WALKINSHAW LIFE IS LIKE A ROLLERCOASTER
CAN I R A R R FE TAKE ? Y R O T C I V
STREET FIGHT! WE PREVIEW MELBOURNE’S F1 GRAND PRIX
PUSH TO PASS
BATHURST 6 HOUR PREVIEW
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“PLAY HARDBALL” - SKAIFE ON SVG’s SVG’s TASSIE TACTICS
BATES WINS NATIONAL RALLY
PLUS
VAN GISBERGEN STEALS THE SHOW
2022 AUSTRALIAN FORMULA 1 PREVIEW
RIDING A WAVE A BATHURST 1000 WIN FOR WALKINSHAW ANDRETTI UNITED IS JUST PART OF THE RYAN WALKINSHAW STORY By Paul Gover GRAND PRIX week is a biggie for Ryan Walkinshaw. It’s not as dramatic as Bathurst for the Supercars team owner, who dyed his hair white to match Chaz Mostert as they celebrated winning The Great Race in December, but Albert Park still means an over-full diary and the pressure of racing in front of the country’s biggest oneday motorsport crowd. The financial backers of Walkinshaw Andretti United will all be in Melbourne for the AGP and so will his motorsport business partner Zak Brown, who is also the boss of the McLaren grand prix team. “Formula One puts on a great show and it’s great that Supercars can be involved. Being able to hang out with Zak Brown means I get some access to McLaren, so it’s great to see how things have changed there in such an incredible category,” Walkinshaw begins. “It’s always an exciting event and being involved with Formula One brings back a lot of nostalgia, because of our family history in Formula One. There are always familiar faces.” But that family history also includes his father Tom Walkinshaw’s disastrous involvement with the Arrows F1 team, whose collapse brought his once-mighty TWR Group to its knees despite decades of motorsport victories and successes in the car world including tie-ups with Jaguar and
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Chaz Mostert has been up the front and frequently winning races since he joined Walkinshaw Andretti United in 2020.
Volvo, in addition to Holden in Australia. “It was a down point. But out of that chaos came a lot of opportunities,” Walkinshaw says. “I don’t think Formula One brought the Walkinshaw empire down. I think we’ve managed to survive a situation that would have completely annihilated other family legacies. “Nothing in life is a straight line. Everything is a rollercoaster. That’s why I’m so fond of Australia and continuing our business here and creating so many jobs and opportunities. “That was a key part of my father’s legacy. My goal and passion is to build on that. “We’re now a similar size to what we were in the heyday of TWR. We’re tripping on the heels of even bigger success.” Success has been even tougher to find
over recent years in Supercars, following the era when the Holden Racing Team was Walkinshaw’s flagship and near-unbeatable on the track. “Our objective is to get more race wins and podiums, and try to win the teams championship. But it’s a tough category to be consistently competitive,” he says. “There is no silver bullet in this category. It’s not one thing, it’s a culmination of work over a lot of years. “We made a lot of changes when we brought Chaz and Adam Debore into the team. We’re never going to be complacent. You can have the best engineers and drivers in the category and still not win championships. You’ve got to work harder when you’re not a Triple Eight or a DJR.”
WAU has been re-shaped around Mostert and his new team-mate, Nick Percat, following his return after starting his career - and scoring his Bathurst 1000 win with HRT. It’s also racing the Australian OffRoad Championship this year, including the Finke Desert Rally, with Supercars veteran Warren Luff driving a Volkswagen Amarok W580X that’s a spin-off from a road-car program in Australia. “We got second place in our class at our first event, we learned a lot and have lots of new ideas that mean we will be much quicker in the next ones. It was pretty good, above expectations. We’re pretty confident we can add some more speed. “We chose Warren to drive because we thought he would be good at it. He’s a driver who seems very adaptable, so he’s the obvious choice. And he’s part of the family here at Walkinshaw.” But racing is just one part of Walkinshaw’s job, and life. And GP week is not just fun lunches with the F1 crowd and watching the Supercars action from the WAU garage. He must also deal with the day-to-day workload of what has become Australia’s biggest private automotive operation, even after the loss of the headlining Commodores that were the stars of the Holden Special Vehicles operation that was the shining
His father Tom Walkinshaw has been involved in motorsport around the world in many different championships. Tom Walkinshaw aboard the Bathurst 1000 winning Jaguar in 1985 (above), he ran the Arrows Formula 1 team for over a decade (below). Ryan Walkinshaw now owns his Supercars team with Michael Andretti (left).
crown of the Walkinshaw Group. “We’re the number one automotive design, engineering and manufacturing business in Australia. It’s a much bigger business than when I started,” Walkinshaw says. “The turnover is several hundred million dollars a year. We’ll be doing well over 10,000 vehicles this year and closer to 15,000 cars and trucks in a couple of years. We’re also Australia’s second-biggest caravan company.” It’s a very big deal for a relative youngster who is still only 34 but was handed the reigns by the early death of his father, who created the powerhouse TWR group in the 1980s and eventually took over from Peter Brock as Holden’s go-to for high-performance road cars. Walkinshaw spends several months each year in Melbourne with his girlfriend Hayley, who has been his partner for more than a decade, although his official residence is in Monaco. He grew up and did his schooling in the UK but it’s Monaco, where he parks his Porsche 911 GT3 RS and Mercedes-AMG SUV, that is home base. “I run our business and our investments from there. So it’s lots of early mornings and late nights.” He spent some time in Mexico on holiday last year, but that produced an unexpected problem that persists with a cough that often interrupts his chat. “It’s my Covid cough. I’ve had it twice. First
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in February 2021 and then in December, after Bathurst. I caught it on a plane, I think, going to Mexico for a holiday at Christmas.” But life is not just high-roller action in Monaco and holidays in Cancun. “I hadn’t had a break for two years before that,” he says bluntly. It’s a bluntness that was commonplace during
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any dealings with his father, and a reminder that Ryan is Tom’s son. He might not be as overtly aggressive, and he might have had the reigns thrown at him, but he knows the job. “His death wasn’t a shock, because my dad had been sick for a while. But I miss him all the time. “Anyone that loses a dad at a relatively young
age will always miss them. There are times when you wish he was around to ask his opinion and guidance. “It would have been good sometimes for him to clip me around the head, too.” Walkinshaw says he never wanted to race, although his younger brother Sean has made a career at the wheel.
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THE POWER’S UP - BUT WHAT ABOUT THE BRAKES? WHEN THINKING car mods, a power gain is probably the first thing that comes to mind for most automotive enthusiasts. Aussies are notorious petrolheads, keen to make a few modifications themselves. However there’s one mod that’s often left until later much later, the braking system. Sure, brakes may not be that important for getting good quarter mile times, but for just about every other aspect of motorsport – from grassroots to elite – having a good braking package contributes greatly to the car’s overall performance. Away from the track, quality braking is just as important, because unlike on track, conditions are not controlled. Better stopping on and off the track As Australia’s largest manufacturer of friction material products, Bendix understands the high demands that driving enthusiasts place on their vehicles and in particular, their brakes and has called on its 60 plus years of industry experience to develop its ‘Ultimate+ Performance Brake Upgrade Kits’. Recently expanded to include more of Australia’s most popular performance cars, muscle cars and hot hatches, including the Ford Mustang, Holden and HSV VF Commodores, Subaru’s WRX rally hero and the peppy Toyota 86 and Subaru BRZ twins. Available as either a front or rear kit, each upgrade kit contains everything needed to significantly increase braking performance, and it comes with the convenience and cost effectiveness of a single package. The front kit features Ultimate Sports and Performance front rotors, Ultimate+ high friction brake pads, braided brake lines, DOT 4 brake fluid, Ceramasil parts lubricant and a cleaning product, while the rear kit contains Ultimate Sports and Performance rear rotors and Ultimate+ high friction brake pads. Ultimate Disc Brake Rotors A key component of the kits is Bendix’s premium Ultimate disc brake rotors which feature high carbon metallurgy steel, providing superior stopping power and reduced wear, while also delivering improved thermal stability that reduces the chance of brake fade and warping
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Supercars RACE REPORT Round 2 Symmons Plains Raceway
PUSH TO PASS THE SECOND ROUND OF THE SUPERCARS CHAMPIONSHIP WAS ABOUT ONE MAN, SHANE VAN GISBERGEN, THE REIGNING CHAMPION CONTROLLED ALL THREE RACES AT SYMMONS PLAINS RACEWAY IN TASMANIA. Report: Dan McCarthy Images: Motorsport Images HE MAY have only started one of the three races from pole position but nobody could match the Triple Eight Race Engineering driver over a long run. Van Gisbergen was in a league of his own in all the races, however there were a couple of firsts throughout the weekend, both a team and a driver scored their first Supercars podiums. While van Gisbergen scored maximum points his title rivals all encountered issues in at least one race and means that he leaves Tasmania with a small points buffer in the Championship. Three 105km races were on the menu, with the new Super Soft tyres the only option, each race required a compulsory stop for a minimum of two tyres. PRACTICE – THE USUAL SUSPECTS TWO THIRTY-minute practice sessions took place on Saturday morning ahead of qualifying and it was Will Davison who was fastest in the combined times. Due to very cool weather conditions in the morning, the majority of fast time were set in the first session of the day. Dick Johnson Racing driver Davison’s time in session 1 stood as the fastest of the day, he ended it with a time of 50.345s, less than 0.1s up on van Gisbergen. It was the Kiwi that was fastest in practice 2,
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just 0.02s faster than Heimgartner who set the third fastest time overall. Cameron Waters was next from fellow Tickford Racing Ford Mustang driver James Courtney. QUALIFYING RACE 3 – WATERS ON P1 WATERS WAS surprised when he emerged as the pole sitter for the opening race of the weekend, the Victorian doing enough in the third and final segment of the elimination qualifying session to take pole. It was an incredibly tight session at the 2.4km circuit, Wates pipped Davison by just 0.027s, with the top four separated by less than 0.1s. Triple Eight Race Engineering driver Broc Feeney qualified in third ahead of his good mate Brodie Kostecki. Van Gisbergen struggled in the final
David Reynolds secured Grove Racing’s first podium finish since the Grove family took full ownership of the team at the start of the year.
segment and could start no higher than fifth. Courtney was sixth, from Heimgartner, Scott Pye and the two Matt Stone Racing drivers of Todd Hazelwood and Jack le Brocq. After setting one of the fastest times in Q1, 2015 champion Mark Winterbottom was unable to replicate the effort and qualified in 11th place. There was drama in the second segment with a number of championship contenders eliminated. Dick Johnson Racing driver Anton De Pasquale had struggled throughout practice and was eliminated after setting the twelfth fastest time in Q2. Championship leader Chaz Mostert had power steering fluid leaking throughout qualifying and as a result could qualify no higher than 13th.
Race 3 – RUBBINS’ RACIN’ SHANE VAN Gisbergen had to get his elbows out to take victory in the first Supercars Championship race of the weekend after starting from fifth on the grid. The Triple Eight Racing driver tested the limits as he made his way through the field, nudging his way by Davison and Waters to take the win. From second position it was Davison who made the better start, but was unable to do anything with the extra momentum. Kostecki capitalised getting a great run out of Turn 2 he nipped by Davison, the Ford driver was quick to retaliate when Kostecki tried an outside pass on Waters at Turn 4 for the lead. Davison got a good exit and reclaimed p2 up the inside at Turn 6 Rookie Feeney tried to get Kostecki around
Will Davison had a solid weekend, he took a pole position and finished second in two of the three races.
Championship leader Shane van Gisbergen (main image) led home a Triple Eight Race Engineering 1-2 finish in the second race of the weekend. It was a very challenging weekend for both of the Erebus Motorsport drivers in Tasmania (right). Blanchard Racing Driver Tim Slade showed great pace over the weekend, however was notably involved in a spectacular incident with Cameron Waters (lower right). the outside but dribbled off the road and lost two places. On lap 6 van Gisbergen made his way by Kostecki, his march had started and he quickly caught Davison. He made his way past by placing his bumper on the side of Davison on the exit of the hairpin, slowing the Ford Mustang driver’s momentum onto the long straight. This allowed him to get the side draft and take the position on the run to Tun 6. Immediately after the move Davison pitted and was followed in by Kostecki. SVG had caught Waters and replicated the move he made on Davison. Waters let van Gisbergen know what he thought of the manoeuvre giving the Kiwi the bird on the back straight. It made little difference as SVG took the lead. The following lap Waters pitted, however the battle with SVG had allowed Davison to undercut him and take the position. SVG pitted a lap after that, and re-joined just centimetres ahead of Davison. From there van Gisbergen was never headed and cruised home to take his second win of the season by 2.83s from Davison and pole sitter Waters. Davison kept with van Gisbergen early in the second stint but in the end faded late on, while Waters brought the car home in third. Kostecki finished the race in fourth ahead of Feeney who bagged his first top five result in the championship. After qualifying 12th, championship contender De Pasquale limited the damage by finishing in sixth. The same could not be said for Mostert, the man leading the championship heading into the race was involved in an accident between David Reynolds and Mark Winterbottom late in the race. Winterbottom tapped Reynolds into a spin exiting the hairpin, Winterbottom propped as a result and an innocent Mostert slammed into the slowing Team 18 car. Mostert was forced into the lane for extensive repairs, he was classified in 23rd, Winterbottom was handed a 15s-time penalty for the incident and came home in 18th, while Reynolds struggled to get back on track and finished in 22nd. Pye held off Heimgartner to finish in seventh, while Lee Holdsworth and Hazelwood rounded out the top 10. Notably Mostert finished 23rd, but ahead of his Walkinshaw Andretti United teammate Nick Percat who sustained damage on lap 1. QUALIFYING – POLE TO CRASH SUNDAY MORNING saw two back-to-back 12-minute qualifying session to determine the grid for Races 4 and 5 of the championship. Van Gisbergen and Davison shared a pole a piece in two dramatic qualifying sessions. Notably after taking pole for Race 4 van Gisbergen collided with Slade in the second session resulting in damage to both cars and the red flag to be flown. Van Gisbergen claimed pole position for Sunday’s opening encounter and would start alongside his teammate Feeney. Team 18 driver Winterbottom delivered on
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Jack le Brocq crashed heavily in Race 2, the damage would go on to cause him further pain when he started from the front row of the grid for the final race.
While Saturday was promising for Cameron Waters, Sunday did not go to plan for the championship contender. the pace shown throughout the weekend to qualify in third next to the man with whom he collided with the day before, his former teammate Reynolds. Slade qualified in fifth ahead of Davison, Pye, De Pasquale, Percat and Hazelwood. PremiAir Racing driver Chris Pither qualified 11th, notably ahead of Saturday pole sitter Waters. Both Erebus Motorsport cars qualified outside the top 20 for the opening encounter with Kostecki in 23rd and Brown 24th. In Race 5 qualifying Davison set a banker lap early before jumping out of the car.
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In his final run van Gisbergen set two purple sectors but collided with Slade in the final sector, the contact ripped his tyre off the rightrear, while Slade’s left-front suspension took a beating. The red flag was thrown and qualifying not restarted meaning that Davison started from pole position alongside MSR driver le Brocq who snuck his lap in just seconds before the red flag was thrown. Despite the accident, van Gisbergen’s first run was good enough to see him start from third. Hazelwood, like Davison, set a banker early
and made it two MSR Commodores in the top four. Then came De Pasquale, Reynolds, Feeney, Waters, Slade and Holdsworth. Brown again found himself buried down the field in 23rd, as did Mostert who qualified 16th for the opener and 19th for the final race of the weekend. RACE 4 – POLE TO VICTORY VAN GISBERGEN converted pole position to victory in a crash-filled and red flag interrupted Race 4 of the championship. It was a race of firsts as his teammate,
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