VOLUME 4 - ISSUE 4
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20th MARCH 2014
CASTROL CREWS ENJOY MIXED RESULTS AT ALBERT PARK Despite not being a championship point scoring round the latest V8 Supercars event was as hard fought as any as Castrol crews endured mixed results at the Australian F1 Grand Prix in Melbourne. Michael Caruso secured a deserved podium place at the Albert Park street circuit after a sensational pole position on Thursday afternoon. Caruso, driving the Norton/beyondblue Nissan Altima, finished third in Sunday’s race, enough to secure third overall for the Grand Prix event. “It’s an absolutely brilliant result for Norton, beyondblue and Nissan,” said Michael Caruso. “We started fifth and got crushed back to eighth. It was on for young and old out there and I was
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getting hit at every corner of the car. To manage to climb back up to third, it was a testament to the fantastic car speed that we had. It was as good as it’s been this weekend.”
See below for the final weekend points POS
TEAM
DRIVER
CAR
POINTS
1
Valvoline Racing GRM
Scott McLaughlin
Volvo S60
329
2
Red Bull Racing Australia
Craig Lowndes
Holden Commodore VF
319
3
Norton Hornets
Michael Caruso
Nissan Altima
299
4
Lockwood Racing
Fabian Coulthard
Holden Commodore VF
298
5
Team TEKNO VIP Petfoods
Shane Van Gisbergen
Holden Commodore VF
287
6
Holden Racing Team
Garth Tander
Holden Commodore VF
277
7
Pepsi Max Crew
Mark Winterbottom
Ford Falcon FG
205
8
Erebus Motorsport V8
Will Davison
Mercedes E63 AMG
196
9
Holden Racing Team
James Courtney
Holden Commodore VF
172
10
Supercheap Auto Racing
Tim Slade
Holden Commodore VF
172
11
Red Bull Racing Australia
Jamie Whincup
Holden Commodore VF
165
12
Walkinshaw Racing
Nick Percat
Holden Commodore VF
152
13
Erebus Motorsport V8
Lee Holdsworth
Mercedes E63 AMG
149
Castrol EDGE-backed Supercheap Auto Racing driver Tim Slade took 10th spot overall in the accumulated points score, equaling the tally of Walkinshawstablemate James Courtney with 172 points won across the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix weekend.
14
The Bottle-O Racing Team
David Reynolds
Ford Falcon FG
137
15
Repair Management Aust Racing
Russell Ingall
Holden Commodore VF
136
16
Wilson Security Racing
David Wall
Ford Falcon FG
126
17
Team BOC
Jason Bright
Holden Commodore VF
126
18
Jeld-wen
Jack Perkins
Ford Falcon FG
121
19
Norton Hornets
James Moffat
Nissan Altima
113
Shane van Gisbergen won the opening three races with Scott McLaughlin winning Race 4 and the weekend on overall points. Round 2 of the V8 Supercars Championship, the Tyrepower Tasmania 400, begins at Symmons Plains Raceway on March 28.
20
Jack Daniel’s Racing
Todd Kelly
Nissan Altima
111
21
Jack Daniel’s Racing
Rick Kelly
Nissan Altima
108
22
Wilson Security Racing
Scott Pye
Ford Falcon FG
102
23
Valvoline Racing GRM
Robert Dahlgren
Volvo S60
73
24
Pepsi Max Crew
Chaz Mostert
Ford Falcon FG
59
25
Team ADVAM / GB
Dale Wood
Holden Commodore VF
40
A string of solid race results saw Castrolbacked FPR driver Mark Winterbottom finish seventh overall for the round with his best race result of 7th coming in Race 4. However it was not the same story for teammate Chaz Mostert who spun his factory Ford across the track ahead of the majority of the field. While most cars avoided contact an unsighted Dale Wood hit the drivers side of Chaz’s car causing the knockout blow for the car for the remainder of the weekend.
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CASTROL-BACKED VW CONTINUES WRC WINNING STREAK Castrol-backed Volkswagen Motorsport driver Sebastien Ogier has won the Rally Mexico to jump back to the top of the World Rally Championship Standings. The World Champion led home a Volkswagen 1-2 with Jari-Matti Latvala finishing 72-seconds behind.
“Mexico really is a fantastic country for us! I like the rally, and it seems to like me. I picked up my first win as a junior here back in 2008 and took overall victory with Volkswagen last year – and now here I am, back on the top step of the podium,” said Ogier.
After battling with Mad Ostberg on the opening leg, Ogier was left clear at the front after the Citroen driver damaged the suspension in his DS3 on the morning of day 2. Latvala moved to second and the duo maintained position throughout the final day of competition.
“It is a fantastic feeling. Our entire team did a sensational job all weekend, and the Polo R WRC was once again super reliable and super quick in extreme conditions. I was hungry for this win after my mistake in Sweden! That is why Julien and I refrained from taking any risks on the final day.
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a few areas for improvement as the weekend went on. It’s all part of the learning curve and we’re really looking forward to Portugal.” Thierry Neuville claimed the maiden podium for Hyundai on only the Korean manufacturer’s third rally, this despite having some radiator issues after the final stage. The Belgian had to drive back the 20km to the final service to be classed a finisher. Neuville stopped on a number of occasions to top-up the radiator with the closest fluid he could find. Spectators handed him cans of Corona beer; it did the job with his car completing the drive back to Leon. Ogier scored three bonus points by claiming fastest time through the final El Brinco Power Stage, Latvala took two and Castrol-backed Ford driver Mikko Hirvonen claimed the final point in his Fiesta RS WRC. The next event of the WRC is the Rallye de Portugal which starts on 3 April. 2014 WRC standings
“We really wanted to get this win under our belts. And it goes without saying that I also wanted to get my hands on the Power Stage points. Although we will now have to act as street sweepers for the opposition at the next round in Portugal, the World Championship points are more important than anything else.” It was a job well done for the Castrolsponsored M-Sport World Rally Team as Elfyn Evans secured a career-best fourth place at Rally Mexico. Mikko
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Hirvonen also fought back to eighth place – demonstrating his potential to challenge for the top positions through the loose-surface terrain. “I certainly didn’t come here expecting to finish fourth – simply to finish would have been an achievement given how little experience we have on these kinds of stages and how many of the top drivers were caught out!” Evans said. “We put in some strong performances on some individual stages and identified
POS
DRIVER
TOTAL
1.
Sebastien Ogier
63
2.
Jari-Matti Latvala
60
3.
Mads Ostberg
32
4.
Andreas Mikkelsen
24
5.
Elfyn Evans
20
6.
Bryan Bouffier
18
7.
Mikko Hirvonen
18
8.
Kris Meeke
17
9.
Thierry Neuville
15
10.
Ott Tanak
10
V8 PREDICTOR WINNER ALL SMILES AFTER CLIPSAL 500 VIP EXPERIENCE Riding shotgun in Mark Winterbottom’s Castrol-oiled V8 Supercar down the Adelaide Parklands at over 250km/h, with just millimetres between he and the side of and the concrete barriers that line the circuit, was just one of the many experiences Tony Quinn won as the 2013 Castrol EDGE V8 Predictor champion. Quinn was the man to beat during the final stages of the inaugural V8 Predictor game and would eventually top the standings when the final chequered flag fell at the Sydney 500 in December. Winning the major prize entitled Quinn and a plus one to flights, accommodation, spending money, a hot lap with Frosty, corporate ticketing and plenty of money-can’t-buy
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experiences including pit tours and driver meet-n-greets. Quinn and his wife used the additional spending money to fly the kids down for the weekend making it a truly memorable experience for the entire family. “I just wanted to drop you a quick note to pass on our appreciation for the weekend we just experienced as a family. It really did exceed all of our expectations (which were pretty high to start with, anyway, I think),” Quinn wrote to Castrol Australia. “Thank you Castrol Australia for your part in helping to organise the weekend. You always kept me informed (even when I was hard to catch) as to what was going on, what the next steps were, etc, etc. “Your manner was always friendly and inclusive, hence, I had a really good feeling that we were going to have a great time. Everything went so well and without a hiccup.” 2014 brings on improved gameplay to the Castrol EDGE V8 Predictor and with it improved prizes.
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Come December, the winner of the 2014 version of the V8 Predictor will be entitled to the same amazing experience as Tony, however will have the choice of any V8 Supercar event within Australia to attend during the 2015 season! The thought of this has Tony straight back onto the Castrol EDGE V8 Predictor and now the globally recognised Castrol EDGE Grand Prix
Predictor based around the Formula 1 World Championship. “Well, needless to say, I will be trying my best to go back to back in the V8 predictor, and will have to give the F1 predictor a go as well. I would love the family to have a similar experience next year! Good luck to whoever does happen to win, I hope they have as a great a time as we did!!”
CASTROL-BACKED BAILEY WINS OPENING ROUND OF 4WD AUSTRALIAN RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP Castrol-backed Mike Bailey has won the opening round of the 4WD Australian Rally Championship at the National Capital Rally in Canberra.
“You can’t ever back off, even in that last stage if we made a little mistake or an overshoot it could have been game over for us.
Driving a Mitsubishi EVO 6 alongside co-driver Matthew Harriott, Bailey was in a hard fought battle with Andrew Penny and Jeffery Mathes in their Subaru WRX.
“So you’ve got to drive hard but neat and keep it on the road all weekend and that’s what we’ve done and here we are on the top step of the podium.”
“We’re just stoked after a challenging weekend in the forest and the final day came down to a head-to-head battle with Penny and Mathes and it was great to get home,” said Bailey.
Quit Forest Rally, is Round 2 of the East Coast Bullbars Australian Rally Championship, and will be held 4th - 6th April 2014.
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CASTROL TEAM TOYOTA DOMINATE OPENING SOUTH AFRICAN RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND Castrol-backed Toyota Motorsport got its 2014 South African Rally Championship campaign off to the best possible start by taking first, second and fourth places in the season-opening Tour Natal Rally in the Scottburgh area of KwaZulu-Natal on Saturday.
all six of Friday’s special stages and leading throughout the two days. Fekken, a two-times national rally champion, was making his first appearance for Toyota and he and Swan ran in second place throughout the rally.
Castrol Team Toyota’s Leeroy Poulter and Elvéne Coetzee (Toyota Yaris) were overall winners and first in the premier S2000 class for four-wheel drive cars, finishing the two-day 14-stage event 43.9 sec ahead of team-mates Hergen Fekken and Carolyn Swan and 2 min 55.2 sec.
“It was the perfect start to the new season,” said Poulter. “The car ran faultlessly throughout the two days and the improvements we made over the break between seasons really made a difference. It was a tough event, as we have come to expect from the Tour Natal, but we finally achieved the top step of the podium after what has seemed like a long wait.”
It was a dominant performance by the team, with Poulter/Coetzee winning
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Team principal Glyn Hall gave full credit to his drivers and co-drivers as well as the Toyota Motorsport technical staff. “We put a lot of effort into preparing for this new season. We made some design changes and upgrades within the rules of the competition, which, added to everything we learnt from last year’s debut campaign, made a difference. We now have a much better car and look forward to the rest of the season with confidence.” Hall pointed out that the weekend’s success followed Castrol Team Toyota’s domination of the recent RFS 450, the opening round of the 2014 Donaldson
Cross Country Championship, when the team’s two Toyota Hilux 4x4s, in the hands of reigning champions Anthony Taylor/Dennis Murphy and Leeroy Poulter/Rob Howie, finished first and second. Thanks to the overall performance of the official team and privateers, Toyota takes an early lead in its quest for a record 22nd manufacturers’ championship and the 16th in the last 17 years. The next round of the championship is the Sasol Rally in Mpumalanga on April 11 and 12.
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CASTROL-BACKED HIGHT WINS NHRA GATORNATIONALS Robert Hight and his Castrol-backed John Force Racing Mustang Funny Car have claimed win #1 for the 2014 NHRA season at the The Amalie Oil NHRA Gatornationals. Hight reached the final two weeks ago in Phoenix but notched his thirtieth career win tying him with Funny Car legend Kenny Bernstein for sixth all-time in the Funny Car class. Hight outran John Force, 4.074 to 6.345 seconds. “I can’t even believe my name is associated with guys like that. Guys like Kenny, John Force and Don ‘The Snake’ Prudhomme were my heroes,” said Hight. “Kenny is a guy I always watched. He was always so professional. He was a businessman. He was one of my all-time favorites,
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He worked very hard to get where he was. To tie him with Funny Car wins is amazing. He is a four-time champion in Funny Car and I am trying to win my second.” Hight had to beat teammate and 16-time Funny Car legend John Force in the final. Both Funny Cars had strong performances on race day but their qualifying efforts left a lot to be desired. Hight was the No. 10 qualifier and Force raced to the final round from the No. 16 spot. “If you would have told me this morning that John and I would be in the final I don’t know if I would have taken that bet. I know our teams work really hard and work well together but we were struggling,” he added.
2014 NHRA Series Standings - FUNNY CAR
“For both of us to get to the final round and do it on performance was awesome. My Auto Club team was great today. In the final I had some motivation. I wanted to lock up a spot in the Traxxas Shootout. We got our win and John is already in there so he didn’t need another win. We are trying to chase him down in the points. We picked up another round on him. This is a major win for us. The Gatornationals is the East Coast kick off. I have won this race twice and my crew chief has won this race before. We always carry Eric Medlen with us and today was a good day,” said Hight. Despite making her best run of the weekend, Brittany Force’s Castrol EDGE Dragster came up short in round one of eliminations. Facing eventual Top Fuel winner Doug Kalitta for the fifth time this season, Brittany’s impressive 3.82 second ET along her nearly identical reaction time was not enough to hold off Kalitta’s 3.79 second ET.
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POS
DRIVER
TOTAL
1
John Force
316
2
Robert Hight
273
3
Alexis DeJoria
187
3
Del Worsham
187
5
Bob Tasca III
184
6
Tommy Johnson Jr.
168
7
Ron Capps
164
8
Matt Hagan
161
9
Jack Beckman
151
10
Courtney Force
146
CASTROL-BACKED BMW TEAM RLL PODIUM AT SEBRING
and finished nine laps in arrears of the class winning Porsche. It had been pushed into the wall by a competitor.
The Castrol-backed BMW Team RLL finished third and tenth in the 62nd edition of the 12 Hours of Sebring for round two of the 2014 United SportsCar Championship. The Number 55 BMW Z4 GTLM, driven by Bill Auberlen, Andy Priaulx and Joey Hand, took the chequered flag in third place.
“Today was certainly a tough day for us in many respects. A third place finish by the No. 55 BMW Z4 GTLM and now the points lead is a tremendous achievement given the ups and downs they went through over the course of the race,” said Bobby Rahal (Team Principal, BMW Team RLL).
It was the team’s second consecutive GTLM podium of the 2014 United SportsCar Championship. Auberlen, Priaulx and Hand had finished second at the season-opening 24h Daytona.
“Unfortunately, the day was ruined quite early for the 56 car. At the end we didn’t have the pace to catch the leaders, but now we head to Long Beach and a circuit much more suited to the strengths of the BMW Z4 GTLM.”
With their third place at the second round at “Sebring International Raceway”, the trio took the lead of the GTLM Drivers classification.
The Number 56 BMW Z4 GTLM finished tenth. Driven by Dirk Müller, Dirk Werner and John Edwards, the car experienced a number of problems during the race
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Repairs over the next few hours cost precious time. The race was slowed by more than five hours of caution periods, and the crack BMW Team RLL strategy helped the Number 55 car regain a lost lap, caused by a malfunctioning pit speed limiter just past the midpoint of the race. Round three of the 2014 USCC will take place in Long Beach on Saturday, 12th April.
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