Motorsport News Issue 293 - September 29-October 12, 2004

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No. 293 September 29 - October 12 2004

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motorsport Issue 293

29 September —12 October 2004

news and opinion

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4a Retro Rocket In 1994, this was the car that the others couldn’t beat 50 You can’t handle the Truth! The Bathurst 1000, by the numbers!

52 Non>Local Heroes Bathurst's Foreign Legion line up for Le Great Race 54 Oh Yeah! The other bits ... Entry List, tips from the Rich and Famous ...

race coverage

58 Red China Barricheiio makes it two in a row as Michael has a turn to absorb all of Ferrari's bad luck in one race. All the news from Shanghai 66 Game over Stokeil and Brock turn it on as PROCAR has it final finale at Mallala 70 Norway iose! Solberg runs down Loeb in Wales. It’s getting to be a happy hunting ground there for him ...

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THE GREAT RACE

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8UPE i'5Vi Contents; sutlon-images.com.

Ford Racing Media and James Smith

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72 Rallying

74 Speedway

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Drag Racing

78 National scene

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A TWO-PRONGED contract looks increasingly likely to lure Jason Bright across the Holden/Ford divide to lead the 'factor/ FPR Ford team in 2005. i

Chev's WTC Challenger Three RML-prepared Lacettis to take on World Championship

THIS piece of work is one of the most significant racecars of the new century Chevrolet's World Touring Car Championship Lacetti.

In a massive boost for the new-for-2005 WTC, General Motors will enter three of the cars, formerly sold under the Daewoo brand, in the series to take on Alfa Romeo, BMW, Peugeot, SEAT - and possibly Ford.

Accomplished UK race preparation specialist Ray Mallock Ltd will build and operate the cars. The deal prevents RML from continuing to operate the works SEAT Toledos in the British Touring Car Championship. That function is expected to be taken over by SEAT Sport UK. The British subsidiary's in-house competition division has been responsible for the 'spec' Leon touring cars tor a one-make championship.

Chevrolet's announcement is hugely significant. Not only does it place Chevrolet on the world motor racing stage, it shifts the perception of the Chevy badge from being purely 'American' to being GM's 'entry level' brand around the world. The Lacetti, and other

Chev models, will now be marketed alongside other GM products from Opel and Vauxhall.

The WTCC replaces the current European Touring Car Championship (ETCC). For the first time, it will be run in 10 countries in Europe and Latin America, as well as in China.

The rollout of the first prototype is scheduled for December. The first actual racegoing Chevrolet Touring Car will then hit the track for an extensive test programme throughout Europe. The drivers will be announced at a later stage.

"We have been talking to a number of drivers who have all the 'ingredients' for Chevrolet's global racing programme," said Eric Neve, who is responsible for the 2005 Chevrolet Touring Car project.

"We are looking for individuals who have won races and championships before and can bring a wealth of experience and understanding to the brand."

And no, we do not believe that number on the car is anything but a coincidence ... but hey, you never, never know.

- SPURRING/STAFF

JFA appeal to Supreme Court JFA Pty Ltd has begun an appeal in the Supreme Court of Queensland against the TEGA Tribunal's decision to uphold $300,000 in liquidated damages.

JFA Pty Ltd, owned and operated by PWR Racing Pty Ltd, was issued with the penalty for failing to compete with two cars during round seven of the 2003 V8 Supercar Championship at Queensland Raceway.

JFA Pty Ltd's solicitors have asked the Court to revoke the TEGA Tribunal's decision on the basis of several elements of the Tribunal's finding which they believe are not legally valid.

Additionally, JFA Pty Ltd 4

commenced a separate action in the Court against TEGA and AVESCO in an effort to secure a number of declarations that support its stance.

PWR Racing owner Kees Weel said that it was regrettable that the matter had gone to the courts. However, he said that he had done so to ensure fair treatment for all V8 Supercar teams in the future.

"TEGA has left no alternative for teams aggrieved by its decisions," he said.

"JFA Pty Ltd has not been dealt with fairly by TEGA and the extenuating circumstances relating to timing of the transfer of the Teams' Licence

Agreement needed to be taken into consideration. That would suggest that there needs to be a review of the Teams' Licence Agreement and Operations Manual.

"This is necessary to enable the sport to move forward and to ensure that all teams can be confident of being treated fairly."

The issue stems from the mis timed transfer of the JFA Pty Ltd licences to Kmart Racing at Queensland Raceway during last year's Holden team ownership saga, which left JFA Pty Ltd in the situation of being contractually obligated to field two cars.

- MARK GLENDENNING

Bright's planned 2005 team has recently been linked to both Holden and Ford, while Bright himself has also been approached to join Ford Performance Racing. However, while Bright's position has so far been reported to be an 'either/or' situation, MNews sources are now suggesting that a deal to cater for both possibilities is on the table.

MNews believes that Bright has been offered the lead driving role with FPR as well as a substantial level of Ford support for his own team.

That will mean that Bright could race for the works Ford team while at the same time launching his own team.

Bright has made no secret of the fact that he has wanted to own his own V8 Supercar team,stating as long ago as 2000(when he was with the Holden Racing Team)that that is how he saw his future. The opportunity to race for FPR and, presumably,be well-paid for doing so, might well be the carrot big enough to lure him away from Holden.

There are a number of details to be settled before such an extraordinary deal can go ahead.

One is the securing a licence to allow the Team Bright entry to race in the V8SCS. Bright recently confirmed that he had indeed secured a licence and MNews believes that it is the Imrie Motorsport'14'licence, in a two-year lease deal.

Another necessity would be to secure a qualified driver for the 'Team Bright' entry. We believe that Greg Ritter is the favoured driver for the seat. The Sandown 500 winner has been targeted by a number of teams with seats vacant for 2005,including FPR,but we believe that the team would sanction Ritter driving for the Bright team should it assist FPR in getting their man.

Bright has also recently confirmed that he has secured backing for his own team. A number of sponsors, including electrical retailer The Good Guys, have been mentioned in passing, but the likely sponsor appears to be Fujitsu, which has backed Dick Johnson Racing's twocar Konica Minolta team this season.

Such a move would leave DJR driver Jose Fernandez out of a drive in the as-yet unnamed 2005 Tier 2 Moiortpor! ntMt

NEWS

le Jeopardy? or FPR drive ^/ii/Ford deal for his team

Choice, bro!

KIWIS, wait no more! For the first time, the Bob Jane T-Marts Bathurst 1000 will be broadcast live into the homes of all New Zealanders next month.

The Shakey Isles' TV ONE will beam the entire race from Mount Panorama into New Zealand homes on free-to-air television in conjunction with Australian host broadcaster Network Ten. As always, check your local guides for event times. n And, don't expect your Lowndesy-loving mate to be at work on Friday afternoon of next week.

For the first time, 10 (bless 'em) will show qualifying live, starting at 1300 in the Eastern states. Sounds like a good excuse for a sicky to us.

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Bright CAT? H'e know Caterpillar is staying at FPR next season but Bright, below, may be the man at the wheel. championship. However, we hear that Fernandez(who maintains strong links with Fujitsu) is in line to drive a 'Team Bright' entry in the secondlevel series next year, Bright's move to FPR and racing against his'own'car would not be entirely ground-breaking. Greg Murphy, who we revealed back in July will replace Bright at PWR Racing, has strong links with Tasman

Motorsport, which is part-owned by his father Kevin.

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In the meantime. Bright says that he will make an announcement regarding his future at the end of the season. That suggests that he has „ more than one option and that, I should he switch brands, he will not i' be in a position to confirm the move I while he is still a contracted Holden i driver.

and,while we are shopping

WHILE Bright's potential move to FPR is intriguing enough, it appears that another carrot for Bright is the suggestion that a longtime Holden engineering guru could also 'jump the fence'.

MNews sources suggest that FPR is negotiating with former HRT engineer Ron Harrop about having technical input into Ford's factory team.

Flarrop has always been a Holden man who, after being squeezed out of HRT as the team took a lot of its engineering design and manufacture in-house, had a brief flirtation with the first incarnation of Team Brock in 2002. Since that team, which he co-owned with Peter Brock and Rod Nash, closed down, he has effectively watched from the sidelines.

However, Flarrop has never made any secret of his will to get back into the sport and has even commented that he saw the development of a competitive Falcon as a challenge. To this point, however, the opportunity has not properly presented itself.

Should Harrop join FPR as a technical advisor, 28 Seplembsr 2004

the move would represent a substantial shift in policy for the Ford-backed team. Until mid season, FPR maintained that it would continue to develop its cars and engines 'internally' - that is, within the framework of FPR and its parent company, Prodrive, Former OzEmail Racing engine man Rob Benson joined the team recently and, with the addition of Flarrop, the level of 'local' input into the team's technical mix looks set to increase, Such a move would also be consistent with reports that Ford has not reacted well to the departure of Craig Lowndes to Triple 8. We hear that while the company was prepared to be patient while the original blueprint for the team included Lowndes in its long-term plans, his exit has prompted questions as to why its highlyvalued name driver was able to up and leave a team largely funded by Ford, MNews hears that instructions have been issued that FPR's competitiveness is a priority and that the team must do whatever it can to get to the front. Benson, Bright and Harrop would. presumably, fast-track that quest ...

n For those who like a sos or three, 'Flolden's Bathurst Brekky' is back on at Mt Panorama. Fans who get up early will be able to cop a banger sanger, even if it means you have to hobnob with some of The General's Holden V8 Supercar stars.

Last year, the Festival de Ketchup attracted hundreds of race fans who chewed their way through 1200 free snags and 800 bacon rashers. Be there from 7,30am on Saturday, October 9 or be square. n PWR Racing will debut a fresh VY Commodore in the Bob Jane TMarts 1000 at Bathurst. Marcus Marshall and Matthew White will take charge of the car, which was once a Holden Racing Team Commodore driven by PWR team mate Jason Bright. The car was last seen in the hands of Bright in Team Brock colours last year before its recent VY up-spec. n Phillip Scifleet tested one of Paul Cruickshank's Konica Minolta V8 Supercars at Queensland Raceway last week with the aim of securing a drive with the Gold Coast-based in 2005.

Scifleet, who drove with the Smith Trucks squad in the Sandown 500, was impressed with Cruickshank's team and is aiming at securing a budget in the coming months. n Craig Lowndes has lent his name and support to the RSPCA, During the RSPCA's National Awareness Week (Sep 27-Oct 4), the three-times Australian Touring Car champ will be known as the RSPCA Superhero. Lowndes will use his public profile to speak out against cruelty to animals along with other animal welfare issues. n Look for a new Network 10 commentator to make a fIrst-up appearance at the Indy 300. We believe that fetching Olympic Gold Medallist Giaan Rooney vvfl be joir ng the netwov as a sports commentator bej\ on swims .

5

The Island Returns WPS Boss Buckets Bezzy ... then hands him

AVESCO last week announced the calendars for both the V8 Supercar Championship Series and the'development' series (formally known as the Konica Minolta Series).

The popular Phillip Island venue makes a return to the class after AVESCO had previously questioned its circuit safety. The Island will replace Eastern Creek as the 'Grand Finale', where AVESCO will manage and promote the event.

2005 will also see the

keys to Champ Car WPS team owner Craig Gore has launched a scathing attack against his lead driver following the team's poor showing at Sandown.

Writing on the team's website.

Gore laid the blame for the team's lack of success in the first endurance race of the season squarely at the feet of David Besnard.

"Our driver, and I'm thinking especially of Bezzy when I say this, took it upon himself to be a superstar and went against every plan we put together ... and that was after just one bloody turn into a 500km race," wrote Gore, who went on to state that Besnard deserved to "have his nuts cut out and put on his ears.

"Bezzy is a seriously talented driver. He just needs to understand this is a team sport and requires a team effort to win. Unless he understands that and starts to recognise that. I'm afraid he won't taste a V8 Supercar victory again.

"I hope Bezzy engages his brain next time he gets in the car and leads by example so the other drivers in the team have something to follow."

Gore was less damning of the team's second car, driven by Alex Yoong and Charlie O'Brien, but rued the mid-stages of the race when "fatigue got the better of both of them."

GORE'S criticism of Besnard, however, will be forgotten at the Indy 300, where the Queenslander has been confirmed to compete in a WPSliveried Walker Racing Champ Car. "It's great to finally get the green light, and I'm looking forward to flying the Aussie flag at Indy," said Besnard.

"I won't be going out there to win the race, but I'll be looking to put on a good show and just soak up the

experience."

Besnard will become only the third Australian to have competed in the event, following in the wheelmarks of Gary Brabham (1992/3) and Jason Bright(2000).

6

AVESCO recently signed a new 10 year deal with Motor Sport New Zealand and IMG, ensuring the Supercar circus will continue to cross the Tasman Sea for the next decade.

And the V8 Supercar championship will became a truly International category when we visit Shanghai's impressive track in mid-June.

As has been the case since 2002, the V8 Supercar championship will kick off its point score battle at the Clipsal 500, but next year, the development series will also conduct their first round on the streets of Adelaide. In the past, Wakefield Park has hosted the first round, but they have now been bumped to round two.

The big change though in the development ranks is the increase of point scoring rounds.

In 2005, the Bathurst 25-lapper will be counted as a round of the championship.

As was the case this year, the two V8 leagues will combine for the Clipsal, QR and Bathurst.

Race formats for both championships are due to be released soon.

- GRANT ROWLEY

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Do I keep the trophy? Did Cam McConville win the final Winton V8 race?

Winton loses out, BAG rues lack of support

WINTON Motor Raceway has gone from hosting rounds of the V8SCS and Konica Minolta Series in 2004 to nothing in 2005- and the Benalla Auto Club is not happy.

BAC spokesman Mick Ronke said this week that the loss of the events could,in part, be because of a lack of support from the local government.

"AVESCO has said that we needed

a level of support from the local government, and they are right," said Ronke.

"We had a meeting with the Benalla Rural City Council in March and he [the mayor]said,'don't expect me to make things happen'. I guess that is part of the reason that the Victorian State government has formed its taskforce, to improve these things."

Two weeks ago, the Victorian Minister for State and Regional Development,John Brumby, announced a taskforce to build on the success of Winton Raceway.

"Brumby has said that there would

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be other monies available to fund upgrades for the infrastructure," said Ronke."The council has not bothered

to apply.

"We are building a motocross track and the motorcycle club asked for assistance to build start gates. The figure was about $5000 but council did not ask the government for

funding.

"It is a letdown to lose both events.

The Konica series struggles,in terms of attracting spectators, but it is hard to see that we have produced the best V8 Supercar racing in the last three years and have numerous upgrades and have this happen."

Winton was extended to its 3km length in 1996 at a cost of $1.6 million. That, and upgrades to the pit and control buildings, was done primarily to accommodate V8 Supercars.

"We are looking at what we do from here on in. We will not be in a position to pay CAMS $120,000 for a track licence if there is not the revenue to fund it. We need to look at how we can do things more cheaply and easily and to focus on what is best for the raceway and not the sport."

Winton's contribution to the local community was conservatively estimated at $25 million per annum in a study conducted two years ago, based on the economic impact in nearby Benalla and Wangaratta. As well as losing it V8 events, like many hacks, Winton is not in a position to

made definite plana for whai may replace BKtXrAR, which conducted its final event at Mallain two weeks

ago,

-PHILBRANAGAN moloriport nsws

NEWS

Dynamik delayed THE hearing into the appeals against the findings from the investigation into Team Dynamik's testing regulation breaches will commence today (Wednesday)following a six-day postponement.

The V8 Supercar Court of Appeal was due to convene this morning at the CAMS headquarters in Melbourne to hear appeals lodged by Team Dynamik and TEGA. Initially scheduled for last Thursday,the hearing was rescheduled following the decision to appoint Peter

Wollerman to the three-man judicial panel alongside Lex Lasry QC and Des Ryan after original panel member Ron Harrop stood down due to his previous interest in Team Brock. “ According to V8 Supercar regulations, panel members must not have had an involvement with a V8 Supercar team in the previous three years.

Team Dynamik are contesting the charges, which led to the team being handed fines totalling $104,000 for

unauthorised testing, illegal placement of sensors, illegal use of Level 2 tyres, and breaches of V8 Supercar identification requirements on the team transporter.

TEGA, meanwhile, is challenging the steward's finding that the team's breaches were unintentional, and will request that the South Australian team be dealt heavier sanctions after being caught testing illegally at the remote Woomera rocket range in late August.

- MARK GLENDENNING

Smoothing the way Just what on earth is a Micro Ribiet Fiim?

MEANWHILE,in the midst of the Team Dynamik fracas, there has been much conjecture about what the team was actually doing during those two days in the backwaters of South Australia.

Last issue, MNews highlighted the correlation between the team's actions and the processes necessary in the configuration of Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD)software such as Fluent.(A design package that, we understand, is already in use elsewhere in the V8 Supercar paddock).

Team owner Kieran Wills, on the other hand, has maintained that the car was engaged in scientific test under the eye of team Technical Director Oscar Fiorinotto for a patent that has no racing application.

Wills, understandably, was not inclined to elaborate on the nature of the product being tested, however MNews sources have pointed us towards the concept of 'riblets'.

What are riblets? These little gems were conceived by NASA two decades ago to help reduce the drag caused by the friction of turbulent airflow over an aerodynamic surface.

This is done with the application of an ultra-thin micro-riblet film (MRF), which is applied o\ er the surface of the object like a second skin. This film is crossed by tiny grooves, or riblets, which sen e to channel the airflow in the most efficient possible manner.

Various studies have estimated that the use of an efficient MRF can reduce drag by anything from four to 10 percent. Given that a mere one percent reduction would reportedly save a single aircraft around $160,000 per year in fuel, it's not hard to see why so many companies are keen to get on top of the concept.

The potential applications are virtually limitless remember when Stars & Stripes 111 took the America's Cup back to the States in 1987? Well, it's 'secret weapon' was a MRF film along the bottom of the hull. Similarly, the USA won its first Olympic rowing medals in years when it sent some MRF-enhanced boats into battle at Seoul in 1988.

Elsewhere, MRF can be utilised in everything from aircraft, road-going vehicles, sea vessels and oil pipelines. Exactly what Team Dynamik could have been trying out - if that's what they were doing - is unclear.

But such technology would certainly have enormous benefits for a high-speed company such as team partner Roadships.

While the concept of MRF has been around for years, there is still plenty of scope to invent, and secure the rights to, a film with a particular ribiet configuration.

No-one,so far, has found a way to make MRF commercially viable - but there's a \vedge waiting to be made bv anyone who can ,..

- MARK GLENDENNING

Yoong flattened A FLAT tyre cost Alex Yoong a good result in the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia race at Shanghai. The WPS driver qualified third fastest (after topping practice) but had a Michelin go down on the second lap of the race. The Yoongster's next outing will be in the black and silver Falcon at Bathurst. n CAMS, the AKA and the International Karting Committee (IKC) have announced that the four winners of the 2004 Sparco Australian Series for CIK classes will be invited to attend a three-day driver development camp at the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) next January. n Tony D'Alberto has secured a one-off drive in the Konica Minolta 25 lap race for Bathurst. The Victorian will step aboard the Floward Racing Falcon that Cameron McLean used in this year's KM V8 series. D'Alberto tested the car earlier this week at Queensland Raceway. n Correction: Our last issue had an article about John Bowe and Formula Juniors. Clearly, JB was sitting next to a Formula Atlantic car which will compete in the new John Bowe Trophy Series against other Formula Atlantic and Formula 2 cars.

To all concerned, please be assured that the journalist responsible is said to be recovering quite well in a local hospital ... n With many of the technical staff now gone from the PROCAR series, there was much consternation in the Mallala paddock over the legality of some V8 Brutes. Solution: the category's new management threatening to confiscate all the competitors ECUs for post-race inspection. n The Team Brock Nations Cup Monaro, which claimed its first race and round win at the PROCAR finale at Mallala, is now for sale. The Ross Palmer-owned car was built by James Brock's team and campaigned

by Brocks Peter and James in this year's series, but is now to be sold through Mark Coffey's showroom.

Next Issue

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On sale Oct 13 29 Stplember 2004

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Even the colours are patriotic! SER's Doug Rohl and Kanga Loaders'Allan Porter unveil their new partnership.

It^s MacKanga lime!

MacDonald and Kanga LoadersJoin SER in three-year deal

STEVE Ellery Racing is stepping up its second-tier V8 Supercar program.

The Gold Coast team has entered a partnership with Kanga Loaders Racing. Gary MacDonald will debut in the teams' new colours at Bathurst next month in the first

level team and access to their specialised staff like engineers, engine builders and management expertise," he said.

outing in a three-year deal.

"We've never been content for second-best, so we have used a strategic partnership with top level team," said Kanga Loader's Director Alan Porter.

"Steve Ellery Racing to ensure our future and investment in the sport will be successful."

MacDonald, who finished second in the 2002 BRute title, took out rookie honours in the Konica Minolta Championship after a season with Rod Lynch Motorsport.

"These days to finish in the top four or five in the Konica Minolta Series, you need the support of a top

arrangement come together."

Doug Rohl, SER's newly-appointed Business Manager, described the partnership as a win-win situation.

"Kanga Loaders Racing can go into Bathurst and the next three years knowing they will have state-of-the-art equipment and skills behind them," he said.

"For SER, we can gain better economies of scale in what is a very expensive sport."

SER has shown great form in the KMV8SS series, with Luke Youlden taking fifth overall on 2003 and tying with Andy Jones for this year's title, which Jones won on a countback.

"With Steve Ellery Racing and Kanga Loaders both based on the Gold Coast it was easier to make the

AVESC

Two races this se* THE first piece of the puzzle has landed in the PROCAR reshuffle, with the V8 Brutes switching to the AVESCO support category program.

Category management rights have been taken over by a newly-formed company called Australian V8 Ute Racing Pty Ltd. The company's owners are all thirty-two of the previous PROCAR Brutes franchise owners, who now become stakeholders in the company.

After much discussion and negotiation, a four-man board was elected, and then ratified at a meeting

PROTEAMS get to

AS the various PROCAR categories begin to look towards their futures, a body called the National Motorsport Entrants Group is trying to get off the ground, as an alternate program for categories.

Headed by John Teulan, the body is geared towards giving categories an alternative to racing as supports for some of the bigger race meetings around Australia.

Original plans seemed to include all the PROCAR categories except the AVESCO-bound V8 BRutes, but since then, it has become apparent that GT Performance are g also seeking to jump aboard the V8 I Supercar support list.

I "We are all about giving 3: categories race meetings to race 8

at," said Teulan.

"If a category wants to do a few rounds with the AVESCOs of this world, then that is fine. We would just offer an alternative, also to offer track promoters a simple race meeting package.

"We would also like to run categories such a Marque Sports, which attracts huge grids in Victoria and New South Wales, to become feeder categories for the new GT Sports class."

GT Performance competitors look to be seeking to follow their V8 BRute brothers to the AVESCO support card, forming their own body to steer the class' future, with a board consisting of Garry Holt, Peter Boytan, Gary Young, Greg Siddle, manager of the motorspon news

NEWS

{ Noske gets > a new Truck

O gets Brutal

ison and full steam ahead for 2005 convened on the Saturday afternoon of the Mallala PROCAR round. The board consists of Charlie Kovacs and Denis Cribben representing Holden drivers, and Ian McAllister and Craig Denyer representing Ford.

Denyer has also been made interim General Manager of the company, steering it through it's transition period, until further plans for the long-term can be made.

The new era of Brutes racing will begin quite early, with the AVESCO deal including two races this season, at the AVESCO Events-promoted Tasmania Triple Challenge at Symmons

Plains and Grand Finale at Eastern Creek. The new deal also includes a television package with Network Ten's Trackside program.

The 2005 season is expected to feature strongly on the V8 Supercar support bill.

"Our deal is to do possibly one Konica round, and all others at (main series) V8 Supercar meetings," Denyer told MNews.

"The 2005 series will be eight rounds, plus two special events at the Grand Prix and Bathurst."

A minimum of 26 cars are said to be heading south for the Symmons Plains round, on November 12 to 14.

MARK Noske has found a home for Bathurst with the Smiths Trucks Racing Team.

Noske, who parted ways with WPS Racing last month, will take up the lead driver's role with the team alongside Lee Holdsworth. He steps into the seat left vacant by Phil Scifleet, who split with the team after Sandown.

"I was really pleased to be able to put something together this late in the year," said Noske.

"I will be trying to teach Lee as much as I can about the track, and hopefully we can go out there and surprise a few people."

"Phil has done a terrific job for us, but given our unusual situation and the fact that we are not going to be able to test prior to Bathurst, I just felt Mark was a bit more seasoned and would be able to help us get on top of the car a lot quicker," said team owner Robert Smith.

"The car has sustained more damage than it needed to, and had the fire marshals acted a bit quicker at Sandown we might not be in this predicament."

The Smiths Trucks VY Commodore was extensively damaged after a fire in the engine bay during the Sandown 500.

gether to plan the future Volkswagen Golf factory team.

Andrew Smith, of Team Lamborghini, has also stated his interest to MNews regarding him running Audi's in GT Performance in the future. The VW Audi group are the owners of Lamborghini.

The Nations Cup series is almost certainly dead. The lower specification cars, however, are likely to find a home a rebranded GT Sports series.

"You'll probably find that GT Sports will be something like Nations Cup was three years ago, prior to the introduction of the Michelotto," Lamborghini Australia's Andrew Smith told MNews."We would be interested in running Gallardos in that field."

Life for his team's $700,000 29 Sepiamber 2004

Diablo GTRs, however, would be away from Australian race tracks.

"Having only 30 of them in existence, they are somewhat of a collector's item," said Smith.

"We would like to keep Paul's car for the showroom, as it was the VIP guest car in the one-make Diablo series that followed Formula One a few years ago (in 2001). It has had drivers such as Michele Albereto, Patrick Tambay, Wayne Gardner, Tom Kristensen, Frank Blela and Rene Arnoux all drive it, and each of them signed the car's tunnel. It's also the car that Paul won both his championships in."

The second GTR would most likely find a home in Malaysia or the Middle East, where

collectable and exotic sports cars are sought after for circuit racing.

Paul Stokell is still assessing his options, with Smith keen to get him into the Murcielago R-GT racing program overseas. Stokell is also believed to be talking with a few V8 Supercar teams.

On the production car front, it seems that the competitors are taking a wait and see approach as to where to head, waiting for others decisions to come to light before setting plans in concrete.

One decision that could be taken soon, however, is the revival of the Australian Production Car Association, to take over the category management rights.

-CHRIS JORDAN

Jordan wins!

SIXTEEN-year old New Zealander Nic Jordan has clinched the 2004 Formula 3 Trophy Class Champ with one round remaining.

Jordan, who missed the first round at the Clipsal 500 because he had not yet turned 16, ia still unsure as to whether he will drive his regular F398 at Indy, or step up to an F301, or not even drive at all.

Saving funds for his 2005 assault on the outright F3 Championship, where he and Team BRM wish to campaign an F304, could take precident over an appearance at Indy, n V8 BRute racer Danielle Argirio is earning her wings, with the Queenslander set to join Piccola Scuderia Corse for the Formula 3 races at Indy on the Gold Coast in two weeks.

As we went to print, there was still another seat with Piccola available, so if you have the required budget and the desire to drive a Formula 3 car around the fabled Gold Coast street circuit, drop the team a line at michael@piccola.com.au. n In other F3 news, the Gold Coast Indy grid is beginning to take some shape, with interest in a few of the team's free seats picking up.

Many names have been mentioned for the event, with Tim Slade keen to attain the sponsorship to continue on with Team BRM, who is also looking at running Christian Jones. n The second class in the British F3 championship will be given an overhaul for next season. A new range of measures, including a singlespec engine and limited tyre bank, will be introduced to spice up the new National Class, which will replace the current Scholarship Class. n The lower house of the Swiss parliament has voted in favour of changing the law to allow FI in Switzerland. The aim, if the money can be found, is to use the sport to boost Swiss tourism. Motor racing has been banned in Switzerland since the Le Mans disaster in 1955 when around 100 people were killed after a Mercedes sports car flew into a crowded spectator area. n Luca di Montezemolo says he is planning to take some specialists out of Ferrari and set them to work to apply the technology generated in FI to more basic cars produced by the Fiat company. Montezemolo said that the technologies would include electronics and aerodynamics. Ferrari has long been looking for ways to used the technology developed in FI to generate income from the car company. This would help the racing team generate income within the Fiat group.

- JOE SAWARD/STAFF 9

l l >.

For Sale: Ford's FI

Dream (sllghUy tarnished)

THE news that Jaguar Racing and Cosworth Racing will close if they are not sold by the end of the year has shocked the Grand Prix community. Ford's message was clear as a bell: Formula 1 is too expensive and the money being raised is not being shared out fairly.

Ford's motorsport supremo Richard Parry-Jones, right, was very careful to avoid laying the blame for Ford's departure on anyone.

"I am not blaming any individual or any company," he said. "At the end of the day this is a Ford decision and we cannot blame other people.

The sport is as it is. We tried to change it, other interests have prevailed and we have to take into account that reality. I would expect our decision to accelerate the desire for reform in FI. "We had anticipated that the sport would undergo reform but it has not," he added. "There are various companies which derive income from the sport. We have discussed with the current incumbent several

alternative schemes but nothing has happened. We want to win in FI and not just be there taking part. To win we need to escalate our investment in FI and Jaguar Cars cannot afford to do that.'

Bernie Ecclestone responded by saying that the departure of Ford was "inevitable" and that Ford "could not really afford to be running around at the back of the grid with the likes of Jordan."

This is not very accurate or very fair, as Jaguar's results this year reveal that the team has done rather better than the much-touted Toyota FI team. If one applies

Ecclestone's logic to the situation, Toyota would soon be on the way out of FI because it has achieved far less than Ford and spent considerably more.

The'important point is that Toyota can afford to pay whatever it takes but Ford's subsidiary Jaguar Cars cannot and the Ford Motor Company cannot justify spending more in order to make Jaguar Racing competitive.

"In order for Formula 1 to pay-off for Jaguar, it needs to able to win," said ParryJones. "We looked at rebranding the team Ford, but it did not create a compelling business argument."

Some teams in Formula 1 greeted the Ford announcement with relief because they feel that now, finally, FI is going to have to face up to important issues which have been dragging on for the last few years. They hope that the result will be a deal between the Formula One group and the GPWC for a more equitable distribution of revenues.

- JOE SAWARD

Purne

by JOE SAWARD/STAFF

TONY Purnell, the boss of Jaguar Racing,remains upbeat about the future of Jaguar Racing,following Ford's surprise decision last week to pull out of FI completely (along with the WRC).

However, he admits that it is going to be tough to get a deal agreed and concluded before November 14, the closing date for the entries for the 2005 World Championship.

"Formula 1 generates a lot of people who want to take a chance and we are sifting the realistic buyers from the chancers," he said.

"There is masses of interest and I think one has to be fairly confident that a solution will be found. The whole process is a confidential one, so 1 am not going to talk about any Individual bid, but rest assured,I have contacted every potential buyer that I know of and I have to say one of tire big challenges at the moment is finding time to sleep."

Those believed to be involved in the talks include Red Bull, a number of Asian firms and individuals and a mysterious Canadian-based group.

Of these, a bid from Red Bull would probably be preferable because the Austrian drinks company is smart enough to understand that the best way to make progress is to maintain stability and then increase investment.

WE’RE GOING TO SHANGHA 10

moiorsDori news

NElfIfS

Shanghai survives F1, now awaiting MIMews!

II Confident Our spies tell us that Ford is looking for a buyer willing to spend $10m to buy the team and then another $80m a year for two years to ensure the future. This would absolve Ford from any of the contingent liabilities of simply not turning up to race.'The $80m figure would be an increase in income for the team as we believe that Ford has not invested more than $60m in the team this year.

A late rumour, over the weekend in Shanghai,suggests an additional possibility - an internal management buy-out of the team by a group headed by Purnell himself, right.

US buyer for Cosworth?

TONY Purnell says that he is confident that Cosworth Racng will sell quickly,following Ford's decision to sell the performance engine company.

However, it has yet to be seen whether or not he can find a buyer who will be willing to continue funding the company’s FI engine development.

Grand Prix racing has done much to create the company’s impressive reputation but at the moment the costs involved in research and development are considerable. In addition, the possibility of having to change everything for 2006 makes it far more likely that the business will be bought by someone interested in developing other parts of the business, rather than concentrating on FI. This could suggest that a likely buyer would be American as most of the business is done in the United States. The question that needs asking, however, is whether or not Cosworth can survive without the income which it derives from its F1 programmes. This is believed to bring in more than twice as much revenue as the work that is done in America.

- JOE SAWARD

WITH confirmation last week of the 2005 "VS calendar, organisers of the Motorsport News Shanghai V8 Supercar Shootout Tour, Ticket2Ride Global Adventures, have now released the detailed itinerary, which will include a number of great features and options.

The base 6-day package will depart Australia on Thursday,June 9, with a special reception for tour members when they arrive in Shanghai.

June 10,11 and 12 will be taken up with practice, qualifying and raceday, with tour members witnessing all the excitement, thrills and spills of what is certain to be a significant milestone in the growth of V8 Supercar racing.

Following the race, tour members will have some time in Shanghai to check out the sights and do a little shopping, returning to Australia on Tuesday,June 14.

Tour members also have the option of a 3-day extension to fly to Beijing, where they will be able to visit the famed Forbidden City and Great Wall of China. In addition, Ticket2Ride has also put together a 3-day Fun in the Sun option for tour members to fly into the beachside playground of Phuket in Thailand.

Ticket2Ride's Chris Beattie says the Motorsport News Shanghai V8 Supercar Shootout continues to attract a lot of interest and talks have been going on with individual teams to offer team supporters places on the historic tour.

"We've spoken with a number of V8 Supercar teams who are now carrying details of the tour on their websites so their supporters can fly to the Shanghai race to support them," said Beattie.

"To date, we've signed up Stone Brothers Racing, Brad Jones Racing, PWR,Paul Morris Motorsport,Team Betta Electrical and Team Dynamik.

Race fans can visit their websites to register for free info packs on the tour."

For more information on the Motorsport News Shanghai V8 Supercar Shootout, race to: www.ticket2ride-is.us or call(03) 5977 2608.

Join MNews on the trip of a lifetime when V8 Supercars hit China, in June next year - tours start from just $2899 per head.

For details: Ticket2Ride (03)5977 2608 or www.ticket2ride-is.us 29 Sspiember 2004

Don’t worry, be Schumi OK. You’re a seven-time FI World Champion. Your other car is also a Ferrari. You have a lovely wife, two kids, a few nice houses, and more money than all of our supposed 'V8 Supercar Million Dollar Men' combined. So what would you have as your mobile ring tone?

The answer, apparently. Is the 1988 Bobby McFerrin gem,'Don't Worry, Be Flappy'.

This particular little Insight Into Michael Schumacher's psyche was revealed when his phone rang during a press conference a Monza a couple of weeks ago - much to the amusement of the assembled journalists, and the apparent embarrassment of Flerr Schumi himself. n By now you've read all about how Ford has put the Jaguar FI team up for sale.

Team boss Tony Purnell is scrambling to find a buyer, however one wag within the team reportedly took matters into his own hands and listed it on ebay. Nice one. n The Contract Recognition Board meeting to consider the Button situation has been delayed and will now not take place until October 16.

It is believed that the delay was caused because the parties who are disputing Jenson's future were not ready in time for the last-minute session which was called only on Friday.

Our sources say that Williams was unable to get its QC because he had taken another case, not expecting a sudden change of date.

There is also considerable paperwork involved, which the judges need to consider. n Michelin may be taking a hammering this year in Formula 1 from its rival Bridgestone, with the number of wins this year being 13-2, but according to the Global Tire Report published each year by the US trade magazine Tire Business (now that sounds like a must-read), the French firm remains number one in the world for the third year running, with 20.1 percent of the global tyre market. n Austria's Patrick Friesacher is to test for Minardi later this autumn.

Friesacher, a winner in the FIA International Formula 3000 in the last two years, is looking at his options for the future and hopes that an FI test will help him raise the money needed to break into Formula 1 in 2005.

The test is planned to take place at Misano at the end of November.

- JOE SAWARD/STAFF 11

Trulli for Toyota in Japan? { JARNO Trulli did not go to China with the Panasonic Toyota Racing team but it seems likely that the Italian will be driving for the team in Japan next week.

Trulli's first test for the team at Silverstone last week was not a big success and it was decided that it would be unwise for him to race in China. There is, however, a three-day test at Jerez tliis week and if goes well it is expected that Jamo will replace Ricardo Zonta for the last two races of the season.

"There is currently no plan to change our driver line-up for Japan and BrazU," said a spokesman for the team. We believe that a decision will be taken after the test.

Toyota will also be running youth program members Franck Pereira and Katsuyuki Hiranaka at Vairano in Italy this week, to look after aero mapping work while regular drivers Oliver Panis and Ricardo Zonta remain in Asia in the run-up to the Japanese Grand Prix.

-JOESAWARD

suUol

Jacques Engine debate rages

BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Honda have proposed a new idea for the F1 engine reguiations for next year in their bid to stop the FIA imposing two-race engines.

They have proposed that the rules remain with engines being used for one race weekend only with the new engines, however, being fitted into the cars on 12

Saturday mornings.

These engines would then have to be used for practice, qualifying, the race, any testing between races and then Friday testing at the next event. That would have the effect of doubling the life of the engine and reducing the amount of expensive testing that is done.

As part of the deal, the manufacturers say they would

each contribute money to an engine fund to help fund independent teams.

The manufacturers involved are still threatening to take the FIA to arbitration if it tries to impose 2.4litre V8 engines in 2006, although FIA President Max Mosley dismissed this challenge as being based on a “footling” point.

- JOE SAWARD

JACQUES Villeneuve reported himself "a little disappointed" with his first efforts in an FI car for nearly a year.

As exclusively predicted in tlie last issue of MNews,Jacques has signed on to replace Jamo Tmlli at Renault for the final three races of 2004.

We hear that the first call to Villeneuve was made by Renault FI boss Flavio Briatore, literally in pit lane, moments after the conclusion of the Italian Grand Prix, Flavio deciding on the spot to dump Jarno Trulli after a confusingly mixed race from the departing Italian.

Tlie French-Canadian has, lunve\'cr, surprised most pundits by signing a two year contract with Sauber for 200h and 2006.

With one race under his belt, the former i hamp - now a far more amenable PR subject, it secm.s - is looking for more in Japan:

moieripon newt

NEWS

Goodbye Rolf?

RALF Schumacher may be dumped by

Williams for the remaining two Grands Prix of the season following his bizarre 'retirement' from Sunday's Chinese GP. The German, in his come-back race after a injui7, had done a good job up until the 37th lap of the race when he collided with David Coulthard at the hairpin. Schumacher then headed for the pits, arriving there unannounced,just before Juan Pablo Montoya was due to come in for a scheduled stop.

The team decided that his car should be put to one side until Montoya had been sent on his way again. The crew looked at the car, put new tyres on and refuelled it but Ralf made it very clear that he was no longer interested in rejoining the race.

"After a careful look the engineers decided that I could continue the race," said Ralf.

"However too much time had elapsed by then

The ultimate garage sale PAUL Stoddart is preparing for a $5m sell-off of some of his Formula 1 assets.

Stoddy has been an avid collector of Formula 1 equipment for the last 10 years but has now become fed up with 'falling over all the cars that are lying around' and has decided to sell half his collection.

The cars will include around 20 Tyrrell chassis plus Brabhams, Benettons, Jordans, Arrows, Minards and, the star of the auction, the first BAR chassis. There will be around 3000 lots of engines, parts, memorabilia, clothing, and other equipment.

and it was too late to get out on track again because I would have been two laps down."

This was a strange decision - made by Ralf along, stepping from the car - given that there were around 18 laps to go and no hint of how many cars were going to retire. In such circumstances it is usual for a driver to continue,just in case a lot of cars stop and some points become available. Williams needs all the points it can get because McLaren is closing in in the Constructors' Championship and the difference between fourth and fifth positions is several million dollars.

Our sources say that the team was very unhappy with what happened and we believe that the team may decide to stand Ralf down for the final two races of the year and put Antonio Pizzonia back in the car again ...

-JOE SAWARD

n While Formula 1 remains stalled on an agreement over reducing the speed of the cars, there was a meeting of the Technical Working Group at Monza and a number of safety changes were agreed.

Wheel tethers are to be changed from fibrous materials to metal, which is reckoned to absorb more than four times the energy of the existing tethers.

The thickness of the side headrests in FI is to be boosted from 75mm to 100mm, while the engineers agreed that to avoid composite shards on the circuit after a crash, all front wing endplates, barge boards and turning vanes will be manufactured using outer skins of materials such as Kevlar which will reduce debris.

I Early era end? Ralf's bizarre retirement from the Chinese Grand Prix has not

'V

gone down too well at Williams ... And Pizzonia, right, might get one last steer.

Disappointed "I learned a lot during the race this afternoon: I know the R24 better, I have got a full race distance under my belt and 1 have also understood what a 2004-style race is like.

"To be honest, I just needed too long to get | into the rhythm at the start of the race. 1 made a good start but 1 hadn't warmed the tyres enough and lost a lot of the positions I had made up. ^ "As soon as the circuit rubbered in more

and the grip improved, I was able to attack but n unfortunately, 1 couldn't stay close enough <1 behind Webber in turns 9 and 10 which meant 1 that 1 was too far behind to try and overtake when we got to the braking zone for the hairpin at turn 14. Even so, 1 feel ready for Suzuka now."

Villeneuve's Sauber deal comes at the expense of Vitantonio Liuzzi, who tested for the team last week and who held out hopes of a drive in 2005.

"I felt really good in the team," Liuzzi said. "It was important for me to do this test, to understand how this team works and to run as many kilometres in a Formula 1 car as possible."

- SAWARD/STAFF

29 Seplimlisr 2004

futwn-images.com

s

n Andy Priauix's hopes of winning the ETCC are over after a collision with Augusto Farfus at Oschersleben. Priaulx, who has won more races than anyone, complained of dirty driving standards from the Alfa drivers after his third accident of the season with the blood-red cars.

That gives Dirk Muller an almost unasailable lead in the championship, with Priaulx and Jorg Muller arguing over second place with Gabriele Tarquini. The championship will be resolved in Dubai. n SEAT BTCC racer Jason Plato will limber up for Bathurst by racing a van. A diesel van. A Volkswagen Caddy van in the Volkswagen Racing Cup at Brands Hatch I Plato, who is said to be looking forward to the event, will race the van just a week before climbing Mount Panorama.

Who said that he isn't versatile? n Le Mans winner Team Goh may not be returning to the French classic next season as it is struggling tor a budget. Team boss Kazumichi Goh has expressed a desire to return, with Audi, but says that unless a sponsor is forthcoming it will not be possible.

- JOE SAWARD

13

No Stability, no Arden

Horner refocuses on GP2 I !.

I 2 ^ *

Pantano derailed GIORGIO Pantano has left Jordan Grand Prix and handed the second car to the team's reserve driver Timo Glock.

This has opened the way for Holland's Robert Doornbos. the winner of the recent Formula 3000 race at Spa. to move into the third seat for the final races of the year.

Pantano is expected to go to the United States of America next year after a frustrating season with Jordan and is hoping to land a drive in the Champ Car World Series.

The decision to split appears to have come about because Jordan was not in a position to offer Pantano anything concrete for next year and it was decided that the best course of action for Giorgio was to cut his losses and and try to get a job in America.

Pantano's split with Jordan has stirred up some trouble with Pantano's management, which is claiming that Jordan has broken the contract. Things are complicated by the fact that there is a separate dispute over who actually controls Pantano’s career. LarsChristian Brask of Brask Management says that he is considering legal action against Jordan for terminating the deal.

- JOE SAWARD

ARDEN International boss Christian Homer,left, says that he does not have the money that is needed to go to Formula 1 in 2005, because of the current rale instability.

Homer, who went public some time ago with his desire to take the step up to Formula One after taking the International F3000 title with Vitantonio Liuzzi this season, has now concluded that it is probably best for the team to join Ae new GP2 series, despite the fact that he and many others think that the new series is overpriced.

There was a meeting of potential GP2 teams last week and we hear that as many as 32 teams were represented and told that there would be space for only 12 teams in the new series.

The big Formula 3000 teams are all going to take entries but may sell them on to others at a later date if better alternatives appear.

The general feeling is that there will be 12 teams next year although some of them may not be very well

funded.

The championship, which will probably benefit most from the demise of the FIA Formula 3000 Championship is the Superfund Euro 3000 series, which is being funded by the Austrian finance company Quadriga.

The series currently has only around 12 drives competing but is much cheaper than GP2. The series races in Europe but will go to Dubai for the final round this year.

There are plans for the series to have a new chassis and new engines in 2005.

- JOE SAWARD

Willia

AS if the efforts of its two drivers isn't confusing enough,the Williams team is in the wars offtrack, with two separate accidents hospitalising members of the team.

Chief designer Gavin Fisher, right, is in hospital in southern California recovering from a serious accident last week.

The 40-year-old suffered a broken pelvis and head injuries and for a period was listed in a serious conditions. He is now recovering after surgery but is expected to remain in the US

Sllvepstone on the cho FIA President Max Mosley has suggested that the World Championship will be limited to 17 races in 2005.

If this turns out to be the case (and there is always the possibility that other deals can be negotiated) it will be in line with the contractual obligations enshrined in the Concorde Agreement, which calls for 16 races and a 17th in exceptional circumstances.

The calendar this season consisted of 18 races and there is a new Turkish Grand Prix planned for next year. That will 14

mean that at least two races will have to be dropped.

The race that is most under threat is San Marino although there is no deal actually in place for the British GP. The British Racing Drivers' Club has made a proposal to Bernie Ecclestone and he is yet to decide whether there is enough money involved.

The backlash that would occur if the British GP was cancelled is something which Ecclestone is clearly considering ...

There are some rumours about the Japanese Grand Prix but this is probably to do with

moiorsport news

NEWS

Cox on the mike FORMER BTCC commentator Charlie Cox returned to his duties at Donington to offer an Aussie voice to the BTCC Masters race. n Eric Salignon, one of the leading lights in the F3 Euroseries, was injured in a road accident in France and will not race again this season.

Apparently, he dozed off behind the wheel of his SMART car and veered off the road, hit a ditch and rolled.

The car then caught fire with Salignon unconscious inside.

Thankfully, a passing truck driver pulled him clear. n The stillborn Premierl GP chassis will be used as the base model for the revamped Superfund Euro 3000 Series next year. The eOObhp racers were designed by Reynard for the proposed footballinvolved class, but they will undergo a facelift in readiness for the 10-race calendar next season.

ms in the Wars for the next three weeks while head of marketing Jim Wright his injuries heal. and senior account manager The team has appointed.Mark Chris Styring were taken toLoasby to stand in for Fisher. FHe hospital and stayed overnight.

Neither has any serious injuries. is a former Rolls Royce engineer, Also in the van were account who specialised in hydraulic managers David Owen and systems design but has been at Peter Phillips, the Queen's Williams for the last 14 years.

Then, on Sunday morning in grandson, who has worked with the team for some time.

Shanghai, the Williams marketing department had a The four were helped by FIA lucky escape when the van in * doctors Sid Watkins and Gary which they were travelling was . Flartstein, who were also hit at high speed by another car travelling to the circuit, and an ambulance from the circuit was on the way to the circuit. on the scene within minutes.

Fortunately none of them - JOE SAWARD were seriously hurt, although

n Kenny Brack returned to racing in September in a round of the Scandinavian Porsche Cup at Mantorp Park. Although not yet fully fit, the Swede took a pair of fifth places. n A1 GP boss Sheikh Maktoum Flasher Al Maktoum will drive a Chrysler Viper in the Dubai round of the FIA GT Championship. Fie is expected to be joined by an as-yetunnamed Asian driver.

>

n Changes could be afoot for the FIA GT Championship for 2005.

Series boss Stephane Ratel has spoken to teams with a view to reducing the length of some races from three to two hours. This would allow a full race to be televised live by sponsor Eurosport. Team have given the suggestion a mixed reaction, with the private teams suggesting it will be harder to sell drives for shorter races.

iping block? tfie fact that there is a bidding war going on between Flonda and Toyota over the future of the race. Flonda wants the race at Suzuka and Toyota wants FI to go to Mount Fuji.

- JOE SAWARD

All dressed up and nowhere to go?

Jenson Button might have a the support of a nation behind him but it won't do him much good in 2005 if he doesn't have a home race...

29 Saptanmr 2004

n The Nurburgring 24 Flours has been moved to a date in May for 2005 so as to avoid the clash it suffered with the Le Mans 24 Flour race as this year. The race has been set for May 28/29, which should clear it from clashing with FI and DTM as well.

n Former Minardi racer Tarso Marques drove for Ferrari in the Oschersleben round of the FIA GT Championship, sharing the car with Karl Wendlinger. The pair will drive together at Dubai and Zuhai as well.

-.i

n Mika Salo and Andrea Bertolini won the Oschersleben FIA GT Championship race for Maserati, the new MCI 2 winning by a lap, and giving Salo his first win in a decade.

Bertolini had never even won a racel - DAVID ADDISON 15

r

Thompson nabs BTCC JAMES Thompson won the BTCC at Donington at the weekend - by just a point from team-mate Yvan Muller.

Race 1 fell to SEAT'S (or HRT's!) Jason Plato after Muller lost places when he and Thommo touched, sending him into a big off through the gravel.

Tom Chilton won Race 2, while Muller chased him home after losing too much time early on when battling for second with Honda driver Dan Eaves.

However, the scene was set for a thrilling finale, with Thompson just six points ahead of Muller.

The Frenchman led Plato and Thompson throughout, but that hardly tells the full story, as Plato put Muller under massive race-long pressure and even

tapped him into a huge slide at the chicane. Muller held it - and another biff at Coppice Corner a one-fingered gesture to Plato indicating his feelings.

Thompson, held third, content to see what developed ahead, and with Muller winning and Thompson third, the points table was locked. Muller gained a point for leading a lap, but Thompson took fastest lap and with it, the point that he needed to be champion.

Alfa Romeo-bound for 2005, Thompson, below, will be missed from the BTCC, but when questioned as to his plans for 2005, Muller answered: "I will leave Vauxhall to tell you that."

Watch this space.

- DAVID ADDISON r-.

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THE DTM has a new Champion.

Mattias Ekstrom captured the 2004 DTM title with a commanding start-to-finish victory at Brno last weekend.

Ekstrom scored pole, gapped the field early and raced on to finish in front of Audi team-mate Tom Kristensen and MercedesBenz driver Gary Paffett.

It is a fantastic day for me said the new Champion.

I think that was the nicest race of the season, although it wasn't easy. I tried to drive constant lap times and concentrate on bringing the car safely into the finish."

Ekstrom's closest title rival, Christijian Albers, had a tough meeting. The Dutchman lost two spots at

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Title Showdown THE penultimate round of the European Touring Car Championship at Oschersleben saw the race wins shared by Andy Priaux and Richard Rydell.

Priaux, right, scored the Race 1 win and kept his championship hopes alive behind the family duo of Jorg and Dirk Muller.

SEAT scored their first-ever race win with Rydell in the second race.

Title challenger and Alfa leaddriver Gabriele Tarquini failed to finish both races and is now out of contention for the title.

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BMW also sealed the manufacturers' championship.

The ETCC drivers title will be decided at Dubai on October 8.

moiorsport naws

NEWS

Reid puns riot in BTCC Masters ANTHONY Reid is the BTCC Master. Official! The Scotsman won the 20-lap thrash in identical SEAT Leon Cupra R models, after accidents,spurious Safety Car periods and lots of drama.

Reid was second on the balloted grid but made a bad start and allowed pole-man John Cleland to grab the lead from Jason Plato.

After trading the lead, Plato

muscled past the Scot who was pushed wide and fell to fourth.

Another off dropped the Scot way down the order. Plato had Reid and Tim Harvey crawling over him, but a huge off by Kelvin Burt brought out the Safety Car. At the restart, Plato muscled passed Reid, ran wide onto the grass and came back on straight ahead of Patrick Watts who

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the start of the race, but made them up before clashing with Christian Abt's Audi at the exit of pit lane.

Soon after, Albers had another collision with Martin Tomczyk, which caused Tomczyk to retire and earnt Albers a drive-through penalty. His disastrous day also cost him second place in

n

ploughed into the back of him, putting both out of the race. Reid led, but the charging Alain Menu was second with Frank Biela third, but Gabriele Tarquini scrabbled past Biela on the last lap to take the last podium place.

Damage aside, Alan Gow's latest idea worked a treat - albeit a non champion came out on top!

- DAVID ADDISON

III

Opel's Marcel Fassler finished fourth ahead of Heinz Harald Frenzen, who collected his first-ever DTM points.

The final round of the series is next week at the Hockenheimring.

the series.

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NC for Bahrain NATIONS Cup competitors are being urged to head to Bahrain in November for the first Bahrain GT Festival, a three-day event featuring four races for GT cars from all over the world.

Run by FIA GT boss Stephane Ratel, the event is set to be the first of what he hopes will be an annual event and is open to all GT cars.

Three 35-minute races and one 60-minute race are planned over the three days of November 24-26. It is rumoured that Mark Coffey Racing is planning on taking its Ferrari and a number of British and FIA teams are committing to the event as well.

Teams wanting more information should contact SRO in London on +44 207 259 2598 or the co-ordinator Belinda Edwards at belinda@sro.co.uk

n It seems that David Coulthard

AT Motorsport News, we have always wanted our own Jordan and, by gum,now we have one.

No,not Eddie(we could not afford him)or Michael(him neither) but Chris Jordan has joined the editorial staff. CJ has abandoned the AFLcrazed streets of Adelaide to move to our Brighton bunker and steps into the role of Staff Journalist.

Apart from being annoyingly youthful and enthusiastic, Jordan has some prior one-day form on the board, having been a contributor to your favourite read for the last two years.

The full test will come when the cricket season starts, to see if Jordan starts blurting on about the Redbacks (as if Growley's all-things-NSW bias is not bad enough). Otherwise, he might just make the grade around here.

But for now,the Editorial edict is, pass the donuts(thanks GM,wink) and back to work.

- PHIL BRANAGAN

had been very close to a deal with Jaguar Racing for 2005 and the 33year-old Scot is now reported to be talking with prospective buyers of the team to keep his Formula 1 career afloat. It has also emerged that his team mate was likely to have been Anthony Davidson, BAR'S 'third driver' who was easily the fastest man on the new Shanghai circuit on the opening day of the Chinese GP. n SOFIU.com Inc, a leading Chinese online media and communications company, has signed a long-term agreement with Formula One Administration to host and manage the official Formula 1 website in Chinese, n Minardi Formula 1 team principal Paul Stoddart was unable to resist a little swipe at Bernie Ecclestone in reacting to Ford's announcement.

"All of us at Minardi have been saddened by today's news," he said, "but fully understand the economic realities involved in competing in this sport as it is currently structured."

Clearly both Minardi and Jordan, this late in the day, would prefer engine hardware to compensation from

Ford.

- QUENTIN SPURRING

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II

IRL begins road testing program THE Indy Racing League have officially begun turning right.

The first official test session for IRL IndyCars equipped to road-course specifications was undertaken on September 22 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

2004 Indy 500 winner Buddy Rice was afforded the privilege of driving the first laps at the test, where each chassis-engine combinations was represented.

Dario Franchitti (Andretti Green Racing), Scott Dixon (Target Chip Ganassi Racing), Helio Castroneves (Marlboro Team Penske) and Alex Barron (Red Bull Cheever Racing) also participated in the test, with 165 laps logged in all.

IRL Senior Vice President for Racing Operations Brian Barnhart was suitably pleased with the progress made.

"Not only did our cars turn right for the first time, we got an opportunity to run cars in the rain. The guys got a A chance to test the Firestone . n Firehawks in the rain, and they performed very well," said Barnhart. n IRL and Indianapolis Motor Speedway boss Tony George has announced a changed format to the 2005 Indy 500, the race scheduled for May 29.

The changes see a return to four days of qualifying, with 'bumping' to occur on all days rather than exclusively on Bump Day. The race will also begin one hour later, at noon local time, to better fit with the telecast schedules of national broadcasters, although the later start will make the Indy 500 NASCAR Pepsi 600 double even more difficult for drivers.

- PHIL MORRIS

Seb's Jackpot R

BY the smallest of margins, Sebastien Bourdais has gone a long way to securing his first Champ Car World Series crown, defeating Newman/Haas teammate Bruno Junqueira by 0.66s at Las Vegas Motor Speedway The amazing victory, which saw the team-mates swap position four times in the final seven laps, presents the Frenchman with the opportunity of wrapping up the title at the next

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round on the Gold Coast.

"It appears that I am very good on superspeedways, but shll need work on short ovals! This is great for the McDonald's team; they deserve the true credit this weekend. After two frustrating race weekends,it is very rewarding. Hopefully we can also finish one and two in the championship," said Bourdais after his sixth Champ Car victory.

Junqueira was philosophical after his narrow defeat in what is the sixthclosest finish in Champ Car history.

"Towards tlie final laps of the race we were racing together, side-byside, and that produced real exciting racing for the fans. This is another great result for the Newman/Haas Racing team, the win truly goes to them," he reflected.

Patrick Carpentier did a remarkable job to finish third, having to contend with a gearbox irregularity of which his team are no doubt less than proud.

"Just before the start of the race, I was checking my gears and I realised fifth and sixth gears were reversed. 1

knew that it was going to be difficult on the restarts. It was a fun, close racing tonight; I really enjoyed myself," said Carpentier.

Carpentier's gritty effort jumps him ahead of team-mate Paul Tracy, who bowed out with a broken driveshaft. The loss of crucial points means that he is no longer a chance of defending his championship.

Ryan Hunter-Reay was looking ontrack for a good result until he spun whilst attempting to pit. The ensuing chaos lead to mass confusion, with Alex Tagliaru, who was leading the race at the time,staying out to avoid the melee, only to be black-flagged for not pitting within the allocated window. A post-race protest by his Rocketsports team was unsuccessful.

The landmark event was a success for Champ Car, with 70,000 people attending the event, which was promoted as a double-header with the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.

- PHIL MORRIS Poinls: Bourdais 307,Junqueira 280, Carpentier 241, Tracy 218, Tagiiani 206, Dominguez 203. suiloihinuign,com

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I

The Team Game ARE we likely to see team orders in the remaining Cup races of the season as 10 drivers fight for the title, each of whom has stable-mates outside the chase?

Dale Earnhardt Jr, above, has already slammed his DEI team mate Michael Waltrip for holding ‘Little E’ up after pit stops.

“I needed a little help there,” said Jr. of the slower Waltrip who finished ninth. “I expected to get a little, and didn't get any.”

Jack Roush, who has three cars in the Chase and two

outside, says, “There’s no expectations that anybody would pull over for anybody else. I just hope none of the guys will take one another out."

If NASCAR sees any hint of team racing, you can bet your bottom dollar they’ll take steps to wash them from the sport.

The question is, how do you police such antics without showing preferential treatment to one team over another - which, let’s be honest, the governing body has already shown signs of doing!

- MARTIN D CLARK

Nice one,

RYAN Newman obliterated the

and Brian Vickers suffered hard

competition at the Dover one-mile concrete bowl on Sunday,leading 325 of the 400 circuits and heading Mark Martin to the finish line by over 7s.

After an engine failure in his Penske Dodge the previous week, Newman lapped all cars through ninth position and moved to eighth in the standings with the win.

"I guess I've had a dominant race car in a 30-lapper at some point in my life, but never over 400 miles," said Newman of his second victory of 2004. "Hopefully we can take this on to the next eight races."

"I really thought the race was on before that last restart," said Martin, "but that was before I knew what

crashes during the race, but both emerged unscathed.

Chase contenders Jimmie Johnson and Elliott Sadler were both caught speeding on pit road. Johnson fell from fourth to 19th, but rallied back to eighth place, while Sadler suffered a flat h're while running in the top 10 and then was caught for speeding to finish 20th.

Rusty Wallace was another with tyre issues. He cut a right front after running second to his Penske team- '. mate for the early part of the race and looked every bit like the Wallace of old, but the veteran would end

Newman really had."

Matt Kenseth was this week's bad luck story of the 10 Cha.se drivers.

The reigning Champ mis-cued his entrance to pit road during a green flag stop on lap 119, slamming a water filled barrier to end his day 32nd after repairs, both Jeff Burton

his day 13th, two laps off the pace.''«^ Tony Stewart and Robby Gordon - ifjv the latter on probation from his Richard Childress team - had a coming together on an early restart.

Stewart suffered some front fender

20

.4 f

'0

Final result; Newman (Dodge), Martin (Ford), J Gordon (Chee7), Janctt (Ford), Busch (Ford), Stewart(Chevy), Mayfield (Dodge), McMurray (Dodge), Earnhardt Jr.(Chev7), Johnson (Chevy).

Point standings:) Gordon 5371, Busch 5370, Earnhardt ]r. 5357, Johnson 5314, Martin 5314, Sadler J 5275, Kenseth 5272, Newman 5264, Stewart 5236, Mayfield 5214.

3| KURT Busch led 155 of the 300 laps en route to victory at New Hampshire Speedway on September

ROBBY Gordon issued an apology to his sponsor Cingular and the teams of Tony Stewart and Jeremy Mayfield following his actions in the New Hampshire.

Gordon spun Greg Biffle and swept Mayfield and Stewart into the fracas, knocking them both out of the race and down the pecking order for the title. Gordon was later spun by Sterling Marlin and retired from the event, only to be hounded by media to which he also apologised after making an obscene gesture to one press member and for telling him to "get out of here".

Gordon's actions started rumours that he would be replaced in the Richard Childress Racing ride but although he will not back to drive for RCR in 2005, there are no current plans to replace him this year.

- MARTIN D CLARK

I

damage in the scuffle, later moving jj Robby aside to finish a dejected sixth."1 could kick Robby Gordon's f butt, to be honest with }-ou," was 'Tony the Temper's' only comment.^

The New Hampshire Express Cingularly Sorry

y-'j

third win of the year. ] 19, holding off Roush comrade Matt Kenseth forback his “It's awesome to be able to come back here and up what we did in July.” said Busch on his second win at New Hampshire in 2004.

"Week one is in the books, but we've got a lot of work to be done and I know it's going to be a strenuous run.

But the limited practice helped us. with using the same race car today that we won with in July."

With qualifying rained out for the first Chase race, the field was set in points order, so the Hendrick pairing of Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson headed the fray, the latter finishing 11th. Gordon led early with Stewart and Jr. also heading laps to gain the all-important five bonus points that, at the end of the year, can be worth 50 extra markers towards the title. There are an additional five points available for leading the most laps each race.

Robby Gordon provided controversy and was drocked two laps by NASCAR when he spun Greg Biffle on lap 64 in retaliation to an earlier spin courtesy of Biffle. However, Jeremy Mayfield and Tony Stewart were swept into Biffle's pirouette, finishing 35th and 39th respectively.

Meanwhile, Ryan Newman blew an engine in his Penske Dodge, so the three have some work to do in the remaining nine races as they sit at the bottom of the table, with five title chasers in the top 10 at the New England track.

- MARTIN D CLARK Final result: Busch (Ford), Kenseth (Ford), Earnhardt Jr. (Chevy), Kahne(Dodge), McMurray (Dodge), Nemechek (Chevy), J Gordon (Chevy), Sadler (Ford), Waltrip (Chevy), Harvick (Chevy). molorsport news

jL

STATESIDE

^wman Jeff Gordon moved from third to head the point table after a third place result in an ill-handling car.

"It was tough for us today," said Gordon."We were way off on a couple of runs. I hope(the points lead) doesn't mean we have a bullseye on us when we get to Talladega next week."

- MARTIN D CLARK

Splitsville JOHN Andretti has apparently severed his ties with Dale Earnhardt Inc. and will run for PPG Motorsports, a long-time contender in the Busch and Truck Series, in a new Cup deal for six races this year.

A sponsor will be announced the second week of October, and the backing is understood to be for three seasons with the team running engines supplied by Roush and Yates Engines, and their first cars being supplied by Yates. The team is due to test September 27th in preparation for the their maiden race at Charlotte.

Gibbs

BUSCH driver and former Sprint Car star Jason Leffler's name has been addecLto the list of possible drivers for the third Joe Gibbs FedEx-sponsored Cup ride next year.

Along with Jamie McMurray, right, who currently drives Rusty Wallace's self-owned Busch car, Leffler would seem to be the most likely candidate for the drive at this point.

However, he also tested for Penske recently as a possible replacement for the retiring Rusty Wallace or rookie Brendan Gaughn, as the latter has only one top 10 result this year and Penske are looking for the program to turn around quickly.

Leffler, who currently sits third in the Busch Series points with Haas CNC Racing, has also been suggested as a replacement for Ward Burton in Haas' Cup program. as Burton learned on September 20th that his contract will not be renewed for 2005.

- MARTIN D CLARK

n BAM Racing is looking at adding a second team in 2005 alongside veteran Ken Schrader, The team is also busy looking for a new crew cheif after the recent departure of Scott Egglestone. n Michael Waltrip's crew chief Richard 'Slugger' Labbe was apparently being courted by Joe Gibbs as a crew chief for the 2005 FedEx team. Slugger, however, has apparently haggled with Dale Earnhardt Inc. and will stay with the organisation - although a move over to crew chief Dale Jr. could still materialise at some point in the future.

- MARTIN D CLARK

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21

At homef Tamada^Soars

HONDA owns Motegi so it was only fitting that the 'home team'took all three classes at the track.

Local hero Makoto Tamada dominated the i MotoGP racing, taking pole position and leading all but the first five laps of the race.

However, by taking second, world championship leader Valentino Rossi has cemented his hold on the 2004 title after Max Biaggi was taken out at the opening corner.

A fast-starting Loris Capirossi arrived at the apex of the turn out of control and, in the ensuing melee, front row qualifier John Hopkins, Suzuki team-mate Kenny Roberts Jr and Honda riders Colin Edwards, Nicky Hayden and Biaggi were all on the deck.

Hopkins suffered two broken ribs and a deep gash to his buttocks. Roberts has a dislocated left elbow and burns on his right side after his arm was caught in the rear wheel of Biaggi's Honda. Both are in doubt for the next race in Qatar on October 2.

Tamada picked off Rossi and cruised to the win. To add to Bridgestone's day, Shinya Nakano took third for Kawasaki, its first podium finish since returning to MotoGP

competition two years ago.'

"In the first corner I realised that everybody ' was going too fast to take it properly and everyone saw how it ended up," Tamada said.

"I was second after the crash and I wanted a different race from Portugal when I finished behind Rossi. So I attacked and overtook Valentino and set my rhythm to the end." ®*Tamada apart, the Hondas looked average in Japan. Alex Barros was fourth while Sete Gibernau struggled to sixth, the two separated by the fading Yamaha of Marco Melandri.

Points: Rossi 229, Gibernau 190, Biaggi 158, Barros 115, Tamada 114, Edwards 111, Checa 102, Capirossi 84, Hayden 83, Meiandri 75.

DANI Pedrosa led an all-Honda podium on home turf, taking the 250cc win from Spaniard Toni Elias and Hiroshi Aoyama.

Randy de Puniet's chased hard on his Aprilia until a lap nine crash dropped him back to 11th. The two Spaniards swapped the lead for 17 laps until Pedrosa pulled away late in the race.

Points: Pedrosa 234, De Puniet 187, Porto 186, Eiias 142, Oe Angelis 114, Aoyama 103, Nieto 94, Rolfo 92, West 88, Poggiaii 79.

^ REGGIE Laconi has taken back the upper hand in the 2004 World Superbike Championship.

The Fila Ducati star took two wins at Imola, the first after fighting off Chris Vermeulen's Honda and the second again his Fila team-mate, James Toseland.

Vermeulen, who qualified second, looked to be in control of the opening race imtil Laconi took control over the final two laps.

Toseland took third from Noriyuki Haga (Renegade Ducati) while Garry McCoy capitalised on his front row start with fifth place.

In the second race, Haga crashed from the lead,leaving Laconi and Toseland to stage an epic battle.

Steve Martin took third after a sixth in the opening race while Vermeulen took sixth after starting last, caused by a fall on his warm-up lap. McCoy again took fifth while Troy Corser celebrated his 200th SBK start with 12th and 10th pladngs.

Points; Laconi 295, Toseland 291, Vermeulen 282, Haga 254, Chilli 222, McCoy 185, Martin 170, Haslam 150, Corser 137, Borciani 130.

KARL Muggeridge has sealed the World Supersport title in style, taking his sixth win of the season.

It was an all-Aussie affair at the front, Muggeridge holding off ten Kate Honda team-mate Broc Parkes for the win. Sebastien Charpentier (Klaffi Honda CBR600RR) was third, with the first non-Honda the Breil Ducati of Lorenzo Lanzi, fourth.

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% to the Fore

Lovey Dovey

ANDREA Dovizioso took his fourth 125cc win of the season at Motegi.

The Italian took the two-part race by 11s after his closest challenger Roberto Locatelli (Aprilia)crashed on the final lap.

Second place went to Fabrizio Lai (Gilera) with Simone Corsi(Honda) third just ahead of Mirko Giansanti

(Aprilia).

KTM had a bad day with Mika KaUio crashing out of fourth place on lap eight and Casey Stoner failing to take the restart after breaking a gear lever.

We want the title: Toseland and Laconi turn it on for the locals at Imola. A title showdown now beckons ...

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Entries from July 12th - October 10th at any Hog’s Breath Cafe,

Competition closes 10/10/04 at 23:59 ESI Winners drawn at 2pm on 21/10/04 at Legion Interactive, Level 9, 100 William Street, East Sydney NSW 2011 and published in The Australian on 5/11/04. Authorised under permit numbers: NSW: TPL 04/05499, SA: T04/2095, ACI TP04/2270, NI NT04/9414. Terms and conditions available from www.hogsbreath.com.au 3/41HBC /esi destgrt

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Power,Northerly an Miss Twigley’s ankles L

AST week, I found myself at a Grand Final Eve luncheon at what we Melburnians refer to as Jeff's

Shed.

It was one of those events where sports stars and corporates rub shoulders, pull on the feedbag and down a Crown or 10. I am not a footy fan by any means but it was a pleasant afternoon and I was pleased to be there.

The entertainment (if that is the right word) consisted, first, of a lot of chat about the impending bunfight at the 'G and then moved on to other matters. Some of this included a chat with some soccer players about the goings-on in the English Premier League. I found that astounding; the EPL is half a world away, has few Aussies in it and, as of this year, has no free-to-air television deal in this country.

That must send Les Murray of Soccer Bloody Soccer TV to bed each night sobbing.

Then we had 30 minutes of blather about ... horse racing.

The host of the whole show said, basically, that now that Da Footy was about to finish, the Next Big Thing was Melbourne's Spring Racing Carnival. So we got some jockeys and some racing personalities, all of whom sounded like they had come from a casting company(why do they talk like that?) yakking about international entries.

Northerly and so on.

Sipltimhir 2U04

But something interesting happened. About 90 percent of the people there tuned out and started talking among themselves. They were not interested. Yes, the Melbourne and Caulfield Cups (and the Cox Plate) might hold some interest, and I am dying to see what Rebecca Twigley wears (or not) to The Oaks but, for the rest of it, apart from the promoters and the punters, who cares?

o

i, you muppets. After September comes October and that means motor racing.

There is this place called Bathurst where a Big Race happens. Then, Valentino Rossi and Co invade Phillip Island for the MotoGP. A weekend later. Champ Cars, V8 Supercars and (hopefully) Miss Twigley head for the Gold Coast for the party to end all parties.

Not long after, the WRC arrives in Perth for the final hit-out of the year. Network 10, bless 'em, will bring all of those events into the lounge rooms of Australia and, if the numbers are to be believed, a gazillion households from Austria to Zimbabwe.

But, at a sporting function where Harry Kewell's ankles were discussed (as opposed to Miss Twigleys ankles - am I getting obsessed here?) there was not a single utterance of car or motorcycle racing.

Something is not right here.

Maybe what we need to happen at Bathurst is for Greg Ritter to stop driving after 600km and for Ambrose to punch him our

Motor Mouth with Phil Branagan get treated like crap for the rest of the time?

Motor racing is not getting into the mainstream of Aussie sport. The TV ad for the 1000 is a wonder, with all manner of people (including Murph and Ambrose) making funny faces and growling noises at the camera. Presumably, some advertising exec with overzhuzhed hair loves it. But, does anyone get it? Does it set the pulses racing and encourage people to, if not go to the race, at least talk about it?

Our sport is not getting to the people - and I am not blaming only AVESCO for that.

Everyone is at fault. The firstever GP in China caused barely a ripple in the general media. Does the man in the street know who Marcos Ambrose is? Why did a monthly sporting magazine recently bemoan the fact that the sporting highlight of October was 'only' the Bathurst 1000?

And, given that AVESCO spends money transporting The Six Pack - a posse of daily newspaper reporters - to all the races, why does the sport

M

aybe we need something extraordinary to happen.

Port Adelaide's win was all over the media, as expected, but the AFL is way better with the media than that. You can bet that, even with no games for five months, the papers will be full of Aker's latest prank and Primus's knee for the summer.

To get some coverage in the media, maybe what we need to happen at Bathurst is for Greg Ritter to stop driving after 600km and for Ambrose to punch him out.

What did happen in the Grand Final? An unfancied underdog from Adelaide takes on the overwhelming favourite from Queensland, stands toeto-toe in the biggest event of the year and comes out on top. Grown men cry. Women swoon. Kids have new heroes.

Imagine the very same scenario at Bathurst. I guess one of the main differences would be that, in the AFL, the winners were not pulled apart in scrutineering for a week ...

25

n ..

..

FORMULA

I

NE

A Giant Awakens

A

f

T Pudong International Airport, we knew that the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai was going to be a big success.

You can tell when a new race is going to work when you arrive at the airport.

You see the first signs of it before you even get to the baggage carousel. You are welcomed by a wave of civic pride in the event, adverts drawing attention to the race, perhaps a Formula 1 display, to make sure that everyone knows that this is a Grand Prix town.

And Shanghai is definitely a Grand Prix town.

This is one of those places where they think big. The airport was impressive; the Maglev train that whisks passengers downtown at more than 250mph is startlingly impressive; the city is huge but you can see that this is a town where the people with the power have the money to build whatever they want to build.

The roads are already clogged with cars and trucks and yet only a tiny fraction of the Chinese population has the money to buy an automobile. Some have bicycles but most just walk.

And yet the automobile is the new thing in China, just as it was in Europe a hundred years ago.

The technology has moved on since then of course, but the pattern of human fashion has not changed Everyone in China now wants to own a car and it is the perfect moment for Grand Prix racing to go to China, The Shanghai government has jnderstood that they have a chance to le the Detroit of China, and so has spent the money to do the job properly.

The Shanghai International Circuit is a modern marvel, a racing facility on a scale that is far beyond anything we have ever seen before.

Bahrain was impressive but this the

though someone has built the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the space of 18 months rather than it having grown up in the course of 100 years. It is the perfect example of what happens when people have the will to achieve something, and have the money and people to throw at a project.

To try to explain the scale of this project is a difficult thing to do. You have to see it. This is motor racing's Chateau de Versailles; the Neuschwanstein Castle of Formula 1. It is magnificent. If you could pick it up and turn it over it would have Made in China stamped on the bottom, but this is a class piece of manufacturing and even the sometimes overblown world of Formula 1 seemed dwarfed by the scale of it all.

The sport's silly little soap operas (important though they may be) look out of place on so grand a stage. There were 80,000 people at the track on Saturday and you would never have known it. On Sunday, there would be 160,000.

N

ine stories above the track (directly above the track, you understand) the Media Centre offered astounding views of the place. The new chief executive of the Australian Grand Prix Corporation Tim Bamford dropped in and was visibly shaken by the scale of the facility. Luckily for him. Formula 1 loves Melbourne and is happy with the facilities - but compare it to China, and Albert Park looks like a boy scout jamboree. Imola and Interlagos look like unseemly public conveniences (without seats).

Is it a great white elephant or will the 2004 Chinese Grand Prix be a pivotal point in the history of our sport? That is hard to say. Will motor racing take off in China? Who knows? But as I went

The Box Seat With Joe Saward into the circuit on Friday morning, I could not escape the thought that this was how the first journalists must have felt when they first walked into Brooklands. And look at the heritage that Brooklands left behind it.

Therein lies the tale of the Shanghai International Circuit. When we grow old we will be able to tell our grandchildren that we were there that day.

“The thing is that you can spend $300m (or whatever it was that it cost) but the one thing you cannot buy is atmosphere. The Pista Magica at Monza is what it is because it has 75 years worth of stories, of ghosts and heroes, of triumphs and tragedies. It has history.

On Sunday in Shanghai, we set out to start the process of creating the history of Chinese motor racing, with the public address system banging out Western music as the dawn broke over the surrounding y fields

Panasonic^Panasonic Panasonic Panasonic

live minutes with...

ScottPoMop

One ot the ARC'S most emiuping privateer teams will close its Ooors alter this weekemTs Rally ot Melhourne. MARK BIMEnimE spoke with Scott Pedtler ahout the end oian era MOTORSPORT NEWS; We're stating the obvious, but it must have been an unbelievably difficult decision to close the doors on the team?

SCOTT REDDER: Yes, very much so. We're very passionate about what we do, but we're probably frustrated more than anything else that both the business and the rallying require 100 percent commitment to do very well.

And we were sort of getting to the stage where one had to go, and obviously it was the fun, rather than the business.

I .

MN: It appears that over the last couple of years, the committment needed to remain competitive in the ARC has gone up, as well.

SP: Absolutely. The pace has gone up, and therefore you've got a higher chance of breakages and things like that.

Particularly with a Group N car, you've got to basically keep throwing bits at it, and we just couldn't afford to do it.

And all the manpower and all that sort of thing ... to do things properly, you've got to spend the time to do it.

MN;So how long ago was the decision made? Has it been in the works for a while?

SP: It was made about three months ago.

MN:So you've had that in the back of your mind over these last few rallies?

SP: Yeah! I must have put a bit more pressure on myself to perform, which is probably why we were leading on Sunday in Sydney.

That was probably my most disappointing motorsport moment, because to everyone else it was just another retirement, but to me it was a good chance to prove myself for the last time.

28

Neiigjackboum

"If we can just turn up, turn a key and go,then we'll consider thaf' -Scott Redder on his chances of returning to the ARC in the future MN; Looking at the past 12 months, Simon Evans has jumped into a factory car, there are no guarantees that the Atkinsons will be around next year, you guys have announced that you are leaving - is the series running out of top privateer teams?

SP: Yeah, everyone says that at the end of every year, but there are always new and exciting things happening.

You've got some very good privateer teams now that spend good dollars and have fantastic exposure. Brad Goldsbrough's team is one of those, Mark Thompson's team is another one and Jack Monkhouse has a good team as well.

So there are lots of teams that can step up and that have stepped up in the past and will take up where Pedders are going to leave off.

MN: You've had a pretty good record over the past couple of years. Are you happy with what you've achieved?

SP: We've won heats and we've won stages, but we haven't won

an event yet - and we definitely haven't won a championship.

If you had asked me four or five years ago if, after five years.

I'd be happy not winning an event. I'd probably have said, 'yeah. I'd be happy'.

But with all the effort that the manufacturers put in and the level of drivers and their cars and investment, it's difficult to get close.

Probably only myself, Simon Evans and Juha (Kangas), when he was running for Les Waikden last year, have been the only three guys to have won heats or been close to winning events in a privateer team.

MN: Can we expect to see Pedders return to the ARC in some capacity over the next couple of years?

SP: I wouldn't rule it out. The biggest thing for us is that it's not neccessarily the time away at events. It's the time in between events where you are involving yourself in the preparation of the cars and the marketing of the cars and all that sort of thing.

If we can do it in a way which is basically just turn up, turn a key and go, then we'll consider that.

The thing we want to explain is that it has not been a direct financial decision. The business is booming at the moment. It's not the old, 'we've run out of money'.

But because the business is booming, we need to refocus our main people - who happen to be the same people that are involved with the team - back into the business.

So if we can do it where we could just turn up, turn the key and go, then we would consider something like that.

MN: So the race team personnel were all from the business?

SP: Yeah. We had two guys full time as mechanics and technicians on the cars.

Bill Orders, who was the team manager and also the general manager of Pedders, was the main guy involved in the team.

And then you had myself and Mark Redder, who did a hell of a lot less than Bill, but still probably did more than we should have in relation to the business.

MN: You've got your home rally as your swansong this weekend. What are your chances?

SP: I think the preparation of the car is probably the best we've ever had.

It's going to be a big, big push to try to get that event win that we haven't been able to get, but in saying that you've obvoiusly got a whole lot of things at stake for the other guys - there are four guys with a genuine chance of winning the championship.

So once again, it's not going to be easy. We just have to push from the very start, and hope for the best. motorsport news

Fm minutes with

mam

Jamo Tnulli

ihs Monaco wm may aireaiiy soom a tong ttne ago, but tho ox-Renautt thiuon is looking tamanlto a now hihwo with Toyota.

He leapt out of the car after his first test mnlspime to ADAM CfWPBi MOTORSPORT NEWS: So things happened very quickly after Monza?

JARNO TRULLI: Yes, this is FI, so it had to happen very quickly!

Something was in the air, so I was waiting to get this opportunity.

MN; Were you always confident that something could be arranged?

JT: Basically, no driver wants to be sitting at home. But if I analyse my last races, I can see nothing was happening, and I was always coming away from a Grand Prix without a result.

In that case speculation was going on, the team wasn't happy, I wasn't happy. None of us were happy. Generally they started blaming me for losing second position in the championship, which was something I didn't like at all.

As soon as Flavio [Briatore] gave me everything I wanted, I said 'OK, I will sort out my next race by myself'.

MN:So what you wanted was to be available to drive the Toyota this year?

JT: I wanted a lot of things. I won't get into the detail, but I was happy about how we dealt with it.

It was very quick. I will let Renault fight for the championship for the last three races, and I will carry on with my career and my future and start working with Toyota earlier than November.

We can improve the car earlier and quicker. Like I said, no driver is happy to not drive, but on the other hand, Flavio wanted to put another driver in.

Once we sorted out everything and we agreed on everything, that was it, I was happy to go this way.

MN: It must have been a crazy week ...

JT: It has been a very tough 30

I don't feel ready at the moment to drive the car at a race.

MN:So you'll watch China on TV? JT: I'll be in England probably, watching the race. It's not a holiday, as I'll train and get ready for the next appointment.

MN; Will it be a strange feeling?

JT: It will be a similar feeling to Canada, where I stopped at the first corner, I just got out of the car and looked at a Grand Prix!

MN; But is it 99 percent sure that you'll race in Japan and Brazil after the next test in Jerez?

JT: Nothing is sure in FI. We'll see!

"The team wasn't happy. I wasn't happyi None of us were happy If

-Even after all of the problems, Trulll and Renault were still able to find some common ground... week for me. A lot of things happened.

MN: What was going through your mind when you got in the Toyota?

JT: I wanted to see if I was still able to drive a quicker car or not, because people were saying I wasn't motivated any more. But everything was fine.

MN: Could you learn much on one day?

JT: Quite a lot. I was surprised by the way we all approached the first testing day.

Straight away, we got onto the pace, and I was very surprised about it, as I was surprised about the positives of the car.

Obviously the car has got some negative sides, which everybody knows, and I'm not going into detail.

But I was extremely impressed

by the potential of the entire team, the motivation of everybody.

Flonestly, it was a positive first day, and I learned a lot.

MN: But you weren't comfortable in the seat?

JT: I struggled quite a lot with the seat position. All I was doing on Thursday was try to run as much as possible, but in the end of the day it was wrong, because I should have sorted the seat out in a better way.

That is what is stopping me from racing at the moment.

MN:So you wanted to go to China, but it was too early?

JT: Yes, definitely. In one day I couldn't even manage to get the seat fixed. I just sat in the car and drove around.

But I should have taken a bit more time to sort the seat position and everything else.

MN: You've been talking to Toyota for months. Why did you decide it was the team for you?

JT: They came very early to talk to me. They explained the programme to me, and they were extremely convinced that we could do well.

The fact that Luca Marmorini and Mike Gascoyne are there really makes me feel confident for the future.

I know Mike is someone who motivates the team, sorts out the problems and works very hard.

MN: And you have a new team-mate?

JT: I've spoken to Ralf [Schumacher! a few times at the circuit, but I don't know him very well. I'm sure I won't have any problems with him.

MN: Mike says that you are the best team-mate for him ...

JT: I think I'm good with anyone in personal relationships. 1 don't like politics, and I just carry on with my job. I'm nice with everybody.

I believe we won't have any problems. noiorsport news

MOTORSPORT NEWS: What's your verdict on the race?

JACQUES VILLENEUVE: I’m not happy with the position in the end, of course. The start went well (the Renault's really great at the start), but then I didn't get into the rhythm quick enough, and lost the positions again in the first two laps.

Once I got in the rhythm, I was stuck behind [Mark] Webber. I was just going faster and faster.

Just my first lap was too slow, and that's when I lost the positions I gained at the start.

MN: Did you enjoy being out there battling again?

JV: Yeah, it was fun, I could fight

You're invited to be part of Australia's fastest growing motor sport Why not see what it's all about for yourself? Attend a race meeting at your local club and talk to the drivers and crew. There are classes to suit almost everyone from 7 years to 77 +.

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32

until the end, and that made it fun. But we didn't score any points, so that's a little bit annoying.

In the last few laps the car really got better, and I could stay closer to Mark in the high-speed areas, and I thought I could maybe attack him in the last two laps in the hairpin. Then Rubens {Barrichellol got too close to me and I had to let him by.

MN: What happened when you went off?

JV: The car is a little bit hard to drive on the brakes and hard to drive when you're close behind someone.

MN: How did you find it physically?

JV: It was better than I expected. I could push until the end, so that was good. The only problem is it took me a couple of laps too many to get in the

MN: What were the problems?

JV: The first set of tyres was a little bit hard to drive. The rear was very loose under braking and it was hard to brake late. But as soon as the track started rubbering in, then the car got a lot better.

rhythm. Buy physically it's gone up in level by quite a lot - the tyre grip, downforce, everything.

The G-forces that are pulled are a lot higher.

MN: Did you get into trouble when Michael [Schumacher] passed you and went into the pits?

JV: I didn't know he was going into the pits. I wasn't going to let him by, but I wasn't going to block him either. There was no point. I was fighting with Mark, not with Michael. When he got on the inside of me I still tried to brake late, but he was quicker than me, of course.

MN: Did fighting with him get the adrenalin going?

JV: It was fun, but it must have been boring for Michael. He’s continued on page 34 -f'. -

Contact your state's karting office for details The Australian Karting Association Inc For information about karting and how to get started in your Stale or Territory call

1300 30 5278 P300 30 KART] New South Wain tvww.akamw.kartingauMfdlia,com.au Victoria www.vka.asn.au www.ak^k).a$n.au Taananla South Aurtralia Western Australia vyv.w,k.i rt I nxvk a.i(>m.,iu Norlhertt Territories South Australia Tasmania

Molortport newt

Back to the Ban e A year after turning his back on Formuia One, Jacqnes Viiienenve returned to the sport in Shanghai. He told ADAM COOPER how it went and what he expects with Renauit- and Sauber

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FORMULA -I continued from page 32 used to being at the front, and to be stuck at the back of the race must have been quite boring for him.

MIM; How was qualifying?

JV: I was disappointed with the starting position.

I was okay with the lap time compared to Fernando, but in a small amount of lap time there were a lot of cars and that was frustrating. I lost the time in Turn 6. I just drove slowly. It happens.

I misjudged it.

I had a hard time all weekend with new tyres. In first qualy they worked well and in second qualy I wasn't happy somehow.

There was enough of a difference that when I got to Turn 6, I wasn't aggressive enough. That was the main one.

Then at Turn 11 I had some problems with traction control, and that cost another couple of tenths. I also didn't want to go off, because there's no point starting at the back.

MN; How hard has this weekend been?

JV: The engineers don't know how I work or how I drive. And it's the same for me - I don't know how the tyres work or the car. A lot of set-up things react differently from expected. So that takes time to get used to.

This being the first race, it's where we're learning everything.

I never expected to be racing

V

"1

Someone old, someone new; Villeneuve is looking forward to joing Peter Sauber and Felipe Massa for 2005.

I never expected to be racing this year, i expected to be racing next year. Everything now is just a bonus It

- JV sounds a mite enthusiastic, doesn’t he? this year. I expected to be racing next year. Everything now is just a bonus.

I've been racing since I was 17 and there's no reason to be more nervous than I was in '96. I've done this many times and, at last, I've got the energy that I had in '96, because I've had a year off. The atmosphere

is so positive. The team has received me in a great manner and made it easy to work and fun to work.

MN: How was that break?

JV: I was looking at FI as an outsider, which is very different, trying to see what's going on, what the teams and drivers are

doing, just in case I came back.

Also, so I could maybe learn something from that. Just being able to relax ... that's fantastic.

MN: What did you learn?

JV: It's not one thing. It's not that I woke up one day and said, 'Oh I did this wrong, now I have to change'. It's something that happens gradually.

You see moments where maybe you were slightly too aggressive in the way you were talking, not because you wanted to be, but because you just didn't have the patience at that point in time, or maybe you understood stuff wrongly, so you got angry.

MN: Any thoughts on Suzuka?

JV: I know the track very well, so we should be able to work on the car from the start. It should make it a little bit easier.

Hopefully we used this weekend to learn how to work together with the engineers, so we don't lose any time in Japan.

BCastfi

I Remember You: Jacques got to mix it up with his old rival, Juan Pablo Montoya, again at Shanghai.

34

MN: Why Sauber for 2005?

JV: When I signed for BAR five years ago and during the five years, everybody was telling me all the time what an idiot I was for being there and staying there ... and look where they are this year.

The team will move forward, but how much, I don't know.

With all the rule changes, it could go both ways.

Right now I don't want to think about next year. All I want to do is get three good races, molorsport news

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by CHRIS LAMBDEN

Ulfl© (SiflglDinljpDOmgilBap einlglg© On the approach to the Great Race,the outcome of the championship will be firmly in the minds of the top six series contenders.

Due to the tightly constructed points scoring system aimed at keeping the series alive until the final round, the top 25 still have a mathamatical chance of winning the 2004 title. But realistically, the top six (Ambrose, Bright, S.Richards, R.Kelly, Ingall and Murphy) are the main men in terms of the championship fight. Out of these six, only reigning Bathurst Champs Murphy and Kelly will throw all their eggs in one basket and drive together.

While a win at Bathurst

Safety Cars and,often, the ability of a team's strategist to think quickly on his feet is the difference between success and failure. fUitin Collins

would never be taken lightly, the chase for the championship will be considered. But on the flip side, there are many who have no championship to mist their thoughts. Step up to the plate, Mark Skaife. By his and his factory Holden team's standards, 2004 have been lacklustre, and with a proven team-mate in Todd Kelly, they may be the ones to watch come 4pm.

- GRANT ROWLEY

Keeping a weather eye

BATHURST is often compared to Spa Francorchamps, one of the world's other great road circuits. And like Spa, people spend a lot of time watching the sky.

It rains at Bathurst but the question is always the same; when will it rain? Some drivers can handle the wet better than others - none of the V8 Supercar regulars are truly bad In the wet but some are better than others. In mixed conditions, when cars teeter around in the damp on slicks, Russell w l * Ingall is an ace.

In heavy wet, Craig Lowndes

and Jason Richards appear to be capable of small miracles.

In theory, wet conditions disadvantage 'once a year drivers' or internationals, due to the fact that they have less experience in the cars in those conditions. But there are exceptions; two years ago, Dean Canto and Matty White ran down noted wet shoe Jim Richards in the wet, and Jason Plato looked really good at a wet Sandown.

So, keep an open mind when the skies threaten. And hope that it is not at the end of the race.

- PHIL BRANAGAN

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38

PERHAPS the most crucial role in the success of a Bathurst-winning team is that of strategist.

One good call can win you the race. Just as equally, a bad one can finish you.

And while you can pre-plan your race in every detail, the modem Bathurst 1000 has become one of

Most teams now go in with a string of strategies prepared to cover most eventualities. The big variable is a Safety Car period. Where are we in our fuel window? What is our track position? The answer to those two will dictate whether an unplanned stop is taken.

Sometimes, it's just a throw of the dice...

Uncertainties aside, the number 125 is a cmcial one. Given the modern V8 Supercar's ability to complete,say,36 laps on a tank of fuel, the perfect strategy will see you near the front of the pack, with a strong car, fresh tyres and a full tank of fuel with 36 laps to go.

That's lap 125.

Do that and you've maximised your chances. Late Safety Cars may close the field up but, if you don't have to stop, the cards are in your hands.

Whereas ACCORDING to SBR team boss Ross Stone,that's the immediate question when a Safety Car is anticipated.

"It's crucial, because it dictates whether we've got five seconds or two minutes in which to make a decision," he told MNews.

"We have plenty of pre-thought

Subtracting multiples of 36 from 125 takes you back to lap 17 which explains why,on occasions,some teams choose to go 'off sequence' and make their first stop that early (possibly having started on half a tank of fuel, perhaps to make up early time after a less than optimum qualifying result).

The combinations and permutations are many but, in the end, they are all geared to that magic number -125(or something close to it)- where at all possible.

The options are such that some teams now rely on computer input to assess and combine the information throughout the race.

However,on many occasions, the outcome can rest on one, instinctive, under-pressure call.

And that, in an extreme case, could win you the Bathurst 1000 ...

THE technical package of a V8 Supercar is proven and the stability of the rules mean that teams have had a long time to get their widgets sorted.

But, since Mount Panorama was resurfaced, the race pace moioripon news

BATHURST 2004

shape Bathurst'0

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the key

Team MNews have studied some of Bathurst's common trends

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The Brock Factor

our car? strategies and options, but often it's simply dictated by the time we have available to make a decision.

"While input may come from several people, the call is always made by one individual - we call him the Car Manager. In Marcos' case,for example, that's Paul Forgie."

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WIN,lose or draw,there is one car on which the attention of much of the Bathurst audience will be focussed - the 05 Holden of Peter Brock.

Unlike John Farnham (and especially The Seekers), it is more than likely that Bathurst 2005 will in fact be Peter Brock's final drive in the Great Race. His commercial contract with Holden specified the opportunity to compete for a final time with the factory team, and this is it.

Can Brock in fact win it? Never say never but, in reality, it's pretty unlikely. A rostrum? Outside chance.

The fact remains that Brock's last win was in 1987 and, in this era of super-competitive V8 Supercar racing, the final reappearance of 05 will primarily serve as a quality farewell to someone who remains as the most visible public figure in Australian motorsport.

The merchandising truck will be swamped and Brock himself may well have writer's cramp once the clock hits 10am on Sunday and his attention turns to the race ahead.

The progress of 05, with Brit co-driver Jason Plato, will be monitored closely by Ten's cameras. It's the one absolutely guaranteed human-interest story of the weekend.

And who knows, as an expected bonanza crowd yells out "Go Brocky" for the last time, there's the slightest chance of a fairytale ending.

-CHRIS LAMBDEN

rnO

has increased dramatically and, even with the mandatory 3.25:1 ratio, cars are on the rev limiter for longer than they used to be.

One team reports that on a fast lap, engines are running at 7500rpm in sixth on Conrod for almost 400 metres.

29 SBplamlisr 2004

I

That by itself will not blow a well-prepared engine but, with its heavy climbs, Bathurst tests an engine like no other track. Even if all the air intakes stay clear, look for some smokey, bonnet-first retirements during the race.

- PHIL BRANAGAN

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by MARK GLENDENNING

Coventry SitMtiuf

Mount Hoodoo Record Race? lohn Morris/Mpit

SANDOWN success, a championship win and the series lead means little when it comes to winning the Mount Panorama marathon.

Stone Brothers are all too aware of this haunting fact.

The race has continued to dog them in the past attempts at Bathurst triumph.

Since SBR won the race in 1998 with Jason Bright and Steven Richards, the only real threat they have been to a win was in 2000 with Tony Longhurst and David Besnard.

After qualifying on pole in 2001, an inexperienced Marcos Ambrose threw the car into the bunker at the entrance to pit lane.

2002, Ambrose and Paul Weel were fast but not quite hooked up. A flat tyre destroyed their front fender, below, and their chances.

And it was the same last year. The car didn’t have the outright-winning speed and another cut tyre cost them dearly. Is 2004 SBR's redemption?

- GRANT ROWLEY 11.^

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CAN the race time record be beaten in 20047 In the 1991 Tooheys 1000, Gibson Motorsport's factory Nissan GTR piloted by Jim Richards and Mark Skaife crushed the field, finishing the race in 6h19m14.8s. Richards and Skaife led every lap bar four, and beat the next best car by over a lap. It was 'Godzilla' in its prime.

The race featured just a couple of Safety Car periods, so you'd think that with only 35 cars on the track this year and the large proportion of professional and regular drivers in the race, surely, the 13 year-old record will be broken.

If you do the calculations, the chances of of this happening are very real. If the cars average a lap time of 2m12.6s, add five pit stops (which equates to 50 seconds track time lost per stop), then that will beat the magic 6h19m mark.

Garth Tender's fastest race lap time last year was 2m08.67s.

Yes, that's a darn quick lap, and the chances of the field running at that pace all day are negotiable, but the reality is, if the race stays 'green' for the better part, the race record will be broken and the Japanese Grand Prix won't be delayed on Network 10!

- GRANT ROWLEY

YOU can talk all you like about fuel windows and Safety Cars and keeping your best set of Dunlops for the end. But the fact is that the first decisive strategic move for any fwocar team is made when they are applying the drivers' names to the side of the car.

Do you establish a clear pecking order by putting your two full-timers into one car and handing the second over to a pair of ring-ins, or do you divide your efforts by leaving each full-timer in his own car and hire someone to share it with him?

Each approach has its strengthsand its drawbacks.Sandown showed that this season, the conventional wisdom is to pair your gurus together.

HRT,Kmart Racing,PWR,GRM, Orreon Racing, OzEmail Racing,FPR and DJR all opted to put their 'A-list' into one car to minimise any weaknesses in the driver department, and thus give them^lves the best possible chance to carry race-winning speed from the lights to the flag.

But the main drawback is obvious.

Times have Changed CAST your mind back to 6 October, 1974.

On that date, 60 cars in four class gridded up for the Hardie Ferodo 1000 at Bathurst, right.

30 years and one week later, nearly half that amount of cars and three less classes will hurl themselves at the mountain for the 1000km classic.

Under AVESCOs new-for-2004 rules, only the 13 Level 1 and nine Level 2 licence holders are allowed to compete in the Great Race, which for many, is a pity, if you consider the tradition of the event and the length of the track.

lARL’S

Limiting the grid to only 35 is designed to wean out the once-a-year steerers and their cars and give the licence holders sole ownership of the event. If you think about it from a team owners perspective, it doesn't look good if a Konica Minolta car beats a licence holder now, does it?

But only 35 cars may have some positives. Less cars means less traffic, which means a faster and the chances of watching a Safety Car trundle around for most of the day are small. Although Sandown half ruins that theory ...

- GRANT ROWLEY

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40

Tefhn is a trade made of dupont

Molorsport news

BATHURST 200a

ig your outright bets If something happens to your number one car, chances are that you're in for a long and unhappy afternoon ... particularly if both your drivers were in contention for the championship.

Hedging your bets by splitting your lead pair overcomes this problem by ensuring that even if something happens to one of the cars, there is still another out there that should be capable of carrying the fight. The most visible adherents to the 'divide and conquer' approach this year is SBR, and with a one-two finish at Sandown you'd be hardpressed to convince anyone that it was a bad call.

It might come as a surprise, then, to learn that this had not necessarily been the team's preferred option. The Stones are unique in V8 land in running two cars with different liveries, and after some experimenting in 2003 it was established that there was no way to combine the Pirtek and Caltex Havoline warpaint in such a way that would keep both parties happy.

Which is why, in 2004, you will see Marcos and Russell lining up against one another. (And you thought that

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sponsors just wrote the cheques ...).

Marcos suggested during the Sandown weekend that dividing the SBR driver line-up placed the team at a theoretical disadvantage, although you could do far worse than pull into pitlane to see Greg Ritter or Cameron McLean waiting to jump into your seat.

But in addition to splitting the driving talent, the divided approach can cause other headaches, such as when you are trying to juggle your strategy mid-race to ensure that you've got your strongest guy in the car for the final stint. It sounds like it

‘

would be fairly straightforward ... but at Bathurst, it doesn't take much to throw things badly out of whack.

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Combined powers: Most of the leading outfits, including FPR, above, have placed their lead drivers together.

At the Mount, Smokies can star

THE Bathurst 1000 is a race where, even from mid-grid, what seems like an unfancied runner can come through the field.

Remember 2001, when Brad Jones and John Cleland almost ran down Skaife from outside the top 20? Or 1997, when Jason Bargwanna topped qualifying? Or McLean and Scott going the distance to eighth in '02?

So, who should we be watching this year?

Steven Ellery’s enduro form from 2003 shows that

the Super Cheap car could be one to watch. Bargs and Frosty made a good comeback after their delay at Sandown. Jones and John Bowe are always strong at Bathurst. And, if Paul Morris and Alan Gurr can get to the final stint in good shape, the Sirromet Commodore shows plenty of car speed.

And, if you have a bet and any of these guys get up, MNews accepts cash commissions ...

- PHIL BRANAGAN ■>

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The Lap of the

Greg Murphy’s pole lap at the 2003 Bathurst 1000 wasn’t just impressive, it was one for the history books.

Twelve months later, we sat down with Kmart Racing’s brains trust to determine just how the lap came together

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HERE were you when it happened? Do you remember where you where? I was at home! We were at the pub!

How many times have you had that conversation?

The momentous events in sport, as in life, leave not just a mark, but a time line. Remember Steve Waugh's four off the last ball of the day at the SCG? Or John Eales kicking the All Blacks' butt with the last-second penalty in the Bledisloe Cup? Greg Muphy's pole lap at Bathurst last October was like that. It seemed that, for 127 seconds, time stood still. In the car, Murph was holding his breath. In the Kmart pit bunker, so was the team. The country (hell, two countries) watched. It was eerie. Then, all hell broke loose.

How did it happen? ~ro this day, Rob Crawford and Erik Pender still grin at the thought of the lap. KRT's team manager and chief engineer were intimately involved with the Lap from Heaven and remember every detail.

"What we were probably more worried about was the fact that all the fast laps [in qualifying] were done on the second lap, not the first lap," says Pender, "So we were just a bit worried that we might not have the tyres up enough for the Shootout lap.

"And when Bowie did a good time I thought me might be in a bit of ... we might be second or 42

so. And then he [Murphy] got the tyres up in the warm-up, driving around - we'd spoken about it and obviously it came on."

So it was slightly pessimistic before the lap started - and even after that.

"He went through there [pointing at Griffins Bend] and went a bit wide, and I sort of looked at Rick [Kelly] and went, 'Ewww... I don't think the tyres are quite up yet'," smiles Pender.

"And then the same here [The Cutting], he had a bit of a wobble, and again it was just like Barry

his experience has matched the feeling for Murph's mercurial lap, though Crawford muses, "Only winning the race I" Of course, after the emotion (and the 2003 Shoot-out was late on Saturday afternoon, remember)there was still a lot to do. One of Crawford's big tasks was to keep the team concentrated on the race.

"I suppose over the weekend, I twice, or maybe three times, went and spoke to the guys on the cars and just said to them, 'Sunday is the big day, the rest is

"I thought it we did a 2m9s dead, or a high 2m8s, n something iike that, we might he ahie to manage -Pender was about to get the surprise of his Hie Oliver, I thought, 'it will probably be a quick lap, but you know, not quite fast enough'.

"And then he hit the first split, and it was, like, Jesus ChristI And then he hit the one [split] down here ... we had no idea he'd missed the gear until we were talking to him in pitlane. The telemetry showed a little bit, but you're watching the TV screen."

So, what was the team expecting?

"Well, because I thought the tyres might not be up, I thought if we did a 2m9s dead, or a high 2m8s, something like that, we might be able to manage, (laughs). That was the trick ...

Murph was in the zone."

According to Pender, nothing in

all crap'. Just put your head down and focus and make sure the car's right and that it can do lOOOkms faultlessly."

The debacle of 2002, where Murph and co-driver Todd Kelly looked to have the car speed to challenge for the win, only to suffer a five-minute penalty for a fuel spill in pit lane, was used by the team as a positive for last year. Revenge can be a great motivator.

"You come away thinking that you've made a horrible mistake, and that you had the race, or definitely a podium, in your hands and you've thrown it away," says Crawford.

"I suppose everyone in the team felt the same way, so there

was probably more focus with everyone on the team, not just the one person, to make sure that we got it right on the Sunday."

"We all copped it as a team, together," agrees Pender, "which, I think, made the team stronger."

And, what about back-to-back Bathurst wins for KRT? What is the plan?

"We'll just look at what we did last year," says Pender. "We had the speed of everyone running four stops. We weren't concerned. At the start, that first Safety Car - what was it, about lap 15 or something? - and everyone fired in and Murph got on the radio and said, 'should stop'? and I said, 'no, we're looking fine, we'll keep to our plan and do our own thing'."

Crawford: "The thing there, and it's the same at Sandown, if you can stay up at the front, you can get out of the way of the Dodo cars and the WPS cars.

That's what happened to Mark [Skaife], or HRT, last year - he got caught up with another car and it does your race."

Keep your nose clean, stay out of trouble and go fast. That looks to be the way to win the race.

And another 'six' wouldn't hurt, either. motorsport news

i.::

Six of the Best: Murf blasts out of the Caltex Chase on his way to pole position. Even today, details of the lap are debated; KRT's data showed he grabbed sixth before Murrays but CM swears he didn't...

2m06.8594s in the life of Erik Pender Muiph's engineer recalls what was running though his head Murph gets into the car a few minutes before he needs to, which is unusual for him. I can tell already that he is already really focussed on what he needs to do.

positioned the way it was because it was carrying so much mid-corner speed.

The time far the first split flashes up: / 51.5346s, which is 0.3s up on Bowe. IVe take a I tell him to start the car and go to the end of deep breath. Holy shiti pitlane. It's the last time we say anything to each other until he finishes his Shootout lap.

I watch the car going over the top of the Mountain, and it looks really balanced, really Murph drives down pitlane in readiness for fast. I notice a slight difference in the telemetry, his out-lap. We know the car Is good, but we're but at this point I'm more interested in the TV. I can look at the data later. not sure whether It will be able to get its tyres up to temperature quickly enough to do a good time on the first flyer. I'm also a bit concerned Second split: 1m25.8536s. We're 0.7s up. about John Bowe, who is out on the track as Please Murph,just finish the lap cleanlyl Murph is preparing.

He flashes past the finish line, and the time Bowe justifies my worries with a flickers onto the screens. My God, he's done a 2m07.9556s. Based on that, I think second for 2m6s. I go crazy. us would be OK. I run out of the garage and look up pitlane.

Murph joins the track, completes his out lap, Everybddy from all of the other teams have and then guns it for his flyer. I watch him go come out to form a kind of impromptu guard of through turn one from the pitwall. The car honour for Murph as he drives back to the looks good, and I can hear that he's on the garage. I can't believe it. It starts to dawn that throttle nice and early. The car sounds really something special has happened. strong.

Murph comes back and tells me that he I go hack into the garage to watch the rest of rnissed a gear. Yeah, right! I have to look at the data before I believe him. the lap from the screens, and see him run wide through Griffins Bend, and then get a bit loose at the exit of the Cutting. At the time, I thought Rob Crawford acts quickly to bring us back to that the tyres were not quite warmed up earth and refocus us on the big prize. It's great enough,so I turned to Rick Kelly and said, team-management in action - let's get on with 'maybe today's not going to be our day'. With the job at hand, and then we can celebrate on hindsight, I can now see that the car was Sunday night.

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LMOST a year after his historic Bathurst pole lap, Greg Murphy smiles when he goes through his memories of Saturday, 11 October 2003.

In Murph's own words, here are his recollection of that lap.

"It all comes back to a little bit of what happened after the race. The realisation of what happened started to sink in. What happened in 2002 was a lot bigger than I had let myself believe. What we did last year,from Thursday all the way through to Sunday night, was part of that. I told myself it did not effect me that much, but it did.

"Usually, Rob has to tell me to get in the car and stop babbling but, this time, I was in the car after three cars [ran]. I do not even remember what it was that I was thinking about; I was thinking about nothing.

"But I was extremely confident.

What we had already decided what we were going to do with the car leave it as it was. It was probably just a small change; maybe,we were talking about a spring. But we went with what we had.

"When I went out, I was clear.

Before the lap, Rob said to Erik, T am not sure that we have the car to do it'. 1 only found that out later, so I could not be concerned about it.

"I drove out while Bowie was still on the circuit and sat at the end of pit lane. I could see the reaction from the crowd across the track that he had done a seven. That did not faze me; I expected him to be the biggest challenger for pole.

"For the first half of the out lap, I ducked and weaved a bit but, at the top, I got into it normally. 1 weaved fast down Conrod and accelerated into the Chase; that is where the lap actually starts.

"There are three sections to the track; from the start line to Griffins Bend, then to Forrests Elbow and then back to the line. The middle 44

section is what separates everyone; it is the best part of the track.

"Turn 1 is a key; if you get that right, you carry that speed all the way over the lap. I braked later and got off the brake earlier. It had grip and we got through each corner really well. At turn one,it did not flinch; off the brake, flat on the accelerator.

"I missed the tum-in at Griffins because everything was happening pretty fast! It ran a fraction wide but I decided to stand on it and keep going. We had a little twitch and it gripped up.

"I could tell the revs were up before I got to the Cutting. It is often hard to judge how far to go before you settle the car for the braking.

But we got it right until it oversteered and revved hard, we got into third early and went flat, just before it went light over the hump.

"Around the tree, it was on the limiter, maybe 20 metres early. I thought I could make a gain through Reid Park and stay on the throttle as long as 1 could. It sat on the road and we fired up to McPhillamy.

"But still, I was not thinking about anything but the normal things. I do not have datum lap on the dash because 1 do not like it. I was concentrating on going faster at every point.

"At McPhillamy, the car felt really light but it felt quick. We speared through but I held it in fourth; I did not want to destroy my rhythm;four to third is an easy shift but I did not use fifth. I decided that before I went out. It is not worth risking a mistake.

"I was late over Skyline and she was dancing through the Esses. It was chirping brakes, nice and close to the wall through The Dipper and I went to do the 2-3 shift and I got first. It went to about 9400 and it stung me! That made me stop for a

When I came back into pit lane, it was,lioly slut, what have I done?' You rarely get an accolade like that tf

- Murph describes the reception he got in pit iane second and I thought,'Breathe!'

I thought Td blown it for a split second but the brain kicked in and told me that I had lost time in a section where it was only 100 metres to the next[braking] point.

"The Elbow was clean and I stamped on it straight away. It went 'bap-bap-bap' on the limiter all the way, it seemed to me,and we fired into the Chase fast. It flowed through, third at the exit because I felt second would slow the car too much.

"Coming down the hill, we got into fifth rather than hammer it on the limiter and I knew I was nearly home. I knew it was fast but I was wanting to know how much time I had nice.

"I went nice and deep into Murrays and it stopped nicely and then all I wanted to see was the time on the dash. It was a double-take! I went to press the radio button but I was a split-second late; all I could hear was noise from the other end.

"For such a small period of time, I have never felt anything like I did when I came back into pit lane. It was,'holy shit, what have I done?'

You rarely get an accolade like that.

It still sends a shiver down my spine.

'The race has so much involved

THE data traces of Murph's pole lap tell part of the tale KRT was understandably hesitant to show us the whoie story - but give an insight into how it all happened.

The data above compares the gear change points from a practice lap (in the case a 2:10.4), inside, to the pole lap.

You can see how much earlier Murph was grabbing gears (and he hits the rev limiter before Griffins, 1) to a normal lap.

But it also contains errors: the short blue dash before Skyline, 2, indicates that he grabbed sixth gear before Skyline, though Greg suggests he was still in fifth gear

in it but this built up in two minutes and six seconds. Hopefully, everything has built up to allow you to do your thing for that time. That is a highlight; that and the Bathurst victories.

"My big fears are that I will go up there and not be able to do any better. No - my biggest fear is that someone else will go up there this year and go faster ..."

Motorspon aewt

Data courtesy Kmart Racing Team

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TOP GLOBAL MACHilMERY COMPAIMY

PresEnts ‘‘made! af the month 9f

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© and hammering the limiter.

Murphy was into sixth much earlier on Conrod, 3, and uses third exiting The Chase (where he might use second on full tanks). That allows him to get onto the limiter again in fifth at Murrays, 4.

The map below compares speed traces from the pole lap, outside, to the practice lap. It shows how much more speed Murph carried into Griffins, 1, and how much corner speed he carried through the corner (more than 10km)- and then the moment he had with understeer.

From there, he carries the speed across the top and it way

faster over Skyline, 2 -more than 10kmh faster.

You can see the effect of the missed gear at The Dipper, 3, where the car lost about 8kmh but it is also clear that the car took little time to recover its momentum.

The car gets into sixth and onto the limiter earlier, 4, but the speed is equal until The Chase because it 'tops out' on both laps. Murphy is flat and quick through Chase, 5, more than lOkmh up on the datum lap.

From there, he is much later on the brakes at Murrays, 6, and 10kmh quicker onto Pit Straight.

Where good new awaits ...

Data courtesy Kmart Racing Team

1

Nicl^

I am currently working as a Personal Assistant and have been doing thisfor eight months now.

I also do promotional work and have been doing this full time for the past two years. The photographic side of the

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work is what I enjoy the best.

I love being a sporty person and enjoy wake boarding, motorbike riding and surfing. I ride a WZ250 on dirt trails when I can and wake board and surf through summer.

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Then and now:10 yes In 1994 John Bowe won Bathurst, partnering Dick Johnson in a brand new Shell/FAI EB Falcon. 10 years later, JB lines up in a BJR Falcon.

But how have the cars changed in the interim? He spoke to CHRIS LAMBDEN

A

DECADE is quite a time in motor racing but, on reflection, John Bowe doesn't think that V8 Supercars, technically, have changed as much as you might think.

"There's no doubt that things like the roll cage are a lot more complex than they were," he said.

"There's a lot more torsional strength, which allows you to take advantage of the increased sophistication in shock absorber technology.

"The other gain from that stronger car

construction is that the cars last a lot longer now. These days, a good car could last five years - there's no way they could in those days, with that much simpler cage.

"Other than that, the changes have been the sort of things that come from a general increase in engineering knowledge.

Things like multi-adjustable Penske shocks,four and sixpiston brakes.

And of course, there are a few more restrictions

place these days.

"But I guess you'd say that, overall, the cars today are certainly more sensitive to adjustment."

Engine development has been steady and, of late, subject to further restrictions particularly in terms of the weight of some of the moving parts.

"I'd guess that we've probably got 50hp more than we had in those days. The diff ratio

we are using is the same and we're well and truly on the rev limiter in top gear on Conrod."

Dick and John's success in 1994 was, according to JB, down to one very simple fact; "It was a very, very good car.

It was the first brand new car I'd had. That was the Stone Brothers era at DJR,so it was built by Jimmy Stone and Les Laidlaw ...

"It was a good era. There

BATHURST Z004

was a good collection of people there and they gelled together well. That's a crucial element of any good team and it remains as important today.

The Stones were 'my kind of people' —much as the guys at BJR today. It's

important.

It was also when the tyre war was at its peak and we had some very good Dunlops at the time.

That played its part in perhaps the mostremembered point of the 1994 race when, late in the running, a young Bathurst debutant (driving for HRT), Craig Lowndes,thrust his Commodore around the outside of JB in the Falcon at the top of Mountain Straight.

Yeah, I remember. chuckles Bowe.

Brad (Jones) was driving with Craig and had done the hard work and dragged the car up to the front as the race headed to its late stages. After the last stops and driver changes. I'd gotten away, but there was a Safety Car which let him (Craig) catch up again.

"We used pressure bleeders in the wheels in those days and our tyres took a fair while to get going.

"I figured I was a bit quicker, so when Craig went for it a couple of laps after the re start, I didn't resist. I knew we'd get back past and get away again. And we did."

The Bathurst-winning car went on to a successful, if truncated career.

"It was converted to an EF and we won the championship in 1995. In EF-spec, it was a fabulous car.

"Bathurst, however, wasn't so good the following year.

The Flolden guys, who were far superior in their politicking ability, got our undertray cut back and we struggled a bit from then on."

The car itself met an untimely end, destroyed in what remains Bowe's biggest accident, at Phillip Island, early in 1996.

Change for the good:John Bowe says today's V8 Supercars aren't that different to the one that took him to his second Bathurst 1000 victory with Dick Johnson in 1994. Advances in torsional strength in the roll cage and general engineering knowledge are the significant gains.

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: "tv Kl

Numbers MNews'resident stat guru MARK JONES looks at the Bathurst nunnbers game

Racing All Sorts

THE Bob Jane T-Mart's 1000 grid this year contains: n 38 Bathurst wins 19 Australian Touring Car Championships All five Konica Series Champions 27 Sandown endurance wins All eight Bathurst 24 Flour winners 2 Bathurst 3 Flours 2 Bathurst Konica Challenge Wins 7 Australian Super Touring Car Championships 6 British Touring Car Championships 1 French Touring Car Championship 4 New Zealand Touring Car Championships 14 Australian Drivers Championships (Gold Stars) 4 New Zealand Grands Prix 1 Indonesian Grand Prix 1 Macau Grand Prix 1 British Formula 3000 Championship 1 British Formula 3 Championship 1 British Formula Ford Championship

n 1 European Formula Ford Championship n 1 US Formula Ford 2000 Championship n 15 Austraiian Formula Ford Championships n 4 Australian GT-Production Car Championships n 4 Nations Cup Championships n 2 VSBrutes Championships n 1 Australians Sports Car Championship n 1 Australians Sports Sedan Championship n 3 British Thundersaloon Championships n 3 Australian Endurance Championships n 2 Australian NASCAR Championships n 7 Australian AUSCAR Championships n 1 Spa 24 Flour win n 8 AMSCAR Championships n 2 Mirage Cup Championships n 7 Targa Tasmanias n 1 Tasman Cup (Formula Flolden) n 1 Sandown 1 Flour n 1 Eastern Creek 12 Flour n 1 KartStars Series Winner

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Winning wan: Mark Skaife has his name on a few of these titles.

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50

moiortpon news

Don't Lie

Moore or less still there: Graham Moore and Dick Johnson shared this Capri in the 1976 race. They finished 10th.

Top 10 Bathurst Starters 32-Jim Richards 31 - Peter Brock 28- Bob Hoiden 27- Coiin Bond 26- Bruce Stewart Ailan Grice Dick Johnson Larry Perkins 24- Kevin Bartlett Graham Moore

Top 10 Bathurst Podiums 12- Peter Brock 12- Larry Perkins 12-Jim Richards 7- Colin Bond 7-Allan Grice 7- Allan Moffat 7- Mark Skaife 6- John Bowe 6- Dick Johnson 6- Bruce McPhee 6- Steven Richards

Fast Manufacturers Top 10 Fastest Holden Laps '03 - 2:06.8594 Greg Murphy '03- 2:08.1466 Jim Richards '03-2:08.4127 Garth Tender ■03 - 2:08.5696 Mark Skaife '02 - 2:08.8278 Mark Skaife '02 - 2:09.2949 Jason Bright '99 - 2:09.5792 Mark Skaife ■98-2:09.8945 Mark Skaife '99 - 2:09.9063 Craig Lowndes '02 - 2:09.9794 Steven Richards

Top 10 Fastest Ford Laps

'03-2:07.9556 John Bowe '03 - 2:08.4442 Marcos Ambrose '03 - 2:08.4587 Craig Lowndes '03 - 2:08.6875 Steven Johnson '03-2:09.0925 Paul Radisich '02 - 2:09.0988 John Bowe '99 - 2:09.5146 Mark Larkham '01 - 2:09.7785 Marcos Ambrose '01 - 2:09.9804 Glenn Seton '99-2:10.0001 Paul Radisich

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A These cars and this track aren’t easy to master, and our overseas friends know this. But for reasons unbeknown to us, they keep coming back!

CHRISJORDAN and GRANTROWLEYspoke to them

I

T'S a tough gig being an international driver at Bathurst.

If one looks beyond a few notable exceptions, the sad and sorry tale of the Bathurst tourist has almost always followed the same meagre path.

t

Some of the world's most talented touring car drivers have been brought to their knees once pitted against our cast of antipodean steerers and Mout Panorama's nuances. Also, the stark difference between a V8 Supercar and other touring car formulas has widened tire gap even further.

Granted,they are often brought out here as a high exposure alternative to fill a team's second car, but why then, have so few of the internationals tasted success? It would seem the answer is painfully simple: Bathurst is really, really hard to win.

Frenchman Yvan Muller, partnering Dean Canto in the second of Triple Eight's Falcons, puts the race's difficulty in simple terms.

"I don't think we can understand at all how hard it is to win Bathurst before coming to drive Bathurst. 1 think Bathurst is as hard to win as the Le Mans 24 Hour,for example."

So, we are left in no doubt of the scale of the task presented to our

"Every time you turn up pit straight and head up the mountain, you just smiie fr

- OzemaU’s John Cleland

foreign friends. But why do they do it? Motives depend on who you ask.

John Cleland is best qualified to answer of this year's Euro contingent He'll again driving with Andrew Jones for Brad Jones Racing.

"It's undoubtedly the most exhilarating motor racing circuit in the world, probably next to old Nurburgring," he said.

"Every time you turn up pit straight and head up the mountain, you just

stmle;it's one of those places."

Muller on the otlrer hand, values the golden pot at the end of the rainbow more so them the trip towards it.

"It's not that fun to drive these cars, because it takes time to get used to them ... so for me,it's more like a challenge that I come here for.

"1 have done many things, and 1 am proud of many things. There are some things that 1 have won that I really do not care that I have won, but for sure,I would be very proud to put it(Bathurst) on my palmares (career results)."

The circuit is obviously a huge part of the event's mystique for the internationals, and it evokes different emotions. Alex Yoong, the only of the internationals to be in his team's lead car for Bathurst (he'll drive the #23

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It's not as easy as it looks: Brit Jason Plato, top and Malaysian Alex Yoong found the sand and sludge at the Sandown 500 earlier this month.

WPS car with David Besnard),is not fazed by the mountain, but still greatly respects it.

“Bathurst is definitely one of the top five circuits in the world,but it's not... scary. At the end of the day it is just like any other circuit. It has its challenges, and you just try to deal with them the best that you can,and you approach it

n

like you would any other circuit.

So,just how many of this year's exotic cast will leave with their tail between their legs? Jason Plato has the somewhat unenviable task of carrying the hopes of the Peter Brock bandwagon atop his shoulders for roughly half the race,and he knows it.

"If we are doing well, and I'm in

the car, I don't want to go off at the top of the hill. 1 could imagine I'O be mince-meat. The fans wiU attack me!

"1 just love the place. The first time 1 came here was'97 in Super Touring Cars and out of all the tracks you go to over the years, it's the one that sticks in my mind."

Alain Menu has driven an array of

touring cars, but has again decided to chance his hand at the mountain, this year partnering Adam Macrow at Ford Performance Racing.

"It is one of the best tracks I've ever driven on,for sure and it's one of the main attractions to coming back. It's fantastic and far from easy to drive fast."

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53

Bathurst bits you didn’t know WHO is celebrating their birthday at Bathurst this year?

1976 Bathurst-winner Bob Morris turns 55 on Monday - Glenn Seton's dad. Bo blows ot 68 of the best on Tuesday-Tasman's Steve Reed goes the big ol' 54 on Wednesday, and Todd Kelly (25) and Paul Radisich (42) get to blow out birthday candles during Saturday's Shootout. n Which car is going to hit the fastest speed at the end of Conrod Straight this year?

According to Historic Touring Car driver Paul Stubber, he will! Stubber claims his yellow Camaro will be approximately 5-10kmh faster in a straight line than anything else on the mountain (although he'll be braking a fair bit before the Supercars ...). So keep you eyes, ears and speed radars peeled for Stubber over the weekend. n Camping at the Chase? Think again. Due to the construction of the Mount Panorama Resort at the Caltex Chase, spectating opportunities on the outside of the track are extremely limited, although opportunities still exist to own your own Panorama Palace. The resort will be completed by mid-2005.

Bob Jane T-Marts 1000

Racd Guide THURSDAY 1100 1420 1500 1545 1625 1705

1200 1450 1530 1605 1645 1725

BJTM 1000 Practice 1 BJTM 1000 Practice 2 BJTM 1000 Practices Carrera Cup Qualifying Formula Ford Qualifying Flistoric Touring Cars Race 1

1025 1105 1315 1445 1540 1635 1715

BJTM 1000 Practice 4 Formula Fords Race 1 Konica Minolta V8 Supercar Qualifying BJTM 1000 Qualifying Lower 50% BJTM 1000 Qualifying Upper 50% Carrera Cup Race 1 Flistoric Touring Cars Race 2

2001: Mark Skaife and Tony Longhurst

FRIDAY 925 1045 1235 1400 1455 1615 1655

SATURDAY 840 920 1000 1315 1500 1540

900 940 1100 1520 1625

Formula Ford Race 2 Historic Touring Cars Race 3 BJTM 1000 Practice 5 Konica Minolta V8 Supercars Race 25 laps Carrera Cup Race 2 BJTM 1000 Shoot Out

2002: Mark Skaife and Jim Richards

SUNDAY 715 735 750 810 1000 1745

BJTM 1000 Warm-Up Carrera Cup Race 3 BJTM 1000

2003: Creg Murphy and Rick Kelly

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BATHURST 200a

Support cast boasts BotJaneT-MartslOOO BitpyiList big numbers THE annual pilgrimage to Mount Panorama wouldn't be complete without a solid selection of support categories, and this year's event has some big fields in the Carrera Cup, Formula Ford, Historic Touring Cars and the third annual Konica Minolta V8 Supercar Challenge.

The KM 25-lap Challenge has 30 cars entered,including newlycrowned Champion Andrew Jones and Sandown 500 winner Greg Ritter.

Other drivers entered in thb KM race that will all play a dual role in this race and the BJTM 1000km are Paul Morris' Alan Gurr,Aussie International David Brabham and PWR's Matthew White.

Championship points will be on the line in the Carrera Cup class and

the top three drivers in the series (Alex Davison,Jim Richards and Fabian Coulthard) are all competing in the 1000km race.

The Formula Fords have just concluded their series. Fortunately for the 36 drivers in the huge field, Champion team Sonic Motorsport will not be competing, which leaves a whole host of hotshots to fight out the non-championship races.

The Biante Historic Tourers will also be at the track and are sure to revive many a mountain man's memories.

With all the on-track action, plus air displays, pit lane walks, merchandise-mania (and a trip to the top of the mountain,of course), it shall be a grand weekend.

- GRANT ROWLEY

JB Konica sprint; Mark Winterbottom won last year's Konica 25 lap Challenge.

1 2 3 05 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 14 15 16 17 18 20 21 021 23 24 29 31 33 34 43 44 45 48 50 51 75 88 888

'gn

Marcos Ambrose/Greg Ritter Pirtek Racing Mark Skaife/Todd Kelly Holden Racing Team Jason Richards/Fabian Coulthard Tasman Motorsport Peter Brock/Jason Plato Holden Racing Team Craig Lowndes/Glenn Seton Ford Performance Racing Alain Menu/Adam Macrow Ford Performance Racing Alex Davison/Jamie Whincup Castrol Perkins Motorsport Paul Dumbrell/Tony Longhurst Castrol Perkins Motorsport Caltex Havoline Race Team Russell Ingall/Cameron McLean Jason Bargwanna/Mark WinterbottomOrrcon Steel Racing Steven Richards/Jim Richards Castrol Perkins Racing Team Brad Jones/John Bowe OzEmail Racing Mark Noske/Lee Holdsworth Smiths Trucks/IMS Greg Murphy/Rick Kelly Kmart Racing Team PWR Performance Products Marcus Marshall/Matthew White Steven JohnsonAA/arren Luff Shell Helix Racing Owen Kelly/David Brabham Shell Helix Racing Mark Larkham/Matt Halliday Orrcon Steel Racing Andrew Jones/John Cleland OzEmail Racing Craig Baird/Mark Porter Team Kiwi Racing David Besnard/Alex Yoong Wright Patton Skakespeare Garth Walden/Grant Elliot Romano Racing Paul Morris/Allan Gurr Sirromet - Life/StyleAVine Steve Ellery/Luke Youlden Super Cheap Auto Racing Nathan Pretty/Allan Simonsen Repco Valvoline Cummins Team Garth Tander/Cameron McConville Repco Valvoline Cummins Team PWR Performance Products Christian D'Agostin/Kurt Wimmer Simon Wills/Paul Stokell Team Dynamik Dale BredeAWill Davison Team Dynamik Neil McFadyen/John McIntyre Wright Patton Shakespeare PWR Performance Products Jason Bright/Paul Weel Tim Leahey/Steve Owen Kmart Racing Team Anthony Tratt/Tomas Mezera Toll Racing Team Betta Electrical Paul Radisich/Max Wilson Team Betta Electrical Dean CantoAvan Muller

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55 I

And the experts say They flocked from far and wide to place their bets on this year’s Great Race. Here are what the pundits, pros and pretenders had to say...

ERIC BANA - Actor 1. Ambrose/Ritter 2. Johnson/Luff 3. Murphy/R.Kelly Wildcard: Tander/McConville

-11/

SANDRA SULLY - Network 10 news presenter 1, SkaifeA'.Kelly 2. Ambrose/Ritter 3. Murphy/R.Kelly Wildcard: Tander/McConville

-- -T' n ^

The favourites: According to MNews'selection of celebrities and racing identities, Marcos Ambrose and Greg Ritter will paint the town blue at Bathurst next Sunday...

WAYNE GARDNER - Former 500cc Motorbike champion 1. Ambrose/Ritter 2. Ingall/McLean 3. Bowe/Jones Wildcard: Skaife/T.Kelly GREG RUST - Network 10 Commentator 1. Ambrose/Ritter 2. Murphy/R.Kelly 3. Skaife/T.Kelly Wildcard: Tander/McConville

Bana: Ford Falcon quinella or a Valvoline victory?

BARRY OLIVER - V8 Supercar Track Commentator 1. Ambrose/Ritter 2. S.Richards/J.Richards 3. Lowndes/Seton Wildcard: Johnson/Luff

CHRIS LAMBDEN - MNews Publisher 1. S.Richards/J.Richards 2. Skaife/T.Kelly 3. Murphy/R.Kelly Wildcard: Bowe/Jones Gardner: Sticking with the Stone Brothers.

MATT WELSH - Australian Olympic Swimmer 1. Murphy/R.Kelly 2. Skaife/T.Kelly 3. Tander/McConville Wildcard: Brock/Plato

56

Dumesny: Not one Valvoline car there at all! ii

PHIL BRANAGAN - MNews Editor 1. Ingall/McLean 2. S.Richards/J.Richards 3. Tander/McConville Wildcard: Ellery/Youlden MARK GLENDENNING - MNews Deputy Editor 1. Bright/Weel 2. Ambrose/Ritter 4. Murphy/R.Kelly Wildcard: Bargwanna/Winterbottom

DALE RODGERS - Revolution Racegear 3. Ambrose/Ritter 4. Bright/Weel 5. S.Richards/J.Richards Wildcard: Bargwanna/Winterbottom CDIRK KLYNSMITH - MNews Photographer 1. Ambrose/Ritter 2. Brock/Plato 3. Murphy/Kelly Wildcard: Radisich/Wilson

MAX DUMESNY - 5 times World Series Sprintcar Champion 1. Ambrose/Ritter 2, Skaife/T.Kelly 3. Murphy/R.Kelly Wildcard: S.Richards/J.Richards HRIS ATKINSON - Australasian Rally driver 1. Ambrose/Ritter 2. Murphy/R.Kelly 3. Bright/Weel Wildcard: Bargwanna/Winterbottom

DAVID ADDISON - MNews' Europe Correspondent 1. Ambrose/Ritter 2. S.Richards/J.Richards 3. Lowndes/Seton Wildcard: Skaife/T.Kelly PETER HOLINGER - Holinger Engineering 1. Ambrose/Ritter 2. S.Richards/J.Richards 3. Skaife/T.Kelly Wildcard: Tander/McConville

RYAN BAYLEY - Olympic Cycling Gold Medalist 1. Ambrose/Ritter 2. Murphy/R.Kelly 3. Johnson/Luff Wildcard: Menu/Macrow

GRANT ROWLEY - MNews National Editor 1. Murphy/R.Kelly 2. Ingall/McLean 3. Lowndes/Seton Wildcard: Dumbrell/Longhurst

Uirk Khnsmilb

Rust: Playing the 'safety first' betting game, champion.

CHRIS JORDAN - MNews Staffer 1. Ambrose/Ritter 2. Murphy/R.Kelly 3. Bargwanna/Winterbottom Wildcard: White/Marshall

Atkinson: The rally star has put his house on Ambrose and Ritter. motorspori news

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Ruby Red China

Rubens Barrichello made it two in a row in China’s first Grand Prix. For once, all the ill-fortune that befell Ferrari landed in Michael Schumacher’s lap.

JOESAWARD reports on a fascinating race in Shanghai

4^

r

■●lartMri

FORMULA ONE

M

ICHAEL Schumacher was not his normal self in Shanghai last weekend.

The World Champion seemed to be disaffected with life and there were

»● '

whispers of a lively argument in the days before the inaugural Chinese Grand Prix. But these sort of things are never discussed in public and so we just had to base an analysis of the weekend on what happened on the race track.

And guess what? Michael made a mistake in qualifying and another in the race. He finished 12th. Michael Schumacher doesn't have races like this when things are going well. This was nuserable imless, of course, you are a Rubens Barrichello fan.

The Brazilian won his second consecutive victory and a great win it was,because at no time did Rubens have it easy. From the start he had Kimi Raikkonen's McLaren in his

The No Luck Club: While Rubens celebrated, opposite, Schumacher struggled with, among other things, a flat. behind him. behind these two men,he would much warning and as a result had to

mirrors and when that dropped away after McLaren outsmarted itself on

Barrichello is now guaranteed to finish second in the Drivers' World

strategy, Rubens formd that behind him came the BAR-Honda of Jenson Button.

Championship,so as Formula 1 heads to Japan there is not much left to play for. Michael is World Champion,Rubens is second and Button third. Fernando Alonso and Juan Pablo Montoya are fighting for fourth but outside the teams no-one really cares.

In theory at least, BAR-Honda is under threat for second place in the Constructors'from Renault, while Williams and McLaren are scrapping over fourth. Sauber will be sixth. So

Both men kept up the pressure all afternoon and Rubens was a very happy man when finally he crossed the line just a second ahead of Button, who had Raikkonen right

1

■TTr;

the only real interest is the actual races and we must hope that these are exciting.

Since the miserable race in Hungary a few weeks ago things have improved. The racing is good, so FI needs only to deal with the political problems and try not to mess things up too much.

w

hen all was said and done, the inaugural Chinese Grand Prix was a huge success. Formula 1 loved the facility; more than a quarter of a million people turned up over the three-day event, including 150,000 on race day. FI gave a good account of itself and, of course, the most important thing was that Michael Schumacher did not win. Michael has won so much that it has become dull.

Michael started from the pitlane, worked his way up to 10th place and then ran into the Jaguar of Christian Klien. The damage to Michael's car was minimal and the incident cost him very little time, although poor Klien was out with rear suspension damage.

A few minutes later Michael spun.

He lost three places, but more importantly he lost 10 seconds. That would cost him dearly a little while later when he came in to pit. If he had been 10 seconds further up the road, he would not have re-emerged from pitlane behind Jacques Villeneuve and Mark Webber. If he had not been

have found the road before him being cleared of cars as those on three-stop strategies went into the pitlane.

If that had happened he would have been up to third or fourth and he would have had time to stop and be back on the track before the final pit stops. He would probably still have suffered a puncture but he would still have been in the points rather than finishing 12th, which is a horrible result for a man like Michael.

Barrichello was thus left to lead the way and he did it well, despite considerable pressure from Raikkonen. If Kimi had been ahead he would have gone away from the Ferrari, but he was trapped behind for the first two stints. In an effort to break the deadlock McLaren decided to do something different and try to outsmart Ferrari, but the result was that the team outfoxed itself and Kimi dropped behind the twostopping Button.

They sorted it all out in the end and the three cars crossed the line nose-to-tail, keeping the Chinese fans on their feet.

"We handed second place to Jenson," said Ron Dennis.

Not a smart move really but it might have worked if it had been more obvious that Button was on a two-stop strategy. However he had qualified so well that McLaren assumed that he was going for three stops, and that was their downfall.

Well, part of it. McLaren did not help itself when David Coulthard ran into Ralf Schumacher (or vice versa, depending on who one thinks was responsible). The stewards thought it was racing incident and unusually,so did a lot of other people. This meant that DC had to hav'e an extra stop to replace a puncture tyre and do he finished ninth.

The incident took care of Schumacher Jr as well (possibly for the rest of the season)because when he went into the pitlane to have his car looked at the team did not get

decide to get Ralf's car out of the way and deal with Montoya first. Once that had been done, Ralf's car was checked over and found to be OK but Ralf had climbed out and did not want to climb back in again. Yes, he was two laps dovm,but you never know what will happen in a motor race and one can score points if the attrition rate rises suddenly, even if you two, three or four laps down.

You don't score if you stop and go home. The team did its best to paper over this business after the race but one could hear chuntering noises from the Williams garage which, drifting in the breeze sounded as though people were saying "Let's have Pizzonia back in Japan".

Button and Takuma Sato did brilliant jobs for BAR,both men driving quickly and consistently. The cars were not quite quick enough to win but Sato came from the back to finish sixth and Button's second meant that the team went home with 11 points and increased the advantage over Renault to nine points.

Alonso did his best but there was no way that he was going to do better than fourth, while Jarno Trulli's replacement Jacques Villeneuve was 11th. We knew that Jacques would need a little time to get up to speed but 11th was really not that exciting a result. The team does not have time for Jacques to learn. They need him to deliver.

Villeneuve's progress will be charted no doubt by his new employer for 2005,Peter Sauber. His team went home from Shanghai with three more points thanks to seventh and eighth places but given the pace in qualifying that was a disappointment.

Of the rest, no-one looked like a points scorer except, perhaps, Ricardo Zonta, who might have picked up a point for Toyota if he had not retired with a gearbox failure in hisTF104B. 59

QuaHiying

Where the red flags

Yes, there was a Ferrari on pole - but that’s only a small part of the story.

JOESAWARD witnessed an intriguing opening to the weekend in Shanghai

S

iK

M

ICHAEL Schumacher seemed to be out of sorts all weekend.

No-one was saying anything, but down at Ferrari something was going on. People were tense and the word was that Michael had thrown a wobbly at the start of the weekend about something. The thing was that no-one seemed to know what that something was all about.

Whatever it was, it did seem to affect his performance. Yes, the track was new and dirty on the first day and Ferrari was not in the hunt.

The track was difficult, with several corners boasting blind apexes and such things, but the biggest problem was the changing condition of the track, and the engineers talked about tyre choice being an educated guess.

What they meant by that was interesting: it was not so much a question of which of the two compounds was better suited to the track. It was more a question of whether or not the tyre engineers had guessed at the right kind of compounds.

Ferrari did not go to the top of the timesheets in any sessions until the second practice on Saturday morning.

The gap between Schumacher and the the third-placed Kimi Raikkonen was nearly six-tenths of a second so it was pretty much business as usual, even if Michael did talk about handling problems and not being very happy.

In the pre-qualifying session he was three-tenths ahead of Kimi and it looked for all the world as though he would mount a strong challenge for pole position but as he roared down into the first corner, the Ferrari spun.

There were looks of horror down in the garage area.

Michael Schumacher does not make mistakes like that. Michael Schumacher is always cool under pressure. Even before the car stopped spinning, one could imagine the delight of the sport's TV salesmen, who realized in a flash that starting Schumacher at the back of the race would add millions of viewers around the world. This was going to be a great show.

After his rag to riches

performance in Monza, Schumacher (who made a major mistake on the first lap in the Italian GP) would have a busy day passing cars on Sunday.

"I thought I HTad enough of this in Monza," said Schumacher later.

"If you know me, I never give up. I’m Michael Schumacher. I don't need to test my driving ability, but it's certainly interesting to do what 1 have to do from where I am now."

The odd thing was that no-one seemed to know why Michael had spun. He had simply gone rushing into the first corner, the car did not grip, and around it went.

"We need to find the explanation for it, which we haven't done yet," he said.

"There's no obvious indication of what happened. I don't want to say it's not a mistake of mine if it turns out to be, but I think I would be a little bit surprised." ooking in from the outside —one can rarely tell such things, but it looked as though Michael had his mind on other things.

Rubens Barrichello was therefore on pole position and he admitted that he had been shocked to see Michael spinning down the road. It is certainly not the normal sort of thing.

"I don't know if Michael was going to be able to beat that," he admitted. It did not matter.

What was done was done.

"The amount of grip we are going to get in the race is still unknown," he said. "I think that the rubber will definitely come ■oiorspart mws

up throughout the race and I think it could change a lot.

"It is difficult to know what to think. People seem to think that we have a problem with the tyre because they have seen we have a little bit of graining at the front.

"We have a very powerful tyre, which is obviously going to give us a little bit of understeer, but as the weekend is going on, the graining is getting less and hopefully tomorrow it won't be a problem."

On Satuday evening it emerged that Michael was probably going to have to have an engine change on Sunday morning and so the plot thickened a little bit. Was that a cause, an effect, or a coincidence? Who knows? The team does but they are not to tell anyone so as usual the press were in the dark, trying to make head or tail of the bizarre system of qualifying which today exists in FI. Barrichello ended up just 0.16s ahead of Raikkonen's McLaren and Jenson Button was right there too, just a tenth down on the McLaren.

What was interesting was that there was then a gap of about half a second back to the rest, who were packed like sardines on the timesheets. From fourthplaced Felipe Massa's 1m34.759s to Ricardo Zonta's 1 m35.41 Os there were 11 cars, so while Massa's time looked splendid it was only a blink of an eye faster than Juan Pablo Montoya's 11th place, which looked decidedly average. And this over a lap of more than 90 seconds.

29 siptemliir 2004

Strange times: The mind of Schumacher, below, appeared to be somewhere other than Shanghai on Saturday, leaving Barrichello, above, to carry the fight for the Scuderia in qualifying.

The logical conclusion was that different fuel loads were probably involved, but no-one could really tell. Raikkonen was nine-tenths quicker than David Coulthard but that was the difference between second and 10th (which became ninth when Sato was sent to the back of the class). And so it went on.

There were noteworthy performances from Sauber with Massa fourth fastest and Giancarlo Fisichella seventh. The team had the benefit of the latest development Bridgestone tyres, and clearly these were working well. It was a good showing. ~or BAR the situation was a litle similar to Ferrari, because while Button was serene in third, Takuma Sato had another dead engine on Friday and had to add 10 places to his grid position, which sent him backwards from ninth to 19th and bumped up those behind.

Ralf Schumacher did well on his return to Williams but he was still eight-tenths off the pole in fifth.

Fie was four-tenths faster than Montoya but the Colombian was back in 10th (his time actually being the 11th fastest one) Renault did not seem to be on the pace until the qualifying session, but Fernando Alonso ended up sixth while Jacques Villeneuve did a pretty good job to be just four-tenths behind although this put him 12th on the grid.

The Toyotas looked good for most of the practice and in qualifying ended up with Olivier Panis eighth and Ricardo Zonta 13th while the boys and girls at Jaguar Racing tried to keep morale up following the bad news from Detroit and Mark Webber was 12th quickest (and 11th on the grid) "I feel really sorry for the guys and the girls," said Webber. "It was a bit of a shock and 1 didn't think they'd give it (the team) the flick."

Grand Prix of

China

September 25 2004 Qualifying Saesion ClMsif)catk>n 1 ]2 R BarricheUo iScuderia Feiran j^adboro r 1:34.012 6 K Raikkonen FIN

B

[West^cLaren ^r^qs ' i 1:34.178 "+0.166 "

GB B9 J Button Strike BAR Honda i 1:34.295" +0.283

1 '^

4 1 12 F Massa '- ■T F Sauber Petror.as : 1:34.759 + 0.747 Sj4 R Schumacher 0 !BMWWill3rnsF1 Team i"l:34.891 + 0.879

Pj

'

616 F Alonso twrogavBnRgnajtFl Team, 1:34.917 + 0.906 :hoHa jSauber Petronas 1 1:34.951 +0.939

7

'Panasonic Toyota Racinp i l':34.975~ +0.9^ i tlucky Slfike BAR Honda_ i 1:34.993 + 0 981 llSDCouHhard OB i V\tes1 McLaren Mercedes i I 1:35.029 + 1.017 11|3 J P Montoya CO i B^IW Wi|i*afT\s_Fl_'feam I 1:3~5.245 ~ +~1.2^ " 12)l4MWebbo,

0«pG Ih

i 1:35.286 ~ +1.274 13|7JVillonouvo ikW Seven Renauq FI Team I ! 1:35.384 + 1.372 i 'Panasooid^yolo Racing ' 1:35.410 '+Y398 " ISM'^NHoidfold iJord^nFort I 1:^507 + 2.495 I I

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61

Taking the High Road

MNews FI Tech Editor PAOLO HUSETT1 details the Chinese changes

A NEW Grand Prix track like Shanghai presents not only a driving challenge but also a technical one.

Teams don't have data to prepare the set-up of the cars and must rely only on the computer simulations - and their accuracy can vary in terms of expertise, equipment or budget.

The Shang, as the track was dubbed, presents two separate sections, the first very fast with two long straights and a twisting, hilly sector. In some ways, it is reminiscent of Indianapolis, without the Mickey Mouse infield.

In that light, and because of the lack of previous data, changes were expected to be minimal. Both Williams and BAR had new front wings, with the FW26 showing a change in the inside knife edge profile placed at the bottom level of the endplates. This profile is not parallel to the ground but bends downwards, so to create a sort of channel with the outer edge profile.

The change creates a wider Venturi channel, which provides additional downforce, and diverts air away from the wheels. This could be a preview of 2005 wings, as next year front wing will be raised by 50mm under the new aero rules.

BAR had a similar change, with an inner edge with a new, sculptured profile. The endplates were also new and similar to the Williams. Odd isn't it, that two teams working independently of each other introduce such similar changes at the same race ...

After running a wider nose at Monza, McLaren reverted to its old narrow nose for The Shang but sources indicate that the 'Monza' model could be back of the cars at Suzuka and Sao Paolo.

Toyota slightly modified its bodywork in the area of the sidepods, the TF104s having the widest chimneys used so far. In this guise, the chimneys have dual roles and act as splitters for the rear wing. The cars, particularly that of Olivier Panis, looked very stable on fast and slow sections of the track.

62

Williams

McLaren

BAR-Honda

SHANGHAI STATS Fuel consumption 2.9 kg/lap 2.720 Cz(downforce coeff) 0.915 Cx (drag coef) 325kmh Max Speed Downforce 170kg Five braking zones/14 percent of lap Max deceleration 325-65 kmh at T13 160m Braking distance 4.2G Max deceleration 80kg Brake pedal load 910°C Max brake temp

DENSO

TOYOTA

TOYOTi

Toyota Hioioriporl nawt

FORMULA ONE

Trying to keep the wheels turning

PAUL Stoddart says he doesn't care what the FI team bosses say about his team.

He's going to be there next year whether they like it or not even if he has to have his own engine program. The Australian team boss has the capability to do a VI0 program and reckons he can afford it but only if the powers-that-be in the sport let him run this year's cars.

Stoddart claims that the withdrawal of customer engines at Cosworth is force majeure and has proposed to the FIA that Minardi be allowed to run the 2004 cars again because the cars are now so far

behind that they will not even have caught up with the rest of the pack if the others lose three seconds a lap in qualifying, Max Mosley's stated aim with the latest rules package.

It seems to make sense but that is no guarantee that the decision will go in his favour because there are some who believe that the aim of some of the top people is to wipe out the small teams and weaken FI to open the way for a new deal with the FI banks or the introduction of a new series, based on the GP2 regulations. Stoddart says he is not going to give up. Minardi may

struggle but the team will survive.

But the operation does not need days like China when Zsolt Baumgartner finished three laps behind at the end, the major incident in his race being when he skidded in the pitlane and managed to hit one of his own mechanics. Fortunately the only damage was a few bruises.

Gianmaria Bruni's race was ruined early on when a puncture led to a slow lap. He could not do much after that and could do nothing at all when one of front wheels fell off later in the race.

- JOE SAWARD

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Running Time: 45 minutes

Pedal to the Metal Colin McRae - The story of a racing phenomenom Pedal to the metal It's a phrase that perfectly sums up the driving style ol a man who might be the greatest British driver of all He may not be as powerful as a locomotive or leap tall building at a single bound, but he's about as fast as a speeding bullet Welcome to the life and times of rnolorsport s very own Superman' This IS the official and exclusive biography of rally ace Colin McRae and the ■' DVD IS crammed with all the ‘ best action from his stellar career including Ins World Championship success in 199b and many of his incredible accidents from iiie (la: decade

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Grand Pnx car around Silversfonc in his impie sive lost Running lime 104 minules

Freecall 1800 815 834 or order on-l ine www.motorsport.net.au 29 SsplsmbBr 2004

63

p

Oh yes, they must be counting the days at Toyota: Ralf Schumacher's return was cut short when he pitted the pram, above, prior to ejecting the toys.

Hold yer breath. Jack is back: Long-time chums Villeneuve and Montoya, above right, resumed their rivalry after a year off.

What if the Chinese do not understand me?

Kimi took third, far right, though he could have been confused by BAR'S new colours, right, and strategy that allowed Little Boy Blue to get second.

Chinese Grand Prix Results 56 laps/305.256km PoB I DRivtn I Race time|fabtebt| Lap 1

Barrichello

1:29:12.429

1:32.455

28

2

Button

1:29:13.455

1:32.935

33 53

1 2

3

Raikkonen

1:29:13.869

1:32.876

4

Alonso

1:29:44.930

1:33.625

55

5 6

Montoya Sato

1:29:57.613

1:33.108

34

1:30:07.211

1:33.533

36

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Fisichella

1:30:17.884

1:33.520

25

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Massa

1:30:32.500

1:33.483

43

9

Coullhard

1:30:33.039

1:33.727

26

6 FA

10

Webber

55 laps

1:16.070

56

11

Villeneuve

55 laps

1:16.852

37

12

M. Schumacher

55 laps

1:16.699

22

13

Heidfeld

55 laps

1:17.388

14

Panis

55 laps

1:19.937

15

Clock

55 laps

16 DNF

Baumgartner Bruni

53 laps

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37 laps

Zonta

36 laps

1:19.659

13

12 laps

1:6.809

14

Drivers' Championship: M. Schumacher 136, Barrichello 108, Button 79. Alonso 50, Trulli and Montoya 46,

16 TG 17 GB

6, Klien. da Malta and Heidfeld 3. Clock 2, Baumgartner 1.

Constructors’ Championship: Ferrari 244. BAR-Honda 105, Renault 96. BMW,Williams 64. McLaren^ercedes 56.

Sauber-Petronas 32, jaguar 10. Toyota 9. Jordan-Ford 5.

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A

FIRST-LAP pass around Jacques Villeneuve at Turn 6 set up a race-long battle with Renault's three-race standin at Shanghai.

While I'd managed to jump Juan Pablo Montoya's Williams at the start, Renault's legendary starting prowess and traction allowed Jacques to beat me into what is an interesting first corner.

However, I had a go down the outside into Six and it came off.

Otherwise Jacques, in a faster car overall, would have been long gone and I would have had a lonely race.

We spoke afterwards and he lamented 'being asleep' on the opening lap, because it pretty much defined his race. I don't think he planned on being stuck behind me all the way. It must have made for a long day ... but too bad!

Indeed, it was lucky that our fuel strategy let us go one lap more than Jacques on both occasions, otherwise he would more than likely have jumped me on one of them.

A

gain it was one of those races where everything went about as well as it could for us, but for no reward in points terms.

Our car is still a little too hard on its rear tyres and we were going to have to live with the fact that traction wasn't going to be brilliant once we were a few laps into each stint. Fortunately, I was a fraction quicker than Jacques through sectors 1 and 2 most 29 Stmimhtt 2004

times, which gave me a small buffer for that long, long straight. v/here he came on strong. in the end, it was a matter of making sure I got the braking points spot-on to keep him at bay. We also had to use the engine a bit harder than planned late in the race to make sure we kept him behind.

I was happy enough with my drive, although I did get the boys' attention at the second one. The concrete apron was very slippery and I slid past the spot by about a foot which, as I said, gave them a surprisel

I

don't think it would have made a major difference to the outcome, but our qualifying lap was only a couple of tenths or so away from grid 6 or 7.

Those couple of tenths probably went when the back of the car stepped out a bit at Turn 7 - it was quite close to losing it, I think! It was a shame, because our first sector time was very competitive I think we run a lot heavier than most on Fridays, where again we were nowhere, then slip up the order as the others start to add a bit of fuel on Saturday morning and, by the time qualifying comes, we're about as well-placed as we're going to be.

T

his weekend was a mixed one in many ways, with the guys coping with the uncertainty of the team's future contrasting with the general amazement at the facility the Chinese have built.

5

r

/ am being stalked by World Champs! Webber led Villeneuve and Michael home, top, after some pre-race chat from Mick Doohan, above.

I really enjoyed our three days in Beijing prior to the race, absorbing the atmosphere and culture and history of the place. I want to go back again, away from the limelight and have another good look around.

The track is ... interesting.

Like others. I'd say that with a blank sheet of paper and a seemingly unlimited budget, there was the potential for a really challenging and unique layout, which has only partially been realised. That aside, the facilities are just phenomenal.

T

he boys in the team are in good spirits, all things considered. They worked like trojans as usual and our effort wasn't compromised by what could be difficult times ahead for some of them. I really feel for them. Sure, there are some single guys with minimal

commitments, but there are also older, married guys with famiiies. For their sake, I hope the potential for a new owner is realised soon, without it dragging on.

I was as surprised as anyone that Ford took the option they did. I fully expected them to carry on and gradually build on the progress made.

It's one of the downers that people are picking up on in respect to FI at the moment and I for one can't wait for someone among those with the power to do so to get in and fix it. It can be done and FI can then get back onto the upward rocketship it has been over the last 10 or 15 years.

On a purely personal level, it's frustrating to be arriving at what I expect to be the juicy * part of my career at a time when FI is getting just a bit off '■ the beaten track ...

I

6S

I

N what is most likely to be the category's last hurrah in its current name and form,the Mallala round of the 2004 Nations

Cup Championship did not befit the great races we have seen from the exotic fields of years gone by.

That said, the round was able to produce a couple of firsts for some, and signs of potential for others, to inspire confidence as the category tries to grow new legs in some other guise.

Entering the round,Paul Stokell had already been assured a second consecutive Nations Cup crown in his Lamborghini Diablo GTR,but Team Lamborghini Australia did not take light of the final round, doubling their efforts by bringing along their second car for Peter Hackett.

The first race saw Stokell get the ascendency at the start from pole, but the Monaro of James Brock was not going away without a fight. The Team Brock-mobile was obviously beginning to work well, after a year of indifferent speed. Stokell, however, has the number one on his door for a very good reason, and was able to slowly eke out a gap with a series of quick laps and held the advantage for the remainder.

Behind, the second Lambo of Hackett was having to contend with Allan Simonsen in the Trophy class Ferrari 360 Challenge. By rights, the cars should not have been dicing, but as we know,Allan and Ferraris go hand in hand, and on lap eight, the Dane's red Coopers car was shoved 66

inside of Hackett at the Southern Hairpin. Hackett's comeback move at the next comer was not as successful, as Simonsen shut the door,sending the Lambo into a spin. Hackett recovered, but had to settle for fourth.

Brock was able to make the best of the rolling start in Race 2, catching out Stokell to go to an early lead. As the laps went on and Stokell and Brock swapped positions, one was given the feeling that both drivers were giving service to a more entertainment-orienteded form of

two championships, and we came reasonably close.

"We had lots of problems in GT Performance, but we came close: we got first in one,and second in the other."

Brock cruised home to take a popular victory, the red Holden flags awoken,triumphantly waved on the spectator mounds as he drove the final lap.

"It was good to have a dice up there with Stokell this weekend, but it was a pity that Paul had to park it.

But we'll take the win any way we

can get it," said Brock.

"The boys have worked really hard,it's great."

David Stevens was next past the post, his Porsche 911 GT2 proving to be a solid and reliable weapon.

Stevens finished only 4s back from the lead two drivers to collect third in Race 2, and then was able to capitalise on the Lamborghini woes to collect second in the final. Simonsen followed him home in third.

Ian Palmer's turbocharged Brabham Honda NSX had one of its better outings, with improved

racing, but in the end, the result was still the same, with Stokell leading Brock home.

The assembled crowd looked on as Stokell got the better start in Race 3, followed by Brock, David Stevens and Hackett. The race seemed to be going to order, until Hackett ground to a halt on lap 10 with gearbox problems. Then,just to prove that fate has a sense of humour,Stokell's car also succumbed to a broken gearbox at the same section of track.

Stokell parked his black beast adjacent to his stranded team-mate.

Stokell was philosophical post race, the round lost, but the championship well secure.

"The championship means a lot to me,and that's what it's always been about. My goal this year was to win Black Magic: Stokell went to Mallala with the title secure, but a gearbox breakage handed fames Brock's Monaro the round win.

I-v-W

t =

.. moiorsport news

NATIONS CUP / GTP

Holt's Win, Hemmes'crown

by CHRIS JORDAN

-- I

y reliablilty allowing him to grab a solid sixth and fourth in Races 2 and 3.

John Teulan capitalised on the absence of the Koundouris brothers to pass them in the points chase to become the 2004 Trophy class champion in his Ferrari 360 Challenge,finishing second to Simonsen in Trophy class in all three races.

-CHRIS JORDAN Final Points: Stokell 572, Pretty 415, Stevens 309, James Brock 238,Palmer 178.5,Peter Brock 156.

Trophy class: Teulan 312, Theo Koundouris 291, Simonsen 279.

GARRY Holt might have claimed the final round of the Australian GT Performance Championship at Mallala, but it was Sydney's Justin Hemmes who claimed the 2004 Championship, one of the most competitive the series has ever seen.

It did not come easy to Hemmes, who had a heavy shunt, pictured right, coming onto the front straight in qualifying when the left-front wheel on his Subaru WRX STi came adrift His ProTecnica team did a remarkable job to repair the car in time, going to the extraordinary length of flying a new bonnet to Adelaide via two Qantas business class seats to ensure that the car would be ready.

"The team are just amazing," said Hemmes. "They are the best team in the business.

They pulled that car into shape and put a new engine in."

The first race was simply a case of Holt taking advantage of pole and driving away from the field. He pulled a gap from the squabbling pack behind, and was never headed. Beric Lynton's BMW was able to hold out the Golf of Tim Leahey for second, while Steve Knight's strong run in that battle came to an abrupt end when his Evo cooked two pistons.

Hemmes' eighth was enough to see him secure the title, finishing behind last year's champ, Mark King.

Race 2 was an odd affair, with Holt again getting the jump off of the grid, and despite a Safety

Crunch: Hemmes found that WRX's with a wheel missing a hard to steer, and Tim Leahey, below, took the Race 3 win with style.

Car, Holt was again the victor, leading the duration. Leahey, however, was markedly closer, coming home in second, with Lynton third. King was a fast finishing fourth, and Hemmes fifth.

Leahey ruined Holt's perfect score of starts in Race 3, and the driver from Orange took a well-earned victory.

Holt battled on for fourth, conserving his engine from mid-race distance after warning lights lite up his dash.

Hemmes brought his wonderful season to a close

with second, but it was the inspired drive of Gary Young in his Evo that commanded the most attention, storming from 17th on the grid after a blown engine hose in Race 2 to finish third.

Paul Stokell had a tough weekend in the second VW Golf, but was able to battle on with a poor braking set-up to consolidate second in the series, ahead of Holt and Ric Shaw.

Final Points: Hemmes 433, Stokell 343, Holt 312,Shaw 302, Lynton 276, Leahey 260.

OI.OSN nwlne P»w

61

Chris Gilmour takes Formula 3 Championship lead as Team BRM boys stumble MOTOR racing is a tough business, and it has its ups and downs.

Sometimes you win, and sometimes things happen that you wish wouldn't. Case in point: Karl Reindler.

A series of good performances over the last few rounds had earned the West Australian the series lead.

Next round - Mallala, the home track of Reindler's Team BRM crew. Surely, the sensible money was on Karl.

After qualifying, the stage was set, with both sessions resulting in a Reindler pole. But a complication had arisen.

Tim Slade, an Adelaide lad, was making his debut in the category in the Team BRM Dallara F301 that Marcus Marshall piloted at the Clipsal 500 earlier in the year. Slade was second, not far from Reindler in both sessions. Although Slade had not been privileged with an abundance of practice starts, he was not too fazed by the process.

Someone who is never fazed is 16year old Kiwi Nic Jordan, who made it a BRM trifecta at the front of the grid for Race 1.

Chris Gilmour was also around the mark, despite a dismal first qualifying session where he placed sixth. The third grid spot for the second race was a better reflection of his potential.

Come Race 1, we surely didn't expect what we saw. Not only did Slade get an absolute blinder of a start, he lead every lap to take the win. As much as Reindler was able to harass him in the early stages, Slade knew exactly where to drive his car to keep him behind.

With only nine cars in attendance, the racing was always in danger of being monotonous, but it was highly satisfying to see the two team-mates 68

going at it flat out for the lead.

However, Reindler's chances for the win were smashed when his gearbox's selector fork was similarly damaged on lap nine, hampering his use of fourth and fifth gears.

Reindler dropped off the pace for a few laps, allowing Gilmour to slide through to second. Notably, once Reindler had familiarised himself with his gear selection conundrum, he was able to set a new lap record on the penultimate lap, although his pursuit of Gilmour for second was in vain.

The second race was looking like a cracker. The BRM boys again had the front row although it looked unlikely when Slade stalled on the take-off for the warm-up lap. Luckily, an official made a'home town' decision in waving him through, back to P2 on the grid for the start, and again, Tim did not disappoint.

The next 10 laps were a display of exactly what open-wheeler racing should be. Five cars - Slade, Reindler, Gilmour,Jordan and Aaron Caratti all embarked on a furious battle, with locked brakes, and desperate passing attempts at almost every corner.

Slade, however, was able to maintain

the lead thoughout. The five were all lapping within a tenth of a second of each other, but an incident that may prove decisive in the final Championship makeup was soon to end the spectacle.

After Reindler had made an unsuccessful attempt on Slade a lap earlier at the ultra-tight Nothern Hairpin, he followed Slade closely into that section the next time around.

Slade went in too deep,locking up and spearing straight off the circuit.

Reindler, who had been tucked immediately under Slade's gearbox, but not touching it, followed suit.

The two managed to rejoin the circuit, but a further spin from Reindler through turn one a lap later put to bed any chance of a revival, and he finished seventh. Slade was able to catch John Pettit, but could not find a way through, and came home sixth.

Gilmour, who had been very close to the BRM action ahead, inherited the lead in all the fracas, and was able to withstand pressure from Jordan to take the race and round win,also giving him the championship lead going into his

home event at the Gold Coast Indy.

"1 was just hanging back,staying with them, waiting for 'it' to happen," said Gilmour. "I'll be out there going around the Indy track on my push bike tomorrow."

Jordan brought a smile to the Team BRM's face, despite the dramas,to secure the Trophy Class championship,finishing second in Race 2. A solid weekend for Aaron Caratti was rewarded with third.

"Since Eastern Creek, when I was third overall, it has been getting easier and easier. This weekend,I wasn't really having to push myself until right at the end of the second race, when I was trying to get the lead," said Jordan.

Ian Dyk was lacking speed all weekend with gearbox and differential troubles, but salvaged enough points to remain a mathematical possibility for the title, by virtue of the three-race Indy format.

-CHRIS JORDAN Points: Gilmour 219, Reindler 210, Dyk,174, Pettit 137, Caratti 77,Pappas 70.

Trophy Class: Jordan 262, Carrick 172, Maddocks 150.

Homeboy: Slade was ultra-impressive on debut, Reindler gave no quarter, but it was Gilmour who laughed last. motorspon news

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Home IS whet ORWAY does not host a round of the World Rally Championship so Fetter Solberg has, obviously,formed an affinity with Wales.

The World Champion had to come from behind to run down Sebastien Loeb on the final day of Rally of Great Britain to take his'home' hat-trick.

For two days, Loeb led his rival, the Subaru driver starting the last day's four stages 7.3s behind Loeb. On the penultimate stage, Solberg attacked and went to Cardiff's final Super Special with a 5.7s lead. He added six-tenths to the margin to take his ninth WRC win.

Moving the event from November to*9lptember failed to deliver any im^WVBThent in

the weather on the British event, with incessant rain providing the same soggy conditions drivers are used to. With almost as much mud as the former November date, tffe main advantage was that the days were longer and the temperatures higher.

After taking an early advantage on Day 1 there were plenty of people betting that Loeb was on his way to another win and a stranglehold on the title. Solberg had made a slow start, thanks largely to a bad suspension set-up, however the

Norwegian fought back over Day 2 to set up his late challenge.

"I think this.was the biggest and most difficult win because I've never pushed so hard in my whole life on^hose last couple of stagesi" said^Solberg.

"For the people watching, it must have been incrediblel Sebastien is a very good driver, a really nice guy and it's been really good fun to have a fight with him."

For Loeb, an error on that penultimate stage opened the -door for Solberg in a battle he relished.

"It was very close all weekend, and we've been fighting for seconds on virtually every stage.

It was a great fight," said Loeb.

"I made a little mistake in the penultimate stage which cost me the win, but this is the nature of rallying. It was important for me to finish in the points and that's what we've done so I'm happy."

The Solberg-Loeb battle was so intense and captivating it almost overshadowed the performances of other drivers.

Ford's Markko Martin brought his Focus home in third spot after a difficult rally that caused

Pefter Solberg had to fight hard for his thir^straii but he came through when itfes^ JON THOMSON reports

WORLD RALLY

«the Heart is nurse his car to the finish of the him problems from the start. A lack of grip on the soggy stages stage but he was forced to retire soon after. dropped him down the order on No such dramas for Citroen's the first day, followed by a loss i Carlos Sainz, who had to settle of power mid-way through Day 2. He was then lucky his !for fourth. The Spaniard suffered campaign didn't end in the ditch f severe understeer on the first when he landed badly after a 'day after unsuccessfully trying crest on the same day. ; some experimental suspension Martin doesn't seem to have settings and was never able to the pace he displayed before the recover any of the time he lost.

He came close to Martin accident in Argentina, which left him with blurred vision. He had following the Estonian's engine dramas, but he never became a a torrid opening day, visiting the real threat to the Ford driver. scenery regularly but he is still Belgian Francois Duval, regularly taking podium spots.

He moved into third after the recently jettisoned by Ford for 0hd ef thi second stage on Day next year, again posted an

treacherous stages, Duval put his head down to set the quickest time on both runs through the stage. If the Belgian hadn't suffered from a lack of grip like his team-mate on the first day and a loss of front brakes, he could almost certainly have taken on Sainz and Martin.

All the way through the top 10 some tremendous battles raged.

Peugeot's Harri Rovanpera fought tooth and nail with Subaru's Mikko Hirvonen for sixth. It was a fantastic fight until the Peugeot driver eased ahead after dispensing with the

Gronholm hit a post and wrecked his steering. Gronholm had been right in the fight. matching times with Solberg throughout Day 1 but the Peugeot once again proved a handful for the lanky Finn, who is clearly frustrated with the 307.

Gronholm made repairs to

Finn four stages from the finish Britain’s Mark Higgins In a

outings in Finland and Germany, Skoda didn't have too much joy in Wales, with all three Czech cars suffering problems. Finn Toni Gardemeister was the only one of the trio to finish, taking 21st after losing time on Saturday's second leg.

British driver Guy Wilks took the honours in the JWRC from fellow Briton Kris Meeke.

In terms of the championship, Solberg has taken two points out of Loeb's lead, with 28 points now separating the two with four rallies left in the title.

It'll be tough for Solberg, but he has shown he is up for the fight and signalled he will continue to challenge far the retention of his

privateer Ford looked certain to take the final points position b ut Austrian privateer Manfred Stohl took the slot after Higgins's Focus stopped on the penultimate stage, eventually finishing down the order in 16th.

While it had successfu

The next round should provide the exact opposite to the mud and slush dished up in Wales with dusty dry conditions expected on Sardinia, where the Rally of Italy will take place for the first time.

2 when Peugeot's Miteus

Imprisslve performenei te secure fifth in his Focus, For

Duval, such a lowly position seems unjust after some scintillating driving. Most daring was his speed through the troublesome and hazardous stages in the Epynt army range on Day 2. While most of his rivals complained about the

title right te the bitter end.

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Fully Recaver-Ed ED Ordynski has declared himself 100 percent fit ahead of this weekend's Rally of Melbourne.

Ordynski was hospitalised after crashing heavily on Watagan Road during the second heat of last month's Premier State Rally.

"The injury that I had was to my right shoulder," Ordynski explained.

"It was primarily caused by the seat mount moving a touch during the crash that allowed the right shoulder harness to have maybe 20 or 30 millimeters of looseness, and it effectively pulled my shoulder back. So I do have to be a little bit careful with it, but there's no reason it shouldn't be 100 percent for driving competitively."

Ordynski's car was destroyed in the accident, and he will take to the forests on Melbourne's outskirts in the first Walkdenbuild Lancer EVO VII-the same car that he used at last year’s Rally of Canberra.

The South Australian will go into this weekend’s final round of the Globalstar Australian Rally Championship in the unfamiliar role of having to serve as rear-gunner for team mate Juha Kangas, who is one of four driver in with a shot of securing the 2004

Championship.

"My performance actually hasn't been as good this year as in previous years," the 48year-ofd admitted.

"Some of that has been just plain-bad luck. I'm a strong believer that you make your ownjuck, but I’ve had those events, like in Queensland, where you just get punctures at the wrong time.

"But I've been given a fantastic car from the Waikden team. It's an equal car to Juha's. I just haven't done as good a job as Juha has.

"A little bit of that is because, I guess, Juha is the guy who has been with the Waikden team now more recently than me, even though I was with them in the '90s, and has good communication with the Finnish engineers who predominantly provide most of the good bits on the car.

"But it's been a very good position for me to be in at this stage of my career. Thirty years in the sport, sometimes you have to ... not accept the number two position, but the way the points have gone, certainly at this part of the championship, I have to be a strong number two, not the prima donna."

- MARK GLENDEIMNING

Hie End ofthe Line

PEDDERS Suspension Rally Team has dropped a bombshell by announcing that it will withdraw from competition following this weekend's NGK Rally of Melbourne.

The Mitsubishi-supported privateer team made the announcement on Network lO's RPM program on Sunday.

"With out current rapid rate of growth,both domestically and internationally, coupled with the increasing competitiveness and required professionalism and committment of key resources and manpower to the Globalstar Australian Rally Championship,it has proven impossible to be able to fully commit to both," said Pedders Suspension Managing Director Ron Pedder.

"This, for both personal and commercial reasons, has been an exceptionally difficult decision to make."

Lead driver and Pedders Marketing Director Scott Pedder said that this weekend's Rally of Melbourne will be an emotional finale for the team.

"Obviously emotions will be high, with Melbourne being our home and last event," he said.

"It has been a pleasure to be part of a team that has developed and grown together since 1994, and to be part of a championship that is not only highly competitive, but increasingly professional and thus commercially viable.

"From a Pedders marketing viewpoint, rallying will continue to play an important part of our promotional mix."

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Monster wants reform!

SUZUKI Sport Director Nobuhiro 'Monster' Tajima has given the World Rally Commission a serve over the spiraling cost of competing at the top level and warned that the Japanese maker would not build a World Rally Car unless costs are addressed.

Despite the fact that Suzuki is apparently well down the track to producing a World Rally Car, Tajima said it is unlikely to launch a full-scale attack with a four-wheeldrive car unless the Commission does something to reduce the complexity of the cars and the costs which result from that.

"World Rally Cars have become so advanced and so expensive that the current formula has become a deterrent to manufacturers thinking of getting involved," said Tajima.

"A winning rally team needs too many engineers and too many specialists for a new

manufacturers to have any hope of success, but I do welcome the idea of banning semi automatic gearchanges and restricting active differentials."

Tajima said that simpler regulations will mean newcomers can win and more manufacturers will be interested in participating.

"Hannu Mikkola, pictured above with Tajima, is a very good friend. In his time, is very simple: sound is OK, action is OK, cost is not so huge. The driver can win. Now, it is like a computer game.

Tajima hinted that the longmooted regional rally car concept might be one way of hosing down the price and complexity Suzuki is expected to continue in the Junior World Championship next year, but on a reduced scale.

- JON THOMSON

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RALLYING

Ford: Watch This Space

A DECISION on Ford's future in the World Rally Championship is expected in the next couple of weeks, with some hints that the company's decision to pull out of FI may have boosted the chance of it remaining in rallying Ford of Europe motorsport director dost Capita has said that discussions over the future of the WRC program are continuing and that the withdrawal from FI was not necessarily a precedent-setter.

"We are working with Malcolm Wilson to keep Ford in rallying," said Capita.

"It's different from last year's decision. We are making a decision about a long-term program that will take us well into the future."

The decision that Ford executives are discussing is centred around 2006 and beyond, with the need for a major investment to develop the new Focus for a program that will stretch to 2008.

If Ford isn't willing to make

the commitment to fund a long term program with the new car, it is unlikely to spend more on the current car.

Wilson says that M-Sport has plans to improve the existing Focus in the short-term, but that decision is still in limbo.

M-Sport has already produced some of the computer generated data that it needs to create a World Rally Car based on the new Focus, but is unwilling to complete the work while its future is unknown.

- JON THOMSON

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Light ’em up THE FiA trialled a new safety initiative on the Rally of GB with the fitting of an electronic yellow flag system.

The new system was fitted to several of the leading competitors and involved a yellow light on the dash which can be triggered by rally organisers using the same transponder links used to track the cars over the stage.

The idea is that if a major crash or problem occurs on a stage, the organisers can turn the light on by remote control telling the competitors the stage has been neutralised, allowing them to drive the rest of the stage as a road section and hopefully ensuring that they don't get tangled in the original problem or take unnecessary risks not knowing the stage tine will not count.

The system will be trailed for the rest of this year and introduced full time in 2005. n Mildura farmer John Hederics and Jamie Cunningham emerged as the auto and moto Australian Safari winners after a 5000 kilometre torture test through outback NSW. It was Hederics' second Auto win, and after beating the Holden factory team in 2003 he was lured to the General this year and piloted a ferocious 5.7 litre hybrid Rodeo Ute to the win.

Cunningham recaptured the event for Honda after Andy Caldecott's five-year domination on KTM. Caldecott was kneecapped by an engine failure early in the event.

Peter Brock led the event early before a crash out him out of contention in the second of the hybrid Rodeos on Day 3.

- JOIN! THOMSON

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CPumD oh so close JASON Crump is now virtually assured of his first Individual World Spedway title after finishing runner-up in Poland to home rider Tomasz Gollob.

Crucially, Crump finished a place ahead of his nearest rival for the title, five-times World Champion Tony Rickardsson. It means the 29-year-old Australian has only to get beyond his second ride in the final event at Hamar in Norway on October 2nd to be sure of the title after the frustration of being runner-up for the last three seasons.

"I was under a good deal of pressure tonight and my focus was not to concede any points," said Crump, "After Greg (Hancock) went out,I knew that it was between me and Tony. I was happier with my first start of the final before the re-tun, but in the end I just couldn't keep up with Tomasz!"

An eventful final saw Crump up against Rickardsson, the Norwegian Rune Holta and Poland's top man Tomasz Gollob. Gollob took a tumble with Holta on the first bend and was probably lucky to be allowed in the re-run by British referee Tony Steele.

On the restart, the Pole jetted from the tapes,sped roimd the outside of bends one and two and then never looked back to win his home GP for the third time in succession.

Rickardsson was last entering the

i Eat this: Crump, above right, has one hand on the world title after second in Poland, beaten by home town hero Gollob, who then rewarded the Aussie with a champagne-shampoo. miki'-pAlrkk.vt sixteen and the main event. He back straight, but forced his way past Holta to battle Crump all the way to the chequered flag.

Leigh Adams,the Mildura rider who has been in contention for much of the season,finished third in his semi-final to end his challenge although he's been the most consistent competitor all season, having reached the semi-finals of all eight meetings.

For Ryan Sullivan, there was again acute disappointment. The Melboume-bom rider was again eliminated before reaching the last

cannot now finish in the top eight of the series and gain an automatic spot in next year's series.

He struggled to third in his first race,survived an eliminator and then came second in Heat 11 to reach the main event before ending his night third behind Crump and Gollob in Heat 14.

-TONY MILLARD

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Points; Crump 147, Rickardsson 130, Hancock 117, Adams 115, Nicki Pedersen 100, Gollob 95.

Veal takes top end trail I SIXTEEN teams from around 5 the nation converged on the I Northern Territory Sprintcar Trail over the past few nights, with Warrnambool’s Ken Veal keeping a cool head despite the warm conditions to claim the overall victory as the others crashed away their chances.

Veal, left, claimed the opening two nights held at Darwin’s Northline Speedway, and was unlucky to not win the third in Katherine after leading the majority of the distance, only to

tangle with a backmarker just three corners from the finish.

Fellow Victorian Alan Barlee was able to collect the victory.

Veal was back on top on Night Four in Alice Springs, leading from start to finish and in doing so, had led an incredible 84 feature laps from 85 runs.

The Grand Final night, also in Alice Springs, was again won by Barlee, who secured second overall in the series. Top local was Danny Porter, who captured third overall.

- PARIS CHARLES ( harlps

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THE Reeve Kruck-run Titan Garages team will be heading stateside for a full attack on the 2005 World of Outlaws season in a US-Australian assault centred around American star Daryn Pittman.

The team has hired space in Brownsburg, Indiana from US racing legend Bill Simpson and have moved away from the Eagle chassis they have been running for years, now

developing a shock package to suit their new Maxim chassis.

Long-time crew chief Glenno Inglis has already been working in the US with Pittman during the 2004 Outlaws season.

While Pittman will also be joining the team’s Australian campaign from Boxing Day, new recruit Robbie Farr will be doing the bulk of the local racing, beginning this weekend in Brisbane.

- MARK JONES

STEPHEN Bell is to drive for the

Adelaide-based Disbury Family Racing team this season.

Bell, above, will suit up for the team on October 30 at Murray Bridge Speedway and back up the next weekend for the prestigious Australian Sprintcar Masters at Speedway City.

Bell will be keeping the seat, warm for American gun Jason Johnson, who will return to the team mid-November.

Speak to the owner BACK in June there were some strong rumours regarding Earl Baltes and his famed Eldora Speedway.

Nothing more was heard of these rumours until now when Baltes, one of the most colourful and influential characters in short track auto racing, announced his impending retirement at the end of the 2004 season, after 51 consecutive years of ownership.

The rumours suggest that NASCAR champion and World of Outlaws team owner Tony Stewart has in fact bought the famed Ohio half-mile.

Whether or not Tony Stewart has bought the facility has not been officially mentioned, other than assurances from Baltes to say that the tradition and legacy of Eldora will live on.

- BRETT SWANSON

AUSTRALIAN Sprintcar ace Skip Jackson returned to the Winner's Circle on Saturday night during the running of the latest round of the Sprint Invaders series staged at Lee County Speedway.

Jackson, who was driving the #50 car owned by Rich Deru and Scott Boner Racing, hit the front on lap 12 after starting from position four in the 25-iap event, cruising to victory ahead Brett Mather and Johnny Anderson in second and third respectively. n Tim Shaffer claimed his first WoO victory of 2004 on Saturday night at Powercom Park Raceway, leading the entire 40-lap distance, giving car owner Lonnie Parsons his first WoO victory. Steve Kinser greeted the flag next, followed by Craig Doilansky in third. Aussie Kerry Madsen claimed his highest WoO feature finish with a fine fourth place, with Brooke Tatnell 17th, n A huge billboard advertising the Parramatta City Raceway is to be erected along the M4 Motorway.

With support of Titan Garages, the billboard will feature American ace Daryl Pittman's sprintcar. With the M4 running alongside the speedway this is an ideal way of advertising the speedway and sprintcars in general, with thousands of cars passing every day. n Also on PCR, after two years absence, Steve Raymond will return to the microphone this season, joining Colin Farr and David Tapp in the commentary team.

Raymond has been one of Sydney's leading speedway announcers since the 60s, joining his brother Mike firstly at the famous Sydney Showground, Westmead Speedway then onto Liverpool Speedway before going onto the PCR in 1991, Steve also pioneered the SBS Speedweek program in the early 1990s and in 1998 he was awarded the Order of Australia for his contribution to television and radio journalism and services to the community.

- DANIEL POWELL/ GREG BOSCATO

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. . . .Tim Shaffer ...Steve Kinser .Craig Doilansky . Kerry Madsen ... Jason Sides . Daryn Pittman .Travis Whitney .Shane Stewart . . .Mark Kinser . .Joey Saldana

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75

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ESTERN Sydney International Dragway was the venue for the

opening round of the 2004 Australian Professional Drag Racing Series - the AC Delco East Coast Nationals - held last weekend.

Ben Bray stamped an early claim on the Top Doorslammer title with a first-up win against the fastest field of Doorslammers ever seen in Australia.

Bray snuck past Robin Judd in the quarter final and just pipped Steve Stanic to set up a shoot-out with Brett Stevens in the final.

But the anticipated clash turned out to be an anticlimax after Stevens broke, allowing Bray a free run to the opening round victory. Bray set a time of 6.103s at 233.16mph.

Stevens was fortunate to make the final after a gutsy win in the semi against Maurice Fabietti. Fabietti eliminated crowd favourite Victor Bray in the quarter final.

Western Australian Grant O'Rourke made an early exit from the meeting after the veteran violently hit the concrete wall in his Monaro. The car burst into flames, but O'Rourke escaped with minor injuries.

Darren Morgan won his first Top Fuel final after beating Luke Shepherd, who had the fire go out at the 330 foot mark. Morgan went close to crossing the centre line, but a pass of 4.873/298.73 was enough to secure the win.

Steve Reed had problems in his semi run against Morgan and was quickly out of contention. But it probably wouldn't have mattered anyway.

Morgan's time and speed (4.861/303.91) was the fastest of the meeting Shepherd made light work of his semi clash with Darren Di Filippo, who broke the start.

Terry Sainty was ordered by officals to shut his car off in the quarters after an oil leak was detected.

Wayne Newby applied the heat to 76

ion

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the Top Alcohol final.

Newby launched at the green with superb reaction time and cruised to the line at 5.893/204.42.

Newby stitched up quarter finalist Mark Sheehan before taking care of Queenslander Steven Reed in the semi.

Phillips knocked off Doorslammer foe and Top Alcohol new boy Brett Stevens in the quarters and was given a free ticket to the final when Dean Oakey failed to start.

Stevens made up for his early Alcohol exit by winning Top Bike in an all-Jack Daniel's Racing final.

Stevens comfortably took the win (6.957/192.44) ahead of team-mate Troy McLean.

Stevens just beat Craig Bonwick in the semi after dropping a cylinder close to the finish line.

McLean's entry to the final was easy thanks to Dave Boreham, who broke the green light.

In Pro Stock, side by side was what the racing was all about.

Nick Xerakias (7.389/183.47)just edged out David Rogan in a thrilling race. Neither driver had won a Pro Stock final before, but Xerakias pipped him at the post.

Defending Australian Champion Tony Wedlock edged Jason Grima in the first round of Pro Stock, but fell to Xerakias in the semi.

The first and second qualifers in Pro Stock Motorcycle, Nevil Langley and Sam Scerri, met each other in the final, and the pair didn't disappoint the crowd.

Langley (7.593/174.21)just beat Scerri (7.707/175.87) after Scerri got the initial jump at the start, but by quarter distance, Langley was in front a stayed their for the remainder.

The semi-final casulHes were Galium Godeassi and Michael Gilbertson.

In the other classes, David Llyod stormed to a win in Modified, Super Comp went to Les Heintz and

Fast and Furious: Ben Bray, top, beat Brett Stevens in the Top Doorslammer final. while Darren Morgan was sintillating in Top Fuel, above.

Crunch time: Grant O'Rourke hit the wall in his Monaro, right.

Richard Caval won Super Gas. Andrew Ashley claimed Super Street, Rick Hay was just too strong in Modified Bike while Peter Hatzikalimnids took out Super Sedan.

Shane Duyvestyn won Junior Dragster when Sam Panetta red lighted.

The second round of the series heads to Willowbank for the 39th iTEL Nationals on November 6/7. molorsport news

RAG RACING

Hurricane Ivan postpones Nationals

Schu and Worsham win POWERADE points leader Tony Schumacher thundered to his eighth Top Fuel win of the season last Sunday in the O'Reilly NHRA Fall Nationals in Dallas.

The victory enabled Schumacher to pad his points lead to 217 points with just four races remaining.

Schumacher shared the spotlight with Greg Anderson, who completed the quickest title run ever with his second successive Pro Stock world championship, which he wrapped up in the opening round of eliminations when his closest pursuer and team-mate, Jason Line, was defeated in the same round.

In the Top Fuel final, Schumacher defeated Dave Grubnic, posting the quickest elapsed time of the day at 4.57s and 325 mph.

Schumacher, the fourth qualifier at 4.58s, stopped Australia's Andrew Cowin, Cory

McClenathan, and Morgan Lucas enroute to his 41 st career final round appearance.

Cowin qualified into the 12th spot at 4.70/316, and recorded a 4.72/316 in the opening round, but fell to Schumacher.

Del Worsham, above, remains perfect in Funny Car final rounds this year after motoring to his fourth victory of the season over finalist Cruz Pedregon. Worsham posted a winning 4.93s at 315 mph to defeat Pedregon's close 4.94s at 307 mph.

Pro Stock racer Dave Connolly scored his second career victory, defeating Bruce Allen in the final round. Connolly left first and never looked back, taking a 6.81/203 to 6.89/202 win.

Racing to his fifth final in the last six races, Connolly's Bullet Motorsports Chevrolet Cavalier posted round victories over Ken Koretsky, Kurt Johnson, and Allen Johnson before disposing of Allen.

- DAVID OSTASZEWSKI

Lubrlonis

Kath for Qld debut KATH Stevens, wife of Australian drag racing stalwart Brett, will make her Top Doorslammer debut at the Nationals in Queensland in November where she’ll become the first lady to ever compete in the wild category.

Stevens was set to make her first appearance last weekend at WSID but crashed her '63 Con/ette in a licence run a week prior. The car’s chute failed at the end of the straight, sending her leaping over the sand trap and through a tyre barrier. Getting the car ready in time was not a problem, but her fractured ankle was ...

Still, Stevens remains upbeat and is ready to create drag racing history at Willowbank.

"It’s all a learning curve so I haven’t put any huge expectations on myself in my first season,” she said recently.

“But in saying this I’m definitely not going to be taking it easy, I’ll be doing my best to shake up the field."

- GRANT ROWLEY 29 September 2004

TWO days of heavy rain showers from the remnants of Hurricane Ivan completely saturated the grounds of Maple Grove Raceway two weeks ago, including the racer pit areas and spectator parking lots.

This forced NHRA officials to postpone the 20th annual Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals until October 8-10.

The completed qualifying session for Pro Stock and Pro Stock Bike will be carried over until the rescheduled event. Andrew Hines leads Pro Stock Bike with a 7.137 at 186.51 on a Harley-Davidson, while Ron Krisher sits on top of the 16-car Pro Stock field with a 6.850 at 201.37 in his Valvoline Chevy Cavalier. n Danny Rowe claimed his second AMS Pro Modified Challenge win of 2004 in Dallas when defeated Tommy Gray in the final round.

Rowe recorded the quickest run of the day, a 6.23 at 229 mph, for the victory.

Rowe had earlier defeateded low qualifier Fred Hahn and Kirk Kuhns to reach the final round of the ninth outing on the 10-race AMS Pro Modified Challenge. n John Nobile scored his first career IHRA Sunoco Pro Stock national victory during the ninth annual Amalie Oil IHRA North American Nationals at New England Dragway in Epping, New Hampshire.

Joining Nobile in the Winner's Circle were Top Fuel winner, Bruce Litton, Pat Musi in Pro Modified and Jim Sickles in Alcohol Funny Car. After stopping John Bartunek, Robert Patrick and Carl Baker in the opening three frames, Nobile put away low qualifier Rob Mansfield on a holeshot in the final round, 6.51/215 to 6.49/215.

Mansfield earlier stunned the capacity crowd when he drove to the quickest elapsed time in IHRA history by going 6.425s to top qualify.

Litton scored his first victory of the season when Tm Cullinan couldn't make the call for the final round. Litton defeated Rick Cooper and Clay Millican enroute to the final.

Musi, a nine-time IHRA Pro Stock finalist, scored his first-ever Pro Mod win with a final round victory over Steve Salvadore in an all '57 Chevy battle.

Jim Sickles won Alcohol Funny Car, his third victory in his last four apperances in the series. Sickles (6.05/236) stopped a tyre-shaking Rob Atchison in the final.

- DAVID OSTASZEWSKI 11

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uo Marcus picks up Mallala win while Dannien secures BRutes Championship

by RICHARD CRAILL MARCUS Zukanovic carried over his recent good form in the Poolrite VSBrutes series at Mallala a fortnight ago,taking two wins and a second place to end the seventh and final round of the championship with the overall win.

But it was Damien White who perhaps had the most to celebrate, wrapping up his first BRutes series after four years of trying with a third overall for the weekend.

Race 1 started cleanly, with the entire field doing the unthinkable y and getting through turns one ,/ and two without incident. Out in front was Dave Griffin, who converted his pole position into the

nice and early. Local hero Gary Baxter was right behind, eventually getting past Griffin on lap two.

Griffin was left to hold off Damien White, who slipped by on the following lap with a bold move into turn one. White then began dropping back through the field, slowing as his Team Brock machine dropped onto seven cylinders with a loose spark plug lead. He eventually finished seventh, enough to claim the title.

Starting from ninth thanks to the 'Chook lotto' draw, Zukanovic made a brilliant start and had moved into the top six early. By lap 10, he was second and set about closing the gap to leader Baxter, the two fighting tooth and nail for the last two laps with Baxter eventually holding off the Ford driver off to win by just a few tenths.

Luke May drove one of his best races of the season to be

Race 2 was a rough affair, as a massive battle for the minor positions caused all sorts of carnage.

Zukanovic would have none of that though as he passed-his way into the lead on the second lap and ran away from the dicing pack, leading home Historic racer Robert Braune and White.

Dennis Cribben parked his Holden in with mechanical dramas on lap 10, while former championship contender Jack Elsgood caused a Safety Car when his engine let go at turn 7.

Marcus Zukanovic drove into the distance in Race 3, jumping i nto the lead from pole and eventually winning by almost

Baxter and White battled for second all race, but Baxter got the better of the Champ.

Unfortunately for the Team Brock driver, a 2s penalty after the race relegated him to fourth behind the impressive Luke May, who had his best ever weekend in the Coopers Ute taking fourth overall.

But the man celebrating was White, who was unable to describe the feelings of championship victory.

To finally win this series, after two second places, is great," he said.

The feeling is just incredible.

Tonight ... I'm on it!

Final Points: White 497, Elsegood 368, Baxter 312, Griffin 273, Zukanovic 261, Wilson 260, Kovacs 237.

ATIONAL SCENE I

^' -l'.

, .id>J

Opens in Mildura NEXT year's Victorian Open Karting Championships will be held at Mildura on April 22-24.

The club is advising competitors to book accommodation immediately as they have been informed of a large Naval reunion in the town on the same weekend.

BARCLAY Holden wrapped up his second consecutive CIK Australian Championship at Eastern Creek on the weekend.

The Queensland Trulli Kart driver cemented the Formula A title with a win in the pre-final as closest rival Daniel Elliott (Birel) had an engine failure on the warm-up lap. Elliott recovered for second in the final.

Matthew Wall(Arrow) took the win after a loose sidepod in the pre-final forced him to start from the back.

Jason Bums(Redspeed) put a big move on Jason Hryniuk(CRG)for third, while Holden retired with a flat tyre.

Bart Price (Arrow) clinched Intercontinental C with another strong win, Brett Hobson (Top Kart) pressured Price for much of the race but faded to third with brake problems. Local Justin Ruggier (BRM) was second.

Kristian Lindbom (Top Kart) ended his superb Junior CIK career with a win and another JICA Championship. Championship rival Jake VVilliams (Trulli) finished behind Lindbom in aU the races and took second with Paul Pittam (Trulli) third. Josh Scott (BRM) led the early running until DNFing with an engine failure. New Zealand's Earl Bamber (Kosmic) had qualified fastest.

Paul Laskazeski was the pace-

setter in Intercontinental A,however rib injuries sustained at the NSW Championships had taken their toll.

Having led the early running of the pre-final, Laskazeski(Top Kart) pulled in mid-race and elected not to participate in the final. This allowed Tim Ball to lead his last CIK event until Deepal Kandola (Top Kart) went by for the win. Ball (Trulli) held on to second with Ashley Walsh (Tmlli) claiming the championship in third.

On-track success and strength in numbers saw Trulli Kart win the

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AON Manufacturer's Cup having virtually wrapped it up prior to the round.

- MARK WICKS

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Winner from the back: Matthew Wall won the Formula A final.

Tony Kart on Top TOISIY Kart has reclaimed the World Karting Championship.

Veteran factory driver Davide Fore lifted the Formula A title at La Conca, Italy, on the weekend.

Second place went to pre final winner Arnaud Kozlinski (Sodi-Kart/TM) ahead of Bas hammers (Swiss HutlessA/ortex), Manuel

Lean and Mean

Double dip: Corey Lean claimed two NSW Championships, winning Senior National Light and Heavy.

29 Saplember 2004

n :D

Renaudie (PCR/PCR) and European Champion Nick de Bruijn (Gillard/Parilla).

Kiwi Mitchell Cunningham (CRG) qualified 67th of the 88 entrants. Despite being jammed in the pack, he scored a couple of 14th placings in the heats and moved up to 45th overall.

- MARK WICKS

COREY Lean walked out of Goulburn on September 19 with two NSW Karting Championships under his belt recently.

The lanky youngster was undefeated to take victory in both Senior National Light and Senior National Heavy.

“We missed pole in Light, otherwise it would have been perfect," he said.

While the result sheet indicates a boring domination, the on-track reality was anything but.

Geoffrey Auyoung, Luke Oxford and Lean worked together to pull away from the pack in Light. After getting shuffled back to third. Lean regained the lead with two laps to go, defeating Auyoung by 0.034s.

Lean enjoyed a comfortable lead in Heavy after Greg Martin had a poor start, Martin and Aaron Salter then worked together to hunt down Lean.

Martin took the lead before dropping

H Arrow has finished on the podium at the prestigious Rock Island Grand Prix in America.

The Aussie-made chassis took third in the hands of Texan Michael Johnson. Competing in the increasingly popular TaG class, Johnson used a Sonik engine. A Birel/Rotax combination won the event with GP/Sonik second.

TaG (Touch-and-Go) caters for 125cc electric start engines such as Rotax, Leopard and Sonik. Ballast is used to match up the differing power characteristics of the various engines. n Not all race fans will be glued to the TV set over Bathurst weekend.

Well, at least not for the entire day.

Karters in Horsham will be taking to the track (in the ad breaks?) at the Wimmera Kart Club's two-day race meet. The club is providing a TV to show the live coverage of the V8s and will give the tele away to a lucky karter at the end of the meeting.

■ The number of karts in newly crowned dual NSW Champion Corey Lean's garage is set to swell. In addition to new karts from Arrow (DPE have an 'awards' program to supply National and State Championship winners with chassis).

Leans sponsor, Windoor Transport, has decided to buy him a Rotax Kart.

Lean is now looking to permanently grid up in Clubman Light and Rotax Light in 2005.

- MARK WICKS

a wheel off the circuit and falling back to third. Salter finished second.

Kyle Clews finally won the state title that had eluded him, beating a class field of Clubman Light. Despite not starring in qualifying, in the final Clews (Monaco) was a contender and pushed favourite and pre-final winner Nick Agland. With Clews on his rear bumper, Agland dropped a chain, handing the Monaco driver the lead.

Scott Simpson won Rotax Heavy after Damien Meyer DNF’d, although Meyer did pick up yet another state championship with a win in Clubman Heavy. Alan Parkinson (Clubman Super Heavy), Trevor Whitby (Over 40s), Thomas Phillips (Formula Australia Light) and Hayden McBride (Rotax Light) won the remaining classes.

Next year, the senior and junior titles are scheduled to once again go back on the same race program.

- MARK WICKS 79

r 1 ■A V t

A

New Formula Ford Champion David Reynolds hates people who say his race suit makes him look like Ronald McDonald... although he’d love their corporate support! GRANT ROWLEY spoke to him

T

HE difference between

winning and losing can be a very fine line. Some judge the gap between success and failure by point scores or time trails, while others simply estimate victory or defeat by the fact that they've given their whole-hearted best.

In the 2004 Ford Racing Australian Formula Ford Championship, the top two title challengers, David Reynolds and Tim Macrow, saw the difference between winning and losing the championship come down to the third last comer.

As they say in the classics, there can only be one winner. Macrow tried, but Reynolds prevailed and he captured a hard-fought crown. He is now the holder of a trophy that has been won by this country's racing elite. But before the name 'Reynolds' could be etched onto the trophy, he had to keep Macrow at bay on the

final lap of the championship. He explained the pressure, the nervousness and the joy.

"Macrow passed me on the first lap, and I thought 'oh no', but I passed him on the next lap and pulled a massive gap. I just tried to stay there but he gradually edged closer. He was pushing real hard, and was getting closer and closer and closer. By the end, he was only a couple of car lengths behind.

"On the last lap he had a big, big lunge underneath me at Dandenong Road. We clashed, bent my steering and he speared off but tried to keep going. I saw him out of the comer of my eye that he was still moving and I just managed to get my thing mobUe." Then came the relief.

"I realised I had the championship when I got onto the main straight and he was no where near me. It was awesome. It was scariest yet the best

All star performance: Reynolds came on strong at the right end of the Formula Ford season to win the coveted championship. motsrsport nsws

experience of my life.

At the beginning of the season.

Reynolds wasn't recognised as one of the title favourites. At the conclusion of the series, he'd only claimed one pole position, one race win,one round win ... and one championship.

He said that a confidence within spurred him on to the ultimate success.

I thought everytime I got in the car I had to prove myself. I was hungry to win it. It took Steve Owen a while to come on as well. There were a few guys out there who could have won it. James Small is one of them, he is a bloody good driver.

After the first two rounds,I sort of thought that I didn't have a shot at the championship. A couple of crashes and a few bad runs, but I was getting better and better each time I jumped in the car. I kept my head up and tried to close the gap to the leaders every time I went out there To win the championship is just awesome. Tm rapt for the team, they've done a stellar job this year.

But where to from here? At only 19, Reynolds is at the age where he must explode into the big, bad world of racing. But whether that be on an international scale or remain locallybased is yet to be determined.

I'll be ringing a few people and seeing what can happen from here. he said 'Like any kid's dream, the ultimate goal is Formula 1. If I had an open cheque book. I'd like to race Formula 3 in Britain or Europe next year, something along the lines of what Will Power and Will Davison have done.

"It's very expensive to leave the country and compete overseas.

Maybe something might happen close to home, we'll see what happens in the next few months."

28 I●pt8mb8r 2004

UNDER beautiful skies, the third Festival of Speed on Tweed was held last weekend at the northern New South Wales border town of Murwillumbah.

Darryl Beattie, Russell Ingall and Craig Baird led the Barry Sheene Celebration parade on historic motorcycle, right, raising money for the Childrens Cancel Institute Australia.

British collector Dean Butler again enlivened the entry with a pair of historic open wheel racers. Butler drove his 1951 Jim Robins Special Indy Roadster. This Offenhauserpowered Myron Stevens creation was one of the first racing cars built featuring four wheel disc brakes. Jerry Hoyt took pole position at the 1955 Indy 500 in the car. Ian Tate drove Butler's pre-war supercharged 1934 ERA R1A voiturette to thrill the huge crowd Four Cooper-Climax Formula 1 cars were also racing. Lex Davison's 1961 Australian Grand Prix winning T51 was in the hands of Peter Harburg.

Don Thallon raced his exSalvadori/Davison T53, Richard Longes steered his ex-Bib Stillwell T51 and Dick Willis took control of the former Alec Mildren Cooper-Climax.

Le Mans was also represented with Rob Sherrard's Ford GT40 joined by the Jaguar D-Type fielded by Keith Berryman. Brabham collector Brian Wilson also drove his immaculate and now unique Brabham BT5 sports car.

Ty Hanger was unable to defend his title after crashing

Marftull (

his March 77B immediately prior to Speed on Tweed. Bill Norton, main picture top,(1972 GRD-Ford F3) took fastest time at 41,58s after a weekend long dual with Wayne Park (42.89s in Sherrard's GT40) with Geoff Wiseman third quickest (1976 Cheetah Mk.6 Ford) ahead of Chris Farrell (1976 Chevron B35) and Chad Wheeler (1969 Rennmax BN2). Wayne Park aside, the fastest tin-top was Paul Redding's Falcon-powered Ford Anglia in seventh outright just ahead of John McKeon (Datsun 240Z) and Jason Lea (Datsun 2000 Sports).

The final run of the weekend was suspended after a fatal accident. Popular 54-year-old Queensland competitor Jon Chipendall, right, lost his life when his 1929 Austin 7 racer crashed into the turn three plastic water barriers.

The tight right hand bend, which crests the first rise on

the course, had been tightened since last year's event.

Chippendall was a popular member of the Queensland historic racing community and will be missed by all.

- MARK JONES 81

NATIONAL SCENE

Wrapping up Production

12 CATEGORIES wrapped up their state titles at Barbagallo Raceway on September 18-19 as part of the 50th Western Australian State Championships race meeting.

The Street Cars was an aU-Mazda show with Kerry Wade wrapping up a dominant year with two wins and the championship in his RX-7.

Graham Stones(RX-7)just edged out Wade in qualifying, but Wade came back to win Race 1. In Race 2, Matt Cherry beat both Wade and Stones but Wade proved too good in Race 3. In the under 2-litre category, Laurie D'Alessio(Honda Civic) was the title winner.

SIZE didn’t count for much during the final round of the 2004 Australian Production Car Championship, as the smaiier ciass cars overcame the might of recentiy crowned Champion Chris Aiajajian and his Subaru Liberty GT at Maiiala Raceway two weeks ago.

Despite being comfortably fastest in both races, Aiajajian couldn't cut through traffic quickly enough in either of the races to close within striking distance of the leaders, David Russell and his giant killing Proton Satria Gti jumped out to an early outright lead over father Geoff and didn’t waste any time gapping the pack.

Leanne Perrier jumped to third early on, leading class rival Darren Best and Class B points ieader Ian Luff. Perrier took second from Geoff Russell on lap 12, but the charging Aiajajian promptly passed both on the next lap.

Time and distance, however, were on David Russell’s side, as he took the outright win and Class D championship win in one fell swoop with a determined drive.

Aiajajian finished second, followed by Luff, Perrier (who wrapped up the Ciass C title) and Ryan.

Russell again jumped out to an eariy lead for the second race, but a revised handicap margin meant that both the B and C class cars were not far behind the little Proton. Perrier moved to second on lap four, before succumbing to the Class B Integra of Adam Beechy.

Beechy went on to pass Russell the next lap, and held off attacks from a flying Aiajajian as well as Luff in the closing laps of the race to take a strong win. Luff’s third place was enough for him to close out Class B honours for the season.

- RICHARD CRAILL

Wade continued his wirming ways in the Saloon Cars races, above, with pole position and three race wins to clean-sweep the meeting and the title.

In HQ Holdens, championship leader Craig James suffered a DNF in the championship race, leaving Mick Woodbridge to take the title.

Sports Cars saw Tony Ricciardello qualify on pole and win all three races, despite slipping of the round in

the final race. Claude Giorgi's seventh was enough to crown him champion.

In Marque Sports cars,John Humey finished a strong year, winning the title in his Westfield. Ashley O'Donnell wrapped up the Sports Sedans title in his unique Volvo 242GT. Toranas continued to dominate the Historic Tourers races, with Peter McLean taking pole and two race wins in his XU-1. Despite finishing 17th in the handicap race, McLean took out the pre-1972 state Championship. In the pre-1965 class, Jim Runciman took the crown in his Morris Cooper S. Paul Fiore and Nathan Caratti battled hard in Formula Fords, but the final Championship result is subject to stewards hearings regarding driving standards. Andrew van Leeuwen took out the Silver Star title.

In Formula Vees, Brett Scarey took pole but was beaten in Races 1 and 2

by Derek Bums.In the Championship Race 3, Cameron Edwards avoided an incident to take the hard-fought Htle.

- ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN

Fdster sweeps Vees

MARK Foster took a clean-sweep in the Formula Vee Trophy races at Mallala recently.

Foster made the best possible start, grabbing pole position in qualifying before drafting his way to a thrilling win by just 0.2s in Race 1. Trent Ulmer was second, in front of Jason Ratsch.

Race 2 saw a titanic battle between Ratsch and Jason Smith. The pair went side-by-side for a quarter of a lap until clashing at turn seven. Foster happily took over in front and went on to win comfortably from Smith and Ulmer.

Foster won the third race to cap off a great round win.

- RICHARD CRAILL

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Features: l Space Frame l Torque Tube l Transaxie Hewland FGB(reconditioned), l Brand New 20B P/P Kim Ledger motor l dry sump l Twin Weber 51 IDA (recondi Features; l Space Frame l Torque Tube l Transaxle Hewland FGB(reconditioned) tioned) l Koni Fully adjustable shocks l 4 sets Wheels l FGB Series Gears sets for all l Brand New 13B P/P Kim Ledger motor l dry sump l Single Weber 51 IDA tracks l Full set of Slicks, wets both brand new l Integrated Fire Extinguisher (reconditioned) l Koni Fully adjustable shocks l 4 sets Wheels l FGB Series Gears l Left Hand Drive l Fuli History. sets for all tracks l Full set slicks, brand new, wets used l Integrated Fire Extinguisher l Left Hand Drive l Full History.

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82

molorsport news

INDUSTRY

Programmed to win QMP Revolution On September 19,at Mallala Raceway SA, Justin Hemmes won the Australian GT Performance(GTP)car Championship racing with the Protecnica team.

Protecnica choose to use EcuTeK products in their two STi Impreza race cars. EcuTeK produces software and products designed to enhance factory products. They allow the user the ability to log, display and diagnose engine performance data and to allow re mapping of standard Factory Engine Control Units systems for enhanced performance or to meet car owners unique requirements.

The EcuTeK product range is set to grow and so far includes performance ECUs offered as a convenient exchange ECU,or upgrading of your existing equipment, complete with software and no hard mods or

diagnostics software is suitable for most performance cars, allowing the functions of the ECU to be read, graphed and logged to your Windows PC. DeltaEcu, the Original ECU reprogramming software,gives the ability to re-map standard cars, without the need to purchase aftermarket ECU hardware.

DeltaDash external logging is a free update, allowing you to log external sensors, like intercooler pre and post inlet temps, turbo speed, etc MRT Performance are the official distributors for EcuTeK products. For more info on the Ecutek product range call MRT Performance on 02 9809 2110 or visit www.ecutek.com.au

chips required.

The DeltaDash Advanced ECU TOTAL SEAL INC has appointed Performance Wholesale Pty Ltd to be their exclusive Australian distributor for the total seal piston ring range.

Total Seal Piston Rings have served the performance industry for over 33 years with high quality piston rings. They have combined years of experience with today's technology to advance piston rings to a new level, offering better pistonto-ring and ring-to-cylinder sealing.

Dramatically tightened tolerances, surface finish and material specifications have yielded a piston ring of high quality.

Total Seal are known for their patented Gapless Piston Rings, whether Gapless top or Gapless

second rings are your preference.

Increased horsepower and torque is why Total Seal Gapless Piston Rings are the choice of engine builders for race engine applications around the world.

Total Seal Piston Rings offer an extensive product range from replacement OEM for motor cars, motorcycles and trucks through to high performance street, strip and racing applications.

Total Seal also have in their inventory a range of tools to support their products - for example a dual gauge leakdown tester and tapered

"A1 last an affordable fully featured electronic setup scale Is available In Australiar k ● 375mm BUM Aluminum pads U ● 5 display modes ( ● Kllogram/Pound option ● Accurate tot/10 of 1% ● Colour coded cables with military connectors FACTORY 7/1-7 FRIARS ROAD, MOORABBIN VIC 3189 ● PHONE 03 9553 4200 . FAX 03 9553 4270 ● MOBILE 0412 988 824 »EMAIL salesem-iTispoft.com.au ● WEBSITE: www.m-mspottcoiti.au

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29 September 2004

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Australia. ^ the elbows and knees for maximum comfort and This Italian-produced dM protection. Elastic range of comprehensive ^ W inserts and knitted karting apparel has not been I available in Australia m ^ I armhole bellows are used for ease of arm any meaningful . I.way before since movement along 1 n the mid 1990's. with irmer layer P - special sponge Outstanding j cloth and soft development I H collar all nonof karting ' products has T constricting material. taken place over a number of A comprehensive range of years with OMP at the forefront OMP equipment is now lined up of development,refining specific and waiting at your nearest product lines of CIK-FIA Revolution Racegear nationwide approved karting apparel. outlet. The OMP catalogue is Revolution now offers a also available at selected outlets. comprehensive range of OMP Call 1800 804 778 or go to Karting competition suits. Hiwww.revolutionracegear.com.au

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83

mrace shop

news

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Mitsubishi 515 Turbo Diesei, 29ft Pan, Low kiiometres, recent 2Pac paint on cab, One piece fibregiass sides, 4 underbody tooiboxes, new 9KVA Honda Jenset, ciean skin tyres ailround, Licenced to seat 7 adults, Will carry 2 cars. $60,000 ONO, Dan 0419931901.

0749521100 / 294

www.myl05.com/77512

Drives Available for Wakefield

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Porsche race car, 3.6 litre twin plug race engine on Autronic, 5 speed dogbox, 993 RSR body kit on early shell, full cage thru suspension, Harrop brakes, coil overs, air jacks, 1040 kgs, previous road rego, spare dogbox (new). Enquiries (genuine!) to womble@mira.net or to Richard 03 9822 294 5034 or 0417 370 671. $49,900. www.myl OS.comfl5137

Park Christmas 500 Enduro - lease deals on Super Tourers. Future Tourers and V8 Supercars. Enquiries to Rod Dale 02 6562 7762. Rod 02 6562 7762.

295

www.myl O5.com/10254

Mazda RX7, Sports sedan built by factory Mazda in the USA. Never raced since total rebuild and is in show condition, full chrome Moly space frame, front wishbone suspension, AP 6 and 4 spot callipers, brand new 3 Rotor turbo changed engine with Microtech on board display, brand new 9inch full floating rear, brand new carbon fibre, aluminium interior, 3 sets 16x12 BBS rims, please phone for full spec sheet.

295 $30,000. Robert 0418 974 351. www.myl05.com/64891 1^!^

Sedans/Sports Cars

EVO 7, Race winning car, many spares.

Garry 0413 879 879 /(02)9688 3003. 297 www.my105.com/28980

XY Falcon GT HO Group NC, New roller engine, excellent horsepower, Tiiton clutch, top loader gearbox, Konni adjustable shocks F/R, Kelsey Hayes front calipers, Bremlo discs, 2 1/2 new rear drums. New fully galvanised tilt elect. Winch 4 wheel trailer. No expense spared on this replica.

Heaps of spares. $69,000. Eric 02 9997 296 6942. www.my105.com/90681

MAZDA RX 7, One of the quickest cars in Targa Classic Division. Would make ideal Sports GT or Improved production. Proven track record Baskerville 59.4s Microtech Fuel injection, LSD, Log Book, Mazda 4 piston front calipers, 22,000 Neg. Kym 294 0409211614. www.myl05.com/52812

TVR CHIMAERA, Tvr - 500hp LSI - 6sp Tremac - AP brakes - Pedal box - spool spare 350Hp LSI, heaps more must sell $60k 0419 524 752. 0419 524 752, www.my105.com/2828

2003 State Championship WIninig 2 Itr S/Sedan, CA/V spare 440Hp Turbo Motor complete for Open S/Sedans. Spaced framed, Koni adjustables. Mid-mounted engine, FGA400Transaxle w/ratios Motec Dash Logger, All f/glass moulds, Fire-Bomb system, heaps of spares Near new dry tyres, wets GC, spare drys. As featured in Sept Fast Fours Mag $30,000 to $40,000 Negotiable package. Steve 0419 171 200 www.myl05.com/74472

saloon car, This car has just been completed for saloon car racing has standard motor at present but can supply race motor at extra cost. AH new parts wheels ,tyres,suspention,sparco seat & harness, vdo instruments. $11,000. peter 294 92123100. www.myl05.com/65392

Porsche GT3 Cup Car, MY2003 with 2004 update package currently running in Carrera Cup. Maintained perfectly (no race mechanical failures), recent motor, gearbox and chassis refresh (no major shunts).

Available now (including entry for Bathurst and Indy) or end of season as package with Spares, Motec, Radio and other Equipment.

Trailer and/or Transporter also available.

Setup, track, dyno, shock, parts life and other data. Price is negotiable. Stephen 295 0418 685 575. www.my105.com/19254 Westfield Clubman, Mid field runner in NSW Clubman challenge series.4age 16 valve.Quaiffe LSD 2 sets mounted slicks and wets. Complete package includes trailer and new 20 valve plus many other spares.Laps OP 1.19 EC 1.46 WP 1.06 Winton 1.38 . Very affordable reliable entry into motorsport. $19950 Neg. Neville 0413423537.

294 www.myl05.com/68486

Lotus Elan S4 SE 1970, drop head sports.

Two owners from new. Really nice, quick car. $32,000 ONO. G. Bruce 9417 4755 / 294 2990.

9909 www.myl05.com/76535

Mazda RX7 Sports Sedan, mid mount fresh 20B PP Microtech injected. Supra 5 speed, Hilux rear LSD, Willwood Brakes, new 16inch slicks, ready to race. $17,000 Not Neg. Darrell 0413 383 102. 294 www.myl05.com/78353

29 September 2004

HQ Race Car, 2003 OLD State Championship winning car, consistant top 3 finisher, fresh engine/gearbox, heaps of spares, setup Info. $6,800 neg. Brett 0402 294 472 951. www.my105.com/48210

AU Falcon V8 Supercar, As run by Cameron McLean. Very competitive car. complete spares package to suit, will also sell as roller. Assistance to purchaser. Well priced to sell. Warren 07 5571 6625 or 0414 294 646 873. www.myl05.com/36445

Holden Astra GPN rally car, 2002 model built from a new car, very complex cromoly roll coge sparco seats willians belts, fire bomb, 10 compomotive wheels and asortment of tyres, spare engine shockers and much more. $15,000 ONO, 293 0398730947 or 0417390371. www.my105.com/33246

87

V8 Supercar VX or VY, brand new Moforsport lightweight body shell on set up.

Jig frame plus spare doors, guards, panels, special light weight hand built shell.

294 $11,500. Gavin 03 9543 4280. www.my105.com/43441

i

Mustang Boss 302 Historic, racing cars, 2002 and 2003 National Series winner, LAP records most tracks, huge spares inventory. $110,000. Rob 03 9429 2110 / 0408 558 610.

293

Open Wheelers

Lotus Cortina MK1 Group N, Siante Series car, historic touring car since 1985.

Recent total rebuild best of everything.

Immaculate including spares. $35,000.

293 Robert (02) 9869 8254. www.my105.com/58609

I

www.my105.com/27536

li

JI2

Anglla1960 GRNB, car has all new components, Inc c/ratio gearbox, new tyres, new wheels, new motor twin 45 Webber Koni shocks and g/h logbook, trailer load of spares. PDA John 03 9439 7667 or 0409 465 837.

293

I

RALT RT4,1982 but has many '86 features inch wide front track. Recent complete rebuild. Always a front running car.

Complete package with C of D, gear ratios, spares, and data for the historic events. No expense spared with preparation. $75,000.

RICHARD CARTER 0409 993606.

294 Dallara F301 Renault, Aircon Racing offers for sale it's F301 Dallara. Ex-TeamSignature/Jonny Cochet car. Has won Macau and Korean SuperPrix. Best fo everything inci EFI-Technology ECU and data system, steering-wheel dash, Koni shocks, extensive spare parts and data.

This car has set four lap records over one and a half seasons of racing. $105000 Neg. 03-9786-6600.

296 www.myl O5.com/13764

www.myl05.com/57911 Torana sports sedan, Torana LJ Sports sedan,modified P76 alloy V8 powered, b/wamer 4 sp gearbox , b/w diff, 4 wheel disc brakes, 16 x 10 wheels. Spare panels,logbook,reliable endurance racer. $7500 ONO. Kevin 0417405590.

293 www.myl05.com/86644 4

. 1 ..4LI——— VB V8 Commodore $7000, VB VB Commodore V8, fresh engine, 4 speed, custom exhuast system, full rollcage, 5 point harness, Dunlop Formula R race/sprint tyres, ideal club/sprint car, good condition $4000neg call Tony on 46254565. $4000 293 Neg. Tony 46254565. www.my105.com/81484 Alfa Romeo 1973, GTV 2000 known History since 1978, kowls, 10.5 Borgos two sets of wheels, great starting car for SC or NC Histories. LPD 200. $1,100. Rob 03 9429 2110 / 0408 558 610.

293 www.myl05.eom/57790

J- <-«i

RF94 Van Diemen Stealth, 2004 N.S.W state winner, 2001 VIC state winner.

Maintained by Mid Coast Ford Racing, car is ready to race for 2005 season, comes with Ritter engine, 4x ohlins adjustable shocks, plus logger and dash, lots of spares, set up infomation. Joel 0419 993 155.

294 www.myl05.com/80201

formula ford. Van Dieman '91,Ex Paul Morris.Full o'haul end 2003. Spares inch wheels.corners.ratio's etc.$21,000. dennis 0414 432842.

294

■T'

^'

www.myl05.com/99213

www.myl05.CO m/60155 77 Clubman S - Club Car, A and metro engine, +30 Cooper pistons works CAM 45mm carbi rebuilt mech and brakes too much to list, 2 rad, oil cooler, ex race for parts. 04/05 NSW rego. $8,000 Or Best Offer. Glenn 02 6672 5229 BH / 0417 260 061.

293 www.myl05.com/83385

HQ Racecar, Rebuilt engine and gearbox, new suspension. Heaps of spares, good condition. $4,500 ONO. Stephen 02 4947 9413 / 0407 905 039.

293 www.myl05.com/87124

Nissan Clubman 2002, RWC, 12m reg.

S/Charged SR 20 IRS all adjustable LSD polished alloy over spaceframe ultra reliable multiple hillclimb trophy winner 46 sec at Mt Cotton on road tyres! $28,000 ONO. Bill 02 6677 7230 or 0438 543 349. 290 www.my105.com/52299

i Formula 2 Kaditcha, ompletely restored and eligible for Group R Historic (Ground effect parts included). Mounted Wets, Gear Ratios, Spare Nose Cone and Rear Wing.

Comes with new purpose built tilt axle trailer. Only selling due to lack of use. $44,990 Neg. Paul Nelson 0412558386.

293 www.myl05.eom/5039

Great First Race Car, Competitive Formula Ford. Has successfully competed in the New Zealand National Championship and Winter Series Rolling Chassis only...comes with lots of spares adn set up info. $20000 Or Best Offer. Nick Buxeda +64 21 2154787.

293 www.myl05.eom/82002

to sell your gearl From lust $25* lust log on

(*$25 applies to ads entered directly onto my105.com) Advertising can also be supplied using this form ($10/$15 surchage to text only/text -f pic advertisements) Advertisements will appear in next possible issue of IVlotorsport News PLUS the my: 05.com website forthree months.

Please read & cross the desired services and calculate the total.

55 Standard ad and one inlusion into Motorsport News = $35 □ Plus Photo Processing fee $5 ~ CStSOOiy: □ Sedans □ Open Wheelers □ Speedway □ Drag □ Jobs ADDITIONAL OPTIONS:□ Parts □ Engines □ Trailers □ Wanted □ Photographs □ Other □ Extra issues X $25 per issue Please keep ads to no more than 50 words, plus up to 6 photos if desired. □ Feature ad on Motorsport News and my105.com homepage for $75 per issue

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Description:

TOTAL = $

I enclose a ctieque/money order/credlt card details for the payment of the total amount above.

□ Bankcard □ Visa or □ Mastercard Card no Name _ Address Email

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Signature _ Card Name

Exp

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we are unable lo return photographs supplied for use in classified ads. Ads will appear as soon as possible after receipt. MN/mylOe.com dMUfMda are for tha sale ol prrvata goods and vehicles only, not bu^ness advertising Photos marked ‘proof will not be used.

ffloiorspon news

CLASSIFIEDS Speedway

QUATA Need spare parts for your car?

2003 MIDGET CAR FOR SALE, Alach/Gaerte, complete roller with best available gear, only 4 meetings old. Dash 12 Gaerte, weldtech cylinder head, rodeck block, new rods, pistons, cam, valve train, new Joe Hunt magneto, will possibly split.

NZ$40,000 Neg. Ray 025-908-335. 289 www.myl05.com/6278

Engines Ford V8 Supercar engine, T619hp Mark McLaughlin,Run only 150km. Headers, SS exhaust, carbon clutch Rattle guns and hoses etc.. Garry 0413 879 879 /(02)9688 3003. 297 www.my105.com/58255 Cosworfh RS500 Turbo ENGINE, Full GroupA Cosworth RS500 Engine, Complete rebuilt - 1 race only, new ball bearing turbo, big injectors, forge pistons,race cams, head work,hi volume oil pump, hi volume race sump, Autronics ECU, BIG Horsepower from minimal boost. AS NEW THROUGHOUT. Ideal for Off road racing, street car or circuit racing. 18000 Or Best 294 Offer, phil 0419252898. www.myl05.com/96988 Lotus Ford Twin Cam Engine, Totally rebuilt by UK T/C experts New internals.

0.020" oversize bore. New pistons, standard size Lotus steel crank, SE cams. New clutch, unleaded valve seats, new valves and guides. New water pump. Ready to drop In and nrn. Only needs a distributor and exhaust manifold to suit your application. $8,500 Not Neg. 9417 4755 / 294 9909 2990. www.myl05.com/22090 chev 18degree engine, CHEV RACE ENGINE. NEW BOWTIE BLOCK, 18DEGREE CNC HEADS, PERKINS INJECTION, DRYSUMP(NEW PETERSON PUMP)AUTRONIC ECU.COMPLETE RECOND TO MUCH TO LIST.WELL BELOW COST 650HP. $20,000 ONO. brad 292 0418928953. www.my105.com/57674 Sprintcar Engine, -12 Brodix, -2 7/16 Kinsler inj, Donovan Block, 6 meetings on full rebuild, sprint Mag III, Moroso sump. $2,400 ONO. Tim (03) 6435 7997. 291 www.myl05.com/83261 COSWORTH YBB ENGINE & GEARBOX, Cosworth Sierra YBB DOHC 2L complete turbocharged engine and T5 gearbox, engine professionally rebuilt, balanced etc. turbo also rebuilt with HPC coated manifold.

A reliable performance engine, complete with clutch and gearbox. The engine is in standard specification. Please email for pictures. $13,500 AUD. 0401 473643 / 07 290 1269 3425 virww.my105.com/57607

Mazda 808 rolling shell, Complete shell, full cage, firewall back, for mid mount engine, any engine will flt, suit Circuit, drags speedway, must sell as is taking up space in shed, call for more info. $1100 ONO. Simon 292 0409875381. www.my105.com/39079 yates cyllnderheads, ford yates 2003 one ex level 1 v8supercar heads in near new condition.Recond and complete with rockers.suit konica.Will suit Windsor or Cleveland. 7500.00 ONO. brad 0418928953 292 / 0418928953. www.myl O5.com/15758

29 Septembir 2004

TOW TRUCK, 1988 Isuzu Tilt Tray & Cradle. Rego 12th July 2005. $30,000 including GST Not Neg. Ray P 026331 5991. 291 www.my105.eom/27060

Driver/Crew Apparel Race Suit Package, Race Suit - RPM Mondial, White blue stripe. Small. Boots RPM RPM, Blue, 8 1/2, Gloves Blue/White. Balaclava and Socks - Nomex, Helmet - THH Full Face, Medium, White blue/green/silver splashes. $900. Paul 0418 290 269 798. www.myl05.eom/96081

Wanted Autronic SMC and AFR Meter, Autronic Air-Fuel-Ratio-Meter, A Model & Bosch 4wire sensor used only once from new.

Cost$2200 for meter and sensor, sell 292 $1600. Jamie 0421 931 864. www.myl O5.com/10431 yates cyllnderheads, brand new cnc yates cylinder heads bare current port suit konica.never assembled,can supply complete if required.also svo block for sale.

292 6500.00 ONO. brad 0418928953. www.my105.com/88747 Gearbox Transaxle, special Lola Hewland Penske new c/pinion, all gears new, fully rebuild, ready to race, with on board jacks.

292 $14,000. Issy (03) 9401 1155. www.my105.com/29140

Dog Gearbox for Mini, Alloy doors etc, 12 inch mini lite wheels. Garry 02 6662 2996 292 www.my105.com/51829 Wanted Formula Ford or Formula V, suitable for restoration project, consider any condition. Warren 0439 777 627.

289 www.my105.com/91851

Visit «wMi.my105.coni

Enclosed Trailer, 20 fool, 4 wheel brakes, torsion bar suspension. $5,000. Rob 03 2110.

294 9429 www.my105.com/35683

Equata is an open market for buying and selling automotive parts on the internet, with suppliers tendering and bidding to win your business.

Covering New, Re-Used, Aftermarket, Reconditioned and OE Exchange parts, with a 1 hour turnaround time.

Please email your parts request to sales(gequata.com.au, fax to 02 9647 1177 or ring through on 02 9648 4111 You need to include vehicle information including VIN, and your contact details.

Used by the repair industry and now open to the public.

Sponsor Seek

Competitive Experienced Drivers, Positions are available in a first-class team for national/state series in F/Ford. Highly competitive vehicles with excellent Infrastructure. Compete at all Australian tracks. Professional attitude and budget to achieve objectives essential. Please contact cated@clockwork.com.au or 0419 777 977.

292 www.myl05.com/99385

Transporters/Trailers

If you need parts for your road or racecar, let Equate find the best prices for you.

Locating Auto Parts

Jobs

Parts Holden Torana XU1 M21 gearbox, used sparingly since full rebuild, close ratios of 2.54, 1.83, 1.25 and 1.00:1. $730. Jason 294 0417 818 872. www.my105.com/74738

Enclosed Trailer, fits large sedan, tyre rack, work bench, with vice, 240v/12v lights, aluminium floor and sides, long ramps, selling cheap for quick sale. $3,500 ONO. 292 Scott 02 4982 6834. www.myl05.com/36289

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nOURMIt EOITORIAI STAFF

Editor Phil Branagan l editor@mnews.com.au Deputy Editor: Mark Glendenning l mark@mnews.com.au National Editor: Grant Rowley l grant@mnews.com.au Journalist: Chris Jordan l chrisj@mnews.com.au

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CONTRIBUTORS FI: Joe Saward, Adam Cooper, Paolo Filisetti Europe: Quentin Spurring, Gary Watkins, David Addison US: Phil Morris, Martin D. Clark Speedway: Brett Swanson, Julie Pearce, Geoff Rounds, Tony Millard (UK), Greg Boscato, Daniel Powell 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, Erin McCowatt Photographers: Sutton Motorsport Images, Dirk Klynsmith, Bothwell Photographic, Marshall Cass, Nigel Snowdon & Diana Burnett, AFl 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, 'Opinions expressed in Motorsport News are not necessarily those of Australasian Motorsport News or its staff.

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90

Highroller Lowndesy

Smart reader

First it's the Oz Open Tennis, now FI and maybe even WRC! Just how much are those blokes at Ford paying Lowndsey?

Name withheld jacebeck@ozemail.com.au

I enjoyed reading the Jim Richards feature last issue and

Points are bad, mmkay!

I have just seen a demonstration of what a stupid scoring system, the VSSCs are using after Sandown.

The winner gets a whole 192 points, but even worse this reward is only a lousy 36 points, yes that reads just 20 percent, more than 10th place!

This means the race winner, who takes all the true racing risks of going fast and overtaking is only going to get a few more points than those who are in cruise controland are on a very cautious Sunday drive to achieve tenth place (while watching a DVD).

I guess this hasn't happened yet, but safe number crunching for the lucky door prize?

It's gonna happen.

John Gray jjgtd@idx.com.au

Sandown too steep I write this email to you after visiting Sandown on Saturday to watch the practice and qualifying.

I have been living overseas in Denmark for the last two years,so the last V8 race I saw live was Phillip Island in 2002. From what I recall, I think it cost $35 on race day to get in.

Well you can imagine my shock when I got to the gate on Saturday to find it was going to cost $35 to watch practice, and then if I wanted to come back on Sunday,$60 on race day.

Then to add insult to it all, you had to pay to get access into the pit area and due to OH&S you can no longer walk right behind the pits but you have to go right around the transporters. So why do you have to pay for this when you cannot even see the pit action any longer?

I know the cost of living goes up but how can you justify the increase to be this much? It is not like the show has changed to be honest. I do not want to sound like a whinger, but in all reality is this fair to the average fan that keeps all this alive?

Shayne Hunter shunter@canterburywindows.com.au

converter Send us your thoughts; , mail: PO Box 7072, ; Gardenvale, VIC 3186 fax: 03 9596 5030 email; mnews@mnews.com.au mate's car on two occasions bringing us to seven wins. On another occasion he only won after the Texaco Sierras were disqualified (after passing scrutineering) and this brings us to sbc wins.

Incidentally, this is the same number as one L. Perkins and one less than 'Gentleman' Jim Richards.

Still tlie King?

It would appear that Holden fans still have their typical non-researched approach to history.

Now in regards to the comment "special thanks to John Bowe for punting Ambrose off at Winton and just about guaranteeing Holden another touring car championship."

First of all, who is now winning the championship (post-Sandown)and secondly Holden need to get more manufacturer championships,as which manufacturer has won the most championships? FORD! Now who is the Turkey?

Chris and Tom Blue Mountains, NSW

Strathpine, Qld.

Heritage is useful

What's this nonsense about the heritage listed grandstands at Adelaide being 'abnost useless' for motor racing events (Issue 291)?

The Derby Stand was one of the great secrets of Adelaide when some friends and I were making the annual trek to Adelaide each Grand Prix.

There was more bum room in the Derby Stand than in the temporary grandstands. If you were up near the back you had a roof over your head, while those in the temporary grandstands were exposed to the elements.

Moreover, the Derby Stand seats were bronze seats, while elsewhere people were paying two or three times as much for their privations.

Because the seats were a bit back from the track, ear plugs were not required.

Don't get the idea, either, that nothing happened behind the pits.

That's where Senna pushed Mansell off(or Mansell brake-tested Senna, depending upon which story you believe) and where Coulthard attacked the concrete barrier trying to get into the pits.

Because of the extra room you had in the Derby Stand, there was room for a TV set and motorcycle battery.

We could therefore keep track of what was going on elsewhere around the circuit, as well as what was going on in front of us. I swear there were sometimes more people clustered around our TV than watching the track.

Once Taylor, Batty, Holden and Smith discovered the Derby Stand, we never went anywhere else.

Useless, be damned.

Mark Taylor markandanntaylor@hotmail.com

Ford fans vs Brock fans In reply to "Brocky Still the King" (Issue 290). We would like to state a few facts.

Number one: Marcos's position.

Nice vocabulary 'nitwit', really shows the intelligence and mentality of the common Holden fan.

Secondly, under today's rules.

Brock would not have won nine Bathursts. He commandeered a team-

the magazine as a whole, however in the heading you stated that one thing Jim hasn't done yet is race with Steve.

If my memory serves me right they drove at Bathurst together in 1996 while Steve was driving for Garry Rogers.

You have a great magazine, keep up the good work.

Martin Domeracki

Lowndes: pulling in the big bucks?

ED:You are correct that the heritage stands, while some distance from the track, were sold as seats for the GPs. For the V8s, the stands are a general admission area, as a temporary stand on the circuit's edge now blocks a good deal of the view from your much beloved position. motorsport oows

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