VOLUME 4 - ISSUE 18
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2nd OCTOBER 2014
CASTROL RACER COURTNEY FORCE WINS AAA TEXAS NHRA FALL NATIONALS Castrol racer Courtney Force qualified at the top of the Funny Car field and has won the AAA Texas NHRA Fall Nationals to pick up her sixth career win, the most of any female in NHRA Funny Car history. She dismissed Tony Pedregon, Robert Hight, Tommy Johnson Jr. and Del Worsham enroute to her first win at the Texas Motorplex in Ennis, Texas. Force has officially moved up to the No. 4 spot in the NHRA Mello Yello point standings.
heat. It’s tough for them and I really appreciate everything they’ve done for me today. Thank you to (crew chiefs) Ron Douglas and Dan Hood for giving me a great race car in the heat and getting me down the race track on every run, and on both sides of the track;
in the right and the left lane. I’m very proud of my team and glad that we could get this win for Traxxas in their home state of Texas.” This is Force’s third victory of the season, all of which she has won from
“I looked at the ladder and thought, ‘Man, I could be bumping into my teammates from second round, through the semis,’ and I wasn’t about to have a weekend like last weekend in Charlotte when my dad took me out in the first round,” said Force. “It felt good to go some rounds out here today and end up in the Winner’s Circle. “Definitely proud of my team; these guys have been working hard in this
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the No. 1 starting spot on race day. It is also the 11th win for a female this year in the NHRA pro categories. She is now tied with Alexis DeJoria for the most Funny Car wins in a season by a female.
John Force and the Castrol GTX High Mileage team still maintain a commanding lead in the 2014 NHRA Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship points chase with
2258. John won’t be slowing down as he heads to next weekend’s 3rd annual AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals at Gateway Motorsports Park in Madison, Illinois.
The 16-time NHRA Mello Yello champion, John Force, was ready to go to his eighth consecutive trip to the finals and possibly get his 142nd career victory today, but was denied. It was in the quarterfinals when his Castrol GTX High Mileage Funny Car was on a good run and began pulling away from his opponent, Tommy Johnson Jr. However, at the 500-foot mark on the tricky track surface of the Texas Motorplex, Force’s Mustang began to haze the massive Goodyear slicks as they battled for traction. Force was fighting to keep his race car in the groove, but could only watch his rival drive away from him and get the win light.
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CASTROL-BACKED COURTNEY WINS IN ST. LOUIS Castrol-backed Courtney Force has picked up her fourth Funny Car win of the season, a record for a female Funny Car driver. She moved from the No. 4 spot in the Mello Yello points to the No. 2 position, right behind her father with her win today at the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals in St. Louis. It was her seventh career victory and she became the first female to win back-to-back Funny Car races (Dallas and St. Louis). She has now been to five final rounds in 2014, thirteen overall.
““Everyone is trying to get up to that No. 1 spot, that’s’ where everyone has their heads right now and that’s where my dad is. We’ve made some big moves this weekend in St. Louis and it’s definitely a team effort.”
John Force, the 16-time NHRA Mello Yello champion, raced to a semifinal finish at today’s AAA Insurance Midwest Nationals. With this being the third stop on the Countdown to the Championship, John Force was on a mission to further
“I think the good news is at least our team is making the right moves at the right time, right here in the Countdown to the Championship,” said Force. “It was tough going up against dad; I didn’t want to race him, but all I thought about was how he took me out in Charlotte and he didn’t feel bad, so I thought, ‘Alright, we’re going for it!’ Our Traxxas team got the win.
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stretch his points lead and get one step closer to claiming his 17th NHRA Mello Yello Funny Car championship. Unfortunately, it was teammate and daughter Courtney Force who put the winningest driver in NHRA history on the trailer and denied him another trip to the finals. Brittany Force was looking to make a move in the points and go some rounds at the third stop of 2014 NHRA Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship. The 2013 NHRA Auto Club Rookie of the Year was pumped up today, and her 10,000 horsepower Castrol EDGE Dragster made some strong and consistent runs during qualifying. Unfortunately, Brittany Force came up just a little short in her first round matchup with rival and former NHRA Mello Yello champion Antron Brown.
2014 FUNNY CAR STANDINGS POS
DRIVERS
TOTAL
1.
John Force,
2344
2.
Courtney Force,
2314
3.
Matt Hagan,
2302
4.
Robert Hight,
2253
5.
Ron Capps,
2218
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SECOND VICTORY OF THE SEASON FOR CASTROL-BACKED AUDI Castrol EDGE-oiled Audi Motorsport has managed to secure a second consecutive one-two victory in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC). Marcel Fässler/André Lotterer/Benoît Tréluyer had previously won the Le Mans 24 Hours in June. Now the trio again prevailed in the fourth race of the season at Austin. A sudden downpour caused many accidents in the first third before the race was interrupted by red flags. Afterwards, a tactically challenging course of the race called for perfect tyre choices and made for a real thriller in Texas. Audi had two reasons to rejoice: Lucas di Grassi/Loïc Duval/Tom Kristensen as the runners-up completed the brand’s success as a one-two result. With that, Audi has taken the lead of the manufacturers’ standings. Results FIA WEC Austin 2014 Pos
Driver
Pts
1.
Fässler/Lotterer/Tréluyer (Audi R18 e-tron quattro)
157 laps
2.
di Grassi/Duval/Kristensen (Audi R18 e-tron quattro)
+ 53.016s
3.
Davidson/Lapierre/Buemi (Toyota)
+ 1m 03.945s
4.
Dumas/Jani/Lieb (Porsche)
- 1 lap
5.
Bernhard/Webber/Hartley (Porsche)
- 2 laps
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TWO MORE TITLES FOR CASTROL-BACKED BMW In the first race since Marco Wittmann was crowned DTM Drivers’ champion, Castrol EDGE-oiled BMW Team RMG sealed the Team title in Zandvoort. Castrol-backed BMW has ended the penultimate race of the DTM season with Marco Wittmann in second place – his fifth podium of the year – and sixth place for Maxime Martin (SAMSUNG BMW M4 DTM). With 193 points to its name, BMW Team RMG now goes into the season finale in Hockenheim with an unassailable lead. Martin is also assured of the “Rookie of the Year” title, making him the successor to team-mate and new DTM champion Wittmann.
“That was an extremely eventful race. The many safety car periods made it difficult to keep track of what was going on at times,” said Jens Marquardt (BMW Motorsport Director). “We were constantly having to change our strategy, and the last few laps came down to a sprint. We are obviously happy to have two drivers on the podium. “Marco Wittmann and Martin Tomczyk produced great performances and kept cool heads at all times. I am particularly pleased for Martin. He earned his reward for all his hard work today. At the same time, he confirmed the continuous improvement in his performances in recent races, and ended his long wait for a podium.
“Maxime Martin also had a great race and has already earned the title of ‘Rookie of the Year’. We are also delighted for BMW Team RMG, who won the Team competition today with one race to go. Congratulations to Mattias Ekström and Audi on their win.” At the end of a turbulent 43-lap race at the “Circuit Park Zandvoort”, with four safety car periods, Wittmann brought the IceWatch BMW M4 DTM home 7.4 seconds behind winner Mattias Ekström (Audi). Third place went to Martin Tomczyk in the BMW M Performance Parts M4 DTM. The BMW Team Schnitzer driver stepped onto the podium for the first time since the race at the Nürburgring in 2012. The remaining Castrol-oiled BMW drivers finished outside the top-ten. Bruno Spengler crossed the finish line eighth in
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the BMW Bank M4 DTM, but was handed a penalty for a collision shortly before the end of the race and has thus been classified in 17th place. Joey Hand made a good start in the Crowne Plaza Hotels BMW M4 DTM, but was unable to hang on to a top-ten position. The American had to settle for 11th, but received one point after the race due to a penalty for Daniel Juncadella (Mercedes).
BMW Team MTEK drivers Timo Glock (DEUTSCHE POST BMW M4 DTM) and António Félix da Costa (Red Bull BMW M4 DTM) came home 13th and 14th. Glock was unfortunate when his car remained stationary at the start of the installation lap and had to start the race from the very back of the grid. The race was over after just 18 laps for last year’s winner Augusto Farfus. His Castrol EDGE BMW M4 DTM was hit from behind by a rival and spun off into the barriers. Farfus was unhurt, but had to leave his car in the gravel bed.
2014 DTM Standings Pos
Driver
Pts
1
Marco Wittmann
146
2
Mattias Ekström
81
3
Christian Vietoris
69
4
Edoardo Mortara
68
5
Mike Rockenfeller
54
6
Maxime Martin
47
7
Pascal Wehrlein
46
8
Martin Tomczyk
43
9
Bruno Spengler
42
10
Robert Wickens
41
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CASTROL EDGE-OILED VOLVO POLESTAR RACING CLAIMS 2014 STCC TITLE Thed Björk secured his second consecutive STCC title in the season finale at Mantorp Park as Castrol-backed Volvo Polestar Racing claimed the team title for the second straight year. ”The feeling is indescribable! I have fought hard together with my team and they have made an awesome job all year. To crown the season with my third STCC title is incredible and something I value highly in my racing career,” said Björk. Fredrik Ekblom claimed third position in the championship after winning his 30th STCC race in the very last race of 2014. ”A really nice end to the year after a really fun battle with Thed in the race. I am not pleased with third in the championship, we had too much bad luck to be able to challenge for the title. But I have had the speed to win all year
and that is the important thing for me,” said Ekblom. Prince Carl Philip Bernadotte had a tough weekend where he retired from the first race and finished 13th in the final race, but summarizes the season as positive nonetheless. ”I am not pleased with the weekend in terms of results. But I take the positive points from this season with me as we have taken important steps forward. I scored points in seven consecutive races and claimed a new personal best at Knutstorp. I look forward to 2015,” said Bernadotte. The Volvo Polestar Racing drivers had a strong season finale where Ekblom was fastest in the first qualifying session and Björk in the second. The last race saw the both fighting hard for the win and
it was not until the penultimate corner that the fight was decided with Ekblom fighting his way past Björk. Thanks to the strong result, Volvo Polestar Racing claims the STCC team championship title for the second consecutive year, beating BMW Dealer Team WestCoast Racing with 98 points. “Thed Björk joins a rare club of drivers whom have managed to claim two consecutive STCC titles, something both he and the team can be really proud over.The STCC gold and bronze together with the team title is an almost perfect result that we take with us to the 2015 STCC where we aim to be back in at least as strong form,” said Derek Crabb, Motorsport Director of Volvo Cars.
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Final championship positions - Top 10 1
Thed Bjรถrk Volvo S60
249 points
2
Fredrik Larsson BMW SR
206 (-43)
3
Fredrik Ekblom Volvo S60
195 (-54)
4
Richard Gรถransson Saab 9-3
145 (-104)
5
Philip Forsman BMW SR
144 (-105)
6
Mattias Andersson Dacia SE
141 (-108)
7
Mattias Lindberg Kia Optima
123 (-126)
8
Linus Ohlsson Kia Optima
120 (-129)
9
Andreas Wernersson Kia Optima
91 (-158)
10
Erik Jonsson BMW SR
79 (-170)
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FROSTY’S ROAD TRIP TO SOUTH AUSTRALIA WITH CASTROL Castrol and V8 Supercar team Pepsi Max Crew FPR joined forces this week taking star driver and 2013 Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 winner Mark Winterbottom on tour in South Australia. The Castrol EDGE road trip with Frosty visited several Ford dealerships including Boston Ford in Jamestown, McCracken Ford in Balaklava, Sutton Ford in Waikerie and Riverland Ford in Loxton.
The team at Maughan Thiem Ford and some of their lucky clients also enjoyed a fantastic lunch with the factory Ford driver all thanks to Castrol. Throughout the trip there was plenty of social media exposure with FPR, Frosty, Castrol and local dealership communities sharing their experiences. The passion for the Ford Brand, FPR and Castrol was evidenced with some people making a 7 hour round trip to
spend some one-on-one time with Frosty and really get to enjoy his time and company. A truly “money can’t buy” experience. And with the fact that there were 2 GTF owners are Balaklava with the same coloured GT’s, the spirit of Bathurst is alive and well as we head towards Frosty’s attempt at back-to-back Mt Panorama wins – hey, if Hawthorn can do it…so can Frosty!! Is that an omen…?
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CASTROL TEAM HAHN RACING CLOSES THE GAP IN FIA EUROPEAN TRUCK RACING CHAMPIONSHIP Jochen Hahn won once and finished on the podium twice more in a fine weekend at Zolder for Castrol Team Hahn Racing after round seven of the FIA European Truck Racing Championship race.
Hahn got off to a flying start in Belgium. He was awarded pole position in race one after Norbert Kiss’ fastest time in Super Pole was adjudged to be illegal. The German seized the opportunity and cruised home for a comfortable win.
Wet conditions on Sunday morning meant a more cautious approach was necessary for the early warm up and qualifying sessions. But by the time race three got under way, the rain had stopped and the track was drying out.
He and his championship rivals Norbert Kiss and Antonio Albacete all stepped up to provide fantastic entertainment over the four races. The top of the rankings is now tighter than ever after round seven of the FIA European Truck Racing Championship.
Starting back in 8th position, Hahn didn’t hesitate in moving up the field in race two, getting up to 5th in the final lap. Then, on the last bend of the race, Hahn passed Albacete to bag a 4th place finish and pinch valuable points from the championship leader.
Hahn, starting in 4th, overtook Adam Lacko on the first corner to move up to 3rd. Though he pushed Albacete in 2nd hard for the rest of the race, the lack of grip away from the racing line hindered manoeuvring and despite his best efforts, Hahn had to settle for 3rd place.
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In the final race of the weekend, Hahn once again acted quickly to move up from 6th to 4th, and then pounced again to get in to 3rd. As in the previous race, he found his path blocked by Albacete, and once again Hahn was unable to make the decisive move. Behind him, Norbert Kiss made a couple of attempts to take advantage of the fierce battle. This remarkable duel between the three heavyweights of the circuit was a joy to behold. Ultimately, all three held on to their positions, with Jochen Hahn’s 3rd place securing a hat trick of podiums in Belgium. With just two events remaining this season, only seven points separates the top three in the overall standings. Though Hahn dropped down to third, he has cut the gap between him and Albacete by five points and is now closer than ever to first place. Next up is Jarama, Spain, on 4th/5th October, where Hahn will be hoping to take another step closer to the top spot. 2014 Championship Standings Pos
Driver
Nat
Pts
1
Antonio AlbaceteMAN
ESP
303
2
Norbert KissMAN
HUN
297
3
Jochen HahnMAN
GER
296
4
Adam LackoFreightliner
CZE
243
5
David VrseckyFreightliner
CZE
196
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TWO NEW STARS OF KARTING CHAMPIONS CROWNED Sydney-sider Jayden Ojeda and Bundaberg’s Troy Loeskow have added themselves to an illustrious list of Australian Karting Champions after the final day of the Castrol EDGE CIK Stars of Karting Championship at Melbourne’s Todd Road karting complex. The duo - who took victory in the elite junior KF3 and senior KF2 category joined Dutchman, Joey Hanssen as the three Castrol EDGE Stars of Karting Champions after five rounds of competition. 2013 KZ2 Gearbox Champion, Joey Hanssen had done enough yesterday
to be unassailable in his Championship assault today, however set about annihilating the outright lap record at the Todd Road circuit. The three Champions have earned themselves an international event entry in 2015 with the support of Karting Australia. Loeskow and Nathan Tigani were separated by a mere 18 points coming into today’s twin 27-lap KF2 finals. When trouble befell PCR Scuderia Australia pilot, Tigani early in the first final, Loeskow’s hold on the James Courtney Trophy became stronger. The FA (Fernando Alonso) Kart driver
only had to front for the second final to secure the Title. Harrington Doyle Racing Arrow driver, Jarryd Ebzery took his first ever Stars of Karting Championship final victory
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in final one, finishing just ahead of Loeskow. Final two was a completely different story when Loeskow struck trouble in the opening lap. He dropped to the back of the field and charged on, however up front it was a battle royale between Ebzery and outgoing KF3 Junior Champion Liam McLellan in his KF2 debut. McLellan, whose deal with Energy Corse Australia came together at the last minute, finally got a handle on the 125cc IAME engine and new chassis package and surged ahead, trading blows with Ebzery as the laps wound down. The young Victorian was able to get past the Queenslander and take a memorable victory on debut. Finishing third was Ebzery’s Pepsi Maxsupported Harrington Doyle team-mate, Scott Sorenson.
In the KF3 Juniors, Ojeda had a solid points lead coming into today’s action over his Exprit team-mate, Chris Sandrone. Sandrone fought valiantly at the front with Aaron Cameron and Zane Morse. Ojeda took the first final by three-one-hundredths of a second and then backed that up by stealing the victory on the line from local hope Cameron by four-one-hundredths of a second. In KZ2, Hanssen was shuffled back in the early stages of final one and fought forward from eighth to cross the line in first. Arch rival, David Sera didn’t finish the race and was forced to start final two from 24th on the grid. Starting alongside him would be Vemmekart racer, Matthew Wall. The second final will go down in history in CIK Stars of Karting folklore. Hanssen was
determined to lower the lap record in final two, while Sera wanted to end the season on a high with his Deadly Kart. Whilst Hanssen took off from Kyle Ensbey at the head of the field, Sera had scythed his way past more than half the field. He was chipping away at the competitors in front of him, while Hanssen lowered the lap record. Straight after doing so, he went off the end of the front straight away but continued on. Ensbey closed the gap to half a second, whilst Sera got into the top five. From there Hanssen – driving a Shamick Racing CRG chassis – focused himself and kept lowering that lap record. He set the fastest lap of the race on the penultimate lap, his MG Tyres having been punished to the absolute limit. Sera got himself onto the podium at the close of play behind round one winner, Ensbey. Sera’s fellow Victorian Wall, came with him through the field and should have recorded a top five, however struck drama on the final lap only to come across the line 12th. Daniel Rochford secured the TaG Light Support Category series after a spirited battle with Mitchell Hewitt and his closest points rival, V8 Utes points leader, Kris Walton. Hewitt was later excluded for a technical infringement elevating Walton to second and Ryan Sanderson, who qualified 17th, third. Local driver, Rick Pringle came home first in TaG 125 Heavy narrowly in front of Aaron Hindle. In Rookies, Queenslander Jack Doohan took his first major Series victory in fine style taking a comfortable win. Mitchell Mackay won TaG Restricted Light while George Michaelides won TaG Restricted Heavy. Thus comes to a close season 2014 for the Castrol EDGE CIK Stars of Karting Championship – with the three Champions due to be crowned at a gala presentation tonight.
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HANSSEN SECURES SECOND AUSSIE TITLE Joey Hanssen has built an unassailable lead in the Castrol EDGE CIK Stars of Karting KZ2 Championship after heat racing at Melbourne’s Todd Road facility. Hanssen sits comfortably atop the points score after a DNF for his closest rival, 17-time Australian Champion, David Sera in a frantic second heat. Sera was supreme throughout qualifying and heats one and three, but the incident in his Deadly kart left him rueing what may have been as Hanssen charged through for a third placed finish in that particular heat. The CRGmounted Dutchman has to get through the pair of Finals without issue and pass
technical inspections to become the first ever back-to-back KZ2 Australian Champion. One thing is for certain, Sera is not going to let Hanssen head back to Holland without making him earn it. The story is far different in KF2 – with a handful of points separating the top runners. Troy Loeskow has doubled the points lead he holds in the category to 14 points, however the intensity between he and second placed man Nathan Tigani has rarely been seen in CIK Stars of Karting competition. After a hard fought heat race one victory, Scuderia PCR Australia’s Tigani
had a difficult heat two, being shuffled back in the field and ending up fifth. It was a similar story in the final heat. Tigani got the jump but in the mix of the mid-race he dropped back to sixth. He fought valiantly to fight his way forward only to cop a place penalty for a starting infringement. Lucas Ward – who returns for the first time since round one and his Energy Corse Australia team-mate, outgoing KF3 Champion, Liam McLellan have impressed. The battle for third in the Championship is on as well between the Harrington Doyle Arrow pilots, Scott Sorenson and Jarryd Ebzery. Just seven points separate the two who have been
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virtually locked together for the entire season. In the KF3 Junior category, Jayden Ojeda has skipped clear despite a rare mistake from the Exprit/IKD Race Department team during qualifying. Ojeda took to the damp track with wet tyres, whilst his closest Championship combatants – Bryce Fullwood (FA Kart) and Chris Sandrone (Exprit) gambled on slicks. The gamble paid off. Showing true Champion quality though, Ojeda fought his way into the top five at the completion of each heat despite starting from the back of the pack on all three occasions. Disaster hit for Darwin’s Fullwood in heat two, who lost a wheel early in the race. He was left to watch Sandrone surpass him in the Championship. In the support categories, the TaG Light Series will go to the wire – leader, Daniel Rochford (Monaco) has been trading blows with Kris Walton (FA Kart) throughout the day. In the Heavy category, whilst the Series win is
beyond doubt for the injured Brendan Nelson (Arrow), a fascinating round battle is brewing between Aaron Hindle (Kosmic), Rick Pringle (CRG) and Dylan Collett (Formula K) – the three head and shoulders above the rest.
Mackay got one for the girls in TaG Restricted, beating home her brother Mitchell Mackay in an intriguing interfamily battle. The two finals of the Castrol EDGE CIK Stars of Karting Championship classes will bring the season to a thrilling conclusion.
Jack Doohan got the best of Joshua Smith in Rookies, whilst Jaymi
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