thomson Flistorics; Brian Reed Drag Racing; Greg Ward, Jon Asher (USA), Dave Ostaszewski (USA), Nick Nicholas, Steven White, Ken Ferguson National: Mark Wicks, Sean Henshelwood, Mark Jones, Dave Conole, Chris Jordan Photographers; Sutton Motorsport Images, Dirk Klynsmith, Bothwell Photographic, Marshall Cass, Nigel Snowdon & Diana Burnett, AFl Images, Neil Hammond, Slipstream Photographic, Phil Williams, Allsport, John Morris/Mpix, Frank Midgley, Peter Bury, Mike Patrick (UK), Chris Carter, James Smith, Paris Charles, Bob Potts Motorsport News is publBhed by Australasian Motorsport News - ABN 55 125 120 702 Publisher: C Lambden Printed by: Offset Alpine Printing Pty Ltd, Lidcombe, NSW. 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.

That is my understanding and all cars at last year's inaugural event complied except for one. This particular manufacturer was given many freedoms on a car which was not yet available to the public. Sure, HSV said that tliey were 'plarming' to build the 427 Monaco,so it must have been okay to race something which may resemble that car.

But now that HSV this week announced that they will not go ahead with 427 Monaco tlie question begs to be asked -should last year's winners be disqualified for racing a non-production based car and the 2nd placed car be retrospectively awarded the win?

And will the 427 Monaco no longer be eligible to continue racing in the Nations Cup races? Or will the rules be bent once again to accommodate Holden?

As you can see I think that the whole thing is a farce. And the saddest thing of all is that the Bathurst 24 hour race, which could have grown to be a regular big event on the Australian motorsport calendar, ended up being stillborn.

This is purely due to PROCAR

coBwerter Send us your thoughts: mail; PO Box 7072, Gardenvale, VIC 3186 fax: 03 9596 5030 email; mnews@mnews.com.au

killing the credibility of the event by giving preferential treatment to one manufacturer, thus ensuring a contrived result.

If PROCAR continue to run this event in this manner I predict that it win last about as long as the 2-litre Bathurst 1000.

Simon Dale Endeavour Hills, Victoria

Supercar sisters?

1 don't know how your male readers are going to react to this, but I am concerned about some of the side shows on the V8 Supercar scene.

1 go to most Victorian and some New South Wales Supercar races and all I see is petite girls wearing next to nothing. It makes the wee girls look very cheap.

Myself for one would like to more guys and less chicks at the tracks. 1 know some of my 'Supercar sisters' would like it as well.

So come on, when will we get an even share of males and females at the race tracks holding the teams banners and handing out the posters? /R Morris Middle Brighton, VIC

A big weekend's motorsport

What a farce. How can these Formula 4000 people hold themselves out to be the country's premier category?

On Sunday at Philip Island I watched the most pathetic display of motorsport I have ever been unforhmate enough to encounter as six cars limped around the track. 1 feel sorry for the few young talents that have been conned into the series to run with a-bunch of old farts in antique machines.

Speaking of antique maclTines, 1 got home in time to replay 'Trackside'- and how about those Histories! Now that is motorsport! Cars drifting around corners getting everything crossed up. Fabulous!

Why can't Ten show more of this? More importantly why can't the dills that run our supposed premier V8 category understand that we want to see cars sliding aroimd corners rather than following in single file glued to the track?

Imagine some of these so-called modern professionals having to really drive around a circuit like Wanneroo rather tlian being glued to the track and beaching when their precious aerokits fail them.

Ah,the variables of Oz motorsport!

Mnx Torque maxJorque@hotiuail.com

Weekly - no thanks

1 see from the latest issue that the next issue of MNews,your 10th birthday special, is out in a week.

Does this mean that MNews is going weekly?

I've been debating the pros and cons of that and decided that I like my MNews just the way it is, every fortnight.

Ever since your opposition went weekly, it has seemed a bit tliin as it has struggled to come up with good content on a weekly basis.

Congratulations on your ten years.

I bought the first one and have rarely missed an issue since.

David Sanderson Fitzroy, VIC ED: No, we’re not going weekly (well the publisher hasn't told me so). The one week is a one-off to better align MNews'publication dates with the major race events in the second half of the year.

I

SUBSCRIPTIONS Australia (inci GST) Overseas (Air Mail): New Zealand, PNG, Malaysia, Indonesia, Phillippines, Hong Kong, Japan US, Canada, Europe

1 year $143

2 years $275

AS195 A$250

$370 $480

Post your cheque/money order to the address above, fax your credit card details (Bankcard, VISA, Mastercard, or Amex)to 03 9596 5030 or email to mnews@mnews.com.au

Does Simon Dale have a point? Or is he just jealous of the mighty Holden Monaro?

82

moiorsporl news

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There’s heaps of chances to win one of these fabulous prizes, so what are you waiting for? Get your entries in now!

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