Motorsport News Issue 360 - June 2007

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No.360 JUNE 2007 Australia $6.95 NZ $8.50 inc GST

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Issue 360 JUNE 2007

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Enforcer Exit

Could Ingall be Holden in 08?

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Selling Up

SCAR sold, DJR on the verge

9

Legend passes

George Tatnell tribute

10 Raffles 6P

Singapore gets its FI street race

16 Bigger than big 'Junior'leaves his Dad's team!

opinion 18 Motor Mouth

All day,everyday, Hyundai

26 Box Seat

Like Holden,FI are talking in 4s

98 Talk Converter

Sayonara Bradley!

FEATURE 24 Five Minutes with Nigel Mansell 28 LP doesn't mind speaking his mind,and that's I exactly what he did with MNews... \ 36 Second fiddle? NotJamie Whincup. He's leading the way for the Eights 42 May the force be with you Glendenning heads to McLaren's HQ to find out just how much like the Death Star it is 48 Scrapbooking A look back atSBR's stable ofcars-past and present 52 A pack ofsmokes and a Champ Car, thanks PaulStoddartIs back in (Minardi)black 58 Burning FI rubber at'The Ring'

I 62 First corner blues in Spain J Alonso runs wide, Massa wins the race n 66 Short and sweet

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Rick and Garth keep that winning feeling alive in NZ

I 70 Evans still winning in ARC

i n I 72 Loeb still winning in WRC

J 74 Jim wins Targcr Sullens wins Targa

nniionni & iniERnflTionnL 76 Speedway 80 Drag Racing 84 NationalScene

92 Race Shop/Industry News/Classifieds

JULY issue on sale June 271

TRnoe 5utTon-images.com Klynsmith Cormick

Welcome!

Aaron Noonan Editor, Motorsport News IT'S Issue 360 of Motorsport News and there have been a lot of changes happening within the fort here in the MN offices. eNews is off and racing with great success and plenty of great feedback, but we haven't forgotten the rest of the'old spec'magazine.

This is the first of MN in its new monthly format and,as you will see, it now features much more focus(and page count!) devoted to features and interviews with all sorts of people and on all sorts of topics within the sport.

Rather than squeezing a great story into four pages,or running smaller pics than we'd otherwise like, now we can let some great stories breathe and have even more room to be told in full.

There are plenty offamiliar features,some new bits and pieces but still the same sort of passion for what we do from the staff here at MNews.

Those who know me know that I am a sucker for history. I love the old stuff- old magazines,looking back and events and places and people.

I'm a firm believer in needing to know where we've come from to know where we are going.

While on one of this'historic hunts'the other week I came across MN Issue 97, appropriately enough from early 1997. Wayne Gardner had just won his first V8 Supercar round at Calder(under lights!) and young blokes called Tander and Ambrose were going wheel-to-wheel in Formula Ford.

That was also the first issue where MN let me loose and put my by-line in the mag. As a 16-year-old schoolkid in Ballarat it was quite a thrill to visit the newsagents and see my name in there.

And here we are - 10 years later - and I'm in what we jokingly refer to around here as 'the big chair'. During the time in between '97 and '07 I've been around the place a little with stints in journalism, PR and now also in television. Oh,and there were those years from '97 to'99 taken up by that most evil of jobs-school ...

But coming back to MNewsjust seems natural. We have people who have a nose for a story, have dedication and passion for the sport and a genuine understanding of the 'bigger picture'.

We have the trust and respect of plenty of important people in the industry, and that is a combination of years of experience and relationship building across a wide range of spectrums.

So entering a new era at MN,the same philosophies remain the same. A good read from cover to cover, plenty of great pics and a magazine you'll pick up a few times over to make sure you read it all.

The only difference is that you'll have to just make one trip to the newsagent a monthi 1

Could Ingall cross T

What are the chances of Russell driving a Holden in 2008?

1 HE future of Russell Ingall is one of the keys to the 2008 V8 Supercar driver 'silly season'- and could it possibly include a cross back over the fence to Holden?

That is emerging as one of the possibilities as Ingali, who has driven for Stone Brothers Racing since moving to Ford in 2003, looks to lay his future plans in concrete for next year and beyond.

Out of contract with SBR at the end of 2007, however still with a year to go on his Ford contract, Ingali has recently suggested that he is "only"a 50/50 chance to stay at SBR. With Ford (and indeed Holden) cutting back on its budgets,there's no doubt that a bidding war isn't an option and collecting money from Ford for the final year of his contract is dependant on Ingali driving a Falcon.

Whether he can find a competitive enough seat to be a contender if he is to leave SBR remains the major issue.

The 2005 V8 Supercar champ commented on Channel Seven's Pukekohe race telecast that team owner Ross Stone has said that he wants him to stay, although at this point, there remains no formal contract beyond the expiry of the current one.

Ingali is one of many drivers out of contract at the end of the season, but his options elsewhere for next year appear to be limited if he leaves SBR. Potential seats at Britek Motorsport or Paul Cruickshank Racing could end up giving him a Ford lifeline (see breakout).

However, one possibility that is yet to really be explored - externally anyway - is the

potential to move back into a Commodore.

Despite moving from Hoiden to Ford after seven years with Larry Perkins'squad, Ingali is known to stili have retained the respect of those on the'red'side of the fence.

Some paddock chat has suggested Team Sirromet Wines as a potentiai ianding spot for Ingali, with plenty of factors that make it a possible destination.

Based on the Gold Coast, the two-car team clearly needs a driver who can push it further up the grid and tie-in with the Holden Performance Driving Centre (as well as being based in the same part of the world as Ingali) all could make it a possibility.

The close ties between Holden's motorspof,. department and the Sirromet team - which recently built, prepared and ran the Astra Bathurst 12 Hour cars - is also another factor that could help orchestrate the deal.

"Russell is in a top-level Ford team with at least another year on his Ford contract," said Holden Motorsport Manager Simon McNamara.

"It's not really open for discussion, I woulq have thought."

And given the large number of drivers who have crossed from Holden to Ford in the [Past - Lowndes, Ingali, Bright, Richards, Bargwa PPa, Whincup,Courtney - and the lack offlow back across the fence the other way, it com,j be a nice little PR boon for the General.

There's no doubt this story has a way to yet, and with so many drivers out of contra^* at the end of this season, the silly season sure looks like a busy one ...

-AARON NOONAN motorsporinews

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WHERETO FOR RUSSELL IN 2008?

STONE BROTHERS RACING

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With one season left on his Ford contract, it seems extending his SBR contract by oneyear would make the most sense. However, this is motor racing - one and one doesn't always equal two!

Retaining Ingall's services would make sense as SBR looks to retain Caltex as one of the team's major sponsors. SBR's long standing Caltex deal is up for renewal at the end of the year.

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PAUL CRUICKSHANK RACING John Bowe is retiring from V8 Supercar racing at the end of the year, opening a spot at Cruickshank's Falcon team. Luring another Ford star to PCR would strengthen Cruickshank's relationship with Ford, and the team's sponsor Glenfords Tool Centres may be tempted to renew with a name driver on board. Both PCR and Ingall are Queensland-based.

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BRITEK MOTORSPORT Jason Bright's Melbourne team would need extra sponsorship dollars to recruit the likes of Ingall, but those dollars could come from CAT.The earthmoving company has spent 2007 as only a minor sponsor of Britek, but are mooted to return in 2008.

What CAT love the most, remember, is a name driver. When Lowndes left FPR in 2004, they demanded a name driver replace him.

So, FPR hired Jason Bright....

WPS RACING Outside chance, but Craig Gore could see real value in securing Ingall's services.

The biggest hurdle is that WPS isn't a Fordsupported team - however,the Queenslandbased team has close ties with Ingall's manager Brett Murray...

PAUL MORRIS MOTORSPORT Could Ingall jump the fence? Don't rule it out! It would be a change of policy within PMM,which has generally supplied one car for Paul, and one car for a young driver.

The key factors here are that Ingall left Holden on relatively good terms in 2003, and PMM is Queensland-based. Hang on, maybe one and one can make two!

THE INGALL FILES YEAR 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998 1997 1996 www.mnews.coni.au

CAR Caltex Falcon BA Caltex Falcon BA Caltex Falcon BA Caltex Falcon BA Castrol Commodore VX Castrol Commodore VX Castrol Commodore VT Castrol Commodore VT Castrol Commodore VS/VT Castrol Commodore VS Castrol Commodore VR

ROUND WINS

No wins

6th

No wins 1 3 + Sandown 2 + Bathurst 1

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PWR is almost gone and DJR hangs in the balance

Deal or no deal? ●.HEU

THE sale of PWR Racing and Dick Johnson Racing's future have been the intriguing developments within the V8 Supercar sector in the past month.

As Motorsport eNews reported in it's inaugural (April 24) issue, PWR .

Racing is dose to announcing its sale to Gold Coast property developer John Marshall, father of racer Marcus.

As MNews closed for press there was^still no official announcement, although we believe it simply is now a case of coming down to some of the fine details.

Deals have fallen over this late in the process before, but nobody will be stunned when a deal is formally announced.

Team owner Kees Weel currently sits on theTEGA Board, and while that would generally mean he'd forfeit his position on the board, MNews believes that he'll stay on as Team Principal of PWR Racing for the remainder of 2007.

Weel, a successful businessman in the automotive sphere certainly doesn't need to sell, but 10 years in the team ownership game, and the stepping back of son Paul from active driving, may well have reduced the motivation to continue.

At the same time, a week later,

Going once, going twice... PWR Racing, above, wiii be in the bands of John Marshall, while DJR's future will be decided soon.

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eNews reported activity surrounding Dick Johnson Racing, suggesting that a deal was close, or even done, for UK company Carlin Motorsport to take an initial stake in the team.

While the mandatory denials were forthcoming from both parties, MNews understands that there has been discussion between the parties, albeit not to any solid conclusion to date.

However, times at Dick Johnson Racing are transparently tight at the moment - especially in comparison with the glory Shell-backed days, and the team is certainly ripe for, and realistically in need of, a financial injection to allow it to continue to operate at what has, on track at least, become a competitive level.

It's a classic'watch this space'case ...

ARE YOU ONE OF THE FEW WHO HAVEN'T

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BRAD JONES CALLS IT A DAY

-BRAD JONESCAREER HIGHLIGHTS n Two-time Australian Super Touring Champion (1996/1998) n Five-time AUSCAR Champion (1989/90-1993/94) n Australian NASCAR Champion (1994/95) n Australian GTP Production Car Champion (1994)

BRAD Jones has raced in his last V8 Supercar sprint round.

The 47-year-old did not race at Winton Motor Raceway in the fourth round of the V8 Supercar Championship Series and will only contest the endurance races at Sandown and Bathurst this year.

After a tough start to the 2007 season, where both Brad and his nephew Andrew have not scored any championship points in the first three rounds,Jones told MNews that the time was right to hang up his'sprint'helmet.

"I'll still do Sandown and Bathurst, but for me, today is the day," he said.

"I hate to say never, but my intention is to never do another V8 Supercar sprint round. I'll do Sandown and Bathurst this year, they'll probably be my last, but I don't know. If I enjoy it and I'm competitive enough then I might do a few more.

I don't want to say I'm never going to do them again. I want to leave that open.(But) I don't have any intention on racing anything else at this

stage, I Just want to focus on the business."

Jones hands the reigns of his #14Team BOC Falcon to former full-time racer Simon Wills. Wills will contest the remainder of the 2007 season, including the endurance races, with Team BOC. The decision came after a three day process.

On Monday, May 7,Team BOC trialled a bunch of rookies in an evaluation day - including Brett Hobson, David Russell and Christian Murchison.

The following day. Wills and David Besnard drove the cars. And on the Wednesday, Brad made the decision to stop driving, effective immediately.

"Everyone gets to that time in life and I've had a pretty unbelievable ride," he said.

"I'm 47, I'm the second oldest guy out there and I always said that once I made the decision to stop, I'd stop straight away. And that's what's happened."

Jones's future is set to mainly focus on his Albury-based team, and his media commitments with BigPond and V8 SupercarTelevision.

- GRANT ROWLEY

n Runner-up, Bathurst 1000 (1994, 1997,2001) n Bathurst 1000 Starts: 22 n Championship Starts: 105

BJ's PB-BATHURST2002 'One of my fondest memories was the 2002 Bathurst 1000.

"I'd only done six laps in practice, started the race from the front row and finished the first lap two seconds clear of the field.

"Skaife was on pole and on the parade lap, the crowd at the top of the mountain booed and hissed at JB and I. We had everything but beer cans thrown at us. I decided that I was going to give them a one-fingered salute.

"When I came out of the Cutting and realised I had a three or four car length buffer over the second place, I decided that rather than give them the bird. I'd drive across there as hard as I could.

"When I went across the start finish line, looked in the mirror and saw no one there, that was a really nice feeling. By the time Skaife and Murphy had caught me, I was comfortable in the car and we were breaking the lap record lap after lap. I really thought we were going to win the race that day, but I had contact with Ingall and fractured a rose joint.That was the day that I thought we were going to be unstoppable."

CHECKOUT OUT MOTORSPORTeNEWSYET? Then you'd better get on-line and do it-right now.Why? Because if you haven't,you weren'tthe first to know aboutthe PWR Racing team's sale,the potential sale of DJR and Brad Jones'retirement thoughts...

Yep,it's in eNewsfirst! Ail in our great'virtual'magazine format.

the cover! {And don't miss our Karting and State race supplements!)

And while you're there,don tforget to register for our automatic email alert, every Tuesday morning,when Motorsport eNews i IS published www.mnews.com.au

7

BRIEFLV.l ll V8 Supercar brake concerns continues A NUMBER of brake-related issues at the Pukekohe V8 Supercar round,always a tough test of brake performance; has seen a number of V8 teams questioning the reliability of the control brake package mandated byTEGA. While the package was put together to a price-based spec, there are questions over its durability, particularly when the circus moves to Bathurst in October.

Indeed,one prominent team owner told MNews that"if nothing changes, we could end up changing discs, as well as pads, at some point in the race. I'm not sure that would look ideal for the supplier..." n Barry Sheene is missed by many people in our sport but the latest DVD release on his life and career will put a smTIe on many of hisfans'faces.

LEGACY

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WESTERN Australia is in danger of losing its round of the V8 Supercar Championship Series following V8 Supercars Australia's plan to take to Perth's streets.

The West Australian Sporting Car Club were told earlier this year by V8SA that there was unlikely to be an extension to Barbagallo Raceway's current sanction agreement, which ends in 2009, with V8SA instead preferring to push for a street race.

But when asked by Motorsport eNews last month, WA Sports Minister John Kobelke indicated that the WA State Government were unlikely to support such a project.

"When the State Government looked at the proposal for a V8 street event in Perth a few years ago the return for tourism and promotion of the state came

nowhere near warranting the expenditure required," Kobelke told Motorsport eNews.

"I don't believe anything has changed which would interest the Government in investing in a street circuit."

Regardless of the outcome of the street race debacle, WASCC General Manager Adrian Chambers is already looking at a V8 Supercar-less future for Barbagallo Raceway,including applying for an International licence from the FIA. "I don't have any problems with the concept[of the street race], but as a club we need to look long and hard where we are going; that's the priority,"said Chambers.

"I need to ensure the long-term viability of our circuit, and if the V8s aren't here, well that's even more of a priority."

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Legacy, A Personal History of Barry Sheene is not the usual bio of a racer, featuring this race and that Grand Prix.

What it does though is take you behind the scenes into Sheene's life, starting from his early days as a motorcyclemad Cockney kid to his final races at Goodwood.

The producers have been given access to never-before-seen photographs and home movies, featuring the family on holidays in Spain, which led to Frank Sheene forging an alliance with Bultaco and which led to Barry starting his racing career. There are some priceless scenes, like a 12-year-old Sheene Jr riding a trials bike around the paddock, with a cigarette perched from a corner of his mouth...

The interviews with his family members and the likes of Murray Walker, Damon Hill, Valentino Rossi, Steve Parrish and many more give a unique insight into the man and what motivated him to reach the top of his sport, not to mention his brave recovery from two enormous crashes and his final battle with cancer.

The two-DVD set, narrated by Ewan McGregor, also features extended interviews, rare clips of some of Sheene's greatest wins and provides many smiles for any motorcycle racing fan.

Legacy, A Personal History of Barry Sheene has been released by EMI Home Entertainment and is available where all good DVDs are sold.

8

Will WA lose its V8round?

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Briscoe, inside

RYAN Briscoe has perhaps the best-ever opportunity of an Australian winning the Indianapolis 500 after qualifying seventh for the 91 St running of the IndyCar classic.

The Sydneysider, who now lives in Charlotte, is driving for Luczo Dragon Racing, an effective Team Penske satellite squad part-owned by Roger Penske's son Jay in a Dallara/Honda leased from the legendary organisation.

Briscoe, who finished 10th in his only Brickyard

appearance in 2005 forTarget/Ganassi Racing, qualified at a four-lap average of 224.41 Omph to seal one of 11 spots up for grabs on the opening day of qualifying.

"At first it was a bit frustrating there watching from the sidelines as the day went on and seeing us get bumped a few positions," he said.

"We went out to practice before deciding to line u p for a second qualifying attempt and we were running at 225 (mph), so we knew we had the speed to compete for the front row, or even pole, but we ran out of time. In the end though I'm very happy with starting seventh."

Two-time Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves took the pole position for Team Penske after withdrawing his initial qualifying run and gambling that he could set a time fast enough to steal the pole - a move that landed him US$100,000.

His average of 225.817mph just edged fellow BrazilianTony Kanaan.The duo will be joined on the front row of the 33-car field by Dario Franchitti.

Defending indy 500 winner Sam Hornish Jr will start fifth with Kiwi Scott Dixon one spot ahead.

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V8 Tyre Tender Dunlop V Michelin v Pirelli

QUESTION: What do the Japanese, French and Italians have it common?

Answer: They all want to see V8 Supercars race on their rubber.

Dunlop, Michelin and Pirelli look set to battle for the control tyre contract, with the winning tender to supply both the V8 Supercar Championship Series and the Fujitsu V8 Series for the 2008 to 2012 seasons inclusive.

Dunlop's current contract expires at the end of this year. The Japanese maker has supplied the V8s rubber since 2002.

While a change in tyre manufacturer is possible, there will be no modification to the dimension and specifications, remaining at the category's unique 17 inch (diameter) and 10 inch (wide) sizes.

Final bids for the 2008 V8 Supercar control tyre must have been submitted toTEGA by May 27.

motorsoorsnews

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The passing ofan Australian speedway legend

George Tatnell

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Tatnell holas several unique statistical honours in the sport, including being the inaugural winner of the World Series Sprintcars Championship (which he was instrumental in creating) and one of only three drivers to win the Australian Sprintcar and SpeedcarTitles, along with Robbie Farr and Phillip March.

But it was arguably Tatnell's reputation and standing in the sport, along with the respect he commanded from his peers,that was his greatest prize.

Tatnell was a pioneer in many aspects of the sport.

In an arena of motorsportthat is often looked upon as a second-class citizen on the motorsport landscape, Tatnell exuded professionalism and innovation.

Flis was one of the earliest stars in Australian speedway, one of the names that people genuinely paid money to come and see race. As one of the heroes of Sydney's legendary Liverpool Speedway, Tatnell raced hard in an era where many a man met their maker plying their craft. Fie was a showman and a crowd favourite when many shied away from exuberance and outward emotion, it was in Speedcars (Midgets) in the seventies that Tatnell began his long running rivalry with the equally legendary Garry Rush, along with the regular trail of visiting Americans that included greats such as AJ Foyt and Johnny Rutherford.

Tatnell then led the sport into the commercial era as attentions shifted more and more from wingless Speedcars to winged,V8-powered Sprintcars.

Tatnell first secured Midford workwear as a backer for his ever-slick racing outfit. Fie then gained backing from Winfield, creating the unique situation where the two biggest stars and rivals in Australian speedway,Tatnell and Rush, carried the same sponsors.

At the end of the tobacco era Tatnell carried Shell backing, a relationship that continued after George backed away from driving to run the Tatnell Motorsport team with brother Joe and son Brooke, www.mnews.Gom.au

era.To the young speedway fans of today, Brooke Tatnell is their hero, and undoubtedly, Brooke's own hero is, and always has been, his father.

George and Joe were the ultimate team in Australian speedway, George's vibrant personality and crisp presentation contrasted perfectly by Joe's no nonsense style and giant stature.

Until struck down by the cancer that ultimately claimed him,Tatnell was one of the most energetic men in Australian speedway,a sounding board for many of the sport's leaders, so valued was his opinion on all manner of topics. Flis passion fo the sport shone through even in illness, as GT continued to travel and attend events as much as his condition allowed.

Tatnell himself never shied away from the tough topics or decision making roles,filling the role as President of the Sprintcar Control Council of Australia in the 90s.

Memories of George Tatnell will stay with Austraiian speedway fans forever,from his early days running side-by-side with the best in the world on the banks of Liverpool, to his epic battle with great rival Rush to win his first Australian SprintcarTitle at Speedway Park in Adelaide, to embracing son Brooke when he won his first Australian crown in one of his last drives V,' ith the family team.

It was impossible to miss'Gorgeous'George Tatnell m the pits at any major Australian speedway event.

His shining hair, smart dress, broad smile and outward arm forever shaking the hands of fans and peers alike.

It made him one of the most legendary, popular and longstanding figureheads in the sport.

His passing has also been felt in the United States, where he was respected as one of the greatest ever to race'down under'.

Australian speedway will dearly miss George, but the mark he left and the standards he set on and off

GEORGE TATNELL CAREER

n Three-time Australian Speedcar Champion (1973,1974,1977) n 1988 Australian Sprintcar Champion n Runner-up, Austraiian Sprintcar Championship(1984,1989) n First driver to win both Australian Speedcar and Sprintcar Championships(1988) n Two-time World Series Sprintcars Champion(1987/88 and 1988/89) n Runner-up, World Series Sprintcars(1989/90) n Former SCCA (Sprintcar Control Council of Australia) President (1995-1999) i Out of a total of ISO Feature races at the Sydney Showground Speedway,George placed in the top three 47 times with 18 wins, 13 seconds and 16 thirds.

9

French,Italian? r\ Formula )ca en Valencia 1

ALL signs are pointing towards Sebastien Bourdais joining Scuderia Toro Rosso for the 2008 Formula 1 World Championship.

The Champ Car ace tested successfully for the squad last off-season, andwas behind the wheel at Paul Ricard as we went to press.

Bourdais's European manager NicolasTodt denies that any deal is already done, but says that Bourdais is"well-placed to become one of the drivers for the Italian team"in 2008.

The Frenchman is currently leading the Champ Car World Series, and will race for Peugeot at this year's Le Mans 24 Hours.

Double Spain and a Sling FORMULA 1 has gone new circuit crazy recently, with both Valencia and Singapore locking in street races for the World Championship.

The Asian swing of the Championship is set to get a boost with the Singapore Government confirming it will host a street race late next season. It is likely to tie in with the Chinese and Japanese Grands Prix.

There is also a chance that the race will take place at night, however while the Formula One Group are keen to go under

lights, the government are concerned about costs.

Meanwhile it looks as though the European Grand Prix is off to Spain thanks to a successful bid for a street race by Valencia. A seven year deal is in place, however it is dependant on the upcoming local election with the current regional government having negotiated the terms.

In other circuit news,the Catalunya circuit in Barcelona has extended its deal to host the Spanish Grand Prix until 2016.

SPECIAL TRIBUTE DVD

^ LBGACY

H.STOH-r 0. BARRV SHEENE

Narr atcd bv E«ab McGtegor

LEGACY — A personal history of Barry Sheene DVD contains hours of never before seen archive and home video footage. The documentary traces Sheene’s life from childhood to the heights of his 1970s success and follows his breaks and scrapes through to his death in 2003.

Featuring Interviews with: Stephanie Sheene (widow) Mick Doohan Murray Walker

Paul Smart Bill Woods Valentino Rossi

and many other family members and associates.

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Narrated by Ewan McGregor this is the ultimate Barry Sheene biography - a must for any racing fan.

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AVAILABLE AT [iJ|j]

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Brundle He'll be back

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COMMENTS made by noted FI commentator Martin Brundle at the Spanish Grand Prix have started fresh claims that seven-time World Champion Michael Schumacher could return to Formula 1.

Barcelona was Schumacher's first appearance at a Grand Prix since retiring last season, causing Brundle to suggest he will be back in the cockpit sooner rather than later.

What's he doing here!" Brundle said on-air.

I can't see him being happy to just stand and stare at a monitor. Lauda, Mansell, Prost all came back ... I think he'll be back...'

Schumacher was attending the race as a 'consultant'to the Ferrari team with which he won five of his World Championships,a role which he announced he would fulfill at selected Grands Prix when he retired.

► 1,450 Exhibitors ► 4,200 Booths ► 45,000 Buyers ► Over 45 Countries Represented ► Worid’s Largest Racii^Trade Show Performance Racing industry I www.mnews.Goni.aiii

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BRIEFLV.l ll Vale George Begg GEORGE Begg,the creator of a series of NZ designed and built Begg Formula 500 cars passed away in May, Begg was an engineer by trade and, after an early interest in motorcycles (he raced in the UK and at the Isel of Man),started to engineer and build cars in 1964.

He spent further time in the UK, working at the McLaren factory in 1968, but returned to NZ and built his first single-seater race car, the McBegg.

In 1969 came the first in a series of Formula 5000 cars, which continued through until 1973. Begg cars were built in partnership with friend Fred McLean - hence the'FM'model notation.

In the end,it the removal of concessionary tax laws which made the construction of cars in NZ uneconomical, and so a period of creative engineering in NZ came to an end.

After his retirement, Begg turned to writing and authored a number of books, including a superb volume 'Bruce McLaren, Racing Car Constructor', detliling Bruce's from late 1963 through to his untimely death on June 2,1970.

V8SA sorts its timing problems SHORTER time buffers have been inserted into V8 Supercar race programmes - particularly after races - to fix the problem that cut short Race 3 at Pukekohe in April.

The last race on Pukekohe's programme was shortened by seven laps to accommodate the Seven Network's commitment to an AFL game.

Widespread media criticism of Seven ensured, but V8 Supercar Chairman Tony Cochrane cleared up the issue.

"The reasoning behind calling the race short was simply because we had two very, very long Safety Car periods," Cochrane told Seven's VSXtra program.

"The first one (was) totaily understandable. We had a car flipped, a driver in potentially a very dangerous situation. We had to give that the expert medical care and take our time with'it.

Hurry up and finish that roll-over, Paul: This monster shunt at Pukekohe contributed to the race's early finish.

Australian GT boom

n Jason Richards is a pie eater. Usually, that term may suggest that a trip to Weight Watchers is needed, but that is not the case.

The 'Jason Richards Signature Steak Pie'is now on the menu for a limited time at Cobb & Co - New Zealand's leading family restaurant chain.

The pie was created with Richards' favourite meal in mind - succulent steak - inside a tasty hot pot pie. It's filled with all sorts of yummy stuff, served with classic peas, mashed potato and gravy. n Former Formula Ford champions Jamie Whincup and Will Davsion are FFord official ambassadors for 2007.

Whincup and Davison will offer advice and support to the next generation of Australia's motorsport talent.

"I have fantastic memories of my days in Formula Ford and am genuinely very pleased to be able to offer some help and support to the young guys coming up through the category," Davison said.

12

"The second one was, quite frankly, unforgiveable.

It was a very simple car recovery that turned into a Dad's Army exercise. Now,I'm not blaming anybody else, that's V8 Supercars Australia's fault at the end of the day because we have to get those things better and we have to get them right. And if we have to take a couple of our experts from Australia to international events to make sure they're up to our standards we've got used to, so be it."

j.

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THE Australian GT Championship has received a n umber of major boosts on the eve of the fourth round of the championship at Queensland Raceway this weekend (May 27).

The Queensland round will see 22 entries, including the Australian debut of John Kaias' Aston Martin DBRS9,pictured above,along with another debut appearance of a Lotus Elise GT3,to be driven by Queenslander Angelo Lazaris.

"This grid is truly world class,"category manager Terry Little said."

"And there is more to come with huge interest and more cars being ordered all the time for the

Championship.

The Aston Martin was successfully shaken down at Winton by both owner/driver Kaias and John Bowe.The British machine is powered by a fivelitre,front-mounted VI2 engine, producing 360 kilowatts.

Other competitors Joining the championship are the Sherrin brothers, lain and Grant, who will both be driving Porsche GT3 Cup cars.

Expect more entries soon,including Bowe and Peter Hackett, who will compete in factoryprepared Lamborghini Gallardo GT3s from Phillip Island's August round onwards.

motorsport news

nsuis

Changes in Stone-land WHILE Stone Brothers Racing continues to consider its driver options for 2008, they were forced into a mid-year team re-structure recently when Paul Forgie departed the Queensland team.

Forgie finished work with the team in early May after an apparently strained relationship with team driver James Courtney.

Hay, who was Russell Ingall's Crew Chief, has been promoted to the team's overall Crew Chief, overseeing both SBR Falcons at the race track and workshop.Team engineers Wes McDougall and Dave Stuart will manage cars #4 and #9 respectively.

"We wish Paul all the best in his new

as The Giz gets a test

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role in the US; it's certainly a great opportunity for him,"team owner Ross Stone,r/g/rf, said.

Forgie,the car manager for Marcos Ambrose from 2001 to 2005, has left Australia to join Ambrose in America.

He assisted Ambrose in a recent shakedown day of a new Nextel Cup 'road course'NASCAR (see seperate story), where Forgie is expected to be employed

by Wood Brothers/JTG team for the two road course events this year.

Marcos readyfor Cup debut >«

WHILE Australian NASCAR star Marcos Ambrose hangs onto the back of the top 10 in the NASCAR Busch Series, has found time to make racing history.

^ I I n B ^ S M nA

Amongst his busy racing schedule, Ambrose and his Wood Brothers/JTG team took time out to shakedown a new Nextel Cup Ford Fusion car at Carolina Motorsports Park in South Carolina. It was Ambrose's first drive of a full-blown Cup car, and in the process, Ambrose became the first Aussie to drive a'Car of Tomorrow'NASCAR. "The day went well and the car felt great," he said.

"We didn't complete too many laps. It was more about me feeling comfortable in the car and getting a feel for it.

"It was good to get the opportunity to get some laps in a Car of Tomorrow."

Ambrose will attempt to qualify for two NASCAR Nextel Cup road course races at

|| Sonoma (June 24) and Watkins Glen (August 12).

In terms of results in the Busch Series, Ambrose didn't enjoy a fantastic month of May, 0-5 ^ highlighted by a fourth place in Darlington qualifying. A clash in the race dropped him n down to 19th. As MNews closed for press, he sat in 11th place in the series.

KIWI youngster Shane van Gisbergen is one step closer to a V8 Supercar career, having tested with Stone Brothers Racing in May. The 18-year-old tested the SBR-prepared Jonathan Webb Falcon at Queensland Raceway, pictured left inset, confirming the firm relationship he has developed with the Yatala, Qld-based team.

-n At this early stage, plans for van Gisbergen to contest the 2007/08 NZV8 Series (with assisteance from SBR,similar to Luke Youlden),followed by a start in the 2008 Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series with SBR. There is even the possibility of an early berth in the Fujitsu V8s this year, which could be achieved in a spare SBR shell, or with a different Fujitsu Falcon team.

Van Gisbergen is a former NZ Formula Ford Champion, and finished second in the Toyota Racing Series last season.

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Pug play down 24 PEUGEOT Sportscar team manager Serge Saulnier is playing down the French manufacturer's chances of beating Audi in June's Le Mans 24 Hours, in the absence of the Audi R8 TDI, the new, 5.5-litre diesei VI2 Peugeot 908 has won both its first 1000km races in the Le Mans Series, at Monza and Valencia, above, but has yet to complete an extended endurance test.

Asked to rate the car's capability I,

to finish at Le Mans, Saulnier said: 'At this stage, I would say we have a 60 percent chance. Unless we complete two simulations of 30 hours, we can't be confident. In four weeks, maybe I can say 70 percent."

Peugeot's new machine will take on a two-car Audi R10 diesel squad - that which won the race iast year - when the French classic begins on June 16.

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Corners in Belgian Veteran co-driver replaces Aussie alongside Atkinson in Subaru World Rally Team

BELGIAN Stephane Prevot, right, is now calling the corners for Aussie Subaru WRC driver Chris Atkinson.

The experience Prevot, 38, has close links with the Subaru team after competing alongside Bruno Thiry for the team in 1999 and Stephane Sarrazin last season.

He has replaced Aussie Glenn Macneall after the Western Australian stepped down from his duties to focus further on personal and business commitments.

"Right from the start of the first test we seemed to work well together and we improved with every day,"said Atkinson.

"Stephana's an experienced and professional co driver and he adapted to my driving very quickly.

Superbike run-out sale Of course there's still work to do, as Stephane gets used to my notes system, and my words and phrases, but it's good so far."

The duo finished seventh on debut in Argentina.

THE World Superbike Championship has a new owner in the controversial Swiss-based sports marketing companies, Infront Sports & Media AG. The FIM announced last week that the company, which has substantial interests in other sports, has secured control of FGSport, which has run the championship since 1989.

Maurizio and Paolo Alberto Flammini will remain in control of the series from their Rome base.

Infront has had a chequered past, with allegations of favouritism surrounding its involvement with international football's governing body, FIFA. Insport President and CEO Philippe Blatter is the nephew of FIFA President Sepp Blatter, and the company has been involved in a number offootball related deals.

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BRIEFLYlll Germany takes home A1GP crown

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2006 / 07

1

Put it there:Schumacher and Hulkenberg.

A1 Team Germany has taken home the siliierware from the second season of A1 Grand Prix.

Thanks largely to the efforts of young star Nico Hulkenberg,the Will Weber-directed outfit run by Super Nova was too strong all season, with the former collecting the World Cup of Motorsport from seven-time FI World Champion Michael Schumacher, above, at the series'gala dinner prize giving ceremony in England.

"Nico's driving and A1 Team Germany's achievements this year have been excellent," said Schumi.

"He has everything he needs for the future - it is a long way to go but he is working hard,so why can he not achieve everything?

"I am proud as a German, but it is also the personal connections I have that make this special to me."

A1 Team New Zealand - through the efforts of Jonny Reid and Matt Halliday - finished second and collected the silver medal and won awards for the most improved driver, most supportive franchise and PR excellence award.

Zandvoort's round was named best event and A1 Team China were named most improved for the 2006/07 season.

Sadly, A1 Team Australia didn't figure among the results-based awards but were recognised with a Sportsmanship Award for their assistance given to Team Portugal in Durban.

Team Oz completed the team's pit stop in the feature race after the Portuguese race deal came together late and there was no team equipment.

Results-based awards are a must in 2007/08, with the new season starting at Zandvoort in Holland on September 28-30,

16

Offthefamily wagon Earnhardt Jr announces that he is heading out the DEI door for 2008- butto where?

IN the biggest NASCAR news since the death of his father. Dale Earnhardt Jr has announced that he will not return to Dale Earnhardt Inc. in 2008.

"I was anticipating signing a new contract with DEI, but after a year of intense negotiations and efforts from both parties we have decided to move on and seek other opportunities to drive for a new team in 2008,"said Earnhardt Jr. "We tried to meet in the middle, but we never even got close. As the negotiations continued it became clear we both wanted to get to the same place, but we both had different visions on how to get there."

Along with his choice of team, other things remain uncertain.The #8 is technically owned by DEI and Earnhardt Jr doesn't expect stepmother Teresa to give it up.

Secondly, Budweiser's contract with Earnhardt Jr and DEI doesn't

end until the end of 2008 so it's very likely that Bud - along with a multitude of backers - will follow him. Bud will either pay off DEI or honour its contract and also sponsor a car for another driver at DEI next season.

After a statement he made a week earlier, it was expected he would continue his relationship with Chevrolet, but he left the door cracked when questioned.

"I enjoy driving Chevrolets and my relationship with Chevrolet is very, very strong and I feel like that is where I'd be best suited to continue driving Chevrolets, we're going to listen to whoever wants to have a conversation with us."

So where could he land?

Of the GM teams, Richard Childress Racing is where his late father drove and made #3 famous.

Hendrick Motorsports seems the obvious choice for him to land, while Joe Gibbs Racing is

out of the equation as Gibbs will not entertain a alcohol sponsor, assuming Bud follows'Little E'.

Haas CNC Racing and Ginn Racing can't be ruled out as both have owners with very deep pockets and would love to win a championship.

Both operate with engine, chassis and engineering assistance from Hendrick and Mark Martin's few races in Ginn cars this year have shown the potential with the team.

The continuing talks with Robert Yates Racing regarding a possible merger with DEI over the off-season could happen with help from billionaire John Menard, who is the father of DEI's rookie driver Paul.

NASCAR and Indycar veteran Robby Gordon could also be part of that mix as Menard and Gordon had negotiated with RYR unsuccessfully over the off-season.

- MARTIN D CLARK

A familiar name BRUNO Senna has broken through for his first win in the GP2 Series, right.

The Brazilian, who is driving for Arden International in his first year in the Formula 1 feeder category, won Race 1 in Barcelona as a support to the Spanish FI Grand Prix.

"The car was strong all race but I honestly didn't expect this start to 2007," he said.

"I didn't struggle as I did in Bahrain with the rear tyres at the end of the race. I think i did a better job of taking care of the tyres in the race even when I was behind people and I knew that Timo (Glock) wasn't close enough with four laps to go to get me, because he was maybe 1,5 second quicker than me per lap and in four laps you cannot take 10 seconds.

"I just gave the maximum I had and kept pushing as I was so I had a decent gap in the end."

In Race 2, Senna was pipped for another podium finish - this time third place - by just 0.275s thanks to Lucas di Grassi. motorsport news

J

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opinion

mOTOR mouTH PhilBranagan Executive Editor

Are we readyfor a

Third Manufacturer in 2009? c OULD there soon be a third manufacturer in V8 Supercar racing?

No, i am not mad.To reheat an old marketing slogan, please consider.

For most teams in the pitlane, these are tough times. For a decade and a half, two companies have been the cornerstones of V8 Supercar racing, but times are hard at Holden and Ford. Their US corporate parents are struggling and locally, large cars are not selling in the numbers they used to.

Both are losing market share and are downsizing their staffing commitments.The days when Geoff Polites ended Ford's tennis

sponsorship to redirect the dollars to racing seem a long time ago.

And their priorities have changed. Holden is delivering a greater percentage of its funding to Toll HSVand HRT and less to its other teams, while Ford is cutting its V8 Supercar spending across the board.

TREC? Love it or hate it, but most teams are nowhere near the spending cap.There are, maybe, five teams that mumble about the need to watch the numbers set

by TREC and trim their spend to fit but the rest mostly say they are nowhere near the limit and that W

they are, mostly, hurting like never before.

To the majority of V8 Supercar teams,TREC numbers are science fiction.

Another the politicaiconsideration; landscape ofV8 Supercars (and before that, AVESCO) is now vastly different.

To this point, and with some justification and success, the priority has been the expansion and promotion of the series and its financial base.

That has meant that, in the mam, minority stakehoider SEE has been on the front foot while the teams have, mostly, been content to follow behind.

But 75 percent stakeholder TEGA has recently undergone substantial change. New Chairman John Hewson has impressed many in pit lane and the former politician enjoys an freedom that his predecessor Kelvin O'Reilly never did, given the latter's concurrent role as General Manager(and hence, an employee) ofTEGA. Because of this change, there is some expectation in pit lane that Hewson will be able to carry the teams'agendas forward rather more forcefully than may have happened in the past.

Any discussion about a third maker has always included discussion of massive financial commitments.

There has usually been three aspects to this - an undertaking to support a minimum number of entries; another to compete for a set period of time; and a large upfront'entry'fee to V8 Supercars.

There have also been opinions voiced that a new make would have to be patient for success and be prepared take a beating from Holden and Ford for a while.

But now. Project Blueprint makes it easier and cheaper to build cars than previously, and would dramatically shorten the lead-time to have new cars on track and competitive with the existing, developed cars. And, in the current climate, would there be any need for an entry fee if TEGA dictates its teams'economic imperatives outweigh any lust for a massive, one-off financial windfall?

Presently, only companies that iocally manufacture cars are eligible to compete in V8 Supercar racing.

Mitsubishi is unlikely to want to enter the sport, given its own position, which leaves only Toyota.The company is making plenty of money out of selling

Corollas, Yarises and Camrys but its aspirational car remains a family-sized six, and the Aurion is a logical competitor for the Falcon and the Commodore.

But, if Toyota passes on the opportunity, will that rule stay forever? The Australian car market is, reiative to its past, now a levei piaying field and as a politician, Hewson was always a conspicuous advocate of a free market economy.Should that egalitarianism be extended onto the racetrack if it helps the teams and the sport?

T

he car market has itself changed.

Customers have never had such a wide range of cars from which to buy.

One of the star attractions of last month's New York Motor Show was a rival to Mercedes-Benz's EClass and BMW's 5-Series, with a 300-horspower-plus 4.6-litre V8, the same six-speed ZF gearbox as in the Falcon, rear-wheel drive and class-leading equipment and dynamics.The car will go on sale in the USA in 2008.

And this mouth-watering missile, above, is a Hyundai.

If I had written that in 1993 - when V8 Supercars started people would have said I was crazy... motorsport news

It's what's inside that

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^IPICTURES OF THE mOflTH They reverse parka bit differently over there in New Zealand, but Paul Morris took things to new extremes at Pukekohe as his Sirromet Commodore bounced into the armco and was sent into a tumble.

Goodbye to an Australian motorsport legend-GeorgeTatnell. | The speedway ace they called'Gorgeous George'| passed away on May ^ 13 after a fight with cancer of the pancreas.

A man who helped lift 5 the professionalism of speedway racing and > gave plenty of dirt track racing fans a multitude of memories that will be talked about for years to come. c:.>"

L

Shake it like a Polaroid picture:TeamVodafone's Jamie Whincup knows where to find the best corporate boxes in \/8 racing. We just hope this visit didn't result in bruising ... lIF-

ll9BE

uiinoinG BRCh

THE VEHR THRT UJR5

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MILE thousands, millions of words have been written about Gilles Villeneuve and the effect that the great Canadian's death had on motorsport, less has been recorded about the car in which he crashed to his death on that dark Saturday in Belgium,25 years ago.

And while the loss of a man such as Villenueve was nothing less than a tragedy, there is some injustice in the fact that Ferrari's 126C2 never got the kudos it deserved. In fact, this is a car that won two World Championships, both for Constructors. But without a Drivers' title, it has never been noted as one of the classics to emerge from Fiorano.

The reason is down to drcumstance.The car took time to be developed; when it was, Villeneuve was dead and Didier Pironi almost followed him. Its other pilots were, mostly, never up to the task of winning a title.

The 126C of 1981 was the Scuderia's first attempt at a turbocharged Formula 1 car. In typical fashion, Enzo Ferrari had for years resisted the tide and made do with the 312T (for Transversale)for six seasons while the Garagistes (Williams, Brabham, McLaren)set the technical agenda. But the combination of a flat12 engine that did no favours to aerodynamics

a

GILLES DESCRIBED THE 1 BBC AS A BIG RED CADILLAC - TO ENZO FERRARI HIMSELF

and the developing Renault turbos made it clear that change was needed at Ferrari.

Technical Director Mauro Forghieri was allocated the task to develop a 1.5-litre turbo car for the 1981 season.TO shorten its development path, Forghieri used an alloy chassis based on the 312's, but it had a narrower nose and the car was completely different aft of the rollover bar, to facilitate the engine and all its plumbing.The car used a 120-degree V6 with a cast iron block,twin KKK turbochargers and massive intercoolers, and was tested at Fiorano at the end of the northern summer.Villeneuve even ran it in practice at the'80 Italian GP - and would have raced it, had he had his way.

During the 1981 season,the car was developed and,in the space of 21 extraordinary days,Villeneuve won two races. At Monaco, Alan Jones had the race shot to pieces until his Williams developed a fuel-feed problem.

In more than 70 laps, Gilles had somehow

managed to keep the 126 off the walls, despite its lasagne-like chassis and rampant turbo lag, and galloped home to a famous, if unlikely, win.

Three weeks later in Spain,Jones again lost an unlosable race, running offthe Jarama track after building a huge lead. Villenueve faced what to a mortal driver was an Impossible mission; wrestle the car he had described - to Ferrari himself- as a'shitbox'and a'big, red Cadillac'through the sinewy corners onto the straight and,thanks to his prodigious engine, safety. And do it in the full knowledge that right behind was not one driver poised to pounce but four - Jacques Laffite, John Watson, Carlos Reutemann and Elio de Angelis. For an hour, they waited for an error. None came and Villenueve rode his bucking bronco to an emotional victory. It was, perhaps, his finest. It was his last.

No more wins came for the 126C but behind .. the scenes, Harvey Postlethwaite had been recruited (in June!)to assist with the design

motorsponnews

of the C2, Ferrari's first carbon-fibre car. it was enough for pole. Pironi won in Holland with far smaller than the C; its aerodynamics were new recruit Patrick Tambay eighth,they were better developed and the team had switched second and third respectively behind Lauda at from Michelin tyres to Goodyears.The engine Silverstone and third and fourth (behind the department boosted the power from 550hp to Renaults) at the French GP. In Germany, now600, with almost 700 for qualifying. points leader Pironi qualified fastest on Friday The car was fast but still unsorted. In South but then suffered his career-ending crash on Africa, Villeneuve had a turbo blow and Pironi Saturday.Tambay won the race, prompting an had to stop for new tyres; in Brazil, Villeneuve emotional embrace from the Old Man, who made an uncharacteristic mistake and spun out thanked him for saving his team. of the race he had led from the start. He was There were only two more Ferrari podium third at Long Beach but the team shot itself in finishes for the year,Tambay and Mario the foot when the cars were disqualified for Andretti chasing home Rene Arnoux at Monza. their illegal'bi-plane'rear wings. At Imola,the To this day, Andretti rues his bad start (from pole) and is convinced he had the car to win FOCA boycott meant many teams stayed away l and Pironi led the controversial 1 -2 finish. the race. One can only think that Gilles would have been ahead of the Renault for his second Belgium was won by Watson, with neither ,l;errari especially quick in qualifying (Pironi was 'home'victory of the year. sixth, Gilles seventh at the time of the accident).

So,the only plausible answer to the'What if?' question is that Villeneuve would have won the But with third-placed Niki Lauda disqualified in an underweight McLaren, and Eddie Cheever 1982 Drivers'title, probably with Pironi second. a lap down in what became third, the Ferraris The reality is that Ferrari won the Constructors' title by five points from McLaren and Keke would have been at worst,fourth, if they raced.

Monaco was chaotic, with Riccardo Patrese Rosberg's title came only five ahead of Pironi taking an unlikely win after Pironi stopped with and Watson.The foilowing year,Tambay won at San Marino and Arnoux won three races on electrical' problems(he was out of fuel). Given what had happened the year before, and in a his way to third in the championship. Gilles in far superior car, a Villeneuve win on a track he a Ferrari in 1983 may well have won a second crown - but that is a bigger assumption to make, loved looked not just possible but likely.

Pironi's sole Ferrari was third in Detroit and in four seasons,the 126C series won 10 ninth in Canada (after Riccardo Paletti's fatal races,took pole position 10 times and scored startline accident). One can only wonder what a total of 260.5 poirlts. At the start of 1985, Ferrari rolled out the all-new 156/85, but that is Villeneuve might have managed in front of his Montreal fans on a track where Pironi was fast another story...

Marlboro

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One error and you're fifth: Gilles Villeneuve, below,scored an amazing win in Spain in 1981, above.It was one year later that he suffered his fatal crash;in the main pic, he starts his fateful qualifying session atZolderin Belgium.

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23

5 minUTES UJITH

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niGGL mnnsELL

Loved by the Tifosi when he raced a Ferrari Formula 1 car,the 1992 World Champ was lured back to DAVID ADDISON drive a Faz in the Silverstone round ofthe FIA GT Championship.

Before the race

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MOTORSPORT NEWS;Welcome to the FIA GT Championship.

NIGEL MANSELL: It's a pleasure to be here and I'd like to thank the team for having me. It's great to be back at Silverstone because I have got some very special memories of this place.

Howe well do you know the car?

Well, I tested at Knockhill but that is very different from here and so I am looking forward to reacquainting myself with the Grand Prix circuit.

It will be a baptism otfire but I am looking to it as the car handles well and I know the track.

When did you last, if ever, do a two-driver race?

Never! Well, I once did an endurance kart race in 1977 but 1 have never done a race where I have had a co-driver.

That's going to be something different because Chris (Niarchos, Mansell's co-driver) and I will have to set the car up for both of us not just one of us.

You're busy now aren't you with your sons racing?

Yes that is the most amazing experience to have my sons racing in Formula 3 and following in my footsteps.

I never thought that they would follow me into racing but to have Greg on the podium at Donington in only his third race was amazing.

We are busy, yes, because every week we seem to be testing but that's what we were born to do, we were born to go racing.

So, what do you think of GT racing?

I like it! I like the fact that other cars get ballast to slow them down, but if they gave all the cars another 50 kilos I'd be more optimistic!

No,seriously, I like the idea of adding weight - it gives me a chance.The more I learn about GT racing, the more I like it.

24

.10

For example,there is a lot more openness in the paddock compared to FI and the people are more open and friendly. It's more genuine.

Is this the start of a comeback?

Well, we'll have to wait and see.

Anything is possible. All this started when I went to America for five or six weeks at the start of the year and we went to Sebring to watch testing.

I was talking to one of the other Ferrari team owners in the paddock and word got out that I was going to drive again.

Then the phone rang and Stewart Roden said "Don't drive for him, drive for me!" And here we are. It's amazing what can happen.

A full season would be good - if the pay was right!

The team,though, has done an amazing job and I have been really impressed with Stewart and the whole set-up.

The team is still learning about how to make this car work on Pirelli tyres so maybe that has hurt us a bit but I am sure that progress will be made.

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it yet but it (Ferrari 430GT run by Scuderia Ecosse)seems good. It's different from most things I have ever raced but it's good. Mind you, I'd like to have a go in a GT1 car with all that power.

After the race l l l So how was it?

On the whole, it has been a very enjoyable experience. I'm just pleased that we've had a great weekend and it's been a thrill to be in the same team with Tim (Mullen) and Andrew (Kirkaldy) as well as to drive with Chris(Niarchos).

He is just dynamite - a really, really genuine enthusiast who actually a good driver. I think people under-rate him. He's good and it's been a pleasure working with him.

How has the car been?

Well, we've struggled for balance

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really. We have been working all weekend to sort it out and it's not just our car,Tim and Andrew have had the same issues in the race.

We had a problem in the second practice session when one of the other Ferraris (Toni Vilander's AF Corse-run car) biffed me off the track, but he did apologise for it.

Qualifying must have been tricky with just 15 minutes in which to do a time.

Yes it was because you don't get many laps in. I did seven in total and we started 25th on the grid but that wasn't too bad because there was drama at the first corner in the first race so I was happy to be behind anything like that and watch it unfold.

So will you be back?

Well, like I've said you never know, but I've enjoyed it, Stewart has said he'd like me to drive for the team again, so let's see.

WELL, WE'LL HAVE TO WAIT AIMD SEE. AIMYTHING IS POSSIBLE MANSELL ON WHETHER HIS GT EXPERIENCE IS THE START OF SOMETHING OF A COMEBACK

And what about the car?

Well, I haven't had much time in motorsportnews

J

BOH 5ERT JoeSaward Formula 1 Correspondent

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he plan for Formula 1 teams to be allowed to supply customer teams with engine and chassis is going to cause some funny moves in the months ahead.

In Spain I heard some rather strange rumours suggesting that NicolasTodt-Jean Todt's son - might buy a share in Scuderia Toro Rosso, the former Minardi team which is now owned by Red Bull and Gerhard Berger.

Todt Jr is a nice enough fellow and has rather more charm than his father, but there is nothing either to suggest that he has his father's steel and resolve to be successful.

call the team by such an ambitious name but I never bothered to follow it up. ART did well with the right sponsorship (including Ferrari sponsor Marlboro) but going from there to FI seemed an impossibility for such a small outsider organisation.

With customer cars, we are getting to a situation in which entry into FI will be completely locked-down.You can forget it, unless you are willing to buy out a manufacturer.That may happen if some of them make any more messes but if they do not then there is no way that newcomers can do

Nicolas has been very fortunate to have had the money to buy Ferrari driver Felipe Massa's management contract. He went into business with a GP2 team run by the super successful ASM Formula 3 team.This was called ART Grand Prix and I always felt it was odd to

anything other than dream.

Allowing customer cars will mean that some teams will be able to test with what will amount to four cars. With testing restricted, the only way to gain an advantage is to have more cars to give you input.

26

Following the logic through, we are going to end up with six mega-teams.This is now happening in NASCAR because a restriction on testing means that the teams with the most cars will win.The Fl teams are already beginning to pair off with McLaren going with Prodrive, Honda with Super Aguri and Williams with Toyota.

Theoretically Red Bull and Toro Rosso should work together as well but that would leave BMW, Ferrari and Renault all fighting over being a partner with Spyker (a tough concept to grasp!).

The importance of such a deal is obvious because if one of the three engineered a suitable deal for Spyker, the other two would be left with no potential partner beyond one another and one cannot really envisage a Ferrari-BMW team. So the two remaining teams motorsport news

FomnuLR 1 ^

would need to compete on their own and thus at a disadvantage because of the testing rules.

And that means that the Red Bull alliance is actually the alliance that must be broken up to aiiow tfhe automobiie manufacturers to each gain a customer.

The logical move would be for Red Bull and Renault to work together and merge their design teams.That may be hard to imagine but it will be necessary.

Ferrari would be able to make a deal with Toro Rosso, which makes sense from a geographical point of view and in terms of engines and, perhaps, by having Jean Todt in charge at Maranello and his son Nicolas Todt in mw.mnews.com.au

ALLOWING CUSTOMER CARS WILL MEAIM THAT SOME TEAMS WILL BE ABLE TO TEST WITH WHAT WILL AMOUNT TO FOUR CARS action in Faenza.

Berger and Todt (father and son) have been talking a lot in recent times and they have done some business together. Berger gave Todt-managed Sebastien Bourdais a Toro Rosso test last autumn and will soon test the Frenchman again. Red Bull is funding Todt's ART this year.

In addition, Berger acts as a sort of mentor to Bruno Senna, who is racing for the Red Bull supported Arden team in GP2. Berger also has

an option on run Bourdais in FI and, of course, there is a strong link between Ferrari and Toro' Rosso as Maranello supplies the team with its engines.

It is all a bit convenient. I guess that if 1 suggest that Bourdais and Senna could end up together as team mates, using up-todate Ferraris, I will be told that 1 have a vivid imagination but the reality is that Todt Jr should not only be wanting to buy an FI team he needs to buy one! ' 27

on Board

Out from behind the wheel, Larry Perkins is back on the TEGA board, and keen to make some chanQes...

LP spoke to PHIL BRANAGAN

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OTORSPORT NEWS: Being back on the

board ofTEGA is a bit of a change of direction for you,isn't it?

LARRY PERKINS:Yes, I suppose it is. From the beginning ofTEGA,

in 1988, and for 10 years into the 1990s, I was involved with TEGA every day.

I was officially on the board in 2000 but I have not put my hand up since.

So, why now?

Well, we had a casual vacancy from Mark Skaife vacating his position on the board.The constitution calls for another Holden team director, at the choice of the existing directors.

I said that I was willing to have a go, providing I had the support of them and the existing members.

Apparently,that was the case.

Are you happier with the structure ofTEGA now that it has some independent board members?

Yes. But in saying that, if you look back on documents from many years ago, you would see that I was one of a number of people who always thought that we should have some independent members.

On that point, I am happy.

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I WOULD SAY TEGA HAS BEEN ONE OF THE WORLD’S LARRY PERKINS n BEST PERFORMING CATEGORIES SINCE 1993

thing that recent activities have underlined is that TEGA itself

It is also an interesting time to be on the board, given that the TLA [Teams'Licence Agreement] is in effect, coming to the end of its life and input is needed for a new one.

Yes.

is fairly limited in its actions, whether they are commercial or punitive, by the present TLA. I am not going to go into any details.There is going to be variation with the new TLA and that will be an agreed situation between the team owners.

What would you want to see changed?

TheTLA has certainly, in some contexts, done what it was supposed to do. It has served its members but there are always going to be some issues people have with it, whether it is that one or the new one.

Basically, the idea of a TLA is to

I am not going to pre-empt what all of us will agree to in the future, other than to say that the key word is'agree'. We need to do that, put it in writing, and move on.

get a cohesive bunch of owners together with a common goal and to work together, i don't have a TLA; obviously, you do. I've been told that it is largely a commercial agreement...

No, a fairer description is that it is a shareholders'agreement. It is no secret that all the team owners are shareholders of the company (TEGA)and all companies have a shareholders'agreement.This is ours.

Do you foresee a time when there will be variations? One 30

Moving up a level, to V8 Supercars Australia, one comment that has been made to me by several people in pit lane is that TEGA is a 75 percent constituent in V8SA,SEL is a 25 percent constituent but for the last 10 years, largely,the tail has wagged the dog. Do you agree?

I won't say that I agree or disagree with that statement - but what I will say is that I have certainly heard that myself in pit lane.

Having said that, we are 75 percent as you say and, if something of that type was happening, we only have ourselves to blame.

Is that partially circumstantial?

One of the changes that has happened recently is that you have an independent Chairman now. Before, Kelvin O'Reilly was placed in two roles - Chairman and General Manager.

Don't forget that Kelvin O'Reilly took the Chairman's position by default. It was not as if he was walking around, putting his hand in the air and telling people that he wanted to be Chairman.

Somebody had to do it and I think that we were fortunate that he was willing to put his head on the chopping block and do it until we found an independent Chairman.

The workload that Kelvin O'Reilly has endured has been enormous, wearing all the hats he has had. But I think that it has been too much for one guy.

The previous board found our independents,John Hewson and Roger Cook,and in that we have been fortunate.

the category in 1993.

It has not changed or wavered in its regulations since then, other than continually trying to enhance the regulations for the benefit of the category.

No other category in the world has been able to have such a sustainable period of growth.

NASCAR is, obviously, a successful category but I have had a good look at some of the elements of

So,that is the politics side of TEGA.Technically, do you think that TEGA has performed well over the last three years?

I would say that TEGA has been one of the world's best performing categories and not just over the last three years -1 am talking since the conception of

at will always shows room for improvement.

In 15 years, there have been the odd glitches, I guess, but they have been so small that I cannot really remember what they were.

NASCAR and I think that we may be more advanced in some of the areas in which we do our rules than even they are. Not to criticise NASCAR, but it is a different style.

NASCAR runs NASCAR and here, the team owners run TEGA. It has been a tremendously successful category, you cannot deny that.

At the same time,the technical structure has been in place since 1993. Has it moved enough,do you think?

To look where it should go and which areas should be looked

continued on page 32 motorsportnews

J

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continued from page 30 By an large, the principal of good regulations and stability has served us well.

Has the cost containment moved at a pace to your satisfaction?

Again,the fact that cost containment is on the agenda is always encouraging. If you rush something and get it wrong,the cost burden to the teams could be enormous.

So I prefer to see carefully considered changes that work, as opposed to slash-and-burn changes. We have avoided slashand-burn changes and it is steady as we go. We are carefully looking at elements and which way we should go.

Including control elements?

There are always going to be certain elements that simply have to be controlled.

I do not think that it is a secret, especially, since 1992, when we first put on the agenda that you have to have control tyres. Broadly speaking, you can look across the landscape and say,'What is it reasonable to expect a racing team to do by itself?'We all know that you cannot make your own tyres.

So, you need to have some control.

Sometimes that control can be a complete specification, sometimes it can be a one make 32

unit.There is always debate about which components should be in the one-make basket and which should be in the specification basket. Whichever way you look at it, you need to control elements either way, if you want to have a viable category.

Tyres are pretty much a nobrainer - it is that way in Formula 1, the WRC,World Superbikes ...

Let's be careful.That is how it is today, but it was hard to get those words out of many lips in the 90s.

What seems obvious today may not have seemed obvious earlier.

You have stated the obvious and there needs to be some elements of control.

True. But when it comes to components other than tyres, no one would ever describe Larry Perkins as a socialist. You are a free-market man,aren't you?

Very much so.

At the moment, what we have effectively seen this season is a fight between the factory teams -Toll, HRT, FPR. What do you think of that, considering that the basis of V8 Supercars is that the teams are in control, not the manufacturers?

Let's start by saying that you can never, ever, take it away from a team by not saying that they have done a great job. They have

read the rules, done a great job and won. Let's give them the necessary accolades and have that box ticked.

But having said that, you then ask the question, do we have enough rules in place to stop the dominance of money? From what you have said, clearly, we haven't. In many cases, it is up to the individuals within many teams that have the same skill levels and the winning team but they do not have the whole team together.

Hence,they do not win.

What the original TEGA group wanted in 1992 - and don't forget, we were just an evolution of various organizations and name changes from before then - was that a manufacturer was not to own a team.

Across the board, once a manufacturers gets a race team or controls the key elements of a race teams,they invariably bugger it up. We have seen that time and time again. So we sought to limit the manufacturers'involvement; we wanted the commercial dollar, for sure, but we did not want them to go further than that.

Just going by what has been in the press, there have been some issues as to who owns the red Clayton team [Ed; HRT] and that is not using any board knowledge, because I have not sat in on any meetings or read any documents to that effect. There

have been some issues there and we have raised our eyebrows as to what has slipped under our radar - and that has allowed an enormous amount of Holden money to go into a small number of Holden teams.That is not what was intended, because these particular manufacturers have been given a monopoly situation in which to operate. We all know that, in a free market, monopolies do not work.

There is another point to that.

From a team owner's point of view, Holden is not well placed as a commercial entity, at present,to pour more money into its V8 Supercar activities. So, it appears that the money going to the two teams is coming at the expense of other Holdensupported teams. But is it not a free market?

No, as I said, we have given Ford and Holden a monopoly situation.

If they are going to spend their money only on a couple of teams for their own particular reasons, that is not going to be, necessarily, the healthiest way to go. We have to, certainly, look at this area.

You are talking about a third manufacturer.

Whether it is a third manufacturer or a more viable way of allowing a third manufacturer into our category, it is our category. motorsport news

/

U8 5UPERCRR5

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Larry on

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1Brakes & Bathurst MOTORSPORT NEWS:Are control brakes taking it too far?

LARRY PERKINS:[Pause] It is a matter of balance between the cost gain a single-make tender can deliver, versus the market force on specifications.

Don'tforget that a tender is not socialism at all it is also at the heart of straight commercialism, subject to ail the parts of the tender process being fair.

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But I must have this on the record; you have had some of the great moments in V8 Supercar racing, one of which included producing your own calipers and Endless pads and winning Bathurst.

Does the sport lose something when it denies people the opportunity to follow that example?

Well, let's not think that we won Bathurst solely because of our brakes! It was a small factor - we were going to win that one anyway!

Remember this; we want a category of 32 cars where, principally, the team that does the best job delivers the winner. We then try to engineer it so that the chequebook side of the team is not

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At the moment, the restrictions limit it to any Austraiian-based manufacturer, so we have Toyota and Mitsubishi.

That restriction comes from TEGA. That is the way it is.

the sole factor in determining the winner. Having said that, we ail know that the man with the most money, rnost likely, wins. That is a hard one to toss and that is why you need to consider any rules very carefully. There are many examples out there

Is it time for that restriction to go?

I think in the context of a visionary future that may cover the next 10 years, an individual or a board member would be silly not to have that, at the least, as a discussion paper.

where the rulemakers from all walks of life have ’ JS failed to stop the biggest chequebook winning the ™ race. It is not as easy as it sounds.

The brakes? We made our own calipers because <mi we could, i am not uncomfortable that that > . element of manufacturer has been removed from our own world of control. There are still plenty of other things for us to work On and use our personal skills to work on to try to do a better job than the next guy.

As a team owner, not a board member, what is IP's position on that?

I will reserve my comment on that one ...[laughs].

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ownership of HRT been fairly dealt with?

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I LET'S NOT iTHINKWEWON BATHURST SOLEY BECAUSE OF ^RAKES!

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Okay then! I will move us on to less controversial matters, then.

Has the matter of Mark Skaife's

I do not know. I am not privy to any discussion or document of the previous board that handled this situation. I am only aware of what we have all read in the press - and the press seems to have sourced publics statements from somewhere that there were issues that must have thrown up some issues about the ownership.

I do not have any problem accepting what TEGA has made public.

That's the case.

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Larry on

IJack Daniels Racing 2007 MOTORSPORT NEWS: How do you rate your team's performance so far this season?

LARRY PERKINS: If we were golfing, we have gone into The Masters with a couple of rookies and I was expecting them to shoot 96s.They are shooting 85s and I am rapt.

The most visible and recent eye-catching experience was Jack's crash at Pukekohe. At the start of the season, did you expect that one of the drivers would have such a large incident?

Absolutely. I thought that it would have happened in races before now and on a much more continuous basis.

How do you separate the fact that you are the team owner and the father of one of the drivers?

You have to assess all the things on the facts and try to make a decision that is, firstly, commercially sound and ultimately, you need to deliver the goals of the company.

I had discussions with the sponsors. Jack Daniel's and Holden, a long time ago,and wanted them to be comfortable with me forgoing a competitive year, maybe two, to grow my own drivers.They were very 54

supportive of it and I wouldn't go on a path like this without the support of my sponsors.That would be silly.

It shows the standing of how the sponsors operate.They are in for the long haul and they understand the issues. We have all seen drivers have very little loyalty - I don't mean all drivers.

You can invest heavily in them and then, they don't win a race, he blames the team and the machinery and he goes off. I am not into that any more.

How difficult is it to have set a program over this period - virtually, you have run a Supercar team which has been in contention for races and championships and now you are not in that position because your drivers lack the experience?

It Is certainly a different ballgame. But since I hung up my own hat and stopped driving, quite a few things have had to change. I was always very much in control of every element of my teams, right down to the driving, and I have had to make quite major adjustments to how I run my team, handing over the responsibilities.

I am delighted how we have developed. We

have an excellent team, an engine shop run by an absolutely excellent guy, and another excellent guy oversees the chassis side. When the team goes away racing,the team is extremely well-managed. Every guy operates at a very high standard and that standard is not dropping because our drivers are not experienced, it is the best team of guys i have had in my iife. It is fantastic.

You have made yourself superfluous, LP. I think that I have, it takes a long time for individuals like me to realise that you cannot do it all yourself. You are better off to source the right guys in the right Jobs and be the commander of the ship. Don't be trying to row it as well.

Are you a good delegator?

I wasn't 10 years ago! I was terrible. But I recognised that it was not the right path, it might have been appropriate 10 years ago but I am much better off allowing the guys to work within the technical parameters and budgets and let them contribute.

We have got good guys, we run extremely efficiently and with great harmony. It is a team effort and it's great to go to work every day. motorspori news

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Getting r^y^Gla*^ for the^s'ej® which my dad

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Finding the Balance Now a part of the V8 Supercar furniture and an e^ablished part of Team Vodafone, Jamie Whincup ^ill has ^eps to go.

Keeping the happy medium between performing on-track and enjoying life has become the central focus, as the 2006 Bathur^ Champ told AARON NOONAN

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OR the first tirrie in his V8 Supercar life, Jamie Whincup doesn't need to sit and stress about his short-term future.

He has a contract for next year.

He has a competitive car that can put him on podiums and run at the front. And he has earned respect and his place among the top drivers in the series.

He's settled into a comfortable lifestyle on the Gold Coast. He h as a few toys to play with and doesn't mind relaxing here and there to use them.

But it's all about finding a balance. No longer does he need to get his way in the V8 door. He's in. But now it's a case offinding a balance between working to stay in there and enjoying the fruits of his labour.

"It's a matter of instead of being stressed and worried about what may or may not happen and playing the corporate line all day,every day and trying to milk everyone for everything, 1 really just want to enjoy what I do," he says.

"I want to enjoy going to a place to race, have a look around, and really that's one thing I've learnt from the last six months. It's not like I've lost the plot and I'm just cruising around. Anyone that knows me, knows that I do work

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hard to be the best I can be.

"But I do like to have a bit of fun along the way. If you can mix those two in it's healthy."

In previous years he has only had one-year deals and for one season - 2004- he was out of a full-time drive all together.

But he made it in the end.

An opportunity with Tasman Motorsport in 2005 helped prove his wares and Roland Dane snapped him up forTriple Eight.

Victories at Adelaide and Bathurst secured the 24-year-old's future in the land ofT8 and the category.

He doesn't need to worry about where he's going to land for another 12 months.

"Yeah, I don't think about that as much as I used to. It's always tough to keep any job, but I have changed my focus. Instead of 'survival mode', I can be in attacking mode. I don't just want to be in the category for the year to come, i want to make sure I get results.

"What's happened to me in the last 12 months, I haven't been driving any quicker or anything like that. It just comes with a little more experience in how to get the most out of a V8 Supercar and complete the championship.

"On the track on a certain

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B ALWAYS KIMEW 1 HAD THE SPEED TO COMPETE WITH THE BEST, BUT WHAT I DID LACK WAS THE EXPERIEIMCE AND ALL OF THOSE LITTLE THINGS WHINCUP ON REACHING THE MAIN GAME

day,everyone judges your performance by results. And really,' all you can do is look at the final championship results and that's the only way you can judge yourself.

"Last year I ended up 10th but really,for me to improve on that, I need to be a lot more complete.

The experience I gained last year working with one of the best blokes in pit lane has got me off to a good start. But there's a long way to go."

So far this year, he's generally had the measure of one of the best men in the pits - Craig

Lowndes. Whincup has never shied away from thinking that'CL' is unbeatable.

While Lowndes has had some things go wrong in the early rounds and the scoreboard readswell in Whincup's favour, the latter doesn't read too much into it. "i always have had confidence in my ability and my speed on the track, which is the tough bit. i had a lot of tough races in karting and Formula Ford, so I always knew I had the speed to compete, but what I did lack was the experience.

Managing the car during a race, working on the anti-roil bars and the brake bias, working with an

One that got away?

Could a Bathurst win have come 12 months earlier than it did?

WHILE he became a Bathurst Champion last year,Whincup could very well have been a winner a year earlier with Tasman Motorsport.

Me and Jason Richards finished second to Mark Skaife and Todd Kelly and it was Whincup who was in the car for the penultimate stint. As history shows, Richards took over at the last pit stop and took the lead during the stops as Skaife was slower to resume.Skaife hunted him down and made a move at the Chase, leaving the Kiwi to race home in second.

But It wasn't the plan.The original plan was for Whincup,the driver in the car that was up to speed and with his,eye in,to double-stint to the end. So the million dollar question - could he have won?

"Well,to be honest, I still don't know what happened there," recalls Whincup.

"It was one of those situations I just let go of. I was told during the day to get prepared to double stint and finish the race.

"That was my understanding and I was pacing myself in the second last stint for the 30 lap run to the end and things changed.

We had a bit of a heated discussion on the radio when I was asked to corne in and got told there would be a driver change.

"I asked why. But I never found out the reason. I don't really care, because that was what happened. We got a great result move on. But Who knows what would have happened had I stayed in the car. I may have stuck it in over the top of the Mountain and it could have been all over!

"That was the decision that was made.

Maybe one day, in 10 years time, I might sit down with Kev and Wally Storey and find out the exact reason." motorsport news

OB SUPERCRRS

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engineer and that's where I've learnt.

"I'm improved in all those areas and I can show my potential now, but there's a long way to go. I'm certainly not number one.

"I've definitely made gains from last year. Early last year I had won Adelaide but then had bad rounds at the second and third events. Actually, my third place at Pukekohe was my first top 10 in an actual sprint round for over 12 months. I might have got a ninth ora 10th or something somewhere.

"Everyone talks about results and the whole focus is resultbased, which is fair enough. It is for me as well. You all want to go out and win every race. ButTriple Eight, where we are this year as a team, is miles ahead of last year, everywhere apart from the results.

"We were really busy over the break with the changing over to the new sponsor occurring, we had a loss with Bruce (Reed, Whincup's number one mechanic) passing away and the Triple Eight company has expanded with the customer side of things in Australia with DJR and PCR. "So, it's a very healthy place to be but we just need to improve the results, which will happen over the next three or four rounds."

But while the 300 km/h life continues, does Whincup stop to think that three years ago he didn't even have a full-time drive in any team, let alone one of the strongest in the country?

"Oh yeah, definitely. I respect it a lot because of the struggle through the GRM days and that www.tnnews.Goni.au

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TO HAVE THAT HUGE WIN, IT MAY BE THE BIGGEST ONE OF MY CAREER. I CERTAINLY HOPE IT ISN'T. HOPEFULLY THERE'S BETTER TO COME. WHINCUP ON HIS 2006 BATHURST VICTORY WITH LOWNDES

year off I had. I have more respect for it now. I guess I'm lucky in a way, I got through. I can tell a story of how I battled and got through and made it, in a way.

"It's very hard to filter that and there's a lot of drivers out there that you're not quite sure about.

You don't know if it's their driving skill or the car."

Whincup was dumped by GRM at the end of 2003 after a situation he just described. A year off in 2004 was followed by a lifeline from Tasman Motorsport.

"Tasman was really convenient.

It was just down the road from where I was living.There was the (Ron) Harrop link. They were a team on the rise.

"I had no pressure and no one expected much from the second car at Tasman, so I'd like to think I showed a few good performances and then we had a couple of great runs at the enduros right at the time where RD (Roland Dane) was looking for a new driver.

"So it all seemed to pan out pretty well. It all happened at the right time. I made some sacrifices to be there and I don't want your readers to think: 'Oh, J Whincup thinks he's made it now', because I haven't and there's a long way

to go. I'm well on the way now though."

Hang on a minute. Sacrifices?

Other drivers would sacrifice their grandma to score a seat at Triple Eight. How so?

"Well, you're right. But I could have done it easy and stayed with Tasman and I had a few other opportunities at the end of 2005 for three times the money of what I took at Triple Eight.

"So, I took a huge pay cut and really a convenience cut to move away from home and my friends and family and head to Queensland to do a completely different thing to be with the best team."

And the call proved right at Bathurst last year. While Lowndes was in the spotlight considering the dramatic lead-up to the race with the death of Peter Brock, it was often overlooked how well Whincup had steered the #888 Falcon to put it the lead when Lowndes took over.

"It's not the ideal way. It was such a big day and I'm so grateful that I was a part of all that. To have that huge win, it may be the biggest one of my career. I certainly hope it isn't.

Hopefully there's better to come.

"For me, it wasn't the ideal situation. Me sitting here at the

moment, I've never run a new set of tyres at Bathurst and I've never started or finished the race. That's disappointing for me.

"But I'm not worrying about it.

Every dog has its day and my day is still to come.

"I've always been the number two driver. I'll bide my time and get my opportunity. When I do, I know I'll make the most of it because I’ve been waiting for so long.

"I thought about it all afterwards, that I was leading The Great Race, it was a pretty amazing feeling but all I was doing was trying to give Craig as big a gap as possible.

"It was a big responsibility. I knew it months before Bathurst that I had to do the best job I could. I had to get it home in the best shape and hand it over.

"To see Craig all messed up on the Sunday morning of the race, I thought to myself that it was going to be pretty tough for him.

So I had to dig deeper within myself and help him out a bit.

"If he wasn't on his game, then I would be there to pick up the pieces. But as it turned out, being the true professional he is - when his helmet goes on he does the job continued on page 40 39

continued from page 39 and he did it perfectly."

The Gold Coast V8 Supercar community is something of a tightly-knit one and Whincup is a fan of his new home.

'At the same time,the team environment is goodri spend more time with the team than what I do with my friends and family!

One thing Craig brings to the team and what he has taught me, is to enjoy what I do.

When I retire, I want to look back at firstly the results and be satisfied to achieve what I want to. But secondly, I want to look back and say I had fun along the way."

Dirt biking counts as fun. But falling off doesn't...

That's another Issue too. I remember Jimmy Stone said to me one day when I was getting a few new dirt bike tyres put in the truck at Winton to take back to Queensland.

"He said I'd never drive for them if I went dirt bike riding!

"That's the way he works and fair

enough. But dirt bike riding is the only real thing I've got outside of racing that I enjoy doing. I know there's an element of risk there. but what's life if you don't have those good things?!

"It's Just all about managing it and Roland knows that. He's fine with it. Of course, if I missed a round or a test day, he'd chop me off at the kneecaps! Until then, he knows I'm sensible.

'From racing, you develop being able to access situations that you carry over into everyday life. You look at the angles and make the right call.

When you're young you jump in and handle it how you see it without looking at other angles.

Once again, it's what Craig has taught me.You look at the situation and understand that it's a sport. We're not curing cancer. We are offering an entertainment.

"To understand the whole situation with a birds eye view is probably the main change I've seen in myself in the last few years.

"I can go out and do the job

without the critics and the stress that I had when I started. When I started, your career is swinging on a single result.

"Although I was younger then, I still understood the situation. It's a lot of pressure and you can't enjoy

yourself and get the best out of yourself with that type of pressure.

"Now I'm going out and concentrating on the job I have to do and not the consequences if I don't. I feel like I can get the most out of myself now."

Gaining R.E.S.P.E.C.T AFTER his maiden win at Adelaide at the

start of last year, left, Whincup immediately followed It up at the press conference.

He made comment on how he hoped his success would changed the way the younger generation of drivers were viewed and earn them some collective respect.

"At the end of a big race, you're run down and a bit emotional and I probably got a bit carried away at that press conference after Adelaide.

"You've got so many critics and the category is all about the older blokes, in a way.You look at the media,anyone that is involved, it's all about

the main guys that have been there for 10 years and it's impossible to change that.

"After i crossed the line at Clipsal, in my first race in a car capable of winning, and I crossed the line first, I got a bit carried away and I just wanted to say what was on my mind. What was on my mind at the time was that I may not have been there.

"I can think of three or four other young blokes right now that, with the right opportunity, could do an unbelievable job and be right up the front of the field."

-AARON NOONAN

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PRO-RAC FULL FACE

THE FUTURE 'I haven't really thought about that. I'd like to think so. I'm very, very happy with the place at the moment and the position I'm in.That ^ will be up to Triple Eight, whether they see me as an asset to the team, but as far as I am concerned,I'm very happy on and off the track. Off the track it's one of the best places to be at the moment.

"Who knows? Who knows until we sit down next year and discuss contracts and work out whether we suit each other and whether we're going to move forward."

ROLAND DANE He's quite simple - you do yourjob right, no dramas. If you don't do your Job right through a mistake and not through a lack of incompetence,then you're fine as well. But if you do something silly or don't do the right thing,then he'll come down on you like a tonne of bricks.

"He knows that I don't take criticism too well, it pisses me off in a way, but maybe that's his theory to get the most out of me.

"There are so many good drivers out there, Roland would get five resumes a day looking for my job. i understand that, it doesn't always go right. But he's fair and he does his homework."

CRAIG LOWNDES Because I hang around Craig so much, i see him get completely harassed. I see him just get run over by people! You try and go out and have a quiet drink at a pub and next thing you know he's started his own autograph session!

"Nothing that i can generate is anywhere near as demanding as that! So it's all a good situation for me. i never complain about any appearance I have to do, because he does a massive amount. It could be far more demanding for me!"

PARTING WAYS WITH GRM AND TASMAN 'I thought I did a very good job in the GRM car that wasn't a front running car at that stage.

To get the arse, and have the pit lane opinion that i was a little bit useless was frustrating. But it makes you more determined to bounce back and prove everyone wrong.

"All I can comment on is that Tasman got me back in the category.

They gave me an opportunity and enabled me to get a drive with Triple Eight, in a way. The way it all panned out was good. It was the same with Garry (Rogers). He gave me an opportunity that has enabled me to get where I am now." wiAnAi.mnews.com.au

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41

D Futuristic space station? Nah

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this is just where

McLaren straps together its Formula 1 cars.

MRRK GLENDENNING took a sneak peek inside the McLaren Technology Centre

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HEN I was about seven, I had two ambitions in life.

One was to be an archaeologist, because I thought they worked with dinosaurs.(They don't, but that didn't stop me following that particular dream right through to university).

The other was to hang out on the Death Star.Two problems there.The first, and most pressing as far as I was concerned back then, was that it no longer existed because Luke Skywalker had blown it up.That it had never existed in the first place because it was a film set was the second hurdle, but that was less of a concern. For some reason, my childhood brain considered the fact that the Death Star was entireiy fictitious to be less insurmountable than the damage Luke and his friends had done with their proton torpedoes.

But having just returned from a visit to the McLaren Technoiogy Centre just outside Woking,a 40minute train ride south of London, I have to say that the seven-yearold me would have found the house that Ron built to be a pretty fair substitute for Darth Vader's space station.

The facility is nowhere near as foreboding - although the workers do go about their business dressed in back from head to toe - but it is an awe inspiring facility.

It is difficult to describe in just a few words, but if you try to imagine someone applying the philosophy of a Formula 1 car to a building, then you're well on the way. Nothing is superfluous; every object is there for a reason.There is no wastage - not in materials, not in light, not in colour. It's familiar yet foreign, with a sense of technology that feels so advanced that it could be alien, much the way a MP4-22 might seem if parked alongside a 1994 Toyota Corolla.

And it's big. Really, really big.

Built on a 500,000 square metre chunk of land, theTechnology Centre houses the entire McLaren

Group, which was previously scattered across 18 different locations around Woking, So the race team nestles alongside the production line for the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren supercar, which in turn is camped beside the SLR showroom, which backs onto McLaren Electronics - which operates independently of the race team and supplies components to some of its FI rivals as well as teams from Champ 44

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Car,the IRL and Sportscar racing.

Apart from the size, the first impression you have when you first step into the'Boulevard'(see sidebar) is of how dazzlingly bright everything seems.This, like everything atthe McLaren Technology Centre, appears to be a calculated thing. For centuries millennia, even - man has solved the problem of'how does one enter a building'by installing doors.

But McLaren has other ideas.

Access to the facility requires you to go to a designated glass 'pod'. You're told which one by the friendly guys in black suits at the security barriers. A swipe from an electronic card takes you inside where you can either take a hydraulic glass elevator (all the elevators are glass and hydraulic, partly to make them easier to service, and also because Ron Dennis doesn't like the look of cables) or a circular staircase down to Level -1.

Now underground, you follow a long, square, stark white corridor that eventually leads you to a second elevator, glass again but surrounded by a darker capsule.

A push of the button marked '+1', and you glide silently up two levels to reveal the interior of the main part of the building in all its motorsponnews

FORHIULR1 naturally-lit glass, metal and watercocooned glory.The contrast from underground passage to bright technology palace is stark, to say the least.

But besides creating a little atmosphere,the unusual method of entry serves a practical purpose, too - it frees up the side of the buiiding that does not back directly onto water to be used as a loading bay, and ciears it of any pedestrian traffic.

Making my way past this area on my way to the pod, it was impossibie to miss the gigantic race transporters standing sentry outside the ioading docks, waiting to be packed up and pointed in the direction of Barcelona for the Spanish GP a week later.

Drawing again on the FI car anaiogy, one of the most impressive things about McLaren Technology Centre is the fact that even though it gives an impression of vast space, it is remarkably well packaged together.

Take the wind-tunnel,for example. Where the sheer size of a Fl-spec wind-tunnel requires most teams to iocate theirs in separate buiidings - or even off-site, often a considerabie distance away McLaren's forms the very core of the buiiding. Press yourface against a small window near the far end of the Boulevard and you can see a bit of it. Like all of the top teams, McLaren's 145 metre-long

half-scale example runs around the clock, seven days a week in the constant search for the incremental gains that can make all the difference in the modern < aerodynamics-driven era of FI. The heavy use of glass lays the front-line operations of the race team open for everyone in the building to see.The value of this in terms of staff morale must be considerable - there can be few other workplaces where the staff walk past a floor-to-ceiling wall looking over the race bay en route to the staff restuarant. But this transparency is also the reason why visitors are asked not to wield cameras - there's too great a risk that even a most innocentlyintentioned photo may inadvertently capture something sensitive in the background. And it's also why there is a total lock out of visitors for five months every year while the new cars are in the final stages of development,

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Talking Trophies

B

ut if you look beyond the building's more obvious features, it is the little things you find in the fine details that illustrate just how unique the facility is.

The glass facade overlooking the main lake is impossible to miss, for instance, but less obvious is the fact that the elegantly thin 12metre metal blades positioned Continued on page 46

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THE ELEVATORS ARE GLASS AND HYDRAULIC, PARTLY TO MAKE THEM EASIER TO SERVICE, AND BECAUSE RON DENNIS DOESN'T LIKE CABLES

' n AS futuristic as the Technology Centre may seem,there is plenty n; to remind a visitor of McLaren's history.

The most obvious, of course, are the cars themselves. A current Vodafone McLaren Mercedes is parked on the Boulevard floor, blending in surprisingly well with the sculptures that recently arrived and, according to MN's guide at the facility, have prompted ; much good-spirited debate.

But the really interesting stuff is a bit further along. A row of silver highlights the current Mercedes era, with a few Kimi : Raikkonen cars camped next to the MP4-13 and MP4-14thattook ; Mika Hakkinen to the 1998 and 1999 world championships.

I A bit further along, grey gives way to red and white, and the : incendiary Senna/Prost period.The MP4-8 that gave Ayrton Senna five wins in 1993(including his last-ever victory, in Australia) ; is here, but it seems to pale a little along side the ridiculously dominant MP4-4 - a car that came within one race of cleansweeping the entire 1988 season. Alain Prost and Niki Lauda's championship-winning cars from 1986 and 1984 respectively are 1 also on display.

I Tucked back a bit are some real curios, not least of which I) is the 1954 Austin 7 in which the 15-year-old Bruce McLaren J scored his first-ever race win. Just behind it is Emerson I Fittipaldi's 1974 championship-winning M23,the Ml6 E that , took Johnny Rutherford to second at the 1975 Indy 500, and the M80 that earned Denny Hulme the 1970 Can-Am world I championship. ; Very cool. And you haven't even got to the trophy cabinet yet.

Like the cars, McLaren has a lot more silverware than is on 1 display, but what is behind glass is seriously impressive; Besides offering a nice trip backwards in time, back to the days when the scale of a trophy was not mandated,there was some gorgeous silverware, crystal and, in the case of Flungary, porcelain, awaiting ! a Grand Prix winner.

MNews was particularly taken by the 1989 Spanish GP trophy a silver sherry bottle holding a guitar!

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McLaren has a policy of keeping all of the trophies the team wins, and the driver has to pay out of his own pocket if he wants a replica made, This, coupled with the team's long history, makes for a collection that taerhaps only Ferrari could rival. And it also explains why Dennis was so livid when Ferrari-bound Prost dropped his 1989 Italian GP trophy into the crowd!(A replica was later made,filling the gap in the collection).

45

Continued from page 45 all the way around are actually holding it together.

Look closer again, and you may notice that they are modelled on the rear wing support struts of the McLaren FI GTR, which won Le Mans at its first attempt in 1995.

It's a nice touch that reminds you that for all its architectural genius. the McLaren Technology Centre is a place where people go racing. If subtlety is not your thing however. then there is small but frankly incredible assortment of cars positioned around the Boulevard floor to drive the point home.

Again in the manner of the FI cars that are produced within its walls, much of what you find at the facility is bespoke.

The elevators were designed especially for the building, as was everything from the plumbing fittings to the lighting. Where possible the building relies on natural light, and the artificial lighting that supplements is constantly adjusted as required.

If the building has one failing. it is history. It's a cruel irony that the construction of the greatest FI facility that Dennis's dreams and resources could conceive has coincided with some of McLaren's most disappointing seasons as a race team.

But given that, at the time of MNews's visit, Fernando Alonso

and Lewis Hamilton formed twothirds of a three-way tie for the championship lead - sharing it, coincidentally, with Kimi Raikkonen, who would have had a pigeonhole of his own here 12 months ago - it's fair to say that that particular statistic is well on its way to being corrected.

Elegance, neatness, a unified corporate image,and complete control over the environment the Technology Centre seems to stand as a monument to what are conventionally seen as typical McLaren traits.

And they extend right down to the way the team treats its guests.

Dennis may not be able to control the manner in which his visitors arrive, but he can do something about how they depart.

MNews caught a cab to the facility, and upon arrival received change from a five-pound note from a driver who kept apologising for spending the journey talking on speaker phone with his brother in Pakistan.

But when it came time to go,the MTC staff arranged my ride back to the station. After a short wait, a C-class Mercedes glided up, asked for me by name,and escorted me away in luxurious comfort.

That will be 10 pounds,"smiled the driver politely at the end of the 3km trip.

In Formula 1, money greases even the smallest of wheels.

motersfiwi news

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THE McLaren Technology Centre is intriguing from an environmental point of view as much as anything else.

Visually, it is remarkably discrete considering its size.Trees (100,000 of them) help shield it from the road, but even once you : : have passed the security gates you still have to walk for a bit before : the building reveals itself. : It's very low slung, having been built to a height limit of 11 ; ; metres - which means that there is a lot more going on below '' ground than above it.

Five artificial lakes surround the facility, one large 'formal' lake , and four smaller'ecology'lakes. These serve several purposes beyond the aesthetic, not least of which being that they cool the . entire building, including the wind tunnel. Water is pumped, both directly and via a natural filtration system of reed beds, through a series of heat exchangers that help to dissipate heat. A 160 metre ; stepped waterfall also assists with cooling, and water is completely ■ red rcu lated every 48 hou rs.

The lakes are also home to 700 fish, and volunteers from within the company work out of hours to look after the surrounding area where ducks, swans and otters have taken up residence. www.mnews.com.au

Build me a city THE McLaren Technology Centre was designed by renowned architect Lord Norman Foster and his company, Foster and Partners, whose previous credits include the new Beijing and Hong Kong airports, London's City Hall and Millennium Bridge, the Millau Viaduct (the highest road bridge in the world) and the unusually-shaped skyscraper known to Londoners as'The Gherkin'.

The building is laid out around one main 'boulevard', with the working areas divided into 18m-wide‘fingers'connected by six metre-vi/ide'streets'.

Curiously, every element of the building's interior - from the dimensions of the streets and rooms down to the size of glass panes and tiles - measures out to a multiple of 1.8m. Whether it was Dennis or Lord Foster’s idea is unknown, however the two are said to share an obsession with order and perfection as well as a birthday.

Indeed, although you can't see the McLaren Technology Centre from the road, you are nevertheless aware that you are getting close because all of a sudden the saplings on the roadside are planted in regimented rows.

Work on the building began in 1999 and employees moved in four years later, although it was not officially opened until mid-2004.

47

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As V8 Supercar racing continues on its merry way,there's an increasing popularity in the actual cars themselves as collector's pieces.

Following on from the rise and rise of 70s and 80s racing cars among collectors,the era of Australian touring car racing that began in 1993 with the advent of what we now know as V8 Supercar racing has opened a new chapter in car history.

AARON NOONAN has been tracking the cars that have made up V8 Supercars in what will become a regular feature in Motorsport News

OB SUPEnCflRS

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Winning Bathurst in 1998 with Jason Bright and Steven Richards after Bright crashed in quaiifying and the duo started from 15th on the grid.

Designated for'Alan Jones Racing', this was the first Pack Leader Falcon as raced

by Alan Jones himself in 1996.The designation refers to the model (EF), year construction commenced (1995) and the order of the car in the build sequence (first).

Best known for?

A massive accident at Phillip Island in i997at the start. With Mark Larkham driving, the Mitre 10 Ford launched into the earth bank and bounced back with massive damage.

Built in 1996 as the second Pack Leader EF for Paul Romano to drive, the former privateer drove it all season, save for Paul Radisich stepping in for the Pukekohe and Wellington V8 sprint races at the end of the season.

It became Mark Larkham's Mitre

10 EL for 1997, however a massive accident at Phillip Island sidelined the car for the rest of the season.

Rebuilt by what now had become known as SBR for 1998, AJR EF95-2 was wheeled back out for Jason Bright to use before it was in another big accident, this time at Hidden Valley, it was used at the Sandown 500 by Bright and Steven Richards while the original car was propped for Bathurst.

With the Falcon AU introduced for 1999, this car was not used before being sold to Bill Sieders, who ran the car in the Konica V8

It went up in flames at Bathurst the same year and became AJ's Komatsu car for 1997 as an EL, with Scott Pruett and Bright co-driving at the enduros.

The Stone brothers bought out Jones for 1998, renaming the squad Stone Brothers Racing and Bright took over the car, now with Pirtek backing. It was only used fora handful of touring car rounds before being rested for Sandown and winning at Mount Panorama.

Greg Crick bought the car for 1999 but only did one race before selling it to Craig Harris, who raced it in the first Konica V8 Lites Series in 2000.

He retains the car in Queensland, which is now back in its original Pirtek livery and sits among Harris'growing touring car collection.

Lites in 2000, with son Luke co driving at Bathurst.

Luke ran the car again in 2001 before it was sold to Mark Howard for the 2002 Konica Series. It was then sold to Zlatko Slevic, however he didn't have enough signatures on his licence to go racing in 2003 so it was then onsold to Shane Beikoff in mid-2003.

Beikoff raced it at the Queensland Raceway Konica round and then Stephen Voight at Bathurst before it was sold to coilector/enthusiast Melvin Karrasch from Gatton, Queensland and ran the odd state level event before it was retired.

Its current location and appearance is unknown ...

Best known for?

Mark Larkham's first V8 Supercar win at Indy 1998.

Built up in 1997 as a replacement for the crashed AJR EF95-2, this was Larkham's car for that year and the following one. It was sold to Steve Ellery who campaigned it in 1999 and scored pole at the non-title Indy support event.

It was bought back by SBR and re built for 2000 when it was used in the Konica V8 Lites by David Besnard with two round wins in two appearances.

Michael Simpson bought the car for the 2001 Konica Series and ran it through to the start of 2003 before it changed hands to Shane Beikoff for a handful of races. The chassis was then sold to Karrasch (owner of EF95-2).

He intends to restore it to Mitre 10/ Larkham livery. www.mnews.com.au

Best known for?

Mark Larkham's 1999 Bathurst pole winning car, later destroyed in Oran Park startline fireball in 2000 when rear-ended by Paul Morris'Big Kev n Commodore.

Why the M-TEK designation? Well, there is no SBR AU1 chassis as this car was built at SBR for 1999 when Larkham's team operated from under the SBR umbrella. When this car was built as the sister chassis to SBR AU2, it was given a desigation by the Larkham side of the equation

Larkham raced it from its debut at Albert Park in 1999, including pole later in the year at Bathurst with Brad Jones co-driving.

Larko retained the car for 2000, winning his first race at Calder when the'reverse top six'format was used.

It met its demise at Oran Park when a stalled Larkham was smashed into by Paul Morris and the remnants of the shell Hved at Larkham Motorsport in Queensland. However, with the team now disbanded, where has the wreck ended up?

49

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Best known for?

Cra\g Lowndes'first Ford Falcon V8 Supercar when he crossed from Holden in 2001.

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David Besnard and Simon Wills'2002 Queensland 500 winner.

Built new at start of 2000 for Tony Longhurst when he and Caltex joined SBR, Driven by Longhurst

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Lowndes as the silver and black #00 Falcon.

and ran right through to 2002 when he and Wills won the QLD 500. Sold after that race to Konica Series driver Kevin Mundy who drove it at the Bathurst Konica race and in the KV8 Series throughout 2003 and 2004.

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Retaine d by the team (renamed to 00 Motorsport) for 2002 and driven by Rodney Forbes later in the year.

Car not used in 2003 as 00 team moved to

It was re-designated GMS 011 by the team (a sequence that began with the first V8 Supercar Commodore in 1993), and won a leg of the Clipsal 500 in 2000 with Lowndes driving.

Neil Crompton joined Lowndes for the QLD 500 before a new car came for Bathurst and this one sat out the remainder of'01.

all season, joined by Besnard for enduros and all but won Bathurst save for late race clash with Adam Macrow.

Besnard took the car over for 2001

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Built new in 1999 for Jason Bright, AU2was run all year and sat on pole for the inaugural Queensland 500 with Craig Baird co-driving.

Baird took over the car full-time in 2000 and won the second ra_ce at Phillip Island's opening round before struggling for the season.

With Gibson Motorsport moving to Ford for 2001 and a new car built by Marcos Ambrose, this car was sold to the Gibson team for Craig

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BAs and apparently retained by Bob Forbes when the team closed down not long after.

Our sources suggest that Forbes Snr still retains this car in Sydney.True?

had prepped and run the car since Mundy had taken delivery of it, retained the car in 2005 and it was up for sale before being purchased in 2006 by Dean Neville.

Terry Wyhoon raced the AU in '06 at the Wakefield Park Fujitsu round and Peter Kelly at the QLD Raceway round. Wyhoon now drives the car in the 2007 Fujitsu Series as part of a two car Image Racing team with Dean Neville.

Havoms

Best known for?

Marcos Ambrose' first SBR Falcon - pole winner on debut at Grand Prix and only second-ever rookie to take pole at Bathurst In 2001.

Built new for new signing Marcos Ambrose in 2001, this Pirtek Ford did some great things.

Ambrose put it on pole at his first-ever V8 appearance at the Australian Grand Prix and took victory at the Flidden Valley round - his first round win.

The car started from pole for both enduros and it was retained by Ambrose in 2002, with Ambrose giving it a fine send-off with victory in the last round of the season at Sandown.

Todd Wanless took over the car in the 2003 Konica Series, with Owen Kelly driving in the non-title 25-lapper at Bathurst later that year.

PCR retained the AU for 2004 with Marcus Zukanovic driving before Phil Scfileet took over for 2005.

AU4 was sold in early 2006 to Dean Neville and he has driven it since in the Fujitsu V8 Series for Image Racing.

50

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Being crashed by Wayne Gardner in practice at Bathurst in 2002, forcing David Besnard to pair up with rival Glenn Seton for the race.

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Built by SBR in 2001, though never actually raced and only tested, AU5 was debuted by Gardner at the Clipsal 500 in 2002.

Gardner drove it at two further rounds, though didn't pre-qualify for Eastern Creek and it next appeared at Bathurst, where Gardner knocked the brake bias mounted under the seat as he climbed aboard during practice - and crashed at Turn 2 on his first Igp The car was heavily damaged and has never been raced since. The remnants of the car were purchased by Queenslander Phil Nichols.

AU5 most recently appeared for sale on myl 05.com.

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Best known for?

Mark Winterbottom's 2003 Konica V8 Supercar Series-winning Falcon AU. Flastily finished in late 2002 by SBR to replace the car crashed by Gardner at Bathurst, AU6 debuted in Besnard's hands at Indy, 'Bezzy' driving the car for the remainder of the season, sBR retained the car for 2003 and was driven to victory in the Konica Series by Mark Winterbottom as well as the non-title 25-lap race at Bathurst.

Car sold to Jim Morton for 2004 with Historic touring car driver Brad Tilley driving and Decina sponsoring. Tilley drove in the Konica Series, with Greg Ritter winning the series finale at Mallala and racing the car at Bathurst's non-title race, Car then placed for sale and bought by former privateer Chris Smerdon, who used it (in base Caltex livery minus decals) in the Touring Car Challenge in 2005, before reappearing at Winton FV8 round this year.

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Best known for?

Marcos Ambrose's two-time V8 Supercar Championship-winning Falcon from 2003 and 2004.

The first BA Falcon built by SBR, Marcos Ambrose used it to perfection to win the championship in 2003 and 2004.

Ambrose retained it for'04 and paired with Greg Ritter to win the Sandown 500 on his way to his second successive titie.

Marcos stayed with the chassis for 2005, repaired after its involvement in the massive Bathurst crash with Greg Murphy, before winning Ambrose's farewell weekend at Phillip Island at the end of that season.

Retained by SBR as a spare, with the intent of keeping it as a museum piece.

But it was wheeled out for

5BA Mz Best known for?

The'Rumble at the Creek'in 2003 between Russell Ingall and Mark Skaife.

Built new In 2003 for Russell Ingall when he Joined SBR,the win at

James Courtney for the Grand Prix support meeting in 2006 after Courtney's accident in Adelaide.

Courtney then drove the car at Pukekohe, Barbagallo and Winton before he got his car back,so this one sat idle for the rest of 2006.

Has become Jonathon Webb's 2007 Fujitsu Series BA, with Webb winning his first race at Wakefield Park recently. Webb due to get Ingall's current car once Russell's new car is complete during the year.

This chassis destined to be reverted back to Pirtek livery as a museum piece -finally!

Best known for?

Russell Ingall's 2005 V8 Supercar Championship-winner Built new in 2004 but not debuted until 2005, BAB was Ingalll's championship-winning baby from the same year - with a round win coming at Oran Park.

Luke Youlden Joined him for the endurance races with Russell retaining the car for the 2006 series. Narrowly missed the podium at Bathurst and then updated to BF spec for 2007, again for Ingall to drive.

Due to become Jonathon Webb's Fujitsu Series car later in the year when Ingall's new car which would be designated BF1 if SBR continue their number sequence - comes on-stream.

Indy was his first SBR round win.

Ingall retained the car for 2004,finishing second in the championship including a runnerup spot alongside Cameron McLean at the Sandown 500.

BA2 went to Decina Racing to be run by Paul Cruickshank Racing in 2005 with Warren Luff driving in the HPDCV8 Series, where he finished second.

Michael Caruso drove the car in 2006 and retains it for 2007, though now under the Ford Rising Stars banner of the Morton team.

Car won the opening Fujitsu Series round at Adelaide.

Best known for?

James Courtney's 'big bang'arrival in V8s at Adelaide 2006, also his podium-finishing car from Bathurst in the same year and first-time pole winner at Adelaide this year.

Built new as a BA Falcon by SBR for new signing James Courtney, it was debuted with two big crashes at the Clipsal 500 in 2006.

Missing a few rounds while it was repaired, it returned at Hidden Valley and was used bv Courtney for the rest of the season, including finishing third at Bathurst with Glenn Seton.

Updated to BF spec and put on pole at Adelaide

by Courtney. Remains the #4 Jeld-Wen Falcon as driven by'JC'.

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Best known for? ' Being Stone Brothers Racing's three-seater ride car.

Debuted in late 2004,3UP was never a V8 Supercar race car, rather a brand new, specifically-built Falcon used by the team as a ride car.

Features a six-litre engine with over 700 horsepower and has used a sequential gearbox.

Has given endurance signings such as Warren n Luff, Luke Youlden and Glenn Seton the chance to do extra laps without being deemed as testing.

www.mnews.com.ati

Think you have some updated information on any of the cars?

Know where some of them have ended up? Know of a recent purchase or something that may have happened with car ownership that we haven't heard about? Or want to query any ofthe facts outlined?

Make sure you fire off an email - noonz@mnews.com.au - or call the MNews office with what you know...

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Coming to America Paul Stoddart is enioying his motor racing now that the expat Aussie has Joined the Champ Car world Series. NARY BlGNOni MENDEZ reports on the Minardi team boss and his move to the Vnited States

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HE arrival of Paul Stoddart

made millionaire who started out

FI team in 1999 and Arrows in

to the Champ Car World Series as a new team owner has been a quiet and well-organised transition.

Wearing a Minardi team uniform,the 52-year-old could easily be mistaken for one of his team mechanics.

with a successful car dealership, Stoddart seized the opportunity to purchase a fleet of aircraft

2000. Stoddart then bought an ownership interest in Minardi.

But the team struggled at the back of the grid from 2001 through 2005, with a dismal budget(A$40 million) in contrast to the front-runners.

At the end of the season, when Stoddart sold his team to Red Bull owner Dietrich Mateschitz, he retained the rights to the wellknown Minardi name after 21 FI seasons.

And,although Stoddart intended to return to FI as

But blending into the background hasn't always been Stoddart's style.

As a savvy businessman from Melbourne, Stoddart has shown the uncanny ability to turn an investment into gold. A selfwww.fnnews.com.au

and spare parts from the Royal Australian Air Force. His intention was to make a profit turning the surplus planes around. But when he couldn't find a buyer, he instead started his own lucrative charter service flying gamblers to Tasmania where gaming is legalised.

Never far from racing, his charter company, European Aviation, sponsored the Jordan

Minardi in 2008, not surprisingly, the FIA (with reasonable recall of Stoddart's antics), awarded Prodrive the 12th and final team slot. , Shut out of FI, what is it about Champ Car that attracted Stoddart to again venture in as a team owner?

"It's a well organised and disciplined series that's affordable without all the politics,' said Stoddart, who calls FI 'the Piranha's Club.'

Continued on page 54 53

Parking on Champ Car podiums THE first podium for Minardi Team USA at the Champ Car Las Vegas season opener might have been thought just lucky.

But Dutch rookie driver Robert Doornbos followed up with a second podium in just three events. Having FI experience like Brit Justin Wilson, Doornbos has made a much quicker and easier transition into Champ Car racing.

"I have to thank Paul Stoddart," said Doornbos,the first driver since Nigel Mansell in 1993 to score a podium in his first race.

“Stoddart gave me my debut in FI in 2005 with his Minardi team.

It's what every young driver dreams of, competing against Michael Schumacher. In FI, you are only as good as your materials. We were at the back of the grid but we had a good fight with Jordan.

“I told Stoddart I really wanted the chance to win in Champ Car so we must have a good team and engineer. If I do well this year, Dietrich Mateschitz said he would put me in his Red Bull FI car. I have a one-year contract with the Minardi team. But I may like it better and want to stay in Champ Car where winning is possible."

Doornbos Is fortunate to have Michael Cannon,the same engineer that helped A.J. Allmendinger win five races last season at Forsythe Racing.

Doornbos characterised his first rolling start in Vegas as a "safety car start." But by his third race in Houston where he started 13th and finished third, Doornbos was learning the Champ Car way.

'I made my biggest gain going into turn one passing five or six cars , and taking a lot of risk at the start. Sometimes you have to do that.

I knew I had to get around the slower cars in front of me.This race 1 was amazing. We have the speed to be championship contenders."

Catching on to rolling starts and saving fuel has been a quick learning experience for Doornbos. When told he had to improve his fuel mileage during the Vegas race, Doornbos quipped,"I'm racing.

What do you want me to do, valet parking?"

- MARY BIGNOTTI MENDEZ 54

YOU COULD RUN 60 CHAMP CAR TEAMS FOR THE COST OF A FRONT RUNNING F1 TEAM STODDART COMPARES HIS PAST TO HIS PRESENT

continued from page 53 "It is a tremendous spectator sport that's also extremely fan friendly.The day you forget the fans is the day you start to degrade your own business.

Add to that the new car and a levelling of the playing field. It's the right time to do it. Everyone has a reasonable chance without going into the stratosphere to find budget. Champ Car has a very exciting future.

"One ofthe things that makes Champ Car different is its accessibility. For years in FI, I strived to bring FI to the people, to make it a little bit more accessible through our two-seater program and through the events.

"The Australian Grand Prix is the most accessible grand prix. Champ Car is all about that.The racing is great and always good.

"When I attended the Indy at Surfers Paradise last year on the Gold Coast, I saw a whole new world where I thought this is certainly going to be fun racing at a sensible level in terms of budget.

"Running a spec chassis and engine costs about A$12 million for a two-car team to win podiums and races. $12 million in FI didn't pay the food and transport bill.

You could run 60 Champ Car teams for the cost of a front running FI team."

The relationship between Champ Car co-owner Kevin Kalkhoven and Stoddart started a few years ago after Kalkhoven purchased Cosworth Engineering, which supplied engines to Minardi.

"Kalkhoven told me to come and enjoy my racing," explained Stoddart, who has resided in England for 20 years.

"The CTE Racing-HTM team was metorsportnews

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The undoubted highlight of Stoddart and his FI involvement was 'that'2002 Australian Grand Prix where Mark Webber finished fifth on debut. Still brings a cheer in the MNews offices ...

New blood: Brit Dan Clarke, right, is another young buck to steer for Minardi, but one of the first in Champ Car. the best choice. They were a race winning team and had the best facilities of the three teams we looked at. Keith Wiggins, an old FI team boss like myself, and I get along like a house on fire.

"Sometimes you just gel with someone and we did. We have the same attitude, that racing is important but you have to run it as a business."

Newly-named the Minardi Team USA based in Indianapolis, the team was started by Tony Bettenhausen in the mid-90s.

Keith Wiggins, now co-owner with Stoddart and Cedric the Entertainer, first Joined when the team changed to Flerdez Competition, earning its first victory at the soggy 2002 Surfer's Paradise event with Mario Dominguez.

Proving its value, the team won again last year in Surfers Paradise with Nelson Philippe mww.mnews.com.au

"It's a bit like the old Formula

who also finished fourth in the championship, the best result In the team's history.

"We came off a pretty good year last season with good cars and were competitive,"explained Wiggins, who runs the day-to-day operations leaving Stoddart to focus on the business side.

Ford days. There was some uncertainty before I knew Paul was coming in. I was faced with the usual task of how much to spend, what to do, and which drivers."

Stoddart, known as Stoddy to his friends, likely earned a few other names in his tumultuous

"It's a great opportunity to come out of the box in a good position with everybody else. We had some very good plans on how to test the new car. There are a number of things you can't do. So you have to look at all the detail stuff.

years In FI as the flamboyant team principal of Minardi. In a David versus Goliath battle as an owner of a dramatically lower budgeted team, Stoddart fought in true David style but didn't slay the giant.

"If someone ruffles my feathers.

I'll fight for what I believe in," explains Stoddart.

"In a lot of cases I probably ruffled back. As a true Aussie, I won't take things lying down and turn the other cheek. If I believe passionately that something is right or wrong, then I will say so.

Even if I was a bit outspoken and said too much in FI, I slept well at night.Truth is always a good ally.

1 was the one who christened Max Mosley 'Mad Max'for very continued on page 56 55

TICKET TO RIDE Stoddy brings Formula 1 to Champ Car with double the seating!

FOR a mere A$12,000 you can take the ride of a lifetime in a real FI race car driven by a professional driver.

Sound like a great deal? You can experience the acceleration, cornering speeds,and carbon braking forces, which have only previously been available to the world's top racing professionals.

"I'm very passionate about my Minardi Flx2 two-seater program," says Stoddart, who,in the last six years, has operated this unique form of entertainment for more than 2000 passengers.

"It's about giving people a chance to truly experience what FI is like. A lot of people say you can't mix FI and Champ Car. But the fans that come to watch the Champ Car races love the sight and sound of the FI car.They are buying rides in it' Because safety is of the utmost importance,the Minardi F1x2 staff includes a traveling physician who examines passengers that must meet certain health.

height,and weight standards.The mechanics -12 per car - maintain a fleet of eight authentic race cars meeting true FI specifications. And,there is hospitality staff available for the complete corporate function looking to give that special client a unique experience. Even Stoddart's charter service can offer flights to the venue A three-lap run includes, an out lap,flying lap. and an in lap, costs about A$600 per km for engine mileage, racing fuel, and tyre wear.The Cosworth VI0,generating over 700 horsepower at 16,000 rpm. can travel from 0-160 km/h in 4.5s.

That will jolt the passenger back in his seat located in a separate cockpit behind the driver, replacing the normal race distance fuel tank with a much smaller one.

Michael Schumacher and Mark Webber are among the 40 different pilots who have provided their skills.

- MARY BIGNOTTI MENDEZ

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Hi, I am your driver today, piease stow away all cabin baggage... When you own the two-seater fleet then you are entitled to have a steer... continued from page 55 good reasons. It didn't always sit well with the people in the FiA. I often struggled with things that almost seemed elementary and obvious There was nothing wrong with the people of FI. I always got on well with Bernie (Ecclestone).

It was the politics that destroys something that could be fantastic." it's hard to imagine Stoddart as the warrior because he is very open and gregarious, truly a people person. Since he's not afraid to rock the boat, how long will it be before he attempts to move the furniture in Champ Car? "Champ Car now appears to be a group of very happy people that want to enjoy their racing and put on a great event," he says.

"In any walk in life there is room for improvement. Bringing a fresh approach, perhaps I can make a few suggestions to heip the show a bit. Then it is up to the powers to be to decide if they want to follow it. I need to wait for things to settle down."

The Minardi team, under the operational leadership of Keith Wiggins, came out swinging from its corner by scoring two podiums in the first three races with rookie driver Robert Doornbos. Stoddart couldn't be prouder.

"I'm here in Champ Car because I want to be here,"confirmed Stoddart. "What I am looking to achieve are podiums, victories, and as a long-term goal, though not this year, is to fight for the Championship. www.mnews.coni.au

YOU OOIMT COME TO A FORGONE CONCLUSION AS TO WHO WILL WIN IT MORE F1 VERSUS CHAMP CAR

"Can we do it? Well, we already have podiums. i'm sure we will achieve a victory when the right time comes. If we could win the championship in the first three years, i'd be over the moon. But if we never get there. I'll still be happy so long as we get thereabouts."

The Champ Car series was looking a bit shaky with only 15 to 16 cars In pre-season testing.

Yet, Stoddart didn't have second thoughts until immigration issues for his two-seater program staff came dose to stonewailing his North American venture.

"We only have 17 cars and we need 20," he observes.

"It is up to the series to work out how we'll get 20 cars, which is a good solid foundation to buiid upon for success. This year we are on proper network television.

There is more and more interest overseas.The doom and gloom should be reserved for IRL. For them, the turn out of 15,000 people isn't good.

"Some might say where are aii the American drivers? They wili come and talent will shine through irrespective of nationality."

Familiar faces in the Champ Car paddock inciude Justin Wiison and FI test participants Katherine

Legge and Will Power. Stoddart, who would have run Power in FI if only he had enough money, confirmed,"He was good enough!"

"Paul Stoddart is a great guy," says Power, who finished in front of Doornbos at the season opener.

"Paul gave me my first FI opportunity which ied to me driving in the Renault World Series.

That ultimately helped me move up to Champ Car. I had an FI test at the end of 2004 after driving in F3.

We kept talking about an FI effort but we needed a lot of money."

Seeing a fellow Aussie in winner's circle, Stoddart admitted he caught some national fever.

"I shed a tear when they played the national anthem for Will. You do get that nationalistic pride.

This is what makes Champ Car interesting.Tomorrow it could be someone else. You don't come to a race with a foregone conclusion as to who wii! win it. We had enough of that in FI. The new chassis has really mixed it up."

Having never achieved a win at Minardi in Formula 1, Stoddart finds himself on the threshold in Champ Car. But there's no real doubt he will influence the series aiong the way - which cannot be a bad thing at ali.

57

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Anyone can.

For 19 euros ($31 and change) anyone with a registered road car (or motorcycle) can complete almost a complete lap of the famed Nordschleife (Northern Loop) track, the 20.8 kilometre piece of road so fearsome it was calied "The Green Flell" by none other than Jackie Stewart. And before you label Sir Jackie as a bit of a sheila, perhaps it should be noted here and now that the Scot won the 1968 German Grand Prix, in fog and rain that would stop a race today, by four minutes. Later, JYS described the track as "the greatest and most challenging race circuit in the world".

Right outside the gates are workshops owned by some of the world's leading car manufacturers, who avail themselves of the masterpiece to help with the development of their new models. Opel, Nissan and Jaguar are regular visitors to the track; Aston Martin pounded prototypes of its V8 Vantage around the tiack until it lapped faster than Porsche's 911, its obvious showroom rival. As a result, the trees surrounding the track can feature

58

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photographers perched precariously to capture images of secret prototypes.

Even drivers of sedans, buses and (gulp!) modern superbikes can lap the track. But for 31 years, what was absent from the Nordschleife was a Formula 1 car.

Until last month. BMW and Nick Fleidfeld changed all that. The team announced that it would take over the track in late April and brought, pretty well, everything it needed to make it a party; several WTCC-spec 320is, an M3 GTR, several BMW Z4 M Coupe and some Formula BMW racers. Along with Fleidfeld and FI tester Sebastian Vettel came WTCC stars Andy Priaulx, Jbrg Muller and Augusto Farfus.

A chance to watch an FI car going at it on the 'old"Ring is not one to be sneezed at. A crowd of 45,000 showed up to watch the action. But, why go to all the trouble?

"We wanted to give fans a speciai treat," explained BMW Motorsport Director Mario Theissen.

"And I believe we have done this with the entire BMW motor sport programme.The BMW M3 GTR that Olaf Manthey presented today

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THIS RACING TRACK IS THE BEST IN THE WORLD. I’LL NEVER FORGET TODAY AS LONG AS I LIVE

was welcomed like an old friend.The car is actually much too athletic for the museum.

"Naturally, the high point was Nick's drive with the FI.06. We had implored him to be careful.

The day was a homage to the fans and to this unique circuit in the world of racing. For once, the lap times were a secondary consideration."

Another reason was, naturally, promotion.

The pit straight of the modern GP track was surrounded by blue and white propeller logos; BMW had TV crews scattered around the track and in the sky, with FI Team Manager Beat Zehnder directing the camera-filled helicopter that valiantly chased Fieidfeld as it provided a TV uplink.

Commercial considerations or not, Heidfeld was babbling like an enthusiastic like a little kid when he hopped out of the car. www.mnews.com.ai]

NICK HBDFELD "This drive was simply incredible," he gushed.

"I thought it would be great to drive on the Nordschleife before I started out. But it was even better than I had expected.This racing track is the best in the world.

"I'd really like to have emptied the tank [ie, go for a time]. It was a very special moment when I left the Grand Prix circuit in the direction of the Nordschleife. I was really shaken up at the Bergwerk section and on the Dottinger Hdhe.

"I'll never forget today as long as I live.

Another particularly special experience has now joined the many fantastic childhood memories and racing successes."

King of the Kids: Heidfeld, left with BMW Motorsport boss Dr Mario Theissen, was a smash hit at the Nurburgring.'

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This appearance was not about lap times ONE of the talking points leading into Heidfeld's appearance at the track was, just how fast a modern Formula 1 car would be at the track?

The answer was, not very.

While it might have been satisfying to see the 29-year-old go for a time around the track, the dangers associated with doing so, and the promotional aspects in play, made it impractical. So,compromises were made.

To start with, Heidfeld was driving a 2006 car fitted with hard tyres, to allow a large safety margin on the uneven parts of track.The ground clearance was jacked up to its maximum settings, with 4cm at the front and 8cm at the rear, and the wings were set conservatively to allow plenty of reassuring downforce.

Finally, the gearing of the car was set such that top speed was limited to 275kmh. Had speed been the priority, it would have

been much faster than that; with Monza gearing and wings, FI cars touch 340 kays and the near3km blast from the Dottinger Hbhe to Tiergarten is a much longer stretch of straight road than Monza.The problem is, compared to the GP track,the 'Ring is as rough as a WRC stage.

In the three laps Heidfield completed (and the one warmup lap in a FBMW)he drove around the outside of The Karussell rather that'drop'the car onto the quicker, lower section.

The other consideration was that this was a promotional event, not a race. At three points on the track, Heidfeld slowed to first track, then pass road cars loaded with TV cameras before blasting off onto the next piece of'Ring. As a result, his sole flying lap time was about 8m34s.

For the record,the FI lap record on the full(22km)track is 6m58.6s,set by Niki Lauda in 1975, below. On the Nordschleife, the honours belong to Stefan Bellof, who lapped in 6m 11.3s in 1983.

Given the comparisons between a Porsche 956 and a modern FI car from their performances on other circuits, a full-scale assault today would slice somewhere near a minute from Bellofstime...

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Starting small: Heidfeld prepared for his FI laps in a Formula BMW,top left. Olaf Manthey was reunited with his 24 Hour-spec M3,left. Heidfeld stayed clear ofthe lower but bumpier line at the Karrusel, above. All the BMW stars were there. L to R,Andy Priaulx,Jorg Muller, Augusto FarfasJr, Heidfeld, Dr Mario Thelssen and FI test driver Sebastian Vettel.

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The Nordschleife is unique,scary and addictive. By World Touring Car Champion ANDY PRIAULX

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T was really something to see a BMW Formula 1 car running around the Nordschleife.

Any car feels pretty awesome around there. You could have a Fiat Punto hire car on the track and it feels really fast.

It is a strange place. You feel like you know the track but you never really do.The most dangerous thing is if you think you know the track and relax. Then, it can catch you out.

I have raced there quite a bit -1 have won the 24 Hour race there. But about a month ago, I went back there and was pretty surprised. I like to visualise my way around a track before I go there, I do a lot of meditation, and when I got back to the Ring, I realised I had left a bit of the track out. And not one or two corners, about five kilometres!

You cannot turn off and drive the track. I always arrive early, drive four of five laps in a

www.mnews.com.au

road car and then take to the racecar.The first lap is always important because you cannot waste a lap, you have to get on it as quickly as you can. One lap is almost half a race distance intheWTCC! I broke it down into sections to learn it.

Steve Soper told me he splits it into eight sections, but by now, I can visualise the whole track. I am lucky; if I read a book, I will forget about it the next day but with a race circuit, I memorise it. The first time I drove there, I was on the pace and I won there.

I often think that, when you go to a race weekend at the Nurburgring, it feels like Bathurst.The atmosphere is similar; a grass roots feeling, not too much bullshit.The people are there are there because they love racing and there are serious racing drivers there for some serious racing.There are little parts of the track with some Bathurst in it

but there is, really, no racing circuit like it anywhere in the world.

Boris Said was one of my team-mates in the 24 Hour race. He has raced in all kinds of events on all kinds of tracks, in Touring Cars, Sportscars, even in NASCAR, and he thinks that the place is awesome. He knows that he can earn more money in one lap in NASCAR than in anything else but he came all the way to drive in the 24 Hour on the Nordschleife.

When you are driving around the place at speed - and it might be dark, or raining, in traffic in the fog - you think to yourself,'What the hell am I doing this for?'Then you drive out the circuit gate, having survived the race weekend, and you are already thinking,'I have got to come back here again', it messes with your emotions, you smile and shiver in equal amounts. I will certainly race there again, that is for sure.

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1 FORmULFn Rouno H - sPRin

I Waiting in|repidation

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T was a very odd weekend.

After the testing in Barcelona in the week before the Grand Prix,the feeling in the Formula 1 paddock was that Ferrari had pulled out its advantage to nearly a second per lap.

That is serious in a world where they are looking for hundredths of seconds. Felipe Massa reckoned the new version of the F2007 was half a second better than the car raced in Australia, Malaysia and Bahrain. We waited in trepidation.

In practice and qualifying it seemed all along the way that McLaren, namely Lewis Hamilton, not only had the Ferraris covered but might even be ahead.

In the final moments of qualifying Massa grabbed the pole position but it looked like he had done with a lower fuel load than 62

the others.

So was Hamilton the favourite for victory? That would depend on the first corner. In some respects racing strategy is a waste of time in Barcelona.

The track allows almost no overtaking and the only real chance of making up places is in the hurly-burly of the opening lap of the race.The drivers know it.

The media knows it. Perhaps the fans are still too new to the sport to understand.

There were around 140,000 fans who turned up to cheer for Fernando on Sunday and, as a result, there was much excitement as the cars headed down towards the first corner.

Things were made a little edgier by an aborted start which ruined Toyota's only real hope of success when Jarno Trulli's car stalled as

the grid was forming up.

The second time the field got away cleanly and Alonso managed to build up his momentum and was In a position to slipstream Massa as they went into the first turn. Behind these two Hamilton had already made a better start than Raikkonen and was heading down the inside line to take the position.

And thus we watched to see how the Spanish Grand Prix would be settled. Massa and Alonso arrived in the corner almost sideby-side. Alonso was on the outside, trying to squeeze in and get Massa to lift. Felipe was on the inside unwilling to lift because this was his corner. Each felt that they had done enough to claim the corner.

Two heroes rarely fit in the same telephone box.

The result was that the two cars

touched and Spain flinched as Alonso went for a little off-track action in the dust. By the time he had driven back onto the black stuff, he was fourth - and had given Hamilton and the BMW men a hell of a shock as he swerved in front of them.

If there had been a policeman present Alonso would have been pulled over and told to be careful.

Nick Heidfeld's hair is a thing with a life of its own but on this occasion it was definitely standing on end inside his helmet.

Later Alonso suggested that Massa had been a bit naughty.

Massa gave him a very surprised look and explained that Fernando had been overly ambitious.

Photographs showed that Massa's story was closer to the truth, although one could understand how Alonso might motorspon news

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FORmULR1 ^

Massa won the first corner clash and the race,while Hamilton took the championship lead

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JOE SAWARD

§

The race's defining moment:Massa and Aionso got physical at turn one, and the reigning world Champ had to opt for the gravel.

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have thought otherw/ise.

This was a classic 'racing incident'.

Alonso now knew that he had no hope at all of winning the race, unless weird stuff started happening and so he did what he could and took a risk and switched to his harder tyres in the middle stint and then went back to the softer rubber for the last stint.There was some method in this but really it was a long shot.

As it became clear that Hamilton was not really able to keep up there was little chance of a great race. About the only point at which hope returned was when Massa set off from his first pit stop, trailing flames.There had been a small spillage but nothing serious.

Massa was not even aware of it and unwittingly put the fire out by www.mnews.com.au

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Surely, something is not right with a scoring system that

ALOIMSO WAS ON THE OUTSIDE. rewards consistency rather than TRYING TO SQUEEZE IN AND GET

MASSA TO LIFT. FELIPE WAS

accelerating away as bomber pilots used to do when an engine caught fire. The fire blew out and Massa headed on to the finish.

Hamilton could just about match the Ferrari in the second stint but that was it. The car was not fast enough and no strategy was not good enough to get Lewis ahead.

But second place was fine.

Hamilton may not have won a race he has only done four - but now

n n niivnr-» -nr=n bi-t" UIMIWILLING TO LIFT

he leads the World Championship.

Ferrari has won three out of four races to date and yet McLaren is leading in the Drivers' Championship - actually a 1-2.

And the team is well ahead in the Constructors'Championship as well.

The man leading the title is the only one who has not won a race, but at the same time he is also the only man not to have made a bad mistake at some point.

„s,em w,s introduced when Michael Schumacher was both fast and consistent, in order to give others a chance but as he is now retired even if he cannot stay away from FI - the system is no longer valid.

Massa has two wins and should really be leading the Drivers' Championship.

Raikkonen's F2007 disappeared early on in the race with an electronic problem which is very bad news for him. He is now fourth in the World Championship.

And we all headed off home for a few pre-Monaco days, noone really understanding what had happened to Ferrari's big advantage.

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MCLAREN'S development programme had been rather more effective than seemed to be the case and with the new 'biplane"front wing,the silver cars were still absolutely on a par with Ferrari.

For most of the practice and qualifying it looked like Ferrari was sand-bagging, keeping its powder.dry or just making a mess of things.

Lewis Hamilton, an expert headline thief, was keeping ahead of Fernando Alonso at all times. It would all be revealed in the final minutes of qualifying, we said confidently, but it did not quite happen like that, it suddenly emerged that Ferrari did not have

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much in hand.There was really not much between the two teams. . Massa's pole position was just a few hundreths faster than Aionso's best and there was then a gap of three-tenths of a second to Raikkonen and Hamiiton. In other words, we had a race on our hands.

And Thank Goodness for that.Too much domination by one team does not make for happy and filled grandstands. Competition is what it is all about.

Massa admitted that coming out on top had not been easy and that he had made a mess of his first qualifying run in the final Q3 session.

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Alonso seemed happy which was odd.

"Qualifying on the first row is confirmation of the competitive pace we have had all weekend," he said.

"It was a really close fight and that is confirmation ofjust how tight things are.

There was nothing more I could get from the car."

Hamilton said much the same but was confident that he would run longer before his first stop.

With such a finely-balanced battle, it would all be down to track position, strategy and consistency.

-JOESAWARD

Great career moves IN recent races there has been a bit of criticism for a number of drivers who have not been delivering the goods.

Robert Kubica had been overshadowed

by Nick Heidfeld; David Coulthard had had a miserable time;Takuma Sato had been overshadowed by Anthony Davidson. Oh, and Heikki Kovalainen had done nothing much in the Renault.

The Spanish GP breathed life into the future of all four of them. Kubica led the chase and ended

Men in points: Renault's Heikki Kovalainen scored two world championship points, above. David Coulthard, right, got Red Bull on the hoard with fifth place - RBR's first championship points this year.

64

the day with a solid fourth place, while Nick Heidfeld was unlucky when the team messed up his pit stop and he had to do a slow lap.

That allowed Coulthard the good fortune to score Red Bull's first 2007 points. He had to fight hard for it too and would probably have lost the place but for misfortune which befell Heikki Kovalainen when the refuelling machine failed to work properly down at Renault and so both drivers had to make extra stops.

This dropped Kovalainen to seventh behind Nico Rosberg who did a solid job for Williams, to give the team three more much-needed points.

And Takuma Sato came home to score the Super Aguri team's first World Championship point.

-JOE SAWARD motorspon news

FORmULR 1

WINNERS

Turning insultto injury

TAKUMA Sato scored the first points for the Super Aguri team in Barcelona and was very delighted to have done so.

He gotfairly excited by It all but team boss Aguri Suzuki recognised thatfuck had played a part. n Super Aguri's 5U|GeSs was a .

bit of an embarrassment for Honda,especially as some of the top Honda people turned up to watch the race.

Sato was able to outrun both Rubens Barriehello and Jenson B.uttonlof most of the race and then, w/hen things looked about as bad as they.^an get,the two lr)o,nda drivers cg'llided at the'

first corner.

Barriehello just got to Turn One ahead of Button when the Englishman pitted before him,When Jenson went up the insid.e kerb and slid wide, he inadvertently took his front wing offon the backoff ; BarrichOllo%car,, "'1 4,40ESAWARR

FELIPE MASSA: Simple. Looked every bit the winner from go to whoa.

Staved off a desperate Alonso at turn one and drove away.

LEWIS HAMILTON: He's breaking records everytime he throws on his yellow lid.

With his second place (his fourth podium in-a-row), Lewis becomes the youngestever World Championship leader - ironically,taking over the mantle of the late Bruce McLaren...

B TEAMS: Not for the first time in 2007, the'B-Teams', Williams and Super Aguri, are outclassing their factory counterparts.

TAKUMA SATO: One world championship point, but bonus marks for his post race celebration.

DAVID COULTHARD: First points for himself and Red Bull this year, but could have nearly been in the Loser's column, if his gearbox had done what it was threatening ...

NiP'r

^FDRmULR 11 Round H 5PRIH POS# 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

5 2 1 10 14 16 4 22 3 23 7 20 21

DRIVER

NATION

CAR

Felipe Massa „ Lewis Hamilton Fernando Alonso Robert Kubica David Coulthard Nico Rosberg Heikki Kovalainen Takuma Sato Giancarlo Fisichella Rubens Barriehello Anthony Davidson Jenson Button Adrian Sutil Christijan Albers

BRA GBR ESP POL GBR GER FIN JPN ITA BRA GBR GBR GER NED

Ferrari F2007 McLaren Mercedes MP4/22 McLaren Mercedes MP4/22 BMWSauberFl.07 Red Bull Renault RB3 Williams Toyota FW27 Renault R27 Super Aguri Honda SA03 Renault R27 HondaRA107 Super Aguri Honda SA03 HondaRA107 Spyker Ferrari Spyker Ferrari

GER GER ITA USA FIN ITA AUS AUT

BMW SauberF1.07 Toyota TF107 Toro Rosso Ferrari TR02 Toro Rosso Ferrari TR02 Ferrari F2007 Toyota TF107 Red Bull Renault RB3 Williams Toyota FW27

Not Classified Nick Heidfeld 9 Ralf Schumacher 11 Vitantonio Liuzzi 18 19 Scott Speed Kimi Raikkbnen 6 JarnoTrulli 12 Mark Webber 15 17 AlexWurz

RACE

Q

1:31:36.230 1:31:43.020 1:31:53.686 1:32:07.845 1:32:34.561 1:32:35.768 1:32:38.358 64 laps 64 laps 64 laps 64 laps 64 laps 63 laps 63 laps

1 4 2 5 9 11 8 13 10 12 IS 14 20 21

46 laps 44 laps 19 laps 9 laps 9 laps Slaps 7 laps

7 17 16 22 3 6 19 18

Fastest Lap: Massa on lap 14,1:22.680

Points: Hamilton 30, Alonso 28, Massa 27, Raikkonen 22, Heidfeld 15, Kubica and Fisichella 8, Rosberg 5, Coulthard and Trulli 4, Kovalainen 3, Sato and Schumacher 1.

Constructors'Points: McLaren-Mercedes 58, Ferrari 49, BMW.Sauber 23, Renault 11, Williams-Toyota and Toyota 5, Red Bull Renault 4, Super Aguri 1. www.mnews.com.aii

LOSERS FERNANDO ALONSO: Bold or crazy? Definitely lucky.

His attempt to lead the race at the first turn nearly cost him - and his team-mate - their podium finishes.

SAUBER BMW PIT CREW: Heidfeld said that the wheel nut mistake cost him a podium finish...

MARK WEBBER: Hydraulic failure in the race, same as the problem in qualifying. Webber heads to Monaco - one of his favourite circuits - with a poor scoreiine so far of 0-4.

THE CHICANE: Another lovely fast corner on an FI circuit destroyed by a chicane, apparently put in to promote overtaking...

65

U8 5UPERCRR CHRmPIORSHIP SERIES ROUDD 3 - PUHiEHiOHE

., Garth Tander dominated in New Zealand but when a pit glitch stopped his bid for six race wins in a row.

PHIL BRANAGAN Rick Kelly picked up the pieces ●W

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The Colours ofthe Rainbow: Toll HSV was too fast again and Rick Kelly, far left, took honours for the round.Jamie Whincup was the standout in the Ford ranks,above,though Mark Winterbottom set the early pace,left. Jason Richards recovered from this Saturday shunt, below, while Todd Kelly moved through the pack steadily after starting from loth, bottom.

HERE were two parts of the third round of the V8 Supercar Championship at Pukekohe.

The first part was the'racing'part.

This involved brave and grown-up men, in V8 Supercars, pounding around the daunting 2.8km track-outside-a-horsetrack, for the last time. As ever, it was a wondrous sight to behoid, with the contests and impacts starting in practice, flowing through qualifying and into the races.

And then,there was the other part, which seemed to be all anyone could talk about afterwards.This started when it was announced that, because of a deadline to have the race finish at 1545, local time,to fit in with television commitments,there wouid be one flying lap to conclude Race 3. And with that, you might have thought that the sky had fallen in.

Pity. Because it was what happened prior to that point that needs to be remembered. Practice was, as practice usualiy is, the main point being that many of the fast guys felt that their

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The second race was ail aboutTander playing out enough rope to win, despite feeling that the team over-tweaked his car. And the third ended with steam coming from GT's ears as he battled to pass Radisich for seventh,the race shortened by seven laps. fToll had the best offortunes, its Hoiden Racing Team cousins again suffered.

Todd Kelly looked like a contender but when he missed a weighbridge cali in quaiifying, he lost his finai session times to that point, dropping him to 10th on the grid.To recover to fourth overall was a good effort and that was three spots up on Mark Skaife, whose hopes of backto-back NZ wins floundered with a stuck wheel nut in Race 1.

Likewise, 10th and 12th overall did not reflect Ford Peformance Racing's form.

Winterbottom smoked a front tyre, had it replaced and then smoked (and blew) that, dropping him out of Race 2. Richo's early short-back-and-sides completed the sorry picture.

THE LAST 10 LAPS, IT WAS DOING SCANDINAVIAN FLICKS THROUGH 2 AND 3

car speed was such that not even lessthan-optimum tyre grip would much slow them.That would have an effect; for instance,Jamie Whincup was quite content to'burn'his raciest Dunlops in Race 1 and Race 2 and than hang on with what was left in the final outing.

The plan worked brilliantly; at the end of Sunday,The Whizz was third overall and best of the Fords (in fact, best of everyone not signwritten with the words 'Toll').

The first race summed up the weekend, as far as car speed was concerned. Mark Winterbottom's first pole position did him no favours as he scrambled away but Garth Tander was even worse off. The combination of a longer-than-usual'hold' at the lights and the tall 3.25 diff ratio overheated his clutch and while he led to the pitstops, his Commodore left the pitbox with all the oomph of a golf cart.

By the time he staggered back into battle.

Frosty was past and determined to stay there.

Clutch or not, GT attacked and Winterbottom started to slide around ("The last 10 laps, it was doing a few Scandinavian flicks through [Turns] 2 and 3," he explained later). It was a great race but Tander prevailed.

The other battle that mattered was that between their team-mates. Steven Richards and Rick Kelly were wellmatched but a deflating rear tyre cost Richo any hope of a result. At one stage, he turned his Edge Ford into a rally car ("Richo couldn't decide which piece of grass to drive on," Kelly commented).

MARK WINTERBOTTOM And Lowndes was not even the nextbest of the Fords. James Courtney was, the SBR BF gaining speed with each outing.

Behind the contenders,there should also be a mention of Jason Bright.The first race was a disaster but the second made up for that, Brighty zooming from the rear to 16th in a car clearly less balanced in the fast stuff than some of its rivals. In the rushed BJR-to-Britek rebuilt, the team had fitted the car with a different steering rack and Jason found the response to be rather lighter than he likes, particularly in the faster stuff.

In the other direction, GRM's season hit some hurdles. Lee Holdsworth did not show the speed he has demonstrated in the opening two rounds while Dean Canto had his big crash on Sunday when the team's sole VE suffered a split front rim. Deano found himself with no brakes and the car climbed the Armco before returning to earth, leaving the team with a rebuilt prior to last week's Winton adventures.

So,the time to bid farewell to Pukekohe finally arrived. The place may not have been the shiniest of tracks, its facilities may not match some of the other venues but the place never lacked atmosphere. As Tander stated post-race, Pukekohe has served V8 Supercars well and its challenges will be missed.

Presumably,the locals (and more) will make the trip south to Hamilton from next year. Let's all hope that the new street race provides as much action as its more rural neighbour.

67

Pukekohe Notepad

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QUALIFYING

GARTH Tander may have been a first-time V8 Supercar winner at Pukekohe but he reminds us that he has won there before,just not in a tin-top. GTwon at his first attempt at racing at the track, in a Formula Ford, back in 1996. n The twojumbo jet-loads of cars and gear flew from Brisbane and Avalon but not all'Melbourne' cars flew from there.The Holden Racing Team and Team BOC made the road journey to Queensland to'even up'the planes'loads, HRT having been beaten to the punch by their Toll-HSV neighbours. Rick and Garth's cars will have their turn to fly from Brissy forthe next OS race in Bahrain - which follows the nearby Gold Coast Indy event. n Russell Ingall continued his recent support of the Starlight Foundation in NZ. The Stone Brothers'Ford's Caltex Havoline livery was replaced for the weekend by that of Starlight Day, which will take place'on Friday May 4.To help make a sick child's wishes come true,see http:// www.starlight.org.au/forfurther details. n One ofthe more interesting non-racing activities on Sunday was a'demonstration'between a Toyota Racing Series car driven by Ben Harford and Andrew Stroud on a Suzuki GSX1000. Harford got a 10-second start and added a couple to it over the course of two laps, during which the brave Stroud piunged down Ford Mountain at more than 230kmh

n Once the flog cieared, the crowd figures at Pukekohe were truly huge. No doubt aided by the final weekend of NZ's school holidays, 34,806 attended Friday practice, 46,083 were there on Saturday and comeraceday, 51,347 hardy souls squeezed into the place for the last V8 Supercar race at Pukekohe, giving a threeday total of 132,236 - a new record.

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First,Last Pole

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MARK Winterbottom took his first-ever pole position in dramatic circumstances - but it could have been much, much different.

Frosty paced his challenge to perfection, taking P2 on the first lap on his second set of tyres and PI on his second lap.

But overnight, a couple of other teams discovered cracks in their brakes discs and, as a precaution, FPR found one cracked disc on each car.The team got to work on making a change before the quaiifiers started. Flad they not discovered the cracks. Jack Perkins may have had some company in the bleachers.

The suspected cause was the dramatic variation in temperatures of the rotors. On an out lap, most drivers do not use their brakes to any great effect until they get to the Flolden Flairpin, where the stop is from around 270-60kmh, raising the temperature of the discs to about 800 deg.

The sudden heating and cooling of the brakes can cause warping or cracking - though subsequent enquiries reveaied that other teams whose drivers gradually and deliberately built up the temperatures in their brakes reported few problems.

Garth Tander, Steven Richards and Rick Kelly set up the FPR versusToll war by filling the front two rows ahead of an on-form Jamie Whincup and Mark Skaife.

Russell Ingall was barely a tenth behind team-mate James Courtney, the SBR pair

Good and Bad: Frosty took his first pole but this Race 2lockup was bad news. top. All three Holden teams to 'mix'a yzand aVEhad shunts: Dumbrell, above, Canto, below and Perkins. Tasman's lads were as popular as ever with the locals, right.

split by Craig Lowndes, while Todd Kelly was back in 10th.

After torching a front tyre in a major lockup on his second set of tyres,Todd pitted but missed a weighbridge call.

Fie lost all the times to that point in the session and trundled back onto the track, but with all his rubber past its best, he remained 10th, Kelly had been secondquickest behind Skaife on the first set of rubber and looked set for a top-four time. molorsporieews

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THE BIGGEST LOSER? THE fuss about the end of Race 3 at Pukekohe has calmed down and now is probably a good point to look back at it with some context.

In an ideal world, everyone is happy about things all the time but, until V8 Supercars runs a street race at Disneyland,that is unlikely to happen. Once it was announced in 2006 that the V8s and the AFL were going to be on the same TV network,there was always going to be some friction in accommodating both sports and their huge fanbases.There was always going to be, at least once, a loser.

Garth Tander was, obviously, unhappy post race and had a grizzle. Fine; racing drivers are supposed to do that when things to not all fall their way.That is in their makeup. GT walked away from NZ with 58 points, a number any other driver in the field would have killed for.

WINNERS^

and the round win stayed 'in-house'at Toll. And the lost laps did not cost him the round win;the wheelnutdid.

I find it tough to criticise V8SA for their actions.They made the call; straight after, Wayne Cattach backed up the decision, which is exactly what a CEO should do. V8SA's post-event debrief identified the problem, the time'buffer' was increased and the decision announced promptly. No-one in motor racing can get it right all the time; V8SA did not in this instance.

But the response was swift and responsible.Top marks.

The upside of all this is that lessons have been learned and that the result fairly reflects what happened over the weekend. It is time to leave it in the past and look forward to Hamilton, 2008.

- PHIL BRANAGAN

TOLL-HSV DEALER TEAM; Obviously. One glitch with the wheel nut cost Tender the round win but Ricko was there to pick up the pieces, if only the Wallabies had that kind of teamwork.

FORD PERFORMANCE RACING: Clearly, the fastest of the Fords in NZ. Now,they just need to eliminate mistakes.

TODD KELLY: Once, it was Skaife who was the best driver at overcoming setbacks. Now,his team-mate has taken that mantle.

PAUL RADISICH: The locals had plenty to be sad about that weekend - cricket, league - butTKR flew the silver fern well.

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Pos #

Driver

Team/Car

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

Rick Kelly Garth Tander Jamie Whincup Todd Kelly James Courtney =Craig Lowndes Mark Skaife Will Davison Russell Ingall MarkWinterbottom Paul Radisich Steven Richards Greg Murphy Jason Richards Max Wilson Cameron McConville Steven Johnson Lee Holdsworth John Bowe Fabian Coulthard Shane Price Steve Owen Andrew Jones Alan Gurr Jason Bright Dean Canto Paul Dumbrell Brad Jones Paul Morris Jason Bargwanna Jack Perkins

Toll HSV Dealer Team Commodore VE Toll HSV Dealer Team Commodore VE Team Vodafone Falcon BF Holden Racing Team Commodore VE Jeld-Wen Falcon BF Team Vodafone Falcon BF Holden Racing Team Commodore VE Jim Beam Falcon BF Caltex Falcon BF . Ford Performance Racing Falcon BF Team Kiwi Racing Falcon BF Ford Performance Racing Falcon BF Tasman Motorsport Commodore VE Tasman Motorsport Commodore VE WOW Sight & Sound Falcon BF Supercheap Auto Commodore VZ Jim Beam Racing Falcon BF Valvoline Cummins Commodore VZ Glenfords Falcon BF Team Sirromet Wines Commodore VZ Jack Daniel's Commodore VE Autobarn Commodore VZ Team BOC Falcon BF IRWIN Racing Falcon BF Fujitsu Racing Falcon BF Valvoline Cummins Commodore VE Supercheap Auto Commodore VE Team BOC Falcon BF Team Sirromet Wines Commodore VE WPS Falcon BF Jack Daniel's Commodore VZ

1 16 88 22 4 888 2 18 9 5 021 6 51 3 8 100 17 33 111 39 7 55 12 26 25 34 20 14 67 10 11

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R2 R3

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

3 1 4 6 9 1410 11 8 2 15 5 12 7 16 18 13 17 21 23 24 19 26 dnf dnf 25 22 dnf dnf 20 dns

1 3 1 8 2 5 4 2 5 3 7 4 6 9 8 6 9 10 23 11 10 7 18 12 11 13 dnf 18 12 14 14 15 21 16 13 17 15 23 20 19 25 20 19 21 dnf 22 24 24 16 25 17 dnf dnf dnf 22 dnf dnf dnf dnf dns dns dns

OB SUPERCRR CHRIllPIOnSHIP SERIES Points after three rounds: R Kelly 173,Tander 160,T Kelly 132, Whincup 104, Skaife 104, Courtney 100, Lowndes 79, Winterbottom 79, Johnson 78, Davison 78, Ingail 75, Murphy 57, S Richards 55, Holdsworth 36, Radisich 27, J Richards 25, Bright 17, Wilson 12, McConville 8, Canto 8, Owen 5, Bowe 5, Morris 4, Price 4, Bargwanna 3, Coulthard 2. www.mnews.coni.au

JAMES COURTNEY: In his second season,the Jeld Wen driver is starting to show signs that a win is getting closer. .r-

LOSERS JACK PERKINS: That was a big one - but it got him into a newVE. BRAD JONES: Wrong place, wrong time. You cannot afford to be clumsy at that speed on that corner.

SPECTATORS and TV VIEWERS: Yep, we lost those last seven laps. But the upside is, the lesson has been learned.

PAUL MORRIS: A crash that was not his fault and the team,already hard at work building a second VE, had to put in a Herculean rebuild effort.

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Going like a blur

To say Simon Evans is looking good to go back-to-back in the Australian Rally Championship is the understatement ofthe century. But while all is rosey for the Group N cars at the moment,the Super 2000s are coming-fast.

RYAN LAHIFF was in the Westfor Round 2 yo

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N the surface it appears Simon Evans is cruising towards the defence of his Australian Rally Championship crown after claiming his second straight round win in Western Australia.

But it wasn’t as easy as it would appear and the Super 2000-spec cars from Toyota and Ford are starting to breath down his neck.

Neal Bates held an early advantage in Heat 1 after dominating the tarmac special stages in Busselton, but he wasn't able to keep his team-mate Evans at bay for long.The Group N (P) Corolla overtook its S2000 cousin on the fourth stage and never looked back.

PittrBK

Super Duper; The Super 2000s of Guest, above, and Bates, right, are gaining speed.

"Today has been far from easy," said Evans.

"Unlike Queensland where we had a big buffer and could afford, say, a flat tyre or a spin without costing us the lead, here we haven't had that comfort.

"The result, though, is a testament to the Toyota Corolla more than the driver. I've given it a real hammering, driven it hard through some dips and ruts and it hasn't complained at all!"

Resigned early on to play second fiddle to Evans, it wasn't a walk in

THE effort of Dean Herridge's performance against the factory Toyotas can easily be forgotten.

But the fact that he can run with the heavily-funded factory cars of Simon Evans and Neal Bates is a testament not only to his ability to stretch his sponsorship dollars to the very limit, but also his determination as a driver to excel.

the park for Dean Herridge either.

A centre differential malfunction on the closing stages keeping him on his toes to the finish.

"I had a centre diff warning flash up on the dash late this afternoon so I knew we had a problem," Herridge explained."Basically a wire came loose and it switched the car to rear-wheel drive.

"Luckily the last three stages didn't really hurt us, although we did lose some time to Simon. At the end of the day though I've got every reason to be pleased, we claimed another second place, held off Neal Bates and got some good points for the Championship."

Bates pushed his Super 2000spec Corolla hard after the tarmac stages, but was unable to maintain his strong early form, partly because he went down a suspension setup route that didn't pay off, and partly because of an electrical gremlin.

He was followed by a stunning display by Michael Guest,the Ford driver moving his Pirtek Fiesta into fourth by the end of the day, despite having to adjust his driving style to counter a gearbox concern that became obvious after the first stage.

"We're starting to come along with the car but, boy do we have a long way to go,"exclaimed Guest, "i don't have the confidence to www.mnews.com.au

"I push myself pretty hard because I have high expectations," he said."And even I forget that in comparison to the Toyotas and Fords we have a fraction of their budgets, so I often need to take a step back and realise that second place isn't a bad result at all."

- RYAN LAHIFF throw the car around yet because when it gets grip it rolls around like a boat,The roll bars we're working on for Canberra will make a huge difference but it's a time thing and so far we just haven't had the time."

A broken gear in his Subaru Impreza slowed Will Orders but not enough to stop the Victorian overhauling the second Fiesta of Darren Windus for fifth place.

Wet weather slippery roads were and unable to slow the rampaging Corolla of Evans as he and co-driving wife Sue swept the opposition aside in Heat 2.

The win, Evans'second for the season, sets up his title defence with the next round in Canberra another favourite for the Victorian.

"My aim is to get another win in Canberra, no question," he said.

We've started the season well and I really want to get a good points buffer before we hit my least favourite event - South Australia."

Frantic work by Herridge's service crew managed to restore his Maximum Motorsport Impreza WRX back to full health for the final loop of stages this afternoon.

"The boys found that a wire leading into the gearbox had melted the plastic covering and was shorting out on the gearbox casing," he explained.

Second place for the heat, and another strong finish for the Corolla Super 2000, went to Bates.

"A very pleasing result again for the S2000,"said Bates.

"We're highlighting the potential and now we look forward to getting back to the workshop in Canberra and finalizing the new shell for the next round."

After sitting in second for much of the day, it came down to a penultimate stage stumble for Guest, who was forced to settle with fourth.

"We got pinged for a jump start," Guest said, the penalty costing the Ford driver 10s and a strong result.

oresL Rslly Leg 1 1 Simon Evans

Toyota

Sue Evans

1:02:14.4

2 Dean Herridge

Subaru

Biil Hayes

+29.1

3 Neal Bates

Toyota

Corai Taylor

+1:02.3

4 Michael Guest

Ford

Mark Stacey

+1:17.8

Leg 2 1 Simon Evans

Toyota

Sue Evans

0:54:27.2

2 Neal Bates

Toyota

Coral Taylor

+53.2

3 Dean Herridge

Subaru

Bill Hayes

+59.5

4 Michael Guest

Ford

Mark Stacey

+1:15.9

Points Evans 162, Bates 108, Herridge 98, Guest 74, Reeves 70, Windus 68, Evans 60.

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72

0 review the 2007 Rally Argentina is the work of one sentence: Sebastien Loeb led home a truckload of Fords with ease.

As always, there was much more to the story, not least the entire status of the event being thrown into question when the first leg of the rally was reduced to just two Special Stages.The debacle came thanks to Mother Nature, with inclement weather complicating the 700km Journey from Buenos Aires, where a Thursday night Superspecial was run at the River Plate Stadium, back to Cordoba, where the service park was stationed. As a result, the first leg was reduced to Just two Superspecials,forcing organisers to add a fifth stage to Sunday's leg Just to make the results official.

And that was good news for Loeb.The reigning Champ may have found himself trailing Mikko Hirvonen and Dani Sordo after the shortened first leg, but once the rally proper started, so did Loeb's complete and utter dominance.

Leg 2 consisted of nine tests - he and Daniel Elena took out seven of them.That left two for the Focus of Marcus Gronholm to win. which was enough to lift him to second on the leaderboard, but a good 20s short of Loeb.

Not even an extra stage could help the Finn come the final leg l.oeb pulling out another 16s on his way to his fourth victory of

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3 Mikko Hirvonen

Ford

Jarmo Lehtinen

+2:15.2

4 Jari Matt! Latvala

Ford

Miikka Anttila

+3:43.0

5 Henning Solberg Cato Menkerud

+4:10.1

6 Dani Sordo Marc Marti

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7 Chris Atkinson

Subaru

Stephane Prevot 8 Manfred Stohl

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2:52:03.8 Daniel Elena Ford 2 Marcus Gronholm Timo Rautiainen

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Points: Loeb 48, Gronholm 45, Hirvonen 36, Sordo 22, P Solberg 16, H Solberg 15, Atkinson 12, Latvala 12.

High flyers: Gronholm, above, was fast in Argentina but not nearly fast enough.

Atko took a slightly different approach to busting air, left. the season.

"I went out to push hard this morning but the feeling wasn't so good," said Gronholm of the frustrating feeling of watching Loeb drive into the distance.

"I ran wide and hit a stone with the rear of the car. I was worried it didn't feel right and it was hard to stay on the road. I dropped eight seconds to Loeb so I knew the fight was over, "it was a shame that the first leg was cancelled and that made it a strange rally. I'm disappointed that the fight with Seb wasn't closer but second and third means that Ford has increased its lead."

Gronholm was right to pick the fight for manufacturer supremacy as a highlight of the event. His team-mate Hirvonen took a lonely third place followed by the Stobart Fords of Jari-Matti Latvala and Henning Solberg. Sordo round out the event sixth having recovered from hyrdraulic issue during the second leg.

A seventh place finish was a solid effort for Australian Chris Atkinson, especially given it was the debut outing for he and new co-driver Stephane Prevot. And it www.mnews.com.au

wasn't as if the Subaru WRC2007 was entirely off the pace, Atkinson running as high as fifth and setting third fastest stage times at different periods of the event (his team-mate Petter Solberg was even matching the speed of Loeb/ Gronholm before a damaged radiator put him out of the event on Day 2).

But ultimately Atkinson could only bring home two World Championship points, a result he described as fustrating.

"It's good to have completed the event in the points, and I'm pleased about how things have worked out with my new co-driver, but it's hard not to get frustrated with the speed when I know I can go quicker," said Atkinson.

"Even though we managed to set some reasonable times on the first couple of stages today, I know I could have been faster if I had more confidence in the handling of the car.

"We made some positive steps at the recent test but there's still work to do before we unlock the potential of this car. We'll keep on working and hope for a better story in Sardinia."

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QUESTION: Seb, congratulations on your third-consecutive win in Argentina. It's an event that obviously suits you, so why do you like it so much?

SEBASTIEN LOEB: I like it because the roads are very interesting.

Yesterday was very fast and today very slow, so you get a bit of everything with all the water splashes. It's a very good place to drive and we see a lot of spectators who love rallying, so it's nice to see you are welcome here.

For me to go to Buenos Aires [for the Superspecial] was perhaps a bit too much. For me. Superspecials are not rallying. They are a show. For me, rallying is in the forests. It is good to have a show, but to lose one complete day for it is not so good. Hopefully, it will be a lesson for the future.

You've now stretched your advantage in the Championship, Seb, how crucial do you think this victory will be to your title chances? Does winning here make your job slightly easier on the next round in Sardinia?

At the moment every score is important.

We did have one point advantage, now it's three. The scoring is very tight so if you can't win, second is not too bad because it's only two points difference. Now I have four victories and Marcus has one and we have only a three-point lead.

As for Sardinia, no my win here doesn't make my job any easier there. But we have confidence for the future because the car seems to be good everywhere.

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ONYSullens and Julia

Barkley backed up their 2004 outright victory by securing their second Targa Tasmania crown in April.

The Subaru impreza WRX RA took the lead on Leg 2 of Targa and eventually finished 46 seconds ahead of eight-time champions Jim Richards and Barry

Oliver.

After completing prologue down in a lowly 29th, Sullens stormed back in mainly dry conditions to record his and Barkley's second victory.

"This is better than my first win, it's awesome,"enthused Sullens.

We didn't come down here with

Top of their game: Top, Quinn was fifth. Middie, Richo was second, and above, Longhurst was third. /4

any preconceived ideas, and to pull off another win in the dry is a good thing for me. I'm very happy.

"Kumho tyres is the only sponsor I have, the rest of the money has come out of my own pocket and we just built the car and did it ourselves."

Richards finished a trying second, but in typical Jim style.

was hardly disappointed.

'I feel fantastic about coming second," he said.

The car's been brilliant. We could probably win with this car. but i didn't have time to prepare this car properly.'

Dual Bathurst winner Tony Longhurst secured third place in h is Impreza WRX STi C Spec after a consistent event, including a number of stage wins.

Longhurst and co-driver Michael De Vere finished ahead of the Lamborghini Super Leggera of Kevin Weeks.The Lamborghini suited the mainly dry conditions. and after exiting the event early last year with a fire, Weeks was glad to see the race out.

The two-wheel drive Porsche 997Turbo ofTony Quinn and Keith Ween battled all rally to take fifth outright, ahead of another Porsche - the Matt and Casey Close 2001 Porsche 911 Turbo.

But, as usual with Targa, there were some hard-luck stories.

Circuit ace Allan Simonsen had

been gunning for a third-straight Tarmac rally win, and was in a great position up until the second leg. Leading the event in his Les Waikden-prepared Mitsubishi Evo,Simonsen and co-driver Ben Searcy slipped off the road.

Simonsen was in good company,though. His off handed the lead to John and Jason White, however the 2005 winners lasted only a couple of kilometres before they too crashed out.

Ray Vandersee was another to endure the cruel nature of the race, but he can rest easy that it wasn't a driving error that cost him victory. His Skelta G-Force ran at the front early in the first leg, until his car suffered a broken suspension arm, leaving him out of contention. After repairs. the Skelta returned to the road. setting a host of top stage times.

While the race at the front was what the mainstream media were getting excited over, there were a number of other classes that were fighting out for individual honours.

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Sullens: We were driving on the safe side offlatout it

TONY Sullens and co-driver

One thing is for sure,though Julia Barkley don't race together - victory wouldn't have been assured without a fast car and very often. In fact,they've hardly race at all, which makes some equally fast driving.

"Our car was built to be easy on their second Targa Tasmania triumph all the more rewarding. tyres and it performed really well.

"It inspired confidence. From "We went down there having our point of view, we never not driven on tarmac very often," he said. stepped outside our comfort zone.

"It was an unknown quantity.

"We were driving on the safe We didn't really know if the car side of flat out. I wouldn't say we was going to be on the pace and we didn't know where we were were taking it easy!"

So what does Sullens and going to end up.

Barkley do from here? According "We went down there fairly confident that we had the best to Sullens, he'll be staying out of competition for at least six possible package, but you don't months, with no firm plans know where we were going to be until you got into the first beyond that point. And with stage. Fortunately enough, we Barkley expecting her second child soon, the pair are going were on the money." to plot their next challenge Weather conditions played into the 4WD team's hands, but together - but in their own time.

"We do this race for fun," he surprisingly, it wasn't rain which said. helped them.

"It just so happens that we've "We didn't really have any wet weather, which was good from gone down there twice and won.

If someone offered me a drive my point of view. My hope at the in something, then I'd consider start was to that it was going to it, but as far as preparing my be dry. Others were hoping for a wet rally. own entry, I might not drive for "There were a couple of small another year, maybe two years. I wet periods, but it was virtually don't really know."

- GRANT ROWLEY dry, which suited us."

In the all-new Shannons Classic category, Rex Broadbent and Michael Goedheer wrestled the

^ TRRGR TnsmnniR

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lead from Bill Pye and Grant Geelan on Leg 2 and held on from there.

"This is definitely the hardest event we've ever been and we are so glad to be here,"said Broadbent.

"The handicap system is great to make equity for all, but the organisers have recognised there should be an outright and there is now and full credit to the event for doing so."

In the Shannons Classic-

www.mnews.com.au

Drivers

Car

Time

Subaru Impreza WRX RA Porsche 911 GTS RS Subaru Impreza WRX STi C Lamborghini Super Leggera Porsche 997Turbo Porsche 911 Turbo Porsche 911 GT3 Mazda RX7 Mini Coopers JCW Mazda 3MPS

12:51 13:37 14:35 14:52 15:39 15:45 16:33 20:08 20:16 20:36

Porsche 911 RS Porsche 911 Carrera 3 Holden Monaro GTS Porsche 944 Turbo Porsche 911 Carrera RS

17:28 17:58 21:20 23:16 24:14

Porsche 911 Carrera 3 Porsche 911 RS Mazda RX7 Ford Escort RS2000

09:06 12:24 13:12 15:13

Drivetravel.com Modern 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Handicapped class, Pye and Geelan came out on top ahead of the Austin Healey entry of Paul and Christine Freestone and Broadbent and Goedheer.

Other winners included Ross Dunkerton, who despite being a five-times Australian Rally Champion was classed Rookie Rallye winner in the modern section with Anthony Chudleigh, and Adrian Morrisby, who took Rookie Classic honours along with David French.

■vJV

918 919 922 991 996 913 939 866 993 958

Sullens/Barkley Richards/Oiiver Longhurst/De Vere Weeks/Allen Quinn/Wenn Close/Close Warwick/Murphy Shaw/Parish Stokell/Burrey Bates/McLoughlin

Shannons Classic 1 2 3 4 5 Yellow, red and dented: Broadbent won the Classic class, top. Eric Bana was present, middle.

Alan crashed, above.

577 631 513 718 574

Broadbent/Goedheer Pye/Geelan Coad/Vandenberg Morton/McDonaid Tierney/Carra

Shannons Classic (Handicap) 1 2 3 4

631 577 607 629

Pye/Geelan Broadbent/Goedheer Faux/Mihajiovic Ellis/Williams

75

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Australian Speedway Hall of Fame to be established NASR has announced the establishment ofthe Australian Speedway Hall of Fame, The inaugural induction will occur on June 16 at a black-tie gala dinner at the Bradman Room at the Adelaide Oval to coincide with the second annual National Safety Conference held on the same day.

"NASR is now clearly recognised as the peak body for speedway,and as the peak body NASR has taken the lead role in impiementing the Australian Speedway Hall of Fame,"said NASR Projects Manager Tony Parkinson.

"It is guaranteed to be a memorable evening as finally speedway racing in Austraiia has an authentic Hall of Fame to recognise the champion drivers and those that have made outstanding contributors to our great sport."

A 30-person National Speedway Induction Committee (NSIC) has been formed to choose the inaugural inductees, which consists of competitors, media members, historians and vintage association members who have accepted invitations from NASR. n Australian Sprintcar Champ Brooke Tatnell has earned the Australian Sprintcar Poll'Driver of the Year'title for the fourth time.

He scored eight of the 14 first-place votes to win the award clear of World Series Sprintcars Champion Max Dumesny.

Tatnell and the other poll winners will receive their rewards at the 47th Annual Knoxville Nationals on August 10 in Iowa.

Tatnell's title-winning car owner, Shane Krikke, earned the'Team of the Year'honours for the fourth time while Brooke's father and mentor George was voted the recipient of the prestigious 'Outstanding Contribution to the Sport Award'only a week or so before he passed away on May 13.

John Cooley ofCool Chassis and Lynton and Paul Jeffrey of Vortex Wings each earned the'Builder/ Manufacturer of the Year'award in a tied resuit, while Jamie Veal scored the coveted 'Rookie of the Year'award for his first season in Aussie Sprintcar racing, Worid Series Sprintcars organisers Peter Attard and Wade Aunger were selected as'Promoters of the Year'for their efforts with the summer series.

The Australian Sprintcar Poll is an official awards program of the National Sprint Car Hail of Fame and Museum Foundation of Knoxville.

76

Tough defencefor Crump Dane Pedersen off and running in Speedway Grand Prix as Aussies struggle WORLD Speedway Champion Jason Crump suffered another set-back in his quest to retain the World Speedway title in mid-May. He trailed in last in the Grand Final at Wroclaw's second rou nd and lost more ground to championship leader Nicki Pedersen of Denmark. Pedersen lost Just one race all night in seven starts having won all seven of his rides in the first GP in Italy.

Crump, top, tried no fewer than three bikes during the evening and never seemed to be at his best.

He failed to make the gate in the final after coming second behind Pedersen in the semi-final which he reached with some comfort having totalled 11 points from his five qualifying rides with a heat victory and four second places.

The night was even worse for Leigh Adams from Mildura.

He enjoyed two victories and two second places in four of his qualifying rides but had a rare crash in his fourth outing.

In his semi-final he trailed in last behind American Greg Hancock, Denmark's Hans Andersen and British youngster Chris Fiarris.

Harris finished third in the final to win a rostrum place in his second GP. Early track conditions were

E t -

The wall of hurt: While Nicki Pedersen charges in front, his Speedway Grand Prix rivals struggle to keep up. tough for all the riders as heavy rain some two hours before the meeting meant that many had to abandon the set-ups they had settled upon from Friday practice.

Crump's machinery problems were unusual for a rider who is normally so meticulous and proved just a year ago how reliable his bikes could be.

Normally he would prove almost unbeatable and that is just what now seems to be the case for Pedersen.

For Adams the normal'armchair comfort'appearance of his riding style seems to have deserted him and, all too frequently, he finds himself battling to come from the back. In the past, gating has been a strong point for him.

With two of the 11 meetings of the now completed. Crump sits third behind Pedersen and Hancock, but trails leader Pedersen by 22 points. Adams lies sixth, only four behind Crump.

-TONY MILLARD

inotorsnorinews

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Max goes back to his roots DESPITE rain playing havoc with Parramatta City Raceway's final meeting of the season,the early May event saw current World Series Sprintcar Champion Max Dumesny return to where it all started 25 years ago to pick up another NSW Formula 500 Title.

Dumesny started his speedway career in a Formula 500 and, with ♦ his Sprintcar season completed, he returned to his speedway roots racing an almost brand-new American-built Stallard R6 Yamahapowered machine.

The car came from the Steve Caunt stable and right from the time Dumesny hit the Parramatta clay, he was certainly right on the pace.

Dumesny quickly settled into the V5 Valvoline Stallard after winning a heat race to take almost a flag-to-flag victory in the 25-lap final. He looked to be in a class of his own and effortlessly took out the NSW crown from Victorian Rob Rankin with Newcastle starTony Pryor third.

Interestingly, Dumesny previously won a NSW F500 Title way back in 1982 at the now defunct Newcastle Motordrome.

"The F500 was an excellent car.

the little Stallard is a very good car.

It has all the bells and whistles and

car that won the NSWTitle at Newcastle back in 1982. So it's

a step up from the pace of what I raced 25 years ago.

"It's similar in the fact it's a fourcylinder engine and that's about all. I bought my old car along so people could see the different

great to go back and win another NSWTitle.

"The F500 is similar to drive to a Sprintcar, it's very nice to race, it turns in very well, and yes it's quite good to drive."

Sharing the title honours with the FSOOs were the RSA Street Stocks with Newcastle racerTim Bink winning the 2007 Australian Title,from fellow local Sydney club runner Ray Healey and Robbie Swain third.

- GREG BOSCATO

Harris new WSS CEO

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ROB Harris is the new CEO of World Series Sprintcars.

Harris, who moves into the role from being General Manager at Premier Speedway, was announced to the position to run the series for the Speedway Promotions Australia - which consists of six tracks including Kwinana, Speedway City, Premier, Latrobe, Parramatta and Brisbane International.

"It's a huge job and there's a lot of work to do," Harris told MNews.

"I guess our two critical positions to fill are chief steward and our WWW.mnews.Gom.au

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announcer and the others should fall into place. We've got to start talking about our television package, but until that is locked away we can't do the sponsorship, so it's full steam ahead."

He intended to offer his services as a board member to Premier Speedway as MNews closed for press and said he had a framework of a calendar for the 2007/08 season, but was still to speak to some circuits before being able to lock in anything further.

-AARON NOONAN

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SHARING the title honours with the FSOOs at Parramatta were the RSA Street Stocks with Newcastle racerTim Bink winning the 2007 Australian Title from fellow local Sydney dub runner Ray Healey and Robbie Swain third.

-GREG BOSCATO 77

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Murcottgetsagigin Cairns DAVID Murcott will line up for Woods Motorsportfor the QLD Speedway Spares Sprintcar Cup 410 event to be run in Cairns on July 13 and 14.

The Victorian-based racer will drive the #28 Eagle at the event, which will be the first 410ci event to be run in Australia after the SCCA^engine rule changes come into effect on July 1.

Already 31 cars have nominated for the meeting, which is open to 410 and 372ci engines, with $4500 up for grabs for the winner and a total prize worth over $20,000.

"We knew that with the amount of work we had to do with promoting the event it would be hard for us to concentrate on competing as well,so we began to look at drivers who would not only give our team an opportunity to run up front but would also put on a great show for the fans,"said event promoter and team owner Allan Woods. n With Brooke Tatnell back in Australia due to the ill health and subsequent passing of father George, his World of Outlaws team in the United States is pushing on with fill-in driver Tim Kaeding, Kaeding drove the Larry Woodward Racing #2 Schnee to second place on May 11 at U.S. 36 Raceway,just before George passed away. A moment's silence was observed at the next Outlaws show at Lake Ozark Speedway a day later.

"We were all hurting with Brooke's dad passing away," Kaeding said.

"It was rough on everybody. We found out at about 3pm so we just had to make itthroughthenight.lt was a long night for everybody. But we did the best we could; that's all we could do."

The situation isn't new for Kaeding, who won an emotional A-Main at Thunderbowl Raceway in February after the passing of his grandmother while driving for Steve Kinser. n Dubbo-based former V8 Sedan racer Jeremy Cross will be racing the exMax Dumesny World Series Sprintcar championship-winning Maxim this summer. Cross, who was very impressive in his rookie Sprintcar year racing at Parramatta,is set to step up to the next level after his dad Frank purchased the Maxim in early May. n After missing most of the past season. Former multiple Australian Litre Car Champ Andrew Wright is regrouping for next season and will return to Sprintcar action. Word from the team is that they will he racing in the OLD Speedway Spares colours and use the locally-built Cool chassis.

- GREG BOSCATO/STAFF 78

^ Mr- JL .

Getting setfor the 410 Victorian privateers weigh yp making the move to new national engine size SPRINTCAR drivers in south west Victoria remain undecided about making the switch to 410 cubic inch engines, as the sport gets set for its biggest change in decades next season.

The region's drivers, running on shoe-string budgets and based in Victoria's speedway heartland, face agonising decisions about their future involvement when new national engine size standards come into force in July.

Under a Sprintcar Control Council of Australia ruling, 410 cubic inch engines become standard, instead of the existing 372 cubic inch motors.

While drivers with 372ci engines will continue racing and are being encouraged to do so against the 41 Os, the costs to convert to the bigger engines is being estimated at between $5000 and $35,000, with most believing they are facing bills of about $15,000.

A new engine block would cost about $60,000.

Another option is to revert to running in the 360ci category, a slightly cheaper alternative, but for less prize money.

Timboon dairy farmer Dave Magilton has already indicated this will be his last season because it is pointless trying to convert his Ford engine, which is already an 360ci

upsized to 372ci.

And returning to the 360 category is not an option because the category only allows Chevpowered cars.

"Unless someone gives me a bucket load of money, I am stuffed.

I am only a dairy farmer," Magilton said recently.

"Next year will tell you a lot. It will see some cars retired straight away, the increased running costs will see others drop out later but the hype may bring some extra drivers into the sport.'"

The region's leading driver John Vogels said he would not make a decision until the end of the season when he assessed the condition of his current 372ci motor.

"I would like to(move up to a 410) but we would have to find someone to help us," he said.

Laang dairy farmer and former Super Rod driver David Cook said he was unsure what the future held for him, with the cost to upgrade the major issue.

"We have a bit of a head gasket problem and it is going to let go again so do we spend a heap of money converting our engine or do we go back to a 360?" he said.

He said he was facing a hefty bill to continue and with no market to sell his 372ci engine was unsure which option he would pursue.

Cook said spending $10,000 or $15,000 to upgrade his engine meant he would have to run on second-hand tyres.

He said 41 Oci engines would cost more to maintain and they would not have a major impact on south-west tracks like Simpson and a slick Premier Speedway.

Only on tacky tracks would they make a difference.

Emerging Warrnambool driver and former Australian Formula 500 champion Darren Mollenoyux said he was unsure if he would move to a 410 next season, saying he would within two seasons.

He said if he continued to campaign his 372ci engine he would have to be selective in which races he contested.

"All it is going to mean is the faster guys will be faster and the guys who struggle will struggle more," he said.

"The racing is definitely not going to be any better, the spectators won't notice any difference."

Mollenoyux said the introduction of 410s may reduce the significant gap between the leading drivers and the battlers because some 372ci engines had 50 or 60 horsepower more than their rivals.

-GEOFF ROUNDS

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Hodges wins,Scheuerle snls ●( 9

DARRELL Hodges, right, won the 10th and final round of the Comp Cams Sprintcar Series at Brisbane International Speedway, while Andrew Scheuerle, above, continued to reel-in the accolades by taking the series title.

Hodges started the 30-lap feature in second, took the lead in the first corner, and never looked back to take his first win of the year in only his fifth meeting of the season.

"I lot of people said it was the wrong time of year to come out, but we've been experimenting a lot," Hodges said.

While the fan favourite came home first, Darren Jenson was more than happy to take second, and Steven White took third after a tough run starting in 15th and transferring through the B-Main.

Hot off winning his second Queensland Title, Scheuerle's amazing run of outright speed and race wins also gave him his second Comp Cams title in-a-row.

Scheuerle was followed in the

A Western gong for Farrell

WEST Aussie Ryan Farrell has taken out the Perth Motorplex Speedway Driver of the Year Award.

Victories in five of the 13 Sprintcar main events held at the Motorplex during the 2006/2007 season were enough to win Farrell the award, despite missing a handful of Western Australian

races while busy competing on the east coast. Farrell finished second in the Motorplex Sprintcar Championship to Jamie Maioio.

Tne WA Champ for the thirdtime in a row, Farrell beat out finalists Brad Blake (Late Models) and Scott Glazebrook (Speedcars).

points standings by Ben Wright, PeterThorley and Darren Jenson.

- DARIUS KOREIS

Hoosier Tire Australia Australian Distributors for

WORLD OF OUTLAWS 2007

Lake Ozark Speedway - May 12

Points as of May 12

m ES ^ ♦ RACING TIRE For more info on Hoosier Drag & Speedway Tyres call:

NSW: VIC: SA:

02 96791990 0393316477 0883320800

www.mnews.com.au

F02 96791187 IBii F03 93317444 KBW F0883640296 79

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NLESS you've been an Australian motorsport fan hiding under a rock for the past four years, the name Gore needs no introduction.

To the casuai racing supporter, Craig Gore has been the one you've seen on the teily. As the owner of V8 Supercar team WPS Racing and part-owner of Champ Car outfit Team Australia (among many other activities), Craig has as many fingers-in-pies as he has opinions.

But whiie Craig hoids the lion's share of the iimeiight, hardened race fans may know that he has a brother who is just as passionate about the sport.

Shane Gore, the former director of motorsports for WPS Racing and Team Austraiia, has been a motor racing fan, and in particuiar a drag racing supporter, since his days as a schooiboy. In fact, one of his close family friends is Bruce Read, brother of multiple Australian drag racing champion Jim. Shane recognised a long time ago that top level drag racing in Australia has the potential to move forward to a professional level. His newly-formed company - Straight Line Events - has been put in place to do just that.

Gore's plans to reinvent dray racing in Australia - to a local version of America's ultra80

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successful NHRA competition started about three years ago with a concept that has evolved into a similar business model to V8 Supercar Australia's system.

Initially, Gore had planned to launch his concept in October or November this year, but when ANDRA announced its Drag Racing Development Fund in late-April, Gore acted swiftly and made his plans public.

I started to tinker with a concept a business model that I thought would work with drag racing," he explained.

"It's not rocket science. You only have to look at any successful motorsport or sporting category around the world to find that it takes a few key ingredients. And it was clear to me that drag racing was missing a few of them.

"I honestly think that there is a real opportunity for drag racing to do something good and end up with an NHRA-equivalent in Australia.

"All I'm trying to do is get a concept out there, let it be judged purely on its merit, and if it's worthwhile, then I can implement it: After the announcement of ANDRA's DRDF and SLE's proposal, one of the key questions raised was how Group 2, 3 and 4 competitors would be affected.

Under ANDRA's DRDF, all

ALL I'M TRYING TO DO IS GET A CONCEPT OUT THERE, LET IT BE JUDGED PURELY ON ITS MERIT AND IF IT'S WORTHWHILE, 1 CAN IMPLEMENT IT

SHANE GORE

competitors are asked to pay increased licence fees, while SLE's plans don't recognise the lower Group classes.

Gore says that Group 2,3 and 4 are an integral part of the sport, and wants them to be involved in his events, but he can't lose sight of the big picture.

"The Groups 2,3 and 4 guys feel a little left out, but the general

acceptance of the idea has been really solid.

"I'm relying on people using their better judgement for what they believe is in the best interest of their sport."

Gore insists that his Straight Line Events model is not in place to rival the drag racing's governing body ANDRA, and he quashed claims that he has never been in

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What'sthefuss?

Competitors to decide who takes control of drag racing in Australia OVER the past month,Australian drag racers were hit with the news that the sport's administrators ANDRA had outlined plans for the'Drag Racing Development Fund'(DRDF)to be implemented into the sport.

ANDRA's announcement came only days before a new management group, Straight Line Events(SLE), was brought to the world's attention.

Fom the outside, it looked like the DRDF and SLE were set for a

contact with them.

"I'm not interested in having a war with ANDRA or anybody, quite to the contrary.

"It's not a rebel series. Unless we have the support of the competitors and the majority of the tracks, there is no use having lengthy discussions with ANDRA. "I've been actively out in the marketplace talking to as many competitors as possible. We're spreading the idea and the concept. We've got a couple of important dates coming up in the next couple weeks.

"Realistically, all we are doing is saying'Yes, you've got a good sport, here's an idea and a business plan, what do you think?'

That's not an unfair thing to do."

Ultimately, as Gore points out, drag racing's elite competitors will decide what happens with their sport. According to Gore, he reckons they'll follow him.

"I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't think it would get up.

"My gut feels it's a good thing, but if the people of drag racing allow it to get up remains to be seen. I can only offer it. I can only forward a case.

"I'm not in the business of telling ANDRA or the teams what they are doing wrong.That's not my place.

I'm coming from the outside, and bringing with me some proven formulas not only in Australia, but in the world. www.mnews.com.au

"We'd like to offer the ability to apply them to this sport and there's an opportunity for everyone to lift their game.

"In the long-term, it will provide the corporate awareness and provide the teams with the opportunity to take their hobby to the next level.

"Essentially, a lot of the sport is a hobby for most people.There is a lot of money invested in it, but you can't really say it's a professional sport.There are very few people in this country who can do it for a living.

"If you take the Victor Brays and Brett Stevens out of play, there aren't many people who do this for a crust. I'm not saying that our plan will instantly create professional jobs, most teams would become semi-professional to start. It's a progressive thing.

"It would be nice if they could attract corporate association, get some sponsors who can chuck some money at the teams and make things easier, help them enjoy their sport, and possibly even have their own employees working part-time or full time.

How is all that a bad thing?

"I just think that I've got something that there is a profitably, positive outcome for the main players in the sport being the track promoters, the competitors and the sport's governing body ANDRA."

power struggle for the rights to control the future direction of the sport.

But if you look a little closer, you'll see that both the DRDF and SLE have the best of intentions, however,only one of the concepts can be introduced.

In a nutshell,the DRDF calls for a significant rise in competitor licence fees, national event entry fees plus with contributions from event promoters. Proceeds would fund ANDRA Championship Drag Racing marketing and promotional activities, including a proposed national television deal with Network 10, media and sponsor liaison and market research.The DRDF caters for all Group drag racing,from Group 1 to 4.

SLE is an initiative of Shane Gore, who has proposed a new business plan to transform Group 1 drag racing and "accelerate the sport's growth."

The main change under Gore's plans would see all Group 1 entrants in Australia (Top Fuel,Top Doorslammer,Top Alcohol, Top Bike, Pro Stock Bike) purchase a licence, similar to V8 Supercar Australia's successful business model. Gore's plans do not include Groups 2,3 or 4.

The major stumbling block that SLE faces is that ANDRA has a joint venture with Australia's three main tracks/promoters Willowbank,WSIDand Kwinana.The joint venture is called Drag Ltd. Regardless of the outcome,top level drag racing in Australia is set to change forever...

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LaHaie back as chief FORMER NHRA drag racing driver and crew chief Dick LaHaie, below, has returned after a brief retirement as a tuning consultant for Kalitta Motorsports.

LaHaie joined Connie Kalitta'steam of four nitro-fueled race cars this past weekend at the NHRA Midwest Nationals. LaHaie will provide tuning expertise on all four Kalitta entries.

LaHaie's last position while competing in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series was with Don Prudhomme Racing where he guided Top Fuel ace Larry Dixon to consecutive Top Fuel World Championships in 2003 and 2004.

LaHaie retired as Dixon's crew chief following the 2005 NHRA season.

In his legendary drag racing career, LaHaie amassed 15 event wins as a driver and 46 wins as a crew chief, which helped place him in the No. 31 position on the list of the NHRA's top 50 drivers of all time. He won the NHRA Top Fuel championship as a driver in 1987.

LaHaie's return also marks a reunion with Kalitta Motorsports, which fields three Top Fuel dragsters'and one Nitro Funny Car in the NHRA professional ranks.

As crew chief, LaHaie guided current DHL Toyota Solara Funny Car pilot Scott Kalitta to consecutive Top Fuel championship titles in 1994 and 1995. LaHaie's initial tenure at Kalitta Motorsports lasted from 1993 until 1997, where he helmed 13 victories as crew chief for Scott in his Top Fuel ride.

"I see this as trying to help an old friend," LaHaie said.

"I've been friends with Connie for over 40 years. He certainly knows how to run fuel cars without anyone's help, but maybe I can provide an extra set of eyes.

"It's funny really. When I retired as a driver in 1991,1 figured my career in drag racing was over, and then Connie called and said, 'Hey, you want to come run my kid's car?' I did and we had some really great times back then and managed to win a few races."

-DAVID OSTASZEWSKI

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Countdown on their minds

The fastest car - not the points lead - is what NHRA drivers and teams are chasing SEVEN events into the NFIRA POWERade series and a handful of dominating cars have jumped to the head of their respective classes, but with the 'Countdown to Four'to consider at the end of the year, a huge points advantage may not be as important as being the best car out there.

In Top Fuel,Tim Richards seems to have Brandon Bernstein and the Budweiser dragster flying, as Bernstein has moved toward the top of the NHRA point standings, taking the lead briefly.

Bernstein scored consecutive victories in Las Vegas and Atlanta, and after laying down two good runs during the shortened qualifying in Madison, appeared to have another car capable of winning under the conditions.

Richards had set the car up to run another mid to low 4.6s run in the opening frame, and delivered with a 4.64s, only to be surprised by Bruce Litton, who clocked a 4.61 s for the upset win.

Rod Fuller regained the series lead In Madison, with two semi final round showings during the last three events.

MelanieTroxel came away with her first win since teaming up with Evan Knoll in the Vietnam Veterans dragster, and has vaulted up to fifth with her Madison victory.

Bob Vandergriff Jr. has started to qualify near the top and has put the UPS dragster into the late rounds, and has moved into seventh on the ladder.

The Kalitta Motorsports Top Fuel trio of Doug Kalitta, David Grubnic and Hillary Will, as well as defending series Champion Tony Schumacher continue to struggle.

Reaching for the Mights: Robert Might, above left, has been in Victory Lane, but Ron Capps, above right, is the man he is chasing.

None have reached the semi-final round in the past three events.

The addition of Dick LaHaie to the Kalitta group will help.

In Funny Car, Robert Hight has scored two-straight wins since coming back from the tragic loss of team-mate Eric Medlen, taking titles in Las Vegas and Atlanta.

But the most dominating car is the Mike Ashley-driven Torco Dodge Charger.

Ashley has recorded low e.t. and top speed of the meet at the last four events, and has top qualified at the last three. In fact, he has run faster speeds than the Top Fuel cars at the past three events! A runner-up finish in Atlanta, and a good semi-final round showing in Madison has vaulted him into fourth in the standings. This is a team with several wins waiting to find a place to have it happen.

Ron Capps continues to hold the point lead, as Ed 'The Ace' McCulloch has Capps going into the late rounds regularly. Capps finished second in Las Vegas, had a semi-final round showing in Atlanta and padded his point lead in Madison, when Hight was defeated in the opening frame.

Ashley Force has improved in

every outing, reaching the semis in her last two events, while father John Force has finally took his first round win of the year (Madison), The Pro Stock picture continues to be The Greg Anderson Show, with the three-time champion jumping out to a 201 point lead in the standings. While Anderson may win races and extend his lead in the standings, the great equaliser will be at the end of the season when no one will be able to afford a bad event.

The Slammers-backed duo out of the Victor Cagnazzi camp, Madison winner Dave Connolly and Las Vegas runner-up Jeg Coughlin have been hot as of late.

Both drivers, being two of the best leavers in the class, are poised behind Anderson in the standings, and may be two of the drivers in the thick of things come Indy.

- DAVID OSTASZEWSKI Points:Top Fuel: Fuller 499, Bernstein 476, Todd 408.

Funny Car: Capps 645, Hight 524, T. Pedregon 404.

Pro Stock: Anderson 680, Connolly 479, Coughlin 466.

Pro Stock Motorcycle: Smith 367, Stoffer 314, Sampey 309.

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IHRA heats up T.J. ZIZZO and Jack Wyatt scored the Nitro category wins as the IHRA rolled into Rockingham Dragway for the second stop on the IHRA Knoll-Gas Nitro Jam Drag Racing Series.

Scott Cannon Jr. claimed the Pro Mod win, while John Montecalvo and Mark Thomas claimed the Pro Stock and

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Alcohol Funny Car wins.

Zizzo collected the Top Fuel trophy in Rockingham when he drove past Bobby Lagana Jr. in the final, 4.77s/ 297mph to 4.91 s/266mph.The win enabled Zizzo to move into the points lead, moving around Bruce Litton, who was defeated in the opening frame by Lagana. Zizzo's Race News Magazine-sponsored dragster used 4.88s/314mph, and 4.77s/302mph passes early in the day to get past Scotty Cannon and Scott Weis.

In Funny Car, Wyatt won his third straight national event at the Rockingham facility, when he defeated Jon Capps in the final round,5.18s/250mph to 5.22s/290mph to capture the Funny Car title. Wyatt had earlier taken round wins over Andy Keliey and Bob Gilbertson.

Scott Cannon Jr. obliterated the Pro Mod fieid to take the CompetitionPlus.com Pro Modified crown,stopping Kenny Lang in the final, 6.02s/236mph to 7.66s/124mph.

IHRA technical officials tore down Cannon's car, after he qualified almost a tenth faster than the rest of the field to make sure everything was legal with his blown engine combination. Cannon then dominated the field in the eiimination rounds,taking 6.01 s/235mph,6.04s/232mph, and 6.02s/222mph victories over the nitrous cars of Haroid Martin, Jim Halsey and Steve Vick.

John Montecalvo advanced to his second consecutive Pro Stock final round and came away with the win and the early points lead when he defeated defending world Champion Pete Berner in the final round -6.38s/218mph to 6.39S/218mph. Montecalvo's Citgo Chevy Cobalt strung together 6.36s/218mph and 6.39s/219 victories over Rob Mansfield and Robert Patrick in the first and third rounds.

His second round 6.37s/218mph was unopposed as no winner was declared in a round one match between John Nobile and Doug Kirk who both broke.

Defending Alcohol Funny Car world Champion Mark Thomas defeated point leader Terry Munroe in the Aicohol Funny Car final round.Thomas clocked a 5.79s/246mph to stop Munroe's 5.85s/239mph.

- DAVID OSTASZEWSKI Points;Top Fuel:T.J. Zizzo 214, Litton 169, Foiey 142.

Funny Car: Creasy Jr. 185,Wyatt 182,Capps 139.

Pro Modified: Cannon Jr. 161, Rowe 148, Hoover 146.

Pro Stock: Montecaivo 201, Patrick 195, Berner 133.

Alcohol Funny Car: Munroe 222,Thomas 215, Atchison 122.

WSID Wonders Dobson,Stevens and Drew took top honours in Nitrochamps ALLAN Dobson was the big winner in the penultimate round of the 2006/07 Australian Top Fuel Championships at WSID's Nitochamps in late April.

Dobson defeated Steve Read, in what was Read's car's first defeat in this country. Read smoked the tyres early in his run and couldn't recover.

It didn't matter, though,as Dobson set his quickest pass of the weekend -4.684s/310.48mph.

Dobson biggest challenge came in the semi-final where he pipped Phil Read by 0.024s in a close race. Read had earlier topped the qualifying charts.

On his way to his final defeat. Read defeated Top Fuel's latest aquistion, Martin Stamatis in the semi final and Terry Sainty in the first round.

In Top Alcohol, Brett Stevens grabbed victory, and at the same time, kept alive his championship chances.

Stevens beat Steven Reed

Winners are grinners: Top, Allan Dodson won another Top Fuel meeting for the 2006/07season.

Above, Mark Drew won Top Bike, while Maurice Fabietti stole the Top Doorslammer show.

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(5.788S/242.71 mph)after defeating Tim Watkins and Wayne Newby on his way to the final.

Reed beat top qualifier Aaron Lynch in the semi-final, but both cars had problems. Reed got his car to the end of strip, but his team were forced to complete an engine change before the final.

He set his second quickest time for the weekend in his victory pass -6.674s/188.73mph.

Top Doorslammer saw Maurice Fabietti defeated Mark Belleri.

The final round of the Australian

Troy McLean red-lighted in Top Bike, gifting Mark Drew the win. Not that Drew was mucking around.

Drag Racing Championships will be held atWillowbank Raceway for the Winternationais.

hnMorris/Mpix

Great balls offire: Bob Shepherd blew his stack at Western Sydney Raceway. iAmiw.mnews.€om,au

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THE HRTIOnRL 5CERE EDITED BY ANDREWVAN LEEUWEN

Round Oz returning?

Plans afoot to bring gruelling enduro back for Rally Australia 2008

HISTORIC rallying may be about to score a major coup with a proposed Round Australia Trial event for 2008.

The event will run as a lead-up to next year's Rally Australia, which moves to Queensland after a successful stint in Western Australia.

And it's not without support, with 1970 Australian Rally Champion Bob Watson and CAMS getting behind a return of the gruelling test of endurance.

"It's about running a contrasting event in conjunction with Rally Australia/'Watson told MNews.

"So we're in the process of putting out the info and seeing what we can out together.

"We're currently about halfway there in terms of required entires.

CAMS are right behind it, as are the people behind Rally Australia, because it's a good way of promoting that event through the regional areas that the trial will cover."

The co-relation of the proposed Round Australia Trial and Rally Australia will go as far as having some of the historic cars run ahead of the WRC cars on selected Special Stages.

The trial will be open to all historic and classic rally cars that fit with CAMS regulations, as well as Production Rally Cars up to 1985, though not including four wheel drive or turbo-charged vehicles.

The event will feature a number of starting points around

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the country, with a service point in Alice Springs that will begin competitive stages leading through the outback and into Queensland,finishing at Rally Australia on September 13.

Round Australia Trials have been successful in the past, with the Mobil 1 Trial (which Watson was the director of) working a treat in 1995,and the famous Holden win in the 1979 Repco Trail, pictured below.

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Competitors angry at engine irregularities OVER the past few years Formula Vee has undergone something of a technical quarrel, which at the end of last season resulted in five noted New South Wales competitors quitting the category.

The issue has raised concerns amongst Formula Vee racing Australia wide.

We ve spoken up a few times about what we believe are illegalities with some of the leading cars," said Adam Brook, one of the five competitors to jump ship.

Some of the established competitors are such a close-knit group, that anyone who speaks up on these issues is 'outcast'. In our case, we feel as if we ve been driven out of Formula Vee competition by some of these competitors."

One incident arose at the Eastern Creek Nationals where three competitors'engines were sealed; those of Stephen Butcher, Matthew Pearce and Ryan Simpson.

Butcher's engine was found to comply with the rules. However Simpson and Pearce's engines, which were both due for a re-build (and with the owners apparently unaware of the implications of the sealing system) were sent to an engine builder. When the work was carried out the seals were, of course, cut.

Formula Vee Technical Chairman Paul Corcoran explained the situation: "It is the competitor's responsibility and/or the log book holder's responsibility fo r actions that are carried out on their car," said Corcoran.

"Both Simpson and Pearce should have informed their engine-builder of the situation in regard to the sealing. But they failed to do so.

"The engine-builder was the one who informed me of what happened and CAMS were notified of the actions undertaken regarding the two sealed engines.

"At the following NSW State Round at Wakefield Park both Simpson and Pearce were fined and charged for breaking the CAMS code of conduct for drivers and were also handed a six month suspended sentence."

Since then the sealing process has been revised and action has been taken to avoid another similar incident arising again.

Controversy also arose more recently, during the recent Phillip Island Nationals round, with the top three competitors from Race 2 being subject to an engine strip at the end of the meeting; Shane Hart, George Panagiotidis and Butcher. Both Butcher and Panagiotidis'engines passed the examination. However Hart's engine did not.

The matter is subject to a forthcoming CAMS Judiciai hearing.

- AARON SHAW www.mnews.Goiu.ai!

Leading Lady

SHE'S long been considered the fastest woman on Australian race tracks, and LeanneTander proved that fact at Phillip Island recently.

Having been on the verge of becoming a Formula 3 race winner since starting in the category full time last season, Tander broke through for her maiden win at The Island during the third round of the Kumho Tyres Australian Formula 3 Championship. In doing so, she became the first woman in the 51-year history of the Gold Star to win a race.

"I've been really close for the last three rounds or so, and it was becoming fustrating that the win wasn't happening,"she said.

"For me it's Just a personal success, rather than worrying about whether I'm the first

woman to win or anything like that. I want to win the

Championship and to do that I need to win races, so this is Just a step towards doing that."

This isn't the first time Tander has made history. Back in 2000 she became the first woman to win a round of the Australian Formula Ford Championship, ironically at Phillip Island.

"It's always been my favourite circuit, I guess it suits my driving style, but I'm hoping I don't Just win specifically at Phillip Island."

Tander will aim to continue re-writing the history books when the fight for the Gold Star continues at Mallala in July.

- ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN For the full race report, turn to Page 86

Macrow shining star

It's been a busyfew weeksfor F3,but nothing has changed at the top ofthe points table lll THREE different race winners have come from the four KumhoTyres Australian Formula 3 Championship races held at Oran Park and Phillip Island in the past month.

Charlie Hollings scored a double at Oran Park, while at Phillip island fellow Brit James Winslow opened his 2007 account by winning Race 1. Leanne Tander then created history in Race 2 by becoming the first female driver in 51 years to win a Gold Star race.

But out in front in the championship is Tim Macrow, who holds a slender eightpoint margin over Hollings after running second in both races at Oran Park.

Phillip Island wasn't a happy hunting ground for Macrow,the Melbourne local running off at Honda Hairpin in the opening race. He recovered to finish fourth.

Race 2 at The Island proved to be a controversial affSir as stewards deemed a collision between Macrow and Hollings a racing incident.The duo finished fifth and sixth respectively.

"It's going to be a year where we just have to keep scoring as many points as possible and hopefully the championship will look after itself," Macrow said.

Hollings'two wins at Oran Park closed the gap to Macrow in the standings,and despite his turbulent weekend at the Island, he still holds a firm second place in front of Tander.

Tender's victory at Pi elevated her into third place in the championship, passing Stuart Kostera in the process. Her Oran Park weekend was a consistent one, with two third placings.

Sitting right behind Tender is Winsiow, who has finally found some of his Asian Formula 3form and is racing towards the pointy end of the field. He had a tough outing at Oran Park and was off the pace, but Phillip Island proved a lot better with a win and a second place.

- AARON SHAW Points; Macrow 80, Hollings 72,Tander 69,Winslow 65, Kostera 49, Mapelli 45,Sofi 32,Alajajian 32, Gilmour 12, Grubmuller 12,Occhipinti 7, Algadri 5, Radisich 3.

Beginner's Luck TOURiNG Car Challenge newcomer Darren Saillard holds a slender lead in the points table over John Vergotis after the running of Round 3 at Winton Motor Raceway.

Saillard had a turbulent weekend that involved a last lap off at turn 10 while in the lead of Race 1.

It pushed him down the order and he eventually finished third, although a penalty to Ryan McLeod elevated him to second.

Race 2's handicapped event caused Saillard some trouble as he spun on his lonesome. He later tried to outbrake McLeod on slick tyres in the damp conditions, while McLeod was running grooved rubber, causing both drivers to run off the circuit.

Salliard finished sixth and followed that up with a solid second in the final.

"It was a completely new experience for me as I have never been to Winton before and never run the car in the wet,"Saillard said.

"And to come away from the round leading the points table is quite exciting."

A strong round for Vergotis sees him a mere 19 points behind Saillard. Vergotis started his weekend perfectly by winning the opening race. He then only managed one podium,in Race 3,from the two handicapped races.

- AARON SHAW Points: Saillard 639, Vergotis 620, Groenveld 564, Formosa 519, Chahda 483.

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Nationals News TWO rounds of the Shannons Nationals have been conducted at Oran Park and Phillip Island in the past month, with competitors jumping from the twisty Oran Park track to the wide-open spaces of Phillip Island.

In Commodore Cup, Geoff Emery won two of the three races during Round 1, holding out Ashley Cooper and Daniel Richert by small margins. At Phillip Island Richert got revenge, winning two of the three races in front of Emery and closing in on Emery's championship lead.

The Biodiesel Supertrucks only ran at Oran Park and had four different race winners In Bob Middleton, Daniel Bajema, Peter Hewat and John Bomberle. It Is also believed to be a world first for Supertrucks to race with biodiesel fuel on board.

Just a single point separated Clint Harvey and defending Saloon Car Champion Bruce Heinrich at the end of Round 1 at Oran Park, but at Phillip island Heinrich assumed the championship lead despite a turbulent weekend.

Sport Sedans only competed in Round T at Oran Park where Tony Ricciardeiio took out all three races.

It was a case of deja-vu as the top three results were the same in all three races with Ricciardeiio winning from Dean Randle and Stephen Voight.

Layton Crambrook has a strong lead in the HQ Nationals after dominating Oran Park, scoring all four victories in fantastic style. No-one could match his pace all weekend as he stormed off into the distance.

Shane Hart blitzed the Formula Vee field in their opening National Round at Phillip Island, and was never headed in all three races despite local Victorian George Panagiotidis' best efforts.

The Australian Superkart Championship also competed at Phillip Island where Sam Zavaglia was a surprise round winner after Warren Mcliveen blew a tyre in the final race after having won the previous three races in the 250cc International class.

The Production Car Championship round victory at Phillip Island went to Leigh Mertens who overcame a power steering failure and brake issues. He won two of the three races and now sits third in the championship after two rounds.

-AARON SHAW

Wet Winton opens up AMRS competition ROUND 3 of the Australian Motor Racing Series saw plenty of movers and shakers in the point standings across a wide range of categories.

Production Touring Car Challenge's Luke Searle joined team-mate Peter Kelly at the top of the table after winning the round.The pair now sit on equal points after two rounds while Kosi Kalaitzidis sits third.

Ty Hanger comfortably leads the OzBoss standings after clean-sweeping Winton with two race wins. It finally looks like Hanger might claim the title that has eluded him for so many years. Bob Muir holds second place after a consistent round in front of Chris Farrell and Matthew Fox. Tim Monte holds a comfortable points lead in the Thundersports class after two seconds and a fourth in the three races. Nearest points rivals Dennis Holland and Jeff Davy, who sit equal second, had a run of inconsistency that saw them outside the top five on several occasions, allowing Monte to open up a 141-point lead.

SuperTT Commodore runner Michael Ballantyne surged further ahead in the points after scoring two victories and two top 10 finishes at Winton.

Nearest rival Sean Holmes had an off in Race 2 but recovered to pinch second place on the line in Race 3 from Marcus Zukanovic. In the 3.3 litre Holdens Mark Nottage leads the way in K class and Vince Evans holds the points lead in Q class.

Australian Sports and GT Intermarque championship is currently being led by Rod Wilson in a MaseratiTrofeo who had a consistent weekend at Winton that saw him finish fourth overall. Main challenger Paul Whitmarsh currently sits second in the standings, but is ruing mechanical gremlins that set in and prevented him from scoring points in two of the three races.

-AARON SHAW uuww.mnews.com.au

Duck weather: Luke Searle braved the wet to hit the lead of the PTCC at Winton, above, while Paul Whitmarsh might have done the same in GT had it not been for mechanical problems,left. Ty Hanger didn't even have a roof to keep him dry. below.

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John McIntyre had to wait until the last race ofthe last round to secure the 2006/2007 NZV8 Crown WHEN there was just 43 points separating Ford's John Mcintyre and Holden's defending Champ Kayne Scott heading into the final round of the 2006/2007 ENZED NZV8 Championship at Pukekohe last month,everyone knew it was going to be tight.

But no one would have predicted that two races into the final round, with just one race left to run for the season,that gap would have been cut to 13 and that McIntyre would win the silverware by the tips of his fingers.

Scott had cut into McIntyre's lead with clinical precision. Race 1 he led from pole, getting lucky when Angus Fogg moved ahead of McIntyre early in the race, increasing the points differential between the two title combatants.

Race 2 was almost the same, except for Fogg nipping past Scott to take the win.That left the gap at 13 points, with a full reversegrid race to decide the title.

In short, Scott finished ahead of McIntyre, but not by enough,the latter winning the Championship by a slender nine points after an entire season of racing.

McIntyre's season was one of consistency rather than outright winning. His challenge was well and truly set thanks to a hat-trick of second places in the opening three rounds,followed by his first round win of the season atTimaru in March for Round 5. He was second again at the penultimate round atTeretonga, before the

cautious result to seal the deal at Pukekohe.

Rookie of the Year honours went the way of Australian David Besnard.The former V8 Supercar pilot looked handy early in the season, winning on debut at Pukekohe's opening round and backing that result up with a round win at Invercargill a couple of months later. He finished fourth outright behind Andy Booth.

"The championship has been a great experience,"said Besnard, 'and has also brought some enjoyment back to my racing as I've raced on some new circuits against some new competitors, all of which I think has kept me sharp.'

Final Points: McIntyre 1104, Scott 1095, Fogg 1006, Besnard 917, Clark Proctor 715.

IT'S a gGodi|'#«h'efi^fil®nif to race forliiMftv Iga'llnil foyotai Ragin|i:igr|gs, , Heading.Intithiinail I meeting of the paffor the , one-^ma'ke openrwheeler series, ! the Chris A'm0n.1ir0p'hy lhadi ! already.been decided thi #a^/ I of Daniel Caunt, a'longitylhi I the New Zealand Crandi Pnix, while Shane Van 4i.s:bergin>!had> I leanlier wrappediiupthe shorter ' illnternationa I lifoiby series.

Andl at Pufcekobe i'ast irnonth, ; VaniCifbergen ad'd’editib'if mantle piece by taking put the NZ blotor Cuifhe first race ofthe weekend bad been an -unlucky one for tbe l7-yearold> a piece otloose biiywerk ending!any cbanGe be bad of I getting a result, iutt when the Cup race startedi Van Gisbergen came

ii«ili|iii;> ifightihg his way thiiStii'il itheililS'before pullinfi ® iirifii|iiii®ye ®n Race 1 ifinpini/''''' '' ' ''ilHhinklllhe|wa$ ta'kihgd® abl easy oh Gold't'yirfss®!|ijustfill tmy foot down ami wimt to;r'if said Van ©isfeerpm ffthf rmows for the lead', 'll went into the Ihaliipinilip ®,n!ir.a'kiingib'ut just lOEkeil of> the ifsint tyres and: hail toi go diwna'gear to get round. Its bard'taking a tight line like that but illd'id it so it felt really awesome to pull off the move."

Series Champion @aunt inished a stellar season with seeond!for the round andi thirdl in the Cup race.

FliialPoInts: Gaunt 1448> Van Gisbergen H20,Ben Harford 1025, Knight TOt'S, Christina 0tr7SO;

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nRTIOnflL 5CERE

Vic opensseason atSandown THE Victorian State Circuit Racing Championships kicked off at Sandown recently, and crash was seemingly name of the game at the suburban Melbourne circuit.

The biggest crunch came during the second Formuia Vee race, with Andy Goodall and Brad Keliy making contact up the fast back straight.

Both roiied heaviiy, severely damaging the cars and forcing the drivers to hospital. George Panagiotidis and David Frith shared the FVee race wins.

There was a bang in Formula Ford as well.

Having won the first two races from impressive newcomer Nathan Geier, Cameron Spence failed to make it three from three when he an Geier collided during the final.That leftTrent Harrison to take the win.

Mort Fitzgerald and RobWhitwell shared MG honours, while Rodney Earsman, Gavin Ross and Kevin Stoopman were winners in HQs. Robert Lange and Steve Tupek took two wins a piece in Porsche Challenge, with Dean Camm taking a hat-trick in Sports Sedans.Tony Hubbard clean-swept Historic Tourers.

Sportscars was dominated by MaxTwigg, Rick Newman doing likewise in Improved Production.

1 .'S

(80U®t

Cars a-plenty: Big fields were the key at Sandown, with the healthy entry list highlighted by Historic Tourers, above left. Trent Harrison picked up a somewhat lucky FFord win in the final race, left, while Andy Goodall, top, finished the meeting in hospital after rolling his FVee.

Wild Wild West UNPREDICTABLE weather made for an exciting Auto TraderTrophy meeting at Barbagallo Raceway in April.

Saloon Cars were the big talking point of the weekend, featuring a split-grid forVN Commodore/EA Falcon cars and the newer VT Commodore/ AU Falcons.The honours for the new cars went to Grant Johnson while Luke Hansen took victory in the VN/EA class.

Cade Bell took a hat-trick in Formula Ford, leading home the McNally brothers Rhys and Glenn in the first two races

before staving off a challenge from Chris Reindler in the final.

There were no such cleansweeps in the Historic Touring Car class, with Ron Moller, ’“Darryl Hansen and RicTarrall having a crack at the front.

Reigning State Champ Jez Hammond was still too good in Formula Vee, taking all three wins despite the appearance of a third 1600ccfrom Myles Lockett.

Bruce Welsh and Ben Riley shared the honours for the 1200cc Vees.

Darren Peat was a rare

QLDWrap multiple victor in HQ Holdens, winning Races 1 and 3. Peter Green also grabbed win.

As usual. Street Cars was a Mazda RX-7 benefit. But while it was the same make of car doing the winning,there was three different drivers at the front of the field, with Matt Cherry, Mark Greenham and Troy Stones taking a win a piece.

Improved Production saw Kevin Ledger win the first before David McShane came through for wins in Races 2 and 3.

THE second round of Queensland Raceway's Championship Series was held over the April 28/29 weekend.

The Racing Car division continues to grow with an influx of Formula 3 cars, but it was Peter Brown's Icon-Suzuki who took three wins from three starts.

Sidecars made their first appearance with Doug Chivas filling all three podium spots to win the round.

David Gainer led home Nick Leontsinis in all three MX5 races with Henri van Roden and Greg Quince sharing the thirds.John Duel(Toyota Mark II) raced to three wins in the Japanese Domestic Market category ahead of impressive newcomer , Michael Kulig (Skyline).

Angela Lechner (EscortLexus)streeted the combined Touring Car field, while Justin Keys(Mazda RX-3) won both the races he started, with Scott Hunter(Toyota Corolla) taking the first win ahead of David Waldon (RX-3).

-MARK JONES 89

BRIEFLV.l ll AKA want BOM THE Australian Karting Association has put out the call to the karting fraternity seeking expressions of interest to fill the positions on a proposed Board of Management.

The voluntary roles will create a skillsbased Board with Finance, Administration, Marketing,Technical and Competition Directors empowered with the entire governance and management of the business of the sport. n Ben Edwards has extended his lead in the South Australian Leopard series.

Edwards won Leopard Light at the Whyalla meeting on April 29 ahead of Daniel Price and Rowan Booth. After a 12month layoff, Andrew Hobby returned and placed fifth. Roger I'Anson top scored Heavies, closing the points gap to Danny Errigo. n Word around the pits is that the 2007 Formuia 100 Nationals will see a large field of drivers, inciuding several interstaters making a one-off appearance, plus a number of Kiwis.

No longer run atihe AKA Easter Nationals, the Formula 100 National Championships will be held at Geelong's Val & Joyce Findlay Memorial meeting on August 4-5.

The meeting will see the winners of the Titan series presented with their prizesan AX9 CiK Arrow chassis for the Light and Heavy victor, while the Over 40s winner gets a Leopard engine. n Superkarting is set for a profile boost with news the category will be a support event at this year's French FI Grand Prix at Magny-Cours. A full field of Europe's best 250s is expected.

GP2, Formula 3 and Porsche Supercup are the other supports. n Two Arrow kart chassis will be given away to competitors at the AlburyWodonga race meeting one June 16-17. As is common this year, the meet is a round of several series, in this case the Victorian Rotax Series and the NSW Southern Zone Series.

A kart wiii be given away to a Formuia JMA entrant, while the second kart will be drawn from the top five platings in all the other classes. n ThelanThornley/JohnD'Onghia combination took victory in the inaugural Mount Gambler 250km TAG Enduro recently.

Competing in the Medium weight division,Thorniey/D'Onghia (Arrow/Rotax) qualified fastest and led most of the way in their class and upstaged the Lights by taking the outright win. Sean Taylor/ Darren Clee(Arrow/Rotax) won TAG Light

for MAD Racing.

90

And the winner is Newcastle FIVE-TIME 125cc karting world champion Gianluca Beggio is set to attend the NSW State Titles at Newcastle in September.

Beggio won't be racing, but will be assisting the local importer. Definitive Racing. While in the country he will also run a BRM kart clinic in Melbourne and Sydney.

The Italian was synonymous with Birel for many years,first as a driver, than as a manager.

He switched from the huge Italian manufacturer to the much smaller BRM team in 2006 to direct its international racing program.

"Gianluca will assist our team and drivers with advice and set-up" Definitive's Steve Pettaras said.

"It just goes to show how much support the factory is prepared to give us. Gianpietro (Mascialino, BRM owner) was in Melbourne at the Central City round to meet our Victorian distributor, so the commitment is there."

-MARKWiCKS

Whitmore hits JMA lead DAVID Whitmore started his quest to return to the Rotax World finals in fine style by taking out the opening round of the Queensland Formula JMA series at Lismore recently.

Part of the Wizz Couriers Young Guns Titles, Whitmore (CRG) completed a consistent weekend's racing to edge out James Kovacic and Damian Ward in the final.

Chaz Mostert was fourth.

A huge 115 drivers, including two Kiwis, competed in the juniors-only event. Ben Stewart was the most successful, winning Junior National Heavy and Junior Clubman. Dylan Higgins beat Aaron Seton to the line in Midgets by a mere kart length. Sean Butcher had a close race with Christopher Hays on his way to winning Jnr National Light while Joseph Mawson did the big drivefrom-behind to take out Rookies.

The second round of Qld JMA is at Ipswich on June 2.The winner of the five-round series will race Junior MAX at the Rotax World Final.

-MARKWICKS motorsporinews

RRTIOnRL SCEHE

Simon storms to second FI00 win SIMON Salvatico grabbed his second Formula 100 Titan Series round win in a row with victory at VACC Park in Melbourne on May 6.

Salvatico (Tony Kart), pictured left, came under pressure from Aaron Ivermee and Trent James but was able to cruise the final laps after his rivals tangled.

Ivermee was the man to catch prior to the final.

Winning both heats,the Geelong Arrow driver also grabbed the pre-final win where he was shadowed all the way by James (Arrow).

A change of carburettor for the final boosted Salvatico's performance. As Ivermee and James were busy banging wheels all the way up the hill at the start, Salvatico drove around the outside and into the lead. Ivermee and James applied plenty of pressure, particularly when the leaders hit lapped traffic, but failed to finish after contact.

Phoenix's Matthew Hayes, who led the early laps of the pre-final, was hoping to get on the podium but retired early when a carburettor jet fell out.

Clubman Light turned into Ryan Sanderson versus the Seras. National Champ James Sera was leading when the race ended under red flag following a roll over, one of several over the course of the meet.

In the Victorian Rotax series round, David Sera won Light while Luc Price took out Heavy. Other winners were Scott McLaughlin (Jnr Clubman),Joshua de Maio (Jnr National Light), Jeremy Anderson (Leopard Heavy), Grant Smith (Leopard Light), Seb Geritz (Senior National), Lee Mitchener(Clubman Heavy), Cameron Waters (Rookies), Garry Jacobson (Jnr National Heavy) and Guilian Dichiera (Midgets).

-MARK WICKS

Top debuta S FEbet 1

WHILE Sam Zavaglia got on with the job of winning the opening round of the Australian Superkart Series at Phillip Island recently, Darren Hossack was making his debut in the category and giving the Australianmade SAFE engine its first competition outing.

Hossack and engine builder/designer Scott Ellis had planned to run the motor at the Victorian series round the week prior, but ran out of preparation time.

"We warmed the engine up at 2:45am Friday morning,' said Hossack.

A few hours later it was circulating at The Island, but seized a piston on the third practice lap. With that fixed, Hossack was quickest in the wet practice on Saturday morning then qualified fourth in the massive 44 kart field.

"It was still plenty rich, but it's hard to get a clear lap with over 40 others on the track. We also had to raise the front bubble 20mm because the wind was wobbling my head too much."

Making gearing changes and chasing even more pace,the boys decided to go leaner for Sunday's racing, but promptly seized again on the first lap. Re-fitting the repaired piston and cylinder from Friday, the team made progressive improvement carding 10th, eighth and fifth in the remaining races.

"I thought it was reasonably successful for a new engine and chassis," Hossack later said.

-MARK WICKS

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Crowfoot Holden 1 of Australias best & fastest group L specials, fully prepared & ready to race. Comes with some spares & fully enclosed custom trailer.

This car will get you invited to every thing. As featured in Vintage Race Car Magazine USA. $110,000. Mick 0418751585.

www.myl05.eom/205

361

T.R.D Conrods & M.l Pistons 4 T.R.D. 3K Corolla conrods & 3 Motor Improvements high top pistons suit 1300 corolla. Excellent condition suit historic formula 3 or clubman. A rare item at bargain price..$700 ONO. Allen 0409835567.

www.myl05.com/24387 Transporters/Trailers

362

Chevron B42 Historic group Q, European Formula 2, fitted

A

with 2 L Cosworth BDG in EC. Heaps of spares,

Collectable/Memorabilia

3 sets wheels, gear ratios. Will maintain & run for new owner if required. $95,000.

Peter Lamer (03)9439 8986 / 0419379024.

www.myl05.eom/37058

361

Enclosed Trailer Single axle enclosed trailer, front access & storage bins, electric winch, 14"light truck

Hino service truck/transporter Fully equipped for Motorsport servicing

tyres including spare tows well would suit historic car or small open wheeler.

& transport. New

$2,900 ONO. Ron 0418225128.

interior inc. Seats &

Carbonfibre Doortrims Shelving/TyreRacks Workbench, Compressor w/ built in lines,

www.myl05.com/45867

Mallala Historic Photos 361 Photos for sale from the 2007 Easter Mallala

T

Spectre FVEE -r enclosd trailer

240V-12V, Interior Fluro lights. Alloy steps.

Historic races. Photos of most cars available.

Excellent car for someone starting in Formula

Alloy

Phone David Batchelor 0412 181 695 or email

Vee into a fast 1600 with a limited budget.

dbmp98@westnet.com.au for details.

Finishes top 10, plenty of potential. Ex-Edan Fleming car & best results were 2nd & 3rd in the Konica Minolta V8 invitational round

loading

ramps, lOOL

Water

tank

w/pump,4x Storage bins. Ultra-reliable, fullyserviced & maintained. $24,500 Or Best Offer.

Sam 0439 434 591.

www.myl05.com/57861

www.myl05.com/36168

361

Open Wheelers

Race car trailer

●I

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361

A

2004 (in 1200 form). Excellent performance. $15 900 Neg. Nathan Pring 0439 415 195.

www.myl 05.com/11037

'

Open wheeler trailer with internel ramps keeping car off floor. Currently used for a Ralt RT4 so can carry any open wheeler with plenty of room. Tows easily & well built.

/

$3500 ONO. Vince 0418509145.

www.myl05.eom/54076

361

36t

Transporter/motorhome

Van Diemen RF03

Hino 2000,1 Omtr tray, seats 7, hydrolic tail

EX Sonic 04 David Reynolds National Champ Winning F-Ford fully rebuilt by Sonic Motor Racing Services at end of 05 has done 4 races since comes with 2 factory Kent Ritter Race

Formula Vee/Stag Body Cams log book, 1st

engines Motec ADL with Full logging full set

entry 1980. Cams sealed

of ratios 3 sets of wheels spare panels all pit

fi tted. Single axle flat bed trailer. 2 spare

equipment full set up history Can win any

engines (1200cc). Spare rims and tyres. Some

state series, can be updated to national spec

spare f/glass panels. 38.6 sec @ Collingrove Hillclimb. $6,000. Colin 0410035950:

lifter with ramps, 5 star living, gas water, shower area, microwave, cook top, range hood, flat screen tv, dvd surround sound, full kitchen, professionally built, a/c reverse cycle, 2x370 L water tanks, 12/24/240v, suit long dragster, falcon sedan/commodore, ect fi t out 6 mths old, $99,000 Neg Must Sell. Can Arrange Finance. Ian 0418 879 611.

www.myl05.eom/80293

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Silverado and Daytona Trailer $78,000 ONO. Garry 0413 879 879.

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engine POA Colin 0415 286 986.

361

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Formula vee 1200cc engine

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95

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fBl BMW E30 325i Steel cage, Koni double adjustable shocks, strong engine with new control cam & ecu to 07 spec, hand made exhaust system.

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HOW? Either log on to myl05.com & follow the prompts(photo must be digital, if required) OR you can still advertise via maii/fax & send us your ad & car photo if you require one($10 processing fee applies).

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1982. 3rd 2004 NSW, 2006 Tyres, engine, brakes. Diff. Gearbox, 3 sets of wheels, lots of spares. Bond Roll Bars Cage, Logbook (53.9) Eastern Creek 9/06 (Never smashed) (Factory JG 23 Body Plate). NSW. $15,000.00.

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Sedans/Sports Cars

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Alfa 2lt Sports Sedan AU V8 Supercar Rolling Chassie AU V8 supercar rolling chassie has everything but motor & gearbox has full motec dash suit touring car challenge/ v8 giants, sporsedans or fujitsu series. $ 28,000. Colin 0415 286 986.

www.myl 05.com/11631

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Built for hillclimb racing. Modified coil over front suspension with adjustable shocks.

Twin spark gearbox with LSD. Lightweight fi breglass bonnet & hatch with moulds, & fi breglass flares, 13x10 wheels, Avon slicks.

Car comes complete with plenty of spares, & currently unregistered trailer in excellent condition with electric brakes. $7200 Neg. Graham 0412630079.

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2A Sports Car Suit restoration, ideal for Thundersport or possible Historic racing. Originally built for the Australian Sportscar Championship in the mid 80's, in need of some TLC. Renauit 2700 dry sump, 5 speed close ratio transaxle. 2pce kevlar glass body over alloy monococque chassis. $25,000 Neg. 07 3369 2917/ 0400 758 458.

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Drift/ Street Car Proven performer. Full street Rego, Fresh RB30/25DET (just run in). New GT35R turbo, 280rwkw (375hp@wheels) @ 14psi/6500rpm.

Full Adjustable suspension. Everything needed to Jump in & be competitive or just a tough street car. Very High profile car. Too much to list. Genuine buyers only. www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpi8pyR-5xU. $35,000 Neg. Mark 0404 843 323.

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TR7V8 Race Car

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XD Falcon Production Touring

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Mazda 808 RX3 Race Car

Tr7 v8 suit production sports 5L 500hp rover v8 with wildcat heads dry sumped holinger 5sp gearbox ap 6 piston brakes stack instruments front running car a fast & reliable package with realistic maintenance cost will sell less motor & gearbox. $55,000.00 Neg. 0414 815 955

13B turbo series 4 engine with 48 mm weber, series 4 gearbox volvo brakes, mazda e series diff, spare front spoiler & rear bar. 6 Spare rims new velo, racing wrap around seat with new seat belts. Comes with turbo & wiring not on car. $11,500.

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361

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CLRSSIFIEDS RACE AND PERFORMANCE CLASSIFIEDS

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MG F 160 Trophy Race Car

Find hundreds more race vehicles and parts for sale at www.my105.com

MG F 160 Trophy Race car EX Mopro cup good fun carlo drive has spare set of wheels. $ 25,000. Colin 0415 286 986.

aaii.ffW-»Ls^

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Eliminator 25'Daytona This is a custom made 25 Daytona fitted with all the best equipment and will run out to 75mph! wanting to swap for Tarmac Rally car w/cash balance or simply sell

I

Auscar Good roll cage, paint good, engine gearbox very good, out of commorder cup car #53 L.S.D diff ratio 3.5s clean & tidy turn key. Can test. $14,000 Or Best Offer.

Mark 0409 846 717.

www.myl05.eom/36470

361

outright, any questions please call this is the Ultimate Boys Toy!. $125,000 Or Best Offer.

Chris 02 47311173.

Ford Falcon XY Group Nc Fi

www.myl05.com/61867

3lngiiE@^;th

stawslDdu^g ifi wins. S40HP, C0SWR transmissions, two Ttak diffs. Bltbarst 2:382, fiC 31 top 3 pl^

1149.8, opGp vja.7, OP se.8, VS® i:m4. www.my105.com/69124

iai

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Tickford TE 50 Production car

For sale or lease

m jlTlifc;. £=

Porsche 91 ISC RUF/RS

most fun and competitive your money can

www.myl O5.com/585?1

buy We have 10 Daewoo Lanos race cars and

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3 MG F 160 Trophy Race car for sale or lease on track assistance can be given to purchaser if required PDA. Colin 0415 286 986.

www.myl05.eom/82014

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well sorted club car built & maintained by Porsche Club of Vic Overall Championship & Class winning Club Car. 2006 WRX Club Associate Class Champion. Fully road registered. $75,000 ONO. Mike 0412053567.

www.myl O5.com/10069

Torana UXU1

361

Torana U XU 1 ready to race in the new Biante

S’

Touring Car Masters catego.'y, comes with log book & licence. Top running car in the last 3 years Biante series, full roller engine, Detroit locker, best of everything, Dunlop wets, lots of spares. $43,000. Alastair on 0418 245 245.

1997 XBTCC 406 Super Tourer Excellent condition, fresh 300HP engine with

www.myl05.com/89255

362

Huge spares package. Ideal for Touring Car

VN Clubsport50

,r>

361

Blue printed engine. 17x9 R.O.H. Bond Roll Bars bolt in cage & sparco seats pro/fitted.

7,000 Brakes / Suspension P/W Radiator, body like new. Lots of extras. New bits. 12

www.myl05.com/63987 njS,

Evo 6.5 Evo 6.5, used in Targa Tasmaia last year, not been raced since, vehicle in excellent

J

VN Clubsport 50. Restored/farga car. 5.7.

months rego. NSW (115,000 kms). $17,500, Geoff 0417 475 155.

Challenge or Sports Sedan, POA 0416 172 762 or kerithm21 @yahoo,com.au.

www.myl05.eom/88730

911 SC with RS & RUF features, extremely Weltmeister regardless of cost. Multiple

●^^^^38 ifiS 1 ta:'*’'

for you affordable low maintenance and the

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If your looking to get into motor racing this is

361

361

Porsche 997 Carrara 5 06 Ceramic Brakes, Full Factory AeroKit,Tele.

Multi Steering wheel. Park Assist, Heated seats. Sunroof, Sat Mav, Chrono Sport plus, plus lots more. As new, enthusiasts car, could also suit a Track or Car Club buyer.

'

$240,000 AUD. Gary 0412 520 167

www.myl05.eom/8023

\l\'

361

condition and was fully prepared for Tarmac »r

rallies, easily converted to track race car. Roll cage CAMS certified, CAMS log book, tein

Porsche 928 Race Car

coil over suspension, terratrip, computer,

Cams Roll Cage, 250 - 300 hp Simmons Slicks, Big Brakes Clubsport Trans Axle. $32,000.00 Or Best Offer. 0890 454 305.

www.my105.com/81673

tuned , all original interior suppiied with car. $31,000 Neg. Lawrence 94271877.

www.myl05.com/77539

361

361

2005 Lotus Exige Circuit or Road Rally As raced in the 2005 Lotus Trophy by Sam Walter Immaculate ono reconditioned $70,000 body Ph: Sam 0419 319 304.

361

www.myl 05.com/16537

^<L

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Racing cars

07 Falcon XR6 Turbo

Toyota Sprinter 1983 red. Excellent body.

ms.

Daily driver, new tyres all

round, tinted

windows, one of a kind custom stripes and bonnet decal. $43,000 ONO. Simon 0417948165.

www.myl05.com/86121

ml

V '

2003 FPV GT-P

361

■X

BMW E30 325I

New ex Factory Jan 07 Raced in 12 hour

$20,000

and available for sale or lease. Registered in 07 APCC. Choice of 2 or can build cars

TRD competition specs but can still be driven

brand new if required. All bugs sorted &

on the road. Many championships. Ready to

& ECU, hand made exhaust system. Light

proven performers (2nd in class Bathurst behind Bowe) Call Chris Sexton 0428483099.

compete on track or rallies or drifting. Full details available. Must sell. Lost interest. .

weight & well sorted. Cams log book, cheap

Get ready for Bathurst 12hr or GTP 2007 series. V8 Super car support & Channel 7 TV.

$65,000 Not Neg.

$ 12,950 ONO. Derek 0419 388 075.

racing ready to go. $35,000 +gst Not Neg. Euan 0419362479.

Many extras. Call Garry 0413 879 879.

www.my105.com/9178

www.myl05.com/36594

www.myl05.com/56136

361

spent

on

full

conversion

and

development for top club circuit sprint car to

www.myl05.com/57576

361

Chrome moly cage, Koni double adjustable shocks, strong engine, new control cam

361

EvO 8 Race winning car

361

97

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wwWomnewsoC@mc&iis 98

been out for a few years - do for the team? I guess a fresh opinion is worth plenty but it's hard to see any difference in the results.

It's hard not helping to think that when next a big international outfit comes looking to buy a V8 team,their first point of call will be BJR. Jeff Sieger Kew, Victoria ED: Jeff, I've seen a lot of other racing drivers not have the same sort of honesty with themselves that Brad has had to make this call. A turn-around for Team BOC will take time.

Photographers: Sutton Motorsport Images, Dirk Klynsmith, Marshall Cass, John Morris/

Australia (inccsT) Overseas (airmail): New Zealand & Asia Restof the World

Time to go ... Brad from Albury I have to say Brad Jones retiring from V8 Supercar racing is a shame - but well overdue.

It's hard to imagine his sponsors being satisfied with the results the team has been getting (or not getting) over the last few seasons, so why has it taken this long?

Granted, Brad has done plenty of great things and won plenty in his career, but he has made the right call.

But with such a lack of talent out there mid-season, what can a driver like Simon Wills - who has

VOIuVO s af-ety ca BOC GASES

ASES ;es

SUPER rouRms < CHAMPIOniSHIP t

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So excited he couldn't look! Brad Jones after winning the 1998 Super Touring crown.

Something about Clayton Without detracting from the efforts of the drivers and engineers, I feel the cars everyone (including your mag) calls 'Clayton cars'do have an unfair advantage.

If indeed Tom builds, prepares and tunes these cars, they are effectively a four-car team. They just have different guys renting

them - the Kellys and Skaife.

With the budget between these two teams being pooled into one development of the car it's almost a miracle a few other teams are close.

I believe this is a very different kettle offish compared to the limited sharing that goes on between other teams'for engines etc.The recent ownership'debacle (to me) really missed the point.

Yes, they were worried about ownership but for the wrong reasons. Or was it a case that there isn't anything they can do about it as they did seem rather worried that it is in reality a four-car team?

It would be different if Tom just built the cars and handed them over and nothing more,as customer cars are nothing new. I would be interested to know if I'm alone on this one.

Peter Kemp hnhssouthcoast@bigpond.com ED: Peter, that is indeed the great question - structure and wording can make such massive differences!

There is no doubt that the Lion's share of the Holden racing budget is heading to Clayton but the results / are there as proof

lOyearsago

[TT

Issue 101-May 23,1997

IT is easy to forget about all sorts of things as time passes.

In the offices of Motorsport News, back issues are commonly pulled out for a laugh, if only to laugh at some of the bad fashion sense and crazy hairstyles ...

But back 10 years ago, here's what was happening in your favourite magazine ...

■ Russell Ingall and Larry Perkins belted the V8 field at Winton in a 1-2 for the Castrol Holden team.

Different diff ratios were the difference between the two from a set-up point of view, something no longer allowed given all final drive ratios are fixed thesedays.

■ David Besnard had quit America after splitting with his US Formula Ford 2000 team.

■ Tony Longhurst was in a war with Steve Ellery after the latter departed his Falcon team and took the Konica sponsorship with him.

■ Craig Lowndes was in European F3000 and having a tough time, crashing out at Pau and qualifying sixth in the Silverstone season-opener before a spin that left him 15th at the end.

■ Neil Crompton was on fire in the North American

ire with HRTYc'oimgUons

Touring Car Championship in a Honda Super Tourer, building on his lead in the Savannah round.

■ Allan Moffat officially opened the newlyextended Winton circuit.

■ Arie Luyendyk scored pole for the Indy 500 as the uninspiring four-litre stock block IRL cars droned on ...

motorsportnews

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