Auto Action #1843 by Auto Action

CRAIG BAIRD SUPERCARS POACHER TURNED GAMEKEEPER

AUSTRALIA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE OF MOTORSPORT

DAVISON DELIVERS

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LOWNDES DRIVES GEN3 AND BJR CARS AT SANDOWN... THE CALL TO BRING BACK THE SANDOWN 500 ISSN 2204-9924

Issue #1843 August 25 to September 7, 2022 $9.95 INC GST

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SHOCK WAKEFIELD PARK CLOSURE

THE LATEST UPDATES

PLUS: ALL THE ACTION FROM SANDOWN SUPERCARS RACING FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY THE REAL COST TO RACE A BMW E30

LATEST NEWS

30 YEARS ON, BOWE TO REUNITE WITH DJR SIERRA FOR PUKEKOHE SUPERCARS IN WHAT will be an historic twist of fate, John Bowe is to be reunited with an old friend in the form of a Dick Johnson Racing, Ford Sierra RS500, 30 years after he last raced a Group A Sierra. With Supercars announcing that the Historic Touring Cars will run at Pukekohe as a support category, Bathurst legends Bowe, Greg Murphy, Steven Richards and Paul Radisich, will all compete in the 33 car HTC field Between the four of them, they share an impressive 11 Bathurst titles, including 26 podiums. The ex-Dick Johnson Racing Sierra was the last of its kind built, with Bowe and Johnson racing it at Bathurst in ’91 and ’92. Bowe also contested the Australian Touring Car Championships in a DJR Sierra from 1988-92, when the varied nature of the tyres avaiolabale made it one of the great times in Australian motorsport; when ATCC competitors ran against each other on a mix of Dunlop, Bridgestone, Toyo and Yokohamas. The car is currently owned by New Zealander Lance Coupland and will be prepared for racing by Formula Ford stalwart Nigel Barclay, who worked with Bowe preparing a Ferrari 458 he drove in the Australian GT Championships in 2013-14. “It’s really something you know, It’s been 30 years,” Bowe told Auto Action

“The Sierra’s finished racing in Group A in 1992, so to be reunited with a car that I have such fond memories of is something that I really can’t wait to do. Dick and I were, and still are, great friends – and it was just such a good era of competitive racing, so it’s going to be great fun… and let’s face it, any day at the track is a good day.” For what will be the last ever Supercars race at Pukekohe due to its 2023 closure, Bowe also has fond memories of racing there for what will most likely be his last time around the NZ circuit. “I haven’t raced Pukekohe since they put the new bit in down the back straight, but it’s likely to be my last time around it. I’ve had some great times there… and some not-so-great times I might add, but that’s racing when you’ve spent as much time driving about as I have.” Auto Action also spoke with the owner of the car, Lance Coupland, who’s elated to own such a great piece of racing history. “It’s coming-up on three years of owning this car now, and its special as these kinds of cars just don’t come about so regularly,” said Coupland. “It’s pretty great thing to own, and now to be doing this with it! I absolutely love Sierra’s, and although I’ve driven it myself, I don’t do it justice.

“I also had Greg Murphy have a go in it a year ago to show what it could do, which was really something special to see. “Although I’ve never met John directly, Nigel Barclay recommended that I put him in the car at Pukekohe, so I rang him and he said ‘I’m as keen as a green bean,’ to quote him directly. “I just hope he brings it back in one piece is all… you know, gets it out front and stays there,” Coupland quipped. Murphy will also be in something of a familiar machine – the Peanut Slab Sierra Group A car which he raced at Pukekohe in 1992 and is now owned by Peter Sturgeon.

Murphy’s HTC running also comes ahead of him racing as wildcard for Erebus Motorsport in the upcoming Bathurst 1000 with Richie Stanaway. Radisich, who won eight races between 2000-01 for DJR, will be driving in a Wolf Ford Mondeo, and five-time Bathurst winner, Richards, will be in a Murray Sinclair-owned Nissan Primera Super Tourer, a car he last raced in the 1997 Australian Super Touring championship. The Supercars Pukekohe farewell will be held on 9-11 of September. TW Neal

COFFS HARBOUR TO HOST MONTH LONG FESTIVAL OF MOTORSPORT THE INAUGURAL Coffs Coast Festival of Motorsport has been announced and is set to run from November 5-27. The new motorsport and motoring focused program is planned to be an annual event and should deliver a major injection of fanfare for motoring enthusiasts and motorsport fans across the area and regions beyond. In conjunction with the NSW government and the local council, the Coffs City Rotary Club has seen to the vacancy left by the World Rally Championship (WRC) that was lost to the region in 2019. The Coffs Coast Festival of Motorsport has been created to be a mammoth month long festival of motorsport to offset some of the social and economic loss that resulted in the WRC program ending. The Coffs Motorsport festival will run in conjunction with the Coffs Coast Rally, which is the final round of the FIA Asian Pacific Rally Championship (APRC), along with the final of the RESA Safety Motorsport Australia Rally Championship (ARC), and

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the NSW Rally Championship. All happening over November 25-26, this will cap off an enormous month of racing. Whilst the APRC and ARC will back-end the festival, November 5 will kick it off with the Massive Motor Show, which will display over 350 vehicles, followed by a burnout competition on November 6. Auto Action spoke with the event’s coorganiser and Rotary Club member, Bob Carle, who shed some light on how this event has come about. “Well, it started over a conversation between myself and the chamber president, and we were trying to come up with an idea that we could put on in the lead up to the Asian Pacific Rally,” Carle said. “What started as an idea for a single weekend just kept growing and attracting interest, and all of a sudden it grew to the extreme where we had every code of motorsport between Kempsey and Grafton wanting to get involved. “So every weekend in November there will be motorsport across the area, and it’s

become a pretty major thing that will now be a standalone annual event.” For participants and supporters of Hill Climbing, there will be three separate races over three different hills, one in Kempsey (6th), one in Raleigh (9th), and the final round in Grafton on November 13. For motorbike enthusiasts and riders there will be the standalone Massive Motor Bike Show, in conjunction with the first round of Champions of Dirt on November 12. The Champions of Dirt will test riders over a flat track and motor-cross circuit, with the victor to be judged over both disciplines, and will have its finale on November 13. The Sultans of Slide dirt track speedway bikes will compete over the weekend of November 19, with two rounds of racing in Kempsey, concluding November 20. The Grafton Speedway will host a sterling night of Speedway events on November 26, and there will be two back-to-back days of off-road racing in Kempsey on November 26 and 27, with great viewing for spectators on a short course style track.

The Coffs Kart Racing Club track – one of the best circuits in Australia – will host two days straight of competition from November 19-20, and the NSW Rally-cross Championship will run over two days at the Raleigh Raceway on November 12-13. “This event will bring a huge influx of people into the Coffs Harbour area which can’t be understated; the Rotary Club has worked hand in hand with the State Government, the community and local councils, who’ve thrown everything behind making this work. “Throwing in the TV coverage on top of that, it’s just gonna be a big big thing. “The fact that it covers so many codes of Motorsport makes this event such an attractive proposition for fans and participants, the likes of which this town hasn’t seen.” Any participants or spectators keen on taking part in the event, can contact the local clubs involved for entry information, or visit the event’s website www. coffscoastmotorsport.com TW Neal

TOYOTA CHAMPION SWITCHES TO SKODA

THE “TOUGHEST DECISION OF MY LIFE” ALLOWS BATES TO CONTEST WRC NZ By Paul Gover TOYOTA FACTORY driver and Australian rally championship leader Harry Bates will drive a Skoda Fabia when he tackles the World Rally Championship for the first time. There is no Toyota model suitable for the WRC2 category at Rally New Zealand from September 29 to October 2 and so he has been forced to switch brands for the one-off start. Ironically, his Fabia Evo 2 is the same model as the car that Shane van Gisbergen — who Bates beat in the first round of this year’s ARC in Canberra —will be driving, as they line up against NZ rally ace Hayden Paddon in a Hyundai. Bates has been working on his WRC debut for more than two years and credits

Toyota Australia with giving him the goahead for the brand switch across the ditch. “It was the toughest decision of my life in motorsport. I must thank Toyota Australia for allowing me this opportunity,” Bates told Auto Action. He also credits Pedders Suspension, a long-term backer of rallying in Australia, as the major financial supporter for the New Zealand attack. “I hope to do them proud,” Bates said. It will be his first overseas event as well as his first WRC start, but he will have a familiar team with his regular co-driver John McCarthy on the pace-notes and his father Neal in control of the team. Bates has not been beaten in Australia since November 2018 and would have been a three-time national champion without the Covid-19 pandemic. His regular ride is a Toyota Yaris and he has continued his winning romp though this year’s ARC, apart from the

cancellation of Rally Queensland because of wet weather. He admits the Skoda switch is a big move but said it was unavoidable. “If Toyota had a WRC2 car then I would be doing New Zealand in a Toyota. “For my career, I had to look at the next step in rallying and that’s WRC2. So this is the way for me to put myself on the world stage and put myself up against the best drivers in the world. “That’s something I always want to do. I don’t think you’re learning or improving yourself unless you’re going up against the best. “It’s been months of hard work for our small team to get to this point, and I am so fortunate and humbled to have the help and support from people in Australia as well as overseas.” Bates knows Rally NZ will be tough, and the WRC2 is even tougher, but he is primed for the challenge.

“I always have been looking at the world championship. I think it’s extremely tough to get there. “At the moment this is a oneoff, but I’ll look for any and every opportunity possible to get myself into the WRC on a regular basis. We’re putting all our focus into this.” Scott Pedder, the managing director of Pedders and himself a WRC2 runner in the past in a Skoda, said his company is happy to be backing Bates. “We’re thrilled to support Harry as he represents Australia on the international stage at Repco Rally New Zealand and we can’t wait to see him go to battle in Pedders colours,” he said. Before he heads to New Zealand next month, Bates will contest the next round of the ARC, the Middle of Everywhere Gippsland Rally, at the end of August in the hopes of extending his unbeaten national run to 12 consecutive round wins.

ADELAIDE MOTORSPORT FESTIVAL CONFIRMS FOUR YEAR DEAL THE ADELAIDE Motorsport Festival organisers have announced that it has recently signed a four-year agreement with the State Government to deliver the iconic motorsport festival, to be held on the streets of Adelaide. The returning event will be run over the period of 24 to 26 March 2023 and the annual event will then run one week prior to the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne. Bringing the Adelaide

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Motorsport Festival back was a key election promise as part of the Peter Malinauskas Labour Government’s Motorsport policy, including the return of the Adelaide 500. The event shares some key track infrastructure with the Adelaide 500, but it will operate on the shortened version of the Adelaide 500 circuit which only requires a single road closure of Wakefield Road over the three event days. The dates fit with the unofficial

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announcement of the Melbourne Formula 1 Grand Prix dates some seven days later over 30 March to 2 April 2023. Event director Tim Possingham said: “We are pleased to announce our dates for the return of the Adelaide Motorsport Festival. “These dates are absolutely perfect for us as we will be the week after the Adelaide Fringe festival concludes, but yet a week prior to the Melbourne Formula One Grand Prix.

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“Our team has been working on the content for the event and all I can say is that the timing of our event has drawn significant international interest whilst individuals who will be travelling from the Formula One events in the Middle East to Melbourne are compelled to

arrive in Australia some four or five days earlier.” “We are ever grateful of the support that we have received from the Malinauskas State Government, which has allowed this incredibly successful event to return and grow to new heights.” Possingham confirmed.

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“ ”

In the Porsche, the harder you drove it the more you were rewarded. Whereas you can over-drive a Supercar pretty easily

“When I turned up racing Formula Atlantic, against guys like Kenny Smith, I was alway pretty aggressive. Kenny said he had raced for 35 years and I was the first one to put him on his head. “He was happy to tell me he would happily stab me in the neck. There was no-one to cry to.” As single-seaters became a dead-end for Baird, he returned to New Zealand and was quickly into touring cars. “I sort of finished the 3000 in England and I went back to NZ and it was getting so expensive and hard to do. The opportunities and money to go back to Europe weren’t there. “But BMW NZ was setting up a touring car team and I made a call. They were a bit surprised. But I won five New Zealand Touring Car Championships with them and I came to Bathurst in the early days under Frank Gardner. He had been racing in South Africa and came to Australia in 1997, in a plan to replace Geoff Brabham in the Diet Coke car for BMW Australia. “They signed me and I got paid, but Brabham still had a deal. So I did some races in a third car.” He also took a hit when he and Paul Morris won with BMW at the ‘other’ Bathurst 1000 before being disqualified after a pitlane mistake on driving times. “I got my my first opportunity in Supercars with Dick Johnson, when they had those two Bathurst 1000s in ’97. I co-drove with Steve Johnson.” But he was still wanted in Britain as the BTCC was booming and Radisich had proven what a good Kiwi could do. “In ‘98 I could’t do Bathurst because I was with the factory Ford team in the Mondeo. Will Hoy was my team-mate, then Nigel Mansell came along. “So I came back and did the Queensland 500 and Bathurst in ’99 with Jason Bright. And then Brighty was making noises of taking off to America and Ross and Jimmy Stone offered me the drive in 2000. That’s really

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‘Bairdo’ has driven a range of Supercars along the way. Above: Team Kiwi (2003-4); Below: Team Brock cars in differing liveries (car #54). Below right: Thumbs up during the Team Kiwi era.

where the Supercar thing started.” And here’s a story that has not been told. “I only had the one win with them, and in fairness, we completely re-engineered the car to the point that Jimmy thought I was mad, and that Paul Ceprnich was mad. “Neither of us understood Supercars and we probably tried to turn them into a European-

style touring car. It didn’t work for him or me at the time. “We both needed more time to develop what we needed to do and Ross and Jimmy couldn’t afford to muck around and we both went.” So Baird crossed from Ford to Holden. “Then I drove for Brock with Rod Nash in

2002. Then they merged with Kees Weel and I sort of got lost when they merged the two programs. “So I jumped ship and drove for Team Kiwi for three years. I was quite comfortable with Team Kiwi in the end and started to get some results including a pole position, at Winton. “Then I got offered the ‘glory deal’ by Craig

The WPS deal with Craig Gore turned out to be a dead-end ...

Gore at WPS. Money talks, and I could see the big picture, so I went with him. “But then Larko (Mark Larkham) sold his business and he had two drivers under contract …” But, as that door closed another was opening. “That left me in the doldrums. But then Tony Quinn called and asked me to guide his son Klark and they ran a third car. That was the start of the Porsche thing. “It was a very small team. Even our workshop was based out of the VIP Petfoods factory. But I went straight out and won the championship for them.” He earned the title the hard way, as he had to beat his idol Jim Richards. “Everyone says their hero is a Formula One driver, but in fairness I’ve always idolised JR. My dad used to race him, I’ve raced him, I grew up watching him,” Baird says. “I just like the way he goes about his business. I suppose it does help, him being a Kiwi, but it’s between him and Stefan Bellof. I always had a picture of Bellof in the Porsche 956 sports cars on my wall. He was just mega-mega fast and I’m just sad he never got to be world champion like he would have been.” So Carrera Cup cars were giving him plenty of wins but he was not quite done on the international scene.

KEEPING IT COOL ...

Baird cites the ‘Waters incident’ in Perth as the ugliest in terms of online abuse. It’s a tough gig. “I was still going backwards and forwards, doing Daytona in sports cars and all sorts of things. “The Porsche thing was always competitive. The youngsters kept coming through. Fabian Coulthard was there, Matt Halliday would turn up, Daniel Gaunt was there. “I won five championships here in Australia but I won six in NZ and it was even more competitive. In Australia we had three drivers at the top, but in New Zealand everyone wanted to race in the off-season.” Baird is clear on why he liked the Cup cars and why he was so good in them.

Team Kiwi’s Finest Hour: One of Baird’s Supercar highlights was a sensational pole at Winton ...

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“I think a Porsche was very much like a single-seater. I was never that good in a Supercar because I wanted too much from it, and needed too much from it. If you look at (Mark) Skaife and (Marcos) Ambrose, they changed their driving style to stop it, turn it, and then utilise the drive from the tyre. “They were too big. Almost cumbersome. In the Porsche, the harder you drove it the more you were rewarded. Whereas you can over-drive a Supercar pretty easily.” Around this time he was also moving into the IPO role, as well as receiving a Queen’s Honour — a big deal for any sports person —

WATCHING CRAIG Baird at work inside Race Control at Winton is a lesson in focus, patience and fairness. There is no shouting, no-one shoots from the hip, and there is a process to be followed. When it appears there has been a jump-start, Baird calls for an instant review of all available video before even thinking about a penalty. It’s the same when a pitstop goes wrong. So: no emotion, no panic, no-one jumps to a conclusion. Baird is the pivot man, but he’s part of a tight crew that is led by race director James Taylor, with James Delzoppo as assistant race director and David Mori as investigation officer. They are also on a radio link to the race Stewards, one level down the control tower. There is plenty of chat through the race, mostly backand-forward as something is considered and judged. Then there is discussion about the appropriate penalty, considering previous situations and the incident that has triggered the judicial crew. What is surprisingly — and good to see — is how many inputs are fed to Race Control. It’s not just the television pictures that people see at home, as there are huge levels of rear-time data and judicial cameras in the cars and around the track. But what Baird brings to the whole process is his experience as a top-level racer. “I feel my strength is the feel for what happens on track. I feel James Taylor is much more experienced as a race director and he does that very well. “So my strength is reading the driver and James is very very good at reading the race. The best thing is we have an open channel between us. “The main priority is safety, and then what’s best for Supercars and their fan base in the racing.” Walking down from Race Control I have a new understanding — and a new respect — for Baird and the Motorsport Australia team.

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BMW E30 RACING

THE ULTIMATE GRASSROOTS MACHINE AMONG THE ARRAY OF ONE-MAKE CATEGORIES IN AND AROUND STATE RACING, THERE’S ONE THAT PROVIDES SURPRISINGLY MODEST COST IN WHAT HAS ALWAYS BEEN SEEN AS A PRESTIGE MARQUE – E30 RACING. TIMOTHY W NEAL INVESTIGATES ESTABLISHED BY a group of Victorian BMW motor enthusiasts in 2000, the BMW E30 racing series has grown into a competitive one-make grassroots car club with a focus on racing, now cementing itself as a regular participant in the Vic State Race Series (VSRS). By 2001, members of the group were running cars in competitive race meetings albeit, in those early years on track, forced to punch above their weight running against some heavily modified cars in categories such as Improved Production. With subsequent growth, the numbers meant the category could start to stand alone with E30-only grids, making it more attractive for new members, who could be guaranteed a fair and competitive bang for their buck.

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As the membership has expanded, aside from being a regular VSRS category, the club also initiates its own race days with other categories, at Winton and Phillip Island, and attempts to get interstate once every season – with races at The Bend, SMP, and at Baskerville. With that growth, the original concept for the BMW E30 Series has developed into that of a healthily competitive, affordable, and enjoyable entry-level touring car experience… with an earful of that straightsix howl. (As a side note, the E30 325i once featured on an Episode of Top Gear, back in 2010, when the three presenters were challenged with buying a four seater for less than 2000 pounds to race – leading Jeremy Clarkson to sum up that “all identical cars

aren’t necessarily identical …”). A strict policy against enhanced engine alterations mean that the racing is competitive and close, with a heavy lean towards cultivating a driver’s racecraft, including a strict no-contact policy. E30 race specifications are predominantly based around the 325i model, with strict limitations on available modifications – mainly related to vehicle safety. Promoted in the 80s as ‘The Ultimate Driving Machine,’ competitors can hit the tarmac with a BMW E30 3-series coupe or sedan, as marketed by BMW Australia during the period of 1983 to 1991, such as the 318i, 323i or the 325i. The cars offer a rear-wheel-drive chassis and compact dimensions that make for great braking and cornering capability. With

no ABS or power steering, the lack of driver aids makes for an honest stripped-back experience between the operator, car, and track. The one thing that becomes apparent with this club, is the heavy emphasis on pushing one another to become better at their racecraft. No-one is short of lending a hand, whether that be in a mechanical sense, or in sharing information and onboard footage during a race meeting. There’s a healthy mix of veterans, younger drivers, and family ties that run throughout the club, making it an inclusive community that are proudly passionate and prideful of their classic E30s. Auto Action was on the ground for Round 4 of the VSRS, getting a first-hand perspective, from the front runner to the

Images: E30 Racing-BMW Drivers Cup

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newbie, identifying what it takes financially to get involved in this series, and if there is a competitive financial line. The Bell family has been in E30 racing from the beginning. We spoke to Club president and E30 racer Jess Bell about the benefits of joining the category. “I grew up in E30s as a little kid, so for me there’s a close family connection,” Bell said. “But the way that everyone supports each other to get on track is a special thing about our category. We’re obviously very competitive once the helmets go on, but our members just want to see everyone out there – it’s the big bonus of this category. “For a grassroots club, it’s perfect for a first timer to join, and although the cost of an E30 car has gone up in recent years, it’s a very affordable category to stay in. “There’s not a lot of car costs as it’s not a high-power category. So it’s just keeping up the basics, because they’re incredibly reliable machines to run over a long period of time.” In terms of membership, the club offers a few different packages – $120 per year, or $100 for the pre January 31 early bird; as well as a $50 per round option, to suit those that can’t compete in the seven or so events that the club generally participates in. There is also a $40 social membership; giving access to discounts on merchandise and deals for the clubs many sponsors. Before getting into the cost of the machines, entry into a state racing round is $450-500, plus an optional $375-550 for a garage over the weekend; theres an optional $250 for a Friday practice and $185 for a garage on that day (Phillip Island costs). Costs do vary depending track-to-track, and the Island is one of the higher-priced circuits. The 2.5 litre straight-six engine will need some $100-200 of petrol per round so, all up, a competitor should put aside around $1000-1200 per round for entry with a garage, not including any travel costs and accommodation, which is normally organised in-club prior to a round. The initial cost of a BMW E30 is where the heaviest financial aspect lies in this category. But costs after its purchase is where the difference lies between this and other grass-root categories. In today’s economy, the cheapest decent used E30 318i or 325i will run from $15,00025,000 dollars, with a new-build race-ready

car likely to cost around $25,000-30,000. One in average condition, that needs a lot of work, can be snapped up for between $5,000-7,000 … if one can be found. Prospective drivers are encouraged to contact the club re available cars, as they are highly active in sourcing E30s on the open market, as well as parts. All up, it’s about a $10,000 spend to prepare a used car for racing, bringing it up to 325i spec, as well as adding a later model 2.5 litre M20 engine ($3,000-4000). Series front runner and last year’s champion, Alex Jory, outlined how he went about acquiring his car and preparing it to try and find an edge in a field of evenly matched cars: “I actually tried to buy the car that I have now about five years ago – I think it was around $20,000 – but someone else snapped it up and it went up to Brisbane. At that time there weren’t a lot of cars around, so I ended up building one from scratch,” Jory said. “At the time you could buy a base 318 Coupe for under a grand for one that was in pretty rough condition, whereas now, even for that same car, you’re probably gonna spend between $5,000 and $7,000. “Building one yourself, the finished result really depends on the standard you want to build it to. You can definitely build one for less than the 20-25 grand that they’re now going for. You can still find a wrecker’s motor for between $500-1000 and give it a freshen up – you can still be competitive but maybe not quite at the front. You’d probably be about 80 percent of the way there.” On average, the majority of competitors are averaging about $10,000 to bring a car up to competition spec. “Seeing as everything is running on the same spec, there’s not a huge amount you can tinker with. But what you can do is run at a slightly higher compression, put in forged pistons, and maybe get some head work done. “Other than that, the series is quite locked down and, because you can’t increase the capacity, it’s all driver’s skill. You can’t put in a different camshaft; the exhaust is free but there’s not a huge gain to make there. Same with the intake, so your biggest spend in that area is the pistons and head work.” When it comes to the brakes, the category uses the stock 325i set, at around $500 a set. A disc set will cost you around $250 – which is why most E30 competitors do a careful cool-down after the race, to extend the lifespan, as it’s possible to nurse a set of pads through an entire season. In terms of tyre, the series runs on medium compound all-weather Yokohama tyres, and most drivers go through two sets a year – though it’s possible to get through on one, depending on the overall weather conditions and driving style. A tyre set costs around

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Supercars RACE REPORT Round 9 – SANDOWN

Right: A two-wheeling Scott Pye was part of an altogether better weekend for Team 18. Centre: A Saturday podium was the best outcome for Anton this time. Bottom: James Golding pushed PremiAir Racing into new territory with a top 10 qualification and result on Sunday.

challengers, pitting on lap 13 in an effort to get some space and mount pressure for a podium. However the move came unstuck, incurring a penalty from jumping too early with the wheel gun still attached. Approaching the halfway mark, van Gisbergen was driving a familiar race, +12.850s on Waters, leaving Heimgartner in P3 in front of Tim Slade and Nick Percat, to allow him a comfortable pit. Mostert was well placed in P7 after his early undercut, as the top three pitted, leaving Slade, Percat and Fullwood in the lead on lap 22. With that group pitting, Van Gisbergen retook his lead, 2.065s ahead of Mostert and Reynolds, with 3.930s between them by lap 30. Will Brown provided a tough contest for Reynolds, taking him on the inside on lap 33 to put himself in the hunt for his first 2022 podium, moving into P3, 4.950 off Mostert. But it would be SVG to take victory, lapping Brodie Kostecki on the last straight to finish 7.516s up on Mostert with Brown in P3.

RACE 3

Van Gisbergen snatched back-to-back victories to cap off a huge Sunday, with Davison fighting hard for a close fought

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P2, making it a successful points scoring weekend for the DJR charger, taking him to third in the standings. Davison held off van Gisbergen into the first corner, who pushed hard but couldn’t get his nose in front. The two leaders went door-to-door going into the sixth corner of lap three, with van Gisbergen squeezing past in an ominous sign of things to come, before the two DJR teammates almost derailed each other with De Pasquale cannoning into Davison’s rear, nearly climbing up the back of him. De Pasquale pitted with major damage to his front right, ending his hopes for another podium.

Thomas Randle stepped into the team spare, put it onto grid five on Saturday, and went home with a couple of top 10 results. Right: Podium for T8’s youngster. Fam proud ... Below: Caption competition? Below right: Is it really? Yup, 500 for Lee Holdsworth ...

QUALIFYING RACE 24 Pos Driver 1 Will Davison 2 Shane van Gisbergen 3 William Brown 4 De Pasquale 5 Thomas Randle 6 Mark Winterbottom 7 James Courtney 8 Jack Le Brocq 9 Andre Heimgartner 10 Broc Feeney 11 Scott Pye 12 Cameron Waters 13 Chaz Mostert 14 Brodie Kostecki 15 Todd Hazelwood 16 Jake Kostecki 17 Bryce Fullwood 18 Lee Holdsworth 19 Tim Slade 20 Macauley Jones 21 Jack Smith 22 Nick Percat 23 Chris Pither 24 David Reynolds 25 James Golding

RESULTS RACE 24 36LAPS ( 112 KMS) Time 1:07.6500 .1871 .3191 .3559 .3615 .4805 .6384 .9178 1.7446 No time .1786 .1889 .2378 .3288 .5103 .5517 .5780 .5857 .6677 .0186 1.9579 2.5628 2.9667 03.1604 No time

QUALIFYING RACE 25 Pos Driver 1 Shane van Gisbergen 2 Cameron Waters 3 Chaz Mostert 4 Broc Feeney 5 Scott Pye 6 David Reynolds 7 William Brown 8 James Golding 9 Andre Heimgartner 10 Brodie Kostecki 11 Will Davison 12 Mark Winterbottom 13 Anton De Pasquale 14 James Courtney 15 Jack Le Brocq 16 Macauley Jones 17 Tim Slade 18 Chris Pither 19 Bryce Fullwood 20 Thomas Randle 21 Nick Percat 22 Todd Hazelwood 23 Lee Holdsworth 24 Jake Kostecki 25 Jack Smith

Pos Drivers 1 Will Davison 2 Shane van Gisbergen 3 Anton De Pasquale 4 William Brown 5 Cameron Waters 6 James Courtney 7 Scott Pye 8 Mark Winterbottom 9 Thomas Randle 10 Chaz Mostert 11 Brodie Kostecki 12 David Reynolds 13 James Golding 14 Broc Feeney 15 Nick Percat 16 Bryce Fullwood 17 Macauley Jones 18 Tim Slade 19 Jack Le Brocq 20 Jack Smith 21 Todd Hazelwood 22 Jake Kostecki 23 Andre Heimgartner 24 Lee Holdsworth 25 Chris Pither

Laps 36 36 36 36 36 36 36 36 36 36 36 36 36 36 36 36 36 36 36 36 36 36 36 36 35

Race time 41:58.7286 42:07.2206 42:07.7461 42:14.0458 42:14.2616 42:14.5002 42:14.9617 42:15.3799 42:16.3641 42:16.9855 42:18.3315 42:26.7208 42:28.5821 42:35.2162 42:35.5290 42:36.6614 42:36.9155 42:38.6856 42:39.6859 42:42.4030 42:43.5908 42:44.1380 42:46.1667 42:52.1007 42:29.5496

– – s1 t-1 s7 s1 s4 t-2 t-4 s3 s3 s12 s12 t-4 s7 s1 s3 s1 t-11 s1 t-6 t-6 t-14 t-6 t-2

RESULTS RACE 25 36LAPS (112 KMS) Time 1:07.4467 0:00.0138 0:00.0225 0:00.0763 0:00.1179 0:00.2153 0:00.2499 0:00.2549 0:00.3139 0:00.3685 0:00.3690 0:00.4015 0:00.4262 0:00.4533 0:00.5055 0:00.5518 0:00.5527 0:00.5895 0:00.6094 0:00.6214 0:00.6754 0:00.7231 0:00.7785 0:00.9323 0:01.3778

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Pos Drivers 1 Shane van Gisbergen 2 Chaz Mostert 3 William Brown 4 David Reynolds 5 Scott Pye 6 Andre Heimgartner 7 Cameron Waters 8 Anton De Pasquale 9 James Golding 10 Broc Feeney 11 Tim Slade 12 Mark Winterbottom 13 James Courtney 14 Macauley Jones 15 Will Davison 16 Chris Pither 17 Thomas Randle 18 Lee Holdsworth 19 Nick Percat 20 Jake Kostecki 21 Bryce Fullwood 22 Jack Smith 23 Brodie Kostecki 24 Todd Hazelwood 25 Jack Le Brocq

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Laps 36 36 36 36 36 36 36 36 36 36 36 36 36 36 36 36 36 36 36 36 36 36 35 31 31

Apart from a rubbing tyre, Davison avoided any damage and kept the heat on van Gisbergen, trailing by 0.387s into the fifth lap, with Mostert, Waters and Feeney making up the quintet, separated by just 1.3s. The whole field was throwing its collective weight around the track, with the back runners remarkably setting the fastest laps. Mostert went for the early undercut on lap 10, putting Waters into P3 ahead of Feeney and Winterbottom, reentering 33s back on the leaders, well placed to fight for his second podium of the day. Van Gisbergen looked to pull away, but Davison stuck doggedly, just 0.382 back on the 14th lap, setting up a tantalising strategic battle for the first pit. Van Gisbergen made the first move on lap 18, pitting QUALIFYING RACE 26

Race time 42:03.8337 42:11.3505 42:15.8308 42:17.8192 42:20.0182 42:20.0197 42:31.4033 42:32.3426 42:35.2309 42:37.4047 42:37.789 42:39.6600 42:40.6547 42:41.0805 42:41.2984 42:43.5397 42:46.1168 42:46.2884 42:50.4756 42:51.6744 42:54.9232 42:55.5326 42:06.5933 43:00.5006 43:10.0966

– s1 s4 s2 – s3 t-5 s5 t-1 t-6 s6 s1 s2 t-4 s2 s3 s5 s2 s4 t-2 s3 t-13 t-2 t-10

Pos 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25

Driver Time Will Davison 1:07.2078*R Shane van Gisbergen 0:00.0413 Anton De Pasquale 0:00.2182 Mark Winterbottom 0:00.2351 Chaz Mostert 0:00.2382 Cameron Waters 0:00.2930 David Reynolds 0:00.3002 Thomas Randle 0:00.3071 Broc Feeney 0:00.3645 Scott Pye 0:00.3774 William Brown 0:00.3913 Tim Slade 0:00.4257 Jake Kostecki 0:00.4438 Andre Heimgartner 0:00.4671 James Golding 0:00.4734 Lee Holdsworth 0:00.4996 Nick Percat 0:00.5109 James Courtney 0:00.5428 Todd Hazelwood 0:00.5871 Brodie Kostecki 0:00.6004 Macauley Jones 0:00.6683 Jack Le Brocq 0:00.6806 Bryce Fullwood 0:00.7998 Chris Pither 0:00.8459 Jack Smith 0:01.2806

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ahead of Davison, which proved to be a telling blow. Davison was still out on lap 21, with Holdsworth between him and van Gisbergen in P3, 33.785 off Davison. Davison finally pitted on lap 23, coming out behind van Gisbergen on the cold Softs, 1.990 in arrears but chipping away at the front runner, shaving off the tenths to 1.768 into lap 29 Waters again locked up chasing Mostert, spearing into the grass to drop him into P10, ending his chances of a podium. This dropped Feeney into P4 from which he would overtake Mostert into Turn 1 to take P3 on lap 33. Davison couldn’t quite pull van Gisbergen in, getting as close as 0.461s, with Feeney earning Triple Eight a double podium. That makes it 16 victories from 26 races this year for SVG, having only missed the podium four times as he continues to etch his signature into this year’s championship trophy. “It was a pretty cool race in those opening few laps because we were having some awesome battles,” commented the happy winner. “It was a shame Anton (De Pasquale) suffered damage and we couldn’t all battle it out. I’m stoked for the team to get a double podium, and congratulations to Broc and the entire crew. “Will was really fast this weekend, and he was driving really well in the last race, I knew I had to get him at the start so I put maximum pressure on him. At the end I could see him coming but I went as hard as I could and didn’t look into the mirror – I just kept pushing.” His 70th career win comes ahead of his home race in Pukekohe, NZ, on September 9-11 for the third straight SuperSprint format.

RESULTS RACE 26 36LAPS (112 KMS) Pos Drivers 1 Shane van Gisbergen 2 Will Davison 3 Broc Feeney 4 Chaz Mostert 5 Mark Winterbottom 6 Tim Slade 7 Scott Pye 8 Thomas Randle 9 David Reynolds 10 Cameron Waters 11 William Brown 12 James Courtney 13 Andre Heimgartner 14 Bryce Fullwood 15 Jack Smith 16 Brodie Kostecki 17 Macauley Jones 18 Lee Holdsworth 19 James Golding 20 Jake Kostecki 21 Chris Pither 22 Nick Percat 23 Anton De Pasquale 24 Todd Hazelwood NC Jack Le Brocq

Laps 36 36 36 36 36 36 36 36 36 36 36 36 36 36 36 36 36 36 36 35 34 34 30 29 32

CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS AFTER ROUND 9 Race time 42: 06.0656 42:06.5267 42:17.8704 42:21.3291 42:21.4746 42:23.0275 42:24.6437 42:28.4610 42:30.1576 42:31.7813 42:32.4141 42:34.4284 42:35.0944 42:40.9893 42:42.9879 42:44.9112 42:45.4649 42:45.9363 42:50.2252 42:45.0939 42:42.0868 42:54.9413 42:50.6605 42:55.1076 10 1:09.2452

s1 t-1 s6 s1 t-1 s6 s3 t-2 t-4 s6 s1 s9 s10 s4 s4 t-2 t-4 t-7 s3 t-5 t-20 t-5 t-3

Pos 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29

Driver Shane van Gisbergen Cameron Waters Will Davison Anton De Pasquale Chaz Mostert Broc Feeney David Reynolds Brodie Kostecki James Courtney Andre Heimgartner Tim Slade Mark Winterbottom William Brown Lee Holdsworth Nick Percat Todd Hazelwood Scott Pye Bryce Fullwood Macauley Jones Jack Le Brocq Thomas Randle Chris Pither Jake Kostecki Jack Smith Garry Jacobson James Golding Jordan Boys Zak Best Jayden Ojeda

Points 2493 1993 1974 1971 1764 1648 1562 1389 1349 1346 1343 1309 1280 1174 1122 1068 1022 938 917 885 873 813 807 754 513 308 168 162 150

s1 t-1 s2 t-1 t-1 s1 t-1 s2 s1 t-3 s2 t-1 t-1 -