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PARITY: IT’S ALL THE RAGE! WHAT CHANGES WILL BE MADE AND WHEN? COG, ENGINE MAPS – PLUS CHASSIS STRENGTHENING

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NATIONALS NEWS

VIC STATE SERIES TO ROLL ON AT WINTON

THE VICTORIAN State Race Series resumes at Winton this weekend for Round 2 of the 2023 season. A solid total of over 170 cars is expected to hit the nation’s “action track” across eight classes, which will fight for glory in four sprint races spread across the two days. The season started in a big way at Sandown in February, featuring a time-based race format for the first time. VSRS representative Michael Holliway said the series is looking forward to building more momentum at Ian McLellan and Luke Gretch-Cumbo are among the Improved Production contenders. Image: REVVED PHOTOGRAPHY Winton. “It is shaping up to be a pretty flash race meeting,” he said. competitive one with Lachlan Strickland, mechanical gremlins and Triumph runners “We have a reasonable field and the Jack Bussey, Edison Beswick and Jarred Trevor Lindsay and Keith Ondarchie will be weather is looking good. Farrell fighting at the front. ready to pounce. “Sandown was a terrific race meeting and The Kent class looks set to be more Soon after a big field took on Mount Winton always presents a challenge and one-sided after Richard Davison picked up Panorama at the 6 Hour, at least 17 Hyundai all the great viewing areas will be open for from where he left off and recorded a clean Excels are expected to arrive at Winton. spectators.” sweep. All hope to catch Pieter Faulkner after his At the time of print the biggest field lined A “terrific” total of 25 vehicles is dominant Round 1 performance. up to race at Winton was the Improved expected in Saloon Cars where the classic It will be an open race for P1 in Sports Production class with 28 entries where Luke Commodore versus Falcon rivalry will take Sedans with the man who blew the field Grech-Cumbo and Danny Timewell are the place. away at Sandown in a Saab 9-3, Thomas favourites. The man to catch is Shaun Jamieson, Randle, not returning. There will also be a 27-strong pack of who was a dominant force in his VY at the This will bring the likes of Ray Hislop, Formula Vees hitting the grid. Youngster season opener and Daniel Johnson, plus a Dean Came and Greg Lynch into Reef McCarthy was the form driver at host of others aim to provide a fight. contention. Sandown, while Lee Partridge produced the The MG and Invited British Sports Cars Wrapping up the busy entry list is the feel-good story getting his first win in two class returns to give fans a glimpse of 19 Porsche 944 category, which produced decades. classic cars. interesting racing in the season opener. Formula Fords add to the open-wheel Michael Roddy’s Jaguar TWR XJS showed Tickets are available at the gate. action and the Duratec class battle was a Sandown strong pace, but also had Thomas Miles

TEAMS READY TO RACE FOR SIX HOUR GLORY

TWO SUCCESSFUL teams will fight for victory at the upcoming NSW 6 Hour Regularity Relay at Sydney Motorsport Park. The six hour event, to be held on April 29-30 on the same stretch of road Supercars race on at the former Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix venue, will be a unique spectacle. The winner’s trophy is not decided by the fastest driver, but rather the most consistent, with drivers rewarded with points for lapping as close to their nominated time as possible. A solid field of 28 cars is expected to line up on the SMP grid for the seventh running of the event, which is expected to be a battle between two dominant teams Phoenix Racing and Panorama Mountain Men. There are also many family teams on show with NSW Road Racing Club chairman Ross Elliott swapping his organisers hat for a racing helmet. Three practice sessions will be held before the 6 Hour begins at 10.00 AEST on Sunday, April 30. Those looking for more information about the event can contact 6hour@ nswrrc.com.au. Thomas Miles

SUPER SERIES TRAVELS TO THE TOP END THE NATIONAL Hi-Tec Oils Super Series will make a journey to the Hidden Valley in Darwin for the May Day long weekend on April 29-May 1, with its headline TA2 Muscle Car Series act to appear in the Top End for the first time. It’s the second stop for the national series, after it opened its account at the Benalla Auto Clubs (BAC) Winton Motor Raceway. The TA2 series (right), which features the V8 powered Ford Mustangs, Chevrolet Camaros, and Dodge Challengers, will celebrate its first Darwin trip with a worldfirst twin-driver TA2 endurance race, with Tyler Everingham and Jordan Cox the first named co-drivers to be joining the field. Joining the Trans Am beasts will be the HQ Holdens, a category with a long standing history in Darwin, with that series to also run a twin-driver race. Drivers will converge from all around Australia to take on the local HQ Holdens in competition for The Crocodile Cup – a sort of HQ

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Holden State of Origin showdown. Joining the Hidden Valley show will also be the Hyundai Excel Racing series, as well as the popular Northern Territory Drift Championship. In a further local flavour, the program will host a combined race for Improved

Production, Commodore Cup, and Australian Super TT, giving local drivers the benefit of competing in a national level event. The Monday afternoon of the event will be broadcast live on SBS and Fox Sports between 1-4pm, with live streaming also

available on the Monday between 9;30am12:30pm on the series’ Facebook site. Fans at the track will also be treated to a series of key off-track events, where fans can get up close with the cars, with the event also incorporating Thursdays Mindil Sunset Market. Promoted by the North Australian Motor Sports Club (NAMSC) and the BAC, Stephen Whyte from the BAC says that the event is perfect for bringing benefits to the Darwin community. “As well as drivers and teams travelling from all over Australia to compete at Hidden Valley, our Darwin round will also allow local competitors and officials to showcase their abilities on the national stage,” Whyte said. “The support from NAMSC and the local motorsport community has been fantastic, and we’re looking forward to creating a special event for the town of Darwin, on and off the track.” TW Neal

Proper, raised spectator banks at Oran Park allowed fans to watch Skaife and Ambrose go at it close-up.

PARADISE FOUND? AA’S COLUMNIST HOPES THE AVALON CIRCUIT CATERS FOR MOTORSPORT’S MOST IMPORTANT STAKEHOLDERS

GOOD NEWS in the motorsporting world doesn’t come much better than the announcement of a new circuit to be built within the Avalon Airport Precinct in Victoria. Wunderbar! New permanent racetracks are truly rare beasts. You could count on one hand the clean-sheet, fulltime circuits built on greenfield sites in this country in the last 50 years. Most of this country’s existing tracks date back to the 1960s. One only has to consider the forces working against existing circuits – financial viability, noise and other environmental issues, encroaching suburbia, everincreasing safety standards and myriad regulations from several levels of government – to get a sense of the hurdles to be leaped for a brand-new circuit to come to life. The red tape must be endless. And then there’s the massive amount of funding needed.

with Luke West

REVVED UP Only an airport would be more difficult. Building a football stadium is child’s play in comparison. Well done to Motorsport Australia for driving this project and acquiring government support. MA’s stewardship should not be underestimated. CEO Eugene Arocca is truly a bloke who makes things happen. Well done to Arocca and his team. It was exciting to hear Arocca talk on a recent podcast of the many disparate uses planned for this modern and multi-purpose complex. Complex being the operative word. Avalon will be a boon for competitors and motorsport’s many different stakeholders. I just hope that motorsport’s biggest cohort will be considered as well – race fans. Specifically, punters who love to view motorsport trackside. This is a group seemingly forgotten by circuit designers in recent

decades. In the very least, catering for paying punters has been way down the priority list, or mismanaged. No one wants to sit in a grandstand halfway along a straight with cars droning past. This gets old very quickly. Wouldn’t it be something if planning for the new Avalon circuit could include a series of interesting corners overlooked by at least one elevated spectator area. Somewhere where fans could gather in numbers – thereby creating some good atmosphere – at a genuine overtaking spot. A place where we get to see the cars moving around or negotiating a tricky corner. Perhaps even featuring a big screen to view. I’ll call it a ‘stadium section’ but it doesn’t need to be as grand as that name implies. I do wonder if catering for spectators is actually possible in this day and age? Perhaps the era of good spectating is gone, with

fans needing to be 100 metres away from the action for safety’s sake? Dunno. I do know that when new football stadiums come to life spectators are a primary focus. Fan comfort, views and amenities are central to the stadium’s success. That doesn’t happen in motorsport, sadly. Trackside punters are a long way down the pecking order at racetracks. Then the powers-thatbe scratch their heads and wonder why fans don’t turn up. I’d love to be able to take Avalon circuit designers back in time to, say, Oran Park to show them the amphitheater where thousands gathered to watch the cars charge through the dogleg before plunging down into the final turn. At least vision and photos exist for them to study. More practical would be hosting the designers and planners for a day at the races at a couple of tracks to get a better idea of the spectator’s lot in life. In all seriousness, I would be happy to offer my services as a ‘fan experience’ expert. If being domiciled in Sydney is an issue, I’ll nominate a prolific Victorian race attendee or two to consult to the project. It’s not just trackside fans a new circuit should consider,

as those watching at home need to be entertained too by a track with character. Importantly, a TV viewer should be able to immediately identify exactly which corner cars are negotiating, something that’s not easy to do at The Bend. To achieve this, every corner should be different in profile, not just feature a series of constant radius turns. Some should go up, others down. Some fast, some slow. A super-wide hairpin is a must. Ditto a heavily cambered corner like one of those built into the reworked Zandvoort. Lessons of what not to do should be learned from the many non-descript, cookie-cutter Tilkerings that have disappeared from the F1 schedule. Anyway, while we are at it, each corner should have a name, rather than a number. Perhaps they could mimic and be named after famous features or corners from long-lost Aussie racetracks. I’m starting to doubt that it is possible to build a new circuit with character. I hope that Avalon proves me wrong and that it lives up to its name for all racing enthusiasts. In Celtic mythology Avalon is an island paradise. Let’s hope it proves to be just that when it comes to life.

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LATEST NEWS

NO ROLLING STARTS AT PERTH THE TRADITIONAL standing start procedure will make a welcomed return at round 3 of the Supercars season in Perth after race 6 required a rolling getaway. With the familiar standing start coming back at Wanneroo Raceway, it ensures the single-file rolling start will be restricted to a standalone appearance at the Melbourne SuperSprint. The fourth and final race at the Australian Grand Prix commenced in unusual fashion with the field being escorted by the Safety Car in single file before rolling away in similar style to a mid-race restart. This was activated by Supercars as one of many emergency safety measures in

response to the sudden fires experienced by Ford Mustang drivers Nick Percat and James Courtney in the Friday and Saturday races respectively at Albert Park. It was brought in to ensure no more fiery Fords would appear, while further investigations from the category have pinpointed the issue and led to engine ventilation changes to reduce vapour build up, therefore the chances of a Mustang catching alight again. The cause of the fire is believed to be unburnt fuel vapours, however generated, finding its way into the purge tank, which prior to the fitment of the breather hose extension vented directly into the engine

bay. In recent episodes of the Rev Limiter podcast, AUTO ACTION’s Bruce Williams shed some light on the fire dramas and explained the changes Supercars have made. “The common theme seemed to be that the Mustangs build up crankcase pressure. There is an oil breather tank in the engine bay and the suggestion is there was a bit of fuel bypassing the rings and getting into the oil when the engine is not fully heated,” he said. “When the cars are sitting on the hard cut on the start line it builds up pressure in the oil catch can and the fumes ignite.

“It is a purge tank effectively. I think they fitted dump hoses that vented the vapour down and out and underneath the car, so it should not be a problem anymore.” The Mustang engine issues have been just one part of a busy post Melbourne period for Supercars, which has also conducted a Centre of Gravity test and announced proposed changes to strengthen the Gen3 chassis. Now with a solution to the fiery Fords in place, Supercars has the confidence to bring standing starts back to Barbagallo, where races 7, 8 and 9 of the 2023 season will be held on April 28-30. Thomas Miles

WRC AND HYUNDAI ANNOUNCE BREEN TRIBUTES THE WORLD Rally Championship has retired Craig Breen’s #42, while Hyundai will pay tribute to its former driver at the upcoming Rally Croatia. Breen passed away last Thursday after a tragic testing crash as he prepared to drive Hyundai’s third car at the fourth round of the 2023 FIA World Rally Championship. Tributes from all over the motorsport world have been flowing in over the last five days and they will reach further heights when the WRC returns this weekend. Leading the tributes at the upcoming Rally Croatia will be Breen’s final WRC team Hyundai, which will carry a special livery. The two Hyundai i20 N Rally1 cars driven by Thierry Neuville and Esapekka Lappi will be decked out in special colours saluting their Irish mate. Hyundai Motorsport team principal Cyril Abiteboul said the team will withdraw the third car and run a tribute livery on the remaining two in memory of Breen having received the blessing from his family and

co-driver James Fulton. “After careful consideration involving all stakeholders, we have decided to participate in Croatia Rally. We will do this in memory of Craig, to honour him, his passion for rallying and his competitive spirit,” Abiteboul said. “We will enter two cars and withdraw the third entry as a mark of respect.

“Both cars will run with a special livery for Craig, his family, friends and fans. “It is clear from speaking to everyone that the best way to honour Craig’s legacy was not to withdraw our entry, so we participate mindful of our lost team-mate, friend and incredible competitor.” The FIA and WRC made a joint announcement it will retire Breen’s #42

for the remainder of the 2023 season as a mark of respect. Breen first carried the #42 when he joined Hyundai as a part-time driver in 2019 and retained it for his only full-time season with M-Sport in 2022. When the Irishman returned to the Korean manufacturer this year, he brought the #42 along with him. Sadly the #42 is the second number to be retired this year with the #43 also retired following the death of American driver Ken Block. FIA president mohammed Ben Sulayem was quick to offer his condolences following the tragic news. “On behalf of the FIA, I wish to extend our sincere condolences to the family and friends of Craig Breen following his passing during a private testing accident in Croatia. Our thoughts and prayers are with his loved ones and the entire Rally community at this difficult time.” More tributes from the entire grid are expected to be seen when Rally Croatia begins this weekend.

NATIONALS WRAP

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CHAMPS REIGN, SHOW UP ARC REIGNING TASMANIAN state rally champions Bodie Reading and Mark Young (above) started their title defence in blistering form in an impressive win in the season opener, Rally Launceston, on March 25. The TRC opener was run in conjunction with the first day of the Australian Rally Championship round, with the Tasmanians, turning a few heads by finishing Heat 1 in second outright after the six stages. Reading and Young (Subaru Impreza WRX STi) finished second by just 28.5s behind national champions Lewis Bates and Anthony McLoughlin. The Tassie champs weren’t the only ones to surprise a few higher rated ARC teams, with Eddie Maguire a last-minute entry. He substituted for Ben Newman (WRX) who had an injured knee and couldn’t drive, despite the fact Maguire had only raced Mitsubishis at state level in the past. However, Maguire adapted quickly to the Subaru and co-driver Adam Kudra, to finish the TRC round in second outright, just 23.1s behind Reading. Third placed went to Maguire’s brother Steve Maguire and Stuart Benson (Mitsubishi EVO 9), only 15s slower than Eddie, to also finish seventh outright in the ARC heat. Son and father team Jacob and Adrian Walsh (Mazda RX-7) won the 2WD category of the TRC round. Victorians Ben and Catherine Hayes are no strangers to competing in Tasmanian rally events, more recently in a Holden Commodore. This time they campaigned a new Subaru BRZ and finished second in 2WD and finished 52s behind the Walshs’. Rounding out 2WD honours and making it a trifecta for family teams, were Jaidyn and Lucy Gluskie (Hyundai Excel), over four minutes behind the Hayes. Martin Agatyn

Image: TIM ALLOTT

WINVALE WIN PUTS GONZALEZ AHEAD WITH A comprehensive victory in the Winvale Park Stages in their Skoda Fabia R5 on April 2, Daniel Gonzalez and Daymon Nicoli (above) have the early lead in the Western Australian Rally Championship. Held over 10 stages of which they won nine, it was a clear 1min 20.3s win. Second and third were separated by just 10.7s as Peter Rullo, with Jimmy Marquet, edged out his son Alex who had Ben Searcy in the navigator’s seat and was the other stage winner. Both were in Hyundai i20s as R5 rally cars filled the top three places. Fourth outright were Craig Rondo and Scott Beckwith (Subaru Impreza WRX STi) with consistent stage performances,

NATIONALS WRAP with Garry O’Brien fourth on five together with a third on the final. They finished 8.5s in front of John O’Dowd and Toni Feaver (Skoda). Then came Jack Flanagan and Murray Hynes, and Ali Aslam and Dan Adams in

another two WRXs, and Thomas Loughton and Michael Lloyd in their Mitsubishi EVO X. Gary Mills and Jonathan Charlesson were eighth on the first stage, but their Peugeot 208 later broke its rear diff. The best of the 2WDs were Alex and Jade White in their Nissan Silvia S13. They placed 23rd while second place went to Tony Oates and Adam Branford (Honda Civic) ahead of Scott Bennett and Gavin Turner (Mitsubishi Lancer). Held over six stages, the Clubman Cup honours went to Sam Moody and David Christian over Tiana Chapman and Sami Polak, and Jack Ryan and Luke Dunkley, with all three crews in Subaru Impezas. Garry O’Brien

NOT QUITE OUT OF THE WOODS

IT TOOK four years, cancelled previously by flood, fire and Covid, to get the KickAss Motorsport Australia Queensland State Championship opening round to take place, and then there were dramas with the end result on March 25. The Roos Systems Manumbar Rally win went to Glenn Brinkman and Steven Richardson (right) ahead of the fellow Mitsubishi EVO 9 crew of Ian Menzies and Robert McGowan. Ryan Williams and Brad Jones (Subaru Impreza WRX STi) were classified third after they won the first six stages. On Stage 7 they had an off road moment but managed to get back on track before the torrential rains hit. That cost them 4mins 30s to Brinkman, but they still held the lead and with the last two stages cancelled, thought they had the rally won. The event was stopped

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during the stage due to weather and a rollover with road conditions severely affected. The decision was taken to not transport the balance of the 38 car field through this stage so they could not start SS8. Derived times were calculated for those that did not completeSstages 7 and 8 which affected the final placings. Fourth place went to Simon and Elysia Jansen (EVO 6) ahead of Jamie Neale and Scott Muhling, Anthony and Chloe Tanzer, Todd Webster and Nicola Hoey, and Cameron Henry and Eric Johnsson, all in Subarus. Honours in the 2WD class went to ninth placed Tim and Andrew Dillon (Honda Civic) who finished comfortably finished ahead of their nearest rivals, 13th placed David Ovenden and Kelvin O’Shea (Mazda RX2). The Clubman Cup winners were Nikki Duclos and Craig Hodge (WRX) in 11th place.

Image: CH IMAGES Included in the DNFs were top seeds Matt and Amy Davidson (WRX) with blown engine and small fire, as well as Andrew Carrigan and Liam Hinschen (Mitsubishi Magna) out with rear suspension damage. Garry O’Brien

R.I.P. FOR THE BEND OPPOSITION Image: CAPTURE THE DOG

MAIDEN TO MARSH

IT WAS a breakthrough victory for Zac Marsh (Class 6 Can-Am – above) when he won the rescheduled Speciality Services QLD Federal Short Course, round one of the ARB Mickey Thompson Tyres Queensland Off Road Championship on April 1-2. Hosted by the Gympie Auto Sports Club, it was originally scheduled for Dalby but rain in the lead-up forced the change of venue. Marsh won ahead of Tony Fehihaber (Class 1 Chenowth/Nissan) and Josh Weidman (Can-Am). At the end of a dusty Day 1, Richard Tassin (Can-Am) had a 15s advantage over Marsh after three heats. Weidman was third, 27s away. Fehlhaber held fourth with Aaron Phillis (Unlimited Superboot) next. Mechanical issues on Sunday morning put Tassin out and left Marsh in front and he was able to hold off Fehlhaber by over 1min. The latter was just 7.0s in front Weidman while Guy Hicks (Class 1 Sollitt/ Subaru) put in a spirited run to take fourth ahead of Luke Brandon (Class 6S Polaris). Sixth and first in Class 10 was Steven Orr (Jimco) as Phillips ensued ahead of Steven Kildey (Holden Colorado/Chev) who led Class 4 throughout. Christian Trusz (Class 8 GQ Nissan Patrol) and Tony Patterson (Polaris) rounded out the top 10. In Class 5 Tyler Youman (Toyota Hilux/ Chev) won, so did Colin Gaven (Tony Parker Engineering/Toyota) in Class 2, as Clayton Chapman overcame late mechanical issues to secure Class 7. Garry O’Brien

Image: DAVID BATCHELOR JOSH WILSON and Andy Panton (Visattak GET/Chev Pro Buggy – above) buried their opposition as they blasted through the dust to win the opening round of the South Australian Off Road Championship in the Tigervac The Bend Short Course on April 1-2. Nick Hicks, Christian MacIntosh and Michael Shipton (Element Prodigy/Nissan turbo Pro Buggy) were a distant second at The Bend Motorsport Park with another big gap back to last year’s winners Nick and Alex Burt with Sam Vanstone sharing the left hand seat of the Extreme 2WD Chev-powered Rush Truck. Although off the pace at the end, Luke Mudde and Todd

Curgenven (SXS Pro Can-Am Maverick) were next home just ahead of Tom Hicks and Lochy Rochfort (Can-Am) who ran Section 5 with no clutch. Kevin Howitt and Gavin Chant (ECE Matrix/Toyota) came in sixth, just ahead of Ben and Luke Erceg (Racer/Nissan Sportslite) who were slowed by a late flat tyre. After section two, Darryl Nissen and Andrew Harness (SORE/ Nissan) had a narrow lead but dropped out in section three. Rob Cowie (Jimco/Chev) led the way in section one, then they incurred several time penalties for hitting track markers and dropped down the order. Cowie looked set to make a comeback on Sunday only to break a stub axle. Among the front runners were Dean Carter and Brad Jacob (Razorback/Chev) until the steering broke. Andrew Rost and David Lamour (Can-Am) were the top SXS Pro, fifth in section two but didn’t make the start of the next. Round 1 of the SAORRA Multi Club Series was a comfortable win for Nick Hicks with Mudde 2mins up on the Burt’s and Vanstone. Tom Hicks was only 0.5s off the podium with a comfortable buffer back to Ben and Heath Fatchen (Can-Am). Mark and Ryder Taylor (Super 1650 Cobra/Mazda) weren’t far behind and were the last to complete the full distance. David Batchelor

PLANT SUPREME AT DAY OUT IN HIS new single seater Unlimited class Jimco 2000/Chev LS1, Brett Plant (right) won the Sea Lake Off Road Club’s event on April 1. He finished Darren’s Day Out 1min 53.3s in front of Dean Meginley and Peter McRae (Tatum/Honda K24) and another 2mins13s ahead of Image: SHOW ‘N’ GO Paul Meikle (Sabre/Suzuki), both in Class 10. Martin (Unlimited Feral Gen 1/Chev LS1). The capacity 30 entries faced 11 laps of In the second section over five laps, the 15km course at the Mott farm near Plant again showed the way, this time with Gama, held over three sections for Round Meginley second in front of Joey Marshall 1 of the Victorian Club Shield. Plant won and Andrew Clark in their Class 1 Southern the first section which was over one Cross buggy. Then came Meikle, 24s adrift lap. Second were Tim and Jordan Lloyd and in front of Brant Knight (Class 10 (Unlimited Lloyd Mark/Nissan SR20 turbo) Sabre/Suzuki), and Class 2 leaders Steve ahead of Meginley and Chris and Zac and Jackson Crowe.

Over the final five laps heat, Marshall broke a CV joint, and Crowe was also out with a mechanical issue that had him towed. Meanwhile Plant was the fastest and Meginley was again second. Meikle complete the section third ahead of Rhett Standen and Josh Lyell (Hunter Rivmasta/ Toyota) who finished fourth overall and won Class 2. Knight finished fifth in the end while sixth outright were Dean Williams and John Huber (Class 3 Southern Cross/Diahatsu) ahead of Darren Frankling/Rob Hackney (Class 11 Can-Am), Dan and Angus Schiller (Class 2 Southern Cross/Nissan), and Class 4 winners Craig and Adam Button (CBR/Holden V8). Garry O’Brien

CONDO BACK AFTER A three-year Covid-induced hiatus, the Condo 750 returned for the 30th running of the iconic Lachlan Shire gruelling event where William Dunn and Gareth Edwards (right) won the automotive part in their Nissan Patrol. They covered the 750kms over April 1-2 in 9hrs 8mins to head home Geoff Olholm and John Doble (Can-Am Maverick) by two and a half minutes while Daniel Jones and Bernard Weber (Mitsubishi Triton) were a further 16mins behind in third place. The event is a cross-country navigational rally run over a variety of private/public roads and tracks, for 4WD, Buggies, Quads and Motorbikes under off road regulations. It attacked 30 entries in the Auto division and 49 bikes.

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Dean George and Lucas Beer (Ford Maverick) started off with victory in the first stage and were well ahead in the second before they hit an unmarked hole and broke the radius arm, the chassis mount, cracked the sump and bent the chassis. Dunn was second on the first stage, 19th on the second before first on the next four that had him in front at the end of the first day. Olholm was second after 10th on the first and steady improvement from there as Todd Smith and Chris Holman (Patrol) filled third. Fourth at the end of Day 1 were Graham and Aaron Colbran (Can-Am) ahead of Guy and Heidi Shoemark (Patrol), Warren Denham/Aaron Topliff (Triton), Daniel Jones/Bernard Weber (Triton), and David

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Mendham and Adam Barnacoat in their Jimco buggy. Dunn had a slow start on Sunday, eighth on Stage 1 before he headed the remaining stages. He won the day ahead of Olholm, George, Jones and Smith. Overall Smith was fourth in front of Ryan Hall/Adam Brigden, Ryan Hall/Adam Brigden, Alan

Magill/Lachlan Bennie, and Mitchell and Brad Deeves. Local rider and 750 regular Jacob Smith, on a Husqvarna, won the bike section in 8hrs 56mins 26s. Another local Lachlan Manwaring (KTM 500) was second 4mins 23s behind with his teammate Sam Davie third. Garry O’Brien

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NASCAR

Image: MOTORSPORT IMAGES

LARSON BREAKS MARTINSVILLE CLOCK HOODOO HENDRICK MOTORSPORT gun Kyle Larson took out his second NASCAR Cup Series race of the season on Sunday, with a commanding 4.142s victory over Joey Logano in the #22 Penske Mustang. Rounding out the podium was Martin Truex Jr, getting on the steps for the first time this season. The famed half-mile Martinsville Speedway in Virginia, was also a place that Larson thought he’d never take a victory. Staying with Martinsville tradition, Larson was given the winner’s grandfather clock, joining his team-mate William Byron as the only other multiple race winner this year. “I never thought I’d win here at Martinsville, so I don’t have a spot picked out either for the grandfather clock, so I’ll have to make some space for sure,” the

#5 Chevrolet driver said after taking his 21st career win. “This place has been so tough on me – it just doesn’t suit my driving style at all. I like to change the centre and roll the momentum, and that’s just not what this place is like.” In the end, it was a true win for the Hendrick race strategy calls, with Logano not really appearing a realistic chance during the day. “Solid recovery for what the start of the race looked like, stayed out at the end when everyone pitted, which put us on the front row and had a shot to win the race,” he continued. “I feel like the crew chief, Cliff Daniels, and everybody did a great job all day on pit road, making the right calls and having great pit stops and it all kind of worked out for me there at the end, we

had a great car – that was the best my car had been.” Larson took the lead for the first time with 30 laps remaining, and then had to hold off another past champion, Logano, who was among the majority of the field who had pitted under the decisive lap 304 Safety Car, after a tyre flew off Anthony Alfredo’s No. 78 Chevrolet. Larson instead chose to stay out, in order to gain vital track position on a hard-to-pass day, moving into P5, which paid off seeing as he was battling in vain behind the mid-pack throughout much of the 400-lap race. The 2021 champion then took the opportunity to pit on the Lap 343 caution, taking two new tyres and reemerging into P5 with the leading four not having pitted. Larson moved through that lot and after

ONE FOR THE DIRT TRACKERS FOR THE first time, a NASCAR “dirt guy” finally got it done at the Bristol Speedway, with Christopher Bell taking his first win of the year to leave Tennessee with the Championship lead. Bell, who grew up racing racing on dirt, took his fifth career win by 0.469s over Tyler Reddick and Austin Dillon, making it seven Image: MOTORSPORT IMAGES different winners from eight rounds this season. “Man, let me tell you, those were some of the longest The Joe Gibbs Racing #20 Toyota racer fought hard to laps of my entire life,” Bell said of the closing stages. hold off Reddick in the final stage of the 250 laps, having “This place is so much fun, whether it’s dirt or concrete. led for 100 laps total, as the 14th caution of the race was Whenever the cushion got up there on the top, it was called to end the day whilst he held a slim lead. very tough, because you couldn’t drive it super hard.

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a battle with Logano put the afterburners on, taking advantage of the fresher tyres. Completing the top-10 were Chase Briscoe, Aric Almirola, Ryan Blaney, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Bubba Wallace and Chase Elliott. For Elliott, it was his first NASCAR race in six rounds following a badly broken leg. Larson’s win also moved him up the standings into fourth, whilst Christopher Bell still holds onto the lead despite the Toyota driver finishing in P16. Little separates the championship topfour after the second and the third place sitters Ross Chastain and Kevin Harvick finished P13 and P20 respectively. The next NASCAR outing is at the Talladega Speedway in Alabama on April 23, followed by a trip to Delaware for 400 laps of the Dover Motor Speedway. TW Neal

Otherwise, you’d get sucked in. “If you got your right front into it, you’d push a little bit. If you got your right rear into it, you’d slide. It was a lot of fun.” “Turns 3 and 4, that was the scary corner for me, because if you got into it too far, you lost all your momentum.” Stage 1 was taken out by Kyle Larson, who had led wireto-wire for the 75 laps from pole position, but tempers flared between he and Ryan Preece, with Preece running the Hendrick Camaro driver into the fence and breaking his suspension as revenge for an earlier altercation. But it was Bell, who kept his older tyres on to lead the final 100 laps, with traditional dirt trackers filling the top six positions, as Ricky Stenhouse Jr, Chase Briscoe, and Justin Haley made up those numbers. TW Neal

MOTOGP

BAGNAIA BLUNDER HANDS RINS SPECIAL WIN ANOTHER FRANCESCO Bagnaia blunder helped the impressive Alex Rins score a drought-breaking win at a dramatic Americas Grand Prix in round 3 of the 2023 MotoGP season. Bagnaia led the first seven laps, but crashed at Turn 2, having succumbed to the pressure applied by Rins, who scored Honda LCR’s first win since Cal Crutchlow’s Argentina 2018 success and snapped a 25race winless streak for the famous Japanese manufacturer. The defending champion’s fall proved costly as it extended Marco Bezzecchi’s championship lead from one to 11 points after he finished sixth behind podium finishers Luca Marini and Fabio Quartararo. Australia’s Jack Miller was on track to score an impressive podium, but was one of nine riders to fall in a crash-filled race. COTA king Marc Marquez was not in action in 2023 as he continued his recovery from his Portugal smash and Repsol Honda replaced him with long-time sub Stefan Bradl. Joining #93 and Pol Espargaro on the sidelines was Enea Bastianini, with the Ducati seats being filled in by Jonas Folger and Michele Pirro respectively. Luca Marini topped the opening session of the weekend, but the carnage began in FP2. As Jorge Martin finished fastest, his Pramac teammate Johann Zarco had a notable moment with Joan Mir, who also fell. Following Friday practice many riders voiced their concerns over the COTA track surface, but this did not stop Bagnaia from taking pole with a record-breaking time. Rins showed his first signs of speed by taking second ahead of Luca Marini, Alex Marquez and Bezzecchi. After two crashes in Q2, Miller had to settle for grid position 10. Bagnaia sent a statement with a dominant Sprint win, 2.5s ahead of Rins in the first chapter of their weekend-long battle. Both got fast starts and the Honda LCR rider won the first corner, only to let his advantage slip by running wide on the exit. This set up an exciting dice as Rins fought back to reclaim P1 with a sharp move at Turn 7 before Bagnaia utilised the Ducati’s top speed and completed fourth and final

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When the King is away ... With Marc Marquez sidelined, it was Alex Rins who put Honda back in the winner’s enclosure ... Images: MOTORSPORT IMAGES

Jack Miller fell when in podium contention.

BAGNAIA: CRASH NOT MY FAULT FOR THE second time in as many Grands Prix, defending MotoGP world champion Francesco Bagnaia fell from his Ducati. After slipping in the rain at Argentina, Bagnaia crashed out of the lead at the Americas Grand Prix at Turn 2, 12 laps from home. The two mistakes have cost the Ducati star 45 points in

two rounds and allowed Marco Bezzecchi to enjoy an 11-point advantage in the championship. Bagnaia struggled to explain his COTA crash, but was adamant it was not his fault. “I don’t know what happened. I was in total control (and) crashed,” he reacted post race. “I am very angry, but not with

lead change on the opening lap. Rins stayed on Bagnaia’s back wheel, but his hopes of victory disappeared when he ran wide at the heavy-braking Turn 12. The Honda LCR rider momentarily lost second to Aleix Espargaro, but soon won it back. Quartararo looked to be putting in a strong ride until he fell at Turn 1. The inclined left-hander also caught out

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myself because I am 100% sure it was not my fault. “In Argentina I was on the limit, but today something happened. “We need to understand what happened.” Despite the disappointment, Bagnaia feels “unbeatable” ahead of Round 4, in Spain, on April 28-30 .

Pirro, while Alex Marquez threw up in his helmet moments before crashing out of the top five.A similarly sick Martin managed to ride through the adversity to beat Aleix Espargaro to a strong podium finish behind Bagnaia and Rins. THE 20-LAP main event was the second instalment of the Bagnaia versus Rins battle as the pair went side by side into Turn 1,

but this time the Ducati flew into the lead around the outside. Chaos unfolded behind them however, as Martin took out Alex Marquez, and Aleix Espargaro fell at Turn 12. One of the beneficiaries was Miller, who flew from 10th to third on the opening lap. The KTM rider looked to be a victory contender until he threw it away at Turn 7 on Lap 7. Up front, a chain of fast laps from Rins put pressure on Bagnaia and the defending champion cracked, losing the front end and crashing out at Turn 2. Bagnaia’s second Grand Prix crash in a row released Rins into a strong lead he would never let go as more riders struggled to stay on their bikes. Rins’ former Suzuki teammate Joan Mir crashed out from a points position to complete a tough weekend for Repsol Honda with Bradl also going down. Brad Binder fell at Turn 15, while Takaaki Nakagami slid off at Turn 1. Quartararo did well to keep hold of second until Marini’s supreme straight-line speed proved too much on Lap 13. Despite all the drama, nothing could stop Rins from taking a sensational breakthrough win. Thomas Miles 2023 MOTOGP RIDERS CHAMPIONSHIP AFTER ROUND 3 1 Marco Bezzecchi 64 2 Francesco Bagnaia 53 3 Alex Rins 47 4 Maverick Vinales 45 5 Johann Zarco 44