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Chris Lambden-The father/ class founder of S5000.Left The S5000 grid rolls out for its opening race at the 2022 Australian F1 Grand Prix. Image: DANIEL KALISZ Below: the first prototype – high airbox and big rubber ...
SPEEDSERIES SCHEDULE COMPLETE THE FAMOUS Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit is the final addition of the now complete eight-round 2023 SpeedSeries calendar. The third round of the season was listed as “to be confirmed” but it now has a home with the 4.445km circuit to welcome a number of categories on May 12-14. One of those will be the GT World Challenge Australia field, which also confirmed its Sprint season. The GT Sprint season will race at the Bathurst 6 Hour, Perth SuperSprint, Phillip Island, Sydney SuperNight, Queensland SpeedSeries and Adelaide 500.
S5000 LINKS UP WITH AFO THE NEW Australian Formula Open has joined forces with S5000 to help promote a natural openwheel pathway. The winner of the new AFO series that combines Formula 3, Formula Renault, Toyota Racers and Formula 4 cars will get assistance in a ‘wings and slicks’ racing progression, with key S5000 prizes on offer. AFO champions will receive a fully funded test with the Tim Macrow racing team and free entry into the first round of the S5000 series. The new six-round AFO series begins on March 4-5 at Winton.
NEW HOLDEN HQ EVENT HIDDEN VALLEY will host a fierce new interstate contest when the Hi-Tec Oils Super Series heads to the top end. The Holden HQ State of Origin Challenge will be one of the headline acts of round 2 of the Hi-Tec Oils Super Series at Darwin on April 29-May 1. The unique format involves two drivers sharing each car across the four sprint races before a twohour endurance race with compulsory pit stops completes the weekend. The drivers will score points for their respective state/territory and the highest amount will be secure the State of Origin crown.
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S5000 CREATOR DEPARTS ARG
CHRIS LAMBDEN, the man who conceived and developed what has become the S5000 Australian Gold Star Championship car, has departed S5000 category managers, the Australian Racing Group, where he had been contracted initially as S5000 Category Manager, more recently as Development Manager. After nearly five years of tenure within the ARG Group, the change is due, we understand, to a budgetary restructure within the ARG organisation, owned primarily by Barry Rogers and minor share holder John McMellan. Lambden, the former motorsport competitor and media identity (Auto Action Editor from 1984 to 1988 and publisher of Australasian Motorsport News, from 1993 to 2011), first dreamed up the idea of a modern allAustralian V8-powered single-seater category in 2015, after briefly dipping a toe into historic Formula 5000 racing, with a McRae GM1. After investigating options and co-opting respected Formula Ford constructor and engineer Michael Borland’s involvement, the first FT5000 prototype, based on a Swift Formula Nippon tub, with the Ford Coyote engine/Holinger gearbox combination, was designed, completed and unveiled (and featured on Auto Action’s cover) in late 2016. There were several challenges along the way, including the 2017 commissioning of a ‘copy-cat’ car by Supercars (ultimately discarded when the two projects merged thanks to the intervention of long-time motorsport supporter Brian Boyd), and then Motorsport Australia’s insistence on a more current car spec (resolved with
the adoption of the Onroak-Ligier tub, including ‘halo’, ultimately being approved). With the early support and investment by Brian Boyd, the revised car, the more modern and FIA-friendly S5000 was unveiled in December 2018, completing demonstration laps at the Supercars finale at Newcastle. At the same time, Garry Rogers stepped forward, offering GRM’s facilities – and capital – to build cars. With some design ‘productionising’, the first batch of cars was completed for a spectacular launch event at Sandown late in 2019 – under the auspices of the then newly-launched Australian Racing Group. At the same time, Lambden was embraced by ARG, initially as S5000 Category, then Development Manager, a position he has held until recently. The Covid-induced cancellation of the 2020 Australian F1 GP, and its S5000 races, heralded a tough period for all motorsport, including S5000. However, the category’s most recent event – on the spectacular VALO Adelaide 5000 circuit in December – points to the great potential for the category, which enjoys significant race fan support. Lambden however will now, for the first time, have no formal involvement – although he retains shared ownership (with F5000 enthusiast Frank Harris) of the #23 car raced to date by Tim Macrow. There had been some talk around since the successful Adelaide 500S5000 program, that Lambden may no longer have an official role with S5000. When contacted by AUTO ACTION, Lambden confirmed that he was no
longer officially involved with the category. “That’s correct – I’m not contracted to ARG as of New Year,” Lambden said. “While I have had terrific support in the development of S5000 – and everyone at ARG has been ‘putting in’ – there’s been a few recent changes within ARG, some new faces along the way, and I guess it’s fair to say we weren’t able to agree on my continuation in the role. “While that’s a bit frustrating, I remain S5000’s number one supporter and fan and will be doing whatever I can to aid its future growth – as an independent. While the title was ‘Development’ it involved a fair bit more than development of the car itself – which has been GRM’s domain more recently anyway – including measures to try to grow the grid, assisting teams with sponsorship activities, and so on. “It’s been quite a trip from the first ‘thought-bubble’ seven years ago, with some interesting road humps along the way, but I’m 100 per cent convinced, with good management, of the category’s viability and future. “Adelaide was a great S5000 event – probably the best yet – so I look forward to ARG building on that.” Liam Curkpatrick, Chief Operating Officer of the Australian Racing Group and an important player in the S5000 category’s development, praised Lambden, but also highlighted that the development phase of the category has finished. “Chris has been such an important part of the creation of this wonderful racing category. All along he’s been important part of the category’s development, and I can absolutely confirm there are no issues with him going forward. “I have a huge amount of respect for Chris, and I have always enjoyed working with him on the development of the S5000 category. “We are all on good terms and I know that he will still have an important and positive role in the development of the category into the future.” Curkpatrick told AA. Bruce Williams
Cresting the rise at COTA – Nathan Herne is chasing a US NASCAR career ... Images: MOTORSPORT IMAGES, DANIEL KALISZ
HERNE CHASES THE AMERICAN DREAM AUSTRALIA’S NATHAN Herne has been snapped up by American Trans Am team Steven-Miller Racing (SMR) to race in the TA2 class for the 2023 season. The 20 year-old from Lismore, NSW, dominated the past two seasons of the National Trans Am circuit, winning backto-back titles, as well as capturing the S5000 Tasman Series. After being invited to compete for SMR at the last round of the 2022 American TA2 series (images above), he impressed with a P4 in a 53 car field in Texas at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA). Auto Action spoke with Herne fresh off the plane in Chicago, where he’ll embark on his Trans Am journey, with an eye towards for a future in NASCAR. “I’ve always wanted to race in America, and I got my chance at COTA! Luckily, I had a good enough weekend to be invited back,” Herne said. “The TA2 series is still growing here, just like at home, but everything was just so organised and well-run with SMR … everyone was very inviting and helpful, they’re that kind of organisation. “It really seemed like everyone wanted to help me move on, and there was nothing about giving them amounts of money, they just gave advice and helped. What I liked most was they were just
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there for the racing – no bullshit, just to go racing and see what happens.” With American TA2 Trans Am beginning to transform into a NASCAR feeder series, and teams putting prospects through the series, Herne says he has plans to climb the ladder. “Whilst NASCAR is very expensive, similar to Supercars in that way, there’s a lot of people who want to help you get there. So it’s not out of control to get into the bottom rung of the feeders,” he continued. “And now that TA2 is even considered a feeder, I’m in the right place, but I’d have to try getting onto the oval pathway, which I’ve talked about to people. It’s very expensive, but the help’s there. “I’ll do my best to make a name for myself in TA2, and I don’t see why those opportunities won’t come up in the future. I’m definitely going to have a crack at getting there, and I do have some things lined up that I’m going to try, and hopefully it all falls into place. “I’ll hit the ground running with TA2 first, but I’ve got a fair idea of where I want to go, and how I’ll go about it.” When it comes to leaving home, Herne admits that he’ll miss his family, but the option to race at home and turn professional didn’t seem an option, despite his success. “I won five championships in three different categories in Australia, but I felt it wasn’t leading to anything,” he continued. “I was lucky with Garry Rogers Motorsport because they actually kept me racing. Then after a week in America, I get to be a professional driver! It sucks
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that I can’t do that in my own country, and I’d like to be near my family, but it is what it is … I had to bite the bullet and come to America. There just wasn’t anything presenting in Australia.” From his sole experience in Texas, Herne noted the main differences in racing style, and how to navigate those challenges. “Winning a championship over here is a very different prospect – the grids are massive, and there’s more penalty for anything that goes wrong on track. “If you spin out here, you’ve got to pass 50 cars to get back into it, not 20 or so. What I learnt at COTA was to be aggressive in the first lap and get through everything; then you can start making your big moves. If you go defensive you just get tangled up in the trouble, and if you go for the Hail Mary on the outside, you also hit the bad stuff, so you have to be aggressive, but smart about it … and get a bit of luck.” In 2023, Herne will be coming up against drivers like Thad Moffitt (Richard Petty’s Grandson), former Indycar driver Raphael Matos, Adam Andretti (brother of John and nephew of Mario), and last years TA2 champion Thomas Merrill, as well as racing on some of world’s most famous tracks. “It’s a shame they took Laguna Seca off the schedule, but to race at places like Watkins Glen and Road America will be amazing. Obviously it’ll be tough to learn 12 new tracks … haven’t learnt a new one for a while so I’ll see how I go. Round 1 at Sebring will be an eye-opener with that bottle neck at Turn 1 also.
“It’s going to be really cool racing against some really good drivers on these great tracks. But at the end of the day, I’m going for the championship this year! I’m not going out for any cowboy moves, and although I want to win every race, I’m happy finishing second or third, or whatever it takes to win SMR a championship.” The American Trans Am season kicks off at Sebring on February 2326 at the Sebring in Florida, with a 12 round season that goes through until November 5 at COTA. TW Neal
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LATEST NEWS
NATIONAL SPEED AND AUTO TEST CHAMPIONSHIP DATES CONFIRMED THE DATES and locations for the National Speed and Auto Test Championships have been confirmed by Motorsport Australia, along with the hosting car clubs. Queensland and NSW will split the four events, with the opening battle – the Motorsport Australia Khanacross Championship – taking place on April 29-30 in Queensland, with the Central Coast Car Club chosen as the host. Last year’s Khanacross championship was the first held since 2019, with victorian Barry Nowell taking his first title at the Mid Murray Motorplex in South Australia. Five months later, the Motorsport Australia Motorkhana Championship will take place on September 30-October 1 in Nirimba, NSW, with multiple clubs to play host. Aaron Wuillemin is the defending Motorkhana champion, after taking it out at a rainy Willowbank in his Honda Special last year. The Porsche Club at Morgan Park in Queensland then plays host to the Motorsport Australia Supersprint Championship a fortnight later, with last year’s Supersprint and Hill Climb champion Dean Tighe (pictured) looking to go back-to-back. Closing the Speed and Auto Test Championship will be the Motorsport Australia Hill Climb Championship on October 26-29. The 77th iconic National Hill Climb championship will be hosted by the MG Car Club of Newcastle, at the Ringwood Park Motor Complex in NSW. Tighe became just the fourth driver to take out two Australian championships in the one year, with a Hill Climb time of 37.46s, with 78 competitors having taken part. Motorsport Australia CEO, Eugene Arocca, congratulated the clubs that were chosen to host the
prestigious Australian championship events. “We are excited to confirm these dates and venues for the 2023 Championships,” Arocca said. “All four Championships have significant motorsport history and we are pleased to see the passion for these events continuing now and into the future. “After a tough period for these grassroots Championships, we were delighted to see them return in full swing in 2022 and know that the event hosts will be able to build on that momentum and put on an excellent show across these four events in 2023.” TW Neal 2023 SPEED & AUTO TEST CHAMPIONSHIP DATES Motorsport Australia Khanacross Championship: Central Coast CC 29-30 April – Benaraby Driver Education Facility, Queensland Motorsport Australia Motorkhana Championship: Multiple Clubs 30 September-1 October – Nirimba Education Precinct, New South Wales Motorsport Australia Supersprint Championship: Porsche CC 14 October – Morgan Park, Queensland Motorsport Australia Hill Climb Championship: MG Car Club (Newcastle) 26-29 October – Ringwood Park Motor Complex, New South Wales
ROB ROY REVIVAL SET FOR HISTORIC FESTIVAL AUSTRALIA’S OLDEST hillclimb track, in the scenic Yarra Valley, is set to host the inaugural Rob Roy Revival on March 18-19 in 2023. The two-day festival will seek to emulate the atmosphere of the 1950s and 60s motorsport, with spectators also encouraged to dress in the style of the era. Organised by the MG Car Club Victoria, in collaboration with the Victorian Historic Register, the revival will feature 75 historic racing cars competing for awards. Two-time Bathurst winner and six-time Touring Car masters champion John Bowe AM will act as the event patron, and the Rob Roy paddock will be lined with marquees, where attendees can view the vehicles up close and speak with drivers and crews. Entrants will include pre-war Grand Prix cars, MGs with international racing pedigrees, Australian Specials from the 30s to the 50s – including cars that competed in the 1953 Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park – along with Brabhams, Elfins, Coopers and Lolas, plus historic touring cars and Sports Sedans. A feature of the event will be a tribute to Garrie Cooper’s Elfin marque, with a minimum of 10
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Elfins competing, including an MR8 Formula 5000. An exclusive package will be available for a limited number of guests in the Rob Roy Revival VIP Marquee, with a gourmet luncheon showcasing Yarra Valley produce and wines. The marquee has a view of the start line and will be overseen by executive chef Keith Jackson, who has years of experience catering for the Australian Grand Prix and the Melbourne Cup. There will also be a range of other gourmet food and beverage options, including picnic hampers and food trucks, along with market and trade stalls. Live music and fashion shows will be presented from the stage, with the well-known queen of 50s
vintage style, Lisa Defazio, as MC. Everyone is encouraged to wear their best vintage 50s and 60s gear and there will be fashion awards presented each day. Period dress will be required to enter the paddock area where the competing cars are garaged. Car clubs will also have an opportunity to participate, with up to 100 classics from the era on display each day. Clubs are invited to contact the Rob Roy Revival organisers to discuss participation. Early-bird tickets are now on sale. This is a fully ticketed event, so booking online is essential. For more information about the Rob Roy Revival and to book your tickets go to https://www. robroyrevival.mgcc.com.au/ TW Neal
Australia’s oldest hillclimb venue will be honoured in style ...
Image: JOHN MORRIS
FORMER F1 STAR AND CARS FOR PHILLIP ISLAND CLASSIC
Alan Jones first GP was in the sister car to James Hunt’s Hesketh 308 – and it’s coming to PI. Right: Eddie Irvine rose to be Schumacher’s Ferrari team-mate. Also coming to PI is the Shadow in which AJ took his first F1 win. Images: MOTORSPORT IMAGES FORMULA 1 fever will descend on the 2023 Phillip Island Classic with pristine historic Grand Prix cars and a fan-favourite driver to feature at the event. Former Ferrari star and four-time Grand Prix winner Eddie Irvine is expected to make an appearance at the “Festival of Motorsport” from March 10-12. The Irishman was a much-loved figure across the 1990s and early 2000s, starting 146 Grands Prix for Jordan, Ferrari and Jaguar. Irvine reached his peak racing for the Scuderia in 1999, where he fell four points short of the world title. The now 57-year-old is expected to attend the “Festival of Motorsport” event at Phillip Island during a stay which also includes the Australian Grand Prix. In addition to Irvine providing some glamour to Phillip Island, there will be plenty of classic F1 cars putting on a show on the track. Six F1 cars from the 1970s and 1980s will be arriving from Europe to race against Australian based F1 cars on the famous Victorian circuit in a ‘Grand Prix’ after completing combined events with Formula 5000 cars. The cars coming from the other side of the world have a strong connection to Australia’s 1980 world champion Alan Jones. The first car Jones drove in a Grand Prix, the Hesketh 308-1, also driven by 1976 world
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champion James Hunt, is coming, plus the Aussie’s maiden winner. In 1977 Jones drove a Shadow DN8 from P14 to P1 at Austria to secure his first of 12 wins. The oldest car coming from Europe is the Surtees TS16/02 raced in 1974 and 1975. Its high watermark was delivered by Carlos Pace, who scored fourth in the 1974 Brazilian Grand Prix at the circuit that would later bear his name. The Tyrrell 012 previously driven by the likes of Alboreto, Stefan Bellof, Martin Brundle and Stefan Johansson will stand out in its distinctive green Benetton sponsored livery. The unremarkable, but highly memorable Ensign N179 also joins the era. The car which only competed in 11 Grands Prix in 1979 stood out for its unique nose design where radiators were built into the scuttle and continued all the way to the front wing. Nigel Mansell’s first F1 car, the Lotus 81 will also be racing. The car driven by the likes of Mansell, Mario Andretti and Elio de Angelis scored two podiums and nine points finishes from 42 starts. An F1 car display for fans to enjoy a closeup look of the pristine machines is also being planned. The addition of the Grand Prix cars has excited event organisers with Victorian Historic Racing Register president and event director Ian Tate saying it will be the first time
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F1 cars will be seen racing a standalone ‘Grand Prix’ at the event. “We have a heap going on and I hope they create a lot of interest,” he told Auto Action. “The Sunday we will have a dedicated race for F1 cars for the first time and we hope to have four or five local F1 cars as well. “They will have their own dedicated race for Formula 1 cars which we have never seen before at Phillip Island. “These guys are not coming just to make up the field, these guys are serious racers and will bring seven mechanics to prepare the cars. “I hope the public get behind it.” Tate also said there is a strong chance many Australian based F1 cars will further bolster the field.“We also hope to have some local cars. We have an ex Michele Alboreto (1985) Ferrari, we have got Ian Ross coming in his Lola turbo and Ian Buddery in a 1986 March,” he said. “Hopefully we are going to get Chris Green from South Australia with a Benetton and Paul Faulkner to bring an Alan Jones’ Grand Prix winning car to lead them around on a warm up lap, while Duttons has an Arrows. “We are trying to get paperwork through now for them to come across and race.” Ensuring the priceless F1 cars from the celebrated era of the sport travel halfway around the world to Australia will be no easy task and Tate said it was only possible due to
two generous supporters. “We have two fantastic members from our club to put in a lot of money – two thirds of the cost to bring the cars here,” he said. “George Nakas from Dutton Garage and Joe Calleja from Apex Steel have tipped in a lot of money to make it happen, so we are so appreciative of them it is not funny.” Although entries are yet to be closed, Tate said he has already seen the positive impact of bringing the F1 cars to the Phillip Island Classic. “There will also be five Formula 5000s, some Formula 3 cars which are very quick, but we have more entries in Q and R racing than we have ever had before because they want to race with the F1 cars, which is sensational.” The VHRR encourages anyone who owns a F1 car from the 1970-1990 period to contact Ian Tate at 0458 882 304 Thomas Miles
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NASCAR
HARVICK TO HANG UP THE BOOTS VETERAN RACER Kevin Harvick will hang up the boots after 2023 following two decades in NASCAR that has so far yielded 60 Cup Series victories. The 47 year-old from Bakersfield, California, won the 2014 championship after making the switch from Richard Childress Racing to Stewart Haas Racing, becoming the first winner of NASCAR’s eliminationstyle post-season format. Harvick’s 2001 debut came about following the tragic last lap death of racing legend Dale Earnhardt in the Daytona 500, with Richard Childress putting Harvick in his Chev the following week at the Dura Lube 400 at Rockingham. “Looking back on it now, you realise the importance of getting in the Cup car, and then we wound up winning my first race at Atlanta in the (re-numbered) #29 car after Dale’s death,” Harvick said. “The significance and the importance of keeping that car on the race track and winning that race early at Atlanta – knowing now what it meant to the sport, and just that moment in general of being able to carry on, was so important.” That win would kickstart a career that would include winning all four ‘crown jewel’ NASCAR races: the Daytona 500, Coca Cola 600, Brickyard 400, and the Southern 500 – along with Earnhardt, Jeff Gordon, and Jimmie Johnson, he has been the only other driver to achieve the feat. “There is absolutely nothing else in the world that I enjoy doing more than going to the race track, and I’m genuinely looking forward to this season,” Harvick said. “It’s definitely been hard to understand when that right moment is (to retire) because we’ve been so fortunate to run well. But sometimes there are just other things going on that become more important and, for me, that time has come.” In 2022, Harvick broke a 65 winless streak to go back-to-back at Michigan and
Images: MOTORSPORT IMAGES Richmond to pull equal with Kyle Busch as the ninth most winningest driver in NASCAR history. It was also the first time in his career that he failed to get past the first round of the NASCAR elimination series. The #4 SHR Mustang driver is expected to go into a full-time broadcasting role following his retirement from a career that also yielded two Xfinity Series championships (47 wins), and 14 Truck Series victories.
Team co-owner, Tony Stewart, had this to say about Harvick’s final season with the team. “I want Kevin to savour every lap this season, to compete like hell and to take it all in,” Stewart said. “He’s made all of us at Stewart-Haas Racing incredibly proud and we want to make his last racing season his best season.” TW Neal
CLASH AT THE LA COLISEUM Football stadium becomes NASCAR track ...
FOR NINE decades, the LA Memorial Coliseum was the sole home of the American college football team, the USC Trojans. That was before Ben Kennedy, the NASCAR vice president for strategy and innovation, drove past the iconic Coliseum and thought it would be a good idea to build a temporary NASCAR track in it for the Preseason Clash. 500 trucks and 1,560 tons of four inch thick, high performance Asphalt later, NASCAR managed to build a temporary quarter mile track, and moved the Clash from Daytona where it had lived since 1979. It was first held last year, in front of a big crowd in America’s West, and returns for 2023 with a sprintcar-like race format to kick off the year. The format involves single car three-lap qualifying, where the order is set for four heats, with each heat race to be 25 laps long. The top five of each heat go through to the Clash final which, due to the quarter mile track, can be a maximum of 27 cars. The remaining cars that missed qualifying for the clash, then go into two 50 lap last-chance qualifiers, with the top three of each advancing to the Clash. The 27 car is reserved for the driver who had the most points in 2022, but didn’t qualify for the Clash final – which will be 150 laps of green flag racing. Last year’s Clash was taken out by the 2022 NASCAR champion, Team Penske’s Joey Logano, with this year’s event starting on February 5. TW Neal
NASCAR IMPLEMENTS 2023 SAFETY CHANGES A HIGHLIGHTED issue during NASCAR’s first season of its Next Generation cars, was the amount of concussions that drivers experienced, with two drivers sidelined for several weeks as a result. Meetings were held with drivers in October of 2022 after Alex Bowman was concussed, missing six races after a seemingly innocuous accident during the Playoffs in Texas. That came after Kurt Busch missed several weeks in a similar incident at Pocono earlier in the season, which led to some annoyance from drivers that a meeting hadn’t occured sooner. “The frustrating part is it took way too long to have that meeting – it should have happened after Kurt’s crash, not waiting until Alex had his crash to have a meeting and at least hear us out,” said
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Alex Bowman was one of two NASCAR drivers badly concussed during the 2022 season. Penske’s Joey Logano. “I’m not saying they weren’t working on it after Kurt’s crash, but the communication in-person is so important … We should be in-person, having those meetings, a lot. Not when we need to,
but before we need to. And I think those messages were heard loud and clear.” As a result, new rear bumper struts have been fitted to allow for a bigger crumple zone, as well as as the longitudinal bars in the upper part of
the rear clip being removed, with the lower rails changed to angled compound mitered tubes, which were previously relatively straight. The less rigid bumper structure and supports will also include outer diagonal tubes on the top section of the midchassis, as well as in the bottom section, with the total changes directed at lessening the rigidity during an impact. All changes have been initially paid for by NASCAR, with Rick Hendrick, Bowman’s team owner (Hendrick Motorsports) saying the ongoing cost will be a small but necessary price to pay. “Our drivers are so important, we don’t want them hurt,” said Hendrick. ”So if it meant buying all new clips on a Monday morning … I’d do it. I’d be happy to do it. We want them to be safe, because we invest a lot in our drivers.”
DUBAI 24 HOUR
WRT DOMINATES DUBAI 24 PODIUM
WITH NEW BMW ALLIANCE/GT3
BELGIAN TEAM WRT took the new BMW M4 GT3 to victory at the Dubai 24 Hour, with its Valentino Rossi led #46 entry taking third. It also marked the first time since 2011 that BMW has had an overall winner at the event, with the new M4 GT3 stamping its threat as a future endurance menace. It was the team’s endurance racing debut as BMW M outfit, capturing its third Dubai 24 victory over 621 completed laps (second most in 18 editions), and went back-to-back with Dries Vanthoor and Mohammed Al Saud at the helm, after winning in 2022 with an Audi R8 LMS Evo. This year they did it with Jens Klingmann, Diego Menchaca and Jean-Baptiste Simmenauer in the #7, as Vanthoor took the wheel and the lead with 20 minutes to run. After WRT claimed its first win in 2016, team boss Vincent Vosse knows how hard a race it is to win. “The challenge was big – we know how difficult this race can be. In the end you need a bit of luck, a great strategy from the guys, and a largely faultless effort from the drivers,” he said. “At the end we are learning a lot ... we did learn a lot in this race about the car and let’s go to the next one. This was a great achievement.” That next race happens to be the Bathurst 12 Hour in Australia, where Rossi will be among the drivers for the two WRT entries, before the team embarks on its WEC campaign with BMW’s Hybrid V8 LMDh. Coming in a close second was the German outfit Herbert Racing in the #91 Porsche 911 GT3 R, with Robert Renauer, his brother Alfred Renauer, Ralf Bohn, and Daniel Allemann finishing just 31s behind the WRT #7. The Rossi led #46, came in two laps in arrears of the winners, with Factory drivers Maxime Martin and Max Hesse, WEC regular Sean Gelael, and Brit Tim Whale in assistance.
The fourth placed #10 Porsche GT3 was led by New Zealand endurance stalwart Earl Bamber and Grove Racing, backed up by an all Australian trio of Steven and Brenton Grove, and Supercars DJR pilot Anton De Pasquale. The #10 came in just two minutes behind Rossi’s WRT, completing 618 laps, in what was an impressive event debut for Bamber – a two-time Le Mans 24 Hour winner. It was an impressive team performance from the Grove Racing outfit, which qualified the #10 in P4 and avoided the front row havoc A sensational comeback drive rounded out the top five, with the HAAS RT Audi R8 outfit, led by Maxime Soulet and Mathieu Detry, coming from 43rd to claim P5 on the same lap as the #10 Porsche. It was also the first outing for the new BMW M4 GT4, with an Australian-led Simpson Motorsport outfit taking a class P2, behind a Mercedes AMG GT4 operated by RO FGO with Dragon Racing. The team, led by Aussie driver and PNG resident Kieth Kassulke, included young 18 year-old Queenslander Cameron McLeod, Brits James Kaye and David Holloway, and Cypriot driver Vasily Vladykin. The #438 BMW GT4 finished in P26 outright, which was a great effort after qualifying in P40 and third in their class. After a front row lockout from the Haupt Racing Team (HRT) for the 18h Dubai 24 Hour, both the HRT #4 Abu Dhabi Racing team, and its sister team, the HRT #777 Al Manar Racing were among the front runners until disaster struck for both teams. Whilst running in P9, the Hubert Hauptled #4 caught fire after making contact with the barriers with its driver leaping from the vehicle. Then shortly after, whilst running in P5, a terminal suspension failure in the #777 ruled out the second HRT Mercedes. Following that, both WRT cars and
Grove Racing finished a strong fourth. The #438 BMW GT4 (below) provided the come-back drive of the event ...
the Herbert Racing Porsche remained consistently in the top bracket, with the Grove Porsche swapping places with the HAAS RT several times. Heading into the final hour, the provisional podium stood where it would finish, with the #91 Porsche taking the lead before a fuel stop put the winners back in front. On the final tour of the race, Vanthoor slowed the #7 BMW to avoid doing another lap, while still keeping a safe margin to the chequered flag. Of consolation to the German Porsche team, its P2 took out the GT3 PRO-AM class with a one-two, with its second #92 Porsche capturing P6, and second in the class, with Heart of Racing by SPS taking its Mercedes AMG into a class three.
Next up for WRT, Vanthoor will lead a team alongside Sheldon van der Linde and Charles Weerts at Mount Panorama on February 3-5, with Moto GP legend Rossi back in the #46 with Maxime Martin, with Augusto Farfus Jr added to the line up. Bamber will also take the fight back up against the new WRT Beamers, with two combined entries alongside the Grove Team once again. TW Neal
The winning #7 BMW M4 GT3 took a dominant first-up win – and now heads to Bathurst ...
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