Motorsport News Issue 402 - December 2010 by V8 Sleuth

\IMDER: What went wrong in 2010 Incorporating MOTOR RACING AUSTRALIA

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Sebastian Vettel is a deserving World Champion. In the final four races of the season, he took three poles and three dominant wins - and would have made it four but for a blown engine in Korea. In doing so, he becomes the youngest-ever Formula Red Bull Racing 7 Drivers' Champion.

8Ii NEWS

THIS MONTH’S FEATURES Unosuai Suspects F

The Grid

N With a title fight, race wins, talk ofteam tactics and even a roll-over, Mark Webber has never been far from the headlines in 2010. Who better to talk about his stellar season than the man himself?

STRONG SUIT Garth Tanderand the Toll Holden Racing Team have had a mixed 2010 by their lofty standards. GTopens up to MNews about it.

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You won't know his name or face - and we don't think he's ever been to a racetrack - but Ben Vella was in his element behind the lenses as Garth Tander suited up for us.

When we spoke delusively to Mark Webber in thefbursi immediately after the Abu Dhabi2010season finale, his mind was already on going two better in 2011.

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Alex Tagliani mightjust be one ofthe coolest cats in motorsport We brought some photos of Tag's life and career to review, he brought the memories and trademark enthusiasm.

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Long before hejoined Ford Australia, Chris Styring was the commercial head honcho for Williams FI. At Surfers, hegot a chance to catch up with old mate Jacques Villeneuve.

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Prost, Mansell)Samz,Fittipaldi, HakkinenyMillRakaiZanardi and Kristensen slugging itoutin V8Supercars? That's the GC600 MNews wants to see...

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NATIONAL FEATURES Editorial Executive Editor Phil Branagan editor@mnews.com.au Assistant Editor Andrew van Leeuwen andrew@mnews.com.au Special Projects Editor Steve Normoyle snormoyle@chevron.com.au National Editor Mitchell Adam mitchell@mnews.com.au

The Grid

Victorian Publisher Chris Lambden publisher@mnews.com.au

Editorial Enquiries

357 Nepean Highway, Brighton East, VIC, 3187 (PO Box 7072, Brighton, VIC, 3186) P 03 9596 5555 F 03 9596 5030 admin@mnews.com.au

Contributing Writers

Mark Glendenning, Bruce Moxon, Lachlan Mansell, Luke Nieuwhof, Geoff Rounds

Tag! You're it! Alex Tagliani relives his career in pictures

Pirelli's picks Brendan Reeves is one oftwo Aussie rally drivers selected for a unique scholarship

Barking up the right tree Ben Barker talks about winning the closest Australian Formula 3season in history

Ralliartist Stuart Kostera gave Team Mitsubishi Ralliart more success in 2010- winning the AMC

Roger that Roger Lago is now a national titlist, having finished on top in the GT3 Cup Challenge

Blues Clews Kyle Clews took out this year's Aussie Racing Car title in a thrilling finale

More to come from Morgan Darren Morgan is making the most of what he's got to lead the Top Fuel standings

The need for Speedway The name isn't the only thing changing at what's now Tyrepower Sydney Speedway

Photography

Sutton Motorsport Images, Dirk Klynsmith, John Morris, Andrew Hall, James Smith, Peter Bury, Ben Vella, Rob Lang, Justin Collins Cover Design: Chris Currie

Advertising National Sales Manager Oriana Ruffini oriana@mnews.com.au P 03 9596 5555 F 03 9596 5030 Advertising Sales Manager Joel Van Daal joelvandaal@chevron.com.au Director, Advertising Sales Jon Van Daal jvandaal@chevron.com.au P02 9901 6100 Chairman, Chevron: Ray Berghouse Circulation Director: Carole Jones

Subscriptions: www.mnews.com.au

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The Front Row

Motor Mouth with Phil Branagan

On The Limiter with Chris Lambden

News and Views

Winding Back

Motorsport News is published by nextmedia Pty Ltd ACN: 128 805 970, Level 5,55 Chandos St, St Leonards NSW 2065 © 2009. All rights reserved. Motorsport News is primted by Webstar, distributed by NDD. No part of this magazine may be reproduced, in whole or in part, without the prior permission of the publisher. The publisher will not accept responsibility or any liability for the correctness of information or opinions expressed in the publication. All materia! submitted is at the owner's risk and, while every care will be taken nextmedia does not accept liability for loss or damage. Privacy Policy We value the integrity of your personal information. If you provide personal information through your participation in any competitions, surveys or offers featured in this issue of Motorsport eNews,this will be used to provide the products or services that you have requested and to improve the content of our magazines. Your details may be provided to third parlies who assist us in this purpose. In the event of organisations providing prizes or offers to our readers, we may pass your details on to them. From time to time, we may use the information you provide us to inform you of other products, services and events our company has to offer. We may also give your information to other organisations which may use it to inform you about their products, services and events, unless you tell us not to do so.You are welcome to access the information that we hold about you by getting in touch with our privacy officer, who can be contacted at nextmedia. Locked Bag 5555, St Leonards, NSW 1590.

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Model Behaviour

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The Final Word with Paul Cruickshank

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CaidBF

Drag Racing continues at Caider Park with up to three events a week between now and the end of the drag racing season next Easter. This will see a combination of street meets, practice days and the following major events. They will feature major exhibition brackets of Top Doorslammer, Pro Stock and Supercharged Outlaws.

TmeBiue The True Blue is an open drag racing event that will be held on 22nd & 23rd January 2011 - Australia Day weekend. Due to the sheer number of car and bike entries the track had to turn away from our Spring Horse-Power Challenge we have expanded our next event to two days to accommodate the increase in entries.

Labor Day Championship Drag Dacing

This event will be run on March 12th & 13th, 2011 and will comprise of nine different brackets that cater for everything from off the street racing through to the very quick Pro Street cars. Tens of thousands of dollars in prize money is up for grabs in these different eliminators that is sure to draw the best of entries from around Australia.

Easter Street Shoot-Out

Our final event of the racing season will be the Easter Street Shoot Out event that will be run on 23rd & 24th April 2011. This promises to be a great finale for the latest chapter in Calder’s rich history of street and professional drag racing. All classes of streetcar will be catered for with big bucks on offer for the winners.

Ticket Pricing

Adults Concession (14-17 years old) Kids(14 and Under) Family(2 Adults - 2 Concession)

$40 $20 $Free $100

For more information on these events including entry information, race regulations, classes catered for and prize-money information check out

www.calderparlc.com.au

TioHets are aj/ailable far purchase an each af the aha%/e

THE FRONT ROW since we last met

FORMULA 1 Sebastian Vettel has become the youngest-ever World Drivers'Champion after closing the season in stunning fashion. After a blown Renault engine cost him a win in Korea,the 23-year-old German took two all-the-way wins in Brazil and Abu Dhabi to place one hand on the title. But for awhile there, it looked like that would be all he could do, with Fernando Alonso safe back in the pack. But when Red Bull Racing pitted Mark Webber early, Ferrari responded,first with Felipe Massa and then with Alonso. The Spaniard resumed behind the Renault of Vitaly Petrov and tried, without success, to pass the Russian for the rest of the race. With Alonso seventh and Webber eighth, Vettel snatched the title by a narrow four-point margin, to give RBR the double.The team had clinched the Constructor's Championship with its 1-2 finish in Sao Paulo. Webber was third, his best result in the Championship.

WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP There was good news and bad news for the opposition in the final round of the WRC in Wales. Sebastien Loeb won in Britain, but he did it for the last time in Citroen's C4 WRC.The French rocketship won for the 36th time in 56 events and, apart from Loeb winning the Drivers'title, the manufacturer sealed the Makes'crown by 100 points. The born-again Petter Solberg was second in his privateer C4(are you watching, Citroen JuniorTeam?) with Jari-Matti Latvala edging Mikko Hirvonen for third, in Ford's last event with the Focus WRC. Oh,and Kimi Raikkonen crashed on ... wait a minute, he didn't crash - really. He finished eighth.Truly. Of course,the WRC moves into a new era next year, with 52000 cars taking over from the long-established WRCs. The opposition will be hoping that the French are not quite so dominant...

motorsport news

) Pepsi Cola will eorae to¥8 SuperGars next season, with James f Courtney set to join- Ford Performance Racing's expanded fouri ca r team, i

The ownership situation between Jim Beam Raeing's owners Diek Johnson and Charlie Schwerkolt looks set to be resolved at the end'of the Gurfent season and thatlooks to be the trigger to allow Gountney to leave that team to jointhe factory ford squad. Pepsi, whiGh announced its pians last month,is expected I to name the team in!mi:#[D,ieember, andit0 €ontrm Courtney , 'eanlylijjitheinewyear.

V8 SUPERCARS The fortunes swung between James Courtney and Jamie Whincup on the Gold Coast and at Symmons Plains. In Queensland,things went against the Jim Beam Racing driver on Saturday, when a Safety Car infringement gave him a drive-through penalty. Whincup won on Sunday to take maximum advantage and cut Courtney's points lead. But in Tasmania, it was Whincup's turn to take a points loss. While Courtney was struggling for speed,TeamVodafone failed to put enough fuel in the #1 Commodore,forcing him to make an extra pitstop. That managed to restore Courtney's points lead when the pair headed to Sandown, after this edition's deadline. Cam McConville and Steve Owen shared the GC wins with Garth Tander and Whincup, but in Tassie, it was Craig Lowndes and Mark Winterbottom who took out the wins. Symmons Plains also saw a return to form from Paul Morris Motorsport, with Greg Murphy and Russell Ingall both looking comfortable, and faster than Whincup.

DUMBBELL STAYS PUT Paul Dumbrell has done an about-face, and will stay with Rod Nash Racing for 2011,at the very least. The Bottle-0 driver had told the team he was leaving at the end of the season to concentrate on his new CEO role at Autobarn, but had a change of heart. PD celebrated his decision with a career-best second place at Symmons Plains.

... BUT MURPH, RICHO ON THE MOVE V8 Supercar veterans Greg Murphy and Steven Richards will ’ have new roles in 2011. Murphy has told Paul Morris Motorsport that he will not return next season, while FPR has told Richo that it will have a new full-time driver in car #6 next season. The 1999 Bathurst-winning co-drivers are expected to take front-line co-driver roles, with FPR boss Tim Edwards telling eNews there is an October seat for Richards if he wants it.

HRT GETS COLD SHOULDER FROM TOYOTA Hispania Racing is not going to have Toyota chassis in 2011 after all. The German-domiciled, Spanish-funded team had been expected to run Toyota's as-yet unraced TF110 with Cosworth engines and Williams transmissions next season. But Toyota has put paid to the plan, leaving HRT to find new partners.

... WHILE VALENTINO HAS HIS FIXED

MOTOGP Jorge Lorenzo won the final MotoGP race of the season in Valencia, but it was how he won it that was impressive. The World Champion ail-but fell off early in the race but pushed his Yamaha back upright with his knee! From mid-pack, he raced through the field, hunted down poleman Casey Stoner and eased away for an amazing ninth victory in 18 races. Second place gave Stoner fourth in the championship behind Lorenzo, Dani Pedrosa and Valentino Rossi.

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Valentino Rossi has undergone shoulder surgery. / The Italian injured his shoulder in a training crash in April and it was that, and not the leg he broke at Mugello,that hampered his 2010 program. Rossi, who tested his new Ducati immediately after the season finale at Valencia, is expected to be out of action until mid-February,.

Motorsport eNewsavailable 8pm Mondays. www.mnews.com.au

? MOTOR MOUTH

OMETHING funny these sports realise that taking a happened last month. global view can be, and is, worth The San Francisco'Giants millions and millions of dollars. won Major League Okay; before you think I Baseball's World Series. have lost my marbles and call Okay,that's not funny ha-ha, the nurse, this brings me to V8 Supercars. it's funny unusual.The city by the bay is better known for, urn, You will have read, probably, its parades than its sporting that the category is expanding its international canvas. Bahrain triumphs, but the Giants are now the World Series Champions. may be gone - gee, what a loss - but discussions about races in Which is a change. A few years ago,they would have been Singapore, Hong Kong and Qatar are well in hand. Add Abu Dhabi dubbed 'World Champions', a and New Zealand to that list, mantle placed on the winner of and the maximum number of the World Series for generations, it is a subtle but telling change. 'offshore'races permitted under Y'see, the world is a smaller the new arrangements with the FIA, six, is well within reach. place now,and sporting organisations have cottoned There are plusses and minuses on. American sports used to be in all this.The big plus is financial. marketed solely to Americans, The owners of V8 Supercars, the teams and SEL, stand to so it was okay to act like - how can I put this - xenophobic, earn significant revenue from nearsighted rednecks. flyaway races. That is the raison Not any more.The NBA is d'etre for having those events in marketing basketball globally, the first place. There is nothing and its teams are now filled with wrong with that; motor racing is a commercial exercise, and Spaniards, Russians and the without the bucks,there are not odd Aussie.The English Premier League is broadcast in 200 going to be any races. But, races in the Middle East countries.The people who run

are likely to keep happening under lights, and that means middle-of-the-night viewing times for local fans.The challenge for V8 Supercars is to maintain its fans'connection with the sport, even if the races are half a world away.That can be a matter of perception - WA fans are further away from the race in Melbourne than Melbourne is from NZ - but it is important to make it work. The form of American motorsport to most closely follow the USA's ball sports into the world market is NASCAR and there is bad news on that front. In the early races of the 2010 Chase for the Sprint Cup, US TV ratings were down by as much as a quarter compared to the corresponding events last season, according to Nielsen Media Research. As NASCAR has pushed the sport around the world, one in four of its local viewers went missing - at exactly the time of the season they were expected to show up. The reasons why are not yet clear, as it is all a bit early to tell, but you can bet the folks at NASCAR HQ in Daytona Beach, Florida are burning the midnight

oil to try to find out why. V8 Supercars'TV numbers over recent seasons have not been brilliant, but it is difficult to believe that any sport could sustain a 25 percent drop in audience before real damage is felt. The NASCAR experience shows that the'home'audience is an important one. Just to complicate matters, the advent of multi-channel digital TV has made a meal of the Australian government's anti siphoning legislation. When that is sorted out - and let's hope that happens soon because technology is about to lap legislation - it is important that V8 Supercars is on the right side of the outcome. One final thing.The fourth game of the World Series was thrashed in the US ratings by a regular season Sunday night NFL football clash between Pittsburgh and New Orleans. For generations, baseball has been considered not America's national game so much as its national pastime. Not any more. Clearly, things are changing, fast, in hearts and minds, and with the remote controls, of sporting fans around the world.

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CHRIS

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; ON THE LIlMilTlR

k ] OVtMIBER 13/14 wasn't the best weekend for Australian sport.

was it? The Wallabies got done over by the Poms at Twickenham, the Rugby League team lost the Four Nations final to the Kiwis, and then our man Webber fell at the final hurdle Inbls World Championship quest. The cricket team's not looking crash-hot in the Ashes run-up either. Do we have any winners left? Well yes. Me. Yes, your columnist is about to take delivery of a dozen bottles of something nice after an unscheduled win on a Melbourne radio station. I was driving home on the Monday evening,listening to talk-back sport on Radio 3AW, hosted by ex-AFL footy star Gerard Healy and footy journo Dwayne Russell.They in turn were replaying the blustering opinion offered by yet another of the station's footy-jocks. Brian Taylor,that Mark Webber is, in his words, Australia's

biggest loser.'BT'was back on the line, re-iterating his view. "He is," he said incisively. "I watched the last few races (whoop),and he didn't win! He's a loser." And on he went. Now I know this is apparently 'entertainment',and talkback is otherwise known as'Whinge Radio'and'BT'was probably trying to be controversial, but seriously. Criticism is one thing, ridicule another. I don't ring talkback, but this got through my skin.! pulled over (this is Victoria after all), rang up,and, hey presto, got on. Having introduced myself as the publisher of this fine magazine, I suggested that it was unlikely that I would ring in and,as a journalist. pontificate about AFL Football because, while I follow it a bit, I'm no expert. And while'BT'would sleep well at night in the knowledge that he is a world expert in AFL because,sadly, no-one else in the world plays the game. perhaps he shouldn't prattle on about a sport he clearly knows absolutely nothing about, particularly as all he

appeared to want to do was denigrate one of Australia's best performers on the real world stage. I might also have used the word'Buffoon'. The one thing I forgot to add, which I'd have loved to, was one of Larry Perkins'acerbic one-liners, once delivered to someone I know:"I'd have a rethink, because you're at serious risk of making yourself appear terminally stupid." Anyway,to be fair, we had an ongoing discussion,and in answer to their question as to why then it had taken MW 100 races to win one, I was able to suggest that,in a Jaguar only really genuinely capable of nudging the top 10 in over-all performance, putting it on the second row was pretty spectacular - but something that could not be maintained for two hours. And thus,the Jag would often drift backwards to something like its realistic spot on race days. And that the'inexperienced' observer might wrongly conclude that the driver was only any good at qualifying. but no good as a racer, rather than someone who had lifted a fairly average car way above its natural level.

And so it went.In the end, they seemed to get it. Heck, they gave me a prize! But it does illustrate the problem that motorsport often has,in explaining itself, communicating itself to the sporting yvorld atlarge.It isn't helped by the fact that modern media economics and budget mean that,for example,the motorsport writer on one major daily newspaper Is a Rugby League scribe. But what is it about the Australian media that sees it ultimately hack down so many of our successful individual internationals? Teams- cricket, football -seem to escape the hatchet, but think Greg Norman (choker), Lleyton Hewitt(brat),and now Webber (loser?).Tall poppy is a bit simplistic, but whatever^it's not a good look for Australian media. From where I sit, all three of the above are or were. in fact, much admired and supported by the public at large. Anyway,race fans,at least we have one winner this week. RingyOur own Ibcai station. or challenge your own news journos iftheyVe getting out of hand - it feels good,and you could be a winner too!

What is it about the Australian media thatsees it ultimately hack down so many of our successful individual internationals?

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BITS & PIECES

Coming Attraction Who’s the next big thing?

Josh Burden - F3 AUSTRALIAN DRIVERS CHAMPIONSHIP

What is he currently doing? Having spent 2009 as a CAMS Young Gun in the Aussie Racing Car Super Series,Tasmanian Josh Burdon s\A/itched his attention to open-whee! racing in 2010. The former karter and third-generation racer contested a handfui of rounds of the Formula 3 Australian Drivers Championship, driving an older-model F304 Dallara with R-Tek. At each of the three events, Burdon made inroads, and was the top National Class competitor after the experienced Tim Macrow and title contender Tom Tweedie in the season finale at Sandown.

Where does he want to go? Burdon is looking to put together an outright championship campaign in Australian Formula 3 in 2011 aboard an F307-model Dallara. Beyond that, he's got eyes on international competition, namely open-wheelers in Europe. The 17-year-old was set to head to Europe and test a Formula Palmer Audi racer midway through this year, but had to pull out after sustaining burns to his right hand in an accident. Still, it was a good indication as to where he sees his career heading. He is also managed by Rob Maclean, who worked in FI and helped get Marcos Ambrose overseas. Another possible career path is America, again thanks to Maclean's links with Ambrose and his NASCAR program.

Wiat our roaders ha^e been telling us on Twitter this month

igttdog

I'd like to see Homebush scrubbed and moved to Eastern Creek.That event and the tax dollars it sucks in do not support motorsport.

Bring back IndyCars on the Gdld'Coast!

soozehatriis

Consistency from offieials and drivers lacking on the Gold Coast.Channel! 7 were consistent with their delayed coverage, however... .. -i

4Siom I was soooo angry at Channel!7 during' ^ Bathurst- itfinished up delayed so i : ? heard the results on the radio beforeljl. C 5 saw the endi

' What ck> you think about the big issues iih^nnotorspmi:? Let ue know on Twitter pif FacebodSI!

QUICK QUIZ 1

What is unique about the names of Jacques Villeneuve, his ex wife, and his two children?

Which year did Villeneuve debut at the Indy 500? And for a bonus point, in which position did he finish?

3 With which co-drivers did Garth Tander win the 2002 Bathurst 24 Hour for Garry Rogers Motorsport? 4

Before the 2009 season, what was Mark Webber’s best finish in a Formula 1 World Championship season?

5 14

Which rugby player once funded Webber’s junior racing? motorsport news

MOTORSPORTS CAIENDAR

MY FAVOURITE RACE JACQUES VILLENEUVE - INDY 500 1995 & EUROPEAN

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GRAND PRiX 1997

tension and pressure, and winning or not, a lot was hanging on it. The Indy 500 is the biggest race in the world, and I got the drive at Williams because I won that race. What happened was early in the race I got a penalty, so I was two laps down. I had to make then up to win, so it made the race extreme. Normally it's a race where you drive around and wait for the end, but 1 had 500 miles of driving like it was qualifying!That was fun, and extremie. Jerez, for the championship, 1 was trailing Michael [Schumacher] by one

point. I had been disqualified from the previous race for a yellow flag situation, and the punishment was a bit extreme. So we felt like we were fighting against the current, and you could feel the electricity in the air the whole weekend. All my life my goal was the win the championship, so when its there for the grabbing, and you know it could go either way, it's full-on. The night before I slept the best. I knew what I had to do, and I was focused. For the month and a half before, I stopped testing - and that pissed Patrick Head off. But I said I wasn't testing any more, and that Heinz-Harald [Frentzen] could do it, because I needed to focus - and it worked! Jacques Villeneuve spoke to Andrew van Leeuwen

I don’t go onto the track to provide first-aid to someone. I think there are enough ambulances around the circuit for that. Sebastian Vettel made his views on team orders perfectly clear before the Brazilian Grand Prix ...

www.mnews.com.au

December

Dec 3-4

Perth Motorplex ANDRA Pro Series

Dec 3-5

Sydney 500, Homebush, NSW V8 Supercars Rd 14

Dec 4

Mountain Dew Ice Speedway, Hobart, Tas WSS Rd 3

Dec 11

Bendigo Bank Arena, Latrobe, Tas WSS Rd 4

Dec 26

Speedway City, Adelaide, SA WSS Rd 5 Perth Motorplex Nitro Furnny Cars

Dec 26

HAVE two - the Indy 500 win and Jerez in 1997, which was for the Formula 1 World Championship. I can't pick one as the best, it's like picking between my children! They were both races that had an extreme level of

TOURS

Dec 27

Sydney Dragway Jet Car Challenge

Dec 27

Murray Bridge Speedway, SA WSS Rd 6

Dec 28

Borderline Speedway, Mt Gambier, SA WSS Rd 7

Dec 30

Avalon Raceway, Avalon, Vic WSS Rd 8

For travel assistance for these and other future events contact us

SponsGP The staff of Travelaire Tours would like to wish all Motorsport News readers and their families a very Merry Christmas and a happy new year. If you require any assistance with last minute holiday travel for tills period then let Travelaire Tours do all the planning for you. Don’t forget that 2011 is just around the corner so if you are looking at going overseas to attend the V8 Supercar Yas V8 400 in Abu Dhabi, UAE or the ITM Hamilton 400 in Hamilton, New Zealand let us find the best deals for you. In fact if you are planning to attend any of next year’s V8 Supercar events contact us now for some early bird vacation packages. AUSTRALIA

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WINDING BACK the year that was

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0 HAT was the greatest touring car racer of the T980s? was it the awesome Ford Sierra Cosworth?The BMW M3? Or Jaguar's XJS? Maybe it was a BMW - but not the M3. In the hearts and mind^ of people who follow touring: car racing, the Group A version of the 635 holds a special place. Perhaps part of the car's allure was the road car itself. The 635CSi (which was known as E24 in BMW'S ID systemi) is considered by many afficianados as one the finest examples of what the marque Stands for; a big> luxurious, high-performance coupe, with power and speed to provide the ultimate driving experience. The first 635CSi hit the market in 1978 and in 1982 it received a major upgrade, including a new engine. The two-valve version of the engine, on which the Group A racer

was based, produced, around T60kW; the later four-valve M635CSi had around 210kW, which was close to the output of the racer. At the dawn of the Group A era in the early 1980s, it looked to be the perfect car. The rules required that 5000 cars be produced, and BMW managed that quite easily so, in 1983, it was race time. The first car was for Hans Stuck to race in the BTCC (that car now resides in the BMW Museum in Munich) and as Group A spread its reach around the world including to Australia, starting in 1985 - the BMW went with it. At the peak of the European Touring Car Championship in 1984, more than 20 cars appeared for a single round at Monza! All in all, almost 90'kits'the hardware required to turn an off-the-showroom-floor model into a Group A racecar, which was the very basis of Group A rules - were produced in two versions, RAT and RA2.

What followed became the stuff of folklore. In the individual championships, and in the ETC, 635s were run by some ofthe most recognisable and successful teams in the business; Schnitzer, Alpina, Eggenberger, Brun, Italy's CiBeEmm, Hartge, Juma, BMW Italia and BMW GB and,, of course, Frank Gardner, here in Australia. The lineup of drivers included Stuck, Gerhard Berger, Johnny Cecotto, Dieter Quester, Stefan Beliof, Roberto Ravaglia, Emanuele Pirro, Christian Danner, David Hobbs, James Weaver, Steve Soper and Leopold von Bayern (or "Count Hamburger" as Allan Grice dubbed him when he came to Bathurst in'84). Jim Richards and Neville Crichton led the BMW assault down under. The two ran 1 -2 in the first Group A ATCC race of 1985 at Winton, Richo completing the 50-lapper one lap ahead of Crichton, who

was a lap ahead: of evei^one else.That:year, the black BIWWs. were relafively'untroubled in»winnihg the^title, Richo winning seven of thoIO races and his first ATCC crown. "(S oing-by the result?,.we should:<have won. the title ^ and. we .didl"ihe says, today. "lAiShen'l: first drove it,.it. was brilliant, lit.was a factory^built race car, where the Group ,e. version that we racedthe year before was built'here.The Group A was just so. much nicer to drive. Of course, DJck [Johnson] had that Mustang and the Holdens were being developed locally, so they had a lot of work to do. The next year, the Sierras andthe Volvos made things a fair bit tougher." And that was not the only thing. BMW itself had seen ' the writing on the wall, and that writing said'M3'. The announcement that 1987 would see a World Touring Car Championship gave Group A a real global presence.

and Mercedes-Benz's 190E Cosworth had shown that a small,four-cylinder car had potential.The 635 was getting long in the tooth, while cars like Ford's Sierra showed how seriously the makers were taking touring car racing which is part of BMW's DMA. Soi at Monza in 1987,the M3 appeared and the 635 became a dinosaur. But the glorious @erman coupes, with their operatic six-cylinder soundtrack,live on through historic racing events throughout the world. If you believe that real BMWs have straight-six engines and looks that eould kill, even today, the 635 mightjust have been BMW's greatest racer. Some ofthe great sights: The63S wasa stalwart atclassic tracks like Spa. This is Berger in the Spa 24 Hour race, left. The Austrian, bottom,had less fm when he raced the Bob Jane car in Adelaide,right, but finished second three weeks later in Macau, bottom right. Jim Bichards dominated the 1985 season in the IPS635, below.

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BE Kia gnilia quickly moved through the field. Some of the locals felt that his driving was a bit... enthusiastic - and then, Berger came up on John Harvey. He was catching me,as we went toward Turn 1," Harvey remembers. That was fine, but when he braked and dived down my inside, he pulled to the right. I held my line, and he spun out in front of me.There was a lot of controversy, and most people took Gerhard's side.The TV commentary,and Murray Walker was there for that, made a point that he was muscling his way past slower drivers! Greg Siddle told me later that Gerhard apologised for crashing the car.' The were some reports that Harvey said something to the effect of. 'Welcome to Australia Gerhard!'but he says he never said anything of the kind. The car was returned to the hands of sponsor Bob Jane and he still owns the car, in as-raced condition, in Melbourne. 77

ihe Monday night after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, I was phoned up by a Formula 1 driver with an uncertain future. He called to talk about something unrelated to his day job, but as usually happens,the conversation meandered around to what was going to happen in 2011. "The problem is that there are basically no seats for next year," he said frankly. And not only that, but now you've got Hulkenberg out of a drive." Even before his surprise pole position at Interlagos, Williams knew that it was onto a good thing with Nico Hulkenberg, and neither Frank Williams nor Patrick Head need anyone to tell them that they'd almost certainly be better off with him in their car next year than whoever his replacement turns out to be. If, as rumours suggest, it is newlycrowned 6P2 Champion Pastor Maldonado who takes Hulkenberg's place, then we're in the rare situation of being able to draw a direct comparison between the pair,for they raced in the same car,for the same team in the same season.That was GP2 last year, in which they formed the driver pairing for the crack ART squad. The results were one-sided,to say the least. Maldonado was a third-year veteran in the series; Hulkenberg a rookie. Maldonado started in reasonable shape, picking up points, and taking wins in

reverse-grid sprint races at Monaco and Silverstone. During that early part of the season, Hulkenberg was still getting his head around the car. At Silverstone, he later recalled, something clicked, and the following weekend at the Nurburgring, he became only the second driver in GP2 history to complete a perfect weekend - pole,two wins,two fastest laps. From there, Hulkenberg went on a charge and mopped up the championship with a round to spare. Maldonado, his confidence taking more of a battering with every round, managed Just two more point scoring finishes for the year. It was like watching the Australian cricket team play Mozambique's second XI. Out of the car, Hulkenberg was that, disconcerting mix of seeming fairly straightforward but being hard to figure out. He would often give the impression of keeping you at a polite distance - not rudely;just enough to create a little extra space for himself in a crowded paddock only to suddenly let you in when you were least expecting it. I sat down with him for a chat following 2009's final GP2 round at the Algarve, and when the interview had ended and I turned my recorder off, I thanked him and waited for him to do the standard racing driver trick of pretending that he had somewhere important to be. He stood up, nodded, went and got himself a drink, and

then settled back down at my table. "So," he said."You're from Australia?" Twenty minutes later, he was still sitting there. It was an enjoyable conversation but to this day, I have no idea what prompted it. Perhaps he'd been accidentally locked out of the motorhome. The German's career in a Williams FI car might have only lasted a year, but he was part of the team's set-up for a lot longer than that. He performed the first shakedown tests of the 2008 and 2009 cars, and prior to his promotion to a race seat, had a job working in the factory, moving from department to department to get a handle on how the different parts of the organisation fitted together. It wasn't quite the same as McLaren's nurturing of the young Lewis Hamilton, but it's about as close as Williams has the capability to get. For a long time,some journalists liked to write about how particular drivers fitted the'Williams mould'- in essence,fast and uncomplicated. According to this line of thinking,the quick,straight-shooting Alan Jones was the archetypal Williams driver; the mercurial and sensitive Heinz-Harald Frentzen was not. Mark Webber was also supposed to be a'real'Williams driver, although the car was so bad for much of his time there that no-one ever really got to find out. Frank and Patrick have always

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j<jlLENDENNINd ' BOX SEAT maintained that there is no such thing as a'Williams driver'beyond someone who gets on with the job of driving an FI car very fast,and in that respect Hulkenberg was right u p their alley. It's strongly rumoured that the team offered the German a long-term commitment beyond this year, but that the terms involved sacrifices that Hulkenberg was unwilling to make at this point in his career.The team didn't want to lose him, but with several of its main sponsors having Just pulled out ofthe sport at the fall of the chequered flag at Yas Marina, it didn't have the means to keep him. As FT drivers go Hulkenberg is cheap on a dollar per tenth of a second basis, he might be the best value in the paddock - but commercial realities have put him beyond Williams'reach, meaning that the team finds itself in the unhappy situation of having to make driver decisions based on things that they can bring to the table other than speed. And Hulkenberg finds himself in the equally unhappy position of having to walk away from a team that he liked and into a distinct lack of security or guarantees. He might have stalled the driver market, but that won't help him conjure a drive out of thin air.Then;again, if he hadn't been the type of person to back himself, he would never have made it this far in the first place.

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Frank and Patrick have always mamtained that there is no such thing as a'WiHiams driver'beyond somedne who gets on with the job ofdriving an FI car very fast, and in that respect Hulkenberg was right up their alley

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FASHION ITHASN'TBEENANEPICYEAR FOR GARTHTANDER,BUT EVENWHEN THINGSAREDOWN HE STILL WINS RACES. PHIL BRANAGANSPOKEEXCLUSIVELYTO THEHRTSTAR

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and-down year for Garth Tander. How would you describe it? MDTORSPORT NEWS; I would describe 2010 as an upGARTH TANDER; I would agree with that, i think that the main drama has been our consistency; one week, we are hot and the next week, we are cold. Whether that is a legacy of us starting the year on the back foot, as we did in the Middle East, or perhaps down to a couple of the things we tried to do,to play catch-up, I am not sure. It is just one of the things that we want to rectify between now and the end of the year. That would have been one ofthe last things that anyone might have expected,looking at HRT from the outside, at the end ofthe 2009 season.The problems in the Middle East are one thing, but we expect that HRT to be consistent. Did that surprise you? It did, to a degree. It has been very frustrating for everyone. We took a decision that we would try to improve the cars, because our speed last year was good but we felt thatTriple Eight potentially had a small car speed advantage over us. So we took the decision to try to improve the car speed and, off the back of that, we probably outsmarted ourselves in a few small areas. We identified that around Phillip Island time, and the car has been better since then. But we still have a lot of work to do to get back to where we were, particularly in the back half of 2009. Just to be clear; do you mean that HRT anticipated thatTriple Eight would have a car speed advantage,despite the fact that they had changed from Falcons to Commodores during the off-season? Oh... This whole Falcon-Commodore thing, it is a bit of skin on the outside, and the aerodynamics. If you have a scale windtunnel model, as they do,then it's very easy to understand the aerodynamics very quickly. So really all they had to do was to learn fuel economy on a new engine. All the stuff under the skin was the same as what they had been using in the Fords, anyway. They were always going to be fast.There is no two-ways about that. We actually think that they found something over the [mid-season] break to make their base package a bit better. Most teams,as you know, if you do not improve, you are going

backwards. We were happy with our car speed last year, but we felt we needed to be slightly better. Perhaps in an effort to find something, we outsmarted ourselves in a few areas - as I said. Was it also a matter of you and Will [Davison], as individual drivers, getting used to working with the engineers in their new roles? No, not really. A lot has been written about that, on the other side of the garage, but I don't think so.That decision was taken to reconfigure the whole team, and all the personnel within the team - not necessarily just the driver-engineer relationship. We are very mindful ofthe fact that we did not want to be stagnant; we did not want to sit still. So we changed a few ofthe key relationships around. Will had worked withTecho [Matt Nilsson] in the enduros at Phillip Island and Bathurst [in 2009] and the car speed was fine. We won races there. I had worked with Alistair [McVean] as well, so there was nothing happening there for those two key relationships. It was more about reinvigourating the whole team unit. How do you describe the relationship between a race driver and his engineer? It is not quite like a marriage, or having a girlfriend, is it? (Laughs) It is a unique one. It is probably more like a marriage than you think. You talk quite a bit and you yell and scream at each other, and then like any good marriage,five seconds later, you have forgotten about it and you are moving on. So, in some regards, it is strange. For me, I had five years in the same relationship with the same engineer. It was,for me,a good opportunity to learn to work with somebody different. You need to have good communication and a good understanding of each other, and why certain decisions were made,and what was the mindset behind the making of those decisions.We worked, on both sides ofthe garage, very hard to make sure that we were ready for the start ofthe season. All that stuff is in the background. I cannot speak for Techo and Will, they generally talk about their relationships, but for Al and I, we hit the ground running, pretty well. It has looked from the outside this season that the HRT cars have a dual personality. On street courses - Adelaide,

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Townsville,certainly the Gold Coast-the cars looked stable and fest. But there have been times when it has looked a bit scary to drive, quite frankly. That would be pretty accurate. Our package has always been pretty strong on street courses, when you look at Adelaide, New Zealand,Townsville, Gold Coast. We have had some of our strongest results and had the best car speed on those weekends.Some ofthe circuits with more coristant radius and longer corners, we have struggled. But then,saying that, we went to the Grand Prix and we won there,and that is a more open circuit. Our car speed at the end of the race at Bathurst was very good and that is an open-radius kind of circuit. 1 would say that we are stronger on streets circuits this year than on the other circuits, but that is a part of the process of trying to improve our package.We know what our weaknesses are,the trick is that we need to improve them. You talked about Phillip island. Was that the low point of the year? The car looked like it was on one line,and if you tried to move it around,it looked like it did not want to cooperate. That would be pretty accurate. Very perceptive... I thinkthat Phillip island was tough.You had to drive the car a particular way,and if you deviated from that or tried to do anything different, it didn't work. Basically, and simply put,the car did not have enough grip.You could drive the car to a lap time;as soon as you tried to drive it faster than that, it didn't respond. We were boxed in on how we could drive the car.Thatjust came down to not having enough grip, and not having what we needed in the car,to make the lap times. It made for a long afterrioon. If that was the low point of the season, maybe the high point was the partnership between you and Cam McConvilie. He has looked like he slotted into the team weii,and he has driven very weli. It was a no-brainer for me. When he said to me, prior to his announcement,that it looked like he was going to announce that he was not full-time this year, it was a natural for us to work together. We worked together before at GRM,he spent a couple of years driving at Brad Jones Racing driving a WP[Walkinshaw Performance] car, and one of those years was with a technical collaboration between that team and WP.So =we knew that, effectively. Cam had been driving our set-ups. We get along well. I knew that Cam was reliable and that he would do the job that was asked of him,regardless of what it was that we had to do. It was a ho-brainer to get him in. I think that he did a* very good job at Bathurst. He recomposed himself after the startline, he did not get into trouble and l^en what he did at the Gold Coast was absolutely sensational. That was possibly one of his finest drives; he drove away from the field* with a lot bf accomplished drivers behind him. I think his Saturday race was definitely the best I have seen him drive, in a long time. Probably back to when he won his last race,at Winton. We didn't tell him about the 10-second penalty,so there was no extra motivation for him there to go and do it. He just did it. I thought it was a class performance. I made the comment at the Saturday press conference that everyone seems to rave about Steve Owen,what a good job he is doing and how fast he was. He was jn aTriple Eight car and Cam drove awaj^from him. l, If you look at the lap times,even with Steve in clear air. Cam still drove awayfrom him.That was one of Cam's best drives and that'is what won us the race. We had a lot of dramas in the second half ofthe race, but his drive set us up, when hegot track position. www.mnews.com.au

Do we in the media over-think those things? Sometimes, people can fall in love with the latest co-driver... I think that, in race teams, we have the benefit of having much more information available to us,to make informed observations about what is going on,on the circuit. Whether or not that information is available to some of the specialist media, I don't know. Any time you want to show me your data. Garth, I am there. They just look like squiggly lines on the screen. No words? What have you learned this year? About racing,about yourself? It has been an interesting year. We have had a lot of ups and a lot of downs. What I have learned is that you learn so much more when you are down than when you are up.You need to make sure that you do not dwell on the downs; you need to learn from them,then make sure that you can move on from them. It is a fickle game. One question that can be asked to everyone at HRT is, why are you down so much,and what have you learned from it? We have learned that we had a fantastic year last year and sometimes, when you go for bigger and better, it does not work out. I think like I said before, when I was at GRM in 2000,everything we touched seemed to turn to gold. We made some improvements, and it looked like it was going to make everything better.Then, I had the toughest year of my career [in 2001]. It is notjust me,or HRT; everyone and every team goes through that. Look at Formula 1. FI goes in cycles, doesn't it? Red Bull is the flavour of the month, but it looks like Ferrari is the team that is coming on and that McLaren is the team that is going away.Three months ago, it was the other way around! McLaren was the gun team, and Ferrari was the team going away.So it all goes in cycles. It does-except this is not GRM.HRT has that veneer,that we expect that this team will be at, or near,the shiny end,all the time. Yes, but don't forget,the game and the professionalism have changed.Saying that everyone expects HRT to be at the shiny end undersells all the other teams in pitlane. It is incredibly competitive and there are more good cars out there now.There are no bad cars out there anymore.Take any one of the cars on the grid, get the right people,the right engineers and put the right parts in the right place, and you can make that car into a winner.Take Triple Eight customer Falcon or Commodore,or a WP Commodore,or a Stone Brothers car or an FPR car; they are all cars that are capable of winning races. Back in 2000,or 2001,there was a lot more disparity between the teams. Now it is a lot more competitive. By simply saying that HRT is expected to be up the front,that undersells everyone else on the grid. Fair enough.We expect Ferrari to be there,or close to the frontbut we do not,expect that Red Bull is always going to be capable of beating them. That is one of the reasons that we celebrate when we win a championshipLWe always say that it is tough,and we know it is tough.We do not expect it to be easy.Som^etimes, you do not get the results you hope for. The format Ranged this year.The endurance races are different, because ofthe fuel rangq of the cars. Are you a fan of what has happened? I thought that it would have mixed it up a bit. It did,for 12 months but now,you are just going to get the same strategy from most of the teams. Everyone understands their fuel burn now,everyone's fuel burn is about the same. Now,they will all be similar. I think that the soft tyre thing mixes it up. But there is still a bit of work to do in these half soft tyre/half control tyre 25

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weekends, versus full soft tyre-weekends. We need to make our minds up, whether we want to go full soft tyre weekends, and to leave it at that.

That has not been a big boost for you, has it? Some drivers love the soft tyre,some hate it. Are you in the middle somewhere? I love the soft tyre. I think that the soft tyre that we have this year is different to the soft tyre that we had last year. I love the concept, and I think that the full soft-tyre weekends that we have are better. But 1 still don't get why we practice on a hard tyre, then qualify and race on soft tyres. That does not make sense to me. But that is all politics, and stuff for the boardroom. But so far as making sure that the people understand what is on TV, and at circuits, that is a priority. My brother has been involved in motor racing for as long as I have. In Perth last year, he came and watched the race on the hill, as a punter. He came to me after the race and said,'I had absolutely no idea what was going on', and he had the benefit of listening to the circuit A commentary - with an understanding of the sport ^ and the industry. If someone like that who has a fair bit of knowledge about the sport, standing on the hill, cannot understand what is going on in a race, what chance does Joe Blow have? if anything is going to be incorporated into the Car of the Future, what would you like to I would like to see the cars have some grip. I think that the best racing this year has been on the soft tyre. There has been chat about taking the aero off them, make the tyres harder, make the braking zones longer, but that is from guys who were racing back in the 1970s and 80s.They do not understand the sport. More grip means you can fire it up the inside of someone with some confidence that, when you get there,the car is going to stop and turn, and you will get out the other side without belting into them. At the moment, with the rulings on the ^ penalties being ... not as consistent as everyone would like, you do not know whether you are going to get into trouble or not, if you stick it up the inside. Give the drivers some grip, give the drivers some confidence that if they stick it up the inside, it is going to stick.That is what we want as drivers, that is what the teams want and I think that what produces good racing. That is what I think that people at t circuits watching live, and the people watching on TV, want. Having watched you do this for a while, it seems to me that yi get a great deal of enjoyment from winning and much less... enjoyment factor of the sport itself still there? It is. I get a lot of enjoyment from v\/atching a team grow and ini in a team start to blossom. We have a very young group,that dc not seem to me to have been noticed much.There are a lot of pEBraE growing into their roles now. It is more about, yes, enjoying a win and getting a result, but about watching the people enjoy that success. I get plenty of ei out of that. Is anything less than a title next year a failure? I think if you ask all 29 drivers that, they will also say it is a failun is what we all race for. So,that is what we are aiming for. Circum along the way dictate whether it is a failure or not. So we canno that question until we get to the middle of next year's champio But certainly,that is the goal. 26

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L MNEWS EXCLUSIVE

Sunday night in Abu Dhabi was a bit flat for Team

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Webber. Understandably. In the early hours, after escaping the Red Bull party and before hopping a plane back to Europe, Mark Webber rang through and reflected on the weekend. and the year, with CHRIS LAMBDEN. And already, the tone suggested he’s far from beaten O l d

T was a throwaway line, hidden away in Webber's usual post-race personal press release,emailed some hours after he'd rung,that caughtthe eye:"What doesn't kill you makes you stronger." lit sums up the learn Webber philosophy perfectly. In some ways, Mark Webber reminds me of Monty Python's famous Black Knight,fighting on as limb after limb is chopped off(Gen-Y readers, YouTube Monty Python Black Knight). It's been a long,tough road, with a few hurdles but, in 2010, Mark Webber competed for, and oh so nearly woni the FI Drivers Championship. There are those that are saying that, at 34,that's it. He's had his big chance,the one opportunity.They'd be the same experts who were certain that, at 33, he was about to become cannon-fodder for the young German Wundenkind on the other side ofthe garage. Perhaps the same media expert who,in the Jaguar years, confidently predicted that"he'll be back racing V8s within two years..." Correct,2010 was Webber's big opportunity. And he went toe-to-toe with the kid, and three former champions,for the title. It was a huge season of highs - classic wins at Barcelona and the ultimate driver's circuit, Monaco;four in all, plus some top drawer non-wins.Spa in particular - and lows - Korea will stick in the craw for a while - and a bizarre finale in which he and points leader Fernando Alonso were effectively out ofthe game after just 15 laps. But make no mistake,that's not it for Webber. He will be back in 2011,even more motivated. But first, that anti-climax in Abu Dhabi. As has been proven a number of times in FI history.Just about anything can happen in a onerace title shootout. And this was no exception: "Before we went to the race we went through all the scenarios we thought could possibly happen, all ofthem - and this one didn't come up!"starts Webber. His voice is a bit husky- it's about 3am' Abu Dhabi time and it's been a long,long day. "Given we were still fifth after the start, we tried to do something with the strategy. It spooked the Ferraris into stopping as well, but before we knew it, we found ourselves in behind Petrov on a low wing set-up,and that killed the race off from there.

"We were on the back foot after qualifying. Q1, Q2 were okay, but Q3 we didn't have the pace, could n't gp with the track; one ofthose very rare occasions this season where 1 couldn't respond to the pit board,couldn't react to the times,so I was in a bit of trouble." And even now,despite a reasonably lengthy post-race debrief, unsure of why. "All we did was change a set oftyres, but we couldn't reproduce the times.(I was) happy with the pressures... everything.,The amount of prep which goes into all that is amazing ..." A rogue set oftyres? Maybe. Hence the early tyre stop? "The guys could see the balance was a little tricky early inthe race, while | wastrying to hold onto Fernando,and we knew we weren't going to win the championship by following him around all day.So we needed to try something, but it turned out that it put us back in a similar position... "BaSiCaly, it also screwed'Fernando's race, as we ended up with no track position. It was a long race, but it was over pretty quick... the current regulations make it pretty difficult to regain that kind of ground. Particularly when you come across some customers with very good F-ducts!" By that, Mark is referring to Renault rookie Vi'taly Petrov.The young Russian chose this day to make the early stop gamble - under the Lap two Safety Car - and then drove the race of his life, with two title contenders sniffing his fumes for the rest ofthe afternoon. He stops short of criticising the track. But everyone knows,It'S another ofthose extraordinarily pretty and architecturally majestic Tilke tracks - it's just that the layout is crap; no real passing opportunities. Bizarrely,the softer tyres on the remaining fron't-runners,started to'clean up'and they were able to go long Into the race. "Some ofthe g uys got a second wind on the Options - it's a very funny track, high ambient temp, but the track's not that hot. Only 6-7 degrees more." Had Webber's strategist give any thought to doing what Nico Rosberg and others did and taking the punt on getting the stop

Not bad for a Number 2 TH€ modern FT car is an exquisite piece of engineering excellence,and built to incredibly exacting,tiny tolerances.Two cars,side-by-side are identical. Absolutely. Weil; almost. Tiny, miniscule differences in carbon-fibre construction can mean,for example,that one car could have a fraction of a litre more in fuel capad'ty. Sometimes, it is seen as crucial. There's another. 30

FI cars run to a minimim weight, 620kgs,including driver.They're all well underweight,so use strategically-placed high-density ballast for ideal weight distribution. Mark Webber is quite tall for an FI driver.That in itself used to be an issue, less so now thanks to modern cockpit measurement regs. But he's some 8kgs heavier than Sebastian Vettel,(and works hard to keep it down at that).

What does that mean? It means that Vettel has 8kg less body weight,and thus 8kg more of ballast placed strategically down low and rearwards on his Red Bull racecar. In theory,that means marginally better start traction, rear grip out of corners. It's a very small difference, and in all likelihood making a very, very small difference. Could it be five-hundredths of a second a lap? What do you think?

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out of the way on Lap 2, under the Safetf Car, after Michael's shunt? "We could hawe done, but we didn't. It was, we thought,a bit early for that kind of gamble. But it's weird how basically every different strategy worked,except ours! "Robert Kubica's strategy of going long> on. Primes, worked;the McLarens ran a more conservative strategy, ran long on the Options, which worked.We had done something similar to what we did,in Singapore,and were able to pass cars there, a nd it worked, but it just wasn't going to happen here." Webber-and Alonso,just a few feet ahead wound out the rest ofthe race, stuck,trapped, as Vettel motored on up front, unknowingly (his crew decided not to tell him what was going on behindi)to the title. It was a cruel blow,for the Spaniard and the Aussie, and these few hours later, it was still hurting. "Yeah,feeling a bit low about it right now. It would have been an incrediitble thing to have got it this year, but... I actuaillly had quite a good chat with Fernamdo and Sebastian after the race and we all agreed it has been a real up-anddown year all round. We each had periods when things went wrong> people made mistakes, and we each had times when things went very well - but they handed the chamipionship out today and for the first time, when it mattered, Seb was in front!" Korea aside, where both he and Vettel DNF'd, what was the decisive point of the ran in to the finish:? "The qualifying sessions in Suzuka and Brazil were probably the key to the chamipionship. We qualified half a tenth or so off Seb and that

We Mnightin Shining Armour: ^nian Newey has won World whampionships with Williams, mcLaren,and now Red Bull.

was the dliifference between first and second in both races" Fle's right. Flalf a tenth. Five hundredths of a second. Work out how small that is. Yet, in FI terms,it's the night-and-day difference between a'clean' pole position start and grid two,on the dirty side. In many cases,three is better. Butthere were some quality drives, earlier in the year, which had got Webber to the points lead:Monaco, with its unique'driver's driver' qualities stood out. But not just the wins. Spa was pretty special. While just about everyone else made mistakes,and Vettel speared into Button, Webber kept his head after his car kicked into anti-stall - on pole - and recovered strongly for second. "Yup,Spa was one of the toughest races I've ever done. Easy to trash a car there, but we managed to get it home. "If you don't have a good season, you're not going to be in contention come the end ofthe year. We ticked a few boxes along the way,sure, but not the biggest box. I've got to live with that, learn from it, and come back stronger." What now? For one,a normal break. "The last couple of off-seasons have had to involve a bit of extra personal preparation (ie the bike crash,the broken leg and damaged shoulder,and further corrective surgery last year), so this year it will be good to go and have a clear break,turn off the phone,take off the watch, refresh,and come back prepared to go again." And there^ no reason, none,to suggest that our bloke won't be right in it again. Butthere are some unknowns which affect both he and his young:team-mate. As usual(despite cost-saving pleas)there are significant

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(no double-diffusers, F-ducts), a switch of tyre brands,and the feturn of KERS,the energy-recovery systems discarded this year. which Red Bull conspicuously chose not to run anyway in 2009. Their performance is pretty much in the hands of one man,Adrian Newey,the enigmatic,quirky, innovative designer who has now won World Championships, Drivers and Constructors, with three separate teams- Williams during its late 80s-early 90s heyday,then McLaren,and now Red Bull.There is,,therefore,every reason for optimism! "Mate, Adrian is crucialL He's done a phenomenal job over the last three years.The way he gets everyone working... you can't do it in-tve minutes.He's the innovator, and there's a super team-of people around him making it happen.This team's firing! And what ofthe rumou rs? The suggestion that the cross-garage tensions - always on the cards with two serious contenders in the one team - might see him elsewhere in 2011.The rumourmongers have even suggested Ferrari, or possibly Renault.The answer is short and direct; I'll be at Red Bull, mate, i won't be going anywhere.' And now? Tomorrow? 'We're leaving for Austria in a couple of hours for Red Bull celebrations!"Pre-weekend,the odds favoured those centring on the Aussie. "Given the way it's panned out,I might feel a bit like a spare tyre - but there arel 300 staff at Red Bull who want to see both drivers,and another 500 people back at Milton Keynes. 'Then I don't want to see a set of scales, or a schedulefor a while.' 2010 may not have provided the championship win that Webber,and Australian motorsport. desperately hoped for but,to quote the Black Knight,"It's Just a flesh wound!"He'll be back. motorsport news

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motorsport news

Jacques lias an aura. Yon meet o ler atMetes and tliey dond 1lave tliat g’iow

WORLD CHAMPIONS AND BACK AGAIN

Bact in 1995"; Jacques Villeneuve and Ckris Styrin^ won a Forniula 1 World Cliampioiisliip toêtKer. Ill 2010,tkey worked toêrtlier aâinr as part of Ford^s V8 Supercar program. ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN and PHIL BRANAGAN spoke exclusively to tke pair

^ HERE are reunions that are fun, and reunions that are not. For instance, meeting a group of third cousins at an elderly relative's birthday is not a fun reunion. It's like hanging around with strangers, except you have to pretend that you actually remember the people,their names, and how they are related to you. But being reunited with someone that you once shared the experience of winning a Formula 1 World Championship with, at an ESS-fuelled party on the Gold Coast, is a fun reunion. Just ask Chris Styring and Jacques Vilieneuve. Back in 1997, Styring was the man responsible for the commercial side of the Williams Formula 1 team.Vilieneuve was the man in charge of driving the FW19 as fast it would go.They both succeeded; Williams was as well funded as any team in FI at the time,and with Adrian Newey and Renault both still on board, their car was the fastest of them all. And Vilieneuve held up www.mnews.com.au

his end of the bargain,soaking up a season of pressure from Michael Schumacher to famously win the title at Jerez, becoming one of the few drivers to properly beat the seven-time champ in a straight fight. Styring has now left FI, moved back to Australia, and is Ford's motorsport boss, in this role, he was instrumental in bringing Vilieneuve out for the Gold Coast 600, where he drove the third Ford Performance Racing car in the colours ofThe Bottie0.Thirteen years after winning the World Championship together, and 12 years after the French-Canadian left Williams, Styring and Vilieneuve worked together again. To mark the reunion, Motorsport News sat down with the pair on the Gold Coast, to talk about what it was like back in '97. Styring kicks things off; "Some of the drivers I've worked with have a presence and an aura when they walk in," he says."This guy has it. You meet other drivers and other athletes, and they don't have that glow. People talk about Jacques'

father(ED: Gilles Vilieneuve) like that, and it's very similar. Michael has that appeal as well, but other drivers that I've worked with, who I won't name,don't have it. It's a very special quality." "I was a brat," interrupts Vilieneuve, as if uncomfortable with the praise. And when Styring continues, he does concede that the 1997-spec Vilieneuve could be a prickly pear. "He was hard to handle. 1997 was a tough year. It was a really focused year. It was a pressure year. If you look at the results, it was neck-and-neck between Jacques and Michael. "As the year wore on, Michael was doing some things that were... questionable... and the mind games were going on. it was a very stressful year for him in the car, and for the ‘team as a whole. "It came down to the last race, and the last few laps... "It was a difficult year in '97, and I realised that[Jacques] was very professional with the things that he did. When he won, III! 1998 was totally different, because 37

motorsport news

Tlle pressure of tke ckampioiisilip makes yon agressive, on ecl^e lani

the weight was off his shoulders.The Jacques of'98 was totally different. I think that came from achieving what he wanted to achieve, and proving to himself that he could do it. "This is a guy who is his own worst enemy. He's unbelievably competitive in everything he does. Jacques wants to do the best possible job with whatever he's doing - and he just happens to drive a car very fast.That sort of professionalism was a blessing to be around, and once he achieved that in '97, he was a lot more relaxed. And he has mellowed a hell of a lot over the years!" Having listened to Styring's honest appraisal, Villeneuve makes no attempt to hide the fact that the title fight often made him difficult to deal with. "It's the pressure of the championship," justifies Villeneuve. "That makes you a little aggressive, a little bit on the edge. It doesn't make you the nicest of people, but you have to do what you have to do when you're fighting for the championship.The social aspect of life has to take a back seat. I'm sure I apologised when 1 was drunk at some time (laughs)!' As the pair discuss the year, it becomes obvious that a lot of the tension between

the two was down to time pressure. It might have only been a little over a decade ago, but being a Formula 1 driver was a lot different back then that it is today. Nowadays, drivers do no testing throughout the season, and good managers have cut PR days down to under 10 a year for the top drivers. That's something Villeneuve can hardly believe. "Ten is not a lot, because there is no testing now,so I'm surprised they do so few,"says Villeneuve."I'm sure they do more..." "[Mark] Webber is doing about six for Red Bull," adds Styring. "Really? He's got a good contract then," Villeneuve continues. "We didn't have any time to get up to mischief. We were working, continuously. We did some fun stuff, we went to Russia for a fashion show once, but most of the time it was just working. "When we were doing appearances, it was morning to night. We didn't have time to sit down and have a beer, basically. "The schedule was busy, because you were either testing, racing, or doing PR.There was maybe one day off a week,so it was like any job. But they do seem to do less now." So it was busy, hard work and not without

its disagreements along the way. But the one thing both Styring and Villeneuve agree on is that they wouldn't change the experience they shared for anything in the world. "When I left Williams, I said goodbye to everyone and then I went for one last walk around the museum,"says Styring. "The 1997 car is in there, and the team never repaired the sidepod where it was hit by Michael.That was the car that I touched and said goodbye to, like it was a person.To me,that is the most significant car in the museum."

o, if 1997 was the first chapter in the Styring/Villeneuve story,then the Gold Coast 600 is the second. Well, actually, let's call it a preface to the second, because that one-offV8 Supercar drive may turn into something longer-term. Talking to Villeneuve about the future can be difficult. Since his latest retirement from Formula 1 in 2006,Villeneuve has been kind of a journeyman.There's been Le Mans starts, a one-off NASCAR career, and even a bid to enter Formula 1 as an owner/driver, in partnership with Durango. But thus far, nothing has really stuck in a longterm sense.

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So it's predictable that upon seeing a professional series like V8 Supercars first hand, Villeneuve was happy to admit he'd be interested in a full-time ride. Big news,sure - the guy is a World Champion - but a concept that needs to be taken with a grain of salt, because Villeneuve seems to show interest in every motor racing category in the world ... if it is prepared to meet salary demands. But from Ford Australia's point of view, Styring leaves no doubt that he'd like to get Villeneuve in a V8 Supercar on a permanent basis. It was a message he was spruiking hard on the Gold Coast. "I'd love to get Jacques here," he says. "From a commercial point of view, this is a guy that can help us sell cars. He could improve the brand image of Ford. One of the problems with our brand image at the moment is that we don't have enough positive rub-off. People know who Ford is, and they know the brand, but we want to make it a cooler brand. "Being associated with someone like Jacques, who is interesting, global and recongisable, would not only help our motor racing, but our motor car business. "The offer has to be good,[because] he's got a family, but if the jigsaws fall into place ..." So what does have to happen for Villeneuve to properly consider racing in Australia on a permanent basis? "For starters, a proper offer!" he says. "The thing is, I worked on FI, and that didn't happen. And now I'm working on

NASCAR,and that's where my focus is. But Australia is a country where it would be quite easy to live. You don't move to Australia thinking 'this is going to be a pain'. You move to Australia thinking 'great, it's going to be summer for 12 months of the yeari'That's a positive. "The cars are fun to drive, and the series is fun, so there are lots of positives. It could happen. I've been working hard on NASCAR,so all my focus is on that, but this is something new." With this in mind,Villeneuve is happy to admit that the GC600 was, in a way,a reconnaissance. A fact-finding mission, if you like. "That's also one reason to do this; firstly to escape winter, and to try these cars. I didn't want to do it at Bathurst, but this was good because there was 18 of us [internationals] invited, so you can't look too stupid. "It's an easy way to find out what it's all about, and find out if it's something I would enjoy, and also, if the people here want to get involved in. It goes both ways. "Also, you don't move to Australia for six months. And there are other issues. I'm divorced,there are kids, so there are important personal issues as well. "Right now,I'm not in a po’sition to can the work I've done on NASCAR. NASCAR is great; you have Formula 1, and you have NASCAR, and they are the two main racing series in the world. When you take them away, I would say V8 Supercars are amazing.The cars are good,there's a good crowd, and it's in Australia (laughs).

"We spent a lot of time and energy on the FI project, and we had $60 million for that, so it was a big pile of money. But people Interested in F1 aren't interested in NASCAR, which is the shame, because it would be great to bring that money straight across! "I'm not working on FI right now.Today, I am focusing on NASCAR. It's getting too late; FI is highly political, and I don't know if I want to be a part of that. Six months ago, when I had time to buy a team and get my hands into it, yes. But the other issue is that the sponsors that we had in place, it's one thing that when you're working in August, but in November,they have already got their contracts in place. So it's risky to buy a team now, because the sponsors you had won't happen if it's too late. That's not a risk I'm willing to take." Now Styring chimes in, with another commercial take on getting Jacques to Australia. "The great thing about this series compared to other sports I've worked in is that tennis is very political, the AFL is very political, FI is unbelievably political, but this is pretty straightforward," he says. "We could fill a car if Jacques was involved. It's something we'd support, with the right team,and with his nature and his universal appeal, it's a sponsor's dream." Will it ever happen? That's a question to which there is currently no answer. If Villeneuve's current NASCAR plans don't work out, it's not impossible. Would it be good to see? You betcha.

motorsport news

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FAZZT Race Team; Tagliani’s home for the next four seasons. (added 2010) Alex Tagliani says: At the beginning we were a little bit concerned, but when we started the team, through the good relationships I have built up over the years, I knew we had a chance. The start-up equipment was good, the people were good, and in the process of building a team the biggest challenge is putting together a good group of people. Sometimes it takes years to get to that point, but we felt that having Rob Edwards as our general manager was a good piece of the puzzle. After that, he picked up some key employees, so the more we progressed, the more we felt we had a good operation going. When we went to the first race, we qualified on the front row in second place, and people were looking at us saying ‘whoa, what the fuck?’ After that we had some good results - we qualified fifth at the Indy 500 - so we’re happy where we are. Most of our year has been learning. and accumulating a good base of data. Overall we’re pretty pleased with the first-year team.

The Players Days; Tagliani’s first year in Champ Car, pictured at Surfers Paradise,(added 2000) Alex Tagliani says: They had a big driver development program in Canada. I was invited to do a test, and there were three drivers testing, i knew that day was going to make or break my career, and I actually made iti It was absolutely amazing. That test was a stressful day, because I knew there was one position left. Players were a Canadian company, and they were going for an Anglophone, and a French Canadian. Jacques [Villeneuve] was the first one to get it, and then Greg [Moore], and then they put Greg and Patrick [Carpentier] together. When Greg signed for Penske, and Patrick was staying, I though it would be tough to get the ride because it would have meant two French-Canadians in the cars. When I got to the test, I did really well. It was a crazy test, because the engineers were changing the cars, and you had to Jump in the car and then tell them what they’d done. But we had no experience in those cars! So, it was pretty intense. They wanted to pick the guy with the best feedback. www.mnews.com.au

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Tagliani has a big crash in the Team Australia entry, during practice at Milwaukee, (added 2006) Alex Tagliani says: Oh, that hurt. That was bad. It was unfortunate, because we were PI in practice, and just before qualifying we went out, and on old tyres, we were like half a second quicker than everybody. And we made a weight distribution change, and instead of trying it on new tyres, we stayed on old tyres. The car was a little bit loose, and I got into Turn 4 and the rear snapped and I hit the wall. It was a big hit. It ripped my arm. There are some tracks that we have no business being on. We need to work on making the cars safe and competitive on ovals. We need to make sure that we have passing; you don’t want to get stuck where you have an accumulation of 10 cars that are running side-by-side, in the same pack. That’s when the little touches become big accidents. They are planning on extending the front side-pod, and that would be much better. But still, when you touch wheels, the car wants to lift. Taglian takes a breakthrough win at Road America. (added 2004)

Alex Tagliani says: Road America is like [Surfers Paradise]. I’ve always been quick in qualifying, a few podiums, and I won a race there. My first year at Road America I qualified third, and led the race until six laps to go when a half-shaft broke. Second year, I qualified second, and we had a full course yellow with closed pits, and the they red flagged it because of the rain. The year after I finished second, the year after that I finished third in the wet, and the year after that we came back in the first year of RocketSports, and we went there testing and the car was PI. We were fifth in the championship arriving there, and we were taking on Newman Haas and Forsythe as a first year team. We had a problem with the gearshift in qualifying; the lever wasn’t downshifting properly, so I qualified 13th. In the race we had a good pit-stop, I went into the lead, and I never lost it. It was like, finally! After all the seconds and thirds! At the press conference, ajournallst told me that It was the eighth round in the championship, the eighth day of the eighth month, I was the eighth driver in Champ Car to win his first race at that track, and I was car number eight. It was meant to be! motorsport news

Alex and his Australian fiance Bronte get married in Montreal. (added 2003) Alex Tagliani says: Man, I was so sick on the day before. I was supposed to go and get my hair cut, but I didn’t have time because I was laying in bed trying to recover! I was making lots of jokes about me and my hairstyle, and mum was at the front crying. It was a very special day.

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The three Canadians, Tagliani, Paul Tracy and Patrick Carptentier, at Milwaukee,(added 2001) Alex Tagliani says: Paul’s sticking his wheels where he has no business! He’s below the fricking apron! When 1 got into Champ Car, the first race I qualified fourth, and I was leading the race, and the veterans are not going to open the door and let you walk over them. So Paul was quite aggressive; he was pushing the envelope. We had some issues. It was like Uuan-Pablo] Montoya and [Michael] Andretti. At one point I got taken out by PT at Long Beach when 1 had a car that could have won the race, and then he won the race after punting his nose right into my wheels. On those older cars, the nose extends in front of the wing. In Formula 1, the wing is right at the front, so if you touch, you lose your wing. In Champ Cars, you could touch someone and cause them a puncture. That happened three or four times and one day I said ‘that’s it’, and at the end of the back straight I took him out. 1 told him, ‘you have to stop this nonsense, because I can do it the same way’. Then the wreck in San Jose in ‘06 was all over the news because we got in a little fight at the end of pit-lane. But afterwards, he apologised about that. He came back from the run-off and took me out. In racing, you have to remember that emotions run high - it’s very intense - and when a guy comes to you and says ‘sorry, I messed up’, then it’s all good. You Just turn the page. That little moment of friction was because I was waiting for him to show me he felt sorry, but he didn’t at the time. He was confrontational. Later, it was good. We had some good racing. This is like 230mph. I want to show my engineer (Tag then calls his Kelly Racing engineer from across the garage, which results in almost the entire Rock Energy crew sitting in for the rest of the interview). www.mnews.com.au

Tagliani at the Sandown 500. (added 2005)

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Tagliani back in a V8 Supercar, this time at Surfers Paradise for the Cold Coast 600.

(added 2010)

Alex Tagliani says: This year, it was really fun to drive the V8 because of the sequential gearbox. Your focus is more on driving the car, rather than getting used to being on the righthand side, and the Hpattern, and all that. It was a huge thing for the international drivers. The V8s are a really fun car to drive. They are heavy, they don’t have a lot of grip and they have no downforce. But they are a racecar, and you have to drive a racecar to its limit. I enjoyed the cars when I tried them the first time in ’05, and it’s exactly the same now. 46

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Alex Tagliani says: You can see that people are pushing a lot (points at the broken rear bar on the car). The one thing I remember from that time was the track at Bathurst. Just to be able to race at that track, Just to go around there, was absolutely amazing. It’s a unique course; it has everything! It was nice to know that there is a series out there that has cars that are fun to drive. From that moment I knew that in the future I wanted to have the chance to come and race V8 Supercars full-time. I want to do the best job I can in IndyCar, but after that there is a future. For Bronte to be able to come back and be close to her family, after 10 years in the States, that would be fantastic.

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Tagliani finishes on the podium at Surfers Paradise, in the Team Australia car. (added 2006) Alex Tagliani says: It’s funny, because Rob Edwards was the general manager of Team Australia, and now he’s the general manager of our team. He was on my car that day, and being from Canada, it was a little bit awkward. But everyone knows that I met my wife Bronte here, and she is from Australia, so I am basically half-Australian. If I wanted an Australian passport, I could get it right now! It was a special day for the team, for all of Walker Racing, to come here with a team sponsored by Australian companies and finish on the podium.

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Tagliani’s last race in Champ Car, at Long Beach, before the IndyCar merger, (added 2008) Aiex Tagliani says: Champ Car had launched their new Panoz, which was an amazing car to drive, and we thought that Champ Car would be continuing. Somehow, they let the series go down and IRL took everything, so those cars were no good no more. What was also difficult was that all the guys in the IRL were signed, with long-term contracts, so to try and get into the IRL was pretty much impossible. It was like April, so everyone was set and ready to go. With the merger. Long Beach was the same time as Japan for the IRL. So they decided to make then two races, but both counting for IRL points. So we went to Long Beach with Derrick [Walker], and we qualified on the front row, and it was a lot of fun. 48

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Peter Brock loved living on the edge. From rally driver to nine-times Bathurst winner, Peter loved pushing the boundaries. Many _V things have been written about ssA Peter and his achievements. Our story covers parts of Peter’s life that are little known. We travel back to his childhood, talk to his family and some old friends that helped him in his early days of racing, from the old tractor on his uncle’s farm to the Austin A 30, then interview some of his more famous racing opponents, culminating with his first Bathurst win in the fantastic Torana XU-1 at Bathurst in 1972. Included are inten/iews with Harry Firth, Colin Bond, Peter Janson, Bob Jane, Bill ■i ! Tuckey and Ian Tate (Chief Mechanic for HDT). This is a fascinating journey, with never before seen stills and family home movies, together with classic Bathurst footage from 1969, 70, 71 and 1972. Plus with every purchase you have an opportunity to enter the competition to WIN a Peter -Brock limited Edition full size s ‘'Ifeil peter Brock - ’’replica 1996 race suit and two ^line website great runner up prizes. ■tetalls with every purchase

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The'^fQcial entry list for the

2011 MNewS

Sure, the 10 running of the GG600just finished. But it got us here at MNews excited about who could join the party in 2011. So, here is the list we came up wth 099

HETHER you thought that it was a great idea executed brilliantly, or something that fell a bit short of its potential, the Gold Coast 600 certainly got people

talking. Sorting through the hoopla,from the over-thetop hype that predicted that the event would become the greatest touring car event in the world, to the wowsers who pointed out that most of the visiting drivers got their arses kicked, the 600 appears to have launched a concept that Is, if not here to stay then, surely, going to be with us for the immediate future. With that in mind, and with the likelihood that the 2010 safety-first step of one-driver-per-team will be expanded to all 29 cars next year, we reckon we have a better way of running the race. Actually, what we think we have is a wishlist of the drivers who we would like to see take to the streets of Surfers Paradise, in V8 Supercars. So, we did what we always do; we came up with a list of names on a whiteboard, argued,threw things, went to the pub,threw more things and, slowly, refined the list of names dowm to those we would like to see. Some of them could be racewinners; some of them made the list to race someone else who made the list. There was some sentiment,some blue-sky thinking and a fair bit of elbow-in-the-ribs involved in the process. During this time, we set, and stuck to some strict rules. Because MN is a motor racing magazine, we have determined the list based on motor racing priorities; in other words, we have picked the drivers that we think would be good for the race rather than good for other reasons. Second, we have made it somewhat practical; we have picked drivers who would be available, and eliminated the people who are otherv>/ise occupied on the same weekend as next year's race. There are date clashes with the 2011 WTCC and DTM, not to mention WRC, MotoGP and others. So, no Priaulx, Ekstrom, Loeb or Rossi, then ... Of course, there is no date clash with Formula 1 so there is a window open for GP drivers, but we do not honestly believe that the likes of Webber and Schumacher would make the trip. Yes, we know Jenson Button has already driven a TeamVodafone car, but we are putting JB in that basket too. So, here are the 29, or so, drivers we want to see at Surfers in October 2011. And yes, we are prepared for arguments. 50

motorsport news

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WHILE the 18'international'drivers equipped themseives reasonably well at the 2010 running of the GC600,we've ' decided to take an axe to the line-up for 2011. Some of it was done for us; in 2011,there will be a clash with | the World Touring Car Championship,so you can immediately rule outTiago Monteiro, Alain Menu,Yvan Muller and Andy Priauix. A great loss? Not really.To be honest, Priaulx is the only driver from the WTCC that we'd have invited back anyway.The rest,for guys driving in what should be the best Touring Car championship in the world, were highly unimpressive. So, basically,the drivers wed keep are Will Power,Sebastien Bourdais,Patrick Long,below, Dario Franchitti, Alex Tagliani, Helio Castroneves, and either Jacques Willeneuve or Davidi Brabham. How does that work? Well,.Villeneuve did well, but if his planned NASCAR campaign comes of, he won't be available. So, David Brabham would fill in.Why isn't he on the original list of retainees? He was too slow,that's why.The only reason you'd have him back is because of his surname -the Brabham name still holds some power...and Jack is a little past it these days. There's some controversial bonings from the'TO list. Some people are still saying Scott Dixon did a good job on the Gold Coast, but we must have missed it, so he's gone. Mika Salo was closer to his regular V8-driving team-mate than anyone else on the Gold Coast, but that team-mate was Andrew Thompson,so Salo is also gone.We here at MNews rated Gianni Morbidelli's chances on the Gold Coast this year, but he let us and Triple F Racing down. Fabrizio Giovanardi simply added weight to the existing theory that he isn't fast in a V8 Supercar,and Scott Pruett didn't get enough miles to prove an^hing, but we've decided we don't need him anyway. Probably the most controversial exclusion is Ryan Briscoe. It's not that Briscoe did a terrible Job, but the thing is, we'd like to see the'internationals'not be regular co-drivers,and there's always a chance that Briscoe will be at Phillip Island or Bathurst.

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Gerhard Berger GERHARD Berger has not raced in Formula 1 since 1997, but there is another side to the Austrian. Before he won 10 Grands Prix, Berger was a Touring Car ace, a regular driver for BMW's factory-backed teams In events like the Spa 24 Hour race. He even raced tintops down under, in a BMW 635 at Adelaide in 1985, ending his race against a concrete barrier. At 51,there is no reason to assume that Berger has lost his ability, and watching him in action in Queensland would be a rare sight. Bring it on...

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HE might be a rally driver, not a racing driver, but there are many reasons to have Carlos Sainz along - apart from the fact that many rally stars are quick on 'tarmac'. For starters, he's a two-time World Rally Champion,and the words World Champion sound good on a promotional poster. , Secondly, he's still a solid performer in the Dakar,and started his career in circuit racing,so the task isn't beyond him.Thirdly, I you get to add Spain to the competing countries, and finding a Spanish race driver not called'Fernando'or'Alonso'is a difficult

motorsport news

THE Andretti name is a musthave for a properly effective GC600- and for the sake of reality, we've invited Marco. Of course, it would be great to see Mario, but you have to be realistic. Michael? Maybe, but Marco is really one to choose. Hopefully he'd bring the rest of the family with him anyway. Marco wouldn't be the quickest in the field, but his name would look good on the posters,so let's make it happen.

IF you looked up'mercurial'in a motorsport dictionary, you'd probably find a picture of Jean Alesi. The Frenchman had a long career in Formula 1, spanning 13 seasons with six teams. If he'd gone with his head rather than his heartand joined Williams in 1991 and not Ferrari, he surely would've left Formula 1 with more than his single Grand Prix victory. Fle's since raced in DTM and sportscars.

Jean Alesi ►

IT'S been said before, and we'll say it again - you can't underestimate the phrase'World Champion' when it comes to promoting an event like this. That's why Mika Hakkinen is an obvious choice. The Flying Finn has two World Championships, and they're genuine Formula 1 versions. He's also got recent Touring Car experience, thanks to his stint in the DTM, so his performance would be adequate at worst... and he's one of the few drivers to have genuinely beaten Michael Schumacher. Sounds like a winner to us.

WE have seen plenty of greats on the GC, but is there anyone greater than Emerson Fittipaldi? Yes, it has been years since he retired, but Emmo's recent trip down under only emphasised that he is in race trim. He is a former GC winner, as well as FI World Champ, Indy 500 winner, CART champion and so on. Even if he drives around the back of the field, the Brazilian legend is well worth the air ticket to Queensland. As an ambassador for GM Brazil, we reckon that Holden would approve of the idea, too...

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Giancarlo Hsichella

ENG

GIANCARLO Fisichella is a red-blooded. Grand Prix-winning, Ferrari-driving Italian. Sure those last few races at Ferrari weren't great, but Fisi is a past Australian Grand Prix winner and is only fresh out of FI - he almost won at Spa last year. In a Force India. Fisi isn't exactly doing much as a test driver for Ferrari, so he'd be free to come down. And he's done a bit of Sportscar racing since retiring from FI,so he's not exactly short on relevant experience, either.

HE hasn't done a lot lately, but Damon Hill is still a former Formula 1 World Champion,so he has to be included. Hill is easily recognised, has won a couple of Grands Prix in Australia, and adds to the ; number of World Champs in the field, so we have a clear ; starter on our hands.Would : he be any good? Well, given l his history and family linage, to doesn't really matter. .

JOHNNY Herbert may be 46, but he is still racing and still showing speed. The two-time GP winner won the Middle Eastern-based Speedcar Series in 2008,raced in a one-off BTCC race in 2010,and raced in the Italian Superstars Series this year. He drove a Chevrolet Lumina;that's a Holden Commodore! Herbert was always a dab hand in different types of cars - he finished second at Le Mans for BMW - so there is little reason to think that he would have problems adapting to the local variety.

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Bruno Senna YOU'D have Bruno Senna on the Gold Coast for the same reason he is in FI - his name.

While there is no FI clash in '11, we've not included current FI drivers, because of their strict contracts and penchant for fast, responsive racing cars. But Senna is unlikely to be in a front-running team with a water tight contract next season, and GC organisers would surely pay big to have the Senna name on the bill. Bruno wouldn't be used to getting paid to race,so he'd surely say yes...

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Nigel Mansell

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IT'S simple; Gold Coast + Drama = Nigel Mansell.

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In 1993, there he was, limping away from a Newman-Flaas Lola, as if shot, after winning on debut. Fie won on the Gold Coast, at Adelaide's AGP, and still has a lot of fans in this country. Having Mansell come back to drive a V8 Supercars is a nobrainer- in lots of ways ...

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Big Nige was the race. Fans loved him and hated him in equal measure, but Red 5's ability to generate controversy and headlines was second to none. Plus, he could drive a bit.

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THE inclusion of Danica Patrick might raise a few eyebrows, but it does make sense in several ways. Firstly, as family-friendly as V8SA want to make the Gold Coast race, it is still a bikini-clad, booze-filled party. It needs to be. And you can comfortably say that Danica looks better in a bikini than any other professional racecar driver on the planet. Sorry Russell Ingall, but it's true. So, Danica is cute, American, and not completely hopeless - albeit pretty close.That makes her an almost perfect fit for the race.

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WITH Danica Patrick in the field, a second female driver will give the event yet another subplot. Simona de Silvestro impressed in the 2010 IndyCar Series,finishing the year as the second highestplaced rookie in 19th in the standings. At Indy,the Swiss miss earnt Rookie ofthe Year honours with 14th place, de Silvestro made the right moves coming up through the junior ranks and will probably win her first IndyCar race before Patrick wins her second.

Bobby Rahal

USA

YEAH,he'll be 58 when the GC600 kicks off in 2011, but Bobby Rahal would still get the Job done. Every year, he heads to race meetings like the Goodwood Revival and drives very, very fast. He's also got words like'Formula 1','Indy 500 winner'and'CART Champion'in his bio, which hold plenty of weight. Also,the name Rahal is close to being synonymous with American motorsport. And given the history of the Gold Coast street race, and American slant is expected and welcomed ...just like Rahal would be.

motorsport news

Alex Zanarci k

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THIS might be impractical but... we'd love to see Alex Zanardi back and this time, in something loud and fast. The Italian is one of the greatest drivers ever to race in this country, and his amazing exploits since he lost his legs in a crash nine years ago have only added to his accomplishments. So, how would it work? Maybe a team could rig up separate LHD controls for him, based on what he had in his WTCC BMW. If it can't be done, dammit, bring him out here to wave the chequered flag.

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n A'LIWIOST two decades after his retirement,the name Alain Prost still carries weight. The four-time Formula 1 World Champion's rivalry with Ayrton Senna is famous and despite an : ii|i|-fated. run as a team owner, he's regarded as one of the genuine legends of motorsport. Prost in a V8 Supercar would be simply ; fascinating.The Professor would treat it seriously, ; and he's been active in recent years; racing on ice, , ; no less.

RACING PUMPS

OKAY, we are biased. Journalists dream of having a racing driver like Paul Tracy. For two decades,PT was Champ Car's enfant terrible, backing up his brash confidence with pure speed. In between, he made friends, enemies and many fans, and was never one to back down from a fight, on or off the track. Tracy may not race full-time anymore but when he does, he wastes no time scraping off the rust. We reckon he could handle a V8 Supercar just fine and even if he can't, we want to see what happens. ^

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PERFORMANCE

A FROM winning the AGP in 1981,to qualifying on pole at Surfers 20 years later, Roberto Moreno has made a big impression on Australian racing. Well into his 40s, he expressed a desire to race a V8 Supercar down under - and here is the perfect chance to grant that wish. Moreno never really showed a loss of speed in the latter part of his career, qualifying for the Indy 500 as recently as three years ago.Put him in a decent car, and the chances are, Pupo will get some speed out of it.

JIMMY Vasser gives the event a significant link to its open-wheel history. Vasser contested most of the CART/Champ Car/ IndyCar races on the streets of Surfers and took a win in 1996, the year he won the CART title during the series'golden era. Later, when the impact of'the split'set in, he remained in Champ Car, becoming one of its few Americans and biggest names. He's since become an IndyCar team owner. 58

motorsport news

AtLA'ISl McNSsh Isn't the biggest nanne on our list, but there's a good chance he'd do an excellent job. Don't get us wrong;the Scot will bring plenty in terms of pre-race promotion. He's a two-time Le Mans winner, a multiple ALMS Champ,and a former FT driver, even though that didn't last long. Actually, he's starting to sound a lot like David Brabham. But beyond all of that, it would Just be interesting to see how he'd go in a V8 Supercar. Better than Brabs? Probably.

REALLY, we hear you ask.Yes, really - and here's why, Jos is Dutch, and despite his relative lack of results throughout his career, remains one of the most loved and famous sporting exports from the land of tulips. To this day he has a massive following,so you could expect the Dutch to tune in, provided it is one of the 498 countries that V8 Supercars is supposedly beamed to. Also, think of the pre-race promos;footage of Verstappen's Benetton going up in flames in pit-lane in Germany back in '94. Exciting stuff.

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TOM Kristensen has one of the best motor racing CVs outside of Formula 1. He may be best known for his Le Mans record - eight wins is a bit hard to look past- but he is also a dab hand in a touring car. He took four wins and 18 podium finishes in the DTM before he decided to stand down from the series last year, and has also won races in the German n Super Touring and WTCC series. The Dane is widely respected, and has been an FI drivers'steward this year. Ln r-d

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AS far as impressive resumes go,the collective CV from our Gold Coast600 cast is a cracker. For starters, we'll have 15 countries represented,including Australia and New Zealand, which is a Jump from 12 this year.The new countries are Austria, Spain, Denmark,and the Netherlands, while Portugal is the only casualty. In total, there will be 14World Championships on the grid; 12 of them are Formula 1 titles, while Carlos Sainz adds two Word Rally Championships to the list. The loss of the World Touring Car Championship drivers from the event due to the date clash will cost us a few extra titles, but it's still a pretty impressive number,and a big Jump from '10. Indy 500 wins? Yep, we've got nine of them,five more than in '10. Grand Prix wins? A massive 166. And lastly for individual races, you can add 11 Le Mans 24 Hours wins - thanks to Tom Kristensen, Allan McNish and Johnny Herbert. If David Brabham ended up in the mix instead of Jacques Villeneuve, that list would grow to 12. Finally, given the CART,Champ Car and IndyCar history of the Gold Coast street race,there are 17 American open wheeler championships on the grid, across the three variations. 59

THE SECOND ROW national racing since we last met

FORMULA 3

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Tim Macrow made a winning, one-off return to the Formula 3 Australian Drivers Championship at Sandown.The 2007 Champion won the season finale's two completed races, clear of the title fight. Ben Barker, Mitch Evans and Tom Tweedie entered the weekend covered by just 12 points. Evans reduced Barker's lead in the opening race, then Barker's tilt looked to have copped a massive blow when he was taken out at the first corner of Race 2 by Zhang Shan Qi. fortunately for Barker, the race was red-flagged due to a separate crash, so it all came down to the final. Evans settled into second, ahead of Tweedie and Barker. That would've seen Evans and Barker tied on points, with Evans winning on a countback, but there was still a battle for a bonus point on offer for fastest race lap. In the end, that point - and the title - went Barker's way by just 0.05s.

SHANNONS NATIONALS James Sera capped a remarkable debut season of circuit racing by wrapping up the Kerrick Sports Sedan Series. Sera was second to Darren Hossack in ail three races, enough to claim the title. A pair of wins ahead of team-mate InkyTulloch ensured Stuart Kostera left Sandown with the Australian Manufacturers Championship. There was drama in the Porsche GTS Cup Challenge presented by Mission Foods, as series leader Matt Kingsley's weekend ended with a qualifying crash. Roger Lago snared the title and Kane Rose the round. In a cameo, Marcus Zukanovic won the Commodore Cup round, with second-placed Adam Beechey securing the title. Second was also enough forTim Rowse to win the Saloon Car Series as Simon Tabinor took round honours. Having already secured the Shannons V8 Touring Car crown, Tony Evangelou was second for the weekend behind Terry Wyhoon.

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V8 SUPERCAR SUPPORTS Chaz Mostert wrapped up the Genuine Ford Parts Australian Formula Ford Championship with a round to spare. Mostert won all three races on the streets of Surfers Paradise, and he put it beyond doubt at Symmons Plains, despite a gearbox problem in Race 2. Geoff Uhrhane and Nick Foster won a race each to finish first and second for the round - Uhrhane's maiden round win - ahead ofTrent Harrison in a Mygale 1-2-3. Also in Tasmania, John Bowe won both Touring Car Masters presented by Autobarn races on home turf. The result boosts JB's title hopes, which were hit hard by engine problems at Bathurst.This time, it was points leader Gavin Bullas having engine problems, falling to finish Race 1 but recovering to fifth in Race 2. On the Gold Coast three weeks earlier. Kiwi Chris Pither claimed his maiden V8 Ute round win ahead of points leader Grant Johnson, while Paul Stokeli took a bite out of Chris Alajajian's lead in the MINI Challenge with a round win.

motorsport news

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AUSTRALIAN RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP Glen and Matt Raymond scored a hometown win to round out the 2010 Australian Rally Championship. The season-ending Rally Victoria was held in Warragul, where the pair are based, and hit with wild weather, which saw the majority of the second day's running cancelled. In their Evo X, the Raymonds finished the opening day in second place, 0.2s behind Justin Dowel and Matt Lee. When Dowel and Lee lost 40s with a puncture during one of the few contested stages on Day 2, the Raymonds swept through to take the win. Dowel and Lee finished second, with Mark Redder and Lee Tierney rounding out an all-Lancer podium. Having already wrapped up the title, Simon and Sue Evans lost 20 minutes on the opening day when a drivetrain problem forced them off the road. In Sue's last rally, they eventually finished 13th.

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DRAG RACING Andrew Cowin Lookout Round 2 of the Top Fuel season as the ANDRA Pro Series continued at Sydney Dragway. Cowin defeated Terry Sainty in the final, while Darren Morgan retained his lead of the series, despite going down to Sainty in the semi-finals. Wayne Newby emerged on top in Top Alcohol, beating Aaron Hambridge in the final, the pair having been the pick of the field all weekend.

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MDiMSlWi mm UTfLEoverayearago, Brendan Reeves and his co-driving sister Rhianon Smyth went painftilly close to geMing a spot in the 20 TO PirelliStar Driver program. I say painfatly, hemuse in the their preparation for iRdlry Aastralm the event thatwouldidecide^hgirfateithe^imere

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MOfORSPORT NiWtryjiifSitfIk alsout Spaini. ©nwiiiiiy ffpst runron the gravel, I got slowed What an aiTiazmg<^3B'tiiin.ce, atid atnazipi; by another car which had broken a driveresult! shaft', so I was pretty concerned. On the next tujS'Pthrew everything at it, and we set the BRENDAN REEVES: ilt was pretty atnazing. , fastest time out of everyone, “ê wlht over there feavingi'noi'idea of how . "^n the tarmac, I got really good feedback y§uf speeds comilrared'tf) the other guys who^-^^ ' ■Ifiro’m the judges. The judges were positioned «êre prnfeihgws<î| v#s really4p0d to get thef’fiie., , ● ' * " " throughout the stage, and were watching and listening to how we were driving the car, such as the attitude of the car and how we Australian Raliyishamptenîpe^î^^ ^ fife Shootbut iS;aWinV^lil:prStess-Talk were getting it into the corner. us throughlt. South Australia. Smyth was they^rstmjured' The next day, the Sunday, we did a 10 iirst’we had to qualify. I did the Pacific with two broken legs, and theWîowing . .minute interview with the 10 judges, and we experience put paid to anyghdnce OfMeves Cup, three rounds of the Asia-Pacific Rally had to present ourselves and our CVs. We ^Championship, and'that qualified me. We qualifying forthe 'WPSD. had to talk about what wed done, what we But fatemhi bedifundy thing. Reeves and . got to go over to Spain for the WRC round, and on the Friday we talked about fitness ' wanted to achieve/and what we'd driven in Smyth havemeently beenfsetected as oney the past. and the commercial;side*'of rallying. Robert pfsixerews tkqtget a W&e ridk in the 2011 The judges were really good when I went Reid, a formerWorid Rally Champion coWorld Rally ^hmimpionship Academy a new in there. They asked a lot of questions, driver (with Richard Burns in 2001 Hook us class thatwiihreplace the Jurfior World Rally because I was quite unknown, coming from through all of that. We thought we would Championship, after a darling performance Australia. I hadn't really competed in Europe be tested on fitness, but that won't happen at the latestiPSBMSpain. Ironically, the apart from the Fiesta Shootout in 2008, so until next year. We also just spent some time nem prize is betteri Reeyes and’Smyth are no one knew who I was. They were blown setto-do battle in the One-make Fiesta R2 interacting with and getting to know the other drivers. away by my times, and in. the interview they series, on six full-blown WRC rounds, with said I got through the tests really well. halfâ-million euros on offer for the winner, On the Saturday it was the driving tests. Not knowing the other drivers, I was There was a 5km gravel test, which was part furns out that crash mightjust make ReeveS', thinking 'well I'll just go there and see what career.,.^ of Stage 1 on the rally, and then a 2.1 km tarmac section. We ail had identical cars, so happens'. A lot of the other drivers knew So after a very difficult '09, it's aU loOkini' each other, and they knew how good they . there were eight Ford Fiesta R2s ready to go, up for Reeves. Ms sister is healthy anctibdck ■ and we shared a car with another driver. We were, and they were concerned. RIpi and I C0:^driving, he has a plum factory seat with just went in thinking about doing the best did two runs on the gravel, got our times, Mazda Australia's tarma§j:ally prograrn,,and we could do. and then two runs on the tarmac, still on he ahd his sis willibe the mew to beat m the nil gravel set-up with gravel tyres. ion T WRC Academy.

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/\t the post-event media conference for the WRC guys they announced who had been selected. Apart from a lack of European experience, you were pretty well prepared.You've rallied Fiestas before in New Zealand and the UK,and you've been doing a lot of tarmac events with Mazda. The Fiesta we rallied in New Zealand was good, but it was nothing like these cars.That was Group N, whereas these are R2, so the other car had a dog-box, with a H-Pattern gearshift, and was 200kg lighter.These cars weigh 1050kg, have a sequential gearbox, and you rev them to 9000rpm.They're more like a race car. I felt comfortable straight away. We used a base set-up, so it vyould be fair for everyone, but I felt really good. I was able to throw the car around a bit, and get in tight on the apexes because it is such a small car. It's just getting my head around holding gears for longer, because I'm used to driving Group N cars, or the Mazda, where you are using the turbo and torque. This is almost a full circle. You were so close to selection for this year's Pirelli program in 2009 when you had that huge crash in Adelaide, and that totally derailed the plan. How satisfying is it to get the job done this time around? It's amazing to look back at where we were 15 months ago, and see what we achieved. I'm actually happier that we got in this 64

year, because I think the package is better than what the guys got last year. The WRC Academy is a better formula than doing the Production Car World Rally Championship. It's a big achievement for Rhianon as well. She sustained some big injuries, so for her to come back from that is remarkable. You've proven to yourself that you can match,and beat,the rest of the guys in the program. Are you in it to win it next season? You have to be in it to win, because the winner at the end of the year gets 500,000 euros to put towards a Super 2000 drive in 2012,so we need to be smart. It's not about trying to win every stage, it's about winning events and getting people to take notice, and make them consider supporting me. Any clue as to which six events will form the WRC Academy yet? We were hoping to find out about a week ago, but we still haven't heard. What we do know is that there will be six European events, and they will most likely be towards the end of the year, because M-Sport haven't started building the cars yet.They have a bit on at the moment,developing the Fiesta WRC car as well. Any preferences on events? I'd love to do Finland, and Spain, because I've been there. Germany on the tarmac would be really good too.

Do you feel your tarmac form is good now? You've had some good results in the Mazda. Can you compete at world level on tarmac? Yeah, I feel that tarmac has really been progressing for us. AtTarga High Country recently we stepped it up again, and we were sixth outright, which is pretty amazing in a showroom car. The difference will be using a WRC tarmac tyre. I'm used to competing on an R-spec tyre, so we'll have that bit more grip ... It will be fast! Yeah, really fasti Some of these kids are tarmac specialists, so it was good in the Shootout to be matching them. If we work hard and do a lot of testing and preparation, we will be setting ourselves up well. Will the WRC Academy be your sole program next year, or will you still do the Mazda and ARC stuff? I'm still due to do the next two Targa rounds for Mazda,Targa Wrest Point and Targa Tasmania, and that wraps up the Targa Championship. And then, hopefully we'll know the rounds for the WRC Academy, and then we can plan a few extra events. I want to look into trying to get a Fiesta over here, because they are cheap to run and it will give me seat time. I definitely want to try and do some extra events overseas too, because you need to be in the public eye at these events. motorsport news

New Challenge. Reeves will now have to change his ways from driving a WRXin Australia, above, to the smaller,lighter Fiestas,left. The Academy cars will be like the Fiesta R2 Andrea Mikkelson used in this year's IRC, below.

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the season with three wins from three starts. Barker gets third in the final ahead of Tom owed the Australian home in the two sprint races. ie, 28, Barker 24 eld Park was my first ever F3 race. It was all pretty new to me,as far as driving behind ?r car and losing aero in the dirty air. i think I learnt a lot from it, as I was stuck behind ie and couldn't find a way past. I learnt a lot about how to drive the cars in dirty air and kind pressed from there.

Evans returns to make it six wins from six starts in 2010.Tweedie grabs a pair of seconds, while Barker picks up top three results in the sprints, but has a torrid feature. Points: Tweedie 100, Evans 91, Barker 72

jpe,Tweedie Hows him 3d fourth Points: Tweedie 70, Barker 53, Evans 45 I started to feel more comfortable, got pole position and second in the last race. I made a few minor errors through the weekend but learnt from them and learnt a lot from the round as well. We had the pace, we just couldn't find the way past Tom because of his straight-line speed; I couldn't get near him at the end of the straight to make a move. vwAV/tosev,'',-,@®(jIlogn)

I took positives and negatives from Phillip Island.The positive was that I think I was almost at the point of clicking with an F3 car. I'd never been there before and we had the pace. Going into the last race, we were on the front row,and there was a minor, minor roll, there was no advantage whatsoever. I got the lead. felt really comfortable with the car and I'd say we definitely could've won that race. But I jumped the start, and had to serve the drive-through, which you can't argue with. When I went back out, I went up the inside of Graeme [Flolmes] and he didn't see me,so that was a DNF. In the highest points race, I didn't score a point, which was a bit shit, really. But I learnt from it again, and got the confidence of being fast going into Maliala.

Barker nails it, and jumps into title contention with his first three F3 wins, with Evans and Tweedie each picking up race podium finishes. Points: Tweedie 128, Evans 124, 119 Everything clicked. 1 found a new set-up with the car that suited me.We went with a little bit more front grip, a little bit stiffer at the front, and that suited me so we kept it for the rest of the season. We put in some good results and that changed everything. It changed my confidence and just the way I was driving really, I felt smooth and consistent. I lost so many points at Phillip Island, and I had to pull my finger out at Mallala and rack up some points, and try and catch up again, which I did.That really set me up for the second half of the season.

Barker takes an eight-point lead into the season finale over Evans, with Tweedie a further four behind. Former champ Tim Macrow wins both races in a one-off appearance. Evans takes second in Race 1, with Barker snatching fourth from Tweedie at the start of the last lap. Points: Barker209, Evans 204, Tweedie 196

I knew I had to get past Tom, I knew 1 had to start the second race from the second row, not the third. I got a pretty average start, dropped down to fifth and just overtookTom on the last lap around the outside ofTurn 1. 1 had the inside line going intoTurn 2, which was a bit sketchy, but I made it stick.

Barker is taken out at the first corner of Race 2 by Zhang Shan Qi,right. However an accident between Graeme Holmes and John Boothman several laps in saw the race Red Flagged,and no points awarded.

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I didn't get an amazing start, dropped a couple of places and going intoTurn 1 taking the normal line, Zhang just lost a bit of concentration, and went into the back of me. I thought my championship was over. I feel like I got the benefit of the doubt, in a way, which helped me win the championship. But that's racing, incidents happen. Sometimes they go your way,sometimes they don't. It didn't to me in the first lap, and it did to me when Graeme crashed. It kind of works that way.

Championship shootout in the final. Evans is second to Barker's third early, enough for Barker to win the title. However,Tweedie passes Barker, which would see Evans win the title on a countback on race wins. In the end,the bonus point for fastest race lap decides it in Barker's favour by Just 0.05s. Points: Barker 220, Evans 219, Tweedie 208

I got a good start, got up to third and the car felt really stuck, it felt good. I just couldn't find a way past Mitch and I didn't really have to, to be honest. But I tried to put him under a bit of pressure because I knew Tom was behind me and I couldn't let him past. Mitch did the right tactical game and backed me up slightly going into the last corner, put me in Tweedies path and with his straightline speed,Tom drove around me on the straight. I couldn't do much about that. From there, it was either make a hairy lunge on Tom or go for the fastest lap. I knew the car had good speed,so I backed off slightly, by four or five car-lengths, and pumped in a good lap. Luckily, I won it by five-one-hundredths of a second. Late in the race, my engineer, Craig [Bundle],came over the radio saying Mitch had the fastest lap, and that made me put my head down even more. I didn't really hear much from them until I think the penultimate lap, when I radioed and asked who had the fastest lap.They said it was me, but to push on because Mitch was on a flyer. Mitch got his fastest lap on the last lap, so it was tense for the crew and tense for me. I didn't know who won until a good couple of seconds after the flag. I was relieved when they came over the radio and said was me.

ELF RACING FUEL POWERS ANOTHER GOLD STAR WINNER Congratulations to Ben Barker and BRM on their win in the 2010 Formula 3Australian Drivers Championship for the CAMS Gold Star. Another championship win for Elf fuels!

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Barker makes his tin-top debut in a one-off Fujitsu Series appearance at Bathurst. Driving with MW Motorsport, he qualifies 10th and has a spin en mute to 15th in the opening race. Fights back well in Race 2, finishing seventh. It was a surreal experience, I'm so, glad I've done it. I learnt so much from it and it's a massive thanks to the people who made it happen; Cars Europe, Industrie clothing, Driving Solutions and RaceFit, they all put in the hard work to get me out there, which I'm stoked about. It was my first-ever touring car race as well, which was pretty daunting being at Bathurst in one of the fastest touring cars there are in the world. I kept it out of the walls, which was the main thing, and got a good result in the last race. It was an amazing weekend, probably one of the best driving experiences I've had.

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MOTORSPORT NEWS: How different is this car to the Saab we last saw you race? DEAN RANDLE: It's pretty much a new chassis, except for a couple of bits and pieces. It's much more rigid, it's much stiffer than the old car. It had been through a few accidents, and the whole chassis was pretty twisted. We couldn't straighten it, so we decided to build a new car. We decided to use the front and rear suspension off the old chassis, and where the front clip used to be a bolt on, it's fully welded, so the whole chassis is fully welded, which has made it a lot stiffer. We put a lot of effort into stiffening up the centre tunnel of the car, a lot of stiffness is lost through there. It's a lot stiffer through the centre, there are a lot of changes to the front geometry and suspension, but fairly similar to the old car.

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things to the car to improve it. A big change we've made to the front is the position of the radiators. Whereas we used to have one radiator and the air would come through the radiator and get lost under the car, creating up-lift in the car, we've got two radiators now.The air comes in and gets diverted out of the splitter, to improve front downforce. That's been a big improvement to the front grip. We've also spent a lot of time on sway bars. We've made up a jig to test sway bars, to work out the spring rate on the sway bars we had. We worked out that they were basically contributing nothing to the car, so we've gone ahead and made a whole range of new sway bars, which we put in place at Morgan Park this year and it made a huge difference to the car. We could induce understeer just by adjusting the front roll bar, whereas before we couldn't.The roll stiffness had changed a lot now. You raced the car in the first round before James Jumped in, how different was it for you? We had a lot more front grip. I drove it at Wakefield Park in the first round of the national series, unfortunately that was in the wet, so it was a bit hard to work out exactly where it was at. We were also experimenting with different differentials, as well. So, again, that affects the handling of the car in the wet. We were playing around with that at Wakefield Park, but the car felt really stiff. It pointed really well, but there were still a few areas where we had to improve, which we did for Mallala when James took over the car.

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MOTORSPORT NEWS:As the first racecar you've driven, what was it like? What was the main impression you got? JAMES SERA: A lot of power and very good brakes! When I first jumped into it, it was obviously pretty daunting. I'd never driven any kind of racecar, so jumping into something like that isn't the easiest thing to do. I suppose I've had a bit of experience driving cars with big power, because I've had drag cars myself,so the power was a bit daunting but not quite so bad. It's more the braking; it's so phenomenal in the thing.That was the hardest thing to get used to, I'm still not kind of used

How was it over the course of the four rounds you did? Was it just a case of chipping away at learning the car,and how comfortable did you feel by the end of Sandown? We have been chipping away at it, obviously the first round was a very steep learning curve. We chipped away at it, and I think I learnt quite quickly. Although I'm not perfect yet, we learnt quite quickly and that's pretty much a brand-new car, too,so we've been learning a lot about the car and I've been learning a lot about how to drive racecars. It's a fair bit different to gokarting,the turn-in points are so different in a racecar. We didn't

Sandown, but I feel so much more confident driving it now. Qne of the things Dean mentioned was the introduction of the sway bars at Morgan Park, how much difference did that make? It was a huge difference. At Morgan Park, the car was so different to drive than it was at Mallaia. It reacted so much better, it had so much better turn. It made a huge difference; that was probably the biggest turning point for us.They gave me a lot more confidence in the car and driving it as well. At Morgan Park, we had no new tyres even, we qualified four-

Park, very fast. Overall, at the start of the year I imagine this wouldn't have been on your radar, you've got to be pretty glad it came up ... Yeah, I'm absolutely stoked it came up. I never thought I was going to drive anything, ever in my life. When Dean came in here this year the morning after the Karting Nationals, I never expected him to ask me to have a drive of the car. I went to his workshop that night to have a look and I was pretty blown away by the thing. Then we started racing, I never expected to win a championship, it all just kind of fell into place

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SINCE TAKING ROOKIE HONOURS IN FORMULA FORD IN 1999, STUART KOSTERA HASN’T EXACTLY HAD A FLOWING CAREER PATH. IN HIS LATEST REINVENTION, THE WEST AUSSIE TOOK OUT THE 2010 AUSTRALIAN MANUFACTURERS CHAMPIONSHIP. MITCHELL ADAM SPOKE WITH HIM MOTORSPORT NEWS: I mean this in the nicest possible way, but you're almost the chameleon of Australian motorsport. You did Formula Ford, went away for a bit, came back and did some sportscar stuff, disappeared again, came back and did some F3, sat most of last year out and now you're back in this. STUART KOSTERA: Yeah, it's a bit like that, isn't it? I guess at the end of the day. I'll have a go at whatever somebody will give me a go at to drive. Formula Ford, we funded that ourselves, and since those days, the reason I jump from one thing to another is that people help me out. Whatever car they've got or can get me to drive, that's the first category I run in. So how did this tie-up come about, running in the Manufacturers Championship? I did a tarmac rally with a guy 76

over here called Glyn Crimp, as a bit of a fun event, and while we were doing that, he mentioned that he'd like to do the Bathurst 12 Hour and asked if I would be interested. Of course, I said I would be. So we did that last year, for the first time and ran second.This year, obviously we came back to do it again, and he also committed to doing the whole Manufacturers Championship himself. But through business commitments and other bits and pieces, Glyn wasn't able to make it to a fair few of the events. He asked if I would do it, and he'd come along to the ones he could and we'd share the drive. He came along to a few of them, drove in a couple of and had a couple he decided he wasn't going to drive in. And at the end of the day, the result was there. Obviously Bathurst wasn't a great result, which put you on

the back foot for the rest of the season, but since then it looks like everything went nicely. Yeah... Bathurst couldn't have gone any worse, I don't think [laughs). For the rest of the season, the car was always going to be quick. It was a case of learning the car a bit more, and once I learnt the car and what it responded to, the car was fantastic. It was really good. Prior to this, had you raced anything like the Lancer at all? No, not at all. I'd never been in a four-wheel drive before. Obviously I've driven a Porsche a couple of times, but that's the only sort of comparison, I suppose. How did it stack up as a driving experience? Great. The Evo X is just an all round car. It stops, it goes, it turns. Once you know the secret of getting the car to turn in and

power on, they are really quite a nice thing to drive. It looks like a good program Allan [Heaphy,TMR boss] has set up, with the Evos being so suited to the Manufacturers Championship and tarmac rallies. He's definitely the team to beat. Everyone sort of went on about how fast the Lancer is, but we were making up to two minutes in pitstops; our car was only standing for around the 30-40 second mark in the pits. So not only have we got the best car, we've also got the best team. When you can make up that amount of time, we were making up sometimes a minute, up to two minutes in pitstops, on some of the other cars... It's a whole team effort. If everything's going to go right on the day, TMR are going to make everyone else look slow. And it's not just the car, it's the whole shooting match. motorsport news

As you say,the format does bring teams into it, the other part which would've been new to you was the reverse grids and handicaps. How did you find that,coming through the slower cars? I enjoy passing cars, so as far as I'm concerned,that's part of the race and the strategy that you're going through in your head while you're out there -'how many laps have I got to make up how many seconds?' In that, you decide whether you have to make a desperate pass on somebody,or whether you can leave it for half a lap until the straight. All of those things make it interesting, because if you get stuck behind somebody for too long, it can be detrimental. Are there any rounds or results that stand out? You had plenty of wins and the Australian 6 Hour win was particularly dominant. I really enjoyed the last round.

at Sandown. Mainly because I hadn't done too many laps around Sandown,so it was satisfying to go there and really be able to turn in some really good laps... ... and 1 guess that's something with the championship format again; at the rounds with two, one-hour races, you do get to do plenty of laps... Yeah. It's a good format, a really good format. With eight and 10-lap races, you stand around for two or three days, go out for eight or 10 laps a day... But when you've got two onehour races, at least you've got a whole hour that you're out there circulating. So Sandown was a really good round, and obviously Eastern Creek was great, to share the drive with Warren Luff. I enjoyed the track up at Warwick (Ed: Morgan Park) as well, the last three rounds were the better ones.

What's coming up next for you? Yeah... It's that time of the year now where everything's finishes and everybody's having a bit of time off. I don't know,to be honest. Glyn, who owns the car, he's a bit up in the air as to what he wants to do next year. He was up at Bathurst Sprint,the other week having a run up there, but unfortunately with the GT cars running in the Bathurst 12 Hour, he's a lost a lot of interest in going there.The last time I spoke to Glyn, he wasn't too keen. So as far as next year goes, it's all up in the air at the moment. It sounds pretty true to the form of Stuart Kostera's career... (Laughs) Exactly right! It'll be another year off next year. And then we'll probably see you back in 2012 in something completely different, like the MINI Challenge. Yeah, something totally different again! Just so I never totally get my eye in!

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IKE any good or service, motorsport categories have target markets from which they aim to draw competitors. For the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge presented by Mission Foods, that target market is Porsche enthusiasts, seeking a place to enjoy their racing machinery in a relatively laid-back environment. When the series was formed in 2008, it slotted in below Carrera Cup in Porsche's motorsport pyramid. It was racing on a national stage with the Shannons Nationals, but without professional drivers and the associated spotlight. Within the ranks, you have company directors, property developers, real estate agents,finance types and lawyers, most with limited circuit racing experience before Joining the series. Like Roger Lago. The 2010 Champion owns a commercial refrigeration company in Brisbane and won the title in just his second full season of national racing. 78

"I was a club racer in a road GT3,"Lago says of his background. "I did a fewTargas, Mt Buller hillclimbs and there was a Pirelli Series that was going in '08, it was only four or five cars. Because I had an '06 CupCar, I wasn't able to run any CAMS events because Carrera Cup was still running in '08. "The Pirelli Series sort of fizzed after two or three events and i went back to ciub racing for the rest of the year. Then they allowed the 997 into the GT3 Cup Challenge last year, which was good of them." According to Lago,the GT3 Cup Challenge has a great deal of appeal to drivers like him. "You get a lot of seat time, which is great," he says. "You get to go to Phillip Island, Sandown and Eastern Creek, so there's some good tracks in there. "But the weekends are fairly inexpensive, it's a good bunch of guys and there's not much panel damage. We all go out there

to have a good time and have a beer afterwards." The series' mantra is'race with your mates' and the camaraderie was evident in the season finale at Sandown in October. Matt Kingsley, having won a streak of nine races through the middle of the year, headed to the Melbourne circuit with a 22-point buffer over Lago at the top of the table. However, he crashed heavily in qualifying, ending his weekend. Enter the'mates'. Kingsley's team-mate Terry Knight offered up his car for Kingsley to use, but a driver swap after qualifying is outside series regulations. Knight elected to have a crack at putting a case to the stewards, by getting unanimous support from the field. The first man he went to was Lago, who gave his OK.The other competitors followed suit, however the event officials eventually deemed they couldn't overrule the regulations, with Lago going on to win the title. "Going into Sandown, Matt didn't have motorsport news

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to do too much really to take it, but he had that off in qualifying and that's disappointing," Lago says. "Vie tried to get him in another car, obviously it didn't work and they're the rules. The rules are there for a reason, of course. "Everyone knows everyone and we all go out to have a good weekend. We all want to win, of course, and Terry put the notion forwards. Big kudos to him,for offering to give his car up for the weekend, really." One standout feature of Lago's season was his consistency. A round win at Eastern Creek was accompanied by second-place round results at Symmons Plains, Mallala, Morgan Park and Sandown. in fact, other than the first round at Bathurst - where wet weather saw one race cancelled and the other shortened - a pair of fifths were his worst race results. "In every practice, every quali, every race, I didn't want to put a foot wrong," he said. "1 didn't want to fire the car off and it was www.mnews.com.au

good enough to accumulate enough points. At the start of the year, I didn't think I'd be in a position, come Sandown,to be a shot at the title. At every round. Matt would get a little bit further in front, obviously, because he finished in front of me, and at Eastern Creek he didn't have the best weekend so I gained a few points on him. "It was all about keeping the nose clean for the year and accumulating as many points as I could and not really worrying about it until the last round at Sandown, really." Lago will be back to defend his title in 2011, and he'll begin to dabble in longerdistance racing. First up is an Armor All Bathurst 12 Hour campaign using his 997model CupCar in Class B,following the introduction of sportscars to the event. He'll be joined by Kingsley and Fujitsu Series standout David Russell, who raced a 997 in Carrera Cup in 2008. "I'm looking forward to that, it's the next big thing I want to do well in," Lago said.

"The incident with Matt, it hasn't changed anything in my mind, and obviously having Dave in the car, he was super quick in Carrera Cup, and he's the right guy to have in the team. Both Matt and myself will learn a lot off him over that weekend. "Dave's very accomplished and I'll be able to feed off him, which will assist me in the car next year." It could lead to endurance racing overseas, with several races already on Lago's radar. "It's a matter of progression," he said "You do club stuff, you do state stuff and we've done the GT3 Cup Challenge. Now I'm doing the 12 Hour, and if that goes well, then obviously the next cab'off the rank could be the Sepang 12 Hour. "The Porsche is a good thing and maybe staying in the GTS Cup Challenge is a good thing to keep your eye in, but then perhaps taking the car over and doing a Nurburgring [24 Hour] or Dubai 24 Hour or something like that could be the next step." 79

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THE AUSSIE RACIHG CAR TITLE WEHT RIRHT DOUIH TO THE WIRE IH 2010. AS KVLE CLEWS SECURED HIS FIRST HATIOHAL CROWH. LACHLAH MAHSELL SPOHE TO HIM ABOUT THE SEASOH.SERIES AHD FUTURE

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HE Aussie Racing Car Super Series has always been one of the most closely contested national motor racing series, and season 2010 was no exception, with Kyle Clews taking the title by just two points ahead of last year's champion Adam Gowans. The consistency-focused Aussie Racing Car points system ensured the title fight stayed alive until the very last race of the season at Morgan Park, with Clews eventually emerging victorious after Gowans struck mechanical dramas on the penultimate lap. It was Clews's first series win,coming in his fifth season in the category, and the New South Welshman was understandably elated with the result. "I thought it was all over after the Saturday arvo race at Morgan Park," he said. "Then we had a few good races on Sunday, which allowed me to get back into the game.The last race was really close, probably one of the best of the season, and I'm still coming to reality with winning the series." When asked to reflect on the season. Clews found it difficult to

single out any specific highlights, but acknowledged the ferocious competition which has become a hallmark of the Aussie Racing Cars. "The racing is extremely tight and competitive, and the positions swap around almost every lap," he said. "Every round had some really exciting moments,and it's hard to single out any particular highlights, but it was certainly great to race against drivers like Jack Perkins at some of the rounds. "While the racing was close, it was very clean as well. I had some close battles with Adam Gowans and the Ward boys, and we made sure we gave each other plenty of room and didn't crash into each other." Before 2010, Clews had always been a contender for race and round wins, but had not managed to string an entire season together. So what changed this season? "The main difference between this year and the last few years is that I finished every race this year/'Clews surmised. "We were really on top of the car this year and mechanically

it was very good, very reliable. With the points system the way it is, you really have to finish every race and this year I didn't have any DNFs.The car was fast and reliable at every round." The Aussie Racing Car Super Series is notable for the various bodyshell designs that are used, including the AU Falcon, VY Commodore and most recently,the Toyota Aurion.The mechanical specifications of the cars are the same, regardless of their skin, but Clews changed from an AU Falcon to a VY Commodore at the start of 2009. "The cars are very even,and while one car might be slightly more stable under brakes than another car, there's not a great difference,"Clews commented. While the attention has been on Kyle Clews this season, he is quick to acknowledge the contribution of his father, Jim, towards his racing activities. "Dad and his friend Andy Sinclair always come out to the races and help me with the car," Kyle said. "Dad did a couple of races last year and this year as well, and he really enjoys it. He might even do some more races next year if

there's a car available." Clews is now looking forward to the future, which includes some more Aussie Racing Car competition ahead of a progression to other categories. "Next year, the Aussie Racing Car Series is going to be really strong," he said. "There are going to be more numbers next year, and more rounds on the V8 Supercar support program.There are a lot of drivers coming out of go-karts, which is where i came from as well." Clews nominates the Fujitsu Series and V8 Utes as the categories he would most likely progress to, but like many drivers,funding is the limiting factor. "I'm trying to build sponsors at the moment,and hopefully come up with the budget to race in the Fujitsu Series or Utes," he said. "Obviously it can be difficult to attract sponsors, but I've had some generous support from Australec Switchgear, Siemon, FastTrack Communications and Royal Purple Oils, which has really helped my Aussie Racing Car campaign."

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HEN you walk into ANDRA Pro Series Top Fuel points leader Darren Morgan's pit area, you could be mistaken for thinking the team enjoys a big budget and all the benefits that come with it. It's certainly not that dissimilar to the Lamattinas, the Reads,the Cowins, or any of the well-off teams. But the Mildura driver points out that they remain firm privateers. "Everybody thinks we have this high dollar deal going, but we try to do it professionally," he said. "I've always said, if we can't do it as professionals, we aren't doing it. "We always try to make sure the cars are nice and the equipment is nice, because one day we would like to find a sponsor." All personal luxuries for Morgan come secondary. "We run this thing on a shoe string, I never fly to a race meeting because I can't afford to," he said. Morgan certainly hasn't been competing like a secondr'Ste driver, though.The team opened their series account with a win at the Fuchs Australian Nationals,followed by a semi finals appearance at the second round of the championship in Sydney. Morgan was quick to give credit to 21-year-old crew chief Ben Patterson. "Most of that [performance] is attributed to young Benny, we have no money compared to the other teams so we can't test," he said. "Benny went to the USA to work out where we were going wrong with the clutch, without

actually testing. He used clutch dynos and tested without doing laps down the track. We fed in new clutch discs and we're getting a handle on it." It's an element of strategy to focus on using resources where they will produce best results for the team. "If we had the money, we would run the car as hard as we could run it. I've spent a lot of time with the Cowins and the most fun you have is when you are leaning on it," he said. "We can't test, so we don't know where the edge is. We need to be conservative. Ben is doing very, very well with that." The strategic element has aiso seen Morgan focus on building the corporate side of his team and concentrating on the tune-up of the hospitality area as much as that of the SOOOhp engine residing in his AEG Powertools Dragster. "We're doing more corporate days,the last few events we have catered for a hundred people over two days," he said. "I think that is the future. Sponsorship is really tough. We're trying to make the area available for fans and more people. We need to support them as well as corporates. We have been setting the standards for corporate areas in the pits." The hospitality and the professional outlook of the team has drawn positive feedback for Morgan. "A lot of corporates we are talking to, they all think it is a very untapped resource because it is so cheap compared to other forms of motorsport and the crew and the driver can spend a lot of time with those people," he said. nil

E ALWAYS SAID. IF E CAN'T DO IT AS PROFESSIONALS. WE AREN'T A OINC IT

THE MORCan MENTaUTV

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'We can walk over and have meals and talk about the racecar and show them the spares, it is all exposed for the short turnaround, we can get them out on the line and witness the turnarounds, have a meal and soft drink and discuss how it all went." Morgan said it is something they will continue to build on and he would also like to find a paying driver for a second car. "You go to the [V8] Supercars and the corporate facilities are bigger than the racecar pit areas are," he said. According to Morgan, a relationship tracks, racers and ANDRA would better serve this purpose.

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"The bigger the circus the better it is for everyone," he said. "Before sponsors speak to NASCAR you need to pick a team. I've always tried to do something for everyone, if there is money to have, everyone should get a share of it. "There is not one Drag Racing team in this country that has the money Supercars do, so we should certainly look at what they're doing. "It's all about having a bit of fun and making it work and putting a show on for the crowd, not squeezing everybody." Despite being a team with some clearly big-time goals.

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Morgan is quick to remember his supporters in his hometown of Mildura. Local businesses helped the team get up and running and indeed still provide support. Morgan is confident that motorsport could be a boon for the town. "They're trying to take water away from the farmers so we need to look to alternative income and motorsport is a part of the town," he said. "Concrete will be going down on the Mildura Drag Strip soon and it will be a great testing facility." Morgan explained the town has a lot going for it for racers who come to visit.

"You can get a $20 taxi from the track and be at a house boat or a nice restaurant," he said. "There have been motorbike teams talking about facilities to test because the real estate is cheap, it's on the container route, it has 100 hours more sunshine than the Sunshine Coast - it has all these things going for it. "There are no chassis builders or paint shops, but workshops may start if it becomes a testing facility." At the time of writing Morgan's next stop was a match race at Perth Motorplex in late November. He said it provided a way to get some money

towards getting more data for the car. "We want to put on a show for the track. We will make a half track pass early to see what the track has," he said. "We will run the car as hard as we can, whatever we think the track can get. I'm keen to get over to Perth and have a play." The last round of the championship saw Morgan only fall when a blower belt failed, a rare problem for the team. "We stripped the teeth out of the blower belt in the semi finals, until now we haven't had the belt issues like other teams have," he said. "The car was dogged up (ED: tuned down) and dropping

[cylinders], the track was tricky for everybody; it cost us the race. "We were running good enough times for what the track was. But it's never fun to dog the thing up cause they're not meant to do that." With both his on and off track performances coming together, Morgan is hopeful his team will be ready to take part in an imminent Drag Racing boom. "I hope the sport gets bigger and bigger," he said. "The corporates are becoming interested and if we all do the right thing it will get better. We need everyone working in the same direction."

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OTORSPORT NEWS: First up, why the new name? DAVID TAPP: We launched the new name in September this year, ofTyrepower Sydney Speedway, after 30 years of previously being known as Parramatta City Raceway. Why we did it was very simple; it clearly states what we are doing here. If your product is Speedway, why wouldn't it be in your title? Who owns the venue now? The company is called Sydney Speedway Pty Ltd and the owners are Garry Rush, Brett Morris, Rod Bowen and Dennis Loudoun, all of these men are either very successful businessmen or well-known Speedway identities. The four of them purchased the business in November last year off the previous tenant. International Speedway. What is your role? I am the General Manager and I have overall responsibility for the commercial and operational aspects of the venue, I have been in the role for four months. We are going well in bringing in a lot of new sponsors and we have improved the corporate 86

facilities to the point where they are arguably the best in the country. Is it a challenge for you this role? Yes. I was the CEO of the South Sydney Rabbitohs when they were in trouble a few years ago and this is every bit a challenge on every level. This is a big job. So can we expect to see Russell Crowe in a Sprintcar at Sydney Speedway soon? You never know, I might need the help of The Gladiator! We are having former Sydney Roosters captain Brad Fittler out here just after Christmas for a night at the venue, so who knows who else might get here? What changes have been made at the Sydney Speedway venue? Everything. We've spent a lot of money on capital improvements, mainly in the corporate areas; a name change and we have commissioned high-profile rock band Dragon to produce a jingle for the venue. We are running a much more diverse program to the racing format,this includes motorcycle racing in the areas

of Speedway, motocross and short circuit, some of which has never been done at the venue previously. We intend to combine'rockand roll'and racing together in January, we will becoming involved with a number of high profile rock bands in the future. Are you excited by it all on a personal level? I really am. I do operate my company in publishing and television production. I have great people on staff and feel that's why we are able to get the appropriate Job done across all the things that I am involved with. I was extremely switched on by the challenge of becoming involved in this place. What's the plan in making the Sydney Speedway scene strong again? It hasn't been for a number of years and we can do this by convincing the Sydney public that the place has changed and is putting on better.quality events and just providing entertainment that is good value for money. We've just got to do all the simple things right. The problem in this business is you can have the best-laid plans and the weather can destroy it all on you.

Why is there no World Series round at Sydney Speedway this season? A decision was made not to run it this year based on commercial grounds. You have the broadcast rights through your Power Productions company for many speedway events and classes, so how is television situated in today's massive motorsport market? it's never been better. The Chequered Flag program I've been doing for 16 years on Fox Sports has actually gone to the new SPEED channel and I think the fact alone that it's been on air for that amount of time says everything. It rates, it's got a following,the network is happy with it. We've had a situation in recent years where my company has been able to present a lot of good content and I really don't think it's been in as good as a position with television as we are now. The Americans are returning to Sydney Speedway, what can we look forward to there, with those stars? We've actually contrived the international Speedway Festival which will run from motorsport news

Boxing Day night until the end of January. There will be dinners,fan days and of course top racing. The 30th running of the Valvoline Australian Sprintcar Grand Prix really kicks it all off for that period and included in that is the rich $50,000 Scott Darley Memorial in early January. Donny Schatz will be back, Joey Saldana also and he's in the top five in the world, Craig Dollansky, Brian Montieth from Pennsylvania and of course NASCAR superstarTony Stewart. We will also get a lot of the World Series guys back also, so it's going to be a big few weeks.

How do you view Speedway as a sport right at the moment? Personally, the Speedway scene right now is as strong as I've seen it in the 30-odd years I've been associated with the sport. There's record competitor numbers,something like 12,000 licensed drivers at the present time and most major venues do get good crowds to the events they should get good crowds to. There's no doubt there's a massive step up in professionalism and I believe the sport really is on par with any other form of motorsport. Do Speedway people want more for their money? The sport has always got to

be looking for new things. At Sydney Speedway we have the challenge of getting people here 40 times a year for 40 Speedway events. It's not easy.The product is good and that's why we're doing the rock and roll thing here at Sydney, at least four to five times this season. What can be done to improve the sport in Australia and at Sydney Speedway? I think overall the speedway product is very good. 1 see the biggest enemy for the sport as dust. We are racing 700 horsepower racing cars on clay surfaces and for the last 10 years I think the promoters here were

deliberately preparing black, slick tracks, which doesn't do the spectators any favours at all. We're on a mission here in Sydney to overcome that and in my tenure we've had minimal dust. I think if we can go a long way to eliminating that from the sport, it will help no end. Women aren't going to cop that and get covered in dust and dirt, so I see that as challenge for the whole industry and for us at Sydney Speedway. We also have to make formats more interesting, so that the races are more meaningful. Overall, though, I think Speedway is in a good place at the moment.

Tyrepower service‘advice-price Csll 132191 www.mnews.com.au

MODEL BEHAVIOUR

So^ whatdo we all wantfor Christmas?Modelcars ~ whatelse? BRUCE MOXON takes a peek at what might hnd its wayinto our Christmas stockings,along with some upcoming 2011 releases LASSICCarlectables has given the whoie Australian modelcollecting market the biggest Christmas present of all, by announcing the release

(mid-way through next year) of the Channel Nine Kevin Bartlett Camaro. Collectors have been crying out for this car to be made in 1/18 scale for ages - years even

- and Classics has come to the party.This will be an expensive exercise for Classics, as there are not too many other things they can do with the mould. It costs about the same as a small

Sydney or Melbourne house to tool up for a model car and makers normally rely on selling a few variations to make their money. But KB's Camaro stayed the same (nearly)for all its life. It looked very much the same from its first appearance in 1979 until 1982. KB ran it a couple of times with another, Idaps livery in some ATCC races, but that was it. They're making it in the livery of Bathurst 1982, when Kevin shared the car with Colin Bond. Yes, that's the year it rolled ... Kevin supervised the restoration of the Camaro for the Bowden collection and the model has Christmas Special: Biante is releasing a 1/18 model ofthe 1975 John Goss Special XB Falcon Coupe, above,right. Classic Carlectables' 1/18 Craig Lowndes/Mark Skaife Bathurst winning Commodore will be available early next year.

motorsport news

been taken from the restored car. You can be confident it will be super-accurate and detailed. Also due in the second quarter of 2011 will be Classics'1/18 scale Bathurst winner.The Craig Lowndes/Mark Skaife Commodore will be massively popular so you'll probably want to pre-order now with your favourite retailer. Over at Biante, it's Falcons, Falcons everywhere. Well, not quite, but there are some very interesting big Fords on the way. First off is a John Goss Special.

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The XB coupe came in a few twocolour versions and Biante are making the white-with-green version. John was Ford's pin-up boy for a time there in the'70s and the John Goss Specials are now a valuable car. I can still remember as a kid getting a bit excited when I saw one on the road, thinking that finally the world was getting into motorsport by honouring our top drivers. Oh well ... Two more Falcons come in a twin-car set. It's the Mad Max 2 Interceptor 89

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^gii Falcon, boxed with the two-door car the bad guys drove.The Interceptor has the two big fuel tanks in the back, and is nice and grotty after having chased bad guys all over the place.The other car has a wicked set of exhaust pipes and skull painted on the door. The set is from Autoart and will be just under $150 in 1/43 scale. Surely a must for fans of the Mad Max films. For those who wonder what

the'60s were really like, there are a couple of interesting models from Spark and Sun Star. First of all. Spark's recreation of Beatle George Harrison's psychedelic Mini Cooper S looks like a lot of fun. The images painted on the car show the strong influence Harrison had from India in the mid-sixties and would be a great gift to a dedicated Beatles/George Harrison fan. And Sun Star's 1/12 scale

'Woodstock'VW Kombi comes with lots of garish paint (as befits a Kombi of this time) and is full of sound gear - speakers and amps and guitar cases; just ready for a rock band on the road. Maybe it's Big Brother and The Holding Company? Automodelli Studio has a picture of the pair of Rover SD1 s that Tom Walkinshaw brought to the Bathurst 1000 in 1984. The Rovers showed us that Group A cars could be fast and look good

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on their way to smashing the spirit of all who opposed them! The 1/43 scale models look the part, too. The Steve Soper/Ron Dickson and Armin Hahne/Jeff Allam cars are available individually or as a pair. They'll build them for you or you can buy them as a kit. And for a bit of colour, have a look at their BMW M3 Art Car, the Ken Done one. Done wanted to show the colours of Australian wildlife so the car echoed both Australian parrots and the tropical Parrot Fish. I always thought it looked great, too. But who's brave enough to attempt the intricate Aboriginal art of Michael Jagamara If II Nelson's contribution? Classic Camaroi Classic Carlectables has announced it will be doing a 1/18 model of the early '80s Group C Kevin Bartlett Channel Nine Camaro, above. Biante's Group A Touring Car range continues to expand with the news it will be offering 1/43 models of the TWR Rovers that raced at Bathurst in 1984.

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Neither Craven nor Mild: Models 56's '70s Sports Sedan lineup is expanding with the news that it will soon include Pete Geoghegan's Craven Mild Monaro from 1975. Over atTrax, have a look at the Opals Collection Holden Statesmans. Available in Nutmeg or white,the big HQ iuxo sedans have opening doors and bonnets.This was Holden's first go at a reai luxury car, giving a locai rivai to Ford's LTD and Fairiane.The models look great,too. And Models 56 is continuing its line of great Sports Sedans. Hot on the heels of last month's Peter Brock Austin A30-Holden announcement is a Pete Geoghgegan HJ Monaro. I can't wait, its 1 /43 models look great and they're truly a labour of love - the production runs are very low, so every model they make is rare. So this month we've covered John Goss, Kevin Bartlett, Peter Brock, Pete Geoghegan ... 1 reckon that's a pretty legendary month. Merry Christmas shopping everyone! nil

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F the model car you want isn't being offered by the commercial model makers,there is always the do-it-yourself option. Amateur model maker Marty Morgan has sent . us some pics of his latest work,a 1 /43 model of Phil Brock's EH Holden Sports Sedan. It's one of four models of this car Marty has put together in conjunction with Paul Wright. The pic of the original shown here (from around 1969)is one of the few known colour images of this car, but it hadn't surfaced when Marty started on the model - which meant getting the logos and colours right was no simple exercise. All Phil Brock himself could remember was l that the car was green, which had Marty searching through early'60s Dulux automotive

paint codes to try to find the right colour. The basis of the model is a discontinued Trax EH model,and the four Phil Brock models are in fact surplus stock from a run of 12 models of Dick Johnson's EH Holden that Marty did about 15 years ago.

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Legends of Bathurst

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Peter Brock The Legend

The Racing History of Ford Falcon XD/XE

Dick Johnson - 35 years at Bathurst

The Racing History of Ford Falcon Hardtop

Larry Perkins - The Endurance Man

The Racing History of Ford Falcon GT-HO

Skaifey - The Mark Skaife Story 40 Years of Bathurst

The Racing History of Ford Mustang

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HE V8 events team has ticked another box with the Gold Coast 600. With a bit more finetuning and the addition of extra drivers, and all the cars having International co-drivers next year - which V8 Supercars have already announced - personally I don't think you could have made it much better, although I still miss the great days of Champ Cars screaming around the circuit with good drivers, not the bunch of nobodies we were sent the last few years (taking out the last visit by the IRL). There weren't too many surprises regarding who was where in the speed pecking order Andy Priauix again performed well, as you would expect and deserved his podium,and Scott Pruett has again proved you need more than a name to drive these cars fast. However, it's now time for V8 Supercars to have a serious look at its judicial system.There is one word that comes to the top on this subject: consistency.

If you look at the other aspects of the category, it would be on par with the sports we are competing with for the fans and sponsorship dollars.The operational and commercial divisions of V8 Supercars run very well, and all visiting personnel from other categories and other sporting codes are impressed by how our championship runs. But to go to the next step we need to address the consistency in the judicial system. The removal of the black flag for Garth Tander was common sense - not consistent, but it was the right thing, given the situation. The penalty for James Courtney at the Safety Car restart was by no means consistent with the crime on that circuit in the closing stages of Saturday's race.Tander's headlight incident, and allowing him to continue before it fell off, was an appalling decision. It was clear on the TV coverage that it was going to come off the car. For the technical guys to say"let's wait and have another

look next time around"is not good enough in this era.There are cameras all around the track and that technology should be available for the guys to use to make consistent decisions. Not many team personnel will talk about this, but there is an undercurrent of feeling that some teams do get more leniency than others. The answer to this is to make the judicial and technical guys accountable for decisions made. All major sports have umpires and referee watchdogs whereby, if they make a serious error in judgment,they are held accountable for their actions. Many will argue that every situation is different, but it's the same as rugby, cricket, etc. People will say that no one will do the job if it becomes too regulated, but there is so much at stake now, in terms of teams and drivers performing and pressure from commercial partners. Amateur mistakes are not acceptable in the current climate. The judicial panel would need to work closely with the judicial and technical decision-makers down in pit lane. Not only are they there to act as a prosecutor, but also to assist in building a

Tainder's headlightincident,and allowing him to continue befom it feii off, was an appalling decision. For the techmcai guys to say,"let's wait and have another look next time around"is notgood enough in this era

system and an understanding of what is acceptable during the course of a race meeting in terms of standards and consistency. It needs to have a degree of separation from the judicial and technical team,so that after every race there can be a review system and each decision can be analysed properly. If it is judged that one of the judicial or technical team has made an error in his/her judgment on a decision during the race that has impacted on the car or team's race results, they should come under close scrutiny. From there, if they are judged to have made a fundamental incorrect decision, then a suspension penalty should apply, it has happened to some of the most decorated and highly-rated referees and umpires in international sport, so there is no reason why it shouldn't happen in V8 Supercars. This would mean that the judicial and technical team would need more support and maybe a better mechanism for their operations, but as they say, that's progress, and V8 Supercars has made that everywhere else.

QUICK QUIZ

Answers 1.Jacques Villeneuve's exwife, kids and,for that matter, mum aiihave first names thatstart with T. 2.Jacques made his debut at indy in 1994. He finished second behind Ai UnserJr. 3. Garth Hander's winning co-drivers in the 24 Hour were Cameron McConviile, Steven Richards and Nathan Pretty. 4.Prior to 2009, Webber's best result in the World Drivers'Championship was 10th,in both 2003 and2005. 5. The Rugby international who stepped in to assist Webber was David Campese. motorsport ne\ws

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