Motorsport News Issue 284 - May 26-June 8, 2004

BATHURST V8 SEASON FINALE? THE IMEW. BEHMIMD THE IMEWi

Australia $5.95 NZ $7.50 inci GST May 26-June 8 2004

Todd toughs it out at the Top End-FULL COVERAGE !!T

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motorsport features 28 Five Minutes With Chris Gilmour 1. Buy Dallara 2. Go racing 3. Win, win, win!

30 Family Business Steve Johnson speaks about living on Pianet DJR 34 Magna Car-ter Driving Misubishi’s AWD Production Raily weapon

race coverage

(MigSs HOLOEIM

36 22 Calibre Todd Keliy won after Skaife hated Ambrose, Ingail hated Ambrose and Richo got pipped by Ambrose. Ail the Top End V8 action 48 Blue corner beats Red corner Michael’s winning streak is not just stopped but blown away by Jarno Trulli and Renault. And what realty happened in the tunnel?

56 Porsche Territory Davo versus Richo in Darwo (Ed: that’s Darwin) 58 Melbourne Cupping Nations Cup and Formula 3 from sunny (?) Sandown SEASON FtNAiEI

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MagKaVMSaocb Mngt n hatkUo^

60 Vodafone Home Stokell leads PROCAR VW charge 62 Cyrpus Thrill But tech dramas for Peugeot, Citroen

Photos: Cover: Dirk Klynsmith, sutton-images.com Contents: Klynsmith, Ford Racing Media and Mitsubishi

regulars 64 Rallying

66 Speedway 68 Drag Racing

70 National Scene

75

Marketplace 3

V8 tech changes set fer

by CHRIS LAMBDEN

T

HE technical make-up of a V8 Supercar is about to undergo its most radical make-over, following the release last weekend at the Darwin round of a draft document outlining a substantial list of technical changes aimed at further containing costs of competing in the premier category.

Majority support for a high percentage of the proposals along pit lane at the weekend,suggest that the bulk of the sweeping changes may well be accepted quite quickly - in time for a planned final document in six to eight weeks time.

The move has come as part of the category's ongoing program of cost containment and includes changes to almost every area of the cars, including engines, brakes, electronics, transmission, suspension and aerodynamics.

The cost containment push,first revealed by MNews as far back as 18 ni'.'nths ago,is now a serious issue, will; over 30 individual items being pinp'linted for either tender as a con 'll item (one supplier), or to be subj. :t to control specifications(more than n.ue supplier possible).

Introduction of some of the 'big ticket' items is over a staggered period of time to allow teams to use up current stocks If necessary, but TEGA ' CEO Kelvin O'Reilly is adamant that tire bulk of the proposals will be implemented for 2005.

While reduction in aerodynamics, for example,is aimed at increasing braking distances and thus the spectacle of V8 racing, the bulk of the proposals are purely financial.

"It's about the long-term viability of this category for the bulk of the teams who take part," O'Reilly told MNews.

"The time to be looking at cost containment and reduction is when

you don't have to do it. There have been a number of good categories around the world which didn't do that- and they are no longer with us.

"An example is the former BTCC. They didn't start to worry about the costs until it was too late; until after the costs had killed the category.

"Our aim is to give the teams a financially sustainable platform on which the future of the category can be based."

The proposals will now be examined

by TEGA's Technical Advisory Group made up of Richard HoUway(HRT), John Russell (FPR),Larry Perkins and Jim Stone (SBR), under O'Reilly's chairmanship - to offer refinements and suggestions but not, according to O'Reilly, major changes.

"We're happy to look at sensible, reasoned suggestions from them,or anyone. By that I mean,for example, that there may be a case for one specific item where it is actually more beneficial to have two or three suppliers of something made to a control specification rather than an outright control part.

"But that's about it. The Board is adamant that this is the right path to take."

A casual MNews poll among the majority of teams in Darwin suggests that support for the proposals, in principal,is high - although not unanimous.

Mark Larkham,belmv, team owner and Board member, has been a passionate campaigner for cost cutting measures; "The category has to get serious about it. We've often talked about various restrictions in a performance sense, but on this occasion, the model put forward has been a purely financial one," he told MNews.

They (the BTCC)didn't start to worry about the costs until it was too iate; untii after the costs had kiiied the n category - TEGA CEO Kelvin O’Reilly

"As part of the exercise. I've spoken to each and every team about costs and budgets and,at present, I reckon you've got to have something like $6m per year to challenge for the championship. That's unsustainable, unachievable by more than a handful of teams in the Australian environment now.

"So we've got serious about looking at costs. Simple example: wheels. We all currently spend about $1000 per wheel. If we amalgamate our buying, all use the same wheels from a common supplier, and can negotiate it at a few hundred dollars a wheel, why wouldn't we? It's pure business sense.

"The guy on the hill doesn't care that we're using titanium valves they cost a fortune! Same with blocks.

We all send them across to Perth to be machined - costs a fortune ... Why? "I'll defend each and every one of the individual proposals to any team owner who wants to ask.

"We've got the best, and strongest Board we've ever had right now and there is a strong resolve to get this right. Roland Dane, the newest member of the Board,saw the demise of the BTCC first-hand. He probably has the resources to out-spend many of the other teams in the game, but Q can see the big picture, the long-term S picture."

Indeed, the Triple 8 boss,/«r left, is strongly behind the proposals.

nioiorspon news

I

NEWS

green light

What is proposed?

Aerodynamics

n Minimal working aerodynamics solely to achieve parity. The cars to have the same external appearance. n Removal of front undertray from 1 January 2005 n Rear wing to be fixed or with minimal adjustment from 1 January 2005

Brakes n Control brake rotor from 1 January 2005 |i Control brake pad from 1 January 2005 n Restricted list of specified calipers available for use in 2005 n Control brake caliper from 1 January 2006

Data logging/telemetry

n Live car to pit telemetry to be banned from 1 January 2005 n Control dash unit from 1 January 2005 n Reduction in the duplication of data collected from 1 January 2005 n Reduction in the number of channels of data available to teams from 1 January 2005.

Transmission/driveline

n Immediate consideration of gearbox specification - sequential or H-pattern shift. Any change to be effected 1 January 2005 n Control specification of internal gearbox components from 1 January 2005 n Minimum flywheel weight from 1 January 2005 n Control carbon clutch from 1 January 2005 n Control crown wheel 8t pinion from 1 January 2005 n Minimum rear axle (drive shaft) weight - solid component from 1 January 2005 n Minimum tail shaft weight and gauge of metal from 1 January 2005. To be a TEGA recommended part

Engine

"We already have some control items, such as tyres. Now whether we are talking about tyre manufacturers,brake manufacturers,gearbox manufacturers, whatever, they are not shareholders in our business. Our business is owned by the teams and our responsibility is to the teams.If the teams are successful, the show wiU be successful and the sponsors and fans wiU be happy.

"There is some degree of cost, ie pain,in making some of the changeovers, but we have to manage that pain to best effect. That's why there are changeover periods proposed for specific items.

"This isn't just a desirable change for the category,it's an essential one..."

Mark Sk^e,left, also a Board member, appears to be philosophicaUy behind the move,but with a UtUe added caution: "There's no doubt that cost containment,as such,is an obvious area for our business,any business,to have as a priority," he said on Monday.

"In our business, which is all about competition, it's really about saving us from ourselves! Whatever you do, there will be teams going that extra 26 May 2004

mile to get that little bit more out of it, but there's no doubt that there are savings to be made, particularly in relation to non-performance items."

One dissenting voice is that of PWR boss Kees Week "I'm concerned that if we go down this path, the teams will lose their individuahty. To me,control specification is the way to go,far more so than specific controlled items,from one manufacturer."

And OzEmail Racing's Kim Jones adds his own sanguine view: "You know, the most expensive category I ever raced in was Production cars. There's no end to the lengths the people with resources will go to to get some Uttle edge, even out of something as apparently tightly controlled as that..."

Overall, though, the mood along pit lane appears to be one of acceptance. There will be debate about a number of the individual items in the proposal, about control versus control specification, but it is likely that the bulk of the proposals will be implemented.

n Engine specification will be adjusted to provide extended life.

As many engine components as is practical and possible are to have a minimum weight and specification applied to them from 1 January 2005 n As many engine components as is practical and possible will be reviewed and specified as a control component (either by specification or supply) from 1 January 2005 n Maximum valve lift to be stipulated from 1 January 2005 n Specified number and size of piston rings from 1 January 2005 n Restricted list of specified engine peripheral components together with designated position requirements from 1 January 2005 n Engine peripherals to be control components from 1 January 2007 n Minimum engine block weight for both Ford and Holden to be identical from 1 January 2007

Suspension

n Restricted list of specified shock absorbers available for use from 1 January 2005 n Control sealed shock absorber from 1 January 2006 n Individually team homologated stub axle to be available for use and sample logged with TEGA from 1 January 2005 - control component from 1 January 2006

Wheels n Control aluminum alloy wheel from 1 January 2005. All other wheel specifications to remain unchanged. Current stock of wheels to be marked

General/non-performance items

n As many non-performance components as is practical and possible will be control components for any new car that is built from 1 January 2005 n Control fuel tank in all new cars built from 1 January 2005 n Specified identical location of the fuel tank in all new cars built for application with the introduction of new model cars n Control on-board jacks in all new cars built from 1 January 2005 n Control rattle guns and associated equipment from 1 January 2005 5

Bathurst: $1 BATHURST has had its immediate future secured with the announcement that the famous track will continue to host the V8 Supercar 1000 classic for another 10 years from 2005.

AVESCO Chairman Tony Cochrane and Bathurst City Coimcil Mayor Kath Knowles announced last week that from next year, AVESCO Events will promote and manage the race for the ensuing 10 years, with an option to continue for a further decade.

Tender finalised ?:TPE supplier of V8 Supercar control tyres for the next three seasons ^shpjrld be determined soon. ‘ y/Flie Touring Car Entrants' Group TECA issued tender documentation last \X?ok and the proposal to supph- t\ res for the VS Supercar Championship S^fies and Konica Minolta VS Supercar Series for the 2005-2007 seasons is currently under consideration.

Whileifew tyre companies were that forthcoming with their thoughts on the matter, we believe that current supplier Dunlop and former supplier Bridgestone are certain to submit bids, while Yokohama (which pre\ iousl\' n supplied,'both 'control' and 'open' tyres to the category) is considering the matter. Yokohama Motoisport Manager Alan Bradshaw was on \ acation '^when ufecontacted the company but a spokesman said that the tender iwould o|looked at. iVleammfle, it is believed that Michelin is unlikely to bid. Motorsport : ;lvianager%^\-or Sheumack was on his way to Europe when contacted by .jMNews bttf'vve believe that the Australian di\ ision of the French company 'kmaA'-not rule in favour of a VS bid. Its local tyre deal for the Carrera Cup v Seri.es 'dovetails' with its similar deal in other international Cup series.

Tire announcement came two days after the Federal Government announced in its budget that it would commit $10 million to the upgrading of the track. This amount will be added, and separate, to the $10 million already committed from the New South Wales government and $4 million from the Bathurst City Council.

"This is the most significant deal in the history of the Bob Jane T-Marts Bathurst 1000 and AVESCO," Mr Cochrane said.

"Bathurst will be added to a growing list of events that AVESCO will promote, a list that now includes Symmons Plains in Tasmania ... and the final round of the Championsliip o at Eastern Creek." j Councillor Knowles acknowledged 1 that the commitment of the s government and AVESCO Events

The Iceman Cometh Triple 8 confirms Muller and Canto for endurance seats

YVAN Muller is heading back to Bathurst.

Triple 8 Race Engineering has announced that the Frenchman, below, and Dean canto will join regular Betta Falcon pilots Paul Radisich and Max Wilson for the Sandown 500 and Bathurst 1000.

While no pairings have been announced, we expect that Muller, who drove in the endurance races with the Holden Racing Team in 2000 and Kmart Racing in 2002, will share Radisich's car, leaving the physically similar Wilson and Canto in the other Barra.

Muller, 34, is the reigning British Touring Car Champion, having

6

taken last year's title ahead of Vauxhall team-mate James Thompson. Muller is also a multiple ice racing champion, something that could be handy if it hails again at the mountain this year...

"VVe are extremely pleased with our choice of drivers for the upcoming endurance events this season," said T8 boss Roland Dane last week.

Canto, 23, has five Bathurst starts under his belt, with a best finish of fifth with Ford

Teikford Racing in 2001.

"We have given Dean some very valuable practice time in the car recently and he has performed to expectations, so we look forward to seeing him perform well in the endurance events," said Dane.

was pivotal in the region, "l^e significant investment made by the people of Bathurst and the State Government into the future development of Mount Panorama has paid off/' she said.

"Race teams,sponsors and other key stakeholders can see that the serious commitment being made to bring the race facilities up to a standard that more accurately reflects the reputation of this world-class event."

Work on the new facilities. including spectator banks, is expected to be completed before the race on October 14-17 though some of the upgrades, including the new media centre, will not be in place until the 2005 event. _ _ _ , Ql\ t||© Sit© ^

is sacred but the date? nnn

COULD Bathurst once again become the final roundl of the V8 Supercar Championship Series?

Quite possibly, says AVESCO chief Tony Cochrane.

The revelation came during a casual media chat in Darwin, during which the subject of the hosting of the final V8 round was broached.

Apart from confirming that there is no long-term commitment to retaining the final round either at Eastern Creek or,for that matter, in NSW,Cochrane floated the option of a Bathurst grand finale, as it was in 1999 and 2000.

"There is nothing that commits us to October with Bathurst, so it's an option for the future," Cochrane said.

Bathurst used to be the final race of the season until 2000 but it was not always a round of the championship. In 1999, it became part of what was then the Shell Championship Series for the first time. Until then,the series would end in around August and the non championship Sandown 500 and Bathurst enduros would be held. „ Now,it appears,the famous I race could again be the final i race of the year... in late I November or December? i -CHRIS LAMBDEN motorsport news

NEWS

Om and 20 years

Three Diamonds keep racing WHILE the news from Mitsubishi last week that the company will close its Lonsdale engine plant next year is not good, we hear that the company is pressing on with its motorsport programs. Our sources say that the company's ARC commitment will be as strong as ever next season and that the road racing will also continue. n Mark Larkham's Orrcon Racing wore black armbands and carried appropriate car decals at Darwin in memory of engineer Bruce Cary, who died recently after a battle with cancer. Cary played an integral role in Mark Larkham's career, particularly during his Formula Holden days, later engineering Larko's V8 team to its memorable first front row and race wins at the 1998 Gold Coast Indy.

f.

n You can please some of the people ... Seems that the news that Auckland will host a street race for V8 Supercars from 2006 has not been that well received by all. One local politician has pointed to the fact that nearly half of the 155,000 vehicles using the Auckland Harbour Bridge each day will have to stay at home to avoid traffic jams, while the local Greens have issued a statement calling for the government to examine the effect that the race will have on greenhouse gases. Excuse us for being glib but one of those arguments seems to contradict the other...

And it's on again: But when? The Bathurst 1000 looks to be secure for the next 20 years after AVESCO agreed to a long-term deal but tbe October classic might be moving on the V8 Supercar calendar.

24 Hour race is go

THE third edition of the Bathurst 24 Hour will go ahead.

A recent press release confirmed that "a very positive" meeting had taken place between Bathurst City Council and PROCAR and the likelihood of the race taking place was strong, but not certain.

However, MNews sources have revealed that the race around the clock in November will be a sure thing.

"A number of options are being considered at the moment that look very positive for the immediate future of the event," Bathurst

Mayor, Councillor Kath Knowles, stated in the release.

"For the benefit of the city and the future of the extensive redevelopment project at Mount I Panorama, Council is committed to doing what it can to see that the Bathurst 24-Hour race does go ahead."

Despite the uncertainty of the popular race, which has been won twice by the GRM Monaro team, interest from international ' teams has been strong. The race is scheduled provisionally for November 19-21.

- GRANT ROWLEY

n While Kerry Packer continues to lead the way on Business Review Weekly's list of the wealthiest Aussies, Lindsay Fox is the leading 'motor racing person' at number 19.

Fox, who owns the Phillip Island GP track, was estimated by BRW to be worth $770 million, well clear of Australian Grand Prix Corporation Chairman Ron Walker (#47, $405m).

Also making the list are Rob Gerard (who owned Adelaide 500 sponsor Clipsal until selling out in the past year, #49, $394m). Toll Racing principal Paul Little (#59, $373), Carrera Cup racers Geoff Morgan and Peter Hill (#79/$280m and #113/$200m respectively), former PROCAR Chairman Ross Palmer (#121, $188m)and Minardi FI principal Paul Stoddart (#135, $173m).

-n 3 L

26 May 2004

n Triple 8 was without its French engineer 'Ludo' Lacroix at the weekend. Lacroix has returned to his homeland to recuperate from a nasty motocross accident, in which reportedly he broke a leg and a foot...

n You can surf now with Garth Tander. Umm, not at the beach, but his brand-new website will allow you to keep up to date with GT. Check out www.garthtander.com for more ...

7

Larry Cha

LARRY Perkins has been charged by CAMS over an o article that appeared in s Motorsport News last month. ^ CAMS has alleged that 3 Perkins has committed an act prejudicial to the interests of the V8 Supercar Championship Series and the interests of automobile competitions generally. A hearing of the CAMS Disciplinary Tribunal has been set for next Wednesday,

I

Young-Gurr

by GRANT ROWLEY ALAN Gurr will drive a Holden Young Lions Commodore at Eastern Creek this weekend in the fourth round of the Konica Minolta V8 Supercar Series.

Gurr thought he was destined for a season on the sidelines after a hearty crash at the second round of the championship where he injured his neck and shoulder in a 238kmh shunt at Adelaide.

But a quicker-than-expected recovery and a vacancy in the John Faulkner-run HYL team meant that Gurr will be car #46's third driver in four rounds.

"1 need to get laps in before the endurance races," said Gurr, who . won the first round of the series at Wakefield Park.

"Seeing as the Smith's car is a mess and it wasn't going to be ready, this is ideal for what we want to do. I think Faulkner had good results at Eastern Creek so tliat will help out a bit."

Michael Caruso was the team's original driver, but after he split relations with the team post-

June 2 in Melbourne.

When contacted by MNews on Monday Perkins, who did not attend the Hidden Valley round and who was out of Melbourne, said that he had not seen the correspondence from CAMS, "I have not seen it so it I cannot comment on it," he said.

The article, headlined 'LP takes camera aim', was

VALE Bruce Cary

lustin Collms

Adelaide, Formula Fordster Steve Owen filled the void at Winton where he qualified the car second fastest.

"The car proved it can do it," acknowledged Gurr.

"And as we proved at Wakefield l Park, we can do the job as well."

Gurr is currently contracted to Paul Morris Motorsport.PMM have first option on Gurr for the endurance races and the 22-year-old is hopeful of proving his ability to guarantee a ride with them m the endurance races.

The Queenslander is confirmed to drive with HYL for the remainder of the Konica Minolta series and the Bathurst 25-lap event later in the year.

The car will feature small Sirromet and Konica Minolta signage.

NOTED race engineer and former racer Bruce Cary has died after a brave battle with cancer.

Cary had a long career in the sport, spanning four decades and worked with, and influenced, a number of the sport’s leading competitors in Formula 1, F2 and F3.

Cary was a driver of some note during the 1970s, competing in major Sports Sedan events in a Ford Capri V8, part of the large Grace Bros-backed team of the era. He moved overseas at the end of that decade, working with 1982 Formula 1 world champion Keke Rosberg and David Brabham in his British F3 assault.

He was never one to swim with the tide and played a leading role in the design and development of

the Bowman BC1 F3 car in the early 1990s, which fought a dogged battle with the Ralt and Reynard-dominated F3 series in Britain and France. While the car was not a great success in itself, Cary’s influence is felt even today, as much of the highly successful Carlin F3 team were part of the Bowman effort.

After returning to Australia, Cary settled on the Gold Coast and worked with Larkham Motosport and was a mentor to Barton Mawer in his 2003 F3 effort.

As a mark of respect, the front row of the grid was left vacant at Sandown’s first F3 race recently.

A service was due to be held on the Gold Coast today (Wednesday).

Bruce Cary was not the kind of man who would appreciate a fuss being made about his passing

the Quirk

ACCORDING to interim PROCAR CEO Peter Boylan, the PROCAR Champ Series will continue past the fourth round of the series at Winton in three weeks time.

After the success at Sandown two weeks ago with respectable crowd numbers and large competitor entries, Boylan, left, is adamant that the series will not only continue, but prosper.

"There's no doubt it will continue," stated Boylan, a competitor himself in the GTPerformance category.

"The amount of emails and

phone calls from the public is excellent but one hot day doesn't make a summer..."

After Ross Palmer pulled his financial backing out of the series a month ago, the championship was left hanging in the balance, but an inspired turn out at Sandown has given Boylan confidence that the series will press on. However, he has asked for the manufacturers involved in the series to take more of a stake in the show.

"I'll be the promotor of record. At the moment, I'm

NEWS

Supercars back rged to NZ Streets published in MNews on 7 April.

It follows Perkins's successful appeal over Paul Dumbrell's disqualification from the Clipsal 500 in March and, in the article, Perkins is critical of the Stewards and TEGA. Dumbrell was originally docked 75 championship points and fined $10,000 over his role in a late-race incident but, following the appeal, both penalties were rescinded.

Auckland to host "biggest annual sporting event in the country"

AUCKLAND has won the race to host New Zealand's V8 Supercar round from 2006.

AVESCO Chairman Tony Cochrane announced last Thursday tliat the V8 Supercar Championship Series would race around the streets of the City of Sails after the board assessed bids from both Auckland and an upgraded Manfeild circuit near Palmerston North.

"There is no doubt Auckland is the premium street location for a race of this kind," Cochrane said.

"Mairfeild, however, made this decision extremely difficult because their proposal was simply exceptional. In fact, it was the equal of any we have seen in the history of AVESCO - that includes

but he was a great supporter of young talent and his contribution to the sport has been invaluable.

To his partner Jill Fisher, son Ben and family, and many friends within the sport, MNews expresses our sincerest condolences.

Df time negotiating with Ross Palmer regarding the intellectual property of the series. Neither of us are going to tip money into the series. It has to be self-supportive."

Boylan is hopeful that their main drawcard category.

Nations Cup will have 20, possibly 25 cars on the grid.

Ticket prices have again been slashed, as was the case at Sandown. It will cost S10 for an adult on Saturday and a low $12 on Sunday. Kids under 15 will be admitted free.

- GRANT ROWLEY ^

14

proposals from some of the world's largest and wealthiest cities."

Cochrane predicted that the race would become the biggest annual sporting event in the country, with crowds of up to 170,000 expected to attend tlie event.

"At the end of the day, Auckland offered the best in terms of logistics, the appeal of a street circuit format, worldwide television audiences, media

facilities, spectator comfort and viewing, world class accommodation and easy access to an international airport" The 2.6km track will run alongside the pit lane in Victoria Park past the Auckland viaduct, up to the Sky City Casino and back down to Victoria Park. Grandstand seating is expected to cater for up to 10,000 people. The race will be promoted by IMG NZ,which will continue to conduct the Pukekohe rotmd of the series in 2005.

AS MNews closed for press, we learned that Northern Territory Chief Minister Clare Martin said that her government was keen to sign a five-year extension to keep V8 Supercars at Hidden Valley.

With the present contract expiring in 2007,such a deal would secure the NT event until 2012.

"I've told Tony Cochrane we're l keen to look at the next five years '■ and then we'll look at the details," Martin told the Northern Territory Neivs.

Hidden Valley has hosted a round of the Supercar series since 1998.

What a gentleman...

JIM Richards really Is a man to be near in a crisis situation.

While piloting his team's truck up to Darwin for the Carrera Cup races, JR happened upon a broken TNT Logistics truck (similar to his own), likewise lugging Porsches north.

Jim averted a delay that could have jeopardised the on-time arrival of the cars by loaning the crew his stock of spares before the rig was towed back to Alice Springs for repairs.

All arrived on time, Jim accepting plaudits with a minimum of fuss.

Just like he always does. n SBR's enduro signing Greg Ritter has spent some time with Paul Cruickshank Racing's Kevin Mundy and Marcus Zukanovic ahead of this weekend's round of the Konica Minolta V8 Supercar Series at Eastern Creek. Ritter tested both cars at a recent Queensland Raceway hit-out in a bid to set a benchmark for the PCR regulars.

■ Nations Cup competitors have formed the Australian GT Sportscar Association. After meeting at Sandown's PROCAR Champ Series round, the Association is working towards drafting a set of regulations and a vehicle eligibility list for 2005 and also moving to negotiate appearances at special events, including the Australian Grand Prix, Clipsal 500 and Indy events. Trophy Class Ferrari driver John Teulan has been named as Chairman.

■ Peter Fitzgerald is back in the hunt for the Carrera Cup. After losing the backing of ENJO, Fitzy has struck back with backing from Abcorp Pty.Ltd, which deals in heavy automotive components and is eager to get back among the action in the remaining rounds of the series.

■ There'll be an Aussie presence at this year's Nurburgring 24 Flour in June. Mai Rose is taking the same Mitsubishi Mirages that have competed at the Bathurst 24 Flour for an assault on the event, as well as a spare car. Rose will share one car with Kevin Burton and Anthony Robson, while Peter Leemhuis, Tony Alford and John Grounds will share the other. Rose will step back into the Rupprecht Motorsport Falcon for this weekend's round of the Konica Minolta Series at Eastern Creek.

■ If you were thinking of heading to Eastern Creek Raceway for the fourth round of the Konica Minolta V8 Supercar Series on Sunday May 30, you can probably afford it. The ARDC has fixed ticket prices for the meeting at $25 for adults and SI 5 for students and concession cardholders, while kids 12 and under are admitted free. Sounds like a good deal to us.

9

ten home of

[motorsport

So will it be a Williams or a Toyota?

2004 V8 Supercar Championship* Jun13 Barbagallo Jul4 ,Qld Raceway Jul25 ....Winlon

●Rd5 ,Rd6 ,Rd7 ,Rd8 ,Rd9 RdIO

Aug 15 ...Oran Park Sep 12 ...Sandown Oct 12 ....Bathurst Oct 24 Surfers Paradise

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2004 FIA Formula One Championship* May 30 . . .Nurburgring Jun 13 Montreal Jun 20 . . . .Indianapolis J ul 4 . . .Magny-Cours JuMI . .Silverstone .

2004 World Rally Championship* J Jun 4-6 Acropolis Rally . .

June 25-27 Turkey Jul 16-18 .Argentin e .Finland .

Aug 6-8

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Aug 20-22 Germany .Japan Sep 3-5 Sep 17-19 . . . .Great Britain Oct 1-3 ● Italy

Jack back

.Rd7 .RdS .Rd9 .R d 10 .Rd 11

,Rd6 Rd7 ,Rd8 .Rd9 .Rd 10 .Rd 11 .Rd 12 .Rd 13

Davo Could the Aus

JACQUES Villeneuve is very keen to get back into Formula 1 in 2005 and, although most of the recent focus has been on whether or he will test a Williams, we hear talks have been pushing ahead with Toyota and he may be seen testing a car for them before too long.

Villeneuve and his manager Craig Pollock were both in Monaco during the Grand Prix weekend but kept a very low profile, although there were almost certainly meetings with FI team members in the course of the four-day event.

Toyota know that Jacques is not always the easiest driver to work with but also that he was as good, if not better, than Olivier Panis when the two

were BAR-Honda team-mates in 2001 and 2002.

Villeneuve's biggest problem has been his motivation but if he can find his enthusiasm again he could be a formidable force.

- JOE SAWARD

2004 Australian Rally Championship* Jun 5-6 Rd2 Queensland Jun 26 .Rd3 Tasmania ,Rd4 July31-Aug1 . .Rally SA ,Rd5 Aug 28-29 . . . .NSW 2004 Konica Minolta V8 Supercar Championship* ,Rd4 May 30 . . .Eastern Creek Jul 4 ,Rd5 .Qld Raceway .Rd6 Aug 22 . . .Mallala Oct 10. . . .Bathurst . . . .Non Championship 2004 Procar Series Jun 20 Winton Jul 18 . . . .Eastern Creek .

Aug 8 Wakefield Park .

Sep 19 . . .Symmons Plains

,Rd4 .Rd5 .Rd6 .Rd7

2004 SBK World Superbike Championship .Rd5 May 30 . . .Germany . . .Rd6 Jun 13 . . . .Britain .Rd7 Jul 11 . . . .Laguna Seca 2004 Moto GP Jun 6 Jun 13 Jun 26

Championship * .Italy .Spain .Assen

.Rd4 .Rd5 .Rd6

ten

Drinking diamonds Powerful Diamond loss is Bull, but more Red for Jag?

THE word in the paddock at Monaco is that Red Bull may finally terminate its relationship with Sauber and increase its

involvement next year with Jaguar Racing.

Red Bull joined Jaguar this year as the sponsor of Christian Klien and, with Mark Webber expected to move on to Williams next year, the Milton Keynes outfit will have to start looking for a new driver.

The team is beginning to show considerable interest in Formula 3000 favourite Vitantonio Liuzzi, who has

home of

motorsport H

H

All event dates in Ihis calendar were correct al Ihe time of printing. Please consult any individual tracks and/or associations for dale changes.

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

been supported by Red Bull since 2002 when he raced in Formula 3.

Red Bull is the major backer of Liuzzi at Arden Motorsport and the young Italian has been utterly dominant so far this year, winning the first three races this year.

If Red Bull decides to pool its sponsorship in FI with Jaguar Racing, Sauber needs to find some replacement money and we hear that the Swiss team has been in heavy negotiation with Mexico's Cerveceria Model SA to promote the Mexican firm's Corona beer brand.

AND one might say that it was rather convenient that Klien crashed on the first lap and the team later announced that a US$250,000 diamond, which was supposed to have been embedded in the carbon fibre of the nose of the car, had gone missing.

The fact that the team had spent the weekend promoting the heist movie 'Ocean's 12' might have something to do with the disappearance of Klien's diamond ...

-JOESAWARD

WILL Power has continued to pile up points in the British Formula 3 Championship, taking a pair of second places in the latest round at Knockhill in Scotland.

■ After starting second in each race and missing pole by less than a tenth of a second each time, the Alan Docking Racing driver chased hard and now sits fourth in the championship.

"We've achieved what we came here to do," he said.

"We gained some valuable points this weekend which we needed after a bad run at Croft and we're very much in the hunt."

Barton Mawer was in good

motorsport news

NEWS

on the ropes drop to three?

JoST

mi

Podiums form in the Scholarship Class, winning Race 1 and finishing second in Race 2 after an excursion off the road.

"That was such a great race," said Mawer.

"I bided my time, then pounced when I had the opportunity."

Will Davison struggled in qualifying with 14th and 10th starting slots. He was a Race 1 DNF and made up ground to take seventh in Race 2, while Marcus Marshall (Fortec Motorsport) showed better pace as he comes to grips in F3.

He ended up with a 13th before failing to start Race 2 with an engine problem.

26 May 2004

"We've got until the middle of next week to try and come up with something.

"I've never been more determined in my life to make something happen as much as I want this tq make sure I'm on that grid.

n McRae for BathurstI Er, not quite but Jimmy McRae is competing in next month's London to Sydney Marathon. The father of Colin and Alister will drive a Toyota Corolla RSI Group N car in the 30-day adventure, which takes in 15,000kms of Europe from the Alps to the Mediterranean, the highlands of southern India and the romantic remote Australian outback. The five time British champ will end the event (hopefully) outside the Sydney Opera House on July 4.

n Chip Ganassi Racing has sampled its first win in the Grand-Am Sportscar Series. Scott Pruett and Max Papis took the team's Lexuspowered Riley & Scott to victory in last weekend's Six-Hour event at Mont-Tremblant in Canada.

Snetterton in a fortnight's time.

The 21-year-old, who is in his second year in British F3 with the Menu Motorsport outfit, is trying to stay positive and upbeat but admits the situation is somewhat dire.

investors who've been absolutely fantastic to get me where 1 am so far.

But we just haven't been able to land the bigger ones to help me keep taking the steps I need to take to keep moving up the ladder.

"The Menu team have been very supportive and patient about it all but the commercial realities are that they are rurming a business and can't wait around for us forever.

THE next round of the GT Performance championship at Winton in mid-June will see the debut of John Falk's BA GT. The car was at Sandown recently, but not quite ready for competition. Team GT will also campaign their tried-and-trusted TE50 for a yet-to-be-announced driver.

Joining in on the Falcon fun will be former production car racer James Phillip who wili also campaign a Falcon BAG!

n The DTM is heading to China.

There will be a non-title invitational - event held in July with each manufacturer involved in the series (Audi, Opel and Mercedes) sending a handful of cars. The race will be held on a temporary street circuit in the Pudong district.

s UNLESS a financial miracle unfolds over the next week and a half, Will Davison has driven his last race in the British Formula 3 Championship.

The young Aussie gun, who has started 2004 with a bang by taking three podium results in the first five races, is simply out of financial backing for his assault and is hurriedly trying to rally around to make it for the next round at

We've given it an absolutely massive push over the last few years but unless we can find additional funding in the next week and a half, I won't be on the grid at Snetterton," said Davison as we went to press.

"There's been a lot of small

I

More Barras

"The www.sellmyshirt.com site has been a moderate success but we are right up against the wall at the moment.

"If nothing comes off, then I'll have to come back home to Australia and weigh up my options."

On the bright side, if Davison was forced to return home he would become an instant hot property on the V8 Supercar driver market.

Just as Marcos Ambrose's loss to European racing was V8 Supercar's gain, the same could be said for Davison. He won at Croft last year for Alan Docking Racing, the same team both Ambrose and Mark Webber competed for in the series.

He won the 2001 Australian Formula Ford Championship in style and finished fourth in the British Formula Renault Championship a year later.

n Dale Earnhardt Jr has sampled the Chevrolet Corvette ALMS car he will share with Boris Said at Sears ' Point on July 18.

"Man, the tyres and brakes are amazing," said Earnhardt after the test. "The brakes are 10 times better than when I drove the car before.

The other series (Grand-Am, which runs the Daytona 24 Hour in which he finished fourth in 2001 alongside his late father) didn't allow carbon brakes, so this is the first time I've ever had a chance to run on them." n The French DAMS team will debut its Lamborghini Murcielago RGT in the FIA GT Championship at Donington in July. Andrea Piccini and Jean-Denis Deletraz will handle the driving duties. n Meanwhile, another Italian manufactuer's new Sportscar is also ready to rumble in the series. Former Toyota FI pilot Mika Salo has been testing Maserati's MCI2 GT challenger and rumours are suggesting he will race it alongside test driver Andrea Bertolini, Luca Badoer and Felipe Massa.

11

I

I

*Burns

McNally takes over Brit GP

THE British Grand Prix will go ahead in 2005 and 2006 and all the signs are that the job of being promoter - with the honour of losing several million dollars - will go to Patrick McNally,the boss of Allsport Management.

If nothing else, this will provide McNally with some tax write-offs and a good argument when teams complain that Allsport puts nothing back into the sport.

McNally previously fulfilled the role of promoter in the loss-making Austrian Grand Prix, which is rumoured to have cost him US$3m a year. The deal will however keep the race alive until a more permanent solution can be found between the various parties involved.

Tlie British Racing Drivers' Club, which owns tlie circuit, has shown no interest in becoming the event promoter and seemed to be willing to

nnn

question of whether he would go ahead without a British Grand Prix.

The news has yet to be confirmed but was hinted at on Friday when FIA President Max Mosley said that Silverstone "will be all right". Mosley said that he believes that work will go ahead on a new pit complex and paddock area for the much-maligned Northamptonshire circuit although Ecclestone is currently promoting the idea that a demonstration run of FI cars on the streets of London later this year could be a precursor for a race in the future.

"The chance of having a Grand Prix in London is about nil," said Mosley."But you know there is nothing to stop people putting in a bid. They have made a bid for the Olympic Games they could make a bid for a Grand Prix. Why not?"

Ecclestone said that he has been

why not London?

ALTHOUGH there is a belief in FI circles that talk of a Grand Prix in London is really just a negotiating ploy by Bernie Ecclestone,there is no reason why an FI event could not

MNews's plan for a London CP: Put,pit lane in Dowling Street; all pitcrews must have at least one retired PM (we bet Stoddy gets Maggie Thatcher); and first to get to the M25 wins.

12

call Bernie Ecclestone's bluff over the

take place in the city and it is perhaps significant that the man who is helping Bernie Ecclestone to promote the FI demonstration in July is Harvey Goldsmith.

Goldsmith made his name as an event promoter in the 1960s with concerts at Crystal Palace and later at Wembley Stadium.

He moved into TV in the 1970s, culminating in his organisation of Bob Geldof's L/VeA/d global concert in 1985.

The interesting thing in all this is that Hyde Park - which is located in front of Bernie Ecclestone's offices - is a 630 acre site with a road system already in place and the potential for easy and swift conversion into a racing facility, in much the same way as happens in Melbourne's Albert Park each year. Access to the park is easy with four Underground stations bordering the park.

London is used to major events, notably the London Marathon, which closes large sections of the city once a year.

A project in Hyde Park should thus be taken fairly seriously.

Such a project would, of course, be sweet revenge for Ecclestone if the British Racing Drivers' Club does not want to play ball with the British GP. - JOE SAWARD

i

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talking to the Mayor of London Ken Livingstone for a couple of years about doing something to promote London. This has led to plans for an event on July 6 when the FI teams will run their cars up and down Regent Street as a promotion for the British GP with the event promoter Harvey Goldsmith.

Although London is a candidate city for the Olympic Games in 2012, it is widely believed that the London bid will fail with the Games going to Paris. This would open the way for London to invest in a Grand Prix.

-JOESAWARD

BMW: Let's ke( BMW Motorsport has decided to oppose the introduction of a downsized Formuia 1 engine, as the manufacturers prepare for the decision deadiine imposed by FIA president Max Mosley at the end of this month.

"With stability of the regulations in mind, and avoiding a further increase of c'osts, we are proposing a perpetuation of the current 3litre V10 concept," Director

Mario Theissen said.

"The increased mileage and technical limitations would reduce the output by some lOObhp. This would increase the lap-times and reduce top speeds without losing the fascination of the 10-cylinder engine. The technological concept of the engine is far less important when it comes to reducing the costs.

■notorsDort news

Hri not poturn

by JON THOMSON

FORMER World Rally Champion Richard Burns will not make a comeback to World Rallying, according to sources close to the British driver.

Burns left hospital last week after six months of treatment and it is understood the long term medical assessment for the 33-year-old is not promising and that he may only have a limited time to live, possibly only two years at best.

After collapsing at the wheel of his Porsche just days before the start of the Rally of GB last November, Burns was diagnosed with an astrocytoma - a form of brain tumour located deep in the brain. It was the same condition

that claimed the life of Burn's mother just two years ago.

"Richard has since been undergoing treatment in hospital and has made some progress," said co-driver Robert Reid recently.

"Richard would like to thank all of you who have sent him messages of support. There have been so many that he cannot reply to them individually but he wants them to know that he greatly appreciates the good wishes. I know that they have really helped to keep his spirits up.

It is believed that the former champion has become reclusive and is staying out of the public eye to channel all his energy into the often-difficult treatment of the condition.

Makinen, Ma-a-ate

>p V10s

Dr Theissen also believes that the FIA's proposal to make engines endure over six complete race weekends is unrealistic.

"We are prepared to extend the mileage of an engine to three race weekends," he said.

"Should this measure be combined with a limited testing program, a 50 percent reduction of the engin^^^ production costs ^|||||||E would be viable." vHHp -QUE SPURRING

FOUR-TIME World Rally Champion Tommi Makinen is rumoured to be looking closely at running a two-car Subaru team in the Australian Rally Championship from 2005.

Since retiring from the WRC at the end of the 2003 season, Makinen has run a rally school for gifted young drivers in Finland,campaigning Group N Subarus and has apparently become interested in giving the young-upand coming drivers in the squad a chance to sample a highly competitive production car based title outside Europe.

The taciturn Finn is apparently set to travel to Australia next month to attend Rally Queensland with Prodrive's manager of customer cars, George Donaldson.

Donaldson,a former Toyota, Ralliart and Subaru WRC team manager, was in Australia a fortnight ago at the Rally of Canberra taking a closer look at our domestic rally scene.

Subaru recently announced that Tommi Makinen Racing had been appointed as the official importer of Group N rally cars and STI(Subaru Tecnica International) parts agent in Scandinavia and the Baltic countries.

Juha Kangas's campaign in the ARC with Mitsubishi and the recent visit to Australia of Makinen's mentor Lasse Lampi have apparently been two of tlie prime motivating factors for Makinen's possible move into the ARC. The ARC is starting to be acknowledged as the most competitive Production car-based national championship in the world, particularly in light of the strong results for Australians in International events in the last few months.

-JON THOMSON

NEWS

The ‘B’ car for the ‘E- team McLaren expects to have its uprated 2004 'B' car ready for Kimi Raikkonen and David Coulthard within a matter of weeks.

McLaren won the opening races of 2003, in Australia and Malaysia, but has not won since. In Monaco, technical director Adrian Newey confirmed that there would be visible changes in the new MP4-19B: "In terms of lap-times, the simulation says it should be of significant benefit. In terms of when it will be out, we expect between two and four weeks." n Renault Sport Technologies and RPM, the World Series by Nissan series promoter, are to merge their respective European single-seater racing championships, starting in 2005, to make way for two disciplines: the World Series by Renault {which will replace the Renault V6 Eurocup) and the Formula Renault 2000 Eurocup.

Dallara, the incumbent chassis supplier of RPM's Nissan categories, has won the contract to supply the new World Series by Renault ahead of Tatuus, its rival Italian company which supplies the current Renault V6 single-seater. The 450bhp Nissan World Series and the 370bhp Formula Renault V6 classes will be replaced by a redesigned racecar, based on the current Dallara chassis and using a new, 420bhp version of the current Nissan-branded engine, with similar characteristics. n The race engine department of Audi Sport is to assist the development of SEAT Sport's Toledos in the European Touring Car Championship. n TOCA has been forced to withdraw its non-championship British Touring Car event from the British Grand Prix support program over July 9-11, after BETA, the teams' organisation, voted not to attend.

Series director Alan Gow, who had managed to secure the slot at the showpiece event after a seven-year absence, commented: "Teams who belong to BETA have decided they are unable to take part in the highestprofile event in our year, for their own financial reasons."

A later statement from BETA highlighted a lack of adequate admission tickets to the event for key people as a contributory factor to the decision, which was reached by a majority vote. n The gas-powered Honda Civic that has competed in this year's BTCC has been dropped in favour of a Peugeot 406 Coupe. Although the BTCC made a weight allowance for the ETCC-spec Honda, Mardi Gras Motorsport feels that it will be better served by converting the Peugeot to LPG. - QUENTIN SPURRING

26 May 2004

13

The Stars Co <5^

Another top iO for Hunt

JOSH Hunt has scored his second top-10 finish in as many starts in the Toyota Atlantic Championship over the weekend in Monterrey, Mexico.

The Queenslander qualified his VVPS-backed machine eighth and made steady progress in the early stages of the race, running in fifth spot within the opening laps.

"There was a bit of a disturbance at the start that I was able to steer clear of and make up a couple of spots," said Hunt.

"After the Safety Car came out to retrieve a couple of the cars,I was able to get into a rhythm to put in some very quick laps and be a serious contender."

But while on target for a top five

finish. Hunt ran over a rather high kerb and that knocked his rear anti-sway bar into the 'full hard' position and caused him to spin in the next turn.

"I got caught out wide but didn't feel any huge bump or grind until I went to turn into the next corner," he said.

He returned to the road in 12th spot, reset the sway bar and took off after the field, getting back up to 10th by the end of the 32-lapper.

"The pleasing aspect is the fact that my confidence is good.I know we have the pace on board and can be confident of matching it with the front runners throughout the nextfew rounds."

Milwaukee hosts the next round in a fortnight's time.

MATT Kenseth won the non points Nextel All-Star Challenge on Saturday night at Lowes Motor Speedway in Charlotte after he passed Ryan Newman with three laps remaining for a AS1.44 million payday.

Newman elected not to change tyres during the final caution that separated segment two from the final 20 lap shoot out and he kept track position, but was unable to hold off the faster Roush Ford of Kenseth.

"Ryan did a great job holding me off on old tyres," said Kenseth.

"He made me work for the win, I think it's probably the hardest either one of us has had to race in a long, long time.

We had the fastest pit stops and we had the fastest car, but Ryan kept battling it back."

r IS

In the first 40-lap segment Kurt Busch nudged his Roush team-mate Greg Biffle into a spin on the front stretch, sweeping 13 cars into the melee; "Kurt Busch had his head up his....whatever," remarked a politically correct, but disgruntled, Biffle.

"He took out the whole field.

If I was Jack Roush I don't know what I would do."

Busch made a brief statement to the media after the incident; "I apologise for all the wrecked cars on pit road, I have to get myself in check I guess, I was trying to give him a bump draft, but I lifted him instead of pushing him."

"I'm full of anger right now," said team owner Roush.

"I'll probably try and get hold of Kurt and Greg on the phone

EamharcR holds N^Ci I I I 3

One way to keep cool in Darwin ...

WONDER why Craig Lowndes has lost a bit of hair lately?

No,the pressures of getting the FPR Falcon up the front of the V8 field didn't do it. The Kid did it himself in support of MoTeC's Cassandra Davis at Hidden Valley.

As a part of'Shave for a Cure', nearly $3500 was raised for Cancer Research and, having seen Cassandra lose her locks, Lowndes nominated himself for an impromptu haircut himself! Donations can still be made to this worthy cause by contacting Cassandra Davis at MoTeC on 03 9761 5050.

14

.a

A WEEK AGO, Dale Earnhardt Jr. posted a win over Jimmie Johnson at Richmond to hold the series lead.

‘Little E’ elected to stay on track during the ninth and final yellow flag with 55 laps to run while leader Tony Stewart took on fuel and fresh rubber. Stewart finished fourth behind his Gibbs stablemate, Bobby Labonte.

Johnson slapped the wall early in the 400-lapper and elected to stay on track also during the final caution period.

A newly-paved track had everyone thinking racing would be single file, but two wide racing was the order of the day.

Rookie Brian Vickers took his first pole and drove a great race

moiorspon news

Cone for 2005: Rockingham will disappear from the NASCAR calendar.

tomorrow, but I need to think about what I'm going to say in

our team meeting next week."

Others running up front involved in the accident included Kevin Harvick, Robby Gordon, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Joe Nemechek and Sterling Marlin, who all received varying levels of damage.

Tony Stewart won the first segment and then there was a 15-minute break before the second 30-lap race, which Newman won.

Fie only replaced tyres once during a mandatory green flag stop in race one, so did well to hold on as long as he did.

Final result; Kenseth (Ford), Newman {Dodge), Stewart (Chev), Waltrip (Chev), Earnhardt Jr.,(Chev), J Gordon (Chev), Kahne (Dodge), Sadler (Ford), R Wallace (Dodge), Martin (Ford).

- MARTIN D CLARK

^Rlead

to finish eighth, while Stewart was again the topic of post-race conversation when he nudged Jeff Gordon out of the racing groove with 40 circuits to run.

“Tony Stewart’s gone brain dead,” remarked Gordon before Stewart visited him in his hauler after the event.

“I questioned him,” said Gordon, “but he said,‘Hey I’m telling you the truth, I got loose.’

I’ll have to take a look, if he did I’ll accept his apology, if he didn’t then he needs to get his act together.”

Points; Earnhardt Jr.1643, Johnson 1603, J Gordon 1581, Kenseth 1517, Stewart 1449, Newman 1442, B Labonte 1430, Harvick 1404, Busch 1391, Sadler 1377.

- MARTIN D CLARK

26 May 2004

Major changes for ’05 Cup Rockingham clumped, major reshuffle of venues

by MARTIN D CLARK SOME major changes were announced by NASCAR when the 2005 Nextel Cup schedule was announced at Richmond on May 14 and with it came some surprises.

Rockingham has lost its remaining date from the schedule next year, while Darlington deletes its second race with the remaining race being held under their new lights on Mothers Day weekend.

In other changes, Martinsville Speedway has been sold to International Speedway Corporation for A$275 million and Rockingham will be sold to Speedway Motorsports Inc for A$170 million.

Rockingham's lone date has been awarded to the 'Lone Star' state, with the race to be run at SMI's Texas facility.

The second Darlington date has been awarded to ISC's Phoenix Raceway, giving it a second race on the evening of April 23.

The changes come due to a long standing lawsuit by two SMI shareholders who thought SMI were getting a raw deal from NASCAR when a second Cup date was not awarded to the Dallas-Fort Worth track in 1997.

The suit stems back to 1996 when SMI Chairman Bruton Smith purchased half of North Wilkesboro Speedway with New Hampshire Speedway owner Bob Bahre purchasing the other slice.

New Hampshire got a second date when the two Wilkesboro dates were taken from the schedule and Texas got its first date in 1997, but never got the second event Smith said NASCAR Chairman Bill France

promised him before the sale of Wilkesboro. The two have been at odds over the decision ever since.

The cruncher is the France family owns around 60 percent of ISC stock so are able to control the schedule.

That is until the law suit that was settled out of court and leaves ISC to foot the bill for US$11.8 million in court costs.

The new ownership would put one of the two Martinsville dates in jeopardy for 2006 and its possible Darlington's lone date could disappear that year also.

With the news of the schedule changes comes extra travel expenses for teams and major increases in budgets.

Daytona continues to kick off the season, but the series trucks to Fontana the following week, then takes a week off before heading west again to Las Vegas.

For the North Carolina-based teams an extra race in California is a strain this year, but in 2005 the schedule becomes a logistical nightmare and leaves no room for inclement weather to effect proceedings.

NASCAR is also looking into the possibility of rurming a Busch Series and possibly a Truck Series race at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, the 2.78-mile circuit in Mexico City.

However,if this should happen, neither series currently runs on a road course and haven't for many years,so it would mean the introduction of two circuit races each year to make it viable for the teams to build special road course chassis.

Watkins Glen would be the obvious choice for a second circuit.

nUNUA nas ciaimeu tne borgvvarner Louis Schwitzer Award for its HI4R-A Indy V8 engine.

The award has been presented annually since 1967 at Indy to recognise individuals with the 'courage and conviction to explore and develop new concepts in auto racing technology.

So can MNews win it in 2005 if we can come up with a way of stopping Penske from winning again at Indy? n Brazilian Thiago Medeiros has won the Futaba Freedom 100 Infiniti Pro Series race at Indianapolis, the only support event to the Indy 500.

Flaving started from pole, he was able to make the win his third from four starts.

H Flendrick Motorsports has hired three upstart drivers to compete in a driver development program. Blake Feese, Boston Reid and Kyle Krisiloff will take turns to pilot an ARCA Chevrolet entered by veteran Bobby Gerhart during the year and Krisiloff will also compete in an ASA car. n NASCAR is continuing to forge ahead with its Drive for Diversity program announcing the formation of a group led by former NBA star Magic Johnson, who will lead efforts to bring minority awareness among the female and ethnic population to the sport.

"If we're touching minorities in different ways," said Johnson, "whether it's a scholarship program or the internships or the drivers and crews that means to me that we're successful.

"Hopefully one of our drivers and crew members will have a chance one day to go up against Jeff Gordon." n Usually, someone from one sport being appointed to a position of influence in another is not considered to be a good bet.

So, when the Counties Racing Club in New Zealand announced that it was appointing a horse racing steward to the position of manager motorsport and corporate affairs for Pukekohe Park, you would have to scratch your head, But the CRC has done just that and the man in question is Mark Petch, long-time entrant and patron in motor racing.

Away from the world of breeding and racing hayburners, Petch was the owner of the Volvo that won the first Wellington street race.

- MARTIN D CLARK/STAFF 15

f

Rice takei

by PHIL MORRIS

HE may only be filling in for the injured Kenny Brack, but Buddy Rice certainly proved his wares on Pole Day at Indianapolis to snare the coveted number one starting spot for this weekend's 88th running of the IndyCar classic.

The Letterman Rahal Racing driver led a whitewash of the field by Honda, with the Japanese manufacturer claiming the first seven spots on the grid.

With smaller engines this year and aerodynamic changes as well, the pole speed of 222,024mph was some lOmph down on Helio Castroneves' 2003 effort but that didn't stop the former Toyota Atlantics star from pushing himself into the Indy history books.

I mean, the car was probably the most freed up we've had the V whole month," jN, said Rice.

That's what

It would have been nice to see someone bumped on Bump Day ...

Stewart tries out the Foyt machine but it all didn't come together.

Stewart’s Surprise

IN a total surprise, NASCAR Nextel Cup ace Tony Stewart made a lastminute dash at making the Indy 500.

However, the former IRL champion didn't even make it off pit road after borrowing a car from A.J. Foyt after waiting for the tick of approval from his NASCAR team, Joe Gibbs Racing, and sponsors.

The all-dear for the one-off race attempt was given by both so it remains a mystery as to just who stopped it.

Stewart was suited up and ready to run after having a seat fitting in the Foyt team's G Force/Toyota before contractual obligations stopped the last-minute attempt.

Then of course tliere's the possibility of it merely being a public relations exercise to create some interest on the bumpless Bump Day

at the Brickyard...

Stewart isn't new to doing the May double. With the Indy 500 and Charlotte 600 NASCAR race on the

same day, he is one of few drivers to have completed the double. His last run in the 500 was for Target/Chip Ganassi Racing when he finished sixth. But victory at the Indianpolis Motor Speedway continues to elude him.

"I love this place and got the fever again," said Stewart.

"Trust me, yeah, I want to be in it more than you can imagine right now. I wanted to run, but contracts got in the way.

"I firmly believe tlieir (Gibbs Racing) heart is where my heart is, and they want me to be happy and be able to come back here and run

■-■r

r"

f 3

h we knew it was going to take to sit on the front row and the pole. It was just going to be whoever was willing to hang it out the most."

Andretti Green Racing team mates Dan Wheldon and Dario Franchitti will fill the front row, clear of Bruno Junqueira, Tony Kanaan and Adrian Fernandez.

"It seems it takes a little while for the tyres to get up to temperature, and I think with

nisumE!

Indy."

Walking Wbitrip?

Martin n CLirle

/

MICHAEL Waltrip is unlikely to remain with Dale Earnhardt Inc past this season and may well be ousted before year's end, team sources say.

Waltrip, left, has reportedly purchased land for a building to house a self-owned race team, with sponsorship from his Busch Series backer, Aarons Rent.

Waltrip has been with DEI since 2001, but the two-time Daytona 500 wirmer has only scored three victories, all coming at 'The Beach' track aside from a win in the 1996 Charlotte Winston non-points event.

Waltrip currently owns a Busch team that has started fielding occasional Cup cars for Kenny Wallace, but the team is housed in a facility on land adjacent to his house and it's too small for a full-blown Nextel Cup operation.

- MARTIN D CLARK

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STATESIDE

Indy 500 pole Honda's heroes: Junqueira took fourth on the grid, left, while Herta, above, crashed on Pole Day and had to qualify on the second day.

RTITTF Indy 500 Grid

Wheldon.

"The last time 1 was here, 1 qualified second week, in the back, so I'm definitely happier than i was then," added Franchitti.

The best Toyota-powered car was Castroneves in eighth, while Tomas Scheckter flew the flag for Chevrolet in 13th spot.

After crashing on Pole Day, Bryan Herta and Alex Barron both qualified on the second day, while Bump Day on the weekend featured no bumping with just 33 cars at the Speedway to fill the traditional 11 rows of three formation for the 500-miler.

Of the IndyCar stars, defending series Champion Scott Dixon will start 13th, Al Unser Jr 17th and Bobby Gordon 18th, "I'm very disappointed. I thought we'd run better than that," said Gordon.

"The car got really tight. I just couldn't hold it (throttle) open in Turn 1.

26 May 2004

Pos 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33

No 15 26 27 36 11 5.

17 3 55 4 6 16 1 2 10 52 20 70 39 8 14 41 7 51 24 12 13 91 21 33 98 25 18

Driver Buddy Rice Dan Wheldon Dario Franchitti Bruno Junqueira Tony Kanaan Adrian Fernandez Vitor Meira Helio Castroneves Kosuke Matsuura Tomas Scheckter Sam Hornish Jr Roger Yasukawa Scott Dixon Mark Taylor Darren Manning Ed Carpenter Al UnserJr Robby Gordon Sarah Fisher Scott Sharp A.J.FoytlV Larry Foyt Bryan Herta Alex Barron Felipe Giaffone Tora Takagi Greg Ray Buddy Lazier Jeff Simmons Richie Hearn PJ Jones Marty Roth Robby McGehee

Team/Car Letterman Rahal G Force/Honda AGR Dallara/Honda AGR Dallara/Honda Newman-Haas G Force/Honda AGR Dallara/Honda Fernandez G Force/Honda Letterman Rahal G Force/H onda Penske Dallara/Toyota Fernandez G Force/Honda Panther Daliara/Chevroiet Penske Dallara/Toyota Letterman Rahal G Force/Honda Ganassi G Force/Toyota Panther Daliara/Chevroiet Ganassi G Force/Toyota Cheever Daliara/Chevroiet Patrick Daliara/Chevroiet Gordon Daliara/Chevroiet Kelley Dallara/Toyota Kelley Dallara/Toyota Foyt Dallara/Toyota Foyt Dallara/Toyota AGR Dallara/Honda Cheever Daliara/Chevroiet Dreyer Daliara/Chevroiet Nunn Dallara/Toyota Access G Force/Honda Dreyer Daliara/Chevroiet Nunn Dallara/Toyota Schmidt G Force/Toyota Beck Daliara/Chevroiet Roth Dallara/Toyota PDM Daliara/Chevroiet

Speed 222.024 221.524 221.471 221.379 221.200 220.999 220.958 220.882 220.740 220.417 220.180 220.030 219.319 219.282 219.271 218.590 217.966 216.522 215.771 215.635 214.256 213.277 219.871 218.836 216.259 214.364 216.641 215.110 214.783 213.715 213.355 211.974 ^ 211.631

Lazier and Jones land Indy rides 1996 Indy 500 winner Buddy Lazier has landed a late drive in this year's 88th running of the IndyCar classic.

Lazier will drive a second Dreyer & Reinbold Racing Daliara/Chevroiet alongside Brazilian Felipe Giaffone, who himself replaced team co-owner Robbie Buhl in the driver's seat.

"I have zero interest in running . this race in a non-competitive way," said Lazier.

"I'm here to run to the front and make the most of what I'm given."

The deal was helped on its way by Lazier's former car-owner Ron Hemelgarn, who hasn't been able to raise enough sponsorship to field his own team.

Lazier will use the #91 which he used during his tenure at Hemelgarn from 1996 to 2003. n The Jones name will be back at the Brickyard this year, as PJ Jones, the son of 1963 Indy 500 winner Parnelli Jones, qualified for the 88th running of the 500.

In a late deal put together after the first weekend of qualifying, Jones teamed up with Greg Beck and backer CURB Records to push their Daliara/Chevroiet into the field.

Jones, who made 58 Champ Car starts for All American Racers and Patrick Racing with a best place of second at Nazareth in 1999, tried to qualify at Indy in 2002 for Team Menard but crashed and was injured. n In other late driver deals, American Robby McGehee landed the seat with PDM Racing. Previously being reportedly as shutting down, the small team managed to cobble together a Daliara/Chevroiet leased from Robby Gordon's team and get the 1999 Indy 500 Rookie of the Year into the race on the second weekend of qualifying.

Sam Schmidt Motorsport took over the spare Penske entry and placed Richie Hearn in it, while Infiniti Pro Series driver Jeff Simmons was a surprise to fill a second Mo Nunn-run car. n Former IRL IndyCar champ Greg Ray and his Access Motorsports team were forced to sit out the entire on-track period at Indy up until the second weekend of qualifying. Lack of payments on their Honda engine deal could have had something to do with it... n Dario Franchitti got a different sort of 31st birthday present last week, with a lucky fan paying for Franchitti to ride around the Brickyard in the IRL's two-seater. Turns out the 'lucky fan' was none other than his boss, Michael Andretti, who knows the odd thing or two about firing an IndyCar around Indianapolis...

17

CHAMP GARS

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No Borders for Bourdais Frenchman takes series lead in dominant form in round N'EWMAN-Haas Racing was two of the Champ Car World Series in Mexico on the weekend, as Sebastien Bourdais took the points lead by virtue of leading home Bruno Junqueira in a 1-2.

The Frenchman dominated the weekend, starting from pole position and then leading 43 laps as well as setting the fastest lap of the race.

"Well, you know it's much better to be leading tire championship than having two bad results to start with," said Bourdais, referring to the way he started his 2003 rookie year.

"But, you kirow, it's still a long way to go. It's just going to be all about consistency and if we are in the top five consistently through the season, 1 think both Bruno and I should be fighting each other for the lead at the end."

hero Mario Dominguez who battled back from a spin on the first lap to take third. The Mexican gave the 94,000-strong crowd heart attacks as he spun back to the rear of the field and drove back through the field to make it to the podium.

He had to fight his way through Patrick Carpentier and Alex TagUani. (a great fightback from 15th on the grid), who held down fourth and fifth.

"I was really worried after my spin but the Herdez team, I don't know how they got me back on the podium but it is a big result for us," Dominguez said.

"To have a race like this and come back to run third in front of our Mexican fans makes me very excited."

Defending Champ Paul Tracy ended up seventh after spending the majority of the race fighting with Justin Wilson for third spot. Wilson finished just in front in sixth, while Ryan Hunter-Reay was eighth in the

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Spin and nearly get back to win; Dominguez drove well to get third after this spin, above, but no-one could touch Bourdais, right. Not even an out-of-form Tracy, below

right...

second Herdez Competition car.

Tracy didn't win a fan in fellow former series champ Jimmy Vasser.

The PKV Racing driver ran as high as fifth and had settled into eighth until the last lap when he and Tracy came together in the final corner.

PT completely screwed up," said Vasser. "Last lap, last turn. He just can't give it up. He should be the one out, not me.'

Among those to find dramas was Tarso Marques. Along with teammate Oriol Servia, Marques put the Dale Coyne team's pair of cars into the top 10 in qualifying but his race ended after getting a tow from the Safety Team following a spin.

The only problem was that he let the tow rope go only to run over it and allow it to wrap around his wheel and break the suspension!

Servia crashed out to complete a weekend that turned from good to bad for the Illinois-based team.

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Points: Bourdais 62, Junqueira 57, Tracy 47, Carpentier 48, Dominguez 47, Wilson 40.

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BMW'S

Onefor the young gun

Ekstrom gets Audi A4’s first DTM victory

AUDI young gun Mattias Ekstrom has taken round three of the DTM at Adria in Italy in a lights-to-flag performance.

The Swede, exhausted right, had to fight off fellow youngster Christijan Albers’s MercedesBenz and crossed the line 3.1s in front, with Jean Ales! third ahead of Gary Paffett (Merceoes) and the top Opel of Timo Scheider.

"Ten laps before the finish 1 thought that if everything goes smoothly I can wrap up with a victory,” said Ekstrom.

"But three laps before the end I was constantly listening to the car to see if anything was broken. I’m extremely happy with my first win of the season as I haven’t raade it to the very top of the podium since Zandvoort in 2002. It was a perfect race. From the start to

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the pitstop, strategy, chequered flag - everything was right.”

Albers leads the series and was happy with the result.

Such was the competitiveness of the race, quadruple DTM Champion Bernd Schneider could only manage 10th spot after a spirited dice with Opel’s Heinz-Harald Frentzen.

Points: Albers 26, Ekstrom 24, Paffett 15, Tomczyktl.

Muller pushes clear

I VAUXHALL'S Yvan Muller has drawn level for the lead in the I British Touring Car Championship with two wins from three <1 starts in the weekend's round at Oulton Park.

8 Tlie Frenchman is now on even points with team-mate James ^ Thompson, while young gun Dan Eaves took his first BTCC race Ji win in the Computeach Honda Civic, making it seven different wirmers from 12 starts. Thompson secured pole but couldn't stop Muller from leading a Vauxhall 1-2 in Race 1, with Eaves' team mate Matt Neal taking third ahead of Colin Turkington(MG)and Rob Collard (Vauxhall).

With Race 2featuring an inverted top 10,the fight again was on to see who could go slow enough to snare 10th place and the subsequent Race 2 pole. In the end,it fell to MG's Anthony Reid, who fought off a bunch of attackers to hold on.

"The front of my car was pristine at the end of the race - the back looked like an aircraft accident," he said.

But he couldn't capitalise on the pole, for Eaves got the jump from the front row and kept a cool head to win, clear of Jason Plato, fighting back from an ordinary 14th spot qualifying effort on Saturday. 'mf-' Thompson,having started from ninth on the grid, overcame the fact his Astra was carrying considerable ballast to finish fifth.

Muller, carrying maximum ballast, was eighth.

Plato led Race 3, but with his Spanish chariot filled to the brim with ballast, even the 2001 BTCC champ couldn't stop Muller, Neal Red and white, all over: Muller pulled back ground on team-mate Thompson to even and Thompson from getting by into the podium positions before he things up in the BTCC. was forced mto retirement.

20 motorsRort news

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I BMW has dominated the latest |. round of the European Touring Car Championship on home soil at Hockenheim.

In fact, the German mobiles dominated so much that they took five of the six podium positions for the weekend.

Brit Andy Priaulx took the first race after overtaking fellow BMW driver Antonio Garcia, who promptly spun off, elevating Dirk Muller and Jordi Gene's SEAT onto the podium.

"I knew I needed to do well in the first race because I knew that the second one would be tough," said Priaulx.

"I managed to find a good set-up for the second race and made some

Nothing like home soil: BMW was in totally dominate form at Hockenheim as the Mullers - Jorg and Dirk - sealed the top two championship spots, above. Rickard Rydell, left, took SEAT'S first pole but couldn't hang on for a podium finish.

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really good progress. Unfortunately,I had an incident that damaged the car and put me out."

Race 2 was a tough fight between Garcia and the Mullers; Dirk and Jorg, with the Spaniard leading eight of the 11 laps before handing the lead to Jorg Muller for good.

"Now,we will carry those 40 kg for the next race," said Jorg.

Restricting the rounds THE projected FIA World Touring Car Championship in 2005 has been restricted to 10 race meetings after a reminder by FIA president Max Mosley that cost control must be a priority of SRO, the series promoter.

After a meeting involving manufacturers that have expressed interest in the WTCC project, current ETCC series manager Marcello Lotti indicated that there would be only two 'flyaway' events outside Europe next season, but that more would hopefully be scheduled in 2006.

The Autodromo Oscar Alfredo Galvez circuit promoter in Buenos Aires, Argentina, has joined a group of venues outside Europe that want WTCC fixtures. It also includes the new Dubai Autodrome, Kyalami, Macau and the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City.

"It will be very difficult with so much ballast. We were lucky here, because I think the Alfa Romeos would have been very strong in the races. SEAT has made a big step forward as well. I think there are about 10 cars who are able to win, which is really good for the championship."

He now leads the championship by two points over Dirk Muller while it was a strong weekend for SEAT. Gene took pole for the opening race and finished third, while team mate Rickard Rydell took pole for the second race. He led for the first few hundred metres but collected fifth after fading with chronic understeer.

n The new Porsche 911 (type 997) passenger car will go sale in Europe during July, but the German manufacturer will maintain production of the current (type 996) GT2, GTS and GTS RS models in Stuttgart for the time being. The new road car will initially be offered in Carrera and Carrera S specifications, the latter with a new, S.8-litre, S55bhp engine.

- QUENTIN SPURRING

It was a nightmare weekend for the previously-dominant Alfa Romeo squad. The three AutoDelta-run cars eliminated each other in a collision during the first lap of the first race and only Gabriele Tarquini was able to start in the second race, managing to score three points.

Points: J.Muller 50, D.Muller 48, Tarquini 43, Priaulx 41, Giovanardi 33.

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SETE Gibemau has stepped up as Honda's likely MotoGP title contender with his second win of the season in France.

The Spaniard overcame an energy sapping fever to take a 2s win on his Telefonica MoviStar Honda,holding off the Yamaha of Carlos Checa and Honda's Max Biaggi. Valentino Rossi was fourth on his Yamaha.

"I hate making any excuses and I couldn't have done any better even without the fever, but over the last five laps I was really suffering," said the exhausted Gibemau after the race.

"It's too early to talk about the championship, my team and I still have a lot of work do to stay in front."

Checa's Yamaha led the first 11 laps after winning the start while poleman Gibemau fought off Rossi and Biaggi, who recovered after a slow getaway. Gibemau took the lead at the half-way mark and eased away, leaving Checa to just hold out Biaggi.

Behind Rossi, who was running revised electronics for the first time, came Colin Edwards, Marco Melandri(three Yamahas in the top six!), Alex Barros and Troy Bayliss. It was another weekend of struggle for the factory Ducati team, with Loris Capirossi 10th.

Luckiest man at the track was NeU Hodgson. After a get-off on Saturday, the reigning World Superbike Champion tangled with Norick Abe and John Hopkins on the opening lap and suffered three broken ribs and a deep gash to his arm.

Points; Gibemau 66, Biaggi 56, Rossi 51, Barros 38, Checa 36, Edwards 29, Hayden 27, Capirossi 20, Melandri and Tamada 15.

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Right Charlie: Carlos Checa leads Sete Gibemau on the opening lap at Le Mans. It finished the other way around.

Spain rules France The 18-year-old Spaniard was in flawless form on his Honda, winning from local hero Randy de Puniet, who took his third second place of the season on his ApriUa. Toni Elias took third from fellow

DANI Pedrosa won the French 250cc Grand Prix after leading all the way from the first comer.

Honda man Hiroshi Aoyama, while Ant West took sixth on his Aprilia after charging up from 14th on the grid. Reigning 250 Champion Manuel Poggiah was out of luck, crashing his Aprilia on the second lap.

Points; De Puniet 50,Pedrosa 50, Nieto 34, Rolfo and De Angelis 32, Elias and Debon 28, Porto 25, West 23, Aoyama 18.

early challenger Hector Barbera (Aprilia) dropping to fifth at the finish.

IF the 250 race was a doddle, the 125s were anything but, with Andrea Dovizioso passing Roberto,Locatelli just three comers from the finish.

The Italian Honda rider was content to sit in the tow of Locatelli's Aprilia until the final lap when he pounced. Spaniard Jorge Lorenzo (Derbi)faded to third with another

Australian Casey Stoner struggled to eighth, two spots behind KTM team-mate Mika KaUio, after needing pain killing injections in the shoulder he injured after falling in Spain earlier this month.

Points; Dovizioso 63, Locatelli 48, Stoner 35, Jenkner 34, Barbera 33, Nieto 29, Giansanti 28, Simoncelli 25, Lorenzo 16, Borsoi 15.

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motorsport news

I

Reggie Rocks at Monza

REGGIE Laconi may call France home but, after two Ducati wins at Monza's SBK round, he is now an Italian national hero.

Laconi led a V-twin sweep of the podiums in both races, though the red bikes' efforts were aided by the disqualification of Chris Vermeulen. After leading at the start of the first race, the Aussie's Honda was found to

have its kill switch inoperative after the second race, costing him a second place.

While Laconi was making hay, it was the turn of Pierfrancesco Chili to suffer mechanical problems.

Leading by 20 points coming into the weekend, the Italian blew an engine in the warnhup, another in Race 1 and then crashed in Race 2.

James Toseland made it a Fila 1-2, aided by Vermeulen's DQ, while Garry McCoy rode

brilliantly for two thirds (one of which was a second until the final lap) ahead of Leon Haslam. Steve Martin was eighth in Race 2 after a DNF in the opening 18-lapper.

The weekend may have been something of a turning point for the Foggy Petronas team. Troy Corser and Chris Walker registered top-10 finishes in both races and, while the three-cylinder bikes were left behind by 2s a lap in the races, they showed reliability and gained points.

Points: Laconi 120, Toseland 113, Chili 97, McCoy 87, Vermeulen 83, Haga 69, Walker 69, Borclani 68, Corser 66. Haslam 64.

Monza? Bonzer!

AUSSIES dominated the Monza SuperSport round, with Karl Muggeridge leading ‘ a Ten Kate Honda 1-2 ahead of Broc Parkes.

The effort was aided by the fact that the Yamaha of Fabien Foret, which finished second, was disqualified for a nonoperational kill switch, similar to the infringement from which Vermeulen suffered. His team-mate, points leader Jurgen van den Goorbergh, was elevated to third from Sebastien Charpentier, who T: overcame a time penalty for a jumped start.

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Points: vd Gooibergh 73, Muggeridge 62, Curtain 47, Fujiwara 34, Parkes 33, Lanzi 31, Foret 30, Chambon 26.

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PRECISION TURNBUCKLE

Making the Hard yards

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OU can go back at least as far as the 1960s and find drivers remarking about what an unnatural home Monte Carlo is for a Formula One race.

As soon as you actually arrive at the place, it is easy to see where they were coming from. A racetrack? Hell, once you get there you see just how steep the cliffs that plunge virtually straight down into the harbour really are. The city is perched precariously amongst the rocky outcrops and there's barely enough room for more than 10 metres of straight road in the entire place (and forget about finding anything flat). It's hard to shake the feeling that the place is barely suitable for a town of any description, never mind the home of the world's most famous street circuit.

But somehow it all works. In an era that has already seen several circuits put to the sword because, in part, of inadequate facilities (the most recent being Imola) and others threatened with the same fate for what the powers-that-be maintain is the same reason (eg Silverstone), Monaco is an anomaly.

Improvements to the pitlane and paddock area that were wheeled out for the first time last weekend were a huge step towards making the place less archaic, if not actually state-of-

the-art - the lesser teams no longer have to garage their cars in an underground carpark, for example.

'Everyilwig tnat jOu have ever hesni about Monaco be^ ttffi mi!!:-3nair2's p^ygT3U!!d is evident "VEfynhera"

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s a spectator, what really sets Monaco apart is the way that the entire city literally becomes part of the race.

Like anywhere, it's possible to buy a grandstand ticket and l spend the weekend with your backside parked in the same seat, but unlike other races, there are far more creative ways to watch the GP that offer better views and are cheaper to boot.

The surrounding cliffs make the entire place like a huge natural ampitheatre, which means that just about any kind of structure an apartment or hotel window, a rooftop, the palace forecourt, a rock jutting out from the side of the cliff - can and is turned into a makeshift grandstand.

And thanks to the huge gradients involved, it's not hard to find a vantage point that lets you see a sizeable chunk of the track. FI itself returns the favour by saturating the entire place with the most ungodly racket you could ever imagine. It might be the slowest race on the calendar, but thanks to the surrounding hills and buildings, it is far and away the loudest.

Everything that you have ever heard about Monaco being the millionaire's playground is evident everywhere from the

The stars: R to L, Matt Damon, Mark Webber, Brad Pitt, Christian Klien, George Clooney and Mark Glendenning (far left, just out ofshot)...

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Motor Mouth with Mark Glendenning house-sized yachts that crowd . the harbour to the exclusive clubs that, in one particular case, charge several hundred euros just for the privilege of walking through the door.

-, MNews made it in for a couple of hours as a guest of,one of the teams on the evening prior to .( qualifying and we suggest that '. you spend the money on ' something else.

It's yet another illustration of the race's contradictory nature then, that this is perhaps the most fan-friendly place on the FI calendar. The cramped conditions make it possible for ;^, the average punter to get much closer to the drivers than other^-- v circuits, the pitlane is thrown open on Friday (which is a day' off in Monte Carlo, where the , usual Friday running takes place on Thursday instead), allowing fans to get a closer look at the machinery than they otherwise might, and the circuit itself is reopened to the public at the end ' of each day's running.

It's a walk worth taking, not only because of the superb views, but also because it's the only way to get a real appreciation of just how steep the climb from Ste Devote up Beau Rivage to Massenet is and the plunge from Casino down to Mirabeau is even steeper.

If you want to spend the equivalent of $35 on a pizza then there are plenty of places that can accommodate you, but by staying just outside Monaco itself and catching a train in, eating at some of the many cheap little places scattered about the town (and resisting the 'temptation' to shell out full price for an Eddie Irvine T-shirt) it is not that hard to get close to the very heart of FI without losing your life savings.

25

Morale-building, High-Class Hoo

HEY have the most astounding audacity in some parts of Europe," wrote The Autocar in 1929 when word first filtered back from the Continent to England that there were plans for a Grand Prix race on the streets of Monte Carlo.

It was,the magazine concluded, an unlikely event in a Principality "which does not possess a single open road of any length, but has only ledges on the face of a cliff".

The Autocar considered the whole scheme impossible.

Perhaps it was an extraordinary undertaking but there was power and passion behind the idea. The young tobacco magnate Anthony Noghes had put the idea forward not because he wanted to be rich or famous but rather because he wanted Monaco to be more successful and because his father Alexandre Noghes had, many years before, had invented the idea of the Monte Carlo Rally.

Prior to that, the city was famous only for its casino and delightful climate.

After the Monte Carlo Rally took off, the Principality gained enormous international profile.

Anthony had watched a number of towns along the Riveira try out with street racing and be successful but he wanted a bigger and better event.

And one has to say that he achieved that goal. Monaco is as good as it gets - even today.

o

n Thursday evening in Monaco this year, we were on a boat in the harbour, with a liberal supply of high-class hooch, courtesy of a generous sponsor, and with glasses in

our hands and stars in our eyes, we all had to agree that this is about as good as it gets in life.

The company was convivial, jolly even, and the thing that made it just perfect was that this was not a holiday. This was what we do for a living.

Now one can weary of all this high life and be cynical but when you watch the racing driver boys doing their thing on the streets of Monte Carlo, you cannot help but get excited. It is marvellous, magnificent and magic. This is how every race organizer wants his race to be.

And the Monaco GP is the race that all the drivers want to win. It is the ultimate tonic for

n

26

/VJO/N/ACC5 ® HELi> ^tssir. 1

FORMULA ONE

:h and the Streets of Monte Carlo

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anyone who is bored with FI politics or weary of Ferrari victories. If you could put it in a bottle you would become rich selling this potion.

"The two basic elements of the Formula 1 World Championship are the Ferrari team and the Monaco race. said FIA President Max Mosley on Friday in Monaco this year.

These are the two things that everybody knows about worldwide.

Try to define what it is that makes Monaco such a success and you just never quite get there. There is glamour, there is history, there is speed and excitement, danger and money.

A nd style. There is even a little bit of good taste but usually it is very well hidden.

Perhaps the only thing Monaco really lacks is its own poet to capture in words what it is like to visit the Monaco Grand Prix.

Alot of the people nowadays know nothing of the

n'p

history and to them the names of Varzi and Nuvolari, Guy Moll or 'Willy' Williams mean nothing. They don't know of legendary performances, little miracles and horrible tragedies. They don't know the magic that took Stirling Moss to victory over the shark-nosed Ferraris in 1961 or Gilles Villeneuve's triumph in 1981.

Or the battle that was fought between Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna and Stefan Belief in the wet in 1984.

Nor, I suspect, do they know of the event that took place on the 5th of August 1945 when the commander in chief of the US 36th Infantry Division decided that his troops were getting bored and needed a little entertainment and so decided to hold a 'reliability trial' on the streets, with the GIs racing Jeeps and GMC trucks. It seems the event was a huge success and the

'Fighting 36th' stopped fighting.

Morale-building is probably the best way to describe what happened during the Monaco weekend. The Michael Schumacher run of five victories seemed to be coming to an end on Saturday afternoon and the paddock seemed to have a little extra spiring in its step.

Michael may still have the best cars and all the rest of it but on Saturday there was a lovely feeling that whatever happened on Sunday it would be a

positive result for FI. If victory went to anyone other than Michael, it would be a bonus and if Michael could fight h through from fourth on the grid it would be a major achievement.

What more could we want?

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Five minutes with...

ChPis Gilmoun

After three rouniis of the tough AusWaUan Formuia 3series, the 21-year-oU Brisbanite is yet to finish off the poUium.

GHAIflT ROWLEY spoke to the championship featfer ■f

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MOTORSPORT NEWS: You've got a handy lead in the Formula 3 Championship. Did you expect to have this advantage so early?

CHRIS GILMOUR: No, definitely not this early.

I knew the competition was going to be tough. I think it will still come down to the last round between (Ian) Dyk and (Karl) Reindler. 1 always knew Dyk would be there up the front.

MN: What do you put the early success down to?

CG: Team work. We have a fast car, the way dad sets the car up and the feedback I give him have all contributed.

With myself. I'm more committed to win this year. I'm only here to win.

I've done a lot of physical training to keep up there but I think it's really a team effort with myself and dad .. . and my mum and girlfriend. I better not leave them out —they'll kill me!

MN: Work and development on the car is done by only yourself and your dad, Errol.

Has this been an advantage or a disadvantage?

CG: I think it's been a bit of both.

Teams like Astuti and BRM have track knowledge and data, and we are pretty much going blind to each meeting.

Pressure wise though, there is none of that on me to perform.

That has helped with my driving I believe.

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MN: So is the plan to Just rack up points from here or is winning still high on your agenda?

CG: Well, I like the feeling of winning. Winning the last two rounds has been a good feeling.

I've been on the podium every race so far this year and dad and I are a big believers that consistency wins in the end.

28

"I believe that if you want to pace overseas in motorsport, Formula 3 is the category to be in. if you want to race V8 n Supercars, you race Formuia Ford.

- Gilmour states his intentions

You should always be there up the front, it doesn't matter if you win or not. It's a numbers game and you don't want any DNFs, you want to be on the track for every race, finish every race. If you do come away with a win, it does relieve the pressure a bit.

But it is very handy to go into the next round at Winton with a 23 point lead.

MN: Have you done much testing this year?

CG: We have not done one test yet. Actually, I lie, when we got the car we took it out for two sessions to make sure everything worked - and it went well but from there we basically went straight to Adelaide blind.

(ED: we hope he doesn't mean drunk . . .)

MN: The depth of the F3 isn't great, but the quality of the front-runners is high. Is it encouraging to be leading this group?

CG: It definitely is. Dyk's got talent, Reindler's got talent. And there's a couple of other blokes to watch out for.

I think John Pettit will improve as we get into the series. Daniel Pappas has still got a bit to learn, but he hasn't done much in the cars. So there is quality in the field and if it wasn't as good as it is, I would have won every race.

MN: You only competed in a small number of Formula Ford races last year. Why didn't you stay in that category for a full season?

CG: We did a bit of Formula 3 for Scud Racing last year and I adopted pretty quick and it suited my driving. We looked at National Formula Ford but because there was no confirmed television deal, we sort of backed away from it.

I believe that if you want to race overseas in motorsport, Formula 3 is the category to be

in. If you want to race V8 Supercars, then you race Formula Ford.

MN: So the plan is to trek overseas?

CG: It all depends on sponsorship, money and how we perform this year.

I'd love to give England or America a go. More people tend to go to the UK or other European series, but I'd like to try and go to America.

MN: Road racing or ovals?

CG: Not oval circuits. I prefer to race on proper race tracks.

Maybe a series like Toyota Atlantic and eventually CART. MN: From here though you'll just concentrate on making the most of this year?

CG: I actually didn't think I'd do this well straight out of the box.

I'm a bit surprised and I think everything in my career is now going to fast forward.

I think we've got to start looking at what we could do overseas because if we go on to win the championship, there is no point racing it again next year. motorsport news

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iMen Valley, Steven Johnson ■||on-S6R Ford driver in the ^B|0/V!4/V spoke to Junior and ‘those’

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MOTORSPORT NEWS: Could you have said at the start of the year, given the dramas DJR has been through over the last few seasons, that it would have been fair to predict you'd be the best Ford driver behind the SBR pilots?

STEVEN JOHNSON:That's where we've been aiming to get to. Stone Brothers have done a reaUy good job the last couple of years and we've been on the back foot a little bit. It's been pretty tough but it's not a surprise, really, but the last thing we really want to do is be battling away and not be a front-running Ford team.

We don't want to be where we have been for very long, so we're trying a bit harder.

MN:What's different from the DJR of 2003 to 2004?

SJ: We've had a lot of people on board with us that have been great and it takes a while to get things roUing. It takes a while for changes to take place and then show them.

We've got some more new people again this year and the cars are gradually starting to get more and more competitive.

There's not one big drama that we've had,it's just a couple of little things that have been a problem for us. In that regard, it's been a bit annoying where you can't go,'right, there's the major problem,right there, in that area,fix it and we'll run at the front'.

It's just not as easy as that. Uiat's why we've been trying to sort it all out.

MN:Having new people should mean bringing new ideas into a team.Is that the case?

SJ: That's right. We have got a really good bunch of guys and you can't blame anyone or any single thing over the problems we've been having. It's almost like a natural progression. There's so many variables,just one Little thing can make a team lose its way quite easily and we've been probably working harder than any team. But we haven't been getting many accolades, but getting a lot of baggings, actually.

So,in the long-term, no-one likes to be on the end of a bagging from anyone! We've been worldng really hard as a whole and I've changed the way I look at a few things as well this year. I do a few things differently and take a different approach and it seems to be wortog.

We're not expected to win the 26 May 2004

Behind on the road, ahead in the championship: It seems like Johnson has quietly snuck into the top 10. The top five is Junior's goal for 2004. championship this year by any means but we'd really like to be in the top five. If we have to be second Ford to the Stone Brothers home, that'd show a lot of the other Ford teams out there. There's only a couple that have given us a hard time and a bagging and said we don't deserve to have Ford support- it'd put them back in their place for sure.

MN:The changes you talk about, are they a mental thing as opposed to physical?

SJ: A bit of everything really. I've been in the game a little while now and it's been, 1 guess, a different year for me. Tm seeing some people on the 'outside',including a sports psychologist, which is something in the past I would have thought,'what a load of crap, you don't need that sort of thing'.

There's a lot of them that will say.' 'this is what's wrong with your life and you think this way ...' It's more a means of they trying to find out what's best for me and what I like and what works. They don't actually tell you what to do, they actually work witli me and give me more of an understanding of me.

It's certainly not what I thought it was going to be. The guy I work with is involved with the Brisbane Lions, the Brisbane Broncos, a lot of the Australian Olympic team,including Grant Hackett,so it's good.

MN:Having Warren Luff on-board

would make things a little bit difficult in terms of having an inexperienced team-mate when you're trying to work your way back up the ladder. Does that place more pressure on your shoulders within the team?

SJ: In the past, no-one's ever seen me as a leader within DJR because I've had Paul Radisich as a team-mate, who's very fast, and Max Wilson last year who's fairly quick and done a lot of things in his career.

DJR's got two drivers and Tm not sure if people think that there's a number one and a number two driver or not, but I've always tried to compare myself well to the other driver.

DJR's always given me the opportunity to be a lead driver and that's why they've given me and my team-mate equivalent equipment.

I'm looked at this year as the lead driver because it's Luffy's first year, but 1 don't think it puts any more pressure on me,it's a different role.

It's great to be able to work with a young guy like Luffy and try and improve his talent and his ability and try and make him a front-runner.

In the past I haven't had to do that.

It's been more along the lines of guys coming into the team already being top quality drivers and it's more of a case of working together to get a fast car.

continued on page 34 31

? This is what the team does when

continued from page 33

MN;Let's compare the Steven Johnson of 2001, when you last won a race, to the 2004 version. What's the difference?

SJ: I'm older ...

MN:Yeah, we guessed that...

SJ: Ha! Apart from that. I'm probably more motivated and doing more training now than I was back then.

We had fast cars back then but probably still a bit inconsistent. I've changed in that I look at things differently now,especially in the racing side of things.

I think I'm a better racer now than then. I'm a harder racer and I don't take any shit.

That's something that, I guess, was evident in a couple of races this year.

A lot of the changes have only happened between last year and this year. I thought to myself that'some of these guys get into you and spear you off the track and you don't do anything about it, what's going on?'

This year's been a bit different.

Whether it's due to hanging around with Russell Ingall or not...

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MN:It seems an annual thing now for someone to trot out a story about your weight and lack of fitness and dedication. How tired of hearing that are you?

SJ: As far as that's concerned,it's a dead horse. They keep flogging it and get nothing from it. I don't arc up at it anymore or say anything.

If they want to say something, that's their perogative. It might mean the difference between me saying yes to an interview or not.

I've always been as easy to work with for the media as possible and that's something I've tried hard to do because I know how important it is 32

Tm a harder racer now than then Whether iTs due to hanging around with n Russell Ingall or not

you don't perform f Johnson's best 2004 result was sixth at Eastern Creek. Let's just hope they let him get out of his race suit, below, before they hang it up next time ...

- On the 2004 evolution model of‘Junior’Johnson and it's something that I've learnt off Dad. He was very good with that and that's what I need to be, especially in the hard times like this when we're not doing so well.

MN:We know how to expand those media horizons. Bring back the typical laconic Johnson wit on the on-board camera crosses ...

SJ; I know,I know. I've asked them about that and they (Channel Ten) won't do it. It's all to do with the legalties if there's an accident. I think it all went back to when Dad's rear wing broke at Bathurst a while back. , I'd love to do it. I love when they cross during Safety Car periods but I guess a lot of people would be quite interested in tiiat sort of things. But the insurance and the like wouldn't be good.

MN:Long-term,can you ever imagine driving for somebody other than DJR? SJ: There's a lot of things that are targeted at myself. Driving for your family business is one and another is the weight,just going back to that.

I'm never, ever, going to be the size of a Paul Radisich. No matter how much work I do.I'm never going to be that size.

I'm a big frame and a big person and the amount of training I've been doing is probably more than 70 to 80

percent of the V8 Supercar drivers.

That's no word of a lie. I've got my personal trainers. I've got my team mate and a lot of people who could easily back me up on that.

That's not just because they know me,but because they've done it with me.I train a lot with Luffy and I've even changed trainers now.

Luffy and I were training with the same trainer and I was feeling 1 wasn't getting enough out of it because she had to work between the two of us. That's what I need to do.

Yeah, sure,I want to lose more weight but the amount of muscle and strength I've got is the best I've been.

It's certainly not the lightest I've been, but it's the fittest and healthiest I've ever been in my life.

Being a lot heavier than most of the drivers is a disadvantage. But with me knowing that I am a lot heavier than these guys and I'm matching a lot of them on the track is very satisfying because I know that know I've got my health, all the foundations have been done.

Going back to the team side of things,I do what's best for Steve Johnson. I love my Dad no end,as every son should.

We get along really well as workmates, we're best of mates away from the track and there'd be nothing more gratifying to win races or a championship with my father's race team.

I'm not saying that the race team is the be-aU and end-all, because I'm not really siue if I want to have a race team at the end of my career.

I know Dad would probably love me to keep it all going, but I'm not sure that's what I want to do.

I still do what's best for myself, but that doesn't mean I'm going to do something that's going to muck the whole family up!

But it doesn't mean I wouldn't drive for another team at some stage in my career to get what I want.

There's no doubt in my mind that I'll

do that. ID

moiorsport news

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;^ >..

Talk Dirty to After years of keeping it on the biack stuff, CHRiS LAMBDEN gets some dirt on his boots sampiing Mitsubishi's PRC chalienger

KAY,let's get one thing straight. I'm no rally driver.

In fact, this will be the first time, after what seems like decades of motorsport, that I've actually driven a real rally car(you know. with a cage, a number on the side ...)

Fortunately, this is no WRC hybrid.

But it's still a handy weapon. It's Mitsubishi's latest addition to its Australian rally fleet, the all-wheeldrive Magna VR-X, the car which won the Australia Cup category on debut at last month's Rally of Canberra. With out-of-retirement legend Ross Dunkerton behind the wheel, the locally manufactured and rally-prepared VR-X exceeded the team's highest aspirations by not only finishmg the tough Canberra rally, but doing so in front.

Former Gibson Motorsport team manager Alan Heaphy heads up what will grow to become Mitsubishi's factory rally base and the'4WD Magna project is something of a warm-up for 2005, when he will run a pair of Lancer Evo VIIIs in the Globalstar ARC. We were quite stunned by how well the car went first time out.

34

HT

Heaphy reports as he details the quite minimal changes made in converting two road cars to rally racers in a period of just six weeks.

Apart from the obvious cage. rally seats and harness, wheels and tyres and an after-market exhaust system, the car is extraordinarily close to standard.

"Suspension-wise, we just sent the car up to Jamie Drummond's to fit a sprmg/shock package that he thought would be about right.

And that's it. We did change one or two of the standard rubber suspension bushes for polyeurathane ones, but as it happens that was the only real problem we had in Canberra. They started to flog out,so we ended up putting the standard ones back in - and they were fine!

As rally cars go, the VR-X has a few home comforts for the amateur pilot- in particular, the transmission.

The five-speed INVECSII sequential auto transmission makes it as simple as FI - leaving this novice to simply cope with the basics; throttle, brakes and steermg...

With the 3.5 litre V6 producing some 159kW at 5500rpm and 318Nm

moiorsDorl news

IMPRESSION

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New career move: Ed Ordynski, obviously a man who recognises genius when he sees it, announces that he is retiring and handing his ARC seat to Lambden, above, to move into the highly-paid world of publishing. One of the few concessions to competition is that the roll cage make entry and egress a wriggly business, right

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And then I'll pick up the kids: Lambden guides a terrified Ross Dunkerton though the dirt in Mitsubishi's Magna PRC contender, above. The interior is just like the road car's with the exception of the rollcage and Racetech driver's seat, left.

to the shops. Could almost do it with his eyes closed. As he winds away at the wheel, tossing the car into the mixture of sandy, dry, occasionally rutted, comers,over the slight jump, he's belting out the standard navigator-speak ("Right 3, left 2 at tyres, right over jump")for my benefit and enthusing in general about the car.

of torque at 4000rpm, driving through the Australian-developed Quadtec AWD system, this is no production slug.

For this exercise, we're back at the same deserted Seymour speedway/ off-road park where the cars had a brief pre-Canberra shakedown. Ross 'Have you heard the story about' Dunkerton is here, along with Ralliart stalwart Ed Ordynski. Ed hasn't driven Heaphy's new toy yet, so his initial impressions will be of interest.

And,I've got to say, it's impressive.

As a circuit-racing person. I've always been amazed at how a good rally car's suspension soaks up the bumps (having sat in the passenger seat a few times). In this case, we're in a virtually standard road car, with just a replacement spring/shock package, and it's eating up the imdulations.

Aided by the 4WD package, the Magna simply drives through and out of the ruttiest(albeit sandy)left hander as if it was hard and smooth.

My firstthe run is as a passenger, with experienced Dunkerton at the wheel, to get familiar with both the course and the car.

Time to swap seats. The basics of the driver 'cockpit' are just like any other touring car, track or off road: wrap-around supportive seat (with extensive side-wings at head level) and five-point harness. Tlie

For Ross, this is as easy as a walk 26 May 2004

That's how far technology has come.

The Magna simply drives through and out of the ruttiest(alheit sandy)left hander as it it was hard and smooth. Thafs how rr far technology has come

instrumentation is standard, as is the sequential shift, although the actuation direction has been reversed - back for up,forward for down.

After a couple of runs, there is a small degree of familiarity and confidence starting to make it enjoyable. It's a simple course,just second and third gear,but the sequential shift makes even that so easy that it's not really a factor. Just brake, point and squirt.

With Dunkerton driving, once the car is positioned and pointed the throttle was invariably full on, maximising the drive and speed. For the newcomer, there's a lot more throttle movement! That's[a lack of] experience and confidence for you.

Having said that, the VR-X on dirt doesn't appear to have any major vices. Under power,around the two sweeping third gear corners, the rear begins to step out slowly, controllably.

No sudden surprises.

Out of the tighter corners, it's tractable and smooth.

Attempts to flick the car early into a couple of the right-angled corners are half okay. Again, no nasty surprises and, hey, this is hm!Not sure whether Dunkerton,cowering in the passenger seat, is having quite as good a time!

Ordynski's comments after his drive are interesting; "It was,frankly, a lot better than I thought it was going to be," he sums up, used to the higher rally-defined characteristics of liis regular Evo VII. "Your expectations of what is really a quite standard car are modest, but it is pretty good all round."

One thing Ed identifies is a need for more brake on the rear. He's right, of course - braking deep into the biggest stop on the course, the front has the tendency to lock and push on.

It's something quite easily addressed.

Overall? Like I said. I'm no rally driver, but on the basis of this day out. I'd quite like to be! Sure, it was a relatively safe and easy course but, frankly,it was fun. The technology in Mitsubishi's VR-X is very novice friendly, which helps a lot.

They say a good meal leaves you wanting a bit more - this was a very, very good dinner...

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T was one of those 'grind-it-out' weekends in the heat of Darwin but, by doing just that, Todd Kelly grabbed outright victory for HRT.

It was one of those strange weekends, where track conditions came and went; where cars went from being dogs to stars then back again; where virtually no-one had a troublefree, smooth run. It was... interesting!

At one point it looked like a Stone Brothers rout. Then, thanks to a clumsy first comer, they threw it away. Jason Bright looked a possibility, but was out of it early in Race 2. Then Rick Kelly looked a chance - until he ran out of brakes (not tyres as many assumed).

In the end,it came down to Todd versus the incredibly consistent Steven Richards and Kelly just had the car speed to do it.

Ingall and Ambrose showed even better car speed to recover from their Race 2(which included a Drivethrough penalty for Marcos)and both were in tlie frame at the end,for third

and fourth points,from John Bowe, who got nearer and nearer to the front as the weekend progressed.

The other intriguing story of the weekend was Greg Murphy. The Kiwi was desolate after Saturday, struggling to 13th with an oversteering car. Come Sunday and the track(and a great start and pit stop)came to him and suddenly he was in the pictiue. In the end, though, he just plain ran out of rubber as a hot, hot day drew to its close...

Race 1(17 laps) AU topsychology lose -little to gain.

That the going into thewas 17lapper, with no scheduled stops, there to entertain the crowd on Saturday evening. Despite a 4.30pm start, it was still very warm.

In the end, the excitement came right at the very end,but it was a dour struggle until then.

At the front, the start was clean.

The HRTs made a beauty with Skaife out-jumping Todd who,nevertheless.

had room to tuck in behind as they turned into Turn 1. Bright was inside and the two of them rode it out, mbbing doors, with the PWR car emerging with the line into Turn 2.

Ingall, Kelly and Richards filed through while,in the pack, Wilson and Wills had come into solid contact, the rear axle housing of the Roadships/Alphawest/Road Industries(yes)Commodore bent sufficiently to provide Wills with a handful.Indeed,the Dynamik Commodore slipped slowly back through the field for five laps before calling it a day.

Up front, there was a queue forming behind the red duo. Once upon a time, they would have relentlessly ground out some sort of gap. This time, car 2 was clearly working to stay at the front.

A small error, on lap six, showed it.

Skaife slid a metre or two wide at the right-hander into the loop and, while he retained the lead, it created chaos behind him - especially for his team mate.

Kelly hesitated for a moment,then went for the gap,only to end up stuck on the outside as Skaife recovered and they plunged into the left-hand loop.

"I did hesitate for a moment," Kelly later confirmed."That did cost me,as I ended up on the outside and it let three cars through," Indeed it did. That allowed Bright onto the tail of the leader, with a controlled SBR duo watching his every move.

Nothing changed for nearly 10 laps - as Marcos later described it, a high speed game of chess - until, with just over two to go, Brighty made a small error. The PWR car was a fraction late and quick turning in to the last comer and in a flash understeered

wide. The two SBRs pounced. Bright rejoining in fifth.

Skaife went into the last two laps with the first actual gap he'd enjoyed all day - a second - and might well have thought it was all over. It wasn't.

Illustrating just how much they'd

■eiorsport mws

V8 SUPERCARS

It all happened in the Tep End. Last-corner drama,first corner drama,team-mate hitting team-mate and brother battling brother. CHRiS LAMBDEN reports on Todd Kelly's winning weekend at Hidden Vaiiey and everything eise that went on...

been cruising in behind Bright, Ambrose and Ingall closed him down.

Even so, there were a few lengths in it with half a lap to go.

But Marcos put in a blinding few comers(think back to the final sector of his shoot-out lap) and,as Skaife drove a normal,wide line into the last corner, had the momentum to put the Pirtek car right there. No'throw', no tyre smoke, the car was simply 'there', right alongside.

As Ingall(okay,sUghtly biased) later said "It was a great move -1 wished I'd done it!"

It's possible Skaife didn't even see it coming. Why would he expect the championship points leader to take such a risk?

When Skaife turned m,ISOOkgs of Falcon said no! The Commodore bounced off and slid gently into the dirt.

Marcos was delayed sufficiently for a gleeful Ingall(and Kelly) to slip by in the drag to the line. continued on page 40

Just not my year: In any other season, Mark Skaife would have ridden the bump from Ambrose Craig Kelly-style and stayed in the game. This year, it was bump, off, stagger, 1st to 14th.

ST:-;AL1A

KDifeRri

/ remember how to do this bit: Todd Kelly got to break an eight-month drought for himselfand HRT in Darwin though the dodgily-sunglassed Steven Richards took back the championship lead after a consistent weekend.

37

BIG P%>l D

QuaHtying

The Holden Racing Teann Connmodores may have a straightline speed problem but the heat of Darwin saw them take the front row in the Shoot-Out. CHRIS LAMBDEN watched qualifying

s

i ij

,1

J

OLID practice and qualifying sessions and a pair of exceilent shoot out laps paved the way for an HRT 1-2 in the heat and humidity of Darwin.

The boys in red (well, black actually in 2004) were pleased but still cautious - after all it hasn't been qualifying that has been the problem so far this year.

Nevertheless, there's no better start to a race weekend.

Unseasonable rainstorms in the lead-up to Darwin's big weekend had washed the track completely clean. Not that this seemed to make a massive difference to the usual dry and dusty welcome there was still precious little grip.

And, as a guide to how things would be, practice really gave very little away, thanks to the Pukekohe washout. Pukekohe, you say? Why? Because most teams came away with some very little-used slicks; indeed many with a set or two of unused Dunlops, all now available for use during practice if you wanted to.

There were some unlikely names near the top of the time sheets on Saturday morning, but once official qualifying kicked off the normal order was resumed well, almost.

The Kmart boys were struggling with what appeared to be excessive oversteer. Greg Murphy and Rick Kelly went in differing directions at one point to try and find a cure, but without real joy. At least they didn't waste any fresh rubber trying to mask the problem, as some did, but when it came time for qualifying, both were in the 'slower' group and only Rick would sneak into the top 10.

Murph's car remained bad all weekend, especially out of both right-handers before and after the loop. They followed Rick's settings. No good. Full hard, full soft on the bars, it made little difference. Sometimes it's hard to stay calm ...

Skaife too reported some oversteer, but clearly not to the same degree. For a team still claiming a straight-line speed problem, the pace was 38

impressive - indeed Todd was at pains to point out that it was the chassis that was making the time.

Most of the action came in the first runs of both the slower and fastest qualifying groups.

Rick Kelly, his car showing signs of improvement, proved the best of the slower group, rattling out a time which would only be beaten by five of the faster bunch when they came out a few minutes later.

When they did, most of the point-end action came on the first and second flying laps and Jason Bright emerged just a tenth quicker than the HRT pair. Bright had run an ex-NZ green set earlier, in practice, and the opportunity to think more on the set-up could well have paid dividends.

As usual, it was incredibly close, just half a second covering the top 10 in the end.

Mark Skaife and Kelly were a mere four-hundredths apart, although Todd ran a second lap on his first set, and this was, marginally, the better of the two.

Both had another run, but it was slower.

Steven Richards and Marcos Ambrose were virtually tied in fourth and fifth, again both setting their time on the first run.

Richo then whipped in and out of

Back to I Fifty not out: Jason Bright, top, led the sheets in qualifying but was bumped down to third in the Shoot-out by a redhot HRT duo, right.

Willing effort: Simon Wills continues to show qualifying speed in the Team Dynamik Commodore, below, and lined up ninth on the grid.

motorsport news

r

^gUALIFYING ^

VBSCB Round 4 Pos/ND I

lusiness the pits, a couple of times as he adjusted the set-up for a second go (on the same set of tyres) but, again, when it came it fell a couple of tenths short.

Richo's philosophy worked for Russell Ingall who made a couple of changes on his first set before a final run, to gain a tenth (and one spot)for seventh.

Triple 8 duo Max Wilson and Paul Radisich were only a tenth apart, but it was the difference between eighth and 13th! Team boss Roland Dane was a bit disappointed - the boys had run quickly on used rubber, but one way or another, they hadn't got the expected new tyre gain.

Simon Wills and Jason Bargwanna grabbed the last top 10 spots, the latter pleased with the balance of the Orrcon Falcon (despite a small problem under brakes at the end of the straight) and with edging out Craig Lowndes and John Bowe by three and four hundredths respectively.

Shoot-out ~or the frontrunners, this was an important shoot-out as Darwin has traditionally proven 28 May 2004

Darwin, NT

Dr i ver | car/team|t i me

1 2

50 2

Jason Bright Mark Skaife

3 4

22 11

Todd Kelly Steven Richards

5

1

Marcos Ambrose

6

15

7

9

PWR Performance Products Commodore VY

1:09.2821

Holden Racing Team Commodore VY

1:09.3303

Holden Racing Team Commodore VY

1:09.3771

Castrol Perkins Motorsport Commodore W

1:09.4194 1:09.4279

Rick Kelly

Pirtek Stone Brothers Racing Falcon BA Kmart Racing Team Commodore VY

Russell Ingall Max Wilson

Caltex Havoline Stone Brothers Racing Falcon BA Team Betta Triple 8 Falcon BA

1:09.6209 1:09.6804

1:09.4307 1:09.5978

9

44

Simon Wilts

Roadships/Alphawest/World Ind Commodore VY

10

10

Jason Bargwanna

Larkham Orrcon Racing Falcon BA

1:09.7297

11 12 13

6 12 88

Craig Lowndes JohnBowe Paul Radisich

CAT Ford Performance Racing Falcon BA OzEmail/Brad Jones Racing Team Falcon BA Team Betta Electrical Triple 8 Falcon BA

1:09.7590 1:09.7626 1:09.7629

14

20

Mark Winterbottom

Larkham Orrcon Racing Falcon BA

1:09.8025

15 16

34 29

Garth Tander

Repco Vatvoline Cummins Team Commodore VY

1:09.8677

Paul Morris

Sirromet - Ufe.Style.Wine Commodore VY

1:09.8944

17 18 19 20

51 21 17 5

Greg Murphy Brad Jones Steven Johnson Glenn Seton

Kmart Racing Team Commodore VY

1:09.9283

21

16

OzEmail/Brad Jones Racing Team Falcon BA

1:09.9631 1:09.9752

PaulWeel

Shell Helix Racing Falcon BA Ford Performance Racing Falcon BA PWR Performance Products Commodore VY

22 021 23

Craig Baird Paul Dumbrell

Team Kiwi Racing Commodore VY Castrol Perkins Motorsport Commodore VY

24

Warren Luff

Shell Helix Racing Falcon BA Repco Valvoline Cummins Team Commodore VY

18

1:09.9867 1:10.0353 1:10.0578 2:10.1262 1:10.1331 1:10.1524

25 33

Cameron McConville

26 27 28

31 3 23

Steve Ellery Jason Richards David Besnard

Super Cheap Auto Racing Falcon BA

1:10.1704

Tasman Motorsport Commodore VX WPS Falcon BA

12p.2020

29

75

Anthony Tratt

30 7 31 45 EXC 48

Tony Longhurst Dale Brede Mark Noske

Toll Racing Commodore VY Castrol Perkins Motorsport Commodore VX

1:10.2^7 1:10.4130 1:10.5515

Roadships/Alphawest/World Ind Commodore VY WPS Falcon BA

1:10.6418

TOP TEN SHDDTDUT RESULTS 1

Skaife

23.9884

24.1911

20.9393

lm09.1188

2

Kelly T

24.0755

24.2475

20.9883 20.9701 20.8276

1m09.3113 lm09.4812

3

Bright

24.2350

24.2761

4

Ambrose

24.4406

5 6

Ingall Richards

24.1639

24.2920 24.3849

21.0628

1m09.6116

24.2637

24.3850

21.0054

lm09.6541

7

Kelly R Wilson

24.3002 24.3584

24.4078

21.0834

1m09.7914

24.4504

21.1205

1m09.9293

9

Wills

. 24.4170

24.5313

21.0670

lmlO.0153

10

Bargwanna

24.6130

24.4008

21.2518

lmlO.2655

BIG

D

to be a difficult circuit for overtaking.

Despite the much-publicised and speculation-ridden form dip, he and his team are enduring, Skaife remains the benchmark setter in qualifying. Equalling your practice time in the single lap shoot-out is a pretty mean effort; chopping time off it is pretty damned good. And that is what Skaife did - solid two tenths in fact.

Matching his earlier time wasn't going to be enough for Bright and, perhaps, he overdrove it a fraction, dropping a couple of tenths to slip behind Skaife and Kelly, Todd doing an excellent job to match his earlier time on a track that was losing grip as the temperatures rose.

"I also went into the right hander too quickly and locked the rears," he reported.

"I thought I'd blown it and would be going off the road, but somehow it stayed on ..."

Excellent work.

lm09.5602

www.bigpond.com.au Richo dropped a couple of tenths, which was enough to slip two spots as both the SBR men pretty much equalled their earlier runs. Ingall, in particular, was just happy to have at last put together a reasonable qualifying effort.

"That’s what we've needed for a while," he said. "Now we're in the right part of the field to have a go."

Ambrose's first two sectors were quite conservative - the first in fact slower than most but he got it all back in a final sector that no-one would match, including Skaife. That would become something of a factor later in the day late in Race 1.

The remaining four - Kelly, Wilson, Wills and Bargwanna all dropped a few tenths and reshuffled the order among themselves.

Qualifying is usually allimportant in Darwin but we were about to discover that 2004 is a different year ...

39

T

continued from page 37 Further back, tire field trundled through in convoy, although Brad Jones found himself rudely shovelled off the track by Paul Dumbrell on the final lap, and Steve Johnson had retired the lead Shell car with an engine failure big enough to require an immediate change.

"Can't say exactly what it was," team manager Dean Orr reported."It was something we've been trying and it failed..."

It was to be that sort of weekend

I

for the Shell boys. The engine hoist was in use again on Sunday morning, after the warm-up...

I Tap dancing: Todd Kelly gives some hurry-up to Jason Bright, who had an up-and-down weekend.

Race 2(35 laps) f the action had come late in Race 1,

I

it certainly wasn't long in coming as the first of the two tyre-stop races got under way on Sunday.

In fact, it all happened at turn one.

IngaU had Kelly's measure, but as they braked, the dark blue Falcon in behind Ingall kept on coming. At the last moment,Ambrose flicked it left, to try and avoid the inevitable (having been squeezed by, and bounced off,PWR),but to no avail. As PWR bounced off HRT,Pirtek clanged into Caltex and IngaU spun helplessly around. It was not a good moment. Worse was to come for SBR when the pit window opened ...

Todd had run wide as a result of

AT Saturday afternoon's postRace 1 conference, Russell 'Ingall was effusive in his praise of team-mate Marcos' last-lap move on race leader Mark Skaife.

"What a great move," he quipped. "So good I wish I'd done it myself!"

By lunchtime next day, he was feeling a tad less charitable toward his team-mate although, tactfully, he kept most of his thoughts to himself. Later in the day, having partially rescued the weekend with a rostrum finish, he was more philosophical: "What do you do?" he shrugged. "You can kick and scream and carry on like a child ... or you can cop it.

"We all make mistakes."

I

ndeed. A mistake it was.

Marcos initially suggested that he might have got a tap from behind, but no Marcos, others close by didn't see it like that. It was a simple, possibly understandable, error.

It's just so awkward when it involves your team-mate! As one journo asked, would Russell have been as controlled if it had been anyone else?

Well yes, actually. Remember how little Russell said publicly in the heat of the aftermath of the infamous Eastern Creek Skaife clash? Not much at all.

Something of the 'what happens on the field stays on the field' kind of thing.

It was disappointing then, to l see HRT initiating a steward's

review of Saturday's last corner incident between Ambrose and Skaife.

In the end, the Driving Standards Observer decreed it a racing incident, suggesting that it was up to both drivers to allow each other racing room. In the end, Marcos wasn't even called to give evidence.

We've occasionally disagreed with the DSO’s pronouncements, but in this case, good onya Bondie ...

And good onya Marcos for having a go. As he later said; "I probably shouldn't have, in terms of the championship points situation. But I rely on instinct. I'm a racer and there was a gap there."

- CHRIS LAMBDEN

bright's nudge,so Ambrose led Bright, Richards, a recovered Todd, brother Rick,Bargwanna,Bowe and Lowndes as they streamed through to complete the opener.

The second crucial moment came when the pit stop window opened,at the end of lap two. Of the top six, only Rick KeUy and Richards dived in and, allied with a superb turnarormd by the Kmart boys, it won Rick the race.

A Schumacher-Uke out-lap and subsequent laps on his fresh rubber saw the #15 Kmart car in front of the contenders as they all stopped on subsequent laps.

A lap later they did it again,for Murph. Car 51 had still been problematic in the warm-up but you wouldn't have known it. A good start, a great stop and, when the dust settled, Murph emerged in fourth!

There's always something motivational about having your young team-mate just in front of you.

In truth, this seemed like a classic case of the track 'coming to' a set-up which hadn't thus far, worked.

Bright was now out of the equation.

His stop was a long one as right-front damage sustained in the turn one fracas was repaired.

Ambrose too was gone. A tyre simply bounced out of one of his crew's hands at his stop and rolled

continued on page 44 molorsport news

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No 12

Class Driver]Make I Model Wes Anderson Nb Alfa Romeo

18

Nb

05

Nc

89

Nc

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Nb

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73

Nc

l'140

Nc

k- 14

Nc

Garry Kirwan Holden 1972 Torana GTR XUl Joe McGinnes Ford 1969 XW Falcon GT Alastair MacLean Holden 1.972 LJ Torana GTR XUl

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i. ●;>V

r 7-' l'fc ' T7-

Nc

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Nc

fc t22:. Nc ;3lJ Nc

I i

76

Nc

88

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Nc

1964 Giulia Ti Super John Bryant Ford Falcon Rallye Sprint Peter Brock Holden Torana XU1 John Harrison Holden 1972 Torana XU1

Jeremy Mantello . Holden 1971 Monaro Drew Marget Ford 1968 Trans Am Mustang Steve Mason Chevrolet 1968 Camaro Ian Sawtell Holden 1972 Torana GTR XUl Paul Stubber Chevrolet Camaro Trevor Talbot Holden 1972 LJ Torana XUl Greg Toepfer Holden 1972 HQ Kingswood V8 Garry Treloar Chevrolet 1968 Camaro Chris Wilson Holden 1972 Torana XUl

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BIG

D

,ys

continued from page 40 across pit lane. No way around it - it required a drive-through penalty...

All of which produced an allHolden queue at the front: Kelly (Rick), Kelly (Todd), Richards and, some four seconds back, Murph. And this time, this is how it stayed, although late in the race Murph had to fend off Ford's lone remaining challenger, Craig Lowndes.

Bowe and Bargs were next, while the other star performer of the race was Paul Week From a grid 17 start, he simply drove through the field, past Skaife, to eighth. Over the second part of the race, the PWR car was the fastest on the track. It made up for a bad Saturday and a tailshaft failure in the morning warm-up.

Ingall and Ambrose recovered, to 11th and 13th respectively, but there was a slightly tense,embarrassed atmosphere in the SBR garage in the immedate aftermath.

Ford's other challengers. Triple 8, also tripped over. Max Wilson had damaged a front spoiler in the warm up. It was changed, but, unbeknown to the team, there was more damage.

"We did a wheel alignment etc," Campbell Little reported,"and it was fine. But a steering pin was damaged and it broke on the warm-up lap."

Max was out. Paul Radisich

plugged on well, up to ninth before tangling with Garth Tander and losing several spots.

Garth was also involved in a contretemps with Wills later in the race.

Race 3(35 laps) By now it was goingwho to behad down tyre management; the to best set of four tyres to bolt on after an early stop? WeU,in most cases.

From a grid 17 start, Jason Bright was to try it a little differently - and it almost paid off.

This was Todd Kelly's race, though.

A solid start again, no early dramas and a good stop as soon as the pit

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44

info@sp66dywh66ls.co.nz

I

s

motorsport news

5 I Getting better all the time: The Kmart train, led by Murphy, ran in tandem in the final race, above left.

Going like a cut CAT: Lowndes was wonderful, as usual, motoring though after a stall at the start of Race 3.

Orrconsolidating: After Bargs made the Shoot-out and Winterbottom, below, showed race speed for IMS.

window opened. Just as his brother had done in the previous race.

The result was the same too. When the pit stop roundabout stopped, Todd was in front and,although there was a little pressure, first from Murph,later from Richards after a Safety Car closed up the field, there seemed little prospect of a serious challenge.

"1 was a bit lucky and a bit smart," Todd summed up, and he was right.

A little fortunate in that he didn't get caught up in the dramas which took out his main rivals, but, like Richards, a little smart; pushing when necessary, holding back when he could.

Richo is perfecting this style and, again,it paid dividends. The only real negative for he and the Castrol team were the pit stops. Where some make a spot or two, Richo's crew dropped a couple.

After a comfortable start, settling in third, it became fourth after the stops.

As Richo now began to push Rick Kelly, third, Rick was himself dealing with what would become major brake problems. In the end,the pedal went to the floor at the end of the straight and Richo and Ambrose went by.

Rick's super run was over. Another big moment would send him across the grass and well down the field.

Murph had,again,benefited from some great KRT pitwork and it was now the #51 Kmart car between Richards and Kelly although in the end it looked as if Murph's tyres simply ran out of rubber and he ? would be shuffled back to fourth by I the Castrol Commodore and a fastcontinued on page 46 45

vases ROUND 4 DARWIN, NT Race

1

1 V

LARS

Pos 1 DRIVER I Race Time [ Fastest | Lap 1

Ingall

20:16.6910

1:10.4970

3

2 "TMiy „J0;'230"' T:l0.53i9 4 3' n Ambrose' ' 20:i'7.465l ' 1:10.4576 '3 1:10;5159 3 20:r8.444'5 4 Bright S. Richards --20n8.'92T3 1:'I0:560^ "'3' i:'l6;5474 "'3 6 R.‘kelly "' 20:20.5896 7"‘eargwann3 20':'2T3'282 1:10A984 _5 1:10.6018' 5' ‘20:23.3256 Bowe 1:10.4320 5' 20:23.6000 9 Radisich 1:10.6407 5 10_ ‘Wilson _20|24.266^ 11 ' Winterboltbnn 20:27.1002 1:11.0258 7 l:i0:6032 '9' 20:273‘267 12 'Lowndes 13 Murpliv '' 20:29.'5416' 'l:ll‘.rr03 10 “ ' “ 20:29.5438 1:10.5160 4 14 ■-Skaife 1:11.0267 8 20:30.9110 15’" Tander 1:l‘f.'0699 5‘ ■ 20:31.4662 16’ Baird 20:‘3T:9‘773 ‘ l:l0.78'47' 5 17 " Weel 20'l33.‘6946 r:1l.25T7 5" 18 * Seton 1:11.0864 11 20:34.3190 19 Besnard 20:36.7322 l‘:l0.'9536 13 20' ’Dumbrell 20:36.8754 “1:11.1152_ '9 ■l :ir6‘24‘7 'I'l 20:41’.8631 22 Luff _ _ 20:4ll9'75 23" McConvilie l:ll.'44'61_^'_ir 1:11.6323 6 20:42.9329; 24 T^att ‘1':‘11/086__J 2’5_ j. Wchard^_ 20:43.6245 T:11.7496 12 26 "ibng'hurst ^ 20:44.05'6'2'

r

continued from page 45 moving and recovering Ambrose.

Behind them, Ingall too had recovered well and was circulating

/ got it, / got it: No, he didn't Garth Tander had oversteer problems, not aided by some assistance from Simon Wills, above. The ever-consistent Steve Richards, below, is back in the points lead and eyeing the title ...

30

i,

(electrics) from Turn 1.

But the story of the race, albeit back in the ruck, was Lowndes. After virtually stalling on the line, on the third row, Craig was swallowed up by the field, completing the opening

Race

j’6 laps

9laps

2

1:10.2381 7 “mO.SlS'O 6 t:10.'57i'0' ■r:io;9i03" 13

42:26.9026 42:2713074 4‘258.‘4450 ‘7 Baigiranna ' ‘42:3T8937 'Weel J “42:32.9231' 42:‘40.76‘05 9 _ Skaile 16‘ ‘Wintc’rbottom ‘ 42;4i.8a‘2l‘ 42:43.‘30‘88 l‘l‘“ ‘IngSl ‘4'2:44:i364 12 “ Setori'

4

5 6“

lap in 26th place.

After apologising over the radio to the team, he went like a blur - lap for lap probably the fastest on the track and worked his way back to ninth at the end. Good stuff. Just like in tlie wet - when grip is at its worst.

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46

f6japs^

Wills

42:21.2095'' “ 1:10.1909 7 1 _ R. Kelty_ _ l :lo:2606 ■■■ 9 2' '‘TKellii_' ■' 42:21.7207 1:10.3186 ' ‘5 42:22.3*223 3" SlRi'chaids

was Skaife, the HRT boss only getting

t?

21:00.4729

Morris'

0NF_ Jones DNF Johnson

quickly with Bowe in close attendance. This was a strong nm from the OzEmail car, especially as (thanks to a flat-spotted tyre in qualifying) JB only had one really serviceable (right rear) tyre left for the long stint. Sixth in this race and fifth outright on the day was an encouraging result for the green team.

Behind him for most of the race so far back up the order after his Race 1 demise before starting to struggle for more gain.

Tander had a much stronger run in this race, sUcing forward from 20th to be on Skaife's tail by the time the Safety Car appeared on lap 22 to remove Paul WeeTs stranded car

29 *

l:fl.76‘27 3‘ ‘1:T1:6239 ‘11 1:11.9200 4 1:11.1792 10' 1:To.9829 "S' 1:11.4825 ’ 6

20:45.4338 ■" 2*0:45.8949

27’ Noske ■2’8"”Brede

Lowndes seems to be at his best.

Bright's bid to do it differently almost came off. He stayed out imtil lap 21 and built up what amoimted to a 30 second 'lead' over the pursuing lead group.

"We figured I would come back out around fourth or fifth, with quite a good set of tyres on as well," he reported later, but it all went wrong at the stop with a jammed wheel nut.

Bright would finish 10th.

And so it goes. Perth next, a resurfaced track and a new set of equations. Richo's controlled approach is paying off right now, but even he knows that soon he is going to have to find that teeny bit of pace to race Ambrose, to match him for sheer speed, if the title is to go his way.

It could be quite a contest.

Points: S. Richards 704, Ambrose 694, Murphy 665, R, Kelly 644, Bright 593, Ingall 514, Bowe 484, T. Kelly 457, Bargwanna 438, Tander 434, Weel 429, Baird 428, Johnson 413, Skaife 392, Radisich 392, Lowndes 390, Morris 386, Winterboltom 344, Seton 341, Wilson 304, Besnard 292, Dumbrell 291, Wills 280, Jones 272, Luff 250, J. Richards 237, McConvilie 230, Longhurst 222, Tratt 210, Ellery 130, Brede 76, Porter 58, Noske 50.

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Jarno Trulli may have woken up on Monday morning wondering if it was ali a dream - a maiden win, from poie position, at Monaco. Behind, there was mayhem, controversy and a fiying Jenson Button. JOESAWARD reports on the day that Truiii shook off a iot of labels and stepped up to shake the hand of a Prince...

I

N his Formula One career to date, Jamo Trulli has been the 'nearly man'of GP racing.

No-one doubts the talent possessed by the Italian veteran but... well, sometimes it appears that he nods off and settles for whatever happens.

After all, there is more to life than Grand Prix racing (apparently).

So, to win a first GP after dominating qualifying is a good thing. To do it in front of a World Champion with five straight wins is remarkable. And to do all that, and more, on the biggest stage in the sport, at Monaco,is the stuffs of which dreams are made.

On Sunday afternoon, Trulli dominated at Monaco. Meanwhile, down in the Ferrari pit they were (for once) having to look failure squarely in the face.

Michael Schumacher had set the fastest lap of the race but he did not score a sixth victory - and thank goodness for that. It will not be too long before Schumacher wins the 2004 World Championship but Monaco was Jarno's day.

"I believed in myself," he said. "I believed in the team and I hoped that maybe we could win here."

And he did it in style. Schumacher was never going to win this one.

From the moment when Takuma Sato sliced between Michael and Kimi Raikkonen at the start, the Ferrari driver's dreams of glory were in big trouble.

Sato went from seventh to fourth and Michael was back in sixth place and at the front Trulli and Fernando Alonso were streaking away. Michael was fortunate in that Sato's race did not last long. On the third lap the BAR-Honda started to smoke. And then down at Tabac the VIO led go with a spectacular cloud of smoke.

The smoke was so think in fact that there was mayhem behind him. Sato pulled off to the inside to get out off the line and that allowed Raikkonen, Schumacher and Barrichello to get through but then there was a huge shunt.

T had no vision at all," said 48

Giancarlo Fisichella. "Barrichello and Montoya were in front then suddenly there was a McLaren. I am not sure why it was there.

"The next thing I heard was a bang and I was upside-down.I stayed in the cockpit until everything went quiet. Then I got myself out."

Behind all this there was mayhem.

"All I saw in the accident was a lot of mess and cars slowing everywhere.

I was right behind Ralf and slowed when he did and we managed to thread out way through. I guess 1 was lucky."

'Lucky' was a word that could be applied to Fisichella as well.

When the race restarted, Trulli and Alonso drove away again and although eventually Raikkonen stopped and released Michael from the trap in which he was stuck, it was too much to ask for him to beat the two Renaults. On lap 20 Michael was 9.6s behind Trulli.

Then we saw an active demonstration of what it takes to win six world titles and five races in a row. Even in what was an inferior car to the Renaults, Michael pushed the envelope. On clear track, he set purple sector (ie, the fastest of the race) after purple sector and piled the pressure onto the Renaults.

The word went out to Trulli and Alonso to respond and,seemingly without much effort, the pace plunged down into what,for many, was qualifying pace.

Inevitably, as it seems to happen these days,Ferrari blinked last. Trulli started the pit cycle on lap 24,Alonso followed on 25 and Michael on 26.

When they were all back up to speed on lap 27, Trulli was still seven seconds ahead. By lap 41, Schumacher had reduced that by just three-tenths of a second.

Later, Ferrari's Ross Brawn made some(academic) noises about Schumacher still having a shot at winning during that time but,from the moment all three cars were up to speed, the race was effectively over.

As long as Trulli and Alonso kept their heads and the Renaults kept

going (not really a problem of late) the Anglo/French cars had Ferrari by the throat.

Next time around, Alonso crashed having tried a rather over-optimistic passing manoeuvre while lapping Ralf Schumacher. The German was struggling with a dodgy gearbox and driving for points and Alonso tried to pass the Williams around the outside in the turmel. History shows that this, of course, is not a course of action that usually has a positive outcome ...

"I was lapping Ralf, and he ignored the blue flags for the first seven corners," Alonso told reporters.

"He slowed down to let me by at the entrance to the tunnel, then got back on the throttle and pushed me wide. There's no grip on the outside there, and I lost control. It's extremely frustrating, and cost us a one-two finish.

"It was a very high-speed accident but Ralf likes that. I don’t want to waste my time talking to him. I've got more important things to do."

And Ralf's version?

"I can understand his being angry.

Hess rather inexperienced in Formula One and made a mistake.

"It's clear that he would try to

Blue place the blame on someone else. Just wait a week and he'll be cakned down."

With the kicker being that the next race is this week...

After the RS24 slid to a halt(with Alonso flicking a finger at Ralf while still moving!)Trulli, Button, Cristiano da Matta and Juan Montoya all took advantage of the Safety Car to go into the pits but, oddly,Ferrari did not. It looked like a bad mistake because although Michael was ahead on the road it was only a matter of metres and Michael had to stop again. And the car was not much quicker than the Renault. In short Michael had no

chance (despite Brawn,again, musing about fuel windows and strategy).

With Alonso and Michael gone, Trulli had no real opposition and allowed Button to close up in the final laps, knowing that overtaking was an impossibility. Button pushed all the way but Trulli did not crack under pressure. It was a popular and emotional win and even the BAR lads, who much have had high hopes of snatching a last-minute win,looked happy for their next-door neighbours.

When you are expecting to win a race soon,such things happen. motorsport news

REN/\lJLT (SjS

Pole. Start. Drive. Win. Celebrate: Jarno Trulli did all that at Monaco.

His margin of victory over Jenson Button, right, was about the same as it had been in qualifying...

Rubens Barrichello finished third but it was a lacklustre showing again, the Ferrari being 75secs behind at the end. Montoya finished a lap behind but 47secs ahead of Felipe Massa, who crossed the line side-by-side with da Matta. The Toyota driver should have been ahead but a drivethrough penalty for ignoring blue flags cost him fifth place. Massa's fifth place was significant for it gave tire Swiss a decent lead over McLaren in the Constructors' title.

WiU this be the making of Trulli?

Does it mean that Renault now had two potential race winners or will it lead to aU-out war between Jamo and Alonso? And will Ferrari return to creaming everyone at the Nurburgring?

It was not a dream,Jarno. Wake up.

Because, after snoozing since March, that is what the World Championship has just done.

26 May 2004

Grand Prix of

Monaco

«

May 22 2004

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RENAULT'S executive director of engineering Pat Symonds voiced an interesting theory about Monaco in the days leading up to the Monaco Grand Prix.

"The best rule of thumb when it comes to considering Monaco," he said, "is that it is never won by a good racing car."

Winning in Monaco was all about achieving what Symonds referred to as "the least bad set up" and then let the driver get on with the job. As always, Ferrari wanted a psychological advantage and so on Thursday Michael Schumacher was on top as usual with an advantage of seven-tenths of a second over Takuma Sato and Jenson Button.

In the second session Michael was four-tenths up on the BAR test driver Anthony Davidson with Rubens Barrichello third.

Did it mean anything? No-one was really sure. That is how it is

nowadays during tne first day at a Grand Prix. But the work had been done and both Bridgestone and Michelin had had the chance to evaluate the different tyre choices.

"There is nothing to stop us thinking we will be competitive," said Jean Todt, "but we know qualifying will be very close. Grid position on a track where overtaking is almost impossible will play a key role in the final result."

The biggest decision of the weekend would be taken on Thursday night. And it was not an easy decision.

"The track conditions were constantly evolving today," said Bridgestone's Hirohide' Hamashima. "That can make lap times difficult to understand," The problem, so they said, was that circuits which are rarely used tend to be dusty and dirty and although the Monaco

surface is not very abrasive the cars tend to slide around. So tyre choices made three days before the event is inevitably a risk. Any problems tend to disrupt preparations.

Ralf Schumacher's weekend was spoiled before it really began with an engine failure which would mean that whatever else happened the German would lose 10 places on the grid.

Down at Jaguar Mark Webber had a problem too when an oil line blew off and started a fire.

The marshals were less than efficient and in the end Webber had to grab an extinguisher and putt out the fire himself. The engine was not broken but it had been "toasted" and the engineers were worried. But it was worth a risk of keeping the same engine on Saturday because accepting a 10-place drop on the grid in Monaco is effectively giving up any hope of a decent result.

So what did it all mean? Noone had a clue.

Saturday morning saw Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello leading the time sheets with Webber an amazing third, half a second behind but

Blue, not Blues: Jarno Trulli's career-first FI pole came in Scbumacher-esque fashion in a dominant performance, top.

Light at the end of the tunnel: Ralf Schumacher shone, left, but his second-fastest time was only good enough for 12th on the grid after blowing an engine in practice. inotorsport news

FORMULA then a few minutes into the second session, the Australian's engine was toasted for a second time when an hydraulic line blew off. This resulted in some fairly frantic action at Jaguar where everything that could be changed was changed (including the chassis) but the engine, now toasted on both sides remained.

"It is far to say that the engine has been in the wars a bit," said a cheerful Webber.

The battle for pole position was to be an interesting one with Webber leading the way early on. Then it was Michael Schumacher's turn because he had found his car sliding around in the pre-qualifying session. It was a good lap but it was doubtful that a 1 ml4.516s was going to be fast enough. Rubens Barrichello came close, getting to within two-tenths but then Trulli shocked everyone with an astonishing 1 ml 3.985s.

The un-astonishing part of the whole equation was that Trulli was stunning in the final sector, where change of direction (and hence, downforce) is at an absolute premium. The RS24 looked glued to the road and he was as much as 0.4s faster than the other contenders for pole

131

so his lap of 1 ml4.345s was not a bad effort (about time) but there was no hint of his fuel load.

Trulli was beside himself with excitement. It was his first o'; career pole position and was well-deserved, though Trulli did qualify fastest at Monaco’s F3 race in 1996 but lost the race through an error. And, prior to practice, he pointed out that with results this season reading 7-5-4-3 in the opening four races, second would please him.

"Things have changed quite a lot," mused the Italian.

"Three Michelins on the front I row and the Ferrari is on the back with Bridgestone. Maybe they are not in a good place. For sure, tomorrow they will be BARring disaster: Takuma Sato had everyone bolding their breath after a quicker but we feel quite great first sector in qualifying but he made a big mistake and bad to settle confident for the race, we are for seventh. not going to play any weird Jenson Button was the last real strategy to stop anyone else or position..And it has been that danger to Trulli and he drove an to stop the Ferrari. We just want way since practice started.

For a few brief moments it to race for victory with any of excellent lap but a 1 ml 4.396s our cars." was not good enough. Coulthard looked like Sato might have the and Raikkonen were With his current form, one is speed to beat Jarno, doing on the first sector what the Renault disappointing (but that was not even prepared to forgive Jarno his ... unusual choices of hairdo really a surprise) and with Ralf did in the third but he got into a Schumacher having a 10-place this season. But hey, if it works, slide and ended up in the high 1m14s. drop on the grid, the game was how long will it be before we see Ralf with a mohawk?

Fernando Alonso tried hard but over. Ralf waned to deliver a - JOE SAWARD his best was a 1 ml 4.408s. message to his detractors and

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26 May 2004

^

WWW4I cntglobaixoiTuu 51

Life as usual

o

N the way into the race track very early on Sunday morning we found ourselves stuck in a small traffic jam in Monaco.

A Ferrari van had stopped in the middle of the narrow street so that a bunch of half-shaven Italian cooks could collect bread for the world's greatest racing team. Much good it did them ...

They did not care that a whole bunch of people had to wait while they blocked the road.

It was a sign, albeit a small one, of the team's monumental arrogance in its approach to all things and all people. Any other team - any polite person - would have found a place to park which did noT block everything. But Ferraris stop in the middle of the road and do not care if this upsets other people.

Later that day another Ferrari vehicle did the same thing in the tunnel at Monaco and Michael Schumacher was surprised when Juan Pablo Montoya piled into the bac,; of him and sent the Ferrari across the road and hard into the barrier.

Michael adopted his usual holier than thou attitude after the incident while Ferrari men argued up in race control that Montoya was a nasty man and had deliberately taken out the great Michael just to stop him winning six races in a row.

Jarno Trulli made the point after the race that he would have beaten Michael anyway, but this obvious concept never entered Schumacher's head and after the race he was quoted as saying that "the situation is that the race leader was knocked out of the race after being hit by a backmarker.

The statement had all the

V

grace of an overweight ballerina, stumbling about in army boots.

Many years ago, Juan Manuel Fangio went to the Australian Grand Prix and met Ayrton Senna. The details of what was said between them were never really discussed but Senna did later explain that the great old champion had said that although Senna was a great racing driver, he was not yet a great champion.

Ayrton had told Fangio that he would try harder to behave like a champion in the future - and to give him credit he did. What shame it is that Senna is not alive today to give Michael Schumacher similar advice.

The World Champion went out of the Monaco Grand Prix because of his own monumental arrogance which put Juan Pablo Montoya in a situation from which there was no escape.

Where was Montoya supposed to go? It was clear that Michael’s accelerating and braking as the cars were running behind the Safety Car caught Juan Pablo completely by surprise.

He tried to avoid the Ferrari by diving for the right side of the track where there was (initially at least) a gap. He was trying to stop but there was just no time and he ended up with the right hand wheels of the Williams rubbing down the barriers and his left front wheel rubbing on the sidepod of the Ferrari.

The Williams slowed but as it did so the left front wheel tagged Michael's right rear and the Ferrari turned sharply to the left and smacked into the barriers, tearing the front left wheel off the Ferrari. Even then Michael was able to drive home to the pits.

-JOE SAWARD Boom Crash Opera: Some of the big incidents at Monaco included Giancarlo Fisichella crawling out of a crashed Sauber, bottom right, Fernando Alonso walling the Renault in the tunnel, botton left, and Michael Schumacher doing likewise (behind the Safety Car),

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§■

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FORMULA ONE

Wing, wing and more wing

FI Technical Editor PAOLO FILISETTI details all the widgets from Monaco

FOR a Formula One car to run fast at Monaco, it needs to have five things - downforce, engine power, downforce, a good chassis and downforce.

This year, the teams came up with all manner of aero tweaks for the race around the Municipality, most notably a mid-wing.

i f

Ferrari debuted the feature in Melbourne and BAR followed suit in Bahrain and, this time, both Williams and Renault showed their version of the and idea. Renault also had an additional 'wing' profile on the top of the rear axle (as BAR introduced at the start of the season). It was also interesting to see a

strange extra turning vane connected to the vertical barge boards, to improve improve the efficiency of the bottom of the car.

At Ferrari (apart from trying to hurl Mark Glendenning out of its pits) the news was that the F2004 featured new exhaust chimneys, now on top of the sidepods to aid engine cooling on a track when airspeed through the radiators is low so cooling is at a premium.

The downside is that the large exits increase drag but that is not a great disadvantage at such a slow track.

Also new were supplementry bargeboards placed within the front axle, presenting a knife-edge profile to the still air.

Monaco is not considered to be a tough

track for engines,so it was a little unexpected to see Ralf Schumacher and Mark Webber in trouble(though Webber's problems were ancilliary-related).

Likewise, the fuel burn is relatively low, with an average of about 1.9 litres per lap.

What is interesting is the details of brake usage and downforce. Braking ‘Use is high but the stops are not especially hard, Brembo advising that the heaviest deceleration is from 295 to 75kmh(in 140m at-2.4G) at Nouvelle Chicane (exiting the tunnel). Twelve braking points in 3.34km means one deceleration every 278 metres and that 26 percent of lap distance is covered under brakes.

The best cars in the field run about 1890kg of downforce at maximum speed (ie, 290kmh).

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wwwji oitglotfil'xoniHiu 53

Poa. No. Driver/Entronl 1

7 ■UamoTfulli(ITA) ^ikJ Seven Renault FI Team 9

Jenson Bullon (GBR) Lucky Strike BAR Honda =?ubens Barrlchello (BRA) Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro

2 3

Juan Montoya (COL) BMWWilliamsFI Team

12

=ellpe Massa (BRA) Sauber Pelronas

16

CrisUano Da Malta (BRA) Panasonic Toyota Racing Nick Heidfeld (GER) Jordan Ford

18 17 21 4

1

Olivier Panis (FRA) Panasonic Toyota Racing Zsolt Baumgartner (HUN) Minardi Cosworth Rail Schumacher (GER) 3MW WilllamsFI Team [Michael Schumacher (GER) Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro

8" r^ernando Alonso (ESP) Mild Seven Renault F1 Team 6 Kimi Raikkonen (FIN) /Vest McLaren Mercedes 20 Gianmaria Bruni (ITA) Minardi Cosworth

4

l9~ Giorgio Pantano (ITA) Jordan Ford 14 Mark Webber (AUS) Jaguar Racing 10 rakuma Sato (JPN) Lucky Strike BAR Honda

Drivers' Championship: M. Schumacher 50, Barrichello 38, Button 32, Trulli 31, Montoya 23, Alonso 21, R. Schumacher 12, Sato 8, Massa 5, Coultharcd 4, da Matta 3, Fisichella and Heidfeld 2, Panis, Raikkonen and Webber 1.

5 11

pavid Coullhard (GBR) West McLaren Mercedes Giancarlo Fisichella (ITA) Sauber Pelronas

15 Christian Klien (AUT) Jaguar Racing

Constructors' Championship: Ferrari 88, Renault 52, BAR-Honda 40, BMW.Williams 35, Sauber-Petronas 7, McLaren-Mercedes 5, Toyota 4, Jordan 2, Jaguar 1.

1

[Michael Schumacher (GER) Bcuderia Ferrari Marlboro

Lap»

Time

Kph

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00.497

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1:46:58.629

145.869

1:15.220

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75.269

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41

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47.821

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1:46:58.753

1 LAP

00.124

142.367

1:16.232

22

75

1:46:58.271

2 LAPS

1 LAP

140.505

1:18.262

35

74

1:46:32.220

3 LAPS

1 LAP

139.196

1:16.494

57

71

1:45:51.401

6 LAPS

3 LAPS

134.411

1:21.886

2

1:39:42.758

DNF

G'box

138.674

1:17.588

18

No Classified 1:03:55.5^

DNF

Crash

141.069

1:14.439

23

DNF

Crash

144.677

1:15.226

23

45 41

0:56:47.463

27

0:39:22.232

DNF

Engine 137.432

1:16.203

15

0:24:36.086

DNF

G'box

122.187

1:21.592

10

12

0:20:11.109

DNF

G'box

119.136

1:19.415

10

11

0:18:39.402

DNF

Engine 118.155

1:17.466

11

1:21.368

2

2

0:02:48.349

DNF

Engine

142.845

2

0:02:50.233

DNF

Crash

141.264

1:20.560

2

2

0:02:52.582

DNF

Crash

139.341

1:20.004

2

DNF

Crash

Fastest Lap Y'l-'*‘^ ‘*39onlap23

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Grand Prix of Monaco May 23 2004 hi I

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1

FORMULA ONE

Mark IV^ber's Monaco GP Diary 'm so disappointed you wouldn't believe it after we let a golden opportunity for a good result slip away at Monaco.

Despite the well-publicised dramas in practice - how often do you have two fires in a weekend! - we were actually in strong shape in the race until the car just rolled to a halt on lap 12. This is written while the race is still going on and so it's a bit early to know for sure, but I think the engine management system simply shut down. Something like that. Whatever, it's another of those avoidable things that shouldn't have happened, which plagued our weekend.

As I said, despite the limited running and having to transfer my engine to the spare chassis for qualifying, I was pleased with both qualifying and how things were going in the race.

W

e used pre-qualifying as a familiarisation run (even though it's theoretically identical, I hadn't driven the spare before) and I was very happy with my actual qualifying run, and grid 11, considering we had plenty of fuel on - more than anyone, I think.

In fact, we were scheduled to go to lap 30 before our first stop and, as it panned out, could well have jumped quite a few of the cars who were stopping earlier...

I got a good start, jumping Fisi, which was important as couldn't afford to get stuck behind him.

Sato's engine blow-up was amazing. I had to go through the smoke just before Fisi, of

course, and it was almost impossible to see. I was lucky - he wasn't. His collision with DC, which took them both out, promoted me to eighth and, to be honest, we were doing it easily at that point, looking to the big picture once the first stops started.

That the car simply stopped is, well ... let's say frustrating. I don't even want to think about the sort of result we probably threw away.

T

hursday was a short, but dramatic day. On my fifth lap an oil line came undone and started a pretty big fire at the back of the car. I stopped near a fire marshall, but he was a bit reluctant to come through the fence, so I had to grab his extinguisher and start to put it out! Fortunately another couple of firefighters got there quite quickly.

The damage was extensive but, with Friday off, there was time to rebuild the car properly around the same engine, avoiding the ten gridspot penalty for an engine change, and Saturday morning's first session was quite productive.

Fortunately, the tyre decision had been quite easy, a nobrainer really, and Christian (Klien) had confirmed it, so I used the time to do some set up work on my chassis. Third in the session was a little misleading, but the car nevertheless was feeling quite good.

sort it out before we can go racing seriously. I can't fault the guys' effort - they're working their nuts off. It's just a procedural, discipline thing.

Races like this are where we have to be ready to take advantage of the drama and attrition. It's where a good result is there for the taking. It was an opportunity missed.

Tomorrow's another day and, on Friday morning practice starts in Germany. So there's no time to brood on it.

If we work hard and eliminate those mistakes, our day will come.

I the couldn't believe it when, in second session, we had another fire! It was smaller, but nevertheless damaging and this time it was a hydraulic fitting which came undone.

Fortunately, again, while the ancillaries were cooked, the base engine was (apart from being a bit singed) quite okay, but given the time restraints, we had to switch it into the spare, which the boys did a great job of doing in time for qualifying.

In fact, thanks to the limited mileage I'd done,the engine was, internally, in great shape.

So, despite all that had happened, I felt we had rescued the situation well and were going into the race (particularly with the fuel load we used in qualifying) in very good shape.

So, you can understand my disappointment. It's not like we're way off the pace or crashing the car. It's all silly, avoidable, errors. We need to

H

Webber to Brad Pitt and Matt Damon, below: "So I have this new movie project .■ in development, it's called 'The: Castle II'and it's abbut a family who runs the fleet of tow trucks they use for lifting burning jaguars off the track..."

Damon: "Brad, tell him he's dreaming!" s

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Best result of the year: jonathort Webb was in fine form for tbe Tekno/ Paul Cruickshank Racing outfit, taking fourth for the round.

Total Davo Demolition

Alex Davison swept all three Porsche races in Darwin. CHRIS LAMBDEN reports

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LEX Davison reinforced the Carrera Cup status quo at Darwin with a brace of controlled wins over defending champ Jim Richards.

Although Richo's experience at the venue allowed him to grab pole, it was the young bloke who went home with the best of the silverware.

"This was my first time to Darwin so I couldn't really ask for more," said Davison.

"The car was fantastic, and it was nice to be able to get away in the races and conserve the tyres."

The opening race was pretty much decided at the start, when Davison out-dragged Richo to the first corner.

It was nose-to-tail for a while, but once Richo lost a few lengths when they lapped Tony Quinn (who'd been in and out of the pits) he seemed to ease back and conserve his rubber and hold off third-placed Fabian Coulthard in the GMR Team Braun entry.

The action was further back, where Jonathan Webb was showing some pace. The Teckno Autosports car slipped past both Fitzgerald (who eventually dropped back to ninth) and Paul Pedersen to grab fourth at half distance, maintaining it easily to the end.

"Craig Baird has also been helping with the set-up, and it's all paying dividends," said Webb.

Race 2 was a virtual replay at the front. Davison again got the jump and, after a few laps where Richards hung in there, eased away to a relatively comfortable (1.5s) win.

Behind them, Coulthard ran a lonely third as he edged well clear of Webb and, further back. Bell, who took fifth after James Cressey outbraked himself and spun away the spot on lap two.

The real action was a little further back where Fitzgerald, recovering from his first race blues, gained a couple of places, but came across a battling Pedersen and Rodney Jane.

Despite pushing hard, no progress could be made.

If anyone expected a shock in the third race, they were to be disappointed. Again, Davo got the

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start just right and that was that.

Indeed, this time, he was able to ease out the gap slightly quicker than before. It was comprehensive.

Coulthard came closest to an upset when he closed in on Richards as they completed lap five.

He was only going to get one chance and, in the end, overdid it, sliding inside under brakes at the end of the straight - but overshooting the corner.

"I am gradually bridging the gap in races between myself and Alex and Jim, and it's all coming down to racing experience," said Coulthard.

"Hopefully we can keep the momentum going in Perth in three weeks time, and get even closer or even past."

He would spend the balance of the race keeping Bell and Webb at bay, while behind them, a mighty scrap evolved, involving Jane, Pedersen, Fitzgerald, Cressey and Klark Quinn, although Jane dropped out of the contest quite early on and retired to the pits.

Points; Davison 510, Richards 459, Coulthard 384, Fitzgerald 282, Cressey 213, Pedersen 195.

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Paul Stekell has stamped a big, fat Lamborghini-sized type print on the Nations Cup series. GRANT ROWLEY reports

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UICK speed and calculated driving saw Paul Stokell claim round three of the 's Cup series at Sandown Raceway recently.

Stokell snatched Saturday's tough first race, before basically becoming the last man standing in Race 2. The Clarion-backed Lamborghini driver conserved behind Nathan Pretty's Monaro in the last race to capture the romid win and cement his place at the top of the table.

"I never would have caught Pretty in the last race," said Stokell.

"He was too quick but I just consolidated to ensure the round win and our championship position."

Pretty had a rare problem with Ms Garry Rogers Motorsport-prepared Monaro, but a race win ensured Ms championsMp hopes remain alive.

The anticipated return of Allan Simonsen's Ferrari 550 was somewhat of an anti-climax. He pressured the leaders in the first race, but mechanical woes slowed the progress of the fast green machine.

Crowd favourite Peter Brock made his first driving appearance at Sandown Raceway since his final

Supercar race in 1997, but could not match the leaders at the Melbourne circuit.

James Koundouris was a surprising overall podium placer at the end of the weekend. With little fuss or flair, he steered his Ferrari 360 Challenge to second place in Race 2 and collected third overall and first in the Trophy Class ahead of some of his more fancied rivals.

Race 1 displayed the exotic flavour that Nations Cup can offer. The leading contenders,including the Porsche GT2 of Dave Stevens, ran together in the opening exchanges, which would have made any European visitor wet their pants. The order remained static until Simonsen shoved his Ferrari down the inside of Pretty to snatch second place. It was a great pass and imdoubtably the highlight of the race.

In only Ms second race meeting, Stevens was surprisingly able to run with the leaders in Ms GT2,although struggled to make an impression on them.

Race 2 was frustrating for both competitors and spectators. Two consecutive safety car periods made

Not quite Pretty enough: The Monaro men had a mixed day, but Nathan Pretty at least came away with a race win.

58

for little racing during the 16 lap stouch.

Stokell led every lap, while Pretty made a brillant start from grid three and out-sped Simonsen to turn one.

But both Pretty and Simonsen were out of contention before lap five.

Pretty's car snapped a drive belt(the first since the Bathurst 24 Hour in 2002) and Simonsen was soon out of business after a wheel bearing failure brought the car to a fault down the back straight.

Ian Palmer's Judd FI engine in his ageing Honda NSX Brabham caught fire, necessitating the first safety car. A long stint under caution was to follow.

Immediately after raciog resumed.

Brock suffered a flat tyre and the 05 Monaro ground to a halt at turn four, prompting another yellow flag period.

All this elevated Stevens to second but at the restart on cold tyres, he scorched into turn one too hot and speared through the sand trap. He recovered to finish eighth.

Koundouris was granted his second place and fellow Trophy Class Porsche driver Marc Cini finished third.

Pretty made amends in Race 3

and scored a popular victory.

Stokell took second place (and the round win) while the luckless fortunes of Brock continued. This time, he pounced too early at a restart for a lap one incident and forced 'The King' to perform a drive-through penalty. He stormed back through the pack to finish fourth.

Stevens nabbed Ms first top three place in Nations Cup wMle Simonsen battled an engine misfire to salvage fifth.

Koundouris and Cini clashed on the main straight, but it wasn't enough to stop the Ferrari taking an overall podium place. Cini, despite no front spoiler, was the first Group 2 car home in the third race.

After the disappointing grid at Oran Park,it was refreshing to see more outright contenders and an influx of Ferraris and Porsches fighting for Trophy honours in the first post-Palmer PROCAR round.

Hopefully, there will be even more at Winton Raceway next month ...

Points; Stokell 251, Pretty 214,Simonsen 119, Brock 100, Stevens 79.

Groupies on the podium:James Koundouris and Marc Cini finished second and third in Race 2.

motorsport news

NATIONS CUP/ F3

How to Crash a Party Chris Gilmour took his second consecutive round win at Sandown.

GRANT ROWLEY saw the youngster open up a handy Championship lead in outer-Melbourne

Y

front of the field and the OU can throw your youngster wasn't touched from 2004 Formula 3 pre there. But the dice behind the season form-guide in the bin. Chris Gilmour has red car was fascinating. arrived and he isn't a flash Daniel Pappas made a blinding start from grid five in the pan. and reached the first turn in Gilmour dominated both races at Sandown two weeks second place. His maturity and turn of speed was surprising ago, led every lap over the and for most of the race he weekend and stole the was embroiled in a nose-to-tail championship front running dice with Reindler and Dyk. from Astuti Competition driver On the penultimate lap, Dyk Ian Dyk. slipped past Reindler at turn "Our car feels great," smiled one but a determined Reindler Gilmour after his second round win in-a-row. used his extra grunt to execute a brave and timely pass at the "We've got the series lead end of the back straight. All this now by a big margin so we worked in Pappas'favour and he have to keep our heads down scored a deserved second place. and focus on making each John Pettit and Peter Hackett round count." also enjoyed their own close Former series leader Dyk dice for fifth and sixth which finished the twin 16-lap sprints saw the former F3 champion in fourth and fifth and clearly damaged his nose after he lacked straightline speed on clipped the back of Pettit's car. the horsepower-friendly Aaron Caratti was running a Sandown. But despite the competitive fourth until he handicap, he banked a pile of looped his Dallara and hit the points and remains well in barrier on the inside of turn contention for the title.

"It just wasn't our weekend," four on lap two.

Gilmour started Race 2 on said Dyk. "Our car thrives on the twisty the outside of the front row, but by the time the cars tracks. We are back in second reached turn one, Gilmour and now but we'll fight back." the race were gone. Not even The front row of the grid for a late-race sprinkle of rain Race 1 was left empty as a could stop the new series mark of respect for Bruce Cary leader. In fact, when the water who passed away recently arrived, the gap between from cancer. himself and the pack Pole sitter Gilmour quickly increased. Is this the makings asserted his position at the

Pleasing Pappas: Daniel Pappas was enjoying bis best weekend so far this season until a spin in Race 2 cost bim another podium. of a championship year?

The track was wet at one end of the track, but dry at the other, and Pettit's '96 model Dallara suited the conditions like a duck to water. He was rewarded with second place after a splendid drive through the field. Caratti threatened Pettit's place when he passed him on the main straight with only two laps to go but lost the lot at Dandenong.

This handed the runner-up spot back to Pettit and promoted Reindler to a conservative third. Caratti scrambbled home next while pole-sitter Dyk finished an uninspiring fifth.

Pappas was poised for another second place until a spin on lap nine dropped him out of contention.

17 HH

Bronte Bundle's young Kiwi Nic Jordan was the cream of the Trophy class at Sandown and maintained his class series lead. Jordan actually finished sixth ahead of the downforce-deficient Hackett, who collected the back of Pappas on the opening lap.

Glen Hastings made his debut in the Formula 3 category aboard Glen Coombs'Trophy class car. A broken driveshaft on the warm-up lap ended his maiden race, but the former Formula Fordster finished eighth outright and second in class behind Jordan in Race 2.

Points: Gilmour 102, Dyk 79, Reindler 77, Pettit 59, Hackett 43, Pappas 42.

Trophy Class: Jordan 87, Sevan Carrick 65, Bill Maddocks 64.

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GOLF versus a HSv just doesn't seem fair. One would think this 'David and Goliath' battle surely couldn't go in favour of David, especially at a holy war ground like Sandown Raceway where pure top-end speed can be substituted for ... nothing. Nothing but all-wheel drive?

Paul Stokell gave the Volkswagen team its first race win and their maiden round win in GT

Performance at Sandown recently, and it was one that the Vodafone-' backed outfit will remember for many a year to come.

Debuting team-mate Tim Leahey made a Trojan-like charge through the field in the second race to finish what would turn out to be second after Subaru driver Justin Hemmes was penalised 15 seconds for tipping Garry Holt into a spin on the final lap.

It's been an emotional roller

coaster for the VW team smce its debut last year. After the tragic death of young Stewart McCoU at Phillip Island, the Golfs haven't been able to string together a result worth writing home about, and things didn't get any better last month at Oran Park when both cars left the circuit with heavy damage.

But finally, the tide turned the Vee Dubs' way. Maybe it had something to do with the Ferrari Formula 1-style

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The only drama encountered over the weekend was a blown gearbox in practice, which forced the team to use a road-going version in Leahey's car for the meeting. It didn't seem to slow him down though.

HSV GTS driver Peter Floyd took a hard-fought win in Saturday's sprint race, withstanding Stokell's relentless pressure.

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GT-PERFORMANCE Hemmes made the best start, zipping quickly into second place but Mazda RX-7 pole man Ric Shaw quickly readdressed the situation and made light work of Hemmes down the back shoot.

Stokell performed the same move on Hemmes a lap later, and at the start of lap four, held his nerve to pass Shaw around the outside into turn one. From there, Stokell stalked Floyd for the lead, but the HSVs marginal straight line advantage was enough to grant Floyd his first win for the year.

John Falk was the surprise packet of the first race. Having qualified a lowly 11th, the Team GT Falcon TE50 stormed through the pack at the start and by mid-distance was mnning with the leaders in fifth. He eventually finished fourth in front of HSV driver Steve Cramp and BMW steerer Beric Lynton.

With only a handful of laps remaining,Shaw encountered boost problems, which thwarted his challenge. He finished seventh.

The double points mini-enduro on Sunday was a classic race and it featured everything from rain, carnage, pit stops and pit blunders. A compulsory pit stop was required from each team where a wheel had to be taken off, put on the deck and changed or replaced.

Floyd (who led the first stanza of the race) and Holt were the first of the leaders to make their stops. Holt

emerged from pit lane in front of Floyd after a slow stop, but worse was to come.

When the pack had settled down.

Holt had a handy lead over Falk, Floyd and Stokell, but Floyd's team disastrously left the magnetic tool kit on the side of his HSV while the wheel was being taken off and the officials demanded that the kit be removed.

This necessitated another pit stop on lap 15 and was left floundering outside the top 10. A spirited comeback through the field netted Floyd third place in the race and second overall.

"Regardless of the pit stop mistake, we had a good weekend," stated Floyd, right, post-race. He assured us that all of his team members will be retained for the next meeting...

Falk's challenge was also halted after he copped a drive-through penalty for exceeding the pit lane speed limit. This promoted Stokell to second before a mild rainstorm hit the outer-Melbourne track.

Denis Gilbert was the first to come

"I was surprised at how well the car was in the wet compared to the other four-wheel drives," said Stokell.

"This is a great result for the team and the racing was just fantastic all weekend."

unstuck on the soggy track at the final turn and the safety car was deployed, voiding Holt's impressive lead. Many thought the conditions would warrant a red flag but the officials had other ideas and a short three-lap dash would decide the race.

Before the restart, third-placed Shaw spun coming onto the main straight. Stokell immediately passed Holt into turn one and he didn't look

The other VW of Leahey was also in the mix in the dying stages of the race. Leahey and Hemmes clashed at turn one on the last lap before a controversial incident at Dandenong Road between Hemmes and Holt.

Hemmes tagged the back of the Century 21 Evo VIII and the stewards imposed a post-race penalty on Hemmes,which dropped him behind Leahey and Floyd.

back from there. He splashed on to secure his and VW's first GT-P win.

Holt picked up the pieces to finish fifth ahead of a recovering Falk, the consistent HSV of Barrie Nesbitt, Mitsubishi contender Steve Knight, Shaw and Subaru steerer Ian Box. During the final wet laps, many cars visited the scenery including Peter Boylan, Gary Jackson, Cramp (who led the race for a number of laps before completing his pit stop) and Bob Hughes who failed to finish the race after spearing off into the Dandenong Road fence on the last lap.

Defending GTP Champion Mark King had a disastrous weekend, finishing both races outside the top 20.

Points: Hemmes 208, Stokell 160, Holt 155, Floyd 149, Knight 112,Shaw 105, Young 93.

rISCaSJ S;;-:-

Holding the champs at bay: Justin Hemmes continued his solid series run.

Not a great weekend for Mitsubishi: Bob Hughes failed to finish Race 2.

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Viraiting h UST eight weeks ago Marcus Gronholm was disciplined for his very public complaints about e inadequacies of the Peugeot 307, hut that Mexican standoff has now been forgotten after the Finn took the French car to its first WRC win in a storming drive on the rugged Cyprus Rally.

However,Peugeot has been summoned to a meeting with stewards in Paris, a meeting which took place on Tuesday evening Australian time, about 24 hours after our deadline.

If it's French, it might get booted from the results: The Peugeots, above left, and Citroen, left, are in a bit of postrally strife regarding water pump legality.

The Xsara was less at ease in the rough and rocky conditions than it is on tarmac or on faster gravel, but Loeb held his head and made sure the car made it to the finish for a strong performance that has kept him second in the championship.

It was good for both drivers and manufacturer's championships," said Loeb.

If you lose a lot of points,it's difficult to catch up.It was more important for me to finish than to win.

Ford was unlucky to lose its second car early on the first day, though it is unlikely that Francois Duval,even without losing a wheel through broken studs, would have matched the pace of team leader Martin.

The question over the Cyprus results has come following a scrutineer's query over the water pumps used in both the Peugeot and Citroen team cars during the event (see rally news pages overleaf).

Whatever the result, the turnaround in fortunes for the French team came from a combination of good tyre choice and an intelligent attack by Gronholm as well as constant improvement to the 307.

The Cyprus result was the first Gronliolm WRC win for a year and the anniversary victory was celebrated in style by the jubilant Peugeot team which has taken the 307 to its first WRC win just five rallies after debut, three better than the world-beating 206 it replaced.

The Finn brought his 307 home 54 seconds ahead of Sebastien Loeb's Citroen while Markko Martin took third in his Ford Focus,a further 15.1s behind Gronholm took the lead from Fetter Solberg mid-way through the first day and maintained tlie advantage all the way in an event that was marked by its car-breaking roads and tyre-eating heat.

While other drivers and cars were struggling with the conditions, Gronholm extended his narrow 62

advantage over Loeb on the final leg, thanks largely to a canny tyre choice in the 30-degree plus heat.

The icing on the cake for Gronholm came with his choice of the hardest +9 compound Z-pattern small block Michelins, while others went for softer compound, wider block tyres.

The decision gave him a massive advantage of almost three quarters of a second per kilometre,enabling him to transform a 22-second lead at the start of the day to an eventual 54-second winning margin five stages later.

Hie win wasn't without its headaches for Gronholm, who suffered a tyre separating from a rim on leg two and a disintegrating

I' The Estorrian got off to a very slow 1! ? start, dropping 41 seconds to the then a leader Solberg and 36 seconds to Gronhohn over the opening three dutch early on Day 1. stages. That,coupled with the 21 "It was good after so many rallies seconds he lost over the opening without a win," said Gronholm at the finish. stage on Day 3, was the difference between his third place and a win.

"I think for the spirit of the team it But Martin was happy to finish on was very important.

"It's been a fantastic rally for me, the podium witli a swag of points in to take the first win with the 307. a rally he openly admits to hating.

"The worst event of the season is We've come close to winning before over," said Martin after the last stage. this year, but this time it was a rally "I think we shall have to work on where everything went right for us.

"The car has been generally reliable and we haven't made any mistakes."

Loeb battled hard to stay on terms with the Finn, but in spite of winning six stages, the Frenchman never quite had the edge to close on him.

the engine. It seems to have very good reliability, which is good now but needs more power. We did what we could here."

His effort was sufficient to keep him in third place in the driver's title and to maintain Ford's lead in the motofspori news

p the all-clear

Marcus Gronholm took Peugeot to its Marcus Gronholm first win with the 307 model in 1 Tlmo Rautiainen 2 Sebastian Loeb Cyprus. Or did he?/As a cloud hovers Daniel Elena Martin over the win, JON THOMSON reports |3 Markko Michael Park Carlos Sainz on the latest WRC round 4 Marc Marti

Peugeot 307 4hr58m44.5s Citroen Xsara 4h59m38.5s Ford Focus RS 4h59m53.6s Citroen Xsara 5h02m02.5s

|S Hard Rovanpera Risto Pietilainen

Peugeot 307 5h05m53.5s

6 Petter Solberg

Phil Mills

Subaru Impreza 5h09m07.6s

|7 Mikko Flirvonen Jarmo Lehtinen 8 JanneTuohino Jukka Abo

Subaru Impreza ,5h09ml9.4s Ford Focus RS 5h12m55.2s

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Manufacturers championship.

He may also be encouraged by the thought that having lost the lead in the drivers points he will not go into the first leg stages in Greece sweeping the road. That honour wiU fall to Gronholm.

Carlos Sainz has never been completely at ease in the Xsara this year,in much the same way as CoUn McRae wasn't last year.

In Cyprus, he continued to search for the ideal suspension and transmission settings and his perseverance brought him fourth place on a rally he has won before.

Sainz was a perfect points back-up for Loeb but the Spanish veteran was ruing his pre-rally tyre choice decisions. Sainz would have been in a better position if he had nominated enough of the hardest compoimd Michelins.

But the Citroen driver found himself struggling to make his tyres last during the second half of the event. On one set of stages, he wore fronts and rears to the canvas,losing time in the process.

J/

A Third's OK; Markko Martin confers with Ford chief engineer Christian Loroiux on one of the toughest rallies of the season.

A first leg charge put Harri Rovanpera in the box seat. The 'other Finn'in the Peugeot team was rewarding the faith Corrado Provera had placed in him after New Zealand, backing Gronholm with what looked like a perfect point scoring finish, admittedly with the advantage of a good road position and clean swept surfaces as a result.

However Rovanpera was badly hampered by two gearbox problems on leg two and three. The first cost him time when he lost second gear and a road penalty after a slow gearbox change. On the final day, he was forced to run the final three stages with the old "box back in the car, costing him even more time before pushing him back to fifth.

EtmgratulataoriB to Tony and Julia on wfnningi Tanga Tasmania.

Tony won with Galfer Penfonmance disc pads from Europe. Tony said, ‘The Gaifer pads gave me the performance, confidence and feel in the changing Tassie weather. They were absolutely brilliant!'

www.galferMm.au 26 May 2004

---r-

For Petter Solberg, the joy of victory looked to be within his grasp again. That was until the fourth stage on leg one when his Subaru started scooping gravel into its grille area, blocking cooling to the engine. The resultant overheating caused the car to go into limp home-mode,costing him close to 10 minutes.

While the time loss denied him the chance to fight for victory, the Norwegian still took six stage wins and he put in an heroic drive back into a point-scoring sixth place.

One place further back, Mikko Hirvonen delivered Subaru more points in a drive that saw the young Finn do little wrong in a reasonably solid performance.

At Mitsubishi,things continue to

Drivers' Points: Gronholm 34, Loeb 33, Martin 32, Solberg 26, Sainz 18, Duval 14, Rovanpera and Hirvonen 8, Tuohino 6, Loix/Panizzi 4.

Manufacturers' Points: Ford 53, Citroen 51, Peugeot 47, Subaru 36. Mitsubishi 5.

WRC 5 CYPRUS go from bad to worse as the battling Ralliart operation suffered another two DNFs. Both Gilles Panizzi and Kristian Sohlberg went out of the rally on the opening stages of leg two with engine failure after another dismal performance on leg one. Shock absorber problems badly hindered tlie cars with Panizzi declaring his car almost imdriveable at one stage.

"It was bottoming out. It's all in the shock absorbers. We've got a lot of work to do. For me they can chuck these shock absorbers in the bin, they are truly awful," said a disconsolate Panizzi.

From Cyprus it will be a short ferry ride across the Mediterranean to Greece for the Acropolis on June 4-6, where Peugeot wUl arrive with a winning momentum.

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THE World Rally Championship has had to navigate some stormy waters lately, but not as stormy or disruptive as the ones the ship carrying the WRC teams to Cyprus had to saii through last week.

The roll-on roll-off ship carrying all the teams’ cars and equipment and the WRC TV production facilities did not dock in Cyprus until the early hours of Thursday morning, less than 30 hours before the start of the rally This meant that teams didn’t have access to their recce cars, an issue that led to even more of a storm.

All the teams entered a gentleman’s agreement that they would all use locally-hired right-

hand-drive 4WD vehicles for the recce, but magically Peugeot and Ford uncovered some left-hand drive Group N Mitsubishi Lancers.

Citroen and Mitsubishi drivers recced in Mitsubishi Pajeros while Subaru drivers used righthand-drive Isuzu Troopers.

The problems only served to underline the warnings some team managers have been voicing that the WRC was at the mercy of shipping schedules and bad weather.

Part of the problem was that Cyprus is a right-hand-drive environment while all of the WRC machines are left-hand-drive configuration, causing problems for drivers in recce.

- JON THOMSON

Nothing like a struggle

MITSUBISHI'S continuing tales of woe and problems in coming up with a strong package for the Lancer WRC 004 have been dealt another blow with the resignation of long-time team manager Derek Dauncey.

Dauncey will leave Ralliart in June and start work with wellknown British rally preparation company RED, after 11 years with the Rugby-based WRC team, Dauncey will be sorely missed by the Mitsubishi team and is said to be the start of a knowledge hemorrhage from the organisation now under different management.

Dauncey worked closely with Tommi Makinen during the late 1990s when he put together

four World Championship wins and has a wealth of experience at WRC level.

Meantime, Mitsubishi's 2004 season will almost certainly get worse before it gets better, according to a team insider.

This follows recent tests that identified serious shock absorber problems as the team heads to the roughest trio of rallies in the WRC. The morale in the team is at an all time low and lead driver Gilles Panizzi's statements ahead of Cyprus would not have done anything to improve things.

Panizzi said that he felt that suspension trouble might hold the team back on the rough events, particularly the Acropolis and Turkey. Just three weeks

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after Turkey, the team will also have to cope with the oftenrugged Ral ly of Argentina.

"For me, the next three rallies won't be a present. We'll just have to try our maximum," Panizzi said.

by JON THOMSON t JUHA Kangas' storming drive from fourth to second in the closing stages of ' the Rally of Canberra has been attributed to the help and guidance the flying Finn received from visiting mentor, Lasse Lampi.

Lampi was standing quietly in the corner of the Ralliart service area in Canberra and had to fly out before Kangas crossed the finish, having spent 10 days helping his protege set-up the Group N Lancer for better performance on rallies.

Lampi apparently gave Kangas a strong motivational talk on the Sunday morning that clearly worked a treat.

Lampi told Kangas that fourth place behind a brace of Subarus was just not

Mitsubishi is apparently looking at changing its damper supplier Deutschland Rally at the end of August. The team has used Ohiins dampers since the mid-1990s.

-JON THOMSON

pepts

good enough and, that with five stages to go, now was the time to attack.

And that he did, hauling in Cody Crocker and Toshi Arai and very nearly beating eventual winner Dean Herridge.

It was easily the drive of the rally.

"I told him that he had to attack and use his confidence on roads that suited his style, he did the rest," said Lampi.

He may have been an anonymous figure in the service area, but Lampi is a legend in Finnish rallying, as much for his behind the scenes work as his enormous ability behind the wheel.

Lampi's ability to analyse and develop cars has meant much of his work has been done behind the scenes, although two Finnish Rally Championships, {one of them captured in a Mitsubishi Galant VR-4) and moiofspon news

Pumped out Peugeot

Will the Cyprus-winning Pug and Citroens get scrubbed?

by JON THOMSON

NEWS of the possibly revised result of the Cyprus Rally will be breaking at about the same time as MNews hit the news stand this morning.

Peugeot have been summoned to a meeting with stewards in Paris, a meeting which was due to take place on Tuesday evening Australian time, about 24 hours after our deadline.

The question over the Cyprus results has come following a scrutineer's query over the water pumps used in both the Peugeot and Citroen team cars during the event.

Between the French manufacturers, they finished first, second,fourth and fifth in the event.

The FIA has emphasised that this was a "special stewards meeting"

and not a hearing as such.

The FIA rejected any suggestion that the summons related to a hearing, while it is believed that Peugeot Sport boss Corrado Provera pushed the FIA to convene the meeting, on the basis that the matter in question related to a gray area in the rules and needed clarification.

While Provera has been able to pursuade the FIA at least in part, it is understood that the stewards have not been entirely satisfied that the cars were strictly legal.

Interestingly, Citroen was not summoned by the stewards, raising speculation that Sebastien Loeb would become the wirmer if Gronhohn was excluded.

However,it is believed that Provera would champion the case of both Peugeot and those of Citroen, its

sister company in the Peugeot Group.

The Peugeot 307 and Citroen Xsara use the same basic engine, and WRC rules require that the standard design water pump is used.

The results of the event wiU remain provisional imtil checks on the waterpump units are completed.

The FIA statement said;"A component on cars 5 & 6 and 3 & 4 will have to be checked against the series part.

"The said checks will be carried out on Wednesday 19th May. Until that date, the official classification of the Cyprus Rally is to be considered subject to further technical checks by FIA." We'll have a full report on the meeting and any conclusions or changes to the Cyprus results in the next issue of MNews.

Ik spurs Kangas a string of impressive results in WRC events through the 1980s, are some indication of this 53-year-old's ability.

Lampi was one of the development drivers used by Audi to help develop its revolutionary Quattro in the early 1980s and this, along with his competition experience in the car, meant he was a valuable addition to Ralhart as it started its tentative steps into AWD rally car development.

When he moved to work with

Andrew Cowan's fledgling Ralliart team in 1987, it was running the 2WD Station Turbo but preparing for the coming Galant VR4. It was his ability with 4WD rally car set up that helped Mitsubishi build to a dominant force in WRC events through the late 1990s 26 May 2004

with Tommi Makinen.

Lampi was very much a mentor for Makinen,setting up his cars and helping prepare the Finnish star for 'maximum attack' rallying that dehvers four World titles on the trot.

"People talk about luck in motorsport," said Lampi."Motorsport is not about luck, you need a little but success comes through preparation both mechanical and mental."

The Firm was impressed with the standard in the ARC and will be back in November to help the team and Kangas prepare for Rally Australia.

"It is very competitive and very professional here and it is a very good place for Juha to be driving," said Lampi.

SKODA may be close to making a full return to the World Rally Championship after a series of near destruction tests of its revised Fabia in Greece last week.

The revised Fabia features improved hydraulics allied to modified shock absorbers and differentials, and is said to be a major improvement to a car that was neither fast nor reliable in its few WRC outings in 2003.

The revised car has been entered for the Acropolis in June with Toni Gardemeister and Armin Schwarz handling the driving duties while a test, aimed at performance rather than durability, will take place this week in Greece. n Veteran Queensland driver John Goasdoue has belatedly been pronounced winner of the opening round of the new Subaru one-make rally series following the imposition of a road penalty on Eli Evans.

Despite being given the victory laurels and announced as the winner of the first round, Eli and co-driver (and sister) Kylie Evans have been relegated to second following the road penalty, which wasn't added until after the finish on Sunday evening.

Evans finished the competitive stages on Saturday with the fastest time and Goasdoue was second.

However, Evans was late at a control and copped a 10-second penalty.

The penalty was not reflected in the scores until after competition on Sunday and it effectively gave the heat honours to Goasdoue.

Evans won the Sunday heat without controversy or complication, meaning Goasdoue and Evans finished the weekend with one heat victory each.

However, the tiebreaker was judged on who won the most stages, so the honour went to the Queenslander.

The next round will be on home turf for Goasdoue, but Evans's speed and maturity in Canberra, not to mention the valuable coaching from brother Simon, will mean he can't be discounted for a Queensland win.

- JON THOMSON 65

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■5 ■31

Robbie leaves Krikke to join Brisbaneixisecl Titan team - and gets a ride Stateside Motorsport," Farr told MNews.

"I'm very thankful for the opportunity that they gave me but now I'm really looking forward to new opportunities with the Titan team."

Robbie is no stranger to the team, having raced for them on and off for the past couple of years. He won the Easter Trail for them this year.

Over the big Christmas/New Year period later this year, Farr will be joined by World of Outlaws star Darryn Pittman, which is sure to give the team a very strong driver line-up.

by GREG BOSCATO AUSTRALIAN Sprintcar Champion Robbie Farr will join the Titan Garages and Carports team for the 2004/05 season.

Farr spent the past two seasons racing for the WA-based Krikke Motorsports and won the 2004 national crown earlier this year, but with wider opportunities in the Brisbane Titan team, Farr has made the switch.

"I've totally enjoyed the past two years with Krikke

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OZ Titles H' at Bridge MURRAY Bridge’s Riverview Speedway will host the 2004/05 Australian 372ci Sprintcar Title.

The event has been scheduled for three days with practice and commencing on Thursday 10th February, heats will start on Friday 11th while the all-important championship will be contested on the 12th. Sunday is the

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scheduled emergency rain date.

“Were thrilled to be holding next season’s championship and we will be working hard to make sure it is a successful event,” said club Promoter Moss Buchanan from the Perth conference.

- PARIS CHARLES

mi

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JASON Cramp won the Speedway Grand Prix of the Czech Republic for the third successive year in Prague recently.

Crump, runner-up to Nicki Pedersen in last year's championship, became the second Aussie to win a GP this season following the success of Leigh Adams in Stockholm. It was his ninth GP victory since he joined the series in 1996.

Crump beat Poland's Jarek Hampel and Tony Rickardsson in the final with fellow Aussie Ryan Sullivan fourth.

Leigh Adams was eliminated in the semi-finals but is still second overall.

All three Aussies are in tlie top six of the standings after two events of the nine meeting series. Crump and Adams are the top two with Sullivan lying sixth.

The meeting was delayed by almost two hours after rain made the track dangerous. The drivers requested the top surface be scraped off and that the rain should cease before the meeting started.

"It was worth the wait," said Crump.

"The track was very good for most of the meeting but by the time the semis and final came around it was raining very hard. 1 am delighted to be leading after two roimds."

Hampel produced a series of fantastic rides to over-shadow Iris compatriot Tomasz Gollob, who he

motorspon aews

SPEEDIIUAY

ks to litan Pittman won the 2002/3 World Series Sprintcars championship.

One of the new opportunities for Farr will see him leave Australia next month to compete in the Ohio Speedweek with the All Stars.

In a seven night race program (June 27-July 3), Farr will be running a top line 410 Sprintcar leased by the Titan team.

There will not be a lack of equipment either. Recently, Reeve Kruck visited Daryl Pittman in the USA and ordered two brand new 372 and 410 motors plus a couple of new chassis. This will give Farr the very best of opportunities to defend his Australian Title at Murray Bridge next February.

- GREG BOSCATO

Aussie Champ's fresh start: As predicted by MNews, Farr will open Titan's doors next year.

in Crump Roberts on the Road passed in their semi-final.

Rickardsson picked himself up from a heavy Heat 16 crash to win the re-run and yet again qualify for the final. The five-times World Champion hasn't won a Grand Prix since the

opening round of the 2003 series but his consistency ensures that he stays in the championship race.

Melbourne-born Ryan Sullivan also had an outstanding night and passed Adams in their semi-final but track conditions hit him hard in the final and he was quickly out of contention.

World Champion Nicki Pedersen continues to struggle and he has yet to reach a final this year. He was controversially allowed back into the re-run of Heat 21 after clashing with Greg Hancock.

-TONY MILLARD Points; Crump 45, Adams 38, Rickardsson 36, Gollob 29, Hancock 24, Sullivan 23, Hampel 23, Lee Richardson 22, Pedersen 21,Jesper B Jensen 16.

Aussie to hit Ohio for racing and spares

ONE of Australia's most underrated speedway spanner-men.

Bill Roberts, is heading stateside next month to take up the spanners for lanky Ohio traveller and former Aussie visitor Chad Kemenah.

Kemenah is an All-Stars regular and former champion who is successfully crewed by his brother, Brian. Brian, however, has a back injury. Roberts, not having worked in the US for a few years, felt it was time to get dirty again.

"It's good to go back every few years just to keep on top of everything so you don't lose that edge," Roberts explained.

Roberts and Aussie crewman Ross 'Silk' Gilson will spend 10 days on the road with the team, taking in the Ohio Speedweek where they hope to add another Speedweek championship to Kemenah's resume and another championship to Roberts list of US achievements.

As the Australian distributor of Eagle Chassis, Weld Wheels and G Force racing products, Roberts will also spend time loading a container for the upcoming Aussie season.

"I'll be bringing back about 18 Eagle chassis and rollers and a whole lot of G Force gear," he stated.

Roberts has just concluded a deal with Perth's Jeff Kendrick to look after West Australian market.

- BRETT SWANSON

Saldana’s ’04 first INDIANA'S Joey Saldana gave new car owner, Larry Woodward, his first WoO victory of 2004 when he dominated the latest round at Tri-City Speedway, Granite City, IL. Saldana was never headed throughout the 25-lap event and won by six car lengths over Danny Lasoski and Steve Kinser.

Aussie Brooke Tatnell finished seventh in the feature which capped off an impressive night. n After losing an engine the previous week, defending track Champion Terry McCarl scored a comprehensive victory at Knoxville Raceway on May 15 which got his campaign back on the rails.

McCarl was never seriously challenged, despite Travis Cram chasing valiantly to reel him in but Cram ran out of laps.

Early leader Josh Higday claimed third ahead of Skip Jackson, Tm Kaeding and Wayne Johnson.

Shortly before half race distance, Kerry Madsen took a wild tumble in turn three which therefore ended his night aboard the Vermeer Motorsport car.

The previous week's winner, Jason Johnson, retired on the third lap after detonating an engine.

Of the remaining Aussies competing, Lynton Jeffrey placed 15th, while Jaymie Moyle failed to progress out of the B-Main after finishing third. n At BIS and Yandina, Darrell Hodges took a pair of victories to make it 12 for the season.

In Brisbane, Hodges started out of 10th, but five attempts to start the feature were needed, which removed several faster cars to accidents and spins.

When the race finally started, Hodges had risen to fourth. It took two laps for the him to hit the front.

Cameron Gessner rose from the rear of the field to second ahead of Brock Dean, John Kelly and Terry Bracken in an accident-marred feature.

A week later at the last-ever race meeting at Yandina Speedway prior to closure, Hodges won again from Darren Jensen, Bracken and Ricky Mitchell.

- DANIEL POWELL/ MARK JONES

Hoosier Tire Australia 2004 WORLD OF OUTLAWS CHAMPIONSHIP Australian Distributors for

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2004 STANDINGS TO 24/05/04 1. Steve Kinser .

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67

Kalitta 4.42 at 66

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I ROUTE 66 Raceway,just outside of Joliet, Illinois,lived up to its reputation as the quickest and fastest quarter-mile in the world as Doug Kalitta recorded the quickest pass of all-time in winning the Top Fuel title of the NHRA Route 66 Nationals.

Kalitta's 4.420-second elapsed time in the final round against Brandon Bernstein also moved liim to within 102 points of the POWERade championship points lead held by Tony Schumaclier.

Funny Car legend Jolm Force beat new points leader Whit Bazemore for his 111th career win after Bazemore had earlier posted the quickest and fastest pass ever, a 4.713 at 333.25 mph to reach the final. Jason Line beat boss Greg Anderson for his first Pro Stock victory, while Shawn Gann took the Pro Stock Motorcycle title.

In the Top Fuel final, both drivers left together, but just near half-track, Bernstein's front end began to clhnb skyward and he was forced to lift, meanwhile Kalitta was thmidering in the other lane to the quickest pass in history at 4.420/328 for the win.

The Mac Tools dragster was travelling 283mph at half-track, and the e.t. missed setting a new record by just .001-seconds. Earlier in the day, Kalitta had outdistanced defending series champion,Larry Dixon, Atlanta winner, Cory McClenathan,and Kalitta camp protege, Scott Weis.

A driver named Bernstein can still be considered the 'King of Speed', but now it's Brandon, as the son of legend Kenny Bernstein set a new national speed record of 333.41 mph earlier in the day during a round one win over Bob Vandergriff. The Budweiser dragster also scored round wins over Darrell Russell, and Schumacher.

Force notched his 111th career win, posting a wiiming 4.75/325 to stop Whit Bazemore who overpowered the track just past the startmg line.

68

Force's trip to the winners circle was not without obstacles. After a routine win over Phil Burkart in Round 1, the Castrol GTX crew could not get Force's Ford fired up in the pits for their warm-up prior to a second round showdown with former teammate,Tony Pedregon.

They made it to tire starting line in time,and as Pedregon streaked away for what looked to be an easy win,he drifted out of the groove and crossed the centreline, handing the victory to his former boss. In the semis. Force disposed of Pedregon's replacement, Eric Medlen, with a 4.721 at 329.50 mph.

Bazemore piloted his Mateo Tools Dodge Stratus R/T to his 40th career final and second in a row by getting quicker each round. He opened with a 4.85/312 against Ron Capps, posted a 4.76/324 against Tim Wilkerson, and then set the e.t. record in a 4.713second pass at 333.25 mph opposite semifinal opponent,Tony Bartone.

The victory moved Force up to second in the points,just 16 markers behind Bazemore, who took the lead from Del Worsham with the 20 bonus points he earned for setting a

national E.T. record. Worsham is now 32 points out of the lead he has held for the last six races. Only Force and Worsham have multiple wins this year.

The Pro Stock finale featured KB Racing team-mates Anderson and Line against one another for the third time in the last four NFIRA POWERade events. This time it was Line getting his first win when Anderson redhghted by .042-second, negating a quicker 6.82 at 202 to Line's slightly slower 6.84 at 202 mph.

Line's KB Framers Pontiac,low qualified at 6.802-seconds,and defeated Troy Coughlin,Steve Johns, and David Connolly.

The Pro Stock Motorcycle final was also decided by a foul start as Shawn Gann took advantage of Andrew Hines'red light start. Gann's Suzuki posted a winning 7.24/185 for the win compared to the quicker and faster 7.17/186 from the Screamin' Eagle V-Rod Harley of Flines.

Garni made it to his 10th career final by earlier defeating David Feazell, Mike Berry, and Michael Phillips.

-DAVEOSTASZEWSKI

COWIN by name and Cowin by nature. The third member of the Sydney Top Fuel dynasty proved that he is a champion when he sealed his first National TF title at Western Sydney International Raceway earlier this month.

Johnny Cowin was in stunning fornn and reset the national record to a staggering 321.96mph and, in the final, he ran within four-thousandths of a second of twin brother Andrew's best at 4.754. In adding 20mph to the national record. Cowin took home points for the fastest and quickest pass of the weekend.

It was an emphatic debut for the Rocket Industries team's new McKinney fueller, which features the latest digital ignition control

Mac time in Atlanta SOME good things happened to Cory McClenathan at the NHRA Southern Nationals in Atlanta last week.

Not only did Cory Mac take his first win in almost two years in Top Fuel, he did not have to watch erstwhile points leader Tony Schumacher after the Sarge was trailered in the opening round by Scott Kalitta.

"I don't know that I would have bet on myself today," McClenathan said after his 28th career win.

"You do reach a point where you start to doubt yourself a little. You wonder if it's ever gonna come again. To be honest, I was glad when we got out of the first round with a win - I was really happy just to be going to the finall" But the final was no walk in the park for the Californian. After stopping reigning NFIRA Champion Larry Dixon, low qualifying Aussie Dave Grubnic, and Doug Kalitta, Clay Millican faced the Amry fueller in the

final and it took a 4.651 at 320.74mph to defeat Millican's 4.700 at 315.93mph.

If the Schumacher team suffered in Top Fuel, it dominated Funny Car. Team-mates Whit Bazemore and Gary Sceizi faced off in the final, with Bazemore's 5.025/299.SOmph good enough to beat Sceizi, who lit the tyres at the lights.

"This is the place where I saw my first drag race, where all my dreams started," blubbered Bazemore.

"The points are the same and the money's the same, but some races mean more than others to the people involved and Atlanta means a lot to me."

Greg Anderson kept his winning streak alive in Pro Stock when came from behind to beat Larry Morgan, 6.812 to 6.850, to take his fifth win in a row.

Other winners were Angelle Savoie, who bean Shawn Gann in the Pro Stock motorcycle final, David Wells in Top Alcohol dragster and Paul Lee in Top Alcohol F/C. motorsport news

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system, a set-back supercharger and larger fuel system.

"It was important to seal the championship for Johnny," smiled Andrew after the final.

"We wanted to get some testing with the new car, which we did. Things look pretty good!"

No wonder he was smiling; the new car will now head Stateside where Andrew will take over driving duties on the NHRA's POWERade tour.

While it was a weekend of numbers for the Cowin clan. Top Fuel racing looked as strong as it has for some time. Darren Morgan made an impact on his TF debut, laying down the quickest licencing pass in the country with a 4.85 at 296 and then raced the new Lamattina brothers-owned car all the way to the final after parking Roy Smith

*

to Phillips and Bonwick

and Terry Sainty.

After a pair of 4.8s against Luke Shepherd and Jim Read, the final was never an issue for Cowin, with a stout 4.754 at 316 bringing the huge crowd to their feet. Morgan had his engine fireball at half-track but the Mildura driver will have more to say when the championship concludes at Willowbank's Winternats on June 11-13.

Gary Phillips was in fine form in Top Alcohol, despite qualifying second to Steve Reed's flopper.

Consistency was the key for Phillips, with a 5.773 accounting for Wayne Newby in the opening round and a 5.752 good enough for Queenslander Dean McLennan. In the final, Reed broke traction and nudged the wall, leaving Phillips to take the points with a 5.77s at

242.02mph.

In Top Fuel Bike, much was expected from Jay Upton after he ran a 219 in testing and made it to the semis, where he faced Dennis Grant. But the WA Triumph was struck by a fuel leak and he had to park the bike, leaving Grant to face Craig Bonwick in the final after the local beat Brett Stevens 7.53 to 7.58 in the other semi.

A 7.66 in the final against a slowing Grant was enough to move Bonwick to fourth in the points race.

Not my brother's keeper; Johnny C lights the stacks on the Rocket McKinney, top, on his way to the 320s. Mildura driver Darren Morgan, below, made the TF final on debut.

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GREG Anderson tied 10-time NHRA champion Bob Giidden as the only drivers in history to win five events in a row - but only just.

The defending POWERade Pro Stock Champion dropped an engine in the opening round of qualifying at Atlanta and only just made it to the startline.

"We flew the space shuttle to the moon, reloaded on exotic parts, put the motor back together, and we have a good car again," said Anderson, who now has 22 national event wins to his credit.

That's probably the going to be the story so we'll just agree with it for the sake of argument."

Anderson's Vegas General Construction team-mate and tuner Jason Line returned to the team's shop in Charlotte NC to dyno the rebuilt motor, returned to the track and worked all day. After all that. Line lost in the semi-final ... to Anderson.

A week later, Anderson ended the streak in the final at Joliet... when he lost to Line. n Mike Castellana scored a victory for the nitrous-injected Pro Modified fans as he drove his 1968 Camaro past Fred Hahn in the final round of the AMS Staff Leasing Pro Mod Challenge. Castellana a winning 6.22 at 225 mph to capture his second career NHRA Pro Modified victory.

Castellana's Western Beef sponsored Camaro qualified third at 6.227-seconds and posted 6.21/225, and 6.30/200 wins over Al Billes, and Mike Ashley to reach the final round.

Hahn, the low qualifier at 6.191seconds in Jim Oddy's Summit Racing Equipment Corvette, improved to a 6.18/230 in a round one win over Von Smith, then trailered Zach Barklage with a 6.27/229.

The tough 6.269 bump, left several heavy-hitters out of eliminations. Non qualifiers included Mike Janis, Ed Hoover, Mitch Stott, Scotty Cannon, and Australia's Troy Critchley. n Kurt Johnson has won a lot and lost a lot but he found a new way to lose in Atlanta's Pro Stock rounds.

After qualifying 13th, Johnson had to forfeit against Larry Morgan when the carbon fibre nosecone of his ACDelco Chevy could not be refitted.

By the time he was ready to race, the time clock had run down and NHRA officials counted him out.

"In order to get the car started, Joe (crewmember Cottle) had to hold the cable In place until ithe engine fired, after which he had to wrap the cable around the chassis tubing so it wouldn't flap around during the run.

Once we solved that problem, we had some issues putting the nose back on, and we finally just ran out of time.

"I guess we've found a new way to lose one of these."

-STAFF/OSTASZEWSKI 89

naflona YANIS Derums survived an horrific tumble at Hidden Valley last weekend in the Kumho Tyres Lotus Trophy.

Sharp MNews photographer John Morris was on the spot for Derums' headline making roll-over.

scene

eiltedliy

His car launched over a fellow competitor, hit the turn one tyre-barriers and launched into a series of heavy rolls.

The structural integrity of the Elise saved Derums from further injury, but the car will be confined to a life on the scrap-heap.

Grant Rowley

And yes, that is the radiator you can see in the main picture that is flying through the air!

Meanwhile, James Moffat, son of racing legend Allan, won two of the races. Damien French took the second race victory.

Leadsman Bridges the Gap m

HOLDEN Commodore driver Scott Loadsman narrowed the gap to Chris Alajajian in the outright stakes of the Australian Production Car Championship at Sandown two weeks ago. r'" n pwt Tooiiufiyz, Leadsman's cause was aided by an I electronics problem for Alajajian in CBR Photo};rnphi qualifying, which forced the young A mid-race scrap between Toyota Corolla Subaru star to start from the back of the grid in Race 1.

Sportivo driver Leanne Ferrier, Luff and GrocI was the highlight of the heat.

Loadsman, above right, made light work of Race 2 gave the respectable crowd an the traffic and comfortably claimed the win ahead of Class B entrant Ian Luff. idea as to why Alajajian is leading the series.

A storming drive from the Jack Hillermans Alajajian stormed through the field to finish fourth behind the familiar blue VW Beetle of Smash driver gave him the lead of the race before three-quarter distance. last year's Class B Champion, Steve GrocI. 70

f

Loadsman picked up the round spoils by finishing second while Luff again grabbed a top three finish.

Ferrier was able to hold out a challenge from GrocI for fourth.

The Holden AstraA/ectra combination of Leigh Mertens and Martin Doxey were rewarded with a one-two in Class D in Race 1, until Proton's Geoff Russell spoiled the party in Race 2.

Lynne Champion and Drew Russell were involved in a light crash early in Race 2 at the exit of turn four.

- GRANT ROWLEY Points: Alajajian 148, Loadsman 141, Luff 114, Ferrier 109, Ratcliff 96.

motorsport news

by AARON SHAW TEAM Brock drivers Damien White and Benn Wilson took control of the VSBRute field at Sandown two weeks ago, with 'Ice' White claiming a cleansweep of the three races.

Race 1 poleman Matthew O'Grady could do little but watch the Team Brock duo run away to a dominant formation finish in the first race.

Konica Minolta V8 driver Marcus Zukanovic was left in a lonely third place when O'Grady, Charlie Kovacs, Chris Smerdon and Kim Jane fell back during the early stages of the race.

White handed the credit to his team for the great performance.

"It was a matter of consolidating and bringing home a one-two for the team," said White.

"To set the fastest lap, and

Benn the second fastest is a credit to our mechanics."

Despite an early collision with Smerdon, Kovacs managed to hold onto fourth place. Gary Baxter was also making the pair work hard for their keep.

Grant Denyer was lucky to be able to control his car, which completed a full 360 degrees spin due to a jumping gear.

Starting the second race in 10th spot, White's take-no-prisoners driving style moved him up to fifth after one lap. From there, he continued to lunge through the top runners and only had Baxter to deal with.

"I saw hici check his mirrors and it made me realise I had him worried, so I pressed on," said White after the race. "After three tidy laps I caught him, and it was game on."

White then went on to win the race and set a new lap record in

the process.

Danielle Argiro claimed a welldeserved top 10 finish in the second race.

The final race was a spectacular demonstration of V8 BRute racing.

A hair's breadth separated the battle for the lead involving White, Kovacs, Baxter, above, and Wilson.

Wilson was giving Baxter lovetaps almost every corner, trying to find a way through for third place. In the end, Wilson's persistence paid off, beating

Baxter to the chequered flag by half a second.

White completed the cleansweep, but wasn't able to break away at any point from the persistent Kovacs. The pair were entrenched in a ding-dong battle, which was decided in the end by just 0.6s.

Championship contender Dave Griffin had a great weekend with a consistent run in the top five.

Points; White 213, Griffin 170, Kovacs Jack Elsegood 157, Wilson 128.

Ihe Killa Instinct Chria Cjrter

HOLDEN Motorsport will back Holden V8 BRutes competitors for the remainder of 2004.

All Holden BRutes will feature the familiar Holden stickers across the windscreens.

The deal between the manufacturer and the category started at Sandown Raceway 26 May 2004

two weeks ago.

"If it helps stabilise this popular category after PROCAR's financial withdrawal, we're glad to help out," said Holden Motorsport's John Stevenson.

Ford have reportedly rejected to support the Falconmodel utes.

MIKE Kilpatrick took a clean sweep of the three Futureracers events at Sandown two weeks ago.

Kilpatrick ripped the field to shreds in the final race, coming through from the rear of the small field to clinch a deserved victory. Kilpatrick was helped though by the misfortune of Matthew Kingsley who was leading in two of the three races but spun. His undoing benefited Team Brock guest driver Melinda Price who came home second in the final race.

- AARON SHAW

71

HISTORICS

Remembering Rellers THE centenary of Rolls Royce was celebrated on May 4,2004 at the Midland Hotel in Manchester - the same hotel where Frederick Royce and the Hon. Charles Rolls made their landmark business deal 100

years ago.

Ironically, the very British company that boasted building 'The Best Car in the World' is now controlled by Germany's BMW - less than 60 years after Rolls Royce supplied engines for the bombers that totally destroyed the BMW factory during World War 2 ...

On the surface, the union between Rolls and Royce seemed a total mismatch. Rolls, distinguished and debonair had been racing cars in the early years of the 20th century and was seeking a superior British car to market. Frederick Royce, on the other hand, was the engineer,"... a man whose unkempt appearance and coarse vocabulary ought surely to have disqualified him from the society of gentlemen..."

From the outset, their attention to detail was exemplary. An early road

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test of a Rolls Royce claimed the loudest noise at 90kmh (60mph) came from the electric clock.

Meanwhile, Rolls continued to race, and in 1905 he competed in the Tourist Trophy race at the Isle of Man driving a Rolls Royce in its first competitive outing. A gearbox problem sidelined him after only three kilometres but a 20hp model driven by Percy Northey finished second. Rolls returned the following year and won convincingly.

Around 1908, Rolls turned his attention to another daredevil

activity - aviation, and became the first to fly the English Channel both ways. Tragically he was the first British flyer to die in a plane crash in July 1910.

Although racing activities were curtailed after Rolls' death,some amazing endurance runs were conducted including a top-gear-only drive from London to Edinburgh in a 1911 Silver Ghost. That was also the year the most famous of all bonnet mascots appeared - the 'Spirit of Ecstasy' Motor sport didn't figure

prominently for the Rolls Royce company even though it took over Bentley in 1931. In spite of winning Le Mans five times during the 1920s, the great British spoi ts car manufacturer was struggling financially, and after WW2it lost its racing identity and became more closely aligned with the sedate, up market 'Rollers'.

Henry Royce was knighted in 1930, and following his death in 1933, the

famous'RR'colours were changed from red to black,in keeping with his last wish for the company.

Locally, RoUs Royce made sporadic appearances in competition. Somewhat surprisingly, three were entered for the 1989 Lucas Grand Prix Rally, and Tony WUson will long be remembered for his amazing acrobatics in the motorkhana events manhandling his big 1972 Comiche convertible.

- BRIAN REED

f VALE -John Blanden (1937-2004) I;

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THE recent death of John Blanden has robbed followers n jof Australian motor sport lespecially the historic| Its.most . movement)of one of it_ .. visionary figures.

There was hardly a facet of the sport that wasn't touched by John. As well as his personal collection of desirable racing and road cars, he was a sponsor of young talented drivers and was the proud owner of one of the finest libraries of motoring books, magazines, photographs and videos - all fastidiously catalogued.

He was an outstanding motor sports historian, having written a number of major books on the Australian Grand Prix and Australian 'Specials’- an updated edition of the latter was due for release at the time of his death. He was also co-author of a book on Elfin sports and racing cars.

He will also be long remembered as the man responsible for establishing the now famous Grand Prix rallies, and for the highly successful historic garages at the AGP carnival at Albert Park.

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His final appearances in competition were at the Geelong Speed Trials in November last year driving his Lotus XI and in the same month behind the wheel of his genuine AC Cobra in the Classic Adelaide Rally. An overseas trip followed before his illness was diagnosed just prior to Christmas.

Although John's contributions will be sadly missed his legacy will live on. To his wife Jan and members of the Blanden family, MNews extends our deepest sympathies.

- BRIAN REED

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motorsport news

NATIONAL SCENE

^ Super Oran Eight and Chris Dell scored a one-two in out for the Rotax Light trophy, but contact between the two on the Clubman Light and stable-mate opening lap saw Williamson (DAP) Daniel Cotton won Clubman Fleavy do a 360. Fie still went on to win after trading the lead with Ian Mallinson. CRG scored another ahead of Justin Flagen. one-two in Rotax Fleavy, veteran Warren White Jnr (Fiedspeed) dominated Midgets and James = Ian Allen fending off a challenge from Darren Chamberlin, Kovacic (CRG) won Rookies with a Other vvinners were Keith Ford late pass on Max Johnston.

Many expected Steel Guiliana to (Senior National Light), Alan win the final of Junior Clubman.

Flolmes (SN Fleavy), Jason Burns Thomas Phillips and Jaye Graham (ReSa Light), Carsten Tiedemann had other ideas and pressured the (ReSa Fleavy), David Stephenson CRG driver all the way, Guiliana just (JN Light), Matthew Waters (JN held on for victory.

Heavy).

- MARK WICKS CRG team-mates Nick Agland

THE NSW Super-8 Series continued at Oran Park recently with round two conducted on the Sydney track.

Daniel Erickson (Birel) took a narrow win in Formula Australia Light over Steven Alehin (Azzurro), however it was a bizarre challenge from Alehin who twice drove through the cut-through in pursuit of the leader. The two had earlier split the heat wins before Erickson dominated the pre-final. Jason Ashcroft won the Heavy division.

Adrian Estasy and Tom Williamson were looking to duke it

Hennig takes Tattersalls

WAYNE Heimig in the Noosa Cat Porsche 993 GT2 took the opening round of the Tattersalls Sportscar series at Queensland Raceway.

Hennig,driving solo, won the one hour race, having to come from behind after a lightning pitstop by the Zong Su team put Simon Kane into the lead once the stops were completed.

Hennig hunted down Kane, who shared the driving duties in his 993 RSCS with Mat Humphrey, to take the lead and the win.

The Westfield SEi of Steven Morcombe and Colin BurnevUleClaye took third place. Fourth place

F

I I I !

should have been the smoking Dodge Viper of Chris Hinton and Mark Williams but a diff leak stopped them.

Bryan Ferrabee and Dave Barram finished fouth in Ferrabee's lightweight Mazda MX5,taking Class C, while the seventh-placed Mazda MX5 of Don Lake and Ash Lowe won Class F. Rob Sherrard had his Ford GT40,

Aussie Champs Setthe Pace

Lola T70, le/f, and an immaculate Jaguar E-Type in practice, but only the T70 raced, in the separate Sportscar division, which was won for the weekend by Steve Cooper (Porsche 911) ahead of Peter Turnbull (Turnam Sports) and Matt Simpson (Nissan Skyline R33) In the Sedan Group,Burt Bales won on his return to racing (Celica) ahead of Mark Taylor (Torana A9X) and Craig Pittman (Lancer).

Carlo Chermaz was the pick of an excellent Superkart field, while Ian Noffke(Capri) won the Regularities.

-MARK JONES

REIGNING Off Road Champion's Mark Burrows and Colin Hodge started the 2004/05 national series in fine form, capturing the Class 1 and outright honours at round one of the Australian Off Reading Championship, the Sunraysia 500, held recently at Mildura, Victoria.

Burrows and Hodge were simply too quick for the rest of the pack,coming home 13 minutes ahead of their nearest Class 1 rival of Justin Anderson

o

tOTesr ® 28 May 2004

WAKEFIELD Park celebrated Its 10th anniversary with a packed program in a broad range of categories last weekend.

The stars of the show were the solid field of Touring Car Challenge machines.

Luke Searle made the most of the handicapping system in his BMW 320i Super Tourer to lead home Garry Willmington and Andy Cantrell in EL Falcons in Race 2. Willmington won the short first race.

Steve Williams proved the Supercars are beatable, taking a win in his Commodore Future Tourer.

Stuart Lillie showed persistence to bring his FIX to the front of a large field of Kingswoods by the end of Race 4. Lillie qualified sixth but kept out of trouble to hit the lead on lap five of the final.

Scott Butler kept the pressure on the leaders without taking a win.

Helen Stig recorded an unlikely win in the final race of the Clubman Challenge.

Although unable to match the pace of her competitors in Modified class machines, Stig brought the Blondieshair Class A, PRB home as the only finisher in the final race.

Alfio Musumeci won the Veloce Racing final and Scott Loadsman won the Endure.

- MARTIN VAN REE

and Shanin Hall. Danny Auricht and Brian Shearn finished third.

John Hedericks and navigator John Williams surprised many to claim fourth outright aboard their PWRsponsored Nissan Patrol.

Glen Owen and Deon Beattie were next to cross the line, ahead of Class 2 victors Geoff and Liz Roe. The second round of the series heads to the Northern Territory over the June 12-14 weekend.

- PARIS CHARLES

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73

NATIONAL SCENE o

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THE picturesque Collingrove course roared back into life for the ! 2004 winter season with the ; running of the Adelaide Cup long weekend trophy day.

Doug Lehmann, below, picked up from where he left off from last

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I season's Winter Cup series, using ; his Mitsubishi EVO advantage to I capture the quickest nm,setting a time of 33.62s.

GT3 PORSCHE driver Matthew Turnbull was almost unchallenged at Sandown two weeks ago,taking both race wins in the Australian Porsche Drivers’ Challenge.

The only real threats came early in the two races, but as the races drew older, the gap between Turnbull and the chasing bunch widened.

Second place in Race 1 was fought out between Anthony Skinner and Paul Stuart who had a ding-dong dice for a few laps until Stuart opened up a little break. Unfortunately, Stuart blotched the start in the second race and fell back as far as seventh on lap one. Skinner was left to hunt down Turnbull, but ran out of time.

Andrew Luxton was a clear winner in Class B, even beating home some of the Class A Porsches. Greg Doyle took out Class C with two race wins in the 944, managing to hold of a challenge from Dennis O'Keefe in the final race.

-AARON SHAW

a

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0

His win was all the more special after arriving from America only an hour before the event!

Just 0.03s shy was fellow EVO pilot Nick Streckeisen. Andrew McLaren rounded out the top three aboard his Clubman.

Andrew Ford turned in a commendable 34.09s effort in his Mallock U2 to claim the Sports Cars 1301-1600cc class. Despite only completing two runs.Jay Richards did enough to claim the Formula c win and fifth d his Suzukiagno.

RIS CHARLES

emChtrir,

Never fear - the answers are here So how did you fair in iast issue's QQ50? Were you on the pace? Did you use a biro or a pencii? Does your keyboard or notepad stink of champagne?

Al. Nigel Barclay of Paul Morris Motorsports.

A2. Robbie Francevic(44 years, 8 months,25 days).

A3. Peter Brock with 13 poles from Sandown 1979 through to Oran Park 1980.

A4. Jean-Francois Hemrotdle.

A5. Oran Park (2.62km).

A6. Eddie Iroine.

A7.1991.

A8. True. Maybe 2004 ivill be different though...

A9. Greg Moore.

AlO. Larry Perkins (1971)and Terry Perkins (1974).

All. Jean-Marc Gounon and Marcel Tiemann.

A12: France, whose drivers have won 74 events.

A13:PROCAR's DSO is Kevin Bartlett.

A14: The Symmons Plains lap record holder is Craig Lowndes.

A15: Buddy Lazier, who won in 1996. Eddie Cheever, who won in 1999, was born in Arizona but raised in Italy.

A16: The three Amigos are Chris Vermeulen, Karl Muggeridge and Broc Parkes.

A17: Renault Sport was known as Benetton FI from 1986 to 2001.

Before that, the team was called Toleman Grand Prix.

74

i«NLEY^

i Dirk Klynsmith

Larko's first: Mark Larkham made his V8 debut at Bathurst in 1995, see A30.

A18: Eight. Jason and Steven Richards, Greg Murphy, Simon Wills, Paul Radisich and Craig Baird were all born in New Zealand. Russell Ingall was born in the UK and Max Wilson was born in Germany.

A19: In 161 GPs,Senna won 41 times,scored 65 pole positions and had 19 fastest laps.

A20: Webber's off-siders have been Alex Yoong, Anthony Davidson, Antonio Pizzonia,Justin Wilson and Christian Klien.

A21: Marco Apicella. In his only start at Monza in 1993, Apicella's Jordan made it as far as the first chicane before being involved in an accident. He has never driven in another GP. A22:Paul Morris won thefinal Super Touring race in Australia, at Symmons

anniversary in July last year.

A32. John Bowe was part of the Volvo Dealer Team in 1986.

A33. Formula Toyota will kick off in NZ in '05.

A34. Martin Brundle started behind the FI mike in 1997.

A35.16 times.

A36. Mike Russell won the Aussie Race Car crown last year.

A37. Holinger's RD6 is not permitted in Supercar racing.

A38. McLaren A39. Olivier Panis's crash in Canada in 1997.

Plains on 10 December 2000.

A23. Neal Bates was Gardner's Bathurst co-driver.

A24. Pit lane commentator David Rose did the Richo deal.

A40. The Jaguar on the car was pink, not white, due to a one-offsponsorship deal with a diamond company.

A41. Arie Luyendyk and Buddy Lazier.

A25. Ricardo Zonta is Toyota's third driver.

A42. A commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the birth of Spanish surrealist Salvadore Dali.

A43. Eddie Cheever Jr. A44. Nick Heidfeld.

A45. Ted Kravitz.

A26. Casey Mears was Zanardi'sfill-in.

A27. Mears drives for Chip G'anassi in the NASCAR Nextel Cup in a Target Dodge.

A28. Jason Plato, James Thompson and Yvan Muller have won the BTCCfor Vauxhall.

A29. Thexton and Steven Voight finished 16th at Bathurst last year.

A30. Larkham made his V8 debut at Round 3 of the Touring Car title at Bathurst in 1995.

A31. MNews celebrated its 10th

A46. Skaife(180cm)just out-heights T.Kelly (179cm). Perfect enduro combo ...

A47. The original HANS device went on sale in 1990.

A48. Kinser's won the WoO title 16 times.

A49. Americans call Doorslamers Pro Modified.

A50. Marco Apicella.(Ed: Oops, did lue confuse you? See answer 21).

Riotorspon news

1

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INDUSTRY NEWS

Max Wheel Blue Racer The Australian manufactured range of Max Wheels have launched their latest designer racing wheels.

For racing purposes only, the 3 piece wheel has been made suitable for drag racing purposes in mind, offering both Ford and Holden stud patterns.

The wheel is available with the option of a double beadlock to ensure no tire slip,and with a wide range of wheel halves available,Max Wheels can offer a \ ariety of offsets to

suit most applications.

For more information on the full range of Max Wheels contact Hoosier Tire Australia on 02 9679 1990 or matt@hoosiertireaustralia.com.au

Axent on Safety PIT lane related fines have cost drivers dearly and caused controversy in recent years. While careless driving was often thought to be responsible, drivers have defended themselves claiming the accuracy of the speed detection was questionable. Generally, racecars are not fitted with speedometers and therefore, guesswork comes into play when restricting speeds in accordance with pit-lane regulations.

As part of an extension to Axent Global's successful campaign on Variable Speed Limit Systems around School Zones throughout Australia, the Melbourne based company are now providing a similar solution for the race track.

Axent Global have been leaders in innovative road traffic management systems and believe it has provided the answer to the speed issues of pit lane. Signs can be used to not only

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dictate speeds but also detect and display what speed each driver is travelling. Axent Global's Electronic Speed Limit Signs are suitable for all race conditions and optimal visibility is guaranteed in less ^an favourable conditions.

Drivers could see their travel speeds immediately, the crowd could view the displayed speeds and commentators could provide on the spot analysis.

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Rioiotsport news

CLASSIFIEDS

Classifieds online classifieds *

news

Find hundreds more race vehicles and parts for sale at www.my105.com

SEll

from Just $25

your motorsport vehicle, parts, memorabilia with our all-new combined magazine/ internet classified service. Courtesy of an agreement between Motorsport News and internet classified service myl05.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.mylOS.cono 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 myl 05.com)

LOG ON NOW

IT'S THE SMART WAY TO SELL YOUR EQUIPMENT! Mirage Rally Car

Sunday Drivers Winter Clearance Sale

2003 F16 Championship winner, currently tarmac specs, 50 mm DMS, all Ralliart engine and suspension bits, also Modena close ratio dog box available and gravel kit (sump, underbody, heaps wheels, etc). 20,000 Not 288 Neg. Lee 0418141762. www.myl05.com/86498

Saleen Mustang S351

Ex nations cup/sports car, immaculate build quality, 560HP supercharged 351 V8, proflex shocks, ideal for targa/tarmac rally or to add to the collection, priced to sell at a fraction of the build cost of $240,000 - Sell $50,000. Various spares available including, engines, gearboxes, diffs, panels, suspension componenets etc. . $50,000. Kevin Heffernan 0413 733 407.

Sedans/Sports Cars

W" w

www.myl05.com/67684 A ( ■/- .

HQ GTS Holden Monaro

on

---J

spared, numerous race wins, fastest laps and lap records. Tyre smoking Mega HP 350 I’ Group NC #28, Ex Jackson car, no expense [ chev, proflex shocks. Scare yourself for j $60,000.Various spares available including, ] engines, gearboxes, diffs, panels, suspension J components etc. $60,000. Kevin Heffernan 0413 733 407.

www.myl05.com/89543

'A a,

ini

Datsun 1600 U2L 3J Car, Fresh L20B high compression engine, 1998cc, 86mm Bore, Balanced, Nitrided Crank, Ported Head, 76 degree cam, Twin 45mm webbers, 5 speed box. Big brakes front & rear (rear just fitted).

Brand new 195/60R14 A032Rs. (done 2 laps of Eastern Creek), Full Alloy Roll Cage, Momo Race Seat, CAMS Log Booked .

285 $7500.00 Neg. Steve 0412 879 408. www.myl05.com/97693

LJ XU1 Holden Torana

Group NC #74, Sister car to #90, immaculately prepared, numerous race wins, fastest laps. Race winning top HP 202, koni shocks. Ready to race $38,000.

Various spares available including, engines, gearboxes, diffs, panels, suspension components etc. . $38,000.

Kevin Heffernan 0413 733 407.

www.myl05.com/2922S

MK1 Escort, Ex Pedders Jamie Miller MK1 Escort, no expense spared, full space frame, fresh 13BPP fresh Neeham, straightcut 5 speed box, AP brake, approx 700kg, proven performance and reliablity with many spares. Log book. All offers considered. $13,500. J Vamham (07) 5546 286 8388 / 0418 311 320. www.myl05.com/31612

MK2 CORTINA Sports Sedan, Toyota 2ltr fuel injecled twin cam 6cyl, freshly rebuilt engine. Microtech computer with hand held controller, ultra reliable package, Winner 1999 and 2000 NSW Hillclimb Championships and been in storage since, heaps of spares, ready to race, complete with dual axle till trailer. $7,500 Neg. Glenn 0410 529 701, 286 www.myl05.com/37985 PT

u

r %

i

1

Commodore Cup, Commodore Cup, One race meeting old, Since full rebuild.

Finished 3rd overall in National Series.

Quick reliable car. In capable hands. Can be seen at Eastern Creek on 28th May, straight from the race to your trailer.

285 $22,000 ONO. 0413 14 7776. www.myl05.eom/56906

LJ XU1 Holden Torana Group NC #90, Ex Jackson/Heffernan, immaculately prepared, numerous race wins, fastest laps and lap records. Race winning top HP 202 engine, koni/profiex shocks. Ready to win $40,000. Various spares available including, engines, gearboxes, diffs, panels, suspension components etc, . $40,000. Kevin Heffernan 0413 733 407.

www.myl05.com/85246 26 May 2004

HQ HOLDEN Former Aust & Qld Champion, Won Last Race Bathurst 24hr support, not raced since. Complete with spares, proven race winner. $5500, Andrew 285 0407723055.

Simpson www.myl05.com/441

Sports Sedan Cellca 21tr Twin Cam, complete ready to race, new fully adjustable suspension, new harness, adj brake bias, spares Inc wheels, tyres, moulds, and spare race heads. Well presented quick and very reliable. Please call for photos and laptimes. $10,000. Brad (02) 4577 8111 289 0415 975 713. www.myl05.eom/60856

79

HOOPER SUPERSPORTS, Multipie National and State Title winner. Buy it complete as a race winner for $35,000 - or just the rolling chassis ready for a 200BHP 1600 transplant - for just $25,000. No other car in Australia offers these lap times for less. Be quick. John (07) 5445 2694 (h).

285 www.myl05.eom/44086

Race Winning Saloon Car, 4 years development, many race wins, pole positions and lap records, New engine and gearbox, spares including 2 sets of wheels, one of the best in the country. $22,000 Or Best Offer. Kurt 07 3368 1188 / 0419 705531.

286 www.myl05.com/62825

Porsche 993 RSR Replica, RHD, full spec 3.8 litre high torque race engine, Autronic engine management, throttle bodies, dual ignition, est. 380 bhp, Modena 5 speed dogbox with LSD, coil overs, air jacks, awesome Harrop brakes, full steel cage through to suspension, front mounted oil tank and cooler, safety fuel cell, heated windscreen, Velo race seat with head restraint, Sparco suede steering wheel, window net, harness, elec kill switches, fitting for Dorian, Odyssey battery, two sets Simmons wheels with slicks and wets, CAMS log book. Unregistered. Light weight - only 1040 kgs with fuel and oil.

Successful race record in NSW, including outright win AROCA Six Hours. Recent repaint and mech overhaul. Richard (03) 9822 5034 or 0417 370671 mobile. For info pack/photos email womble@mira.net. $59,900 ONO. Richard 03 9822 5034.

285 www.myl05.com/38245

Open wheeler, Westfield Clubman, Booth prepared, Toyota3SGE, Motec, Hoilinger 5Spd with Loveday remote Quiokshift, Ford Motorsport LSD + more. Spare race wheels & gearbox components. Giant killer which is ready for 2004. Sportscar Championship.

C/W enclosed trailer. $25,000 Neg. Adrian 0417 327 988.

283 www.myl05.com/77394

Engines

Porsche 3.4 Litre Boxster Engine Complete NEW, Built by Chellingworth Porsche Perth. Includes flowed heads, Porsche Sport cams and Pfitzner flywheel.

285 $25,000 ONO. Kim 0417 917 189. www.myl05.com/88381

Formula Ford, Chassis/engine for sale/lease. Maintained by Troy Dunstan Racing, Speedtech engine. 4x3 way Penske shocks, MoTec Dash, large inventory of spares. Package can be adjusted to meet your budget, lincludes delivery to lOOOkIms. Great opportunity to get a FF with all the 'bits' that makes a front running car. 0419 777 977 www.myl05.com/79793

Open Wheelers

65 MUSTANG,65 MUSTANG, GROUP NC, Ex Barry Jupp, Graham Hunt, Michael Miceli, fastest 65 in Aust, current lap record Calder, total rebuild, ail new panels, lightest ever been, new motor with highest HP yet, ail brakes new with spares, selling due to business. $66,000 OBO Darren BH 03 9758 9077.

285 www.myl05.com/36325

Formula Ford Spectrum 06, Great 1st car, competitive in all state and National events, great history with many poles, fastest laps and wins, finished 4th Bathurst 02, 5th AGP 04, Penske shockers all round, dash and logger, set up equip, full set ratios, 3 sets wheels and tyres, ready to race. $29,000.

Daniel (03) 9725 5366 / 0411 029 561. 283 www.my105.com/18142

Formula Chassis/engine for sale/lease. Maintained by Troy Dunstan Racing, Speedtech engine. 4x3 way Penske shocks, MoTec Dash, large inventory of spares. Package can be adjusted to meet your budget, lincludes delivery to lOOOkIms. Great opportunity to get a FF with all the 'bits' that makes a front running car. .

285 $47,500 Neg. 0419 777 977. www.myl05.com/79793

Nacscar Cleveland, Ford nascar Cleveland short motor. Excellent original block debarred, screw in welsh plugs, 4MAB crank, TRW pistons, new billet distributor, new cam, new alloy nascar water pump, new edelbrock torker manifold this is a genuine nascar engine block all machinework done ready to assemble real bargain. $3950 Not Neg. Graham 0403 811360. 284 www.my105.com/84979 Lotus Twim Cam, 1650cc, totally rebuilt, all machining operations, new Cosworth pistons, new LI Cams, Vanderveli bearings, LTW cam buckets, head full rebuild, big valves, balanced, rods and crank shotpeened, 45mm side draft Webers excellent and new $12,000ono. Also, Lotus t/camrolling body, $7500ono . $19,500ono.

(03) 8545 9600 (w) / (03) 9585 5270 (h), 284 www.my105.com/52984

TIGA FA82 Formula Atlantic, Complete car in perfect condition. Recent full restoration. Engine dismantled for inspection. Will consider an interesting trade. $48,000 Not Neg. David 0409 603 749. 283 www.my105.com/49988

7]liiFwaytosellyourgear! From|ust$25* justlogon (*$2S applies to ads entered directly onto myl05.com)

7

I

Yaami Please read & cross the desired services and calculate the total News PLUS theiTv/105-comwebslteforthreemonths.

online classifieds Category: Parts

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moiorspon news

CLASSIFIEDS

Sponsor Seek now live

Parts Gearbox Transaxle, special Lola Hewland Penske new c/pinion, all gears new, fully rebuild, ready to race, with on board jacks.

514,000. Issy (03) 9401 1155.

285 www.myl05.com/29140

Mazda 808 shell, Mazda 808 sedan shell, complete with full cage,set up for mid mount motor,suit any engine, circuit.speedway or drags must sell as is takin up space in shed, call 4 more info. $1200 ONO. Simon 0409875381.

284 www.myl05.com/76145

2 Car Transporter, 86 INTER N1630 TURBO SUITS 2 F/F F3 HISTORICS, CRANE LIFT, BENCHES, CUPBOARDS, RACKS, LOCKERS, TOWBAR, CD FULLY PLAYER ETC. 21ft BODY DECKED OUT. ph 0412319008. $44000.

285 0412319008. www.myl05.eom/56540 Transporter, 42 foot enclosed semi-trailer set up to carry 3 full size sedans complete with ramps and registered. Unfinished project due to lack of time. $7,000 ONO. Geoff 0418316958 285 www.myl05.com/5008

Formula Ford parts, 1 rego short motor f/wheel etc. New FF Cam, 2 reco heads, 2 carby and manifolds, 3 s/h blocks and heads, 2 starter motors, box of parts new and s/h etc. Mantal bend extractors. $2,000 284 the lot. Barry 0418 510 684. www.myl O5.com/18398

Speedway

Race ready Super Sedan, Super Sedan Pontiac Firbird complete car, race ready, engine very strong, Q-Change diff wide five all round,new coil over chassis to go with car,easy to set-up Bargin at $16,500.00 ono Ph 0413 226 771.

283 www.myl05.com/27300

World of Outlaws Sprintcars, As raced at World of Outlaws. Tim Kaeding car (7T): 2003 40/86 Standard Eagle Chassis Winters Rear End - Latest lightweight components Jason Meyers car (1M): - 2003 40/86 Standard Maxim Chassis - Sanders Front end and Winters rear end (near new) Lee Steering Box Complete rolling chassis ready to race (minus motors). Steven 02 96370411.283 www.myl05.com/21118

28 May 2004

Collectable/Memorabilia

Transporter, Ex-Craig Lowndes Formula Ford / Formula Holden transporter. Fully refurbished fitted kitchen/office/sleeping area at front. Walk-through to full-length folding work benches; manual winch; full 240V fit out. Will carry two Formula cars or one sedan. Towed by Dodge 400 (not registered but included in purchase). Urgent sale. Great opportunity. $13,000 ONO. Derek Bode 03 9636 0330 / 0408 992691.

284 www.myl O5.com/16568

tee.I

Race Car Transporter, Scanier 1986, 320, turbo diesel prime mover, bogey dual drive rear end, walk through sleeper, with shower, microwave, lounge, dining table, QS bed, TV, fridge, CD player, air con, 5 K.V.A gen set. Van is 46 feet long with hydrolic power lift tail gate. Capacity for carrying 5-6 cars depending on size, tyre racks, air compressor, fully lit, fitted out with work bench and cabinets. Belly lockers, dual wheels on both trailer axels, service history available. The condition of the rigg is emaculate with low kms. The price is $135,000 including air fair to successful buyer. John Dennis (08) 9272 1485 or 0409 284 859 424 / (08) 9470 1077. www.myl05.com/32020

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national $60 exposure

for 3 months

now live ^ Cigarette Dispenser - Marlboro Maclaren Honda, in mint condition still in box. $375.

Brett 0412 495 467.

283 www.my105.com/66074

Driver/Crew Apparel

Used once. brand new Aral Helmet, bought for Konica V8, 2004 model - Hans ready, size L 59-60cm, not painted, available with or without radio, radio only $300. Best Offer, new price $1999 Best 285 Offer. Brett 07 3284 8844. www.myl05.eom/47089

For Lease

Trailer Fully Enclosed, brand new, alum clad, internal size, L3600 h1900 w1950 electric brakes 240v sink, water tank, fridge, lighting, alum ramps, storage box, 1/t truck, tyres, removable winch fitting suit formular or sports car. $6,000 ONO. Brian 03 9726 283 6749 / 0417 501 814. www.myl05.com/52165

Post your proposal http://sponsorseek. myl05.com

Gokart Replica of 1st Gold Coast Indy in excellent condition in car Winner, garage since 1992 never driven. $7,500 283 ONO. Brett 0412 495 467. www.my105.com/52231

Transporters/Trailers Transporter, 1990 duel cab .power stering.air con .factory turbo moter 6 spd overdrive gearbox.25 ft pantec with side and rear doors fold down ramps .has bein used for sedan.has execlent highway speed and comfort very easy to drive.recent service.can deliver to eastern states. $35,000 Neg. gary 0412088750 285 www.myl O5.com/16344

Transporter with Home Comforts, Diesel Van, 5 speed Splitter box. New 6 cyl engine, radiator, brakes,rebuilt electricals. Motor home fittings. Swing tailgate, lifting crane (680 kg).5 lockable bins Central locking.

Tyre and luggage racks.12v and 240V lighting. $26,000 + GST ONO. (03) 5155 3755.

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OPINION

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EDtTOfltBL STAFF Editor: Phil Branagan l editor@mnews.com.au Deputy Editor: Mark Glendennirtg l mark@mnews.com.au News Editor: Aaron Noonan l noonz@mnews.com.au National Editor: Grant Rowley l grant@mnews.com.au

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CONTACTS 357 Nepean Highway, Brighton East Vic 3187 (PO Box 7072, Gardenvale, VIC 3186) Ph: 03 9596 5555 Fax: 03 9596 5030 Email: mnews@mnews.com.au

CONTRIBUTORS FI; Joe Saward, Adam Cooper, Paolo Filisetti Europe: Quentin Spurring, Gary Watkins, David Addison US: Phii Morris, Martin D. Clark Speedway: Brett Swanson, Julie Pearce, Geoff Rounds, Wade Aunger, Tony Millard (UK), Greg Boscato Rally: Jon Thomson Histories: Brian Reed Drag Racing: Greg Ward, Jon Asher (USA), Dave Ostaszewski (USA), Nick Nicholas, Steven White, Ken Ferguson National: Mark Wicks, Sean Henshelwood, Mark Jones, Dave Conole, Chris Jordan Photographers: Sutton Motorsport Images, Dirk Klynsmith, Bothweil Photographic, Marshall Cass, Nigel Snowdon & Diana Burnett, API Images, Neil Hammond, Slipstream Photographic, Allsport, John Morris/Mpix, Frank Midgley, Peter Bury, Mike Patrick (UK), Chris Carter, James Smith, Paris Charles, Bob Potts Motorsport News is published by Australasian Motorsport News - ABN 55 125 120 702 Publisher: C Lambden Printed by: Offset Alpine Printing Pty Ltd, Lidcombe, NSW. Distributed by: NDD Ltd Material published by MOTORSPORT NEWS is copyright and may not be reproduced in full or in part without the written permission of the publisher. Freelance contributions are welcome, and while all care will be taken, Australasian Motorsport News does not accept responsibility for damage or loss of material submitted.

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m

82

driving. The team could be called Stone Brothers Ford Racing Team.

On a different note, what is up with TEGA and AVESCO? For

so vital to us long-time fans.

Secondly, the current state and future of FI is a serious issue. It is

PRODUCTION

Australia (inci GST) Overseas (Air Mali): New Zealand, PNG, Malaysia, Indonesia, Phillippines, Hong Kong,Japan US, Canada, Europe

NASCAR debate Part 2 I totally agree with D. Harwood.

(Letters MNews 283).

NASCAR is one of the best forms of motorsport on the planet and deserves to be treated as such. It is exactly because of the lack of coverage by the media and magazines here that your NASCAR news and articles are

so long since the top players and managers were fresh and young that they have forgotten what it's like to be a new,struggling team trying to establish a foothold in the sport. Currently, the massive costs, one-sided affairs and low rewards do not make FI an attractive option.

The original aim of FI was for teams to try and built the fastest, most reliable cars in order to allow the best drivers in the world to compete.

Sadly, due to the spiralling costs and high speeds now involved in such a pursuit, it is no longer viable.

The best drivers are missing out through lack of sponsorship and engineers are looking elsewhere where they can have greater input into their profession.

I support the plans of the FLA. FI requires a strong,enthusiastic governing body that can lead the sport forward. The use of smaller engines,. control items and more simplified aerodynamics will see a reduction of costs and will regulate the speeds of the cars. I hope that these measures win encourage a new generation of people to enter the FI world, allowing each to compete fairly for the coveted title of World Champion.

Chris Gibbs torn doxvn@hotmail.com

WSID suggestion Tliis is a little cry out to the people who run the Western Sydney International Dragway.

Please don't get me wrong,I have been to two major events on the strip and the layout of the site is fantastic and very spectator-friendly. Tlie spectacle is a credit to those involved in.the orgairisation of the events and the teams who participate. Where else can I take two kids imder seven and enjoy this level of racing for $35(no extra for a pit pass either).

The only gripe I have is the 25 minutes we stood in line at the ticket window to gain entry. To have only half of the ticket windows open on such a big night(such as the Snap On Nitro Champs) was ludicrous.

Surely it is not too expensive to place another demountable on site and have all ticket windows manned at the next big event.

Sean Littler littlers@ideal.net.au

Send us your thoughts: mail; PO Box 7072, Gardenvale, VIC 3186 fax: 03 9596 5030 email; mnews@mnews.com.au

crying out loud, why can't the Fords get an aero boost? Hasn't it become obvious to them even after a year and a half that the Ford BA is deficient in this area.

It always seems that the only way Holden can win is by cheating. Sure, they don't want to lose but you'd think they'd get more satisfaction from beating their opposition fair and square.

But at the end of the day all that Holden are interested in is there sales chart.

Michael 'Biggest Ford Fan'Solo Sherwood Qld

Finish, race or both?

Dirk K/vri!>miffi|

Well, another high speed reliability trial at Darwin with the V8 touring cars.

As the Channel 10 commentators

-I

said, in Race 1, you are supposed to finish where you start to gather points and protect that all important grid position for Race 2(likewise Race 2 for Race 3).

Mark Skaife was seen to be

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Spark Ptugs

Real Racer? Savour this folks - you don't see a bent Pirtek car often ...

Review your decision I completely agree with Damien Harwood regarding the state of NASCAR coverage m your otherwise exceilent magazine.

As someone who doesn't subscribe to Foxtei,I have become reiiant on MNews to keep me informed.

Please, can you review your decision immediately and bring back Martin D Clark's informative coverage.

Paul Steinfort via post

Ford suggestion In regards to your predictions about driver line-ups for next season (MNews 283).

I have put together a few suggestions of my own for Ford and their future.

My idea is concerning the three teams you mentioned (Ford Performance Racing, Stone Brothers Racing and Triple 8).

Firstly, I am suggesting that Ford should follow Holden's strategy of having their top teams join forces like HRT,Kmart etc.

Ford could then elevate SBR to their 'works' team, with Marcos Ambrose and Craig Lowndes

surprised at the suggestion that someone would want to win a race on the last corner. Marcos Ambrose seemed surprised that he did not follow the script and let the racer out of him for one corner.

At least Steven Richards knows the rules and goes for finishing and not wins...

What do want to see? A close points finish at the end of the season or racing?

Ian Gibson Brisbane Qld

Marcos - Man of the People After watching last weekend's racing at Hidden Valiey, there is no doubt that Marcos Ambrose is Australia's greatest Touring Car driver.

While other drivers just fluff around accumulating points, Marcos is finding gaps and overtaking cars, providing us motorsport fans with exciting racing.

We all know the points system does not encourage hard driving, and I for one do not like to see smashes and carnage,but,I do want to see drivers having a real go and not holding back because making a move is only worth two points.

Unfortunately, the great move on Skaife in Race 1 did not pay off.

However, the move for second in Race 3 was sensational, it had us Ford fans jumping off our seats.

Marcos is doing Ford,Stone Brothers and the Ford fans proud.

Other drivers should stop whining and give us race fans what Marcos does - clean, hard and exciting racing.

Steve A Pendle Hill NSW

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