Motorsport News Issue 433 - July 2013

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■f^ HOW THE V8 SUPERCARS FARED HU THEIR HISTORIC USA DEBUT

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o visit to Mount Panorama is complete without a stop ^t Mational Motor Racing Museum, right beside the trhbl^ Corner. Inside you’ll find a constantly-changing array pf maide their mark on not only Mount Panorama, but Australah ih#tb^pii|pif^^^^S^ ■fhe main hal is packed with not just touring cars, but opeh«wKii'I«ii^pis^;^i^^^S^^ m of fascinating memorabilia - trophies, driving suits^ leathers^hs>i^^iJ.^e«3« Take a break in the 40-seat theathrette and watch the videos^c#s^iflng^ift^ of racing on Mount Panorama since 1938, and the just-released version liTti^MiE^^g motoicyeie racing at the track.

Enjoy a coffee and check out the museum shop. It’s packed woth official yearn merih^iM^^M books, video and collectables. Naturally, any visit to Mount Panorama is not complete spin around the famous circuit itself - just remember to obey the 60 km/h speed limit! Bathu^^ is just two and a half hour’s drive from Sydney, so there’s no need to wait until the next race meeting - make it a memorable day trip any time. The whole family will love the experience.

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NEWS

Editorial Group Editor Steve Normoyle snormoyle@chevron.com.au At Large Phil Branagan

Editorial Enquiries

The Grid

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Art Director Chris Currie

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CUP RUNNETH OVER AGAIN

Porsche isn't known for a half hearted approach, as can be seen in the way the company is developing the reborn version of the Carrera Cup.

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iThe setiies is to be electtiie ' powered, but the real shock ' is/in the radical nature of the series * two cars per driver, I portable circuits. .. motorsport news

Unusual Suspects

AUSSIESATTHE NORDSCHLEIFE We have a perfectly good Mount Panorama right here in Australia. So why are so many Australians making the annual pilgrimage to the Nordschliefe?

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Alan Heaphy For almost 10 years he's been the man to go to for the latest in fast and/or competition-spec Mitsubishi Lancer Evos.

Before that he worked with Fred Gibson, and now the pair has been reunited as Heaphy's business expands to include non-Mitsubishi products, and especially the old Skylines from the former Gibson Motorsport.

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Evos are their specialty, but now Alan Heaphy's Melbourne operation has teamed up with Fred Gibson to service older race cars- like Gibson's old Nissan Motorsport machines.

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GOOD GOLLY. ...Miss Molly Taylor's European career is ticking along nicely, not that it's been easy for the young Australian now based in Italy.

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WINNING RECIPE He's a baker by trade, and just as Daniel Pestka is known for some of the best meat pies in the Adelaide region, he is also making a name for himself as a sprintcar driver.

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VALE

Molly Taylor The daughter of multiple Australian Rally Champion co-driver Coral Taylor is trying to carve an international career for herself in the opposing seat.

Young Molly will be one to watch in the coming years, because while it's not been easy, she is showing plenty of promise, and progress is being made.

Remembering Froilan Gonzalez, Nigel Snowdon and Rodney Crick

REGULARS 6

Motor Mouth with Phil Branagan

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The Scoop with Steve Normoyle On The Limiter with Chris Lambden

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14 84 90 92 94 98 www.mnews.com.au

United States of Origin Box Seat Model Behaviour Trade Classifieds From the couch Parting Shot

Garry Rogers The former touring car driver turned V8 Supercars team owner has neither ever been one to mince words, nor eschew the chance to have a little bit of fun. And that isn't going to change next year, despite the fact that he'll not be running a solo show next year, but will be teamed with none other than Volvo.

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It is not beyond the realms of possibility that one of the two brands that had V8 Supercars all to itself for almost two decades could soon be absent.

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ce hockey, meatballs, wolverines and Volvo cars.

The most Swedish of car brands and, maybe, the most Australian of team owners, Garry Rogers, will combine resources in the self-proclaimed Greatest Show on Wheels. As detailed elsewhere in this issue, there will be a pair of S60 Polestar V8 Supercars on the grid next year and beyond.

At the same time, could another make be heading in the other direction? With Ford having recently confirmed a 2016 exit point from the local automotive manufacturing sector, and with no recent updates regarding its long-term presence in V8 Supercars, it is not beyond the realms of possibility that one of the two brands that had V8 Supercars all to itself for almost two decades could soon be absent, it does seem almost impossible, doesn't it? After all, the Blue Oval has a pedigree of racetrack success unparalleled in the sport.

No other company has won the Formula 1 World Drivers' Championship (with 176 GP wins along the way), the World Rally Championship, the Le Mans 24 Flour race (and the 24 Flour races at the Nurburgring and Spa), the Indianapolis 500, all three of NASCAR's championships (Sprint Cup, 6

Nationwide and Trucks) and the ATCC/ V8 Supercar titles and the Bathurst 1000.

But if the thought of Ford pulling out of V8 Supercars seems hard to comprehend, consider which of those events and championships enjoy any Ford presence in 2013.

Ford is not a company whose intentions are easy to predict. In 2008 it split with Triple Eight, the winningest team in the sport then and now, for reasons that I am not sure that anyone outside the company fully understands, to this very day. At the same time it busted up with Dick Johnson, leaving Ford supporting Ford Performance Racing and Stone Brothers Racing. Since then, with much diminished Ford support, DJR won the 2010 title and Triple Eight has won almost everything else. In that time, apart from the odd race win. Ford's go-to teams FPR and SBR have not much troubled the scorers.

If winning races and championships had been its goal, five years ago Ford took careful aim and blew its own toes,clean off.

Car companies go racing for wide and varied reasons and sometimes all of those reasons are not completely visible. That also applies to why companies stop racing.

While the Car of the Future project has

been lauded for smoothing the entry of new manufacturers, importers or customers into V8 Supercars, the counterpoint is, surely, that it also theoretically makes any decision to exit easier as well. The incoming brands (and, we are assured, there are potentially several of those) surely can easily pick up any of the teams jilted by their former partners.

The car game is not the same as it was 20 years ago, a point made recently by John Bowe, the only man to race Volvo-backed Volvos and Ford-backed Fords in the ATCC. "Motorsport now is not about 'Win on Sunday, Sell on Monday'," JB told me.

"It might have been about that back in the 1960s and maybe into the '70s, but it has not been about that for a long time. What it is very good for is branding and building excitement amongst your owners and your dealers. I have a lot to do with the motoring world, the people involved. Car culture is huge and very varied and motorsport touches it everywhere."

Point taken. At the same time V8 Supercars has grown and grown, the sales of the Aussie road cars on which the racers were (loosely) based have plummeted by 70 percent or so. Clearly people are buying other cars for reasons far less simplistic - and that may be why Volvo is coming in.

Bowe, though, is optimistic.

"Ford would be crazy to walk away from motorsport. Ford is going to be selling cars in Australia for a long time and people like Fords, even if they have only bought Falcons."

Ford may stay in V8 Supercars, with Tauruses, Fusions or Mondeos, or it may depart. And maybe, just maybe, the new 'blue' could be Volvo ... motorsport news

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The Scoop

hat damned Swedish Valiant', or words to that effect, was the description Dick Johnson offered Channel Seven's RACECAM TV viewers of Robbie Francevic's Volvo 240T as the boxy sedan bustled its way past Johnson's Ford Mustang early in the 1985 Australian Touring Car Championship season. That classic piece of Johnson wit only barely concealed the frustration he must have felt over the fact that this unlikely new slab-sided contender from Sweden clearly was going to be very hard to beat.

Which is exactly how it turned out. The following year Francevic and his Volvo took out the championship, and then suddenly Volvo took its leave, not even bothering to hang around to defend the title.

Before it left, Volvo gave John Bowe his start in touring car racing, bringing in the then-openwheeler star for the enduros. Two years later Bowe would join Johnson in the start of a Ford partnership that would endure 10 seasons.

Johnson went on to another two championship and Bathurst wins for himself, and two more championships for his team.

For all of the 1980s and into the early '90s, Dick Johnson Racing was the dominant Ford team.

Fast forward 28 years from the Swedish Valiant days and Dick might be forgiven for being just a little bemused at how things have turned out. The once-mighty DJR has fallen on hard times and, as has been well documented, went close to shutting its doors at the start of 2013. Not surprisingly, the 8

Francevic and his Volvo took out the championship,and then suddenly Volvo took its leave, not even bothering to hang around to defend the title. season so far has been a struggle. After five events DJR's drivers are ranked 24th and 27th out of 29 (although to be fair, Chaz Mostert didn't run at Adelaide and Symmons Plains).

But whichever way you slice it, DJR is the lowest placed multi-car team in the points.

For so many years Johnson was Ford's principal racing star, a household name and a national sporting icon. I'm sure even today that in any shopping centre poll asking punters to name a Ford racing driver they know, Dick Johnson would still rate right up there.

But just as Ford mystifyingly opted in 2008 not to continue with the team which was providing it with the bulk of its wins (that team being Triple Eight, the team which now provides Holden with the bulk of its wins), it evidently no longer sees much value in the Dick Johnson brand.

Assuming that there will be a Dick Johnson Racing in 2014(and given Johnson's record as motor racing's great survivor, we're expecting to see DJR cars on the grid next year), Dick will again face Volvo opposition. Of

course, he won't be calling them Swedish Valiants on RACECAM, because they don't , do live driver commentary crosses any more (I remember at the time thinking that those mid-race one-liners from the driver's seat were just a bit naff, but I think I'm missing those days now!) and in any case Dick's long since hung up the helmet. He'll probably find next year's S60 Polestars no less annoying than the 240Ts of the mid-80s, but possibly for different reasons.

Given the current state of affairs, Dick surely must be feeling a little envious of Garry Rogers as GRM prepares to exchange its Commodores for new Volvo S60 Polestar V8 Supercars.

Like Dick, Rogers is a man well known for his unique sense of humour. He's already said that the fun at GRM won't be stopping just because it's now the official Volvo team in Australian V8 Supercar racing.

But just imagine the t-shirt and merchandise opportunities there could have been for DJR with the slogan, 'Return of the Swedish Valiant'. motorsport news

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ILambden On the Limiter

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Successful Australians abroad often get less recognition back here than they are due. Sir Jack, AJ, Mick Doohan and Co, and even Mark Webber spring to mind, and Nigel Snowdon could probably be included in that group.

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ne of the great 'Australian' motorsport photographers, Nigel Snowdon, left us this past month after a series of debilitating strokes, the fi rst as far back as 2005.

Although originally a Pom, Nigel emigrated to Australia in his early '20s and after several years as a Qantas engineer, decided to return to the UK with his Aussie partner, Diana Burnett, to try to make it in the world of motorsport photography, the hobby which had become his passion.

From 1963, through to their retirement back in Brisbane in the late '80s, the duo worked fi rstly for a well-known FI photo agency, and then their own 'Snowdon and Associates,' rising to prominence as two of the most respected snappers in the FI paddock.

They travelled the world as FI spread its wings through the 1960s, '70s and '80s, supplying publications around the world with FI images - via what you can now look back on as a somewhat laborious process.

In the mid-'80s, I spent some time as the editor of Auto Action. During that period, we took it from a black-and-white newsprint newspaper to, urn, a black-and-white newsprint newspaper . . . with a glossy colour cover. Nigel was the FI photographer for AA, and this meant added complexity, as his usual supply of beautiful black-and-white prints had to be supplemented with some 10

colour slides from a CP weekend.

Imagine the process in those days: click, click at the track; race home (if in Europe) overnight or to a pre-organised processing house; develop the b&w pics in the home lab; get the colour transparency films processed and copied; get a selection into an air-courier bag to Melbourne .. . In turn, later in the week following a GP, if we were lucky, a Snowdon and Associates envelope would lob in the Melbourne office and everyone would breathe a sigh of relief.

Those were the days. In this modern, digital, era, you can literally be looking at a first corner colour image from any GP in the world before the field has completed its first lapi Nigel never went digital. The last time he went to a race meeting, a V8 Supercar round at Queensland Raceway, there was still film in the camera.

Successful Australians abroad often get less recognition back here than they are due. Sir Jack, AJ, Mick Doohan and Co, and even Mark Webber spring to mind, and Nigel could probably be included in that group, although he did continue to shoot for some time after he and Diana returned to Australia.

Early in the V8 Supercar era, the Motorsport News office took a call from the V8 Supercar media department. They'd had an application from some guy seeking photographer accreditation for a Queensland

race. They didn't know him, but he'd given Motorsport News as a reference - did we know of him?.. . Did wel .. . It was politely suggested that they might just send him a hard card for the season ...

You'll find examples of Nigel Snowdon's work in one of the several books he published during his F1 career, as well as on-line, I guess. His work inspired many back here, including MN photographer Dirk Klynsmith, who has remained in touch with Nigel and Diana through the recent difficult years - after his first stroke, Nigel's speech was badly affected, and holding even a simple conversation became a struggle.

I have a couple of treasured images on the wall of my study. Well after his return to Australia, Nigel and I ended up in a conversation about Ayrton Senna whom, no big deal. I'd known quite well from his first (karting) venture outside Brazil as a 17 yearold. That he went on to be the best (and possibly most controversial) FI driver of all time was thus an interesting progression to watch. Nigel agreed.

Anyway, out of the blue, a couple of weeks later, a postage tube turned up at the office, containing a couple of Nigel's best Senna black-and-white photo studies: "Thought you might like these."

They are superb, and a constant reminder of the work of one of motorsport's artists and gentlemen.

Thanks, Nigel. motorsport news

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Come and join the PCRA & meet some really friendly girls anc guys and have some fun racing.

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Or come along and watch the action and chat to the friendly racers in the pits.

Round 3: 31st August Wakefield Park

Round 4; 29th Sept Sydney Motorsport Park

Enduro: 1st September Wakefield Park

Trans-Tasman Challenge; 25-27 October Hampton Downs, New Zealand

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here is a theory - invented by me, 10 minutes ago - that the seneral health of motorsport can be assessed not by the current state of the flagship series, but by how strong the leading junior categories are. And that is indeed true, then it's probably time for a bit of soul-searching.

I take that back. More introspection is not what we need at all. If anything, some of the problems can be attributed to too much soul-searching, and not enough action. Note that we're talking mostly about single-seaters rather than things with roofs here: NASCAR's Truck and Nationwide Series, which are the final two steps on the conventional ladder to Sprint Cup, are both strong. I've been out of Australia too long to be able to say much about the current state of the V8 Development Series, but from a distance it looks stronger than its singleseater equivalents. This isn't really much of a surprise. At the risk of annoying a lot of people, junior level wings and slicks racing in Australia has been relatively weak for years.

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in part because the cost/benefit ratio is out of whack. What's the point in spending a considerable amount of money to be dominant in 'Formula X' if there's nowhere to progress to afterward?

In Europe and the US it's a different story.

Or at least, it has been up until now. As long as there is Formula 1 or IndyCar - or at least, the Indy 500- there will always be a final rung on the ladder. The problem across the northern hemispheres is that the rungs immediately below are getting shakier, and for completely different reasons.

It's ironic that in the past few years, the route to Formula 1 has been more clearly marked than at any time in the past two decades, and that was mostly by design. The GP2 Series was created to fill the gap being left by the dissolution of Formula 3000, and a few years later, GP3 was launched to create a path to GP2. There were still alternatives; Formula 3 remained an option, although an increasingly unpopular one. The British F3 championship was the benchmark for that category for years, yet in 2013 it has been

stripped down to four race weekends - two of which aren't even in the UK. GPS got off to a rocky start with lame, under-powered cars with engines so quiet that in one of its first race weekends, this journalist nearly got run over by one in the paddock because you literally couldn't hear it against all the other background noise.

They've been scrubbed up a bit since. The problem now is GP2.

On paper it might look as strong as ever, but it does face some challenges over the next couple of years. For starters, budgets to race a full season in the series have, by some estimates, almost tripled since the championship was inaugurated in 2005. In part, this is a product of its desire to align itself with Formula 1 as closely as possible, which it achieves in part by being a support category to all of the European grands prix.

As FI has gradually migrated away from Europe, GP2 has been forced to follow suit in order to maintain a full schedule. Right from the beginning it had races in the Middle East, and also ran an off-season Asia Series motorsport news

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GP3 got off to a rocky start with lame, under powered cars with engines j so quiet that ^ in one ofits i first race i weekends, thisjournalist nearly got run over by one in the paddock. for a few seasons. The difference was that the teams were not necessarily bound to race in Asia if they didn't want to, and conversely, there was also a team that raced in Asia but not in the main series. Now, the Asia Series is gone and the calendar for the main championship starts with a flyaway in Malaysia and ends with a flyaway in Singapore. For a junior category - even a really prestigious one - that's a big ask. it may or may not be a coincidence that over the last couple of seasons we've witnessed the withdrawal of former stalwart teams Super Nova (which ran Mark Webber in F3000in2001)and iSport.

An obvious counter to this might be that the grid is always full, so how can there be a problem? The answer is that teams in GP2, and GP3 for that matter, are contractually obligated to field all of their cars at every event, and face fairly steep penalties if they fail to do so. It hasn't been unknown for a driver to be dropped into a seat either for free or close to it because the loss from running an unsponsored car for the weekend www.mnews.com.au

is less than the penalty for keeping it in the garage.

The final hurdle that GP2 has to overcome is that it faces a mounting threat in World Series. The latter has been around for a while and used to occupy a sort of middle ground between F3 and F3000, but.the arrival of GP3 prompted it to scale up and reposition itself as an alternate final step on the climb to FI. It doesn't have GP2's track record yet, but it has proven appealing enough to some drivers to have diluted GP2's talent pool.

In the US, it's a different story. IndyCar's Road to Indy is a great system, with a clear path from US F2000 to Pro Mazda to Indy Lights to IndyCar. Unlike Europe, winning one championship also rewards a driver with a scholarship towards making the next step.

So why did the Lights race at Milwaukee only have seven cars? Part of the problem is one of perception - last year's Lights champion Tristan Vautier, now in IndyCar, admitted recently that a lot of young drivers aren't interested in something as low-tech as a Lights car, which is now about 12 years old

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and still features such antiquated concepts as a gear shifting knob rather than paddles.

Unlike Europe, not even the people involved with the Lights series try to pretend that nothing is wrong. But their hands are tied by the fact that IndyCar's management, which also controls Lights, is more concerned with getting the main series back onto a stable footing. Only once IndyCar is fully consolidated will attention turn to a Lights overhaul. One just has to hope that by the time that day comes, there will still be a series left to rescue. The funny thing is that in terms of talent, the field is not too badly off - of the seven cars at the Milwaukee Mile, you'd probably view five as potential race winners, and that would have been the case even if there were another 12 cars on the grid.

So what's the solution? Each series has different problems, and there's no catch-all answer that will take care of all of them. But the need to address them properly is very real. In the literal sense of the word, these categories are the sport's future.

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S a professional sportsperson, every decision you and your management team make is crucial - particularly when it comes to switching teams.

In Formula 1, it's more even more crucial than in other sports. Lionel Messi could switch from FC Barcelona to a mid-table team like UD Levante, and he'd still be one of the best footballers in Spain. Not having the best of the best around him would not stop Messi doing what he does best. It would even open the door for him to look better than he does in a star-studded line-up.

But FI just doesn't work like that. Driving for the wrong team at the wrong time can stall a career. It can kill a career - particularly a career in its early stages. That's why every move has to be the right one.

The longer a driver has been in FI, and the more success he has already experienced, the lower the risk is. Sure, moving teams might put a dent in a driver's ability to win races, but 14

a good driver is a good driver, and that's it.

Lewis Hamilton is a good example. It was predicted that he'd blow Nico Rosberg away this season, but so far it hasn't happened. It's been closer than most would have guessed.

But Hamilton is a World Champion, a driver who is obviously right from the top-shelf and that's still not in doubt. The results at Mercedes this year have upped Rosberg's stocks, rather than hurt Hamilton's.

There are other drivers in the field that aren't so lucky. Sergio Perez, for example.

Ordinarily, driving for McLaren would be a dream. But 2013 is one of those odd seasons where McLaren has not only built a car that isn't a title contender, but built a car that more than likely won't even win a race.

Jenson Button will come out of the whole ordeal fine. Like Hamilton at Mercedes, Button is a proven quantity. He's a World Champion. One bad season won't change that.

But Perez's ultimate ability is still an

unknown. He showed enough in 2012 for us to know he's quick, but that's about it.

And the dog-slow McLaren isn't helping the Mexican make a good case. It's not a deathwish, and I'm not saying Perez won't recover from the set-back, but it's less than ideal at this point of the young driver's career.

The same can be said of Nico Hulkenberg.

After an impressive 2012 with Force India, the German made a somewhat curious move to Sauber. I say curious because it was kind of a sideways move. While the reasoning behind Perez's move is quite clear - very few people in the world would opt to stay at Sauber rather than move to McLaren Hulkenberg's moved from one mid-field team to another mid-field team, at a point in his career where he's oh-so-close to a call from one of the big teams.

This was the ultimate risky move of the off season. Yes, Sauber was stronger than Force India last year, but the margins between the mid-field teams are just so close. There was motorsport news

Andrew

van Leeuwen

Box Seat

never a guarantee that the same would be true in 2013.

"When you get overtaken by a Sauber and then it pulls away from you, the strengths are pretty obvious," Hulkenberg justified pre season. But, so far at least, it just isn't working out that way. As of the Canadian Grand Prix, Hulkenberg is sitting 15th in the points, just five to his name. Force India drivers Paul di Resta are eighth and 11th respectively.

As for the constructors. Force India is in the fifth place that Sauber said it was aiming for pre-season. The Swiss are languishing down eighth, wedged between Toro Rosso and Williams.

There are a few factors. Obviously, the Sauber just isn't fundamentally a great racing car. It could be the slim sidepods, it could be a lack of downforce (the likely answer), it could be a number of things.

There's also the fact that Hulkenberg is now a clear team leader. Alongside di Resta, the pair were similar enough that they could work together, and push each other, to help make the car quick.

But in Esteban Gutierrez, Hulkenberg hasn't got a lot Of support. The rookie isn't in a position to help develop the car, simply because he doesn't have the experience. And he has enough on his plate just earning how this crazy business works, without having to worry about how to make a mediocre car better than it currently is.

One thing Hulkenberg does have is support from the team. According to the team's technical guru Matt Morris, a man who worked with Hulkenberg when they were both at Williams, signing Hulk when the opportunity arose was a given.

"The driver is obviously a key part to the key," he said earlier in the year.

"If you look at some of o.qc performances last year, you could argue that we were let down by the drivers a few times, and for sure we also let the drivers down at times. To have a consistent driver in the car, that also gives you good feedback, is great.

"I worked with Nico at Williams before, and in the last few months he's spent a lot of time at the factory, spending time with the engineers, trying to get to know the car before he even sits in it, and trying to tell the engineers what he wa!nts. "That's a I Mill II huge step forward, and I'm sure the car performance, and the team performance, will benefit from that. I'm really looking forward to working with Nico at the track. I think it will be a good combination."

While those quotes might be a couple of months old, you can bet the team's opinion hasn't changed. While he hasn't had the car to prove it, Hulkenberg is still a quality driver.

All we can hope is that this slightly backwards move, at a time where Hulkenberg is yet to prove his quality to the wider world, doesn't mean he'll never get the right chance to do that.

The point is, there's no guarantees either way. Not making the right decision can be so costly.

While he hasn't had the car to prove it, Hulkenberg is still a quality driver. All we can hope is that this slightly backwards move doesn't mean he'll never get the right chance to do that. www.mnews.com.au

15

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Garry Rogers Motorsport is joining forces with Volvo and Polestar Racing to present a new face to V8 Supercars from 2014. Phil Branagan spoke to Rogers and Polestar's boss about V8s, S60s and Swedish royalty. motorsport news

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OLVO Polestar GRM. It does not exactly roll off the tongue, does it? But there was a time, surely, when even 'Holden Racing Team’ did not do that, either.

That is how we will be referring to Garry Rogers Motorsport from January.

The Swedes are arriving with their S60 Polestar racecar, the name emphasising the link to Polestar, which has been Volvo's official racing wing since 1996.

Australia will become the first market in the world where the roadgoing version of the S60 Polestar, with its turbocharged six-cylinder engine and all-wheel-drive, will be on sale. Think of Polestar as a Scandinavian version of AMG, and the S60 Polestar as a rival of BMW's M3 or Audi's S4, and you get the idea.

The engines will be developed in Sweden (see Breakout) but most of the rest of the technology will

come from the Rogers HQ in Dandenong, Melbourne.

First things first. This is, whether people want to admit it or not, affirmation of the Car of the Future project. Whether or not it has come in anywhere near its cost targets, COTF was designed to attract manufacturers, and it has attracted another one in Volvo. V8s and the brand may appear to some hat-wearing bowling club devotees to be a bad fit but that it not the view of Christian Dahl. Polestar's managing director and owner has watched the series from afar and is already a big fan.

"I think that it is a fantastic championship," he says enthusiastically.

"I have been doing motorsport together with Volvo for 16 years and, after having been involved with the Swedish [Championship] and with World Touring Cars, I think that V8 Supercars is, handsdown, one of the best. The competition

is stiff and the regulations are good.

The new Car of the Future offers equal performance; we are used to Europe to where you can win one race and you get a penalty or more weight for the next week. You really can do a good race here and it is good to be involved in a championship where it is a sporting competition."

The reasons why Volvo and Polestar are here are obvious.

"Volvo wants to enhance the profile of the S60 and Volvo as a brand," says Dahl. "Obviously this is a really, really strong market for Volvo and this will help sell more cars.

"The [S60 Polestar] car is being rolled out first in Australia. It is really exciting to get that opportunity and to get the chance to get into motor racing too, both for Polestar and for Volvo Cars. I think that it is a bit lucky to have such a really good opportunity. This is a pilot

The Volvo S60 matches V8 Supercars' size parameters nicely.

In stock form, it is a close match for the Nissan Altimo; in fact, both cars have exactly the same wheelbase.

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[project] but 1 really hope that we can get into other markets. I think that this is a real positive and we are in discussion with Volvo to find other markets. But it is quite a unique car, and I do not think that it is easy to find really good markets like Australia has been.

I think that there are a couple of markets in Europe and maybe in the US where you could sell it."

It also emphasises that teams can now change from one marque to another with relatively few changes, compared to past years. At the end of the season, GRM could, in theory, dismantle its Commodore VFs and make Volvos out of them. It's possible, but will not happen.

"We will build new cars," Rogers advises.

"The engines are being coordinated through Polestar and our guys. They are racers at heart and they have won championships.

They do it pretty well. That appeals to me.

Look; we need the money but we are not going out of business if we do not get the money. But to align yourself with someone with the same ideas you have yourself is a big help."

He also fills in some of the history of putting the Volvo deal together.

"It has been going on for quite a while," he says. "We spoke to them middle-to-late last year. We had spoken to a lot of people but other than Chrysler, we did not have anything thing that was really operative.

Volvo started to show a bit of interest. I did not know Christian Dahl from Polestar at that point; I have been only speaking to Volvo.

"Early this year we had further discussions.

At that point, I met Christian; he came over and visited us, to see how we did our

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Polestars: Christian Dahl, above, managing director of Polestar, Volvo's official racing wing.

Garry Rogers, left, is not surprisingly rather delighted to be bringing Volvo into V8 Supercars. business. Volvo wanted to do it but they wanted Polestar involved; that is because of the S60 Polestar they are releasing. So they saw how we did our business and he went home. Then one of his people came out and there was substantial interest, so we threw some numbers around and we looked and how and when we could do it. It was then really positive.

"By then other people from Sweden wanted to meet me, so they knew who they were dealing with, so they came to Austin in Texas. From there, it was just nuts and bolts and away we went. They saw we could do the job.

"We really needed to align ourselves with a manufacturer. We are pleased with Volvo; the brand is a very respected brand and it was obvious that it was a good thing to do. Both Fujitsu and Valvoline are staying with us, and that is great. The saw it as a great marketing opportunity for them, with such a brand."

Of course, for much of the current season the V8 Supercar tom-toms have been beating about GRM and Chrysler joining forces to race a pair of 300Cs in the Championship next season. Rogers says that a deal with Chrysler was 'close'.

"Very, very close. It just didn't happen in the end. They were very good to deal with and good to talk to. They just got to a stage where the decided not to proceed. There was no ill-feeling on either side, it was all very positive. It was a purely commercial decision on their part.

He does not believe that we will see Chryslers on a V8 Supercar grid with another

ne of the questions to be answered in regards to Volvo's V8 Supercar programme was what engine Garry Rogers Motorsport would use.

As the only team to run a Volvo In the V8 Supercar Championship, GRM and Volvo must stipulate the S60 Polestar's engine specification in an Engine Component Specification Document(ESD) (though technically, it is the responsibility of the maker to submit the specs to V8 Supercars for approval). This defines the specs of the components from which the engine will be developed, whichever engine that may be.

You can't buy a new Volvo with a V8.

The marque does not offer customers a V8 option in any of its models; it hasn't since 2010. The most recent Volvo V8 was called the B8444S; B for Bensin (gasoline), 8 for the number of cylinders, 44 for its 4400cc capacity and the last 4 for four valves per cylinder. The motor(right andabove), which was used in previous incarnations of the XC90 and S80 models, produces 232kW and 440Nm in stock trim.

But it also forms the basis of the quirky Noble M600 supercar, and in that model, and with twin Garrett turbochargers, produces as much as a V8 Supercar like 485kW at 1 bar boost. So while the Yamaha-designed motor may not be accustomed to V8 Supercar power output, it can handle the heat and It has received the nod as the basis of the marque's V8 Supercar engine, which will be developed at Polestar's HQ in Gothenburg.

"We are doing all the work to isolate the systems on the car and we will be working closely with the people at Garry Rogers [Motorsport] on everything else," says Christian Dahl. "We will obviously have to do a rebore and other things to meet the 5-litre capacity."

The engine currently has no other

>lvo, not V8 motorsport applications but Dahl does not foresee any problems.

"I do not think so. When you build an engine you can always reach the power but the challenge it to reach it with reliability. Of course you want to do as much simulation as you can before you go into the championship. I think that is how it should be done. We are hoping to get the engines on the dyno in December and as soon as possible after that, get it into a car on onto the track."

There are some unusual features about the engine. Unlike the V8 Supercar motors currently in use, it has a 60-degree V angle between the cylinders, while the Ford and Holden pushrod motors and the two quad-cam units are 90-degree motors. This design is partly because the Volvo is designed to be used transversally in its road car applications. It is relatively small for a road car engine; it is 754mm long and 635mm wide. (FYI, Ford's V8 Supercar motor is 740mm long and 620mm wide.) It is also quite light; in road trim, the unit weighs 190kg. The minimum total engine weight for V8 Supercars is 200kg, applied to a complete motor less starter motor, exhaust header pipes, power steering pump and clutch.

"I think that the championship has done a really good job to give every brand a chance to come in with whatever base engine that they have," says Dahl.

"But with Volvo, the engines are really compact. That is an advantage, of course, to have a small engine, but the disadvantage could be that you are a little bit cramped for space and you have to build a really tight engine. But I think that it is not as extreme as some people make it sound, and this delivers a really good base to start from. So hopefully with power and reliability we will have a really small engine to fit into the car.

which is good!"

And, will it match the power, torque and fuel consumption numbers that the opposition teams already have? In time, there would be few reasons why not. The unit will undergo the same scrutiny as the Nissan and Benz V8s have, most recently, and be subject to the same examinations.

The Category Technical Manager may, for instance, have a torque sensor fitted to the engine'and once this is measured and compared to engine revolutions, horsepower can be worked out using the formula HP = Torque x RPM divided by 5252. One thought; what would it sound like?

The team would have also had the

option to utilise V8 Supercars generic motor. This has been subject to some talk in the pitlane, and is comprised of a number of items assembled into a brandfree engine that is similar in specification to the current units in the Holdens and Fords. The final specifications have not been stipulated, and any resulting motor would, obviously, be subject to developments similar to that those that have gone into the Nissan and MercedesBenz motors. The 'generic' motor might be the option chosen should a maker not have a V8 engine available in its own model line-up.

The choice of the Volvo engine presents an interesting angle. The S60 Polestar uses a turbo six to deliver its impressive performance numbers but soon six and even five-cylinder Volvos will be a thing of the past. The company is moving towards four-cylinder motors across the board, very likely petrols and diesels in partnership with hybrid technology.

In making the announcement about the new i-ART Volvo Engine Architecture technology in April '13 Derek Crabb, the company's Vice President, Powertrain Engineering, said that Volvo "will create smaller, more intelligent engines with so much power that they will turn V8s into dinosaurs".

But as Mr Crabb is also the company's Motorsport Director, he will be clearly hoping that they are fast dinosaurs.

♦

A rookie

team but adds, ‘the more the merrier, from my point of view'.

So that leads us to the future of the drivers

Group asaw came to itAustralia in 1985. It came, it and was conquered.

The record shows that BMW won the

and Rogers is quick to promote the notion that the status quo will remain.

We don't see any reason at this stage why not. We were worried about Alex [Premat] last year, with the crashing and bashing, but we think we are over that. It is not totally solved. At this stage, it is business as usual.

Clearly, there is an elephant in the room.

Scott McLaughlin was quick to tweet after the news was confirmed ("Better learn some Swedish on top of the basic French I now know...") but it is not uncommon that drivers will have, even in long-term contracts, an exit clause that could be activated in the event of significant shift in a team's structure. A common trigger could be as change of ownership of a change in a team's manufacturer affiliation. V8 Supercars' best rookie driver won the VSSuperTourer title in

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New Zealand in a Supercheap Auto Holden, With Russell Ingall's retirement due at the end of the season there is an open Supercheap Auto Holden seat in 2014 and it is easy to imagine that both Holden and SCA would welcome McLaughlin.

"That's not a possibility," says Rogers.

When pressed further, he replied, "that's not a possibility at all."

And, endurance drivers? Could there be some Swedes and others in the mix in the future?

Dahl has some input: "I think that there are some good opportunities with multidriver races. Maybe some people from the championship in Sweden, and we could share Return of the Swedish Valiant: That was Dick Johnson's nickname for the Volvo 240T, above centre, which made such an impact on the local scene in the mid ‘80s. Volvo was back in the ‘90s in Super Touring, firstly with the 850 wagon, left. in 1995, then the 850 sedan, below, and finally the S40, top, which in 1998 delivered a Bathurst win to the Swedish marque.

1985 Australian Touring Car Championship, with dominance such that the third-placed driver in the first Group A race at Winton was a lap behind the second man and two laps behind winner Jim Richards.

And a year taterrBMW was beaten. By a Volvo.

The Swedish make's history in Group A was short and exciting. The turbocharged 2127cc four-cylinder two-door version of the staid, square-ish sedan was homologated for Group A in 1982 and hit the track that year. With changes homologated, including a bigger turbo and intercooler and revised aerodynamics, the Volvos fought a battle with the TWR Rovers in the European Touring Car Championships of 1985 and '86, taking the title in '85 before being vanquished a year later, in spite of winning more races. There was also the small matter of some disqualifications, for irregularities of the fuel and dashboards ...

In this part of the world, the first we saw of the 240T was in Wellington. Having missed qualifying, Robbie Francevic and Michel Delcourt started at the back of the

&rid and swept through the field to win the Nissan Mobil 500. A month later the car

appeared at the second round of the ATCC at Sandown, finishing sixth. Three weeks later, when the series was at Symmons Plains, Francevic won. He also won the final round of the series at Oran Park, and it was clear that given the resources and the budget, Volvo was going to be a factor in the '86 ATCC.

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Enter John Bowe, tin top rookie.

"It was my first touring car drive and I have quite fond memories of it," he smiles through his trademark beard. "The car was quite good; it was well-run. It was, obviously, a much different era to now but several times, Volvo has recognised world wide the value of motorsport as a brandbuilder and as an image-builder. They did it in the Group A days and again in the Super Touring days.

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named Bowe "I think that the Group A effort various problems." started to change people's perspective Bowe learned quickly.

"I started at the fourth round at about the brand. At that stage in particular, they were seen as fuddyAdelaide Raceway and started second, and a week later in Perth, was on duddy's car, probably not helped by Dick Johnson making jokes about pole. Robbie then exercised his lead them on Racecam on television! I think driver status and took that car and I that it really started to change people’s took the older left-hand-drive one!" view, because it was actually a very Ironically, it was Francevic’s season good car - and they are very good cars opening wins at Amaroo Park and today. They are well engineered and Symmons Plains in the older LHD car settled the series. He won once in the they are quite sporty now."

By '86, the potential of a two-car RHD car (in Adelaide) and podium team was clear. The Australian Volvo finishes at Sandown, Wanneroo and Winton allowed him to settle Dealer Team was formed, dealers contributing 40 percent of the budget for a steady sixth at the Oran Park and Volvo Australia, Valvoline and finale, to hold off round winner other sponsors proving the balance.

George Fury (Nissan) for the crown, There were some experienced people 217 points to 212.

Bowe remembers the time as a involved, with team manager John Sheppard (ex-Holden Dealer Team) happy period in his career. recruiting a team that included "People remember it, even now. future Gibson Motorsport and HRT They ask me about it, they are fond of it. I had a lot of contact with the Volvo team manager Jeff Grech and future Bridgestone Motorsport manager dealers. They were all good people."

Graeme 'Mort' Brown. A second car But not all was well on the other was acquired from RAS, an unraced side of the world. In preparation RHD model (as it turned out, the only for the 1987 World Touring Car RHO Volvo Group A racer in Championship, the FIA had made the world). changes to the Croup A regulations All Bowe had to do was learn how and one of these, which changed theto drive a touring car. capacity multiplier for turbocharged "The first time that I ever drove it cars from 1.4 to 1.7, put the Volvo at a was also the first time I had driven weight disadvantage to the normallya touring car. I had driven openaspirated opposition. Volvo announced wheelers quite extensively and I had a withdrawal from motorsport and also driven sportscars. I hadn't driven the 'Aussie' cars (a spare had been cars that had a roof on them, like that built up from a fresh shell during the one did. I was a bit shocked about season) were returned to Sweden. how basic it all was and how different One of them went on to win the '87 it was to an open-wheeler. Racecars Finnish Championship. had hero performance and ground The AVDT was quietly disbanded. effects! That was a bit of a shock Bowe sat out the '87 ATCC season but as an endurance driver for the to the system. But I adapted quite Peter Jackson Nissan team, finished quickly; in my very first touring car second with Glenn Seton at Bathurst round I qualified on the front row and in the second, I qualified on pole and (after the disqualification of the led the race until the car broke down. I Eggenberger Fords). The following had some good races but I season he joined Dick Johnson Racing did not win. I led a few and had and the rest is history.

FOREIBNINIMDER Aussie tin-top racing's first German tourenwageir m^coniiBn

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The menacing, black JPS Team BMW 635 CSi pre-dates the Erebus AMG E63 by three decades as Aussie touring car racing’s first German ‘tourenwagen’. The July/August edition of Australian Muscle Car magazine rewinds to the early 1980s and to this first foreign assault. At the beachhead of BMW’s attack were some of the sport’s biggest names: Frank Gardner, Allan Grice and Jim Richards. The remarkable story of BMW’s slow rise to the top is told in-depth in issue #68. We’ve also tracked down Holden’s first Bathurst hero - Fred Morgan who finished second in the 1963 Bathurst classic. subscribe online anytime,

mymagazinesdmmiu

Rogers:"The engines are being coordinated through PoSestar and our guys.They are racers at heart and they have won championships. They do it pretty well. That appeals to me. ff

some knowledge from the engineers and the drivers from the different championships. At the moment, the current drivers are the baseline and we cannot offer better than that.

There are some well-credentialed drivers among Polestar's squad. including Robert Dahlgren and Fredrik Ekblom. In the USA, former Champ Car driver Alex Figge and the vastly experienced Randy Pobst fly the Volvo flag for K-Pax Racing in the SPEED World Challenge, and their S60s were racing at The Circuit of the Americas on the same weekend as the V8 Supercars.

Or, for a bit of glamour, Rogers could invite Carl Philip Bernadotte to co-drive - or more correctly. Prince Carl Philip Edmund Bertil, the Duke of Varmland and the only son of Sweden's King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia.

His Royal Highness, third in line to the Swedish throne, is a regular Polestar STCC driver. Plus, he looks like a

Scandinavian movie star.

Gee Garry, wouldn't the ladies' magazines love that...

I would blend well with royalty.

Rogers chuckles. "I would fit in beautifully!

The car looks to be a good fit as well.

The Volvo S60 matches V8 Supercars' size parameters nicely. In stock form, it is a close match for the Nissan Altima; in fact, both cars have exactly the same wheelbase (2776mm) and the S60 is only 3mm wider in the front track and 1 mm wider in the rear track. So it is likely that the Volvo will follow the Nissan's modifications to make it a V8 Supercar; the necessary millimetres required to make the Altima racer V8 Supercar-sized went in ahead of the A-pillar, leaving the car with a stretched bonnet. As both it and the Volvo are transverse-engined in standard form expect that to be the area where the S60 gains a few millimetres.

Scandinavian Supercars: Polestar is well entrenched in the European touring car scene with a factory effort, below. Fredrik Ekblom, above shows the way in the TTA Racing Elite Series round at Anderstorp.

With a win on the board already this season and two competitive drivers, 2013 is an exciting time for Rogers and his team. So too will be 2014, but everyone is aware that the teams that changed brands for this season have found the going tough at times.

It's hard to look into the future. says Rogers. "I have expectations; we all have. I have discussed this long and hard with the workforce; I can't do everything. In fact, I need everybody that I have got, and more. We have a plan to work with Polestar with things like chassis programs. We want to do that well. If we do it well enough, we will have success. That is what we are aiming to do, as soon as we can.

But, the Big Question remains; will we see Swedes in Hawaiian shirts on the Gold Coast?

No doubt about it! Nothing about the team's personality will change. We like that and we want to retain it. If I don't enjoy what I am doing, I don't want to do it! We want to be good at what we do, but we want to have fun doing it.

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The inaugural Texas 400 has been run and won at the STATE-OF-THE-ART CIRCUIT OF THE AMERICAS. IT WAS THE FIRST EVENT IN A FIVE-YEAR CONTRACT FOR V8 SUPERCARS IN AUSTIN, TEXAS, BUT IN THE WAKE OF THE FAILURE OF SIMILAR OFF-SHORE DEALS IN CHINA AND THE MIDDLE EAST, WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD FOR THE AMERICAN V8 SUPERCAR EVENT? BY JOHN MORRIS

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news

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he V8 Supercar announcement of a five-year deal with the Circuit of the America's(COTA) last year was met with a healthy dose of scepticism from the local media.

Following the loss of the Fiamilton event in New Zealand, and previous ventures in China, Bahrain and Abu Dhabi, many wondered whether a market already saturated with its own national NASCAR schedule would even be the slightest bit interested in a foreign ‘stock car' race in its own backyard.

Perhaps the answer to this lay in the location of the venue itself. Austin, the state capital of Texas, takes pride in its 'different' approach to life. With the slogan 'let's keep Austin weird', the idea of Australian touring car racing certainly fitted the off-beat profile.

With Houston already a fixture on the NASCAR schedule, there was less likelihood of the predominantly oval category moving from a speedway to a road circuit, or adding another meeting to an already crowded schedule.

Inter-city rivalry may also have been a factor in the decision to run V8 Supercars.

Whilst Austin is the state capital, many tourists would be more familiar with Dallas or Houston as the major cities or state capital.

There is no doubt that Austin is actively pursuing major events to the area, with regular calls on the track commentary for the X-treme games to held there.

COTA is a new circuit, built to

accommodate the Formula One circus. When you see it in person, you cannot but be impressed by what is a magnificent facility.

The undulating track features a steep climb to a hairpin at turn one before it plunges downhill to a series of esses with expansive asphalt run off areas, separated from the track by sections of artificial grass and distinguished by a striking set of bands of stars and stripes in red, white and blue. There is a switchback stadium section opening into a fast sweeper, with a viewing platform some 50 metres above the ground. Whilst the tower stands out like a beacon on the surrounding countryside, finding the circuit from the city centre was no easy task.

The city of Austin certainly follows the old adage that things are bigger, though not necessarily better, in Texas. A complex maze of interstates, tollways and highways crisscross the area with as many flyovers and ramps than in most other major city.

The use of a CPS was mandatory for any outsider. That is, for anywhere else other than COTA. The circuit and access roads are so new they don't appear on CPS. Whilst the circuit is cutting edge, navigating a course for the track relied on an old fashioned map and a degree of trial and error. Even the local service station operator offered little help apart from a flourish of an arm and the remark ‘Oh, I think it's over there somewhere'.

The track also follows the Texas philosophy.

It is an imposing site from the air of the Austin landscape, sprawling across 400 hectares with massive car parks and even trackside berths for motorhomes. The car parks wind around the perimeter of the extended 5.5km GP circuit precinct with shuttle buses on hand for patrons to reach refreshment before passing out in the extreme heat. Tunnels provide access to the main and support paddocks, whilst two bridges also allow spectators to find vantage points to all parts of the circuit.

In terms of infrastructure, the COTA appears to have it all, boasting, of all things, the world's tallest trackside observation platform. They appear to have thought of everything, but with one alarming exception.

Aside from corporate hospitality and a portion of the main grandstand, there is precious little in terms of shade and not a tree in sight to escape the sun. Add the metal grandstands and 30-plus degree heat and you have the potential for some serious health issues for spectators.

The event schedule looked interesting: the choice of Porsche GT racing linked well with support categories back home, while a thing called the Pirelli World Challenge, with its mix of Audis, Porsches, Camaros, Mustangs and Cadillacs, provided a twist to the local GT Championship.

The choice may have had a negative impact on the main show as, from the moment the cars took to the track, the comparisons raged

news

From the moment the cars took to the track,the

COMPARISONS RAGED BETWEEN THE AUSSIE V8S AND THE PIRELLI WORLD Challenge cars. Locals noted that the Aussie cars WERE MUCH QUIETER THAN THEIR PIRELLI COUNTERPARTS,AND ONLY SLIGHTLY QUICKER

between the Aussie V8s and the American Cadillac racing cars. Locals noted that the Aussie cars were much quieter than their Pirelli counterparts, and only slightly quicker.

In race one, the Cadillac of Johnny O'Connell posted a time of 1 m33.539s, whilst Shane van Gisbergen managed a 1m33.59s in race 14 and Jason Bright achieved the best race lap of 1 n33.541s in Race 16. Jamie Whincup's time of 1 m31.99s in qualifying for race 16 was the fastest lap of the weekend.

Races 13 and 14 on Saturday were largely processional with Jamie Whincup leading Craig Lowndes in a Red Bull 1-2, and Fabian Coulthard the best of the rest. By Saturday evening, a number of V8 drivers acknowledged the racing had not shown the true potential of V8 Supercars. Jamie Whincup suggested the use of softer tyres and Fabian Coulthard wanted the use of the full GP circuit in 2014.

The latter suggestion is an interesting point.

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This was the approach taken when the V8s raced in Ghina and Bahrain, but it seems a bit perverse to spend all that money bringing an entire championship from the other side of the planet, only to run it on a shortened version of the brand new circuit.

Spectator response to the opening V8 race was mixed. Whilst many stood to applaud the conclusion of the Pirelli race, the same could not be said for the V8 Supercars. Perhaps they were wary of standing to put their hands together as they fought to guard their wallets from further attack. Though ticket prices started at just $69 for a three day general admission pass, there was an added slug with cars welcomed into the track then stopped at the entry to the parking zones to collect an unexpected a $30 fee. By Sunday the vacant land just outside the gate had become the unofficial 'free' parking zone. Once inside, the cost of a small bottle of water (99 cents at the local store) had soared to $4.

Sunday offered better conditions all round, with a light cloud cover and gentle breeze offsetting the heat. Improved performances from Coulthard and van Gisbergen suggested that the Red Bull domination of Saturday might come to an end, although Whincup looked set to dominate again until a problem on his Commodore saw him fall back. On the back of how strong the Triple Eight/Red Bull Commodores had been at Barbagallo Raceway, it was an ominous warning for the rest of the season.

COTA released an official attendance of a claimed 68,891 for the three days. For an even some feared would struggle to attract any sort of crowd, that was a decent result, and one which would have been more than respectable and many of the home soil events (the 2013 Symmons Plains meeting, for example, drew a three-day crowd of 52,537).

Reports in local media that just nine percent of the spectators were from Australia is not

entirely correct. The official press release from COTA stated that "COTA sold tickets in thirty states across America, including Texas and 9% of all advance ticket sales were from Australians".

From general comments, the American spectators liked the speed of the V8s and were excited by the two-wheel kerb hopping, stating that the cars were flying at some points. A local official commented that the Aussie V8s 'had the best shocks in racing, they really got them right'.

Whincup said in the post race press conference that 'the autograph line comprised a 50/50 mix of Australian and American fans'. The crowd was a blend of locals coming : to see the show and also a large contingent of n Aussies who had travelled over to see the first i V8 Supercars race in the US. j I

The high ratio of Australians at the race presents a problem for the long-term

attendance figures for the Austin event.

With the high cost of travelling to the US, as opposed to a local V8 race, it is reasonable to assume that many of these spectators will have viewed their trips as a one-off special event and won't return in the near future.

Talking to a cross section of Aussie visitors, this seemed to be a common theme. They had travelled to the US specifically for the race and used the opportunity to make it their bucket list trip'. Though they had enjoyed their visit, the cost would prohibit a return in the near future.

So, for the race to continue on a successful basis, the prospective crowd will need to be drawn from a broader base. This means increasing the level of local interest and encouraging a wider group of Australian fans to take the US trip.

At the post race press conference, Whincup echoed the earlier comment from the locals

when he called tor the muttlers to be removed from the cars next year'. He said also that there were 'plenty of things we can do to spice things up'.

The US experience has a lot to offer, though the first effort was best summed up by Mark Skaife. Whilst waiting to board and American Airlines flight to LA on the Monday after the race, he spoke with a group of Australians about to board as well. After asking the Aussies for their opinions, Mark replied, 'Yeah good, it was good'.

Yes, it was a good experience, not bad, not horrible, but not fantastic or excellent. V8 Supercars and COTA have every right to be encouraged by the result, though they can't rest on their laurels yet.

Regardless of the speculation, outcomes and future of the event, one thing is certain; the crowd was a record for V8 Supercars racing in Austin - and that is a fact.

making it bigger in Texas WHiSSEF 3

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The American audience loved seeing their American Cadillacs take on the European Audis, Volvos and Porsches. So why not homologate a Cadillac and Mustang bodyshape for V8 Supercars? If Betty Klimenko can do it with Mercedes, then why not an American Ford and Chevrolet?

Should the homologation process be too problematic, a simpler option might be to have a one-off race featuring the top 20 Pirelli World Challenge and the V8 Supercars at the conclusion of the meeting. It could be billed as the 'Texas Stampede', offering a cash purse for the top three finishers. The field could be determined by qualifying results with the V8 supercars down one side of the grid and the Pirelli cars on the other - and conveniently, the lap times are already almost identical.

It wouldn't hurt either to have an American driver in a V8 Supercar. Perhaps a few 'wild card' entries for the COTA event - preferably a NASCAR star or two, if schedules allowed. lews

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Having risen from the ashes in 2011, the Porsche Carrera Cup has quickiy established itself as the leading 'support' category in Australia, With an influx of highprofile drivers, a burgeoning rivalry between the champion and the young gun and a new festival-style event format, 2013 is the biggest and best year yet 32

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or better or worse, V8 Supercars dominates the media attention for motorsport in Australia. For other categories, like being the lesser known Minogue or Macpherson sister, often the only publicity comes through having a connection to 'the show'.

So when the 2013 Porsche Carrera Cup entry list was released, it received far more publicity than usual, mostly because it contained a host of 2012 V8 Supercar drivers.

These included Karl Reindler, Michael Patrizi and Steven Johnson, plus former Bathurstwinning Development Series young gun Nick Percat and Sandown 500 winner Warren Luff.

Along with established series front runner Steven Richards and defending champion Craig Baird, it would form the most highprofile and well-credentialled entry list since the series was relaunched in 2011.

Any debate about whether the class of 2013 is stronger, or providing better racing, than what Johnny Reid, Alex Davison, Daniel Gaunt, Nick Foster and others did in previous years is pointless. But there's no doubt the bigger names brought increased attention.

While the series organisers were enthusiastic about their new competitors, it wasn't a result of any deliberate efforts on their part.

"We don't target anybody," says Porsche Motorsport Manager Jamey Blaikie.

"We focus on putting on the best show. www.mnews.com.au

It's a bit like: build it and they'll come. I think we've got a pretty good package and that's what's attracting these guys."

It's a slightly ironic Situation. When Porsche decided to relaunch the series in 2011, after a two-year hiatus when it was cancelled just prior to 2009, one of their key aims was to focus on more than just the front-runners.

"The biggest difference this time is the appreciation we've got for the Elite competitors," explains Blaikie.

"At the end of the day it's the Elite guys that are here, year in year out. The pro guys put on a good show, but the Elite guys deserve recognition as well."

The 'Elite' competitors are the gentleman racers, businessmen mostly, who race for fun and make up around half the grid. The recognition includes ensuring the trophies for both classes are identical; there's an even split of in-car cameras between categories and, in every way possible, it's two classes, in one race, treated equally.

As noble as this sounds - and there is a sincere desire for fairness - there is also a strong commercial reasoning behind this approach. The Elite competitors are Porsche's most regular and long-term customers. Many of the current Elite competitors were part of the previous series and they remain loyal.

"We turn over, maybe one or two (Elite competitors) a year, whereas the Professional guys turn over five or six or seven," explains

Blaikie.

"So it's quite obvious that the backbone and the strength of the category is the Elite guys."

Currently the split between Professional and Elite racers is 50/50 - which is exactly what Blaikie is aiming at.

But it's the Professionals that are the headline act, while the cars and teams are the same, of The top seven drivers in 2012, only Baird and Richards have returned.

There are several attractive elements of the Carrera Cup series for drivers and teams.

Steven Richards, whose departure from V8 Supercars coincided with the relaunch of the Porsche series, is competing in his third year with his own team.

"In terms of value for money, performance, television support, it was the best option. In order to go and try and sell something, that was the best thing to try and sell."

At every round Porsche has its own marquee with food and the paddock's best coffee provided which is a huge plus for presenting a professional image.

"There's never been a catering marquee or anywhere you could take a sponsor in the Development Series," Nick Percat Class act; From the tasty Porsche hardware, above, itself to the corporate hospitality Porsche brings to the series, left, the Carrera Cup is a class act on all fronts.

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Given the budgets required for the second tier V8 series and the Porsches are similar, it's an important distinction. Warren Luff, who has been involved with Porsche for several years through its driver training program, says this is an integral part of the experience.

"Porsche are focused on making sure that everyone enjoys the experience of going Carrera Cup racing. The backbone of this category is a lot of rich businessmen that can afford to go racing and they know they need to look after those kinds of people if they want them to keep coming back. If you look at the category, you have a lot of guys that have been there for quite a few years and it's a testament to the attitude of the people running it.

But the big attraction for the drivers is the quality, and equality, of equipment. Every car is identical in specification and there are heavy restrictions on the development allowed. As Richards points out: "You can't go and spend $30,000 extra to gain performance.

"I love the fact the cars are even," says Percat. "Every car is identical, so I know if I stick the thing on pole, I can do the same lap time in any of the other cars.

"You can't change your springs or geometry settings. You can't change roll centres. It's pretty much camber, ride height, tyre pressure and roll bar settings. You get those things perfect and it's quite user friendly.

Those restrictions, and the longevity of components equating to reduced maintenance expenses,'go a long way to helping keep the costs down. The consensus seems to be that the Carrera Cup is around 20 percent cheaper to run than a leading Development Series car, providing you're not destroying engines or crashing on a regular basis.

'We control pricing as much as we can

with the parts," explains Blaikie.

"The standard road car parts that are compatible (with the) race car, that pricing's basically fixed, but with the race car parts we can have a little bit of a play with that and last year we were able to achieve a 30 percent reduction to the competitor. We will always try and keep focus on it."

These factors are important to the Elite racers as well. Marc Cini, who has been involved in the series for several years, says the support from Porsche and the opportunity to race against professionals in equal equipment make it a very attractive series for the 'gentleman racers' and has helped the Elites lift their game, not just on track, but off it as well.

"It's a positive thing, from the point of view that it becomes very worthwhile for us to gauge what we are doing up against the pros.

We're out there at the same time, in the same conditions, so if we can get under a second a kilometre on track, we are doing pretty well. "(Over the past two years) the two fields have come a little bit closer together. That's probably a combination of the car being easier to drive for the amateurs and, probably, them getting a little bit better as well.

"We've been guided by the professionals, being more forgiving in some ways and sort of edging towards being professional in your outlook. In other words, you don't rant and rave (if) you get a little tap here and there, it's just part of the game. But at the same time, you don't keep doing it and keep repeating mistakes."

Part of this improvement is down to Porsche providing assistance through its ambassadors, such as defending champion Craig Baird.

"I try and help as many of the competitors , - I'm like Dr Feelgood," he says.

"Sometimes if they've got a set-up issue, or they've had a drama with another driver and they bring me their onboard footage of it. I

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Percat:"so far, with Bairdo, it's beers pretty intense...

He's one of the best Porsche drivers in the world and I'm driving the car harder than 1 had to in V8s. try and help to keep everyone happy."

All of this has helped create a very healthy atmosphere within the Porsche paddock.

"You get guys from all different walks of life," says Baird. "We all mix and mingle and no real drama. It's like finishing your round of golf: you go to the 19th hole and you have a beer and a bit of a chat and that's what's good about the pit lane."

Despite that camaraderie, there are tensions within the paddock, especially at the very front. With Baird having won four of the past five championships, inevitably he's the guy everyone's gunning for.

In previous years it was Alex Davison who was his nemesis. Davison had come back from racing factory Porsches in Europe and clashed with Baird, who at the time was establishing himself as the Australasian Porsche king.

In 2006, Baird won the title from Davison.

The following year they were both beaten by David Reynolds. They didn't do battle again until 2012 when Davison returned to the series where Baird was defending champion.

Once again Baird triumphed, but there was plenty of antagonism between them.

"To be fair, if there was no racing we could probably be really good mates," says Baird.

"But when you have a few run-ins with someone, I think you single them out that that's the bloke you got to smash. He's the first bloke that I feel that every time I get on the track I've got to beat him. We probably niggle each other. Dave Reynolds, (Fabian) Coulthard,(Matt) Halliday, any of the guys that I've raced Porsches against, they're all tough. But Alex was a guy I just wanted to beat because I didn't like him walking past me if he'd beaten me."

Lawyers that know Motorsport

With Davison back in the V8s this year, that rivalry is gone, but a new one is starting to emerge. Nick Percat has thrown down the gauntlet to Baird, claiming two of the three pole positions so far. But he's yet to claim a win and the only time the younger driver has beaten Baird in a single-driver race was at Adelaide, when Baird was penalised for a jump-start in race three.

Of course, Percat is no stranger to tense rivalries himself. His run-ins with Development Series rival Chaz Mostert were a big feature of the 2012 championship.

"Me and Chaz, the reason we had such a big rivalry, or it got played up so big, was because we're very similar. We've raced each other like this since 2008 in Formula Ford.

We've played the same games with each other, we just wind each other up. It's what we do (and) it's really more in good fun.

"But so far, with Bairdo, it's been pretty intense because we're just trying to get the edge over each other and to get the edge over him is proving very difficult. He's been around so long, it's like he's heard every line in the book. To him. I'm just a little whippersnapper trying to rattle him and it's not going to happen. So I need to beat him on the track. It's been good; it's just as intense as any other rivalry I've had, probably harder because he's a lot more experienced in that area than me. He's one of the best Porsche drivers in the world and I'm driving the car Elite performers: The backbone of the championship is the 'Elite' class of ‘gentlemen; racers like Marc Cini, centre right, but the talent in the Pro class would not be out of place on a V8 Supercar grid, boasting the likes of Nick Percat, opposite centre, and Steven Richards, below left.

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35

harder than I had to in V8s."

While the racing is as competitive at the front as any other series, the ruthlessness is not quite there. One of the big reasons is the layout of the cars means they don't respond well to nose-to-tail combat.

"The intensity at the front of this field as the same as at the front end of a V8 Supercar field," says Warren Luff. "You've got guys that have won championships and been successful right throughout their careers, all jostling and fighting for position." "[But] with these cars, if you start getting a little too aggressive, with the radiator in the front, if you starting pushing into the back of people you quickly end up with a hole in the radiator, so the level of aggression needs to be toned down and you need to be a little bit more careful. So there's probably a little bit more thought that goes into people's manoeuvres."

While one of the benefits of the category is its place on the V8 Supercars roster at their marquee events and the TV package that comes with it, this does place restrictions on the format. This is one area that Porsche is looking at.

"It's difficult," concedes Blaikie. "We want to be at the Grand Prix, at Clipsal, at Bathurst.

We want to be at the Gold Coast. These are events controlled by V8 Supercars and we need to respect our place in the hierarchy of motorsport. We're sort of stuck in the rut of the three 20-minute sprint race format. This weekend started from a discussion with one of our Elite competitors, who was getting frustrated with the fact that we can't have longer races."

'This weekend' was the RennSport Australia Porsche Motor Racing Festival at Sydney Motorsport Park. An all-Porsche weekend, it hosted the third round of the Carrera Cup championship with a unique racing format.

Two one-hour races with two-drivers per car. Each car must have a Professional and an Elite racer, but regular series competitors couldn't team up, meaning a host of pros and amateurs were drafted in. Qualifying was an aggregate of both drivers and whichever driver finished Race 1, had to start Race 2.

In addition to the headline act, there were other categories of Porsche races, a show & shine of historic racing Porsches, road cars, demonstrations on the skid pan, the kids area with little mini-Porsches they could pedal around a short track. It had a festival atmosphere and was a hit with the drivers.

"The event was put together to spice it up a little bit and from what I can see it has worked very, very well," says Marc Cini.

"Being on the V8 calendar is fantastic, the big events are wonderful to do, but it's also nice to have a carnival event like this, where everyone just relaxes and it's your own show and you have a good time doing it."

While the event worked well, both competitors and organisers are wary of overdoing it.

One of the benefits of the Carrera Cup being a global category is the potential international opportunities, either in Europe or Asia.

Craig Baird has already done a season of Carrera Cup Asia, finishing third, and is a regular at the Singapore Grand Prix support race - which he has won for the past two

years. Porsche is also assisting with getting cars and drivers to the Macau Grand Prix.

Coming the other way, inviting former SuperCup champion Jeroen Bleekemolen for the Bathurst support race last year was a success, he and Baird trading fastest laps and lap records - Baird listing it as his most satisfying victory.

But Blaikie is also aware of the pitfalls and would be wary about repeating that too often.

"It's always risky because you've got the potential to destroy somebody's championship. We've managed to do it on a couple of occasions and we've been lucky.

You have to be very selective with the drivers you use, but that's not to say we wouldn't do it again."

With the new model car coming out in 2014, Porsche is already working with existing competitors and teams to help them secure support. Little touches like mocking up designs of the new car in an existing (or potential) sponsor's colours, providing personalised information packs and promotional material. Anything to make sure that those committing the funds know they are appreciated.

It's this attitude that has the appreciation and respect of the drivers and team owners and helps make sure that the Porsche drivers keep enjoying their product. For Porsche, that's what this series is all about.

Edward Krause Next year's model; The 2014 Carrera Cup car was previewed at the Rennsport weekend at Sydney Motorsport Park, below.

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Near-silent racing cars competing in the heart of a major city on a temporary street circuit that can be packed up and moved on to the next city race location. FIA president Jean Todt is not joking when he describes the upcoming FIA Formula E Championship as 'visionary'. By Andrew van Leeuwen.

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t was a cool, damp December morning, and I was standing with my foot propped up on the tyre of an open-wheeler racing car, shooting the breeze with an engineer.

That alone is nothing special. In this line of work, you tend to spend more weekends in the company of racing cars than not.

But this was something completely different. Behind us, not 100 metres away, was Rome's famous Colosseum. And the longer we waited (in this case for FIA president Jean Todt to arrive), the more the locals and tourists started to gather, confused as to exactly what was going on.

Half an hour or so later, the crowd was ushered away. Todt had arrived in central Rome, and the demonstration was ready to start.

Lucas di Grass! approached the car, checked his helmet buckle, pulled

38

on his gloves, and jumped in.

By that stage, the car hadn't been warmed up. It didn't need to be.

After all, it's an all-electric racing car. All the Brazilian had to do is hit the throttle and go. Just like that, his two (somewhat sideways) laps of Rome were underway.

More specifically, the car di Grass! was driving is the prototype for the FIA Formula E Championship, and was in Rome to announce that the Italian capital had joined the provisional calendar for the series' inaugural 2014 season, the second city to sign on after Rio in Brazil.

That the City of Rome was willing to shut down some of its busiest inner-city streets just to make this announcement spoke volumes.

And the photos of the Formula E prototype on some of the most recognisable streets in the world made a clear statement. motorsport news

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Since that day in Rome, six more cities have joined Rio and the Italian capital on the provisional calendar for 2014; London, Los Angelesj Miami, Beijing, Buenos Aires, Putrajaya in Malaysia. Another two cities will be added, Bangkok a heavy favourite to be one of them after staging a demo run with the prototype back in May. Admittedly, it all sounds like a pipe dream. It would be so easy to completely dismiss the idea of cities like London and Rome staging street races, directly in the city centre, as soon as next year, as nonsense.

But here's the thing: it’s all starting to add up into something that makes sense. During the press conference in Rome, Formula E Holdings CEO Alejandro Agag promised that he had some big, well-known suppliers in the pipe-line. He wasn't joking. At that point, McLaren had already committed to provide engines, transmissions and electronics for Formula E, under the name of a newly-formed company called Spark.

Since then, Dallara has been involved in working on the new chassis, Michelin has been named as the tyre supplier. Tag Heuer as the timing partner, and Renault as a major technical partner. The most recent announcement was that Williams Advanced Engineering will provide the battery technology. These are all big names, with long and proud histories in this sport.

If it wasn't the real deal, these names wouldn't be being attached to it. And while there are no guarantees in life, at least not until the first round is up and running, things are looking very good for a 2014 kickoff, just as planned.

Just as importantly as all the technical partners. Formula E also has the backing of the FIA, not just emotionally or philosophically, but financially. www.mnews.com.au

di Grass!: “ilaybe for the first time the driver wiii he ahle to hear the crowd,like a football player That would be a new experience.

"It's more than backing, because we have been funding the Formula E championship," says Todt.

"We are very happy, because our team is working closely with the promoter, who is talented, determined and focussed.

"It will be a visionary championship for the future, because to host this championship in 10 cities around the world, with the possibility to assemble and disassemble the circuits in the centre of the cities is something very exciting." in case you're completely new to the whole Formula E concept, here's how it will work: the races will be held in the middle of city, with the whole 'weekend' to be cut down into a single day, as a way to avoid disruption.

The E-Prix will be made up of a free practice session in the morning, qualifying over lunch, and a race in the afternoon. The race will be an hour long, with a pit-stop in the middle to allow the drivers to swap to a freshly-charged car. That's right, each driver will have two cars. Win the race and the driver will bag a cool €500,000. Not bad for a day's work.

The key is the circuits. While a Formula 1 Grand Prix in the middle of London is a fanciful notion, and only ever likely to exist in the 40

imagination of a certain Spanish bank, the English capital Is raring to go with Formula E. With the short format(minimising disruptions to busy areas), and the environmentally-friendly cars, it's completely feasible that these races can really happen right in the city centre.

And if the racing is happening right in the city, you've got a good chance of getting in a crowd.

"I think it's the right vision for the cities," says Todt.

"Very clearly I don't believe in electric technology for long distance, but I do believe that it's the exact answer to what we need for the cities, to have an electric car with the possibility to charge in your home, and then charge when you arrive at work. That's a perfect solution, and to have that in racing is stunning.

"It will be a visionary championship for the future, because to host this championship in 10 cities around the world, with the possibility to assemble and disassemble the circuits in the centre of the cities is something very exciting."

Di Grassi, who has been charged (pun intended) with the responsibility of developing the prototype, agrees that city tracks are the way to go.

"The key point is that you have to see the first year of the motorsport news

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championship as something very interesting," he says. "All of the tracks will be brand new, so you won't be able to compare it to anything else. ● "The series is being developed from scratch to be at the cutting edge of technology, and at the same time reduce budgets and increase sustainability. The concept of using many sets of tyres per weekend, and many spare parts that get thrown away, that will all be gone because that's not the future. The future is to cut costs, create a nice show and at the same time promote R&D." From a driver's perspective, it's an interesting concept. With no engine noise, the car produces an odd sound, a combination of the tyres scraping across the tarmac and the transmission sending the electric power to the wheels. It's not silent, but it's different.

"Basically, when you are going over 200km/h with the wind and the high revs, it feels like the noise of a fighter jet," explains di Grassi. "It's a ’ very acute, high-revving sound. You can hear the wind much better, and you can hear the tyres on the road much better.

"Maybe for the first time the driver will be able to hear the crowd, like a football player. That would be a new experience.

"If anyone says that you would get better feedback driving a car with a normal combustion engine, in my opinion it's the other way around. You www.mnews.com.au

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Shock factor: The real shock comes not so much from the electric cars, but from the radical nature of the proposed Formula E Championship.

Formula E SEO Alejandro Agag and Lucas di Crass! pose with the protorype Formula E car, top left.

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the drivers will have to be very good. can hear what's going on much better. I still have to do some testing, "That's what intrigues me about seeing it all come together." but I think this solution will give a driver much better feedback so he Between now and next season, there's a lot to do. The series is can apply the right technique." predicting that there will be 42 Spark-Renaults ready to race, which And don't be thinking that just because this car doesn't have an means that plenty of teams and drivers need to be found. Then there's internal combustion engine that it won't be fast. While 200kW isn't a ridiculous amount of power, expect the cars to have a torque figure not the rather daunting task of having to organise 10 separate street races.

But Agag and co are not only talking the talk, but walking the walk. a million miles away from FI. Even the prototype behaves like a real Formula E Holdings is delivering on its promises, and with Formula 1 racing car as di Grassi man-handles it around the streets of Rome, and awkwardly stumbling its way towards green credentials with no real he says that the car will still reward traditional driving techniques. outcome in sight. Formula E has its timing just right.

"The car will not be the fastest car ever, but it will be fast. It will be a "We have environmentally-clean sports," adds di Grassi. "Cycling is very nice combination. an environmentally-clean sport, sailing is a clean sport, but for the first "I was very impressed with how this car feels [when I first drove it], time ever in racing we are promoting and pushing technology that will it's the same technique as driving any other car. Somebody who is fast : create something good for the planet." in a standard racecar will be fast in Formula E. He's right, and that's why this concept might just work. And that's an "But you will need to be a good driver to drive these cars. The tracks will be brands new, and they will all be city tracks, so you won't be able opinion that goes all the way to the top of this sport.

"Motorsport has a wide number of international championships to touch the walls. But at the same time you'll need to find the limit Formula 1, rallying, endurance - and now we have a Formula E very fast.

Championship," saysTodt.

"And then there will be a different strategy because you'll have two "It's just the next step in the future of motorsport." cars per driver. There will be a lot to work on to get everything right, so 42

motorsport news

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Bathursti?^ mil MAGIC MOMENTS

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1978 HARDIE FERODO 1000 A massive eight and a half hours of race day coverage ■frorfli a; famous' Bathurst classic. . .

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r With nine winsJn-the Bathurst endurance'classic, there's no doobting' why Peter Brock was - and still ■ is - known as the Kirig of the Mountain' i A I' To celebrate the 35th anniversary of thefirst win by Holden’s, mighty .

■' . '1 Torana A9X in Australia's 'Great Bace'; Chevron has dug into the. archives of the'Seven Network to release the 1978 race for the very first , ;time.

There’s a total qf eight and a' half hours of unseeh-sihce-aired coverage , as Peter Brock and Jim^Richards claimed'the first of a hat-trick of wins . on the lylounfain.

The cameras kept filming,during the commercial breaks,- meaning this: ■ -' release'includes a-range of never-before-seen material frorii the '78 - ciassio.

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August 31 & September 1, 2013 Sydney Motorsport Park SteHar pacing line-up fter a stunning Masters debut in 2012, Formula 5000 is now confirmed as ipart of the 2013 race line-up.

Formula 5000 open-wheelers The wild V8 single-seaters are back by popular demand

Touring Car Masters

Dipping nur lids in Aussie icons I

t’s traditional we celebrate some major motoring milestones on Father's Day. This year sees six key anniversaries, as listed below.

75th anniversary: The Mount Panorama circuit

Bowe, Richards, Miedecke & a big field of classic muscle.

50th anniversary: 1963 Armstrong 500

Heritage Touring Cars(Group C/A)

50th anniversary: 1963 EH Holden S4

Legendary Bathurst and ATCC cars battle it out on track.

Historic Touring Cars(Group N, pre-1973) Expect massive grids for Group N’s first Nationals-style event.

Group S(production sports cars)

40th anniversary: 1973 Ford XB Falcon GT 40th anniversary: 1973 VJ Charger

Masters debutants. Think Mustangs, Panteras, Alfas, Porsches, MGs, et al

Heritage Hot Laps (including race replicas)

25th anniversary:

VL Commodore SS Group A SV

The Legends Dinner has a fresh format for 2013, with three distinct segments. First-up, host Aaron Noonan will draw the behind-the-scenes stories from Garry Rogers, Fred Gibson and commentator Garry Wilkinson. Next we' subject Garry Rogers to a light-hearted ‘episode’ of This Is Your Life. In the final segment, Christine and Fred Gibson will chat about their time as the ‘first coupie’ of Aussie racing. This is your chance to rub shoulders with the greats.

When:Saturday 31st August 2013, 7pm-10.30pm RSVP: No later than Friday, August 9 Dress: Smart casuai Cost:$155 per person Booking forms available at www.musclecarmasters.com.au General enquiries for this trackside event via 9672 1000.

Listen to the stories at a night not to be missed. Book now!

Garry Rogers GtM’EsdneGibsG- Garry Wilkinson FredGikean Keej] yoor eye on niusclecarniasters.coin.au for sU Oki latss! news.

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The ‘Bathurst Grid Spectacular’ is a new addition to this year’s Masters; the annual celebration of Australia’s unique muscle car and motorsport heritage. The showpiece event is set to be the centrepiece of the biggest ever gathering of former Great Race machines in period livery.

Each car will be given its due as it forms up on the Brabham Straight grid, and the famous machinery will be joined by some of the legends

Firsii BGS entries received

luscle Car Masters staff have been overwhelmed by the interest shown from owners of genuine Bathurst cars in the first Grid Spectacular. The midday [activity is going to be massive. Several

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pre-race bulld-up will be recreated at the 2013 Australian Muscle Car Masters at Sydney Motorsport Park, Eastern Creek this Father’s The days of the Day,glory September 1. Bathurst 1000’s colourful

who drove them. The massive grid will then set off on a series of demonstration laps.

“Many long-time race fans have fond memories of the traditional Bathurst pre-race spectacle of the 1970s and ’80s,” said Glenn Matthews, CEO of the Australian Racing Drivers’ Club at Sydney Motorsport Park.

“This was a time of pipe bands, baton-twirlers, corny mascots, best-presented car awards and grand marshals commanding drivers to ‘start their engines’. So we’re bringing this spectacle back to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first Great Race at Bathurst, the 1963 Armstrong 500, and the 75th anniversary of the Mount Panorama circuit’s requests for the BGS application form came in even before that document was placed on the event’s website I The first application form was received from Tasmania’s Alan Polglase who is bringing his ex-Bill O’Brien Commodore VL, which had no less than six starts in the Bathurst 1000. Second entry 1

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The hour-long grid spectacular will effectively be the half-time entertainment between morning and afternoon sessions of racing on Father’s Day. Many of the cars in the BSG will also be racing in Fleritage Touring Car events that day.

AMCs Back in the Day photo feature starting on page 88 captures the colour and quirkiness of the build-up to the 1978 Hardie-Ferodo 1000. lodged was Sydneysider Rick Marks’ Studebaker Commander that tackled the Mountain in both 1967 and '68.

So far we have received entries from each of the race’s distinct eras.

The Bathurst Grid Spectacular is open to all cars that competed in the Bathurst 500 or 1000 between 1963 and 2012. Owners of genuine cars - covering the Series Production, Group C, Group , A, Super Touring and V8 Supercar eras - in period livery are encouraged to participate. There will be a dedicated static display area to show off these historically-significant vehicles before and after the Spectacular.

Full details, including the application form, at www.musclecarmasters.com.au

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Sihat is it about Australians racing overseas? I don't mean Mark Webber, Ryan Briscoe or Marcos Ambrose, but rather those who are lesser known - because when it comes to the Nurburgring Nordschleife in Germany, there are plenty of them. These are drivers that have day jobs mostly outside of motorsport, but for at least one week in the year they make the journey to the infamous Nordschleife to compete in the 24 hour motor race.

From the 175-plus cars that enter each year, you'll be guaranteed to see an impressive number of Australians competing, in all sorts of vehicles. This year was no exception, with the Aussie contingent totalling 18. I set out to 62

learn \A/hat brings them to the 'Green Hell' and to gain an insight into their weekends.

My journey to the Nurburgring actually started some 150km to the west at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, where I had arranged to meet up with West Australian Angus Chapel, who probably has one of the best jobs in the world if you are into motor racing. Nurburgring. He is currently working at the Nurburgring as a driving instructor for RSR Nurburg and RSR Spa. They are one of the many driving academies in the area, but probably one of the most well-known and respected; the latter is the official driving academy of Spa Francorchamps.

Angus was accompanied by fellow Australian and team-mate Garth Duffy. And

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although driving for a different team, Rob Thomson was present due to his affiliation with RSR. We got talking about racing at Nurburgring for the 24 Hours. Both Angus and Rob mentioned that they had completed over 200 laps of the circuit. This might sound like a lot, but not compared to someone like Sabine Schmitz, who has by her own estimation lapped the circuit over 20,000 times.

Angus and Rob admitted that they only truly know around 70 percent of the circuit. They are constantly learning the track every time they go out. Once they have had a moment, they can be proud to say that they've been through that corner sideways at 200km/h, now time to cross it off the list and get onto the next one. motorsport news

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The liliirbupgping niopdschleHe Is to Bipopean motop pacing what Mount Panorama is to the sport down under. But the Nopdschleife is four times the length of Bathurst, is no less challenging nor less dangerous, and it hosts an annual 24 Hour endurance race which,in recent times, has become something of a pilgrimage for a whole host of Australian drivers. Marcel Stawiczny braved the fog and the rain to And out why they do It. ' -5 /

Practim! and Qinillfyhig hie niext day eanne around and

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unsuiiprisingly fog and rain had descended over the refion:. This did cause a delay to the day's schedule, and while the fog did ease, the rain- stuck around. The 90-minute free practice would then be followed by the four hour-long night qualifying. These hours of practice and: qualiifying might sound like Euro eiiduro; There is a perfectly good Mount Panorama back home yet in increasing numbers they make the pilgrimage to the Nordschleiffe.

Aussie Porsche crew of Malcolm and Brett Niall, Mark Pilatti and Clint Harvey, above, were 54th outright, 12th in class. Mai Rose and Peter Leemhuis were part of the squad in this Aston Martin, third in class and 76th outright, right www.mnews.com.au

plenty of time to get used to the track and set your car up, but you'd be wrong. With most teams consisting of four drivers, completing just three laps (an out, hot and in lap) could take up to 30 minutes in the wet. For the drivers it means there is not much time to familiarise yourself with the car and track conditions before the race.

Veteran Nurburgring Aussie Mai Rose this year was making his 10th consecutive start.

Having been squeezed out of V8 Supercars in the late '90s by a combination of budget pressures and the establishment of the team franchise arrangement, Mai found his way into international long distance touring car racing firstly with a fleet of old Mitsubishi Mirage Cup cars and later a modified VY Commodore V8 Supercars. The distinctive growl of the Aussie V8 has been a feature of the race in recent years, and Mai has actually built up a small following among German fans - there is even a fan-club t-shirt featuring Mai and the Commodore!

Now, though, he is part of the Aston Martin Test Centre team, sharing one of the team's cars, a modified V8 Vantage. "[The car] started life as a V8 Vantage," Mai told me. "It was a 4.7-litre V8 with a paddle shift, standard anti-lock brakes and stability control. What they've (the team) done is modified it with an aero package, put

in V12 Zagato Brembo brakes and a Bosch ABS system which is adjustable from the cockpit. They've also eliminated the stability control and gone to an adjustable traction control, so you can actually just nail the throttle and not have any wheelspin, but you can still have oversteer.

"It'll still rev to 7500rpm, but its strength is in the fact that it's balanced, light, it changes direction well and last year it finished third in class to the Lexus LFA and the VI2 Zagato and finished 31*‘ outright. The rear wing they put on it does slow it down in a straight line - it used to do 280km/h down the Dottinger Hohe, and now it only reaches 265km/h.

But it makes it up in other places, like down through Schwedenkreuz. You can hold it flat over the hump and not have the back of the car step out.

"It's takes a lot of bravery here, as you can imagine, and as we all say, Bathurst in Australia is like our 'mini-Niirburgring'. We all say that, so if you can handle Bathurst, which we've all done. I won my class at Bathurst only a few months ago; it's helped and the car makes driving it (the track) so much easier, [with] power steer, power boosted, anti-lock brakes, adjustable traction control, adjustable ABS, no matter what the conditions are you can adjust the car to suit."

Mai also made special mention of the

In qualifying, completing just three laps(an out, hot and in lap) could take up to half an hour in the wet.

64

team's sister car, the hydrogen-powered 6-litre V12 twin-turbo Aston Martin Rapide.

"It's the first full no emission car that's done a lap of this track. If the Rapide can finish this 24 hour, it'll bejihe first non-emission car to race in the world. So it's all that nexy, technology, instead of being diesel powered or electric powered, it's hydrogen powered, but don't ask me how it works!"

The Rapide did indeed finish the race, so a bit of history was made this year.

I positioned myself at the Flugplatz (translates loosely as 'place for flying') for second qualifying and messaged Angus to let him know, hoping he could get it airborne. I knew this might be hard due to the slightly damp and cold conditions. I spoke to Angus Chapel after qualifying.

"It's the first time that I've driven this car, so it's still taking a little bit to find the limit, and get used to it. Qualifying was good and I had a really clean lap, but not many laps.

You only get two flying laps, so you don't get much of a chance to get your eye in. The best thing you can hope for is no yellow flags, which we got, and there was not a great deal of traffic, so we ended up fourth in our class, which is a brilliant result and is as good as we could hope for. Now we are just looking for the first sector of the race which is getting in and through the night without any issues and coming out into the morning and seeing where we are at."

With both qualifying sessions done, the top 40 cars would then battle it out for pole position on Saturday afternoon. Only two motorsport news

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■aussie iinwasron': me W-stromg Au^iraliian mMmgeiiii.aMhe20iB ifa.m, above. (Clockwise (mm top riighO Opeiiiing laps; Maitin Bailey; Niall iPPmche team; Pobeit Whomson; Mai Rose with Hocal Cermanrsiuppoiters club Pshirts; Chpisand PaMek'Gteesm Renaalt Clio; view from the aowd: mrs thiat eensisied^ of an Austealian^ wiade it litiife ftis fr0i!ip, irst «s Pauli Sldbber from d'e ‘Itdrenzii iRaoing. iheir ear is a Porscbe 997 iSIf Cup andl is in the same top category !('SP9t> as those wfe woiutdi go battle for Owerall' 'honours. Seeondiiy was iRodney forbes from the' IR'aceun ion leichimanini Racing Porsche 9t1i GiO Cupniin: class SP7.

I was aibie to .chat with Pau i about racing iinrsuch a co:mpetiti.v,e car. "!lt's great, actually; it's my si>xth go here. We ran in (class) V5 for four years with a very enjoyable team, like everything |l think we outgrew the car. This year, to come to SP9, it’s as high as we get.

Tm very happy, H set a target which I though was realistic in a 9m15s, and in my irst couple laps I achieved that, so I guess ve got to raise the bar a little bit and Td like to think perhaps tomorrow when there is a little less traffic andi we'll still be runining and we'll have good! tyres, an. eight-minute lap on the 24-h0ur circuit would be quite a thriil."

I asked Paul about how he came about securing the drive in the Porsche it was from some chaps we met and raced with last year, and then I had my irst go in a Porsche at CJubai, which I felt was a safe and smart start because it's a normal track with good run-offs, and I was thrilled. wasn't w wwjmnews. com. au

Clockwise from top left: Martin Bailey; Peter O'Donnell; Angus Chapel; Paul Stubber's Porsche. really a Porsche fan,, but I was converted after that, they've got the repeatability of a formula car."

Paul and his de Lorenzi team qualified 34th position with a 8m43.694s, 26 seconds off the pole position time. Rodney and his Raceunion Teichmann Racing Porsche qualified 40th at 8m48.222s.

Another Aussie I got hold of was Martin Bailey, who this year was racing with Ivo Breukers in the diesel powered Seat Leon. This car is familiar to us in Australia as it raced in the Bathurst 12 Hour back in 2012. I asked Martin about how the drive came about.

"We knew each other from Dubai a few years ago and he (Ivo Breukers) gave us a call and asked if I wanted to do Bathurst (in 2012) and he was looking for someone here, last minute. Tuesday I found out that I was going to come out, so got on a plane Wednesday night and here I am."

Despite the rushed preparation, Martin was feeling relaxed before the start; "Yeah good, confident, car's good in the wet the other day, so we're going to need that. It's going to rain, I think pretty much most of the race apparently, so pity it (the race) didn't start yesterday. But that's the way it is."

66

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(Foxhole) were Govered by dense log.lei^ee stoppage ended up lasdng for over nine hours, to be in potential class-winning car. To nun; In the Dorr Motorsport BMW Z4, Robert around here just for the sake of running Thompson also felt comfortable with his around, you can do it once or twice, but after progress as the prepared for the start. "I've had limited time in the car," he said, "but a while you want to win, you're a race car driver." from the one dry lap I actually got to learn the car and which gears to use. The car is perfect, I couldn't ask for a better race car.

Very confident car to drive, just got to put in a ...Race day rolled around and the weather W looked to be holding off for the start of couple of laps and really learn it better. "[In the rain] it's a bit tricker to drive, the race, although forecasts were predicting rain to hit around the start and into the night. apparently; I didn't get any wet laps, but The race got underway at 5pm local time but (rather) a drying track. It's got ABS, stability control and traction control, so leave all that didn't last long for the all-Australian crew of on, cause it's going to rain."

Tony Alford, Kean Booker, Richard Gartner and Peter O'Donnell. They unfortunately only Last year Robert raced with Mai Rose in managed three laps in their BMW E36 M3. the Aston Martin Vantage V8. He could have continued but instead chose to switch to Dorr Their car looked to lose control in the braking area into Aremberg and cut across the apex Motorsport. and collided into the side of one of the Toyota "Basically from years of being here, just GT86s. The GT86 was able to continue, but looking around and seeing what teams are this was not the case for the Aussie crew. doing, and watching how cars are performing The race was going well until the rain in their classes, I picked these guys. I wanted

The Race

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Clockwise from above: Angus Chapel and Carth Duffy shared this BMW;Kean Booker and Richard Cartner; Garth Duffy; Rodney Forbes' Porsche was best performed of the Australians. started to fall around the four-hour mark. I was in the pits at the time and a mad rush of cars came in for wet tyres. This rain continued and conditions got progressively worse until the race was red flagged at shortly before 1pm. Certain parts of the track like Fuchsrohre (Foxhole) were covered by dense fog.

The ensuing chaos leading up to the red flag appeared to claim another Australian victim, with reports coming through that the Aston Martin Vantage Ric Shaw was sharing had crashed.

This race stoppage ended up lasting for over nine hours. They officially got underway again at 8:20am. We would end up losing only one more Australian, with Christopher Gleeson and his Roadrunner Racing Renault Clio Cup retiring after 40 laps.

The highest placed Australian to finish the race was Rodney Forbes, the former V8 Supercar driver who currently resides in Europe. Fie and his team finished an impressive 14th overall and third in SP7 in the Raceunion Teichmann Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup. Paul Stubber finished 35th and 19‘'’ in SP9. The other all-Australian group of Clint Flarvey/Brett Niall/Malcolm Niall/Mark Pilatti were 54th outright and 12th in SP7.

Robert Thomson and the Dorr Motorsport BMW Z4 finished 61 st outright and first in SP6, some 40.9 seconds ahead of their

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he crowded trophy cabinet, the spotless floors and the series of partitioned office spaces, behind which is a fairly substantial workshop area - this 1500 squaremetre facility in the south-eastern outskirts of Melbourne has the look and feel of a V8 Supercar team.

It's not a V8 Supercar team. But it does have plenty of V8 Supercar pedigree.

Australian touring car racing is in the DNA here, and it dates back to before there even was V8 Supercars. It also has a direct link to a manufacturer and, unlike any of today's V8 Supercar teams, it goes racing (and rallying) with vehicles that are not mere silhouette approximations of a normal four-door sedan, but rather four-door sedans which really are just like the ones on the showroom floor.

You can buy one of those cars from here, too, because Team Mitsubishi Ralliart(TMR) Australia is the place to go for anyone looking at getting themselves the latest Mitsubishi Lancer Evo - and especially those wanting to use these cars in competition.

Next January TMR celebrates its 10th birthday. In nine years it has grown from virtually nothing into what might be described

as a smaller scale version of HSV and Walkinshaw Racing, but for Mitsubishis rather than Holdens.

In roundabout a way, TMR came from V8 Supercars, rising out of the ashes of the old.

00 Gibson Motorspoit Ford team. The closure of 00 Motorspoit left team manager Alan Heaphy out of a job, but also free him to pursue fresh opportunities - and after more than a decade in touring car racing (Heaphy had also been team manager at Wayne Gardner Racing and before that was with Gibson during the Nissan era), he was ready for a new challenge.

"Then out of the blue I got a phone call, initiated by Ed Ordynski, from a guy at Mitsubishi," Heaphy says. "He said that they wanted to do something in motorsport other than the Evos, and what could I suggest? I said that you've got these all-wheel-drive Magnas, and there was a section in the Australian Rally Championship for those cars to run. That's where it started.

"I rang George Fury, Ross Dunkerton, Colin Bond, all the old rally gurus, if you like, but only Dunkerton was interested in getting involved. I ran a couple of cars with Dunkerton as the main driver, and that led to

some Evo stuff, and then more and more with the Evo Vlllsand IXs. "Then I said to Mitsubishi,'why can't we bring in some Evo Vllls and IXs, as you do with your normal vehicles?' Because previously to get an Evo you had to place an order, pay the money, and then when the thing hit the docks you had to do all the paperwork yourself to get it through customs as a private import.

"So we said, 'you've got the system already set up, and we can be the distributor'. They agreed; we went to air that we get these cars, and we sold 33 Evo IXs in the RS spec(ADR compliant but non-registerable), and about 35 Evo Xs. It just went from there."

TMR Australia is a fully licensed and approved secondary manufacturer, like HSV. To an extent, too, it follows the HSV model in the way it interacts with Mitsubishi and the dealers.

"The way we do it, the customer goes to the dealer and places the order, and then the car is sent to us. We then do the enhancements, and the car is sent back to the dealer to be delivered to the customer."

When it comes to competition and high performance, the Lancer Evo'series is the

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he renewal of Gibson Motorsport under the TMR/Heaphy banner is as much as a continuation as a revival. After all, TMR was started by ex-Gibson personnel under the roof of Gibson-owned premises.

When Gibson Motorsport shut down, the building became the new home of the PWR V8 Supercar team. The newly established TMR rented the place next door, also owned by Fred.

Shortly after that, Gibson sold off both factory facilities to Garry Rogers. At the time the GRM V8 Supercars team was still operating out the back of Rogers' Melbourne car dealership, which was up for sale. His plan was to move the race team to the former Gibson Motorsport building once the dealership was sold.

"Garry told us,'you guys are right, stay there, not a problem'," Heaphy says, "because the dealership had been on the market for a while and didn't look like selling quickly - but then a little while later Garry comes back and says, ‘I hate to tell you this, but... I've just sold the dealership'.

"He gave us three weeks to move out, so we shifted into a temporary place that was supposed to be for six months but ended up being two years because we had so much going on. And then finally we found this place."

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only Mitsubishi model of any consequence.

But anyone scanning the used car market for something a bit different in a high performance sedan might keep an eye out for a thing called TMR380(opposite right). This was TMR's on-steroids version of the humble 3.8-litre V6 Mitsubishi 380.

Heaphy tells the story of a performance car that came into being simply because

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Mitsubishi had nothing new to show at the 2006 Sydney Motor Show.

"The marketing guys rang and said,'what can we do?'. I asked them what they had, and they had the 380. So I said, 'give me a car and we'll see what we can do with it'.

They sent me the first pilot car that came off the line in America, one of about four righthand-drive ones they did over there, and this

thing had been around the block a few times!

We had six weeks, and so we transformed it: supercharger, suspension, big brakes, wheels, bonnet scoop - from an XA GT Falcon! The Mitsubishi guys did a body kit, and we went with that.

"It was the hit of the motor show, it really went over well and Mitsubishi loved it.

They gave us the go-ahead and the dealers ' »«● . were keen.

"It was quite amazing. We went through the whole process, all the boxes were ticked by the Mitsubishi engineering department - and that wasn't easy because some of the guys there were real hard; they had no vision for trying to improve the image of the company, they just didn't want to see their car changed in any way, shape or form.

"We did 20 cars and had about 60 on order from dealers. We went public with the car on the Tuesday, and by Thursday they'd shut the factory down! So we only built 20..."

Heaphy still owns the first of the 20 TMR380S. He reckons there are a few out there even now that never left their dealership.

But the core of the Mitsubishi side of Heaphy's business has mainly been supplying, servicing and racing Lancer Evos. The Evo is the perfect weapon for traditional rallying as well as tarmac rally competition, but when the Bathurst 12 Hour was reborn in 2007, it provided another outlet for success, with TMR leading the charge.

"We won the Bathurst 12 hour with the Evo IX," says Heaphy, "and then won the following year with the X, so we thought, we should try to take some advantage of this.

"The following Friday after the 2009 motorsport news

Bathurst 12 Hour was the press day for the Melbourne Motor Show. So we put a presentation together and took it there to give to (Mitsubishi boss) Rod McEniry. I said 'we want to do a Bathurst edition Evo X - little bit more power, bit nicer spec, and he thought it was a good idea. But of the marketing blokes, no one was brave enough to say yes, so it sat around for a while. About 10 months later I ran into Rod and he asked how it was going with the Bathurst edition Evo. I told him the marketing guys hadn't OKed it yet, and he said, 'just go and do it'.

"Sixty two cars later, they're still floating through the place, two or three a month."

As for the racing side of things, TMR is no longer directly involved. After winning the production car championship four years in a row, Heaphy opted to bow out once it got to the stage where TMR was competing against

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its own customers.

"I didn't want that, so instead I'm helping a few different guys and providing support at events.

"We went to Targa Tasmania this year and serviced 11 cars. We take a truck with spares and equipment and try to keep them going with whatever they need. We do smaller events too - this weekend we've got a couple of guys going the tarmac rally up at Marysville. We've got three customers' cars in that. The customers share the costs, so it works for them. In the end the servicing side of events is a non-profitable thing for us, but it's something we do for the customer as part of the overall product."

This kind of presence at events has led to a demand for TMR's services from nonEvo competitors. That created a problem, however, because Mitsubishi wasn't keen on

the idea of the factory-affiliated race team preparing non-Mitsubishi vehicles. So Heaphy set up a second company. Performance Parts and Engineering, to handle non-Mitsubishi work.

And now there is a third company operating at Heaphy's 1500 square-metre facility in east Melbourne - a new division to look after historic vehicle work, run by non other than former Bathurst winning driver and team owner,Fred ,,Gibso,n.

"I was at Fred's 70th birthday," Heaphy says, "and had a chat with him:'what are you doing with yourself?' And he said 'not much', so I said 'would you be interested in starting up Gibson Motorsport again?'

"So Fred now has his own office, and Gibson Motorsport operates from here servicing older race cars, including some of the old Gibson Motorsport cars.

n" In the* e>ncJ the* serviciinQ £>id€> of e>ve>nt£» is> <3 non-profitable* thinQ for us>, but it's £>ome»thinQ we» bo for the* customer as part of the overall product"

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"One of the first ones we did under the Gibson Motorsport hat was finishing the restoration of a HRS1 for a customer.

We took it out to Calder and I took Jim Richards out with me. He drove it, and was so rapt with it he went and found his own '89 GTS and bought it! It's now here as well.

"We had four of them here at one point.

The 1991 Bathurst winning GT-R is down getting the bodywork repainted in original colours. We've already done most of the

refurbishment of it - it got sold off to a Thailand buyer, who raced it for a year and then put it in a shed. Robert Ingram found it over there and bought it, and brought it home."

It is good to see Fred Gibson and the famous Gibson Motorsport name back in action - and in a way that reunites Fred with his colleagues from the old Nissan days of the early '90s.

And it's not just Heaphy and Gibson, because the TMR brains trust also includes

Peter West, who previously had been Gibson Motorsport's engine projects manager during his time at the team from 1990 through to 2003. In addition to that. West was team manager of Garry Rogers Motorsport's 2003 Bathurst 24-hour one-two result with the 7-litre Holden Monaros.

It's a motorsport brains trust with a level of experience and knowledge, not to mentions., on-track success, that even many V8 Supercar teams can't match. Best of all, it’s now a resource that's available to anyone.

regular Evo IX. For anyone looking for a serious track day car, it was a good deal, and the limited edition run of the Club Spec was snapped up quickly.

But the Evo IX Club Spec only came about by accident literally "Mitsubishi had 18 Evo IXs on the dock in Adelaide that had suffered acid rain damage," Heaphy says, "I went over there and I could hardly tell where they were damaged,just little fly specks here and there - you could hardly see anything.

"Mitsubishi couldn't sell them because of the damage, so I put it to them that how about we take them and make them into a club spec car?

So we did. We fitted a removable roll cage, suspension bush upgrades and a few other bits and pieces, six-point harness etc, and sold them about a bit above the retail but with all the extra stuff.'

motorsport news

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ike any driver who has made their way in international motorsport, Molly Taylor is often told she is lucky' or that others 'would love to do' what she does.

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"I am doing what I love and would never change it or do anything else, but it isn't always as easy as people think. It isn't just turning up and driving the rally car. The reality includes a lot of commitment and dedication," the young Sydneysider says.

"Living away from home, alone in a foreign country without the support of family and friends can be quite a lonely experience."

After four years in the UK, Taylor Is now based in Italy. She moved this year to contest the 2013 European Rally Championship with BP Racing, under the guidance of Pier Liberaii, the general manager of United Business, an Italian sports management company in charge of her international career since last year.

"Progressing from the British to the European and World Championships has been a challenge, but an incredible learning opportunity. I have been thrown in the deep end learning new cars and new rallies, and testing to find the right set-up for each event.

"I am very passionate about the sport and enjoy the level of focus you need because It's such a good feeling once you get it right, or see your improvements - that is worth all the hard work and being away from home."

Taylor met Liberaii in 2011 through her connections with Pirelli. She says he manages 27 drivers and he expressed an interest almost immediately in working with her: "I guess he saw some potential and he has been a fantastic support."

Taylor did four events with the team last year in a Citroen DS3 R3T. She led the R3 class in the World Rally Championship round in Finland only to retire two stages from the end due to a mechanical failure. Her best

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result was third in class at Wales Rally GB, the final round of the 2012 WRC series.

This year, she and Marshall are tackling eight rounds of the European Rally Championship. Azores and Corsica are done and Rally Ypres (Belgium, June 27-29) was running as we went to press. A second place (2WD) in Corsica along with her first stage win in the ERC has been the highlight of the year so far.

From Belgium, it's Sibiu Rally (Romania, July 25-27), Barum Czech Rally (Czech Republic, August 30-September 1), Croatia Rally (September 26-28), Rallye San Remo (Italy, October 10-12), and Rallye International du 'v'alais (Switzerland, November 6-9). All the events are covered

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by Eurosport. Taylor and Marshall will miss an event in Poland when they compete with a privateer Ford team in the world Good golly Miss... Molly Taylor and co-driver Set Marshall, centre right, will do eight rounds of the European Rally Championship this year In a Citroen DS3 R3T, left. wwfeinews.conT.au.

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I AM VERY PASSIONATE ABOUT THE SPORT AND ENJOY THE LEVEL OE LOCUS YOU NEED BECAUSE IT'S SUCH A GOOD EEELING ONCE YOU GET IT RIGHT OR SEE YOUR IMPROVEMENTS - THAT IS WORTH ALL THE HARD WORK AND BEING AWAY EROM HOME.

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"Having the Eurosport coverage has been very good in terms of the exposure we've had. It's probably one of the best international series in terms of its TV reach and general media coverage, which is important for us, because it helps us provide value to sponsors, and that helps keep us going.

"Every event is building for the future, from a rallying perspective and hopefully, through Eurosport, a commercial perspective. We are talking a long-term plan for the top level of the sport and in the meantime I'm gaining in experience and getting better and faster-

well, that's the plan," she laughs.

After three years in Britain's Lakes District while she worked between rallies at the base of Ford WRC operator, M-Sport, Taylor says it's quite a change living out of a suitcase.

"I'm sort of living at AAontecatini in Tuscany, between Pisa and Florence, which is where the team is based, but given the calendar for the next few months. I'll be spending most of my time travelling. I'll only have the odd week or two in Italy and most of my time in hotel rooms.

"Yes, I'm living the dream!" she chuckles, loving the irony of the difference between the gruelling schedule that is her reality, and

I the image people have of her 'glamorous' lifestyle.

Meanwhile, her Italian is coming along s-l-o-w-l-y, she says, although it is improving as she works with the team (literally - she's involved at the workshop between events) and she is understanding more.

"I can speak very basic Italian and the team speaks very basic English, so between that and lots of hand gestures - and google translates every now and then - we get by."

What she does find tough about the travelling is maintaining her fitness. She has always been disciplined, knowing how important it is for her work, but finds it hard

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keeping up the regime on the road.

"I have to say Montecatini is a lovely city to train in. There is an old historic part of to\A/n up on a hill, with great tracks up and around there, and big ancient thermal spas in parkland, so it's a fantastic place to run around.

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the only thing you can do on the road - plus loads of sit-ups and push-ups in my hotel room!" she laughs.

Obviously there is not much downtime in Taylor's life but it doesn't worry her. A recent trip home saw her become hooked on Game Of Thrones but she wonders how she will

"All I can really do now is run, because it is

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"I realise most people who are busy with work want to get away from it and relax, but it is true that if you love what you do, you don't see it as work. You get tired, but you're happy and that's my situation.

"I am very lucky to be in the position of trying to make this work...the harder I work, the more doors are opening and I am more prepared to walk through them. Yes, there's good and bad in every job, no matter how good it is - but I wouldn't change a thing."

Pier Liberal! sees a big future for his protege, describing her as one of the fastest female drivers in the world. She certainly proved him right in Corsica, winning her first stage (in class) on tarmac, finishing second in the 2WD class and 15th outright in a 51 -car field.

WRC regulars like Francois Delecour, Jan Kopecky and Freddy Loix, along with fellow WRC Academy 'graduate' Craig Breen who is proving to be a star on the rise. If Liberali is right, Molly Taylor is too.

Short Fiesta: Taylor returned to Australia earlier in the year for a run in Raily SA in a Ford Fiesta, left, below, but Europe remains her focus.

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Winning recipe

He's a baker by trade,andjust as DanielPestka is known forsome ofthe best meatpies in the Adelaide region, he is also making a name for himselfas a sprintcar driver. GeoffRounds spoke to Pestka after a highly impressive debutseason in the World Series Sprintcar tour.

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f Daniel Pestka's debut season in World Series Sprintcars has been a guide then his upcoming one should be an absolute beauty.

So impressive was the 21-year-old that seasoned American Tim Kaeding handed his World Series Rookie of the Year trophy to somebody that he believed 'deserved it more' - and that person was Pestka.

"I've been racing longer than this guy's been alive, so it's not really fair for me to

accept a Rookie of the Year award over him.

I'd like to call up Daniel Pestka to come up here and receive this," Kaeding said A stunned crowd applauded as a shocked Pestka stepped up to accept the huge speedway honour from the star American sprintcar champion at the end of year WSS dinner in Perth recently.

"To receive something like this from Tim is an honour," Pestka said. "Every time we went out on the track I wanted to try and finish in

front of him. It's a dream for me.

It wasn't the only trophy Pestka collected that night, taking home the 'driver's driver award' as voted by his fellow competitors.

It was added to his swag of wins this past season, including significant victories in two major 360 cubic-inch sprintcar shows in Victoria and South Australia.

When not racing, Pestka works as a baker.

He prides himself on making his hometown of Strathalbyn,(60km out of Adelaide) the best f

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From karts to now sprintcars Tve enjoyed it all and always will.

Once you get into this sport it's hard to get out of. meat pies every day.

His emergence are now grabbing the attention of Australian speedway crowds also, even though his home state have been thrilled by his racing for the past three seasons.

Pestka's first sprintcar race was on January 19, 2008 in the South Australian 41 Od Sprintcar Championships at Adelaide's Speedway City, Virginia.

His real racing quality is that he is seriously fast as was proven w,hpn he,raced for owner Dave Challons. He's not just there making up the numbers and yes, collected some pretty handy dough along the way in a real breakout season.

This may come from his days in speedway go karts where he was dominant as a twotime Australian Junior Dirt Kart Champion.

Nowadays, though, it’s all about sprintcars and he's already bagged some big bikkies.

He holds the current record for 25 laps around Speedway City'*and finished in seventh in the track championship this sea'sb'h' while regular top 10 results in WSS is now the norm.

The chocolates continued for Pestka when he won the prestigious Easter Sprintcar Trail points aggregate and pocketed a cool $10,000.

"It's really great to see that someone from that(go kart) racing background like me can have so much success and do really well," Pestka said.

He is a confident, soft-spoken person and was only ever going to race sprintcars after karts and is eyeing another WSS tilt.

"It was just easier to go to sprintcars. I wanted to keep going ahead in my career and sprintcars and then joining World Series Sprintcars was the main reason we really got right into the class.

"It's one of those things I just do love because it's all I know. From karts to now sprintcars I've enjoyed it all and always will.

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Once you get into this sport it's hard to get out of."

With the majority of sprintcar racing currently in its winter off-season hiatus, Pestka is already looking at again becoming a regular on the WSS scene and also lining up for the country's other big shows.

"I'm not sure right now about the 2014 World Series but it looks like we'll be doing it again.

"I got good experience from doing World Series and we also still want to get experience out of all of the other tracks around the country, but the aim is to still qualify for every A Main and keep scoring points. When you keep scoring consistent points, there's always a chance to be up there."

When Pestka is on and challenging at the front he does have a personal hit list of other young talent he loves to beat to the top of the podium.

"Oh, that's easy. I love to beat Luke Dillon the most. I think he hates it when I beat him and me certainly like too that's for sure.

The other two I like to win from are James McFadden and Steve Lines. I've raced against James heaps as we were in go karts at the same time together and raced lots at the same meetings so we've always had a good rivalry and that's the same with Linesy."

Fellow South Australian Lines has also been a constant in Pestka's racing career. The pair worked side-by-side together when Lines raced in the USA. "I have been to the USA twice and crewed for Linesy over there two years ago and I'd love to go back there and race, it is definitely a goal for me. There's really something about racing there," Pestka added.

Pestka was a youngster going to the tracks when his idol Max Dumesny was the man to beat in World Series Sprintcars and for every other event that was on. Now the youngster still pinches himself we he lines up against the Australian speedway icon.

"Max has always been my idol for sure.

Since I've been racing sprintcars Max and I have had good races, he's fair and always races hard and that's the same with Brooke (Tatnell), I like him to always have. Those two are really great to race with and also good people."

For some followers of the sport Pestka and his car are a talking point for a few reasons. The main one is that's the very taboo green (think John Deere green) colouredcar. It seems in many motorsport circles any resemblance with this colour and the sport just isn't meant to gel.

Perhaps the bad luck of the green just doesn't apply in sprintcars - running a green car never seemed to do Steve Kinser any harm in the early days, and likewise Garry Rush's Castrol-backed sprintcars enjoyed plenty of success.

Pestka himself doesn't buy into the superstition associated with green in motorsport, but said there will be a complete 82

new look during the midway point of 201314 and that the number 27 he carries is of great family significance.

"It may have been a little unlucky at the beginning of last year," laughed Pestka. I don't really believe the superstitions and I don't know where it came from, but there will be a little less green on the car this year.

The number also means a lot to me. It's my birthday, it was dad's (Dave) number and it's the same number I had in go karts, so it does mean a bit to me and my family, yeah I like it, it's staying for sure."

The other reason is well he looks like he should be saddling up in the Melbourne Cup

rather than into an 800 horsepower sprintcar.

Fle's only 170cm tall and weighs about 60kg.

But he takes the reigns of a sprintcar with relative ease.

Daniel Pestka has come along quickly and really, really is a serious talent. Fie still dreams of winning the Grand Annual Sprintcar Classic and maybe capturing an Aussie sprintcar title like his idol Dumesny.

With an overall sixth place in this year's World Series tournament Pestka is surely destined to capture something as big as Dumesny did. So as cliche as it is watch this space and remember the name Daniel Pestka as he really is a treat to watch.

motorsport news

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ou'd think, wouldn’t you, that the car driven by the most storied of all Formula One teams to its first-ever Grand Prix win would be modelled extensively. Jose Froilan Gonzalez's death was reported as I started this month's column, and my thoughts went straight to models of this legend of the sport.

Gonzalez died aged 90 - an achievement not considered likely for racing drivers of that period.

Gonzalez won the British Grand Prix twice for Ferrari, in 1951 and 54. Flis career spanned 10 years in Grand Prix racing. starting in 26 World Championship races, taking third in the 1951 Championship and second in 1954.

So you'd think there'd be models of this man's cars all over. Nup. Found three in a search on Ebay - a Plot Wheels 1 /43 of the 1951 British winner. The same car also appears in a twin-pack celebrating 60 years of Ferrari FI - Gonzalez's 1951 car (again)

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It might be hard to find models of some early Formula One World Championship stars and cars but at least we're well catered for when it comes to some of our own Aussie legends. By Bruce Moxon

and Fernando Alonso's FI 50 from 2011. I also found a Simca-Gordini, the car Jose shared with Juan Manuel Fangio at Le Mans in 1950.

That's from Top Model and is in 1/43 scale.

Bizarre models made a 1/43 resin model of the 1951 Lago-Talbot Gonzalez shared with Onofre Marimon at Le Mans. That one was

at www.motorsportminatures.com and for a resin model, is quite reasonably priced at about $55.

The bloke who was the oldest surviving Grand Prix winner looks like he was largely ignored. And that's a bit sad. Luckily, our own Sir Jack Brabham (who is now the oldest GP I

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motorsport news

It's significant in that it's the first-ever 1/18 scale VN Commodore model.The basic mould will form the basis of a few VN Group A Touring Cars, you'd expect. winner, by the way) has been much better represented.

Hopefully Gonzalez models will start appearing soon.

Closer to home, Apex Replicas will be making two of the most interesting cars from this year's Bathurst 12 Hour. The winning Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG, as driven by Bernd Schneider, Alex Rollof and Tomas Jaeger and the Audi R8 of Rod Salmon, Craig Lowndes and Warren Luff will both be available.

The 1/18 Mercedes is from Minichamps and the Audi from Spark, while the 1/43 versions are both from Spark. They'll be available later this year, either from Apex Replicas direct (www.apexreplicas.com.au) or from your favourite retailer.

Classic Carlectables have announced a couple of classic Commodores in 1/18 scale.

The first is 1980 Sandown 400 winner, the VC as driven by Peter Brock. Brock dominated the

www.mnews.com.au

race, as he'd dominated the rest of the year, taking pole and winning, lapping temporary team-mate Allan Moffat late in the race just to rub salt into the wound.

The second Commodore is also a Holden Dealer Team car, the 1986 Bathurst 1000 car of John Harvey and Neal Lowe. They'd qualified the car 13th but put In a great drive to finish second behind Allan Grice and Graeme Bailey and ahead of Tony Scott and Terry Shlel's Nissan Skyline.

Both cars feature the usual (very high) level of detail and accuracy. Once again, the models show the close relationship to the race cars of those days with the road cars they came from.

Biante has furnished us with details of a classic Holden as well. This time it's the VN Group A road car from 1990. These Group A cars were pretty darned good things and are now sought-after as great Aussie muscle

cars. If, like me, you don't think you can ever afford the real thing, the 1/18 model will make up for some of the disappointment.

The model is based on extensive research in the form of measurements, drawings and photographs of a well-kept example. And it's significant in that it's the first-ever 1/18 scale VN Commodore model. The basic mould will form the basis of a few VN Group A Touring Cars, you'd expect.

Another well-kept road car was used by Biante to make this 1/43 XA Falcon Hardtop in Ultra White. How good does it look? Like the Group A Commodore, there's little chance I'll ever own one, so the model might have to do.

Finally, a racing Ford from Biante; Glenn Seton's Championship-winning EB from 1993, just the second year of the 5-litre Touring Car formula that became today's V8 Supercars.

Like the Group A car (and to a lesser extent

the Group C car) the early 5-litre cars were much closer to road cars than today's bespoke racing cars.

Rather than starting with a roll cage and attaching body panels, Seton will have started with a bare Falcon shell and fitted it out with the roil cage, so the body will be the 'chassis' of the car, not the cage.

Both the Glenn Seton and Peter Brock models have vast blank areas on them - so you'll need (if you care about accuracy) to organise for stickers to fill those gaps. Model retailers might be able to help you with that, or you can buy them online, either in waterslide or vinyl.

Not a car, but one of very few motor bikes that interest me... While digging for Jose Froilan Gonzalez models, I found a 1/43 model of Burt Munro's 1927 Indian Scout the bike featuring in the movie. The World's Fastest Indian. Not only was this a great film, but Munro was obviously a fascinating character and achieved great things from his shed in Invercargill, right at the southern tip of New Zealand.

The model is in resin and is hand-built.

You'll need to be patient, as the models are built to order and take four to six weeks.

Keeping the hand-built issue in mind, they're surprisingly cheap at about $80. Again you'll find the Indian (presented as it ran at Bonneville in 1967) at the Motorsport Miniatures website.

If the van's rockin'...

T

he 'Sin Bin' hotted up and mural-adorned panel van craze of the late 1970s and early '80s reached such a state that even the car manufacturers got into the act.

Holden's design team came up with the 'Sandman', Chrysler's effort was the 'Drifter', and Ford brought us the 'Sundowner'. Trax has immortalised the latter's XD '79 model in 1/43, in Blaze Yellow. Continuing the retro Ford theme, Trax has also put out a couple of Ute S Packs from that period. They're $42.95 and available in Sep

86

motorsport news

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Nigel Snowdon [t's ironic that the picture for which motor racing photographer extraordinaire Nigel Snowdon is probably best remembered was not a 'real' motor racing photo at all, but was in fact a staged promotional shot for Steve McQueen's 1970 motor racing movie, Le Mans.

Anyone with even only a casual interest in the sport will be familiar with that famous shot of Steve McQueen giving the finger as he stares down the camera with that trademark steely gaze. It is a single frame frozen in time that somehow encapsulates the entire mood of McQueen's Le Mans epic; it surely must be one of the movie world's most iconic images.

In his book on the making of the film, A French Kiss With Death, Michael Keyser notes that the now-famous two-fingered salute had been all Nigel's idea. McQueen had wanted to use the American single-digit version, but Snowdon (who was only on set because the film makers wanted real motor racing 88

shooters there to make the film appear more authentic) counselled the Flollywood star that such a gesture might not go over well with European audiences.

Later, whenever McQueen saw Snowdon, he would greet him with the double-finger, and then ask the photographer whether or not he'd done it correctly...

English-born Snowdon arrived in Australia in 1955 as an engineer at Qantas. But his real passion was motor racing photography, and by the early '60s he was back in the UK attempting to carve a living out of it. From there a career spanning more than 30 years was born.

In the late '70s Snowdon and partner (and fellow photographer) Diana Burnett set up their own agency, Snowdon & Associates.

Over the next quarter of a century Snowdon was a supplier of motor racing photographs to publications around the world, including several from this publishing house: Chevron's previous motorsport titles. Racing Car News and Motor Racing Australia, and the Motor Racing Year annual book. In fact, a very

large portion of all of the Formula 1 images published in books and magazines in Australia in the 1970s and '80s were Snowdon & Associates shots. In the wider scheme of things, he was from 1972 until 1987 chief photographer for Autocourse, the preeminent motorsport annual book in the English speaking world.

Nigel published several books of his own over the years, including Formula One Through The Lens, which covered his four decades of photographing FI. When that book was printed he gave Bernie Ecclestone a complimentary copy. Bernie thanked Nigel for his generosity, and then asked the photographer to autograph it. Nigel obliged, and billionaire Bernie, admiring at his newly signed copy, smiled and said: "That's good, it'll be worth more autographed."

Upon retiring, Nigel and Diana returned to Australia. In the early 2000s Nigel suffered the first of a series of strokes which left his speech badly affected. In his final years Diana became his full time carer. Fie died on June 8, 2013. motorsport news

Frailan Gonzalez Sir Jack prix Brabham is now the oldest surviving grand winner.

The earliest grand prix winner still alive is now Sir Stirling Moss. This is so because of the passing, on June 15, of Jose Froilan Gonzalez, better known as Froilan Gonzalez. He would have turned 91 this October.

Gonzalez's grand prix career was relatively brief and yielded only two victories. But the first of those, in the 1951 British Grand Prix, was of major significance, being the first world championship grand prix race victory for Ferrari.

Physically he was an unlikely grand prix star,

a driver whose abundant girth and muscular style of driving earned him the nickname 'Pampas Bull' among fans, while friends and colleagues affectionately dubbed him 'El Cabezon', which loosely translates as 'Fat Head'.

Gonzalez joined fellow Argentine JuanManuel Fangio in Europe in 1949, but results weren't quickly forthcoming. Ironically, he only came to the attention of Ferrari once back in Argentina, when Mercedes-Benz dusted off three of its pre-war W163 cars and took them to South America to compete in some Formula Libre races at the start of the 1951 season.

Gonzalez won these events; Enzo Ferrari signed him for the upcoming season.

Rodney Crick

on May Rodney Crick died unexpectedly 30, at the age of 47.

Crick was th e unofficial king of Australian Truck Racing, enjoying success in the category over a sustained period, and winning the Australian Supertruck Racing Championship six times.

His first title came in 1992.

Prior to that Crick had raced Sports Sedans, and returned to car racing later to make four starts in the Bathurst 1000. His 15th place on debut, sharing a Commodore with Neil Schembri, was his best result, but he would go on to maintain a 100 percent finishing record in the Great Race.

Crick leaves behind a wife and three teenage children. www.mnews.com.au

’MvSiNAr

He finished third in the world championship that year, behind team-mate Alberto Ascari and Fangio. Gonzalez switched to Maserati in 1952 but separate accidents saw him sidelined for lengthy periods. He rejoined Ferrari in 1954, winning the British Grand Prix for a second time and going on to finish the season runner up to Fangio. That year he also won the Le Mans 24 Hours in a Ferrari 375 alongside Frenchman Maurice Trintignant.

Gonzalez retired in 1960, making his last FI start at home in that year's Argentine Grand Prix, where he finished 10th.

iRaceshop New kids'gear from the House of Muscle Over the last six years of going to race meetings one of the most requested items HoM were asked for was kids' gear. So being sick and tired of telling customers "Yeah, one day," they have caved in and decided to do four special builds for kids: GT-HO, SL/R 5000, Monaro and Charger shirts - printed front and back - in a strictly limited edition with a guaranteed "we don't print the same design twice" and in the usual House of Muscle quality, with a RRP of $24.99. ^

New Quick Fuel Slayer Carburettors "Innovators in fuel systems" is more than just a by-line.

Since its inception in 1998, Quick Fuel Technology (QFT) has grown exponentially, culminating in the benchmark by which performance carburettors are measured. The Slayer Series brings QFT engineering innovations to cost-conscious and performance oriented enthusiasts. The series is packed with QFT time and race tested features.

Retail price approx $399. The complete range of Quick Fuel carburettors and parts are now available in Australia from Automotive Performance Distributors and its dealers.

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C Cup Car and Transporter 2009 Championship winning Commodore Cup Car and UD International Transporter Package priced to sell. Gene Cook Engine with alloy heads, Modena 4spd dog box, Aim logging & dash. Spares include: Engine, gearbox, shocks, diff, wheels, panels, too many to list. Truck recently had a full recon motor.0401 234 125 www.mYi05.com/i0394

www.mYi0S.com/9542 Subway Racing offer for sale the Gemini S/S currently running in the SSC Car sits 1 st in class and 9th outright. Car eligible full historic classification built 1979 and has had a full 14 month resto Inc engine, gearbox, diff, brakes, paid Bathurst entry for 2013-loads of spares+wets.0418 492 302

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2010 Tarmac rally or track car, built to highest standards, FIA Possum Bourne Cage fitted by PBMS, carbon door trims/footwells, fresh race engine - dry sump, Cosworth, Motec dash + ECU, Diff controller, DMS, Whitellne bars, PBMS exhaust, 300kW ATW 710 Nm, FMIC, All the FruitI Regrettable sale, as new has to go.0407 911 848

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Professor

Victor Haight

From the roiich

T

in top ranking My students often like to argue in class about who is the best in various sporting fields through history. However, as I always tell them, they're just wasting their breath, because so much of this is purely subjective.

Motorsport can be one of the hardest to read, especially drivers from eras when people drove cars of varying configuration and quality. So I engaged my colleagues in the mathematics department, and together we've been able to devise a simple formula to scientifically determine the ranking of Australia's best touring car drivers of all time.

Now, we always hear it said that Bathurst is more important than a championship. If you don't believe me, go ask the drivers.

Sure, a series is a whole year, but Bathurst is our Melbourne Cup; you could be 23rd in the points, but win the big one and everyone knows who you are - and you know yourself that you've had a very successful year even if you didn't win a single other race.

The Great Race is not twice as important as a championship crown, so in our system we've allocated three points for a Bathurst win, and two for a championship. To qualify, you need to have won both at least once, or one at least twice.

94

Simple, fair, and (unlike the ridiculous system this very magazine dreamed up last year to decide the 20 best V8 Supercar drivers of the past 20 years - why doesn't the editor listen to me?) you don't need a mathematician and a bank of computers to work it out.

So, here's the top 10 of the 24 eligible: Brock 33, Jim Richards 29, Skaife 28, Lowndes 21, Moffat, Jane and Whincup 20, Johnson 19 and Perkins 18.

Brock's Bathurst record puts him clearly at one. Lowndes and Whincup are the only active drivers in the top ten, and Jamie, Moffat and Jane each have four of each crown. Perkins is the highest rated of those who only won either a title or Bathurst, but not both. Seton, Beechey and Ambrose tie for 22nd place with the lowest possible score of four points from two ATCGs and no Bathurst wins.

Brock vs Lowndes - the first 20 years I got to thinking. Bathurst next year will be 20 years since Craig Lowndes arrived and shocked Australian racing lovers by passing John Bowe for the lead around the outside of CTX. Now some of you will be too'young to remember Peter Brock's debut in 1969, but

it was in a Series Production Holden Monaro, with skinny road tyres, useless brakes, 5.7-litre Chev and four-speed gearbox, lapping just under three minutes.

Fast forward 20 years to 1989, and Brock was in a Sierra, a state-of-the-art touring car, 650 horsepower in qualifying, light-switch power delivery, lapping around 2m15s...

Basically, they made up 40 seconds in 20 years of touring car racing's evolution.

For Lowndes, the V8 formula was in its second year when he rocked up in 1994, and not a lot has changed since then. I know the way the cars are built has changed, and they cost a lot more, but the configuration and general thinking behind the series has only gently evolved - and at Bathurst today's cars are only about five seconds a lap faster than they were 20 years ago. That's an average improvement of only 0.25 seconds a lap each year.

That it's considered progress that the series has moved from two to four 'manufacturers' (now five -ED), which are essentially putting their names on a template that has only a tenuous connection to anything they sell as a road car is probably not what we'd have predicted in '94...

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For what it's worth, motor racing could be called a white person's sport. Few black drivers achieved much in the US,and in Europe...fewer.

Until Hamilton. uncomfortable. The basketball/football/ baseball culture in the US got used to it eventually.

If Vettel was seen in the pits with Justin Bieber, no one would bat an eyelid, let alone suggest he needs to spend less time trying to be a pop star. Hamilton gets too many column inches about his famous girlfriend, tattoos, 'bling' or facial hair and pit lane guests and perceived lack of application or resolve; because he is black. But, he is clearly one of the best three racing drivers in the world, so people like John Watson need to stop thinking Hamilton's culture, or taste in music, is going to somehow bring his level of performance down. Then, maybe they should take a leap of faith, put Leo Sayer back on the shelf and listen to the first Notorious BIG album and hear what all the fuss is about.

John Watson's musical tastes Hot on the heels of Stirling Moss offending folk last month, this month we heard about John Watson telling everyone who listens to British non-world champions that, believe it or not, Lewis Hamilton shouldn't be bringing his dog to grands prix.

Now, I was initially pleased to hear of the health of Hamilton's pooch, because every time I see a picture of Lewis after he's been outqualified by a team-mate, or shots of him 'celebrating' with the team after Britney's excellent drive in Monaco, he looks to me like his dog just died.

Bear with me please...

John Watson said Lewis needs to decide 'whether he's a racing driver or a hip hop star'. Sadly, this has been the tone for years among some racing fans and ex-drivers when it comes to Lewis. It was celebrated when Jackie Stewart socialised with George Harrison, but noses went up if Lewis arrived in pit lane with P Diddy or Pharrell Williams.

Why? Well, for what it's worth, motor racing could be called a white person's sport. Few black drivers achieved much in the US, and in Europe... fewer. Until Hamilton. So, maybe it's the brashness of the music and the fashion that makes some of the older white people www.mnews.com.au

Anthony Mundine In Australia, motor racing is clearly a white sport too. In fact, maybe readers can help me out, but I cannot think of a single racer (of national standing) we've produced who is of indigenous Australian heritage.

It's an astonishing situation, considering that the Rugby League and AFL codes are so inclusive, and just so flush with, not just aboriginal talent, but, especially in league, Aussie kids of Tongan or Samoan heritage.

In the lab we dream about a change in this area...

I wonder if some of our teams could invest a few bucks on trying out some karting talent, with a view to developing a young aboriginal kid into a good Formula Ford talent who could wind up in V8 Supercars?

In fact, short term, how about this?

Anthony Mundine showed huge perseverance and determination to leave Rugby League in his mid 20s to take on the world's toughest sport, starting from scratch, and going on to win three world championships.

So, when he retires from boxing, here's what he needs to do. A year in club racing, then maybe Aussie Racers, a year or two in those silly utes and onto the development series. With the right coaching and guidance, (his fitness, determination and bravery are established) maybe he could be somewhere in the pack, in a category with national TV exposure, and no sponsors, just an Aboriginal flag as the livery...

Speaking of basketball...

One of the great Larry Bird's opponents

said... 'Larry wasn't that fast, he couldn't jump very high, but.., there were just some sleepless nights...' I'm always amused at the post-career admissions of the opposition, and I wonder what ex-drivers are going to say about Jamie Whincup in the future. For now, I think they must be wondering just how he does it.

Such a competitive championship, lots of talent and well run, experienced teams, and the last six years has seen him win four titles and come a close second in two more.

His team-mate is one of the most esteemed tin top drivers Australia has produced, yet Whincup beats him year after year in the same equipment.

Someone suggested that, with the introduction of the COTF and its revised rear end, that Lowndes would begin to dominate - that having an actual diff would suit his style, he would best use the higher cornering speed and be hard to beat. So far it hasn't happened.

I heard perhaps Whincup's motivation would be waning; too old to consider an open wheeler career in Europe, too young to retire, maybe he's vulnerable; hasn't changed anything. Brock didn't win Bathurst until he was 27. Whincup just turned 30, and has four titles and four Bathursts. When will it stop?

60/60 vision?

Can someone explain why they are using this stupid sixty sixty format? I don't understand... it basically looks like a race that got red flagged for no reason and restarted under the pace car. Who cares? Why must we be subjected to the organisers' perverse need to 'spice up' the racing with these ridiculous falsities?

In a tough field, it is truly one of the more stupid solutions, right up there with the Peter Jackson Dash for Cash, reverse grids, and 1988, the year they decided that the top 10 shootout wouldn't count for pole at Bathurst because we needed to suck up to the FIA, and they started the race under the pace car.

What a farce that was.

In fact, I hate any compulsory pitstops, being forced to run two different compounds of tyre, and the teams being told they can't put their two best drivers in the same car for the enduros. Good grief, in V8 Supercars they're basically told to run identical cars can't they at least have a bit of leeway with how they're able to run their race?

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It's been a long year...

My other gripe with this category is the length of the season. I know it's not literally the case, but it feels as if it's five rounds spread over eleven and a half months. To my way of thinking, the championship has no feel because the rounds are too far apart.

Formula One gets away with it, just, by generally having two weeks between race meetings. But we had a month between Adelaide and Symmons Plains, then seven days to get across to New Zealand, then Wanneroo three weeks later, America two weeks after that, and then a month's break before Darwin.

V8 Supercars needs to tighten up the schedule. First order of business, make the Albert Park races count for points. Lets face it, they won't be running a Grand Prix there forever, so make the most of it. I hope they don't get the bright idea a la Adelaide/Gold Coast to keep it alive as a stand-alone event after a smart government down the track decides to stop paying for Formula One. There are too many street races as it is.

Like the Bahrain/Abu Dhabi and China rounds, let's forget Texas too. Nice grid girls, but who are they kidding? Why go there? So Ford Australia can make inroads into the lucrative possibility of exporting Falcons? Oh, wait... Fiomebush is obviously a joke; a dud track costing an embarrassed government a ton of money to annoy a lot of locals. The Kiwi round is now back at an actual real motor racing circuit, so it stays. So, 96

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Can someone explain why they are using this stupid sixty sixty format? It basically looks like a race that got red flagged for no reason and restarted under the pace car.

Albert Park (on borrowed time), Adelaide, Tassie, NZ, Perth, Darwin, Townsville, Ipswich, Winton and Phillip Island. That's the championship, qualifying on Saturday, race on Sunday. Two enduros, Sandown and Bathurst.

Raikkonen vs Perez Since his pretty successful comeback, hype about Kimi Raikkonen's charisma seems to have gained momentum. He's perhaps been a victim of his own presence, as more and more young drivers these days acknowledge how cool it is to be basically pretty rude to journalists and your team. I have no problem with that approach, as long as Kimi delivers on track - which thankfully he always does.

But, It was amusing to see how quickly the mask came down in Monaco after Sergio Perez had the temerity to almost interrupt Kimi's lengthy run of point scoring finishes.

Kimi suggested that, instead of talking to Perez, someone should 'punch him in the face'. Now, this I didn't quite understand as, one, these things happen, Monaco is the kind of place where people run Into one

another. But, two, was I the only person who thought Perez looked like he was attempting a legitimate move, and was going to be side-by-side with him into the braking area if Raikkonen hadn't moved over in a way that was clearly not his normal point to turn in?

Anyhow, Kimi showed the world he forgets what's It's like to be in a top car just starting your third season and you're trying everything to make it happen and... wait, a correction; we can't really call a McLaren a top car anymore, can we? Once monolithic, now only one driver's title since 1999, which was Hamilton in 2008; coming up to one in 15 years, like Williams a decade ago, on a downhill slide from which maybe there is no recovery...

Professor V Haight motorsport news

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Levegh’s accident had been triggered by a separate altercation between Lance Macklin's Austin-Healey and the Jaguar of Mike Hawthorn. While Mercedes withdrew. main rivaUaguar did not. Hawthorn won the race.

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Next issue of Motorsport News on sale 25th July

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