V8 Action Illustrated Issue 16

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HEROES OF ENDURANCE III

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GIL’S G-FORCE

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Captured

10 IN MY WORDS

Renee Gracie does some homework for V8A

12 UNDER THE SCOPE

ISSUE 16 ISSN 1839-8421 01

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Marcos Ambrose's 2001 AU Falcon

24 How not to win Bathurst

HEROES OF ENDURANCE III

Famous names never to conquer The Mountain

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On the 10th anniversary of his passing, this rich, powerful and authentic shot of Peter Brock, is the only appropriate cover for our Heroes of Endurance III issue.

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CONTENTS

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34 THE PROTÉGÉ

The Peter Brock/Craig Lowndes relationship

42 THE PERFECT LAP

Take a guided tour of Australia’s greatest motorsport circuit, with some of our most accomplished drivers

54 PETER BROCK

The King of The Mountain, as you’ve never seen him before

62 AUSTRALIAN INVASION

The Aussies chasing Blancpain Endurance Series glory

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70 WILL DAVISON

The life and times of Will Davison

76 HONDA NSX

Go back in time as we remember the Palmer/ Gardner trio racing the Honda NSX in the 1993 Bathurst 12 Hour

84 TRACK DAY MONSTER

The V8A Monster transforms to the next level

86 PORSCHE 944

We show you one of the cheapest forms of Australian motorsport – the Porsche 944 Challenge

88 ANALOGUE REVOLUTION

TCM legend Gary O’Brien assembles a budget built HQ racer

90 5 THINGS

What can you identify in the cockpit of a V8 Supercar?

It’s just heartbreaking, I tell you. To come this close… words can’t explain it, they really can’t.”

Glenn Seton

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92 TRICK STUFF

You don’t how badly you need these things yet

94 FATHER AND SONS

Second generation drivers are all the rage these days

101 CHRIS PITHER: RACER HEROES

Chris Pither talks about his return to V8 Supercars

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102 BY THE NUMBERS 104 LAST LAP

Endurance Athletes

.com

Head to V8ACTION.com for more stories, awesome images and to purchase previous issues to complete your collection.

Facebook.com/v8actionillustrated

instagram.com/v8action

Cover Image: Courtesy of Penguin Books Australia/Paul Sargeant

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TEAM PAGE

EDITORIAL

Publisher: Michael 'Gil' Gilbert: gilt@v8action.com Editorial Manager: Luke Morris: Lukemorris_1@gilbertmediagroup.com.au Staff Writers : James Lisle, Josh Makhoul Contributors: Kaori Hashimoto, Tom Moore Sub Editor: Ryan Latty

PUBLISHING

Gilbert Media Group ABN: 9612-4055714 ACN: 124 055 714

PHOTOGRAPHY

To Whom it May Concern,

Contributors: Ross Gibb, LAT Photographic, Getty Images, AUTOPICS, Chris Gentle, Joel Stickland, Flickr.com, Speedcafe.com, Ian Palmer and Michael Gilbert

DESIGN

Graphic Designer: Marisa Murray

I will be attending the Liqu

coverage of the event for V

ADMINISTRATION

Office Manager: Cassy Gilbert Motivators: Gypsy Gilbert, Ivy Gilbert

Race Team HQ Image: Daniel Kalisz/LAT photographic

V8 Action has provided co Team Manager: Stephen ‘Rockin Roni’ Carah well as Australian GT and o

ENQUIRIES

Phone: 02 9542 2248 Web: www.v8action.com Office: Suite 21, Durban Court, 838 Old Princes Hwy, Sutherland, NSW, 2232 This coverage will continue Post: P.O Box 1243, Sutherland NSW 1499 content for V8 Action Illust

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Gordon & Gotch Australia Pty Ltd www.gordongotch.com.au

STUFF WE NEED TO SAY

V8 ACTION TEAM

MICHAEL GILBERT “Peter Pan” PUBLISHER

“Up, up Cronulla!”

His wardrobe is full of hoodies, not suits. His CV mentions racing motocross, not selling postmodern antiques.

As cool as driving a stripped out HSV sounds, we hate to wonder what it’s like in the morning rush hour, particularly with its 6-point harness and racing suspension.

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Marisa Murray

“What’s a Tumblr?”

ART DIRECTOR

Ignore the loud haircut. While she may complain about the slow internet and computer, Marisa has a heart of gold. Just don’t let her know that her soft Spanish accent can put people to sleep, she might later drop spiders on you for fun.

Luke Morris

“Checked shirts 2016!”

Editorial manager

We found out his girlfriend actually exists, but she refused to answer why they’re dating. If you can hear the smashing of a keyboard, it’s probably Luke, working hard to keep the magazine together. We’re wondering why an Editorial Manager at a racing mag chooses to drive an automatic Magna.

James LIsle

“That’s what she said”

Josh Makhoul “SIC·WRX”

SUB-EDITOR

Staff Writer

While this sci-fi geek knows anything and everything about any production car ever made, we’re still deciding whether he’s wiser beyond his years or a 6-year-old boy in disguise. How he got here or where he’s going next, we’ll never know.

How we ended up with such a big JDM fan in the V8A office nobody knows. If anyone ever needs an expert on keeping a white leather WRX interior clean, let’s just say we know a guy. The second current UOW journalism student to be gracing the pages means one more hungover journalist every Thursday morning.

Regards,

V8 Action Illustrated is published quarterly by Gilbert Media Group. Editorial contributions are welcome but must be guaranteed to be exclusive to V8 Action Illustrated. We are not responsible for the return of any unsolicited material nor are we for the return of any products sent to V8 Action Illustrated offices. Not all letters can be answered but we appreciate your correspondence and usually print the Michael Gilbert Publisher most informative letters in the magazine.

No material may be reproduced without written consent from Gilbert Media Group.

All material contained in V8 Action Illustrated is protected by the Commonwealth Copyright Act 1968.

AUSTRALIA’S PREMIER MOTORSPORT CATEGORIES. AUSTRALIA’S PREMIER MOTORSPORT PHOTOGRAPHERS. AUSTRALIA’S PREMIER MOTORSPORT MAGAZINE. V8 ACTION ILLUSTRATED. Subsiduary of Community Action Press PTY LTD

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Gil’s G-force

Stephen carah 1969-2016

A tribute to

my cousin

W

ho was your hero growing up?

Mine was my cousin, Stephen Carah. Not because he broke any world records or drove a really fast car – even though he restored and owned one of the trickest RX7’s in Australia, but because he knew what it meant to endure when seemingly insurmountable suffering lurked at his door.

Memories of our annual pilgrimage to Bathurst, scurrying off to Murray’s Corner at 3am to secure the finest patch of grass

to watch the great race. Enraptured in the sights and sounds, we cheered for the racers that graced our bedroom walls: Moffat, Brock, Perkins, as they zoomed around the track. As we grew up, Bathurst remained the foundation of our relationship – the glue that held us together. But this year, I watched the great race alone.

After a short, yet gruelling battle with cancer, Stephen passed away. His endurance in the face of profound hardship has transformed my outlook on life.

In racing, we celebrate the heroes of endurance on the track. Yet, my hero of

endurance isn’t on the track.

My hero remains the man who gave me my start in motorsport, who let me ride that first Yamaha MX-80 all those years ago. A man whose infectious love of motorsport inspired all who met him.

He leaves behind a family he dearly loved, a son who shares his passion for racing – who can cherish a lifetime of memories at the track with his dad.

This issue is dedicated to him; a family man whose endurance and zeal for motorsport and life will never be forgotten.

MICHAEL "GIL" GILBERT just doing my best V8ACTION.COM

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REINVENTING A DYNASTY OF SPEED

Where: Pukekohe Park Raceway, Auckland, New Zealand When: Sunday November 6th, 2016 Image: Daniel Kalisz/LAT Photographic

Champagne shower! The ever-popular Kiwi, Shane Van Gisbergen celebrates a dominant weekend’s racing at Pukekohe. Following such an impressive second-half of the season, a maiden Championship is his for the taking.

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THE GREAT TEAMS ISSUE / 2015

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In my words

Renee Gracie

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Marcos Ambrose’S 2001 AU Falcon

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Marcos Ambrose’S 2001

AU FalcoN under the scope WORDS: Tom Moore Image: Joel Strickland

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Marcos Ambrose’s 2001 AU Falcon

THE NUMBERS

waiting in the wings Marcos Ambrose and the 2001 AU Falcon SB4 arrived on the V8 Supercars scene in the midst of Holden’s overwhelming dominance. Ford desperately craved a hero of their own. The AU SB4 wouldn’t be that hero, but it was the beginning of a resurgence for the Blue Oval.

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Heroes of Endurance ISSUE / 2016

good are these guys!’”

Six weeks later and the new AU had notched up its first round win, despite not actually winning a single race that weekend. Thanks to Murphy and Ingall’s mechanical issues, and Skaife’s race one penalty, Ambrose was able to bring home the bacon. “We always had good motors and Darwin's long straight really helped us."

This promising start was not to last however, as Bathurst saw the blue-boy sit on the sideline after boiling up an entry to the pits. “I made a really bad mistake in the race where I beached it in the gravel trap coming into pit lane.

Having never come into pit lane at that speed before, I underestimated how narrow it was. I guess those are the lessons you learn in a rookie year.”

SBR AU4 collected another three

i was going backwards at a million miles an hour thinking how good are these guys?”

Marcos Ambrose

The bare bones of data analysis. This was the generation of cars where data acquisition was becoming more vital to engineers and in turn the performance of the car.

pole positions that year with Ambrose handed the ‘Rookie of the Year’ award after finishing in eighth position in the overall standings.

Ford now found themselves smack in the middle of a manufacturer drought.

Mark Skaife had just won his fourth championship, Holden had just scribed their name into the silverware for the fifth year on the trot and Ford had not seen the same glory since Glenn Seton’s EL of ’97. “I would say at that time the Commodore had a significant advantage.

They were dominating everything and it wasn’t until Stones really started to flick the switch in 2001 that we started to really make gains”.

Apart from Lowndes's green-eyed monster, the SBR AU is the most recognisable Falcon.

V8ACTION.COM

Images: Joel Stickland Photographics

T

he fourth AU Falcon constructed by Stone Brothers Racing, SBR AU4, made its debut at Albert Park in 2001 with the newly recruited Marcos Ambrose at the wheel for his debut season in V8 Supercars. Ambrose promptly announced his arrival and his slick looking Falcon by landing them on pole at the first meeting of the year. “I had never even driven a V8 Supercar without a passenger! With two laps to go, I thought I had messed it all up, luckily my last lap turned out to be a really good one". This result was disputed by a number of other drivers, claiming Ambrose cut the track, but their protests fell on deaf ears. “My first pay cheque came from Stone Brothers, at that time I was really trying to switch from a good driver who was trying to fund his own racing team to professional status”. The youth of the team began to show over the course of the weekend though. “The next day when we went out for the start of the race and there was a lot of new guys at Stone Brothers that year – myself included – there was a mistake with the tyre pressures, so when I went out for the race the tyres were way under pressured. I was still in the race but I was going backwards at a million miles per hour thinking, ‘How

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Marcos Ambrose’s 2001 AU Falcon

Image: Joel Stickland Photographics

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he AU Falcon was one of the first truly streamlined designs from the blue oval office and had drivers and fans chomping at the bit to witness their latest hope at reclaiming the V8SC crown. “I actually got excited when I first saw the AU before it was released. It had a very laidback windscreen angle and dropaways at the front of the bonnet and sides of the boot. I thought, ‘wow, what a slippery car, this thing is going to be

Heroes of Endurance ISSUE / 2016

So much work went into trying to get the front to turn ... it always seemed to be pushing the front tyres” Marcos Ambrose

fast”, said Mark Larkham, who drove an AU for four years. Ambrose did not find this to be the case. In fact, the rear of the car was so streamlined it upset the mechanical balance of the car, causing it to lack aerodynamic grip up front. “So much work went into trying to get the front to turn. It had such a big rear blade on it, and the roof was shaped so aerodynamically that it always seemed to be pushing the front tyres”.

Stone Brothers Racing 2001 AU Falcon Chassis Number: SBR AU4 Engine

5000cc Ford Motorsport SBR V8 Power: 630hp Compression: 10.1:1 Rev Limiter: 7,500rpm Driveline

Gearbox: Holinger 6-speed H Pattern Diff: Harrop 9 inch Chassis

Weight: 1350kg Power/Weight: 466hp/tonne Wheelbase: 2,793mm Front Track: 1,566mm Rear Track: 1,547mm Aerodynamics: AU spec front and rear spoilers Suspension

Springs: Eibach Springs Dampers: Stone Brothers specification Bilstein shocks Front: Double Whisbone Rear: 4-Link Brakes: 375mm Brembo 6-pot discs [F], 340mm Brembo 4-pot discs [R] Rolling Stock

Wheels: 17" Stone Brothers Racing Bathurst performance qualifying lap

2m10.90 shootout lap

2m09.77 finishing position

retired

42

laps

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Marcos Ambrose’s 2001 AU Falcon

2002 SEASON

closing the gap

A

Image: Mark Horsburgh/LAT

mbrose retained the very same car for 2002, a season which saw him become much more successful as a championship contender. “When you build a car, you’re not building it for one year.

There wasn’t anything on that car that we couldn’t rip out and redo. By 2002, in my mind, it was a brand new car”. SBR AU4 was one of only two Falcons which earned line honours in that entire season with a flag to flag effort at the second round of the year at Phillip Island. “Skaife was dominating Phillip Island back then, and I had him in my mirrors, keeping him in check. I had about five or six laps to go and I could feel my right front tire start to delaminate”. Ambrose nursed the car home to clinch victory that day by two tenths of a second.

The remainder of 2002 saw Ambrose and the SBR AU4 collect silverware at Eastern Creek, Oran Park, Winton, and Pukekohe. The year’s final round at Sandown would serve to be the perfect send off for the AU model,

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The car's been superb all weekend. It's the best car I've ever driven, regardless of make or model. It's done everything perfectly.”

Marcos Ambrose on SBR AU4 in 2002

as Ambrose wheeled his way to both race wins in impressive fashion. The resurgence may have been too little too late for the under-achieving AU, but it served as a platform for the immense success of the BA, launched the following year. “The blue oval fought back yesterday – and look out for next year. We've got them by the scruff of the neck and we're not going to let go”, Ambrose said after the final race. It’s almost as though the car’s potential just took a little while to be uncovered, as Ambrose was really finding himself in the car. “The car has been superb all weekend. It's the best I've ever driven – regardless of make or model. It's done everything perfectly.” The two race wins at the Sandown weekend propelled

Ambrose into third place for the championship, to the delight of those involved. “I'm over the moon about that.

Coming in this weekend we were sixth.

I had no idea we had the potential to finish third. It's a credit to the team and a great platform for next year."

The car continued to race in the various iterations of the development series by Paul Cruikshank Racing and then by Image Racing, steered by Tony Wanless, Marcus Zukanovic, Phil Scifleet and Paul Neville over the years.

While the SBR AU4 made a short stint in the V8 Touring Car series, it was later retired for good and was sold to collector Dean Montgomery in order to be returned to its former 2001 Albert Park pole-winning glory.

In a season utterly dominated by the Commodores, Ambrose’s final round victory at Sandown restored some vestige of pride among the Blue Oval.

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Marcos Ambrose’S 2001 AU Falcon

RESTORING A CLASSIC

Retro restorations

T

roy Kelly is no stranger to restoring classic Australian touring cars, being responsible for the maintenance and preparation of a collection of cars that spans over a decade of V8 Supercar history. Some of Troy’s handiwork includes the 1993 Brock VP Commodore that was featured in our Heroes of Endurance II, the 2004 Brock/Plato VY Commodore, as well as a Glenn Seton Falcon, and an ex-Lowndes supercar. Dean Montgomery, the financial provider for the collection, has a keen eye for appreciating vehicles with rich

motorsport histories.

The acquisition of SBR AU4 was somewhat easier than previous cars. It had been all but completely restored

by Terry Wyhoon of Image Racing after the end of a deal that saw them preparing the car to be raced in the Kumho series. “We bought the car a couple of years ago from down in Terry Wyhoon’s stables, where they had already done most of the work”, Kelly explained. “We just touched up a few stickers and bits and pieces, we haven’t really had to do a lot to it”. Keeping their cars as original as possible is the brief from Dean and

the goal for Troy, regardless of the vehicle. “It was pretty much just painted, it’s still got everything that Stone Brothers had in it. She’s a pretty original old chariot.”

Despite the meticulous maintenance and originality of the car, it's not built for collecting dust. "We had Wayne Wakefield drive it at the Winton festival of speed”, who of course was Ambrose’s co-driver at Bathurst in 2001. “We also had it at a Phillip Island historic meeting last year, an event where she didn't miss a beat.” If that isn't a testament to the quality of work Troy and his team, I don't know what is.

FLYING THE FLAG

AMBROSE Round FINISHES IN 2001 AND 2002 0

RD1

RD2

RD3

RD4

RD5

5

RACE POSITION

10 15 20 25 RET 2001

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2002

RD6

RD7

RD8

RD9

RD10

RD11

RD12

RD13

HELL OF A career

Image: Robert cianflone/getty

The devil racer

L

ike the Manly Sea-Eagles, or the Collingwood Magpies, Marcos Ambrose has been a polarising figure throughout the time he has been involved in Australian motorsport industry. A Tasmanian native, Marcos is the son of Ross Ambrose, an investor in Ford Australia who also drove in the ‘69 ATCC, and the ‘71 Australian Grand Prix and Formula 2 Grand Prix.

By the age of 19 he chalked up four Tasmanian karting championships and later became Australian karting champion, before moving to Formula Ford in 1997 where he came second overall. Chasing dreams of Formula

One, Ambrose won the European Formula Ford championship in 1999, before returning home to Australia due to financial difficulties shortly after the turn of the century.

Marcos’s V8 Supercar career began in 2001 with Stone Brothers Racing, a team which he would stay with until the end of 2005, collecting18 poles, 66 podiums, 28 race wins, and two championships coming in ’03 and ’04 – all of which was done in just two different chassis.

The following year brought a change for Marcos as he would leave his homeland yet again, but this time in pursuit of glory on an oval track. A move which would

see him drive in the truck series for the next two years - finding his feet and forgetting to turn right. Over the course of his seven year NASCAR career Ambrose came home with seven wins from 326 race starts, four of which were earned at Watkins Glen.

A 2015 return to Australia to pilot a DJRTP FG-X Falcon looked promising, however it would be extremely shortlived as Marcos only ever competed at the Clipsal. He then stepped aside for Scott Pye to fill his seat for the remainder of the year, joining him again for the Pirtek Endurance Cup, where the two would finish a best of eighth at Surfers Paradise.

Ambrose isn't the only Tasmanian V8SC champion, 1995 winner and fellow Blue Oval icon John Bowe is also from the Devil Isle.

American Dream

2005 Who could ever forget the fiery face-to-face confrontation between Ambrose and Murphy, after their heavy crash at the Cutting in 2005.

With their faces only inches apart, and verbal assaults projected venomously, it’s a miracle these two didn’t come to blows.

2006 One of the first series Ambrose competed in following his move to the northern hemisphere was the NASCAR Craftman Truck Series. His 3rd place finish at the Kansas Speedway saw him as the first non-American to finish on the podium since 1999.

2008 From the moment he touched down on US soil, the 30 year old Tasmanian showed America’s finest that turning right was an integral part of being a racing driver.

Watkins Glen became his favourite hunting ground, where he found victory four times.

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Marcos Ambrose’ 2001 AU Falcon

Where: Mount Panorama, Bathurst, New South Wales When: Friday October 6th , 2016 Image: Daniel Kalisz/LAT Photographic

Practice makes perfect, especially at Mt Panorama. DJR Team Penske’s Fabian Coulthard has endured an up and down season. The Great Race proved to be one of the positives, with strong car pace resulting in a 6th place finish.

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How Not To Win Bathurst

HOW NOT TO WIN

Bathurst The Mountain can be cruel and unforgiving.

Merciless in its quest to claim drivers of all levels, it remains the jewel in the crown of Australian motorsport. Many accomplished drivers have suffered the same unjust fate at the hands of such a treacherous track. These are their stories.

WORDS: Kaori Hashimoto Image: Daniel Kalisz

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How Not To Win Bathurst

Image: Mark Horsburgh/LAT Photographic

Glenn Seton very nearly realised his dream of emulating his father Bo – but it wasn't to be.

FAMOUS NAMES TO never CONQUER THE MOUNTAIN

E

xcellence and extraordinary levels of success on the international motor racing scene does not guarantee success on the formidable and unforgiving Mountain. These are the Aussie motor racing legends that fell short of claiming the Bathurst crown.

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Sir Jack Brabham

Frank Gardner

The three time Formula One world champion started his first Bathurst with fellow F1 driver Stirling Moss in 1976 but retired with an engine failure. In 1977 he finished 18th with son Geoff and then sixth with Brian Muir the following year.

Bathurst Entries: 3 (1976-1978)

Competed in eight Formula One races between 1964 and 1968 and won the European F5000 title in 1971. A three time British Touring Car champion, Gardner only managed to finish the ‘Great Race’ once – a second with Bob Morris in 1975.

Bathurst Entries: 6 (1968 – 1983)

THE ELUSIVE MOUNTAIN

so close, yet so far…

M

ount Panorama – commonly known as ‘The Mountain’ to the Supercars fraternity – does not discriminate. Even the most successful champion drivers can bite the dust year after year… without ever achieving the coveted title: “The King of the Mountain”.

Glenn Seton is just one of them – but arguably the most vivid in our memories. The 1993 and 1997 Australian Touring Car series champion has had 26 Bathurst starts between 1983 and 2010 - finishing as runner-up on three occasions.

He came so close to winning it in 1995 – exactly 30 years after his dad Barry ‘Bo’ Seton was crowned Bathurst champion in the 1965 event.

A Peter Jackson Racing entry with David Parsons, Glenn was comfortably leading the race with a margin of almost seven seconds to secondplaced Larry Perkins with just nine laps to go, when, rounding the Cutting, his Ford EF Falcon came to a sudden halt with an engine failure.

The visual of Seton sitting in his stationary car was flashed out on screen. He bravely conducted a live interview with the TV hosts – but the pain etched on his face was there for all to see, via his in-car camera.

Vern Schuppan Raced in Formula One and the Indianapolis 500 in the 1970’s and 1980’s.

Entered the Bathurst enduros as codriver for the likes of Allan Moffat and Dick Johnson. His best result was fifth with Johnson in 1978.

Bathurst Entries: 4 (1976 – 1981)

Alan Jones

The 1980 Formula One champion has had 18 Bathurst starts, plus another in the Super Tourers variety in 1997. He recorded five top 10 results, including a second in 1995 with Allan Grice and a third in 1988 with Colin Bond.

Bathurst Entries: 19 (1981 – 2002)

A dejected Seton commented, “It’s just heartbreaking, I tell you. To come this close… words can’t explain it, really can’t.”

His dad Bo – who built the engine for Glenn’s car – was absolutely distraught in the team garage, tears streaming down his cheeks.

Ironically, Seton’s demise would create yet another piece of Bathurst folklore that year: Perkins – who started from third on the grid – collided with pole-sitter Craig Lowndes at the start of the race forcing him to pit at the end of the opening lap to change a damaged tyre, pushing Perkins back to last place. However, Perkins and his co-driver Russell Ingall gradually clawed their way back, helped by several safety car periods, and were handed the lead when Seton retired – to claim a famous last-to-first Bathurst victory.

It’s just heartbreaking, I tell you.

To come this close… words can’t explain it, they really can’t.”

GLENN SETON

Wayne Gardner

The 1987 World 500cc Motorcycle champion debuted at Bathurst in 1992 He finished third in 1993 for HRT with Brad Jones. He also came in third (1995) and fourth (1996) with Neil Crompton for his own Coca-Cola Racing team.

Bathurst Entries: 11 (1992 - 2002)

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THE ELUSIVE MOUNTAIN

MAIN PLAYERS OF BJR

are we there yet…?

I

t’s not just the drivers striving for Bathurst victory. Long-established teams can go through decades of sweat, tears and heartache without ever standing on the top dais.

Albury-based Brad Jones Racing – established by brothers Brad and Kim Jones in 2000 – has been a part of the Supercar furniture for quite some time, but is yet to taste Bathurst glory.

Brad Jones has had 24 Bathurst starts as a driver between 1985 and 2009 with Holden Racing Team, CocaCola Racing, Stone Brothers Racing and his own BJR - all without victory.

His Bathurst results are not too shabby either – finishing in the top five on eight occasions, including two seconds (1994 & 2001) and two thirds (1993 & 2004). He also had success in the Super Touring Car edition of Bathurst 1000 with a second (1997) and a third (1998) driving for Audi Sport Australia.

Having retired from active racing after the 2009 enduro, Jones now orchestrates BJR’s Bathurst assault as team co-owner. His team has always been knocking on the door, without ever etching their name on the coveted Peter Brock Trophy.

But that does not mean they are far from news headlines. In fact, Bathurst 2014 turned out to be one of the most bizarre – and perhaps most comical –

John Bowe

With BJR: 2002 – 2006 Seasoned Bathurst campaigner with 23 starts, and two wins with Dick Johnson (1989 & 1994) under the belt.

Unfortunately, his partnership with Brad Jones was not as successful, with their only notable result being a third place in 2004.

To come to this after the high of Friday is gobsmacking…”

KIM JONES

for BJR, as they were in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons.

Luke Youlden – co-driver to then BJR regular Fabian Coulthard – had a brush with a stray kangaroo about two hours into the race, triggering a safety car period. Then, in a comedy of errors, another BJR Commodore of Andrew Jones and Jason Bright was rammed from behind under the yellow flag by the team’s third entry, driven at the time

by Dale Wood.

The Wood/Chris Pither car was withdrawn from the race following this accident. Coulthard/Youlden were ninth, while the Bright/Jones car was repaired and eventually finished three laps down in 14th.

All this happened after BJR’s three entries had featured in the Top 10 Shootout. Team co-owner Kim Jones lamented at the time: “To come to this after the high of Friday is gobsmacking…”

After all that low, the only way is up.

Now with new recruit Tim Slade joining the party, BJR’s quest for Bathurst glory continues in 2017…

Jason Richards

With BJR: 2009 - 2010 Had a successful first Bathurst outing with BJR, finishing second with Cameron McConville in 2009. Sadly, the popular Kiwi’s racing career was cut short when he was diagnosed with stomach cancer in November 2010. He passed away in December the following year.

We are in this together – tightknit BJR crew share the ups and downs of motor racing.

Jason Bright

With BJR: 2010 - Present 1998 Bathurst champ whilst at Stone Brothers Racing, he finished in the top five on three occasions for BJR. He was more than capable of becoming the first driver to win for the team – as long as he stayed away from his teammates’ cars!

Fabian Coulthard

IMAGE: Daniel Kalisz/LAT Photographic

#/

How Not To Win Bathurst

With BJR: 2012 – 2015 Famously rolled his car at the end of Conrod Straight in 2010 when driving for Walkinshaw Racing. Always showed some speed during his stint with BJR, clocking a couple of then qualifying/ practice lap records in 2014 and 2015 but couldn’t quite translate it to a race win.

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How Not To Win Bathurst

BATHURST BATTLERS

gunning for maiden victory

U

co-driver. Thus, the competition to acquire competitive and consistent co-drivers has become a staple of the Supercar season.

Below are just some of the famous co-drivers who only appear in the Supercars scene during the endurance season. Unlike the Jamie Whincup’s and Mark Winterbottom’s of the category, these drivers may never be in the limelight- but they could make or break their respective partners’ Bathurst campaign.

Daniel Kalisz/LAT Photographic

ntil 2010, co-driver regulations allowed two primary drivers in a two-car team to compete together in the same car. The most notable beneficiaries of this guideline were Triple Eight Racing’s Jamie Whincup and Craig Lowndes, who took out three successive Bathurst crowns from 2006-2008.

The 2010 rule change required primary drivers to remain in their car for all three endurance events, and that they be partnered by a non-regular

the nearly men veteran co-drivers still chasing their maiden win Craig Baird

Steve Owen

First Bathurst: 1990 (20 starts) This Kiwi veteran made his ‘proper’ Bathurst debut with Dick Johnson Racing in 1997, but his first couple of entries date back to 1990 and 1994 when he raced BMWs in Class B. ‘Every team’s favourite co-driver’.

First Bathurst: 1999 (17 starts) Two-time Supercars Development series champion (2008 & 2010), Owen truly made his mark by finishing second with Team Vodafone’s Jamie Whincup, followed by another second in 2015 with Prodrive Racing Australia’s Mark Winterbottom.

Dean Canto

Luke Youlden

First Bathurst: 1999 (17 starts) The 2000 and 2005 second-tier Supercars Development series champion, Canto is an unmistakable presence at Bathurst, with his bald head bobbing up around the garage.

His highlight has been the second place with David Reynolds in 2012 for Rod Nash Racing.

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First Bathurst: 2000 (16 starts) Youlden is something of an oddball, having never raced full-time in the main Supercars series, he's your true blue endurance specialist! His best Bathurst result to date is third with Steven Ellery (Supercheap Auto Racing) in 2003.

Heroes of Endurance ISSUE / 2016

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How Not To Win Bathurst

better late than never…

P

aul Morris’s Bathurst tale to glory is one of the more extraordinary in recent times.

It took ‘The Dude’ 22 Bathurst starts before he achieved the pinnacle of success in Australian motorsport.

Morris started out on ‘The Mountain’ in 1991, finishing 12th overall and winning C Class on his debut. Over the next few years, Morris competed in and dominated the Australian Super Touring Championship, taking out 4 championships. In 1997 Morris and Craig Baird crossed the line first in the AMP Bathurst 1000, but were later disqualified due to Baird driving longer

than the 3-hour mandatory stint.

Over the next decade and a half Morris had mixed results on ‘The Mountain’, until 2014 when he was partnered with Chaz Mostert at Ford Performance Racing. After starting from dead-set motherless last on the grid, they struck gold when Jamie Whincup’s leading Red Bull Commodore ran out of fuel on the last lap, resulting in unbridled scenes in the FPR garage.

Post-race, Morris shed tears of joy in the team garage, overwhelmed by the Bathurst triumph he thought would never come!

Patient rewards

Paul Dumbrell Success at last – Paul Morris (right) celebrates his unexpected Bathurst win with Chaz Mostert.

First Bathurst: 1999 (17 starts)

‘PD’ made his Bathurst debut in 1999, when he was only 17 years old. He then went on to win the Supercars Development series title in 2002, and again in 2014. After a string of DNF’s and also-ran finishes at Mount Panorama, partnering with sixtime Supercars series champ Jamie Whincup in 2012 proved the catalyst for Dumbrell - finally tasting the sweet Bathurst success. The pair contested their fifth Bathurst together this year in a Red Bull Commodore. ‘J-Dub’ and ‘PD’ must be feeling more like a married couple by now…

Mark Winterbottom First Bathurst: 2003 (13 starts)

Image: Daniel Kalisz/Getty images

A Bathurst regular since 2003 – the year he was crowned the Supercars Development series champion. Something of a late bloomer, it took Winterbottom no less than 10 attempts before finally winning the Great Race in 2013 for Ford Performance Racing, combining with now four-time Bathurst winner Steven Richards. He then went on to become the 2015 Supercars series champion. In this year’s Bathurst enduro, Winterbottom shared his Prodrive Ford FG X Falcon with first-time partner Dean Canto.

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The Protégé

The

Protégé WORDS: Joshua Makhoul

Image: Daniel Kalisz/LAT PHOtographic

To be the best you have to learn from the best.

With the King of the Mountain as his teacher, Craig Lowndes was destined to become a true master of the sport. A true Protégé.

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Image: AUTOPICS

The Protégé

T

he year was 1994 and a fresh face graced Australia’s most iconic race track, ready to make his mark at Mount Panorama. With only eleven gruelling laps to go, Lowndes was edging closer to the race leader, John Bowe.

Steering the Holden Racing Team VP Commodore, the rookie used all the skill he had, taking into account the valuable tips Peter Brock had given him before the big race. 161 laps down and rival garages fell silent. Did this rookie really just take second place at his first Bathurst 1000 event?

The crowd couldn’t believe it, as Lowndes passed Bowe for the lead on the outside of Griffin’s Bend on the run up to Mount Panorama, with a move that was both brilliant and gutsy. Unfortunately for the upcoming superstar, a back-marker VL Commodore failed to get out of the way as the leading cars came around Murray’s Corner, colliding with Lowndes and giving Bowe a clean run to overtake through the next section.

Lowndes was not able to overtake Bowe again and had to settle for second.

Take nothing away from Lowndes, though, as he had just finished second with a podium finish at his first ever 36

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Peter was fantastic… as the established God of the sport here and especially at Bathurst, he could easily have seen me as a threat.”

The car that started it all.

Lowndes's HRT VP Commodore, in his first year at Bathurst.

An emotional ride

A drive for Brock

Craig Lowndes

Bathurst 1000. A fine achievement for the rookie and HRT. Overnight Lowndes became the hottest young property in V8 Supercars. He owes his performance that day to a special person, Peter Brock. “He simply saw a young bloke struggling, someone he could help, and took me under his wing”, said a humbled Craig Lowndes.

"He was fantastic…as the established god of the sport here and especially at Bathurst, he could easily have seen me as a threat”. Brock didn’t. instead showing Lowndes the way. “He taught me the secrets of being fast at Bathurst, which tree to look for as a braking marker, what line to take… all the stuff that made him the most successful Bathurst driver”. From that day forth, Brock became Lowndes’s mentor and a protégé was born.

Exactly one month after Brock’s tragic death, the next Bathurst 1000 event was held. In honour of the legend, Lowndes drove Brock’s famous #28 1972 Holden Torana around Mount Panorma before the race. Wearing a #05 arm band, the protégé steered his mentor’s Torana around the mountain for one last emotional ride. In honour of the King of the Mountain, the race winners were awarded the Peter Brock Trophy after Lowndes and co-driver Jamie Whincup sailed to victory. From that year on, the Bathurst trophy has remained the Peter Brock Trophy. A fitting trophy dedicated to the King of the Mountain.

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The Protégé

A CHAMPION’S STORY

SUCCESS AT THE MOUNTAIN

L

ast year, as Lowndes was nearing victory in the final laps of Australia’s great race, the King of the Mountain was in his thoughts again, as he hoped Brocky could keep away the rain that had been threatening all day. The king must have been watching, as the rain stayed away and Lowndes went on to win his sixth Bathurst race in the Red Bull Racing Australia VF Commodore.

Lowndes clenched the trophy with a smile on his face for Brock. “I thought of the great man again as I took the chequered flag. He was such a big part of Bathurst and would have loved the atmosphere of this year’s event”.

Lowndes has had great success at Bathurst, taking home six career wins over the years, three in a Holden and three in a Ford. He currently holds the record for the most Bathurst podiums in the history of the race. With all the success that Lowndes has had, it’s clear that he is a Bathurst legend, following in the footsteps of his mentor.

With this year being the 10 year

anniversary of Peter Brock’s passing, the weekend was filled with plenty of emotion, as Lowndes was extremely eager to edge one step closer to Brock’s record nine wins and secure his seventh Bathurst 1000 win.

Unfortunately, the all new #888 Team Vortex, Holden VF Commodore, suffered a serious mechanical failure, forcing Lowndes’s car to be pitted in the garage while undergoing repairs.

Falling several laps behind, there was no chance for Lowndes to bounce back and he was forced to hand the trophy over to another driver.

I thought of the great man again as I took the chequered flag. He was such a big part of Bathurst and would have loved the atmosphere of this year’s event.”

Craig Lowndes

Lowndes’s Bathurst Success

1996 Team: Holden Racing Team Car: Holden VR Commodore Co-driver: Greg Murphy Position: 1st Laps: 161

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2006 Team: Triple Eight Race Engineering Car: Ford BA Falcon Co-driver: Jamie Whincup Position: 1st Laps: 161

2007 Team: Triple Eight Race Engineering Car: Ford BA Falcon Co-driver: Jamie Whincup Position: 1st Laps: 161

Image: Daniel Kalisz/LAT photographic

After a gruelling 161 laps and over six hours behind the wheel, there's no greater feeling than seeing the waving chequered flag as you cross the finish line at Bathurst.

2008 Team: Triple Eight Race Engineering Car: Ford BA Falcon Co-driver: Jamie Whincup Position: 1st Laps: 161

2010 Team: Triple Eight Race Engineering Car: Holden VE Commodore Co-driver: Mark Skaife Position: 1st Laps: 161

2015 Team: Triple Eight Race Engineering Car: Holden VF Commodore Co-driver: Steven Richards Position: 1st Laps: 161

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Image: Daniel Kalisz/LAT photographic

The Protégé

2016 saw Lowndes shift out of Red Bull Racing and into the brand new Team Vortex racer. The third car under the Triple Eight Racing banner.

THE NEXT GOAL

THE KID’S ON A MISSION

H

is ability as a driver, the team around him, and the extraordinary tips he learnt from his mentor all proved to be contributing factors to his success.

Growing up in Melbourne, Lowndes began his racing career at age nine driving go-karts. He stepped up to drive race cars in 1991, driving a Van Diemen in the Motor-craft Formula Ford ‘Driver to Europe’ Series. Only three years later in 1994, Lowndes found himself driving for the Holden Racing Team, in the V8 Supercars main game. Twenty two years later, he is now at the top of his game as he battles for another championship and a seventh Bathurst victory.

Over the years, we have seen some superb iconic racing from Lowndes, piloting insane machines for both Holden and Ford. With many spectacular wins, including multiple Bathurst 1000s. However, Lowndes

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I thought of the great man again as I took the chequered flag.

He was such a big part of Bathurst and would have loved the atmosphere of this year’s event.”

CRAIG LOWNDES

hasn’t actually won a championship since 1999, when he was racing for HRT. Coming extremely close to another championship several times, including a consistent second place from 2005-2006, again from 2011 to 2013 and another second last season.

With six championships and six Bathurst wins, let’s hold on tight and see what surprises ‘The Kid’ has in store for us.

Bathurst History Craig Lowndes

Peter brock

6

wins

9

13

podiums

12

23

starts

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1994

first race

1969

1996

first win

1972

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Image: Daniel Kalisz/LAT photographic

The perfect lap

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WORDS: James Lisle

the perfect

Lap

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The perfect Lap

Stage 1

Hell corner, Mountain Straight, Griffin’s bend

Image: Flickr.com

While it may be one the more simpler stages of the track, it is crucial to get ahead here. You sure as hell don't want to try highspeed overtakes up on the peak.

T

he most iconic track in Australian motorsport.

With 78 years of racing heritage, heartache and triumph – Mount Panorama truly is the Great Race.

It’s the greatest test for a V8 driver.

Conquering the mountain, in all its unpredictability is no easy feat. An entire year of hard work can be ruined by a rock, a roo, a Whincup, or even a plastic bag. Yet each year we return to the mountain, in the pursuit of that perfect lap; a combination of audacious

715m elevation

38m elevation change

When you roar through turn one and head up mountain straight for the first time... you realise this isn’t your average racetrack.”

Neil Crompton

acceleration and intrepid braking, of meticulous manoeuvring and fortune from above. The search for that elusive perfect lap at Mount Panorama goes on.

Until now. We’ve scrutinized the statistics, perused the annals, and

20m elevation change

reid park (the grate)

griffin’s bend

the cutting

60m

MOUNTAIN STRAIGHT

0.71KM |

37m elevation change

John hinxman vista (mcphillamy)

2m

elevation change

Skyline

14m elevation change

elevation change

hell corner

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listened to the victorious few, to uncover the secrets of the perfect lap at Bathurst. You begin at Pit Straight just a 200m dash towards Hell Corner.

Congestion here gets pretty strong, squeezing you towards the edge of

Heroes of Endurance ISSUE / 2016

1.15KM

1.65KM

2.30KM

2.54KM

2.91KM

Technical Specs

Image: Flickr.com

Concentrate very heavily on the upshifts – you don’t want to go too late and hit the limiter.” rick kelly

Hell corner

2nd GEAR 153km/h ENTRY 117km/h EXIT

Mountain straight

griffin’s bend

Image: LAT

the bitumen. Hold your ground and rub shoulders if you have to, you don’t want to be spat out into the sand trap. In the first corner of the race, it’s essential you come out first.

Roll over the Hell Corner ripple strip and you’ll be greeted by Mountain Straight, a 1.2km arm stretching into the clouds. It’s wide and flat.

Despite these qualities it’s always a battleground for duels to Griffin’s Bend. While the steep fall at the 750m mark may not be an aerodynamic struggle to the regular motorist, the

constant presence of local police certainly is. Hold it flat the entire way and trust the spoilers to do their job – aerodynamics have come a long way since 1960.

A particular tricky spot to put the power down, Griffin’s Bend features a cambered 3rd gear exit that requires liberal use of the smooth ripple strip – a slippery predicament in the wet.

While the increasing elevation may hinder performance on the exit, it at least assists with the heavy 265 kph braking into the entry.

5th GEAR 263km/h Top Speed

3rd GEAR 186km/h ENTRY 154km/h EXIT

Few people can say that they've raced here, fewer people can say they've won – it's a challenge unlike any other.

16m elevation change

29m

the esses

elevation change

Forrest’s elbow the dipper

3m

elevation change

conrod straight

76m elevation change

14m

the chase

20m 15m elevation change

elevation change

Murray’s corner

Hell corner

elevation change

3.15KM 3.19KM

3.52KM

3.57KM

4.89KM

5.73KM

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The perfect Lap

Stage 2

The cutting, The Grate, Mcphillamy

P

ass through the Cutting and you’ll get stuck into one of the most difficult sections of the track. It may not look that narrow, but the high cliff side pressing against your left sure makes it feel so. Combine that by cramping up the section with a grid’s worth of Supercars and it quickly becomes a multitasking nightmare like no other.

Wrestle your nerves going up here, it may be a blind doubleapexed sweep, but the slightest ease off the throttle makes a huge difference. Stick to your braking points.

The sudden tactical bump next to the driveway on the right proves to be a nuisance for drivers as they exit The Cutting. For those with

From third back to second, knick the mirror on the way in, knick the mirror on the way out.”

Mark Winterbottom

Back in the days when engines were measured in yards and fuel was worth 50c, safety wasn't a top priority. The only thing keeping you from falling to your death was drum brakes and your will to live.

715m elevation

38m elevation change

20m elevation change

reid park (the grate)

griffin’s bend

the cutting

60m

MOUNTAIN STRAIGHT

0.71KM |

elevation change

2m

elevation change

Skyline

14m elevation change

elevation change

hell corner

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37m

John hinxman vista (mcphillamy)

Heroes of Endurance ISSUE / 2016

1.15KM

1.65KM

2.30KM

2.54KM

2.91KM

Image: Getty

tightly sprung suspension, it’s a constant thorn in the side. Hold right for too long and it’ll bounce you over to the left and into the wall. Go left to dodge it altogether, and you’ll miss the apex by a mile.

Then there’s The Grate, a smooth steel drain that causes front right wheel to slip. The less said about that the better.

Technical Specs the cutting (1st turn)

4th GEAR

190km/h ENTRY 146km/h EXIT

the cutting (2nd turn)

Image: Flickr.com

the grate

4th GEAR 197km/h ENTRY 180km/h EXIT

Mcphillamy

2nd GEAR

146km/h ENTRY 110km/h EXIT

3rd GEAR 169km/h ENTRY 170km/h EXIT

You come down into a dip, and they call it the grate, you aim straight for it.

Only problem with that is that there’s a wall about a foot away from it.”

Russell Ingal

16m elevation change

29m

the esses

elevation change

Forrest’s elbow the dipper

3m

elevation change

conrod straight

76m elevation change

14m

the chase

20m 15m elevation change

elevation change

Murray’s corner

Hell corner

elevation change

3.15KM 3.19KM

3.52KM

3.57KM

4.89KM

5.73KM

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The perfect Lap

Stage 2

Skyline, The esses, the dipper

Technical Specs skyline

4th GEAR 210km/h Top Speed

While the smooth bitumen aids handling in the dry, the surface turns slick in the wet. Combined with the greasy ripplestrip and the lack of proper drainage for standing water, the Esses becomes a battle ground for progressive braking and car composure.

the esses

2nd GEAR 170km/h ENTRY 114km/h EXIT

the dipper

2nd GEAR 112km/h ENTRY 114km/h EXIT

you’re basically sliding the car the whole way down the hill.”

As the local panel beaters will tell you, The Dipper is a favourite amongst P-platers to test out their cornering abilities on Saturday night.

Image: Getty

Image: Getty

Mark Skaife

16m elevation change

29m

the esses

elevation change

Skyline

14m elevation change

Forrest’s elbow the dipper

3m

elevation change

conrod straight

76m elevation change

14m

the chase

20m elevation change

Murray’s corner

elevation change

2.54KM

2.91KM 48

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3.52KM

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3.57KM

4.89KM

5.73KM

6.21KM

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The perfect Lap

Stage 2

Technical Specs Forrest’s elbow

conrod straight

2nd GEAR 130km/h ENTRY 130km/h EXIT

6th GEAR 298km/h Top Speed

Image: Flickr.com.AU

The best advertisement for ABS if there ever was one. The key to Forrest's Elbow is to consistantly modulate the brakes without locking up the inner-front wheel.

The walls here have engulfed many Supercars (and even a lawnmower), and with it, their chances of taking gold. Keep your car steady when coming in hot as mistakes are not taken lightly.

Image: Speedcafe.com

Forrest's elbow, conrod straight

Conrod Straight is one of the few places on the track where drivers can have a drink, review their lap, and catch their breath.

forrest’s elbow is really tricky, for all of us drivers.”

Steve Johnson

16m elevation change

29m

the esses

elevation change

Skyline

14m elevation change

Forrest’s elbow the dipper

3m

elevation change

conrod straight

76m elevation change

14m

the chase

20m elevation change

Murray’s corner

elevation change

2.91KM 50

|

3.15KM 3.19KM

3.52KM

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3.57KM

4.89KM

5.73KM

6.21KM

The perfect Lap

Stage 3

The chase, Murray’s corner Image: Ross Gibb Photography

Technical Specs the chase

2nd GEAR 150km/h ENTRY 177km/h EXIT

murray’s corner

2nd GEAR 150km/h ENTRY 120km/h EXIT

Preceded by over 1.6km of downhill track, The chase is a 300km/h kink into the most intense braking section in the world.”

T

he Dipper, a favourite among many, is by far the most interesting corner on Mount Panorama. It comes after a downhill triple-kink on a track that quickly becomes sheet ice in the wet, meaning the Dipper has taken its fair share of thrills and spills over the years. Given it’s a public road, most of them are P-platers. The steeply raked corkscrew puts immense pressure on

mountpanoramapress.com.au

the outer front wheel, often locking up the unladen rear right if too much braking pressure is applied. Though Supercars can generate crushing g-forces at unfathomable speeds here, it’s the fact that the run off area consists of a solid concrete wall that terrifies drivers most.

Perhaps the most iconic section of the Mount Panorama is The Chase.

Preceded by over 1.6 kilometres

of downhill track, The Chase is a 300km/h kink into the most intense braking section in the world. While everybody accelerates at the same rate down Conrod, it’s braking at The Chase that decides the winner. It’s a difficult speed, time, and distance estimate that has to be done quickly, without interrupting the balance of the car – like throwing a brick into a washing machine on spin cycle.

Hammering the brakes down hard at that speed requires nerves of steel and legs made from pig-iron.

Yet for all the insight and strategy, the greatest secret of the track is that a perfect lap requires a fair amount of luck. 161 laps of endurance and skill, 161 attempts to get it right. Yet the recipe for success at Bathurst is far more than following a method - and that’s why perfection is so elusive.

While the entry speed to the The Chase varies according to the differential ratio and size of the drivers testies, it proves every year that it's not for the fainthearted. Lifting the throttle at high RPM in a rearwheel driver car creates an engine braking effect that encourages dangerous liftoff oversteer, something you don't particularly want while turning at 300kph.

16m elevation change

29m

the esses

elevation change

Skyline

14m elevation change

Forrest’s elbow the dipper

3m

elevation change

conrod straight

76m elevation change

14m

the chase

20m elevation change

Murray’s corner

elevation change

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3.15KM 3.19KM

3.52KM

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3.57KM

4.89KM

5.73KM

6.21KM

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BROCKY: FROM THE ARCHIVE

[

]

BROCKY: FROM THE ARCHIVE “Bite off more than you can chew and then chew like hell.”

WORDS: Luke Morris and Joshua Makhoul Images: Autopics

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BROCKY: FROM THE ARCHIVE

Six laps of gruelling dirt jumping, water splashing and torturous driving.

It takes a special breed of man to dominate two categories that are so vastly different.

Peter Perfect

V

ery rarely in today’s age of unrelenting media coverage can discussion of a particular athlete pass without a reference to their perceived greatness. The term has become diluted and normalised thanks to its almost criminal overuse in the sports media industry. That certainly doesn’t apply to this feature’s subject, Peter Geoffrey Brock.

Brocky has surpassed the very definition of greatness, rising to legendary status. Over a three-decade long career, the results and popularity he ascended to have remained unmatched. His most obvious legacies are the nine Bathurst 1000 victories, and three somewhat forgotten Australian Touring Car titles won in 1974, 1978 and 1980.

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BROCKY: FROM THE ARCHIVE

But he was far more than a driver with exemplary statistics and countless trophies. His magnetic personality swayed fans to his corner from both sides of the Red and Blue fence – everyone adored Brocky. He wasn’t the working class hero that Dick Johnson would become, especially considering his fortuitous relationship with the Holden Dealer Team. However, this hardly damaged his standing among the Australian racing community, in fact it strengthened his support.

Brocky’s driving style was both breath-taking and awe-inspiring. The

His magnetic personality swayed fans to his corner from both sides of the Red and blue fence.”

ease with which he completed a lap around the famed Mt Panorama circuit made rivals jealous, the ladies swoon, and enamoured men and young boys everywhere.

Who could ever forget the

exceptional footage from the RaceCam camera in the 1986 edition of ‘The Great Race’? Brocky, effortlessly and without complaint, took the time mid-race to chat with Channel 7 commentator’s Mike Raymond and Garry Wilkinson. He then proceeded in the most remarkable circumstances to talk the viewers around a lap of the famous track, whilst overtaking Corolla’s, having a joke at teammate Allan Moffat’s expense, and all the time with an elbow placed ever so casually on the window sill.

Peter Perfect indeed.

We’re not quite sure what was more iconic in 1969. Brock coming third in his first ever Bathurst race, or him showing up to the event rocking that awesome goatee.

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BROCKY: FROM THE ARCHIVE

Dominating the field at the mountain, Peter Brock and Jim Richards were a force to be reckoned with.

Winning the Bathurst 1000 for three consecutive years from 1978 to 1980.

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Limited MP16-0111|V8A|ML|0716 2016. MP16-0111|V8A|ML|0716

Australian Invasion

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Australian

Invasion The international GT3 scene has been growing in popularity at a rate of knots over the past decade. The Blancpain Endurance GT Series boasts a wider variety of manufacturers, tracks, and race lengths than any other category in the world; so naturally, it was bound to attract some of our own.

WORDS: Tom Moore

Image: Nissan

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Australian Invasion

The Blancpain Endurance Series' popularity is evidenced by the diversity of the manufacturers and drivers participating in the event.

C

ontested over five rounds in five different countries, the Blancpain Endurance Series represents one-half of the overall Blancpain GT Series. An astounding 361 drivers competed in the endurance series last year spread across the Pro, Pro-Am, and Amateur classes in 63 teams and 87 cars. With numbers like these, it’s no wonder the category is drawing drivers and teams from all corners of the globe to come and have a crack.

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The finely tuned machinery being piloted by these heroes of endurance is a far cry from the rumbling Australian V8s we are used to gracing our pit lanes down under. These efficient and aerodynamic feats of GT3 engineering aren’t limited by the traditions of much older categories such as NASCAR or Supercars. The Blancpain is somewhere engineers can be set free from any regulation binding them to a certain body shape or engine configuration to appease the masses.

The series also boasts eight different manufacturers with seven different makes in the top seven of the 2015 Team’s Championship – further credit to the excitement that GT3 racing represents.

With a racing recipe that includes world-class circuits, first class drivers, and technically bewildering race cars, it was only a matter of time before the most competitive GT series in the world was invaded and dominated by the ANZACS.

W r K w o B W s v a f e t b e T t a w r v

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Australian Invasion

GT3 Pro

H

Shane Van gisbergen

Van Gisbergen, now racing for Britain's Garage 59 team secured two early season victories at Monza and Paul Ricard.â&#x20AC;?

Garage 59 team, secured two early season victories at Monza and Paul Ricard. However his chances of taking out the Endurance Championship faltered with a disappointing Spa 24 Hour result, and because his Supercar commitments with Red Bull Racing Australia conflicted with the Blancpain Endurance schedule.

Image: McLaren

e was on the wrong side of the Tasman, but that has never stopped us from claiming him as oour own.

Since he debuted in the Blancpain Series in 2014, Shane Van Gisbergen hasn't missed a step. After finishing on top of the podium in round two at Silverstone, and victory in the final round at NĂźrburgring, he finished the season a respectable fourth.

His retirement at the Paul Ricard circuit in France, where a finish of sixth or better would've seen him crowned champion, cost him dearly.

Fast forward to 2016, Van Gisbergen, now racing for Britain's

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Image: nissan

gt3 Pro–AM

Y

Matt simmons

oung Matthew Simmons hasn't followed the conventional path to a professional motor racing career. A product of the famed Nissan GT Academy, Simmons is the first ever Australian champion of the ‘gamer to racer’ competition to earn his seat in the Nissan GT-R GT3. Matt’s progression from the PlayStation to the cockpit was fast-tracked by Nissan after the talent and determination he displayed throughout the GT Academy.

Simmons' opportunity with Nissan has seen him debut in the Blancpain Endurance Series in 2016 to hopefully follow in the footsteps of previous GT Academy winners who have made the most of the program. Alex Buncombe (2012 Academy winner) won the 2015 Pro Class title on board the GT-R after inaugural Academy winner Lucas Ordonez (2008) won the Pro-Am class title in 2013.

Partnered with Romain Sarazin and Sean Walkinshaw, the trio have

Six months ago I was driving an Australia Post courier van in Brisbane.”

Matt Simmons

only managed to record a single points finish in 2016; a 28th place at Silverstone. For Simmons, however, the 2016 Blancpain series is more about gaining valuable track experience, rather than focusing on results.

There's further good news for the ex-Australia Post driver, with Nissan Australia boss Richard Emery announcing in September the expansion of their GT program in the Australian GT Championship.

Fortunately for Simmons, he's been earmarked for driving duties in the category, "if, of course, he's not too busy," confirmed Emery.

After Simmons’s 12-month transition from Australia Post courier to international race car driver, anybody short of Caitlin Jenner could not lay claim to a bigger transformation.

PLAYSTATION PAYS OFF

GAMER TO RACER

So it turns out that endless hours perched in front of your LCD television hooked up with your PS4, churning out laps on Gran Turismo 6 gets you along in life. Nissan and their partners PlayStation offer gamers the opportunity to win a prestigious spot at the GT Academy International Race Camp. Competitors are tested on a combination of Gran Turismo gaming play, driving in Nissan sport cars, fitness, and media relation skills. The elite of the GT Academy then receive intensive training and racing in order to secure themselves an International Motor Racing Licence.

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Australian Invasion

GT3 AM

T

LIAM TALBOT

I have got quite an affinity with Monza.

I got pole position there last year on debut and we won the race.â&#x20AC;?

Liam Talbot

Spa-Francorchamps before securing their championship win at the season finale at the Catalunya circuit in Barcelona.

Proving that age is just a number, 30-year-old Talbot committed himself to a life in motorsport and now two years later has an international Blancpain GT Series title to his name.

Luxury watches

What does blancpain mean?

We know that the Blancpain GT series is a motorsport endurance championship, but what is blancpain and where does the name come from?

Blancpain is actually a Swiss watch group, founded by Jehan-Jacques Blancpain in 1735. One of the oldest surviving watch making establishments around, Blancpain watches became the primary sponsor of the GT endurance series since the inaugural season in 2011.

Driving for the Prancing Horse is every driver's dream and Liam Talbot achieved that vision within two years of starting out on his motor racing journey.

Image: liam talbot racing

he son of the late mining magnate Ken Talbot, Liam Talbot is quite the late bloomer in the motorsport profession.

At the ripe old age of 30, Talbot has committed himself to making the most of his opportunities as a racing driver.

From humble beginnings racing Radicals, he advanced into the Australian GT Championship with the chance to steer a Melbourne Performance Centre Audi R8 LMS. From this rapid introduction to GT racing, Liam set his sights on Le Mans and the bright lights of the international GT3 scene. In 2014 Talbot made his debut in the elite Blancpain Endurance Series, driving a Ferrari 458 Italia, for Kessel Racing in the final two rounds of the season.

By the following year, Talbot had secured a full-time drive in the Kessel Racing Ferrari to compete in the 2015 season again the AM class. After winning the opening round, they went on to finish third in the championship.

Backing up once again for Kessel Racing in 2016, Talbot and teammates Vadim Gitlin and Marco Zanuttini had one hell of a season. The trio won their AM class races at Paul Ricard, and

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Will davison

passing the

torch The poster boy of the Davison family shares the secrets of his success and the sacrifices he's made. Whilst it's a road that's been frought with challenges and obstacles, Will Davison wouldn't have it any other way.

WORDS: James Lisle images: Chris Gentle

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Will davison

Davison family tree

Tony Gaze

Alex davison

b. 3.2.1920 - d. 29.7.2013

Decorated war hero, Australia’s first Grand Prix driver, and friend of Enzo Ferrari.

Awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in 2006 for 'service to the sport of motor racing'.

b. 3.11.1979

richard davison b. 1953

Father of Will & Alex Davison, racecar rebuilder, and winner of the 1982 Formula 2 Championship.

Partnered with brother Will on the Supercars grid multiple times. Experienced Formula Ford and Carrera Cup driver with international recognition for LeMans and SuperTourers.

will davison b. 30.8.1982

Diana Gaze

b. 8.11.1925 - d. 5.8.2012

Ex-Formula Ford champion, 2009 Supercars runner-up, and two-time Bathurst 1000 winner.

Competed in Targa style events and hillclimbs, founded ‘Women for Wheels’, and considered the ‘First Lady’ of Australian motorsport. Married Tony Gaze in 1977 after being widowed to Lex Davison.

james davison b. 28.8.1986

jon davison Lex davison

Unknown

b. 12.2.1923 - d. 20.2.1965

Won the Australian Driver’s Championship (1957), Australian Gran Prix (1954, 1957, 1958, 1961), and Australian Hillclimb Championship (1955-1957). Married his wife Diana in 1946, before dying in the 1965 International 100 at the Sandown raceway.

I

f Will Davison had to be described in a single word, I really wouldn’t know what it’d be. Surprising?

Dedicated? Passionate?

Sitting on a brand new Ducati XDiavel S, a two wheeled Lamborghini straight from Italy, Davison explains his leisure schedule; how he enjoys ‘cruising’ the Gold Coast roads with Supercars legend Jamie Whincup, and motorbike heroes Casey Stoner and Toby Price.

“Every now and then I’ll get out for a burn with Jamie, sometimes with Casey Stoner or Toby Price too. We all live in a very close community. There are some pretty nice roads at Mount Tamborine, but I wouldn’t nearly attempt to keep up with Casey if he went for it!”

While Davison’s spare time may be mind bogglingly astonishing to regular folk, to him it’s “just life”.

Despite the fame and success he’s enjoyed, true friends on the track are hard to come by.

“There’s a lot of fake friends, but I have a small handful of real friendships.

There are many associates you get along with, but at the end of the day everyone’s in it for themselves. They’ll eat you if you let them. I’ve got a few 72

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Father of James and Charles. Formula 5000 competitor, came 2nd in the 1980 Gold Star Australia Driver’s Championship, General Manager for 6 Chinese racetracks, and ex-promoter of Sandown International Raceway (1991-2007).

Has competed in events in Australia and United States, ranging from Australian Formula Ford, Australian Carrera Cup, Indy Lights, IndyCar. 2016 marks the debut of NASCAR for James.

Charles davison Unknown

International Business Development Manager of China GT.

While Davison’s spare time may be simply awesome to regular folk, to him it’s “just life”.” friends with me, but I race them just as hard. If incidents happen, you discuss it and you move on.” A philosophy he learned after years of observation.

While drivers competing in Karts from a young age is nothing new, Will experienced the racing lifestyle much earlier. He saw how drivers reacted, interacted, and treated each other since he was old enough to walk the pits. He may have been a child, but this early insight would later serve him well, changing him into a driver who could think critically and swiftly process issues.

“I understood from an early age that being in a team is everything in motorsport. But there’s a point in time when you need to deal with these things as they come – and someone else can’t do it for you. You live and learn, I guess.”

That’s probably what separates Will Davison from his peers. Being able to look at his situation and try to

make it work for him in the long-term.

Addressing, analysing, modifying.

Acknowledging that mental fitness is just as important as physical, Will puts his mind under pressure every now and then, just to keep him “fresh”.

By stressing his mind while way out of his comfort zone, Will prepares for the unique stresses that racing drivers experience during a race. You can’t really prepare yourself for endurance racing, not fully. But you can try.

“You’re sore, tired, everything hurts, and you want to give up – but you keep on going. I thrive off the mental aspect; putting myself out of my comfort zone entirely. It’s something I’ve found to be really helpful. Motorsport has a lot of negativity – a lot of people shooting you down. It’s a cut-throat industry.”

“I spend so much time travelling and sacrificing social events. Doing things that make me miss out on what’s important... but I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”

He’s won races for five different Supercars teams, has multiple championship wins in Formula Ford, and has over 15 years of racing experience. In his entire career Davison has embraced diversity, franchising his talents across Formula Fords, Formula Three, and Supercars - even dipping his toe in Formula One testing.

Q&A with will davison

Right here, right now With his extensive experience, Davison has one of the most unique views on motorsport milieu. Combine that with growing up with Jamie Whincup, and it makes for a pretty unreal take on the life of a driver.

V8A: Are racing drivers part of a more colder and more competitive business today, compared to the heroic playboys in days of old?

W.D: It’s a greater business now, there’s more politics and a lot more aspects to the sport. Which you have to separate. You’ve got to try to remember the key principals of the sport and why you’re doing it.

It’s a greater business now, there’s more politics and a lot more aspects to the sport.” will davison

them back but, uhh... that’s never going to happen. Then there’s the Ferrari 500. My step-grandfather, Tony Gaze, bought that from Enzo Ferrari himself.

That was passed on to Lex Davison, V8A: You've come from a family with such who was my grandfather. But because a rich racing heritage, there must be a few of its importance it now sits safely in Donington Museum. spare race cars lying around the house.

W.D: There’s my cousin’s [Alex] 1995 V8A: After several years of FPR, HRT, Van Diemen, which Tander used to win and DJR, what’s so great about working his ’97 Championship, and what I used at Tekno? to win the Victorian Series in 2000.

W.D: Each team has their own Then there’s the other Van Diemen that uniqueness. There are some pretty I won the Formula Ford Championship intelligent people in pit lane, but the in 2001, before Whincup won it later in key to get a winning harmony is to get ’02. Tander and Whincup want to buy

everybody working together. Tekno is different. It’s a small team, but you learn how to maximise your strengths. Because we’re very close, we can put more energy into the smaller things that larger teams would usually oversee. It’s a different structure, but we’re just as competitive.

V8A: First car you owned?

W.D: My brother’s old 1991 manual XF Ute that ran on LPG. It would drift around roundabouts quite nicely as I remember.

It had this cassette player that needed to be reset every 5 minutes because I didn’t have the code. When I’d pick up Whincup wagging from school, he’d have to mess with the cassettes. As we drove, we had to stick a tape in it and switch it on and off... constantly! The 2-3 hour trips to Winton got pretty tiring. Switching the radio on and off again… and again, and again!

Due to the physical and mental toll of racing, Will enjoys occasionally slowing down to enjoy the Gold Coast's warmer climate and calmer lifestyle.

V8A: If you could go back 10 years and give yourself some advice, what would it be?

W.D: Listen, listen, listen! Shut up and stop talking. Enjoy every moment and appreciate every good time.

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REINVENTING A DYNASTY OF SPEED

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Where: Clipsal 500 Street Circuit, Adelaide, South Australia When: Thursday March 3rd, 2016 Image: Daniel Kalisz/LAT Photographic

Veteran Craig Lowndesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s move sideways out of Red Bull Racing into a brand new Team Vortex Commodore raised eyebrows and expectations. Although he wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be crowned the 2016 champion, he will finish in the top-four of the Championship for the 12th consecutive season.

Cruel Mistress

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WORDS: James Lisle

Image: AUTOPICS

Cruel Mistress With the recent unveiling of the Honda NSX GT3, we remember the racing debut of the original NSX and one of the most iconic moments in Australian endurance.

R The Dipper is one of the most advanced corners in the world, with drivers experiencing huge amounts of negative, lateral, and positive G-forces.

acing around Mount Panorama for 12 hours in a purpose built race car is hard, but in a road car bought straight from the dealership?

Madness.

Race cars are high-tech machines specifically designed to be thrashed. To take the hard abuse, lap after lap, and come out on top. They can take the brute force. Road cars? No Way! Race the average car around Mount Panorama and it will come out a broken husk; boiled brakes, blown engine, and a clutch reduced down to its bare components. They canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t take the stresses of hard braking, acceleration, or cornering for more than a few laps.

Nor are they entirely safe. Whereas a racecar will bite into the track and

hang on with big fat tyres and crushing aerodynamics - road cars wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t. Instead they'll screech off the road and into the wall, with alarming regularity.

But some people are not so easily intimidated. Aided by motorcycling legend Wayne Gardner, brothers Ian and Ross Palmer did such a thing in 1993, buying a brand new Honda NSX from the dealership just to race it at Bathurst a few days later.

Cloaked in sponsor stickers, the Palmer Dogbone-Honda NSX rolled down the pits, sucking in the attention of those that passed. Eyes bolted to the car, mouths dropped. Its curves, the way it hunkered down on the road; futuristic elegance has never been seen at Bathurst before but somehow it worked. For the first time V8ACTION.COM

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Image: AUTOPICS

Cruel mistress

at a racetrack, superstar Gardner was ignored. A hulking mass of 30 wanted to see a Honda. A Honda of all things.

Japanese gloss wasn’t typically appropriate at the home of the Australian V8, but somehow it worked.

Screeching through the corners and howling down the straights, the charismatic Honda quickly made an impression to the rest of the track in practice, bathing the mountain in noise as each of the 6 cylinders awoke to the V-TEC system chiming in on full throttle. Mouths watering as Wayne Gardner slipped in and out of each corner. Braking late. Smashing the throttle. While he did win the 1987 500cc motorcycle World Championship on a Honda, this was a completely different game.

Three times wider than his championship winning bike, the larger dimensions of the car tested Gardner’s limits as he weaved through the narrow Cutting. Balancing the car as it cornered on the limit. Brake, dive, turn.

Apply throttle, quarter, half, through the floor. Revs rising, pedals dancing.

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ABOVE: Unbeknowst to Honda, the entry of the Dogbone NSX at the Bathurst 12-hour was actually the unofficial racing debut of the Honda NSX.

Smashing through the gears; the sound of Japan reverberated through the trees. This was a man once again synchronising with a brand that took him to glory. However, as wonderful as it may have been, these encouraging signs were not to last.

Despite the NSX posting the third fastest time and keeping close to Alan Jones’ twin-turbo Mazda RX7 (FD) that lapped like a cruise missile, Gardner, close to 200km/h, lost control the day before the race and shot into the wall at the peak of the mountain.

“It was all driver’s error”, he said, twisting his mouth into a giant grin. “I’m

LEFT: With over 300 races under his belt, Ian Palmer is a veteran of the Australian Racing Industry.

first to put ‘me hand up.”'

As the $170,000 car was collected from Reid Park and rushed to the pits, the crew were shown the full extent of the damage. Everything forward of the windscreen had been victim to Gardner’s heavy right foot. Body panels, suspension, chassis rails - all ruined. Not exactly showroom condition.

With the front-right bruised, left-front destroyed, and the left-rear wheel now sitting horizontally, Gardner was not just lucky to have the ability to walk away from the accident, but to have his life.

If the car were to race the next day, work would have to start – now. Help flooded the number 8 pits. Two men arrived, both with a proposition. One offered the use of his private aeroplane to fly in spares. Another offered his brand new NSX as a donor car to use on site. How he planned to get home was unknown. But he didn't care. If the Palmer team failed, so did the world.

Luckily there are punters who are equally insane as they are rich.

But the task of stripping, welding, machining, and completely re-wiring the

Image: AUTOPICS

Despite the best efforts of the Bathurst repair team, Ian Palmer was forced to complete his shift with the windows up, no water bottle, and the heater stuck on full.

Australian endurance Image: Ian Palmer

From little things, big things grow

rams are chained to just one section of the honeycomb chassis. Everybody whispers in anticipation. “...it’s stronger than any seam welded Group A car we’ve ever had in the TAFE bay”, says Warrener.

The Honda buckles and groans, but stubbornly manages to resist. It’s decided. The rails must be cut manually.

'It was The rebuild is a painstaking reminder driver’s of the attention to detail that Shigeru error' Uehara and Ken Okuyama poured he said, into the design. The structure is out twisting his mouth of everybody’s league. More of a into a giant grin. science experiment than a sports car; 'I’m first to put the aluminium chassis was a first for any mass-produced car. The naturally me hand up'.” aspirated engine - the world’s most Wayne Gardner advanced. Even the suspension was an invitation for discussion, revised leader Tony Warrener gives a nod and from the input of F1 legends Ayrton declares the patient can be saved in Senna and Satoru Nakajima, who both suggested it to be more rigid and time. But the NSX causes problems.

The rigid aluminium chassis proves firmly sprung.

After 20 hours of work, the team to be far too strong for their “dinosaur”; an industrial 10-tonne pulling ram manages to put the car on the start designed to mould busted cars back to line. Just. Taken by the scruff of the their former glory. A grand total of three neck at 250kph for the next 12 hours, car in an impossible 33 hours had been taken up solely by Bathurst’s TAFE Smash Repair team - a team mostly comprised of volunteers - of all people!

Despite the crippled shell sitting above a pool of its own blood, TAFE team

While the Bathurst 12-Hour lived a short life, the vibrance of its entries left a lasting impression. While we like to pretend that the Supercars grid is varied and diverse, nothing can compare to production car racing in days of old. High revving 4-cylinder boxers, long stroke straight sixes, twin-turbo rotaries – almost the globe’s entire collection of engines were on display. The smells. The sounds. It was a harmonious symphony of detonating liquefied dinosaurs.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t to last. Moved to Eastern Creek in 1995 and killed off completely in 1996, the time for production car endurance racing in Australia met its end.

While it had brief stints in 2002 and 2003, it wasn’t until 2007 where the 12-Hour Bathurst event was successfully resurrected. Featuring a varied collection of cars like the Alfa-Romeo 159 and BMW 3-series, the series later introduced of GT3 spec racers in 2010, further securing the future of Australian endurance racing for years to come.

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Cruel mistress

pedigree, a no cost option

Ken Okuyama Japanese industrial designer, previously worked as Chief director at General Motors, design director at Pininfarina, and senior director at Porsche. Previous works include:

Image: Atsushi tomura/Getty images

• • • •

Maserati Quattroporte Porsche 911 (996) Ferrari 599 Ferrari Enzo

Shigeru Uehara Japanese automotive engineer, and development chief of Honda NSX and leader of sports car development. Previous works include: • Honda NSX-R • Honda S2000 • Honda Integra Type-R

...it’s stronger than any seam welded Group A car we’ve ever had.” tony warrener

Crafted from years of extensive R&D, the new Honda NSX GT3 is expected to blast onto circuits with unprecendented success, taking on giants like McLaren and Porsche.

the Honda blows its clutch within the first 7, locking Ian Palmer in fourth gear. Back pockets are checked, there isn’t a spare lying around. Despite the absence of engine braking to aid the already fading brakes, the Honda manages a heroic 1st in its class and 3rd overall. Not a bad effort.

Having seen the potential of their battered supercar survive Bathurst, Honda placed their faith in the NSX again, only this time in France.

A 24-hour event where over 85% of a lap is spent on full throttle, the 13.6 kilometre long Le Mans Circuit de la Sarthe is a place where reliability comes to die. Every manufacturer has blown an engine here, one time or another, all failing under the demanding stress. Even giants like Porsche and Audi have been victim to the backbreaking conditions.

1995 saw a naturally aspirated GT2-

spec NSX take a class leading 1st in 1995 and 3rd in 1996 – a spectacular feat given the competition. Having proved to the world the pedigree of the NSX, Honda took their chances in the Japanese Super GT, stealing Championship wins from the Skyline GT-R and Supra in 2000, 2004, and 2007. Despite its enourmous success in motorsport, the NSX succumbed to dissapointing sales in 2005 when it was discontinued from production altogether.

However, after years of development hell, Honda has announced the new second-generation NSX, which will be used by Michael Shank Racing in the American SportsCar Championship and Pirelli World Challenge in 2017. A far cry from the Dogbone era at Bathurst, the NSX will again be reborn as a racing challenger to be feared around the world.

Satoru Nakasima Japanese Formula One driver. Won his first Formula 2 championship at the age of 28. Posted fastest lap at the Adelaide circuit in the 1986 Australian Gran Prix.

Ayrton Senna Brazillian Formula One driver, considered one of the best of all time.

Won F1 world championships in ’88, ’90, and ’91. Has earned 80 podiums and 41 wins.

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Q&A with Ian Palmer

buy on monday, race on sunday V8A: Why a Honda NSX of all things?

I.P.: I don’t really know why Ross (Palmer) got it. Maybe because they called it a ‘Japanese Ferrari’, which sounded pretty cool. It slipped through the air pretty good, but it lacked horsepower compared to those RX7’s.

It’s now in my garage being restored.

V8A: And seeing it come back on the truck into the pits?

I.P.: I thought it was pretty f**ked. I went around looking to get a try with someone else (laughs) - that’s how much faith I had in fixing it!

LEFT: Ian & Ross Palmer's newly purchased Honda NSX freshly decorated in sponsor decals.

BELOW: Ian Palmer, Wayne Gardner, and Ross Palmer proudly presenting the Dogbone NSX. ...before the team's demise.

Image: Ian Palmer

V8A: Thoughts on Wayne?

I.P.: Before he had his crash up in the mountain, he asked me in qualifying “do you think you can get through that corner [McPhillamy] flat?”, I said, “well... if you can, you’re a better man than I”. But obviously he couldn’t either (laughs).

The trouble with Wayne was that he was in a win-win situation. If he went out and blitzed everyone, they’d all say “so he should, he’s bloody a world motorbike champion”. But if he was shit, they’d all say “well... it’s different than driving a motorbike”.

in Sydney that we pulled bits off. The car's honeycomb rails caused a bit of a problem, but the guys kept trying to straighten. Eventually the car had to be sent off to the TAFE, where they knocked heads together for the race.

I’ve always thought they’re pretty good, having fixed a few V8’s that I’ve ruined over the years. I think 1995 was when I blew a tyre, ricocheting off a few concrete walls, but they just fixed it like it was Only criticism I have was that he used the nothing. I knew Warrener very well up until gearbox and brakes too harsh, but he was his death [2015]. He was a good friend. certainly pretty good.

V8A: How did you find your stint around V8A: Certainly, the champions at TAFE the track? had a good part in the success of the race. I.P.: When the car was finished I said, “I at I.P.: With the late great Tony Warrener least want to have one go”, so they sent from Smash Repairs leading, we were me out. But when Wayne was driving, he all working flat out. Even found a Honda bloody threw the water bottle out of the window, as it’d been rolling around in the cabin. Trouble was, besides putting a new they one in, the heater was jammed on full in called it the car. It was red hot! I couldn’t find the a ‘japanese switch for the windows while driving, so ferrari’ all the bloody windows were up. After the sun came up, I finally found the switches, which sounded which... you could say helped. They later pretty cool.” sent me to the hospital and gave me a Ian palmer rest after that (laughs)."

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Track Day Monster project

CHASSIS: Roll Cage We take the V8 Action Track Day Monster to the next level, installing a 6-point, bolt in roll cage. Which you’ll find out, is much more than just an assembly of metal bars lodged inside a car.

W

e are often faced with You would tough decisions, but none have increased have compared to this stiffness with one. Sometimes we have a full-cage and it to accept that all things must come to would give you great an end, before moving onto bigger and performance benefits.” better things. That’s why after much thought and research, we’ve decided Adam Gotch to take our V8 Action TDM car to the next level. The Monster is transforming. behind AGI Roll Cages has had a long Getting a full race specification roll and diverse career in professional cage, designed and constructed by AGI motorsport, having worked for the Roll Cages. The Track Day Monster Williams Formula One team as a will be able to smash corners harder, mechanic. Returning to Australia in put its power down smoother, and 2009, Adam established the AGI by eliminating chassis flex, allow the Engineering and Technology Group, suspension geometry to be used to the where smaller branches such as AGI fullest potential without flexing. With Precision Products, AGI Precision Roll its spine now rigid against mechanical Cages, AGI Industrial Machinery, and load, the driving experience has been AGI Sport were later spawned. transformed. Changing the attitude of Designed and built to comply with the car to represent its image – hard CAMS Australia handbook regulations, and raw.

Adam and his team will help us ensure Despite these advantages, installing our Track Day Monster car is race ready a roll cage omits the ability to drive and as safe as possible. Two terms the TDM on the streets - legally. Now which were not mutually exclusive in a purpose built track car, it has finally racing 50 years ago. earned the title of ‘Track Day Monster’ Additionally, the full-cage that we’re too potent for the road. installing will allow us to compete the The full-cage we’re installing will make TDM at CAMS state championship level. the car safer for the driver and other Which for us is the NSW Super Sprint occupants, as the increased bolstering Championship, where the TDM car will has a greater resistance against outside feature in the 2017 season. It’s time kinetic forces. to show the rest of the field what this Adam Gotch, the mastermind monster can do!

We’ve opted for a 6-point, bolt-in roll cage. Constructed out of high tensile mild steel bars, it’s as light as it is strong.

The Breakdown Point 1

Point 2

Main Advantages

Main Changes

Weight vs Safety

The main advantage of a roll cage is having a vehicle that will safely protect the driver and occupants whilst racing. There are also a load of other benefits, such as increasing the stiffness of the vehicle and allowing the car to handle better around corners. The full-cage not only adds the safety component, but a stiffer chassis as a performance benefit.

There are two main changes that will occur. Firstly the TDM car will no longer be a street daily, and secondly the car will no longer feature a back seat. The roll cage is to protect the driver, and there is always the chance that a passenger in the back could come in contact with the roll bars.

Usually we would be aiming to make our car as light as possible, but with the 6 point full-cage, we will be adding 45-50 kilos of extra weight. However Adam tells us that, “our primary concern is safety, that always comes first”. We couldn’t agree more and we would rather sacrifice a bit of weight for more safety.

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Point 3

The Monster's handling has improved tenfold.

It’s given our TDM huge perofmance benefits under load around tight bends.

Set-Up

Supercar Roll Cages

Images: Michael ‘Gil’ Gilbert

Unlike the bolt-in cage that we’ve installed in our TDM car, V8 Supercars build their chassis and roll cages first, and then add in the body work around the cage.

“You assemble the cage first and then inner body work panels are applied,” said Brad Jones Racing’s team manager Chris Clark. Made out of chrome moly tubing, all cages built for the V8 Supercars need to follow a strict guide of rules and regulations, all to be manufactured in the same process. “There’s been various updates to roll cages over the years, they’ve changed the thickness of the tubes and added in pieces within the chassis.” The chassis weighs 236.6 kg before being painted and 238 kg after. Just like our bolt-in cage, V8 Supercars have the same priorities. “Safety is always the main priority when manufacturing. Second is reliability, and the third is weight,” said Chris Clark.

Point 4

Point 5

Point 6

Bolt in vs welded

Material used

Race ready

A welded cage is illegal for road use and would never be driven on the street again.

After an accident, you lose both the car and the cage. With a bolt-in cage, you’re able to transform the vehicle back into a street driven car by simply unbolting and removing the roll cage. Ready for the streets, once the cage is removed.

“The cages are made out of mild steel and are Cottrell welded, with a Tensile strength of 350 MDA. There’s only a number of importers who bring in the steel”, says Adam. With the attention to detail and rare steel that is applied, we know that we’ll be getting the best material and we’ll be happy to roll with it.

After the cage is installed, send photos to Cams in Melbourne and they will issue a rollcage serial number. We'd then make contact with a Cams scrutineer and they will come to asses the car. They'll sign a scrutineer’s checklist, send it off to CAMS Australia, who will send out the logbook and we’ll be ready for racing.

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Real racer | Chris Lewis-williams

Image: Revved photography

The Porsche 944 Challenge is one of the greatest entry level catergories, featuring sports coupes from the most succesful marque in motorsport.

Real Racer:

Chris Lewis-Williams

I

f you want to learn how to race, this is it: the Porsche 944 Challenge a pure grass roots race category where the size of your wallet is completely ignored. The only quality needed to win here is talent.

Having devoted most of his life to amateur racing, Chris Lewis-Williams found his aptitude for racing at the age of 12 as he learnt how to spot a gap, lap consistently, and get the most out of a car. His dedication proves successful today as he now holds three championship victories, three third place championship wins, and the 944 lap record at Eastern Creek; a blistering time that still stands four years later.

Competing against equal cars with no performance upgrades, the Porsche 944 Challenge doesn’t permit extensive engine, brake, or suspension upgrades.

It doesn’t matter whether you’re rich or poor. If you want to succeed here, you must have skill and passion. Though the Porsche 944 may not be as demanding as larger racing series, the low entry cost of $20,000 more than makes up for the lack of the pace and noise of bigger beasts that share similar circuits.

Sure, the world’s most famous racer may not be present in the paddock, but 86

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It doesn’t matter whether you’re rich or poor. If you want to succeed here, you must have skill and passion.”

CHRIS LEWIS-WILLIams

you might spot the next up-and-coming rookie about to take the world by storm.

“There’s guys focusing on the differences between each other’s cars and how they can go faster with a different setup. When in actual fact, a driver needs to review his own abilities to evolve as a driver.”

You must compensate for the lack of

power and brake late, turn in smooth and feed in the power mid-corner. While the 944 may be fairly forgiving to drive, blindly throwing into a corner like a ham fisted idiot will cost you dearly. It’s a delicate chassis that requires surgical precision - an excellent starting point for amateur racers. It was made by the most successful motorsport marque after all.

“We’re spoilt in Victoria as we have places like Phillip Island, Sandown and Winton to race at. We’ve been at Eastern Creek – even Mallala! No matter where you go, they’re just great little racers. A 2+2 design with 50/50 weight distribution and a rear mounted transaxle – these are hallmarks of a proper sports car. They can be pretty tricky, but they make such rewarding racecars. Any car that posts a sub 1:50 at Phillip Island, a 1:34 at Winton, or 1:24 at Sandown should be taken seriously. Especially for something with the limited amount of power and the low cost of each car,” he says.

“We’re in the 16th year and there’s still regularly 20 cars on the grid. How long it lasts is all up to how the category management looks after it. I’m going to stick with it.”

Relying on chassis dynamics rather than outright power, the 944 is a serious weapon – even by today’s standards.

Despite an average 3,000cc disadvantage, the 4 cylinder 944 can sprint around Phillip Island two seconds faster than the V8 Utes.

Australia’s fastest growing motorsport category just got better with the Hi-Tech Oils 6-Hour Enduro locked in for Easter 2016 at the spiritual home of Production car racing – Mount Panorama Bathurst. If it’s showroom relevant racing you fancy with packed grids and classic David vs Goliath battles waged between V8’s and Turbos, then NSW Production Touring has got you covered.

Contact us at gcmconsulting@optusnet.com.au for details on how to get involved.

Production Touring – We’re for the driver www.nswproductiontouringcars.com.au

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Image: Gary o’brien

Analogue Revolution

Analogue Revolution

F

or over 40 years Gary O’Brien’s life has revolved around cars.

From restoring rusty classics into driveable museum pieces, or welding broken tourers into terrifying beasts, the fabrication veteran has seen the same overused procedure create the same result.

Beautiful and exquisite results, yes.

But how much time was taken to blueprint and machine every part?

Since the inauguration of motorsport, detailed conversions such as these have demanded that they be fed an almost infinite amount of blood, sweat, and tears. Until now.

Leaving John Bowe’s championship winning SL/R5000 behind, Gary has moved from the glitz and glamour of elite builds onto streamlining the process of creating a racecar. Through his tenacious perseverance, Gary’s Bendigo Retro technique has managed to construct a competitive Touring Car Masters (TCM) racer for 60% less.

Suddenly, TCM just became much closer to the grasp of potential racers.

Featuring bits and bobs from second hand cars and a reworked 350 Chev to boot, Gary’s black Holden HQ is the Frankenstein’s monster of the car world.

“It’s a bit of an experiment. The idea was to build a Pro Sport car for $120,000 that will do the same job as the Torana. We built the high level

Torana for $350,000, which is great and all, but not everyone has that sort of budget. So to combat that, we used a bunch of recycled bits to make it much cheaper than others in its class.

Compared to getting somebody else to build it, we’ve probably saved about $100,000.”

On top of using refurbished parts to cut costs, Gary has also integrated a system where universal pieces can be swapped between cars.

This entire build is a bit of an experiment.” gary o’brien

“I really want to systemise what we’re doing, so all our cars will run the same things. Oil pumps, fittings, piping, radiators...”

A colossal advantage to smaller teams, as the process omits the need to lug around multiple spares for each car. If two cars are running the Bendigo Retro setup, all parts would be completely interchangeable. Swap and go, mix and match. Simple.

As brilliant as the experiment sounds, only time will tell if the Bendigo Retro technique proves successful. However, knowing Gary O’Brien’s excellent track record and meticulous attention to detail, we have no doubts about its success.

Gary O'Brien's Holden GTS, before it was consumed by the HQ project.

FROM RAGS TO RICHES

“It’s a genuine SL/R shell. It even had a dealer fitted electric sunroof air-con, but it was a real basket case when we got it.”

One of the most beautiful examples of craftsmanship and teamwork in the category, John Bowe’s 1976 SL/R 5000 Torana has taken the Pro Masters TCM series by storm. Built by Gary’s Bendigo Retro Muscle Cars team for 2015 and driven by one of the most loved drivers of all time, the 650hp monster quickly gained a loyal fan following soon after its championship win.

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Image: Daniel Kalisz/Lat photographic

5 THINGS WE BET YOU WONâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;T SEE IN THIS PHOTO

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01

Anti-Roll Bar Adjusters

The red and blue handles sitting just to the left of Todd’s shifter adjust the stiffness of the front and rear anti-roll bars. From rotating blades to extending hydraulic rams, each team prefers different methods of controlling body roll. These adjustments are crucial to maintaining the mechanical balance throughout a race as the degradation of tyres change the dynamics of the car.

02

Shift Light Module

Uniquely mounted from the steering column and not in the wheel itself, Todd’s shift light module (SLM) will stay in exactly the same place regardless of the steering wheels movement.

Although communicating the right time to pluck the next gear is not the sole purpose of the SLM, the SLM is also used to alert the driver to conditions such as the pit limiter being active, wheels being locked (or about to be locked) and various warning lights.

03

Seat Belt Elastics

These thin black elastics run from Todd’s shoulder straps, over a pulley mounted to the roof, and is then anchored to a roll cage bar. Once the harness is released, the elastic pulls the belts back out of the way of the entering driver. This ensures they are always in the same place every time they are reached for and nothing will get caught in a Hans device or the like during an ever crucial driver change.

04

In-Car Cameras

A far cry from the noisy rotating behemoths of the 70s, today’s RaceCam is small and silent. Not only are these HD cameras critical to providing the audience a passenger-seat experience, but they allow drivers to review their own, or even their competitor’s footage during race preparation. These little golden SD cards are almost always your one and only form of evidence when submitting or defending a fine with the infamous driving standards officer.

05

Motorsport Connectors

Our resident race engineer could only spot eight lurking in this image, but he assures us the rest of the car will feature hundreds more. If the ECU is the heart, the sensors are the fingers, the wiring harnesses are the bones and each motorsport connector is a joint that holds it all together. The ability to successfully transport information from one end of the car to the other is absolutely critical to the fundamentals of running of the car, as well as providing the data analysis required to discover a competitive car set-up.

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Trick Stuff

TRICK STUFF Crow Cam With over 30 years experience, Crow Cams aims to develop the most unique and noble camshafts in the industry, allowing drivers to feel the full potential of the upgrade. A product that V8A is proud to run, as we’ve opted for a complete 227/231 hydraulic camshaft kit, that will give our Track Day Monster exceptional performance benefits.

The kit we’ve opted for includes Valve Springs, Retainer, Locks, Stem Seals and Spring Seats.

crowcams.com.au

Hi-Flow performance oilpan A must have for any racer, X’s baffled oil pan reduces the serious risk of oil starvation during high-speed cornering. Made from Australian stainless steel, X’s sump is a light, yet durable application to your engine that will last for years to come.

Juice Polish Founded in 2006, Juice Polishes uses Nano technology to provide extended protection for interior and exterior. Having extensively tested their products on the Track Day Monster itself, V8 Action can certify that these are in fact “professional products for professional people”. The fastest way to the ultimate shine, with an easy to use product that offers ground-breaking results.

juicepolishes.com.au

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Bestline Australia Consisting of 99.9% pure pharmaceutical grade oil, BestLine products have been extensively tried and tested to increase the lifespan of your engine by reducing heat, friction, and wear.

Recommended by multiple motorsport figures and engineers around the United States, BestLine has quickly developed a reputation for reliability and durability. Based on over 42 patents, its Micro-Lubrication Technology even ensures that the cylinder walls are coated hours after operation, protecting the engine against the brief moments of oil starvation on startup. bestlineaustralia.com

CoverCraft Protecting your pride and joy is something of vital importance. CoverCraft Covers manufacture form-fitted custom covers of the highest quality, which will protect your car from any substances or materials that could damage your vehicle.

Several V8 Supercar teams use the covers, as well as many other racers, including the V8A Track Day Monster. covercraft-pacific.com

Biante Through their passion for motorsport and extensive R&D, Biante has created a unique library of quality die-cast cars like no other. Featuring a diverse selection of historic cars, including Dick Johnsonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 1993 EB Falcon, Bianteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s line-up has fully opening parts and an immaculate attention to detail throughout. With a numbered certificate of authenticity, Biante model cars are the closest thing to having a piece of genuine Australian motorsport heritage in your home.

biante.com.au

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Generation Next

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Generation

NEXT

It seems now that almost every season of motorsport introduces a young star bearing the surname of a by-gone champion. The influx of second-generation racers began as a trickle in the 1990â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, but has since exploded into a torrent of famous racing surnames resurfacing every decade with regularity.

WORDS: Luke Morris

Images: Getty

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Generation Next

T

he struggle to live up to your father’s racing name is well and truly genuine for so many of these secondgeneration operators. Interestingly, the overwhelming majority of the young men that follow in their father’s footsteps do not reach the lofty heights of their seniors.

Why is that? The answer is likely to be a combination of factors; drivers getting promoted beyond their talent because of their surname, not being in the best car on the grid like their fathers, being promoted for their last name due to the marketing and sponsorship advantages that they bring with them.

Among a plethora of father/son

has there been a finer motor racing family than that of sir jack brabham?” combinations, we’ve selected an elite few whose stories typify Australian motorsport.

Dick Johnson is a true blue Aussie hero. Johnson’s resume is hugely impressive; a 5-time Touring Car Champion and a 3-time Bathurst 1000 winner. He was the quintessential Aussie working class battler. Young

Steven Johnson replaced Dick in the #17 Falcon in 2000 and was a highly consistent and respected driver who had regular top 10 championship finishes . However, Steven couldn’t replicate his father’s success.

Has there been a finer motor racing family than that of Sir Jack Brabham?

Arriving on the Formula One scene in 1955, Sir Jack collected 3 World Championships (1959, 1960 and 1966), the most ever by an Australian.

His three sons, David, Gary, and Geoff, have all been successful in their own right. David and Geoff have won the Le Mans 24 Hour, and share eight North American sports car titles between them. Not to be left out, Gary has

A moment in time

F

or many doting fathers, sharing the track or taking to the field with their children is the proudest moments of their careers.

To do so in the intensely competitive field of professional motorsport is a testament to the long hours and years of commitment.

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1999

Dick Johnson’s Final Race No driver endured the triumphs and disasters that Mt Panorama could inflict with more strength than Queensland’s Dick Johnson. Fortunately, Dick’s farewell in 1999 driving alongside Steven occurred mostly without incident. The famous #17 Shell Ford challenged late in the race for a podium, but ultimately had to settle for a very respectable 4th place.

In 1962, Sir Jack founded the Brabham Formula One team. Until their dissolution in 1992, they won 4 drivers' and 2 contructor's titles.

only one father/son combination can lay claim to having both men with world championships; british motorsport royalty, graham and damon hill.”

Following Villeneuve's horrific death in 1982, the racetrack in Montreal, home of the Canadian Grand Prix, was renamed the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.

raced in Formula One and won the 12 Hours of Sebring in 2005. Very much a motorsport dynasty.

International motorsport hasn’t been immune to the effects of nepotism, with a recent flood of second-generation drivers emerging into their ranks.

Of course, more so than any other motoring category, the quality of machine in your garage is the biggest component to a driver’s success or failure. To those who understand Formula One, the depth of financial support required just to gain a seat on the hallowed grid is mind numbingly frightening. This is a particular issue where a famous father can certainly exert an advantageous influence upon blue-chip sponsors and other potential corporate backers, not to mention the use of the vast wealth that an ex-Formula One driver would accumulate over the course of their career.

Nico Rosberg, Kevin Magnussen, Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz Jnr

2001

are the current second generation operators in the F1 paddock.

Only one father/son combination can lay claim to having both men with world championships; British motorsport royalty, Graham and Damon Hill.

Graham won his two titles in 1962 and 1968, before his premature death in a freak airplane crash in 1975. Damon won his title in 1996, outdueling two other famous names Jacques Villeneuve and Michael Schumacher.

Jacques’ father, Gilles Villeneuve was an enormously popular figure in the F1 world, and despite his untimely and horrific death in 1982, he remains as one of the most iconic Formula One figures in the following decades. Where Gilles failed, Jacques succeeded, winning Canada’s first world title in 1997.

Perhaps the most successful and famous motoring family in the world are the Andretti’s, led by their patriarch Mario. Mario is one of only two drivers to have won races in F1,

Earnhardt Snr Death Dale Earnhardt’s death at Daytona Beach in 2001 remains one of the most heartbreaking moments in American motorsport history.

Earnhardt’s teammate Michael Waltrip won his maiden race, with Earnhardt Jr close behind in second. The subsequent aftermath of the crash saw an enormous out pouring of grief from the distraught American public.

2004

IndyCar, NASCAR and World Sportscar Championship. He won the 1967 Daytona 500, the 1969 Indy 500 and the 1978 F1 World Championship. His sons Michael and Jeff are both hugely experienced racers with appearances in IndyCar, Formula One and NASCAR. Michael’s son Marco has also driven in the IndyCar series since 2006.

Did you know that Mario Andretti was the last American to win an F1 race in 1977?

Skippy vs a castrol commodore Skippy's track crossing antics as Richards Snr entered the Cutting on lap 112, ended disastrously for both parties.

The result was a badly mutilated Kangaroo, and serious damage to the Castrol Commodore, ending their race prematurely. completely ruling them out of contention.

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Generation Next

Worthy of the name

Furthering a legacy

A

n often repeated phrase within motorsport circles is, “motorsport is very much a family business.”

How accurate that is in the current environment? In particular, Australian motorsport contains countless examples of second generation racers and managers. Motorsport participation and fandom runs in the blood, passed on through generation after generation.

A passion for motorsport isn’t typically unique to one family member; it’s a love that is caressed and formulated as a tradition that’s passed down from father to son. Yet, the more recent inclusion of women in the “Boys Club” has truly made Australian motorsport a family affair.

Over the last few decades, there has been an increasing trend in second-generation drivers moving into the landscape of Australian and International motorsport. Many of Australia’s premier racing families have more than one generation of racer in our national categories. Think about it for a moment; Johnson, Brock, Perkins, Richards and Moffat.

Most young boys, at some stage in their formative years, wish to emulate their fathers. Many of these young racers spent hours upon hours at tracks watching their fathers compete.”

More iconic Australian motor racing surnames do not exist.

What factors encourage such a strong representation of secondgeneration racing drivers in Australian motorsport? The answer is quite simple. Most young boys, at some stage in their formative years, wish to emulate their fathers. Many of these young racers spent hours upon hours at tracks watching their fathers compete. The exhilaration of being so close to the action would’ve been intoxicating for these youngsters, not to mention the countless comparisons and questions regarding them following their father’s footsteps. If you go back and check out some old footage, there are interviews of a young Jack Perkins

in 1995 and Steven Johnson in the 80’s as their fathers drove to victory in the Bathurst 1000.

With such a saturation of motorsport in their lives, it’s perhaps unsurprising that the likes of Steven Johnson, James Moffat and Steven Richards chose a motor racing career. Let’s not kid ourselves here though; motorsport is a arduous business to get into, especially if you’re not blessed with an abundance of natural talent, cash, or a famous surname. Yes, the name certainly provides advantages, but can also prove to be a curse. Too many stories have been told of sons struggling to emulate their father's legacy and be immortalised in the history books of motorsport.

In an attempt to preserve his anonymity and privacy, young German racer Mick Schumacher actually spent the fledging years of his motor racing career racing under his mother’s maiden name, Betsch.

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Chris Pither | RACER HEroes

Image: Daniel Kalisz/Lat photographic

Image: DANIEL KALISZ / LAT PHOTOGRAphic

Pither and his 111 Falcon have shown considerable improvement through the 2016 season, highlighted by the pole at Queensland Raceway.

Chris Pither: RACER HEROES As the fourth car in the Prodrive stable, Chris Pither’s Ice Break Coffee Falcon flies under the radar on most race weekends. Unbeknownst to many, the young Kiwi has been around Australian motorsport since the middle of the last decade. With more than his fair share of the highs and lows in the last ten years, we here at V8 Action start to pull the curtain back on one of the sport’s most anonymous drivers.

V8A: You’ve had an interesting path into the Supercars category, with a debut in Bahrain in 2006, which is as unique as debuts go. How did that come about?

CP: Yeah, it was a while ago now.

Basically in 2006 it was after Paul Radisich had injured his ankle in a huge crash at Bathurst and I was offered the opportunity with Team Kiwi Racing for the Bahrain round of the championship.

We have a small, tightknit crew here at Super Black Racing and it was just awesome for our team and a great confidence booster.”

Chris Pither

and he was too tall and couldn’t fit into it!

So I got to drive it for him, which worked out well for me. I did two years in the category over there (New Zealand) and then the opportunity came up to come over here for a 10 year anniversary event at Clipsal. That was getting my toe back in the water. From there it was pretty cool to win both ute championships in both countries the same year!

V8A: You surprised everyone with your pole at Queensland Raceway. Were you surprised too?

CP: Yeah, I was little bit surprised to be V8A: You’ve won both Australian and honest. That weekend, everything was New Zealand Ute titles. What do you love going really well, we had touches of really so much about utes? good qualifying pace throughout the year.

CP: It came about because I was out of The car was strong throughout practice the sport for a little while from 2008-2009 and on Saturday morning during the as I wasn’t able to get a drive. A mate of warmup, so I knew we were on for a good mine purchased a ute in New Zealand, result. We have a small, tightknit crew

here at Super Black Racing and it was just awesome for our team and a great confidence booster. It’s cool to know that when we do get all the ingredients right we’ve got the potential to be at the pointy end of the field.

V8A: Sadly, that same weekend saw the passing of team owner Tony Lentino.

What kind of effect did that have on you and the team?

CP: Yeah, it was pretty devastating news.

It was a weekend of crazy emotions from one spectrum to the other, with the pole on Saturday bringing an unbelievable feeling. Looking back on the Monday after hearing the news that Tony was able to enjoy that moment, made it better, because it was something he really wanted to see. He’s extremely competitive and I’m just happy that we were able to bring him that result when we did.

Bathurst 2008, saw Pither involved in one of the nastiest crashes seen on the Mountain in some time. Veteran Paul Weel lost control exiting Reid Park, and was a sitting duck in the middle of the track for Pither when he entered the blind turn moments later. The resulting impact was simply enormous for both drivers and both were lucky to escape without serious injuries.

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By the numbers

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Number of F1 races in 1956 season

NUMBERS

The number of times tom kristensen won the 24 hour Le mans

5

2014 Bathurst 1000 winners Chaz Mostert and Paul Morris led the race for

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The number of times Peter Brock won Sandown 500

the g force's f1 drivers experience whislt cornering and braking

3

The litres a F1 driver will lose during a single Grand Prix race

Travis Pastrana jumps 269 feet in his rally car in long beach

86% Mercedesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; race winning percentage from 2014 to the present

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number of F1 races in 2016 season

2.1km the distance

BY THE

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1500 Lights illuminating singapore GP

269 530kph

The speed a Top Fuel Dragster can reach before you finish reading this sentence

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The number of years Mark Webber waited for a championship

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Image: Rainer Schlegelmilch/Getty Images

Last lap

LAST LAP It’s a common argument that almost every motorsport fan has heard – “car racing isn’t a real sport. The drivers aren’t even proper athletes – all they do is sit there and turn a wheel!”

This particular sentiment from some in the non-racing community has echoed throughout the years, despite extensive data indicating the opposite. The most infamous incident was back in 2013, when former NFL quarterback Donovan McNabb spoke about NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson and made an inflammatory remark. “Do I think he’s an athlete? No, absolutely not. He sits in a car and drives.”

The reality, however, is far different.

Professional motorsport requires an extraordinary level of commitment, time sacrifice, and a certain resilience against failure and misfortune. Drivers in the 21st century follow extremely strict and regulated diet and exercise regimes – there isn’t an ounce of fat on them!

Back in 2008, Rexona sponsored a televised competition called Australia’s Greatest Athlete.

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One of the competitors in the first season, was one Jamie Whincup. He was widely considered to be one of the competition outsiders, yet he exceeded expectations with his all-round consistency to finish second.

Whincup beat multiple athletes from Rugby Union, AFL, Cricket, Olympians, and the A-League.

Whincup’s performance did much to dispel the anti-athlete argument.

Perhaps these comments and examples are reminders to us, the fans. It should remind us of the astonishing work ethic and physical commitment that our racer heroes endure for our entertainment. Because race driver’s faces are hidden behind a windscreen, helmet, and balaclava, we don’t see the sweat and physical excursion that goes into driving a V8 Supercar. Let alone a Formula One or an endurance race for that matter. Perhaps the next time a friend or work colleague makes a rather disparaging remark about the athletic quality of race car drivers, you can remind them of all the hard work going on underneath that visor.

NATIONAL MOTOR RACING MUSEUM No visit to Mount Panorama is complete without a stop at The National Motor Racing Museum, right beside the track at Murray’s corner. Inside you’ll find a constantly- changing array of vehicles that have made their mark not only on Mount Panorama, but in Australian Motorsport in General.

In the galleries you’ll see many of the dominant vehicles that ran in Australian touring car, open wheeler, rally, Motorcycle and speedway events. The stories of the many drivers and races are told through original trophies, race suits, leathers, race footage and photographs. Take a break in the theatre and watch the introductory history of motor racing in Bathurst since the 1920’s. Before taking a spin around the Mount Panorama circuit enjoy a coffee and take in the Peter Brock statue, Museum shop, & playground. Whether travelling with a car club, bus tour, caravan or the kids, we can cater for all your needs, check our new website for full information

www.nmrm.com.au

THE NAT IONAL MOTOR RACING MUSEUM OPENING HOURS: 9.30am to 4.30pm daily 400 Panorama Avenue Mount Panorama,

BATHURST NSW 2795

PH: 02 6332 1872 FAX: 02 6332 3349 WEB: WWW.NMRM.COM.AU v8ACTION

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REINVENTING A DYNASTY OF SPEED

0 - 100 in 2.6 seconds

Certainly no cruiser Authentic Ducati performance and technology with iconic Italian style. Certainly the best value to go 0 - 100km/h in just 2.6 seconds! Book a test ride at your local Authorised Ducati Dealer today!

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