AUSTRALIAN FORMULA 1 GRAND PRIX PREVIEW ISSUE
AUSTRALIA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE OF MOTORSPORT
SUPERCARS NEW GENERATION IS GO...
ALL THE ON-TRACK AND OFF-TRACK DRAMA FROM NEWCASTLE
• T8 FIGHTS BACK • SKAIFE VERSUS SVG • DJR TO BOUNCE BACK? • ROOKIES REPORT CARD
FERNANDO FRENZY
RED BULL’S ONLY NEW CHALLENGER
BEST EVER! ISSN 2204-9924
ISSUE 1857
$10.95 INC GST MAR 23 to APR 5 2023
CLASSIC ACTION FROM THE ISLAND
LATEST NEWS
STOP / GO
MCLAUGHLIN OUTLASTS FIELD IN LMP2 TRIUMPH WALL REVEALS NEW COLOURS
DAVID WALL is ready for another Porsche Carrera Cup Australia season and will race with a new livery. Wall will sport red and black colours with backing from Monochrome in the #38 Wall Racing Type 992 GT3 Cup car. The 40-year-old is a Carrera Cup veteran with 73 rounds, 13 wins, and 10 poles next to his name. Wall has finished in the top five of the championship in every seasons Ince he returned to the category in 2016 after his full-time Supercars career. He is joined by Luke King and Drew Hall at the team.
RACING SUITS SHEDDING WEIGHT THE RACE to save weight in Formula One is going to radical extremes. While teams leave their cars with raw carbon bodywork to save the weight from paint, Puma has trimmed its latest F1 driving suits to save just three grams. It’s done the job by replacing metal pieces with fabric, following developments which have seen the weight of fireproof suits halved from 1.6 kilograms to just 800 grams in 2023. Among the converts to the latest lightweight grand prix-specification suits is PremiAir Racing in Supercars, which took delivery of new suits from Alpinestars just in time for the Newcastle 500.
BRABHAM CHAMPIONSHIP WINNER OFF TO ADELAIDE TWO GENERATIONS of Brabhams will celebrate Sir Jack Brabham’s legacy at the 2023 Adelaide Motorsport Festival. Sir Jack Brabham’s 1966 Formula 1 world championship winning BT19 will be steered on the Victoria Park streets by both son David Brabham and grandson Sam Brabham. “It’s going to be fantastic to not only have the BT19 on track, but to have my father (David) coming to drive it with me at the Adelaide Motorsport Festival is going to be really special,” said Sam Brabham. The BT19 will be hitting the track on Saturday, March 25.
12 I www.autoaction.com.au
KIWI STAR Scott McLaughlin is an IMSA LMP2 race winner just two starts into his career, after he steered the #8 ORECA to victory in the 12 Hours of Sebring. Alongside teammates John Farano and Kryffin Simpson, McLaughlin made the most of his call up, guiding the Tower Motorsports entry home during a tense final stint. Despite showing strong pace early, the Tower Motorsports trio was in trouble when their #8 ORECA was forced into the pitlane for repairs mid-race after Simpson spun the car at Turn 1. However, Simpson emerged quickly and was sent back on his way without losing a lap. “Pushed a little too hard there and got crossed up at T1,” Simpson tweeted after the incident. “Thankfully the damage was just cosmetic and the team did an incredible job fixing the car up. We literally lost a few seconds and 1 place. Insane.” McLaughlin, who is best known as a three-time Supercars Champion and IndyCar Series race winner, took the reins for the home stretch of the IMSA enduro. Leading the LMP2 field with 32 minutes on the clock,
Image: MOTORSPORT IMAGES McLaughlin was first forced to defend an attack from Paul-Loup Chatin in the #52 PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports ORECA he shared with Ben Keating and Alex Quinn. The 29-year-old then held off a fast-finishing Mikkel Jensen in the #11 TDS Racing ORECA that he co-drive with Scott Huffaker and Steven Thomas in the final four minutes to win the eight-car Le Mans Prototype 2 class by 0.834s, and finish third overall in the 53car field. “It’s not just me, it’s the bounceback from the whole team,” McLaughlin said.
“Daytona was a tough one, as we all know, but Kyffin drove well today, as well as John. They really put us on the right path.” All’s well that ends well, as they say, but McLaughlin was still happy to fire a friendly jab at Simpson post-race. “Our guys got the car back together after our little guy’s misdemeanour,” McLaughlin said. “We’ll let him off the hook now.” “I’m really proud of everyone on the team,” McLaughlin said. “The strategy at the end was just incredible. Glad I could hold them off for them.” JN
RACA HONOURS FORMER SYDNEY SHOWGROUND SPEEDWAY PROMOTER JOHN SHERWOOD THE ROYAL Automobile Club of Australia (incorporating the Imperial Service Club Limited) will honour RACA’s late great speedway promoter John O Sherwood – and the history of the Sydney Showground Speedway – with a speedway nostalgia dinner on Friday, April 28. The presentation will be held in the function room of the RACA located at 89 Macquarie Street in the Sydney CBD., from 6pm. Mr Sherwood, one of the founders of the Mt Panorama racing circuit at Bathurst, NSW, was a Director of the world famous Empire Speedways Pty Ltd company at the Sydney Showground for 23 years. He linked with fellow directors Frank Arthur and Bert Pryor after World War II and, as track manager,
he steered the historic Sydney Royale circuit through its greatest speedway decades of the 40s, 50s and 60s before his retirement in the late 60s. He also had a long time administrative involvement with the RACA. The special guest speaker on the night will be long time speedway journalist/publisher/and mainstream media representative Dennis Newlyn. “It’s a wonderful honour for me to
be asked to speak on this very special occasion honouring Mr Sherwood,” Newlyn said. “I have always considered Mr Sherwood to be one of all time great Australian speedway promoters during a wonderful era for the sport.” The famous Speedcar (pictured) driven by the late, great Sir Jack Brabham (AO, OBE) will take pride of place in the foyer of the RACA clubrooms. Brabham drove this car to victory in the 1948/49 season Australian Speedcar Championship at the Sydney Showground. Tickets are now on sale at $85 per head for a two course meal with tea/coffee. For more information phone (02) 8273-2300 during business hours; email: eventsadmin@raca.com.au (Visa Card available).
LATEST NEWS
Image: DJH CREATIVE
COOK SCORES ‘SURREAL’ WIN IN SEASON OPENER
BUMPER FIELD TO TAKE ON RALLY LAUNCESTON THE 2023 Australian Rally Championship will fire up in a big way at this month’s seasonopening Rally Launceston. A big field of 31 crews will make the journey to the Apple Isle, which will be the biggest ever national field at the event. No less than 25 of the 31 crews are Australian Rally Championship teams to have signed up and a total of 10 brands will be flying through the Launceston forests. The Toyota Gazoo Racing Australia cars are expected to be at the front of the field, with Lewis Bates and Anthony McLoughlin (pictured) coming back to defend their 2022 ARC title. But looking to stop them is Harry Bates, who has teamed up with championship-
winning co-driver Coral Taylor, who used to co-drive with Harry’s father, Neal Bates. The pair enjoyed a successful cameo partnership at last year’s Rally Launceston where they led home a Toyota 1-2-3 followed by Richie Dalton and Lewis Bates. There will be more Yaris entries on show with Luff Motorsport’s Jamie and Bradley Luff, plus James Dimmock and Larisa Biggar. Joining the Luff Motorsport team in a new car are Troy Dowell and Bernie Webb, who have upgraded to a Skoda Fabia R5 Evo. Other Skoda runners are Daniel Gonzalez and Daymon Nicoli, plus Luke Anear and Malcolm Read. Although Anear is no longer driving a Ford, the Blue Oval will still be represented, by
White Wolf Racing’s Tom Clarke and Ryan Preston, who hope for more success after suffering a big crash in Tasmania last year. Indonesian Gandewa Sanders will steer a M-Sport prepared Ford Fiesta Rally 3, with global co-driver Rhianon Gelsomino. The 2017 Australian Rally Champion Nathan Quinn spearheads the Hyundai assault, while former Supercars driver Alex Rullo will also drive for the Korean brand. Three cars are rented in the ARC 2WD Cup including Scott Pedder and Chris Randell, while five Tasmanian crews hope to impress at home. The 2023 Rally Launceston has a nearly identical schedule to last year with 12 stages covering 207km. Thomas Miles
THE MOTORSPORT Australia Off Road Championship started in a big way, with James Cook scoring a “surreal” historic win. Cook and co-driver Mitch Aucote (above) were able to edge out reigning champions Ryan Taylor and Key Floyd to become the first victorious SXS combination ever. The pair achieved the feat in glamorous fashion by leading the field in every section of the nine-lap Gold City 450. Despite being in control from start to finish, it was far from a smooth ride with an ecstatic Cook revealing the car crossed the line “not in great shape”. “It’s amazing. It’s just so surreal and I am still pinching myself. I can’t believe we got it done,” Cook said. “It wasn’t easy by any means. We had to push hard all weekend and luckily some good laps on Saturday morning set the scene for the weekend and gave us a nice lead. “From there we just chipped away and did what we had to do. “The car’s not in great shape and it was making a lot of noises due to broken bits, but we got there and did what we had to do. “The win gives us a good start to the year from an outright perspective and I’ll definitely enjoy it for the moment. It’s unreal.” The layout was expected to suit the more nimble SXS cars and Cook showed why by immediately taking control. After getting past Travis Robinson and Andrew Pinto to take second, Taylor and Floyd set their sights on the leading SXS duo to setup a tense finish. Despite Taylor closing the gap, Cook held on to secure a historic win as Robinson and Pinto completed the podium. Other class winners were Nicholas Commins (Extreme 2WD), Phil Lovett (Extreme 4WD), Brian Bradford (Super 1650) and Ross Newman (SXS Sport). The second round of the 2023 season is the Pooncarie Desert Dash on April 21-23. Thomas Miles
WHATS ON AT WINTON THE NATION’S ACTION TRACK! TEST AND TUNE DAYS - Dedicated test and tune days for the preparation and setup of race cars. Test days may be broken into sessions (if applicable) which allow for sedans and open wheelers to share the track independently, this ensures the Racecar Test Day is perfect for any race car from Production Specification to V8 Supercar to S5000 and everything in between.
24 March 2023 25 March 2023 26 March 2023 28 March 2023 31 March 2023
Winton Test and Tune Pedders No Bull Sprint Rd 2 Nugget Nationals Rd 1 Winton Open Wheeler Test Winton Test and Tune
BOOKINGS ARE ESSENTIAL. FREE PIT GARAGE SLOTS ARE INCLUDED WITH ENTRY. Contact mail to: reception@eintonraceway.com.au or call the events hotline on 03 5760 7100 For more information go to: www.wintonraceway.com.au/drive/racecar-test-days autoactionmag
Auto_Action
autoactionmag
autoactionmag
www.autoaction.com.au I 13
LATEST NEWS
SMITH KEEN TO SOAK UP HOME SUPPORT
Image: MOTORSPORT IMAGES AUSTRALIAN FORMULA 3 racer Tommy Smith cannot wait to race in front of a huge home crowd at Albert Park. Smith is the oldest Australian on the Formula 3 grid, driving the #19 machine for Van Amersfoort Racing. After a character-building Bahrain opener where Smith finished 23rd and 28th, he hopes home support gives him some extra tenths. “Being one of five Aussies in F1, F2 and F3 will be insane,” he told Auto Action. “I raced F4 there in 2019 and even then the amount of people that came up to me was crazy. “This year I think the event sold out in hours, so the support will be awesome and it will be a career highlight.” Although there may be a lot of fanfare off the track, Smith is aware of the challenge ahead on it. He admitted he “struggled” in testing and his problems were compounded by a pair of incidents in the feature race, which means the Aussie has received a six-place grid penalty for the Albert Park Sprint Race. Despite the battles, Smith said his race pace was encouraging and he hopes to build some momentum down under. “I was probably the most inexperienced in F3 out of everyone and I just struggled to come grips with the car,” he said. “The results are pretty terrible, but my race pace was around the top 12, which is great. “I unlocked a bit in the last race, so as long as I am improving each race I am happy.” Thomas Miles
Image: MOTORSPORT IMAGES
HARD WORK PAYS OFF FOR CAMPOS’ #25 SHOOTING STAR HUGH BARTER has entered F3 with Campos racing after a monster 42 F4 races 2022, coming away with a 64.2% record of being on the podium –13 wins, and 14 podiums across the Spanish and French F4. The 17-year-old grew up in Hughesdale, Victoria, after being born in Nagoya, Japan, and ahead of his Home GP debut at Albert Park, the Campos ace has fond memories of the street track as a kid, at the age of five. “I do remember sitting on the exit of Turn 1 and 2 and seeing how fast the cars went, and it got my attention. I had a lot of adrenaline from that and, as my dad says, my eyes just opened
up,” Barter explained, “It’s been quite a journey – I started racing in Australia when I was five!” 12 years later, and after an extensive karting regime prior to his exhaustive F4 season, the Japanese Aussie is ready to rumble for a true hometown fight. “With F3 being 10 rounds, there’s a lot of travelling across nine different countries so I think having the dual championship last year, combined with the amount of travelling I was doing … which was getting quite tiring … I think that experience will be helpful moving forward.” Barter also has the fortune of having a fellow compatriot in his Spanish based
Campos team, “He’s more of a true Aussie, and I’m more inner-city,” Barter quipped. “We’ve been racing against each other since we were 12, and have a really good dynamic on the team … we’re pretty good mates. “I’m looking forward to seeing the fans and the atmosphere because I think Australia really does have the best one.” Although his opening races at Bahrain didn’t quite go to plan with finishes of P14 and P16 – with an unfortunate puncture early in Race 2 – he qualified in P5 and, in a good team, Barter is guaranteed to trouble the field in 2023. TW Neal
MANSELL READY FOR SPECIAL HOME RACE CHRISTIAN MANSELL is ready to race on home turf for the first time in four years after completing an “intense” Formula 3 season opener in Bahrain. Mansell recorded a pair of P13 finishes at Bahrain and believes the consistent start is a strong launching pad for a pursuit of points at Albert Park, which would be a perfect homecoming gift. “I think definitely points are possible and that is my goal for Melbourne,” he told Auto Action. “Bahrain was pretty intense, hot and sandy, but I think we did a good job of being consistent and moving in the same direction. “I think we definitely could have scored points in Bahrain, so hopefully we can score some big ones in Melbourne.” To become a regular points finisher, Mansell believes everything has to be right in the ultra competitive series. “To achieve our goals is more about
18 I www.autoaction.com.au
Image: DUTCH PHOTOGRAPHY maximising everything and being on the limit,” he said. “F3 is its own war zone and pretty crazy compared to what I have raced before.”
Even though a pecking order has been established through three days of testing and racing at Bahrain, everyone will be on a level playing field at Australia.
To get back into the Aussie spirit, he attended the Newcastle 500 Supercars race and enjoyed a hot lap in Thomas Randle’s Tickford Ford Mustang. Not only will Mansell be looking to race hard in Melbourne, he also hopes to use his platform as a local Formula 3 driver to raise awareness as the first diabetic driver competing at the level. The #24 Campos Racing driver is pumped to fulfil a dream of racing around the Albert Park streets. “It is going to be fairly full-on. “I never expected this to be even remotely possible when I was a kid,” Mansell said. “I thought the only way I would be able to race at Albert Park would be if I was a Formula 1 driver. “To be in a position to inspire kids and people my age is a nice feeling. “This is all pretty exciting to be honest.” Thomas Miles
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
HERNE CRACKS THE PODIUM IN US TRANS AM NATHAN HERNE stormed from P15 to P2 to take his maiden American Trans Am TA2 podium at New Orleans on March 12 in a brilliant come from behind drive. After topping practice Herne then struggled in the Cube3 Mustang with an admittedly disappointing qualifying, starting the race in P15 at NOLA Motorsports Park in extremely hot conditions. In an absolute thriller, Herne took P2 on the second last corner to finish just 0.060 seconds behind four time race winner Brent Crews – a 14-year-old prodigy – in the #70 Mustang. “I’ve worked hard before, but Jesus Christ … 15th to second on the line,” Herne said. “Cool suit failed, no helmet fan, and lost my drink straw on the eighth lap! It’s a hot, humid place here at NOLA ... that was hard work. “We’re fast ... got to tune up this straight line to keep up with the others, but we were fast around the corners.” “Looking forward to the weekend off,
then we’re back at Road Atlanta! Good to give the boys a trophy! It’s been an awesome time, good to get some championship points!” Herne had moved his way up in P7 by lap 6 when a caution drew a tight field back together, before the Aussie Stevens-Miller Racer got the jump into P6 on the lap 9 restart. Another full course caution was flagged and, on the restart, Herne jumped the 2022 champion Thomas Merrill to move into P4 on what is considered a difficult track to pass on. Stuck in a tight four-way battle up front, Herne bided his time to move into P3 on lap 22 of 37, then started hunting down former IndyCar driver Rafa Matos. The #29 S-MR Mustang withstood extreme pressure from fourth to work onto the wing of Matos and, on the final lap, a lock-up from the leader Brent Crews put Herne in the frame for a last ditch lunge, taking Matos on the inside for P2 on the second last corner in a thriller.
That lifts Herne up to seventh in the standings after two rounds, with the Lismore born Aussie starting to turn some heads with his aggressively composed race-craft. Also grabbing a podium in the TA class was Aussie Matt Brabham,
who after winning the round prior at Sebring, leads the premier TA class standings. Herne’s next date with the TA2 American Trans Am tour gets underway at Road Atlanta on March 23-26. TW Neal
SARGENT MARCHES ONTO DOUBLE SEBRING PODIUM
PRADEL CLAIMS ROOKIE SPANISH FWS TITLE IN ITALIAN F4 TUNE-UP GIANMARCO PRADEL has scored the rookie title in the F4 Spanish Formula Winter Series, with the young Aussie also claiming outright second in the title standings. Pradel was competing in the four round Spanish series ahead of his debut season in the Italian F4, collecting six podiums, with five straight on the run home on his way to rookie honours. The AGI Sport Academy graduate, and Ferrari Driver Academy (FDA) world scouting finalist, raced with German team US Racing, whom he’ll drive with in the Italian F4. Pradel’s teammate, Polish racer Kacper Sztuka, took out the main honours for the series, where drivers raced the Abarth engined, Tatuus Gen2 open wheelers at circuits like Ricardo Tormo and the Circuito de Barcelona-Catalunya. British F4 bound Aussie Patrick Heuzenroeder also took part in the at round at Ricardo Tormo, finishing in P11 and P13. Pradel will next race at the opening round of the Italian F4 at Imola of April 23-25, where he’ll have his hands full with compatriot James Wharton for Prema Racing, current FDA academy member, and winner of the UAE F4 Championship. Fellow young Aussie Jack Beeton will also be racing in the Italian series for Dutch team Van Amersfoort Racing. Beeton shared the FDA world scouting final stage with Pradel in 2022. TW Neal
autoactionmag
Auto_Action
autoactionmag
Image: MOTORSPORT IMAGES YOUNG PORSCHE up-and-comer Tom Sargent (leading, above) has started off his International Porsche career in style at the Sebring International Raceway, Florida, with a couple of podiums. Racing in the Porsche Carrera Cup North America for Australian team McElrea Racing, Sargent’s first hitout came at Sebring as support for the second IMSA round, as the first round of the WEC. The 21-year-old from Young, NSW, started off strongly, taking P2 in the opening practice behind Texan Riley
autoactionmag
Dickinson by just 0.290s. He then qualified the #17 Porsche 911 GT3 in P4, just 0.535s down, before jumping onto the podium for Race 1, making up two spots to grab P2, 7.925s behind the rampant Dickinson. In Race 2, the former national Formula Ford, and Porsche Sprint Challenge Australia champion started on the front row, holding his place to again fall to Dickinson by 4.952s. Team Owner Andy McElrea praised Sargent for his composure on debut. “It’s been a great start to our North American adventure,” McElrea said.
“Thomas did a great job and drove mistake-free all weekend. It’s going to be an unpredictable season with such a variety of circuits and a big field, so starting strongly was important for us. “It’s awesome to know we’re in the mix in a very competitive field, and to get a pair of podium’s first time out is exactly what we were looking for. Sargent’s next Porsche CCNA round is on April 14-16 at the Long Beach Street Course, in an eightround season that closes at COTA on October 20-22. TW Neal
www.autoaction.com.au I 19
LATEST NEWS
REYNOLDS HOT JOURNEY TO PODIUM DAVID REYNOLDS went from crying in the cockpit to smiling on the podium in a taxing Newcastle 500. Reynolds cut an exhausted figure at the conclusion of the opening race of the 2023 Supercars season having struggled to keep cool in the sweltering conditions. But the #26 Grove Racing driver found top speed on Sunday, converting provisional pole into his 16th career pole by just 0.0058s over Chaz Mostert. Despite conceding the lead to Mostert into turn 1 and finishing third behind the fellow Ford driver and Shane van Gisbergen, he was pumped to take third after a late-race pass on James Golding. “I am ecstatic with our third place. I don’t think I had the pace of Shane and Chaz,” Reynolds recalled. “I knew the boys had worked so hard over the break and built a good car. We set the car up well, but just need a little bit more pace to catch these two buggers (Shane and Chaz).” Reynolds led a resurgent Grove Racing squad in 2022, scoring seven podiums on his way to eighth in the championship last year - compared to one in 2021 and a P18 in the points standings. The pace at Newcastle gives the team (which has recently acquired big-name signings such as Garth Tander and Grant McPherson) vindication it is heading in the right direction in 2023. However, the heat dramas on Saturday threatened to throw a spanner in the works. It is not the first time Reynolds has struggled with the heat, notably at Bathurst in 2018 where cramps cost him back-to-back ‘Great Race’ glories, while he was also exhausted after his
podium on the Gold Coast last year. On this occasion Reynolds admitted the heat reduced him to tears on Saturday, which created some fear heading into his podium bound Sunday, but some cooling changers made life behind the wheel more tolerable. “With 50 laps to go (in race 1) I actually cried while I was trying to
throw up in the car. I was in a world of hurt,” he said. “I was shitting myself before the (second) race because I knew how bad it was on Saturday, so all I was just trying to do was survive. “Being a skinny bloke with fast metabolism, the heat just upsets me a lot and you just have to deal with it.
“If I don’t have air flow or the helmet air is warm, it is just like putting a hairdryer on the whole way round. “But I found it much easier (on Sunday) because they ducted a bit of air to me and the drop in temperature was probably five degrees cooler than Saturday, so it was a bit easier.” Thomas Miles
DE PASQUALE BOUND FOR BATHURST 6 HOUR DICK JOHNSON Racing’s Anton De Pasquale will take on the 2023 Bathurst 6 Hour in a BMW this Easter. De Pasquale returns for another crack at the Mount Panorama production car race with Anthony Soole and Adam Burgess in a BMW M4. The eight-time Supercars race winner is hoping to bounce back from a tough Newcastle 500 where his #11 Ford Mustang emerged 17th in the championship. De Pasquale raced for the team last year when he put the car onto the escond row in P3, before it ended in the gravel with fuel pressure issues. Despite the disappointment of last year’s result, Soole believes the presence of De Pasquale will be enough to fight for victory. “Anton is first-class, he’s a superstar and one of the best young drivers in the country so it was a no-brainer to ask him back,” Soole said. “He did a great job to qualify third last
year, and although the race didn’t go to plan he was still really impressive. It showed that if things go our way, we have the speed to be a contender.
“It’s always great to get back to Bathurst and compete in this race, and I’m really looking forward to teaming up with Anton and Adam again this year.”
In addition to chasing a Bathurst 6 Hour trophy, Soole will be racing for charity in support of Destiny Rescue. Destiny Rescue is a charitable organisation working to free children from sex trafficking and exploitation around the world, with 250 volunteers that have helped free more than 11,000 children. “Destiny Rescue is a charity that I am very passionate about and would love to use my platform in racing to get their story out,” Soole explained. “These guys are amazing. They are working to help free the over 1 million kids that are currently being sex trafficked around the world. Kids between the ages of 5-14 are being held and sold for sex. “It sounds unbelievable and it is - it’s awful. I really want to help get their story out and if I can use my racing to raise awareness for this important cause then that can only be a good thing.” The 2023 Bathurst 6 Hour will be held from April 7-9. Thomas Miles
HILL POSITIVE AFTER ROOKIE TEST DESPITE TECHNICAL DRAMA
CAMERON HILL has focused on the positives from his invaluable rookie test at The Bend Motorsport Park despite mechanical drama cutting it short. Hill was aboard the Matt Stone Racing #35 Chevrolet Camaro and shared the South Australian venue with Tickford’s Declan Fraser and Grove Racing’s Matt Payne. After making his main-game debut at Newcastle and emerging 22nd in the standings, the Canberra-born driver was able to get some critical laps on the board at the fast 4.945km South Australian track. However, plans went haywire at the three-quarter mark when a power steering pump failure occurred, which brought the #35 car into the garage. Despite the setback, MSR still made good use of the time and took the opportunity for Hill to focus on practice starts for the remainder of the day. With racing to resume at the Australian Grand Prix just three weeks after the Newcastle 500, Hill said every lap was a bonus at the test where he gained an understanding of the multiple tyre compounds that will be in use at Albert Park. “It was good to get to Tailem Bend and run on a fast, open circuit for the first time,” he said. “We got a bit of a read on what the car was going to be like through corners at a higher speed and we tried a few different set up configurations. “Throughout the day, we also compared different tyre compounds from hards to softs and looked at how the car would respond on those different tyres at the Grand Prix. “The good thing is the balance was pretty consistent, so we were happy with that. “After we had our power steering drama, we focussed on race starts and coming in and out of the box, because that was something that was pretty new to me at Newcastle. “I definitely feel like we made progress on both of those things and I’m feeling more comfortable ahead of the Australian Grand Prix.” Thomas Miles
autoactionmag
Auto_Action
SLADE REVEALS GEN3 CARS ARE “HARSHER” ON THE BODY
TIM SLADE believes the new Gen3 cars were “more taxing” on the body across the Newcastle bumps and kerbs than the Gen2 predecessors. Slade showed good pace at Newcastle, appearing in both shootouts in his PremiAir Racing debut, but said he felt “flat” in the aftermath of a gruelling weekend. Drivers were forced to push hard across two long 250km races in hot cabins around the busy 2.641km street circuit where the corners and walls were coming thick and fast. Slade revealed the Gen3 Camaro was much “harsher” on the body than the Gen2 ZB Commodore on the bumpier Newcastle street circuit. “I felt a bit flat (after the race) and not the best I’d ever felt, that’s for sure,” he said. “It just feels normal now, so it is hard to remember what the old cars feel like. “But thinking back to the first practice session the cars just felt more physically taxing and harsher across the bumps and kerbs.
autoactionmag
autoactionmag
“You kind of had to brace yourself on some of the kerbs, while it felt more compliant and plush in the old cars. “It (driving) is normal now, but we still have a little bit of work to do to get it a bit more comfortable.” Slade raised his 400th race start in Saturday’s opening race and celebrated it by sporting #400 on his PremiAir Racing Chevrolet Camaro. The 37-year-old also enjoyed a return to form at the new team, securing two straight shootout appearances to match his shootouts total from the entire 2022 season in the same weekend. Although a special result went begging due to a faulty wheel nut issue on Saturday, a P9 finish on Sunday ensured Slade could walk away from Newcastle with some solid points in his pocket. However, the veteran admitted the weekend took a lot out of him, likening the taxing nature of the Newcastle 500 to the traditional Adelaide 500 season opener. With a big crowd enjoying a busy
on track schedule, Slade said these factors, plus the heat and driving duties created an enjoyable, but frantic weekend for the drivers. “The first day was the toughest just to process everything (such as new team, car, engineer etc) but it got easier from that point of view,” he said. “It was awesome to see so many people at the track, but it just added to the busy and cramped nature, so you can’t sit down anywhere and take a breather. “We didn’t have the trucks, so we were just working out of little containers, so it honestly felt nonstop for four days. “I think Newcastle was similar to when we have had Adelaide opening season being pretty warm on a physically demanding track, so two 250km races was a brutal way to start the year. “But it was an awesome event and great to have a successful first weekend for Gen3.” Thomas Miles
LATEST NEWS
AUSSIE TALENT RECRUITED FOR EURONASCAR workshop, which means I have the perfect conditions for preparing myself.” Team owner and manager. Ferruccio Finkbohner, pictured left with Max, is excited to have Mason on board with the team again. “We have already been working with Max, so we knew about his talent. I am sure that he will adapt to the car and the series quickly. We are confident that we are ahead of a successful season.” The European Stock car series is one of four internationally based NASCAR sanctioned events around the world, which includes the Canadian based Pinty Series, the Mexican Series, and the NASCAR Brasil Sprint Race (yes, Brazil with an S, as in the Portuguese spelling). TW Neal RACE CALENDAR EURO NASCAR 2023 Circuit Ricardo Tormo, Spain May 6-7 Brands Hatch Indy Circuit, England May 6-7 Autodromo di Vallelunga, Italy July 8-9 Autodrom Most, Czech Republic August 26-27 Motorsport Arena Oschersleben, Germany September 23-24 Circuit Zolder, Belgium October 14-15 Automotodrom Grobnik, Croatia November 11-12
YOUNG AUSSIE Max Mason has been picked up by Swiss team Racingfuel Motorsport to tackle the EuroNASCAR for 2023. The 16-year-old from NSW will pilot the #54 Chevrolet Camaro in the second tier EuroNASCAR 2 series in the seven round European series, starting on May 6-7 at Circuit Ricardo Tormo, Spain. Mason was a part of the 23 young drivers selected for the Asian region of the Ferrari Academy back in September of 2022, and also competed some rounds for Racingfuel Motorsport in the EuroNASCAR Club Challenge last year in
Zolder, Belgium. Mason, the 2022 NSW Formula Ford Rookies champion, is looking forward to the new challenge of driving the 450hp V8 Camaro. “The car is really fast, the team is professional, and the racing series is a lot of fun,” Mason said. “I am looking forward to the season and am extremely motivated to get everything out of the car. “Most of the tracks are new to me, so my learning curve will be quite steep. However, the team has a state-of-the-art simulator at their
POWER PRIMED FOR SUPER FAST TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY WILL POWER has raced the Texas Motor Speedway in IndyCar 16 times, but still describes the super-speedway oval as a “daunting” prospect. The two-time, and 2022 IndyCar champion, will make his 17th start (fifth most) at the super-speedway on April 2, and has enjoyed success there in the past. After logging 3,480 competitive laps at the TMS, the 42-year-old Aussie has had two wins (2022,2017), with four podiums, three poles, and ranks third for most laps led of all-time at the oval track (453). Even so, Power describes that the physical nature and pure speed of the TMS, saying drivers have to approach it with the utmost respect. “It’s always been a spectacular place to race with the high banks and being a superspeedway,” Power said. “The front stretch is very tough because it’s not straight and it’s not a constant curve. “You have to hit two apexes, which also makes it quite daunting when you are threewide or even two-wide. “I’ve seen many big wrecks here too, so it’s unforgiving and you’ve got to respect the
place. I really enjoy it…in fact, I love it.” Last year, Penske took 3/4 of the top spots at TMS last season, which saw the closest finish of the season when Penske teammates Josef Newgarden and Scott McLaughlin were split by just .0669s in a last lap overtake, with running Power in P4. “Last year we came in, and I was vocal about us running a special session to run the second lane to create some really good
racing,” Power continued. “We had one of the best finishes we have ever seen here with a pass for the lead on the last lap – I mean the best finishes as far as the lower downforce races we’ve had at this track. “We’re going to do that again this year, but with all cars running a second lane. All cars will get a set of tires and try to bring in that second and even third groove.
“I’m looking forward to the race. We’ll have more downforce this year – it’s quite a bit more – which helps the car stick to the road, so you’re going to see closer racing. I think we will be more wide open for more laps in the race and potentially easier to run on the outside.” With one race under the drivers belts so far this season at the St Petersburg street course in Florida – won by Marcus Ericsson – April 2 represents a very different prospect the TMS, as well as the race-calendar then slipping into a more regular pattern. Power had a subdued first hit-out in Florida, finishing +11.680 behind the winner in P7, with the all-time record pole getter, qualifying in P10. Repaved and redesigned in 2017, Texas Motor Speedway features 20 degrees of banking in Turns 1 and 2 and 24 degrees of banking in Turns 3 and 4, and has a a minimum width of 60 ft. Round 2 of the IndyCar season the Texas Motor Speedway can be seen live or on replay via Stan Sport, with the race starting on 0400am Monday morning (April 3) AEDT. TW Neal
FOR ENTHUSIASTS AND EXTREME PERFORMANCE Bendix Street Road Track brake pads have been developed with the latest technology and extensively tested under extreme conditions.
800
0.6
0.6
600
0.4
400
0.2
200
0.4 0.2 0
40
Bendix
80 120 160 SPEED (km/h)
Competitors
200
0
1
Bendix
5 10 STOP NUMBER
Competitors
BENDIX STREET ROAD TRACK DELIVERS: The confidence to handle busy, unpredictable driving on the STREET The reliability to negotiate mountains or cruise the open ROAD with long intervals between braking Lap after lap of hot, hard, last second braking at the TRACK
Find solutions for every brake job at www.bendix.com.au Or freecall the Bendix Brake Advice Centre on 1800 819 666 Bendix is a trademark of Garrett Advancing Motion Inc.
15
TEMPERATURE (°C)
REPEATED STOPS FROM 100km/h 0.8
FRICTION (μ)
FRICTION (μ)
FRICTION STABILITY - SPEED 0.8
0
Rotor Temp °C
NATIONALS WRAP
BIG DAY AND NIGHT FOR MRA CLUB RACING kicked off for the Motor Race Australia Series on March 11 in fine – even hot – conditions with a one-day meeting that stretched into the night. There were seven categories and over 160 entries.
SUPER TT
TODD HERRING’S day was a good one as he drove his Mazda MX5 to victory in both the preliminary sprint and the one-hour feature. In the former he headed home Myles Jones (Honda Civic) and Matt Boylan (Mitsubishi EVO X) before a dominate 31 laps ahead of Ben Connell and Charlie Viola in Honda Integras. Herring led all but one lap of the enduro, when he took his mandatory pitstop. The one-lap leader Connell was the last to pit and just before a Safety Car. It meant he stayed on the lead lap for the rest of the race. Jones finished third but a five-lap penalty dropped him to 22nd and elevated Viola to third ahead of Parry Anastakis (Peugeot 205), Grant and Harry Inwood (Subaru Impreza WRX STi), and Brock Stinson (Toyota 86). Dimitri Agathos and Brianna Wilson (WRX) were classified seventh ahead of Mitchell McGarry (Toyota 86), Steven Head (MX5) and Grahame Fraser (Holden Commodore VE). Shannon McLaine (Toyota 86) was ninth on the road but also copped a five-lap penalty. Jimmy and Benny Tran (Civic) was second early but lost fourth gear and retired. Boylan was on for a podium before a late DNF with a gear linkage failure.
PULSARS
WILL FOOT won two races to take the major points over Dan Smith who snared the other. While it was hard fought between them, it was harder to determine third with different minor placegetters at each outing. There was an early Safety Car in the first race as a stranded car was retrieved. With the resumption Smith passed Foot for the win as Greg Dufficy headed Scott Tidyman, Kerry Avramidis, Simon Kendrick (then docked 5.0s) and Chris Manning. In the next outing, Smith led the first lap before Foot gained the upper hand. Together with Tidyman and Kendrick, the four were close in the end. The latter came from eighth and finished ahead of Dufficy, Avramidis, Andrew Cortes and Manning. There was a Safety Car after Tim Molesworth crashed at the entry to the hairpin. Foot led every lap of the last, narrowly ahead of Smith. Manning came through to third from Avramidis, Corey Fraser, Kieren Pilkington and Kendrick who laboured with a damaged driveshaft. Both Tidyman and Dufficy were out early and shortly after Cortes as well.
EXCELS
Several Queenslanders ventured south and were rewarded with first and third as
44 I www.autoaction.com.au
Herring, Tran, and Boylan head the Super TT field. Below (top to bottom): Finnigan, Pring and Hourigan head a packed Legends field. Stuart Shirvington was one of three different Clubmans winners. Excel action – Casha, Colombrita and Roberts show the way. Images: RICCARDO BENVENUTI Ryan Casha won and Jackson Faulkner placed third behind local Tim Colombrita. The latter led the first race until Casha gained the upper hand with a move behind Corporal Hill on the last lap. Just behind them came Connor Roberts while Faulkner edged out Dylan Debono, clear of Lewis Buhagiar. There were several lead changes in race two, the last came at Turn 1 on the final lap when Colombrita made the move that won the race ahead of Casha. Roberts and Faulkner were close behind and clear of Brett Parrish and Buhagiar. It was similarly so in the last. After a couple of lead exchanges, Colombrita led but erred at Turn 2 on the penultimate lap and that allowed Casha through. Faulkner was next from Buhagiar, Debono and George Wood. Roberts and Parrish had big moments at Turn 1 on lap three which dropped them down the order before they recovered to 12th and seventh respectively.
LEGEND CARS
SERIES AND SMP rookie Billy Finnegan was the round winner while there were three tied for second overall. On a countback to qualifying Scott Morgan was given second from Ryan Pring and Brendon Hourigan. The first race was declared a nonevent when it was red flagged. Scott Melville was the early leader of Race 2 before Finnegan took over. Hourigan grabbed the front running with a lap to go, but it was Finnegan the narrow winner as Pring picked off Melville on the last lap. Morgan and Robert Hogan were close behind. Pring, Finnegan, and predominately Hourigan led Race 3 which was won by Morgan in the end. Finnegan was second ahead of Pring and Hourigan.
MX5 CUP
WHEN RACE one winner Jaxon Fraser was an early casualty in the second, it paved the way Robert Giovenco to show the way and snare a couple of wins. He was third in the opener behind Start McFadyen after he fought his way past John Fraser, Scott Lanham and Jacob Giovenco. The Giovencos ran one-two in the second outing after Ben Cathcart fell down the order from second early, and John Fraser retired when he had second. Third went to Andrew Boydell from Jamie Martin. Jacob Giovenco was second initially in the last before he lost out to Lanham. John Fraser charged from the back and relegated Boydell on the last lap for fourth.
CLUBMANS
EACH RACE produced close results and different winners. Ivan Srejber (PRB S4) came from third to win the first encounter over Stuart Shirvington (PBR Birkin) and Josh Versluis (Birkin) while Allan Bugh (PBR) lost fourth to Chris Barry (PRB Composite) through a 5.0s penalty. Versluis took the second by 0.06s over Shirvington after a last lap move. Srejber was a close third and clear of Bugh, Barry and Adam Srejber (Birkin). In the last Versluis led before Ivan Srejber took over. But his race ended two laps from the end, and Shirvington won from Versluis, Adam Srejber and Bugh.
ALFA ROMEOS
A DNF in the second race denied Robert Seritti (GTV6) a threepeat after he won the first and bounced back to take the third. Michael Musumeci (GT V6 Busso) was the early leader of Race 1 and
ultimately placed third behind Carmelo Mirabella (147 GTA) after he was hit with a 5.0s penalty. Fourth went to Simon Greirson (GTV6) ahead of the best of the Twin Sparks in Andrew Wilson (156). Musumeci led every lap of Race 2 and Seritti held second until his demise. Mirabella was less than a tenth away in second with Wilson third ahead of Twin Spark rivals Peter Tillett and Brad Wilson in 147s. Mirabella led the last until passed by Seritti and maintained a clear second ahead of Greirson, Andrew Wilson, Tillett and Brad Wilson. Garry O’Brien
Brad Shiels, here followed by Willem Fercher won three-from-three in Sports Sedans. Image: NEIL HAMMOND. Below: Osborne heads Baxter and Molle in the HQ contest. Image: RICCARDO BENVENUTI. Bottom: Matt Holt and Chris Sutton finished 1-2 in Production Touring. IMAGE: NEIL HAMMOND
OUT-OF-STATE FIRST ROUND WITH ONLY one circuit available in their own state, the NSW State Motor Race Championships took its opening round to Winton Motor Raceway in Victoria on March 4-5. The meeting featured good numbers in several of the six categories but poor turnouts in the others.
AUSTRALIAN FORMULA OPEN
Three outright and AFO1 class wins went to Tim Macrow Racing’s Trent Grubel in a Dallara F312. He dominated after he qualified fastest and led each race throughout. TMR shut out the front row with fellow F3 driver Winston Van Laarhove (Dallara F308/11) second fastest and the pair ran one-two in race one while chased home by team mate Ryan How (F308/11). Ryan Astley (99 Motorsport F308/11) was slow away from third spot, dropped to 15th before he recovered to fourth ahead of Andrew Roberts (R-Tek F307) and Kristian Janev (AGI Sport Mygale) who was the best of the F4s. Astley made amends in the second race where he placed second ahead of How, Van Laarhove, Roberts and Janev. Graeme Holmes (Dallara) was sixth and best of the NSW Formula Race Cars’ regulars. The race was red flagged on lap 10 due to a crash by Craig McLatchey where his Tatus came off at Turn 12 with two wheels over the outside kerb. Wall contact caused the bell housing and rear wheels to break off the Tatus F4. The final race produced the same top five, in close order, due to a late Safety Car when Greg Muddle beached his F307. Lawrence Katsidis (F304) finished sixth ahead of Janev, Hanming Huan (Mygale), Rod Anderson (Reynard 893) and the Mygales driven by Mark Wilson and Tim Boydle.
autoactionmag
Auto_Action
PRODUCTION TOURING
A second and a first in the pair of one-hour enduros gave Matt Holt and his Class A2 HSV Clubsport VF overall victory ahead of Chris Sutton (A1 Mitsubishi EVO X) and Chris Lillis (Clubsport). The pacesetter was Simon Hodges in his Class X BMW M4 who won the Driver A sprint race before Aaron Gretch took victory in the Driver B outing in the same car. Hodges proved too strong in the first one-hour, where he only surrendered the lead at the compulsory pitstop. Holt had Sutton in close company until the pitstops put a 5.8s space between them. Dimitri Agathos (A1 Subaru Impreza WRX STi) finished next, just in front of Lillis, and Leigh Burges and Jack Winter in their EVO 9s. From the outset of the second enduro Hodges led until he pitted. But he would have ongoing issues with the hot weather and the car going into limp mode. He would pit a further four times and finished 18th. In the meantime Holt took a stranglehold on the race and won ahead of Sutton who was caught out as he elected to pit late and copped a Safety Car. Lillis was next as Winter was fourth in front of Agathos. Hodges still took X honours overall while other class honours went to John Fitzgerald (B1, BMW 335i), Gavin and Stuart Clarke (B2, BMW M3 E92), Alex and Robert Bryden (C, VW Scirocco), Daniel and Geoff Tierney (D, Toyota 86), and Phil Alexander/John Connolly (E, Mazda 3 SP25).
FORMULA VEES
Three time and current Nationals title holder Michael Kinsella (Jacer F2K10) took out the first round ahead of Victorian
autoactionmag
autoactionmag
Reef McCarthy (Sabre 02) and Tyron Wiseman (Checkmate) while Stephen Butcher (Stinger) had a clean sweep in the 1200 class. In the opener Kinsella came out on top, narrowly ahead of Wiseman and McCarthy. The trio were well clear of Simon Pace (Sabre), Darren Williams (Sabre), Curtis Porter (Jacer) and Aaron Pace (Sabre) as they duked it out for fourth. The top three were more spread out in the second with Kinsella first from McCarthy and Wiseman. Williams edged out Aaron Pace and Porter for fourth while Simon Pace was in the mix but DNF’d. McCarthy turned the tables in the last and beat Kinsella by 0.06s. Wiseman was a close third as Porter took fourth from Aaron Pace.
HQ HOLDENS
Osborns Transport are the naming rights holder for the championship this year and kicked off with a team one-two in all three races. Brett Osborn showed the way ahead of John Baxter while current champion Chris Molle was third in each. Dave Proglio was fourth across the line but languished in 18th place after one lap of the last before he atoned somewhat and pushed through to ninth. With a pair of fifths, Matty Barker looked likely to be next best placed outside the top three but only lasted three laps in the finale. Victorian Ken Wright carded with three sixths, the last behind Jarrod Harber who was second best of the B Division drivers overall behind Aston Parker.
SPORTS SEDANS
Three race winner Brad Shiels (Fiat 124/20B turbo) had a narrow lead in Race 1 over Steve Lacey (Chev Camaro) until
the latter was able to get by. There was a Safety Car when Graham Smith (Mazda RX7/Chev) stopped with a voltage issue, after which, Lacey speared off at Turn 1 with overheated brakes. He recovered for fourth behind and Willem Fercher (Toyota 86/Chev) and Rod Moynahan (Holden Monaro/Chev). Turn 1 caused the demise of Lacey in Race 2 with damaged steering after contact with Fercher after the start. Fercher continued for second while Dan Nolan (RX7/ Toyota turbo) was third after he missed the first race with a subframe issue. The order was the same in Race 3 with Moynahan again fourth.
FORMULA FORDS
With just two Mygale Duratec entries, Zak Lobko and Lachlan Mineeff were well clear of the Kent engine cars throughout the three races and finished one-two in each. Thomas Kalamakis (Spirit) finished best of the older cars with two thirds and a fourth. He was headed in Race 2 by Scott Tidyman who finished behind William Liston (Listec) and Kiarra Jones (Spirit) in Race 1 and DNF’d the third. Garry O’Brien
www.autoaction.com.au I 45