Issue 1

velocity

issue 1 - october 2014

motorsport magazine

Bathurst preview wE EXAMINE

every team every car

SAM POWER: porsche’s rising star

column / News / Feature / Report

Lucas Di Grassi races to victory in the inaugural Formula E race.

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Bathurst Preview

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red bull

After entering Formula One in 2006, Red Bull has already racked up 50 wins. Editor Mat Coch looks back at Mark Webber, Sebastian Vettel and Daniel Ricciardo’s best wins.

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formula e

It’s the dawning of a new age in motor racing, where environmental considerations are ever more important. Formula E is the movements shining light, we check out the new series and figure out just what it all means.

Will power

Fourth time is a charm for Will Davidson, the first Australian to claim the biggest openwheel trophy in American motorsport after winning the Indycar Series.

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The regulars

Editorial Editor Mat Coch

mat coch

Introducing Velocity, editor Mat Coch explains the motivation behind the magazine, and how it stands out from the crowd.

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Mike Lawrence

Few people realise that much of Lotus’ early success was the result of two Australians. Mike Lawrence looks back on the antipodean contribution to the Lotus tale.

nuts & bolts

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Formula One Singapore Grand Prix Italian Grand Prix

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Formula E Beijing ePrix

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MotoGP San Marino Aragon

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Muscle Car Masters Sydney Motorsport Park

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V8 Supercars Sandown 500

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NASCAR Monthly Wrap

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Shannons Nationals Phillip Island

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state racing New South Wales Western Australia karting

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Editorial Contacts Telephone 0414 197 588 Website www.velocityemag.com Email editor@velocityemag.com Production Publisher Grand Prix Media Social Media

@VelocityEmag

facebook.com/ velocitymagazine Acknowledgements Erin Baine, Chris Balfe, Matt Bishop, Matteo Bonciani, Eric Boullier, Valtteri Bottas, Danielle Breen, Philippe Cazes, Richard Craill, Jenson Button, Glen Crompton, Sophie Eden, Lee Hanatschek, Kerri-ann Hoile, Dewi Jones, Iwan Jones, Matt Knott, Dr Mike Lawrence, Bradley Lord, Lachlan Mansell, Felipe Massa, Caroline Ried, Gary Rogers, Greg Ross, Daniel Pauperis, Dean Perkins, Sam Power, Nico Rosberg, Greg Ross, Eli Solomon, Mel Stephens, Christian Sylt, Dylan Thomas, Peter Trevaskis, Maria Vukmirica, Toto Wolff.

Copyright All rights are reserved to Grand Prix Media and associated entities.

Reproduction in whole or in part of any photograph, text or illustration without written permission from the publisher is prohibited.

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column / News / Feature / Report

the starting grid Something about Formula One cars rocketing down the streets I was so familiar with hooked me.

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elcome to issue one of Velocity, Australia’s newest general motorsport magazine.

Velocity began life as a club magazine in NSW. Shelved for many years, it’s now back as a bigger and better general motorsport publication, adding to the tapestry of Australian motorsport media.

It’s not our plan to compete with the weekly or news focussed publications or websites, they already do a solid job keeping everyone abreast of the day to day happenings of the industry. Our focus is slightly different.

We will provide unique and original content, giving you something new by drawing on the experience and expertise of our staff.

We have some of the leading photographers in the business contributing their wares, not to mention arguably the world’s best motorsport writer in Dr Mike Lawrence.

The Good Doctor is the former editor of Motor Sport magazine, he was at its helm in the hey day when Denis Jenkinson filed his reports from across Europe and has a wealth of information and a unique persective to boot.

For Mike, and everyone on staff, motor

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racing is a passion, one which I hope comes through in these pages.

One of my earliest memories is the Australian Grand Prix which, growing up in Adelaide, was conveniently on my doorstep. Perhaps it was the sound of the cars, maybe it was the way the ground shook as they went by, but whatever it was grabbed a firm hold of me and has never let go. Ever since I’ve wanted to understand and tell the full story behind those men and machines.

My career in motor racing began at grass roots level, following club level racing around the country as I learned the media trade. It introduced me to some colourful characters and served as my apprenticeship. In time it opened the door to cover events such as V8 Supercars and, my passion, Formula One, on which I’ve reported for a number of outlets ever since.

Motorsport has provided some amazing opportunities, from interviewing my childhood heroes to, in some instances, working alongside them. And while it’s been hard work, and I’ve taken more than a few knocks, I wouldn’t change anything about the path to being right here, right now. It’s difficult to classify something you love doing as ‘work’.

Velocity then is a culmination of all that experience and expertise wrapped up to deliver you the best monthly motorsport publication going around. It’s our background and passion that set us aside. Rather than rehashing old news from a dingy office, as some publications do, we provide original and insightful content from the inner sanctum of motorsport.

Indeed, the support from within the various paddocks has been overwhelming; from well wishes of fellow journalists to offers of unconditional support. It has been humbling, and to them I offer my sincere thanks.

My thanks also go to you, the reader. It is for you we produce this free magazine, which comes with a promise. We promise to provide something different and unique. We promise to provide it to you for free every month from here on in.

We hope you enjoy the first issue, and we look forward to many more to come. We’ve already some exciting content lined up for coming issues!

Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and Twitter, and make sure you let us know what you think!

Until next issue, keep racing!

Mat Coch

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on your marks...

Australian input into Lotus’ early success

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olin Chapman established his reputation with the Lotus Mk III in 1951; what is not widely known is that part of the secret of his car’s success was the work of two Australians, Ron Uffindell and Derek Jolly.

‘Wizard’ Uffindell had built an Austin Seven special and with it he competed in, and finished, the Australian Grand Prix in 1937 and 1938. Postwar his car went even better and established hillclimb records which lasted for 20 years. Among those he regularly beat was Derek Jolly, who had built his own Austin special.

Jolly was heir to Penfolds Wine and was immensely rich. He liked the theatre so built one in Adelaide.

Somehow he managed to

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persuade Uffindell to share the secret of his engine and his top speed increased from 70 to 90 mph.

The basic Seven car was no performance monster, but with tuning and a lightweight body, it had performed well in handicaps which, prewar, were the backbone of British racing. The works even built supercharged single-seater versions.

In 1939, the 750 Motor Club was founded to encourage owners of Sevens to compete in anything from light-hearted local rallies to racing.

Then came the War, but the club continued and announced a racing series for A7 specials for 1951.

Derek Jolly had written to the club and mentioned his

powerful engine. His letter was answered by the club’s Secretary, Colin Chapman. The two men became pen pals and Chapman mentioned his new chassis, the Lotus Mk III. One thing led to another and it was agreed that they would put Derek’s engine into one of the three cars which were being made.

Derek sent his engine ahead by boat, on the understanding the crate would not be opened.

Of course it was, the engine was stripped and the secret discovered.

Michael Allen, Chapman’s partner in the first Lotus company, set to work.

On the Seven’s sidevalve engine two inlet valves shared the same branch of manifold. The term used

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column / News / Feature / Report was ‘siamised’, after Siamese twins, but though it kept down cost of manufacture, it was an inefficient way of controlling gas flow.

Uffendell had made a manifold which separated the path to each inlet valve so ‘de-siamised’ them.

Three Mk IIIs were intended, but only one was ready by the start of the season. The car was mainly driven by Colin in the 750 Championship, but was also eligible for numerous handicaps and was raced

by Derek, Hazel Williams, Colin’s fiancée, Stan Chapman, his father, and Michael Allen and his brother, Nigel.

In early races, the Lotus had not always been reliable and Nigel Allen reckoned it was due to chassis flex. Colin was not around when Nigel designed and made a lightweight frame to stiffen the chassis.

This was the first Lotus spaceframe and formed the basis of the Lotus Mk VI. At the end of the season the car was fitted with an Uffindell-spec engine, and sold. The secret was out

The first car built by Chapman

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and the 750 MC banned splitting the inlet manifold. The ingenious ploy, together with the spaceframe, made Chapman’s reputation because, in 1951, you could make an impact with an A7 special.

Chapman revealed the secret of the Uffindell manifold, which modified the original two branch unit.

Michael Allen, however, had made a four-branch manifold and disguised it as a two-branch affair by the use of metal filler and asbestos tape. Chapman never revealed the secret of that one, the one that he raced.

Colin Chapman and his fiancée, Hazel, work on the first Mk III

earmarked for a Lotus Mk V, which was never built.

It is now owned by Clive Chapman, Colin’s son, who runs Classic Team Lotus.

Chapman took all the credit for a ground breaking car and engine and Ron Uffindell, Derek Jolly and the Allen brothers were airbrushed from Lotus history. Such was his charm, however, that none of the real heroes of the story held it against him. Derek Jolly remained a friend and, indeed, drove a works Lotus 15 at Le Mans in 1959.

Dr Mike Lawrence

That engine was

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Illuminated by 1,500 floodlights, Singapore’s streets come alive over the Grand Prix weekend.

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Formula One

over and out for team radio

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rom the Singapore Grand Prix, teams have been unable use the radio to coach their drivers around the lap.

The move has been designed to prevent teams telling their drivers where they’re losing time in comparison to their teammate, placing the emphasis back on the driver to make the difference, though the pit wall will still be able to provide assistance in terms of the management of the car.

“If there’s a failure of something you can adjust settings on the steering wheel, they can tell you what to change,” explained McLaren’s Jenson Button. “In terms of how to drive the car, or how to change the balance of the car, obviously there’s no information at all.”

“It’s a challenge because on the radio they can only tell us 20% of what they used to tell us,” added Nico Rosberg.

But while most were generally in favour of the new

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rules, Felipe Massa was especially critical, suggesting it should have been introduced at the end of the season.

“It’s something that they could have done more professionally,” Massa argued.

“For me it is a little bit funny that they change this type of thing in the moment that is not the correct moment.”

On the Thursday of the Singapore Grand Prix, following concerns that teams inability to communicate some messages to their drivers could lead to reliability of safety concerns, the FIA released a clarification which in essence relaxed the rules.

The new interpretation means teams can share information relating to the performance of the car, so long as it doesn’t relate to driving technique or a specific part of the circuit.

Within the paddock however question marks remained over how the system could be policed, given

the ease with which teams could simply use coded messages. Indeed, McLaren boss Eric Boullier questioned messages from Red Bull to Daniel Ricciardo.

“They said ‘do this to avoid car problem’ so it was a strange message,” Boullier suggested. “Once would have been OK, but two or three times you can doubt what kind of car problem he has.”

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner responded by claiming the team spoke with FIA Race Director Charlie Whiting prior to sending the messages to Ricciardo, to clarify whether they were indeed permitted given the Australian was carrying reliability issues at the time.

The situation highlighted, after just one race, the difficulty Formula One now faces in ensuring fairness and transparency in the application of the new rules, all the while begging the question as to if they were necessary at all.

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8 teams; 3 cars f1 2015?

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he prospect of some teams running a third car in 2015 reared its head following the Italian Grand Prix.

Currently the sport features 11 teams, though mechanisms in the Concorde Agreement, the commercial contract which binds those teams to Formula One, exist for third cars should the team number drop below eight.

With uncertainty surrounding the financial security of a number of teams, Caterham in particular but also Sauber, Marussia, Lotus and Force India, there is a concern one or more of those teams may not reappear for 2015. Investors looking at Sauber have reportedly walked away from a deal, while the constant changes at Caterham are viewed by some sceptics as window dressing ahead of a fire sale.

For any changes to occur next season however three teams would have to fall

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by the wayside, and for the moment that doesn’t appear likely. While Caterham is facing difficulty, and its future is under a particularly dark cloud, there are positive signs at Marussia and Sauber has always managed to pull a rabbit from the hat when needed.

After Caterham, Marussia seems the most vulnerable team. However in its favour are the points scored by Jules Bianchi in Monaco, which currently see the team sat ninth in the constructors championship.

Having finished tenth last year the Banbury-based squad will therefore be entitled to a full helping of prize money come the end of the year, worth in the vicinity of $50million.

Question marks remain over Lotus, but there seems no immediate threat to its future making ant prospect of third car teams low.

Another point to consider is that Haas is set to enter the sport in 2016.

formula one

Any move towards three car teams for 2015 then would only be needed for one season, and one must therefore question whether the unrest such a fundamental change is certain to make would actually be worth it in the longer term.

Bernie Ecclestone and the FIA would also have to answer a number of fundamental questions, such as should it be eligible for points, or should there be restrictions over the sort of drivers which can be used?

The presence of a third car for any team will have a significant impact on the distribution of prize money, and it is for that reason a number of smaller teams are resistant, just as they are customer cars.

But, should the right commercial model be found there are prospects for those teams to sell off their third seat, significantly offsetting any increased outlay.

Mat Coch

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Formula One

crying wolff

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he fallout from the Belgian Grand Prix continues for Mercedes, team boss Toto Wolff admitting he would consider replacing one of its drivers should the situation become unmanageable as conspiracy theories abound following the Italian Grand Prix.

Wolff has confessed that the relationship between his two drivers, who were friends at the beginning of the season, is now more akin to enemies as they stare one another down for the drivers world championship.

Things came to a head in Belgium, where Nico Rosberg broke the strict no-contact rule within the team. By failing to give way to Lewis Hamilton on Gene Haas has announced on Twitter his team, set to enter F1 in 2016, will be known as Haas F1 Team. The American also confirmed the squad will have a technical relationship with Ferrari.

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the second lap in Spa, Rosberg’s front wing made contact with Hamilton’s rear wheel, effectively ending Hamilton’s race. Following a heated meeting immediately after the race, and a subsequent one at the team headquarters at Brackley, Rosberg was fined a ‘six-figure’ sum, believed to be nearly $290,000.

With Hamilton continuing to feel aggrieved for the incident however there were raised eyebrows when Robserg made elementary mistakes in Monza, allowing Hamilton into the lead.

Conspiracy theorists allege Rosberg deliberately missed the first chicane in order to hand victory to Hamilton, a further penalty from the Belgian incident. What those theorists forget however is

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Denying rumours linking him with a switch to McLaren or Red Bull, Fernando Alonso has reaffirmed his commitment to Ferrari insisting he is keen to ink a deal beyond his current contract.

that team orders are legal, so there was no need for subterfuge, and just two laps earlier Hamilton had been told to sit back from Robserg to protect his car ahead of a late race attack. Hamilton defied team orders to gain an advantage, in much the same way he did in Hungary.

While the conspiracy theories may be a tad far-fetch they do indicate the level of paranoia and tension within the team. How that manifests itself over the rest of the season will be key in deciding this years world champion. For the moment, Hamilton looks to have the upper hand, especially after taking the championship lead in Singapore.

Mat Coch

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Alonso’s boss, Marco Mattiaci, says he’d welcome Ross Brawn back to the team with open arms, though Brawn denies he’s considering a return to F1.

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formula one

keeping the faith

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illiams has confirmed an unchanged driver line-up for 2015, announcing over the Italian Grand Prix that it will retain both Valtteri Bottas and Felipe Massa.

The resurgent Grove team has been a stand-out performer in 2014, racking up a host of podium places along with the squad’s first pole position since Brazil 2008. The highly rated Bottas has been the teams’ strongest performer while Massa’s experience, together with that of technical duo Pat Symonds and Rob Smedley, has helped stabilised a team which Luca di Montezemolo announced his resignation from Ferrari following the Italian GP. He joined the Prancing Horse 1970s, and has headed it for more than two decades.

He is replaced by Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne.

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lacked leadership and direction twelve months ago.

“Williams is such an iconic name in motor racing and I have a lot of pride when racing for this team,” said Massa. “This season we have started to show our true potential and I’m driving a car that is looking strong and has improved a lot as the season has progressed which is very encouraging for the future.”

“I’m confident that I’m at a team that is moving in the right direction and can continue to be competitive,” added Bottas. “Sir Frank (Williams) and Claire (Williams) have

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The revolving door at Caterham continues, Christijan Albers resigning as Team Principal just two months after starting in the role. Manfredi Ravetto has stepped into the role, reportedly over fudning

put a lot of faith in me and I’m very grateful that they continue to do so.”

“The team is having a much improved 2014 season and the skill of our drivers and their feedback to our engineers has proved crucial in this,” commented team principal Frank Williams.

“This announcement gives us excellent stability for 2015, but of course we are very much focusing our attention on maximising the full potential of the FW36 in the remaining seven races of this season.”

Mat Coch disputes, but officially for personal reaons.

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A provisional 2015 calendar features 20 rounds, including a race in Mexico. Melbourne retains the opening round on March 15.

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v8 supercars

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v8 supercars

captain my captain!

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nding twelve months of speculation, Roger Penske has confirmed he has purchased a 51 percent stake in Dick Johnson Racing.

The American motor racing mogul, nicknamed the Captain, had long been linked with a move in to V8 Supercars when his lieutenant, Richard Cindric, made an appearance at the Sydney 400 last year.

After a year of negotiations, the deal was finally struck in a McDonald’s restaurant near the Dick Johnson workshop in June.

alliance,” said Penske.

Along for the ride is Marcos Ambrose, who will return to V8 Supercars after almost a decade spent racing NASCAR in the US. “It was a no brainer for me to come with the conversations I’ve had with Roger to take this opportunity and really run with it,” explained Ambrose.

“I had come to that conclusion leading into the summer that the timing was right for me personally

to return to Australia at the end of this season for personal reasons.

“It will be a challenge for me personally, there’s no doubt about that. It’s been nearly 10 years since I’ve driven a V8 Supercar.”

The news means David Wall will lose his drive heading in to 2015, while Ambrose return, and the fresh investment for DJR, is welcome news to fans of the blue oval and the series in general.

Johnson himself will remain in charge of the team, as will much of the management structure while Penske will take financial responsibility for the outfit.

“I think to me it’s an equal partnership and with Dick on the ground and Ryan (Story) being a managing director, I think we’ve forged a great

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v8 supercars

great BATHURST FORM guide

WHO’S HOT AND WHO’S NOT? WE LOOK AT THE FIELD TO REVEAL THE HOTTEST PROSPECTS AHEAD OF THIS YEARS RACE 18

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RED BULL RACING AUSTRALIA

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ndoubtedly the form team, Red Bull, and in particular Jamie Whincup, have proved as strong contenders every time they’ve rolled out of the garage in the latter part of the season.

Paul Dumbrell showed at Sandown why he’s one of the most sought after codrivers in the country with a stint which overshadowed that of team leader

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Whincup. There’s no doubt that together they’re the hot favourite for this year’s race.

Dumbrell has been staying sharp by racing in the Dunlop Development Series as a way of ‘keeping fit’ though it’s hardly needed given the triathlon tragic is widely regarded as the fittest man in V8 Supercars.

Teaming up with Steven Richards, Craig Lowndes will be hoping the weekend

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will be one of the ‘ups’ in what has been an up-anddown season. Richards has been keeping himself race sharp by competing with some success in the Porsche Carrera Cup, while both he and Lowndes are Bathurst winners.

The duo are a strong second string in the Triple 8 bow and will be a force to be reckoned with throughout the weekend.

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FORD PEPSI MAX CREW

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pearheaded by defending Bathurst champion Mark Winterbottom, the factory Ford squad poses the biggest challenge from the blue corner.

After a strong start to the 2014 campaign for Frosty, his season has begun to unravel in recent races and has been without a top five finish since winning at Hidden Valley.

Alongside Winterbottom

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for the first time is Steve Owen, who has moved across after partnering Will Davison last year.

Owen has solid credentials though, having won the Development series twice, and been co-driver to Jamie Whincup in the endurance series in 2010.

On the other side of the garage is Chaz Mostert and Paul Morris. One of the up and coming drivers in V8 Supercars, Mostert is a race winner in the sprint

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format but stands as a dark horse for the great race.

Laid back out the car, Morris is a battler once on track but possess a knack when it comes to managing a car over the longer race format.

Together with Mostert, it is a strong pairing with plenty of potential to surprise.

Combined, the Pepsi Max Crew will pose a formidable challenge at the front of the race.

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holden racing team

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hree of HRTs four drivers are Bathurst winners, James Courtney the odd man out.

But Courtney has been the more consistent driver through the season so far, and with two race wins is not to be discounted.

Greg Murphy will perform co-driver duties and, having raced and won in the Super Tourers series in his native New Zealand,

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‘Murph’ stands a good chance of adding to his list of Bathurst victories.

Joining HRT from Triple 8, where he raced to second at Sandown and Bathurst last year, Warren Luff will pair with Garth Tander. An endurance specialist, Luff brings a wealth of experience and abundance of pace.

Though he’s notched up a couple of wins in 2014,

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Tander’s year has been somewhat unpredictable.

A new car at Sydney Motorsport Park heralded a podium, and he put in a strong performance at Townsville, but has also struggled for pace for large part of the championship.

If he can get his car sorted, on paper the Tander-Luff partnership is the strongest after Whincup-Dumbrell.

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erebus motorsport

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break-through win for Lee Holdsworth at Winton gave the team a muchneeded pickup after a trying opening season.

Now in its second year,

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the Erebus team will have the data from last year to fall back on, along with the experience of Will Davison. Indeed it’s an experienced driver line up heading to the Mountain,

with Davison joined by his namesake Alex while Holdsworth will share the cockpit with Craig Baird.

manages to remind everyone of his talent. But for every strong result there is a race where something goes wrong, and it is that inconsistency which has hurt the squad.

The team comes off a poor Sandown, where codriver Andrew Jones picked up damage on the opening lap, and will be doing well to score a top 10 finish.

Realistically, making the top 10 at the end of 1000km will be a win.

team boc

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ith 200 races under its belt, Brad Jones Racing clearly knows a thing or two about V8 Supercars.

So too does Jason Bright, who every now and then

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jack daniel’s racing

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ews that Nissan has renewed its commitment to V8 Supercars until the end of 2016 was well received at Sandown.

Alex Buncome, the

Nissan driver programme blow-in, showed well in his V8 Supercar debut alongside Todd Kelly, but it doesn’t disguise the fact the team has struggled for pace all year.

v8 supercars

Rick Kelly has fared slightly better than brother Todd in the campaign up to Sandown, but he and co-driver David Russell still face an uphill task to make it inside the top 15 at Bathurst.

lockwood racing

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n upturn in performance in recent races saw Fabian Coulthard end his form slump at Sydney Motorsport Park with a fine podium.

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The team certainly had the better run of things at Sandown, Luke Youlden running strongly before Coulthard took over and faded towards the end of the race. But they ran within

the top 10 for much of the day, and while they’re perhaps not the strongest podium contenders for Bathurst, they’re certainly an outside chance of standing on one of the lower steps.

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dick johnson racing

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he future is bright for driver home at Sandown.

Dick Johnson Racing. Making a return to the Leading that family team is Steve charge is Scott Pye who, Johnson, who lines up together with developalongside David Wall ment series leader Ash in the second car.

Walsh, was the first Ford If the team happens to

v8 supercars

get things right it is a contender, but has proved just as likely to run down the order. Should Bathurst be one of their ‘on’ weekends the team will be a strong top 10 contender.

jeld-wen

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ack Perkins identified himself as a co-driver of value alongside Scott McLaughlin, but has struggled to make it inside the top 15 on his own throughout 2014.

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Both Perkins and Cameron Waters have a point to prove. With his stock falling, Perkins needs a strong result while Waters, who has identified himself as a driver of the future, will be

looking to continue gaining seat time and experience. A finish is a must for the pairing, and if they reach the end they shouldn’t expect much more than the bottom end of the top 20.

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gary rogers motorsport

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acing its first endurance campaign in the S60, Gary Roger’s crew is a garage divided.

On the one hand Scott McLaughlin has gone from strength to strength, while

question marks remain over Robert Dahlgren in the other car, who has been comprehensively out-performed all year.

Former V8 Supercar racer Alex Premat will join

v8 supercars

McLaughlin while Greg Ritter will partner Dahlgren, but despite their impressive pace in the year thus far, Bathurst at their first attempt is perhaps a step too far.

supercheap auto racing

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im Slade started 2014 with plenty of promise, but the year has fallen away from him ever since.

Yet there remain signs of potential, as recently as

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Sandown he showed glimmers of pace en route to a twelfth place finish.

Together with Tony d’Alberto, a consistent performance throughout the 161 laps should see them

threatening the lower end of the top ten. Factor in some good fortune and the Slade/d’Alberto combo could find themselves challenging for a podium.

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tekno autosports

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rite Shane van Gisbergen off at your peril.

The New Zealander has been a constant front runner throughout 2014 and shines when the rain falls;

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should Bathurst be wet, van Gisbergen’s chances rise from an outside chance to strong favourite.

He is joined by Jonathan Webb who, as co-drivers go, is well credentialed.

A top-ten finisher at the great race, the Tekno boss will look to rally his troops from the drivers seat and cap off what has already been a successful 2014 for his squad.

Nick Percat is equally feisty. The former Bathurst winner this year leads the team but has proved to be little more than a bit-part player.

Percat’s pace, and Gavin’s endurance experience, combine for a strong result, though realistically the top 15 is where the team should be aiming.

hha racing

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liver Gavin made himself out to be the villain at Sandown, trading paint with a number of rivals before baulking Alex Premat in the pits.

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The team will be hoping

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bottle-o racing

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nother dark horse for a strong result, David Reynolds again has the chance, and the equipment, to stand on the podium.

A though second half of

the season has masked the potential in the Bottle-O Falcon, but both Reynolds and co-driver Dean Canto demonstrated they’re legitimate top ten runners at Sandown.

While they may not have

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the outright pace to dictate the event, if the pair can stay out of the wars a creative strategy which helps them gain track position in the latter stages could see them cause an upset.

team advam/gb

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inton proved an anomaly for Dale Wood, who scored his best result of the season with third place.

His next best performance was 11th in the final race

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at Darwin and has more often than not finished outside the top 20. It is fair to say then that the reigning Dunlop series champion has not had the best season, and cannot realistically

expect his fortunes to change at the Mountain.

Joined by Chris Pither, the pair should target a race finish as their main goal for the 1000km event.

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v8 supercars

norton hornets

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he Nissan has simply not had the pace to run consistently at the front.

James Moffat and Michael Caruso are both strong drivers, potential Bathurst

winners in the right car, but the Nissan has yet to emerge as that challenger.

Dean Fiore showed promise without the results while a full-time series driver, and returns for the enduros

alongside Caruso. In the second seat alongside Moffat will be Taz Douglas, who has enjoyed success in the development series.

A top 10 for either car would be a strong result.

lucas dumbrell motorsport

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veteran of V8 Supercars, former champ Russell Ingall’s best years are behind him.

Though he remains competitive he has lost his

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edge in recent seasons, but his experience will stand him in good stead when it comes to the 1000.

Tim Blanchard will share the driving duties, the former full-time series driver

adds depth to the squad.

But with just one top five finish thus far in 2014 it’s fair to say the squad won’t be challenging for a podium spot.

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super black racing

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ith the support of FPR, the Super Black Racing wildcard team has potential to surprise.

But with an inexperienced

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line-up their debut Mountain appearance will be more about learning than achieving.

Andre Heimgartner and Ant Pedersen are both

v8 supercars

tackling Bathurst for the first time, making getting to the finish more important than the actual result itself for this young squad.

29

Red Bull column / News / Feature / Report

formula one

Gives you wins

30

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column / News / Feature / Report

formula one

in just nine seasons, red bull has won fifty grands prix. editor mat coch picks out the best from mark webber, sebastian vettel and daniel ricciardo

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31

column / News / Feature / Report

formula one

on the attack A

Mark Webber, Hungary 2010

gritty and opportunistic drive from Mark Webber handed the Aussie victory at the Hungarian Grand Prix in 2010.

Starting on the dusty side of the front row, Webber fell to third as the field ploughed into the first turn as teammate Sebastian Vettel scampered clear ahead.

It was a safety car for Vitantonio Liuzzi’s front wing however that was to turn the race on its head, as it neutralised the race and triggered a flurry of pitlane activity. Both Vettel and Alonso chose to stop for fresh rubber, though Webber did not.

With track position at the restart, Webber needed to build a gap over Alonso in order to leapfrog the Ferrari driver into second spot. However, a sloppy restart for Vettel caught the attention of the stewards, penalising the German transforming Webber’s dash not one for the second step of the podium but the win.

Turning in consecutive qualifying laps, Webber opened a 23 second advantage over Alonso, who inherited second courtesy of Vettel’s penalty, in 25 laps.

It meant that when he pitted he would remerge first with Alonso second and Vettel a disappointed third.

It was an important win in the championship too, moving Webber into the lead heading into the final races.

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column / News / Feature / Report

F

street fight

ending off the advances of a hard charging Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button, Sebastian Vettel clung on to the lead of the 2011 Monaco Grand Prix by his fingernails.

Having started from pole, Vettel headed Button and Alonso into the first corner, holding it until he made his first stop on lap 16. But the team fitted the wrong tyres, sending the German out on the harder compound Pirelli’s in a bungled stop which came about because of radio problems.

The mistake allowed Button into the lead, the 2009 world champion building a sizeable advantage before his second stop where he dropped to second. Soon after the safety

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formula one

Sebastian Vettel, Monaco 2011

car emerged, a result of contact between Lewis Hamilton and Felipe Massa.

Rolling the dice, Red Bull elected for track position over fresh tyres and left Vettel on track, with Button in second and Alonso third.

The intention was to have Vettel finish the race on his harder compound tyres, a strategy which relied heavily on the German’s ability to defend his lead.

A cat and mouse battle then developed as both Button and Alonso swarmed over the back of the Red Bull. With a distinct tyre disadvantage, and DRS playing a factor, Vettel was forced to absorb the pressure of those breathing down his neck, all the while protecting what little tyre life he had left. It was a

nail-biting tug of war, with Vettel on tyres that were almost 60 laps old, and another half a dozen to go.

There was one final twist however, as Hamilton – who was having a particularly poor race – was run into by Jaime Alguersuari.

With the narrow Monegasque streets blocked, the race was red flagged.

The stoppage gave all teams a breather and, more importantly, the opportunity to service their cars. For Red Bull, that meant fitting a fresh set of tyres to Vettel’s car.

Once restarted Vettel was able to pull clear to win his first Monaco Grand Prix after one of the most tense battles for the lead in recent times.

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column / News / Feature / Report

formula one

racing ahead C

Daniel Ricciardo, Hungary 2014 arving his way from third to first inside the final ten laps, Daniel Ricciardo raced his way to victory at the Hungarian Grand Prix this year.

A slow start proved a significant advantage for the Australian, who fell to sixth off the line. But when Marcus Ericsson crashed and brought out the safety car, those ahead didn’t have time to make it to the pitlane. In sixth, Ricciardo did.

In the ensuing shake-up Ricciardo inherited the lead when Jenson Button opted for the wrong tyres and fell down the order. He held the lead until he stopped again, the team putting Ricciardo on an aggressive strategy towards the end of the race.

Late in the day, to win Ricciardo was faced with the prospect of passing both Lewis Hamilton, who’d charged from the pit lane to second, and Fernando Alonso, who was attempting to make his tyres last to the end.

With three laps to go he elbowed by Hamilton. Running side by side with the Mercedes from the first corner to the third, Ricciardo gained the upper hand before making short work of the ailing Alonso to sweep into the lead, recording his second win of the season in honey badger-esque fashion.

34

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column / News / Feature / Report

formula e

the future W

hen Formula E rolled off the line in Beijing it ushered in a new era in motorsport. For a number of years there has been a growing push towards sustainable racing, and a systematic phasing out of big banger engines with rules beginning to focus more on efficiency. That push reached its zenith in Beijing, where the world’s first fully electric open wheel racing series began.

Propelled by an electrically powered engine, the cars feature banks of batteries which equate to about 200Kw of power in qualifying trim. During the race that’s

36

reduced to 170Kw, with three drivers given 5 seconds worth of extra power courtesy of a fan voted boost.

The batteries themselves come from the electronic arm of the Williams Formula One team, while McLaren has supplied the electric motor, gearbox and electrical system. Technical partner Renault is overseeing the integration and performance development of the cars which were designed by Dallara and constructed by Spark. Teams received their cars at the beginning of May, though modifications are not allowed

during the first season.

The battery provides a unique challenge for drivers who must carefully balance outright speed against the power they’re draining from the batteries. Those who are able to conserve the most energy are able to run faster, a useful advantage in the closing stages.

With battery power still a concern drivers are forced to pit during the race in order to switch cars, a minimum pit stop time set to prevent anyone gaining an advantage – and to prevent teams short-cutting the process when strapping their driver in.

Helping give the series credibility is the presence of

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column / News / Feature / Report

formula e

is electric a number of established motorsport names. Fourtime Formula One world champion Alain Prost is in charge of the e.dams team, while Jarno Trulli both owns and drives for his own team. Former Williams driver Bruno Senna is at Mahindra where another F1 refugee, Karun Chandhok, is India’s sole representative. Michael Andretti heads Andretti Autosports entry, which has former Super Aguri driver Franck Montagny at the wheel alongside Charles Pic - Australian Matthew Brabham is the reserve driver. Adding to the Formula One flavour is Takuma Sato, Lucas Di Grassi, Nelson Piquet Jnr, Sebastian

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Buemi, Nick Heidfeld and Jaime Alguersuari.

Beijing marked the first of ten single-day race meets in major cities around the globe. An early morning practice session is followed by four qualifying groups to set the grid, culminating in a 100km race.

What was clear following the initial race however is that there are still things that need to be developed.

While the car

proved mostly reliable and the racing was entertaining, it was also brittle and the impression of speed lacking.

While it gave us an insight into one version of the future of motor racing the jury is out as to whether it is the right version. Time will tell, batteries permitting.

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column / News / Feature / Report

A

aussie

fter three near misses, Will Power finally added his name into the history books by becoming the first Australian to win the Indycar Series, America’s premier open-wheel category. Holding a 51-point advantage heading in to the final race of the season, Power beat home Penske teammate Helio Castroneves to win the Series, his first title in the United States.

Power moved to the US in 2006, initially racing in the now defunct Champcar series with Walker Racing after making two appearances for the squad at the end of 2005. Victory at the season opening Las Vegas street race in 2007 handed Power his first win in America before switching to the Indycar Series with KV Racing for 2008.

results, but his season ended on a sour note when he fractured two vertebrae in a practice crash with Nelson Phillipe at Sonoma.

He’d done enough however to impress team boss Roger Penske, who soon after confirmed Power among his drivers for 2010.

That faith was instantly rewarded with back-to-back wins at the Grand Prix of Sao Paulo and St Petersburg to kick off the 2010 in fine form. Three more wins followed over the course of the year, giving Power his first chance to win the Indycar series as it headed into the final round at Homestead.

Power held a 12 point advantage over Dario Franchitti, who qualified on pole before leading the most laps and finishing eighth, with maximum bonus points. Power’s championship hopes evaporated when he crashed out, allowing Franchitti to take the championship by 5 points.

Six race wins the following season again saw Power in contention for the crown when the series reached its final stop at Las Vegas, a race cancelled following the death of Dan Wheldon. The

Having led the championship for much of the year,

Proving his skill on road courses, Power won on the streets of Long Beach, his sole victory of KV Racing before jumping ship to Penske for 2009, filling in for Helio Castroneves who was fighting tax evasion charges.

It was a tough season for the Toowoomba native. A race win at Edmonton along with podiums at Long Beach and Toronto were strong

38

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column / News / Feature / Report

power result saw Power second to Franchitti once again.

However, the season was significant for Power, who recorded his first oval victory by winning at Texas.

Second place in the championship again beckoned in 2012, which included a hat-trick of wins early in the year as he played runnerup to Ryan Hunter-Reay.

A late charge at the end of 2013 salvaged 4th in the standings following what had been a trying year.

Importantly though the final win came at the 2-mile oval at Fontana. Power dominated the race, leading 103 of 250 laps to claim his second oval victory.

There was little doubting Power’s pace, the Penske driver claiming the Mario Andretti Road Championship in three consecutive years from 2010, but with just two oval victories to his name there were those who doubted whether he had the allround ability to win on the variety of circuits needed to claim the series title.

to win on all three types of ovals, while it also ended a nine-race winless streak.

There were two other wins, one around the streets of Detroit and another at the famed Milwaukee Mile, a short oval. It was an important victory, one which proved Power now had the ability

It was a stressful season for Power, who admitted he had trouble sleeping in the week leading up to the final race as his nerves began to fray.

Despite that, Power started the 2014 season as one of the favourites. Victory in St Petersburg got the ball rolling, followed by second place at Long Beach.

Success in the championship was not assured though. But Power had not enjoyed a trouble free campaign, a string of errors from both himself and the team midway through resulted in a number of pit lane penalties. For the most part damage was limited by strong recovery drives, including climbing back to eighth place at the Indianapolis 500, but each threatened to upset his title hopes for the fourth time.

But it was a mistake from Castroneves, not Power that proved crucial, the Brazilian penalised for a pit entry infraction on lap 218, dropping him a lap behind the leaders.

It meant, at the fourth time of asking, Power realised his deam.

“I was crying over the line,” Power admitted as he finished the race. “It’s surreal, man. I can’t believe it.

“It’s unbelievable. That’s 15 years of hard work.”

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39

column / News / Feature / Report

giving ba

U

sing his racing as a way to give back, Sam Power has chosen a unique model to fund his passion for motor racing.

The son of a paediatrician, Power’s childhood is punctuated by seeing his father at work, and by his own admission, trying to charm ice-creams off the nurses. It’s those experiences however which have shaped him into the driver and man he is.

“It’s one of those things where at the time you’re not really aware but fast-forward

40

to when you’re 16 or 17 and you’ve these wonderful memories of spending time with Dad at the hospital,” Power explains.

“Then you realise there are all these other kids who may never have had the chance to go and kick the footy with Dad.”

Where most racers plaster stickers over there car to sell products for the sponsor, Power’s supports Childhood Cancer, a charity for which he raises money and asks nothing in return.

“The first time I started running the livery for

Childhood Cancer in Formula Ford I had a kid come up to me at Queensland raceway,” he recalls. “She was wearing a beany at the time – it was freezing, pretty much everyone was wearing beanies – but she came up to me, this 8 or 9 year old girl and said ‘on behalf of everyone who’s fighting cancer, I’d just like to say thankyou.’ She took off her beany and obviously had recently had chemo. That’s one of the most special moments I’ve had in racing.”

An ambassador off the track, on it he is ferociously

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column / News / Feature / Report

Image: Facebook

ack

Luff is also helping complete his racing education.

“These guys are so wise as to where to put their car and they’re so used to being chased down that it just doesn’t faze them.

competitive. Though yet to win in his first year of Porsche Carrera Cup racing, Power has proved capable of running towards the front.

“You’ve got to be realistic,” he begins. “It’s my rookie year, it’s my first year in the car. I’m still going to tracks where I’ve never raced a touring car before and these guys all have, so again there’s a lot to learn very quickly.”

A late race move on Warren Luff at Sandown has proved a highlight, reinforcement that he is on the right track. Racing the likes of

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“It’s one of those funny things,” he continues.

“What was the last race, 17 laps? I think I spent all of them thinking bloody hell these guys are good!”

Graduating from Formula Vee and then Formula Ford, Power says time spent in those junior classes helped the transition when he stepped up to the bigger, more powerful Porsche’s this year.

“In many ways it’s the advantage I’ve had over people who’ve just wanted to race the categories that have the cool cars in them,” he laughs. “Typically speaking I think individuals who’ve gone down that road, they haven’t really had the advantage of learning the kind of race craft which

is so fundamental in categories such as Formula Vee.” Continuing his progress in Carrera Cup for the moment, Power remains focussed on establishing himself at the front of the field alongside Warren Luff, Craig Baird and Steven Richards.

“I think that’s pretty much the best of any of the second-tier categories in Australian motorsport,” he agrees when asked about the depth of talent in the field. “I think from a competitor’s standpoint it’s just a brilliant category because it’s all about pure competition.

“I’m proud of where I’m finishing I guess, but at the same time incredibly mindful of how far I still have to go.”

In a sport often dominated by commercial self-interests, it’s refreshing to find someone looking to break the mould.

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column / News / Feature / Report

Formula One

fig

F

ollowing a frenetic sprint to his final pit stop, Lewis Hamilton won the Singapore Grand Prix ahead of the Red Bull duo of Sebastian Vettel and Daniel Ricciardo.

Leading from pole, Hamilton built a small lead over Vettel in the early stages before a mid-race safety car forced a mad dash in the closing stages.

Hamilton’s cause was aided by the misfortune

42

of Nico Rosberg, who suffered an electrical problem with his Mercedes prior to the race. Though the team changed his steering wheel prior to heading to the grid, and again on it, the German was left stranded as the field pulled away for the formation lap. Starting from the pit lane his efforts were further thwarted by a lack of hybrid energy, DRS and, for a time, radio communication. Well off the pace and down the order,

he struggled on until his first pit stop where another new steering wheel failed to resolve his problem, the team electing to retire the car when he proved unable to select a gear.

Sandwiching Fernando Alonso in third for the first part of the race, Red Bull elected to double-stack its drivers at the first round pit stops. When Alonso stopped for the second time on lap 24, fitting the super soft tyres, he gained the upper

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column / News / Feature / Report

Formula One

ght night

hand on Vettel courtesy of the undercut. Reacting, Red Bull pitted Vettel on the following lap and elected to fit the harder compound tyres, conceding second spot in the hope it could regain the place during the final round of stops.

No sooner had Vettel emerged from the pits had the safety car been deployed when Sergio Perez’s front wing littered the circuit with debris.

The Mexican had been

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battling with Adrian Sutil, with contact between the two forcing the wing under Perez’s car, before he eventually ran over it.

With most having recently stopped it posed a difficult question of teams, though in case of Ferrari its hand was forced with Alonso on the supersoft tyres. Good for only a handful of laps there was no way the Spaniard could make the finish, unike Vettel and Ricciardo who were on tyres which could

go the distance, even if their pace at the end would be comparatively pedestrian.

Alonso therefore pitted for fresh, soft tyres, mirroring the strategy of Red Bull and in the process conceding track position.

That cycled Hamilton back to the front, though on a fresh set of supersoft tyres, fitted as the safety car emerged on lap 31.

Still needing to fit the soft compound tyre, and

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column / News / Feature / Report

Formula One

Alonso leads Ricciardo early in the race

with just 24 laps remaining once the safety car pulled into the pit lane, Hamilton faced the prospect of needing to extend a 27 second lead over second placed Vettel in order to safeguard his advantage.

It was a high stakes game Mercedes was forced to play, and while Hamilton would be on far fresher tyres towards the end it risked having him race through traffic should he be unable to open a large enough gap to clear Vettel.

In response to this proposition Hamilton opened a 3.2 seconds lead on the first lap after the safety car.

Continuing to push he eked out the gap, lap after lap, though his pace was forever slowing as the stint wore on. By the time of Hamilton’s final stop his pace had receded to that of Vettel’s, who was nursing his tyres.

Hamilton finally stopped on lap 52 having opened a 26 second lead; enough to clear Ricciardo in third though not enough to keep Vettel at bay. Indeed, the 53rd lap of the Singapore Grand Prix, the 14th race of the season, marked the first time in 2014 that the reigning champion had lead a lap.

It was short lived. With a

significant tyre advantage Hamilton soon caught Vettel, scything his way by at turn six next time around.

Vettel’s next priority was holding off Ricciardo, whose tyres were two laps newer but had been treated more kindly by the Australian.

Close as he might however, Ricciardo held station behind his teammate, team boss Christian Horner saying post-race that there was never any thought of reversing the order to help Ricciardo’s distant world championship hopes.

Instead the pair headed Alonso home, both some distance behind

Jean-Eric Vergne

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column / News / Feature / Report

Formula One

Hamilton who had eased away at the head of the race on fresh tyres.

A seventh race win, and the championship lead for Hamilton

Behind Alonso, Jean-Eric Vergne put in a solid shift despite three penalties for exceeding track limits; serving the first two during his pit stops, the Frenchman had the last applied to his final race time.

On the fringes of the top ten it looked as though it would rob the Toro Rosso driver of points, though a series of last-gasp moves on Kimi Raikkonen and the struggling Valtteri Bottas (whose tyres had fallen off the cliff) allowed him to open a seven second lead to Nico Hulkenberg in the final laps, confirming him in sixth place.

For Hamilton, victory in Singapore marked his seventh win of the season, and moved the Englishman into the championship lead by three points as a disappointed Rosberg could do nothing but watch on from the sidelines.

Mat Coch race result #

Championship

Driver

team

time

#

Driver

Pts

1

Lewis Hamilton

Mercedes

2:00:04.795

1

Lewis Hamilton

241

2

Sebastian Vettel

Red Bull

+ 13.534

2

Nico Rosberg

238

3

Daniel Ricciardo

Red Bull

+ 14.273

3

Daniel Ricciardo

181

4

Fernando Alonso

Ferrari

+ 15.389

4

Fernando Alonso

133

5

Felipe Massa

Williams

+ 42.161

5

Sebastian Vettel

124

6

Jean-Eric Vergne

Toro Rosso

+ 56.801

6

Valtteri Bottas

122

7

Sergio Perez

Force India

+ 59.038

7

Jenson Button

72

8

Kimi Raikkonen

Ferrari

+ 1:01.661

8

Nico Hulkenberg

72

9

Nico Hulkenberg

Force India

+ 1:02.230

9

Felipe Massa

65

10

Kevin Magnussen

McLaren

+ 1:05.065

10

Sergio Perez

45

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45

column / News / Feature / Report

T

here’s little doubt Lewis Hamilton was the fastest car on track during the Italian Grand Prix, but somehow the manner in which he cruised to victory cheated us of an enthralling battle with teammate Nico Rosberg.

Formula One

Hamilton’s

With a comfortable lead and under no immediate pressure, two uncharacteristic mistakes from Rosberg saw him skate through the escape road at the opening chicane. The first time through he conceded a notable chunk of his lead.

At the second time of asking he sacrificed far more.

A software problem had meant Hamilton got away slowly at the start. Engulfed first by Felipe Massa, then Kevin Magnussen, the Mercedes driver had dropped to fourth within 400 metres of the race starting, Magnussen also edging by Massa to claim second spot in the opening salvo.

Robserg immediately stretched his legs out front as Massa and Hamilton clamoured over Magnussen’s gearbox. A better exit to the first chicane gave Massa a run heading around the Curva Grande, making the move stick as the pair braked into the Roggia chicane.

Ever the opportunist, Hamilton followed Massa through, demoting Magnussen to fourth heading into the first Lesmo.

It took another 10 laps for Hamilton to clear Massa, by which stage the first cracks had begun to show

46

in Rosberg. With a healthy lead, and uninhibited by traffic, the German made a simple error and slid up the run-off at the first chicane, navigating the Styrofoam bollards before re-joining the circuit. The detour saw him concede 1.7 seconds to the second placed battle.

Down on straight-line

speed but still capable of a competitive lap time, Red Bull took a gamble by pitting Sebastian Vettel early for fresh rubber. Forced to react in order not to give up track position, it triggered a wave of stops for those on the fringes of the top 10, a strategy which would see them all forced to nurse their tyres in the

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column / News / Feature / Report

Formula One

s breakthrough

second half of the race.

Not running with the herd, Daniel Ricciardo extended his first stint by seven laps relative to his teammate.

The contrary strategy was another gamble by Red Bull, giving up track position in the first phase of the race in the hope that, with fresher tyres in the

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closing stages, he could make up the difference. It was a calculated risk, one which ultimately paid off for Ricciardo who passed Vettel just a handful of laps of the finish to take fourth place, the best nonMercedes powered car.

It should have been fifth, though a poor start for

Valtteri Bottas in the second Williams saw him mired in traffic for much of the race.

The only saving grace for Bottas was that his Williams had strong top end speed, particularly with his rear wing open with DRS, allowing him to easily dispatch most rivals simply by driving by them down the front straight. At least

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column / News / Feature / Report

Daniel Ricciardo & Kimi Raikkonen

Kevin Magnussen

Valtteri Bottas

Sergio Perez leads Jenson Button

48

Formula One

that was the case until he reached Magnussen, the Dane unwilling to give up his position with a fight.

Placing his car aggressively and limiting Bottas’ options at key places on the track, Magnussen finally stepped over the mark at the first chicane after he was deemed to have forced the Williams driver off the track. It was his second penalty in as many races for Magnussen, officials handing him a five second penalty, the time added to his total race time. Yet despite this, and the fact he was no longer racing those around him on track but a time gap to those behind, Magnussen continued to lose time by moving offline to defend cars he effectively wasn’t racing. It allowed those who would have otherwise been outside the five second window to close, notably Kimi Raikkonen, to whom he would eventually lose a place.

Out front, Rosberg’s fate was sealed on lap 29 when he missed the first chicane for the second time.

With Hamilton beginning to apply pressure, against instructions from the team, Rosberg again headed up the escape road. There was no puff of smoke, no flatspotted Pirelli, just a simple miscalculation from the championship leader. That Hamilton was in a position to capitalise from the error is contentious; just two laps earlier he had received radio instructions following his pit stop to maintain a two second gap to preserve

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column / News / Feature / Report

Formula One

The pivotal moment; Nico Rosberg locks up, allowing Lewis Hamilton through to the lead

his tyres for the end of the race. Instead, Hamilton turned up the wick, putting Rosberg under pressure and forcing him into a mistake.

Once in front there would be no such errors from

Hamilton who, aside from a poor start as a result of a software issue on the car, drove a faultless race. Aggressive when he needed to be, and willing to trust his instincts

race result

over the instruction from his team, Hamilton seized the initiative, and with it a psychological edge over his teammate and championship rival.

Mat Coch Championship

P

Driver

1

Lewis Hamilton

Mercedes

1:19:10.236

1

Nico Rosberg

238

2

Nico Rosberg

Mercedes

+ 3.175

2

Lewis Hamilton

216

3

Felipe Massa

Williams

+ 25.026

3

Daniel Ricciardo

166

4

Valtteri Bottas

Williams

+ 40.786

4

Valtteri Bottas

122

5

Daniel Ricciardo

Red Bull

+ 50.309

5

Fernando Alonso

121

6

Sebastian Vettel

Red Bull

+ 59.965

6

Sebastian Vettel

106

7

Sergio Perez

Force India

+ 1:02.518

7

Jenson Button

72

8

Jenson Button

McLaren

+ 1:03.063

8

Nico Hulkenberg

70

9

Kimi Raikkonen

Ferrari

+ 1:03.535

9

Felipe Massa

55

10

Kevin Magnussen

McLaren

+ 1:06.171

10

Kimi Raikkonen

41

VELOCITY

team

time

P

Driver

Pts

49

column / News / Feature / Report

V8 supercars

whincup race

C

ontrolling the race from start to finish, Jamie Whincup and Paul Dumbrell claimed their second consecutive Sandown 500 victory to open their endurance season in style.

Leading from the off, the Red Bull duo only relinquished top spot during the pit stop cycles before emerging at the head of the race with a comfortable

50

lead over James Courtney and Greg Murphy in second, with Garth Tander and Warren Luff rounding out an all-Holden podium.

For a time it looked as though the Shane van Gisbergen car might mount a challenge, Jonathan Webb making strong progress early. David Reynolds too proved a contender in the opening phase. The only main driver to start the

race, he claimed four places at the start before handing the reigns to Dean Canto when the squad pitted for the first time on lap 21.

The stop came towards the end of a busy period on pit road, which began on lap 16. Murphy stopped and replaced his rear tyres, as did Steven Richards in the Craig Lowndes car. A problem with the refuelling coupling for Michael Caruso

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column / News / Feature / Report

es clear

V8 supercars

another round of pistops followed with all but Cameron Waters heading to the lane. As most co-drivers had expected to complete the minimum distance necessary, 56 laps, it extended their stint significantly as teams scrambled to stay on top of the strategy game.

Premat proved the biggest loser as he was caught behind Oliver Gavin, himself queued in pitlane awaiting service. Stationary as the field streamed by, Frenchman dropped five spots to 13th once the safety car peeled off.

Beginning to struggle with pace, Webb fell back towards the end of his stint.

Where early he looked a podium contender by middistance he was beginning to risk finishing outside the top ten before handing the car over to van Gisbergen.

saw the early retirement of the James Moffat car, the likely result of early contact from a heated battle in the middle of the pack.

Reynolds and Alex Premat were two leading protagonists, the Commodore and Volvo banging doors early as they jostled for track position. The squabble further back between Oliver Gavin and Andrew Jones was even more

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ferocious, tearing the doorskin from Jones’ car on the opening lap to start what would be a testing day for the BOC crew.

Following the opening round of stops the race began to settle into a more sedate rhythm, until race control ordered repair crews to replace the cones on the apex at turn six. Taking advantage of the resulting safety car on lap 44,

A strong drive from Steve Owen came undone just two laps before he relinquished the car to Mark Winterbottom, the leading Ford driver spinning from 7th to rejoin 15th on lap 78. His stop acted as the catalyst for the rest of the field, Murphy pitting on lap 81 as did Canto, who was penalised for spinning his wheels at the stop.

There was a penalty too for Lee Holdsworth, who was deemed responsible for contact with Todd Kelly which saw the Nissan pointing the wrong way at the final corner.

Out front, Dumbrell raced up to lap 86 before Jamie Whincup got his chance

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column / News / Feature / Report Both HRT cars made the podium

behind the wheel, the championship leading car having extended a strong margin after the safety car to have time up its sleeve.

Having taken over driving duties from Premat, Scott McLaughlin was making progress following the earlier pit altercation.

Strong pace, at times matching that of leader Whincup, saw him progress to eighth while Winterbottom had recovered to tenth by the time he made what should have been his final stop on lap 120.

Looking to run until the flag, the entire field pitted for fuel and fresh rubber, a slow stop for Lowndes costing him third place to Garth Tander. Electing to stop later than the rest,

52

Whincup was able to pit and emerge without relinquishing the lead, holding on to an 11.5 second lead over Courtney, who had been running a tenth or two faster heading in to the final round of stops

However, Whincup’s advantage was soon eradicated when Holdsworth crashed heavily at the end of the back straight. Leaving the track at over 260kph, the Mercedes looked to shed little speed before colliding heavily with the tyre barrier, tearing the left hand side of the car away. It was a frightning moment, though Holdsworth was able to step from the car, after reporting to his team that something had failed, pitching him off the road.

V8 supercars

A troublesome day for Jason Bright was epitomised by the incident, as he was unable to avoid debris coming back on to the circuit which added further damage to the front of his Commodore.

Behind the safety car, Whincup maintained a buffer courtesy of lapped cars between he and Courtney, which played a large part at the restart as Robert Dahlgren, Jack Perkins and Russell Ingall, who was running on 7-cylinders, all impeded the HRT drivers pursuit.

Once clear, Courtney showed his true pace, though his attempts to close on Whincup were swatted away as the reigning champ set his personal best

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V8 supercars

A mammoth crash for Lee Holdsworth triggered a late race safety car

fastest stages ing he should

lap in the closing of the race, showhad plenty in hand he be challenged.

Holding on to third, Tander fought a rear-guard action against Lowndes, who was clearly better on the brakes but unable to get the race result #

Driver

power down to stay close enough to attempt a pass.

Unchallenged, Whincup cruised across the line first for the tenth time of the 2014 season ahead of Courtney and Tander. Lowndes was fourth while the Scott team

time

Pye and Ash Walsh pairing were fifth, the leading Ford contender. Winterbottom failed to improve on tenth place, in doing so handed second in the championship to Lowndes.

Mat Coch Championship #

Driver

Pts

1

Whincup/Dumbrell

Holden Commodore

3:22:44.308

1

Jamie Whincup

2325

2

Courtney/Murphy

Holden Commodore

+ 2.654

2

Craig Lowndes

2052

3

Tander/Luff

Holden Commodore

+ 5.210

3

M. Winterbottom

2046

4

Lowndes/Richards

Holden Commodore

+ 5.674

4

S. Van Gisbergen

1982

5

Pye/Walsh

Ford Falcon

+ 8.959

5

James Courtney

1964

6

Van Gisbergen/Webb

Holden Commodore

+ 12.756

6

Fabian Coulthard

1856

7

Mostert/Morris

Ford Falcon

+ 13.229

7

Chaz Mostert

1694

8

McLaughlin/Premat

Volvo S60

+ 15.141

8

Scott McLaughlin

1677

9

Reynolds/Canto

Ford Falcon

+ 17.028

9

Garth Tander

1662

10

Winterbottom/Owen

Ford Falcon

+ 21.064

10

David Reynolds

1402

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column / News / Feature / Report

V8 supercars

harris headlines A

strong start for Ryal Harris helped push him to the front of the V8 Utes opening race, helping the new Matt White squad taking out the weekend to claim the round.

The opening race was shortened courtesy of Scott Nicholas being caught by

the sand at Dandenong Road, leaving Harris to win ahead of Kris Walton and Jesse Dixon.

Working forward in the reverse-top 10 second race, Harris climbed to third after eleven laps, less than two tenths off Elliot Barbour who won the race. It was

a photo finish for the win, Barbour and Jeremy Gray having crossed the line less than one ten-thousandth of a second apart.

Harris regained the lead in the final race, winning ahead of Dixon and Walton to take out the round in fine form for his new team.

perfect patrizi

R

acing at lap record pace, Michael Patrizi won the round five of the Porsche Carrera Cup at Sandown Park.

Heading the largest field in a decade, Patrizi claimed the lead midway through the opening race before holding on ahead of Steven Richards and Shae Davies.

Richards was one of a

54

number of drivers on double duty, Warren Luff and Craig Baird also having V8 Supercar responsibilities across the weekend.

Their workload was eased at the first corner of race two when Nick McBride and Nick Foster came together, McBride spinning in front of the field. Collected by Roger Lago and

Ash Samadi, the engine was torn from the rear of the car as debris littered the circuit, forcing organisers to cancel the race.

The final 17 lap exchange was dominated by Patrizi, who won by almost three seconds from Davies and Craig Beard. Sam Power pulled a last lap move on Luff to claim fourth.

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V8 supercars

richards closes

T

hough he managed just one race win over the weekend, Jim Richards claimed the fifth round of Touring Car Masters championship at Sandown, cutting John Bowe’s championship lead to 48

points in the process.

Third in the opening race, Richards followed home John Bowe and Andrew Miedecke only to finish to seventh in the second race.

Championship leader Bowe was only capable of fourth behind Greg Crick, Kim

Jane and Jason Gomersall in the reverse top-ten grid.

A mistake from Jane on lap five of the final race allowed Richards to sneak his way to the front, Jane dropping to third behind Miedecke as Bowe struggled home to ninth.

quinn-tissential

T

wo narrow victories saw Tony Quinn claim the round in the Australian GT championship at Sandown.

Chased hard by Richard Muscat towards the end of both the opening and final races of the weekend, Quinn held on to win by less than half a second in both races

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with V8 Supercar co-driver David Russell sharing the third placed Lamborghini with Justin McMillan.

Muscat had won the second race ahead of Quinn with the John Bowe/Peter Edwards Ferrari in third, but it was the time-shortened final race which handed the advantage to Quinn.

With the meeting running behind schedule, officials elected to shorten the 40-minute race by two minutes, effectively cutting two laps from the distance allowing Quinn, who was under intense pressure from Muscat, to hold on by just 0.4 seconds to win his second race of the weekend.

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column / News / Feature / Report

formula e

smashing start

A

spectacular final corner crash at the first ever Formula E race around the streets of Beijing handed a surprise victory to Lucas Di Grassi.

Third heading in to the final lap, some distance behind the leading duo of Nicolas Prost and Nick Heidfeld, Di Grassi capitalised when Prost swerved to defend his lead from Heidfeld under braking at the final corner, eliminating the pair in dramatic style. Avoiding the debris, Di Grassi picked his way through the carnage to claim the win ahead of Franck Montagny and Sam Bird.

It was an unfortunate finish for Prost, who had been the class of the field throughout the 25 lap race - the Frenchman led all bar a two-lap overlap during the pit stop cycle in which Sam Bird held top spot.

But in the closing stages he came under increased pressure from Heidfeld, who had used his energy reserves better in the second half of the race to mount a last lap challenge.

Closing out of the final chicane, Heidfeld caught

Prost unaware, the desperate e.dams driver triggering the crash for which the race will be remembered.

Bird originally finished fourth but was promoted to third following a time penalty handed to Daniel Abt for crossing the white line a pit exit. Penalties were rife, with almost half the field taking a grid penalty of some sort for changing a gearbox, or leaving the pit lane too early. It meant the start of the race was difficult

Nick Heidfeld walked away from a frightning final corner crash

The contact between Prost and Heidfeld damaged the German’s front suspension with alarming ease, turning his car into a canoe as he slid helplessly towards raised curbing, catapulting him into the crash fencing.

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VELOCITY

column / News / Feature / Report

Senna’s retirement herto follow with a number of otherwise leading contenders alded the emergence of the starting well down the order. safety car, which proved a blessing for drivers, who The opening laps also were able to dial back their weren’t helped by the fact power use and conserve Karun Chandhok, Stephane some energy for later in Sarazan and Jarno Trulli the race. It was Heidfeld all failed to get off the who managed that equation grid at the first time of best, staying in contact with asking, nor by the comiProst, all the while saving cally slow formation lap. power which he was able Having won the Fan Boost, to use in the final lap. a five-second, 30Kw boost Try as Franck Montagny courtesy of being voted might, he raced forward one of three favourites by from eighth to second, fans, Bruno Senna was though the lack of pace eliminated before he had a from the cars was hidechance to make the most ously apparent. Top speeds of it when contact with a tipped little more than curb at turn two damaged the brittle suspension on his 160kph on the 3.44km circuit, the average speed a car. The cause of Senna’s rather pedestrian 98.5kph. retirement and a contributDi Grassi’s win hands ing factor to the size of the him the early lead in the Heidfeld crash, the front championship, over secsuspension appeared hopeond placed Montagny with lessly under-equipped for Bird third following Abt’s the type of street racing relegation. Despite his the championship is built retirement, Prost gained around. It’s a point which three points courtesy of appears one of the early pole position while Takuma question marks over the Sato took the two points series which is guaranteed for setting fastest lap. to hit teething problems in its opening races.

With a nearly 90-day race result #

formula e

Lucas Di Grassi avoided the carnage to win

break before the second event there is much for the series to now work on.

The spectacle for one must improve, Beijing’s 2008 Olympic venue producing a flat and uninspiring concrete canyon which may as well have been held around a car park in Las Vegas, while further thought must be given to the mid-race pitstops to find a more ‘competitive’ solution to the need for drivers to change cars.

Mat Coch

Championship

Driver

team

time

#

Driver

Pts

1

Lucas Di Grassi

Audi Sport ABT

52:23.413

1

Lucas Di Grassi

25

2

Franck Montangy

Andretti Autosport

+ 2.867

2

Franck Montangy

18

3

Sam Bird

Virgin Racing

+ 6.559

3

Sam Bird

15

4

Charles Pic

Andretti Autosport

+ 19.301

4

Charles Pic

12

5

Karun Chandhok

Mahindra Racing

+ 23.952

5

Karun Chandhok

10

6

Jerome d’Ambrosio

Dragon Racing

+ 31.664

6

Jerome d’Ambrosio

8

7

Oriol Servia

Dragon Racing

+ 41.968

7

Oriol Servia

6

8

Nelson Piquet

China Racing

+ 43.896

8

Nelson Piquet

4

9

Stephane Sarrazin

Venturi

+ 43.975

9

Nicolas Prost

3

10

Daniel Abt

Audi Sport ABT

+ 1:02.507

10

Stephane Sarrazin

2

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57

column / News / Feature / Report

nascar

in contention

T

hirteen years after his last win at Dover, Jeff Gordon raced his way through to the second stage of the Chase for the NASCAR Cup after the first three

58

rounds of the competition.

With four drivers set to be eliminated from the Chase, and Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano safe courtesy of wins earlier in the three-race Challenger round,

the stakes were high for the remaining 14 drivers.

A strong performance from Kevin Harvick saw him lead more than half of the race before a flat tyre on lap 252 dropped him down

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column / News / Feature / Report

on

nascar

Greg Biffle and Aric Almirola were not so lucky.

Winning at New Hampshire a week earlier, Logano, who won the green-whitechequered dash to the line to confirm his berth in the Chase’s next phase.

Long green flag periods dominated the first part of the race before the safety car became an almost permanent fixture towards the end. A late spin for Tony Stewart triggered the final caution period, Logano beating Harvick at the restart, with Kyle Larsen following Logano to claim second.

Several big names fell victim to misfortune; Jeff Gordon cutting a tyre late in the race while Denny Hamlin had fuel filler problems before he was the innocent victim in a wreck around mid-distance.

Logano’s teammate Brad Keselowski raced to victory lane at Chicagoland Speedway in the first race in the 2014 NASCAR Chase.

Enjoying a fast car throughout the 400 mile race, Keselowski battled Larson in the final stages, an eyebrow raising drive for the youngster who had started at the rear of the field in a backup car.

the order. A damaged front splitter, which the team was able to make makeshift repairs to, then hindered any progress back to the top ten and eventually saw him in 15th at the flag.

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Picking up where Harvick left off, Gordon fended off Keselowski to win his 92nd NASCAR race and assure himself of a position in the second round of the Chase.

AJ Allendinger, Kurt Busch,

It was Keselowski’s second successive win after taking top spot at Richond, the final race before the Chase began, to place him as top seed among the 16 drivers.

Leading 383 of 400 laps, it was Keselowski’s fourth win of the year, and the 400th for Penske in all competitions.

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column / News / Feature / Report

world endurance championship

audi holds on

A

udi has claimed a 1-2 finish at the 6 Hours of Circuit of the Americas as the World Endurance Championship gathered for the fourth round of the 2014 season.

Navigating its way through changeable conditions, safety car periods, red flags and dwindling light, the Audi of Fassler/Lotterer/Treluyer headed home the sister car of Di Grassi/Duval/ Kristensen while Championship leaders Toyota were third with its lead car of Davidson/Lapierre/Buemi.

Starting in bright sunshine, conditions turned for the worse an hour and a half into the race as light

drizzle steadily increased to become a downpour.

Catching a number of cars out, including the championship leading Toyota which got beached in the gravel after spinning off the circuit, officials elected to show the red flag in the interests of safety.

The delay lasted 50 minutes, after which strategies began to splinter. Some opted to pit for intermediate tyres before switching to slicks as the circuit dried out, others remained on wets hoping to make them last the distance and therefore avoid making an extra stop.

Audi opted to split its

strategies, the Kristensen car stopping for inters while Treluyer stayed out for an hour following the restart before finally swapping his tattered wet Michelins for a new set of slicks. It proved to be a race winning choice, holding off his teammate by just 53 seconds after six hours of racing.

The recovering Davidson Toyota, which was the fastest car on track despite its excursions, raced back to within 10 seconds of second place, claiming the final spot on the podium.

Australian Mark Webber was fifth, two laps adrift of the leaders and the second Porsche home.

Heavy rain saw a 50 minute red flag period

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VELOCITY

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world rally championship

crowning glory A

strong Saturday proved the foundations upon which Sebastian Ogier claimed victory in Rally Australia, leading home a 1-2-3 for Volkswagen.

Winning ten stages across the event, Ogier beat teammate Jari-Matti Latavala by less than seven seconds after three days of rallying, with Andreas Mikkelsen completing the podium

Ogier had it far from his own way however, with Latvala and Citroen’s Kris Meeke spending time at the top of the leader board.

Winning two stages on the opening day, Meeke led for just the second time in his career, only to be deposed at the top by Latvala and Ogier. Meeke then engaged in a private battle for third place with Mikkelsen on the second day, before being knocked out of contention when he was handed a 61-second penalty for cutting a corner on stage 10.

It dropped Meeke to fourth ahead of Mikko Hirvonen, a position he would hold

VELOCITY

to the finish despite closing the gap to Mikkelsen.

Theirry Neuville broke the rear suspension on his Hyundai on the opening day, the Belgian never a factor thereafter at the top of the time sheets with New Zealander Haydon Paddon beating him home in sixth place to record his best ever WRC result.

Australian Chris Atkinson struggled throughout the event. Unfamiliar with the car, and without a great deal of seat time in the build-up, his cause was not helped by running first

on the road and eventually finished 10th, almost 10 minutes adrift of Ogier.

Out front, Oger was never able to relax at the head of the field as Latavala continued to harry the reigning world champion.

Ogier however held his nerve, and his narrow advantage, to win his second successive Rally Australia.

With Mikkelsen third the result assured Volkswagen of another Manufacturers title, the German marque having won all but one rally so far this season.

Volkswagon secured its second successive manufacturers crown

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column / News / Feature / Report

motoGP

lorezno storms to victory

M

astering the changeable conditions better than anyone else, Jorge Lorenzo raced to his first victory of the MotoGP season in the 14th round at Aragon.

A tug of war battle between Lorenzo, Marc Marquez and Dani Pedrosa punctuated the early stages as the trio pulled clear before the threatening weather turned for the worse.

A dynamite start from Ducati’s Andrea Iannone saw him lead briefly on the opening lap before crashing out of the race on lap 2 after running wide onto the sodden grass. Valentino Rossi was another early casualty, falling heavily on the fourth lap before being stretchered away with consussion.

Lorenzo finally made his

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way to the front on the ninth lap as the pitlane became a hive of activity with teams warming up bikes as the expectant weather began to close in. Officials showed the white flag, allowing drivers the opportunity to change bikes on the 13th lap.

Aleix Espargaro was the first in as light rain began to fall. The front three however elected to continue, continually swapping places in the face of worsening conditions. Pedrosa moved into the lead for the first time on the 16th tour, Marquez immediately counter-attacking as the Honda riders ran sideby-side for half a lap.

Having fallen away from the leading two as the rain fell heavier, Lorenzo opted for the pits and a change of bikes with four laps remaining. At the same

time Pedrosa lost the front end under braking into the first corner, crashing heavily. Though he would remount, he dropped to the tail end of the points before finally changing bikes.

Now alone out front, Marquez continued to brave the conditions on slick tyres.

It proved a foolhardy decision as, with his pace ever slowing and conditions deteriorating, the inevitable crash finally happened with three laps to go. It cost the Spaniard the lead and while he too was able to continue, making his way to the pits for a fresh bike, he could do no better than 12th place finish.

The crashing Honda’s opened the way for Lorenzo to come through to claim the win, with Espargaro claiming his first MotoGP podium with second place and Cal Crutchlow third.

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motoGP

rossi wins at home

A

euphoric crowd celebrated the victory of local favourite Valentino Rossi as MotoGP reached the Misanso circuit for the San Marino Grand Prix.

edged by on the seventh lap, Marquez followed the Yamaha rider through as Lorenzo fell away from the leading pair.

His first win since Assen 2013, Rossi pushed hard in the opening stages to move ahead of teammate Jorge Lorenzo. When he

Marquez’s demise left the Italian unopposed out front, enjoying a comfortable margin over Lorenzo who himself had breathing space back to Dani Pedrosa in third.

Taking the lead in the opening laps, Rossi fended off the advances of Marc Marquez, the Spaniard sliding out of second place and in doing so handing an unrivalled race to the flag to Rossi.

Pushing hard to find a way through on Rossi, Marquez lost the front end under braking at the end of the back straight, sliding out of second place.

By the time he’d picked up and remounted he’d lost almost a complete lap to Rossi and fallen to 20th.

Out-muscled at the start, Pedrosa fell to fifth behind the fast-starting Andrea Iannone, only managMarc Marquez ing to elbow his

VELOCITY

way through on the seventh lap. Pushed wide by Pedrosa, Iannone then fell victim to Andrea Dovisioso, who went on to pressure Pedrosa for the remainder of the 28-lap race.

Refusing to give up, Marquez rose through the field as the race wore on, moving into the final points paying position courtesy of Aleix Espargaro, who crashed out almost within sight of the line.

At the head of the field, none could match Rossi who swept to the 107th grand prix win of his career, in front of a partisan crowd which poured on to the circuit post-race.

The Italian headed home a Yamaha 1-2, while a disappointed Pedrosa lamented his lack of pace all weekend as he finished little more than a second ahead of Dovisioso in third.

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column / News / Feature / Report

world superbike championshiP

melandri steals a march

W

inning both World Superbike races at Jerez, Marco Melandri stole valuable championship points from Aprillia teammate Sylvain Guintoli.

Taking control of the opening race in the final laps, Melandri demoted Guintoli to second while points leader Tom Sykes languished in fifth place. It prevented Guintoli, Aprillia’s only realistic championship hope, from fully capitalising on Sykes comparatively poor performance and close the points gap further, which could prove vital later in the season.

Adding insult to injury, Melandri repeated the move in the second race, passing Guintoli with four laps remaining to win the race with Sykes in third spot.

Sykes was never a factor in the opening race, dropping to eighth in the early stages while Guintoli and Sykes’ Kawasaki teammate Loris Baz battled for the lead. Having started on pole, Baz almost came

64

into contact with Sykes off the line before losing the lead to Guintoli. He would reclaim top spot on the fourth lap, though was unable to keep Guintoli at bay and quickly fell back to second once more.

Sykes worked his way back to fifth by the finish, helped in part by Baz crashing out of the race while battling Melandri for second. Davide Guintoli also slid out of contention at turn four, handing Sykes another spot while Chaz Davies finished third.

The second race was similar to the first. Baz again led in the early stages before falling to second when Guintoli found a way by at turn one. He was soon followed

by Sykes, who was enjoying a more competitive race, before Melandri also edged

by Baz on the fourth lap.

Extending a 1.5 second lead after 11 laps, Guintoli looked comfortable out front as Melandri shadowed Sykes. But when the Italian found a way by into second he soon set about catching Guintoli, passing his teammate with four laps to go to win the race.

Sykes finished third, limiting the damage to his championship advantage in a weekend of confusing tactics from Aprillia.

Guintoli now sits just five points behind Sykes in the championship, but had he finished ahead of Melandri in both races he would instead lead it by four.

Loris Baz

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shannons nationals

simpson seethes Images: Nathan Wong / Shannons Nationals

C

ontroversy ruled at Phillip Island for the seventh round of the Shannons Nationals when Ryan Simpson was not allowed to start the third V8 Touring Car race of the weekend.

The championship leader had been narrowly beaten by former V8 Supercar driver Cameron McConville in the opening two races before officials reacted to noise complaints from the local penguin population.

“We were warned during qualifying that the car was too loud for EPA standards,” Simpson wrote on Facebook following the event. “This was also the case for the majority of cars in the Kumho Series.

“We adjusted, baffled the exhaust and added a shield, greatly reducing performance,” he added.

“Feedback after race one and two was that all was good. Then, just before race three we were told I wasn’t able to race due to the fact the car ‘could’

66

be too noisy around the track. I was the only car singled out even though many other cars breached the EPA noise standard.

“Now my chance at the championship has been affected as I couldn’t race and earn any points.”

It was a frustrating way to end the weekend for Simpson, who had salt rubbed into the wound when title rival Justin Ruggier won the race to sit just three points adrift of Simpson.

Ruggier’s teamate McConville proved a thorn in

Simpson’s side by handing the Falcon driver his first defeat of the season.

McConville’s opening race win ended a nine-race winning streak for Simpson, McConville backing up his performance in the second race as Simpson slipped to third behind Ruggier.

With Simpson out of the picture for the final race, McConville handed the race to Ruggier, allowing his Eggleston teammate to narrow the championship deficit to three points with two rounds remaining.

Ruggier wins at a controversial V8 Touring Car weekend

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Image: Nathan Wong / Shannons Nationals

column / News / Feature / Report

shannons nationals

campbell wins, ross crowned

T

hough the weekend was dominated

by Matt Campbell, the season belonged to Fraser Ross, who clinched the GT3 Cup title at Phillip Island.

Starting from pole, Campbell fell behind John Goodacre in the opening exchanges before finding a way back passed on the third lap. Jon McCorkindale also found a way through en route to a second place finish, leaving Goodacre third at the flag.

In fourth place was Ross.

The points leader heading into the round, he needed just a top 12 finish to seal the title, his opening race result more than enough to confirm him as champion.

Campbell put in another strong performance to win the second race, McCorkindale again next but but

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this time with Ross third.

The order remained the same for the final race too, completing a clean sweep for Campbell.

It was an eventful weekend for Darren Hossack who won the first Sports Sedan race before his weekend was ended in the race that never was.

Hossack proved strongest in the opening race, pulling clear of Tony Ricciardello and Steven Tamasi, placing the Audi driver on pole for the second race.

It hardly proved an advantage however as a multi-car crash at the front eliminated the leading trio at the first corner.

As Tamasi moved to the inside for turn one he made contact with Hossack, turning the race one winner into Ricciardello and spearing the three off them into

the weeds. Though all stopped short of the barrier the safety car was called into action before the race was finally red flagged, officially making race two a non-race. It meant no points were awarded, though with damage to their steering and differential, both Hossack and Tamasi were out for the remainder of the weekend.

Ricciardello’s crew manage to mend his Alfa Romeo well enough to take the start of the final race, the championship leader limping his wounded machine home to seventh in the final race.

The demise of two leading protagonists, not to mention the nobbling of a third, opened the door for Thomas Randle to win ahead of Steven Lacey and Dean Camm.

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column / News / Feature / Report

shannons nationals

trailing travis

I

Images: Nathan Wong / Shannons Nationals

n a weekend dominated

by Holden drivers, Gavin Ross headed home an armada of Commodores to win the Super Six Touring Car round at Phillip Island.

Ross and Lindorff battled for the lead early in the opening race before Ross stretched his legs, lowering the lap record by half a second on his way to winning the race with ease. Lindorff held on to second in the eight lap race with South Australian Wayne King third and former two-time champ Simon Tabinor fifth on his return to the series.

Backing up his

performance, Ross held on for two further victories on Sunday to take a clean sweep for the round. Lindorff was second for the weekend with Jason Leoncini third. Simon Tabinor showed he’s lost little of his pace by finishing a respectable fifth.

Crashing out of qualifying, reigning Radical Australia Cup title holder Neale Muston could only watch as Tim Berryman won both 45-minute races.

Heading over Lukey Heights during qualifying, Muston lost control of his SR8 and crashed heavily, dealing his title hopes a

blow as he was forced to watch the rest of the weekend from the sidelines.

When racing began, Berryman lapped more than two seconds faster than his nearest rivals to win the opening race by 36 seconds from his RAW Racing teammate Chris Medland.

Oliver Smith was third, and first in the SR3 class.

Michael Shaw, who was fourth in the opening race, improved to second in race two. The SR3 driver was just over 30 seconds behind race winner Berryman’s SR8 while Peter Paddon was third.

Tim Berryman dominated the Radical weekend

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VELOCITY

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shannons nationals

simon says A

Images: Nathan Wong / Shannons Nationals

n easy ride on Saturday was followed by a hard-fought Sunday for Simon Hodge, who edged out championship rival Ben Gersekowski to win round six of the Formula 3 championship at Phillip Island.

With a good start from pole position, Hodge was never headed in the opening race and went on to win the nine lap encounter by seven seconds from Gersekowski and Ricky Capo.

Capo came under late race pressure from Chris Anthony, who’d started the race from the rear of grid after his rear wing was found to be too high after qualifying. It would be to no avail however, the New South Welshman not finding a way by before being excluded from the results post-race.

mounted a challenge, passing for the lead on the third lap. Unperturbed, Gersekowski countered around the outside of turn one next time by as the pair continued to duel. It came to a head on lap five when, making a lunge down the inside at turn four, Hodge damaged his front wing as he made contact with Gersekowski.

The damage would drop Hodge to fourth at the finish, promoting Chelsea Angelo to second and Capo once again in third.

Bouncing back, Hodge worked his way to second on the opening lap before passing Gersekowski for the lead on lap four of the final race. It was a position he would hold on to until the finish, while Anthony rounded out

the podium after his rear wing shrunk overnight.

A collision between Steve Myberg and Tony Lappas saw the opening Superkart race red flagged and eventually declared a non-race after just two laps. It meant Gary Pegoraro was forced to wait until Sunday before he could win the championship, snatching victory on the line after battling with Ilya Harpas for the race.

Adam Proctor dominated the Australian Sports Racer Series, winning all three races across the weekend.

However, his season long duel with Roger I’Anson continued as the pair duked it out for victory throughout races two and three.

Steer, who was second ahead of I’Anson in the opening race, was third on both races on Sunday.

A renewed effort from Gersekowsi in races two and three saw Hodge under increased pressure on Sunday.

Trailing Gersekowski off the line, Hodge immediately

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Adam Proctor leads the Sports Racer pack

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column / News / Feature / Report

T

muscle car masters

Master Class

erry Lawlor raced swept all before him to win every race in the Heritage Touring Cars at Sydney Motorsport Park.

Holding off Jim Richards and Craig Markland, Lawlor headed the field to win around the short, Druitt circuit. In the Group A Trophy race, Lawlor had the measure of Richards with Markland third.

John Douglas

won the Group C Trophy race ahead of Fraser Ross and Edward Singleton.

On Sunday morning, Lawlor again headed the race though was harried throughout by Richards and Markland once again third.

Falling to third in the fifth race of the weekend, Richards was narrowly beaten to the

flag by Markland, however neither could catch Lawlor ahead, who claimed his fourth race of the weekend.

The Skyline driver went on to lead the final race of the weekend as Richards harried Markland for second.

With two laps completed, Richards worked by Markland in to second, before Compton piled on the pressure to move in to third by the flag.

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ittle separated the top of the TransAm class at Sydney Motorsport Park, though Ian Woodward emerged victorious in all three races as the category made its Muscle Car Masters debut.

Woodward won the opening race with a last lap move on John English with

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Brett Curran in third. Harris had led from the start, though run wide on the opening lap, dropping to eighth spot, though recovered to fifth by the flag.

Winning the second race, Woodward once again held off the advances of English in second and a recovering Harris.

With conditions deteriorating, Harris slipped back to 11th in the Trophy race. Out front, Woodward out-dragged Tobias Lord to the line to win by just four hundredths of a second. Ian Palmer completed the podium.

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muscle car masters

honours shared

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ndrew Purvis, Peter Eames, James Flett’s shared the Group S honours at Sydney Motorsport Park.

Purvis headed the field to win the opening race over Richard Watts and Eames, before Eames improved to win the second race ahead of Watts with James Calvert-Jones third. The third race saw Flett find a way into the lead, Purvis trailing him home to second with Eames third.

Flett then won the Trophy race ahead of Purvis with Eames again on the bottom step of the podium.

It was an all-Ford podium in the opening Group Nc race, Darryl Hansen winning in front of Bradley Tilley and Brett Hobson.

Scott Bargwanna won the opening under 3.5-Litre race over John Wright and Jason Humble. V8 Supercar driver David Wall was on track for the third race of the weekend, winning over Bargwanna and Daniel Kennedy. A mistake on the final lap almost cost

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Hobson the win in the fourth race, Stubber just four tenths behind at the finish while Bargwanna had a lonely race to third.

A drying circuit saw Wall gain the upper hand on the final lap of the Trophy race over Stubber. Bargwanna once again claimed third.

Big bangers proved too strong in the Group Nb class when it was dry, Allen Boughen’s Mercury Comet the class of the field though Brent Trengrove also tasted success, but the nimble Mini of Andrew Bergan was too good in the wet. Scott Fleming chased Allen Boughen home in the opening race ahead of Bill Trengrove, while Brent Trengrove clinched the bottom 50% Nb victory over troy Williams and Craig Stephenson. Bill Trengove was successful in the third race, Scott Bergan’s Morris Cooper S just three tenths behind with Andrew Taite in the 5.3-Litre Chevy Nova third. In the Mustang versus Mini Anniversary race, Brent Trengrove proved

1.7s faster than Andrew Bergan’s Mini Cooper S with Bill Trengrove again on the podium. Bergan went one better in the wet fourth race, leading a Mini 1-2 over Graham Russell with Fleming in third. On the short and fast Druitt circuit Boughen’s Comet was too fast. Bergan clung on for second place with Trengrove in third.

Bruce Heinrich narrowly held off Rod Raatjes in the opening HQ Holden race with Gary Bonwick third.

Reigning NSW state champion Brett Osborn won the ‘locals’ race, with Duane Cambridge and Kieran Pilkington rounding out the top three. Heinrich was back in charge on Sunday morning, winning at a canter from Bonwick and Raatjes. Using his local knowledge to the full, Osborn won the fourth HQ Holden race over fellow New South Welshman Pilkington and Cambridge.

In the Trophy race Heinrich was back on top ahead of Raatjes and Bonwick.

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Image: Race Shots

double delight

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inning the Formula Vee championship wasn’t enough for Dyland Thomas, who also took out the 1 Hour Production Touring race at round six of the NSW State Championship at Wakefield Park.

X over Leigh Burges and Graeme Shaw in third spot.

Daniel Stein and Darren Williams won the opening two races before Simon Pace charged through the field to claim the third. Williams ran second in the opening race ahead of Tim Brook, with Stein demoted to the runners-up spot in the second race with James Horne third. Horne improved to second in the final race with Williams completing the podium.

A heart-warming performance from David Crighton saw the Nissan Silvia take the flag in each of the three Under 2-Litre races.

Mechanical issues in the build up to the weekend looked to have ruled him out of contention, but a supreme effort from his crew was justly rewarded with a dominant performance. Justin McClintock was second in the opening two races before Graham Bohm took the spot in the final race with Williams Harris third in all three.

Finishing fourth in the opening Vee race and seventh in race two was enough to hand Thomas the championship with a race to spare.

Benefitting from the retirement of Aaron Seton, who suffered mechanical problems while leading the Production Touring race, Thomas claimed victory in his Mitsubishi Evo

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A competitive weekend in Improved Production Over 2-Litre class was highlighted by three different race winners, Anthony Losciaplo claiming the first race over Justin Keys and Michael Posa. Mark Ruta won the second with Posa second ahead of Steven Devjak before Posa win the final race, Devjak and Loscialpo also on the podium.

The Formula Ford pack was headed by local James Golding who held out across

the weekend over Jordan Lloyd. Hamish Hardeman was third in the opening race before Trent Grubel snared the final podium place in the final two races.

Brett Osborn was similarly strong in the HQ Holdens, winning all three events while John Baxter moved into the championship lead with one round remaining after finishing second in races one and three, and third in race two. Peter Green Jnr and Matt Barker picked up the other podium places.

Winning three Superkarts race, Michael Quirk had a strong weekend though was forced to play second fiddle to John Dunn who won the second race while Abraham Woolfrey and Benjamin Jagger shared the lower steps.

The PRB class was won

by Chris Barry who claimed the first and third race, with Stuart Shirvington winning the reverse top-10 grid second race. Trent Shirvington was second in the second race ahead of Barry while Stefan Versluis was third in races one and three.

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western australia

Images: Greg Ross

zelesco express

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eading every lap, claiming pole position and setting the fastest lap of the race, John Zelesco recorded a perfect weekend of Super GT racing at Barbagallo Raceway.

The Ferrari 358 driver mastered the difficult wet conditions best, racing to a comfortable 6.2 second lead in the opening race ahead of Chris Wilson and Peter Rullo before dominating the 20 lap final race to win by a comfortable 19 seconds. Rullo proved next fastest in the afternoons race with Grant Hill third.

It was a similarly strong performance for Anthony Martin, who won each of the three Formula Ford Daniel Gate won in Formula 1000

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races. Peter Major followed him home throughout with the final place on the podium shared among Shaydan Penniment, Andrew Goldie and Oliver Baxter.

Michael Henderson too proved the class of the field with three Formula Classics wins. Lance Carwadine was second in the opening race over Lance Barrett, while Shane Gifford took second spot over Barrett in race two. Simon Barrett and Gifford completed the podium in the final race.

Leading home a Stohr 1-2 in the final Formula 1000 class, Daniel Gate held off Ben Riley with opening race winner Stewart Burns in third. Gate was second

with Riley third in the first race, Gate and Burns swapping places in race two to give the Stohr driver two wins over the weekend.

Standing on the podium in each of the Formula Vee races, David Caisley recorded two wins and a third place for the weekend.

David Campbell was second with Gareth Foster third in race one, Foster improving to second followed by Cameron Edwards in the second race. Edwards then too the laurels for the final with Rod Lisson second over Caisley.

A mixed weekend saw two different race winners and seven different drivers on the Historic Touring car podium. Lance Stannard won the opening race ahead of Cono Onofao and Barry Baltinas, a feat he repeated in race two.

Randal Beavis chased him with Gerry Emmelhaing third before Beavis won the final race. Bill Meeke and Steve Hooton rounded out the top three.

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Images: Karting Australia / Coopers Photography

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world beater

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hree new National Champions were crowed at the Rotax Nationals, held at Ipswich in Queensland, with Zane Morse, Bradley Jenner and Mason Barbera all claiming their first title.

The trio was joined by two-time world champion Bas Lammers, the Dutchman making a special appearance in Australia, winning the DDS class.

Lammers qualified on pole for the final, though mechanical dramas almost saw him fail to start. Able to fix them and re-join the Brad Jenner leading the way in Rotax Light

field before the green light, he was then forced to work hard for victory after dropping to eighth at the start.

Fighting his way back to the front, Lammers sat third before Jaxon Evans and Jordan Boys were eliminated following contact while battling for the lead. It left Lammers out front ahead of Kel Treseder and Michael Scott.

Also competing in the Rotax Heavy class, Treseder was in contention for victory on the final lap before he was involved in

an incident with Brendan Nelson at the end of the back straight. With the leading duo out, Mason Barbera was able to sweep through to win over Scott Simpson and Clem O’Mara in what had been a racelong battle for the lead.

It was a similarly intense race in the Junior Rotax class, Zane Morse holding off Zane Goddard by just half a length at the finish with Jayden Ojeda in third spot.

Bradley Jenner continued his domination of the Rotax Light class, winning with ease over Nicholas Andrews and Daneil Kinsman, while Adam Hunter clinched the DD2 Masters title. John Grother and Tony Bregonje completed the podium.

In the Sodi Junior Rotax Trophy class Harrison Hoey won on debut, Tyler Morrison and Glen Ormerod rounding out the top three.

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Image: Karting Australia / Coopers Photography

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fast finisher

unning at lap record pace, Joey Hanssen clinched the KZ2 class championship in style as the CIK Stars of Karting made its final stop of the year at Todd Road in Port Melbourne.

The weekend witnessed the crowning of two other champions too, with Troy Loeskow taking his first KF2 title and Jayden Ojeda proving he’s a name to watch for in future with victory in the KF3 Junior class.

Dropping to eighth early in the first of two finals across the weekend, Hanssen was forced to race his way through the field to win.

But while Hanssen was able to recover the experienced David Sera was not so lucky. Striking problems, Sera was forced out of the first final and relegated to 24th on the grid for a second.

It triggered an inspiring comeback through the field

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karting

which drew Victorian Matthew Wall, who had also started on the back row of the grid, along for the ride.

As Hanssen raced clear at the front in the second final, breaking the lap record in the process, Sera set about climbing up the order. By the time Hanssen ran off the road at the end of the front straight, conceding much of his advantage but not the lead, Sera had already climbed inside the top five.

His composure restored, Hanssen resumed control to win the race in fine form. Sera climbed to third at the flag, just behind Kyle Ensbey while Matthew Wall, who looked set for a strong result after a fine race, struck trouble on the final lap and finished 12th.

Winning on debut, Liam McLellan took out the second KF2 final ahead of Jarryd Ezbery, who’d won the first, while Loeskow

finished 5th. The title however was already in the bag for Loeskow, who only had to start the final heat after championship rival Jason Tigani struck problems in the opening heat.

Enjoying a solid points advantage heading into the weekend, Ojeda won his finals by 0.04s and 0.05s respectively over Aaron Cameron to take his first KF3 Junior title.

Daniel Roch won the TaG Light category over V8 Utes driver Kris Walton and Ryan Sanderson after Mitchell Hewitt was disqualified post-race from second place. Rick Pringle won the TaG Heavy class from Aaron Hindle while Mitchell Mackay and George Michaelides won the TaG Restricted Light and TaG Restricted Heavy classes respectively. Youngster Jack Doohan secured his first major title with victory in the Rookies class.

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John English races through the rain at Muscle Car Masters

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coming attractions OCTOBER 3 - 5

World Rally Championship Rally of France

OCTOBER 4 & 5

Victorian State Championship Phillip Island

OCTOBER 5

Formula One

Japanese Grand Prix NASCAR

Kansas Speedway

World Superbike Championship Magny-Cours

OCTOBER 11 NASCAR

Charlotte Motor Speedway OCTOBER 12 Formula One

Russian Grand Prix MotoGP

Japanese Grand Prix V8 Supercars Bathurst 1000

World Endurance Championship 6hrs of Fuji

OCTOBER 18 & 19

Shannons Nationals Wakefield Park

World Time Attack

Sydney Motorsport Park OCTOBER 19 MotoGP

Australian Grand Prix

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NASCAR

Talledega Superspeedway

OCTOBER 23 - 26

World Rally Championship Rally of Spain

OCTOBER 25 & 26

NSW State Championship

Sydney Motorsport Park

V8 Supercars

Gold Coast 600

WA State Championship

Barbagallo

OCTOBER 26 NASCAR

Martinsville Speedway OCTOBER 31 - NOVEMBER 2 ANDRA Australian Nationals

Sydney Dragway

NOVEMBER 1 & 2

Shannons Nationals

Sydney Motorsport Park

QLD Racing Drivers Championship Queensland Raceway

NOVEMBER 2

Formula One

United States Grand Prix

NASCAR

Texas Motor Speedway

World Endurance Championship

6hrs of Shanghai

World Superbike Championship

Losail

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