Motorsport News Issue 264 - August 20-September 2, 2003

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No. 264 August 20 - September 2 2003 ii-

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Piston Fins Fearrea Valves, & Valve Train

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news

Issue 264

20 August - 2 Septemlier 2003

opinion

1

4

Lion on the Line New team new sponsor ... and Jason?

6

Stewy remembered McColl leaves a big gap in the sport HRT’s Real Thing Skaife and Todd get set for new VY

8

11 Juan thought The Money or the Title? What would you do?

16 Moslers for all! Two 24 Hour shopping trolleys!

25 Motor Mouth When your dream exceeds your reality 26 Box Seat Testing, testing for Juan, two 82 Talk Converter Prove to us

features a

race ceverane

42 Normal Services have now been Resumed After a weekend off at the

American SpMt * C

Queensland 300, Marcos returns to his winning ways at Oran Park SO PROCAR goes ail Italian Stokell wins bravely at a sombre Phillip Island 56 Markko Finnishes First Martin and Ford humble the locals in Finland

meloispoirt l pTusI

58 Pale Ale Rider Ed Ordynski gets to drink the ...

Coopers Pale Ale in the Adelaide ARC round

Photos: Cover: Lee Wood TOP kPAIRINCS Contents: sutton-mages.com, mmRMEO Dirk Klynsmith and Marshall Cass STEVEN More Marcos RICHARDS*"'*' Ok LP ANO HIS NEW VY

S

regulars 20 Motorcycles 66 Drag Racing

60 Rallying 68 Histories

62 Speedway

64 NASCAR

70 National Scene

76 Marketplace 3

Hold

by PHIL BRANAGAN

IVIurph denies teem switch WHILE rumours swirl about Jason Bright and a new Holden team,fellow Holden man Greg Murphy has discounted stories of running a single V8 Supercar entry for a New Zealandbased and funded team.

Talk at Oran Park centre on the two-time Bathurst winner running a Commodore VY out of Castrol Perkins's Melbourne headquarters, funded by the NZ affiliates of current sponsors Holden, Castrol and Super Cheap Autos, which is planning a major incursion into the NZ market.

The Kmart driver said that he was intent on sorting through a number of contractual matters

with KRT owners John and Margaret Kelly and said that any talk of a new ride was not accurate.

"Categorically, no," he affirmed in Sydney.

"There are things I need to talk about (with the Kellys) and sorting through those is my absolute priority."

While Bright is secure in a two-year deal with Team Brock principal Kees Weel, suggestions are that Murphy, who like Bright was contracted to the now-defunct TWR Racing Australia, has no actual deal in place to continue with the Clayton-based team.

- CHRIS LAMBDEN

Briggs sale ... almost Triple S reedy to teke the V8 Chellenge

THE sale of Briggs Motorsport to British touring car team Triple 8 is imminent,following a visit to Oran Park by the prospective buyers.

Triple 8 owner Ian Harrison and partner Peter Buttersley were in Sydney on a lightning visit to continue negotiations with team owner John Briggs. The pair, who we due to leave Australia last Monday, would not comment overtly on the sale; “In any business negotiations, there are confidentialities that need to be respected," said Harrison. “We are not in a position to comment on those matters, other than to say that we are pleased with the way things are proceeding.

“But, until there is a firm deal in place and contracts signed, we cannot talk about what is happening.”

Buttersley said that he thought that deal was “somewhere in the 90s", ie between 90 and 100 percent done.

“We are not here just to look around," said the Irish

fohn Morris/Mpix

businessman. “We are in the serious part of the deal.”

Triple 8 will also have to come to an agreement with the team’s current sponsors and Ford, while there is also driver contracts to be settled. While no comment has been forthcoming, MNews believes that Triple 8 is keen to maintain the team’s relationship with current driver Paul Radisich.

Our sources in the UK suggest that the man most likely to line up

alongside The Rat in 2004 is Yvan Muller, who currently races for Triple 8's Vauxhall BTCC team and who has raced V8 Supercars for the Holden Racing Team and Kmart Racing Team.

Sources also say that Triple 8 is planning on the deal being completed by September 1, though neither Harrison nor Buttersley would comment on this.

- PHIL BRANAGAN

THERE could be a new Holden V8 Supercar team on the grid for the 2005 V8 Supercar Championship.

A business consortium, based in Melbourne,has over recent months formulated a business plan for the new team that details a two-car assault on the category, together with ancillary programs in as many as three other classes, including Nations Cup and the Carrera Cup. The highly-comprehensive plan is said to include details of required staffing levels and merchandising rights and licences.

Motorsport News sources suggest that the plan has already received a positive response from a potential major sponsor, a national company affiliated with a company already prominently involved in international motor racing sponsorship.

V^hile no details of who would drive for the team have been forthcoming, MNews believes that the first name of the consortium's ’< list is that of Jason Bright. The Team Brock driver is currently Holden's best-placed driver in the 2003 V8 Supercar Championship Series,second to Stone Brother Racing’s Marcos Ambrose.

When contacted by MNews, Bright said that any future involvement in a 'start-up' team was an attractive proposition but that his focus was to maintain his 2003 championship form with Team Brock.

"I am very happy with my current situation with Kees Weel," he said.

"I am under contract ivith Kees for the remainder of this season and next yeatJWhm the matter of TWR came up,I w'ahted to make sure that the legal side of my relationship with the team was settled as quickly as po^hle and we si^ed a deal until the enJofZXM.

motorsport news

NEWS

en Supeiteam is Jason

in demand for 2005?

Go West THE Western Australian Sporting Car , Club has announced that it has secured a deal that will see the V8 Supercars return to WA for the next five years. Everybody, grab a Swan Lager (then put it back in the fridge and grab something a bit nicer). n Do you know where you're going to be in three years? Richo does - right where he is now. Steve Richards has extended his contract ‘ with Castrol Racing until the end of 2006. For more on Richo's new deal, turn to our interview on page 30. n Brett Peters has driven just about everything during his racing career, and in a few weeks he will be able to add David Thexton's V8 Supercar to the list.

The experienced campaigner was last week signed up to partner Thexton in the endurance races at Sandown and Bathurst. His actual race mileage in the car, however, could be limited.

The rules state that both drivers must qualify for the races something that Peters will cruise, but Thexton may find more of a challenge. According to Thexton, if the fails to make the cut, the car will not race.

"There is no Plan B," he said.

"We checked that out, and we're not allowed to enter a third driver. So if I don't qualify, that's it."

"This season has not been an easy one for myself, Kees or anyone in the team and,as much as anything, I wanted to underline how conunitted I was to seeing this through That was,and remains, my main priority; anything else that might upset that is not realistic.

"Beyond 2004, who can say? I want to be involved in the sport for a long time, and I want to stay involved with it after I stop driving. If something were to allow that to happen,I would be a fool not to look at that But that is for the future; I want to do the best job I can for Kees and the team now."

MNews's source said that Bright's long-term relationships with sponsors such as human resources company Skilled, Gillette and Sony Wega have made him a sought-after driver for the proposed'!fam;

"Apart from being a race winning driver, those relationships are important to sponsors. Bright has the experience in those areas and we like that..."

One potential sticking point any new Holden team in the championship is the availability of licences. Under the current TEGA system,the 26 Level 1 licences are held by 13 teams, and none appear to be imminently available. There are also nine Level 2 licences and, while some appear to be available, the estimated cost of licences is about $700,000.

Bright,30, won titles in Formula Ford and Formula Holden before he made his V8 Supercar debut with the Garry Rogers Motorsport team at Symmons Plains in 1997.

He was drafted into the team for a single race because GRM regular Steven Richards was racing the

team's Honda Accord at Lakeside on the same weekend. A few weeks later, he finished third in the Sandown 500,sharing a Falcon with Alan Jones.

The following season, he moved into the category full-time with Stone Brothers Racing, taking an emotional Bathurst 1000 win with Richards. He continued to race with SBR the following season before moving to the USA,where he raced in the Indy Lights Championship in 2000. In October of that year, he raced a Champ Car at Surfers Paradise, retiring while in fifth place.

After driving the 2000 enduros for Dick Johnson Racing, Bright moved to the Holden Racing Team, where he raced alongside Mark Skaife for two seasons before moving to the Weel-owned Team Brock this year.

n Todd Kelly snuck away to Hamilton Island yesterday - and got married. MNews extends its best wishes to Todd and Kristy. n Stewards' fines for the Oran Park V8 Supercar meeting were mainly inconsequential, although the entire SBR team copped a little for forgetting to arrive at the Saturday Drivers' Briefing - $1,000 between Messrs Ambrose, Ingall and Stone!

However, the Larkham team went home $5000 lighter after its fire attendant 'undertook other tasks' ' during a refuelling stop. n It takes a special kind of magazine to kill Carroll Shelby, but we are nothing if not special.

A photo caption in our last issue erroneously referred to the 'recent passing of Carroll Shelby’, when it should, of course, have read Carroll Smith. Apologies to Carroll Shelby, the only man who makes chili with the same finesse as he makes cars.

The person responsible is, well, a moron. n The Roulette display at Phillip Island's PROCAR round was cancelled due to technical problem with the back-up system in the team's Pilatus PC-9/A. But never fear, aviation fans, the Roulettes will be back at the Bathurst 24 hour race in November.

20 August 2003

5

m

New Super Licence?

THERE could be a new licensing system for V8 Supercar drivers in the near future.

Discussions are being held between AVESCO and CAMS

regarding the possibility of introducing a 'Super licence' for drivers to, in effect, set a mirumum standard of performance for drivers in the V8 Supercar Championship Series.

The talks have been prompted by the failure to qualify by David Thexton,above, whose Falcon AU failed to make the 105 percent qualifying minimum at Oran Park last Saturday. As well as that, Thexton was involved in a number of clashes and near-misses with other drivers, David Besnard once spirming his FPR Falcon off the Yokohama Bridge after contact with the TMR car.

Cameron McConville, who also had an incident with the New Zealander, went down to the team's garage to confront Thexton after having two incidents with the

driver in one lap.

CAMS had introduced a

licensing system for V8 Supercar drivers some years ago but the system was discontinued after discussions with the teams.

One of the problems introducing such a system now would be the need to allow competitors in the Konica V8 Supercar Series to 'step up'into the V8 Supercar endurance races without facing undue expense. As well, the system would need to allow V8 Supercar rookies to be judged on their performances outside the category in order to 'qualify' for a licence.

Next month, a number of drivers will be making their V8 Supercar debuts at the Betta 500 at Sandown,including former GP driver Jan Magnussen and CART race winner Nicolas Minassian, while Bentley and Prodrive ALMS regular David Brabham will be returning to the category after an absence of four years.

- PHIL BRANAGAN

Pairing

of Aces

by CHRIS LAMBDEN

FORMAL confirmation that Marcos Ambrose and Russell Ingall will pair up to form an SBR Falcon superduo for the long distance races has caused a rethink by other teams.

The Ambrose/IngaU combo,first reported by MNews back in May, was cordirmed on Thursday, with the unveiUng of a merged Pirtek/Caltex livery for the SBR cars for the two long distance races.

The new look also reflects a threeyear corporate agreement between the two companies, which sees Pirtek take on Caltex lubricants and fuels for its national network.

Konica Champ Mark Winterbottom and Mark Noske will share the second car.

"We've been working on the idea with the two sponsors for three months,as you know," a delighted Ross Stone confirmed to MNews this week.

"In the end,both of the sponsors realised it was a reasonable compromise,in commercial and livery terms, which allows us to put the shongest possible combination out there for Sandown and Bathurst.

"What made the decision a little

easier, as time went by,is the fact that Russell is probably not now a serious title contender. Had we been running 1-2, it would have been a big decision not to let them run in their own cars."

Will the merged livery continue on after Bathurst?

"Don't know," said Stone. "It's something we'll review with the sponsors once it's all over."

Already it seems as though HRT has reacted, with confirmation that Mark Skaife will now team up with regular HRT team-mate Todd Kelly rather than, as previously planned, part-time (in V8 terms) V8 racer Jim Richards, with whom he won Bathurst last year.

Richo Snr will share the number two car with Tony Longhurst, himself a Bathurst winner as Skaife's team mate (in 2001).

According to the man at the top, the decision had already been made; "We have been heading down that path anyway" Mark Skaife told MNews on Monday.

"When Todd and I were running VX cars earlier in the year, our two cars ended up with very similar set ups, which is ideal. He's matured over the past two years into the sort of experienced driver you want at

VALE; Stewart McColl AUSTRALIAN motorsport will be a poorer place both on and off the track following the death of Stewart McColl at Phillip Island.

The 23-year-old, who was born in Newcastle but later relocated to Sydney, was a fabulously quick and fair competitor who was held in high regard by all who went wheel-to-wheel with him. But more than that, he was a sensational guy. When you arrived at a race, Stewy was one of the people that you genuinely looked forward to catching up with. Honest, down-to-earth, entirely unpretentious and extremely funny, Stewart was exactly the sort of person you’d want to find yourself stuck next to on a long flight.

McColl made his .first appearance in national racing when he joined the Formula Ford National series in 1999. After a 6

couple of race wins and a pole position, he returned the following year with Sonic Motorsport and took his Kmart Racing Van Diemen RF98 to third in the championship, scoring the most pole positions and race wins along the way. McColl also made his tin-top debut that year when he participated in the Honda Indy Young Guns race on the Gold Coast.

In 2001, McColl joined the NRC outfit in the Formula Holden series. He only participated in the opening three rounds, but was sitting second in the championship when he was forced to withdraw. He re appeared at Bathurst that year, where he was due to share a Volkswagen Beetle RSi with Will Davison in the GTP 2-Hour Showroom Showdown, but the car caught fire during the race while Davison was at the wheel

and retired before McColl had a chance to race it. A few weeks l later, Stewy drove the team's sister VW to a Class B pole, and second in class for the weekend at Oran Park.

Last year, McColl re-appeared in Formula Holden, where he contested four of the six rounds and finished second in the championship behind Halt Australia team-mate Will Power.

When between drives, McColl remained upbeat and kept his foot in the door by finding other things to do like returning to the Sonic Motorsport fold, where he served as a mechanic on Marcus Marshall’s car In 2001.

His involvement with VW helped him land the job as the team’s works driver when the new VW Golf RF32 GTP car was unveiled for the 2003 Championship. .Stewart’s death has cost the

sport one of its brightest young talents, and robbed many members of the racing community of a close mate. The fact that 1300-odd people turned up to say farewell to Stewy at his funeral in Newcastle last Thursday is a testament to that - and it’s a fair bet that for every person present, there was another who wanted to go but couldn’t make the trip.

Motorsport News extends its sincere condolences to Stewart’s family and friends. So long, mate.

- MARK GLENDENNING motorsport news

NEWS

A Big Ziel

SBR gets Five years!

THE run of success being enjoyed by Stone Brothers Racing has resulted in the inking of a five-year contract with Ford.

Negotiations have been ongoing over the past few months in regard to SBR's future, with its current contract expiring this year.

Suggestions that the team might have been targeted by Mitsubishi (as rumours of its possible foray into V8s continue)served to speed up the process and the five year deal was announced on Friday.

"It’s a great thing for the team," Ross Stone confirmed at the weekend.

Bathurst. And yes, you're really going to need two full-time, regular drivers in a car if you're thinking of winning either of these next two races ..."

At the same time, Steven Richards has suggested that the recent announcement that Larry Perkins would partner him, leaving Tomas Mezera to share with Paul Dumbrell,as "flexible."

"We may change the pairings between races as well, possibly," Richo Jnr told MNews at the weekend.

Either way, the modern folklore

that "you need two number one drivers to win Bathurst" is now back in vogue,big time.

The Ambrose/Ingall pairing takes away the one potential weak link that might have affected the SBR team’s chances of adding to the string of victories to date in 2003 and installs the duo as low-priced favourites for both the Sandown 500 and Bathurst.

The one remaining unknown will be the potency of HRT’s fullon VY Commodore,set to debut at Sandown (see other story).

"While the bottom-line dollar input from Ford is improved, we do still have to work within their commitment to FPR. "However, the key thing for me is that the contract concretely binds us to the Ford Motor Company for that time.

"Our arrangements with Ford to date have been to a greater degree centred around Howard Marsden and Geoff Polites' personal push and recognition of our efforts.

With the sad news that Howard won’t be returning to work and the fact that top executives tend to change a bit, we're locked in - even if Geoff Polites were to move on in the interim and be replaced by a CEO who wasn’t necessarily so into motorsport."

Enquiries underway

INVESTIGATIONS are continuing into the crash that claimed the iife of Stewart McColi at Phiilip isiand two weeks ago.

“A number of investigations need to be undertaken, and obviously CAMS are doing everything they can to assist with these enquiries,” said CAMS President Colin Osborne.

“The most important thing is that we gather hard data so that the cause can be determined as accurately as possible under the circumstances.”

Police are in the process of preparing a report for the coroner, however there is currently no indication as to when it will be ready.

McColl, 23, was killed when his VW Golf R32 left the circuit and colliding with a tyre wall on the 21 «HiHSI 2803

approach to the Honda hairpin during GT Performance qualifying on Saturday. He was killed instantly.

“There’s every indication that the response was timely and effective, but all of these procedures will be subjected to the normal review," Osborne said.

“That’s not to suggest that there was anything deficient, but it’s important to get back to first

principles so that next time around we can do things even better than we did this time.”

Later that afternoon, Ray Ayton was injured when his Porsche GT2 hit the wall at Lukey Heights during a Porsche Driver’s Challenge session. Ayton spent a couple of nights in hospital under observation before being released early last week.

- MARK GLENDENNING

CUP Car Australia has annouriced a new associate sponsor for the remainder of the 2003 Carrera Cup in the shape of Ashdown and its Ziel lampware range.

Based in Queensland, Ashdown is Australia’s largest wholesaler of auto electrical components. Their range includes starter motors and alternators, air conditioning components, EFi components, LED lampware, spotlights and driving lights.

Ziel is the company’s newest brand in its premium range of LED lampware and driving lights. It was released on July 1 this year, with the range of LED lampware products suiting trucks, trailers and heavy duty industrial machinery and spotlights and driving lights to suit all regular road driving purposes. n Mitsubishi driver Steve Riley is pulling no punches in his efforts to go one better than last year’s second place in the Australian Safari, which starts this week.

Riley has taken delivery of a new competition-bred, 220kw, 3.51t V6 Mivex powerplant which will be bolted into the Pajero that he is sharing with co-driver John Doble. n The word is that McLaren will announce its 2004 driver line-up in Hungary and all the signs are that the team will retain both Kimi Raikkonen and David Couithard, despite lengthy talks in recent days with Juan Pablo Montoya.

The team is also expected to name test drivers but there are still suggestions that Alexander Wurz wants to get back into racing and has been talking to other teams, notably BAR. Wurz drove for Benetton when it was being run by BAR boss David Richards, who is a fan of the Austrian.

Richards says however that there is no rush to decide on drivers and is talking to a number of other drivers in addition to Jacques Villeneuve and Wurz. Takuma Sato, the team’s test driver, is also in the picture at BAR. n BMW WiiliamsFI has signed a new long-term deal with Christian Vine, its head of sponsorship acquisitions.

Vine has been with the team for seven years and in recent months has landed big new deals from GlaxoSmithKIein (Niquitin CQ), Western Union and Budweiser, despite the difficult economic situation at the moment. n Marketing executives from the Indy Racing League are actively seeking a title sponsor for its US based IndyCar Series. The asking price for the deal is reported to be US$10 million.

- JOE SAWARD/ QUENTIN SPURRING/STAFF 1

HRT readies 1 rear weapon

HRT will debut its full VY-spec Commodore at the Sandown 500 and team leader Mark Skaife has said that then is the time for race fans to judge HRT's 2003 performance.

"The fundamental fact is that we are nine months behind,in introducing the new car," Skaife told MNews on Monday.

"We need the new car out there before any final comparisons can be made between Ambrose and us. It's our own doing, but anyway,now is the time to debut it."

HRT will test the full-spec VY for the first time on September 2 at Winton,its designated test track.

Are there any circumstances under which the decision to debut the new car in such a crucial race might be reversed?

"I don't think so. There would have to be a pretty major problem come out at that test day for us to do that. We've been doing a lot of work behind the scenes, at the workshop, so I doubt that there will be anything of that nature."

-CHRIS LAMBDEN

Dane set for GRM V8 seat NATIONS Cup ace Allan Simonsen will be the fourth driver at GRM for the upcoming endurance races.

An announcement from the team confirming the Dane's presence in the line-up alongside Garth Tander,Jamie Whincup and Nathan Pretty, is expected tomorrow.

The 24-year-old completed around 30 laps during testing at Winton last week, and the team was said to be impressed with the lap times posted by the highly-rated Dane.

8

Simonsen returned to the Nations Cup series at the wheel of a Mark Coffey Racing Group Two Ferrari 360 Challenge at Phillip Island two weeks ago after making his debut in the series in the support race at this year's Grand Prix.

He has had a varied racing career in England and Europe that has most recently seen him behind the wheel of a Veloqx Ferrari 360GT in last year's British GT Championship.

- MARK GLENDENNING

Courtney takes on I

THINGS are about to get really busy for James Courtney.

As well as attempting to continue his dominance of the Japanese Formula Three Championship, the 23-year-old from Emu Plains in Sydney's west has been recruited by one of the leading Formula Nippon outfits. Team 5-Zigen, to compete in the remaining four rounds of that prestigious championship.

Courtney replaces Japan's Ryo Fukuda at Team 5-Zigen. p"I'm really looking forward to doing this," Courtney said.

"It’s a great formula, great racing and the cars are awesome. While winning the F3 championship is my prime focus, this will give me the opportunity of putting my marker down for 2004."

Courtney's first race in the class will be at Fuji on August 31. The last three rounds are at Mine on September 21, Motegi on October 19 and Suzuka, November 2.

Courtney is making the step with the full support of his TOMS F3 team and is expected to mount a full assault on the Formula Nippon title in 2004.

-.Cj

A Triumph for ROD Wilson has bought the Maserati Trofeos formerly run by TTrident Racing.

"We're going to give the cars a power upgrade and a eight reduction," said Wilson of the cars, which rrm under Group Two rules in the Nations Cup series.

"That should lighten them by about 40-50kg, and give us an extra 30-40 bhp. The objective is to bring them up to the speed of the Ferrari

Challenge cars."

According to Wilson, the cars, which will run under the 'Motorsport Innovations' banner, are being prepared with an eye on the Bathurst 24 Hour race in November.

"We're planning to run eight European drivers in the two cars," he confirmed.

"We'll get drivers from the Trofeo Series in Europe. I put an ad in Autosport and got four emails in the motorsport news

1

NEWS

iV

/

'immarnm

Nippon

r iPA¥'ID Brabham will suit up at f Sandown and Bathurst with \ Pick Johnson Racing, i The youngest of the three Brabham brothers will partner Max Wilson in the team's #18 Ford Falcon BA, while Steven Johnson and Warren Luff will drive number 17. Brabham, 37, replaces Tony Ricciardello, who had initially been named in the squad. The DJR Konica Series driver will still drive the team's Falcon AU in the 30-lap race for that class on Saturday.

Brabham, who last raced at Mount Panorama four years ago with Wayne Gardner Racing, was delighted to receive a late invitation to do the races; "I was talking to another team and, for whatever reason I have no idea, that didn't happen. A few days later, I got a phonecall from DJR. They had heard about the other things falling over and they asked if I would be interested in doing something with them. So we struck a deal

i

the Tridents g

Brabham has a spectacular endurance racing record, and finished second at Le Mans with Bentley this year. He won the 1997 Bathurst 1000 in a BMW Super Tourer, partnered by his brother Geoff.

"It would be a nice one to add to the CV, to win at Bathurst in a V8," he said.

For more on Brabham, see Five Minutes, page 28-29

first night, so there seems to be a bit of interest."

The cars are expected to run at Winton and possibly

1

Indy in preparation for their Mt Panorama campaign.

- MARK GLENDENNING

FORD Racing boss Howard Marsden is battling cancer and will not be returning to his role at Ford.

Confirmation that Marsden's recent absences from the Ford motorsport frontline has been for more serious reasons tlian initially given came via a simple statement from his family, wife Elizabeth and daughter Samantha; "Howard Marsden's family today confirmed that he has been battling cancer for the past seven months. He will now not be returning to work as a consultant with Ford on its motorsport program.

Howard has expressed thanks to his many friends and colleagues in the motoring and motorsport industries for their tremendous support and friendship over many years and asked that they respect the family's privacy at this difficult time.

Marsden is the 'father' of Ford's current motor racing success with its BA Falcon, and was equally well known as the mastermind of the company's track successes in the '70s. He has enjoyed enormous success globally including with Nissan in sports, touring and rally cars.

Messages and well wishes for Howard can be left on his email and phone number at Ford.

No other statement or comment will be issued at this time."

Howard Marsden is respected as one of the rare gentlemen in motor sport. Our thoughts and best wishes are with him as he faces liis toughest battle.

20 Rugust 2003

■ Chinese racing driver Franky Cheng has been trying to establish himself on the British motor racing scene this season after emerging as a star in last year's Asian Formula Renault series.

The 19-year-old from Beijing started karting at the age of 11 and became a dominant force in Chinese karting before moving into Formula Renault. He narrowly missed out on last year's Asian FR title, being beaten by Filipino Enzo Pastor but this year headed to Europe, hoping to make his name.

He recently made his debut in British Formula Renault and has since been signed up to the McLaren Junior Driver program by MercedesBenz Motorsport director Norbert Haug.

Marsden in cancer battle

>

I'

GARY Savage has been appointed Deputy Technical Director of BAR. Savage's role is to take day-to-day responsibility for the design and testing programs and will work closely with Geoff Willis, the team's Technical Director, who will remain responsible for leading the design and operation of the car, as well as the long-term technical strategy.

Forty-three-year-old Savage was an officer in the Royal Marines before working in the advanced materials industry.

He switch to Formula 1 in 1990 as ' a research and development engineer at McLaren. He moved to Arrows in 1996 for a three-year period as the head of research and development and then went to Prost Grand Prix to take on a similar role.

He joined BAR in the autumn of 2000 and was soon in charge of composite engineering.

out, Brabham in . I

I f

Savage Approach

pretty quickly and I am coming down to Sandown and Bathurst."

The "other team" was Team Brock. Brabham had been in discussion with team owner Kees Weel about sharing the team's second entry with Peter Brock. Discussions continued until, with input from Weel and, MNews believes, Holden CEO Peter Hanenberger, the decision was made to put Greg Ritter and Marcus Marshall in the car.

That left Brabham out of a V8 drive - until DJR made contact

■ An employment tribunal has ruled that WilliamsFI unfairly dismissed Andrew Hope, its IT manager, in July 2002 by not going through the formal dismissal procedures.

However the tribunal refused to award Hope any compensation because of what it said was his "high level of incompetence" in the job. The tribunal concluded that "if any fair procedure had been carried out, such as a formal hearing, the tribunal is satisfied that would make no difference to the conclusion that trust and confidence in the applicant had broken down".

■

■ Antonio Pizzonia could return to Williams if current rumours are to be believed. Pizzonia's FI career, cut short when the Brazilian driver was dumped by Jaguar Racing, could be revived in a renewed role as a Williams test driver.

He tested for Williams in 2002 and impressed the team before moving on to Jaguar where he failed to survive comparisons with team-mate Mark Webber, - JOE SAWARD 9

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u ten _

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[motorsport] 2003 V8 Supercar Championship* Sep 14 . . .Sandown Oct 12 Bathurst Oct 26

THERE are reports coming out of Colombia that Juan Pablo Montoya has already signed a secret deal with McLaren for 2005

,Rd9 ,Rd 10 ●Rd 11

Surfers Paradise

Nov 9 . . . .Pukekohe

■Rd 12

Nov 30 . . .Eastern Creek .

.Rd13

2003 Konica V8 Series* . Rd6

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

.Non Championship

2003 FIA Formula One Championship* Aug 24 . . .Hungaroring Sep 14 . . .Monza Sep 28 . . .Indianapolis Oct 12 Suzuka

Rd 13 Rd 14 Rd 15 Rd 16

2003 CART Championship* ,Rd 14 . . .Denver

Aug 31

Sep 7 . . . .Montreal

.Rd 15

Sep 28 . . .Miami

.Rd16

Oct 12

.Rd17

Mexico City

Oct 26 . . . .Surfers Paradise

.Rd18

Nov2 . . . .Fontana

.Rd19

2003 IRL Championship* .Rd 13

Aug 24 . . .Nazareth Chicago Fontana

.Rd 14

Oct 12 . . . .Texas . .

.Rd 16

Sep 7 Se 21

.Rd 15

2003 MotoGP Championship* .Rd 11 Estoril

Sep 7

Sep 20 . . .Rio de Janiero Oct 5 .Motegi

.Rd12

Oct 12

.Rd 14

.Rd13

Sepang

.Rd15

Oct 19 Phillip Island Nov 2 . . . .Valencia . . .

.Rd16

2003 World Rally Championship* Sep 7 . . . .Australia Oct 5 .Italy

.Rd 10 .Rdll

Oct 19 . . . .France

.Rd 12

Oct 26 Nov 11

.Rd 13

Spain . . .Great Britain

.Rd 14

2003 Australian Rally Championship .Rd5 Oct 5 . . . .Melbourne .Rd6

Nov 16 . . .Tasmania

2003 Procar Championship .Rd 7 Sep 19 . . .Winton . . . .Rd 8 Oct 23 , . . .Gold Coast

rten1 L

J

home of

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

^—

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Juan

home of

Series or events telecast on Network Ten are B

marked with an asterisk. Check your local guides for screening details.

Toyota confirms drivers for 2004 PANASONIC Toyota Racing has announced that it will be keeping the same two drivers in 2004.

Both Olivier Panis and Cristiano da Matta have solid two-year contracts with the team.

The announcement came two days after the pair finished fifth and sixth at the German GP, the team's best-ever result.

Although Toyota has improved considerably in recent months we continue to hear that there will be a change of technical staff as soon as negotiations can be

completed between Toyota and Renault over the future of Renault’s technical director Mike Gascoyne.

Gascoyne will be unable to join Toyota until six months after whatever agreement is reached.

Renault is keen to delay his departure as long as possible but it is unlikely that the stalling can go on long enough to stop Gascoyne being in a position to lead the design team of the 2005 Toyota.

- JOE SAWARD

and beyond.

The reports have appeared in Cambio, the Colombian equivalent of Time magazine, and indicate that the story has come from sources close to Montoya.

The article claims that Montoya signed his deal at the British Grand Prix last month, although talks have been going on for months.

The article indicated that Montoya is currently being paid only US$3.5m ($6.2m) by Williams and suggested that he is not happy that his team-mate Ralf Schumacher is getting US$12m. According to the story, Montoya will earn three times his Williams salary when he joins McLaren.

The story also suggests that Montoya's decision was hastened by the recent announcement that Williams and BMW have signed a new long-term contract as Montoya believes that this will mean that Schumacher will remain the focus of the team's attentions. There is no doubt that the relationship between Montoya and Schumacher is not a good one and that there have in

Commission to save the GP

CANADIAN Prime Minister Jean Chretien discussed the cancellation of the Canadian Grand Prix with his cabinet colleagues last week and it was agreed that a committee will be established, featuring local and federal representatives and members of the Montreal Chamber of Commerce.

But Chretien insists that the law is not going to be changed to keep the Grand Prix.

The race has been called off

because of legislation banning tobacco advertising which comes into

exemption which has existed for the last six years.

"We've had a beautiful relationship

and in May tourism authorities met to create a task force to develop a national tourism strategy aimed at

effect this year.

Formula I's commercial boss

with you over the years," he said. "1 was hoping we could continue this.

When 1 was informed that the

raising the profile of tourism in Canada and increase the income from

Bernie Ecclestone was caught out last week by a pair of radio pranksters, who got through to him by pretending to be Chretien and then broadcast the conversation.

exemption had stopped it put us in a very difficult position. We are not trying to blackmail you, believe you me. We have enough people that want races. It's not that. We love

Montreal is already complaining to

Ecclestone said that the problem was the FI teams with tobacco

Canada, we love Montreal, we love

sponsorship.

"They have to compete in so many races or at least mustn't miss so many races," Ecclestone said. "If not they reduce their sponsorship. That's what the problem is."

Ecclestone said that he would like to see a continuation of the tobacco

everything there."

The real Chretien told reporters that "the law is the law" and that it

tourism. The business community in the government about the loss of the race, which will cost the city something like US$50m ($90m) in revenues, it is worth noting that a rally in Montreal over the weekend, aimed at saving the Grand Prix, drew only a

will not be changed but said that he

couple of hundred protesters.

hoped that a solution could be found by a committee, which will be headed by a deputy minister for regional development.

Tourism is a big issue in Canada

that they were not disappointed at

Organisers said that the rally had been called at the last minute and the poor turn-out.

- JOE SAWARD motorspon news

NEWS

to think about

Next: Bubble Wrap THE Shanghai International Circuit, now under build to host the inaugural Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix in 2004, will be the first track in the world to be built on a polystyrene foundation. The site is predominantly swampland.

So much polystyrene is involved that there is currently a shortage of the material in Asia, according to FIAapproved circuit designer Hermann Tllke. n The news from Belgium and Canada appears to have deflected a potential fuss over an 18-race 2004 calendar by the Formula 1 team principals.

The races in Austria and Canada will be deleted from the current 16race calendar, while Belgium, Bahrain and China will be added, bringing the total to the 17 maximum to which the teams are under the terms of the Concorde Agreement.

recent weeks been problems between Montoya and Williams.

The Colombian is believed to have launched a tirade of abuse about the team over the radio at Magny-Cours after Ralf Schumacher changed his strategy in the middle of the race and was able to beat Montoya. The team's response was similarly robust and

Half's appeal

RALF Schumacher’s World Championship hopes for 2003 could depend on the decision of an appeal against the decision of the FIA Stewards at the German GP to penalise the BMW Williams driver 10 places on the grid at the next race for having caused "an avoidable accident".

The appeal has been lodged by the Britain’s Motor Sport Association, was due to be held yesterday (Tuesday), two days before the Hungarian Grand Prix meeting begins. If he loses, Schumacher will have virtually no hope of winning in Budapest, as he will have to start in the midfield at a track which is notoriously bad for overtaking.

The decision of the FIA International Court of Appeal will be made today.

The court has been revamped in recent months under the guidance of the FIA Foundation’s General-Secretary David Ward in

20 August 2003

we hear that afterwards there was an exchange of letters and a visit by Montoya to Grove to explain his behaviour. Although the problems now seem to have died down, the damage may have been done.

It will now be worth watching what Williams does next. The team will probably move quickly to re sign Ralf Schumacher, as his

an effort to increase the credibility of the process and this will be the first major decision of the restructured court. We hear that proceedings will be open to a limited number of members of the FI media and to TV cameras.

Williams is very keen that the penalty be dropped because the battle for the Constructors’ title is incredibly close, with two points separating the Grove team from Ferrari. If the penalty is applied, it could mean the difference between victory or defeat.

Williams has always concentrated first and foremost on winning the Constructors' title, working on the principle that drivers come and go but that the real value of the team is in the

contract runs out at the end of 2005.

But it will be interesting to see how much money will be involved, as driver retainers are currently tumbling as there is no shortage of drivers and money is hard to come by. Williams is believed to be keen on signing up Jaguar Racing's Mark Webber for 2005 and beyond.

- JOE SAWARD

number of championships IT wins. This philosophy is borne out in the statistics as over the years Williams has won nine Constructors' titles and only seven Drivers' titles.

If Schumacher loses he could, in theory at least, be replaced by the team's test driver Marc Gene, who would be able to score points but with the penalty applying to whenever Schumacher next races that would mean that Ralf could have to sit out the season.

The team is expected to argue that there is some doubt as to who caused the crash and that the gravity of the penalty is excessive given the 'crime' committed.

- JOE SAWARD

n A 2004 Belgian Grand Prix on the Spa-Francorchamps road course was officially confirmed following a meeting at Hockenheim between FOM principal Bernie Ecclestone and the Wallonia regional economics minister, Serge Kubla.

The previous week, the national parliament in Brussels had approved 'Francorchamps Law', a specific waiver to Belgium's unilateral tobacco advertising ban intended to accommodate the Formula 1 race. n Goodyear dominated the FI scene for many years but in recent years the US tyre giant has turned its back on the sport.

At Hockenheim sharp-eyed observers spotted former Goodyear FI team organiser Tony Shakespeare in the paddock but the Englishman was quick to play down the significance of his visit.

Shakespeare is now based at Goodyear in Luxembourg and is working on heavy industrial tyres.

There is no sign at all that Goodyear will return to FI and the old FI team of engineers has now largely broken up. n Marketing executives from the Indy Racing League are actively seeking a title sponsor for its US based IndyCar Series. The asking price for the deal is reported to be US$10 million (AUD$15.1m). n Reports in a Canadian Newspaper had Champ Car series leader Paul Tracy switching to NASCAR next season.

Richard Childress, a NASCAR team owner told the Winton-Salem Journal recently 'He's a card on the table.'

- JOE SAWARD/ QUENTIN SPURRING/STAFF 11

Power on the podium at Thruxton

Vale: Ken Benham VtfELL-KNOWN Victorian motorsport officiai Ken Benham has died.

Benham underwent heart surgery two weeks ago and, following post-operative complications, lapsed into a coma before passing away last Wednesday. ’KB’, as he was known to his many friends in the sport, spent more than three decades attending race meetings throughout Australia, from tracks as far apart as the Calder Park Thunderdome to Hidden Valley. Apart from fulfilling senior roles in the sport, such as manning the dreaded pitlane speedgun, he always took time to tutor junior . officials, aiding them in gaining expertise and experience, Ken was also active in many areas outside the sport, as a n Life Merpber of the Kilsyth Youth Club, the Kilsyth Memorial Hall Committee, and he served on the committee of the Kilsyth Primary School for 15 years. He also coached basketball teams at a junior level.

Ken loved his motor racing ; with a passion and was never too busy to give advice, take on a new task or stop for a chat, whether you were one of the country's leading drivers, or a fan looking for directions.

His devotion to our sport was surpassed only by that to his family. To his wife Judy and sons Jeffrey, Michael and Christopher, and his many friends in the sport and the community, everyone at MNews extend our sincerest condolences.

- PHIL BRANAGAN 12

BOTH Of Australia’s representatives in the British F3 Championship turned a tough start to the weekend into a haul of points in the latest round of the series at Thruxton last weekend.

Both Will Power (Fortec) and Will Davison (ADR)struggled in qualifying for the first race, lining up 13th and 19th respectively, and their bad luck continued in the race itself. Davison was sidelined with a broken crankshaft, while Power was eliminated in a crash with Michael Keohane.

"I had got up to seventh on lap 3 and was just minding my own business, and he took me out," said Power.

"Keohane was just being his normal self. He took Piquet off the track and then spun into me.

It’s just stupid."

Davison was again 19th for race two, and drive superbly to work his way through the field and bring his Mugen-powered Daliara home seventh.

"I didn’t have the fastest car, but it was the most consistent," Davison

said.

"I enjoyed the second race. I managed to catch right up to the back of the guys fighting for fourth, fifth and sixth, but I couldn’t pass them.

But far better was in store for Power. Qualifying a soiid sixth, the Queenslander pulled out all stops and crossed the line in second place - his first podium in the series.

"It was a good, hard race," said a satisfied Power.

"The track itself makes for good racing, because you can get a really good tow."

Power’s team-mate Robert Dahlgren took the honours in race one, while Jamie Green earned the win in race two.

- MARK GLENDENNING ON the same weekend, Ryan Briscoe’s F3 Euro Series campaign came to a premature end when the Sydneysider was invoived in a massive shunt on the first lap of the first race, putting him out of contention for the weekend.

The round was won by Christian Kiein, who was already on a high after winning the prestigious Mariboro Masters at Zandvoort. Briscoe finished third behind Neison Piquet Jr.

Jordar

by JOE SAWARD EDDIE Jordan has been having a rough time of late. He has been heavily criticised by Mr Justice Langley in the Jordan-Vodafone case at the High Court and,at the same time, has been at odds in recent weeks with his engine supplier Ford.

Jordan is under contract with Ford for two more years and there is little room for negotiation. Ford needs money from its customer program to help fund the engine program for Jaguar Racing but Jordan wants a more competitive engine for less cost.

Ford has offered Jordan a cheaper deal next year, with our sources suggesting that Eddie can have the Cosworth engines for US$19m, although this sum will be reduced further because Jordan has a deal with Ford Europe worth US$5m a year. Thus he will have to pay only US$14m for his engines.

But Jordan wants more and believed that he could get a cheaper engine deal from Mercedes-Benz. This belief was based on the commitment made in January by Mercedes-Benz boss Jurgen Hubbert that there could be engines made available to smaller teams for as UttleasUS$11.2m.

The problem with this theory is that Mercedes-Benz does not really want to supply extra engines and,of course. that Jordan has a contract with Ford.

A ex

moiorsDori news

NEWS

I at odds with Ford

Mercedes-Benz knows tliat if Jordan dumps Ford it could result in the collapse of that company's FI operations and that would take away a pillar of the GPWC. Ford has said that it has no intention of letting Jordan walk out of his contract and we hear that Mercedes-Benz has politely declined to supply EJ with engines as a result of discussions with Ford.

Jordan has complained loudly about this, writing to the FIA and,it appears, to other authorities outside the sport.

It is worth noting that m recent days Ford of Europe has lost its president Martin Leach who has departed to "pursue new opportunities". There have been stories suggesting that Leach has l been approached by Fiat, wWch is looking to replace Giancarlo

Boschetti as the chief executive of Fiat Auto. Leach was a major player in theJordan-Ford deal.

It remains to be seen if this change will have an impact on the FI policy but it should be noted that Ford Europe is currently losing money with the last quarter revealing a loss of US$525m, despite cost-cutting efforts. Ford is struggling to regain customers lost in the 1990s.

Pay them what ;hows Pace they're werth!

ALEX Davison bounced back from a tough start to score points in the latest round of the German Porsche Carrera Cup Championship at the Nurburgring last weekend.

The 23-year-old from Melbourne started on the back foot when he qualified his Hewlett Packard-Team Phoenix Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car in the 11th siot on the grid. Things got worse when he became tangled in a multi-car accident that dumped him to 16th on the first lap.

He fought back over the 23 lap race and eventually crossed the line sixth - not bad, but not what he was aiming for.

“We had good pace in the race, which hasn’t been a problem at all this year, but once again we made our own work harder from the start with a poor performance in

20 August 2003

qualifying,” Davison, left, said. “We put new tyres on and immediately struggled to find grip. For some reason, we’re not setting the car up to work well on new tyres.

“We were still experimenting a little with the set-up, but 1 managed to pick off quite a few cars.

“I’d have to say I had a reasonably good race, although it frustrates me that I passed Adam Blair (Eichin Racing-PZK) off the start and only lost my position to him when the accident happened in front of me - and he finished third.”

Wolf Henzier took the win after a long dual against Patrick Long was settled when the latter was struck by a deflating rear tyre. Mike Rockenfeller finished second, with Blair completing the podium.

The series continues at the A1 Ring in Austria on September 7.

-MARKGLENDENNING

FORMULA 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone says that the salary structure of F1 should be changed to encourage drivers to fight more for World Championship points.

Teams traditionally pay drivers a retainer but Ecclestone thinks that a bonus scheme is a much better idea.

“Perhaps we should be talking about drivers getting paid by results,” he said. “It is impossible to force the teams to do it but we should think about paying the drivers when they get points and not just hand out big salaries. Maybe instead of paying Schumacher (US)$28m or more, they should pay him $8m whenever he wins.”

- JOE SAWARD

Diary Dates THE FIM has released a provisional MotoGP calendar for 2004, virtually unchanged from the 2003 equivalent: April 4 Japan (Suzuka), April 18 South Africa (Welkom), May 2 Spain (Jerez), May 16 France (Le Mans), May 30 Italy (Mugello), June 13 Catalunya (Catalunya), June 26 Netherlands (Assen), July 11 Great Britain (Donington Park), July 18 Germany (Sachsenring), July 31 Brazil (Jacarepagua), August 22 Czech Rep. (Brno), September 5 Portugal (Estoril), September 19 Pacific (Motegi), October 2 Qatar (Qatar), October 10 Malaysia (Sepang), October 17 Australia (Phillip Island), October 31 Valencia (Valencia). n The remaining two rounds of the FIA Formula 3000 International Championship are going to feature mandatory tyre stops, prior to the idea being introduced at every race next year.

Teams will be restricted to eight crew members per car, including the jack-men. This will introduce an element of strategy into the series which has produced some rather dull races in recent years. It will also provide a good training for young drivers en route to Formula 1. n CART has settled a dispute with Engine Developments, which claimed that CART had broken an agreement to supply engines to the series under MG badging.

CART later decided to go for a one-engine formula and did a deal with Cosworth Racing. John Judd's firm filed a demand for arbitration against CART for unspecified damages and a settlement was reached which will see Engine Developments receiving US$1.75m in settlement for any and all claims. n After six rounds of the DTM in 2003, the top six drivers are all from different parts of the world, Bernard Schneider (Germany), Christijan Albers (Neatherlands), Marcel Fassler (Switzerland), Peter Dumbreck (Scotland), Jean Alesi (France) and Mattias Ekstrom (Sweden) make up the clash of nationalities, which is sure to produce a fascina'ting end of season stoush. n Last Tuesday, CART's publicaly trading company reported losses of US$43m (AUD$65.2m)throughout it's first six months of trading in 2003.

CART may need additional capital to run a full scheduled season next year. n Frank Biela and Marco Werner won last Sunday's American Le Mans Toronto Grand Prixb at Mosport International Raceway.

Their Audi R8 survived an on-track collision to claim the win, two laps ahead of Chris Dyson and Andy Wallance in their Lola. Scott Maxwell and Gunnar Jeannette finished third.

13

Newman-Haas to IndyCar?

NEWMAN-HAAS Racing will run in one, and just one, series next season - but it still might be the IndyCar IRL Series.

Team owners Paul Newman and Carl Haas are committed to running in the beleagured CART Championship but Haas has refused to rule out that they may turn to the IRL series, should CART'S financial position become terminal.

"It's (the IRL) an option, but I've done nothing in that regard," said Haas at Mid-Ohio . "I had the option to do it this year but chose to race in CART instead.

"If CART goes forward, we race there," he

said. "We'll do one of the other, CART or the IRL."

NHR rans two entries for previous series leader Bruno Junqueira and Sebastien Bourdais.

Meanwhile, rumours suggest that the IRL will embrace road racing next year, with series boss Tony George reportedly telling chassis makers to prepare kits to allow their cars to turn left and right.

So far, the series has raced only on ovals but the clearly parlous state of CART may be too tempting a carrot for George to miss ...

- PHIL MORRIS

'■f' ■ .

One-car quali

CART looks set to axe its European races next season. in a bit to reduce the financial losses the organisation is suffering.

There have been suggestions that there could be as few as 14 races next year as CART consolidates, cuts costs and

if

*-

CAR1

●

The Return of Riverside

THE name of Riverside may reappear in US racing.

The old track, which was on an old turkey ranch 100km east of Los Angeles, opened in 1957 and regularly hosted NASCAR and Indycar races but gradually the facility began to deteriorate and the bigger championsliips moved away. The track was eventually closed in August 1988 when the land on which it stood became more valuable as LA's suburbs spread further and further into the desert.

Now a group of investors have got together to try to revive the Riverside name and have announced that they have acquired 1200 acres of land adjacent to the old Castle Air Force 14

Base in Merced County, between LA and San Francisco. The company is called Riverside Motorsports Park and is run by John Condren and Jeanne Harper, a pair of business consultants who have enjoyed much success with Silicon Valley companies.

The plan is to build a multi-purpose racing facility with a 3.0-mile road course, paved and dirt ovals, a drag strip and a karting circuit. If all goes well building work will begin in 2004.

-JOE SAWARD Some names to remember:

Dan Gurney's AC Cobra crests the bill at Riverside's famed turn seven

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during a three hour endurance race in 1963. motorspon news

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concentrates on venues that will raise the profile of the flagging series.

The championship has looked to be in a parlous financial position, a recent statement revealing a half-year loss of US$43.8m ($68m). The company says that it will be reducing its entrant support program next year and there have been rumours that the CART calendar in 2004 may be reduced There has been much speculation that a major move is coming for CART with the latest 20 August 2003

suggestion being that Gerry Forsythe, Paul Newman, left, Paul Gentilozzi and Formula Atlantic team owner Carl Russo are going to take the company private by offering to buy out the other existing shareholders. If a majority can be achieved the company could then de-list from the New York Stock Exchange.

While businessman Forsythe, actor Newman and property developer Gentilozzi are wellknown in racing circles, Russo made a fortune with his optical networking start-up Cerent, when he sold to Cisco in 1998 for US$6.9bn. This year his team has been running A.J. Allmendinger in the FAtlantic series.

Another large investor in CART is former Grand Prix driver George Eaton, who drove BRMs in 1969-70, recently bought a 6.3 percent share in the company.

The 57-year-old Canadian, whose family made a fortune in retailing, holds a 6.3 percent shareholding currently worth about US$1.6m as the CART share price is around US$1.87.

- JOE SAWARD

IT works in V8 Supercar racing, and debate about Formula One's use of it continues but CART is going to go to single-car qualifying - for two races only.

The troubled series will adopt a single-car format for qualifying for its street races at Denver and Mami.

CART also ran single-car qualifying at Brands Hatch this year, because of the tight nature of the circuit.

Similar to FI,Saturday's final session will run in the reverse order of the first session results set on Friday. UnUke FI, in which the cars run on Friday as per championship positions, a morning practice session will determine the order, drivers running slowest-to-fastest.

"These changes will not only provide a better and safer racing environment for our teams," said Lee Dykstra, CART's director of technology.

"It will also give our fans a truer look at the performance of our teams and drivers during qualifying sessions."

-PHIL MORRIS

SAFER barriers for Indianapolis INDIANAPOLIS Motor Speedway director of engineering Kevin Forbes has welcomed the installation of 'SAFER' barrier systems at other US ovals, in view of the variety of racecars (Formula 1, IndyCars and Winston Cup stock cars) that race at IMS. "We can now gather even more data, and it will be a more universal effort in development of future 'SAFER' barriers," Forbes said.

No FI car has yet made contact with the barrier, which is in Turn 13 of the Speedway's 2.606-mile road course. Talladega Superspeedway has recently installed the Steel and Foam Energy Reduction barrier on its inside retaining wall in Turn 2, and Richmond International Raceway the scene of the hardest impacts recorded so far by the latest NASCAR research - is to fit the system all round its 0.75-mile oval.

"This can obviously benefit not only the Indianapolis Motor Speedway but the entire motorsport world," Forbes said. "We continue to get more data and a feel for the type of impacts that occur with 'SAFER' with the wide variety of racing we have at Indianapolis."

-QUENTIN SPURRING

The Nation’s best drivers in the world’s fastest sprintkarts

Rd 4 of the Dunlop Australian CIK Karting Championship at the World Class 1063m Lincoln County Raceway Dubbo NSW 23/24 August Qualifying & heats Saturday, NSW Championship finals from 11am Sunday POINT SCORE AFTER 3 ROUNDS FORMULA A 173 160 147

INTERCONTINENTAL A 168 Glenn Powles Nick Lowe 149 139 Troy Woodger

INTERCONTINENTAL C William Yarwood 170

JUNIOR ICA Kristian Lindbom 173

Justin Ruggier Tyson Pearce

Ben McCashney Paul Laskazeski

Jason FIryniuk Barclay Holden Matthew Wall

168 162

156 155

For more information visit

www.auscikchampionship.ci

cm CHAMPIONSHIPS 2003

15

NEWS

-ai_es

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BALR

Max Moslers for 24 Hour BRITISH GT Championship frontrunners Balfe Motorsport has confirmed that it will enter this year's Bathurst 24 hour race.

The team will run a Mosler MT900R similar to that of Rollcentre Racing, which will also be returning this year.

Shaun Balfe and Jamie Derbyshire are pencilled in to fill two of the four available seats, with the other two drivers still to be announced.

"We have been deliberating about whether to do Bathurst all season," said Balfe.

lll

from my friend Rykard Rydell, and it is a race I would really love to do," said Max Papis, left in traditionally goofy headwear.

"I have had the chance to do some amazing events in the past couple of years including the Indy 500 and Le

Tony Targets Targa Tassie HANG on to your hats, Tasmanians. Tony Longhurst is heading your way.

The two-time Bathurst 1000 winner will make his Targa Tasmania debut next April, aboard a Subaru WRX STi. He will be navigated by fellow Queenslander Michael DeVere.

"I'd be disappointed if I couldn't quickly adapt to the style of driving you need in rallying," said Longhurst.

"Our biggest challenge will be coming to grips with using pace notes and communication inside the car because that's all new to 16

"I can't wait to get to Bathurst,I'm really looking forward to the whole experience," said Derbyshire.

"The long distance races is where I want to compete, and the Bathurst event has become such a big event in just two years."

- MARK GLENDENNING

and don'tforget Papis & Co

THE overseas element to the 24 Hour race could take a different twist if the members of the Panoz ALMS outfit get their way,with three members signaling their desire to participate in the event last week.

"I have heard a lot about Bathurst

I

"We wanted to see how our British GT Championship went before we made a final decision.

The pace of our car over the course of the season has given us reason to believe that we are in a good position to challenge for the outright win over there this year.

both of us."

Ironically, Longhurst's biggest challenge will be to topple reigning Targa Champ, Jim Richards. The two drivers will share co-driving duties with the Holden Racing Team at Sandown and Bathurst and now look likely to share a Commodore VY in the endurance races.

"We will be down on power compared to the Porsches, but our Subaru is lighter and more nimble and we could surprise Jim (Richards) and a few others if the weather turns wet."

\v

The Dipper at Bathurst makes the corkscrew at Laguna Seca seem like an airport runway If

- Gunnar Jeannette Mans 24 Hour, but the chance to race at Bathurst would be fantastic.

"I certainly intend to talk to a few people when I come to the Gold Coast for the CART race with PK Racing. Endurance racing is one of my favorite facets of the sport. It would be great for me to do the Daytona 24 Hour,Le Mans 24 Hour and Bathurst 24 Hour in the same year."

"I have been lucky to race at some of the world's greatest tracks, but I really want to add Bathurst to my list," agreed Olivier Beretta.

"Endurance racing has been very good for me. I have won my class at Le Mans, won Daytona outright, but winning Bathurst would be right up there."

"My PR guy at Panoz,Paul Ryan, has been telling me the Dipper at Bathurst makes the corkscrew at Laguna Seca seem like an airport runway," said Gurmar Jeannette.

"It sounds like an amazing racetrack. I have been involved in

Sportscar racing with my family virtually since I was born, but getting the chance to race in Australia would be fantastic.

"David Brabham told me a lot about the track last year at Panoz as well -1 can't think of a better way to finish off what has been a great year. 1 really hope I can get an opportunity to do this event."

-MARK GLENDENNING

Dixon has foup play

WHILE we are waiting on this side of the Tasman for another Aussie to join Mark Webber in Formula One, reports on the other side of the water suggest that Scott Dixon could be the next antipodean to join the show.

Dixon, the current IndyCar Series points leader for Target Chip Ganassi Racing, has reportedly been in discussion

with four Formula 1 teams about a berth in 2004, according to his management. There have been no further comments on which teams are involved, or how far talks have progressed.

If he makes it to Grand Prix racing, Dixon will be the first New Zealander to do so since Mike Thackwell quit in 1984, and only the 10th ever.

- QUENTIN SPURRING motorsport news

Collect the three parts of Rusty’s jig-saw puzzle (from the last, this, and the next issue of MNews), put them in an envelope, along with your name,address and contact details and get it to us by the closing date.

If your entry is the one drawn,then you and a friend will win our exclusive prize: Air travel for two to the Bob Jane T-Marts 1000 from your nearest Australian capital city; n Two nights accommodation; n Grandstand seats for Saturday and Sunday; n Caltex Havoline racewear

Hauolme Premium

I

AND TO CAP IT ALL OFF A guided tour of the Stone Brothers Racing garage with the Enforcer himself!

HOW TO EiMTER 1. Collect the three parts which make up the picture puzzle of The Enforcer (second piece is on the right of this page). The first and third pieces appear in the August 6 and September 3 issues of MNews respectively.

(Only original pieces, cut from MNews may be used - no photocopies).

2. Put all three pieces in an envelope, along with your name, address and contact details, and get it to us by the closing date, Thursday 11 September 2003.

3. You may enter as many times as you like, using a separate envelope and original jig-saw pieces for each entry.

(X; CALTEX

Havoline

MOTOR CONDITIONS OF ENTRY 1. The ommoiv is Australasian Wotorspoft fle-.-rs. PO Box 7072. Gardenvaie. VIC 3186 iP'Owte'i. Informaiton on how (o enter and the prizes form part ot these Ccr^.t!Ons of Entry Entry into this promotion is deemed to !>« acceotance of these Conditions of Entry 2. Entry ts ooen to restdcrtts o» Austral^ and flew Zealand Employees af»d rmmediate fam^-*8s of tne Promoter and Caltex Australia are metigiOle to enter Entrants must ccaect all three pieces of the Enfomer JigSaw iavaiia&le in issues o< Australasian Motorsport Nesvs puoiished bftv.een 6 8 03 and 3 9 03» and send completed entries to Jom the Enforcer at Bathurst Competition. PO Box 7072.

„

lJ

OI L S

Gardenvaie. VIC 3186 Multiple entries are accepted. Jig-saw pieces MUST be originals. The Promoter accepts no responsibility for late, lost or misdirected mail The Promoter reserves the right to verify the /alidity of entnes. 3. The promotion commences on 6'8'03 and closes at 5pm EST on 1l.'9/03. The promotion will be drawn on 12 9'03 at 357 Nepean Highway. Bnghton East. Victoria.

The wnner w-H be contacted by phone and/or mail and their name published in Motorsport News on i7-'’9f03 The judges' decision is final and no correspondence v/itt be entered into. 4. The winning entry v/ilt win a top for 2 people to Bathurst, including return economy air travel from the winner’s nearest Australian capital

Send completed entries to us on or before Thursday 11 September 2003 to: Join The Enforcer at Bathurst Competition, PO Box 7072, Gardenvaie ViC 3186 city to Bathurst. 2 weekend grandstand tickets to the 2003 Bob Jane Tmarls 1000. two nights twin-share accommodation. Caltex Havoline merchandise and a personally guided tour of the SBR pit garage with Russell Ingall. The garage tour must be taken on the Saturday at a lime determined by the SBR team The prize is subiect to booking and flight availability and flights cannot be changed once tickets have been arranged. 5. Spending money, meals, taxes, insurance, transport to and from departure point, transfers and all other costs incurred as a result of taking the prize are the responsibility of the winner. The prize is not transferable or exchangeable and cannot be taken as cash. 6. The prize v/iiiner

and their companion agree to comply with the Conditions of Entry to the Event. The prize winner acknowledges that motor racing and any related activities are dangerous and accidents can happen, and that participation in any prize has a degree ot danger.

7. All entries become the property of the Promoter. However, details concerning entrants will not be made available to any organisation or database. 8. If winner is under the ago of 18 years, the prize will be awarded to a member of the winner's immediate famify (as nominated by the winner) provided such person is 18 years of age or over and complies with alt of the above conditions.

NEinrs

BAR to test

youngsters

Wirdheim and Bell set to taste FI

FORMULA 3000 stars Bjorn Wirdheim and Townsend Bell are set to test with British American Racing.

The team-mates in the Arden Formula 3000 operation are likely to test BAR-Hondas at Monza next month, before the FI teams head overseas for the events in the USA

Takuma Sato and Anthony Davidson so it is unlikely that either Wirdheim or Bell will land a drive alongside Jenson Button in 2004.

Jacques Villeneuve may still stay and,if he does move on, the team has Sato and Davidson on hand and both

and Japan.

BAR has four drivers under

have considerable experience m FI. It is more likely that BAR is looking to see what is available if it does lose

contract at the moment: Jacques Villeneuve and Jenson Button, right,

any of its existing driver line-up.

-JOESAWARD

nn

FINALLY, Mercedes Benz have been beaten in the 2003 DTM Championship.

Laurent Aiello, driving his Abt Sportsline Audi, broke Mercedes' series stranglehold with an impressive and dominating win at the Nurburgring last weekend.

Aiello beat pole-sitter and team-mate Mattis Ekstrom off the line at the start and went on to lead every lap of the race.

"Winning again after seven months is incredibly good," said the happy Aiello.

"Even though it might have looked easy, I really had to take care to save my tyres and push at the same time when the

drivers from Mercedes were getting too close."

Aiello's win places him in fourth place in the series with only three rounds remaining.

Christijan Albers and Bernd Schneider filled the remaining podium places.

Schneider actually took second place from Albers midway through the race, but a slight mistake cost the German three laps later when he ran wide, gifting the position back to Albers.

Ekstrom finished fourth, ahead of the AMG Merc's of Marcel Fassler and Jean Alesi.

Points: Schneider 49, Albers 48, Fassler 38, Aieltio 32, Alesi/Ekstrom 28.

Snetterton Surprise :«a^ciK|r^ IM^K.|l|/jBf

THERE were new winners, a huge start line crash and a Vauxhall-free podium at rounds 13 and 14 of the British Touring Car Championship at Snetterton recently.

Factory Vauxhall driver Paul O'Neill won his first race for the year, ahead of his team-mates, James Thompson and Yvan Muller.

The race was marred by a huge start line crash which took out no less than 10 cars in the melee. Tom Chilton and MG pairing Colin Turkington and Warren Hughes clashed initially at the start, which sent Turkington spinning in front of the on-coming traffic.

Honda fought back from the Vauxhall hiding in Race 1 to claim a Race 2 one-two. Matt Neal finished first with Alan Morrison second.

MG's Anthony Reid picked up third place. It was the first time all season a Vauxhall has not been on the podium Points: Muller 163,Thompson 150, Neal 106, O'Neill 102, Reid 91, Morrison 89.

18

JEAN Alesi will continue to drive for MercedesBenz in the DTM for another two seasons.

The Frenchmen, left, who has 201 career Grand Prix starts to his name, signed with the German manufacturer last week and is optimistic he has made the right decision for his immediate future.

"This is the greatest challenge I can imagine in motor racing after ending my Formula One career," said the 39-year-old.

"Mercedes-Benz provides me with a car that gives me the chance to win races, and a very professional team." moiorsport news

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Commo IN a major initiative to raise the profile of Touring Car racing in Europe,the promoters of all the major national championships have agreed a ground-breaking common strategy that will be applied across the continent, based on the FIA Super 2000 regulations.

The strategy was agreed at a meeting arranged by KSO,the promoter of the FIA European Touring Car Championship, and TV channel Eurosport. It will allow national championship rounds to be run concurrently with ETCC events as early as 2004. The pan-European ETCC and the Swedish series botli run to the Super 2000 rules already, and the Danish championship will

If you can't beat em, throw sparks at em: Bayliss fights of Rossi in the battle for the Czech Republic MotoGP.

Sorry about that. Max!

Rossi wins at Brno but only after a big fright from Bayliss

MAX Biaggi did not win at Brno and it is not often we get to write that.

The mercurial Roman, who practically owns the track in the Czech Republic, finished fifth in the race. Aussie Troy Bayliss was dazzling, leading the first 10 laps on his Ducati, Sete Gibemau was a consistent and fighting second but the man who pipped them both was Max's nightmare, Valentino Rossi.

But this was no Rossi clinic, taking a win after executing a plan to perfection. This was nothing less than war on wheels.

"That was one of the best races of the year," said the Italian. "For the first time we fought without tactics.

Sometimes this year we have thought too much about the moves. Today there were four or five really fast guys who all wanted to be at the front. We pushed the bikes very hard and I made some mistakes. Sete made some and I crossed the line first. It was very special."

While Gibemau was full of praise for his orange-haired rival, Biaggi was grumpy after the race.

"This is certainly not a good result," said Biaggi. "I did not enjoy riding and this has been a terrible race because I know I can go much faster at this track."

Three seconds back from Biaggi came Nicky Hayden, the American rookie looking more comfortable by the race. The Italian can hear the pitter-patter of little feet behind him...

For Bayliss, who qualified on the second row, another podium was a great result; "I felt comfortable out front, I wasn't pushing over the top, and I knew they'd come by some time, though when they did I was surprised they didn't have more left in them. Maybe I should've had some more self-belief! This is a learning year for us, things are coming together slowly. Today I felt more comfortable on the bike than I've done for some while, and up front is where I think I should always be."

Carlos Checa turned Yamaha's disasters arotmd with a fourth, while Alex Barros was seventh from Tohm Ukawa. Andrew Pitt won the Kawasaki class in 16th, with Garry McCoy and Alex Hofmann 18th and 19th.

20

Suzuki's weekend was so bad that John Hopkins was actually behind Pitt ...'nuff said.

Proton ran their V5s, both of which blew up, while the Aprilias were 12th and 13th, less than 30s behind the winner.

Points: Rossi, 212, Gibemau, 178, Baiggi, 141, Capirossi, 97, Bayliss, 96, Checa, 78, Ukawa, 74, Banos, 71, Hayden, 67, Nakano, 65.

WHAT can you say about a 250cc GP where there are seven changes in the leading three positions on the FINAL LAP? Randy De Puniet, Toni Elias and Manuel PoggiaK had that kind of finish at Brno, the three duking it out over a mad dash for the flag.

"The last lap has been simply great but dangerous as well," said Poggiali after the battle.

"I was searching (for) the victory but it's hard to get it if in the last lap you must be careful because the other riders treat you like a skittle! I believe Elias' behaviour was not correct and his passing are (is) too extreme. We risked to crash both a couple of times."

The weekend was drama-packed for Ant West. He rebroke an old fracture in his ankle in qualifying and, after tootling around with ignition problems in the race, parked his sick Aprilia early in the race.

Points: Poggiali 145, Nieto 136, Rolfo 135, DePuniet 130, Elias 126, Battaini 117, West 104, Porto 98, Matsudo 67, Guintoli 60.

DANI Pedrosa is looking more like the world champion after besting Stefano Perugini and Alex de Angelis in the 125s.

But the story of the race was Mika KaUio. After breaking two fingers in qualifying, the 20-year-old Firm carried the KTM to fourth, its best result of the season by about an hour. So much for Finland only producing McLaren drivers, rally drivers or ice hockey players ...

Aussie Casey Stoner missed the race after he went over the bars of his Aprilia in practice and broke a collarbone.

Points: Pedrosa 162, Perugini 137, Dovizioso 112, De Angelis 108, Cecchinello 105, Jenkner 98, Nieto 88, Barbera 78, Ui 71, Stoner/Giansanti 60.

Vincent calls it a Starry Night at KTM

KTM has bowed to the pressure of a so-far unsuccessful maiden road racing season and fired reigning 125 World Champion Arnaud Vincent.

The Frenchman, who won the 2002 title on an Aprilia, has struggled with the Austrian manufacturer's first GP bike this season, with a best result of eighth place at Donington.

Vincent is currently 19th in the points table with 14 points.

Roberto Locatelli, who won the 2001 125cc crown, was joined at the Red Bull-backed team last weekend In the Czech Republic by Mika Kalio.

The young Finn, who raced a Honda earlier this year, was currently 13th in the Championship on 46 points.

Locatelli was 21st with only seven points.

First time out on the KTM, Kalio spanked his more illustrious team-mate by a stunning 32s en route to a career best fourth-place.

Austrian-based KTM, which is Europe's second-biggest manufacturer, has been working on a MotoGP prototype due to race in 2005 but the maker has now scrapped its plans to run a fourstroke against the dominant, and well-funded, Japanese and Italian factories. motorsport news

n Ground for Euros s

I

Italy versus Sweden versus Germany: There appears to be some common thinking in Europe re touring cars. adopt these regulations at the end of this season.

The Italian series will allow Super 2000 cars to race togetlier with the 'Super Production' cars currently in use, in two separate classes from next season. The British championship will also accept Super 2000 cars from 2004, running with a weight adjustment alongside the current 'BTC'cars. The Deutsche

Tourenwagen Challenge in Germany intends to move to Super 2000 in two steps over the next two seasons.

After the meeting, ETCC promoter Marcelo Lotti said:"Today we have moved a step forward to unifying the concept of Touring Car racing on an international basis under the FIA rules, for the joint benefit of the FIA European Touring Car Championship, the national Touring

Car series, the manufachirers and the competitors."

The meeting was attended by all the major representatives of the continent's touring car series except for TOCA's Alan Gow,the promoter of the British series, could not attend due to a previous commitment,but had a separate meeting with Lotti in London.

- QUENTIN SPURRING

NEWS

Manor, Carlin in line for Benz F3 MERCEDES-BENZ Motorsport is moving to place its Formula 3 engine in the British championship in 2004, and has been in talks with the front running Manor Motorsport and Carlin Motorsport teams. Both currently use Mugen Honda engines, but Manor is expected to take its 2003 Formula Renault UK pacesetter Lewis Hamilton, who is backed by Mercedes and McLaren, into F3 next season. The 2-litre Mercedes engine is in use in the new F3 EuroSeries. n Mercedes-Benz Motorsport has signed up a young Chinese driver onto the McLaren Junior program.

Beijing-born Franky Cheng Cong Fu, who will be 19 next week, dominated the sport of karting in China from the age of 11. Last year he joined the Zhuhai based Formula Racing Development(FRD) program and was an impressive runner-up in the China Formula Renault singleseater series. Having completed English language tuition in Harrogate, Yorkshire, he made his European debut with Hill Speed Racing in the Formula Renault UK Championship round at the recent DTM meeting at Donington Park - and failed to finish either race.

- QUENTIN SPURRING

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21

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PAUL Tracy turned the tables in round 13 of the Champ Car World Series at Mid Ohio two weeks ago.

The Canadian, who has finished second at the rural Lexington circuit four times, was in charge of the race weekend, qualifying on pole and leading 69 of the 92 lap race.

It takes Tracy to the top of the table after championship rival Bruno Junqeuira was involved in an incident with Oriol Servia.

Tracy's team-mate Patrick Carpentier finished second, giving the Players/Forsythe team it's very first one-two.

"A fantastic and historic day for Team Player's," said Tracy after the race."Finishing one-two feels really great" American Spirit Team Johansson rookie Ryan Hunter-Reay finished third after qualifying in second place.

It was by far his best performance in the unfashionable Reynard chassis.

"It feels awesome to be up here on the podium," said Hunter-Reay.

"And I'm proud of our team."

The race was tight aU race long, with Tracy, Carpentier, Michel Jourdain Jr and Sebastian Bourdais all trying to out muscle their opponents.

The fireworks began on lap 13 when Servia and Junqeuira banged wheels. The Brazilian lost two laps and could only finish 13th, one place out of the points.

"Servia just hit me," said the former series leader,"He wasn't even side-by-side and then he hit my rear tyre. It was too early in the race for him to try that."

Serna had other views. jMa. You need to take advantage of

1

.vi/ffon-ifnjj5«.cofn

He's back: Paul Tracy picked up the win, above, the Players team got their first 1-2, below, and the pack charged through the esses on lap one, bottom.

any opportunity, especially at MidOhio," he said."He was sitting on the right, playing a little bit and then, when I was committed he closed the door."

After the safety car peeled off, Tracy led the run into the first round of pit stops, where he would retain the race lead.

The only time Tracy did not lead for the rest of the day was when the out-of-sequence Tiago Monteiro led the way. Monteiro later finished just outside the top 10 after suffering a prmcture on lap one.

The big mover was Jirtuny Vasser.

The second American Spirit racer started from 14th on the grid, but slowly worked his way through the field to fourth. However,Yasser's up-and-down weekend ended eight laps from home when he spun off the track and into the tyre wall at turn nine. The 1996 CART champ was not happy with himself.

Jourdain Jr. and Bourdais eventually finished a very close fourth and fifth, while Tagliani shadowed the pair home,just in front of Portland winner Adrian Fernandez and rookie Darren Manning. -

Q

«:a:EaHVia

CHAMP CAR GRAND PRIX

I 8

Points: Tracy 184,Junqueira 164,Jourdain Jr. 137, Bourdais 126, Carpentier 114, Fernandez 77,Servia 76.

A

^stem HELIO Castroneves cruised back into the winners circle with a popular victory in the Emerson Indy 250 at Gateway Raceway two weeks ago.

But his first win in 20 races didn't come without its hiccups.

Castroneves's steering wheel instrument panel went blank, which meant Castroneves and the Penske crew lost all telemetry readings from the car.

The team and driver were racing blind. They didn't know how much fuel was on board, what fuel mixtures they were using, what gear they were in or when to change gear.

"I believe I felt like flying on an airplane without any instrument in the bad weather," explained Castroneves. "But the good news is, I don't know how to fly an airplane, but I do know how to drive a car. We were right there in the end."

There have now been eight different winners from 11 races in the this year's IRL series.

Tony Kanaan finished second after pressuring Castroneves all the way to the flag, Gil de Ferran followed home in third in front of Tomas Scheckter, Dan Wheldon and Panther Racing's Sam Hornish Jr. Mo Nunn Racing's Tora Takagi and Access Motorsport's Greg Ray were the last cars remaining on the lead lap.

After reclaiming the championship lead at Michigan last month, Scott Dixon was forced to hand it back to Tony Kanaan after the New Zealander suffered gearbox problems. Fie retired from the race on lap 155

moiorsport news

CART / IRL

Surrendep to the Chev

by PHIL MORRIS

crashes while comfortably leading, 5.8s in front of Castroneves. He has fallen to fourth in the series.

"It's so hard to have a race like this end the way it did," said Dixon. "We had a dominant race car out there."

The race was marred by a pit lane accident, involving a member of Al Unser's team.

Bryan Herta's car was punted by another in pit lane. It slammed into Unser's Dallara/Toyota, which striked Kelley Racing's left rear tyre changer Anton Julian.

Julian was immediately transferred by helicopter to the local hospital. But was released a few days late after suffering concussion and an injury to his right knee.

SAM Hornish Jr gave his new Cosworth-built Gen IV Chevrolet engine its first IRL series win last weekend in the Belterra Casino Indy 300 at the Kentucky Speedway.

Hornish thumped his opposition, easily building a 15s lead over Scott Dixon before the one and only caution period. After that, the double IRL champ maintained his lead to grab his and Chevrolet’s first win for the year.

Dixon followed the Panther Racing driver home in second, ahead of Bryan Herta.

But the day belonged to Hornish, who not only broke the

highest average IRL race speed record, but is now in sole possession of the most race wins by a driver in the series.

“We know what it takes to win these races,” said the delighted race winner. “It takes a lot of teamwork and good-handling race cars.”

Herta was pleased to have collected his third top five finish in only seven IRL starts.

“I couldn't run with Scott (Dixon), and I couldn't run with Sam (Hornish Jr.),” said Herta.

“They had a little more, but I'm real happy with the result we had.”

There was tense talk post-race about the rapid rise of the new Chevy engine, with both Honda

"4 A

mm mmd

and Toyota drivers concerned over the ease in which Hornish was able to take the victory.

“It's the same as what I've said before,” said second-placed finisher Dixon. “It's good for the competition, but I also think it's not fair.”

Al Unser Jr., Helio Castroneves and series leader Tony Kanaan trailed the podium finishers. The trio happy to take home valuable series points with only five rounds remaining and a tough title duel ahead.

The next round of the IRL Series heads to Nazareth Speedway for the Firestone Indy 225.

Points: Kanaan 385, Castroneves 377, Dixon 373, Gii de Ferran 372, Hornish Jr., 308, Unser Jr„ 291, Kenny Brack 279.

a I®

Follow me, boys: The new Chev engine powered Sam Hornish Jr. to an unstoppable win at Kentucky Speedway.

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The eetta Electrical Sandown 500 is back In Melbourne and better than ever.

If you love your racing you'll love this. See the tradition return in Round 9 of the V8 Supercars Championship Series.

Experience 3 days of non-stop action with the huge V8 Supercar race on Sunday. It's your chance to see the teams fine tune their tactics in the first big endurance race of 2003. See Skaife v Ambrose, Ingall v Perkins, Bright v Lowndes. It's one race you simply can't miss. So if you can't get it out of your head get down to Sandown. September 12 -14. Tickets at the gate or call Ticketmaster? on 136100. For more information visit www.BettaElectricalSandown500.com.au.

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OPINION

Time, Gentleman,Please

I

T takes brains, dedication and effort to make a major quid in business. It takes entrepreneurial skill to sell that business to a major multinational and walk off with the security to live happily ever after.

Achieving all that, and more, in a business career means that David Thexton is no fool. But the Gold Coast-based V8 Supercar rookie is in danger of appearing thus, following his performances in both the primary and Konica V8 Supercar series.

Thexton is, unfortunately, playing out of his division. After a competition record in rallying and hillclimbing, on the evidence from the opening rounds of the 2003 season, he does not have the level of skill to cut it in the world's most competitive touring car series.

“There was a major shift in opinion regarding Thexton at Oran Park, where the TMR car failed to meet the qualifying cut off once again. Early in the season, the sport's leading drivers were mildly critical, but only in private. In Sydney, they spoke out, en masse, about the consequences of dealing with the problems of a terminally slow car -just in practice and qualifying; He's so busy staying on the road he is not looking where he should be,"'said Cameron

McConville. "He's in way over his head; he turned in on me at the kink. Ridiculous."

And,from David Besnard; "He needs to go away and think about it and come back when he can do it. I don't have a problem with him having a go at it, but the system should not allow him to have a go. I had to go and win in everything I raced on the way up and I still had to find my feet when I got here. I have no fear of racing close to someone, but this is different."

When MNews towhat the driver of #99,spoke here is Thexton said; "We opted not to do the qualifying session.

"What we needed to do, we didn't think the car was able to do it. We threw everything at it in that last session and we needed another two seconds.

And we weren't going to get it.

"The problem is a combination of handling and the fact that it is such a hard track to learn from scratch. The problem Is, across the whole back of the track after you exit the bridge, there's nowhere to pass. So if a faster car catches you, there's nowhere

else to go but on the grass.

"We decided that the most sportsman-like thing to do would be to withdraw and get out of everybody's way during qualifying.

"We'll go away and come back next year with all of our data from this weekend and everything we've learnt, and go better."

For all his enthusiasm and dedication, David Thexton is in danger of putting himself and, more importantly, other drivers in danger as we fast approach the annual visit to the most fearsome race track in the country - Bathurst.

To this point MNews, along with much of the sport, has turned a blind eye to Thexton's struggle. That cannot continue; once you continually venture onto the same racetrack as Marcos Ambrose and Mark Skaife, you inevitably invite comparison with those drivers.

M

otorsport can be a cruel, merciless business. More than that, it is a dangerous one.

A mistake can cause damage to machine or, worse, injury, or worse, to man - a fact borne out

iMotor Mouth

with Phil Branagan

by recent, tragic events.

With all that in mind, it is time for David Thexton to step back and gain experience in another category before, perhaps, returning to V8 Supercar racing, or to take on the challenge and kudos of being a top level team owner, with a paid, professional driver. But should he continue on his current program, V8 Supercar racing will be poorer. That Is something we, and probably Thexton, would not want to see happen.

But, with Bathurst looming, make no mistake; now is the time for hard decisions to be made.

Silly limes. Silly

Season, Silly Moves T his is The Silly Season, inside motor racing and outside. I was idly listening to the TV the other day while working away at something and to my amazement I heard that, supposedly, people were dying on the streets of Paris from the heat.

Admittedly the last 10 days have been pretty unpleasant

with temperatures consistently in the mid-30s (no big deal in Oz, I know) but the streets have been deserted (as they always are in August) and most of the shops are closed. Paris is on holiday. 1 have been looking for bodies on streets but thus far all I found is people sunning themselves by the lake in the Bois de Boulogne and most of them look to be alive - and

some are really rather wellformed ...

In Formula 1, it is quieter than the morning before a gun fight.

Most of the team bosses are off playing with their toys and their children and little has really happened since Mr Justice Langley disembowled Eddie Jordan in public just after Hockenheim. It was a very messy business.

J

uan Pablo Montoya and his little group of friends(JPM never seems to go anywhere without a trail of pals behind him) set off to Colombia and a few days later the country's equivalent of Time magazine published a story saying that a secret contract is in place with McLaren for 2005.

Normally one would be rather circumspect about anything that appears in the Colombian press but this story rang true. Sources "close to Montoya" were quoted, everything fitted neatly.

It is very clear that talks with McLaren have been going on for some time, i was first aware of them back in Monaco when I spotted Montoya's manager sneaking around behind trucks where normally he would not be sneaking. At the time it seemed like a daft idea but since then attitudes seem to have hardened.

Jumping from Williams/BMW at the moment may not be a great career move but one can seen why Montoya is thinking of doing it (or has already done it).

Williams is still on the climb up to a new crest and I cannot help thinking of a young man called Jean Alesi, who in 1991 made the decision to join Ferrari.

At the time Alesi had a contract with Williams (signed) but deep down he really wanted

Siftton-imafi

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Will race for (really expensive)food; Juan Montoya wants more dough.

So, supposedly, does his wife Connie. Nothing wrong with that...

to be a Ferrari driver and he was to pay for that in the years that followed. Go to the Williams exhibition centre in Grove and you will see, hidden away in a corner, a Ferrari 640 which Williams was given by Ferrari as part of the agreement to let Alesi go. It is one of the few Ferraris which has escaped from captivity and will increase in value as the years go by.

Alesi's struggles at Ferrari were made all the harder by the successes at Williams as the team won a stream of World titles. If Jean had kept to the contract he signed he might have ended up as a triple World Champion ...

M

ontoya's move to McLaren may not end up being as

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unfortunate as that but McLaren is still failing to convince at the moment. The team has massive resources and some good people but it does not look like the hungry organisation it was when Mika Flakkinen was in the driving seat.

Mercedes-Benz engines are motorsport pews

-/I

FORMULA

im

The Box Seat With Joe Saward Stay, go, win, lose ... IF Montoya wins the Championship and IF he leaves Williams he will at least be in good company; Nelson Piquet did it, Nigel Mansell did it, Damon Hill did it Frank Williams may have missed out on getting jean Alesi but he did get a nice Ferrari, bottom, for the Grove car collection ... not what they used to be and there are rumours of stresses and strains and frustrations boiling over.

The same was true at Williams a few months the force laracter of ie team and its

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5

principals came through once again. All the extraneous flim-flam of FI was cut away and the team concentrated on what is important: building the fastest car. And that is what has happened. Okay, you might argue convincingly that the Ferrari is better, but it is also 20 lisatl 2003

possible to attribute much of Ferraris success to Bridgestone's dominance over the past two seasons.

The rubber on the Ferrari does not match the Michelins on the Williams right now. Williams is better and that means that inferior drivers can achieve more.

Williams has always been an organisation which makes good drivers look great with its machinery and this is now working for Ralf Schumacher.

To my mind, Ralf is not in the league of his brother. I have yet to see a Ralf Schumacher win which looked like he had to fight for it. Whenever there is a fight Ralf comes out behind. Montoya is wilder and makes more mistakes but he is a fighter.

When he attacks he usually wins.

According the article In ColombiatoMontoya is going to McLaren because Williams is only willing to pay him US$3.5m while Ralf Schuamcher is getting US$12m.

The figure seem a little low to me but the gist of the argument is correct. Montoya is being paid a lot less than Ralf. Naturally he does not like this because he is the better driver but the deals were done at different times and Ralf was in the right place at the right time.

The article also stated that Montoya believes that the

influence of BMW favours Ralf over the other driver. This is daft.

Montoya was once much more popular within Williams than Ralf Schumacher will ever be. He is a kindred spirit to the racers whereas Ralf is austere and ungiving. But Montoya has wasted some of that goodwill, not least at the French Grand ■Prix when, as I have mentioned before, he got into a slanging match over the radio with the team after Ralf outsmarted him in strategy during the race.

This has been played down but there is no doubt that Montoya got a very stern response from the team's Senior Operations Engineer, Aussie Sam Michael, when he let rip.

bullon-i

And that was followed by tailbetween-the-legs letters and visits to Sir Frank Williams. The relationship was soured.

Ask him now what happened and Sam will smile and say "It is all sorted out now" but that is not really the point. It happened.

Montoya will be a loss to Williams but as history has shown many times before championships are not always won by the best drivers in the best cars. The game of Formula 1 is as much about the manoeuvres to get the best machinery as it is about the racing itself and there are a lot of people around who think that Montoya is making a mistake.

But there is good news for Australia in all this because, as MNews revealed in its last issue, if Montoya heads off to McLaren, Williams is likely to pounce on a young man called Mark Webber...

Five minutes with

avUBpMm

The youngest Brabham is heaUing back to V8 Sugercars with Dick Johnson Racing. He spoke to PiBL BRANAGAN about his return to no Mountain, the AIM ami what almost happeneil with Peter Brock MOTORSPORT NEWS: Can you tell us how the deal developed with DJR7 DAVID BRABHAM: It came about in a roundabout way.

I was talking to another team and, for whatever reason I have no idea, that didn't happen. A few days later, I got a phonecall from DJR. They had heard about the other things falling over and they asked if 1 would be interested in doing something with them. So we struck a deal pretty quickly and I am coming down to Sandown and Bathurst.

WIN: You have a pretty impressive record in the races, especially at Bathurst.

DB: True, I won the 2-litre Bathurst race with Geoff and led most of the 24 Hour race last year.

It would be a nice one to add to the CV, to win at Bathurst in a V8.

MN: Have you been following the V8 Supercar Series from the USA? DB: A bit. I have a busy schedule in the USA and that makes it tough to keep a close eye on what is going on there. But I get one of the magazines sent to me every so often.

It looks from here that there is a lot of change going on with the teams and there is a resurgence in the Ford teams.

MN: How do you approach the races, knowing that DJR is not having one of its best seasons?

DB: That has been part of the deal. I said to the team, 'I am aware that you have been struggling this year, what are the reasons why?'

They have reasons. They have been trying as well as they can but it is a very competitive 28

situation. All I can do is offer my experience to the team and that might be a help to sort out the team. It sounds like a positive experience to me. It's always a challenge.

Prodrive Ferrari. Tell us how that has been going.

DB: That is one of the good things about coming to do Sandown and Bathurst. I am already driving a similar type of

"V8 racing has a good rap in the USA; everyone who watches the series raves about it. I have know how good it is for a long time and it is oniy getting stronger" - Brabs on V8 Supercar racing’s US audience MN: You have a great endurance record and that should stand the team in good stead.

DB: True. I have a lot of experience in those kind of races, Anything marked 'Endurance' has my name stamped on it. That is the way my career has gone, it is something I enjoy and I know that I am good at that.

I have something to bring to the team. At the end of the day, it's a race that everybody wants to win and I want to try and make that happen for DJR. MN: One thing in your favour is that you have been racing a front-engine, RWD car in the

car; if I was stepping in straight from the Bentley, above, it might be a different issue.

The Ferrari has no real aero grip, so I could get into it fairly quickly. I am really starting to enjoy the car now. It is wellsorted, it's two or three years old now, so we have a lot of set up data. The recent races have not been that great, the Chevrolet Corvettes seems to have an advantage. They have traction control, we don't and that hurts us on the street courses. But I am enjoying it.

MN: Can you discuss what happened at Team Brock? It was going to be you and Peter driving, wasn't it?

DB: I believe so but I am not really sure what happened.

There were issues that I am unaware of and which have nothing to do with me.

But that was the idea. I was quite happy to go along with it but it all went away very quickly.

I was happy with the idea that that is who I would be driving with, and Peter was a bit upset by it all. I know Peter well, not just as a driver.

MN: On the upside,this Australian endurance season looks to be the most international in years. You will even get to race against your Prodrive ALMS co-driver, Jan Magnussen, who will be at Team Dynamik.

DB: We sure will. V8 racing has a good rap over here; everyone who watches the series raves about it. I have know how good it is for a long time and it is only getting stronger. It is much tougher now than it was when I was involved last time, with Wayne Gardner Racing.

A lot of international drivers want to get involved and, especially, race at Bathurst. And I am certainly one of them, motorsport news

MOTORSPORT NEWS: Overall, not a great weekend for the Castrol Perkins VY. STEVEN RICHARDS: No. We have a lot of work to do on reliability and car speed.

WIN: Will things get better when the team has a second VY? SR: That will make a difference but at the moment, we need to work on getting the car we have to the finish line.

Things have been put in place to make sure that happens but we are still feeling the effects of a few different bits and pieces.

WIN: Has the season so far met the expectations that you had at the start of 2003?

SR: It has, for sure. We all expected that the VY would come on a little sooner than it probably has.

When you go away to a race meeting while you are building a new car, you lose a little 30

momentum. But to be running second in the championship prior to the debut of the new car was well ahead of where we thought we would be. We thought that we would be in touch with the top four before the debut of the new car. To be where we were was great.

To have the people, the personnel that we have In the team, has been great. A big part of success In racing is continuity and we have had that from last year. That has really helped; you forge the relationships in the team, press on and make things better.

WIN: Has that been one of the big changes this season? You have not had to go and re establish your links with a team.

SR: Sure. Look at the successful teams in any of the most competitive championships in the world and you will find that the teams that are doing the

winning are the ones that have continuity in terms or relationships and funding. In my mind, that is another one of the reasons in trying to secure a long deal with Larry. I really believe that for us to win races and championships, you need to have that continuity there to stand you in good stead.

operation. We were bouncing ideas off each other. Larry knows that Paul had been all-out coming to grips with driving in the V8 Supercar Championship and getting up to speed. Now he is starting to knuckle down and realise that, to get good results.

WIN: How has Paul Dumbrell's role in the team impacted on you this season?

SR: To be honest, it hasn't. The only thing that really happened was, when I was still running the VX, PD was still ... not learning how to race the car, he knew that from the Konica Series, but he was coming to terms with the fact that, in V8 Supercar racing, you have to have a car that is absolutely on the button.

Maybe, at some stage, we found that there was more responsibility for me to help Paul with car set-up, so that there was a genuine two-car

"The reality is that there are a lot of things in the geometry that are a lot different and the cars //ohehave differently ft

-Richards compares the Commodore VX with the VY

you need to get it to the finish.

Queensland showed that; it was a good result for him.

WIN: What has been the strength of the team this season? motorsDort news

INTERUIEW

Making

Himselfat Home

After finding a home at Castroi Perkins Motorsport last season, Steven Richards is making sure that his stay will be a long one, with a new three-year contract PHIL BRANAGAN asked his about his new Commodore VY, life with LP and his hopes for Sandown, Bathurst- and the championship My future's so bright...

Steven Richards may be finding the going harder than expected in CPM's new Commodore VY, left, but he is still optimistic about his next three years at the Melbournebased team.

SR: We came off a season where we developed the speed of the VX to become a very competitive package. At the moment, it's fair to say that we are struggling a little with the VY; there is definitely room for improvement.

Before we had the dramas at Darwin and Queensland, we were pretty well running at the pace of the lead guys - with the exception of Marcos Ambrose, he is working well at the moment. But my view is, the VY still doesn't feel that nice. We have to work hard to get to Marcos's level. Skaifey has done a better job this season than his results might indicate, and they are the two blokes that we have to be shooting for.

MN: Your comments about the VY almost mirror those of Todd Kelly, after his first run in HRT's 'purpose-built' VY. Why is that? Is there a tighter sweet spot on the VY? 20 August 2003

SR: I think it's because you come from that you had that was a known quantity for almost 10 years to something that is totally new. People might think, 'double wishbone is no big deal', but the reality is that there are a lot of things in the geometry that are a tot different and the cars do behave differently.

We now have to re-find that level of sensitivity that we had with the VX. At the moment, we are not in the window; we are learning all the time but we know that we cannot use the same fixes that we used on the VX to run different handling characteristics. We are still sorting through that at the moment and we know that it is no small task.

MN: What about the engine?

It's rare that a Perkins car has

continued on page

S'

continued from page 31 an engine drama and there were two at Queensland. Have you been able to identify what that was with the HIVIS engine?

SR: It has come down to component issues with outside suppliers. We have been able to track that down and Larry is working hard to get on top of that. The scenario is that we have to deal with it and ensure that we have good engine performance in qualifying and the races.

MN:The next round of the championship is the 500 at Sandown. If anything, you have been a noted endurance driver in the past.

SR: Yes, but I can't say that my attitude to endurance races is a lot different (to sprint races). I have always gone into those races with the view that you have to finish and you have to have a car that is very raceable with about 30 laps to go. That is always my mentality.

I would like to qualify on the front row - I would like to do that everywhere - but the reality is that there are 35 guys and only two guys can do it. In the enduros, in the past we have concentrated on making it a good race car and that might mean that it is not necessarily a good qualifying car. Qualifying is less important but, saying that, if you qualify up the front, you minimise the chances that you have to take to get it up there.

It's different to a sprint race. If you qualify at the back, it's

5 ●Q

almost game over. At the end of the day, I have always been involved in very good teams and you can't afford to have a bad pitstop, your strategy always has to be just right and you need good people in the team that can put you out there with the leaders.

MN:The thing that is going to change this year, in comparison with your other recent endurance races, is the fact that you have shared your cars with full-time drivers in the past. This year, you have Larry. Does that mean a different approach?

SR: I think it does. One of the advantages is that, at Sandown

possible to your times and bring the car back in good shape so that you can have a good shot at the win. HRT did that very successfully last year with Dad and Skaifey and, ultimately. Dad was not as quick as Skaifey but he did the right job. But he brought it back in good condition.

That is what we have to do.

And who knows? Once we go testing and Larry has some time in the car, we might find the reason he was lacking a bit of pace in the cars last year. If we can work to get the VY up to speed, I don't think he will be far away at all.

MN: You go to the endurance races with a wide ranges of

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I would like to qualify on the front row -1 would like to do that everywhere but the reality is that there are 35 guys and oniy two guys can do ir'

M.

and Bathurst, Larry has always gone well in comparison with his other championship performances. Maybe he likes those circuits: there's no doubt that he likes Bathurst.

You need to have someone who can drive around as close as

drivers; PD in his 20s, you in your 30s,Tomas Mezera in his 40s and LP ...

SR: I hadn't even thought of that!

But you never know what will happen at Sandown. We have a pretty good option to change it

around, in any case. If we need to make a change, we are in a good position to do that.

MN: Is the championship this year a realistic goal?

SR: Yes but in order to win the championship, we need to win at least two races. We have to say that Queensland was our worst round and we have to drop that.

To have any more mechanical problems, or to have any driving incidents will make it pretty intense. At the same time, we have to have a big go and get some points.

But you do not want to rule yourself out of the championship by making a big mistake. I will have a bit more of an aggressive approach to take any opportunities that arise.

MN: And it must be comfortable to know what you will be doing for the next three years.

SR: Absolutely. I know now that next year should be better next year.

The team is pulling together and everyone can see that. I want to be around talented people and all you can do is have confidence in everybody and hope that they have the confidence in you as a driver.

That is what moves the whole thing forward.

One of the things in moving the three-year deal forward was to give the team a level of confidence. Larry and I want to move into the future and share our ideas about what we want to do. 1 am more than happy that that is what we are doing.

t’s about time.

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THB COn/HIMG MBiU MOTORSPORT NEWS: All things considered, you had a very good weekend in Finland, didn't you?

MARKKO MARTIN: I think it was a quite special weekend for me.

To win the Finnish Rally means a lot to any driver, I think. Not so many non-Finns have done it, so I'm very pleased that we were able to do it.

MN: It certainly seemed easier in Finland - you didn't have to deal with having your bonnet smashing into your windscreen ...

MM: Yeah, but this time we had an electronic glitch with the car, and that cost us even more time than the bonnet did! (laughs).

Luckily, it didn't make any difference.

MN: Were you optimistic at the start of the weekend that things were going to work out well?

MM;I was very optimistic that we had a very strong package that could do well, but you never know before you've seen the stages. The only three drivers that really concerned us were the Peugeots. All three drivers for Peugeot looked like the quickest drivers for that rally, on paper. It's a strong car and they have done well there over the last three years. That was definitely the challenge, to try to beat them.

MN:Throughout the year, Malcolm Wilson has been very generous with his praise

MN: Do you approach rallies any differently since getting that first win under your belt in Greece?

MM: No, not really. It's just slightly easier, I think. We know we have done it. We thought we had the speed and the skills to do it, and at least now we know, we have proved it. It's easier, but I always try to do my best.

That hasn't changed.

34

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The name is the main rr thing that's common - Martin compares the 2002 Focus WRC with the RS WRC03

towards you. Does that create any additional pressure to perform? Does it makes you feel like you have to live up to something?

MM:(pause) I don't think there's any extra pressure ... but there's definitely a pressure there to deliver and to guide the team toward the right direction, to tn/ to get the right set-ups with the car and so on. It's been quite a busy year, with a lot of hard work. I think we have managed OK as a team, and I'm happy about that.

MN: What has the response to your success been like back

home in Estonia?

MM: Oh, for sure, it means a lot to many people, because there has always been a rivalry between Estonians and Finns.

So it was very, very special to win in Finland. I think many people appreciate that a lot.

MN: Is rallying popular there?

MM: It was quite popular in the 80s. It wasn't quite so much in the 90s, but now it's sort of getting better again.

MN: Are you getting recognised in the street a bit more often?

MM: Yeah. There were a lot before, but now it's especially bad.

MN:So is 2003 working out according to your expectations at the start of the year, or is it better?

MM: I think we are having a good year, but unfortunately I have been having some bad luck with reliability issues. We have lost a lot of points, but I think we continued on page 36 Focussed on the future: Martin's ready smile disguises his determination to make it to the very top of world rallying. Judging . by the speed of Ford's new Focus RS WRC03, right, his Rally Australia performance will be well worth watching.

INTERUIEinr

rined Heir After tinio wins in 2003, Ford's Markko Martin looks to be a threat to the World Rally Championship's driver hierarchy.

MARK GLENDBUnilNG spake to the WRC's Next Rig Thing

continued from page 39 did a good job with the old car at the beginning of the year to get a good result when the car was not so competitive. And since getting the new car, we have been right up there with everybody.

WIN: It must be encouraging to know that there is more to come from the new car too, especially in terms of reliability. The basic speed is obviously there.

MM: Yeah, I'm sure the reliability will come as well. There are no major issues with design problems or something like that, it's just a bit of bad luck. Just new things.

MN: What is the car's main strength? Is there any one area where it is particularly good,such as aerodynamics or road holding,for example?

MM: I t's strong as a package.

Everything works together, that's the main thing, I think. I understand it very well, how it works, so it's good.

a so much easier and more professional relationship that it's very ... it's been very, very good this year.

MN: Another thing about Ford this year is that it has a very young line-up of works drivers. You are the oldest, and you're just 27. Was that a deliberate strategy by the team?

MM: I think it was a good idea but maybe they have pushed it too far at the moment. We definitely can't charge for the Manufacturers title this year. But it's definitely the way to go if you are willing to take risks and wait a little bit, then 1 think down in the future it will pay off.

I'OS

MN:Some of them are looking quite promising. Jari-Matti Latvala is just 18, and he has put in a couple of good performances.

*1 do not agree with the third driver rule - you should not han people from driving because they are successful"

MN: It seems very versatile, too. It appears to be very quick under lots of different conditions.

MM: Yeah ... the car just gives so much confidence to me that we can drive hard on stages that we are not so familiar with yet.

- Martin on the proposed WRC rule changes

MN: How much input did you have into the spec of the car during its development?

MM: Not so much when it was on the drawing board. But after that, yeah, quite a bit.

Local Hero (sort of): With the capitals of Finland and Estonia less than 100km apart, Martin had plenty ofsupport on his way to victory last week.

We might have to Park, Markko: Things were not always so rosy for Martin, who walled one ofSubaru's Imprezas in Sanremo in 2001, below.

MN: And it's completely different to the old car.

MM: Yes. The name is the main thing that's common.

MN: With the car being so new, did you have any concerns early on that it might harbour a few more teething problems than it has?

MM: Not really. I trust (Technical Director of Ford Rallye Sport) Chris Loriaux and his team that they know what they are doing.

There are always question marks when such a radical car comes out, but I still drive the car because they are good people.

Z-* . .»

n

L..

MN: The team has also switched to Michelins this year. Has that made a significant difference?

MM: Yes, definitely. It has been great working with Michelin. It's 36

moiorsport news

MM: Yeah, for sure, but he's in such an early time in his career that it's not fair to make any predictions about him. If he just keeps trying to get some experience and getting some understanding of the sport, then he could go a long way. But I think it's not fair to put too much pressure on him just at the moment.

[ViN: Has there been a change in the way the team treats you since you became the lead driver?

MM: Yeah, for sure. I mean, I never had a problem with the team when I was the third driver, but now there's more work for me. Now I need to deliver more, I need to come up with ideas, and the good thing is that they are listening. They want to know what I think, so it's good. iVlN: It seems that this sort of pressure is bringing the best out of you.

MM: Yeah, sure, it makes me work harder. We cannot just sit and wait and see what happens.

There's no-one else who's doing to do it, so I have to do it myself.

It's quit good.

MN: Moving on,there are a number of rule changes proposed for the WRC next year. What are your thoughts on them?

MM: I think most of them are stupid (laughs). I do not agree with the third driver rule - you should not ban people from driving because they are successful. That's against the idea of sport, I think.

And as for all the other rules, I don't see much need to change them so dramatically. Especially when they are trying to take away some safety issues.

Things like the changes to recce runs ... that's not the way to go at all. They should think about safety more than anything else. I don't have anything against 16 rallies. I'm not paying for the rallies (laughs), so to me it's no problem. But I'm sure the people who are paying for them have problems with that.

MN: Do you pay much attention to the politics in the sport, or do you prefer to just concentrate on the driving?

MM: I'm trying not to think to much about the politics, because there is just too much politics in that sport and the drivers don't have that much power to change things anyway. So it just gets 20 August 2003

/ can see almost Estonia from here: We couldn't resist running a shot of MM in full flight in Finland. His Focus is about 1.5m off the deck, soaring beyond the 25m marker and shows no signs of coming back to earth ... yet. frustrating, nothing else.

MIM: Looking ahead in the short-term, we've got Australia coming up. What are the chances of scoring two wins in a row?

MM: Not great (laughs). I've only done the rally once before. I did it two years ago, but I made it through the Langley Park Super Special and then the car broke, so I've only done the whole rally once.

To be honest, I think it is my worst rally. It's going to be a hell of a job to make the step from last year's pace to winning pace.

But I'm looking forward to trying to sort out the pace notes, and hopefully it's going to be a good run. Definitely we'll be trying to get a good result, because we really need the points.

MN: Speaking of points, and looking a little further ahead, do your good results this year mean that you'll be aiming higher again in 2004?

MM: For me, it has always been the plan to try to be able to fight for the championship in 2004.

And if I can have a chance this year to fight for it, then we're already ahead of the schedule a little bit. But definitely I would like to do that.

^

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mmmltiFtlm America has been waittng fee its next great epen-wheeier star.

CeuU it be Ryan Hunter-Reay?

PHH. RRAmBAN spoke to the Champ Car rookie about CART,his MU-Ohio resuit and Formuia One

L

ANCE Armstrong won the Tour de France last month.

Again. In fact, it was the fifth Tour victory in five years for the mercurial Texan who,it seems, does not know the meaning of the word 'quit'.

Armstrong likens the attitude the French have about a Yank coming onto their turf and taking home their greatest sporting prize to the welcome Americans would save for the arrival in the baseball World Series for a French team. In fact, the Americans did not even take losing the 'World'series to the Toronto Blue

Jays 10 years back that sportingly ...

NASCAR apart, American racing drivers seem to be an endangered species. In Formula One,the last American seen at a Grand Prix was when Michael Andretti raced for McLaren 10 years ago. The last American to win a title (or a race,for that matter) was Michael's Dad, Mario,in 1978.

Even in CART,that American-AsApple-Pie open-wheeler series, since Jimmy Vasser lifted the title seven years ago, international drivers have dominated the championship. Even now,with the series taking on a record number of rookies. South Americans and Europeans appear to hold sway. Despite being based, largely, in the continental United States, most of CART's North American stars are from the USA's 51st state-Canada.

Quantity may be one thing but quality is another. Alongside Vasser at American Spirit Team Johansson is a rookie who is starting to impress the Right People in the sport. Ryan Hunter-Reay may not be a household name yet, even in America,but the 22-year-old is clearly a coming man in CART racing.

38

After sounding a warning shot at Portland, where he had a provisional pole disallowed when his car was found to be underweight, HunterReay has been quietly logging miles, gaining experience and putting in some solid performances. And he has done all this in an unloved Reynard, while his Lola-mounted rivals have been racking up the wins.

At Mid-Ohio, probably the most Reynard-friendly track on the calendar,RHR was dazzling. He qualified on the front row, a mere 0.05s shy of poleman Paul Tracy. In the race, while Tracy led, HunterReay was'jumped'in the pitstops by Patrick Carpentier but stayed close to the two Canucks all the way to the chequered flag.

It was an impressive, mistake-free weekend for the rookie. In fact, the only mistake from the team's drivers came from Vasser. After starting 14th, a result caused by a broken gearbox during qualifying, the veteran smoked through the field, only to lose control of his car while catching Hunter-Reay late in the race.

"It was an excellent weekend," he said after the race."A rookie driver, in a rookie team,in a Reynard ... everything went well.

"Everybody in the team did a great job. The driving was not that difficult in a well set-up car. It's a big thing for the team to have a podium finish in Champ Cars in our first season, that's for sure.

"We definitely had our best weekend, ever. We knew before we went to the track that the Reynard was supposed to be a good thing at this track,so we went in with a very optimistic point of view. We took full advantage of that; every time we went onto the track,in practice and in qualifying, we were the fastest

11

Every time we went onto the track, in practice and in qualifying, we were the fastest Reynard and we really didn't put a foot wrong all weekend. We definitely exceeded our own n expectations -Hunter-Reay on his Mid-Ohio podium

Reynard and we really didn't put a foot wrong all weekend. We definitely exceeded our own expectations."

The rookie comes to CART with a strong pedigree. After winning numerous titles in karts, he moved into the Barber Formula Dodge Championship in 1999, taking the title. The following season, he was a fifth-placed finisher in the Barber Dodge Pro Series, taking the rookie of the year award. In 2001, he was fifth again, wirming two races, and last season, was sixth in the Toyota Atlantic Championship after winning three rounds. He was also named the

Rising Star of the series.

And now,just like that, he is on the podium in a Champ Car. .

"Last year, when I was doing Toyota Atlantics, there were a lot of talks about getting a team started and I was involved with that from the start," he says."I was lucky enough to land a ride with a new team,so that presented an open opportunity, especially working with Jimmy.

"It's an impressive group of people at the moment. We have ex-Formula One drivers, FI test drivers, champions from classes like Formula 3000. The competition is definitely tough and it's extremely

moiorsport news

INTERUIEW

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Red, White and no Blues: Ryan Hunter-Reay has been making a name for himself in the Champ Car World Series, despite being handicapped by the performance of his Reynard, particularly on street courses, right. competitive."

One thing working in his favour is the influence of people like Vasser, and team owner Stefan Johansson, has on a rookie driver.

"It's been tough," he admits.

"We are a rookie team and we started the program late. We have had the least amount of testing of anyone in Champ Car. Everything has been an uphill battle for us. We have good key players in the mix, like Jimmy Vasser, and he has been the backbone of the team. Whenever | anyone in the team misses a step,

continued on page| 40 20 August 2003

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31

continued from page 39 Jimmy has always been there to pick us up.

"I followed Jimmy he was always the great American name driver when I was coming up. This is a great opportrmity for me to work with someone like Jimmy; I draw as much out of him as I can. He gives it; he is a great team player and it helps me a lot.

Some weekends, we start with similar set-ups and stay like that but at the recent races, we have gone our separate ways. It's really strange. At Mid-Ohio,he had a stiffer set-up working for him and it was softer for me but on other weekends,it has been vice versa. We are yet to gel with our set-ups; sometimes we are almost identical, and we do have semi-similar driving styles.

"It's great having a team owner like Stefan. He has a long driving history and a lot of accomplishments on his CV and he is a great help when it comes to coaching a rookie."

Tire team's choice of cars has been, like all Reynard customers, a 3. financially-driven decision. Used Reynards are a quarter the cost of new Lolas and, with Reynard going 2: I bust in 2001, no major ongoing developments are likely for its OIC chassis. Lola, despite CART's I mandatory chassis freeze, is able to continue to fine tune its cars.

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But there is the odd glimmer of a light. ASTJ's cars were formerly raced s

by Team Player's and the blues had a great outing at Mid-Ohio last year, Carpentier leading all but three laps on his way to a dominant win.

"The problem is that the teams who bought Reynards did that because they could not really afford the whole Lola package," says Hunter-Reay."Now,if we want to develop the Reynard, we can, but we would have to use our own money. "(But) why would you develop the Reynard and pour in a lot of money into an older chassis that is not going to be competitive? The Lola teams, and Lola, will continue to develop their cars anyway. What you have to do is get your partners, your Paradise, the car bleeds downforce sponsors, in line and try and get and we have a disadvantage."

Lolas for next year.

"The Lola does not lose as much So, what does all that mean for the rest of the 2003 season? front downforce when it goes over bumps. Right off the bat, the Lola generates 300 pounds(140kg) more downforce than the Reynard. So, when we go to street circuits with low grip, it is absolutely necessary to have as much front wing on the car as possible. That is the limiting factor to how much understeer you have.

"When we go to smooth circuits, we have an advantage; no, we have less of a disadvantage. We catch up a little bit to the Lola. That's what happened last weekend. When we are on rougher circuits, like Surfers 40

"I am optimistic but the tracks that we are going to from now on will not suit the Reynard as well as Mid-Ohio and Road America," he says.

"We could have the odd good weekend if we get our sums right but, when it gets bumpy, we will lose downforce and there is little we can do about that. We will battle hard,for sure, and we could be able to finish in the top five quite a few times.

Hopefully, we will get onto another podium."

There has been much to learn this

Fox on the Run: American Spirit may be in its maiden season in CART racing but it has often led the 'Reynard class' behind the dominant Lolas.

Sometimes, that even has them at the pointy end of the field.

season. While he has raced in the lower classes on some of the tracks he is faced with now,about half the tracks are new. The cars are new, the competition is new. One thing working in his favour is CART's Cosworth-built, Ford-funded 'spec' engine. Even on his worst day, RHR is not going to get blown away on the straights.

"Cosworth has done an excellent job. The engines last longer, they are very close in performance and they are reliable. I can't make comparisons with what happened before, when there were other manufacturers in the series, but I know that I like these engines. There is no traction control.

there is full (gear) shifting, so from that point of view, it's a great series.

It's a good product and Ford has been a big part of that."

So, what of the future? While he is still making his way in CART racing, the pendulum has definitely swung towards the rival oval-only IndyCar series. That does not hold a huge amount of attraction for HunterReay; "I love road racing. I love street racing. I cannot get enough of that, so I am more than happy. I have yet to see where that will lead; I am still doing my first season in Champ Cars at 22 years old."

Okay,kid. You're a road racer. It seems that, every few weeks, there is a story about an American Formula One effort, usually with Red Bull's millions lurking somewhere in the background. Bernie Ecclestone himself is looking for an American with The Right Stuff to fly the Stars and Stripes in Grand Prix racing.

motorspon news

interuiew Could that be the arena in which Hunter-Reay will play in the future?

"Formula One is something that, definitely, I would love to do," he says."That has always been a goal of mine. Then again, things can twist; things change. We will see what happens in the future.

"There are some stories about last weekend ... things were positive. I have had a lot of positive feedback

FI,team owners are starting to look at alternatives. A 22-year-old who can fire an 800-horsepower Champ Car around is an attractive proposition; one that comes from Dallas, Texas, could be irresistible.

Hunter-Reay is already becoming accustomed to being an American minority in a big game sport but is not fazed by it.

"The weekend proves that,if you

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from some important people this weekend, so ...

"You need to have those things going on. I need to make more of them. My name may be going around at the moment and I am trying real hard. That's what I am trying to do; hopefully the team and I will have a great rest of the season and, after that, a great career as well."

With the world economy starting to squeeze the money pouring into

I love road racing. I love street racing. I cannot get enough of that, so I am more than happy."

have the talent and the will to succeed, and you have a great team effort, you can succeed. I would say that the results prove that having European, and international, drivers is not necessarOy the way to go. We are competing with them, and beating them.

"The public has been very positive.

The fans love the idea of the American Spirit team, because of the lack of American drivers. It's great

for the fans. It is an international series and we are not just trying to exploit that but it was great to be able to give something back to the fans at

Mid-Ohio."

And there is more to come, including a maiden trip to Australia.

Surfers is a great place and a great event and the likelihood is that a clean-cut, well-spoken all-American kid is going to be well-received in Queensland's favourite playground.

"I have watched Surfers on television for so long and I cannot wait to get there. Jimmy says that it is his favourite sheet course,so I am looking forward to that. It's a big event and I only here excellent things about the event. Everyone always says,'When are we going to Aushaha?'I can't wait."

Luckily, he doesn't have long to wait. Vasser is a previous Surfers racewinner and Hunter-Reay has already shown that he can match his team-mate for sheer speed. The Lolas may have the edge over ASTJ's Reynards but the Lexmark 300 is the kind of race that can be won by more than just car speed.

And,if there is an FI team owner looking for the next big thing, Ryan Hunter-Reay mightjust be that.

Is this CART roolde worth an endof-season FI test? Maybe. Probably.

And Lance Armstrong would,in all likelihood, approve...

mmumf

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20 August 2003

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PHILUPISLAND Island Performance (03)5956 6011

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GOULBURN Spec Racing (02)4822 9728

41

SBR shows its car can win anywhere and anytime.

D(rkKlynsmm

"I HOPE that people realise that what we're doing is dishing out the motherload of all ass-whippings.'

Marcos Ambrose didn't say this Tony Stewart did during a red flag period at the NASCAR Busch Series race at Michigan last weekend (somewhat ironically, given that he went on to finish 11th after the race was halted early by rain).

Nevertheless, Stewart managed to pretty eloquently sum up the way things are travelling on Planet Pirtek right now.

The Stone Brothers seem to be at a point where they can produce whatever is required to suit any given environment. Need a qualifying car? Bang. There it is.

Shootout? Or something to go consistently fast - really, really fast around Oran Park for 300km? From what we saw last weekend,no problem.

In fact the only thing resembling a problem to have struck SBR all weekend was again shouldered by Russell Ingall, who was hobbled by a puncture early in the race, thwarting what otherwise could easily have been tlie team's second one-two in as many races.

"It has been a great weekend," said Ambrose.

"We were worried about coming here because of the undulations of the circuit - we had problems with 42

that at Phillip Island. But we got on top of that and it's just been a great weekend."

Second was Craig Lowndes,who underlined the progress being made’ at FPR with a Falcon that couldn't match that of Ambrose for sheer speed, but was more than capable of walking shoulder-to-shoulder with any other car in the field.

"We looked at what Marcos did at Queensland Raceway," Lowndes explained.

"His middle stint was very quick.

We didn't get the quahfytng that we would have liked, but tried to push really hard in that middle section. For us, it was a matter of trying to hang out there and do as many quick laps as we could, and hopefully the other guys would wear out. It worked for us today - it may not work for us at Sandown."

And completing thebasically podium was Mark Skaife, who did what he could with a car that just wasn't fast enough to keep his remarkable string of wins at the south-western Sydney circuit intact.

"It wasn't fast enough, and I made a pretty poor error early by flatspotting the left-hand front tyre," rued Skaife.

"So we had to come in earlier than we would have liked. Overall it hung in as good as it would do. We got

Flat, bumpy, cambered, abrasive, smooth, dry, wet - whatever the conditions, the SBR/Ambrose combo has all the answers in 2003 caught up with some lapped traffic -1 got a pretty poor run at the end there with Paul Morris. But that was as good as it was going to go."

In terms of results, Oran Park was manna from heaven for a chunk of the field. Garth Tander had his best result in ages when he brought the GRM Valvoline Cummins Repco home in a comfortable fourth place, while Jason Richards scored the biggest points haul of his career by stroking the Team Dynamik VY across the line in fifth place - the last car to finish on the lead lap. And this after putting the car on its lid earlier in the weekend...

Cameron McConville pulled something out of the bag for the team on home turf to finish ninth, while Dean Canto got everything just about spot-on on race day to earn the final spot in the top ten for Briggs Motorsport. n But the race had its fair share of distasters. Kmart Racing saw Greg Murphy fighting a losing battle with the unpredictability of his new car, while Rick Kelly's weekend was knackered by a clang with Paul Radisich early in the race.

Steve Richards' title hopes appear shot after having to replace two alternators during the race, and Paul

Morris showed blinding speed early in the weekend but then fell out of contention with a variety of mishaps culmmating in a blown tyre on the final lap.

Race(111 laps)

T

he 300km format has come under fire a few times this season, and would probably have copped even more flack had a few races not been

sparked up by external influences like the weather. But at Oran Park, the sky was relentlessly blue, and any on-track incidents either left the unfortunate victim stranded in a noncritical spot, or crippled but still in good enough shape to limp back to the pits.

There was one Safety Car period, but by the time it came into play Ambrose already had everything well in hand. And the race, as a consequence,stunk. If ever a track was made for 2 x 150km races rather than a single 300km slog, Oran Park is it.

"I think more than anything that the format is a format that, on certain racetracks, struggles," said Skaife.

"To me,two 150km races at this sort of place, that's hard on tyres, would be a better format. It's the motorsport news

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Morris got as close as it's possible to get to Ambrose at the first corner, above; Canto, below left, pressed on throughout for a solid top ten finish. while series leader Jason Bright, below right, knows which round he'll be dropping from his points score ...

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same with Eastern Creek and Pliillip Island. It's just ridiculous to have us wobbhng around ... you could drive your rental car as fast at the end."

The only time Ambrose looked remotely threatened was right at the start of the race, and it was someone else's doing. Morris got a great start and launched straight into a spirited battle with the Pirtek BA that caused a few alarming moments for the SBR crew following proceedings on the monitors in their garage.

According to the stewards, however, Morris's start had been a little bit too good, and the Sirromet Commodore VY was invited back to pitlane to serve a drive-through penalty, thus freeing Ambrose from the only car that appeared to be working anywhere near as well as his was.

Morris later insisted that video evidence proved that his start was legal - but given that others were muttering that he should have been pinged for some of his actions through the first three corners, it may have been a case of being penalised for something that he didn't do, and not penalised for something that he did. Everything, as they say, comes out in the wash.

Team Dynamik was just that - two in the qualifying top ten and fifth outright for Jason Richards, right.

20 August 2003

DirHKlyrismith‘

"I think we had a Holden Hero out tliere," Ambrose said.

"He was trying to win the race in the first corner and nearly turned me around into turn two. I just got on to it, thank goodness, and then he tried to squeeze me going into turn tlvee. I was going down the straight for the first time and I was just hoping that it didn't put a guard down onto the

tyre, because that would have just wrecked the race."

Everybody made it through the first corner in one piece, although from this perspective. Brad Jones had an 'advantage'. The OzEmail car started from pit lane after tlie finishing touches were being put to a last-minute axle change in the garage while the rest of the field was

circulating on their formation lap.

Further toward the front, Murf was marching steadily backwards from his superb qualifying position in a car that appeared to have pretty much decided to do what it wanted to do for the weekend, set-up and driver be damned. The day got worse for the Kmart crew on lap 5 when continued on page 46

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Marcos

ities are funny things.

Their personalities reflect those of their inhabitants; conservative Melbourne, adventurous Darwin,independent Perth, can-do Brisbane.

Sydney? Confidence. Fun, A little arrogance. And the ability to write off bad things than happen and concentrate on the here and now. If you get lemons, make lemonade. Sin City is Australia's version of New York.

Oran Park reflects this. Even when you cannot see the apex of the corner, settle the car, turn in and flatten the pedal on the right. You just better have the finesse to hang on and make It happen.

Jason Richards believes in this (see breakout). So does Marcos Ambrose but, after the season he has had, that is little surprise.

What was a little odd was the form of everyone in Commodore VXs. Sure, in light of the ongoing rush to 2003 cars, the older Holden was bound to be feeling

itde

Secret

"I have no idea why the car is fast, or slow. It has us beat!"

Okay, but, for a car that had not turned a wheel before rolling out of the truck at OP, it was an amazing result.

On the other hand, Rick Kelly was 22nd and battling. He had no idea why the VX was so slow (alright, it was less than 0.9s from pole) and admitted that there was one thing he was looking forward to; "going home".

"My car is doing whatever the other VXs are doing," he rued.

s

o, the second sets would decide the matter. Skaife could not improve and stayed fourth, Kelly leading matters for Team Red, while Murphy's time stood. It was all up to Ambrose.

Out came the blue car, the clock clicked on and lm08.92s later, it was over. Marcos had provisional pole by 0.05s.

How? Why? Who knows?

Ambrose buried himself in the computers. With the shootout

"We have a technique for the shootout, a driving styie and mechanical(adjustments). And that is our secret. rf

- Marcos Ambrose

a little unloved but, after what has happened so far this season, would you really expect the struts-and-Chev cars to line up, at best, mid-grid?

'Maybe. There was a wave of BAs and VYs at the front of the grid. Paul Morris led on Friday, Mark Skaife on Saturday. By the time qualifying rolled around, nine of the remaining old cars were in the second half of the field. For the first time this year, the modernists ruled.

“The session came down to a gunfight between, as usual, Ambrose and Clayton. Todd Kelly, running in the slower group as a consequence of set up problems, dropped jaws around the track with a 1 m08.99s lap, almost fourtenths clear of his closest rival, Steve Ellery. They alone would survive the onslaught of the faster group of drivers.

Greg Murphy set the pace right away before the session was halted by a bunkered John Bowe, while Ambrose and Mark Skaife traded punches on their first sets of tyres before Murf topped everyone with an 8.97s.

Happy? Yep. But perplexed.

I "We were 26th in one session I and fourth in the other - on the I same tyres," mused the Kiwi.

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looming (a Saturday afternoon session for once, not Sunday) he was intent on eking every tenth out of the Pirtek car before he faced the music. It was like watching a concert pianist.

Russell Ingall was fifth. The Enforcer was focussed on making the Caltex car racefriendly and was less intent on a pole battle. Facing the awesome qualifying form of Ambrose, who wouldn't?

Craig Lowndes was sixth, content if not thrilled with the CAT/FPR Barra. Lowndes was concentrating on raceday, as did Glenn Seton (13th) and David Besnard, the latter having a David Thexton-assisted spin in practice.

It is really saying something that Paul Morris was 'only' seventh. The Sirromet VY, now bearing allegiance to Woolworth's wine stores, was going like a blur from the moment its wheels turned, prompting admiration from many rival drivers. The Dude underplayed the whole turnaround: "My job is easy," he deadpanned. "We had a shocker (at Oran Park) last year. We built the entire car in-house and it really is a good car."

Good enough for some drivers to wonder out loud whether moiorspoit news

Team Dude was in the business of building customer cars (which they are, apparently, as long as they are hand-me-downs).

Eighth was Jason Richards, the Team Dynamik team making it two cars in the shootout for the first time when Simon Wills found speed on his final lap to unseat Garth Tander from the top 10, The final car to make the shootout was Steve Ellery. The Super Cheap car was in the wars in practice, Ellery having a spin and then parking out on the track. The loss of track time mattered little when it counted; Ellery's second-place in the slower group held up, besting Tander by a tenth. A Level 2 team in the shootout... pretty impressive.

■yander was less than impressed with 11th ("It was close, but we don't go racing for 10th") while Steven Richards was 12th, reporting that the Castrol VY was "just not fast enough" and that the front and rear ends were well-matched - in lacking grip.

Behind Seton, Dean Canto was a neat 14th, one spot up on John Bowe (who was less than thri lled with the OzEmail BA) and Cameron McConville. The local Lansvale team was happy, in that they led the Superannuation Class but not that thrilled with Thexton, who McConville felt baulked him twice in practice. In light of the fact that he was carrying one of TEGA's prototype

WHEN you look theand windscreen of out a car see blue on the bottom and green on the top, your weekend is, in all likelihood, buggered.

Jason Richards probably thought just that in practice session number two. The Kiwi was hauling the Team Dynamik Commodore VY through Turn 6 when the world inverted on him, his car digging in in the sandtrap and rolling gracefully onto its lid.

"I learned a new trick," he explained later.

"Obviously, we have played PlayStation too much. We were lucky; there was no mechanical damage, just cosmetic. I got back on the horse and (next time) the rear end stepped out at Turn 6 again, so I took it easy."

'Taking it easy' apparently involves getting his VY up to eighth in the qualifying session.

20 august 2003

in-car cameras (Besnard and Tander had them also), his claim was justified. But Cam was not thrilled to be slower than he had been last year, when he was in the 9.2s.

Behind Besnard came Jason Bright and Paul Week The series leader and his team-mate felt that changes to the set-up of their VXs stood them in good stead for the race, at the expense of qualifying speed.

"It's all about making the rightrear tyre live," said Week Of the rest, Mark Larkham

bested team-mate Jason Bargwanna's new BA by a tenth, Anthony Tratt's BA's debut featured a wall-bang at Recaro Speedline when he got two wheels on the grass under braking, while the Shells were 26th (Max Wilson) and 29th (Steve Johnson).

"No grip," admitted the coldridden Johnson. "It's frustrating.

We have the resources and the people to do It, but we haven't got the nuts and bolts right yet."

Super Cheap, Super time: Steve Ellery, above, put in bis best qualifying effort for the year, grab bing a top ten qualifying spot and seventh in the Shoot-out.

continued on page 46

red and All-Black

which improved to fifth in the shoot-out, a career-best result.

Even better for the Adelaide team, Simon Wills lined up 10th, the first time TD has for both of its cars into the top 10.

At the start of the season, would anyone believe that this rookie team would out-perform both Castrol cars? Or both Valvolines? The VY is, obviously, no easy trick to set up. But together with the Sirromet team, the accented lads from the land of the Bledisloe Cup (the bastards) appear to have a handle on getting speed from the wishboned warriors.

Both outfits have engineers with a background established in Ford teams. Both have drivers who are on their game. That is not the whole story. But, for now, it's a hell of a start...

- PHIL BRANAGAN

4 Diri

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continued from page 45

Top Ten Shootout

It all went according to the script.

Ellery and Wills set their times before being vaulted by Richards, before Morris blew everyone out of the pool with a 1m09.6129s lap. Lowndes was slower than he would have hoped for, following a lockup at the Kink, Ingall tried but missed while Skaife depended on a huge final sector to set the second-fastest time so far.

Kelly was slower, before Murphy emerged. With the Kmart team having an intermittently fast car, but little idea how it worked, Murf drove a conservative first sector before giving it the 11 different herbs and spices for the rest of the lap.

"I was at Turn 2 before I realised that the car was pretty gripped up," he said. "Then I pushed it too hard at Shell."

The resulting dust plume cost hundredths, not tenths, but second would be a great result for a new car.

Ambrose? Business as usual.

He took whatever potion he takes before shoot-outs, bowed to Mecca and simply took his 12th pole in 34 races. He was sixth-tenths clear of Murphy.

"We have a technique for the shootout, a driving style and mechanical (adjustments)," he conspiratoriously explained later.

"And that is our secret."

The secret? "Russell's fronts didn't really come in that well, so we decided to run Marcos on a scrubbed set," confirmed Ross Stone. It worked ...

With Ford committing to the Stone Brothers Racing team for another five years, it's not hard to guess why . . .

- Phil Branagan

Qualifying

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continued from page 43

this: go out, and build such a big lead that you can stop pretty much any time you want to and it won't make one iota of difference.

Rickler became tangled in an incident that had started a couple of corners before. Wills had copped a serve in the back from Richo at Turn 3,

After eight tours of the track, Marcos had pulled out just under 6.0s over second-placed Skaife, with Todd hiding a further 3.0s further back in third. Seven laps later, Kelly Sr had taken 0.4s out of his boss - but Marcos had extended his lead to 12.7s. And no doubt to the

spinning the Dynamik car into the middle of the track. The field parted around the Kiwi while he pulled himself back together and resumed the chase. Rick Kelly had swung to the outside of Wills as the Dynamik Commodore set off again, and was left stranded there as the pair hurtled toward Turn 4. Black and White

considerable distress of the majority of those in pit lane, neither he nor the car looked like they were doing it hard.

Commodore brushed White, Red and Blue Commodore, and Rick swung across the track to be cleaned up by the innocent Radisich - who had taken to the dirt on the inside to avoid the initial incident.

POS NO DRIVER 1 4 Marcos Ambrose 2 51 Greg Murphy 3 2 Todd Kelly 4 1 Mark Skaife 5 9 Russell Ingall 6 6 Craig Lowndes 7 29 Paul Morris 8 45 Jason Richards 9 44 Simon Wills 10 31 Steve Ellery 11 34 Garth Tander 12 11 Steven Richards 13 5 Glenn Seton 14 66 Dean Canto 15 888 John Bowe 16 3 Cameron McConville 17 19 David Besnard 18 50 Jason Bright 19 16 PaulWeel 20 10 MarkLarkham 21 65 Paul Radisich 22 15 Rick Kelly 23 20 Jason Bargwanna 24 021 Craig Baird 25 21 Brad Jones 26 18 Max Wilson 27 23 Mark Noske 28 24 Wayne Wakefield 29 17 Steven Johnson 30 8 PaulDumbrell 31 33 Jamie Whincup 32 75 Anthony Tratt 35 99 David Thexton

TIME GAR lm08.9278s Pirtek Stone Brothers Racing Falcon BA lm08.9769s K-Mart Racing Team Commodore VX 1m08.9905s Holden Racing Team Commodore VY lm09.0723s Holden Racing Team Commodore VY lm09.0875s Caltex Havoline SBR Falcon BA CAT/Ford Performance Racing Falcon BA lm09.2283s lm09.2662s Sirromet Commodore VY lm09.3523s Team Dynamik Commodore VY lm09.3561s Team Dynamik Commodore VY lm09.3721s Super Cheap Auto Falcon BA lm09.4787s Repco Valvoline GRM Commodore VY lm09.5266s Castrol Perkins Racing Commodore VY lm09.5280s Ford Credit FPR Falcon BA lm09.5539s Betta Electrical Briggs Falcon BA lm09.5895s OzEmail Racing Team Falcon BA Lansvale Smash Repairs Commodore VX lm09.5977s lm09.6083s Ford Performance Racing Falcon BA lm09.6247s Betta Team Brock Commodore VX lm09.6519s Betta Team Brock Commodore VX lm09.6802s Orrcon Racing Falcon AU lm09.7147s Betta Electrical Falcon BA lm09.8155s K-Mart Racing Team Commodore VX lm09.8965s Orrcon Racing Falcon BA lm09.9652s Team Kiwi Racing Commodore VX lm09.9898s OzEmail Racing Team Falcon BA lml0.0054s Shell Helix Racing Falcon BA 1ml 0.0450s INXS Team Ford Falcon AU lml0.1017s Romano Racing Commodore VX 1ml0.1267s Shell Helix Racing Falcon BA Castrol Perkins Racing Team Commodor e VXlml0.3671s 1ml 0.5297s Repco Valvoline GRM Commodore VX lml0.9479s Toll Racing Falcon BA lm35.6729s Thexton Motor Racing Falcon AU

Top 10 Shootout

1 2 3 4 5

32.8849s Ambrose 33.5083s Murphy 33.1841s Morris 33.6169s Skaife J. Richards 33.6998s

53.4904s lm08.9291s 53.9801s lm09.5545s 54.0921s lm09.6129s 54.2914s 1m09.6749s 54.3468s 1m09.7136s

V8SCSRomill8 48

6 Ingall 7 Ellery 8 Kelly T. 9 Lowndes 10 Wills

33.4104s 33.5946s 33.6747s 33.4625s 33.4497s

54.3005s 54.4761s 54.5080s 54.5136s 54.5203s

T

he first of the leaders to show their hand was HRT #1, which flicked on the limiter and rattled

down to its pit crew on lap 21, and left again with a fresh pair of boots 7.3s later, rejoining in P22. This was, of course, earlier than planned, but with the left-front flat-spotted, their was no choice.

The Rat was out on the spot, and Kelly limped back to the pits to have most of the front right corner of the car rebuilt. He lost 26 laps, and the challenge from thereon was to keep . up with the field in order to complete the minium 75 percent of race distance. It paid off - he made the cut by a solitary lap, and salvaged a few points from a weekend that could otherwise have been a write-off.

Wills continued to circulate slowly - before calling it a day on lap .

7 with steering damage.

While all this was going on, there was a race being won. Much is made of the strategic element of these races, but at Oran Park, Ambrose's approach could be distilled down to

Ambrose now enjoyed a 19.3 advantage over Todd, with Tander sitting 4.4s further back and enjoying a run that helped make up for the disappointment of just missing a spot in the Shootout a day earlier.

The lead had extended to 21.3s on Lap 34 when Ambrose pitted. The SBR Dunlop change took exactly as long as HRT's did, but Marcos' spooky first-stint pace paid huge dividend when he rejoined the track in sixth position, just behind Besnard.

107 laps on one set of Dunlops - amazing stuff from the Enforcer

%

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1m09.8222s lm09.9545s lml0.0581s lml0.1560s lml0.1764s

ran Park

'iris®

BOSCH

msam \Oirk Klynsmith

motorspon news

U8 SUI^ERCARS It ivas THAT close! Oran Park's roller-coaster layout can give the wrong impresion

5

:*

Bezzie had been having a pretty eventful race liimself. Some early jostling had left the passenger door of the #19 FPR car stuck open, prompting a long delay while team members tried to break a window in an effort to secure the door while the car was in for its tyre stop on lap 37.

"I came into the pits in sixth and rejoined the race in 23rd and one lap down," said Besnard.

"That pretty much describes what happened to me. 1 got off to a good start and 1 came into the pits for our first scheduled tyre stop unaware that the door was stuck open from a few impacts at the start. I am sure that we could have had a top five finish today if it had not been for the long stop to fasten it."

Another potentially strong result from FPR had gone out the window

when Seton's engine dropped a cylinder on lap 35. Seton was more than holding his own in the Ford Credit BA until his strategy was thwarted by a puncture, which caused an early pitstop before the engine problems later ended his weekend for good. The results may not have been there, but the fact that all three FPR BAs were on the pace shows that things are moving in the right direction in that corner of tire world.

Then,someone flicked the switch marked 'pitstop frenzy'. Todd relinquished his lead on lap 46 when he pitted for fuel, and he was followed into pitlane by Tander, who had dropped from second to third after being passed by Ambrose a couple of laps earlier. Marcos was now back in the lead, with Skaife

A good home track result for McConville, despite not qualifying as he'd hoped

lying 25.6 further down the road.

This had blown out to 30.8s when the reigning Champ returned to pitlane for fuel on lap 52. Two laps later Todd was back in for new rubber -

inside neatly to take the position at turn three, but shortly thereafter manufactured his own pretty-decent flat-spot on his freshly-fitted front left tyre. Not long afterwards he was back into the pits for a replacement, and his podium hopes were over.

By lap 80, Ambrose was sitting a neat 26.3s clear of Lowndes, who in turn was 18.0s ahead of Skaife.

and Ambrose made his fuel stop. The car was stationary for 18.2s, giving the team enough time to patch up a battered rear guard, and Marcos was back on the track in third place behind the yet-to-stop Lowndes and Jason Richards, and looking pretty much invincible.

Ordinarily it would be tempting to think that if ever a race needed a Safety Car to liven things up then this one did, but when the Audi finally made its appearance (to allow for the

Todd raised some eyebrows when he launched a spirited battle with his boss on lap 75. Toddler had the fresher rubber by far and ducked

continued on page 48

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V8SCS Round 8 t/S Oran Park Bace - 111 laps Race time Pos Driver Fastest lap On 2hl5m55.4043s lm09.7922s 2 1 Ambrose 2hl6m07.8583s lm10.4504s 43 2 Lowndes 2hl6ml4.9345s lml0.8504s 10 3 Skaife 2h1Bml9.2906s lml0.5730s 57 4 Tander 5 J. Richards 2h16m23.2856s lml0.6409s 44 110 laps lml0.6116s 8 6 T. Kelly 7 Bowe 110 laps lmll.1430s 41 no laps lml0.1129s 10 3 Ingall 9 McConville 110 laps lmll.2598s 50 10 Canto no laps lml0.9541s 56 no laps lmll.13l8s 39 11 Murphy 12 Jones no laps lml0.6653s 37 13 Besnard no laps lml0.8265s 41 14 Noske 110 laps lm10.9764s 52 no laps lmll.2570s 41 15 Bargwanna 16 Weel no laps lm11.2990s 54 17 Dumbrell no laps lmll.3425s 44 18 Larkham no laps lml0.9911s 52 no laps lml0.4404s 67 19 Bright 110 laps lm11.3176s 64 20 Whincup 97 laps lml0.9105s 82 21 Ellery 22 Baird 95 laps 1ml1.2054s 16 23 S. Richards 89 laps lml0.6846s 40 85 laps Imll.1057s 10 24 R. Kelly DNF Morris 109 laps lm09.9119s 3 DNF Johnson 77 laps lm11.6658s 41 DNF Wilson 73 laps 1ml 1.3683s 49 DNF Seton 35 laps lmll.2273s 29 DNF Wills 7 laps lm11.7994s 2 DNF Radisich 5 laps lml2.0445s 3 DNF Tratt Points: Ambrose 1351, Bright 1279, Murphy 1233, Ingall 1163, Skaife 1145, Weel 1109, Lowndes 1094, S. Richards 1052, Tander 1002, R. Kelly 952, T. Kelly 914, Radisich 836, Bowe 823, McConville 779, Johnson 713, Bargwanna 676, Wilson 624, Morris 623, Ellery 610, Wills 609, Seton 600, J. Richards 595, Jones 570, Besnard 566, Canto 550, Dumbrell 531, Noske 527, Larkham 507, Baird 505, Whincup 463, Ritter 359, Tratt 356, Forbes 238, Thexton 84, Wakefield 72.

Points after dropping worst score: Ambrose 1255, Bright 1195, Murphy 1119, Skaife 1109, Ingall 1081, S. Richards 1052, Lowndes 1036, Weel 1007, Tander 966, T. Kelly 914, R. Kelly 898, Radisich 836, Bowe 805, McConville 779, Bargwanna 874, Johnson 671, Wilson 594, Morris 623, Wills 609, Seton 600, Ellery 598, Wilson 594, J, Richards 580, Jones 570, Besnard 566, Dumbrell 531, Canto 526, Noske 509, Baird 505, Larkham 477, Whincup 463, Tratt 356, Ritter 329, Forbes 238, Thexton 84, Wakefield 72.

Kelly went past team boss Skaife who was struggling with tired rescue of Bowe's rear guard, which had detached itself and was lying squarely in the centre of the track), the leaders were sufficiently scattered through the field that it made no difference.

Ambrose and Lowndes may have lost their advantages on the stopwatch, but with seven lapped cars lying between first and second, and another five stuck between second and third, there were going to be no heroics on the restart. And as the top three went on to complete the race in that order, it was ironically the cars who were a lap down that proved to be the most dangerous.

"I thought the flag marshalls were not on the ball today," said Lowndes.

"There were many hold-ups in lapped traffic and in the closing stages I was almost driven off the track by John Bowe. He was a lap down at the time, and the altercation bent the steering."

Fast - and spectacular: Morris wasn't prepared to sit back on his great qualifying result and tried - maybe a bit too hard.

Tander pushed hard lateto inunseat the race and briefly threatened Skaife from the final podium spot.

But the GRM pilot was unfortunate in that his scrap with the HRT car was unfolding amongst a similar scrap for 11th between Morris and Murf,and each battle was interfering with the other.

The latter was decided when Morris suffered a blowout of the biggest order under braking for turn one on the last lap, but w'hile this handed Murf an extra couple of points, the damage,from Tander's perspective, was done and Skaife had secured enough of a gap to press safely on to the finish.

It was a good result nonetheless for' Tander after coming a couple of promising runs earlier in the season have amounted to nothing. He was followed across the line by Jason Richards, who was the last car to finish on the lead lap.

The likeable New Zealander was understandably chuffed with his result.

"We've been up there aU weekend," he beamed.

tyres.

"Personally, my car was awesome.

In the run after the Safety Car I had a little bit of a go at Tander, we hit and that bent the steering, which cost me about 0.5s to 1.0s per lap. But we had good grip, and plenty of pace mid // race.

Todd finished seventh, ahead of Bowe, who drove well to nail a season-best result despite battling a nasty bout of the flu during the weekend. Eighth was Ingall, who Enforced his was around the track on a set of Dunlops that must have looked rather, um,'experienced' after completing an extraordinary 107 laps.

"The tyres were pretty shagged at the end," he said with a degree of understatement.

"107 laps around here on one set of tyres is a bloody long way. It was pretty hard to hang on towards the end. Over the last few laps I just didn't have anything left and I had to let a couple by me."

McConville and Canto had been involved in some heated late-race

..SfRROMETl John Morris/Mpix. ^

motorsport news

Tander scored his best result for the year while Barg's debut with the Barra was good scrapping with several other cars, and they survived to finish ninth and tenth respectively; a good result for two drivers that have driven hard throughout the year but rarely seen a fair return for their efforts.

Of the others, Weel finished an uncharacteristic 16th that was still two spots ahead of an even less characteristically anonymous Bright.

It was a pretty tough weekend all round in the Brock camp,and for Bright in particular. After a ruthlessly consistent year, Jason greeted the chequered flag in a Commdore that looked like it had been bombed,and a very clear notion of which round he looked most likely to dump from his points tally at the end of the year.

Bargwanna, meanwhile, was reasonably happy with 15th behind the wheel of the team's new BA, given that they had arrived the track having done little more with the car than basically make sure that all tlie

bits were bolted together properly.

Also debuting a BA on the weekend was Tratt, who failed to make the start.

Oran Park has been ticked off, next stop; Sandown and, with the first of the season's enduros beckoning,a clean-ish slate. Like those weird

flowers that only come out on the stoke of midnight once a year, there are teams that are somehow transformed when they arrive at a racetrack with two drivers names stuck to the window instead of one.

And then of course, there is the added element of the co-drivers

Not'Fayd-ing' at all!

themselves,some of whom will be making their first start in a Supercar.

In other words, anything can and probably will happen when the circus reconvenes in Melbourne next month. And if you're not watching, you better have a pretty good excuse.

(Or a medical certificate).

n

NEIL McFayden stole the spotlight in round six of the Australian Formula Ford Championship at Oran Park.

The local 20-year-oId had the edge on his opponents the whole weekend,taking pole position and the two race wins.

McFayden's series rivals had mixed day. Tony Pugliese fmished second in both races and regains the championship lead, while former leader Glen Hastings had a horror visit to the western Sydney circuit.

However, McFayden was simply too good and moved within six points of the series lead.

"It was a make or break round really," said McFayden."And Glen had a bad round but these things happen. The Championship is wide open so there's no backing off from here."

Pugliese snatched the lead off McFayden at the start of Race 2 but after John Pettit rolled his Van Diemen and a safety car ensued, McFayden wasted little time in passing Sonic Motorsport driver.

Pugliese was cuffed with the outcome of the weekend though.

"Neil's been quick around this place," he said.

"I happy with the result and I sure did my best to keep up with him."

But while Pugliese was enjoying the Oran Park round, his Sonic team-mates were not very happy campaigners. Hastings had electrical problems in Race 1,but fought back to finish eight in the second event.

Hastings fortimes seemed excellent compared to Michael Trimble. A nasty virus over the weekend eventually sidelined the rookie of the year contender on race day.

One person not in contention for rookie of the year honours was 1998 Formula Ford champion Adam Macrow, who made a welcome return to the FFord ranks at Oran Park. The Spectrum driver has not driven one of the cars for five years, 20 August 2003

OirkiKlynsmm

McFadyen's win, above, moves him to second spot in the championship,just six points behind leader Pugliese, left.

but fmished third in both races, proving he still has what it takes to run at the front of a high-class

field.

"The car's really fantastic," said the former champ."The tyres were a bit off a bit at the start of the races but my car was better than the Van Diemens towards the end."

Tim Macrow stamped his claim on the rookie of the year crown with two superb drives to fourth place. The two Macrow brothers diced hard and fair during the day, which gave Spectrum its best result for the year.

Bryce Washington impressed in his Adrad

Radiators Van Diemen. Washington qualified fifth and finished fifth overall. The fine drives puts the South Australian sixth in the title chase, his' highest for the year.

Selley's driver Ian Dyk,Brett Francis and Anthony Preston scored points in all three races. however the trio could not match the outright pace of the front runners. Although they weren't far behind...

David Reynolds moved from a poor 15th on the grid to ninth after only a few laps in Race 1,but a rear suspension failure halted the progress of the Albury driver. He stormed from the back of the field in Race 2 to finish 15th.

So with the series points lead shaken up and the close proximity of the next two rounds at Mallala and Sandown,a new Formula Ford champion will be crowed in a month.

- GRANT ROWLEY Points; Pugliese 170, McFayden 164, Hastings 158, Francis 112, T.Macrow 72, Washington 61, Justin Cotter 60, Trimble 46, A.Macrow28 Dyk 26.

49

Answering the Paul Stokell put on a brave performance to take out the Nations Cup honours on a weekend marked by the death of his GTP team-mate Stewart McColl.

MARK GLENDENNING was at Phillip Island

.- -

n

Ti

P

AUL Stokell took an emphatic win under difficult circumstances in the latest round of the Donut King Nations Cup Championship at Phillip Island two weeks ago.

Stokell drove his Team Lamborghini Australia Diablo to two wins from the three races on a weekend that saw Stewart McColl, StokelTs team-mate in the Volkswagen Dealer Racing GTP outfit, fatally injured in an accident during GTP qualifying on Saturday.

The win handed Stokell the lead in the Championship over main rival John Bowe,whose PHR Ferrari 360GT ended the weekend second overall ahead of Nathan Pretty's Monaro CVS. "It has been a tough weekend," Stokell said after the final race.

"It has been really hard to stay focussed after yesterday.

SO

"As far as the car goes, we had a couple of dramas early on when the balance changed, but we made some wheel adjustments and that brought us back to a nicely balanced car."

The Lamborghini had a rough start to the weekend when a gearbox input shaft broke during the first session on Friday, restricting Stokell to just two laps on the opening day.

Saturday's qualifying was delayed in the wake of McColTs accident earlier in the day, but when the cars took to the track it quickly became apparent that the weekend was going to have a distinctly red vs black flavour. Prior to the round,PROCAR had announced an instant ban on ABS in Nations Cup,a ruling that would only effect the Ferrari and Lamborghini as they were the only two cars equipped with the systems.

As expected, the edict did see the Italian cars pegged back a little

towards the Monaros, but they still ruled the roost. Bowe eventually went fastest, but at just 0.08s, the margin between the Ferrari and fellow front-row man Stokell was about as tight as you'll see.

"It (getting pole) was a tribute to Stewart, he was a good driver and will be missed by a lot of people," Bowe said.

"Bowe really pulled the wool over us,"said Stokell.

"We weren't expecting him to go that quick. We didn't get the best out of the green tyres, and I'm still trying to get my head right (after McColTs accident)."

From the point of view of the championship though,Sunday's opening race looked set to be a cracker. The leading protagonists sat side-by-side on the front row, and courtesy of Bowe's bonus for claiming pole, they were equal in the

points chase. Game On. Or,from Bowe's perspective, Game Over - at least, where Race 1 was concerned. Tire Ferrari made a slow start and was overhauled by the Monaros of Peter Brock and Pretty, who got away well from the second row.

Bowe recovered to third pace when he ducked underneath Pretty at MG on the first lap, but while Stokell was busy building a gap at the front, the Ferrari still had to do something about Brock. The red cars scrapped it out for six laps before the battle was finally decided when the Monaro's tyres went bang and sent the 05 car into retirement.

By then, however, the damage was done and Stokell went on to take the win by 1.0s from Bowe, with Pretty's yellow Monaro finishing third.

Race 2 kicked off on an unusual note when Stokell brushed Bowe as the grid was approaching the

moiorsport news

NATIONS CUP

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In memory: Bowe, above, carried McColl's name on the side of the Ferrari in tribute to the popular CTP driver.

One of these things is doing its own thing: Out with a broken flywheel before the race even starts. Pretty, right, watches Brock's sister Monaro pass his stricken #427 car.

| I I ^ I I

How much for the whole lot?

A rather expensive array of machiney takes the start in Race 2, below.

; II ! i

Dirk Klynsniith

Difk H.hftvraHt

start/finish line. A false start was declared, a lap was docked from the total race distance, and the field circulated again for another try.

"I don't know what happened there," said Stokell.

"In my mind I was perfectly gridded up, but my mind was elsewhere. I've really had to force myself to keep my mind on the job."

Things went better the second time around, although not for Bowe, who again found himself staring at the back of a Monaro when Pretty got a jump on him.

Pretty had spent the earlier part of the weekend struggling to get the yellow Monaro working properly on new rubber, but by Race 2 the Bathurst 24 Hour-winning car looked well-sorted.

continued on page 52 20 August 2003

V

Dirk Ktymmilii

51

Dirk Klynsmith I

continued fronn page 51

Yellow Fever: Aside from the flywheel problem, Pretty's car, above, rat) reliably all weekend. It just wasn't quite fast enough ...

Can't get good help these days: Garry Rogers busies himself with Brock's damaged Monaro, below. Brock spent the weekend running Michelins, while Pretty stuck with the Pirellis.

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A neat move around the outside of Stokell at Siberia put the Monaro into the lead, and the Lambo lost another spot when Bowe got past at Lukey Heights on the same lap.

The Ferrari began to have a sniff at Pretty, but as soon as the lead trio hit the Island's long straight, the 360GT was history. The Monaro scooted away at the front, while the Lamborghini stretched its legs to rocket up from behind and re-take its second position.

Bowe briefly had a look at the Lambo a few comers later, but Stokell had too much power at his disposal to allow the Ferrari any further opportunities.

A brief threat to Bowe from Brock again came to nothing when the Monaro exited the race with tyre problems.

"There's something going on with the case construction of the tyre," said Brock, who was again running different rubber to Pretty.

"It has not been tested for the Monaro. We're having a very close look at it, because the last thing you want to do around here is launch the car."

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Meanwhile,Pretty drove away to greet the chequered flag 0.4s ahead of Stokell, leaving the Ferrari to settle for third a further 0.5s in arrears.

This later became second,however, when Stokell was slapped with a 30s penalty for his startline indiscretion.

Given the dominance of the lead three over the rest of the field this was not the disaster that it could have been,and the Lambo was relegated just one spot back to tliird.

As polesitter for the final race.

Pretty had the honour of leading his competitors around for the start which meant that the entire grid saw the Monaro suddenly pull off the track on the formation lap courtesy of a broken flywheel.

It was a disappointing end for Pretty, but as far as the paddock was concerned, the wig that he was

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4

You'd be relaxed, too: Simonsen, above and right, contemplates his next demolition of the Croup 2 field.

Back in circulation: Returning fo the track after months in mothballs was the Croup 2 Mustang Cobra RA, left.

Formerly driven by Mark Noske and Brian Carr, the steering duties were handled at the Island by Rod Wilson. sporting for much of the weekend made up for it.

"Brock had hair like this back when he was winning in his yoimger days a Monaro," Pretty 'reasoned'.

"1 thought some of the luck might rub off... it didn't work."

Pretty's misfortune put Bowe onto pole,and despite a great start from Stokell the Ferrari assumed the lead as the field settled down behind them.

The Lamborghini wasn't about to let the Ferrari get away though,and on lap five Stokell finally pounced.

The Diablo swept into the lead at turn one, and within three laps had opened up a 2.9s gap. Brock was a further 10.5s behind after making a blinding start that saw the Monaro vault from 15th to fourth in the opening lap.

But all the gaps were reduced to

n 20 August 2003

nothing when Russell Wright beached his Porsche GT3 Clubsport on the ripple strip at MG,bringing out the Safety Car. The stricken Porsche was cleared quickly and racing resumed after just one lap under yellows. But two lapped cars between himself and Bowe dashed any hopes Brock might have had of making up a position on the restart, and the leading trio held their positions to the end.

Meanwhile, the Group Two - and a few of the Group One - competitors were sent home to have nightmares about Scandinavians in Ferraris after Allan Simonsen comprehensively demolished the rest of the field at the wheel of his Mark Coffey Racing Ferrari 360 Modena Challenge.

The Dane, who has recently driven Ferrari 360GTs with the Veloqx squad

in the British GT championship, consistently lapped just 2.5s behind the Monaros, and flashed fourth outright in all three races. He was 5.0s clear of Martin Wagg's Group One Porsche GT3 RS in Race 1, and around 30s clear of his closest rivals in the last two outings. Scary.

"They were pretty lonely races," he said afterward.

After a tragic weekend at the

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Stokell holds the Championship lead, but there's plenty of racing still to come. The war is far from over.

Points; Group One:Stokell 428, Bowe 405, Pretty 295, Brock 182, Crick 148, Tratt 95, Wagg 94. Group Two: Koundouris 322, Simonsen 186, Newman 145, Young 114.

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53

Difficult limes

j IAN Box took his Subaru : VURX to his first win at a j tumultuous rounds of the GT ! Performance Championship, ; however his victory was > overshadowed by the fatal accident involving Stewart : McGoll during qualifying at . Phillip Island last week.

1 McColl was killed when his ; VW Golf R32 left the track and; I hit a tyrewall just before turn I four. Up to that point, the factoryi backed Golfs of McColl and Paul : Stokell had been the pace; setting cars for the weekend. ' After struggling for several months, the team had i benefited from the input of an i engineer from Germany, who ! helped the outfit solve i persistent ECU problems, i McColl had topped the I timesheets in Friday's opening i practice session, and gone ! seconddastest in the I afternoon session. The cars n had then carried their Friday I pace (into quafify-ing, where I Nations Cup frontrunner ' Stokell, making his fi;rst ! appearance in the team's i second car, was sifting; on I pole just ahead'of McColl at I the time of the accident, i The team withdrew from 1 the meeti;ng, leaving the front ; row of the grid vacant for the ● ©penwg; race.

Sunday dawned on a bad note for regular froniftrunner i li'ob iPearson , whose Mazda RX-f suffered! engine problems o:©; the wairm-up; laps for the first race. ;lit was garaged: for the remainder of ! the weekend. i Bob Hughes assumed the lead in his Mitsubishi; Lancer 1 ;EVO; Vf, but in his mirrors, there ! was a tremendous scrap being ! fought out for second! pia:ce

between Steve Cramp(BMW M Coupe), John Falk (TE50), Aaron McGill (Nissan 200 SX GT) Garry Holt(EVO Vlt) and Box. Cramp came out on top in the battle for second and set about trying to go one better. He caught Hughes on the second lap and got past at Honda, leaving the Lancer scrambling to recover from being sent into the gravel and rejoining well out of contentioni.

With a clear track ahead Cramp simply disappeared and took a commanding win - only to be penalised 30s for his part in Hughes's off-track excursion.

Cramp was relegated to 14th, handing the win to Falk, who crossed the line just 0.1 s ahead of McGill, with Box just 0.3s further back in third place.

Box, below, nailed the lead at the start of Race 2 with Garry Holt leading the chase, and when the chequered flag waved eight laps later they were still in that order, with Box taking his first win in the series by just under 2.0s.

While Box was reasonably secure in first place. Holt's second was anything but. After passing McGill on the second lap, Falk embarked upon a determined chase of the EVO Vfl that he eventually lost:by a scant 0.2s.

After aiFii Bneharacteristically

it

^2?^ -

●nssw-

For Stewart: The front row stands vacant at the start of Race 1 quiet weekend, Peter Floyd took his Commodore HSV GTS VY to a storming win in the weekend's final race, finishing 0.3s clear of second-placed Box. Holt finished just down the road in third, which was enough to secure second overall for the weekend.

Falk's hopes of a good Race 3 result didn't even last beyond the first lap, as the TE50 was tagged and spun out of contention, but he had already done enough to secure himself the final spot on the outright podium.

Mark King and Wayne Boatwright, the leading charapionship contenders, both had subdued weekends. ;King; failed tp; figure at the top

of the order early in the weekend and then retired after -i»suffering a'disconnected steering column in Race 2, while Boatwright's car was running heavy wit,h 58kg of success ballast "plus a bit more, just to make sure that we're legal!".

Nevertheless, he still managed to make a small inroad into King's championship lead.

Boatwright's Protechnica team-mate, Justin Hemmes, had a similarly quiet outingexacerbated by a blown tyre in Race 2. ^ MARK GLENDENJSIING POihts; King; 288, Boatwright 267, ' Gramp 149; Faik 1'48> Hoit 143» Alexander 140, Floyd: 139 Hemmf$! ; 130, MorcOniil29; Faarson)122 ;

motorspori news

BARTON Mawer continued his lateseason charge for the 2003 Australian F3 Championship at Phillip Island two weeks ago, moving to the top of the points table with a win and a second place from the two races.

The spoils were shared by James Cressey, who also went home with a win and a second to help get his title campaign back on track after a couple of tough rounds earlier in the year.

Cressey and Mawer's good fortune came at the considerable expense of Michael Caruso, who had started the round as the championship leader but suffered a disastrous engine problem that saw the Sydney driver's Fiat-powered Dallara F301 finish eightli in Race 1 and DNF in Race 2.

"We haven't completely traced the problem yet, but we think it might be some kind of weakness in the valves," said a disappointed Caruso.

Talented BRM rookie Karl Reindler

had a career-best weekend by taking third place in both races.

Showers early in the first qualifying session played havoc with the Race 1 grid, with series newcomer Marchy Lee getting the best out of the increasingly wet track to take pole on his first visit to the Island, with 2001 champ Peter Hackett lining up alongside.

The front row was left vacant for Race 1 as a mark of respect for Stewart McCoU,a Formula 3 Association member who was fatally injured during GTP qualifying over the weekend.

Instead, it was PSC's Kenny Habul who made the most of the start, performing one of his trademark superb getaways from third on the grid to take an unfamiliar role as race leader. Caruso dropped second place to Lee at turn one, and then moved a further spot back when Cressey got past at Honda.

The New Zealander moved into the lead on the second lap when he swept past both Habul and Lee at turn one, and after that nobody saw which way he went. Ten laps later, he greeted the chequered flag with a 15.6s lead under his belt.

Hackett's hopes of translating his front row spot came to notliing when he clanged the tyrewall - while exiting pitlane on his formation lap!

The spin was put down to a seized differential.

There was plenty going on behind him though. Caruso worked his way up to second, leaving Habul battling Mawer, who had climbed up through the field from eighth. Mawer passed the Piccola Dallara on lap 3, but Habul wheeled out a sensational move around the outside of Siberia to take the position back. Mawer responded at turn one the next time around though, and this time Kenny had no answer.

"It was the most embarrassing moment of my racing career," he winced later.

"I didn't really know what I was doing," said Habul of his move on Mawer."Here I was up at the front, and 1 was still trying to remember which way the corners went. I just found myself on the outside of him (Mawer)and thought,'well,I might as well keep going!'"

Mawer's pursuit of Caruso came to an end when the latter's engine started to go off song, and the former KartStar winner faded back through

I

Uirk Klynsmtth

20 August 2003

Back on target: After a couple of tough outings at Wakefield Park and Queensland Raceway, Cressey, left, is back in the hunt - but he still has to do something about Mawer, top.

the field as the problem worsened.

The Tech 2U Dallara 396 could not do anything about Cressey, but it had enough straightline speed to keep Reindler in check, the West Australian having worked his way up to third after starting in P12,and the cars went on to cross the line in that order. Habul finished a creditible fourth,6s down the road, with Lee coming home fifth ahead of BRM's Matt Fitzgerald.

By comparison. Race 2 was fairly imeventful. The cars gridded up in championship order after their scheduled second qualifying session was cancelled in the wake of McColl's accident.

This put Caruso on pole, and he made the most of it with a good start.

Mawer slipped past Cressey at Siberia to take second, leaving the Kiwi sitting right on his rear wing in third. Three cars became two when Caruso retired mid-distance,leaving Mawer and Cressey to fight it out between them.

Cressey's Starion Team Peugeot Dallara F301 had a couple of looks at Mawer's older car, but a serious passing opportunity never really presented itself, allowing Mawer to go on and take the win and forcing Cressey to settle for second.

Third again went to Reindler, who drove superbly to hold off an equally impressive Christian Jones, who wrung a reasonable haul of points out of his self-engineered Mugen-powered ToU Ipec F301 despite being extremely unhappy with the car's handling.

Bill Maddocks and Graeme Flolmes shared the wins in Trophy class.

-MARK GLENDENNING Points: Mawer 167, Caruso 165, Cressey 131, Jones 105, Hackett 79, Reindler 59.

55

I

A Sign of

Things to Come Any lingering doubts about the potential of the Markko Martin/Ford Focus combination were comprehensively blown away following a stunning performance from the young Estonian in Finland. JON THOMSON reports

M

ARKKO Martin has joined only a handful of foreigners to have etched their name on rallying's most prized trophy, with the Estonian becoming just the fifth non-Finn to take victory in the Rally of Finland with a stunning display of speed and verve in his Ford Focus.

The Grand Prix of Finland, as the rally is often known,is an event that favours the brave and Martin proved his mettle in a take-no-prisoners performance.

Along with some of the great Flying Firms, Martin joins some illustrious foreigners including Stig Blomqvist, Mikael Ericsson, Carlos Sainz and Didier Auriol as a Rally of Finland winner. Significantly, this year proved to be the first time in the history of the event that no Finn has finished in the top five.

The Finnish result was by far Martin's best and most convincing result, and confirms that both he and the Ford Focus have the performance to win in any conditions.

Martin and the Focus have starred from the moment the car turned a wheel in anger in New Zealand, setting fastest times on every surface.

However the only question mark has been over the Focus's reliability. Even in Finland there were some fraught moments with electronic problems that could have proved terminal, slowing Martin on Day 2. The fact that there was so little time lost was testimony to Martin's ability.

"It was a big win - very special," said Martin.

56

"It's a driver's rally and I'm glad to win it. I always thought this was 'the rally', and not many non-Finns have won," After Marcus Gronholm tore a

Double-Bibentenary: Micbelin racked up tbeir 200th WRC victory in Finland, right.

right front wheel off his Peugeot due to a wheel bearing problem on Day 2, the battle was virtually done and dusted.

Until then, Martin had traded fastest times with the vastly more experienced World Champion and had showed no signs either of getting carried away with the intensity of the battle, or buckling rmder the pressure.

The final day was given added spice by a tense fight over the final six stages between Richard Burns in the surviving Peugeot and Petter Solberg in his Subaru. In what could be a scene-setter for the two drivers

Maybe, but Petter Solberg doesn't look particularly bother by that, far right.

joining forces as team-mates at Subaru next year, Solberg did his best to convince Burns that he wasn't in the rimning for second.

Burns wasn't fooled but could not hold back the Norwegian's charge over the last stage, delivering a fine second place for Solberg, though Burns would have been a clear second but for a faulty wheel bearing -from the same batch as the one which eliminated Gronholm.

Burns retains his Championship lead, but he may miss the extra couple of points second place would have delivered as the Championship draws to a close.

"I was trying very hard all day," said Burns.

"Whatever Petter says, he's been doing the same. I've had a few things

Second is the first loser?

on my mind and I've also got to think of the Championship,but equally.

Fetter's driven very well." , Peugeot Sport Director Corrado Provera was less than satisfied with the weekend's action, criticising his team for not giving the drivers cars that would do the job.

"It's not well done at all," Provera fumed.

"We've not done what we had to do. We cannot handicap our top drivers by not giving them top cars."

But a grinning Solberg was a stark contrast to Peugeot's grumpy Italian team manager,recounting tales of brave deeds on the roller coaster Finnish roads.

"I've taken quite a few risks all rally," said Solberg.

"I've tried to keep the same speed as Richard. The last stage was a little bit different type -long corners and medium speed. I'm a little bit surprised. We now know how fast his car is on the straights.

"I was standing on my seat the whole time through the last stage the throttle pedal was bent on to the floor."

Colin McRae was in a position to challenge for the final podium spot before a crash on Day 2 ended his

run. The mistake may also have hammered another nail into McRae's hopes for an ongoing contract with Citroen. The Xsara drivers could not produce the raw speed shown on a number of other events this year, though McRae was close before he crashed.

Even worse for McRae but worthwhile for Citroen, was the performance of Carlos Sainz and Sebastien Loeb, who took fourth and fifth places, allowing the 'other' French maker to draw even closer to rival Peugeot in the Makes title.

"In the end we have five points molorsDort news

WRC

I 2 3 4 5 6 7

Markko Martin/Martin Park Patter Solberg/Phillip Mills Richard Burns/Robert Reid Carlos Sainz/Marc Marti Sebastien Loeb/Daniel Elena Tommi Makinen/Kaj Lindstrom Janne Tuohino/Petri Vihavainen Sebastian Lindholm/Timo Hantunen

Ford Focus RS WRC 03 Subaru Impreza WRC Peugeot 206 WRC Citroen Xsara Citroen Xsara Subaru Impreza WRC Ford Focus RSWRC02 Peugeot 206 WRC

3h21m51.7s 3h22m50.6s 3h22m51.8s 3h23m50.7s 3h24m40.4s 3h25ml6.9s 3h26ml4.6s 3h26m31.2s

Drivers Championship points: Burns 49, Sainz 44, Gronholm 38, Solberg 38, Loeb 37, Martin 37, McRae 28, Makinen 18, Rovanpera 16.

Manufacturers Championship points: Peugeot 101, Citroen 97, Ford 60, Subaru 60,Skoda 20, Hyundai 10.

HELNU

WRC Round 9 Rally of Finland

com

Get used to it: The combination of Estonian and Ford flags is something you'll probably see a lot in the future.

What's Scottish for 'bugger'? Listen to Colin McRae's on-board recorder and you'll probably find out...

which is good," said Sainz.

"It's a very good result for the team - we've reduced the gap to Peugeot,so that's excellent."

Tommi Makinen had a disappointing event, despite picking up three points for sixth place and also taking the honour of being the first Finn across the line. For a Finn, finishing sixth in the Rally of Finland is as good as last. Makinen was never really on the same level as his yoimg team-mate Solberg.

Makinen has failed to reproduce the Monte Carlo speed which gave him a debut win with Subaru at the start of 20 August 2003

2002,and was certainly never fuUy at ease with the Impreza in Finland.

Among the minor players, Hyundai achieved some muchneeded reliability but unfortunately the cars still lack pace, with Freddy Loix coming home in 10th and Armin Schwarz taking 12th. For Skoda the rally ended early, with Didier Auriol out after the first stage with a shoulder injury while Toni Gardermeister blew the Fabia's engine on Special Stage 13 during Day 2, but had struggled for speed in 11th place before the problem.

It was an intense and interesting

battle for the Junior WRC cars, with Daniel Carlsson taking top points in his Suzuki ahead of Renault driver Brice Tirabassi, who leads Carlsson in the series by just two points with three rounds remaining. All eight JWRC competitors, driving five different makes of car,finished.

As the championship heads to Australia the title chase is extremely close. Burns, who is still yet to win a rally this year, has increased his margin in the Championship to just five points over Sainz, with Gronholm and Solberg tied for third

a further six points behind. Martin is a single point adrift of them.

The battle for the Manufacturer's title has come down to a four point game, with Peugeot still leading on 101 and rival Citroen now on 97.

Ford and Subaru are well behind and tied on 60 points.

With the battle for the title intensifying, the competition in Perth will be fascinating and will be a severe test of the lightweight Ford speedster up against the proven track record of the Peugeots on the ball bearing gravel.

57

In the Ga Ed Ordynski has continued his push to end Cody Crockeds early-season domination of the 2003 ARC series by scoring a convincing win on home turf JON THOMSON reports from the chilly Adelaide Hills

I

N a performance that was as cool as the winter wind that blew across the Mount Crawford Forest, Ed Ordynski drove a calculating rally to take his second ARC round win in as many rounds at the Coopers Pale Ale Rally SA. Driving in his home event in the hills outside Adelaide, Ordynski, above right, weathered intense pressure in the early stages and showed the speed and reliability needed to put pressure back on the opposition, with his Evo VII Lancer now demonstrating that it is a genuine championship contender.

Icy weather in the Adelaide Hills on Sunday saw the mercury dive to near-freezing during the day, with snow falling on many stages in the hours immediately following the finish. The weather didn't seem to

competitive championship.

"We have to win all heats at all rounds to be in with a shot at the

deter the spectators, who turned out in droves to catch the action.

and avoiding the problems that afflicted Crocker's machine.

It was a faultless performance from the Mitsubishi veteran, who traded blows with Simon Evans in Heat 1 and showed everyone a clean pair of heals in Heat 2, taking fastest times on 17 of the 24 special stages to dominate the fourth round of the title.

Crocker salvaged a second place on Saturday after an early gearbox change and then a heavy crash into two earth banks that severely . damaged the Subaru and apparently affected its handling.

The Subaru team rebuilt the rear end of the car to something resembling the original design and Crocker made a storming drive back from third place, despite the fact that he was in a car that was clearly not handling as well as it should.

He was able to finish the first heat in second,40 seconds shy of Ordynski, a result that was better than he could have hoped for given the circumstances.

A lack of engine power afflicted Crocker's machine in Heat 2 with

Fast, hard-packed roads were a challenge across the board, with tyre choice and bravery being important factors in the result.

The right tyre choice in difficult and slippery conditions was critical, and meant Ordynski had the upper hand despite some strong attacks from Evans in Heat 1. The effort gave the South Australian a follow-up win to his victory in NSW last month,and has allowed him to close in on Crocker's lead in the title.

"We're very pleased with how we've done these past two rallies, but we can always do better," Ordynski said.

"The competition in SA has been a lot tougher than people may have thought at times. The stage times of some guys has been phenomenal and its making for an incredibly 58

tv

cr

title, but we'll worry about all that when we get to it.

"In the meantime.Rally Australia is our immediate and absolute focus."

The most intriguing battle of the rally took place over the opening six stages, with Ordynski and Evans trading times and the lead in a see sawing battle before the Mitsubishi driver prevailed.

Across at Subaru, the factory team stmggled with performance problems In Crocker's Impreza, relieving the pressure on Ordynski as a result. Subaru's Dean Herridge drove an exemplary rally to take second overall for the round, taking a third and a second in the two heats

varying colours of smoke being emitted from the exhaust throughout the final day as the Subaru struggled to maintain third place.

"It's good points for the championship but not as many as we wanted, obviously," said Crocker.

"Lots of firings have happened. We threw the car at lots of the scenery

and got away with it, I guess. It was a good thing for us to get through this event. This was probably the toughest event for us so we are happy to get third."

The rapid Subaru privateer Evans again showed his enormous raw speed,but an array of problems slowed his progress after strongly challenging Ordynski early in Heat 1.

Brake problems saw Evans fire off the road on several occasions, clobbering a concrete wall at one stage, and dropping from the lead mid-way through the opening leg to eventually finish back in fifth place.

His Heat 2 performance was more pleasing, but Evans couldn't match the pace of Ordynski and Herridge and settled for third place on the day and an overall fourth place for the rally.

Flying Finn Juha Kangas had a difficult rally, running as high as fourth on Day 1 before punctures and a broken wheel dropped him back to fifth. The Mitsubsihi driver crashed out of Heat 2 in a rally that looked like it could have suited his style.

The encouragement came to themost Toyota team. After some character-testing results in the first half of the season, the twin Corollas of Neal and Rick Bates produced their best performance so far.

Neal was in a position to challenge

Crocker for fourth place in Heat 2 after reducing the gap to the front runners down to around 0.6s per kilometre on some stages. This is after being as far as Is off the pace in Sydney last month. Neal took a fifth placing in Heat 2 following his sixth in Heat 1.

"There is definitely light at the end of the tunnel and the result is very encouraging, particularly compared with the disheartening performance in Sydney," said Neal's co-driver Coral Taylor.

"We have a lot of information to work on improvements with, and we have the luxury of a an eight-week break to Rally of Melbourne while the

moiorsport news

.r in s

N /

,'ft

Neil Bhtiboum

On the rise: After a tough start to the season, the twin Corollas steered by the twin Bates are showing signs that things are moving in the right direction, above.

Patchwork: Current points leader Crocker had an eventful outing that saw his Impreza take a few whacks, neccessitating some onthe-spot repair work, right.

Another Subaru taking a beating was that of Simon Evans, left, which went nose-to-nose with Ordynski's EVO early in the weekend.

n

other leading teams go to Rally Australia."

The team's hopes were bolstered

by Rick, who despite scoring a DNF in Heat 1 with a failed fuel sender unit, bounced back to take a sixth behind his brother on Sunday.

Mark Thompson underlined his enormous potential with a fourth place in Heat 1 before the gearbox let go in his ageing Evo V Lancer on Day 2, ending his run and delivering a blow to Mitsubishi's manufacturer's title points.

The Tedders Team was fielding just two cars in SA, with Scott Tedder sitting the round out awaiting the birth of his daughter.

20 August 2003

However, brother Mark flew the flag until an emu ended his run on Saturday, damaging the radiator in a spectacular crash.

Sunday was no better when the transmission failed, leaving him stranded mid-way through the second leg. Cousin Will Orders showed incredible speed in his ageing Evo 111 to post ninth and an eighth in a mature drive from the 19year-old.

However it was Ordynski who finished as a deserving winner, leaving SA with 115 points,just 19 behind Crocker with the next Drivers' round set down for Melbourne on 4/5 October.

NcuBhckt^m

I

.

-~y IV

A

IRELLI

■fi

iiEieLi.1 ^ i

HEAT 2 HEATl 00:54:29.8 I. Ordynski/Stewart 1. Ordynski/Stewart Mitsubishi 1:04:11.6 00.55:01.1 2. Herridge/Macneall 2. Crocker/Foletta Subaru 1:04:55.7 00:55:24.5 3. Evans/Evans 3. Herridge/Macneall Subaru 1:05:01.2 00:55:34.8 4. Crocker/Foletta 4.' Thompson/Thompson Mitsubishi 1:05:55.3 00:55:41.4 5. N. Bates/Taylor 5. Kangas/Rabett Mitsubishi 1:05:57.1 00:57:19.0 6. R. Batas/Long 6. N. Bates/Taylor Toyota 1:06:15.8 Points Crocker/Foletta 134, Ordynski/Stewart 115, Evans/Evans 31, Herridge/Macneall 80, Kangas/Rabbett 68, Lowndes/Randell 50, Thompson/Thompson 44, Bates/Taylor 40, Pedder/Humm 38.

Manufacturers Subaru 334, Mitsubishi 270, Toyota 112.

ARC Round 4 Rally SA 59

On the Campaign'hail at Warp Speed 198H World Rally champion Ari Vatanen made a return to top level rallying at his home event in Finland, piloting his privately-run Peugeot complete with Viagra sponsorship to nth outright.

But the 52-year-old European Parliamentarian admitted that his Finnish foray was not entirely unrelated to fact that elections are looming on the horizon.

"It's a nice bit of publicity," said the Euro MP, but Ari's participation in the Rally Finland meant more to him than merely a few votes.

However Vatanen's co-driver Juha Repo reckoned that half the recce was spent drinking coffee in farmhouses to drum up some local support, the other half on the stages. Not surprisingly, Vatanen was fined $1000 for exceeding the recce speed limit 12 times.

Ari proved he had lost little of his magic bringing his old customer spec Peugeot home in front of Armin Schwarz's Hyundai and much touted young hot shot Jari-Matti Latvala in a Ford Focus. This despite the fact that he has not driven a WRC car for five years.

He apparently has no plans to make a full time return to top level rallying but will be contesting the Dakar again next year.

- JON THOMSON

Rally SA

Once-maligned event gets tt

AFTER coming under intense criticism when it was drafted into the ARC two years ago. South Australia's Coopers Rally has been praised as the best round in the series by leading co-driver Coral Taylor.

Taylor reckons the organisers have turned the event into the best organised and run rally on the calendar because they listened to criticism and acted on it.

"You have to say after last weekend that it was very impressive," said Taylor.

"The roads were superb,the organisation was slick and friendly and the event was very user-friendly, you couldn't fault it. It is in stark contrast with the NSW round last month, which wasn't very impressive.

"1 have to say that I was one of the most vocal critics of the SA event when it first ran two years ago, but Jeremy Browne and his team have taken all the criticism on board and changed things to make it the best

round in the title."

Taylor and driver Neal Bates recorded their strongest result yet in their Corolla Sportivo Group N Prototype, taking a sixth and a fifth in the two heats in a major step forward in performance.

The Toyota team is looking forward to the eight-week break between SA and the team's next round in Melbourne. The break wiU allow the Bates pair to tackle some major development work in a bid to reduce the gap between to the front runners.

"We have quite a few ideas on ways to improve traction and handling and the boys will be working hard to make sure we can edge a little closer," Coral said.

The Toyota team reduced the gap on some stages in Adelaide down to just 0.6s per kilometre, down from almost 1.0s per kilometre prior to the Adelaide event.

"There is light at the end of the tunnel," said Neal Bates.

- JON THOMSON

Loix turning red?

Brock’s Rodeo Ride A TOTAL of 26 four-wheel entries will line up for the Auto section of this year's Australian Safari, with Peter Brock heading the entry list in his Holden Rally Team Rodeo ute.

Holden has entered three Rodeos in the 4600 kilometre marathon around NSW,with Brock and Nathan Pretty in the A1 class and former AustraUan Rally champ Geoff Portman in the totally standard AO class.

Dumped Holden Rally Team driver Bruce Garland was a late entry in the Bathurst-based event,sharing an older Jackaroo with NSW veteran Rod Jones, while Brock's former co driver Wayne Webster will drive a turbo Pajero 10 in the eight-day cross-country rally.

60

Last year's runner-up,former bike racer Steve Riley, wOl again be aboard his rapid turbo Pajero Evo, as will Sydney father and son team Terry and Michael Denham, while Moree cattle farmer Peter Glennie will try to improve on his third outright pacing on last year's Safari.

Even event organiser Craig Fletcher is getting into the swing of things, co-driving a Holden Jackeroo for Alan Nicklos.

The rally gets underway in Bathurst on Saturday with overnight halts at Narromine, Bourke, White cuffs. Broken Hill, Balranald Condobolin and Mudgee before the finish back in Bathurst on Saturday week.

- JON THOMSON

THE controversial new rule calling for teams to only retain two drivers who have finished in a podium position on WRCs will see some radical driver changes in the next few months.

Speculation was rife in Finland, with rumours that Freddy Loix has already signed a deal with Peugeot, and that Richard Burns will move back to Subaru.

Loix is attractive to the French maker on a number of fronts, with the Belgian driver possessing plenty of speed but no podiums in a long career with Toyota, Mitsubishi and Hyundai.

He also has close ties with Peugeot sponsor Philip Morris.

Gronholm is the one driver with a contract at Peugeot Sport for 2004, but it is believed a letter of intent has been signed with Hard Rovanpera.

This means that Richard Burns would leave for Subaru and Gilles Panizzi would depart for the reborn Mitsubishi.

Swedish Junior WRC front runner Daniel Carlsson is also a

chance at Peugeot, but since he hasn't had any outright podiums he can be drafted in with no problems.

Peugeot has confirmed that it will run three works cars next yeaar and is also believed to be keen to get its driver line-up confirmed early to ensure the pick of the market, and to prevent the FIA from making an any last-minute changes to the rules.

- JON THOMSON motorspon news

RALLYING

is A-OK

iumbs-up from former critics

Neil BUickboum

Don't Count Me Out

I I

3

A second place in Monte Carlo has been McRae's best result in nine rallies so far this year, while both his team mates have won at least once in 2003. Most believe that

20 August 2003

Solberg, above, went into the finai day 0.5 seconds behind Richard Burns, and had said at the press conference at the end of the second leg that he did not believe that he had any chance of beating him. Overnight, he must have changed his mind.

The Subaru driver made a lastgasp push on the final stage of the rally to pip Burns to second place by 1.2s. The result has pushed him up to joint third in the drivers championship.

=

r

reason why it shouldn't be the same," said McRae. - JON THOMSON

PETTER Solberg was awarded Star of the Rally in Finland for his fantastic effort on the last day of the event.

CITROEN apparently broke ranks from the WRC manufacturers in Finland last week by refusing to sign a letter to World Rally Championship Commission President Shekhar Mehta.

The letter outlines an overall commitment to cost-cutting without providing much in the way of detail. But it does say that the manufacturers are willing to contest an enlarged series if change is introduced over a longer period.

The letter states that the makers are still against some of the FIA’s more radical proposals, most notably the same day ‘1000 Pistes’-recce in rally cars system, and a ban on turbocharged engines.

Citroen had been expected to sign the letter, but believes that works teams should i consist of two rather than three cars and thus refused to sign.

Our sources believe that the FIA will shortly confirm that the 2004 title will be held over 16 rallies, and that there may be other rule changes imposed in the absence of agreement amongst the manufacturers.

- JON THOMSON

DESPITE some fairly ordinary results this year, Colin McRae believes that he can still land a top drive for 2004.

McRae only has a 12-month contract with Citroen, and ’ with the team having already signed Sebastian Loeb,it will only have one space open for drivers like McRae and Carlos Sainz, a who have recently gained podium places.

It is widely felt that the team will retain Sainz ahead of his Scottish team-mate.

there won't be a spot for McRae in any of the frontrunning teams in 2004.

McRae rejects this and says his recent performances prove that he is coming to terms with the Xsara. This is despite his accident in Finland, which he says came while he was pulling away from eventual runner-up Fetter Solberg.

"We weren't that much too quick: we didn't go sailing off. The mam thing is the pace was there and without any risk," he said.

Citroen's results came as a surprise to many after the maker declared that the Xsaras were too short of high-rev power to be fully competitive in Finland. However McRae believes that the car's extra turn of speed sets it up well for Rally Australia.

"The stuff we did in testing paid off. I had confidence in the car and it should be similar in Australia. There's no

Solberg is a Star

Standing Firm

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n Great news for Scott Redder with news that he and his wife Caroline welcomed a daughter, Brianna Iris, into the world on the day after the Rally SA. Redder missed the SA round, staying in Melbourne by his wife's side awaiting the arrival of their first child.

The new Redder arrived just over a week late, with the team perhaps suggesting that better timing is required next time.

Congratulations from all at Motorsport News! n Manufacturers got together in Finland and discussed plans for ways to reduce costs in the face of the seemingly inevitable move to 16 rallies next year.

The meeting apparently discussed the possibility of sealing engines to ensure that they be used for a minimum of two rallies, as well as limiting each works driver to a maximum of seven bodyshells per year.

With an engine rebuild for a WRC powerplant costing up to $160,000 a pop, a move to halve the number of rebuilds will save over $1 million per car each season alone.

Talks also focussed on reducing driver salaries, a move that saved Ford several million dollars this year alone. n Michelin celebrated its 200th WRC victory on the Rally of Finland, becoming the first tyre manufacturer to take a double century of World rally wins Michelin's has been involved in the WRC since the first ever World Championship rally the 1973 Monte Carlo, a rally Jean-Claude Andruet in an Alpine-Renault won on Michelin, - JON THOMSON 61

Dumesny still calls OZ home

VALVOLINE sprintcar star Max Dumesny had a in the Front Row Challenge. In a very competitive good lead-up into the annual Knoxville Nationals. field, he only qualified 37th from the timetrails and due to the inversion, started 16th in the B Main to Arriving in the US in early August, the fornner multiple Australian and WSS champ picked up a finally end up 9th. He failed to make the A Main line up. drive in the Jordan Racing Maxim, above, the same Max, right, told MNews from his Knoxville base car he drove in the US two seasons ago. With his own ex-Joey Saldana 410 powerplant installed, Max that the track is very fast and that he is very happy with his Maxim machine, adding its a very good ran a solid third in his opening night heat at Knoxville car. He will be returning back to Sydney straight before picking up 15th placing in the A Main. after Knoxville to prepare for his upcoming From there his results have been a little patchy, summer sprintcar season. struggling with car set-up.

- GREG BOSCATO In the lead-up to the Knoxville Nationals, Max ran i I FT

IV

Homeboy: After his Knoxville tilt last weekend, Max will return to Sydney to prepare for the upcoming Speedway season.

Plans in place for Farr ?

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f ! EX EMF Kiwi John Cooley has been ; builchng Sprintcar Chassis for the last two seasons; To date,John has i produced 35 Sprinteaiis with i another seven cars still on order. , fflfis CoOfl chassis have quickly ; developed a good reputation as quaMty^built cars and are now racing throughout all parts of Australia with great success.

The list of competitors awaiting cars ; from the Coolstable include reigning I Australian Sprintcar Champion Keny ! Madsen, who has two cars on order.

Queensland champion Oarrell Hodges won nine feature races wMt his current i Cool'dnassis, while Johnny Vogels, I Garry Rooke,Jeff Eeles, Mark Reute : and Karl Enderi'lustto name a few).'

62

are all adding a second Cool daassis toj their list of in ventories.

Enderl wil debmt a new,spedaiy designed clnassis in this season's World Series Sprintcars as he chases the lucrative WSS Rookie of the Year prize.

"The new chassis has the left front side rai'up one inch loiglrer than tlte right," said an upbeat Cooley at his Warmambool workshop; "This has been engineered to give the chassis extra ground clearance when turning left tltrough a corner."

When asked what has been the highligh t of the short Cool chassis history,|ohn replied:"I Ike to see at of my cars do well,but the most rewarding result for me was when Sou th AustraMait Phil March,above,

went to Parraiiciatta with a Cool and won the 2002103 Lord Mayors Cup j against a field of fast drivers in top j line Americaja built machinery." i Entering into his third season and buildhag a reputation as a competitive : Sprintcar dnassis bulder,Jo'hnhas ^ now taken on tlae challenge of buiding Eormtila'500 chassis. Cooley ! will ven ture ito the US shortly to meet | witlii the Rotax engine people and | discuss the possibilily of becoming an i Australian importer/dealer.

"Tlae idea behind this enterprise is so a competitor can order a chassis and engine package ai in one hit and be ready to race upon deli very" : said Cooley.

- PARIS CHARLES

LAST year’s World Series Sprintcar runner up Robbie Farr is looking forward to another busy summer speedway season.

Robbie told MNews last week that he'll start his racing program at his home track.

Parramatta City Raceway for the first two PCR meetings before flying off to New Zealand for a few days to help a local racer set up his sprintcar.

After a short holiday, Robbie will start his racing campaign in the Krikke Motorsports Toyota Genuine Parts Avenger.

In November, Farr will compete in a local Kwinana meeting before the team heads to Adelaide for the annual Sprintcar Masters. His racing programme is full on from there with the Krikke team taking in all the major sprintcar meetings across the country including the 2004 Title and the prestigious World Series Sprintcars tournament.

-GREG BOSCATO motorspori news

PEED1AIAY

WoO sold

The Dude takes Knoxville LAST Saturday night,Danny Lasoski defeated pole sitter Donny Schatz to take out the 43rd Annual Ford Dealers of Iowa Knoxville Nationals, Presented by Visit Australia.

Schatz was in hot form right from night one of the four night affair.

After taking out the Wednesday night Preliminary Feature from Darmy Lasoski,above, a fourth placing in Friday night's A-Scramble was all that the former two-times winner of the PCR $50,000-to-win needed to qualify into pole position for 30 lap ^oxville Nationals A-Main.

Schatz led the opening seven laps but after coming from position four, 'The Dude'Lasoski blasted into the lead, claiming the $125,000 winners cheque from Schatz. Kenny Jacobs came home in third.

up with 24th and last position in the Fhoxville Nationals.

Defending Nationals Champion Steve Kinser qualified eighth quickest on the Thursday before going on to defeat Tim Shaffer and Wayne Johnson to win the Thursday night Preliminary A-Main. Coming from position 10 in the Saturday night A-Feature, Kinser ended up finishing sHth. Last summer's tourist down under Joey Saldana finished 12th in the Nationals shootout while WSS Champ Daryn Pittman finished 15th.

The Friday night World Challenge Dash saw defending and two-times winner Schatz only finishing in eighth position with the win going to Travis RUat from Ricky Logan and Kurt Winker. First Aussie home was Skip Jackson in 5th, with TatneU sixth,

Madsen 11th, Max Dumesny 12th and Marty Perovich 13th.

The opening Wednesday night saw Sammy Swindell setting quickest time with a 15.286s lap, while TatneU, below, was the best of the Australians in 15th.

Top placed Australian on night one was Skip Jackson. He scored a third in the B-Feature. The former Australian, WSS and Knoxville track champ's run ended with a 22nd placing in the Saturday night B-Main.

Max Dumesny's best result was a victory in Friday night's Heat2while Sydney's Troy little (after qualifying a disappointing 57th on the'Thursday night)ended up winning the finals night E-Main.He completed his weekend with a 12th placing in the D-Main.

-GREG BOSCATO

The best placed Australian driver was Kerry Madsen. After setting the quickest time on the Thursday night, the Aussie number one won the Thursday night B-Feature, then battled his way up into seventh in the Preliminary A-Main. On Friday, he battled with Shane Stewart in the AScramble before getting caught up in an incident with Steve Kinser. He finally finished in sixth position.

That gave Madsen position nine for the start of the Nationals AFeature, with the Sydney star ending up with 17th position at the checker.

Former WSS Champ Brooke TatneU was the only other Aussie to make it into the A-Feature line-up. He ending

Max Dumesny Motorsport Australian Distributors for

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NSW:02 9679 !990 l Fax 02 9679 1187 VIQ 03 9331 6477 l Fax 03 9331 7444 SA:08 8332 0800 * Fax 08 8364 0296 20 August 2003

: LESLIE Wulf, the President of Boundless Motor Sports Racing Inc, recently stepped up his ambitions of acquiring major Dirt track sanctioning n organisations with the purchase of the World Of Outlaws and the DIRT organisation.

Boundless announced on August 13 that it has entered into agreements to purchase both series, which will make the company the largest dirt track : racing sanctioning body in the USA. It : will cover Sprint Cars, Modified, Super ; Modified and Sportsman classes.

This season the Outlaws have 1010 scheduled meetings while DIRT sanctions 100 races and a further 700 club races throughout the USA and Canada.

The major benefit to the Outlaws is that DIRT owns its own in-house television production company and both series will be guaranteed national broadcast exposure.

Outlaws Founder Ted Johnson sees the move as being the next step in the 25-year history of arguably the world's premier Sprint Car circus.

DIRT founder Glenn Donnelly and his staff will remain with the new company as the organisation heads into its 33rd season of operation. n Murray Bridge racer Darryl Wright is looking forward to chasing the World Series Sprintcars Rookie of the Year competition this summer.

Wright has been busy collecting inventory during the off-season.

"We have a new Eagle chassis which is expected to arrive in Sydney this week," said Wright. "And a new Wesmar supplied engine that is currently being pieced together by PM Engines."

Going into this summer's WSS, Wright is under no illusions that the Rookie of the Year competition will be easy, as the competition will be second to none.

"I rate Mark Reuter and Tony Moule as two of the drivers that will be towards the the pointy end and I plan to be around the mark as the winners prize is real incentive for me and the team."

As well as WSS competition, Darryl also intends to run as many other shows as possible aboard his S28 Murray Machining and Sheds/Cattex Havoline Eagle. If spare equipment permits, the team will bolt together a second car that will be campaigned towards the end of the season by his father Ross Wright, or possibly a comeback by Jamie Cobby.

- BRETT SWANSON/CHARLES

2003 WORLD OF OUTLAWS CHAMPIONSHIP KNOXVILLE RACEWAY AUG 16 1. Danny Lasoski

8. Paul McMahan

. 15. Daryn Pittman

2. Donny Schatz

9. Jason Meyers

16. Mark Kinser

3. Kenny Jacobs

10. Stevie Smith

17. Kerry Madsen

4. Sammy Swindell

11. Tim Shaffer

18. Jeff Shepard

5. Greg Hodnett

12. Joey Saldana

19. Lance Dewease

6. Steve Kinser

13. Terry McCar!

20. Wayne Johnson

7. Shane Stewart

14. Chad Kemenah

I

2003 STANDINGS AUG 16 1 Steve Kinser..

2 Danny Lasoski 3 Joey Saldana..

4 Daryn Pittman 5 Donny Schatz 6 Jason Sides ..

7 Brian Paulus..

8 Paul McMahon ” Mark Kinser..

10 Tim Shaffer..

7310 7289 6937 6829 6453 6354 5437 5144 4963 4256

11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

Jason Meyers...

Randy Hannagan.

Kraig Kinser Sammy Swindell Bob Bennett Johnny Herrera ..

Jac Haudenschild Jeremy Campbell.

Tyler Walker Craig Dollansky..

4142 3996 3884 3603 3557 3533 3422 3374 3165 2785

63

Ryan Goes

ROBBY Gordon started 14th, but romped away with his second circuit victory of the year at Watkins Glen on August 10th, beating hired gun Scott Pruett to the finish line by 2.3s.

"I don't think we had the best car today," said Gordon, who lead the most laps and took the second win for Richard Childress in as many weeks.

"We just drove a smart strategy and made some good calls in the pits.

We let this race slip away enough times here,so it's great to finally get to puU into victory lane."

Robby dove liis Chev onto pit road as Rusty Wallace went off track in front of him and into a mud patch on lap 52, one turn before the entrance to pit road. The move saw him leading after other cars pitted during tlie ensuing caution.

"We have some numbers on the dash,55 was our number if it went green the rest of the way," continued Gordon."We knew we'd get a couple of cautions, plus I was in conservation mode,just backing off really early in the turns."

Dale Earnhardt Jr. led some laps on a circuit for tlie first time in his career

and finished a worthy third.

"I'm real proud of our finish," said Little E."We can come back here and win another time. We had a good enough car to win, and we can't say that about coming here in the past."

Jeff Gordon had a rollercoaster day.

Starting on pole, he was spun by Greg Biffle in turn one of lap one.

"I feel terrible to spin Jeff Gordon out on the first lap," said Biffle.

"My brakes weren't hot enough I guess. I shifted my eyes real quick when I looked in my mirror, but Jeff's ass-end was in the air. I got on the brakes as quick as I could, but I couldn't stop."

Gordon rallied back from 31st to challenge Pruett for the runner-up slot in the waning laps, but on the final tour his Hendrick Chev coughed as he ran dry of fuel around the twisty 11-turn course. Adding insult to injury, he was prmted twice and eventually put into the barrier by Kevin Harvick within sight of the chequers.

"He pulled up into the groove and I hit him twice," said Harvick of Gordon."The second time he spun

RYAN Newman gave Roger Penske his 50th NASCAR win with a victory at Michigan on Sunday taking the lead from Kurt Busch with three laps to run with Busch running dry of fuel as he approached the white flag finishing 18th.

It was the seventh race in succession that was won on fuel strategy, with Newman, below, I running the final 52 laps around I the two-mile oval on a tank of fuel g after starting on the outside pole.

5"There was a lot of work by Rusty Wallace, Mark Donohue out,I hate that it happened,but and Bobby Alison among usually when you're out of gas you others," said Newman of the get out of the racing groove."

50th victory.

A luckless Gordon countered,"It "I'm just thrilled I got that win. was our fault we ran out of gas, but I I had to run with my elbows up was going to coast back and finish to get through the traffic there at fifth. I felt like he (Harvick) was the end, but it feels great to get fighting too hard, he just flat ran over me. The drive from the back to the my fifth win of the year. It will be interesting to see what's left in front doesn't mean anything now."

Gordon finished 33rd. the gas tank."

Kevin Harvick finished runnerHarc'ick had a scary-looking fire in his pit that brought out the second caution. Fuel spilled onto the hot right rear brake disc, igniting spent fuel on pit road and from the catch can which was dropped on pit road in the confusion. Luckily, no-one was injured in the incident.

Harvick was unaware of the fire as he exited, and finished a creditable fourth even after hitting his kill switch and losing several positions at one point during the race.

- MARTIN D CLARK Final result; R Gordon (Chevy),Pruett(Dodge), Earnhardt Jr.(Chevy),Johnson (Chevy), Harvick (Chevy), W Burton (Dodge),Jarrett (Ford), Kenseth (Ford), Newman (Dodge), Martin (Ford).

Ward on the move? Drivers Slam Jobs on the line at Bill Davis Racing

WARD Burton has thrown his name into the ring for possible driver changes in 2004, even though his contract with Bill Davis Racing runs through the end of next year and the CAT sponsorship contract is in the first of a five-year extension.

Davis remarked, “I tell everybody, no-one’s jobs are safe right now. We need some new blood and fresh ideas here.”

Rumours are Ward, right, could end up at Richard Childress Racing, replacing Steve Park in the AOL Chev, but that probably won’t be determined until October.

Meanwhile, Dale Jarrett denies speculation of his possible departure after a horrible season with Robert Yates Racing, however rumours 64

n

I

continue to buzz through the garage area.

The latest has him going to Dale Earnhardt Inc. with sponsor UPS to replace Pennzoii and Jeff Green in the #1 Chev.

- MARTIN D CLARK motorsport pews

NASCAR

Io Darlington Lights

The Whole Mile(age) up and moved up to fourth in the standings with his third consecutive top five result, while Tony Stewart finished third.

"This fuel mileage racing sucks," he commented.

"We changed everything but the driver and the steering wheel and I'm not so sure, but that may be on the list of things to do. We just can't get this thing right at the end of the race.

I just didn't think I did a very good job today."

The scariest wreck of the day occurred on lap 64 when Todd Bodine hit the wall after contact with Busch and the innocent Kenny Wallace. Wallace had his nose under the floor of Bodine and dragged him along the top of the wall down the backstretch in a fireball.

"I pinched Kurt down," remarked Bodine. "I got mad at him, but after seeing the replay, it's may fault." Both drivers

emerged uninjured.

Rusty Wallace continued his downslide out of the top ten when his Penske engine detonated in a fiery ball.

Wallace was also involved in a clash with Dale Earnhardt Jr. entering pit road earlier in the race. He received radio transmission from his crew chief not to pit so dove right at the last minute, not realising that Earnhardt was there.

"It was my fault, I didn't see Dale Jr.," he continued. Junior finished his day a disappointing 32nd when his left front tyre blew after being cut by the damaged fender later in the race.

Matt Kenseth continued his conser\'ative run toward an almost certain championship title to finish seventh, now 329 points up on Little E and 461 over Jeff Gordon, who had a flat left front tyre 50 laps in and never regained the deficit.

His Hendrick team-mate I- Jimmie Johnson had a top five g result in the bag, but also ran dry I- of fuel with two laps remaining, dropping him two positions in the standings.

- MARTIN D CLARK Final result; Newman (Dodge), Harvick (Chevy), Stewart(Chevy), Biffle (Ford), Park (Chevy), R Gordon (Chevy), Waltrip (Chevy), Schrader (Dodge), Kenseth (Ford), Benson (Pontiac).

Points standings; Kenseth 3432, Earnhardt Jr. 3103,J Gordon 2971, Harvick 2953, Waltrip 2923, Johnson 2908, B Labonte 2825, Newman 2816, Busch 2810, R Gordon 2777.

Safety Crews FOLLOWING accidents at Watkins Glen, both Ryan Newman and Jeff Gordon joined the growing number of drivers concerned about the amount of time safety crews took to reach their stricken cars and the call for a traveling safety crew similar to the IRL and CART series.

"This is ridiculous," connmented Gordon after his last lap front stretch crash, left.

"I'm telling you, a hundred people could have gotten there before I did. I shouldn't say anything, but you should have seen the drive trying to get to the hospital. We were in bumper-to-bumper traffic to get there."

Ryan Newman suffered the

20 August 2003

same fate during practice when he put his Penske Dodge on its side.

"I'll be vocal about it because it's my butt sitting in the race car and I have reason to be," said Newman.

"I was in the car for at least a minute. Once they got there they didn't have a clue what to do, they asked if the power was off. If we had our own traveling safety crew, they'd know where everybody's cut-off switch is.

"I'm not trying to shoot down the safety crew, but for some it may be the first time they've ever seen a racecar. The financial part of this should not be an excuse when it comes to driver safety."

- MARTIN D CLARK

DARLINGTON Raceway has received approval from local planners for the Installation of lights at the'53 year-old speedway.

The project Is expected to be ready for the fall 2004 race currently scheduled for November 14 although this could be moved fon/vard to Saturday night, November 13.

AS we went to press news was coming in that Jimmy'Mr. Excitement'Spencer, above, had punched Kurt Busch in the face while Busch was still in his car, after ramming the car after the chequers.

NASCAR can be expected to take action against Spencer and it's possible he could face charges from the altercation. The pair have a rivalry that goes back to 2001, and everyone thought had culminated when Spencer fenced Busch at Indianapolis last year and was reprimanded severely by NASCAR. - MARTIN D CLARK

Sharper Point?

ALTHOUGH probably coincidence, NASCAR didn’t waste much time in announcing possible changes to the points system that has currently been in place since 1975 after Bob Latford, who devised the system, passed away on July 23.

Born in England in 1935, Latford moved to Daytona with his Mother in 1940 and as a boy sold programs at the race track, progressing to the speedway press office and eventually becoming a racing historian and working for CBS before his retirement in 2000.

The current system was devised on a paper napkin in the Boot Hill Saloon just outside Daytona Beach. It rewards drivers with points in increments all the way through the field, leaving crash-damaged cars to make often hasty repairs and return to the track to gain a valuable five points.

The new system could involve more points for a race winner (currently there is only ten points between first and second), and the possibility of awarding the sarhe points for those cars finishing lower in the field.

There is also talk of awarding points at segments during the race to keep things competitive up front.

- MARTIN D CLARK

n Hendrick Motorsports have learned that UAW-GM will not be back to sponsor Joe Nemechek in their #25 Chev in 2004. Delphi Automotive, a co-primary sponsor, will be on the car next year, but it's not known at this time whether they will take over a full primary role. n Aside from runner-up Scott Pruett, the circuit specialists hired to run at Watkins Glen and Sonoma didn't show too well at the Glen.

P.J. Jones and Johnny Miller, both in Morgan McClure Pontiacs finished 24th and 36th respectively, while Ron Fellows in a DEI Chev came home 38th and Boris Said 39th after a punt from Robby Gordon. Scott Maxwell in a Petty Dodge failed to make the field, and Petty regular Christian Fittipaldi, considered a circuit specialist, finished a lowly 40th. n Eight cars were confiscated by NASCAR for wind tunnel evaluation and tear-down at NASCAR's research development facility following the Brickyard 400.

Ricky Craven and Johnny Benson's Pontiacs were swiped, along with the Fords of Elliott Sadler and Matt Kenseth, the Dodges of Jamie McMurray and Rusty Wallace and the Chevs of Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart. Kevin Harvick's Monte Carlo could not be taken because his quarter-panel was ripped apart when a tyre exploded during post-race burnouts. n Sunoco will replace 40-year sponsor Union 76 as the official fuel of NASCAR in 2004, ConocoPhillips, owners of 76, elected to bow out of their association with NASCAR due to a shift in its marketing strategy.

Sonoco currently furnish fuel to 30 other racing series in the US, and will supply fuel free of charge to the Cup, Busch and Truck Series in a deal apparently worth In excess of AUDS15.2m over the ten-year deal. n Bobby Labonte captured his fourth pole of 2003 at Michigan, the top ten qualifiers seemingly benefiting from a cool track surface following rain that delayed qualifying.

Some surprises were seen up front. Jason Leffler qualified sixth in the Haas CNC Pontiac and Christian Fittipaldi set the seventh fastest speed, Dave Blaney was ninth and Larry Foyt posted his best qualifying effort in 14th.

- MARTIN D CLARK 65

Rewnting History

Clay tops all-timers list CLAY Millican won the 26th race of his career at the 22nd Annual Bethesda Softworks Northern Nationals at U.S. 131 Motorsports Park in Martin, Michigan, breaking the all-time Top Fuel win record set in 1979 by Don 'Big Daddy' Garlits.

Mitch Stott took the Pro Modified win, while Rob Atchison continued his dominance in Alcohol Funny Car, and Tim Bell was able to record his first career win in Sunoco Race Fuels Pro Stock.

Millican motored to his sixth win of the year, stopping first time finalist Tim Cullinan in the final round. Millican's potent Werner Enterprises dragster recorded a winning 4.74s/303mph to turn back Cullinan, who lost traction and slowed to a 6.62s/124mph.

Cullinan, in just his second year of Top Fuel, qualified second at 4.77s and 285mph.

His Mike Smith-tuned dragster took out Grant Flowers in the opening frame and advanced into the money round by defeating Bruce Litton.

Mitch Stott, below, recorded his third Pro Mod win of the year, defeating Fred Hahn in the final, 6.29/225 to 6.44/210.

The Radiac Maniac '63 Corvette had qualified in the third spot at 6.25/226 and posted round wins over Johnny Rocca, Harold Martin, and Tm McAmis on his way to the final round.

Hahn, driving Jim Oddy's Summit Corvette, advanced to the final with wins over Kevin O'Dell, Tony Pontieri, and low

qualifier (6.21) and Milan winner Mike Janis.

Tm Bell 's first career win in Sunoco Fuels Pro Stock came at the expense of final round opponent Jason Collins.

Bell recorded a winning 6.60/209 in his 815 cubic inch Ford Mustang to defeat Collins, who recorded a 6.65/210 in his runner-up effort.

After qualifying sixth at 6.605s, Bell knocked off fellow blue oval campaigners Chris Holbrook, defending series Champion Brian Gahm, and Frank Gugliotta.

Collins qualified on top at 6.586s in his Virginia Technical Institute Mercury Cougar and advanced to the final with wins over Daniel Seamon, Doug Kirk and Carl Baker.

Rob Atchison made his Alcohol Funny Car win in Martin look easy as he rode a string of mid-5.8s passes to his fourth win of the year.

After carding wins over Ray Drew, Mike Cornelia, and recent winner John Vouros, low qualifier Atchison used a 5.85/238 to ice out Von Smith, who trailed at 5.88/239 in a side-by-side Alcohol Funny Car finale.

Smith’s 'Raptor' Dodge Avenger was able to take wins over Dave Kovar, Tony Bogolo, and five-time champion Mark Thomas to advance into the final.

The next event on the 2003 Hooters IHRA Drag Racing Series is the 26th Annual Sunoco World Nationals presented by PPG at Norwalk Raceway Park, Norwalk, Ohio, August 21 - 24.

- DAVID OSTASZEWSKI

As Close

DOUG Kalitta, Gary Densham, Greg Anderson, and Antron Brown scored professional category victories by taking close final round wins over their opponents in the final rounds of the 22nd annual Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals in Brainerd, Minnesota.

Kalitta, right, and final round opponent Tony Schumacher gave tlie fans a side-by-side race all the way dto tire finish line, both stopping the timers with identical 4.698s elapsed times. It was Kalitta's better 0.044s to

0.057s reaction time that spelled the difference. The Mac Tools dragster was also faster through the traps, 311 to 304 mph.

The Mac Tools Team did make up some ground on Larry Dixon in the points chase when Dixon lost in the semi-final round. By defeating Josh Starcher, Doug Herbert, Kenny Bernstein and finally Schumacher, he was able to trim Dixon's lead in the

Gary Densham collected the sixth win of his long career and second of the season when he stopped Tim Wilkerson in the final round, 5.00/298 to 5.04/297.

Densahm gave up a little on the starting line, but the Force camp horsepower enabled him to reel Wilkerson in just past the 1000 foot mark.

The Auto Club of Southern

'/■

California Ford Mustang advanced into the final with victories over Tommy Jolinson Jr., Bob Gilbertson, and Frank Pedregon.

Wilkerson's Levi, Ray & Shoup Pontiac Firebird was a contender all

of the year came with wins over Cory McClenathan,Scott Palmer and Dixon. Schumacher and crew chief

day,carding a 5.02/305 against Scotty Camion, a 5.05/301 opposite Bob Bode, and another 5.02/294 to stop Tony Pedregon.

Greg Anderson and Kurt Jolinson, currently the first and second place point earners hi the NHRA POWERade Pro Stock standings, squared off in an exciting final round with the nod going to Anderson after he overcame a slight Johnson holeshot and powered past to take a 6.91/200 to 6.93/198 victory, hi the third 2003 final round

Alan Johnson were ready for Dixon, LaHaie,and the Miller Lite team with Schumacher gaining a .039-second advantage at the start to take 4.66/310 to 4.71/309 win.

pairing betwen the two, Anderson is a perfect 3-0. The win was Anderson's seventh of the year.

Anderson and his Vegas General Construction Pontiac Grand Am

championsliip standings to 271 points.

Schumacher's second final roimd

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Top Fuel X 2

THE Top Fuel field at the IHRA World Nationals has been increased from 8 to 16.

It is the first 16 car Top Fuel field since the 1970s. Along with IHRA regulars Clay Millican, above, Bruce Litton, Tm Cullinan, Todd Baton, Jack Ostrander, Louie Allison, Grant Flowers, Bobby Lagana Jr., Roger Dean, Doc Sipple, and Vickie Fanning, look for Steve Hamilton, Don Sosenka, Josh Starcher and Mitch King to show.

The Carrier Boyz dragster, which Andrew Cowin drove early this year, may find former Funny Car driver K.C. Spurlock at the controls.

Scott Kalitta is also rumored to be running the event along with cousin, Doug Kalitta and the Mac Tools dragster.

- DAVID OSTASZEWSKI

66

I

moiorsDort news

RAG RACING

As They Come

>

WSID delay THE planned opening event for the new WSID has been postponed after unseasonable weather put construction of the state-of-the-art facility behind schedule.

The venue was due to be christened with the Pacific Coast Nationals on the November 14-16 weekend, however the WSID board has decided that there is too great a risk of further inclement weather involved in proceeding with the date as planned. A new date is expected to be announced soon. n FRAM,the official filter of the NHRA, and sister company Prestone Products, will continue to sponsor Hartman Motorsports through the 2004 season. The two-car Top Fuel team's dragsters, owned by Virgil Hartman, are piloted by the husbandwife duo of Rhonda Hartman-Smith and John Smith.

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reached their third final in a row and ninth of the season witii wins over Allen Johnson, Ron KiTsher and Taylor Lastor. Anderson qualified second behind Johnson and had the quickest car in three of the four elimination roimds.

Jolmson's AC Delco Chevrolet Cavalier posted wins over J.R. Carr, Dave Connolly, and Jeg Coughlin Jr. to reach his 47th career final round.

Antron Brown's first Pro Stock

Bike victory of his 2003 campaign, his first since Englishtown in 2002,came at the expense of final round opponent,local favorite, John Smith.

After taking early round wins over Fred Collis, Michael Phillips and low qualifier, Reggie Showers, Brown used a final round 7.33/179.47 aboard his Schumacher Racing/U.S. Army Suzuki to hold off Smith's game 7.362/180.

The next event on the NHRA

POWERade tour is the 49th annual U.S. Nationals, August 27-September 1, at Indianapolis Raceway Park, Indianapolis,Indiana.

- DAVID OSTASZEWSKI Points: Top Fuel: Dixon 1540, Kalitta 1269, Russell 934,Schumacher 868, McCIenathan 809.

Funny Can T.Pedregon 1283, Bazemore 1222, Force 1048, Worsham 976, Densham 949.

Pro Stock: Anderson 1454, K.Johnson 1296, Coughlin Jr 1057. Pro Stock Bike: Scali 818, Gann 644, Savoie 632.

Ed Gets Flicked DON Prudhomme Racing has released Ed McCulloch, who was serving as crew chief of the Skoal Green Racing Chevrolet Camaro Funny Car driven by Ron Capps.

McCulloch, right, was relieved of his duties immediately following the Sonoma event. The tuning responsibilities of the Green Team have been assigned to current assistant crew chief Todd Okuhara.

Snake Racing will evaluate Okuhara’s abilities in this new role, and will also consider other opportunities before officially naming a new crew chief for Capps.

Following a dismal west coast swing that saw the Skoal Camaro go without a single round win, the team with Okuhara calling the shots failed to qualify in Brainerd, making it the second consecutive year that 20 August 2003

HO Indianapolis-based race car

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I The Skoal Racing technology I trailer was involved in a two^ vehicle collision in Iowa, with no „ serious injuries reported. The ^ second accident involved the Miller Lite Top Fuel parts truck, which is primarily used for ^ transportation and storage of racing parts, machinery, and /^ equipment. ; It was struck from behind by j JU

an ambulance, which had been rear-ended by a trailer that was unable to slow down in time

^ before reaching the slowed -- traffic-; the team had failed to make a Snake Racing’s Walt Herr Brainerd show. suffered a mild concussion and was released later in the IN a team-related item, two of evening.

The ambulance driver, whose the Don Prudhomme Racing identity is unknown, was killed in support vehicles the accident. were involved in separate - DAVID OSTASZEWSKI accidents en-route to their

n Doug Herbert Racing has hired veteran crew chief Wes Cerny to tune his Snap-on Racing Top Fuel dragster. Cerny came on board with Herbert late last season as a consultant and helped Herbert to a strong close to the 2002 year. n The minimum weight requirement for the Harley Davidson entries in Pro Stock Bike up to 160 cid will be increased by 11 kg effective at the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals in Brainerd.

This adjustment in minimum weight reflects the current weights of the Harley Davidson entries while in competition.

The change was also implemented based on the competitiveness of the Harley Davidson at these weights, and to curtail cost of development of lighter parts for the motorcycle in the future. n Pro Mod racer Al Billes and Pro . Stock competitor Elijah Morton crashed in separate incidents during qualifying for the IHRA Northern Nationals in Martin, Michigan.

Billes's 1953 Corvette started to get out of shape around the 1000foot mark and crossed the centerline, sliding across it and slamming into the wall. Billes dislocated his shoulder and suffered-some bruises.

Morton, who was in his first outing with the 'One Bad Cat' Mercury Cougar, the former Gene Wilson championship car, crashed at the end of a 6.78/183 pass on Saturday evening. He was not injured. n Pontiac Funny Car driver Arnie Karp slipped on wet pavement outside his home in Peabody, Massachusetts, injuring the quadricep muscle in his left leg. Karp was unable to drive at this past weekend's Lucas Oil Nationals, where his role was filled by veteran Phil Burkart.

- DAVID OSTASZEWSKI/STAFF 67

Apd limes Revisited This week marks the 75th anniversary of the ciassic Ards 77 event A commemoraritive meeting was recentiy heid on the originai circuit in ireiand, and EOIN YOUNG was there

TO stitch the Ards TT accurately into the overall fabric of racing history, it is important to note that the first race in 1928 on a thirteenand-fwo-thirds mile course over nominally British public roads in Northern Ireland, was run a year before the first Grand Prix around the streets of Monaco.

entry this Jime was so over subscribed that some of the events were restricted to 'visitors' and local competitors were asked to stand down and become spectators.

Nuvolari's drive in the K3 MG was

The course was a rough triangle from Dundonald to Newtownards, Comber and back to Dundonald.

Tazio Nuvolari and Rudi Caracciola figured large in the seven-year history of the race, Caracciola winning for Mercedes in 1929 and Nuvolari winning for Alfa Romeo in 1930 and for MG in 1933.

scratch on doctor's orders and offered the drive to Nuvolari instead. He had never even seen a Wilson pre-selector gearbox before but he soon grasped the principle. His riding mechanic, Alec Hounslow, dined out on the story of his ride for the rest of his Ufe. Giuseppe Campari had a reputation of being something of a wild man at Ards. In the 1931 race, there had been 'no-passing'zones indicated at various tight spots, but the Alfa ace ignored these and a contemporary history described him as 'overtaking slower cars on this side, that side, any side and any place, straight or bend.'

The stewards demanded that he be

E.R.(Eddie) Hall was effectively the last of the Bentley Boys when he persuaded Rolls-Royce to build him a competition version of the latest Bentley specifically to race in the TT. He raced the car in evolving form in 1934,1935 and 1936, being beaten into second place by the handicapper each year. After that inaugural TT won by Lea Francis, Alfa Romeos, MGs or Rileys always won.

The 75th aimiversary of the first TT attracted an entry of 175 cars 'of the type' that ran during the history of the event from 1928 to the final race in 1936, when a fatal accident resulted in the TT being switched to Donington on 'the mainland'. The

an event in itself. Whitney Straight, the wealthy young American, had entered the car in 1933 but had to

called into the pits for a reprimand, and the burly driver became the first driver in racing history to suffer a 'drive through' penalty.

It wasn't meant to be that way.

Campari refused to stop and cruised down the pitlane wliile the Clerk of the Course ran alongside shouting at him, and Campari, not understanding

a word,'bawled back his own thoughts on the matter and then shot away at high speed.'

In the first race from the Le Mans start, the cars had to have their hoods up for two laps and then stop to furl them. The following year, crews had to run across the track and put the erected hoods down before starting, Photographs of the first race show an amazing spectacle as 44 drivers and 44 mechanics, all ran across the track to cUmb aboard, 'Scrap' Thistlethwaite set fastest lap of the first race at 74.39mph in his 6.7-litre SS Mercedes that he had shipped to Ulster on the deck of his private steam yacht which he anchored in Bangor Bay. Tom Delaney,son of Terry Delaney who competed in the fateful 1903 Paris-Madrid race, was driving the Lea Francis that Kaye Don drove to win the first TT in 1928. Tom, now a spritely 92, bought the car in 1930, led the Irish GP in 1931, sold it a few years later and eventually found it again. He still competes with it!

The black long-tailed Riley famously flown over the hedge into a cabbage field by Freddie Dixon in 1932 was back at Ards in 2003 with the matriarchal owner, Mrs Farquhar, in attendance. , Markus Kern carried German racing white colours with his massive

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1930 Mercedes SS, below, which Malcolm Campbell had raced in the 1930 and 1931 TTs. Dr John Mills had brought his 1927 Austro-Daimler from New Zealand. It was thought that to have been one of the 1928 team cars and it looked the business, tended by fellow-Kiwi John Stickney.

There were endless social events and appearances for entrants and cars, as well as three glorious laps of the original course on the Friday evening,and hiUclimb runs through the lush grounds of the Belfast Transport Museum grounds on the outskirts of Belfast.

Somehow the hillclimbs failed to flatter the gallant old machinery, but there was racing nostalgia cloaked around every car at the event in Ulster, remembering a major motor racing event that captured world headlines 75 years ago.

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68

molorsporl news

HISTORICS

History repeating PAUL Samuels has given credence to the saying 'history repeats itself.'

At the latest GEAR day at Wakefield Park, Paul ran his tiny Berkeley sports oar in the air-cooled event and his newly acquired Lotus 11 in another category. Forty two years earlier, he ran a Berkeley and a Lotus (on that occasion a Formula Junior) at Catalina Park, Katoomba and he's still as keen (and competitive!) as ever. n Speaking of air-cooled events, there have been a number of attempts to establish a race exclusively for these noisy little whizbangs, but with little success.

GEAR has at last succeeded and attracted a small but encouraging entry of 10 motorcycle-engined racers to its last meeting.

Apart from Samuels, the other five intrepid racers who managed to start were Jeff Pledges (Bourke Special), Garry Simkin (JBS), Rob Gunnell (Cooper 500), Cameron McMillan (Sidney Special) and Greg Snape (Cooper BMW). Greg is back in Australia after spending some time in England racing historic cars.

It may have been a relatively humble start, but Garry Simkin has persuaded GEAR to put on an annual feature race for the air-cooled brigade in the hope it will encourage others to finish restoring their cars and there are quite a few out there.

AIMD now it's Chevrolet's turn to celebrate.

It all began as a styling exercise in the early 1950s by Chev's chief designer Harley Earl to create an American production sports car called the 'Corvette', but the mock-up created so much interest within the company that it was given the green light to go into production.

The Chevrolet Corvette went on display for the first time at the 1953 New York Automobile Show, even before the engineering work was completed.

Its glass fibre body looked the part but underneath it was relatively pedestrian, with a twospeed automatic gearbox attached to its sixcylinder engine and a suspension system that was hardly earth-shattering.

However, two years later a modified V8 model with three-speed manual gearbox appeared at Daytona Beach and set a new speed record of 240km/h average over a two-way run.

The Corvette was now firmly launched, and with further improvements over the next couple of years (such as fuel injection and four-speed transmission), it became a front-runner in SCCA events in America, winning 19 championships between 1956 and 1971. Local ace Dick Thompson was a leading driver.

Another top American driver, Briggs Cunningham entered two Corvettes in the 1960 Le Mans 24-Hour Race, where they finished eighth and 10th outright.

Specially-prepared Corvette engines later powered McLaren and Chaparral sports cars to victory in the CanAm Series in the USA. The Corvette was a rarity in competition in Australia, although a Corvette-powered sports car, 20 August 2003

the Carter Corvette, achieved considerable success in the capable hands of its creator Murray Carter.

This car is generally acknowledged as the first 'special' in the world to be built around a Corvette powerplant, and also became a successful drag racing car when ownership passed to Alan Caelli, winning the 1965 Drag Racing Championship at Fisherman's Bend. Since 1978, the Carter Corvette has been owned by top Melbourne restorer, Lou Russo, and following a total refurbishment it is now a regular competitor in Historic events.

At least three Corvettes are back on the circuits.

Melbourne's Paul Sabine competed recently at the Historic Winton meeting in his seven-litre 1968 model, along with Steve Schuler who drove his earlier 4.7-litre car.

The Sabine Corvette was imported from California and rebuilt here to resemble actor James Garner's car (even down to the white livery, blue stripes and hardtop). Thankfully Schuler's car no longer sports its sparkly red, white and blue stars and is also white - generally regarded as America's racing colour.

Geelong's Warwick Henderson has recently added another Corvette to his collection for use in Historic events. His other car, a much modified Corvette, is campaigned in tarmac rallies such as Targa Tasmania.

Recently, 7000 Corvettes and their proud owners , assembled in Nashville, Tennessee to celebrate the 50th anniversary of this automotive icon America's longest running production sports car.

- BRIAN REED

n One '500' that will hopefully be back on the tracks soon is the ex-Bill Patterson 1951 Cooper Mk5, the winner of Australia's first F3 race, and the 1954 Australian Flillclimb Championship held at Collingrove.

The J.A.P. powered Cooper has been acquired by Queenslander Peter Flarburg and will be prepared by ace spanner Don Biggar. Peter also plans to campaign the ex-Lex Davison Cooper Climax T51, the car that 'Davo' borrowed from Bib Stillwell to win the 1961 Australian Grand Prix at Maliala. n The 10th anniversary running of the Bol d'Or circuit event will be conducted by the Vintage Sports Car Club of Australia at Wakefield Park circuit, Goulburn on August 31.

There will be classes for vintage and post-vintage cars manufactured prior to December 1940, and for preDecember 1973 sports and racing cars.

This is a unique event in that it is not a race. After practice, drivers nominate a lap time they feel they are able to maintain for the one hour duration of the event.

Licence required is either a CAMS Level Three or a Wakefield Track Licence Lever Two. For entries, contact Les Craft on (02) 9989 8926 or John Lackey (02)9363 9625.

- BRIAN REED 69

national Luff doubles up scene

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WARREN Luff became the first double round winner this year at round six of Poolrite VSBRutes series at Phillip Island on August 10.

The Coopers Pale Ale driver scored the overall round win and dedicated it to his late-friend Stewart McCoU, but his road to victory lane wasn't an easy one.

Gary MacDonald finished the weekend second overall, ahead of Gary Baxter's SAGE Automation Commodore.

David Griffin started the first race from the front row,and won the sprint into turn one. His fame was short-lived though after the Pedigree/Schmackos Commodore ran wide at turn two on lap two.

Luff took advantage and was not headed from there on. A battle between MacDonald and James Brock,(who convincingly scored pole position, but lucked out in the 'chook raffle') developed, which gave Luff some breathing space out front, where no one could get close.

"I'm very happy with that," said Luff after Race 1. "It's been a struggle as the Commodores have got more straightline speed,but they were tied up in their own battle."

MacDonald and Brock were racing for sheep stations at the Island, coming into contact on several occasions. Brock finally got past on lap five after an altercation, but MacDonald, always a fighter, got back by at Siberia.

Brock failed to finish the race though, his HSV Commodore 70

suffered front right suspension problems.

The reverse grid Race 2 caused all sorts of havoc at turn one. Nandi Kiss, Adam Brand and a ute-load of others speared off into the Island scenery.

VIP Petfoods Falcon driver Grant 'How's the weather' Denyer scored pole for the back-to-front race, and after a short Safety Car period to remove the stricken Commodore of Kiss, Denyer set about creating a gap between himself and the hungry pack.

But with only two laps to run, Denyer was found gilty of jumping the start and was forced to take a tour through pitlane.

"No way," commented Denyer when asked if he launched before the

You'll pay for that: David Griffin, above, ruins what was once a perfectly good Meligians track sign. Baxter, below, stayed on the road to score a podium spot. Luff, top, out-gunned them all...

lights. "But what do you do?"

That left Gary Baxter to fend off an eight-car freight train, which included Luff, Glen Barnes, Kim Jane, Charlie Kovacs and Dean LUlie. Jane tried to pass cars aroimd the outside, but lucked out at Honda corner.

Kovacs entered the last lap in third place, but passed Baxter and Luff through the final three corners to snatch the win by 0.0702s.

Luff finished third ahead of the rapidly improving Lillie.

Race 3 saw more panel damage than all the races put together. Luff got a great start but Baxter somehow got to turn one in PI. Denyer's day went from bad to worse when he slipped off the road at Honda avoiding the hairpin mayhem.

Kanga Loaders driver MacDonald

passed Baxter at turn two on lap four and was not headed from there, recording another win for the year.

"It's been a sad weekend but I had a ball in that race," said MacDonald.

Baxter held off enourmous pressure Luff to score second, while 'Howzat'Lillie had his best result for the year,finishing fourth.

But nothing could be taken away from Reigning Champion and current series leader Luff.

"It would have been nice to win the last one, but I had to give one to Gary!" said Luff.

- GRANT ROWLEY Points: Luff 292, MacDonald 245.5, Brock 213,5, Kovacs 188, Baxter 184, Denyer 174.5.

motorsport news

KARTING

Woolston Rules KartStars title to go down to the wire in SA TROY Woolston has become the first repeat wiimer in the 2003 Ford KartStars series after a dramatic last lap pass for the win at Oran Park's penultimate round.

Woolston nipped up the inside of leader Blake Mills as the field came off the bridge for the final time, Troy's main championship rival Andrew Thompson followed him through to claim second ahead of Mills and Ben Guest. The margin betweeen the top four at the chequered flag was less than Is. Australian Rotax champion Josh Arandt proved the master of qualifying, taking pole ahead of Guest, Woolston and John Martin.

Championship leader Thompson struggled to 14th.

Fresh from second at the NSW Championships, Guest won the first and third heats with Woolston taking out heat two. However it wasn't a 'clear' win, Troy misplacing his glasses during a race stoppage (the event was red flagged after an accident resulted in a knee injury for Philip Maxfield) and having to struggle to see clearly!

"I realized after two laps and I was consistently missing my braking points, but ended up winning the race anyway," he said.

Woolston continued the charge in the pre-final, beating Guest and Thompson. Thompson was now back on the pace after an engine change and further chassis setup alterations.

"The kart was better but nowhere near perfect," he commented, Understeer would continue to affect him in the final.

Regardless, Thompson quickly

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found himself in the lead by the end of the first lap, the top four opening a gap to the rest. Mills soon put himself at the head of the pack and was somewhat a star of the show,the Western Australian putting in his best KartStars performance to date.

"When I got to the front I thought to myself'hey I could win this thing'," said Mills."But I left half a gap on the last lap".

That gap was the invitation Woolston was looking for, Troy taking something of a risk considering Mills was not in

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Out in front: Woolsten led from the get-go at OP, below. Mills, best KartStars above, had bis result for the year.

championship contention.

"1 just wanted to get as many points on Thompson as 1 could," Woolston said."So when I passed I was hoping Blake would slot in behind, but he tried to hold on and it allowed Andrew to come through as well. That was the hardest final I've ever had."

Guest held on in fourth ahead of Karl Wilson and Arandt.

The series points are the tightest they've ever been heading into a final KartStars roimd,Thompson leads the series outright, but Woolston is one point ahead on corrected (drop worst round) points.

The 2003 KartStars war will be finalised at Bolivar, South Australia on September 21.

Meanwhile, Kristian Lindbom was the class of the Supercheap Auto Junior Clubman field. The Top Kart driver won all but one of the races, heat three going the way of Paul Laskazeski, Lindbom second.

Laskazeski and Ben Small both DNF'd the pre-final, effectively putting them out of contention, while the Victorian duo of Jordie Lindstrom and James Love proved to be Lindbom's closest rivals in the final.

Lindbom now leads the series ahead of Love and Lindstrom.

In the other Junior Blitz classes, Craig Schmidt won Junior National Heavy with a last corner pass while James Reid came out on top of a three way dice to win Junior National Light ahead of series leader Brent Reading. James Kovacic and Brock Hallet won all their races in Midgets and Rookies respectively.

-MARK WICKS

Kyle the King KYLE Clews won Sportsman Light at Eastern Creek's annual 'King of the Creek' meeting recently.

Having won the pre-final, Clews (Birel) started off pole, but it was Jason Hryniuk who soon took up the front running. Using the only watercooled ARC engine in the field (everyone else used Yamaha), Hryniuk (CRG) and second placed Daniel Learson collided, taking both from the event. This gave Clews a handy lead, beating home Niki Scalmer (from grid 14!) and Ryan (VIonaghan. n The penultimate round of the 2003 Dunlop CIK Australian Karting Championships will be held at Dubbo this weekend and will see a number of drivers return to the series. NZ's Wade Cunningham,fresh from racing Formula A for the factory CRG team in Europe, will return to the local Formula Afield, while Michael Patrizi will move across to the Intercontinental C class for multiple World Championship manufacturer Birel. Dubbo's local National class hero Phillip King will be making his CIK debut in Intercontinental A. n Jonathan Dwyer was the top points scorer in Rotax Light at the third round of the North East Super 8 series at Lismore last month. Dwyer's consistency was the key as Ford KartStars series leader Andrew Thompson was the pace setter, winning all the races he completed.

But a DNF put too big a dent in his tally to hold out Dwyer. A notable inclusion in the Rotax Light field was none other than ace tuner and former international karting star Jon Target.

Targett was making something of a comeback to the driving seat in preparation for a planned attack on the Rotax Nationals Over 35s title.

Ironically, the JT Team Arrow manager piloted an old Italcorse chassis for the weekend, but was out of contention after a DNF caused by losing a wheel. n In related news, the National Final for Super-8 will be held at Melbourne's Todd Road circuit on December 18-21.

Open to competitors from around the country who qualified via their state Super-8 series, the victors in the various classes will win funded drives in the 2004 CIK Championships and trips to race overseas. A field of Intercontinental C will feature as a support class. n Frenchman Damien Payart has won the 2004 FIA-CIK European Superkart Championship after a calculating drive at Donington Park on August 10. Payart finished second to Martin Hines in the final race. Neither was able to keep up with local driver Mark Owens who had qualified 1,3s faster than everyone and was leading the final until the drive chain broke.

Hines' win moved him to second in the series ahead of Frangois Vinuales.

-MARK WICKS

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WARREN Luff can’t get enough of winning motor races in 2003.

The Sydney-sider and Dick Johnson Racing endurance driver joined the Kumho Tyres MGF Trophy Series at Oran Park for a one-off drive and dominated the entire weekend. The Maxisteel/Mango Morgages entry claimed pole position and won all three races. Although not entirely unfamiliar with small, front-wheel drive cars, Luff managed to win

each race with a comfortable margin in hand.

The results behind Luff were mixed between a number of regular drivers.

Chris Oxley steered his MG to second in Race 1 after a close battle with Doug Gilford.

Jamie Cartwright bounced back from being excluded in Race 1 to finish second in the next race.

Oxley followed home in third while Gilford and Bruce Thomlinson clashed heavily at the last corner.

Race 3 saw Luff run away again, but this time Chris Thomas in the Thomas Earthmoving car finished second ahead of the Whiskas entry of David Griffin.

Andrew Fisher held out a strong comback from Cartwright to claim fourth in the final race.

The other Whiskas car of Adam Bressington found the going a little too hot. Ffis car spurting some spectacular flames, above.

- GRANT ROWLEY

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Paul Kemal was the major winner at Oran Park in round five of the Aussie Race Cars series last weekend.

The Angela Jo's Dry Cleaning Ford Coupe driver only picked up one race win over the four events, but it was the one that coimted most.

Mike Russell, above right challenging

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GEOFF Emery was the class act of the Commociore Cup at Winton.

The Economy Bolts driver took two wins from two starts at the rural circuit, but Emery copped heat from his opponents al l weekend.

Phillip Island round winner Marcus Zukanovic applied the blowtorch in both heats, but came up just short on both occassions.

Queenslander Lee Holdsworth grabbed a podium finish in the first race, but was forced to settle for fourth in the second 72

event after an inspired David Gittus grabbed third place.

Race 1 couldn't have been much closer at the finish, with Emery, Zukanovic and Floldworth separated by less than 1 s at the flag.

The second heat was much the same, however a mid-race safety car closed the pack up considerably.

Daniel Richert, who finished fourth in the opening encounter, was looking strong early in the piece after he exectuted a brave move around the outside of

Zukanovic at turn eight. Flis good run would end shortly though when smoke began to pour from the back of his Exhaust Brothers Commodore.

The Floldsworth boys finished fourth and fifth in Race 2, while Geoff Fontaine staged an amazing comeback after trouble in Race 1.

The Axent Racing Commodore crossed the line sixth.

- GRANT ROWLEY

Leanne way in front

Points: Emery 372, Zukanovic 350, L.Holdsworth 292, Gittus 278, Pappendell 264, B.Holdworth 258, Fontaine 249. moiorsport news

NATIONAL SCENE

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Winner baby!

by GRANT ROWLEY

feoFu:

Kemal,shadowed him in the final race, but was forced to defend valiantly from Queensland round winner Chtis Butler, Pirtek driver Steve Coulter and James Ward.

Ward had an exceptional weekend, winning two of the races and storming from the back of the field in

the reverse grid race to finish seventh.

Tom Vecicivic won the third heat, just ahead of Leon Meindoe and Kemal which made it a Ford Coupe 1-2-3.

The series continues at Sandown Raceway on September 12-14.

- GRANT ROWLEY

THERE were winners everywhere in round six of the Exide Batteries Australian Production Car Championship at Phillip Island on August 10.

Darren Palmer, driving the Poolrite Honda S2000 took the Race 1 outright honours,ahead of Scott Leadsman's powerful Holden Commodore.

The roles were reversed in Race 2 though after a great battle between the pair.

"He was great to race against," said Loadsman,who also wrapped up the Class A title. "It's nice to race a gentlemen,and Race 2 was one of the hardest races I've even been in."

Palmer was also happy with his weekend's work.

IMPROVED Production supported the Konica V8s at Winton recently, and the nmixed field produced some predictable results.

Leanne Perrier, driving her Mazda RX7, qualified on pole position by 1.27s ahead of Rohan Ambrose.

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Ambrose and Scott Bucton were taken out of contention in the first corner pile-up, which gave Commodore driver Ross Dillon an easy path to three second place finishes.

Mazda man Phil Armour picked up two third places, but failed to finish the third heat.

Peter Foote picked up the pieces to grab the final podium place.

- GRANT ROWLEY

He ain't Week SOUTH Australian Kevin Weeks gave the Saloon Car field a hiding at Winton earlier this month.

Weeks, left, driving his Steel Building Systems Holden Commodore scored pole position and drove three faultless races to claim the outright win.

Luke Norris and Clint Harvey chased valiantly, but minor place finishes were the best the pair could muster.

- GRANT ROWLEY

"I could carry a bit more entry speed with the handling of my car," said Palmer."But it was good fun."

The two front runners fought a fantastic battle in the second race, top. The pair actually clashed doors at Siberia on the last lap, but both cars continued on unharmed.

With the long,fast straights on the 4.4km Island circuit, wirming races was always going to be tough for the smaller Protons and Astras.

However,it took seven of the eight laps for Palmer and Loadsman

Chris Carter

Production car racer'and 'sometimes Konica V8 entrant'.In the second race,Russell wrapped up the Class D title with one round to spare and also moved into third place in the outright championship.

"It was a faultless weekend," said Russell Jimior."To win both races and wrap up the title with full factory bactog from Proton is very pleasing."

Steve Grocl,above, consolidated his top three outright position, and jg looking extremely good for the class B win. The J and F Motors VW Beetle driver scored both class wins. as well as two top five finishes, 16-year-old school boy Chris Alajajian gave Grocl a scare in race 2 though,beating the VW off the line and holding him out for a munber of laps.

Outright Points: Loadsman 259, Grocl 188, D.Russell 181,David Ratcliff 180, Alajajian

NATIONAL SCENE

Big crowd at Qld titles

AFTER a couple of years away, the Queensland Racing Drivers Association held round 6 of the Queensland Championships before the biggest crowd seen at state level this year.

Sports Sedans saw Geoff Gillespie (FIAT 131 Turbo) spin away the lead on the opening lap at Siberia. Chris Donnelly (Ford Falcon) won from Bob McLoughlin (Commodore-Chev) and Gillespie.

Sports Cars had a pair of visitors in the VIP Pet Foods Carrera Porsches and Klark Quinn took an all the way win from Tony

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Quinn. Steve Morcombe spun out of second, but third was enough to clinch the Queensland Production Sports Championship.

Adam Uebergang drifted his way to win the Improved Production race ahead of Scott Duncan and Justin Keys.

Tragedy at Wakefield

uj tt enl

i I cover the top four drivers. n Gavin Sadler was the class of the Saloon Cars with Troy Hoey and Brendon Tucker next.

Carlo Chermaz(PVP 250) won the Superkart feature from Stockman 125 teammates John Fledges and Matt Fleysen with Shane Flart continued his Jason Smith the top 80cc kart. dominance of Morgan Park to win John Eddy took the Geminis from Tristan Hughes and a thrilling from Nick Rangely and Kandice battle between Grant Bromley and Walker while Daniel Pappas won Nick Leontsinis. the Formula Ford race from Mike McCloud won a tight HQ Shannon O’Brien and Tony LeMesurier. tussle from Brett Cooper and Paul -MARK JONES McCahon. Three points now THE pall of tragedy that shrouded Australian motorsport two weekends ago, also hung over Wakefield Park during round five of the NSW state championships.

In a race tragically cut short,Frank Hurt pulled to the infield, suffering a heart attack during the Touring Car feature race. Andrew Brandstater led when the tragedy occurred.

Brandstater continued his amazing run in his Nissan Skyline GTR while Eric Barnes headed a host of Commodores home in his VN saloon car with Geoff Turner the first Ford home.

Garry WUlmington, left, rained on Glen Taylor's parade and took a win in Sports Sedans. WilLmington seized the opportunity of a win in race three when Taylor recorded a rare DNF. Derek Bailey again had to

settle for second place.

Laiuence Burford eased ahead of John Pettit in their arm wrestle for the Formula Ford title. Going into the round locked together on points, it was Burford who emerged with two race wins. Pettit hounded Burford in race one but a minor setback on lap six of the second race saw him slip back to fifth place.

Steve Brown was the class of the Clubman field.

GRANT Park made Phillip Island and the Mirage Cup his own recently.

Park qualfyed on pole and scored two race wins, leaving the Island totally unbeaten.

Bathurst Smash Repairs driver Adam Beechey and Eastern Creek Karting's Troy Hunt did

their best to catch Park, but to no avail.

Peter Leemhuis, in the Barlens Event Hire Mirage mixed it with the front runners but could little more than fourth and fifth in the two races.

- GRANT ROWLEY

The three amigos,Jason Cutts, Michael Kinsella and Mark McHenry again fought out Formula Vee with the trio finishing the final race on their program in that order.

The unstoppable BUI Pye again left the field in his wake as he powered to yet another Improved Production victory.

-MARTIN VAN REE

Allan all the Way Wrik in the Park

ADAM Allan made a triumphant return to the Improved Production ranks driving his Datsun 1200 at the South Australian Multicar Club day at Mallala.

AUan took a clean sweep in all three races,fending off the hard charging duo of James Sutton's Rotary powered Mazda and Scott Clements' Mkl Escort. Both followed Allan to the flag, finishing second and third respectively in all three races.

Wayne King proved too strong for the HQ Holden brigade, grabbing all three race victories despite strong challenges from Tony Palma, who ran a close second in the first two events. Alan McFarlane passed l^lma for second in race thre^ggHik

The top six placing's in the three Formula Vee events proved to be identical. Tom Drewer showed a

dean pair of rear tyres to the rest of his oppo.sition, while Robert Surman and John Hall did their best to bridge the gap.

Lyndon Punshon took three victories in the Sports Cars. In Group N & S, Rob Black was dominant, taking three untroubled wins. Graham Knuckey claimed two victories and a third in the Racing/Formula Libre class. New South Welshman Peter Turner steered his Grantirmi lllB to both race victories in the Historic Sports and Racing class while Phillip Lane won the Handicap race.

-PARIS CHARLES

motorsport news

INDUSTRY NEWS

New Trends

PERFORMANCE WHOLESALE now stock a full range of Trend one piece 2100 radius high performance pushrods.

All Trend pushrods are made from .080" wall

i

chrome moly seamless tubing and heat treated to a surface hardness of 60RC. The pushrods have a 2100 radius on the rocker end, designed for high lift cam applications where pushrod to rocker clearance is a problem, and 1800 radius on the lifter end. We are stocking a full range of 5/16" diameter and 3/8" diameter pushrods.

They also offer a selected range of tapered pushrods which are tapered from 5/16" dia at the top to 3/8" dia

Casfiil VHiinieps

The CastrbIWictor Bray print eompetirion has been drawn and won.

Congratulations to Lenard Walker Of I Warrnamboef'/iGtOria who has won the major prize of a limited edition framed Castro Formula R Advertisement collection which has been personally signed by Victor Bray.

Winners of the Castrol polo shirts, also personally signed by Victor,are: L.| ! Crisp MorphetVale SA;K Bradford Quatrading WA;Gregg Simpson [ !R!Osanna'ViC;Sharon'¥bOmpSon ‘ WerribeeVic;Warren Smith fast

at the bottom, with the 5/16" end being 2100 radius. These are designed with two purposes in mind, more strength than a straight 3/8" pushrods and the clearance of 5/16" pushrods.

For further information and pricing contact 07 3808 1986, or visit www.performancewholesale.com.au

Cup with Ziel

Benitleigh Vie;Tiiiia NortoniSyndaiVic; D Mephersofi Lawnton Q|d;0 Meyers Toowong Qldi.Douig Ford Garrunn Downs Vic;aiiid Clayton Rjgden North DandenongVic. The caps were won by the following lucky readers; M Schnfiidt Maryborough QldiBIll Halse Stoneville WAvJ’ Rosenthal Goombungee Qld:G lansies Oakford'WA;George Serti PiGniC Point NSW;Lyndsay Gray Spreydon Christchurch NZ;Norm Strachan Castle Hill NSW;Kevin Prior Moorooka Qld; R Chapman Donald' ViCj.and Andrew Scanlon MuonvilleTas. Well done to all the winners!

CUP Car Australia has announced a new associate sponsor for the remainder of the 2003 Carrera Cup in the shape of Ashdown and its Ziel lampware range.

Based in Queensland, Ashdown is Australia's largest wholesaler of auto electrical components. Their range includes starter motors and alternators, air conditioning components,EFi components, LED lampware,spotlights and driving lights.

Ziel is the company's newest brand in its premium range of LED

Port of Bathorst Ceramic Innovations announces the release of

winner at Bathurst six times over the last 24

a series of commemorative ceramic ports celebrating the achievements of the men who conquered the mountain.

Bathurst has become the most celebrated race

years. Larry reached the podium in his first Bathurst drive and was always considered at threat from then on.

in Australian motor racing history, many aspire to winning at Mount Panorama but only a few succeed. Fewer still win more than once and only a handful have achieved long term success.

The Ceramic Innovations Legends of BathurstSignature Series pays tribute to those who have set their places in Australian motor racing history with outstanding results on the mountain.

The first in the five part series is Larry Perkins, 20 August 2003

9L.X, {

Alan Moffat, Peter Brock, Dick Johnson and Jim Richards will be released over the coming months to create a unique collection. Each decanter holds 500ml of Bullocks Tawny Port.

The driver's details and Bathurst results are featured on the . bottle with 24 carat I II

lampware and driving lights. It was released on July 1 this year, w'ith the range of LED lampware products suiting trucks, trailers and heavy duty industrial machinery and spotlights and driving lights to suit all regular road driving purposes.

Nightvision brand and have had some signagp on Steve Ellery's Super Cheap V8 Supercar. But with the continued growth of Australian motorsport, we felt that the Carrera Cup presented a strong opportunity.

gold decaling. A minted medallion featuring the driver's image also adorns the bottle.

Each

commemorative port is presented in a unique embossed and 24 carat gold stamped book cover with the

forms and integral part of the display. Inside, along with the port decanter is an individually numbered certificate of authenticity personally signed by the driver and a 16-page booklet covering the driver's career and Bathurst history.

Each drivers Decanter is limited to a production run of only 1000 units which is set to make this a very sought after and collectable series.

The Larry Perkins Commemorative decanter is available now from Ceramic Innovations for only $175 including gst plus $15 postage and handling within Australia.

Details on the Legends of Bathurst- Signature Series are at www.ceramicinnovations.com.au or phone 03 9555 9011.

75

hop

RACE SHOP gives you the opportunity to promote your products and services to the widest possibie range of motorsport competitors and enthusiasts. Advertising in RACESHOP costs as little as $60 per issue! Call Brendon Sheridan on 03 9550 0870 now!

ns®"

PBKFOKMJKNCE EKOOUCTS

\

www.holley.com

Prsmium EnginE Parish

-

Rocket Industries is the Manufacturer’s Appointed Distributor for Speed Pro in Australia. Ail trade enc^uiries should be directed to: Ph 02 5525 1900 Fax 02 55251911 Email 6ales@rocketind.com

RADIATORS, INTERCOOLERS & OIL COOLERS l Offroad cars l Motorbikes l Boats l Hot Rods l Street Cars l Circuit Cars

|__C£j^08^132^1888foi_younTearest^distributoF_j

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f

Available from;

Rocket Industries is the Manufacturer's Appointed Distributor for Cool It ■|>iermo Tec In Australia. All trade enc^uiries should be directed to: Ph 02 5525 1900 Fax 02 55251911 Email sales@rocketind.com

HANDBUILT

&

ALL

AUSTRALIAN

MADE

GIULCDIIIil IIWY lGCDMMDDATIDNfQr1lir2WE[KS

COOL IT. Haat Control .K

Contact 07 55 981 499 or Fax drawings to 07 55 984 398

Holley Performance System Distributors

NSW:Motorspot Connection 029838 7272 VIC: Revolution Racegear 03 9873 8700 WAiGo Gear Racing Services 08 9443 1457 MjniXacuinis tppolnted dluiSxitor ht AuUTiitM (rade enqulrlM thould be dirKted i Ph.02975£ 1966F«.02 97SaiI5S Cm*Tlnloer4)r»xonLSU

1,2 £e 3 Bedroom units available Trackside(limited apartments)8 local areas.Price on application.

Mobile 0422 107 409 or 0061 755 941 202 -i.

■V

ICOMPO/VIOT/V'E

rORSPORT WHEELS |

VIC 03 9386 5331 NSW 02 9676 8655 SA 08 8387 3522 WA 08 9293 3500 TAS 03 6273 7555 NT 08 8941 5388 QLD 07 3217 1188 siuLxtr rvRE SERVICE www.siuckey.coni.au

^Sak up with kuy Thompson

'M V

Rocket Industries is the Manufacturer's Appointed Distributor for Mick^ Thompson Performance Tyres in Australia. All trade enc^uiries should be directed to: Ph 02 55251900 Fax 02 55251911 Email sales@rocketind.com

in 3 sizes

! Stranger ^ « j crankshafts I & canrads

40% large filtering surface Multi layer filter design Three clip quick release (No bolts)

● Increase horsepower ' Increase torque ● Increase engine life * Reduce fuel consumption ● Provide better wear

76

f.●Ji:

2.^1m X 2.4m 3m X 3m 4.5m X 3m to cover all situations.

Maintenance free.

The 60 second shade structure.

S.U., Dellorto, DCOE single / twin

Distributor for Rocket Industries is the Manufacturer's Appoim Scat Industries in Australia. All trade enc^uiries should be directed to: Ph 02 5525 1900 Fax 02 5525 1911 Email sales@rocketind.com

r

www.perfoiwancewholesale.com.au

^ SHADE SPECTRUM SHADE Now available

Cranksliatls

Seriaus Pratectian

Phone 07 3808 1986

or visit our website for your nearest aistributor.

protection at start-up Rocket Industries is the Manufacturer's Appointed Distributor for Torco Automotive Racing Oils in Australia. All trade enc^uiries should be directed to: Ph 02 88251900 Fax 02 56251911 or Email sales@rocketind.com

M4nufKtunnanwinU7ddiUilbulortc>rAuiUall..All trade cngr4rin Oiould be diiMted I PK02 97S81966 Fu.02 97SS1 tSS EmaOrlnlbMabrefonLau

FIA HARNESSES 2008 expiry, lightweight buckle, 3" webbing, clip in ends Black, Red, Blue 5 point - $539 ● 6 point - $579 FOR IMMEDIATE DELIVERY Aust 5tandard 4 point belts fr $145 RACE PRODUCTS

Ph 02 9756 0202 Fax 02 9756 0203 sales@simpsonraceproducts.com.au

B

1800 089 089

I

^www.spaclpamsliatle.cflin.au

RACE PRODUCTS

J

World's leaders in Motorsport Safety Technology Helmets ● Suits ● Boots ● Gloves ● Harnesses ● Crew Gear ● and all accessories for ail motorsports Quality ● Price ● Service Simpson Safety Equipment Australia 11/62 Newton Road Wetherill Park NSW 2164 AUSTRALIAN

DISTRIBUTORS

motorsport oews

MARKET PLACE

P

LATIN UM

The world's strongest and most affordable shaft type roller rocker

tornnua nras@ Calaer Pan Open Pradce 30 laps (5795) fun Dnve Days (from S495)

l Available in twin shaft and unique single shaft designs for all parallel and cant valve engines * Strongest race rocker available with unique lifetime warranty for road and race applications

Formula Fords@ Queensland Hacewa^ Dnve Days (from $495) Formula Ford Race School

Gilt Vouchers Available

www.udrive.com.au

Ph 03 9555 5522 Fax 03 9555 4152

Furtner Inlormallon and Bookings: 03 9217 886B or 07 3396 3666

o n i c

Balancers

The True Performance Alternative (

Phone 07 3808 1986

1 l Extremely durable bonded dampening material l Easy to read computer etched timing marks l Avaiiable in economical cast iron Street, all steel SFI approved Race and new Serpentine for Chev, LSI, LTl etc Ph 02 6937 8888 Fax 02 6921 7536 Visit out website www.preclsionparts.com.au

\. At

or visit our website for your nearest distributor.

mvw.performancewholesale.com.au

l Matching race valve train components a huge range of one piece super duty pushrods

Ph 03 9357 0469 or Fax 03 9357 0001 Visit our website: www.crowcams.com.au

^^^IIGHTWEIGHT nMiuW/ FLYWHEELS The ultimate in strength & safety Your choice ofstandard weight or lightweight steel l Available for all popular applications including Ford 6 cyl, Cleveland and Windsor V8, Holden 6 & V8, Chev SB & BB V8 l

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

m— ONE PIECE RACE PUSHRODS < S^EEDFLOW Premium Motorsport Hose & Fittings! I As used by top touring car. speedway & drag racing teams.

y/\L\7IES

● .080" wall chrome moly

:COMREnTioNmwLEssmnmiid MMli i i i i 1 1 I I I 1i I M

● one piece construcdon

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 Gogear Racing Services (08) 9443 4400

WlSTRfBUTX

Phone or 3808 1986

or visit our website for your nearest distributor.

www.performancewholesale. com. au

● available in

from 6.00" to 10.00"

acHIning controa Highaot guality one In the induatry

3?9gSa=!1|

DVNMeOF MOTORSPORT

p:03 9357 0469 f:03 9357 0001 visit our website: www.crowcams.com.au

MATLAEOOM

darsusaaok

No pre-requisites. 40 laps at Oran Park.

10 Carnegie Place Blacktown NSW 2148 p 02 9676 8655 f 02 96765300 « e garvdunlop@ozemail.com.au

www.garysmotorsporttyres.com.au

International Racing Drivers School

SuperFlow C orporation HBSSSBl

Phone 07 3808 1986

or visit our website for your nearest distributor.

www.performancewholesale.com.au

W'

^efersonl'i nAumuANiommoR ,

i.

S^cc'icc

Phone 07 3808 1986

or visit our website for your nearest distributor.

WWW. performancewholesa le.com.au

Vehicle & engine development

For more info ph 02 9873 1773, fax 02 9871 1018 or email peter@finlays.com.au WWW.Finlays.com.au

xcr.

WABREB

Superior strength Exact stem to seat concentricity Closely controlled margin heights Fully machined combustion feces Swirl polished underheads Hard chrome stems Herd tips

MjbuUcturm appotnud diHributor Ibr AuHr«b.Aa Vm3* enquiries duxid be cflrccted to Ph.02 97561966 ru.02 97S81

9

Engine building

s=ss=r,-^y:7s.-scirM

●E3

Aiuminioin Comoetition Wheel Nuts D-BO Ip PPEssure GauoEs

etow

CAMS

NEW street race version^J also available

Formula Ford Test Drives - $695 in our cars.

waoe in the USA

X (/

● .080" v*^ll hardened steel j

@ Oran Park monthly $650 in your car.

Includes lecture and OLT.

s for any angina combination 6 and: 4 cylinder OulCKaat deiivary 'In’ the :| nduatry All new CNC

& W diamet(

● .050" length steps

CAMS racing and rally licence courses

20 August 2003

CKOW CAMS

including PSi(USA) valve springs and

fr.

Ferrea iUi

l Custom ground rolier, solid and hydraulic profiies using unique computer controiled^ machines for unrivaiied accuracy

www.yellaterra.com.au

^Co

■HmmFomNCEiM '§EmmmmGsm

CKOWCAMS

l Fast profile design service to your requirements

Emeitinfo^tibreconciu

& machining service

CHASSIS f DV'NAMaMETT.ttS

For your engine tuning and development needs

Postal Address PO Box HI Eisborne VIC 3437 Tel/Fax 03 54HB IIH3 Mobile B4BB 834 HE5 Email KBBLKAR5@blgpond.corTi.au

ISKYi

RACING CAMS

mMmsmwm meoMmMNm Phone 07 3808 1986

or visit our website for your nearest distributor.

www.performancewlwlesale.coni.au

AX

#

>cTrji-wrvo /a /rwTVT/Trrvrwravrr>Ci^=<«-^3*^P

Phone 07 3808 1986

or visit our website for your nearest distributor.

www.performancewholesale.coni.au 77

m race shop

PLASTICS <^/COJIgJr/^ ii

^turbcwortd Specialists In l Turbochargers ball S bearing and non ball bearings l Kits & = overhauls available l High flow ^ intercoolers and kits l Link engine = ■nanagement systems ● Oil coolers and 5 oil coolers kits* Silicon hoses and bends ● Tein suspension kits

® Full range of industrial plastic materials Nylon, Acetal, Teflon, Polythenes, PVC etc l Racecar windows “cut to size" & moulded

l Perspex & polycarbonate sheet ex-stock “ Polyurethane & Delrin for suspension bushes

PLASTICS FOR INDUSTRY DANDENONG VIC 03 9706 381 1

Phone 07 3808 1986

57 Taunton Dr Cheltenham VIC 3192

or visit our website for your nearest aistributor.

Ph 03 9584 4499 53x03 9584-1008 Email avo@blgpond.com

www.perfonnancewhoiesafe.com.au

r*

iemarkniiEe Wlsidows of Opportunity for Engine Experts

° Accurate, Repentoble, Versolile

So.it.%cc ”

● Take manual control or hands-free

Available In steel Streetmaster, Sportsmaster or Pro Series I-Beam.

Available In aluminium.

Exacting attention to detail & finish.^ Quality ARP fasteners.

»Local design, support, development, inslnllolion ond on-site training » Top nnmes demand lop equipment (users inc NIZPRO, HSV, HRI & John Sidney Rocing) ° Engine, chassis, go-kart or motorbike

For moro Information and a dsmenstration contact:

JHDynoLog Dynamometer

raeejv brakes

Competitian disc pads ● Race brakes ● Pagid ● Hawk ● Endless ● Performance Friction

Over 10 years experience of brake modifications and upgrades for road and race. Caliper conversion 1, 2, 4 8i 6 piston. Custom made disc rotors.

Manufacturers & distribi

of

c races High perform

e & racing disc brakes

m UP YOUR miRDROBE! visit

hi'

e-

Jvlcstate'ralE^MK

Email Qelder<§)melbpc.org.au

Queensland 07 3341 9911 Sydney 02 9609 1101 Melbourne 03 9326 6088

it

it.

p*'l

j

AREX Computing POBox 151 Montrose Vic3765 Ph039751 1142 Rk 03 97512173 Mob 0408055 541

hUnufxTurvn

g^RANE m^ams

steel Main Caps to suit most V8 applications Manufactured in USA by Pro-Gram Engineering

State Distributors

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

€

Australian Importer and distributor:

CR/XNE

Ph: 08 8363 5566 TECHNOLOGIES Fax: 08 8363 563 3 PTY. LTD. www.cranecams.com.au

PIA RACESUITS

World Motorsport News.com

APC $495

Latest news and Images from around the world.

\ sparco ● Gloves ● Suits ● Boots ● Harnesses ● Helmets - POA Ph OS 9720 2144

V8 Supercars /Konica Series /Formula Fords/

Supporting Australian and New Zealand Businesses online!!

Motor Accessory Shops / Mechanical 6t Service Outlets advertise@v8supercar.net Ph 0410198610 www.worldmotorsportnews.com

Books, Videos, DVD's

mam moiorspon Trom ri to lumve iu>ays ’ ^ Workshop Manuals for cars and bikes ^ How To’s for just about everything \'s

?k 02 9909 1144 Fax 02 9909 I566|

RACING PISJOm It PINS \

Phone 07 3808 1986

or visit our website for your nearest distributor.

viww. perfoniiancewholesale. com. an 78

O' AUTOSPORT 194BAYSWATER ROAD PERFORMANCE ^XCyCEMTRE BAYSWATER NTH 3513

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M U

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Guru Racing -

inc GSM

ALL ROUNDS ALL CLASSES

Fully enclosed custom built race car transporters Professional race car logistic and event specialists Security for car and equipment Contact Neil Griffiths on 0418 474 816

race(3)tnt.com.au

5i

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,^„^2^ustrallan Made \ - 5 stages available Call for a FREE brochure

Ob^g CUSTOM PARTS

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Engineered isotropic finishes for cartjon & alloy steels, stainless steels & titanium components.

Inaease component efficiency and life span, reduce vibration, friction, noise & operating temperature. This is not polishing, but refining machined surfaces to a polished condition, removing machining peaks - the cause of miaopitting which leads to component failure.

PiruiiUFARnu/:

Ph 03 5339 5159 Fax 03 5339 2144

Sold in Australia by

Formula 1/World Rally Championships ...

for all your motorsport merchandise & memorabilia

d diiUttKAcr for AioUaB^-AI lT4d« «nQulri« ihocAl be cSteclKl I

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Trade Pricing Available a

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CLASSIFIEDS

Classifieds online classifieds 7

news

» 'A

Find hundreds more race vehicles and parts for sale at www.my105.com

SELL

from just $25

your motorsport vehicle, parts, memorabilia with our ali-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!

Let buyers consider your vehicle first!

Feature

For greater exposure Purchase a Feature Ad 2. Choose the "Exclusive Feature" when entering

2L Sport Sedan, Datsun Stanza, Strong motor(SR20)with Quad Throttle bodies and Wolf 3D, 5 speed box, Slicks and Wets, Front running car, finished 3rd in Vic State titles 2002, Lots of spares. Tilt Trailer available $2000. $13,500. Shane 0418 540 794 / 03 9702 1694. 265 wvirw.myl05.com/87486

2002 TVR CHIMAERA, This car was built brand new Aug 2002 has raced twice, Flas 330mm AP fr Brakes - 290mm Rr Lighter version race body from Fact Glebe dog box - spool diff - FIA Moly cage - Carbon Dash panel Center lock wheel( 12 spares )Ring for further details Must be sold. No $$$ to compete. $80,000 Neg. KOSI 0419 524 752. 265 WWW.my105.com/41150

2 Litre Sports Sedan, Ford Zetec Twin Cam, 121 kw at wheels, 5 speed 2 x LSD + ratios, weighs 740kg, 5 link. Bell crank rear suspension, adjustable Bilsteins front and rear, new mounted wets and spare slicks, heaps spares, log booked and race ready, laps PI 1.51, Calder 1,07, Dyno sheets and official current lapi times available. $11,000 Neg. David 0418 www.myl05.com/37003

1. Tick the Feature box when filling out the coupon OR

Sedans/Sports Cars

Targa / Classic Rally BiVIW 3.0S, Well known and developed classic rally car. Fully road legal, very fast, 230kw M5 eng, recent timing chain etc, balance engine 45,000km.

Bilsteins, 2 x LSD, 2 x BBS rims, new R series rubber, Sparco seat, harness. Loved car, just 2 owners 23 years. Urgent sale.

Airfare refunded. $16,500 Neg. Vince 0401 989 779. 265 www.myl05.com/92200

Datsun 1600 Club Car/Sports Sedan, 2nd owner, excellent condition, new paint, cams log book with alloy cage, Veto race seat New 2Lt engine with twin 48mm webbers,and extractors.

Adjustable race suspension, 4 spot calipers front 2 spot rear. 2 sets of 14x7 wheels, dry and wet tyres. Spare engine/tyres. Ready to race.

Proven results. $7,950. Max 0418 485 460 / (03)9842 3132. 264www.my105.com/80734

Lotus 7 Replica, 200hp Rover V8, T5 Gearbox, independent suspension. Good brakes. Used for Hillclimbs, Sprints, Motorkanas. 2 Sets of wheels, spare motor, gearbox and diffs. New seat and 5 point harness. . $12,000. Allyson 0400 065 164 / 07 3202 9262. 264www.my105.com/73946

T-PL.,

Subaru WRX,B Class road Registered, Full cage. Good Motor over 275kw. 66sec Car Wanneroo, Dog Box, Autronics, Proflex, All swaybars, Ap brakes. Straight through pipe, S Anti-Surge oiland fuel system. Custom Radiator, Big $$ Spent, Spares available. $35,000 Or Best Offer. Sean 0419914062.

265 www.my105.com/86347

Honda Sports Sedan, ROLLING CHASSIS SOLD Only the two engines and gearboxes left 640HP twin turbo V6 with intercooler or 500 HP 20B triple rotor with Microtech engine management tboth engines fresh and ready to fit and go racing sensabie offers will take them. Gregg (02) 9674z5651. 265www.my105.com/86771

Escort Mkl Sports Sedan, New 1600cc engine with twin webbers, good exhaust, full steel cage, straight solid body, cams log book, some spares. $2750 Neg. Kevin 0403 268 116.264 www.my105.com/59651

U2L Sport Sedan, Datsun 1600 with SR20DE Quad Throttle bodies, MOTEC, extractors, Morris vernier cams, 5 Speed box, ATB LSD Diff, Adjustable Suspensioh/Koni shocks all round, big brakes, wets and slicks.

Sparco race seat, Victorian State Champion 2000, Front running car. Log booked with alloy cage. Ready to race. Trailer available. $12,500. Max 0418 485 460. 264 www.my105.com/50478

iHJOioeui ^

FORD XR8, Raced season 2002 and only two 2003 race meetings. Upgraded BA front end, exceptionally prepared and maintained.

For definite sale Including V8 Brute Franchise. Buy now and race at Phillip Island, Winton, Gold Coast Indy and Bathurst, ines Stangherlin 0419 816 833.

265 www.myl05.com/25310

20 August 2003

Group "A" Skyline, Genuine Group A Skyline DR30 $ Appreciating in value $ as Historic next year. Currently racing with Sports Sedans. Championship wihning car.

Easily converted back to original most parts & books included in sale plus all spares, too many to list. Apperal for sale as retiring. $65,000 ono Serious buyers only please phone Clive (03)9387 0680, $65,000 ONO, 264 www.my105.com/27823

Subaru STI RA, Close ratio Box, 4,44 diffs, 330 mm rotars and AP calipers, full roll cage Quich Rach steering, 5 injectors, uni chip, 1.53 Phillip Island, 17lnch Speedlines, Exel club and hillclimb car, emaculate original condition. $24,500, Ian 0408 103 815 / (03) 9555 9291.264www.my105.com/81841

Toyota Corolla IMP Production Car, 4 AGE 20 valve engine, autronic engine management, TRD, C/R, g/box, 4.3 LSD, Sparco seat and harness, log book, includes galvanised tandem axle braked trailer. $10,500. John (07) 3206 8308. 264 www.my105.com/43891

79

Open Wheelers

RX7 Sports Sedan, 13b turbo, T04, Microtech MTX8, 430 HP Supra gearbox, comp clutch, borg Warner 4.11diff, comp SUSP, Cobra seat, datalogger, 16inch wheels, log book, turn key. Daytona body kit. With spares. $18,500. Rod 0403 254 387 / (07) 3396 9255.

264 www.myl OS.com/17545

I Elfin 620 FF Historic Grp Q, restored In 96 & refurbished in 02 by Boreland[Spectrum] Lamer engine, tyres 4 meetings old .Always maintained regardless of cost, eg new belts .Competitive times with ageing ovenveight driver comes with light enclosed trailer & spares. Nothing to spend just add petrol & race $27500. eltham. bob morrow (03) 9386 5331 / (03) 439 7665. 266 www.myl05.com/49004

Van Dieman Stealth, Rolling Chassis.

Immacutely maintained by K&A and Troy Dunstan. Penske 3-way shocks, MoTech, myriad of spares including full panel set, suspension arms, drive shafts etc. Aboslute front runner. Available mid September for NZ rounds or 2004. If you want a winning car at national or state level, this is ideal.

266 Tony 0419 777 977. www.my105.com/77850

MYGALE FORMULA FORD, Just fully rebuilt by Mygale Australia - no expense spared with all latest factory updates, Ritter Race Engine at zero kims. Full set up for all Australian tracks and assistance. Spares package with car, $32,995. Greg 03 9580 7047. 264www.my105.com/73905

> l n .¤ 1994 PORSCHE 911 GTR, Converted to GT2 body, inci carbon fibre on bonnet & rear wing. Recent dyno records 280HP at rear wheels. Motec data acquisition and dash.

Motec engine management and fuel injection. Price is FOB Perth, Australia. $100,000 Neg, Michael (08) 9347 8800. 264 www.my105.com/75124

MGB 1964 PRODUCTION SPORTS CAR, Suit group "o" or rare road car. Raced oran park. Adjustable suspension, CR gearbox, isd, Webber, raydots, filler cap. Mawer mags, new soft top unleaded head and full race head and some spares will supply rwe vie RACEMG plate negotiable. $18500 Or Best Offer, Ray (03) 9608 4102. 264 www.myl05.com/86282 Mallock Mark 31, Brand new roller (factory car), knock on hubs, 8 x Magnesium F2 wheels, body panels, fuel cell/foam, steering, disc brakes with Wilwood calipers, Suzuki 1300, Twin cam engine, gearbox, diff centre. Ask for Greg. $10,000. Greg Baird 0419 645 770. 263 www.my105.com/82744

'V Historic Formula Ford Wren, Group R, Log book and 0 of D. In excellent condition and ready to race, a competitive and inexpensive entry into Historic Open Wheelers. Trailer available if required. $17,500. Eamonn (02) 9604 7680. 266 www.myl05.com/21062

Not so Special, Formula Libre Hillclimb car, less engine. CAMS Log book. All the best bits such as Penske shocks, Knight steering rack, Motec M800, Torsen LSD, etc. Best Offer. Greg Mackie 0402415022.

266 www.myl05.com/34866 Welsor Waggot Sports 1300 Clubman, built 1972 by Colin Wear car no.6, complete rebuild 3K Corolla engine with big valve head, Modena straight cut close ratio gearbox, new clutch, rebuilt diff and new front shocks, 2 sets of 3 piece wheels, 1 set of Soft Avon tyres, new aluminium guards and battery etc, very quick and competitive, with all log btxiks. $16,900.

Andrew (03) 5443 0810 / 0418 510 462. 266 www.myl05.com/7355

Spectrum 07 FF, 2 sets rims & tyres, 2 side pod covers, 2 nose cones, 4 nose boxers, long & short wheel base. Ratios, Motec & Beacon, Lifters & Blocks, Penski Shocks, Just rebuilt. Great Looking Car & Very Fasti. $34,000 ONO.Andy 0418 177 269 / (03)9737 1537.266 www.myl05.eom/70841

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. 264 www.myl05.eom/53909

1981 Cheetah Mk 7, In tip top condition. Pole at Oran Park Nov '02 with Dallara 395 Mugen in field. Easy to drive, valid for AF2, 1 have all log books it you wanted to am in historic Gp R. Comes with spares. A proven race winner.

Won Rookie of the year 2002. Engineer Tom 9588 9443 Owner. Brendon 0409 952 905. $27,500 Neg. 264 www.my105.com/24886

HISTORIC LOLA FF, This Historic LOLAT200 Formula Ford is a 1969 T200 and is one of only three built by Lola Cars in that year. Engine and Hewland gearbox have done two meetings since full rebuild. Car comes complete with CAMS log book and Certificate of description. 22,000. Ken 03 480 4040, 264 www.my105.com/57976

Formula Ford Historic Bowin P6F, car is well maintained, Ritter engine, spare ratios, log book and COD. Always a top performer, and in excellent condition. Inc. Trailer. Must Sell. $22,500 ONO. Vince 0418 509 145.

264 www.myl05.com/54032

T^MFwaytoselivourgeari From lust$25* fustlog on

(*$25 applies to ads entered directly onto my105.com) Advertising can also be supplied using thisform ($10/$15 surchage to text only/text -f pic advertisements) Advertisements will appear in next possible issue of Llolorspori News PLUS the my i05.com websiteforthree months.

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NOTICE TO ADVERTISERS Please use ihe lorm provided and print clearly. Please note

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motorsport news

CLASSIFIEDS Speedway

modified Production Sedan, Commodore #10 Aust 2 1998-99 Vic 1 2000-01 Fresh Engine & fibreglass Panels with spares. 02 6033 1291 / 0408 570 822.

263 www.myl05.com/72040

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 diffs, 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 844 841.260 www.my105.com/25409

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.my105.com/81149

Transporters/Trailers

Used Racing Tyres, 3 x Bridgestone RE610S 225/50/16 25% ieft $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 31 4988. 263www.my105.com/12863 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.my105.com/69516 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 (PorscheGTS) $4,200 or original GT3 rims $4,500. Lightweight door and floor inners, to suit PorscheGTS $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

Engines Toyota 4 AGE 20 Valve, Black Top, set up for rear wheel drive, suit many applications, aluminium competition sump, comp clutch, hand made extractors and exhaust. $2,900.

Adrian (03) 5221 5225.

264 www.my105.com/57119 PERKINS HOLDEN ENGINE, Perkins Holden V8 Supercar Engine, just Fully Rebuilt. New Perkins Heads - $19,500 ono.

Also available spare panels, wheels, spoilers etc for VH Commodore PDA, $19,500 ONO. Greg 03 9580 7047. 264 www.myl05.com/79592 Suzuki GSX - R1100, motorcycle engine, 1990 L model 1127cc, suitable for hillclimb car, litre sprintcar, racing buggy, etc, completely standard, no modifications.

Includes carburettors, oil cooler, starter motor, alternator, CDI unit. Road use only, never raced, excellent condition. $1,900.

Also, complete turbocharger system to suit above engine. Any offers?. Brett (03) 6295 0610. 264www.my105.com/82215

'A

CHEV TRUCK, 6.5ltr turbo diesel, automatic, full electrics, central locking, cd player, alloy wheels and nudgebar, 5th wheel towing hitch, tubliner and hardtop, 6 seater, cloth interior, great for any towing job. $48500 Not Neg, Owen (03)5176 1355.

264 www.myl05.eom/90492 Chev C30 Banana Back Truck, Tyre rack, heaps of enclosed storage space. Reco 400 small block and reco Turbo 400 transmission. Power Steering, Elec Winch, CD, Meticulously maintained. 12 months reg. $25,000 Neg, Phillip 94993088 / 0418367004. 264www.my105.com/49750

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.my105.com/24901

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 254www.my105.com/92629

Driver/Crew Apparel

Trailer, Large enclosed car trailer, 6,5m long X 2.5m wide x 1.95m high. Spring loaded rear lift door, side door, work bench at front, will fit all open wheel cars and most sedans. Originally built for Speedway Super Sedans. Photos available on request. $10,000.00 ONO. Bronte 08 8254 8444 or 0412 846 997. 264www.my105.com/38329 Betta Electrical Driving Suits, As used by Tony Longhurst and Max Wilson last year, 2 suits each, 1 new Wilson suit never used, FIA approved 2 & 3 layers. NZ$1300 Or Best Offer. Shane Drake 001164 9 5800552. 264WWW.my105.com/43425

Wanted Transporter Isuzu SBR, 18 Ft Pantech, Excellent rear ramp system that works well for low cars. Large toolbox. Chrome rims, 5SP 68B1 turbo engine. Well maintained truck that is ready to use. . $11,750 +GST. Richard 5248 8845.

264 03 www.my105.com/52901 Enclosed Trailer, Trl axle trailer with electric brakes on two axles front and rear, has been carring a super sedan, tyre rack at front, 12v winch only use twice, great to tow.

NSW rego. $12,500.00 ONO. 0405 204 819, 264www.my105.com/8077

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.myl05.com/10410

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1 2002 AU 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.myl05.com/4465

Parts

Escort Full Floating Rear Axle, with spare axle and alloy hub, vented discs, and Brembo 2 spot calipers - $2,270. Brembo 4 spots 2x41 mm and 2x45mm to suit 295mm plus disc - $1,290. Danny 0409 470 055.

265 www.myl05.com/30059 ROVER 5 SPEED GEAR BOX, Rover 5 speed close ratio rover gearbox suit TR8 or MG, straight out close ratio ex Tom Hutchinson, Needham rebuild complete with bell housing and tilton oil pump, ratios by application, $2750. Ray 9608 4102. 264 www.my105.com/60121 COMMODORE, Commodore caged body shell in excellent condition, never bent. Suit Commodore Cup or Sports Sedan. Urgent Sale $2500 ONO. Richard 0419 225 433, 263 www.myl05.com/14131

20 August 2003

/

03 >

i Mazda MX5 1.6 engine, 1.6 litre with polished cam cover (ino. starter, alternator, flywheel)$ 500 Tighe cams and adjustable cam gears $400 EFI technology 45mm throttle bodies, with custom made polished manifold $1500 Locke Stewart extractors $250 $2650 or $2500 for all Microtec computer and dash (+ all wiring harness) $1200 $3850 or $3500 the LOT. Approx 86kw at rear wheels on Ric Shaw dyno.

Nick 02 9736 4172.

263 www.myl05.eom/67304

o

Twin Cab Isuzu, 1983 Twin Cab Isuzu SBR, 22ft pan, Electric winch, hydrollc tailgate, compressor, belly lockers, CD Player Reg 12/03 $27000 ONO Phone BH 0405 123 035 AH 03 9736 2006. $27000 ONO.Ash 0405 123 035 /(03)9736 2006, 263 www.myl05.com/86978

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l More refined searches

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 Hiibourn Fuel Injection complete with latest 1 peice 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.myl05.com/1589

1$

i

Ford Trailer Crew Cab and Gooseneck 9m Trailer, 350 Chev engine petrol/gas, tandem axle trailer, carry 1-4 cars, exc. cond. VIC rego many features. $45,000 plus GST ONO. Tony 0408 805 518. 263 www.my105.com/30158

Browse the ‘motorsport catalogue’ of new parts and accessories Coming Soon ...The Motorsport directory and membership areas

Get it seen Get it soid!

81

OPINION

BOMRpgn EDITORIAL STAFF

Editor: Phil Branagan «editor@mnews.com.au Assistant Editor: Mark Glendenning « mark@mnews.com.au Staff Journalist: Grant Rowley » grant@mnews.com.au

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82

My system works!

Tribute to Stewie

While sympathising with the views expressed by Ryan Dean of Berwick(MNews Issue #263), there is a much, much simpler solution to his problem than rejigging the points system.

Award the championship to the driver who wins the most races! If two or more drivers win the same number of races, cormt the second places; and so on. If a race has to be stopped,for whatever reason, between 25% and 75% duration (or other lower and upper limits depending on the rules at the time), award a half win,. This solution applies not only to V8 Supercars, but to every category awarding a championship.

The case I quote in support of this proposal is the Formula One World Championship of 1958.

Moss won four races. Brooks three, and Hawthorn one.

Guess who won the World

It always hurts when a racing driver is lost,but it's always hurts more when it is a mate and losing Stewart McColl at Phillip Island just over a week ago has not sunk in.

I first met Stewie in my first year as a reporter for good 'ol MN in 2000 as he raced for the Australian Formula Ford Championship in a Kmart Van Diemen for the Sonic team.

Championship ... Hawthorn!

As Ryan Dean said in his letter, racing is all about winning. This system rewards winners.

Mark Taylor markandanntaylor@hotmail.com

Thexton Fan Mail I have just read MNews #263 and have to agree almost entirely with everything Neil Stratton wrote regarding the franchise farce with V8 Supercars.

However, I disagree with Neil's comment regarding Davis Thexton.

Up until the end of 2002, the ● qualifying requirements in V8 Supercars was 107 percent of the pole sitters time, just like Formula One. In 2003, FI scraps this requirement while AVESCO makes it 105 percent.

No other major motorsport category has such a tight qualifying rule.

Under the 107 percent rule, Thexton would have qualified for all the races except Adelaide. Also take into account that David is a newcomer to V8s, a newcomer to all the circuits, he's driving an AU, but has finished all races he has started m.

While Thexton may not be a victim of the franchise farce, he is a victim of a qualifying farce, and I'm sure he paid for his frachise as well. If he had been allowed to start more races. I'm sure he would be more competitive.

The more race miles he completes, the better he will be. Remember,

converter

Immediately we struck up a good friendship and that made life for a rookie reporter a heU of a lot easier.

What made it even better was that

Send us your thoughts: mail; PO Box 7072, Gardenvale, VIC 3186 fax: 03 9596 5030 email; mnews@mnews.com.au

Stewie was always approachable, great for a laugh and most of aU, down to earth. And we always had great fun away from the track.

His infectious laugh, cheeky grin and natural flair behind the wheel made him a popular person in the motor racing paddock. You practise makes perfect. I wish David couldn't help but not like him.

Thexton all the best, especially at The last few years had been very hard Bathurst. for Stewie. Many of Iris former team Scott Mackay mates and good friends had progressed Cardross, Vic in their careers,both in Australia and overseas,though Stewie was stuck short The Future ... of cash and opportunities.

I have been pondering the future of As hard as it was,he was always V8 Supercars. upbeat and it's sad that things were Looking at the cars now,they are starting to roll for his career. With his virtual Sports Sedans.

Volkswagen works drive starting to The cars have a space frame chassis net some stronger results, an FPR V8 connected to the floorpan with Supercar test and testing of a Carrera suspension points part of the roll Cup Porsche all either completed or on the cards, he was about to make ■cage/chassis. The body shell seems to play little part in the structure of the car. the next step in his career.

As we now have 'Project Blueprint' Last weekend in a variety of we are only a control engine away championships,both in Australia and overseas,a number of Stewie's close from silhouette racing cars. Is this what we, the race fans want? racing friends ran with tributes on their Silhouette cars would allow other cars and helmets as weU as special'#20 manufacturers to enter the series with . - Stewie' caps - that's how much he less dramas than now but do any of the was valued as a friend and racer and manufacturers (Holden & Ford how much we are thinking of him. included) want to go racing this way?

There's a large group of friends, Do the fans want to watch that sort of scattered around Australia and as fa r away as England and Germany. We racing? all miss our mate Stewie and the last The solution evades me at the present time but something will have to happen eventually. What is the lifespan of the current regulations? We cannot'go back to production cars as PROCAR are doing a very good job of running production car racing and I can't see them giving up the V8 portion of their field.

V8 Supercar can't continue on its present path forever, so where to next?

Improved Production? Group A? Any ideas anyone?

Brian Gibson brian.gibson@tkl.com.au

week has been very difficult but the level of support shown at his funeral in Newcastle last week proved just how many people he had touched in his 23 years.

Our thoughts are with his parents John and janelle and sister Kate at this heart-breaking time.

But one thing is for sure - we're trying not to cry because he is gone, we are trying to srrule because he was here.

Cheers mate.

Aaron Noonan Haivthorn East, Victoria

Did Mike Hawthorn deserve the 1958 World title? He

Does David Thexton deserve a fairer shot in VS

only won a single race ...

Supercar qualifying?

motorsport news

I

INDY300 OOLD COAST, AUSTMLIA 23-2B OCTOBER 2003

Succumb to four days of non-stop action at this year’s Lexmark Indy 300, October 23-26. If the 300km/h action of the Champ Cars and V8 Supercars isn't hot enough for you, there'll be plenty of entertainment off the track to get your senses simmering. Don’t miss the Friday night drag races, fire-breathers, acrobats or spectacular jets that light up the skies. There's also a constant supply of party hot spots. Four day passes start from just $'142.

For more info on indy Fever visit: indy.com.au

1300 303 '103 on iniDY Tn/\\/EL '1800 300 055

Why do champion motorsport drivers choose Yokohama tyres?

That’s

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Available from Yokohama key dealer 131 509 Bob Jane T-Mart 13 26 25

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