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OSCAR MAKES A POINT(S) ISSN 2204-9924
ISSUE 1858
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NEWS
TARGA EVENTS SET TO START AGAIN WITH BIG CHANGES TO VEHICLE REGULATIONS IN A POSITIVE ANNOUNCEMENT FOR THE SPORT, ‘TARGA STYLE’ RACING IS BACK ON AFTER A SHORT LAY-OFF FOR MOTORSPORT AUSTRALIA’S ‘HARD RESET’ OF THE CLASS. ENTRIES FOR the Targa Great Barrier Reef and Targa Tasmania events have been opened by Targa Australia Pty Limited, kick starting the action for the popular events which were put on hold until 1 July 2023 following a report into multiple fatalities during Targa Tasmania in 2021 and 2022. Motorsport Australia said it needed time to consider the recommendations of the report and appears to have taken all of them on board with the new regulations for these two events, which will be held in September and October this year. Motorsport Australia’s ‘hard reset’ for Targa-style events has resulted in a myriad of changes to the cars, categories and driver eligibility. In the Entry Application forms for both events, Targa Australia has outlined the changes to vehicle compliance and the minimum safety standards defined in the newly released regulations. Whilst the entry document for Targa Tasmania still has many ‘yet to be released for TARGA Tasmania 2023’ sections, it does outline some changes to the structure of the event as well as changes to some of the categories. The document confirms that the ‘Rookie Rallye’ will be re-introduced to TARGA Tasmania to provide a suitable training pathway for new competitors. A choice of seven competitions, plus the Rookie Rallye, are available to ensure large quality competitions are retained for all TARGA competitors to enjoy. It reads: ‘Full and speed-limited competitions will be directly aligned for the first time to provide a clear pathway between the two levels. Categories and classes within each competition will remain as they have been in previous years and the full TARGA Tasmania plate awards system is also retained.’ While minimum requirements to driver licensing standards do not seem to be finalised as yet, other major changes are outlined in the event entry applications. Major changes to the competition classes (some of which are detailed below) include changes to the minimum requirements for the design of the Safety Cage and upgrades to the side intrusion protection. These minimum standards will see significant improvements in protection of the occupants for ‘Competition’ class vehicles. Other significant changes to the Targa regulations include an increase to the number of tyres that are permitted, to 10 (to be used without penalty during the event) and a setting of the minimum tread depth of the tyres to 1.5mm. It was identified that in previous events, competitors had used heavily worn tyres with minimal tread. Regulations specified six tyres were available to competitors, making them reluctant to fit new tyres due to the time penalties being applied if more tyres were used than the allocated six. This specific change comes following the identification of issues in events that saw wet surfaces and worn tyres being a possible contributing factor to crashes.
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Significant regulated changes to the minimum head clearance within the vehicle have been introduced, as is the strict addition of approved ‘winged’ racing seats, as well as compulsory fitment of ‘approved’ impact safety foam to the doors. The TARGA Great Barrier Reef and TARGA Tasmania events – with its new price of entry and safety requirements – will take place on September 1-3 in Queensland, and on the Apple Isle on October 23-28. The detailed changes surrounding the Safety Cages, each with strict fitting, shape, and placement guidelines, include: • Reinforcement to the structure above the competitors • A-Pillar Reinforcement to triangulate the forward edge of the cage • A diagonally reinforced Main Hoop Cross • A Safety Harness Bar to that extends the full width of the main hoop • Two Anti-Intrusion door bars and Windscreen Pillar reinforcements • Side protection foam for all full competition vehicles, fitted to each front door and in the bodywork rearward of the door aperture. Winged Race seats have also been made compulsory, which will affect the possible entries of smaller style sports cars with confined cockpit spaces not allowing sufficient room for the seats and safety cages. A minimum of 50mm headspace clearance to the top of the main safety cage hoop and the helmet has also been enforced, with the report identifying that some smaller compact cars didn’t provide taller competitors with a safe amount of headroom. Other changes also include the Fire Safety regulations, that now require vehicles to carry a minimum of 4 kgs of fire suppression material, which covers either extinguishers or a plumbed-in fire suppression system. Auto Action has contacted head of Targa Australia Pty Ltd, Mark Perry for further comment but as yet we have not had an opportunity to speak to him. To read the 2023 TARGA Vehicle Changes and Competitions Guide, scan the QR code or enter the link below. https://targa.com.au/wp-content/ uploads/2023/03/2023-TARGAVehicle-Competition-Changes.pdf To read coverage and the Targa tarmac rallies in Australia following the release of a 282-page safety report commissioned by Motorsport Australia. https://autoaction.com. au/2023/03/01/targa-futurelooks-different
BATHURST 6 HOUR
AMBROSE TO MAKE RACING
RETURN AT BATHURST
MARCOS AMBROSE will make his racing return at the Hi-Tec Oils backed Production Car enduro at Mount Panorama this month. The two-time Supercars champion and NASCAR Cup Series race winner will make his on-track comeback in a Garry Rogers Motorsport Ford Mustang. He shares the car with George Miedecke and Tim Brook with the squad determined to hit the grid after withdrawing on the eve of the 2022 event due to unresolvable car issues. Last year’s near miss has fuelled Ambrose and the rest of the team with ambition to take on Mount Panorama as a competitive force in Class A2 having completed a shakedown at Queensland Raceway.
“I am looking forward to finishing this story of the GRM Mustang that we built for the Miedeckes,” Ambrose said. “It was supposed to run last year but we had issues with the transmission and the car just wasn’t ready. “They have been working on it in Queensland for a while, been testing and it’s now ready.” Ambrose has done little racing since his last Supercars stint in 2015 and has spent time recently as GRM’s competition director. But this drive is a continuation of a special partnership forged when George Miedecke drove for Marcos Ambrose Motorsport in the NASCAR Late Model series in 2011 and 2012, when the
Australian was winning races for Richard Petty Motorsports. Ambrose said racing with George behind the wheel and former Bathurst regular Andrew providing support at an “old school” event will be a lot of fun. “I’m really looking forward to teaming up with George and Andrew – we’ve been good friends for a long time and it should be a good weekend enjoying the car and the race,” he said. “It feels old school to me ... private teams, working on their cars all year for the one big race. “There’s lots of speed difference between the cars, different configurations and 6 hours is the perfect length for the race.” Despite dominating Supercars with
back-to-back titles for Stone Brothers Racing in 2003 and 2004, Ambrose could never conquer Mount Panorama. But Andrew Miedecke believes the Ambrose-led Ford has the ability to create an “upset” and beat the fancied BMWs. “I’ve been to Bathurst many times and I see the Bathurst 6 Hour as being the race that I first started competing in 1986,” Miedecke said. “To me it’s nostalgic and a really good race. “I think there’s opportunity for an upset. The Mustang won’t be as quick up the hill as the BMWs but we’re hoping with our reliability, strategy and our drivers we hope to be in the fight at the end.” Thomas Miles
DJR DUO HEADLINES BUMPER BATHURST FIELD A FULL grid will take on this (Easter) weekend’s Bathurst 6 Hours with 60 cars confirmed across the eight classes. At the time of print a total of 156 drivers signed up, but this figure should approach 160 by the time the green flag drops on Easter Sunday morning. Headlining the long list of drivers is current full-time Dick Johnson Racing duo Will Davison and Anton De Pasquale. Davison adds a star element to one of the event’s most successful combinations of Beric Lynton and Tim Leahey. The pair won the 2019 race in dominant fashion, leading every tour of the 6.213km circuit to win by an entire lap, plus set a race distance record in the process. Lynton and Leahey returned in 2021 to defend their crown and finished second, just seven seconds behind the winners. Last year they were joined by Davison and qualified sixth before mechanical gremlins curtailed their day to eventually finish 27th and 11 laps down. They will drive a BMW M3, which has recently undergone a significant rebuild
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Ben and Michael Kavich will contest the Bathurst 6Hr for a special cause. after it caught fire at Queensland Raceway last year. Lynton and Leahey hope to become the first pair ever to win multiple Bathurst 6 Hour crowns. De Pasquale will also drive a BMW at the event for a special cause alongside Anthony Soole and Adam Burgess. The trio took on the Mountain in the
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same car last year and started third, but the race ended in the gravel after fuel pressure issues. In addition to chasing for a Bathurst 6 Hour trophy, Soole is racing in support of Destiny Rescue - a charity working to free children from sex trafficking. Another driver line up not only looking to compete, but also raise awareness for
a much-needed cause is the Ben and Michael Kavich entry. The brothers will hit the track with Tickford Supercars driver Thomas Randle in their bright yellow and pink liveried ‘Race For A Cure’ BMW M2 Competition, hoping for donations in support of Breast Cancer Trials. ‘Race For A Cure’ is close to the Kavich’s heart having been founded by Ben’s wife Toula Kavich following her breast cancer diagnosis in 2016. Other family combinations include Tony and Ryder Quinn, brothers Grant and Iain Sherrin, who hope to repeat their 2018 success, while cousins Ben and Jude Bargwanna will be the third generation of their family to take on the Mountain. Other big names taking on the event will be two-time Bathurst 1000 winner John Bowe and Great Race podium finisher Tony D’Alberto. Reigning winners Cameron Hill and Thomas Sargeant will not return to defend their crown. Thomas Miles
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LATEST NEWS
LECLERC LAMENTS “WORST START TO SEASON” IN FERRARI CAREER
BROWN APOLOGISES
FOR “THROWING AWAY” FINAL AUS GP RACE ONE YEAR after being triumphant, Ferrari suffered a miserable Melbourne Grand Prix with neither Charles Leclerc or Carlos Sainz scoring points in 2023. Leclerc’s defence of the Sir Jack Brabham Trophy lasted just three corners, which was the latest blow in a 2023 season that is already starting to spiral into despair. Car #16 sits 10th in the championship with just one points finish at a penalty affected Saudi Arabia race. A podium went begging at the opener in Bahrain due to a power unit failure, while the Aston Martin of Lance Stroll bumped Leclerc into the gravel in Australia. The only time Leclerc has suffered a worse start was in his rookie season of 2018 when went pointless in the first three Grands Prix for the then struggling Alfa Romeo Sauber outfit. “It is just extremely frustrating,” Leclerc told F1.com. “I mean, it’s the worst start to the season ever, really.” In regards to the first-lap incident, Leclerc refused to blame Stroll, stating a lack of vision created an unfortunate chain of events. “I’m not pointing the finger at Lance because I think he had no choice once Fernando (Alonso) slowed down the car the second time,” Leclerc said. “For me it was just impossible to see whether Lance was staying behind Fernando or if he was just in between. I obviously didn’t think he was there. “Turn 1, I took it easy and Turn 3 I wasn’t really planning an overtake at first on Lance. “Then I saw that he had to brake very early because of Fernando in front that was braking early, so I released the brakes and put myself alongside Lance. “(But) then Fernando had to brake even more, so then Lance found himself between me and Fernando – and he couldn’t turn in and we had contact.” Thomas Miles
THE 2023 Melbourne SuperSprint will go down as one of the highlights for Erebus Motorsport, but Will Brown knows it could have been even better. The two Coke Camaros headed into the fourth and final race of the weekend high on confidence having already recorded the team’s maiden double podium and front row lockout in the team’s 10-year history. Although Brodie Kostecki had already recorded two victories, Brown was in the mix in Sunday’s 13-lap finale. Chaz Mostert and car #9 negotiated their way past eventual winner Broc Feeney on the opening lap, and the Walkinshaw Andretti United Mustang and Erebus Camaro thrillingly engaged in wheel-towheel combat for the lead.
Brown made his move on Lap 4, diving down the inside of Turn 12, but Mostert tired to perform the switchback at the following right-hander. This meant the one-time winner bravely tried to hang tough on the outside and did his best to survive, but could not control his Camaro. Brown spun across the track and hit the inside wall, relegating him from the front down to an eventual P23 finish two laps down. With the Hard tyre starters of Feeney, Andre Heimgartner and Brodie Kostecki eventually going ahead of the early SuperSoft runners to jump on the podium, Brown could have finished fourth where Bryce Fullwood crossed the line before his
15-second penalty for an unsafe release if he didn’t spin. The result would vault him up to third in the championship, but instead he sits fifth, 131 points behind leader Kostecki. Reflecting on the costly Race 6 incident, an honest Brown said it was a simple driving error he will look to learn from ahead of round 3 at Perth on April 28-30. “What a weekend it was here at the Australian Grand Prix. I got two podiums, but I absolutely threw it away in that last one,” he said. “I am so sorry to everyone at CocaCola Racing and all of our fans. That was completely my fault, I just stuffed up and will learn from it and move on to Perth.” Thomas Miles
S5000 OFF THE GOLD COAST BILL? THIS WEEK’S announcement of confirming the the addition of the National Sports Sedan’s at the Gold Coast 500 in October, follows the withdrawal of the S5000 from the event. Last October, S5000 contested a successful three-race Tasman Series round at the GC, without a single yellow flag/Safety Car interruption-around what can be a car-wrecking circuit, with Nathan Herne taking the series’ first ever clean sweep. Teams were expecting to line up at the event again in 2023, however AUTO ACTION understands that discussions between ARG and Supercars has resulted in S5000’s removal from the 2023 GC programme. The 2023 Gold Star championship will now be reduced from seven to six rounds, as no replacement event is likely to be considered. The grand finale for the series is still penned in at the prestigious Adelaide 500 event.
For the National Sports Sedans, it’s a high-profile round, with the category also provisionally competing at the Bathurst 1000 event in October – although recent
MA decisions and policy in relation to power:weight ratio for race cars at Bathurst may ultimately have some impact. Bruce Williams
RICCIARDO SLOWLY RETURNING TO HIS FORMER SELF
DANIEL RICCIARDO returned to the Formula 1 paddock at Australia last weekend where Red Bull revealed he has developed from “unrecognisable” to being within “10 minutes” of becoming race ready again. Ricciardo made his first Grand Prix appearance since leaving McLaren at the end of last season and fans had to adjust to the sight of seeing the Aussie at the track on the pit wall wearing a headset rather than a helmet inside a car. Having raced Formula 1 for 10 and a half years between 2011 and 2022, Ricciardo is spending 2023 on the sidelines as Red Bull’s third driver after a tough time at McLaren. Despite the regrettable way the eighttime Grand Prix winner’s post-red Bull career went, fans loved the return of the 33-year-old and cheers could be heard whenever his smile appeared on the big screen. Red Bull team principal Christian Horner also revealed Ricciardo’s presence has lifted the team, with its former driver “embracing” his new position despite the obvious pain of not racing on home turf. “It is great to have him back in blue and be back in the team,” he said “This is the first Grand Prix he’s attending this year, and he’s really throwing himself into it. Sitting in all the briefings, working hard on the simulator as well in the UK doing some race support and some development work on that. “Daniel is just a positive energy to have
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around and it’s great to see him getting his mojo back, to see that big smile on his face and he lights up a room when he walks in. “Hopefully, he’ll rediscover his love for the sport. He’ll do a bit of testing for us later in the year and we’ll see how that goes for him. “I think it’s a different experience. It must be very tough for him not being a race driver this weekend, but he’s thrown himself into this role and embracing it.” Although neither Ricciardo or the team can fully explain why the #3 driver battled so much in papaya colours, Ricciardo’s former boss Zak Brown revealed both
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he and McLaren are “thrilled” to see the “Honey Badger” back in the F1 world. Brown said he hopes Ricciardo can make a comeback from a season away such as the likes of Alain Prost, Fernando Alonso, Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen. “I am thrilled he is here this weekend. I think we are all big Daniel fans and as Christian said, he lights up a room whenever he walks in and smiles,” he said. “I don’t think he knows exactly why it (Ricciardo’s time at McLaren) did not click. Sometimes drivers just need to recharge their batteries. Fernando did,
Alain Prost did over the years. “Hopefully Daniel will get an opportunity to go and try to win his ninth Grand Prix and many more, because I think we would all love to see him back on the grid on a regular basis.” After leaving Red Bull at the top of his game in 2018, Ricciardo appeared a shadow of his former self for the most part at Renault and McLaren. The “Honey Badger” showed glimpses of his best with fine drivers to two podiums at the Nurburgring and Imola in 2020 for the French team, plus his unforgettable triumph against the odds at Monza in 2021 for McLaren. However, Ricciardo’s last Formula 1 season was a tough one, scoring just 37 points compared to his teammate’s haul of 122 in the “unpredictable” MCL36. Having left Red bull as hot property, only to return three years later after his lowest ebb at the top level, Ricciardo appeared to be a different driver to the late-braking master of before according to Horner. But the team leader said the old Ricciardo is slowly starting to return as he refamiliarises himself with the Red Bull setup. “I guess when he first turned up after Abu Dhabi (2022) we didn’t recognise the Daniel that had left us two or three years earlier,” Horner said. “I think the problem is when you drive a car that obviously has its limitations, you adapt and you try and adjust to extract the maximum out of that car and it was clear when he came back, he had picked up some habits. “But having had time off over Christmas, and a chance to reset, he has hit the ground running and I think he likes the feel of the car in the virtual world which seems to correlate well with what we’re seeing in the actual world. “I think he’s desperate to get a run in the car at some point to validate that, but we’re certainly seeing him getting back to being far more reminiscent of the Daniel that we knew.” Whilst testing is the priority in 2023, there is a small chance Ricciardo could make an unexpected 233rd Grand Prix start if one of Max Verstappen or Sergio Perez are unable to race. When asked how race ready Ricciardo is, Horner believed he is “10 minutes” away, despite being in the middle of a sabbatical. “I would say he is about 10 minutes away from being ready,” Horner said of Ricciardo. “He’s in good shape. He has kept himself fit and well. “I think that he is training hard and he is ready to go given the chance.” Thomas Miles
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NATIONAL SPORTS SEDAN SERIES GETS A BIG BOOST A REVISED calendar for the 2023 Precision International – National Sports Sedan Series confirms five rounds, including a trip to the iconic Bathurst 1000. The series also now includes a highprofile trip to the Supercars Boost Mobile Gold Coast 500 on October 2729 and features two Supercar Rounds, the series will visit Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland. The highlight of the series being six on track sessions for the fifth round at the 2023 Bathurst 1000 Supercars event in October and The Boost Mobile Gold Coast 500. The addition of the Gold Coast brings the series back to a five-round calendar after the cancellation of the Symmons Plains Supercars support round. The October 5-8 Bathurst 1000 event will mark the first ‘Great Race’ visit for the National Sports Sedan series in recent decades and will showcase the popular series to the huge Bathurst audience following the event, both at the venue and via the Foxtel coverage. With the addition of the Supercars Boost Mobile backed round on the
Gold Coast, Sports Sedans will again be showcased to big crowds and high-profile events. The National Sports Sedan Series last raced on the Surfers Paradise streets during the Gold Coast Indy Carnival days in the early 1990’s. Director of the National Sports Sedan series Michael Robinson expressed his delight with the revised calendar. “This is an unbelievable opportunity to continue showcasing our category and help set the series up for next year and beyond,” he said. “To be competing at two of the biggest motorsport events in the country with live Foxtel TV coverage is a massive boost to the series. “With the Bathurst 1000 event locked away and now with confirmation of the Supercars Gold Coast 500 event being included, I know that the competitors are really excited with the future for the category.” “The competitor interest is high as we head to our first round at Winton in June, and I expect very solid fields for the whole series.” Robinson said. “It’s a big opportunity for competitors to deliver real exposure for their sponsors as the series has solid
media exposure with coverage across Foxtel, Stan Sport as well as live and delayed coverage on free to air TV across both Channel 9 and the 7 Network.” Robinson announced the 2023 calendar and confirmed that performance engine components supplier – Precision International will continue as the naming rights sponsor for the 2023 series. Robinson also talked about the resurgence in the Sports Sedan ranks. “It’s going to be an exciting 2023 season, and it builds on what has been a very positive 2022 Precision International – National Sports Sedan Series,” he said. “Obviously the faith that they are showing us is being rewarded by the invitation to race on the Bathurst 1000 event and now the Boost Mobile Gold Coast 500 event.
“I have to thank the drivers and teams for being so committed to this year’s season and proving that Sports Sedans have a place on some great high-profile events.” “With the updated series starting in early June we expect plenty of cars being capable of racing, with several competitors returning to the series, as well as several new cars being built now that are getting close to the finish of their builds,” he said. “We look forward to our 2022 series champion Jordan Caruso to be at the front of the field again but expect him to be challenged with lots of competitive equipment in the field. “We think we will see several new cars appear during the 2023 series, and hopefully most of them being close to finished in the time for the first event. Bruce Williams
2023 PRECISION INTERNATIONAL – NATIONAL SPORTS SEDAN SERIES CALENDAR ROUND 1: June 9-11 SpeedSeries Winton VIC Motorsport Aust-Stan Sport & Ch 9 ROUND 2: August 4-6 Trophy Series Queensland Raceway QLD ARG/Motorsport Aust-Ch 7+ ROUND 3: September. 9-10 Master Blast Sydney Motorsport Park NSW BlendlineTV livestream ROUND 4: October 5-8 Repco Bathurst 1000 Mt. Panorama NSW Supercars with Foxtel coverage ROUND 5: October 27-29 Boost Mobile Gold Coast 500 Surfers Paradise QLD Supercars with Foxtel coverage
HIBBERT TAKES NAILBITING TRIPLE CROWN
GEELONG RACER Andy Hibbert has enjoyed many successes across his career, but a Pro Sprint feature win remained elusive until Saturday night. Hibbert scored the breakthrough victory at Warrnambool’s Sungold Stadium Premier Speedway, but it almost did not happen with the race being decided by the slimmest of margins. Just 0.030s separated Hibbert and runner-up Jordan Rae when the two Domain Ramsay owned cars crossed the line ahead of Matthew Symons. As a result of the thrilling win, the Geelong driver has vaulted up to second place in the C & H Trucking Series and into the lead of the A Plus Powercoating Triple Crown series. Despite falling three hundredths short, Rae still put in an inspired drive to defend his lead of the C & H Trucking Series. He started down in 12th, but quickly soared his way up the order and even hit the lead momentarily. Rae made a pass for the lead stick after finding the rubber in Turns 3 and 4, but a caution relegated him back to second for the restart. This put Hibbert back in front and he took the opportunity to stay in the top groove and hold on by the skin of his teeth. Post race the victor reflected he got lucky with the late race yellow, with Rae working the bottom well and falling agonisingly short. Former Pro Sprint champion Brett Milburn almost made it an all Domain Ramsay owned podium having fought up front during the back half of the race. Milburn reached third, but had to settle for fourth being unable to regain ground after the hard-charging Rae flew past. Completing the rest of the top 10 were James Hennessy in fifth followed by Sam Wren, Dennis Jones, Shaun Lyness, Shane Steenholdt and Brett Smith. Jamie May went back to back in the annual Super Rod Cup in the other racing action at Premier Speedway over the weekend. May pulled away to glory after fending off some early race challenges by Troy Gleeson, who had to settle for second in the #W21 car. Gleeson did his best with the inside line, but May found extra pace, carrying speed across the high line
and made the strategy work. After his challenge for victory failed, Gleeson found himself fighting hard for second with Jacob Pitcher joining the party. Pitcher quickly moved his way forward in the A-Main and stole second, only for Gleeson to regain the place with five laps to go. Eventually current Victorian champion Pitcher had to make do with third with Paul Verhoeven and Pitcher rounding out the top five in the 25-lap feature. Todd Hobson led every lap en route to victory in the Wingless Sprint A-Main. Although the results point towards a crushing win for Hobson, he had a mighty battle with Mount Gambier’s Mitchell Broome. The pair shared the front row and Broome made the better start, snatching the lead only for a red flag to halt the race before a lap was recorded. The race was marred by big crashes affecting Carly Walsh and Kasey Garlick, but both were able to walk away.
When racing resumed Hobson showed strong race craft by moving up the track to stop Broome from repeating his earlier move and defend the lead. From there, Hobson was untroubled with an ailing engine not enough to stop him from entering victory lane emitting strong fumes. As Hobson nursed his car to victory, a mighty threecar battle occurred for remaining podium places. Both Chris Temby and Nicholas Ryan made their way past Broome to jump into the top three. Ryan had started down in sixth, but showed patience and made two positions inside the final 10 laps to get onto the podium. Broome was forced to settle for fourth, while Blake Walsh finished fifth. The next stop on the Sungold Stadium Premier Speedway calendar is the Easter SprintCar Trail, which begins at Avalon this Friday night, before heading to Mount Gambier’s Borderline Speedway on Saturday and wrapping up in Warrnambool on Sunday. Thomas Miles
VIDAU PREPARED FOR CHAMPIONSHIP FIGHT AFTER MAIDEN WIN MAX VIDAU has his sights set on a Porsche Carrera Cup Australia championship push after scoring his maiden win at Albert Park. Vidau shares the championship lead with Jackson Walls after the pair mirrored each other’s results in the first round supporting the 2023 Australian Grand Prix. Just like last year the TekworkX Motorsport driver is at the top of the points table after the Albert Park opener, but this time it is more special. In 2022 he was a picture of consistency, being a frontrunner in each race without standing on the top step. But in 2023 Vidau secured his maiden win at the first time of asking after excelling in tricky wet conditions. After the first race was declared a non event, the #72 driver enjoyed a fine start in race 2 and took the lead into Turn 1 and was never troubled from there. Vidau did his best to repeat the result on
Saturday night and even hit the lead after reeling in early bolter Walls. But this time Walls emerged victorious after a thrilling scrap for P1 across Turns 3-6. Despite falling just short of a clean sweep, Vidau was still ecstatic with his
Australian Grand Prix output. He said a strong start was the secret behind his maiden win, which has fuelled him with confidence to launch a championship attack after finishing 10th last year.
“I am so stoked to get the first win under the belt,” Vidau said. “We have been working so hard to get here for a long time now so it’s really special. “Converting off the line was important, I was able to get out in front and then just used our pace to build a good gap. “Once I had it out to about seven seconds the boys told me I should probably save my tyres, so we just managed it from there. “Mentally it was quite tough, but it felt easy, probably looked easy. “We won the round outright last year and we’re at the top of the table again this year, but I feel that we’re better prepared with a good package to fight for the championship this season.” Vidau hopes to continue his good form at round 2 in Darwin on June 16-18. Thomas Miles
LATEST NEWS
JORDAN LOVE JOINS MERCEDES AMG FACTORY AUSSIE GT3 racer Jordan Love has signed up with the Mercedes-AMG factory as part of its Junior Driver line-up. Love will officially enter the ranks of the Affalterbach based AMG team, situated north east of Stuttgart in Swabia, Germany. The talented WA native has already racked up plenty of mileage in a Mercedes GT3, having competed in the GT World Challenge Europe for various teams, and is currently competing in the Nurburgring Endurance Series (NLS) for the Haupt Racing Team. Jordan’s next big challenge in the NLS is the iconic ADAC 24h Nurburgring on May 18-20, he will also be competing at some rounds of the GT World Challenge Australia. It’s a great reward for Love, and represents a huge step in a career that’s about to significantly ramp up. “I’m delighted to be joining the Mercedes-AMG family as a junior driver!” Love said. “This is a huge step in my career and something that not only myself but my supporters, partners and family have been working towards since this crazy journey began. “I can’t thank everyone involved enough, especially Stefan and the entire team at Mercedes-AMG for this incredible opportunity, and the team at MB Partners for their continued support. “I look forward to sharing my programs for the 2023 season. The hard work is far from over, in fact it’s only just the beginning, and I cannot wait to get the season underway!” Love’s management team at MB Partners, piloted by its CEO
Mark Blundell, is ecstatic to have Love join the AMG team. “We’re very excited to announce that Jordan has been selected as part of the elite Mercedes-AMG driver line-up for 2023,” Blundell said. “This is testament to Jordan’s commitment and racing prowess, and to be given the opportunity to represent this iconic brand in the world’s biggest GT racing events is fantastic.”
In 2019, Love became the youngest ever champion of the Porsche Carrera Cup Australia, beating home Dale Wood and David Wall is a remarkable come-from-behind charge up the standings, competing for Sonic Motor Racing. Stay tuned into AUTO ACTION, as it follows the on-track action from both Jordan, and his brother Aaron Love, who’s racing for BRT in the Super2 Championship this season. Tim W Neal
FAMOUS GERMAN BRANDS TO RACE THE MOUNTAIN MOUNT PANORAMA is the stage for the opening round of the 2023 GT World Challenge Australia season where three famous German brands will battle for supremacy. Porsche, Audi and Mercedes account for no less than 16 of the 20 cars on show at Bathurst, and will fight for bragging rights across a pair of 60-minute races at Bathurst. Porsche comes into the category in a big way, with reigning champion Yasser Shahin behind the wheel of a 991.2 GT3 R. Shahin is spearheading the new EMA Autosport Pro-Am outfit, which is completed by the internationally experienced Garnet Patterson. The brand will also be represented by Marcos Flack, who will drive a Sonic Motor Racing Services 991.2 Cup car in the GT3 Trophy class. He will be in a two-horse race with Stephen Coe’s Ferrari 458 GT3. The Mercedes-AMG army can never be discounted with Prince Jefri Ibrahim and Broc Feeney looking to replicate their commanding performance to take victory when the category last took on The Mountain in November. A late charge with Feeney behind the wheel helped the duo take out a three-hour Bathurst International race that was not decided until the final 30 minutes. The team that was overhauled by the Triple Eight Race Engineering Mercedes-AMG at the end was Schumacher Motorsport, which is looking to go one better. Brad Schumacher will be on his own in an
Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo and hopes to be the leader in a competitive Am field. He will have plenty of other Am Audis for company with Michael Kokkinos, Ash Samadi, Marcel Zalloua, Liam Talbot, Geoff Emery, Matt Stoupas and Paul Stokell all driving with the four rings. Hoping to get in their way is an expanded Mercedes field, giving Feeney and Ibrahim plenty of allies with the three-pointed star. Once again seven-time Supercars champion Jamie Whincup and Prince Abu Bakar join forces in the #88 GT3.
RAM Motorsport has an expanded program featuring Pro-Am and Am entries for the first time. Michael Shergold and Garth Walden will drive the Am Mercedes, while the #96 ProAm is in the hands of Mike Bailey and Brett Hobson, with the latter parting ways from his popular Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3. Completing the field are three Invitational MARC cars driven by Darren Currie, Geoff Taunton and Grant Donaldson. The weekend begins with two hour-long practice sessions on Friday before back-
to-back qualifying sessions on Saturday morning. The first 60-minute race begins at 14.55 AEST with the second and final race at 9.20 AEST Sunday morning. 2023 GT WORLD CHALLENGE AUSTRALIA CALENDAR Round 1 Bathurst April 7-9 Round 2 Perth April 28-30 Round 3 Phillip Island May 12-14 Round 4 Sydney July 28-30 Round 5 Queensland Raceway August 11-13 Round 6 Adelaide 500 November 23-26
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LATEST NEWS
TYRE LIFE HURTS MOSTERT ONCE AGAIN
FOR THE second round in a row, Chaz Mostert’s hopes of a Supercars race win were hurt by tyre life, which is an area Walkinshaw Andretti United has targeted ahead of Perth. Mostert relinquished his championship lead to Brodie Kostecki after a short, but eventful Melbourne SuperSprint. Car #25 still had the orange stickers in the fourth and final race of the weekend on Sunday morning with a slender onepoint advantage. Mostert started strong, having overtaken Broc Feeney and held off a challenge from Will Brown to lead the first seven laps of the 13-lap race. However, the Walkinshaw Andretti United driver soon found himself on thin ice, having used too much of his SuperSoft
rubber and suddenly lost seven places within three laps. This was down to poor tyre life as the #25 Mustang eventually slumped to a P15 finish, while Kostecki’s charge from 14th to third created a 75-point swing, which was enough to not only bring the Larry Perkins Trophy to car #99, but also the championship lead. It was a blow for Mostert, who had not finished outside of the top five in any of the first five races of the season. “Bit of a disappointing finish in the end there,” Mostert said. “We were running strongly in the lead until late in the race, and we just didn’t have the tyre life to hang on to the position. “Thank you to everyone for their hard
work, we will regroup and go again in Perth.” It is the second time this season Mostert’s victory hopes have been hurt by a lack of tyre grip, with Shane van Gisbergen charging past in the closing stages of Sunday’s Newcastle 500. After finishing second best in the tense finish, Mostert told a similar story, having also pointed towards tyre degradation as a weakness of his Ford. “I left it all out there (in race 2 at Newcastle) and tried my hardest to make my tyres live, but in the last 10 laps of each stint I started to hit a cliff in degradation,” he said. “My car just really maxed the early throttle pickup which is where I hurt the tyre a lot.
“I am good for the first 20 laps, but after that it was a bit of a battle once I start hurting the tyre and braking starts to struggle.” Despite losing the championship lead, Walkinshaw Andretti United believes it can wrestle back the orange stickers at the next round at Perth where tyre life will once again play a big role. Wanneroo has not been the happiest of hunting grounds for either WAU or Mostert. The pair’s only WA trip together last year netted tough results of P22, P12 and P19. Mostert’s only success at the short track occurred in 2014 in his first victory for FPR, while the Clayton based team’s WA drought is even longer, stretching back all the way to 2006 when Mark Skaife collected the trophy. However, WAU team principal Bruce Stewart believes the team has the tools to reclaim the championship lead at Perth on April 28-30. “It clearly has not been the weekend we had hoped and planned for, but we continue to learn a lot about the new Ford Mustang,” Stewart told Supercars.com. “That means both the set-up needed for speed in qualifying and to race strong at the front. “We now look forward to going to Perth, another very different track with superhigh degradation of the tyres. “We’re pushing forward with the Mustang and looking to move back to the lead in the drivers’ championship with Chaz.”
NEW NAME FOR THE BEND AFTER HUGE OTR SALE THE BEND Motorsport Park will have a slightly different appearance in the future after the sale of the OTR Group, which is a South Australian based retail fuel and convenience store chain. Viva Energy, which operates with the famous Shell brand in Australia, has struck a deal with the Shahin family-owned Peregrine Corporation, the owners of The Bend motorsport facility, to buy the OTR Group for $1.15 billion. As part of the purchase of the OTR fuel outlet business from the Peregrine Corporation, a deal has been done for a decade-long naming rights partnership with The Bend Motorsport Park. The South Australian motorsport facility has been run by the Shahin family, with OTR banding commonly seen all over the pit straight since it opened in 2018. But under a new deal, which rolls into action on July 1, new Viva Energy branding, most likely to be Shell, may appear at the state-of-the-art facility. The new signage at The Bend will likely be seen from July 1, ahead of the Supercars event on August 18-20. “This is an exciting time for The Bend,”
said managing director of The Bend Motorsport Park, Sam Shahin. “I expect the partnership with Viva Energy will further build on The Bend’s reputation as a world class motorsport facility and will accelerate the venue’s next phase of growth as a top tier destination for both corporate and private clients across motorsport and non-motorsport events.
“There is a natural synergy between The Bend and Viva Energy as a supplier of high-quality Shell fuels and lubricants in Australia. “I am looking forward to a long term association with Viva Energy as we work to expand the facility and uses of the venue. “The announcement today marks an incredibly exciting time for our company,
delivering on several core objectives; to see OTR national, to be the leading convenience brand in Australia and to remain true to our roots headquartered in Adelaide,” said OTR founder Yasser Shahin. The announcement arrives as speculation builds surrounding the development of a new motorsport facility at Avalon in Victoria on land that is adjoining the Avalon Airfield, which is leased to the Linfox organisation, the owners of Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit. Industry rumours suggest that the new facility would likely cost beyond $500 million, will see the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport Limited run the venue for some years, with ownership then reverting to the Linfox organisation. It is believed the facility will be co-funded by the Victorian State Government and the Linfox Property Group, which may seek to sell the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit to fund their part of the Avalon project. Should the venue be for sale, industry chatter suggests that one of the potential buyers is the Shahin family’s Peregrine Corporation.
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LATEST NEWS
TRANS AM INVESTIGATION HIGHLIGHTS OFFICAL SHORTCOMINGS. AN INDEPENDENT tribunal established by Motorsport Australia has released its findings into Race 2 of the Trans Am Series at Race Tasmaniaon March 1 at Symmons Plains Raceway. The tribunal was established following confusion at the event – where a red flag was initially shown following a two-car collision and rollover, before being withdrawn. The tribunal looked at the circumstances surrounding the confusion, and was critical of the role some senior official played in it. The tribunal, made up of senior motorsport identities Roland Dane (Chair), Greg Crick and Steven Richards, firstly determined that the minimum number of laps were not completed before red flags were first shown. As such, the official race result has been amended and no points awarded. The tribunal was however also critical of the senior officials and medical
staff’s response to the incident, on lap 11 of the second race of the Race Tasmania event. James Simpson ploughed into Ben Grice’s slow-moving machine coming out of the final corner, which sent Simpson airborne and into a roll. Grice was in the lead, but James Moffat was deemed the winner after he was led to the chequered flag by the Safety Car. However, it was established that red flags were shown for 40 seconds after the incident before the Safety Car was called into action. The tribunal established the “correct call” for red flags to be displayed immediately and was highly critical of officials actions in bringing out the Safety Car, which led to the confusion surrounding the result. At the same time, it took more than three minutes before either of the affected drivers were attended to by paramedics, and the tribunal was thus also critical of the response from
marshals and medical personnel alike. “The lack of direct attention by marshals/officials to the drivers of cars #03 and #782 in a timely manner could have had serious consequences,” read the tribunal’s findings. “The medical personnel in attendance appear to have lacked clear direction and leadership in the circumstances where they were confronted with a potentially serious incident.” Thankfully neither driver was seriously harmed in the incident, but after the “Stewards failed to operate as a panel in the course of the Race” the tribunal has made no less than 12 recommendations to Motorsport Australia. These range from implementing an “intensive training program for all volunteers and officials in Race Control” to conducting a recruitment drive for new volunteers. Motorsport Australia CEO Eugene Arocca said the governing body
will take the report on board and decide whether or not any of the recommendations should be implemented. “We have received the tribunal’s findings and will now carefully consider their recommendations and any further changes or initiatives that may be required both in the short and long term,” Arocca said. “It is now confirmed the official race result has been declared, meaning no points will be awarded from the category’s second race of the event as it did not meet the minimum race distance.” To read the full Motorsport Australia Investigatory Tribunal - Findings, Decision and Recommendations, click on the link below. https://autoaction.com. au/2023/04/05/motorsportaustralia-investigatory-tribunalsurrounding-an-incident-duringtrans-am-race-2-at-symmons-plains
Peter Xiberas, owner of PremiAir Racing, says that being a customer of Triple Eight for his Gen3 build program is the way to go. Image: THOMAS MILES.
Spare parts: because you’ve built your stuff yourself, do you think you’ve got more spare parts than some of the teams that haven’t? “Yeah, we probably do. But again, we went into a lot of those parts with other teams to make sure that we all saved dollars. So we’ve probably got a bit of excess. But it’s nothing that’s going to hurt any other team. I don’t think it’ll give us an advantage. We know we’ve got enough stock for decent crashes, which we hopefully don’t have.” What are your first thoughts on Gen3 as a racing car? Has it hit the marks that were set for it? “I think the biggest thing is that the fans, the sponsors, and everyone loves the look of the cars. Not just our cars, but the cars look good on the track. They sound good. “But they’re just race cars. I don’t care what the drivers don’t like about them or anything – I don’t care. Our drivers are
PremiAir Racing has been the big mover up the team performance ladder in the past 12 months – using 'customer' cars.
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the same. They say, “It’s a race car. We’ve got to race it. That’s the tools we’ve got, let’s just make the most of it.” “I think that’s what it showed at Newcastle, but we probably didn’t make the most of it. We didn’t make the most of trying to repeat being on pole. But we know what we did wrong, and you move on and learn from it.” What do you think the chances are of completely missing the mark on a setup, like DJR did? If you got it right for the first round, will you be okay for the rest of the season? “It’ll be slightly more consistent than the old car, but you can still miss the mark. There’s still so much adjustment that you can get right or wrong. "So far, on the three tracks we’ve been to, we’ve been pretty happy with the car, how it’s rolled out the truck and how we’ve tuned it. There’s no reason why we shouldn’t go to any track and have the
Images from Triple Eight's assembly area for the number of Camaros being built for itself and customers ... same confidence, and bounce out the gate pretty fast.” I was a bit surprised that you’re allowed to run different cooling systems for the drivers, what else can you do differently? “You can’t really, that’s the thing. The only reason why they’ve carried the cooling system over is that they didn’t really have a solution for helmet cooling with the Chillout system, the electric system, like we’ve got. Triple Eight came up with a system, and that plan failed. But it’s probably the only thing that’s open in the whole car at the moment. “But that will be closed soon, I reckon, and everybody’ll be running the same thing soon. But we’ve just got to come up with a good helmet fan system that cools, which we don’t run. Our drivers are fine without it.” So finally, what are your thoughts about teams that have the complete opposite to you, like PremiAir? Is it just horses for courses? “I think, in hindsight, we’d still do it again the way we’ve done it. We still think there’s an advantage in doing it our way and having total control. Because that’s the main thing – just having control. I don’t think plug-and-play would work for us.”
PETER XIBERAS – PREMIAIR RACING So Peter, you are essentially a customer of Triple Eight, can you tell us why you have gone down that path? “I’m not from the Supercars, touring car world. I’m from a different world of motorsports, so at the end of the day, there’s no point playing golf and tennis and using the same coach. To me, it was aligning us with someone that I felt could take us to the front. We looked at a lot of teams, and I firmly believe, for us anyway, Triple Eight is the way to go. “Starting out on day one, it was always going to be extremely difficult for us to attract the right people because good, talented people want to be attached to success. I can do all the talking I like and say this is what we’re going to do, but sometimes you’ve got to do it first and
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Every track, every meeting, everything is always moving. It’s just learning and trying not to make the same mistakes again...
prove to these people that you can do it. “With that in mind, if I’m not going to get the right people, and without the right people, it’s almost impossible to get to where you want to go or where I want to go. So you’ve got to buy your way in, if that is the right way to say it. The best way for me to purchase the tools, technology and data was to do what we have done. “There’s so many pieces of the puzzle that you got to put together.” Where do you want to get to? “Oh, the front. It’s why we’re here. Look, everyone’s here for different reasons. Some people probably say they want to win and get to the front, but they don’t really. But that is my only reason for being here. I’m not really interested in just driving around at the back. I’ll get tired and bored and walk away. So no, we want to do it for results – that’s the only reason we want to do it. We want to win.” How about the lead-up to Newcastle? Was it nervous knowing you were totally in someone else’s hands with all the delays? “I’m not going to lie and say there weren’t a few sleepless nights. A few nights, I questioned what I got myself into and, probably, my sanity. But I did it for a number of reasons, and one was the challenge, and anyone that thinks it’s easy or was going to be easy is fooling themselves. I knew we were in for a bit of a tough slog. “I think the first half of last year was definitely that. It was tough where we were finishing, but I think we started to show some form in the second half of the year, and results are coming our way. I think we’ll continue to improve this year, and hopefully, that’ll lead us further and further up the field.” So Newcastle and that fourth place, did it feel like a vindication of your approach? “Yeah, 100%. Coming into Newcastle, the truth is I didn’t know where we were at. So just like everyone, we had two new cars, we’d done X amount of shakedowns and testing and, after all that, if you'd said to me 'where do you think you are?' I honestly didn’t have a clue. "I didn’t know whether our cars were fast, slow or in between; I didn’t know where we were; and I don’t think any team really could honestly tell you the same.
“So for us, Friday, when we were doing practice, especially the third session where I think the boys finished fourth and fifth, that was probably the moment where you went, 'Wow, we’ve actually got two top 10 consistent cars. This is pretty good. ' “Then, to back it up on Saturday and Sunday, it just cemented that, okay, we’re not just one-hit wonders for the day or the weekend.” So what happens when something goes wrong, like the problem in Saturday’s race? How do you sort through issues like that? Do you have Triple Eight people in the garage to work through it? “No, no, no. We’re two separate teams. We do our own thing, do our own debriefs. We will share if we’ve got a question or don’t understand some data. But the good thing is, we look at their data, and they look at ours. So there were some points where we impressed them, and then there were points where they impressed us. We just looked at the data and went from there. “But we’re two different teams, and they want to beat us as much as we want to beat them.” So do you have Triple Eight people sitting in your garage during the weekend? “No.” So then it’s just a debrief with them? You wouldn’t be in their formal debrief, but there’s some other form of debrief you would do with them? “Yes. After the weekend, a few days later, when we all get back, we have a debrief with them. We have our own internal debrief, they have their own, and then we have one collectively together.” And how did you find that? “It was good. If you make 100 mistakes, you’ve got to try and work out how to make 90 the next time, and then 80 and then 70 and so forth. "So it’s one of these things where the best way to describe it is that the goalposts keep moving. It’s not like, right, we’ve just got to do this and this and then just set it, forget it and we’ll be right forever. “Every track, every meeting, everything is always moving. It’s just learning and trying not to make the same mistakes again.”
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PRODUCTS AND INDUSTRY NEWS
SAFETY, STYLE AND PERFORMANCE ALPINESTARS HYPERTECH V2 ALPINESTARS IS a premium brand in the motorsport driver safety apparel marketplace. The brand is a world leader in style design and is constantly investing and developing new ways to improve driver safety, comfort and at the same time increase protection. When it comes to a racing suit with style, comfort and safety it doesn’t come much better than the Hypertech V2. The Hypertech V2 is a super lightweight and breathable two-layer suit with an athletic fit, designed and developed for drivers looking for professional levels of racing performance. The Hypertech V2 also meets the much stricter requirements of the new FIA Standard 8856-2018 while still managing to maintain its incredible lightweight feel, weighing in at an impressive 265g/sqm. The outer shell is constructed from an aramidic Nomex anti-static outershell that provides optimal heat and flame resistance, while maintaining the lightest possible weight. The new internal lining is an innovative aramidic knit, that again meets the new FIA standard. The suit also incorporates thin, stretchable, superlight panels developed exclusively for Alpinestars which maximize the comfort levels on offer and also allows the suit to regulate the body temperature to optimum levels. These F1 derived stretch panels are strategically placed at the elbow area, lower back and sides, crotch and knee zones and provide excellent levels of flexibility and freedom of movement in all the key mobility areas.” KEY FEATURES OF THE HYPERTECH V2 SUITE • Alpinestars exclusive shoulder epaulette construction provides an effective feature for the extraction of the driver in the event of a crash. • Printed logos help maintain the suit’s material integrity and reduce overall weight. • Premium YKK thin lightweight zipper personalized with Alpinestars leather puller, plus double slider for a versatile and customizable fit. • Ultra fit design • Weight 265g/sqm. • Super-lightweight and breathable two-layer suit incorporating thin stretchable panels for maximum comfort and effective regulation of body temperature. • Innovative soft lining material technology ensures breathability and comfort.
CONSTRUCTION • Strategically positioned Formula 1-derived stretch panels at lower back and sides, elbow, crotch and knee zones for enhanced flexibility, both in and out the car. • Alpinestars fully floating arm construction with stretchable knit fabric ensures minimal material resistance while driving. • Soft and thin wrist and ankle cuffs for maximum comfort and reduced weight. • Flat seam construction for reduced pressure points and improve strength. • Specially designed soft collar incorporates leather details, knit fabric and secure hook and loop closure. CERTIFIED PROTECTION • Certified to the new FIA 8856-2018 homologation standard. • Sold with laundry bag for convenience and to protect material fibers. • Nomex® anti-static outer shell fabric offers exceptional heat and flame-resistant proprieties. For further information on the full range of Alpinestars car and kart racing safety equipment visit www. patrizicorse.com/alpinestars/alpinestars-auto/or call 07 5530 1583
A SMART STARTER – PROJECTA GROWS THE RANGE OF INNOVATIVE INTELLI-START JUMP STARTERS or for vehicle holding depots and car yards. When recharging is finally needed, this can be done back at the workshop, garage or home using the supplied 5V USB charger. A further benefit of the latest models is its ability to jump start vehicles and machines that use a variety of battery types including Lithium, Wet, AGM, Gel and Calcium.
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The IS1400 is suitable for 12V electrical systems and offers 500A clamp power and 1400 peak amps, more than enough to start petrol-powered vehicles up to 7.0L displacement and diesel engines as large as 5.0L. These capabilities along with a compact design makes the IS1400 an ideal choice to carry in the glovebox, for stowage with 4x4 recovery gear, or to keep on hand at workshops or car yards. Other Projecta INTELL-START models in the existing line-up include the IS920, IS1220 and IS1500. Projecta will further expand its INTELLI-START Jump Starter range in the months ahead with the launch of several industrial grade models that are engineered to suit heavy commercial vehicles and large mining, construction and agricultural equipment. All INTELLI-START models are Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) compliant and Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) certified. The latest additions to the INTELLI-START range are available from leading automotive, camping, trade caravanning and four-wheel driving outlets nationwide.
WEC PREVIEW
A TRUE MOTORSPORT
FESTIVAL
AFTER A FOUR-AND-A-HALF-YEAR ABSENCE THE ADELAIDE MOTORSPORT FESTIVAL RETURNED WITH A BANG! THE VICTORIA PARK STREET CIRCUIT AGAIN FEATURED STAR DRIVERS AND LEGENDARY RACE CARS ... Report: Dan McCarthy THERE WERE countless highlights throughout the three-day motoring festival, as the Adelaide Motorsport Festival attracted a current Formula 1 driver for the very first time, 10-time F1 grand prix winner Valtteri Bottas. He was not the only star driver – former Adelaide Grand Prix podium finisher Stefan Johannsson returned, as did seven-time Bathurst 1000 winner Craig Lowndes, WRC rally winner Hayden Paddon as well as a whole host of current Supercars drivers and team owners. The event fired into life with the traditional Friday night street party in which 25 of the highest profile cars and
stars drove on the original Grand Prix layout before stopping for fans to get up get up close and personal to the machines. The party atmosphere was concluded with a fireworks display. A two-day sprint event was held at Victoria Park over the weekend, on the shortened layout of the circuit. There were 12 categories competing including GT cars, Ferraris, Classics and even V8 Supercars, with the fastest driver in each class taking home a trophy. There was a major drawcard on each day, Sunday saw Finnish F1 driver and adopted Aussie Valtteri Bottas cut laps in a Group A era Alfa Romeo Touring car. The car not only had success in European Touring Car competition but
Images: PETER NORTON EPICS SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHY/ADELAIDE MOTORSPORT FESTIVAL
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Lowndes meets Benetton B186 (below). Johansson reunites with Ferrari 156 (top). Top right: Beatrice F1. Above: Brabham drives Brabham BT19. Right: Uncle Graeme’s LJ GTR XU1 Torana and Jamies’ 2014 Championship winning T8 Supercar ... Ferrari hits the streets. Bottom: F1 on the streets of Adelaide. Bottom right: Bottas drives Bathurst-winner ... was raced by former F1 champion Alan Jones in Australia. Colin Bond also raced the Alfa and notably finished fifth in the ATCC Australian Grand Prix support race on the streets of Adelaide in 1985. That wasn’t all. Bottas drove his first ever Supercars laps, jumping behind the wheel of the 2016 Bathurst 1000-winning VF Commodore and shared the track with Craig Lowndes. Bottas did not hold back, pushing the car to its limits, before drifting the car and performing donuts. It was quite a show for the very appreciative fans. On Saturday David Brabham and his son
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Sam drove the 1966 Brabham BT19 in which the late Sir Jack Brabham won his third and final Formula 1 World Championship. The BT19 was not the only Brabham to make its debut at the event, as not one, but two 1989 Brabham BT58s driven originally by Martin Brundle and Stefano Modena raced around the track as well as the last ever Brabham, the 1992 BT60B. Supercars driver Tim Slade was given the opportunity drive the 1988 Arrows A10B raced by Eddie Cheever and Lowndes the 1986 Benetton B186 once driven by Gerhard Berger. Swede Johansen returned to steer the
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Ferrari 156 which he drove in the 1985 Australian Grand Prix. In total a dozen F1 cars hit the track and were certainly a crowd favourite along with the brand new Tipo F1 category. The new class contained Dallara IR-05 Indy Car, a Formula 3000 car driven by Thomas Randle and the Australian debut of the Rodin FZed track car, based on a 2011 Lotus Renault Formula 1 car. WRC driver Paddon showed off his electric Hyundai Kona rally car in front of an Australian audience for the very first time. Many manufacturers including Audi,
Mercedes and McLaren showed off their new machines with Todd Hazelwood circulating in the 2022 McLaren Artura. Other notable attendees were Roland Dane, Peter Xiberras, Nick Percat, Le Mans 24 Hours winner Vern Schuppan, Aaron Seton, Steven and Jett Johnson. Other notable cars included a Porsche 962, Lancia Delta rally car, the 1985 Bathurst 1000 winning Jaguar and the final Holden Supercars Championship race winner. The event was a massive success and drew in an incredibly large crowd – already fans are wondering who and what will be on track in 2024.
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