Auto Action #1888

FORMULA 1 NEW 2026 REGULATIONS REVEALED

AUSTRALIA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE OF MOTORSPORT

SHANE’S BIG WINS

SVG PART 2 HOW SHANE IS TAKING ON THE AMERICANS – AND WINNING

AUSSIE BATTLERS

WATERS AND BROWN JOIN NASCAR’S PARTY

FORD WINS FINKE DESERT SHOWDOWN

MAY 28 JUNE 11 to JUNE 26 13 2024 • $10.95 INC GST

ISSN 2204-9924 ISSUE 1888 1887

UTES FIGHT IT OUT FOR SHOWROOM SUPREMACY

WINTERNATS WONDERS

POWER TAKES INDYCAR WIN

LE MANS 24HR PREVIEW

DAN FIGHTS BACK IN CANADA

TRP VHR 0078

LATEST NEWS

SVG COMPLETES XFINITY DOUBLE SHANE VAN GISBERGEN HAS BROKEN THROUGH FOR A PAIR OF XFINITY SERIES WINS, GOING BACKTO-BACK IN PORTLAND AND SONOMA IN THE PAST FORTNIGHT TO REMIND NASCAR FANS OF HIS ROAD COURSE BRILLIANCE IN A PAIR OF HARD RACING DISPLAYS OF WHICH SUPERCARS FANS ARE FAMILIAR. ANDREW CLARKE REPORTS ...

HE ALSO proved he has lost none of his flair with on track celebrations, with a couple of laps of drifting that has the NASCAR world talking. He has also started a new initiative of kicking signed Kiwi rugby balls into the crowd after his wins, although he may need some practice after failing to make the distance at Sonoma.

The Portland win put van Gisbergen into the Playoffs in his first season and acted as a circuit breaker; the second win and extra Playoffs points puts him on better footing when the Playoffs start, in Kansas in late September.

“What a day, really cool ... had some great racing,’’ van Gisbergen said after his first win before apologising to pole-winner Sam Mayer who he collided with and spun on the opening corner of the race.

“I need to get better on my restarts and learn how to position, but that was so much fun. Really cool racing. I love these cars, they’re great.’’

For most of the Portland race he lost ground on the restarts, but nailed the final one and then was strong during Sonoma.

At Sonoma, there were no apologies for Austin Hill after a bustling pass for the lead of the race, no doubt remembering how Hill served him up at the Circuit of the Americas earlier in the season.

Starting from his first Xfinity Series pole, van Gisbergen dominated the opening stage, banking a Playoff point before Cup Series regular Ty Gibbs took over the running with only thoughts of winning the race. Gibbs dominated the second stage, but didn’t make it through the third when he was taken out in a multicar ‘wreck’, leaving van Gisbergen to fight it out with Hill, Sheldon Creed, Sam Mayer and Austin Green.

“Man, what a race – an adventure, up and down and up and down all day,” he said after the race. “What we did to make the car better between races, was great. It was awesome racing and we were really pushing each other. It’s certainly special to win two road course races in a row and one day I

Two in two for SVG, the Kaulig Racing team, and the WeatherTech Camaro ...

Image: MOTORSPORT IMAGES

around the outside (of Turn 1) and force my way to the inside at Turn 2. I didn’t take him out properly, you know – I just made a hole and got through.”

Hill was reluctant to discuss the winning pass.

“I plead the fifth. I’m not going to say anything about it,” Hill said. “We’ll just go onto the next one. Good, hard racing. We were holding off SVG there for a while, had that caution and I knew it was going to be tough on the restart. Then, it didn’t work out, but we had a good points day, finished in the top five. Can’t ask for more than that.”

Van Gisbergen is now inside the top 10 on the overall pointscore and comfortably inside the ranking for the Playoffs.

PORTLAND INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY SATURDAY, JUNE 1, 2024 1. Shane van Gisbergen, Chevrolet 2. Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet 3. Sammy Smith, Chevrolet 4. AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet 5. Ed Jones, Toyota 6. Cole Custer, Ford 7. Josh Williams, Chevrolet 8. Parker Kligerman, Chevrolet 9. Parker Retzlaff, Chevrolet, 10. Riley Herbst, Ford Lap Leaders: Mayer 0; Herbst 1-15; Van Gisbergen 16-22; Allgaier 23-26; Creed 27; Van Gisbergen 28; Allgaier 29-51; Creed 52; Allgaier 53-71; Van Gisbergen 72-75.

dream about winning on an oval.

“But that last restart, I was just giving it all I had ... and two guys going for the same real estate came together.

“It was pretty awesome though, a lot of fun.

Hope everyone enjoyed the show.”

Van Gisbergen powered inside Hill in that move, who lost several positions before recovering to finish fifth, while van Gisbergen opened up a small lead and then controlled the race to the flag.

“I hate racing and thinking like that but, to me, we’ve both taken a race win off each

other now,” van Gisbergen said. “I don’t know. I didn’t go into the corner planning to take him out. Like, I wasn’t going to hit him off the track, but I was going to try to pass him and I did everything I could.

“And when he kept choosing left on restarts, I was like ‘oh, that’s surprising,’ because I chose the left on the first restart, and it was a mistake. And if I had the opportunity again, I would have chosen the right every time.

“So as soon as he chose the left, I knew, okay, this is a good opportunity to hang

SONOMA RACEWAY SATURDAY, JUNE 8, 2024 1. Shane Van Gisbergen #97 Chevrolet 2. Sheldon Creed, Toyota, 3. Sam Mayer, Chevrolet, 4. Austin Green, Chevrolet 5. Austin Hill, Chevrolet 6. Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, 7. Chandler Smith, Toyota 8. John Hunter Nemechek, Toyota, 9. Cole Custer, Ford 10. Parker Kligerman, Chevrolet Lap Leaders: Van Gisbergen 1-21; Gibbs 22-47; Hill 48-68; Van Gisbergen 69-79.

UP COMING RACE EVENT CALENDAR Brought to you by www.speedflow.com.au SUPERCARS RD 5 DARWIN TRIPLE CROWN JUNE 14-16 FIA WORLD ENDURANCE CHAMPIONSHIP RD 4 24 HOURS OF LE MANS JUNE 15-16 • NASCAR IOWA JUNE 16 FORMULA 1 RD 10 SPANISH GRAND PRIX JUNE 21-23 • NASCAR NEW HAMPSHIRE JUNE 23 • INDYCAR LAGUNA SECA JUNE 23

Australian AustralianMade MadeSince Since 1983 1983

peedflow www.speedflow.com.au www.speedflow.com.au

autoactionmag

Auto_Action

autoactionmag

autoactionmag

www.autoaction.com.au I 3

LATEST NEWS

Cam Waters (above) and Will Brown (below) – both struck trouble during their NASCAR debut, but learned heaps ... They’ll be back. Images: MOTORSPORT IMAGES

PROMISING NASCAR DEBUTS END WITH TROUBLE FOR WATERS AND BROWN

WILL BROWN and Cam Waters can now say they have raced in the NASCAR Cup Series after their debut runs at Sonoma on the weekend, although both endured troubled runs.

Brown, like van Gisbergen in Chicago last year, made an immediate impact when he was third in the Friday practice.

Brown bettered his team-mates – Kyle Busch and Austin Dillon – in that session as the prerace prep from Richard Childress Racing appeared spot on, but from there his weekend got tougher.

A throttle problem in qualifying kept him down the order before an electrical problem in the race left him stranded on a part of the track known as Gilligan’s Island before limping into the pits and a three-lap repair. But he made his mark and will no doubt return if RCR has its way.

Waters on the other hand was battling on the back foot from the start, with the Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing team missing the mark with all three cars – Brad Keselowski, Chris Buescher and Waters – on Friday, but progressively improving over the weekend before he was crashed out of the race.

“I had a pretty cool day, to be honest,” Waters said from San Francisco airport on his way home. “I didn’t really have any expectations going into the race – I just wanted to enjoy the experience and have some fun.

“We got into the race [both he and Brown had to qualify ‘on time’] and we had good car speed and were passing plenty of cars, which was awesome. I had

4 I www.autoaction.com.au

some cool battles and strategy-wise, we were looking good. My crew chief said we were effectively second from a strategy point of view at one point.”

Waters said the RFK cars rolled out of the haulers ‘super loose’ and didn’t really have any pace, leaving a lot of overnight work by the team to get up to speed.

The cars were improved again on Saturday night for the race.

With Brown’s spotter, Shane van Gisbergen, paving the way for Supercars drivers, both Brown and Waters were popular additions to the field.

Waters was involved in two incidents, the first when sitting just outside the top 10 when a dive bomb by an out-ofcontrol Josh Berry cleaned up seven cars, and then the one that finished his race, unsighted by the TV.

“This was my first event in a Cup Car and at a different track to where I have been and there was always going to be a learning element to everything. I had good people on my car, my spotter and crew chief were great, and they just tried to keep me up to date with all the information and what I needed to do and the rules and all the things like that, which I had to learn.

“They really helped keep us out of trouble and it was all going well until we got caught up in someone else’s accident.

The spotter can help you with things that are in front of you, but they can’t really see things like that when they are happening.

“Someone got in my rear and turned me right into the wall – I got some more right front damage on top of what I already had.

I think it must have bent the lower arm

and after that, the car was done. It was already wounded.”

Having competed in two oval-track races in the Truck series, he said the experience with the spotter on a road course was completely different.

“I really relied on the spotter in the truck at the ovals, but this weekend we had a side mirror, a centre mirror and also a camera at the back, so you probably you needed it less. But you need the spotter for things like choosing your lane on a restart – another set of eyes. They’ve got a lot of analytics around them on things like the left and right lane on the restarts. The spotter has a pretty big role to play.

“I think double lane restarts would be cool in Australia,” he said having experienced a few of them at Sonoma. “I think there’d probably be a bit of chaos while we learn it, but I think it’s pretty cool spectacle.”

Waters will line up for Tickford next year in Supercars, but he is already planning his return to the US for some more racing, even trying to line up some Sprintcar action.

“I think we need to look at the calendar and look for the races that help to complement what I am doing. We have a programme back home, but I just I love racing, so hopefully I can do a few more races next year.

“I’ve had a ball ... I loved it. I can’t thank everyone enough that made it happen, and obviously my race team back home, Tickford, for allowing me to do it as well.

Now we’ll go and fly to Darwin and try and get some more trophies.”

Andrew Clarke

RACE CHAIRMAN NOT CONCERNED ABOUT $20M LOSS THE OWNER OF SUPERCARS, RACE HAS RECORDED A $20M LOSS, BUT CHAIRMAN BARCLAY NETTLEFOLD SAYS HE ISN’T CONCERNED. HE SPOKE WITH ANDREW CLARKE ...

NOT ALL losses are equal is the story coming out of RACE last week when word of a $19.9m statutory loss for the calendar year of 2023 was revealed.

Racing Australia Consolidated Enterprises (RACE) was able to report $6.82 million in EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortisation) in an announcement a week ago, while trumpeting a big jump in revenue.

However, its statutory operating loss was $19.9 million, and a net loss of $16.4 million after a $3.5 million tax benefit.

The reasons behind the loss included nearly $10m in further costs for Gen3, as well as write-offs associated with capital equipment for the cancelled Newcastle street race and the purchase of two Team Racing Charters from Tickford.

Nettlefold said RACE and Supercars was not being deflected from its course, and was investing in its long term vision for the sport.

“It’s actually a loss that was primarily non-cash and an accounting treatment and there was some vision in that, as you know, because we had to expense the buyback of the TRC’s as an example; there was a

carried-over expenditure of writing off the Newcastle inventory,” he said.

“And then there was the cost of the Gen3 investment we put into the cars originally, and that got expensed.

“But it has no real bearing on the operational performance of the sport and the business of Supercars and RACE. “What it does is it actually improves us by virtue of we’ve still got a material amount of assets now sitting on balance sheet. That’s a legacy of the Newcastle inventory that we can deploy, and we’ve got control of two Charters that we know are only going to get more valuable and we can use them strategically in the future.

“The statutory loss is, as I said, non-cash in the main. So when you we look at our performance through that EBITDA line and growth, we’re enlightened by the strength of our other KPIs.” Responding to a story in The Australian newspaper, he said the board of RACE was not seeking new investors, but that it didn’t mean people were not approaching them to get on board.

He said that, with the structure of the board, it was unlikely they would bring in

any extras at this stage.

“RACE will be investing further in the sport as we look to expand the event calendar and the entertainment factor. We do get groups now and then interested to work with us in regards to becoming a shareholder but, at the same time, we’ve got a very strong shareholder group that also wants to invest.

“They’re committed to the investment also.”

Nettlefold said there were some critical changes coming to the sport, including an expanded calendar which will run to at least 14 rounds next year and maybe 15 or 16 the year after depending on how the cards fall. He wouldn’t confirm the possibility of going to Singapore but that, along with the extra round in New Zealand, would get the calendar to 16 rounds with the return of Winton and Queensland Raceway all but confirmed for 2025.

The success of Taupo has pushed Supercars firmly back on the agenda for promotors and governments alike, including the development of a street race around Optus Stadium in Perth for 2026.

“The fans want us to race more, so

our whole focus going into 25 and 26 is about expanding the calendar but getting it organised earlier. We’ve been always very late at completing the calendar, and a lot of it’s out of our control because there’s a lot of commitments with timings, governments, tracks, etc.

“But we’re very excited about what ‘25 and beyond is going to look like.”

Having just finished watching the NASCAR race from Sonoma, Nettlefold said he is convinced all the ingredients were in place to keep growing the sport with what he feels is better racing, with more of an upside.

“The whole aim is to expand the calendar and have better and more racing and making a better entertainment package. We are absolutely committed to growing the sport, and I think you can see a lot of what we have been doing behind the scenes has not yet started to come to the fore.”

Supercars returns to the track this weekend in Darwin for another Supersprint meeting with only two sprint races, which is a format that Nettlefold said is not likely to be used next year.

Things are looking up according to Barclay Nettlefold, seen here at Taupo, with co-board members Jure Domazet (left) and Steve Macaw.

autoactionmag

Auto_Action

autoactionmag

autoactionmag

www.autoaction.com.au I 5

LATEST NEWS

CROKE DEPARTS DJR DICK JOHNSON RACING AND LONG-TIME TEAM LEADER BEN CROKE HAVE PARTED WAYS. DJR CEO DAVID NOBLE SPOKE WITH ANDREW CLARKE ...

DICK JOHNSON Racing CEO, David Noble, has confirmed that it has parted ways with Team Manager Ben Croke after eight years with the organisation. Croke has been the Team Principal through the evolution of the Gen3 cars, and Noble said it was felt it was time for a change.

The change was communicated to Croke when he returned from a long overdue overseas holiday that meant he missed the Perth round.

“It’s difficult, you know. Ben made an invaluable contribution to the organisation and has played a big part in getting to where we are, where we have been,” Noble said. “We’ve continued to evaluate all aspects of the team, and unfortunately we’ve made a decision to move on from Ben.” He said the return of Dr Ryan Story to active duty within the team played a significant part in the decision, but so too has been the development of some of the engineering staff in the team.

“That’s probably a fair assumption,” he said of the impact of Story’s return to the Team Principal role at the start of the year. “Ryan certainly helps with a level of technicality, and it makes sense to take back the Team Principal role.

Ben Croke, with Will Davison.

Image: PETER NORTON

“These are difficult scenarios to deal with.

We’re really confident with Josh Silcock and Mikey Flynn – they have got both long-range experience and capabilities – so they’ll step in to basically cover all the track, operational, administrative and technical requirements. They’ll be the guys that will pick up the elements of the role that that Ben was filling.”

Noble has now been with the team for 18 months, and the changes keep rolling as DJR fights it way back the front. Gen3 was a challenging transition for the once dominant team and taking on the engine program at the end of last year added to the team’s workload and complexity of operations, and settling the right structure for the team has been a significant part of his role.

He is hoping that, with the aero locked down and the engines ready for the longawaited transient dyno testing – what he calls the big ticket items – that the added complexity of being the homologation team should be a hinderance of the past and a strength for the future.

“I think it’s more the opportunity for us to continue to make ourselves better. To look at how we operate, where we aspire to get back to ... and unfortunately change needs to occur. I mean, that’s the bottom line – if you stand still in any way in a sporting environment other teams go past you at a rate of knots.

“We continue to challenge ourselves internally by trying to make ourselves better.”

He said the Fords now had a competitive package and now DJR wanted to return to the very top of the tree.

“Ultimately that is the direction for us.

It’s about creating environments and establishing direction.

“Sometimes difficult decisions must be made in order to continue to aspire to be the best. That’s the challenge that we have in front of us. We want to be the best.”

MOSTERT HUNGRY FOR TITLE CHALLENGE

CHAZ MOSTERT has achieved a lot in more than a decade of Supercars racing, but there is one big itch he has not scratched and he feels 2024 could be the year.

Whilst Mostert is regarded as one of the best drivers on the grid with close to 100 podiums, he is yet to mount a serious championship challenge.

By his own admission, 2015 was his best shot, but that was cut short by a scary crash at Mount Panorama and he missed the final four rounds.

On a high from his first win in two years, at Perth, Mostert believes 2024 could be his next best chance.

After being in the top five in the last five years, the 32-yearold is currently third, as the best of the rest behind the Triple Eight drivers. The #25 driver hopes his Wanneroo win can spark the title challenge both he and WAU have been waiting for a long time.

“The championship has eluded me and I have only really

6 I www.autoaction.com.au

Chaz Mostert’s Indigenous Round livery.

Image: RACE PROJECT

had one year where I thought I had a shot and I didn’t even finish it in 2015 (but) I feel like it is a good opportunity this year,” Mostert said.

“But everyone can have a big round and say ‘we are

back’ so we just need to keep building across these next couple of rounds.

“We gave a few points away at the start of the year which hurt a bit – like losing the wheel at Taupo and the Grand Prix where I was a bit aggressive with the car.

“It is good to think that, hopefully, our championship can start now and hopefully some of these other guys can make some mistakes along the way.”

Mostert heads to Hidden Valley where he has enjoyed previous success in 2015, 2021 and 2022 – but last year WAU struggled. The best the #25 could qualify was 17th, while on Sunday it started both races from the very back.

The race pace was much better with Mostert impressively still managing two top 10 finishes – but that will be the minimum requirement this weekend on the Supersoft tyre if the dreamed-of championship pursuit is to become a reality.

Thomas Miles

MOORE TO COME TRIPLE EIGHT’S TECH CHIEF IS HEADING BACK TO LE MANS WITH PORSCHE ...

By Paul Gover TECH CHIEF Jeromy Moore will be missing from the Triple Eight pit bunker in Darwin.

He will be working instead at Le Mans as he continues his commitment to the Porsche push in this year’s World Endurance Championship.

Moore has been a regular at the French sports car classic from the time he took a sabbatical from T8 to answer the technical challenge at Porsche’s motorsport headquarters at Weissach in Germany.

He has maintained close contact with Porsche since returning to Australia to raise his family and, while working on the Gen3 Chevrolet Camaro in Brisbane, is doing a mix-and-match program in 2024.

This time he will be a performance engineer and strategist for Proton Competition as it fields a Porsche 963 for veteran Neel Jani, youngster Julien Andlauer and Briton Harry Ticknell.

“I like Le Mans and I like being involved.

And they asked for me,” Moore told Auto Action.

“This will be my sixth race. It’s going to be interesting. Just to finish in the Top 10 is the first goal for the team. We’re not expecting to win.”

Even though Moore will be embedded in the pitlane at Le Mans, he said he will also be hard-wired to the Triple Eight effort at Darwin, on-call despite the time difference if his help is needed by Will Brown or Broc Feeney.

“I want to make sure I’m not letting the team down. I’ll still be semi-around,” Moore said.

“It’s not just about one person. I won’t be completely off the comms. I’ll certainly be seeing what’s going on and there will be emails and chats.”

Moore also said Darwin is relatively easy, although he is wary of the competitiveness of the Ford teams at Taupo and Perth.

“The good thing is it’s not a ‘fuel’ round.

But it’’s a challenge with the strong showing of the Mustangs at the last round.”

But he also knows he is ending a long consecutive streak with Triple Eight.

Jeromy Moore will be missing his first Supercars event during his time with with T8 ...

Image: TRIPLE EIGHT RACE ENGINEERING “It’s the first time I’ve had to miss a race.

It would be 20 years. I did 15 years, and then another five.

“I don’t think I’ve missed one and been on the sidelines, apart from the years at Porsche.”

Moore’s Porsche program this year has already seen him in the pitlane for Proton since the start of the WEC season, most recently at Spa in Belgium. He will only miss the race in Brazil, which clashes with Sandown for Supercars.

He knows Le Mans will be tough, but this time is even tougher.

“I’m feeling happy to go back there.

It’s the underdog challenge – David and Goliath.

“Team Proton is a very small team.

Without doubt the smallest Hypercar team there. They really only have three full-time engineers, and I’m a part-time

helper as well. Compare that to how many people work on the Ferrari, and Penske and Toyota teams.

“I work with them doing all the strategy and all the settings. The cars are so complex that you’re always trying to adjust on the fly. A lot of it is also reacting to seeing the competition and what they’re doing.”

The team is not expecting to win – Moore said even a podium would be massive for Proton.

“There is a chance, but a small chance.

You have to get everything right,” he said “If you’re into the top five that’s amazing. That would be really amazing.

“It’s a fantastic event and you’re effectively testing yourself against the clock.

“You race other cars but it’s a challenge just to get through the race.

“I was going there in the past with a high possibility of winning, and we did, but not now. It’s a different challenge.

“But sometimes without the pressure you can enjoy it more and have more fun.”

Le Mans will soon be done but Moore still has a big program as a fly-away engineer.

“It’s two IMSA races and six of the eight WEC races. I fly all over the place. Maybe I’m too cheap!”

There is also a solid chance he will continue his double-edge efforts by combining Supercars and sports cars again in 2025.

“It’s a year-by-year deal. It depends on Jamie (Whincup) – if he’s still happy,” Moore said.

“I’ll have to re-assess again for next year. I’ll have to see what’s possible.”

The Auto Action RevLimiter podcast The team that’s not trying to make friends or look after sponsors!

It’s hard and it’s fast and sometimes it’s a bit rough, but we call it how we see it and pull no punches.

NEW EPISODES OUT EVERY WEDNESDAY

Plenty of analysis and lots of opinion from some of the most experienced motorsport media people in the business - Bruce Williams, Paul Gover and Andrew Clarke. autoactionmag

Auto_Action

autoactionmag

autoactionmag

www.autoaction.com.au I 7

LATEST NEWS

FIA ADMITS 2026 RULES LIKELY TO BE CHANGED – ALREADY 48 HOURS AFTER RELEASING ITS NEW-FOR-2026 F1 REGULATIONS, THE FIA ADMITS CHANGES WILL NEED TO BE MADE …

By LUIS VASCONCELAS/STAFF THE FIA is expecting to make changes in the 2026 F1 Technical Regulations that it hopes will soon be approved by its World Council, being open to the feedback the teams are expected to give in the next couple of months.

It follows the release, in Montreal, of the FIA’s plans for the 2026 cars (see AA’s indepth detail and early reaction from teams and drivers – page 30), which has received a storm of early criticism.

FIA Single Seater Technical Director Jan Monchaux explained that the Federation opted to go ahead by publishing very restrictive rules, knowing that the teams would accept changes that will give them more freedom in the design of the 2026 cars. In other words, a high-restriction ‘ambit claim’ from which to negotiate, backwards, to a solution agreeable to teams …

The former Sauber Technical Director admitted “the approach we had (since we needed to meet a date of publication) towards the regulations as have been presented now, and hopefully will be voted, is probably the most restrictive teams will be seeing – because we think it’s far easier in the next months to increase the freedom and review some aspects of the regulations which currently are far too constrained, than the other way around.”

The philosophy was explained further: “They (teams) will all agree on having more freedom – if we had gone the other way around, and had something providing a lot of freedom in their ability to design the cars, we would potentially realise in October or November that ‘oh, on that one, we don’t necessarily want because it might put at risk some of the targets we want to achieve with these new regulations’, then the teams would not be open to change.”

Nikolas Tombazis, the FIA Technical Director, said that for the 2026 regulations, “the aims have been in the making for some time. We’ve already discussed the ones for the Power Unit, which are related to, of course, greater levels of sustainability and the sustainable fuel, and increase of electrical component, as well as some simplification in order to have new manufacturers joining the sport.

“Extending those aims to the chassis we wanted to, of course, have exciting racing. “ We believe we’ve had some deterioration of racing as of late. The aims we had for the 2022-spec cars, of having close racing, have deteriorated and cars can’t follow each other as closely as we would have liked. We are planning to fix that. Exciting racing is important – we want the cars to be more efficient, we do want the car to be a bit more nimble.

We’ve been working hard on the weight, and reducing the dimensions, so reversing the trend of however many decades. That

8 I www.autoaction.com.au

Simon Lazenby, Jacques Villeneuve and Martin Brundle of Sky F1, questioned Nikolas Tombazis the FIA Head of Single Seaters about the new 2026 F1 car regulations at Montreal.

Image: MOTORSPORT IMAGES F1, 2026-style. Images: FIA

has been another important aim for us.”

Tombazis also addressed concerns the new cars would be slower than current Formula 2 cars, admitting, “the fears are accurate because people are taking a snapshot of what the regulations are on a piece of paper now and are making comments based on what they see …” but then explained that “we have full expectation to make some steps up for performance, and that’s exactly why we have set up our bar reasonably low to

start with, so we can build up on that with the collaboration of the teams.

“To increase the downforce of these cars is actually quite easy, if you have the regulatory freedom and that’s exactly the step we want to take. I don’t think there is any concern these cars will be not faster than Formula 2 or anything like that – I think that will be 100 percent resolved by the time we are in the final leg.”

Tombazis also revealed that, “we are giving Pirelli, together with the teams,

increased opportunities to do their testing and development program throughout the remaining part of 2024. The first test will be in September, and throughout 2025. So, we’re giving them maximum time to develop as much as possible to have as suitable a tyre as possible for this new formula.”

Monchaux complemented Tombazis’ explanation by adding that “once the teams will have done more simulations, refined their understanding of the regs, and have maybe a more mature layout of their own cars, we will be discussing with them what is an adequate level of downforce which might be a couple of percent higher than what we currently pitched the regs at – that should also be fairly easy to achieve through simple means on the reg, on the floor, to give, I don’t know, 10, 20, 25, 30 points downforce more than currently we were encompassing.

“We’ll nonetheless try to have a sort-of ceiling, but it’s certainly going to be a bit higher than it is now in the regs, but it’s clearly lower than the actual cars.

“Unfortunately the cornering speed will be a bit lower, because there’s no magic and with less downforce and narrower tyres, that’s inevitable.”

The publication of the regulations, seemingly in expectation of significant backlash and criticism from the teams, and subsequent changes, is a philosophy mired in potential conflicts of interest around the teams and could signal months of intense negotiation.

Let the lobbying begin …

RACING WITH RESPECT

FOR THE third straight season, the Supercars grid will be alive with colour as it celebrates Indigenous Round at the Darwin Triple Crown.

To mark the occasion, all 25 cars will ditch their usual liveries and instead feature special artwork designed by First Nations artists, which each have their own unique story.

The first Indigenous Round was held in 2022 and, in a short space of time, has become one of the biggest parts of the Supercars calendar with teams, drivers and fans alike embracing it.

When Supercars go racing on Larrakia country, drivers will also be aiming to stand on the podium and lift a coveted didgeridoo.

Since becoming the Indigenous Round, the Darwin Triple Crown has become no easier to win.

Recently the usual three-race format has been used since 2020, but in 2024 Hidden Valley Raceway will only host two races, so qualifying will now play a bigger role in deciding the trophy.

As a result, to achieve the rare feat of winning the Darwin Triple Crown, a driver must not only win both races, but also top the provisional Friday qualifying session.

Achieving this will not be easy with each Darwin race producing a different winner since the Indigenous Round came into play.

In 2022, Anton De Pasquale, Cam Waters and Chaz Mostert drove into victory lane, while last year’s Camaro-dominated round was just as unpredictable, with Mark Winterbottom, Broc Feeney and Jack Le Brocq all victorious.

As usual, the Supercars grid will look stunning with a number of unique Indigenous Round liveries.

Walkinshaw Andretti United was the first to release its liveries for Chaz Mostert and Ryan Wood and their Mustangs have been completely transformed.

Wood’s #2 has been designed by Sydney artist Rhonda Sampson, whose artwork is called ‘Under the Stars.’

Sixteen-year-old Ava Muir designed Mostert’s car with her artwork ‘Artangentyele akethe durt’, which means ‘together in the open stars.’

PremiAir Nulon Racing enjoyed the help of ex-Wallabies Saia and Anthony Fainga’a to reveal the look Tim Slade and James Golding will race with.

Their usual transitions with an artwork called Moonyah (meaning safe house, safe place) by Widjabul artist Sheldon ‘Sj’ Harrington.

Incorporated into the pair of Penrite Mustangs is an artwork created by two Year 9 Melbourne Indigenous Transition School students Emma and Hoanna.

For the third time Penrite Racing has turned to MITS students and they have delivered with a design focused on family.

Both of the usual liveries for the Andre

Heimgartner and Jaxon Evans Camaros have been reimagined with special artworks.

For Heimgartner’s livery, BJR partnered with the Mungabareena Aboriginal Corporation and symbolism of the ‘warrior’ can be seen throughout the livery.

Evans’ previously white livery is now full of colour and life thanks to some beautiful Indigenous Round artwork from proud Goomeroi/Kamilaroi woman Elenore Binge.

Matt Stone Racing has retained its usual liveries for Nick Percat and Cameron Hill, but with a twist.

Special Indigenous artworks have been incorporated into the schemes both designed by Wadawurrung country artist Billy-Jay O’Toole.

Like MSR, hoping for a repeat of a famous maiden win is Team 18 and Mark Winterbottom will return with a look created

by Kalkadoon artist Chern’ee Sutton for a third straight year.

The Indigenous Round spirit has also hit the support categories with the V8 SuperUte Series creating special trophies and artwork, while Nash Morris’ Scott Taylor Motorsport Carrera Cup will also feature a special one-off design.

Thomas Miles

Image: MARK HORSBURGH

MURRAY ‘FEELING GOOD’ FOR DEBUT

MAKING A Supercars debut representing heavyweights Triple Eight Race Engineering and Supercheap Auto could be daunting, but Cooper Murray is “feeling good” ahead of the challenge.

Murray is the latest youngster to be part of the #888 Supercheap Auto wildcard program and will get his first taste of the main game at this weekend’s Darwin Triple Crown.

To prepare for getting chucked into the deep end, the Eggleston Motorsport Super2 driver enjoyed a test session with Triple Eight at Queensland Raceway.

In addition to having the expertise of legendary co-driver Craig Lowndes, Murray also gets to count on the likes of main-game drivers Will Brown and Broc Feeney.

Most importantly he has tested the #888 Gen3 Camaro for the first time, at the Paperclip and felt pretty comfortable behind the wheel as he got used to new challenges such as pit stops.

“There hasn’t been much of a difference compared to what I thought there would be,” Murray said after his test.

“I got used to the car in the first couple of sessions which was really good. “ I got a couple of green tyre runs, some pit stop practices and some race runs under my belt, so I’m feeling really good before Darwin.

“It was my first time doing pit stops and they were surprisingly easier than I thought. I’m learning to stop on the marks and hit the pit board which is a steep learning curve, but I’m so glad I’ve got that under my belt before Darwin.”

Lowndes has been impressed with how Murray has taken on the challenge.

“Cooper knows this is a step up from Super2, and he’s embraced it,” Lowndes said.

“The test was the first time Cooper has worked with Wes (McDougall, Race Engineer) which is important because that combination is going to have to be strong.

“Cooper is very focused and confident on what he wants to do, and I’m really delighted he’s come on board this year and I’m feeling very confident going into Sandown and Bathurst.”

Thomas Miles

The Best Value in Auto Racing Safety

RaceQuip brand has built a reputation for manufacturing and distributing high quality auto racing safety equipment at affordable prices and continues to build on that reputation.

SFI rated auto racing Snell SA rated helmets, fire retardant suits, shoes, nomex gloves and SFI & FIA seat belts & harness sets.

autoactionmag

Auto_Action

autoactionmag

autoactionmag

www.autoaction.com.au I 9

LATEST NEWS

STOP / GO

BATHURST INTERNATIONAL REACHES THE FINISH Image: RACE PROJECT

APC TAKES OVER QR EVENT THE AUSTRALIAN Production Cars Championship will fill the vacuum left by SpeedSeries at Queensland Raceway next month.

The SpeedSeries was set to host two rounds around the Paperclip on July 12-14 August 2-4, but the earlier meeting has been cancelled due to being “unviable”.

The July APC event will be called ‘Fight in the Night’ and will see both Production Cars and Hyundai Excels produce on-track entertainment.

“The announcement and lack of clarity as to what was happening with our racing was obviously disappointing, so, when the team at Queensland Raceway called me and offered to make an extended three-hour Fight in the Night possible, we jumped at the chance,” General Manager of Production Car Racing Ltd, Troy Williams said.

SPRINTCARS COMING TO ADELAIDE SPRINTCARS WILL play a starring role supporting to the Supercars for the first time at the VAILO Adelaide 500.

The Sprintcars in the City event will take place on a makeshift NAPA Speedway, which will be based within the Adelaide street circuit.

As many as 40 competitors expected to compete in qualifying heats and races on the Thursday and Friday nights of the event.

Aussie international superstar James McFadden was the first name entered, while Jock Goodyer (pictured above right) was also present at the VAILO Adelaide 500 event opening.

In addition to sprintcars, Round 3 of the FOX Australian Supercross Championship will also take place at the November 14-17 event.

MOTORSPORT DOCTOR HONOURED

Well-known motorsport doctor Dr Carl Le has been recognised in the 2024 King’s Birthday honours.

Dr Le was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for his 30-year contribution to motorsport, as well as the wider-ranging COVID-19 response.

Dr Carl is a regular figure at Supercars and other National motorsport events, has also officiated at F1 and MotoGP events, and played a key role in the development and introduction of better driverextraction and other safety equipment for motorsport in this country.

He also played a role in the creation of the volunteer Team Medical Australia association.

10 I www.autoaction.com.au

THE 2024 Supercheap Auto Bathurst International will be the last, with the Australian Racing Group and Bathurst Regional Council deciding to end the event at th4 conclusion of the4 current contract..

When the SpeedSeries heads to the Mountain on November 8-10, it will be the third and final running of the event.

When it was first announced, a 500km TCR enduro was first mooted, while high profile S5000 races were also planned, but neither came to fruition.

COVID-19 was an untimely road block, while the highlight was last year’s arrival of the TCR World Tour, but it struggled to attract crowds and that won’t return in 2024 due to logistical concerns.

ARG’s Barry Rogers admitted the Bathurst International had not been delivering as much as hoped.

“Mount Panorama is a special place and it is important that whatever events are held there do the Mountain justice,” Rogers told Auto Action.

“The Mountain deserves more than what we have been delivering.

“It was impacted by COVID and there were also big promises made about what was going to happen at that event but economically it was not feasible to deliver on a lot of those things.

“Covid impacted on the ability for internationals to come out initially and there were plans for big S5000 races but Motorsport Australia banned those cars from Bathurst.

“Losing the World Tour made it very hard. They had to make a choice of going to China or Australia and commercially China was one they needed to make.

“They have all the intensions of returning next year and are having discussions at the moment which would be great.

“We are really thankful for the support from Bathurst City Council and Supercheap Auto and will put on a great show this November.”

It is unclear if this means Bathurst will be off the 2025 SpeedSeries schedule. Rogers mentioned the 6 Hour, but made it clear “we need to be careful” with that event.

Thomas Miles

HAZELWOOD ON THE RIGHT TRACK

DESPITE MISSING out on a maiden Trans Am round win, Todd Hazelwood is focusing on the positives.

In just their fourth round in the category, Hazelwood and TFH Racing broke through for their first two wins at The Bend.

The #111 Mustang also crossed the line first in Race 1, but lost it due to passing under yellow flags, while a potential round win slipped due to another penalty for a clash with James Moffat in the finale.

Even though he fell just short of a maiden round win, Hazelwood is upbeat and is focused on the good news rather than what could have been.

The new TFH Racing setup has made giant leaps forward each race weekend and Hazelwood now sits equal second in the championship.

Hazelwood, who ended a long drought at The Bend, said the Image: SPEEDSHOTS PHOTOGRAPHY

progression made from round to round fills him with lots of optimism.

“From our point of view it was probably the most executed weekend from the team and I all season,” he told Auto Action.

“We had our fair share of mechanical dramas at each race so to bounce back and really show our speed with two dominant victories was really promising and a big shot in the arm.

“Not only for the team but myself as well because I have not had a national series circuit racing win since 2017 so it had been a long time between drinks.

“There had been a lot of frustration built up over that time so to finally get that was a great feeling and it gives me more motivation going forward.

“What has been satisfying is that the team is only six months old and we are already winning races against some big teams.

“We are doing that earlier than anticipated and we are only going to get better moving forward.”

Despite being pleased with how things are progressing, Hazelwood admitted he was a bit mystified about his Race 4 penalty.

“To be honest I did not know what the penalty was for, but I will always respect the officials decision,” he said.

“James and I were racing pretty hard into Turn 1, he was blocking and baulked in the middle of the corner, got off the throttle and I tried to clear the whole kerb to miss him and we made the slightest contact and pressed on.

“I did not get any advantage out of it and I thought it was good hard racing.

“We felt like we had the round win taken away from us in Race 4 and did not need any more motivation, so watch this space.”

Thomas Miles

Yasser Shahin goes into Le Mans with a spectacular LMGT3 win – at the Spa Six Hours – already in the bag.

Below: The Spa-winning Manthey EMA trio (l to r) Lietz, Shahin, Schuring ... Images: MOTORSPORT IMAGES

FROM THE BEND TO LA SARTHE YASSER SHAHIN IS FACING THE TOUGHEST CHALLENGE IN SPORTS CAR RACING ...

By Paul Gover ANXIOUS AND excited.

That is how Yasser Shahin is feeling as he faces the toughest challenge of his motorsport career at the Le Mans 24-Hour race.

He is racing the twice-around-the-clock French classic in a Porsche in the LMGT3 category, fresh from victory in the 6-Hours of Spa with Manthey EMA. It’s a familiar car and crew but Le Mans is more than just another race and Shahin admits his emotions are a heady mix.

“Somewhere between anxious and excited,” he told Auto Action.

But, considering the size of the challenge, he has a very simple view of success.

“Finishing,” he said.

“It took four attempts to with the Bathurst 12-Hour and this is the most contested race in the world. I have no expectations of finishing at the front.

“If we can feel competitive, not make any silly mistakes with ‘own goals’, and finish, it will have been a success.”

Shahin might be deeply into his forties and with a full calendar in the business world, but said he enjoys the allround challenge of racing.

“On a personal note, it’s an incredible challenge and a great leveller. It’s mental and physical, requiring a level of ambidexterity that one probably cannot access in many other fields,” he said.

“The speed of thinking-calculation required, along with the hand-eye-foot co-ordination needed, is really a very special skill to develop and master.”

Driving is one thing, but the best parts for him are well beyond the track laps on the day.

“Preparing well, working hard and then having a result to show for it,” he said.

“I also love being the underdog – going to a track I’ve never been to before, facing off against locals and then standing on a podium. That will never get old.

“We just won a world championship race, the 6-Hour race at Spa, and I’d had less than six days at Spa in total over 10 years.”

autoactionmag

Auto_Action

autoactionmag

Yasser and his brother Sam are both racing Porsches in Europe this year, with Sam doing SuperCup, most recently in Monaco, but they are best known as the driving force behind The Bend.

The successful South Australian businessmen created the circuit from nothing and now proudly carry signage for The Bend whenever and wherever they are competing.

“The first business was a track day events business perhaps 12 years ago that morphed into an idea to be a track owner,” Shahin said.

So who first had the idea for The Bend?

“I think Sam has to take credit for that. I joined the journey as the adult supervision but those that know us both may decide otherwise!

“We were very passionate about bringing world-class motorsport back to South Australia. Gratitude is a defining feature of our personalities and SA has been very good to us. An investment in something so popular that gives so many people joy was a compelling proposition.”

So, which of the brothers is quicker around what is truly their home circuit?

“Sam,” Yasser admitted.

And if they went head-to-head in a race?

“Depends how long the race is.”

Shahin has a clear picture of his ideal co-driver for Le Mans, even though he will be pairing again with Richard Leitz and Morris Schuring.

“Garth Tander – because you just know he will bring it home after 24 hours.”

autoactionmag

It’s the same with the drivers who inspire him.

“On a global stage, I probably have two stand-outs for different reasons. Ayrton Senna for sheer determination and single-mindedness and Lewis Hamilton for the way he manages his emotions and conducts himself generally.

As he tackles Le Mans for the first time, Shahin is not predicting an end date on his racing or a return to the French circuit.

“It depends if the team will have me back. Every team in the WEC championship unashamedly seeks the best drivers. There are only 18 seats.

“For as long as I’m able to competitive, and compete at the Apex of the sport, and for as long as my involvement adds value to the business that I am in.

He is more concrete on ambitions for The Bend.

“It’s important to remember the business is only five years old. We take a long-term view of things.

“Track utilisation is already looking like a record year but, frankly, we need the support of all the stakeholders in the motorsport industry. Facilities like the Bend can only exist when people bias their events to be held there.”

And there is more to come, not just in motorsport.

“A focus on festival-style events incorporating the various precincts across the park, with the highlight being The Bend Classic over October 25-27. That event is promising to be a showcase entertainment event and a template for future grand events at The Bend.

“Alongside the plethora of motorsport activities, the event will feature many of Australia’s iconic country music stars such as Kasey Chambers, Beccy Cole, Brad Cox and many others performing. There’s even a rodeo and bull riding competition planned for the Friday night in what promises to be a massive weekend of entertainment.”

So, how do the Shahins measure success for what is much more than just a pride project?

“First and foremost, success is about building a global profile and notoriety as a world-class facility that offers great experiences. Experiences where everyone that leaves does so with a bigger smile than when they arrived.

“And we would like to get a fair return on our investment over the medium to long term.”

www.autoaction.com.au I 11

LATEST NEWS

STOP / GO Team Soutar – graduating from private single-car team to two-car professionals.

Image: SPEEDSHOTS PHOTOGRAPHY

HAY LEAVES PORSCHE BARRY HAY has left the top job in the motorsport sector of Porsche Cars Australia.

Hay had been in the role of Porsche Cars Australia Motorsport Manager since February 2022.

“We would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge and thank Barry for his contributions to both Carrera Cup and Sprint Challenge, John Murray, the Director of Marketing and Motorsport for Porsche Cars Australia said.

“Barry has been instrumental in shaping the motorsport landscape for Porsche in Australia and we wish him all the best in his new endeavours.

“Shortly we will commence the recruitment process to identify a successor to Barry.”

TAYLOR SET FOR FIRST NZ RALLY OUTING MOLLY TAYLOR and her regular co-driver Andy Sarandis will be heading to New Zealand on June 21 for the Southern Lights Rally in the Southland region.

The pair, who are leading the ARC Production Cup, will take on the unique NZ roads with stages run in the light and dark, hearing off from Invercargill with 157km of special timed stages.

“I’m really excited to be part of the crew and compete on some of the iconic New Zealand roads that everyone in rallying raves about,” Taylor said. “It’s going to be a great experience driving on the open and fast roads, with long stages and also in the dark! I can’t wait.”

VALE GRAHAM ROSER MUCH-LOVED veteran of the NSW and Australian rallying community, Graham Roser, passed away, aged 77, recently.

Roser (16-08-1946 to 25-05-2024) was a loving and proud father of Monique and Corinne and loving husband of Joy. His involvement in rallying started early in 1966 at the age of 19 in the 1966 KLG 300 Rally.

He won the 1975 NSW Championship with Ian Hill, while out of the car he also fulfilled the role of Clerk of Course and Event Director over many years.

Roser was awarded the NSW Rally Legends Award in 2023 for his lifetime commitment to rallying in NSW and Australia. Auto Action sends its condolences to Roser’s family and friends.

12 I www.autoaction.com.au

SHOOTING SOUTAR IT HAS been a massive year of growth on and off the track for punchy privateer Zac Soutar and he has been rewarded with the Supercheap Auto TCR Australia championship lead – but that will not change a thing.

Back to back wins at The Bend’s SpeedSeries round have shot Soutar to the top, with a solid 21-point lead over reigning champion Josh Buchan, who gave him a hard time in the closing stages of Race 3.

The success was a long time coming for the Geelong driver, being his first TCR victory in 841 days since the 2022 season opener – although since then he has come close a number of times.

Being a small, family-run team, Soutar has spent much of his career being the underdog, but the prospect of being the hunted will not shift his mindset.

“It does not change anything for me,” Soutar told Auto Action.

“The championship is so close it is not worth worrying about until the final race at Bathurst.

“The car has been fast all year but

things just have not swung our way, so to capitalise on-track was fantastic because it has been a long time between drinks.

“I am just taking the approach of making the car as fast as I can and chasing race wins.”

Despite Soutar’s supreme Sunday drive, it was far from smooth sailing.

On Saturday he suffered the heartbreak of stalling it on the grid from P4.

Although he bounced back with a comeback drive to ninth and then back-to-back wins on Sunday, the clutch drama returned when he drove the Audi into victory lane.

Soutar admitted the clutch drama “remains a mystery” still to be resolved with the plates “welding themselves together” after Race 1.

Fortune was on Soutar’s side and it felt like a reward for effort for the family team, which has expanded to two cars in 2024 with the arrival of Indonesian Glenn Nirwan.

Soutar admitted growing the team has taken its toll, but the extra responsibility has helped him improve

both in and outside of the car.

“For my whole career we have always had the privateer tag and now we have two cars, I want to shift that mentality to having a professional race team,” he said.

“This year has been a huge step up.

We had to get a bigger transporter, double our equipment and workload with two cars.

“But it is a challenge I have always dreamed of taking on and loving every minute of it.”

To create more cause for confidence, Soutar feels he has unlocked a set-up secret, which he hopes to unlock at the next round, at the QR Paperclip.

“It has taken a little while to get there but I feel now we have finally got a handle on what the Audi likes,” he said.

“After the best part of a year we have found a good sweet-spot with it so I am really looking forward to going to Queensland Raceway.

“It is a track we enjoy and feel our setup can work really well there.”

Thomas Miles

TARGET LOCKED IN FOR PEUGEOT TCR DEBUT

GARRY ROGERS Motorsport is operating at ‘full steam’ and is confident the worldwide debut of their new Peugeot 308 TCR will happen at Sydney’s SpeedSeries round.

Earlier GRM had targeted the 2024 season opener at Sandown and then mid-season rounds around The Bend or Queensland Raceway, but part delays have left them no choice, but to delay the roll-out.

Now the debut date is locked in for the penultimate round of the season at Sydney Motorsport Park on October 8-10.

GRM’s Barry Rogers is confident his crew can meet the target.

“We have been pretty hard into it over the last little bit,” Rogers confirmed.

“There has been a bit of a wait for some parts, but we have had an influx over the last few weeks and it is full steam ahead.

“The plan is to launch the car at Sydney for the final two rounds and we are on target for that.”

Image: BRUCE WILLIAMS A key part of the new target gives them enough time to homologate the car in September.

Rogers said part delays have dragged the process slightly, but believes having the homologation process take a place a month prior to racing will work well.

“There is still some work to do like going through the Image: RACE PROJECT homologation process in

September and hopefully that is pretty clear,” he said.

“We are confident it will and can look forward to launching the car.”

GRM’s new Peugeot will be the French factory’s global weapon for TCR racing and, in addition to being Australian-built, will have items such as a Hollinger gearbox.

Thomas Miles

There’s been some horrendous luck and drama along the way, but the Team Australia pairing have finally cracked it – big time!.

WEEL AND PRICE BREAK BAJA DUCK SEVERAL SEASONS of mechanical misfortune have been swept away for the Team Australia pairing of Paul Weel and Toby Price, taking out their first ever SCORE International series victory at the Baja 500.

Alongside American Brent Baumann, the trio guided their Trophy Truck to a sevenminute victory over the Tavo Vildosola-led team, completing the 782 km epic in nine hours 19 minutes and 55 seconds.

All up, they averaged 83.2km/h across the distance against 254 race teams, with

their Mason-built Chevy Silverado vitally avoiding any tyre issues on the unforgiving terrain.

Since their first Baja attempt on the Mexican California Peninsula in 2022, everything that could have gone wrong did and has gone wrong for the team. But after Price earned the team yet another Baja pole (his third in seven attempts) the standard was then set from the Prologue by the veteran off-roader and two-time Dakar winner.

“It’s hard enough to finish the Baja 500,

let alone win it. It’s been a great run,” Price said.

“Can’t thank everybody enough. Paul (Weel) has been amazing for putting up with it.

“Losing one truck after it burned to the ground is something that nobody should go through. And then to saddle up four days later and have another truck, the one we have now, is massive. Big credit to him … thank you to all our crew. The guys came over here and made this dream a reality. To get our first Baja 500 win is

something pretty special, so thank you to everybody.”

In harsh and rugged conditions, which saw a third of the field fall short, fittingly it was Weel that put the foot down for the largest portion of the race.

“We tried so hard for the last two years and we knew it was coming … it’s fantastic to finally get one,” an emotional Weel said at the finish line.

The team will be back at it for the Baja 400 on September 11-15.

TW Neal

RALLY STAR STEPPING UP CHAMPION CO-DRIVER DALE MOSCATT HAS A NEW ROLE IN RALLYING

By Paul Gover ACE RALLY co-driver Dale Moscatt is taking a new direction in his motorsport career. After competing and winning in most kinds of rally, from the Australian championship to the Dakar, he is now working for the FIA. He has a new role in the Asia-Pacific region that sees him responsible for onstage safety at all levels.

Moscatt’s position is a mirror image of the job undertaken by Michele Mouton, the most successful female rally drive of all time, in the World Rally Championship.

He will continue to compete (and was co-driving with Craig Lowndes on the Finke Desert Race as AA went to press), but sees himself spending more time on the safety front.

“I’m working for the FIA on behalf of the organisers and the competitor It’s a new role for this year,” Moscatt told Auto Action.

“One of the most important aspects is now known as the ‘Michelle Mouton role’, where you drive through the stages ahead of the field. We check safety and the organisation, spectator safety, as well as for the competitors.

autoactionmag

Auto_Action

“And the other part is to assist the organisers in HQ with making the right decisions. It’s all about trying to make sure the rally keeps going and stays on time.”

Moscatt’s first jobs were in India and New Zealand, as his role is based in the Asia-Pacific region.

“We want people to be thinking about safety. When we see stuff out on the stages I know where the cars will be. I do a recce

autoactionmag

autoactionmag

before the competitors do their recce.”

Moscatt has competed in more than 440 events but, at 49 and with two children at home in Sydney, he is thinking about the future.

“We’ve also got a couple of other business things going on,” he said.

So, what about his co-driving future?

“I don’t know. I’m not having the thought yet of no co-driving,” Moscatt said.

“I’ve been doing the ARC for 25 years.

You’ve done the stages hundreds of times …

“At the moment it’s hard to find people with the right commitment and enthusiasm.

I only really want to compete at the front or invest the time with someone that’s totally committed to future success.

“This year is about some Bucket List things, like the Finke with Craig.”

He also hopes to return to Dakar in Saudi Arabia.

“Every time you do it you will say you never go back. But it’s the world’s biggest motorsport challenge and I love a challenge. It’s a passion of mine.

“I turned a big corner last year at Dakar. I thoroughly enjoyed the event.

“When the right offer comes along I find it very hard to say no. And you get better and better every year.”

But he also sees a future in the FIA role and knows there will be more opportunities in the future.

“I thought the role in the FIA was very interesting. I’ve never had much interest in the regulated side of the sport. But it is nice to share the knowledge we’ve learned along the way and give something back to rallying.”

www.autoaction.com.au I 13

LATEST NEWS

Dave Walker (Team Lotus) is all smiles as he takes a look at some photographs taken by Nigel Snowdon during his 1972 F1 World Championship season.

Image: DAVID PHIPPS/LAT TOP RIGHT: Dave Walker and the amazing Lotus 56B Pratt & Whitney Turbine during the Dutch GP at Zandvoort in 1971.

Image: RAINER SCHLEGELMILCH/LAT ABOVE RIGHT: Jim Russell, Walker, Jones and Morris outside JRRDS HQ at Snetterton before the off on the London-Sydney Marathon.

Image: LAURIE MASON COLLECTION

VALE: DAVE WALKER SYDNEY-BORN ‘DAVE’ WALKER DIED RECENTLY, AGED 82 (JUNE 10, 1941- MAY 24, 2024) ...

By Mark Bisset THE VERY gifted Dave Walker raced two revolutionary Grand Prix Lotuses in 1971-72: the four-wheel-drive, gas-turbine powered Lotus 56B Pratt & Whitney and the epochal, edgy-wedge, side radiator, torsion-barsprung Lotus 72D Ford.

He cut his competition teeth in car club stuff aboard an MGA twin-cam, soon progressing to a Brabham BT2 Ford.

With support from David McKay’s Scuderia Veloce, Walker had an Australian Grand Prix (Sandown 1964) and Bathurst 500s (196365) under his belt before jumping on a ship at Circular Quay to take on the world’s best in Europe.

Armed with a Merlyn Mk10 Ford he became a Formula 3 gypsy, racing across Europe for start and prizemoney throughout 1967, winning the Adriatic GP at Opatija, Yugoslavia that June.

He figured he needed to go backwards to go forwards so did a deal to race a RussellAlexis Formula Ford in 1968, doing well enough to bag a quasi-works Jim Russell Race Drivers School Lotus 61 FF in 1969.

In a break from the rigours of Formula Ford, Jim Russell despatched Dave back home in the great automotive adventure of 1968, the London-Sydney Marathon aboard a 3.3-litre Vauxhall Ventora. The Walker/Brian Jones/ Doug Morris crew were 52nd in a field of 98.

He won the Les Leston Championship and was then picked up by Gold Leaf Team Lotus to race their F3 Lotus 59 and Lotus 69 Fords throughout 1970-71.

In 1971, in a year of unparalleled dominance, Walker won 25 of 32 F3 race starts, including the prestigious Monaco and British GP

14 I www.autoaction.com.au

Walker, Lotus 72 Ford during the 1972 Monaco Grand Prix 1972. Walker shared the seventh row of the grid with ... Tim Schenken! Image: LAT PHOTOGRAPHIC RIGHT: Walker on pole position for the 1971 Monaco Formula 3 race in a Lotus 69 Ford. He won ... by 10 seconds.

Image: RAINER SCHLEGELMILCH/LAT rounds and two of the three British titles.

Lotus boss, Colin Chapman rewarded him with his first F1 drives that year, Walker having had his first big-car experience in some F5000 races in the UK and a quick trip home to Sydney in November 1970 to contest the AGP at Warwick Farm in an uncompetitive F5000 Lotus 70 Ford.

In 1972, Dave was Emerson Fittipaldi’s #2.

Like Fittipaldi in 1971, Walker struggled with a car that took some learning, unfamiliar circuits and not a lot of love from the team.

Emmo won the title and Dave got the flick in favour of Ronnie Peterson at season’s end with seven DNFs from 10 starts, all due to mechanical failure.

It wasn’t as bad as many would have you believe though – he was fifth in the nonchampionship Brazilian Grand Prix and in the

running for points in South Africa, Monaco and Spain.

In the following years, Walker had sporadic F2, F5000, F Atlantic and sportscar drives, but two road-car crashes in 1973 – he broke a leg in one and almost severed his left arm in the other – sealed his competition fate. A few Canadian Formula Atlantic drives in 1975 were his last before hanging up his helmet.

Walker worked in Canada for a while, getting involved in a yacht chartering business. He and his wife Jan returned to Australia and parlayed those skills into a successful business on the Whitsunday Coast since.

I had several phone calls with the beautifully spoken and sharp-as Dave in 2021-22 – keep an eye out for an Auto Action feature on Walker soon.

Everyone at Auto Action extends their condolences to Dave Walker’s wife and other family members, friends and many fans around the world.

LATEST NEWS

CAMERON JOINS WHITELINE RACING FOR TOURING CAR MASTERS

SPORTS SEDAN racer Scott Cameron will join Whiteline Racing in the #85 1970 Chevrolet Camaro RS for the remainder of the 2024 Touring Car Masters series.

His first TCM outing will be at Hidden Valley Raceway as the category supports the Supercars at the Darwin Triple Crown event this weekend.

The 35-year-old has spent some productive seasons in the Precision National Sports Sedans category, racing the fan-favourite Chev-powered VS Commodore regularly in the top-10.

He’ll now be getting behind the wheel of

a TCM Camaro for a very different type of challenge, sitting on the opposite side of a car he will see for the first time in Darwin.

“It’s been something that dad, the team and I have been wanting to do for some time,” he told Auto Action.

“The opportunity came about thanks to the support of my sponsors and long-time TCM supporters, the Whiteline Racing Team, through owners Bob and Sharon Middleton.

“I can’t thank them enough for the opportunity, and I’m aware that the team is burning the candle on both ends to have car #85 ready for Darwin. It’ll be exciting to meet the crew and get into the program for the first time.”

Alongside his new seat, Cameron will still enjoy the ongoing support of the Duggan Family Hotels, and his Sports Sedan

sponsor group of Link Property, Rotric Constructions and Shead, as well as having the Pendle Inn Hotel V8 Supercar Club come on board.

“While I love racing in Sports Sedans, It’s an opportunity that’s too good not to grab, and the TCM cars are great crowd favourites,” Cameron said.

“It’s also added value for our sponsors to be racing in front of the Supercars and live TV crowd.

“Amongst all that, it’s just exciting to measure myself against some very good TCM drivers in a car that I know is competitive.

I raced at Hidden Valley a decade or so ago, but being on the opposite side of the car should be interesting!”

Cameron can now add TCM to an impressive national and state CV, which has included HQ Holdens, the Brute Utes Series, NSW and National Sports Sedans, as well the Australian Production Car Series. He’s also tested with the Erebus Academy at Image Racing, as well as having co-driven at the Bathurst 6 Hour and HQ enduros with Craig Baird and John Bowe.

Bruce Williams

RANDLE LOVED SPORTS SEDANS BATTLES THOMAS RANDLE might have swept Precision National Sports Sedan Series honours at The Bend, but he had to fight desperately to do so and he loved it.

Randle won all three races in the SAAB 9-3, but only after some mighty battles against the likes of Geoff Taunton, Peter Ingram and Steve Tamasi off the back foot.

Sports Sedans holds a special place in the Randle family with Thomas racing the 9-3 before Supercars and getting as high as third, while his father Dean won the title in 2006.

“It was great to just get the SAAB back on the track really,” Randle told Auto Action.

“It was a great weekend out and to come away with a straight car and complete every lap without any mechanical dramas was a bonus, especially to get our first national round win since 2018 at SMP

autoactionmag

Auto_Action

Image: SPEEDSHOTS PHOTOGRAPHY when we won the Des Wall Trophy.

“The car is such a beast and to win all three races may have looked easy on paper but it certainly was not like that.

“I had to really work for it in all three races.”

Randle especially faced a mountain to

autoactionmag

autoactionmag

climb in Race 3 where he dropped to fourth off the line, but produced a special drive to steal the win.

“I thought ‘I have made life very difficult’ after the start but we pushed through,” he said.

“By lap 4-5 the car really came to us and

the tyres came on and picked them off, but it was not easy because with two and a half minutes to go I was still third!”

Although the next round is a clash with Supercars, Randle made it clear he would love to return to the Sports Sedans this year and targets the TBA round.

“For sure,” Randle responded.

“I guess with the way the Supercars calendar is this year, any extra miles we can do, the better.

“We will have to wait and see once they decide when and where the fourth round is.

I don’t really have any intentions of taking the SAAB to Bathurst.

“We will just keep it to more open tracks.”

The Precision National Sports Sedan Series returns at Sydney Motorsport Park alongside the Supercars on July 19-21.

Thomas Miles

www.autoaction.com.au I 15

LATEST NEWS

GOODYER GETS TOP AWARD JOCK GOODYER was the the toast of the 2024 Australian Speedway Awards at the RACV Club in Melbourne.

Goodyer was named as the Sportsperson and Open Wheel Competitor of the Year after a huge 2023/24 season where he he travelled 34,253km and collected at least one win in each state and a total of 13 Feature race wins.

Over 200 guests attended the gala dinner event in Melbourne at the RACV club, opening with the induction of five new Australian Speedway Hall of Fame inductees.

Renowned promoter David Lander, legendary Speedcar and Sprintcar dual champion Phil March, West Australian Speedcar Ace Neville Lance, Ipswich based team owner and parts supplier Ian Boettcher and West Aussie solo motorcycle trailblazer, Chum Taylor were the new inductees honoured.

Speedway Australia CEO Darren Tindal labelled the event a resounding success, applauding the efforts of those who travelled extensive distances to champion their family and colleagues.

Family and friends of the recipients travelled from all over the nation to be present with their family and friends who were receiving awards which is a testament to just how much these awards mean.”

“Our staff have worked extremely hard to lift the bar again this year and the feedback from attendees has been outstanding.

“But there was a common thread in the feedback, where a lot of people felt a sense of unity in the room which is a positive sign for the future as we continue to build this sport together.”

Darren Collins locks a front in his Mustang, leading the Camaro of Brent Trengrove.

HISTORIC ENDURO SET FOR WINTON RETURN Image: SKENE MEDIA

2023/24 SPEEDWAY AUSTRALIA AWARD WINNERS PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR: Richard Hathaway – Richard Hathaway Photography MARSHAL/VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR: Kenneth Mankey – President of Wangaratta City Speedway, VIC MEDIA/GROUP/OUTLET OF YEAR: Clay Per View – Jarred Ash INNOVATION/PROMOTIONAL ITEM OF THE YEAR: Just Drive – Documentary following Australian Sprintcar Champion, Jock Goodyer TRACK OF THE YEAR: Perth Motorplex (WA) MOST IMPROVED TRACK OF THE YEAR: Timmis Speedway, Mildura (VIC) KARTING COMPETITOR OF THE YEAR: Kai Malley (VIC) MODIFIED COMPETITOR OF THE YEAR: Corey Stein – Modlites & SSA Modified Sedans (QLD) OPEN WHEEL COMPETITOR OF THE YEAR: Jock Goodyer – Sprintcars (TAS) YOUTH COMPETITOR OF THE YEAR: Charlie Bowen – Junior Formula 500s (QLD) SEDAN COMPETITOR OF THE YEAR: Kye Blight – Late Models, SSA Production Sedans & SSA Super Sedans (WA) SPORTSPERSON OF THE YEAR: 1 Jock Goodyer

VALE: AMERICAN LEGEND PARNELLI JONES ONE OF the very few to be the best in both IndyCar and NASCAR, Parnelli Jones, passed away on Tuesday, June 4, aged 90.

At the time of his death, Jones was the oldest living Indianapolis 500 winner.

He was extremely versatile, winning in both IndyCar and NASCAR, while he drove to victory in the Baja 1000 and enjoyed success as a team owner.

Although he only competed in the Indianapolis 500 seven times, he led in all but two of them for a total of 492 laps, which remains the eighth-highest in history. He was also the first driver to qualify faster than 150mph.

Jones is also the only driver to have led the Indianapolis 500 for 400 or more miles on two occasions.

The first came when he won in 1963 with a dominant 33s win over Jim Clark and AJ Foyt. The second when his Andy Granatelli-entered, STP turbine-powered car failed after leading 171 of the first 196 laps in 1967.

In addition to his Indianapolis 500 success, Jones also won the Baja 1000 twice, in 1971 and 1972.

In Champ Car he took six wins and 17 podiums with a best championship finish of third in 1962, while he also made 34 NASCAR Cup Series appearances across 12 years and won four races.

After retiring from driving in 1968 at the age of 34, Jones set up a successful team with longtime business partner Vel Miletich.

Their team went back-to-back in the 1970 and 1971 Indianapolis 500s and it briefly ventured into Formula One. Mario Andretti steered for them across 16 Grands Prix from Canada 1974 to Long Beach 1976 with a best result of fourth.

Jones was inducted into numerous Halls of Fame, including the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame, the National Motorsports

16 I www.autoaction.com.au

Image: MOTORSPORT IMAGES Hall of Fame and both the National Sprint Car and National Midget Halls of Fame.

“In over 115 years of racing at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, there have been many iconic moments and a handful of iconic drivers,” said Indianapolis Motor Speedway President J. Douglas Boles.

“Parnelli Jones was a total icon, both for his driving skill and the magical moments he created in the Indianapolis 500.

“He will always be known for his speed, talent and fearless approach, and for his personal demeanor and character.

“His fingerprints on our sport go well beyond the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. A winner in virtually everything on wheels including USAC, NASCAR and off-road racing, he is truly one of the most versatile competitors the sport has ever seen. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends.”

Thomas Miles

THE CLOCK is ticking down for the country’s biggest on-track Historic Car outing at the Winton Raceway, with the Victorian Historic Racing Register’s (VHRR) Winton Festival of Speed set for August 2-4.

The Nation’s ‘Action Track’ will be immersed in the thunder of yesteryear, with 2024’s highlights including the Historic Touring Cars Cup 50k Plate Enduro.

This Enduro has established itself as one of the categories premier events, with last year’s race attracting 40 entries, including a rich variety of engines from eights, sixes, fours, rotaries, pushrods, and overhead cams, all ranging from 1953 to pre ’73.

The International spread ranges from Europe, UK, USA, Australia, and Asia, going wheel-to-wheel on the country’s best spectator track.

With the grid filling for 2024, there will be plenty of Chargers, Toranas, Mazdas and Minis set to vie for track position against the bigger Camaros and Mustangs.

Last year saw Brad Tilley (of Touring Car Masters fame) take it out in his 289 Mustang, ahead of Andrew Williams’ Torana and Adrian Moyle’s Camaro, whilst another three Mustangs, three Torana’s and two Camaros filled the top nine.

Also sneaking into the top 10 was Tom Tweedie’s Mini, earning him the VHRR’s driver of the meeting after holding off a BDA Escort whilst harassing the bigger machines up front.

Over 300 great machines are expected on-track, alongside a huge off-track display of over 500 historic beauties.

As usual, there will be big fields of Group C & A, Group N, Group S, and HQ Racing, as well as the VHRR open-wheel categories, Historic Sports Sedans, as well as MG and Alfa racing, and more.

This year’s main theme is Holden vs Ford, which also features a Group C only race on the Saturday. Visit www.vhrr.com. au for ticketing and event details.

TW Neal

ONE RACEWAY TO PROVIDE DOUBLE THE ACTION THE TEAM at One Raceway (formerly Wakefield Park) are surging forward in bedding down the new infrastructure ahead of October’s expected Australian SuperBikes opening, as the process of laying down the Asphalt on the newly redesigned bi-directional circuit is well underway.

Since new owner Steve Shelley took ownership from the Benalla Auto Club, and after achieving his crusade in winning over the locals to his vision, he’s brought to fruition what once seemed a losing battle for NSW motorsport.

The project will effectively see the State get two new racetracks, with the bi-directional aspect adding something unique to the sport’s landscape.

And Auto Action can reveal for the first time that the names of the two circuits will be Wakefield Circuit (clockwise) as a homage to its roots, and the Shelley Circuit (anti-clockwise).

The reshaping of the corners and extra run-off space to give each direction a unique feel, and the process in getting to the asphalt stage is just one aspect of a huge operation.

The team has moved mountains in completing the vital northern and southern sound walls, moving a staggering 10 million tons of dirt and, in welcome news for pundits, the previously run-down and broken-up car park out the back of the garage has also been relaid.

“The simulations we’ve been running appear to show that the track will be faster in the anti-clockwise direction due to the reshaping of the minimum run-off we once had,” Shelley told Auto Action.

“The way we’ve reshaped the Turns 1 and 2 complex allow a significantly faster downhill approach into that complex, which we’ve named Anzac.

“In pushing the sound wall back we’ve significantly extended the run off there, and that will be an all-asphalt area, and

we’ve done the same in the old Turn 10 complex, which we’ve named Slingshot.

“It’s going to be a very dynamic track compared to the old one … with the investment we’ve made it’s virtually created a third new circuit for NSW. So the state is going from just having SMP, to getting a two-in-one.”

Variable weather in the Goulburn area has delayed the final asphalting process, but Shelley expects it to be completed in late June/early July.

“In order to re-work the corner amendments we’ve wanted, we’ve had to do significant remediation to the subbase, then we’ve needed to put in lots of different correction layers before we lay down the asphalt. We expect to have that done inside July.

“To do this we’ve had a brilliant partnership with Diavall’s Earth Moving as well as Roadworx, and we’re delighted with the time and care they’ve put in to ensure this is one of the best motor circuits in the Southern Hemisphere.

“And in terms of FIA track licensing, we’ve had lots of input from MA2 and MA4, and both organisations are very happy with what they’re seeing.

“We’ve worked very closely with them on the speed diagrams to ensure that our runoff areas meet their specific criteria. With our first line of protections and fencing being put in, we expect to have the licensing ticked off by August at the latest.”

New innovative One Raceway software is being installed, providing interesting opportunities for sponsorships and signage proposals.

Stay tuned for further news on One Raceway, including Shelley’s other circuit – Pheasant Wood Raceway – located only 25 minutes down the road.

TW Neal

THE NEW SHERRIFF IN SPORTS SEDANS BRADLEY SHERRIFF made an anticipated Precision National Sports Sedan Series debut at The Bend in a brand new weapon.

Sherriff, who turned heads in a 1170 horsepower Skyline at last year’s 12 Hour, debuted a new, blue R34 GTR on the national stage.

For the first time, Sherriff went racing in his recently built 6-cylinder turbo beast. a more refined car focused on aero than pure grunt and straight line speed.

Unfortunately Sherriff’s Sports Sedans debut did not last long with a suspension component keeping the #66 away from the track all of Sunday.

But the Tasmanian still made an impression before then, qualifying sixth and finishing his rookie race in the top five.

Although it did not last as long as he would have liked, Sherriff said there were positives to take from his first crack at Precision National Sports Sedans.

“It was all promising and we just need some time,” he told Auto Action.

“We had a suspension component failure that was unable to be rectified, but that is the game we play.

“All of these guys are very fast and at the end of the weekend when you are able to drive the car back onto the trailer

looking exactly how it did at the start, you have had a win because it is not hard to tip one of these things upside down.”

With The Bend being his first race weekend in 480 days, Sherriff would love more track time and is hopeful of returning at the Bathurst round but, with four cars to prepare for World Time Attack, he is not sure.

“I knew we were going to be off the pace but did not know how much,” he recalled.

“The lack of track knowledge and time did hurt me a lot.

“I had not been in the car since

Bathurst last year and that made a big difference “The aero on that car is extremely good but where it is lacking was the mechanical grip.

“Where I was really struggling was braking with the car on the nose because the tyre contact patch did not stay loaded.

“Then you find yourself modulating the brake pedal, trying to keep the wheel unlocked – it doesn’t give you the braking confidence you need.

“I was intending of running Bathurst but with so much happening I am not sure.”

Thomas Miles

Image: JOHN MORRIS

autoactionmag

Auto_Action

autoactionmag

autoactionmag

www.autoaction.com.au I 17

INTERNATIONAL AUSSIES Image: JAKOB EBREY

NINOVIC KEEPS IT ROLLING IN THE UK

AFTER HIS impressive two-win weekend at Snetterton, young Aussie Alex Ninovic (above) has completed a podium sweep at the Thruxton Circuit in Round 4 of the British F4 Championship to cement second place in the championship pointscore.

He banked plenty of valuable points to take the third step back-to-back in Races 1 and 2, before going one better in the finale, helping him maintain a 30-point deficit to British youngster Deagen Fairclough.

After a disappointing qualifying had Ninovic outside the top-10 for Races 1 and 3, he wasted little time in pursuit of a podium in the opener, taking six spots on the first lap to eventually earn third, whilst he came from sixth in the reverse grid Race 2 to repeat his efforts.

Race 3 then saw him storm the podium from outside the top-10 again, executing a pass at the final chicane to secure second by just 0.357s.

The next round will see the Rodin driver head to Silverstone GP circuit on June 15-16.

Elsewhere in Europe, there were three more podiums gained for our young talent.

In Portugal, both Griffin Peebles and Noah Lisle took third places in Race 2 in the Spanish F4 and EUROCUP-3 respectively, their best finishes for the season.

The week prior, Jack Beeton took his first Italian F4 podium with a second in Race 3 at Imola to sit fifth in the championship.

TW Neal

POWER HITS TIMELY CHARGE AUSSIE WILL Power’s 42nd career win, coming at the Road America GP (see page 55 for race review) has come at a vital point in the season, with the IndyCars new Hybrid boost system just a few rounds away.

After overcoming his Penske teammates in a three-way tyre strategy battle, the twotime champion is now five points to the good ahead of last year’s Astor Cup winner Alex Palou.

After going winless in a season for the first time in his 17-year career in 2023, he has snapped his 34 race losing streak with eight rounds and 10 races left.

“I wasn’t sure when it was going to happen ... I’ve been digging all year.

Sometimes it just works out,” Power said.

“Once all the yellows stopped, it was a very fast-paced race … I kind-of came across something I haven’t been running

that Josef (Newgarden) uses a certain way with how he runs the car. So I started driving like that, just using the set-up, and it really worked,” he added.

Looking ahead, IndyCar will now employ hybrid technology for the first time in its history in two rounds time, at the Mid-Ohio road course on July 7.

The hybrid component (consisting of a Motor Generator Unit and Energy Storage System) will allow an extra dose of horsepower, limited to an “energy deployed per lap” rule, as opposed to the separate time-limited ‘Push-to-Pass’ system.

Despite the potential mid-season upheaval in strategy approach owing to the new driver’s aid, Power is no stranger to the new units, testing the hybrid set-up more than any other competitor in the off-season.

The Aussie told IndyCar media earlier

in the year that he was a big supporter of it, particularly with its use out of corners, and that his extensive seat time with the new tool would hopefully hold him in good stead when it finally arrived.

Now, after bullocking himself into the series lead, it’s a potentially well-timed advantage for the veteran.

His win in Wisconsin also tied him for fourth on the all-time wins list (to go with his all-time pole record). And following the race, he paid tribute to Micheal Andretti, the man he now shares the spot with.

“That was the next one I wanted to get – I was a big fan of Micheal as a kid and I watched him win a lot of races. The Andretti family are legends of the sport.

Anytime your name is around those guys, it’s a big deal.”

TW Neal

Power – back in the championship lead with a Road America win ...

Image: MOTORSPORT IMAGES

HUGHES PAVING THE PATH TOWARD INDY NXT TO SAY there’s a lot on the line in the USF Pro 2000 series for Aussie youngster Lochie Hughes (right) would be an understatement.

A storming weekend-sweep at Road America in Wisconsin has seen the Gold Coast talent leap to the top of the standings after five rounds, placing himself in hot pursuit of the $681,500 USD scholarship to graduate into INDY NXT – the top rung of the Road to Indy ladder.

After an impressive oval podium at Indianapolis Raceway Park the round prior, Hughes guided his #44 Turn 3 Motorsport Tatuus IP-22 machine to an impressive scoop of wins.

After erasing the one point championship deficit to American Nikita Johnson by claiming the pole award, he went on to snatch a double-win day to kick off the three race weekend, following it up for another in Race 3.

18 I www.autoaction.com.au

“It was two really tough races,” he said after Race 2, “It’s hard going around here with the big slipstreams. You need to be disciplined and not make errors.

Backing it up in the third after taking the lead in lap 6 of 15 after a restart, he now enjoys a 50 point buffer with three rounds to go.

“After my troubles at NOLA, to bounce back in the championship like this and be on the run we are on is great … I am over the moon and hopefully we can just keep this momentum going to Mid-Ohio and the rest of the season.”

The former USF4 champion and USF2000 third place getter will head to the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on July 4-7, with the season set to finish on the streets of Toronto and the Portland Raceway.

Does a tantalising seat in INDY NXT await Hughes in 2025?

TW Neal

Image: TURN3 MOTORSPORT

SVG AND NASCAR POSE SOME QUESTIONS …

OUR MAN IN THE BRUISING WORLD OF NASCAR XFINITY HAS NAILED TWO IN A ROW AND IT’S EXCITING VIEWING …

LIKE MANY I suspect, I was able to take in Shane van Gisbergen’s win at Sonoma on Saturday via the live broadcast here, at the entirely civilised hour of 9.30am on Sunday morning – and what an entertaining race it was. Two in a row for our guy, showin’ them Yanks how to get around a road course …

I also don’t think I was alone in thinking that, poised in fourth with a few laps to go, SVG was going to do what SVG does, having looked after car and tyres, and was about to pounce and mow them all down.

And then, with a Safety Car restart with 11 laps to go, now in second, from the outside of the front row, it was always going to happen … but we only had to wait until the second corner before, using his strong cornerentry speed, the #97 pounced aggressively inside rival Austin Hill (“a couple of guys battling hard and they came together” … said SVG post-race). The two cars did indeed ‘come together’ as Hill tried to stick it out on the outside, to no avail. And that was that. Control the pace. Two in a row. In-lap, smoky drifting (a disgruntled Hill tried to get in the way and spoil the show!).

All done. The celebratory signed

with Chris Lambden

CL ON CALL football booted into the crowd was the only thing he muffed all day – it didn’t quite make it to the stands.

A lap after that same late restart his team-mate, AJ Allmendinger, running fourth, was turned around at the same corner, dropped to the back and finished 17th.

Hill declined to comment on TV – pleaded the Fifth Amendment – and that was that.

My second thought (the first was ‘Wow, that’s SVG at his best – top job) was gee, if this had been Australia, a Supercars race, or even F1, there would have been intervention from officialdom in both cases and penalties potentially applied before trophies could be handed out. You know the drill: “forcing another car off the track” … “avoidable collision causing another car to lose position” … everyday stuff in this part of the world.

The obvious discussion, apart

from the comparison, is why? Why do we jump in on the slightest contact – it is racing after all – when in NASCAR it’s usually very much a case of ‘what happens on the track stays on the track’ …

Right now, NASCAR’s Cup Car show and its little brother Xfinity are providing the muscular sort of motorsport that gets fans excited.

No big prangs (well, on the road courses at least); no-one’s getting hurt. No five-second or 10-second penalties thank you.

To see this ‘let ‘em go’ approach in Australia, you have to head to the Speedway, where top-level Sprintcars and Speedcars in particular often put on a quality wheel-to-wheel show. (Early in 2020 I saw Kyle Larsen doing his thing, in Speedcars, at Western Springs in Auckland, before NASCAR, and Indycar, beckoned – it was a fabulous preview of a star in the making).

No-one is advocating demolition derby-styled mayhem, but the acceptable style of racing in NASCAR, compared to Supercars is a bit like the difference between tennis and football – one is just a tad more physical. Supercars, and NASCARs, are sedans, wheels enclosed, quite solidly built (NASCAR especially) and these days with a high level of driver protection. They’re safe, so why not sit back and let them get on with it with a little less interruption?

Is it a cost thing? NASCARs really are built to take it – Supercars aren’t quite as solid, but not bad .... Or is it just that we – by that I mean Australia – are so far down the woke ‘we can tell you how to run your life; we can look after you, even if you don’t want us to’ path in day-to-day political and social life that it has taken over our sports?

It’s true that AFL football, for example, now has far, far more stringent regulation and oversight in relation to concussion injury than it ever used to. No argument there – that is clearly the right thing.

Concussion, we are learning, is a permanent life-affecting injury.

But motorsport in 2024 is, thanks to the significant car, racewear and circuit safety gains over recent

decades, very safe. Maybe it’s time to consider, for benefit of the sporting spectacle, a little less pedantic oversight. A bit more ‘que sera’ … A bit more NASCARlike? I know the risk-management personnel around the sport will be shivering at the thought …

But, like I said, Sonoma really was compelling viewing – just ask the fans.

Back to SVG. His analytical and logical approach to his new world is paying dividends (he expands on some of it in his in-depth interview elsewhere in this issue – well worth a read). Prediction? He’ll get his head around ovals in due course and he’s going to make it, big-time …

At the same time, some of Shane’s comments reflecting back to his time here should strike a chord with elements within Supercars and Australian motorsport – including the media.

Worth reflecting on.

In the meantime, SVG’s got a few ovals coming up – next week, then the next week, then the next week, and the week after, and the weekend after that … It’s a whole new, very busy world and he is clearly thriving in it. Great to see.

We’ll be watching …

With just a little of rival Austin Hill’s rubber adorning his left door, SVG celebrates as the drone zooms in for a closer look ... Image: MOTORSPORT IMAGES

autoactionmag

Auto_Action

autoactionmag

autoactionmag

www.autoaction.com.au I 19

LATEST NEWS

DJR’S NEW INDIGENOUS LOOK

DICK JOHNSON Racing has taken a big step away from its usual look with a special Indigenous Round livery.

Both Will Davison and Anton De Pasquale will race with a red and vibrant livery at both the Darwin Triple Crown and Townsville 500 events.

Contemporary Indigenous Artist Zoe Raymond from Bunji Enterprises once again designed the DJR Indigenous Round look with the 2024 NAIDOC

Theme ‘Keep the Fire Burning! Blak, Loud and Proud’ the inspiration.

In previous years DJR has retained its usual livery base, but turned the red areas into indigenous artwork.

But for 2024 it has taken a further step by swapping the usually white Shell V-Power section running along the side red to create the most unique DJR livery for the last seven years.

DJR Chief Executive Officer David

Noble said the livery tells a special story.

“We’re incredibly proud to reveal our 2024 Indigenous Livery, which will feature on both of our Shell V-Power Mustangs,” he said.

“This marks the second consecutive year we have had the privilege of working with the talented Zoe Raymond from Bunji Enterprises, whose creativity and storytelling

continues to educate and inspire us.

“Our team’s theme for 2024 is ‘On the Hunt,’ and to achieve that, we must keep our fire burning, symbolising an endless pursuit of excellence through resilience and perseverance.

“Our own storytelling is synonymous with the Indigenous people, honouring the legacy of those who have come before us.”

SPECIAL STORY BEHIND HILL CONFIDENT MURRAY’S FIRST SUPERCAR COMING TO DARWIN COOPER MURRAY’S first Supercar livery has been revealed with a special story behind the look on the Supercheap Auto Triple Eight wildcard.

Murray will make his Supercars debut at this weekend’s Darwin Triple Crown as a wildcard in the #888 Camaro before joining Craig Lowndes at Sandown and Bathurst.

For Indigenous Round, the #888 livery has been produced in conjunction with HeartKids Australia, which supports children and adults impacted by childhood-onset heart disease (CoHD).

This artwork from Darwin based artist William Hewitt is the story of 13-year-old heart kid Lilly, with the support of brother Noah (11), mother Chantelle, and father Derrin from Larrakia Country.

In addition to the livery Supercheap Auto has donated $500,000 to HeartKids.

Murray has prepared for his Supercars debut with a test at Queensland Raceway and believes he is ready for the furnace that will be a hot Hidden Valley.

“The car looks SUPER! It’s been fantastic to team up with HeartKids and

Supercheap Auto to design an amazing Indigenous livery for my Supercars debut,” Murray said.

“I think the Indigenous Round is an amazing initiative that Supercars implement for the Darwin Triple Crown and it’s great to see every team get on board.

“I’m so excited to kick things off in Darwin. Our test day went really well and there were a lot of positives that came out of the day - very few negatives, if any. I now have a lot of motivation and confidence going into the event.

“I always work very hard on my fitness away from the track which will hopefully put me in good stead for the gruelling conditions and longer format races in the Top End so I think I will be well prepared for the conditions up there.

“This opportunity is something I’ve looked forward to for a long time and I’m going to take in every single moment of it, from the signing sessions to meeting the fans, all the way down to getting into the car and doing what I do best.

“It’s going to be an amazing week that will no doubt go too quickly.”

MATT STONE Racing’s Cameron Hill is carrying plenty of confidence ahead of the Darwin Triple Crown this weekend.

Hill enjoyed solid pace at a consistent Perth SuperSprint, qualifying sixth on the Saturday before finishing 11th in both sprint races.

After a tough series of races in Bathurst and Melbourne following an impressive opening race, the #4 has finished just outside the top 10 in the last three.

Now heading to Hidden Valley Raceway where Matt Stone Racing showed strong speed last year.

Hill feels like he has been taking a step forward at each round and hopes to continue it at the Indigenous Round.

“I really like Darwin,” Hill said.

“It’s a really good event. The crowd

is really engaging and I had my first Porsche Carrera Cup Australia race win up there.

“It was a solid outing for me last year.

When I reflect back on it I was still super green and we had good pace as Jack (Le Brocq) won a race, which was a good boost for the team.

“It was the start of believing Matt Stone Racing could be at the front and I think we’ve carried it on ever since.

“Perth was a good weekend. The good thing was the qualifying speed was strong in Perth and it was a game of thousandths, but we stack up pretty well.

“I think Darwin will be pretty similar, it’s a short lap and I have a lot of confidence in our package at the moment as I’ve been pretty strong everywhere we’ve been.

“Last year I felt we always had a strong race car, but if you don’t qualify at the front it’s not always possible to demonstrate it.

“When we can qualify well it enables us to use our race pace and that’s definitely a strong part of our game.

“At every round this season so far, I feel like I’ve gone better than I did previously.

“I feel like where we are at is super positive.

“There’s a belief that we have good cars and can achieve good results, while the new liveries keep everything fresh. I’m excited to see how it looks on track.”

NAIDOC INSPIRATION BEHIND JONES LIVERY THE NAIDOC week theme is behind the Indigenous Round livery Macauley Jones will steer at Hidden Valley.

Incorporated into #96’s usual livery is the spiritual Wedge-Tail Eagle Bunjil, known as The Creator.

BJR is from the Albury/Wodonga area and it has worked with the Mungabareena Aboriginal Corporation (MAC) to come up with the Jones Indigenous Round livery.

The NAIDOC week theme of Keep the Fire Burning – Blak, Loud and Proud is the inspiration behind the livery.

The hands seen across the Camaro symbolise a sense of connection and belonging between individuals, communities and ancestral spirits.

Jones is honoured by his indigenous Round colours.

“The car looks amazing, there’s no denying that but it’s also representing something very meaningful and that’s the best part about Indigenous Round,” he said.

“Carrying Bunjil across the car is pretty cool. What it represents and means to Aboriginal culture is massive.

“I’m excited to have this car in Darwin and representing the Mungabareena Aboriginal Corporation in NT is special.”

It has also been announced Jones will race with a special livery at the Bathurst 1000.

In an extra treat for fans, they have the chance to design the scheme Jones will take on the Great Race with.

Fan can enter the competition by colouring in the stencil found on special large Pizza Hut boxes in market now.

In addition to creating the livery, the winning fan can watch their design take on the Great Race in person with the prize containing two general admission tickets to the 2024 Bathurst 1000 in October, two Bathurst 1000 merchandise packs and two course car rides and two grid walks.

FANS BEHIND REYNOLDS INDIGENOUS ROUND LOOK

TEAM 18 paid tribute to its fans through its David Reynolds Indigenous Round livery for the 2024 Darwin Triple Crown.

Like teammate Mark Winterbottom, Reynolds will race with an artwork designed by Kalkadoon artist Chern’ee Sutton.

Whilst Sutton has worked on car #18 for the last three years, this is the first time her artwork has appeared on both Team 18 machines.

For Reynolds’ #20 Camaro, the artwork pays to the support of Team 18’s fans.

The travelling lines represent the many communities Team 18 visits throughout the 12-round season, while dots around the

edge of these travelling lines represent the spectators and supporters who line up to show their support and cheer on Reynolds and the team.

“The Indigenous round livery on our TRADIE Beer Racing Camaro looks absolutely fantastic,” Reynolds said.

“It represents the spirit and support of our fans and the diverse communities we race in all over the country.

“I am incredibly honoured to carry this artwork, it’s a powerful reminder of the rich cultural heritage we have in Australia and it’s great to celebrate it on such a visible platform.”

Team 18 has staged a test day since a

tough Perth SuperSprint and Reynolds is optimistic heading to Hidden Valley with Team 18 for the first time where he won in 2015 and 2018.

“When you talk about racing, it’s actually probably one of the most successful tracks I’ve had in my life,” he said.

“I’ve had a few wins there, a few poles, lots of podiums and Team 18 last year had their first win there, so we’ve got a good track record.

“We had a really good test last week, and we went through a lot of basic sort of things, we’re slowly understanding this car more and more.

“I’m really looking forward to it.”

RACING TOGETHER COMING TO SUPERCARS ABORIGINAL AND Torres Strait Islander teenagers will help the Racing Together program get on track at the Supercars Indigenous Round this weekend.

The Brisbane based Racing Together program will bring a seven-member team led by drivers Karlai Warner (17) and Kade Davey (16) in the Combined Sedans supports category at the Darwin Triple Crown.

They will be racing a #110 Hyundai Excel in the class that will have three races spread across Friday and Saturday at Hidden Valley Raceway.

Racing Together is a program formed in 2020 to provide greater opportunities to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youths in motorsport and the automotive industry.

In the four years since around 30 teenagers have participated in the program, with a further 150 attending open weekends and training sessions.

Five of them have have progressed to auto-industry employment, including in motorsport, and three others have used their new skills to work in other fields.

Warner, who has raced at a number of state events for Racing Together, cannot wait to drive on the Supercars stage.

“Hands-on race-day experience like that

is priceless,” she said.

“It is also an honour to be involved in the Supercars Indigenous Round.

“We can’t wait to be part of the action and bring plenty of our own.”

Racing Together founder Garry Connelly said it will be a special moment to go racing at the Darwin Triple Crown.

“Racing Together provides our Indigenous young people with the chance to be part of a focused, motivated group while learning a bunch of skills ranging from working on cars to learning about communications, logistics and management,” he said.

“The Darwin Triple Crown is an iconic, top-level event and the focus on Indigenous culture makes it a natural fit for our team.”

In addition to Combined Sedans, Touring Car Masters, Porsche Carrera Cup and V8 SuperUtes are also joining the Supercars.

LATEST NEWS

POWER CARRIES ON RAPID SPEED

VAN GISBERGEN OPENS UP ON HILL’S FRUSTRATIONS

SHANE VAN Gisbergen has revealed his post-race celebration barbs with Austin Hill in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Sonoma.

Van Gisbergen and Richard Childress Racing’s Hill have enjoyed a rivalry starting at COTA in March and the latest episode unfolded at the front of the field at Sonoma.

The pair were side by side at the final restart with 11 laps to go and Hill edged ahead with the inside at Turn 1.

However, the Kiwi hung tough around the outside and up the hill, which presented an opportunity on the inside at the following right hander.

Van Gisbergen climbed the kerb and made side to side contact with the #2 Camaro to force his way into the lead, meanwhile his American rival dropped to fifth.

Post race Hill refused to comment on the incident, but it is now clear he showed his displeasure during the cool down lap.

In a further turn of events, the pair were again in close company on the track when SVG was in the middle of

his wild celebrations.

As van Gisbergen was doing his trademark skids, Hill came past and showed his displeasure.

As a result, the Kiwi revealed he turned his attention from celebrating with the crowd to cheekily frustrating his rival.

“You want to be a good winner so I feel a bit bad in some ways because I was doing the skid at turn 2 and then he (Hill) goes past pulling the finger,” van Gisbergen told NASCAR’s Stacking Pennies podcast.

“So then I was like this is for you now and not the fans and I just followed him the whole lap.

“Then during the lap he pulled the finger, so I just gave him the thumbs up when I eventually passed him.

“I don’t feel anything against him. He knows what COTA was.”

Reflecting on the race winning move, van Gisbergen revealed how he fared at previous restarts helped him setup the Turn 2 dive and reiterated COTA was not his motivation.

“When I had priority I restarted on the

left and Ty Gibbs almost got me around the outside,” van Gisbergen said.

“So I was like okay at the next restart I am going on the outside and you can then hold to have priority for the next four right handers.

“As soon as I saw he (Hill) chose the left for the final restart I thought ‘you beauty, we are in’.

“Then all I had to do was hang there enough and I knew I would be able to make a hole.

“I knew I was going to lean on him a bit but I was never going in thinking ‘you owe me from COTA’ and wrecking you.

“I knew I had to use him up to get the lead but I was not going to put him into the grandstand.”

In the post-race press conference van Gisbergen described it has ‘hard racing.’

“I was making a hole no matter what. Felt like a pretty cool move and hopefully it was good to watch,” he said.

“It was just hard racing. To me we have both taken a race win off each other now.”

AUSTRALIA’S WILL Power has kept the good times rolling by topping another Team Penske 1-23 at an IndyCar Milwaukee Test.

Power celebrated his droughtbreaking win at Road America by going fastest two days in the Open Test.

His average speed of 161.521mph was clear of teammates Josef Newgarden (160.759mph) and Kiwi Scott McLaughlin (160.639mph) in a repeat result from the weekend.

The test session was another chance for drivers to get to know the new hybrid units which will roll out at Mid Ohio.

Thanks to his win in 2014, Power along with Scott Dixon are the only drivers to have a previous win at Milwaukee.

Power said the oval has kept its characteristics over the last decade and believes the new hybrid unit will be good for passing.

“It hasn’t changed much,” Power said of the famed oval.

“I think those patches don’t seem to have much grip though in the middle of the corners, which is really good for passing. It’s the same track. It feels exactly like it did.

“I did really well here. It was one of my favourite ovals. I had been looking forward to coming here.

“You do feel it’s probably going to assist in passing,” Power said of the hybrid unit.

“If you’ve got a run on someone, I think it will work.”

Although light rain delayed the test for 36 minutes, teams were still able to clock 3,563 incidentfree laps with the new hybrids.

“This was another important milestone for the INDYCAR hybrid power unit,” INDYCAR President Jay Frye said.

“Chevrolet and Honda checked a lot of boxes today, and none of it could happen without the continued partnership and support of our drivers and teams.

“The anticipation grows, and we cannot wait to see the hybrid era begin at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in a few weeks.”

The next INDYCAR SERIES event is the Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey on Sunday, June 23 at Laguna Seca.

Images: VERN PARKER PHOTOGRAPHY

WAHGUNYAH STAGES FINALE WAHGUNYAH SPEEDWAY saluted its season with a big race meeting on the Sunday night of the Kings Birthday weekend.

Leading the way was the AMCA Nationals which staged the annual ‘Winter Shootout’ meeting.

Stephen Hopkins won the first of three heat races, followed by Justin Richardson and Mick Kiraly with the latter setting a new eight lap record time of 3:03.165.

In the feature event Richardson led early from Kiraly, and Neale Peachey.

But on lap seven, Kiraly moved to the race lead and try as he might Richardson could not get close enough to pick him off.

This saw Kiraly take the win from Richardson, Peachey, Frank Thierry, and Adrian Jones.

Winning the first heat race in the Goulburn Ovens Sedan Association ‘Corowa Smash Repairs’ Dash for Cash event was local steerer Justin Brockley, who also took the second sprint.

Nathan Shortis chimed in twice before Ross Maclean and Billy O’Donoghue were

also victorious.

In the 15-lap feature event Shortis was the first to lead the race on lap one from Brockley and O’Donoghue.

It took until lap five for Brockley to reach the front of the field by overcoming Shortis, only for the latter to hit back a lap later as the two at the front threw everything at each other.

It took until lap 13 for Brockley to reclaim the lead and as the chequered dropped he held on by just 0.287s with O’Donoghue holding third.

The Production Sedan 1000 had attracted cars from all over and Andrew Cunningham claimed the first by the barest of margins in front of Wes Barnes.

Chris Fitzgerald was next to bag a win before Scott Hawkins who had won frequently at Wahgunyah this season was next to taste success.

Corowa’s own Trevor Mills won heat race number four, while Wayne Bourke was next with a victory and Craig McAlister secured the final heat race.

With 20 laps to sort out the $1000 winner, Bourke would get the best of the start claiming the race lead whilst Hawkins had a shocker and found himself in ninth after the first circulation.

With a quarter of the race done, Bourke led Cunningham, McAlister, Creek, and Marty Bassett. Local favourites including Creek, Jack Bear and Michael Sayers all seen their races finish on lap seven for one reason or another and Hawkins was not far behind them.

With 10 laps to go McAlister led Bourke, Bassett, Zac Hignett and Tom Barnard and except for Barnard moving forward a spot that is how the race would end.

Standard Saloon action saw local category leader Micheal Fleming-Robertson up against the likes of Josh Delarue, Rhys Lavender, and Scott McAuliffe.

Fleming-Robertson won the first two qualifying races before Delarue won the third.

In a twelve-lap final Fleming-Robertson led from start to finish to defeat Delarue,

Lavender, McAuliffe, and Adam Brezovnik.

Peter Schmetzer started with the first win of the night in the Unlimited Sedan class and went on to a qualifying race clean sweep.

But things didn’t go to plan in the final with all but two of the starters finding a way to not finish the dramatic race.

Darren Clarke was first past the flag to win in front of Peter Camillieri.

In Sports Sedans Mick Mannix clean swept all three heat races along the way breaking five-year-old record previously set for a six-race distance.

He also set a new ten lap record in winning the final, ahead of Martin Heiner and Gary Gapes.

Also sweeping the heat races was Tay Barnard in the Ladies Sports Sedans.

She won all three before winning the ten-lap final in front of Kayla Mannix, Lisa Chalcraft and Nicole Gapes.

With the season over, fans will have to wait until around November later this year for racing to recommence at Wahgunyah.

Dean Thompson

V8 DIRT MODIFIEDS BACK IN SYDNEY The 2023/24 V8 Dirt Modified season ended on a high by returning to the Sydney International Speedway.

Competing in the first Sunday afternoon race meeting ever held in the track’s history, the V8 Dirt Modifieds put on a show with Zac MacDonald leading the way.

The Queensland-based racer has been one of the most consistent drivers this season, finishing inside the top five on multiple occasions.

He made his Sydney International Speedway debut in impressive fashion by winning both of his heat races and the 20-lap feature race.

Following MacDonald home in second in the feature race was Blake Eveleigh.

Eveleigh took up the challenge to MacDonald throughout the meeting, but in the end had to settle for second.

Earlier in the meeting, the NSW-based competitor had finished his two heat races in second and third place respectively.

Mick Turner made a successful return to V8 Dirt Modified

racing by finishing in third place aboard the NSW #25 car normally driven by Andrew Pezzutti.

The Central Coast, NSW-based racer, who has finished in the runner-up spot of three Australian Championships in a row (1993, 1994 and 1995) before embarking on a Sprintcar career, enjoyed getting back into a V8 Dirt Modified and he certainly showed his ability to steer the modern version of the cars.

Craig O’Toole finished just off the podium in fourth in the

feature race and he was also the highest placed Sportsman category competitor.

Behind O’Toole in fifth was veteran Lloyd Hobson, newcomer Joshua Herne, young teenage rookie Taylor Blanch, Wayne Simpson and Mark Griffith.

After having no luck in the heat races, due to driveline issues when leading, Herne had to start from the back of the field for the feature race.

The hard-luck story of the meeting was youngster Ryley Smith.

In what was a busy weekend for Smith, who competed in the previous night’s Sprintcar racing action at the track, was running second in the feature race up until he suffered a flat tyre with five laps remaining and was forced to retreat to the infield.

The return of V8 Dirt Modifieds to the Sydney International Speedway track was a pleasing one, and the NSW club is looking forward to more opportunities to compete there in the 2024-25 season.

Daniel Powell

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR PUBLISHER Bruce Williams EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Andrew Clarke CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Caroline Garde

NATIONAL EDITOR

Thomas Miles

HISTORICS EDITOR Mark Bisset FORMULA 1 Luis Vasconcelos US CORRESPONDENT Mike Brudenell SPEEDWAY REPORTER Paris Charles CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Reese Mautone, Craig O’Brien, Dan McCarthy, David Batchelor, Edwina Williams, Gary Hill, Geoffrey Harris, John Lemm, Martin Agatyn, Paul Gover, Chris Lambden, Pete Trapnell, Ray Oliver, Steven Devries, Timothy W Neal, Toby Cooper PHOTOGRAPHERS Angryman Photography, David Batchelor, autopics.com.au, David McIntee - DMAC Photography, Geoff Colson - Colson PhotographyMark Horsburgh - Edge Photography, Matthew Bissett-MJB Photography, Mick Oliver- MTR Images, Peter Norton - Epic Sports Photography, Phil Wisewould Photography, Randall Kilner, Ray Oliver, Ray Ritter, Rebecca Hind - Revved Photography, Riccardo Benvenuti, Richard Hathaway, Ross Gibb Photography, Roy Meuronen Photography INTERNATIONAL

Motorsport Images

COMMERCIAL AND ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Bruce Williams bruce@autoaction.com.au 0418 349 555 Editorial contributions may be sent to Auto Action. No responsibility will be accepted for their safety. If you require the return of any sent item or items, please attach a separate, stamped and fully addressed envelope.

AUTO ACTION IS PUBLISHED BY AUTO ACTION MEDIA PTY LTD ABN number 89 674 370 542 Office address Suite 4/156 Drummond Street Oakleigh Victoria 3166 Phone: 03 9563 2107 The trademark Auto Action is the sole property of Auto Action Media Pty Ltd The website www.autoaction.com.au and associated social media platforms are wholly owned by Auto Action Media Pty Ltd. All rights reserved No part of this magazine’s content may be reproduced, retransmitted or rebroadcast without the express written permission of the Publisher and Auto Action Media Pty Ltd. Printed by ive Group Distributed by ARE Direct Retail Distribution Australia

AUTO ACTION WEBSITE

For more of the latest motorsport news, reviews and features, PLUS additional breaking news.

Go to autoaction.com.au or scan below

Email: editor@autoaction.com.au Postal: Suite 4/156 Drummond Street.

Oakleigh Victoria 3166 JUST HOPING THAT ALL SUPERCARS’ FIGURES ARE FOR THE BETTER

LAST EDITION (AA#1887) you reported that the owner of Supercars, Racing Australia Consolidated Enterprises (RACE), “gets better numbers in 2023”.

A couple of days later The Australian newspaper reported that Supercars is “racing for new funding”.

Makes me wonder whether Supercars gave the full story during its media briefing before its Annual General Meeting.

Its figures in your report raise some queries. Revenue of $126.57 million. OK. Sponsorship up 16.4% to $49.4 million, ticket income up 28.3% to $16.3 million and corporate hospitality income up 34.4% to $12.1 million. All very impressive. That accounts for $68.8 million of the total $126.57 million.

RACE says that that total revenue was up 12.5% – again quite impressive.

But what were the increases on the other $57.8 million of revenue not mentioned in the total?

What would these sources be?

Television money? Which must have been somewhere around $40 million in the fourth year of a five-year TV deal that The Australian said is worth $200 million.

Government money, particularly for street races?

Merchandising?

Any other income sources?

Somewhere in among these income sources the increase or increases cannot have been anywhere near as good as on corporate hospitality, ticketing and sponsorship because they have dragged the overall increase back down to the still respectable 12.5%.

If the television income is a constant $40 million a year under the current deal, have state governments tightened the purse strings on street races, and/or was merchandising less in Gen3’s debut year?

The profit figures (reported in The Australian) aren’t easily understandable either. The newspaper mentioned “a 16.2% increase in normalised earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation, to $6.82 million” but an operating loss of $19.9 million, which became a net loss of $16.4 million after a tax benefit of almost $3.5 million.

AA and the newspaper both refer to “one-off items”, including Gen3 payments to the teams, affecting the 2023 result by $20.5 million. The Australian says the Gen3 payments were $9.6 million - less than half the

20 I www.autoaction.com.au

SOCIAL DISCOURSE WITH LOTS HAPPENING IN BOTH AUSTRALIA AND ABROAD, AUTO ACTION’S SOCIAL CHANNELS WERE BUSY WITH COMMENTS AND OPINIONS…

Remember how icy cold Canberra was back in the day? Our regular correspondent is suggesting a December ‘Pollie’ 500 as a season-ender ...

Image: MARK HORSBURGH/LAT “one-offs”. AA mentioned the buy-back of a Teams Racing Charter to reduce the number to 24 as another “one-off” and “the writedown of balance sheet items that were no longer required”.

Wonder what they were?

RACE chairman Barclay Nettlefold is quoted talking of “the underlying strength” of Supercars, yet the thrust of The Australian’s article is that it “needs to raise tens of millions of dollars from new investors as part of a plan to expand its racing calendar in time for its next television broadcast deal”.

Those of us who love and watch Supercars (even if we can’t get to races very often) always want to see the sport prosper and hope that all is rosy, but the picture isn’t very clear.

Hope all is okay, because would hate to see my favourite sport end up in the strife that rugby union and men’s soccer now find themselves in.

Eric Sanderson, Hervey Bay, Queensland

A MEXICAN CIRCUS – AND MONACO RACE WAS A BOREFEST

DESPITE ALL the hype, Formula 1 is a joke.

That Monaco Grand Prix was a farce, with no passing, so they just finished in the order they qualified.

The Indy 500 was a million times better with lots of action and a great finish.

And now Perez gets a contract extension at Red Bull Racing for another two years.

He’s not worth a drive in a bottom team, yet here’s the top team keeping him on when there are other guys who deserve a chance with the top team.

Perez must be bringing a lot of money to Red Bull or have photos of someone!

Guys in ball sports don’t keep their place in teams, especially at the elite level, if they perform like Perez.

Terry Sullivan, Grafton, NSW

WEBSTER’S WARBLE Our inveterate correspondent wants the major national championship to climax in the national capital.

GET THE SUPERCARS BACK TO CANBERRA AS GRAND FINALE IT WOULD be great to see Canberra host a round of the Supercars Championship again.

The people of the Australian Capital Territory deserve to have a major annual Supercars event.

There has been talk of having the Supercars race in Canberra again but so far it has not become a reality.

The Federal and ACT governments should get together to build a Townsvillestyle part-permanent/part-temporary hybrid motorsport venue for the national capital.

If Canberra had a Townsville-style hybrid venue where half the circuit and the pit garages are permanent it would greatly reduce the cost to stage an annual Supercars round.

The Townsville venue became a reality as a joint co-operation and jointly funded by the Federal and Queensland governments.

The Federal and ACT governments could do the same in Canberra.

Holding a Supercars event there in early December would be best for weather reasons and to attract maximum fans.

A Canberra 500 should be the grand finale of the Supercars Championship.

It would be the largest sporting event in Canberra and could get a lot of support from local businesses and from the people of the ACT, who I am sure would cooperate to make a Canberra 500 a reality.

If the federal and ACT governments got together with Supercars Australia and started planning a Townsville-style circuit it could be a reality for the 2025 or 2026 season.

A Canberra 500 would attract lots of Canberrans as well as thousands more people from New South Wales and northern Victoria.

It would be a great way to promote Canberra nationally and internationally as the Townsville 500 has done for the City of Townsville.

Malcolm Webster Boronia, Victoria

SVG vs HILL Jane Apps When you watch, Hill turned in on the Giz, who just drove on through. Nice little hip and shoulder.

Steve Green There was nothing wrong with it. He was up beside him. He did have his front wheel on on the curb but if anything Hill probably held his line and hit him. Not saying that he was wrong but he did leave a hole for a car and Shane‘s gonna take that every day of the week. Good race.

Colin O’Brien Just got to say the Kiwi and Aussie drivers are kicking big goals around the globe in all formats!

END OF BATHURST INTERNATIONAL Graeme Cox I still think TCR is a good category that is worthwhile surviving.

Supercars cars should buy the rights and run it as a feeder category and make it viable for the cheaper-end racing driver who can make a name for themselves and then move up to other Supercar categories.

John Street TCR is a great class, but they need bigger fields and have a scant number of spectators watching it.

I thought it would boom with Chaz and Will driving but barely a ripple to spectator numbers.

RANDLE WINS SPORTS SEDANS Geoff Taunton Thomas was a pure gentleman racer and a pleasure to race with.

The Saab is a true dinki-di Sports Sedan and very fast.

RIP DAVID WALKER Laurie Mason A little known fact is that David drove a Jim Russell Racing Drivers School sponsored Vauxhall Ventora in the 1968 LondonSydney Marathon. We had the pleasure to have him come down to Sydney and drive the car again in 2018 for the 50th Anniversary of the event. David was a welcoming and gracious man. Our sincere condolences to David’s family and friends.

AutoActionMag

autoactionmag

Auto_Action

AutoActionMag

PAINTING PRETTY PICTURES ‘ART CARS’ FOR DARWIN AND LE MANS – FROM SUPERCARS ... AND BMW THE CHANCE of BMW winning at Le Mans this month is not good.

Slim, at best.

The company has won in the past, but that was way back in 1999.

So, despite the presence of the German company’s latest hightech prototype in the French field for 2024, the opportunity for any headline impact is only likely to come from a crash during the competition.

Unless . . .

So BMW has gone another way, revealing something special for Le Mans in 2024.

It’s an Art Car. It will provide pretty pictures with a competition twist as something similar – but with much more serious implications – is also about to happen in Darwin.

It’s the Indigenous Round in the Supercars championship and there has already been an early unveiling of several teams’ colourful contribution to the unique grid in

with Paul Gover

THE PG PERSPECTIVE the Top End. Turtles are the inspiration for the livery on the PremiAir Nulon cars, which was done by Widjabul and Bunjulung artist Sheldon ‘SJ’ Harrington.

In the case of the BMW Art Car, the work for 2024 is by Julie Mehretu, who is described as a ’New York-based contemporary artist’.

The BMW M Hybrid is number 20 in the Art Car series, which tracks back to 1975 when pop-art paint Alexander Calder did his thing on a BMW 3.0 CSL. The car known as the ‘batmobile’ for its giant – for the time – wings and flared guards, also provided a

canvas for Frank Stella in 1976.

But the best-know Art Car was created by Andy Warhol when he went crazy on a BMW M1 in 1979.

The Warhol work is well know for his rapid-fire technique with the sort of paint brush you would use on a house – and also because his efforts added an extra six kilograms to the weight of the car.

The Art Car program swerved away from motorsport for a time, when the company’s luxury 7-Series flagship was a popular choice for painters, but in the late 1980s it go back on track.

And there was an Australian connection.

A pair of retired BMW M3

hotrods were handed to two of Australia’s best-known painters and the results could not have been more different.

Michael Jagamara Nelson went all-in on an indigenous effort which would sit comfortably in front of this year’s Supercars efforts. It was officially number seven in the series.

At the same time, Ken Done was doing number eight and his wild work provided a total contrast dominated by bold primary colours.

Neither of the Aussie cars ever raced with their new paint.

BMW went back to the track by the time it was ready for number 13, an M3 GTR, and in 1999 it unveiled the work of artist Jenny Holzer.

The BMW V12 LMR was one of the pair at Le Mans that year but, while the car with a regulation BMW M livery went on to win the race, the Art Car went into the barriers – ironically at the Porsche

Curves – after a mechanical failure.

For anyone who enjoys art, famous painters who have made their mark also include David Hockney, Jeff Koons and John Baldessari.

Now comes 2024 and Mehretu’s effort which, she said, is about “invention, about imagination, about pushing limits of what can be possible”.

She has used an earlier painting to superimpose layers of dot grids, neon-colour veils and black markings, which were then printed on foils and applied to the car.

But two things are unchanged: the signature BMW kidney grilles on the nose and the racing number, which – appropriately for Art Car 20 – is #20.

“I don’t think of this car as something you would exhibit,” said Mehretu.

“It’s a performance painting. The BMW Art Car is only completed once the race is over.”

The BMW M Hybrid is number 20 in the comany’s serie of ‘Art’ cars ...

autoactionmag

Auto_Action

autoactionmag

autoactionmag

www.autoaction.com.au I 21

FORMULA 1 NEWS – LUIS VASCONCELOS

TSUNODA STAYS PUT FOR 2025 …

Red Bull put another piece of the driver market in place at Montreal by confirming another year at VCARB for Yuki Tsunoda.

Images: MOTORSPORT IMAGES YUKI TSUNODA will remain with VCARB for 2025, the Italian team announced in Montreal, minutes before

the start of qualifying for the Canadian Grand Prix.

With other teams showing interest in

hiring the young Japanese driver for next year, Red Bull decided to make a decision much earlier than expected and took the option it had over Tsunoda’s services for 2025. This way, the 24-year-old can continue to focus on his driving and the development of the car, finally having the stability that was lacking since his rookie season, as the Japanese has always been on oneyear deals, each time being confirmed for the following year quite late in the season.

A delighted Tsunoda said that, “I’m very happy to be staying with Visa Cash App RB and it’s a good feeling to have my future decided so early in the year. For that, I want to thank everyone at Red Bull and Honda, who have played such an important role in my career and will continue to do so.”

Confident about the team’s progress, Tsunoda added that, “the team has a big development project ahead and I’m excited to be part of it. It’s great to know that everyone appreciates all the hard work I have put in and that the team believes I can help it move further up the grid. We have already made clear progress this season and that really motivates me to always give of my best and that’s what I’ll continue to do with VCARB.” In conclusion, the young driver vowed that, “for the moment, I’m

concentrating on the remaining races this season, with the aim of bringing home as many points as possible, always growing with the team, laying the groundwork to do even better next year!”

Team Principal Laurent Mekies was equally pleased with this early decision: “The step up he has made this year is simply phenomenal, and he keeps surprising us all, race after race. There’s no doubting his natural speed to which he has now added a much more mature approach and this combination makes him a very quick and consistent performer, and a great team player. We continue to get a better understanding of what he needs from us and vice versa, so we are progressing together, Yuki as a driver and the team as Visa Cash App RB.” The fact there’s no mention of who will be Tsunoda’s 2025 team mate is a clear sign that Daniel Ricciardo is yet to do enough to convince Red Bull’s management he deserves another season with their second team, but it’s also puzzling there has been no decision to promote Liam Lawson immediately as, with Pérez’s locked in contract with the main team, there won’t be room for Ricciardo there until 2027 and he’s adding nothing to his career racing for VCARB …

… SO THE DRIVER MARKET STILL WAITS FOR SAINZ NOW THAT Sérgio Pérez has been confirmed with Red Bull for another two years, the man who holds the key to the 2025 drivers’ market is Carlos Sainz – and the Spaniard doesn’t seem to be in a hurry to decide what his next destination will be.

With his chances of landing a seat with Mercedes being slim, by his own admission, Carlos Sainz insists he still wants to have the most competitive car possible next year when it will come the time to make a choice aboiut his future team.

The Spaniard is also adamant that choosing who’s going to be competitive from 2026 onwards is like picking your lottery number and that’s why he puts the team’s competitiveness in 2025 on par with their prospects for the following years.

The Spanish driver has narrowed down his choices to Sauber/Audi and Williams, believing the British team offers him the best short term solution but that the German manufacturer can possibly offer him better long-term prospects.

As Sainz counted himself out of the running for a seat at Mercedes, the German team has George Russell under contract

22 I www.autoaction.com.au

Carlos Sainz is now the favourite to join Alex Albon at Williams next year – under James Vowles’ stewardship, the British team is making progress.

and looks set to confirm teenage sensation Andrea Kimi Antonelli to partner him.

Who would be sacrificed if Verstappen were to end up agreeing terms to join the Mercedes team in 2026 remains to be seen, but Russell will be a man under pressure next year, as the Italian is seen as a great long-term proposition by Toto Wolff.

Williams, VCARB and Sauber/Audi already have one driver signed for next year – Alex Albon committed to the British team until the end of 2027, Tsunoda confirmed in the Faenza-based team for next year and

Nico Hulkenberg under contract with the Swiss Germans until the end of 2026.

With Sainz being the first option for both of the teams, Valtteri Bottas is Williams’ second choice and Esteban Ocon seems to be Andreas Seidl’s favorite alternative to the Spaniard. Bottas, on the other hand, seems to be Haas’ number one choice, with the Frenchman being his first alternative.

Oliver Bearman is a shoe-in to race for Haas next year, meaning the Formula 2 Prema duo should will become the only two contenders for Formula 1 rookie of the

year honors in 2025.

With Esteban Ocon out of the picture, and unlikley to find a spot, it’s just a matter of time before Alpine confirms Pierre Gasly for another couple of years, but everyone still looking for a seat is knocking on Bruno Famin’s door. Sainz and Bottas are also entertaining talks with the French team but if, as expected, they sign elsewhere, then the shortist for 2025 will include current test drivers Jack Doohan and Mick Schumacher as well as the more experienced Zhou Guanyu.

PIRELLI TO ADD MONACO ULTRASOFT TYRE FOR 2025 PIRELLI IS working on a new Ultrasoft compound that will be used in street circuits from the start of next year – the Italian manufacturer very encouraged by the results of the test of the first prototype of the prospective C6 tyre, conducted by Ferrari last week, at Paul Ricard.

The fact the test was done a couple of days after a lot of drivers complained that the Monaco Grand Prix race was very dull, as everyone was driving as slowly as possible to make sure they didn’t need another pitstop after the first lap’s red flag, was a coincidence, as this prototype has been long in the making.

Reacting to teams and drivers’ complains about tyre overheating, Pirelli is developing a new range of compounds that, according to Direcor of Racing Mario Isola, have shown a lot of potential. The Italian said that “we have very promising compounds to reduce overheating for 2025”, before revealing that, “the idea is to also introduce a new C6 compound, a softer one, because in the calendar we

have more and more street circuits and we need softer compounds.”

Isola further explained that “we are going to move the range a little bit on the soft side, always trying to reduce the overheating. The real problem is to find the right trade-off between overheating and degradation, because we need to keep degradation but reduce overheating.

And that’s not always easy because the two elements are connected.”

Having seen Formula 1 move more and more into street circuits – next year there will be real street races in Monaco, Azerbaijan, Singapore and Las Vegas, while Australia, Saudi Arabia and Miami hold their Grand Prix on temporary tracks, with Madrid adding to this list in 2026 –

Pirelli admitted that, “that was our idea considering the calendar and considering where we go to race. And, obviously, our target is to encourage a mix between one- and two-stop strategies. So we made a proposal to go a bit softer.”

Isola admitted that “the request was to reduce the overheating. The risk is that if you reduce the overheating, they change tyres less, because obviously they can run more laps without high degradation.

If we go in this direction then we need to have softer compounds in the range to select the compounds properly for each event.”

In conclusion, the Italian explained that “our proposal was not having any constraints on the number of tyres we homologate. We said ‘Let’s think about a C6, softer than C5, that can open up different strategies’ and we tested one in Paul Ricard a couple of days ago. It’s the first attempt but the idea is to go in this direction and probably homologate six compounds next year.”

OCON ALPINE SPLIT WAS LONG TIME COMING THE TIMING of Alpine’s announcement that Esteban Ocon will no longer be part of the team from the end of this year made a few people believe the Frenchman was being thrown out of the squad because of the accident he caused in Monaco, with team-mate Pierre Gasly.

The truth, however, is that Ocon’s departure from Alpine was a long time coming and the Monaco incident just precipitated the announcement By making the statement issued on Tuesday, Bruno Famin made sure Ocon’s status in the driver market became more fragile, as he’s now in a weaker negotiating position with Sauber/Audi and Haas, the only two teams he’s in serious talks with, this being the severe punishment the Team Principal had promised to impose shortly after his two drivers crashed in the opening lap of the Monaco Grand Prix.

Given Ocon has generally be quicker than Gasly since the start of the season, it does seem strange the team prefers the former Red Bull driver and was already planning to drop Ocon for 2025, but Famin and his technical teams seem to have good reasons

to decide this way.

Ocon joined Renault at the start of 2020, after one season as Mercedes’ test driver and had his first podium in the one-off Sakhir Grand Prix, at the end of the season.

Paired with Fernando Alonso from 2021, Ocon outperformed the Formula 1 returnee for the first six races of the season and that was enough to convince then Team Principal Cyril Abiteboul to hand him a new three-year deal, which was announced before that year’s French Grand Prix.

Coincidentally, from that moment on, Alonso gained the upper hand and was generally faster than the Frenchman until his move to Aston Martin at the start of last year.

When Gasly arrived, in 2023, the pair was initially evenly matched but the new arrival showed more speed than his compatriot, as well as a more positive attitude inside the team and a willingness to do what was best for Alpine.

Ocon, on the other hand, seems to be interested solely in beating his team-mate and getting things his way. Reportedly complaining permanently, Gasly is being favoured by the team and has the

autoactionmag

autoactionmag

Auto_Action

autoactionmag

The awkward ‘marriage’ between Ocon (left) and Gasly is over ...

best engineers and mechanics.

It’s not a coincidence James Vowles has completely blocked the Frenchman at Williams in spite of his good relationship with Ocon’s manager, Mercedes’ academy manager Gwen Lagrue, having worked with the driver in 2019, during his non-racing season with Mercedes. Ocon’s alleged lack of team spirit cost

him any chance of replacing Valtteri Bottas for 2020 and has now shut the door at Williams as well.

It also made him quite unpopular with engineers and mechanics alike inside Alpine and that was the main reason the team was already looking at dropping Ocon at the end of this year. The fact Gasly and him simply don’t get

on after their incidents in karting, involving off track altercations between their two families, make it clear it was impossible to keep the same driving pairing for a third straight year, so Monaco was just the perfect excuse for Famin to show his hand in advance, with Gasly’s new contract announcement being expected before the mid-season break.

www.autoaction.com.au I 23

FORMULA 1 NEWS – LUIS VASCONCELOS

... AS TEAM MAKES OFFER TO CARDILE BINOTTO SET TO JOIN ASTON MARTIN …

ASTON MARTIN’S lack of results is not going down well with team owner Lawrence Stroll and the Canadian billionaire is ready to take quick action.

While Martin Whitmarsh’s position is not under immediate threat, both Team Principal Mike Krack and Technical Director Dan Fallows were told in no uncertain terms that Stroll is disappointed with their work, so they are both under pressure to deliver, knowing their boss is not the most patient person in the world.

One thing Stroll doesn’t seem willing to do is to simply fire people and replacing them with other experienced Formula 1 people. The Canadian knows that valuable individuals are hardly ever free in the Grand Prix market and need from six to 18 months to release themselves from their existing contracts. Therefore, what Stroll is looking at is enlarging Aston Martin’s structure, taking some of the responsibilities away from Krack and Fallows, hoping they’ll be more efficient with their streamlined duties and handing power to other people.

Number one on Stroll’s list remains Adrian Newey, the Canadian making a second even more financially outrageous offer to the genial English engineer, after his first approach was politely turned down. According to sources close to Newey, while he’d love to be able to commute from home to the Aston Martin

24 I www.autoaction.com.au

factory at will, is impressed with the investment made by Stroll and would relish to be reunited with Honda from 2025, he doesn’t seem too keen to work with the billionnaire, due to the massive differences in their respective characters.

Much closer to a deal with Aston Martin is former Ferrari Team Principal Mattia Binotto, who spent a lot of time with Stroll, in the team’s motorhome during the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

While it would seem logical that he would replace Krack as Team Principal, the role he’s been offered is one of Chief Operating Officer, putting him above Fallows and Krack, but leaving the running of the race team to the Luxembourger and of the technical department to the British engineer.

They will both have to report to him, Binotto using his massive experience from Ferrari to help improve the team’s operations.

The Italian is actually free on the market and could also come with the added bonus of being the perfect man to interact with Honda, given his field of expertise is engines, helping the new partnership to integrate quicker. Given Binotto seems very keen to return to Formula 1 action as quickly as possible, the deal between the two parties should be signed in the next couple of weeks in what will be the Italian’s first racing experience outside Ferrari.

FERRARI HAS been at the centre of the Formula 1 market, with several high profile hirings in the last few weeks – and a few more on the way, according to Team Principal Frédéric Vasseur – but now the other teams have started to fight back and are making good offers to some valued members of the Scuderia.

In recent weeks, Mercedes manage to hire both Simone Resta and Enrico Sampò from Ferrari, but the truth is that the former Haas Technical Director had no role in the Scuderia’s Formula 1 program, as Vasseur felt his return to the group was not necessary, being very happy with the way Enrico Cardile has been running the chassis group.

Now it has emerged that Cardile himself has been offered a very good deal by Aston Martin as Lawrence Stroll is clearly unhappy with the direction taken under Dan Fallows and wants to waste no time in hiring a new Technical Director.

Having grown inside Ferrari, and now with nine years of work in the Formula 1 team, Cardile, like a lot of other engineers and technicians ‘Made in Ferrari,’ has a comparatively modest salary that pales in comparison with what the British-based teams and Sauber pay to their own staff. Knowing that and being very impressed with the

work done by the quiet Italian in the last few years, Stroll has reportedly made a ‘big bucks’ offer to Cardile, enough for him to consider leaving Ferrari and moving to Silverstone, as the salary he’s been offered would be a life changer for him and for his family.

Ferrari, of course, will do all it can to keep the quiet 49-years old in his current role, but may be forced to seriously improve his contractual situation to avoid a move to Aston Martin. That will have side consequences inside the Scuderia as, if Cardile’s salary grows up to be close to what Aston Martin is allegedly offering him, other Maranello-based engineers will likely demand similar raises.

That’s why Vasseur now has to play a balancing game, increasing his Technical Director’s salary enough to keep him in the team but not by too much that will lead to a general demand for higher salaries for those who work with Cardile.

It’s also highly likely that Stroll is following the advice of Mattia Binotto as he approaches Cardile – the former Ferrari Team Principal looks set to join Aston Martin soon and knows the engineer very well, having been responsible for his promotion to his current role during the first couple of years of his last tenure in Maranello.

Audi or Williams; Audi or Williams ...

Heads or tails ...

Image: MOTORSPORT IMAGES

THE POWER OF A GOOD SALES PITCH WITH THE 2026 Technical Regulations still open to a lot of fine tunning, as the two main FIA engineers explained in Montreal (see News pages), I guess it’s a bit premature to speculate about what the future cars will be like to drive and race, so I’ll leave that subject until everything is cast in iron and focus on something else that has been puzzling quite a few people in the Formula 1 paddock.

Being the most highly-rated driver still left without a seat for 2025, Carlos Sainz has made it clear he has narrowed down his options for next year to two possible destinations: Sauber/Audi and Williams.

For anyone who has followed motor racing, even from a distance, that kind of choice would seem a no-brainer, as Audi has a tremendous track record in motorsports, from the World Rally Championship,

autoactionmag

Auto_Action

with Luis Vasconcelos

F1 INSIDER to the World Endurance Championship, from the DTM to Rally Raids. Wherever Audi competes, it ends up winning and it has been just a matter of time before success has come its way. Williams, on the other hand, hasn’t won a race since Pastor Maldonado’s shock victory in the 2012 Spanish Grand Prix and before that its last Grand Prix success came in the 2004 Brazilian Grand Prix – nearly 20 years ago!

And yet, Sainz is really hesitating between the two offers he has on the table, being very open about what he thinks of Williams Team Principal James

autoactionmag

autoactionmag

Vowles. The former Mercedes engineer has openly stated that “Sainz is our number one target” – something Valtteri Bottas won’t have enjoyed reading – and was full of praise for the Ferrari driver. The Spaniard returned the compliments, saying that, “I appreciate James’ interest and kind words that he always has towards me. The same can be said about how I feel towards him and his team.”

I guess when you look at current form, there’s no doubt Williams has a far more competitive and consistent car than Sauber, as Alex Albon has been showing since the FW46

got down to the minimum wait.

The Swiss team, on the other hand, seems quite lost and with no immediate way out of last place in the championship. But this is now and Sainz has to be looking at 2025, 2026 and beyond when making his choice.

That he seems more inclined to join the British team indicates James Vowles’ sales pitch is extremely effective, as we could already anticipate from the way he convinced the highly rated Alex Albon to commit his longterm future to his team.

There’s no doubt Vowles is doing a great job at bringing Williams to modern times, but he’s also an exceptionally good communicator and is very capable of convincing people he’s going to deliver a lot more in the future than what he’s been able to show until now.

I suspect Williams will be willing to accept that Sainz

may have an exit clause from his future contract if Mercedes or Red Bull come calling at the end of 2025 and that adds to the attraction for the Spaniard to join the team. Audi, on the other hand, will want Nico Hulkenberg’s future team-mate to commit for the long term with no exits clauses, so that may tip the scales in Williams’ favor.

Should that be the case, I certainly wouldn’t want to be in Andreas Seidl’s shoes, as it will be quite difficult to explain to Audi’s Board of Directors why the most coveted driver in the market has opted to go to a team that hasn’t scored any great results for a long, long time, instead of joining the German manufacturer on what will be its first venture into Formula 1. I guess it’s time for Seidl to perfect his own sales pitch and tries to beat Vowles at his own game!

www.autoaction.com.au I 25

SHANE VAN GISBERGEN IS AT HOME IN NASCAR

IN PART 2 OF OUR CHAT WITH SHANE VAN GISBERGEN, WE LOOK AT HOW THE RACING IS DEVELOPING, AND HOW MUCH HE IS LOVING LEARNING. HE SPOKE WITH AUTO ACTION'S ANDREW CLARKE ...

SHANE VAN GISBERGEN looks like he belongs in NASCAR. There is still a little of the shy awkwardness at times in TV interviews, but he is more relaxed and comfortable than he was in his final season of Supercars, if not most of his career since switching from blue to red.

He is making a name for himself too.

Chicago certainly gave him a profile, but now he is trying to prove he is more than just a one-hit wonder. Step-by-step and week-by-week, he is doing that. But now they’re getting ready to start racing on tracks he’s seen before, so while it is still learning, he’s coming from a higher base and the expectations will rise accordingly.

He is also now a winner in the Xfinity Series too, already putting him the playoffs – where he will have raced on four of the ovals needed to make it all the way to the title.

He is not there to make up the numbers.

AC Last year when you went to Chicago, I saw a different side of Shane van Gisbergen.

You instantly looked more comfortable, more relaxed. You were a different person right from the start. Did it feel like that to you?

SvG I felt like I could just be myself and the attitude to racing is more fun and very

Tuesday. You are worn out before Thursday comes around. I feel like we do less but more on the sponsor side here and it makes it feel more worthwhile.

You just get burned out in Australia for what they do there.

Jimmie Johnson (#84 Toyota Camry), Shane Van Gisbergen (#97 Chevrolet Camaro), Austin Dillon (#3 RCR Chevrolet Camaro) – NASCAR Cup Series – Charlotte Motor Speedway, May 26. positive. I don’t know if it’s because I was one of the bigger name drivers there [in Supercars], but everything I said felt, like publicly, got turned into a story and was misworded, so I was always very guarded with everything. You try and be honest, but you just get smashed.

Here you can just come and be yourself and it feels like you can show more of your personality and so I’ve been able to. It’s interesting how it works, but it’s still a very

professional sport and the way everyone knows when it’s 'go time' here, the switch flips and it gets serious. But in the lead up to everything, it’s just so much more fun and the flow of everything is good. But also, I go to a race on a Friday, do some practice, then Saturday I’ll have an autograph session or an appearance for GM or whatever, and then meet and greet the sponsors and then go racing. We go to some Supercars events and you’re doing three garage station visits on a

AC It feels to me like NASCAR is more about the racing because it’s week after week, after week, and you’re not trying to find ways of filling in the three weeks between races.

SvG It’s probably a bit of that, but it’s hard. I still follow Supercars, obviously, and Jess likes to watch it because she still owns part of a team, but you can’t follow it

Van Gisbergen driving the #97 Kaulig Racing Chevy Camaro, battles with Justin Allgaier on his way to his first win in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, at Portland International Raceway.

Opposite top: With a young fan, and the Kaulig team, after that famous first win.

Tallagega – the ultimate in ovals ... with the Xfinity car.

26 I www.autoaction.com.au

“ ”

religiously because nothing’s happened for four weeks. NASCAR, as a fan and as a driver, is constantly on – something’s happening every day. Even when it’s been a shit race, there’s still a storyline for the week and then when it’s a good race, it blows up.

It’s really cool and it’s much more dynamic as a sport.

AC If we look towards the rest of the year now, I mean you’ve got a few more Cup

I still follow Supercars, obviously, and Jess likes to watch it because she still owns part of a team ...

Series races coming and you’ve got your return to Chicago ... you must be looking forward to that and the chance to do Xfinity and Cup series back-to-back and maybe get a pair of victories.

SvG That’s not my mindset at the moment. I know we do that week of prep and we’ll turn up to a road course and we’ll be good. But my mindset is I need to just keep learning these ovals and it’s all I’m playing on the simulator or all I’m doing at gym. It is just trying to get the technique down and getting a rhythm and trying to understand how different it is. I know I can run up front

every week on a road course – everyone knows I can do that – but I need to show improvement and finish all the ovals, being on the lead lap and even starting to show moments of hope, I guess. Then, when I get back there for a second time around later in the year, hopefully, I’m running in a competitive position. I’m not focusing on the road courses too much because they’ll look after themselves, I think.

AC I remember standing at a lift last year with Joey Logano and Kyle Larson and Joey said, ‘’Wait till we get him on Darlington.’’

How was Darlington?

SvG It was tough, but I’d never been into

The first Xfinity win came at Portland, just over a week ago. We didn't have to wait long for the second ...

Images: MOTORSPORT IMAGES-LAT

autoactionmag

Auto_Action

autoactionmag

autoactionmag

www.autoaction.com.au I 27

a race and never turned a lap at the track before. It was raining out there (for qualifying) – they don’t postpone it.

They say, “Okay, we’ll cancel qualifying and go off points for the grid," and then you start the race.

It was difficult and I’m still not confident that I’m able to run against the wall. I can get up there and be close to it at points of the corner, but I can’t go round the whole corner up there where the wall’s not a perfect circle.

It goes in and out and it’s not a constant radius. Learning how to arc it in, be close to the wall and change the shape of the corner is a skill I need to get better at and I know that. I can run comfortably on the bottom of the track and in the middle, but against the wall ... that’s a whole other art again.

Especially with those Xfinity cars; how much they skew with the right rear of the car is just so variable ... knowing where it is on the track in relation to you. I need to get better at that feel and the perception of where the rear end is to be on the wall every time.

AC Can you get that on the simulator? Does it replicate that part of the wall well?

SvG No, not at all. The simulator doesn’t show the skew of the car that well. So that’s something they’re working on and trying to get better. But the Cup Car doesn’t really skew with that independent suspension, so I don’t really know how that’s going to be yet.

AC How much time do you spend in the simulator each week?

SvG We normally get one three-hour session on the GM sim and then I get another session again if I’m doing Cup as well. But it’s variable – this week I get an extra one because Daniel couldn’t make it, so I got his session today.

It’s normally at least one, sometimes two, sometimes three.

AC What is a typical week for Shane van Gisbergen now?

SvG Normally I leave for the track on a Friday – practice and qualifying that afternoon; then race on a Saturday. I’ve been staying for most of the Cup races, especially when it’s a new track – I like to sit in on the team meetings, sit on the pit box and try and watch.

Monday’s sort-of my day off. Tuesday’s debriefs and then Wednesday we’re normally sim and prep, Thursdays hopefully sim again if we get a good week or just more prep stuff.

28 I www.autoaction.com.au

It’s pretty full on. But I look at my calendar and almost every day, I’ve got something on until mid-November when the season finishes. It’s a pretty cool feeling.

AC And the physical training part – you’ve still got to keep yourself fit as well through all of that?

SvG I’ve been running a fair bit this year and then gym three times a week as well. I did run a bit in last couple of years, but the hardest thing here is the race distances and the time you’re in the car ... but you just end up so race fit because driving every week, you get used to it and get the rhythm of it. It’s pretty cool.

AC So let’s wrap up where you’re at so far in the season. It’s a big learning curve for Shane van Gisbergen. What do you give yourself as a rating for where do you reckon you’re at the moment?

SvG I actually got asked this on a podcast the other day and my answer hasn’t changed. It’s a 'B' because I think I’ve sort-of been under the radar a bit, I’ve been finishing races, keeping the car straight.

I think there’s only one race where I haven’t finished on the lead lap and I think I feel myself again. My learning curve is very steep, but I’m just trying to do it the right way.

“ ”

I don’t want to be crashing every week and if I was running up front and crashing every week, that wouldn’t be a good look either.

And so I know most weeks, I know when the race I’ve driven is well within myself – there’s a bit left on the table.

So yeah, I know that it could be better. It’d probably be higher than a 'B' if I had done well at COTA, on the road race, but that fell apart for certain reasons. I’d give myself a 'B' and hopefully at the end of the year that gets higher.

AC So I was talking to Andrew Edwards [SvG’s former engineer at T8] the other day and we were talking about you sitting there early in the races and it's like you’re analysing and taking everything in and putting it all together to actually be there and do something in the last 20 laps or so. Is that the way we’re going?

SvG Yeah, always Stage 3. I’m well ahead of my average running position. So yeah, it’s probably a bit 'myself.' I’m conservative by nature in some ways and I try and build up to it.

You only get 20 minutes and one set of prep tyres and practice and it’s a bit of a whirlwind. So, I take my time in the race and every race I’ve finished so far, I’m like, “Damn,

As you know, I’m pretty good at shying away from that stuff and trying to go under the radar ...

Top left: Van Gisbergen in the #97 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet Camaro battles high on the track with David Starr (#14 Ford Mustang) during the NASCAR Xfinity race at Darlington Raceway back in May. Above (top to bottom): SVG speaks regularly to his Aussie NASCAR predecessor, Marcos Ambrose (pictured here at Kansas, 2014); SVG at Charlotte; Xfinity pit stop at Texas Motor Speedway.

Below left: Hustling the Camaro at Charlotte.

Right: The smile says it all – SVG in his happy place ...

I need to start that again and I could run five to 10 spots higher.”

I think Darlington was probably the first race I’ve finished disappointed. I had bad restarts, and I had a car where I could have run eighth to 10th. I just didn’t do well enough on my restarts and I finished 15th.

But at the end of every long run, my times were with the fifth to 10th place cars; I was pretty competitive, but just not aggressive enough on the restarts and too cautious around everyone. That was probably the first one in a while I’ve been disappointed about 15th. That’s a good sign.

AC We’re coming up to Chicago now. That’s the one that changed it all for you. How are you feeling about going back there?

SvG It should be good for me, but everyone else will be better too – knowing what to expect, more road courses and the simulations will be better and everything.

It’s going to be a difficult one. Saturday I’ve got practice and qualifying and a race in Xfinity and then straight to practising and qualifying in the Cup Car. Saturday is going to be a massive day for me. But I’m excited for that one. Both days should be good races and it’s going to be big one for WeatherTech – actually, they’re from Chicago. It’s very cool to have that sort of partnership building and hopefully we can put on a show at their home race.

AC You got a lot of attention last week with the Marcos Ambrose paint scheme, but I don’t think it’s going to be anything like the attention leading into Chicago for you though.

Are you getting used to that?

SvG I kind of get used to it. As you know, I’m pretty good at shying away from that stuff and trying to go under the radar.

But the Marcos stuff was just awesome.

It’s hard (because it’s only 12 years ago) to do a throwback, but the response here from people was amazing. Whenever I tell people that Marcos and I speak most weeks and he’s been helping me out with tips, every single person has had amazing memories of Marcos and fond things to say about him and "make sure you say hello" from this person and such and such.

To do that for Marcos and see how many people here had great memories of him and that race at Watkins Glen and seeing the car last weekend, it was really cool. I hope he knows how much he means to people here and how much he’s well thought-of. It was really cool to do that for him.

AC I don’t know – I got on well with him!

SvG No, I don’t know. It’s just different mentalities I guess, and the way the media does stories, the way the fans react.

There’s still some amazing people in Australia. I just find it so much more positive here and the way people get behind people and support them. It’s a completely different atmosphere and I feel last year I think there was a lot of similarities to Marcos in 2005 ...

AC Yeah, very much so.

SvG Looking back and researching his season that year it was pretty much all the same. There was a lot of similar stuff happening.

AC All right ... anything else you want to say before we wrap it up?

SvG No, I’m just having a ball and I’m excited to see how some Aussies go in a couple of weeks at Sonoma and hopefully more keep coming over and trying it here. Seeing how Cam was ... I know he’s been struggling in Australia, so hanging out with him for a few days when he was here and how much he enjoyed the racing, I really hope he comes over. I think he’d be very good at this stuff if he can make it work to get here.

AC It’s interesting though Marcos is a bit similar to you – in a way that out here (in Australia) he was a bit standoffish and didn’t really like the media and all those sorts of things, but over there he was

autoactionmag

more settled. It’s kind-of like you’ve got to find your home, isn’t it?

SvG Yeah. What are you doing wrong?

Auto_Action

autoactionmag

autoactionmag

AC And the last thing, before we go ... every time we run a Shane van Gisbergen story on our website, it goes nuts. You’re most popular thing on our website by country mile.

SvG That’s awesome. It’s been amazing seeing all the support on my page and the fan pages and stuff, and how much interest people are taking in what I’m doing.

Even though I’m not winning every race or running up front like I used to, people are still supporting and cheering me on. It’s been really cool to see all that from home so it’s surprising how much. It’s been pretty humbling.

AC The other good thing about it is that the fans seem to be learning NASCAR with you as well. The comments and things from earlier in the year are quite different to what they are now, so they’re on the same ride as you.

SvG Exactly. I couldn’t watch a Talladega race without falling asleep before, but now I watch it and understand how much is happening and how everyone’s saving fuel and jockeying for track position.

It’s so intense when you’re in there.

There’s moments where you’re riding and just cruising, but those races are unreal once you’re in them. But on TV, when you’re just a casual fan, not trying to understand it ...

It’s very different once you’re in it. It’s quite cool.

Note: This interview was completed before Sonomo last weekend – and Shane's latest spectacular Xfinity win!

www.autoaction.com.au I 29

THE 2026 F1 REGS ARE OUT …

THE DRIVERS AND TEAM BOSSES REACT

By LUIS VASCONCELAS/STAFF

THE FIA has released its full regulations for 2026 and beyond, giving the teams a more complete picture now of the next generation with the engine specs having been ‘locked down’ for some time now.

Plenty of attention has been paid to the size of the cars which have grown in recent years to accommodate the bulky electrification of the drive train. The cars will be slightly shorter, narrower and leaner with significant reductions in downforce and drag.

Significantly, some of the much-vaunted features of the 2022 car have been abandoned. DRS is gone and Ground Effects will make way for a mostly flat floor, and the funny little front wheel arch thingies have made way for different methods of controlling the wake of the narrower wheels and tyres.

F1 in 2026 will be faster in a straight line and slower in the corners, which may create overtaking opportunities … but we’ve heard all that before.

AUTO ACTION looks at the new rules

30 I www.autoaction.com.au

and talks with some of the drivers and engineers about what it really means.

Enough change? Not enough? Will it be better? Achievable?

REGULATIONS AS PRESENTED

THE FIA finally presented the full 2026 Technical Regulations, a couple of days before the start of track action in Montreal, confirming most of what was expected since the start of this year – but still leaving a couple of important details to be ironed out, as team simulations about the effect of these innovative regulations in the actual racing are still ongoing.

For the fans, there will be visible differences when the cars are stationary but even more so when they are in action.

The maximum width of the cars will be reduced by 100mm, to 1900mm and that, together with a reduction of 150mm of the maximum floor width, will be the first step to reduce the amount of ground effect generated downforce.

The cars will also be shorter, as the maximum wheelbase will be reduced by 200mm. And with those changes in place

the FIA has reduced the minimum weight of the cars by 30 kilos.

Another important and visual change is that while the wheels will remain at 18 inches, the width of the front tyres will be reduced by 25mm and the rears will be 30mm narrower too, meaning the Pirelli tyres will generate less grip – and because there will be less drag generated by the tyres, straighline speeds will increase.

According to the FIA calculations, peak downforce levels will be cut by almost onethird while the level of drag will be down by 55 per cent, meaning cars will be way quicker down the straights and considerably slower in the corners – thus increasing the length of the braking areas and, hopefully, the chances for overtaking.

But the biggest visible novelty of the 2026 cars will be the introduction of moveable wings that, together with two different Power Unit modes, should give the drivers more strategic tools to race against each other.

The current DRS will be replaced with moveable front and rear wings and the drivers will be able to switch at will from the standard ‘Z-mode’ (higher downforce) to ‘X-mode’ (low-

drag) to increase straight-line speed.

Compared to the current cars, the front wing will be 100mm narrower with a two-element active flap.

To prevent the continued use of the ‘outwash’ philisophy – redirecting the airflow coming from the front winds around the side of the car – there will be mandated pieces of bodywork to block that path, forcing the return of the ‘inwash’ concept that has proven far less effective under the current rules.

At the back, a three-element active rear wing will be adopted, with the lower beam wing removed and the endplates simplified.

Floors will become partially flat and diffuser power will be seriously cut, reducing the ground effect and the reliance of the cars on ultra-stiff and low set-ups.

As was already known, the MGU-H will be eliminated. ICE (internal combustion) power will reduce from 550-560kw to 400kw; MGU-K (electric) power will increase from 120kw to 350kw. At the same time, the amount of energy recovered under braking will double, resulting in a total recuperable energy of 8.5 MJ per lap.

What’s new is that a new ‘Manual Override’ mode will reduce the recovered energy deployment of a leading car after it reaches 290km/h, dropping to zero at 355km/h, while the following car will benefit from MGU-K override – providing 350kW up to 337km/h and 0.5MJ of extra energy.

It’s also believed that the override function will only be available at certain points on the track, in defined conditions, but we still don’t know how long the override function will last or how many times a driver can use it per lap or per race.

And finally, the overall car weight currently consists of car plus 80kg for driver. For 2026 it’s one all-up weight … Given the difficulty in achieving the proposed car weight reduction, the pressure on drivers to be small and ultra-light will return, big-time … in itself a contentious issue.

Phew …

WHAT THE DRIVERS THINK …

Do the proposed 2026 F1 car regulations represent significant change? Do they deliver a smaller, more nimble car and enhanced racing? Or is it a case of tweaking around the edges?

COMPUTER GENERATED IMAGES SUPPLIED BY THE FIA

autoactionmag

Auto_Action

ALMOST IMMEDIATELY, driver reaction was a lot less positive than the FIA had hoped for …

Some complained that, now that the racing is much improved, the introduction of a new set of rules will create much bigger gaps between the field, others doubting the teams will be able to get anywhere near the new minimum weight. Others are raising serious questions about the safety given straightline speed will go massively up; and a few believe the new cars will be considerably slower around a lap, than the current ones.

After being initially tremendously negative about the new rules, World Champion Max Verstappen admitted that now “I’m quite in the middle,” but explained that, from his point of view, the way the new chassis reglations are writen, “it’s a bit of a consequence of the engine as well.

“I think they realised that 50/50, between engine and battery, but it’s not really like that.

So, that’s why we need the active aero on the straight to reduce the drag to make it all more sustainable to do a proper lap, otherwise you run out of battery. Which, I think was a problem that they found out.”

Like others, including Sainz and Bottas, Verstappen isn’t happy with the change because “the longer you keep

autoactionmag

autoactionmag

the regulations the same, the closer it gets between the teams. So, 2026 will be probably quite a big reset. Not only from the car performance side, but also from the engine side, people can hit the regulation well and have a big advantage on the engine.”

GPDA director George Russell focused on the impact the new rules will have on safety, admitting that, “the cars are going to take a quite a big turn in terms of how they perform.

They’re going to be exceptionally quick in the straights, 360km/h probably at most tracks, which is pretty impressive.”

Because of that, the Mercedes driver believes that “then, the safety needs to be improved, because having a crash at 360/370km/h is going to be pretty crazy.”

In a sobering tone, the British driver admitted that “when it comes to safety, unfortunately, history has told us that incidents need to happen before changes are made. Everybody needs to do a really thorough job ahead of these regulations, because the cars are going to be so quick.”

He then added that “you can imagine in a race that it starts raining and you’re on slick tyres, and you’re doing 250 miles an hour on a street circuit. That’s going to be a bit of a

“ ”

THE TEAM PRINCIPALS HAVE THEIR SAY

FOR THEIR part, team bosses seem to mirror the driver’s concerns over the new cars – but, from a PR perspective, suggest the concerns can be addressed.

The manufactureres have had the power unit spec for some time, so changes of any note in that area are likely to be resisted.

“We are in agreement and we support the intent and the objectives at high level that were stated in the press release,” said McLaren team principal Andrea Stella.

“However, if we look at the regulations in the draft form that has been circulated, they are still far from being able to achieve those agreeable objectives and intent. So it is the time for the FIA, F1, and the teams to work together, listen to one another, and contribute to form a solution that will allow the sport to meet those objectives.

“I think if we meet those objectives, we’re going to have Formula 1 in a good shape, but we need to make sure that when it’s the time of implementation, we actually deliver a product that meets those targets and objectives.

For the fans, there will be visible differences when the cars are stationary but even more so when they are in action ...

sketchy place to be, so these are questions that need to be answered.”

But he then admitted that “to be fair to the FIA, they are fully aware of this and they’re on top of this, and they’re looking at all of the possible scenarios of what could happen. Time will tell, but the cars are already bloody fast as they are. Where do we stop? Are we going to get up to 400 kilometres an hour? Do the fans really need or want to see this?”

Veteran Fernando Alonso made it clear that, “it is impossible probably to achieve 30 kilos (weight saving). If the power unit is 50% electric and you need the batteries to support that, cars will just increase 20 or 30 kilos because of the power unit. And then you want to reduce 30 kilos, so you need to drop 60 kilos off the current car, which is an impossible target.”

Williams driver Alex Albon’s concern was that, “it’s going to be very slow, extremely slow (in lap time terms). I’m guessing there’s a lot of stuff being done around making sure the straight-line speeds are not tapering off at the end with all of the MGU-K and whatnot being involved. I still think there needs to be some work done. Seeing the speed traces around some of the tracks ... it’s pretty slow.”

There’s still time for the regulations to be ironed out – indeed there is talk of an extension on finalisation – and the teams will surely find solutions for some of the issues the drivers are worried about.

“I would say that at the moment, the way cars are in the draft version of the regulations – and we need to say ‘draft,’ because like we say, there’s a lot of work to do. The cars are not fast enough in the corners and too fast in the straights. – these two aspects need to be rebalanced.”

Williams’ James Vowles added that “I think the bit I would add to it is that there are probably two different concerns at the moment. First and foremost, there’s the aerodynamic side, so what we’re doing with either freedom or physically how fast the cars will be. And then the second side of it is where we are on weight.”

“And I’ve been vocal already a few weekends ago. I put it from Williams’ perspective, but I don’t think anyone will hit that weight target particularly. It’s going to be incredibly difficult, and I think that needs reviewing. because as someone that spends their life going through marginal gains, taking weight out of a car, it’s not a fun thing to do.”

Clearly, there is much to do if there is to be any meaningful agreement across the whole of F1, and not a lot of time left to do it before the planned finalisation cut-off.

That the sport’s governing body, with it’s ‘expert’ staff on the job, should find such early resistance is concerning … and with Domenicali already talking normallyaspirated engines only for 2030, it could be an intense discussion …

www.autoaction.com.au I 31

HYPERDRIVE: LE MANS 2024 LAST YEAR SAW THE MOTORSPORT WORLD FALL BACK IN LOVE WITH TOP-FLIGHT SPORTSCAR RACING, RETURNING THE 24 HOURS OF LE MANS TO ITS RIGHTFUL PLACE AS THE WORLD’S GREATEST RACE. TIMOTHY W NEAL REPORTS …

2024 WILL see the 101-year-old event expand its appeal once more, as even more manufacturers will take to the Circuit de la Sarthe with their new LMH and LMDh ruleset Hypercars for the first time.

Last year saw one of the great stories of 2023 play out, as Ferrari took part in its first 24 Hours of Le Mans in over 50 years, taking out the top prize for the 10th time in its history when it overcame a dominant Toyota outfit.

The 2023 World Endurance Championship season was the kick-starter for the new Hypercar era, as Ferrari (499P), Porsche (963), Peugeot (9X8), and Cadillac (V-Series.R) all returned to the fold. And in 2024, the flagship WEC event now welcomes Lamborghini (SC63), BMW (M Hybrid V8), Alpine (A424), and Isotta Fraschini (Tipo 6).

Alongside Toyota’s dominant team, that won five straight Le Mans races (2018-2022), this season’s running features an expanded grid of 23 LMH and LMDh cars (up from 16 last year), which includes five privateer teams operating with the Porsche, Ferrari, and Cadillac factory cars.

Also featured on track will be a WEC cameo appearance for the secondary prototypes,

with a 16 car LMP2 grid made up entirely of ORECA-Gibson 07 powered machines spread over two classes: Pro and Pro Am. Completing the 2024 line up is the newly formed 2024 WEC category – LMGT3 – which has replaced the LMGTE field, bringing about another manufacturer boom of new makes and factories.

Joining Porsche (911 GT3 R), Ferrari (296 GT3), Aston Martin (Vantage GT3) and Corvette (Z06 GT3.R) from last year's Le Mans field will be BMW (M4 GT3), Ford (Mustang GT3), McLaren (720S GT3), Lamborghini (Huracan GT3 Evo2), and Lexus (RC F GT3).

Here are some of the pre-race talking points for this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans classic …

THE RIGHT BALANCE?

ONE OF the bigger talking points is the FIA and ACO’s (Automobile Club de l’Ouest) interchangeable Balance of Performance (BoP) system for the Hypercar field, with plenty of revisions made for the 2024 Le Mans.

Aimed at levelling the playing field, last year was a controversy as they went against their

Pre-race ceremonies ahead of the 2023 Le Mans 24 Hours. Image: ACO

32 I www.autoaction.com.au

own guidelines to make unique changes for the circuit without any consultation with manufacturers. This season, it’s a reactive system, and the axe for weight and power has been swung heavily in the favour of several machines.

It could be argued that last year’s big weight addition and power reduction to the dominant Toyota GR010’s gave Ferrari the edge it needed – an alteration that irked the Japanese outfit, as no changes were initially due under the preseason guidelines. This year they are expected, but the manufacturers are at its mercy, with an added blanket-ban on airing any public grievance.

Importantly, there is also the new “power gain” component, which cuts or increases speeds below and above 250km/h, which is aimed at balancing both acceleration and straight-line speed differences.

For 2024 the big winner is Peugeot. A manufacturer that has openly said it needs to start winning to justify its involvement in the sport. The French team's cars will shed 18kgs with no power decrease below 250km/h, but an energy decrease of 15MJ. The other winner is Ferrari, which entered

A mix of LMGT3 cars pile into Turn 1 at Spa – the winning team included Aussie Yasser Shahin.

Biggest BoP winner going into the 2024 race is Peugeot, and now it runs a rear wing...

Aussie hopes are led by Matt Campbell in the Porsche. Image: MOTORSPORT IMAGES

The colourful WEC field at Imola.

Image: MOTORSPORT IMAGES

LE MANS HYPERCAR SCHEDULE JUNE 12-16 (AEST) June 12 - Free Practice 1 - 10pm June 13 - Qualifying session - 3am June 13 - Free Practice 2 (night session) - 6am June 13 - Free Practice 3 - 11pm June 14 - Hyperpole - 4am June 14 - Free Practice 4 (night session) - 6am June 15 - Warm Up - 8pm June 16 - Race Start - 12am

BOP HYPERCAR CHART CAR

WEIGHT (Kg)

POWER CHANGES (Kw) Under and Over 250km/h

ENERGY CHANGES (MJ)

Toyota Ferrari Peugeot Cadillac Alpine Porsche Isotta Fraschini BMW Lamborghini

-11 (1053) -10 (1043) -18 (1047) +6 (1036) -7 (1038) +4 (1042) -12 (1048) +1 (1039) +4 (1039)

-7 and -2.4 +2 and -6.6 0 and -3.6 -7 and -7 -6 and -1.4 +4 and +4 -5 and -0.4 -2 and +2.6 +5 and -3.3

-11 -16 -15 -9 -10 0 -8 -3 -4

this year with a 10kg decrease, a 2kW increase below 250km/h, but a 6.6kW cut above that line, as well as 16MJ energy cut.

A strong Porsche squad of six machines (winner of three WEC rounds this year) finds itself with a good working balance, with only a 5kg increase, but a 4kW boost above and below the 250km/h mark.

The new Isotta Fraschini will still operate with the most favourable balance, and despite minor cuts to power and energy, will enjoy 11kg less load.

Both Ferrari and Toyota will lose the most power above 250km/h, with Lamborghini and Peugeot the only other teams to receive 250km/h+ cuts.

All that remains from here is to judge the FIA and ACO’s BoP alterations on the day.

Another controversial rule change among the drivers is the axing of tyre warmers for this year’s event. It was the only WEC round in 2023 that allowed them, but that has changed in ’24. On cold days, fresh out of the pits, these Hypercars can turn into bob sleds, with last year’s Spa 6 Hour, for example, seeing plenty of carnage and big wrecks as a result of cold tyres. In the dead

of night in the colder hours, expect to see some pretty hairy moments across the entire field. Many of the Hypercar drivers have publicly expressed their safety concerns.

2024 HYPERCAR FORM LINE

IS THIS the year that Porsche adds a 20th outright win at Le Mans? Its closest historical challenger is Audi with 13, and below that, of existing competitors, it’s Ferrari with 10.

The Porsche 963 became the first LMDh car to win a WEC race when it took out the season opener in Qatar via the factory Porsche-Penske #6 entry, which was then followed up with two runners-up results to lead the championship.

Then followed the privateer Hertz Team Jota Porsche #12 , with a win at the Spa Six Hour. Added to its podium in the opener, they hold onto second place over the #7 Toyota. Penske also hold onto fourth place with its #5 car.

Porsche is also one of the few teams not to delve into any Joker changes, with all its improvement coming through rigorous testing and diving deep into preventing any electrical gremlins that it faced last season.

After winning all but Le Mans in ’23, Toyota managed to pinch a second round win at Imola this year despite being heavily affected by the reactive BoP all year.

That win came courtesy of a classic Ferrari strategy bungle – and the Italian squad has only taken one podium for the year (Spa).

But Le Mans is where they like to get it done, and a favourable BoP should see them up there.

For a possible smokey, there’s a strong pair of Cadillac factory entries. Although it’s a less than favourable BoP, can the GM squad pull off another podium shock in its second attempt?

But with the podiums spread between only Porsche, Toyota, and Ferrari this year, there’s a good chance the steps will be looking the same come 15:00 (local time) on June 16.

THE ANTIPODEAN CHARGE

THIS YEAR sees only three Australians – once in each category – taking part at La Sarthe for the main event, while there is no shortage of Kiwis in the top class, with three across two squads: journeyman Earl Bamber, and IndyCar legend Scott Dixon, and Brendon Hartley (three-time winner) for Toyota.

The only Aussie in the Hypercar entries, however, just happens to be Matt Campbell, whose first season in the WEC has yielded two podiums in Rounds 1-2, and an unfortunate retirement at Spa. But Campbell has been a pole-getting machine across IMSA and WEC, as well as in his GT3 days.

He claimed the German team’s first ever WEC Hypercar pole at Qatar, and the first for an LMDh car.

Alongside team-mates Micheal Christensen and Frederic Makoweicki, Campbell has a great chance at claiming his first outright at Le Mans to go with his GT3 class win in 2018.

In the LMP2 category, James Allen heads to France as a back-to-back class winner in the Pro-Am class.

Last year’s Le Mans European Series (ELMS) champion will race with the French Duqueine Team, but they’ll need to turn around a disappointing start to the ELMS season against a formiddable selection of teams that have outclassed them thus far.

The LMGT3 field sees local Porsche racer and co-owner of The Bend, Yasser Shahin – who is currently competing in his rookie WEC season as a 47-year-old – on the grid.

He’s in the #93 Manthey EMA Porsche and comes off a sensational win at the Spa Six Hour, which places him and his teammates (Morris Schuring/Richard Lietz) sixth in the championship.

Live coverage from Le Mans will be on Stan Sports.

Ferrari conquered Le Mans last year.

Image: MOTORSPORT IMAGES

autoactionmag

Auto_Action

autoactionmag

autoactionmag

www.autoaction.com.au I 33

ACTION MART TOP TORQUE PROVIDES FULL ENGINE reconditioning and rebuilding services including complete engine rebuilding specialising in Subaru and LS Series engines.

With over 100 years of combined experience in engine machining, assembly and cylinder head reconditioning-from performance, full competition to standard, Top Torque Performance is a trade leader.

• Cylinder Head Reconditioning • Engine Block Reconditioning Our workshop is full of the latest engine and cylinder head reconditioning machinery including Serdi, Berco, Hines and Rottler machines.

FACTORY 5, 187-201 ROOKS ROAD, VERMONT VIC. 3133

PHONE: 03 9873 3800 • WWW.TOPTORQUE.COM.AU

Australian Transmission Components

Distributor for G Force • Transmissions • Parts • Service

THE ULTIMATE IN CALIPER PAINTS

THE ORIGINAL

Official Supplier OFTEN COPIED - NEVER EQUALLED

02 6933 6888

www.austtrans.com

www.speco.com.au

Australia’s premier online racewear retailer • Karting & race suits, gloves, shoes, underwear • Helmets • Hans devices • Coolshirt products • Steering wheels

OMP DISTRIBUTOR & MORE

CAZ MILBURN 0428 887 223 www.raceline-racewear.com.au

Custom printed or embroidered suits, made to measure

SUBSCRIBE AND SAVE! Subscribe to Auto Action print magazine and never miss an issue!

DELIVERED STRAIGHT TO YOUR DOOR!

CAMS CAMS SPEC SPEC MILD MILD STEEL STEEL CHROMOLY CHROMOLY TUBE TUBE -- SHEET SHEET -- SOLID SOLID

TUBE BENDERS - DIES - NOTCHERS

autoactionmagazine.myshopify.com

PH: 02 9676 8001 SHIPPING DAILY AUSTRALIA WIDE W W W. R A C E T E C H S T E E L . C O M . A U

WANT MORE MOTORSPORT?

Stay up to date with all the latest motorsport news Subscribe to the Auto Action newsletter today!

autoaction.com.au/newsletter

Leading LS Conversion Specialists Castle Headers and Exhaust components Dynogen Alternators - The hidden alternator in a generator body Hi-Torque Gear Reduction Starter motors Billet High Performance Alternators Wiper Motor Kits EFI Conversion Looms and ECU reprogramming Conversion engine mounts, Transmission Crossmembers, Conversion Sumps Rack & pinion Conversions

The Auto Action RevLimiter podcast The team that’s not trying to make friends or look after sponsors!

OVER 5,000 PRODUCTS

INSTORE OR ONLINE

machineryhouse.com.au

CAEPERFORMANCEPRODUCTS.COM.AU 7 MAIN RD CASTLEMAINE VICTORIA 3450

T 03 5472 1442

01_AA_290420

NEW EPISODES OUT EVERY WEDNESDAY WWW.REVLIMITER.COM.AU

Contact Bruce Williams for bookings and information on 0418 349 555 or bruce@autoaction.com.au

PRODUCTS AND INDUSTRY NEWS

RYCO’S SUPERCARS TECHNOLOGY FOR THE 4X4 ENVIROMENT WHEN THE GEN3 control parts were first developed for Supercars, Ryco engineers knew that this technology could be re-interpreted to elevate filtration for everyday vehicles.

Their latest air filter release, the A5001R Ryco NanoCel™ High Efficiency Air Filter was developed to do just that.

The patented honeycomb cell structure made up of nano-fibre media was the inspiration behind name NanoCel™ and is the same media structure found in the A5000R GEN3 Control Part.

It incorporates a total of 4.2sqm of filtration media which, for comparison, is 4.2 x more than the OE equivalent which only contains 1sqm.

The A5001R also boasts a unique seal design based off the Supercars seal, assisting in a reduction of dust ingestion by more than 90% compared to OE. While designed for high-dust environments, its design keeps true 4x4 enthusiasts in mind, with the filter boasting both flame-retardant and hydrophobic media, meaning it will withstand both extremely dry conditions as well as wet environments such as water crossings, without ever compromising its functionality.

The new A5001R Ryco NanoCel™ High Efficiency Air Filter is available from all good Ryco stockists and is the first in a growing range of air filters from Ryco.

For more information, visit www.rycofilters.com.au/ a5001r.

Suppliers of...

Chrome moly 4130N tube and sheet 350 grade COW tube Roll cages Tube bending Race car components Andrews Race Cars +61 (02) 9838 0032 andrewsracecars@hotmail.com Units 1-3, 33 Anvil Road, Seven Hills NSW 2147 Australia www.andrewsracecars.com.au

CLEAN UP WITH THE HAFCO METALMASTER RANGE OF WORKSHOP EQUIPMENT ANOTHER GREAT product in the HAFCO METALMASTER range is the HG-200 industrial bench grinder and linisher attachment combo package deal.

Feel the DIFFerence

• High quality German made limited slip differentials • Proven in competition by winners in FIA GT, ALMS, WTCC, Targa, BTCC, F3, Nürburgring 24 hour and Bathurst 12 hour • Competition gearboxes, Gear sets, Driveshafts, & Wheels Hubs also available

Contact details: P: (02) 4868 2347 W: www.drexler-motorsport.com.au

It’s a well-established design that has proven its reliability in the Australian and New Zealand markets over the years. It boasts a sturdy construction and consistent performance that you can rely on.

Equipped with a powerful 1hp (0.75kw) motor and sealed ball bearings, HAFCO METALMASTER grinders are built to last and provide trouble-free operation for many years to come.

The linishing attachment is perfect for a variety of finishing tasks including tool sharpening, edge sanding, weld smoothing, and polishing on materials such as wood, plastics, metals, and ceramics.

FEATURES • Powerful true 1hp motor for heavy duty applications.

• Cast iron body & base for superior rigidity.

• Sealed bearings for lifelong performance.

• Anti-vibration pads on the base for smooth running.

• Motor c/w capacitor start/stop for maximum performance.

• 50mm wide wheel guards to allow for fitment of wire wheels.

• Dustproof on/off switch.

• Fully adjustable tool rests.

• 50 x 1220mm linishing attachment with Ø178mm sanding disc.

• Quick & easy adjustable belt tracking system.

• Toolless belt change system, change belts in a matter of seconds.

PACKAGE INCLUDES: • 25mmm wide grinding wheels (1 x fine, 1 x coarse) • Large rectangular safety eye shields • 50 x 1220mm linishing belt • Ø178mm sanding disc For further information give the team at your local Hare & Forbes Machinery House store a call or visit www.machineryhouse.com.au/k4014

SPEEDWAY

Jock Goodyer ended a grand season on a high in Sydney.

Image: GAVIN SKENE - THE ART OF SPEEDWAY

GOODYER WINS SYDNEY FINALE

JOCK GOODYER ensured the returning season of Sydney International Speedway ended with a bang by winning the final Sprintcar meeting, on May 25.

Racing for Saller Motorsport, Goodyer was fast all night and overcame a host of local drivers led by Michael Stewart and Jordyn Brazier to emerge victorious from a big 2023/24 season.

Goodyer started second alongside pole man Ben Atkinson. The pair ran side-byside through the first two bends before the Tasmanian prevailed on the high line.

After five laps there was unfortunately a red flag for Brad Stacey, who found himself upside down at Turn 3.

Goodyer nailed the restart to rebuild his solid lead over Atkinson and Stewart.

Brazier was trying to join them, but pushed too hard and found the wall at Turn 2.

He was lucky to push on – and so was Brodie Davis, who had a spin at the same bend.

At the restart Stewart soared past Atkinson to steal second before another red flag emerged with 14 laps to go after Cody

O’Connell had a scary shunt.

Stewart looked racey at the restart and tried to perform the slide-job on Goodyer, but the latter hung tough, with the horsepower, on the outside.

From there Goodyer was never challenged as he drove into the distance.

The only scare was the threat of a late caution for a spinner at the start of the final lap but the race stayed green with Stewart and Brazier filling the minor positions.

Also on the show across the weekend at Sydney was the 2024 running of the

NSW Speedcar Title, with Kaidon Brown overcoming Hayden Williams and Nathan Smee.

Daniel Cassidy claimed victory in the Late Models Easternapolis over Todd Bayley, Chris Davis took home the Lightning Sprints Gold Cup against Jordan Binskin, while the Speedcars Club Show went to Cassidy O’Connell.

Zac McDonald beat Blake Everleigh in the V8 Dirt Modifieds as Jason Bates defeated both Sayres in the Wingless Sprints.

Thomas Miles

NORTHLINE REVS AGAIN

DARWIN’S NORTHLINE Speedway roared back to life following the annual Wet Season slumber with the King of the Valley event on May 11.

A healthy field of 11 AMCA Nationals cars arrived for Night 1 duties and it turned into a Mark Allcorn (pictured) benefit with a clean sweep of the heats and the Feature Race.

The Feature was all Allcorn as he nearly lapped the entire field in the 15 lap journey.

Jimmy Keane was an early contender but had to pull infield with a retirement on lap three ending his night.

Matthew Barker came good in the Feature to take out second place behind Allcorn while Jacobus Beets rounded out the podium placings.

Dirt Karts – The mighty Dirt Squirts began season 2024 with five runners to commence proceedings.The name Brown was to dominate as per last season but this time it was Yazmin Brown who raced out of the gates.

36 I www.autoaction.com.au

Yazmin began with a third place finish in Heat 1, before going on to win the next two heats and the Feature race.

Brad Fichtner was the best of the rest whilst Michael Brown had to settle for third.

Junior Sedans, fresh from a Titles meeting in Alice Springs, fronted with 14 cars.

Despite a competitive series of heats, the Feature race proved to be one sided.

River Spitzbarth was to go flag-to-flag in the 15 lap Feature, with the only notable action being Liam Butterworth exiting in Turns 3 and 4 with 10 laps to go.

Caiden Weaver was to unfortunately fail to finish after nine laps with Czoloszynski taking out second place and Harrison Turnbull in third.

The Sprintcars were a disappointment – the only two cars entered were Trent Pigdon and Zack Grimshaw.

It was a series of 8 lap heats for the two winged warriors and a 10 lap feature with

Image: SCOTT KERNAHAN Pigdon holding sway throughout.

A field of 17 Wingless Sprintcars produced the most action of the night.

Although Jamie McInnes was largely unchallenged to take out the Feature win, it was all ‘on’ behind him.

James Dennis brought on the yellows with nine laps to go and eventually retired.

Shane Norman and Daniel Taylor also retired on the same lap whilst both the

Goldoni boys did not start along with Kyle Wiseman.

With five laps to go it was Matt Sealy in second place with Tim Van Ginneken engaging in a mighty duel.

It ended with Van Ginneken sliding underneath Sealy on the last corner to sneak home in second place to record an emphatic 1-2 result for Team McInnes Racing. Scott Kernahan

Want to see your category event or news story included in the Auto Action Speedway pages.

Send your information, images and contact details to team@autoaction.com.au or give us a call on 03 9563 2107

PATERSON SCORES REDLINE FINALE

RIVER PATERSON continued his domination of the Speedway Juniors, taking out the Top Stars Piston Cup at Ballarat’s Redline Raceway in the season finale.

Paterson achieved results of seventh, third and first in his three heats, which was good enough to earn him a front row starting spot for the final alongside Emilie Williams.

Williams led the race initially, but was passed by Paterson after a few laps.

Third place went to Jake Bradley, who made up several spots in the final with some fine overtaking moves.

“It’s been a really good season for us, but it wasn’t easy – everyone was really close and the track was fast, so overtaking was difficult,” Paterson said.

In the New Stars category for less experienced drivers, it was Brad Marshall

who took the Piston Cup win with a trio of heat wins along with victory in the final.

Marshall’s closest challenger was Maddy Beach, who chased Marshall all the way to the flag, while the final podium place went to Axel Robinson after a superb pass on Jaylen Knight for third place.

“Tonight was a lot of fun – the track was really good, and I had some great battles especially with Maddy,” Marshall said.

The Juniors were accompanied on the program by Wingless Sprints, Street Stocks, Standard Saloons and Sports Sedans.

The Wingless Sprints races were marred by three rollovers; the first casualty was Callum Beveridge in the opening heat, while the Craig McDonald and Zack Rogerson came to grief in the A-main.

Surviving the carnage was Blake Walsh, who made a decisive pass on Angus Hollis just a coupe of laps from home to take the A-main win; Christopher Temby charged from the fourth row of the grid onto the podium.

“We set the car up to come on strong late in the race, but it was hard to get a flow going with the red flag stoppages,” Walsh said.

“When the race restarted for the last time, I knew I didn’t have many chances to overtake Angus, so I needed to get the job done quickly.”

An intense side-by-side battle between Steven Watts and

Jason Duell in the Street Stocks final was eventually resolved in favour of Duell, who paid credit to his rival afterwards.

“That was one of the best races I’ve ever had – to be side-by-side with someone for that many laps was unbelievable,” Duell said.

“Steven raced hard but gave me plenty of room and it was just a massive amount of fun.”

Nathan Fawns finished third ahead of Peter Kinnear and Bhoe Patterson.

Austin Chivers took out the Standard Saloons final from Aaron Meakins and Jacob Head, while Rhys Meakins, Lucas Conder and Bailey Kakoschke made up the podium in the Sports Sedans final.

River Paterson on his way to Juniors Piston Cup glory.

Image: DEAN MILLER PHOTOGRAPHY

Image: VERN PARKER PHOTOGRAPHY

Image: BUTCHER PHOTOGRAPHY

DALY AND BIVIANO STAR IN SEASON FINALE THE 2023-24 season for Hessions Auto Parts Grafton Speedway concluded with Kaleb Daly and Jordan Biviano the big winers.

Amongst a solid field of RSA Street Stockers competitors from around NSW, the annual Stocksville 100 resulted in Daly coming out on top in the 40-lap feature race.

He managed to beat Jakob Lesha and Adrian Williams to the chequered flag, while the top-five finishers were completed by Geff Rose and Luke McNabb.

Two of the favourites heading into the Stocksville 100 were defending champion Shane Carlson and Casino’s Connor Reeves, but they both encountered issues that prevented them from challenging for Saturday’s win.

Carlson had his event brought to a premature end in the second 20-lap event, while Reeves was forced to retire from the feature race during the middle stages.

Earlier in the Stocksville 100, the three 20-lap heat races saw wins shared between Daly, Lesha and Connor Reeves.

In the $1,000 to win Dash for Cash, current and three-time NSW Champion in Production Sedans Biviano was the class

autoactionmag

Auto_Action

driver of the field, but it wasn’t plain sailing.

After starting from the second row for the feature race, Biviano, battled with the likes of Madison Harkin, local Geoff Hayes and Goulburn’s Craig McAlister throughout the 30-lap event.

He only gained control of the lead in the closing stages away from Harkin.

At the fall of the chequered flag, Biviano managed to defeat Harkin and Mark Quirk.

The top-five finishes were rounded out by Christopher Polsen and Brendan Hayes.

Gold Coast’s Mark Taylor scored an upset result in the AMCA National feature race, when he came away with the spoils by outpacing Jai Jones and Tony Blanch in third Fourth and fifth was the Queensland duo of current NSW Champion Steve Potts and Brett Robotham.

Taylor managed to lead the feature race for the entire 20-lap distance.

The support classes resulted in the featurerace wins going the way of Brock Stubbs (SSA Junior Sedans - Top Stars - Gold Cup), Poppy Airey (SSA Junior Sedans - New Stars - Gold Cup), Jeremy Wade (RSA Four Cylinder Sedans) and Will Butler (Modlites).

Daniel Powell

autoactionmag

autoactionmag

MIDGETS TEAR THE HOUSE DOWN AT RUSHWORTH AFTER A wash-out in January at Avalon, the prestigious Wally Anskaitis Cup to Rushworth Speedway became a one-off, but another issue restricted the track time.

On this occasion cars were able to get on track, but the finale was cut short due to a major accident involving Shawn Ward and Johnny Rouse (above).

Both drivers emerged unscathed but significant damage to the catch fence meant no further racing was possible and Chris Fowler was awarded the crown on qualifying points.

In the first qualifying race, Terry Brown was in complete control until the last lap when his engine started to miss and he drifted down the field, handing the win to Alex Myers.

Australian champion Peter Robotham suffered dramas in Heat 2 with his chain letting go.

The fight for victory was a thrilling one with Myers and Fowler fighting all the way.

After going side-by-side for long periods, it all came down to the final lap where Fowler got by Myers to take victory by just 0.061s.

Fowler then put himself in the box seat after taking what would become an

important victory in the final qualifying race over Matt Kamolins and Paul Perry.

In the A Main Myers got the jump as the green flag dropped and led Fowler and Brown.

However, the race barely got a chance to develop before being interrupted by a scary and unfortunate crash.

Coming off Turn 2 on lap one, Rouse and Shawn Ward made contact launching Ward skywards into a series of flips landing in the catch fence as Rouse slammed the wall and also took a tumble. The red-light stoppage button was immediately switched on and, due to the extensive damage to the catch fence, the race meeting was declared closed.

Both drivers were able to walk away from a very scary crash, Ward a little sore although cleared of serious injury.

As 50% of the race had not been concluded, the race was declared on qualifying points with Fowler winning from Myers, Kamolins, Perry, and Brown.

The ‘Stinger Chassis’ Masters series conclusion has Fowler winning his third Masters Series championship ahead of Terry Brown and Peter Robotham.

Dean Thompson

www.autoaction.com.au I 37

SPEEDWAY SPEEDWAY NEWS

McFADDEN’S BREAKTHROUGH JAMES MCFADDEN has achieved the latest breakthrough of his ever-evolving Sprintcar career by scoring his first High Limit Racing win in America.

After a couple of years competing in World of Outlaws, McFadden and Roth Motorsport switched their focus to the USA’s other high profile series, High Limit Racing.

Having been a consistent force throughout with 10 previous top 10s, the Aussie finally stormed to victory lane in his 17th race of the 2024 season.

McFadden won the Mace Thomas Classic at Butler Motor Speedway in Quincy.

It has shot the Australian to ninth in the championship standings with 1010 points, 395 short of Brad Sweet.

Just three weeks ago, McFadden fell 0.012s short of Sweet, but the tables turned as the Aussie edged out the American star by 0.063s on this occasion.

McFadden had speed all night, being third in his qualifying group before winning both the Heat and Dash.

This saw the #83 Roth Motorsports machine line up on the inside of the front row when the feature began.

McFadden got his elbows out on the low line to protect the lead ahead of Tyler Courtney at the opening corner, which gave him some breathing space.

Around the seven-lap mark traffic started

to impact the Australian’s momentum and brought Courtney into play on the inside and Justin Peck on the outside.

After getting by Courtney, Peck had the mid-race momentum and started challenging the Australian, only for a midrace caution to bring things to a halt.

Racing resumed with 17 to go and

BORDERLINE SPEEDWAY EXPANDING FOR 2026 AUSSIE TITLE

WORK IS already underway to make Mount Gambier’s Borderline Speedway bigger and better for when it hosts the Australian Sprintcar Championship in 2026.

The venue has been named as the host of the 63rd running of the SCCA Australian Sprintcar Championship.

It will be just the third time the nation’s best have come to the ‘Bullring’ after 2018, when Kerry Madsen took a hat-trick and 1995 when Garry Brazier went back-toback.

The 2026 event will take place from Friday, January 30 to Saturday January 31.

Borderline Speedway president Cary Jennings said it will be an honour to bring the national title race back to the Blue Lake City.

“It is a big deal to put in a submission and the peers in the Sprintcar world agree for us to host it and think we are capable of doing it,” he told AUTO ACTION. “We have been involved in Sprintcars for nearly 50 years.

“It will be a big job – we will form a committee shortly.

“It is equally as big as the Classic and it is like doing two Kings Challenge races in a row.

“It is good for our city and the Sprintcar

Bigger spectator banks coming for Borderline ... Image: CLUTCH LIFE MEDIA fraternity in Mount Gambier and surrounding areas.”

In recent seasons there has been plenty of work at Borderline Speedway and Jennings promised the venue will be improved by the time the Sprintcar world arrives in January 2026.

With bigger grassed banks and better pit facilities in the works, a big crowd should be expected when the national title returns to Mount Gambier.

“We always make improvements each season and there is always something new happening at the speedway,” Jennings said.

“Just recently we finished a new toilet facility which accommodates wheelchair

access, first aid and a female changing room.

“We will keep pushing forward and, by 2026, there will be a few more improvements.

“We have just enlarged the viewing bank in the last six months and, as we talk, another area is being improved with banking and irrigation system about to be put in, so we will have another bigger grassed area and be able to accomodate more people.”

Borderline Speedway is currently finalising the 2024/25 calendar and has a focus on growing its junior competitor base.

The 2025 Australian Sprintcar title will be held at Murray Bridge from January 31-February 1.

Thomas Miles

McFadden nailed the restart, while Peck dropped back behind Sweet and Courtney.

A thrilling battle between the Aussie and the ‘Big Cat’ then caught the fans attention throughout the final 10 laps.

With five to go, a small mistake coming out of the final corner by McFadden opened the door for Sweet, but the #83 held firm on the high line.

Going into Turn 3 on the penultimate lap, Sweet ‘sent it’ and even slid his #6 just ahead of McFadden to ensure they went side-by-side as they took the white flag.

Sensing a similar move, McFadden covered down low at the final two corners and Sweet went high.

Sweet then tried to use his momentum to perform the switchback beneath the Aussie in the short run from Turn 4 to the chequered flag, but fell 0.063s short.

As a result, McFadden finally got to taste the High Limit Racing win he has craved all year – it came after a fighting drive.

Thomas Miles

TOOWOOMBA GETS NATIONAL TITLE TOOWOOMBA’S HI-TEC Oils Speedway will host next season’s SSA National Production Sedan Title.

The race will be backed by major naming rights sponsor Ian Boettcher Race Parts.

Ian Boettcher Race Parts brings the parts and service to all its customers, and are both Sedan and Open Wheel speedway parts specialists, based in Yamato, Brisbane.

The IBRP SSA National Production Sedan Title is expected to attract a record car count to Toowoomba.

Some people are expecting the numbers to exceed well over 100 entries from all over Australia.

The event will be take place in Toowoomba on April 25-26 2025 with racing on both Friday and Saturday nights.

Scrutineering, practice and the Calcutta will be held on Thursday, April 24.

DAYLESFORD GETS GREEN LIGHT SINCE THE tragic passing of Stephen Douglas as a result of a rollover, Daylesford Speedway has been closed but it is poised to end a long absence.

Douglas hit an embankment before being struck by two other competitors in a Sedan race and the venue has endured an 18 month hiatus whilst ongoing Victorian Police and Coroner’s investigations continued.

These findings have now been released, meaning that the track is able to reopen and resume race meetings.

38 I www.autoaction.com.au

Whilst the venue is currently closed, club members have been working diligently in the background and, by August, will construct a new concrete wall.

A practice day has been scheduled for late August and a follow up in September before launching into a full summer season calendar.

Organisers are hopeful of hosting their first official opening meeting come October, pending the Hepburn Shire Council approval of dates.

It is also expected that the infield track will see the return of the Junior Quarter Midgets Association of Victoria.

The Daylesford Speedway Club will also pay homage to Stephen Douglas – it is believed that an annual memorial event will be held in his honour to form a part of the club’s legacy.

Paris Charles

NATIONALS WRAP

GARTNER’S ‘DREAM WEEKEND’ THE SECOND round of the TA2 Muscle Car Series was all about one man, Brad Gartner, who enjoyed a “dream weekend” at Morgan Park.

Despite the Queensland circuit throwing up mixed conditions, Gartner reigned supreme, winning all four races.

However, he could not quite hit the championship lead which is still retained by Josh Haynes by the barest of margins with Graham Cheney also now on 408 points.

Gartner sits third with 352, just one point ahead of Mark Crutcher.

After a wet affair on the Saturday, clear skies greeted the grid for a busy Sunday that contained three races.

Gartner and Haynes led away as Mark Crutcher ran wide at Turn 9, falling to the back, but he would eventually recover to fifth.

Haynes hit the lead on lap six at Siberia, only for Gartner to respond two laps later.

His move at T-Junction proved to be a race-winning move as

Haynes dropped out of contention with a flat tyre.

This opened the door for the charging Jett Johnson, who went from the last row to third, but lost an impressive result due to being penalised for contact with Domain Ramsay.

As a result, Cheney and Connor Roberts completed the podium behind Gartner.

Although Cheney got a solid jump at the start of Race 3, Gartner hit the lead by Turn 2 and charged into the lead and did not look back.

Meanwhile, Hayden Jackson collected Ramsay under the bridge on lap two and the former received a drive-through penalty for his drama.

All eyes were on Haynes as he produced a storming drive to second with Cheney getting third.

Boosted from this, Haynes fired an early attack on Gartner in Race 4.

But once again another tyre puncture ended Haynes’ challenge

in the finale, allowing Gartner to cruise to a 9s win and complete the perfect weekend.

Haynes was still able keep hold of second ahead of Johnson, who overcame Cheney to get third.

Gartner described the four-peat as a “dream weekend” after a tough time at Sydney.

“It’s been a dream weekend, to get my first round win with a clean sweep,” he said.

“There was a bit of bad luck to some of the other competitors, but you’ve got to be there at the end to win the race and I’m extremely grateful to have the weekend we did.

“This result definitely boosts our confidence. To get a few wins like this. Obviously Sydney was a big hit, Queensland Raceway was a bit hit and I feel we’re really getting back into the feel of things.”

The next TA2 round is at Queensland Raceway on June 28-30 – the Two Days of Thunder event.

Thomas Miles

BATTLING HARD THE REPLICA Tourer Trophy Series recently went down to the wire with just two points splitting the leaders in a big 28-car field at Morgan Park.

Ian Woodward looked fast in his Camaro, taking pole by six-tenths, but was caught up in the opening lap chaos of Race 1 where five retired.

Daniel Ross charged ahead in his RX8 over Braden Walters in the Mustang.

But the VE Commodore of Rex Scoles fired to victory in Race 2 over Ross, while Woodward fought back to third.

Woodward completed his charge to the top step in Race 3 where he overcame Steve Hay by 2s, while Ross importantly finished third ahead of Scoles.

With Woodward out of action in the finale, it was a straight shootout for round honours between Scoles and Ross.

autoactionmag

Auto_Action

Scoles emerged on top in the VE Commodore by just 1.3s.

Lachlan Ward produced the perfect weekend in the Legend Cars Australia.

Ward in his 34 Ford Coupe won all five races, but the battle for second was much tighter with Shane Tate edging out Ryan Pring.

The Queensland Production Car Championship was a tight affair with just six points separating the top three cars.

Trenton Allen started strong in his Subaru before Roman Miller got his first win.

Race 3 saw Mitsubishi’s Greg Symes emerge on top, setting up the round win to be decided in the final race.

Although Miller took a second win, he did not do enough for round honours which went to Daniel Natoli, who did not win a race all weekend.

autoactionmag

autoactionmag

Another driver who enjoyed a perfect weekend was Peter Bray who held off a sea of BMWs in the Queensland Touring Car Championship.

The Queensland Excel Cup produced some close finishes as usual, but Matthew Boylett was a cut above the rest.

He won three of the four races with the #1 of Tyler Collins the only driver to beat him.

In Formula Vee, Daniel Reynolds produced a clean sweep but only just with the final race a thriller with the #78 holding off Michael Kinsella by 0.03s.

The Formula RX8 Championship was one-way traffic with Steve Devjack winning all four races.

The fight for second was close with Rob Boaden beating Brock Paine.

Thomas Miles

www.autoaction.com.au I 39

NATIONALS WRAP

NSW STATE BACK HOME

THE NSW Motor Racing Championships returned to Sydney Motorsport Park on May 25-26. Joining the State competitions were a couple of National Series. BRUCE MOXON picks up the threads.

RX-8 CUP

MIK HAZELTON took four wins from as many starts in a perfect weekend in the RX8 Cup. Behind him, though the results were a bit less predictable.

In the opener it was Robert Scott from Jackson Noakes and Jett Blumeris.

Morning fog produced chaos in Race 2 as several cars were damaged in a lap one fracas, with Noakes out for the weekend with heavy damage.

Scott was penalised for his part in the crash and started Race 3 from the back, recovering well to be third behind Hazelton and Martin Lyall. Aaron Hills and Lyall took the minors in the fourth and final race.

Mic Hazeltown was in a class of his own in the RX8 Cup. Images: RICCARDO BENVENUTI comfortably, the car stopped on the last lap.

It fired again, but by then Steven Lacey had gone through to win in his Camaro after a rear-of-the-grid start due to a broken driveshaft. Third went to Daniel Nolan in his Mazda RX-7.

Shiels recovered to win the second race from Lacey, but trouble returned in Race 3 on the first lap, allowing Lacey to take another win.

FORMULA OPEN

A HEALTHY field of open-wheel cars was headed by Tim Macrow Racing, which took all the spoils.

The fastest qualifier was Beau Russell but he copped a 5s penalty for a jump start in Race 1 and it was Ryan McMillan who led the charge, with the historic RALT of Arthur Abrahams second.

The second race went to McMillan, who led from start to finish with Miles Bromley chasing hard the whole way.

Bromley took the final race, with Russell defending well from McMillan.

SUPERSPORTS

THE ALREADY small field was further depleted in qualifying with front-runner Alex Kenny’s Nova Proto breaking its exhaust manifold and Neil Kenny’s Juno also out with dramas. Several regulars were missing due

PRODUCTION TOURING Luke Collett and Craig Sparke fight side-by-side for Formula Vee glory. to the Perth Radical Cup race.

This left Nick Kelly (Wolf) and Sergio Piries (Radical) to take first and second respectively in all three races. Mark Brame (Radical) took the first two thirds and Simon Copping (West) the last.

Nick Kelly cruised to victory in the NSW Supersports Championship.

FORMULA VEE

PULSARS

JOSH AND Jamie Craig dominated, the brothers taking first and second respectively in all three races. Toyota GR 86 regular Lachlan Gibbons was having a guest drive to keep his hand in and took three thirds.

MATT HOLT took three from three in his HSV R8, with Tony Virag’s HSV GTS taking second in the first and last of these races.

Michael Auld was second in the other in his BMW, taking a third as well and the other third place, in the opener, went to Brian Callaghan.

SPORTS SEDANS

BRAD SHIELS had miserable luck all weekend in the Joe Said-owned FIAT 124 Rotary. First, the bonnet flew off in practice and then while leading the first race

THE JACERS of Luke Collett and Craig Sparke diced for the lead all weekend.

Collett took Races 1 and 3 with Sparke second, while they reversed the order for the middle race.

Third places were shared by William Pym, Stephen Butcher and Angus McDonald.

DEBUT WINNERS SHINE IN SYDNEY

A TRIO of new names graced the top of the IPRA NSW ranks at Sydney Motorsport Park, with Ben Sheedy, Danny Castro and Matt Birks breaking through for maiden victories at the series’ second round.

Split Under- and Over 2.0-Litre grids across two days saw tight tussles and contact-free racing, as well as heartbreak for some key championship runners.

In the Unders division, former champion Bob Jowett pulled his K20-powered Honda Civic EG from semi-retirement to win the weekend overall, despite only qualifying fifth.

Race 1 saw Castro claim a maiden win from pole in his new Nissan Silvia from Jowett and Mick Ricketts aboard his Nissan Pulsar.

A close call saw Matthew Larmour (Volvo V40) avoid a spinning Cam Smyth by a whisker, while gearbox woes cruelled a strong run from Matt Giuntini (Honda Civic).

Jowett would win the second race on a foggy Sunday morning, with championship

40 I www.autoaction.com.au

Ben Sheedy shows the way en route to a win hat-trick. Below: Danny Castro won the Under 2-Litre race but suffered gearbox failure.

Images: RICCARDO BENVENUTI

favourite Castro succumbing to a broken diff after just one lap.

Giuntini recovered from the rear of the grid after an overnight gearbox change to finish an excellent second, while Birks aboard his Toyota Corolla would log valuable points in third place.

Ricketts would unfortunately join the sidelines due to driveline woes.

Race 3 was a ripper, with Birks overcoming a five-second startline penalty to claim victory, ahead of Jowett and Tim Molesworth in his Toyota Celica.

Jowett would claim the round from Molesworth, while consistency paid off for stalwart Matt Wildridge in his Ford Escort MkII with third.

The big guns came out to play In the Overs division with a brace of the General’s finest battling Japanese and German rivals for overall honours.

Qualifying belonged to Sheedy, who promptly converted pole into his maiden race win at the expense of defending Overs champion Steve Engel (Mitsubishi EVO), while Joseph Lenthall brought his new BMW E36 home in a valiant third.

Sheedy and Engel would repeat their respective feats in Race 2, with HSV GTSmounted Nigel Williams displacing Lenthall for third place.

Sheedy would cap a dream weekend with a hat trick of wins to claim Round 2, with Engel keeping a resurgent Williams at bay to hang onto second. Williams would claim third for the final race and the round.

TW Neal l

Want to see your category event or news story included in the Auto Action Nationals Wrap.

Send your information, images and contact details to team@autoaction.com.au or give us a call on 03 9563 2107

A healthy and competitive grid is led away by ultimate winner Kobi Williams (Spectrum 012B).

A WEEKEND OF FIRSTS FOR WILLIAMS THE THIRD round of the Australian Formula Ford Series was one to remember for Kobi Williams, who took his first pole, race and round win.

Williams was on fire around Sydney Motorsport Park, overcoming the likes of Eddie Beswick and Jack Bussey.

Williams took pole with a 1.34.1867 in an extremely competitive qualifying where three-tenths covered the top five.

He made the most of the clear track to keep the lead on the opening lap, but there was one driver who was on the move.

Liam Loiacono was flying and only needed a single lap to rise from 10th to second.

Loiacono then soon started applying the pressure and snatched the lead from Williams before Cody Maynes-Rutty joined the fun.

However, Maynes-Rutty spun out moments after seizing second place.

Now Beswick was in the fight for the lead, but Williams was able to overcome the challenges to take a special win.

Beswick was able to snatch second from Loiacono and Zak Lobko.

After a foggy start, drivers were greeted with near perfect conditions on Sunday morning.

Williams, Beswick and Maynes-Rutty would resume their rivalry in Race 2.

Williams got another strong start, but Beswick was able to snatch the lead on lap four.

Despite numerous attempts lap after lap, including a big move at Turn 1, Williams was unable to find a way past for the remainder of the race.

Maynes-Rutty took a very impressive third having bounced back from a tough opening race.

Turn 1 proved to be a tricky spot, with Bussey and Daniel Frougas spearing off the track at different times during the race. Bussey and Loiacono did well to hang on when they came unstuck at the same spot at separate times, both

collecting foam brake markers in the process and going on to finish fifth and sixth respectively.

In the third and final race, Williams got yet another great launch off the line and went side-by-side with Beswick into Turn 1.

This time he made it stick as MaynesRutty also followed through.

It proved to be an interrupted race with Lachie Mineeff being beached in the sand trap after contact and Lobko being spun

by Bussey.

The 2024 Australian Formula Ford Series next heads north to Morgan Park Raceway this weekend.

Thomas Miles

SUPERCARS STARS JUST FALL SHORT THE SUPERCARS dream team of Chaz Mostert, Ryan Wood and Will Brown just fell short of winning the Clippy Cup Motor Events Racing title.

After a big 12-hour day of racing, their team Hoonigans ended up second-best to Farm Find Racing, who overcame the Supercars stars.

The #082 Farm Find Racing BMW E46 completed 457 laps around the Paperclip across the day, which was 14 more than the Mostert-led Hyundai Excel.

They just overcame Double Decker Racing by two laps, while the 710 Motorsport squad was the only other team to register more than 440 laps.

Reigning Supercars and Super2 champions Brodie Kostecki and Kai Allen also joined forces in their own Excel, but did not encounter much luck.

Their campaign was brought undone early due to electrical dramas and they only put 44 laps on the board.

All up, 36 entires took on the race which saw competitors take on the extra twist of

autoactionmag

Auto_Action

Ryan Wood, Chaz Mostert and Will Brown enjoying life at the Clippy Cup.

doing the first six hours on the Clubman Circuit before suddenly switching to the more familiar National Circuit at the halfway mark.

Across the classes, the overall winners

autoactionmag

autoactionmag

Farm Find Racing also topped ME-1 ahead of Double Decker Racing and 710 Motorsport.

Team FB enjoyed a first outing in their black BMW, collecting the most laps in ME-0.

ME-2 honours went to Joel Comics Racing

in another BMW, which overcame Steinard in their 1990s-styled Audi.

Despite finishing second best overall, the Mostert, Brown and Wood entry claimed ME-3 honours.

Team Getz and Scherg‘s Automotive Racing Team had the honours of joining the Supercars stars on the podium.

Ezy As Racing did not have an easy time of it on the track and received the Diehard Award for overcoming a significant mechanical issue.

But, as always, the most important aspect of the event was raising money for Rare Cancers Australia.

Mostert’s Hoonigans team raised the most money with $3000 whilst race winners Farm Find Racing also did their bit off the track with $2000.

The donations from the Clippy Cup has seen the total raise to $188,551.

Next on the Motor Events Racing calendar is the Boneyard GP at DriveIt NQ on July 13-14.

Thomas Miles

www.autoaction.com.au I 41

NATIONALS WRAP Dean Amos flying up Mount Cotton to another state triumph. Image: CH IMAGES

AMOS DOES IT AGAIN

DEAN AMOS has flown to another Motorsport Australia Queensland Hillclimb Championship title after a dominant drive at Mount Cotton.

The field of 100-plus drivers had eight cracks at the well known Mount Cottom Hillclimb layout but Amos sealed the deal on his fourth attempt in the Gould GR55B. His 36.36s time was achieved on his fourth run and was more than a second clear of the rest.

He faced early opposition in the form of Warwick Hutchinson, whose opening 41.04s led the way early.

But when the pair put the foot down again, Amos entered uncharted territory and was unchallenged from there.

His 37.32s time was more than a second and a half clear of Hutchinson’s attempt, while Brett Bull also threw his hat in the ring, getting into the 39s.

By run four, Amos had registered his title-winning 36.36s time leaving the rest to fight for second best.

This honour ended up going to Hutchinson, but only just.

Bull kept pushing hard but could not quite break out of the 38s barrier, but Dean Tighe did.

Tighe found some late pace in the Empire Wraith and pushed deep into the 37s in his final two runs.

But he ended up falling one-tenth short of Hutchinson, who led the locals to the John English Trophy in a tense finish.

Tighe did walk away with the Paul Atkin Trophy for setting the fastest average time by a motor cycle engine-powered car.

The Martin Tighe Trophy for the leading Formula Ford went to Jeremy Mattea after posting a 46.54.

The best MG was Stephen Callaghan with his 59.13s effort, while the fastest lady was Ebonee Edwards with 57.66s.

The Glyn Scott Perpetual Trophy for Sports Cars was taken out by Ross Mackay with a solid 43.38.

Leading the Sedans was Michael Larymore to the Vince Appleby Trophy, while FTD honours went to winner Amos.

The Hamilton Trophy for the best Historic competitor went to David Malone.

Thomas Miles

Rodney Wood steering his FJ Holden in the Tin Top Regularity.

Images: NEIL HAMMOND

WINTON GOES RETRO THE 47TH Historic Winton event, organized by the Austin 7 Car Club, was deemed a success after a massive variety of historic cars from bygone eras turned back the clock and provided some great historic racing action.

A crowd estimated at around 5000 people enjoyed the spectacle of cars, motorcycles and sidecars racing across 48 different events presented by the Austin 7 Club Inc in association with HMRAV. Standouts among the classics included the Cortina Challenge won by Nick Gascone (Melbourne) in his 1963 Ford Cortina, the Harley vs Indian Hand Shift Battle, the Sunday Parade featuring the best of the Shannons car park display, and the stunning spectacle of sidecar racing.

Some cars stood out more than others, with the Best Presented Car award being taken out by Malcom Oastler’s ‘Mr Juicy’ 1977 Ralt RT1.

Best presented Sports Car honours went to Warren Hotz and his 1970 MG Midget, while Tom Tweedie’s 1963 Mini Morris Cooper S also turned heads in the Sedans.

The Best Presented Regularity Car was Angelo Di Donato’s 1960 Aljon Special.

The first category to go racing was the combined Vintage, Class C, 125, P3 250, P4 250 Solos.

Brendan D’Arcy overcame Roy Orr in the first two races, but his Honda 100 failed to finish Race 3, taken out by Stephan Kairl.

Darren Visser in the 1948 Eldred Norman Tribute.

This stunning 1950 Allard J2 is steered by Graham Smith.

The biggest prize on the line was the Garth Rhodes Trophy which was on offer over four laps and D’Arcy did not have any issues and took a comfortable 6s win over Orr. In P3 350, P3 500, P3 Unlimited Solo’s, the Triumph of Peter Large was unbeatable despite a late challenge from Leigh Corbett.

Stephen Kairl took the first two P4 350, to P4 Ultd Solo’s, P5 250 to P5 Ultd Solo’s wins on board his Yamaha TZ 350 1979 but was beaten by Darren McDonald’s Kawasaki KZ 750 1981 in the finale.

The Harley v Indian Hand Shift battle was rather one-sided with Jack Petith winning all three races.

In the open wheelers, Laurie Bennett was very fast in his Elfin 600B and won the first two M and O Sports and Racing and Formula Vee races including the Phil Irving Trophy.

However, a three-peat was denied by Paul Faulkner’s Brabham BT29, by six-tenths.

Formula Ford was very competitive with Will Faulkner winning the opener, only for Malcolm Oastler to take two tight wins in Races 2 and 3 and come away with the

Lion’s share in the Lola 642A. Oastler’s Best Presented Ralt RT1 was also very fast, smashing the Q and R Sports and Racing field.

A solid field of 15 cars took on the Cortina Challenge and Nick Cascone was the spearhead, winning by 4s.

The J, J, Lb Sports Racing feature, where the Douglas Briese (J/K) / Mark Dymond (Lb) Trophies were up for grabs, had an interesting finish.

Shane Bowden’s Lotus took the chequered flag but a 5s penalty dropped him to third, promoting Alan McMaster’s Nota Din to the top.

Group N was dominated by Minis, and none were faster than Adam Bressington, who won two of the three races, only being beaten just by Richard Hill in the other.

The first Group S race saw the Alan Jones Trophy up for grabs and it was secured by Wayne Seabrook in his Porsche 911 before he progressed to a clean sweep.

The 48th Historic Winton will be held on May 24-25 2025.

Thomas Miles

WARWICK FIRES UP THE C SERIES Super Sprints at Morgan Park Raceway fired up for Round 2 with a large variety of race cars all competing for the fastest lap times.

With a slightly smaller number of competitors in the C series than the other series, an opportunity arose for the Porsche Club to be invited and come join in on Saturday.

This resulted in around 20 fabulous Porsches in their own groups having a good crack.

All the groups over the weekend were ran as rolling starts and conducted on the shorter E track, which saw competitors get plenty of runs across the smooth event.

With the cool conditions and plenty of track time, the

42 I www.autoaction.com.au

lap times were dropping with each run.

But there was no catching the flying Ginetta of Phil Sutcliffe, who once again placed fastest outright.

Not too far in the distance chasing behind him was Jackson Halloran in an Rx7 followed by Matt Clift driving a Datsun Sports Sedan.

The WDSCC Super sprints series for 2024 is now halfway through with two rounds left for each A, B and C Series.

Round 3 of the A series is up next on August 3 and 4 with the B Round 3 on August 10 and 11, with free spectator entry.

Pete Trapnell

Ross Wheeler spits some flames in the Toyota Carolla.

Want to see your category event or news story included in the Auto Action Nationals Wrap.

Send your information, images and contact details to team@autoaction.com.au or give us a call on 03 9563 2107 Nathan Quinn is back for another tilt at the Nightmoves Trial. Image: JOHN DOUTCH

Victorian Tony Moloney invaded perfectly by collecting all the Holden HQ wins at The Bend.

Images: DAVID BATCHELOR

WORKING ON SOME NIGHT MOVES

RACING IN THE SUN

GOOD FIELDS and good weather ensured Round 4 of the South Australian Motor Racing Championship at Shell V-Power Motorsport Park on May 25/26 was a delight.

Dean Lillie and Adam Poole shared the driving in the all-conquering Holden Monaro winning all four Improved Production races.

However, on points, the overall winner was occasional race leader Jarrod Tonks (Holden Commodore).

Chris Redin (Nissan Silvia) managed to squeeze into second with Scott Cook (Nissan Silvia) missed two races chasing problems but podium finishes in the other two showed what might have been.

Keith Diano (Porsche GT3) scored a couple of early wins to steal the SA Tin Tops from Antoni Ormsby (Porsche GT3) who won the last race on Sunday.

Consistency had David Smoker (Audi R8LMS) in third, while race three winner Mark Pearce (Lamborghini) failed to start on Sunday.

Usual front runner Ian Wilson (TVR Tuscan) was an early casualty with a blown engine in Race 1.

Giuseppe Imbrogno (Spectrum) took a lonely Formula Ford victory being well clear of anyone else. Matthew Bialek

Consistency pushed Jarrod Tonks to round victory in Improved Production.

(Stinger 3) comfortably out paced Nathan Clifton (Jacer V2K) for the 1600 Vee win with Luke Maeder (Elfin Crusader) grabbing third.

Baxter Midwinter (Panther 1A) managed to keep Frank Chessell (Elfin Crusader) at bay for the 1200 win with Jay Thompson (Spectre) rounding out the top three.

Jayden Jamieson (Commodore VY) sat on top off the Saloon Car point score but fell short of a clean sweep of race wins with second placed Kane Baxter-Smith (Falcon AU) winning race two on Saturday.

Andrew McSwain (Falcon) bagged the bottom podium spot while both Wayne King (Falcon AU) and David Lines (Commodore VZ) showed promise but

problems in the final race lost them points.

It was all Victorian Tony Moloney in HQ’s but Nathan Roberts push him all the way so the win wasn’t easy. Anthony Whitehair was a distant third.

Jack Boyd (Euro GT) dominated in Aussie Racing Cars SA with Dean Michalik (Commodore) the best of the rest.

Glenn Boyd (Toyota) was well back in third while a good showing on Saturday for Nathan Barber (Falcon) ended with a seized engine forming up for race three and despite installing the spare further problems kept him from starting the final race.

David Batchelor

THE VICTORIAN rally scene fires up for winter with two top class but contrasting events in the coming months.

Later this month is the ever popular Fast Track Towing and Transport Nissan Nightmoves Trial is on June 22 and is Round 3 of the Victorian Club Rally Series.

Then on August 9-11, the Australian Championship comes to Gippsland, incorporating Round 3 of the Victorian Championship.

A full field is expected to front up at the Heathcote Showgrounds for the the Nissan Nightmoves. The field this year again boasts the 2017 Australian Rally Champion Nathan Quinn in his classic Mazda RX-2 who has won twice before with Ray Winwood-Smith.

Quinn will travel from Coffs Harbour to soak up “just the best atmosphere” of rallying with the lights on.

Also from N.S.W. is Brad Luff with James Brown in a WRX, keen see more Victorian forests after a great drive at the Ada River Rally in April.

At sundown, the crews will be faced with 140 competitive kilometres over seven stages returning to service park after the first three.

These days it’s run entirely on route charts but the layout of the Heathcote forest still offers a headache for the co-drivers with its myriad of tiny tracks linking fast flowing roads.

For the driver, getting a rhythm and flow in the car in the Heathcote terrain is a challenge.

Leading the series is Joel Wald /Cathy Elliott (Datsun Stanza) winning both rounds so far by less than a minute from Brian Semmens/Dan Parry (Nissan 200SX).

Wald is still chasing top end performance while Semmens is tyre testing to find the 0.5s /km he needs.

But there are quick crews chasing: the likes of Linaker/Thomas, Marron/DeVaus and Tim and Bruce Shepherd have banked good points and will be in the mix for a podium come the final round in October.

On the other side of the border, the Wynarka Enduro South Australian Off Road Racing Association event on June 1-2 was canceled due to low entries.

Alan Barker

SEAC DOUBLE HEADER

THE SOUTH Eastern Automobile Club conducted a double header, which formed as Round 2 of the SEAC series and Round 1 of the State Autocross Series.

An eager 36-car field enjoyed three runs before dark and a tussle at the top took place between Luke Winterfield in his Subaru WRX and Oscar Farnden driving a very similar vehicle.

Farnden set the early pace with a 1:49.39 seconds lap of a ‘new’ track layout, 3s ahead of Winterfield, closely followed

by Jayden Edwards.

Farnden was again on top in Round 2 (1:49.76s) but this was much tighter with Winterfield just half a tenth away.

Track conditions remained good with a couple of areas opening up but a lot of loose material ready to catch a driver that went a little bit off the race line.

Winterfield got top spot in Heat 3 (1:49.01s) to pull threetenths from Farnden with Edwards again pushing the top pair.

autoactionmag

Auto_Action

autoactionmag

Oscar Farnden showing strong car control in his Subaru.

Image: TURN 8 PHOTOGRAPHY

Round 4 commenced in the dark and little split the top two with Farnden (1:50.78s) edging out Winterfield (1:50.93s).

For Round 5 there was now a little bit of fog and dust to contend with and Winterfield excelled to be on top.

autoactionmag

But Farnden had the last laugh by topping the final run of the day with a (1:47.79s) from Winterfield (1:47.86s).

Edwards was again in third using all the available track with his ‘speedway’ style.

The action resumed on Sunday and Farnden started strongly, gaining a six-tenths advantage straight away.

He carried on his momentum by pulling a second on Run 2 and four seconds on Run 3 where Winterfield made a mistake and could only manage fourth fastest.

In the penultimate run, Farnden continued at the top with a 1:42.21 seconds run, just enough to hold off a charge by Luke Winterfield (1:42.51s).

To ensure there was no chance of losing victory, Farnden ended the weekend with another quick run (1:41.38s) well clear of Winterfield.

The next SEAC meeting is on June 15.

Thomas Miles

www.autoaction.com.au I 43

NATIONALS WRAP

PINPOINT ACCURACY OSCAR TARGETT is now on the board as the Porsche Sprint Challenge championship leader after a strong finish at The Bend.

But it was far from an easy drive as the Grove Racing youngster himself had a very up-and-down weekend, like many others.

It was an all-Queensland front row after Brock Gilchrist edged out Clay Osborne to pole by 0.0253s.

But Osborne made the most of grid position #2 to shoot to the lead, but an early Safety Car arrived due to a number of clashes at the Turn 5-6 complex.

The first was for the spinning Hamish Fitzsimmons and Lacey Harburg and further drama was avoided due to the field taking evasive action.

But contact between Andrew Georgiadis and Caspar Tressider at Turn 7, leaving the

latter stranded, forced a stoppage.

A restart with 10 minutes remaining saw Osborne pull away once again, while Gilchrist had to fend off Targett for second.

Ramu Farrell finished ninth and claimed the Pro-Am class win after an adventurous race overcoming Brett Boulton and Danny Stutterd.

Gilchrist hit back in the Jim Richards Enduro Cup race by securing his first category victory.

Osborne led from pole and was in the box seat for back-to-back wins, but his lead was snatched from Gilchrist on lap two.

As the race went on, Osborne became impacted by a broken splitter and lost positions at each Safety Car restart.

The final one saw a late dash to the flag where Gilchrist shot clear of Jake Santalucia

and Hamish Fitzsimmons, who put in an impressive charge from 24th.

One of a number of drivers that was penalised from Race 2 was Targett, who was hit with a 10s penalty, which saw him fall from second to 14th.

But the Grove racer was on a mission in the next, and charged from 14th to seventh on the opening lap alone.

He was up to fourth by lap eight and things then further opened up on the following tour.

Gilchrist and Osborne clashed at Turn 6 which saw the former fall down the order and the latter retire with front wing damage.

This elevated Targett to second behind Fitzsimmons, who had been slapped with a 5s penalty for overlapping on a Safety Car restart.

Targett did enough to ensure the penalty handed him the victory with Aron Shields also shooting up to second as Fitzsimmons slipped to third.

In Pro Am Danny Stutterd protected his handy points lead, as did Jacque Jargo in Class B. The Porsche Sprint Challenge enjoys the Supercars spotlight at Townsville on July 5-7.

Thomas Miles PORSCHE SPRINT CHALLENGE POINTS AFTER ROUND 2 1 Oscar Targett 275 2 Brock Gilchrist 267 3 Aron Shields 240 4 Caleb Sumich 232 5 Hamish Fitzsimmons 228

Clay Osborne, Brock Gilchrist, Oscar Targett, and Aron Shields go four wide into Turn 1.

Image: SPEEDSHOTS PHOTOGRAPHY

SHERRIN EDGES AHEAD ACROSS FOUR hour-long races, the fight

for Australian Production Cars honours at The Bend were wrestled between two cars.

There was Grant Sherrin doing a solo effort in his #27 BMW M4 against Cameron Crick and Dean Campbell, who teamed up in their #118 M2.

The 10-car grid was set from the practice times after qualifying was cut short due to a heavy crash for Iain Sherrin, whose #72 BMW was ruled out of the round following the shunt.

Although Grant Sherrin shared the front row with Camaro driver Chris Lillis, it was actually Chris Sutton, who captured everyone’s attention from sixth.

Sutton flew from the third row to the lead, but it soon became centred on Crick/ Campbell and Mark Caine.

Crick/Campbell emerged on top by the big margin of 15s with Grant Sherrin forced to settle for third.

Grant Sherrin hit back in Race 2 with a commanding drive. After hitting the lead on lap two, he was never headed and dealt with a Safety Car interruption caused when Karlie Buccini was beached in the gravel.

After the restart Grant Sherrin flew the best part of 30s ahead of Chris Lillis when the chequered flag fell.

But Crick/Campbell responded emphatically in Race 3 by stealing the lead from Sherrin off the line.

Although Sherrin emerged in front during the stops, Crick/Campbell was unbeatable in the run home and crushed to a 36s win.

To make matters worse for Sherrin, he lost second to Lillis.

Heading to the final race, little separated Sherrin and Crick/Campbell and the #27 rose to the occasion.

Sherrin stormed to a smashing win, leading the majority of the 36 laps and was never challenged.

After a late Safety Car for Chris Sutton, Sherrin won by

Grant Sherrin was on the pace at The Bend. Image: SPEEDSHOTS PHOTOGRAPHY

44 I www.autoaction.com.au

5s over Nathan Callaghan.

But, more importantly, Crick/Campbell could only manage fifth.

This saw Sherrin and Crick/Campbell tied on round points, but Sherrin took the round with the final race win.

Australian Production Cars return at Queensland Raceway on July 12-14.

Thomas Miles

Want to see your category event or news story included in the Auto Action Nationals Wrap.

Send your information, images and contact details to team@autoaction.com.au or give us a call on 03 9563 2107

RETURN OF THE SAAB

SUPERCARS STAR Thomas Randle proved his class to the National Sports Sedan Series field at The Bend Motorsport Park, but it was no casual drive.

Randle gave the family built SAAB 9-3 a first round win since the 2018 Des Wall Memorial Trophy after overcoming some spirited drives from the likes of Geoff Taunton, Steve Tamasi and Peter Ingram.

In two of the three races, the Tickford Supercars driver had to produce some comeback drives to take the chequered flag first, which meant it was no ordinary clean sweep.

It was no ordinary race weekend with conditions presenting plenty of challenges.

The first was rain as heavy showers effectively wrote off two of the three practice sessions on offer.

In another quirk due to the busy track schedule, qualifying took place when the sun was still rising at 7.00am local time, ensuring the Sports Sedans had minimal tyre temperature to breathe fire.

With Randle struggling to get up to temperature and driving on the Hankooks for the first time in qualifying, he could not fire the fastest time.

Instead pole position went to Taunton in the MARC GTSS. Taunton set a 1:23.265 on his eighth and final lap to beat Randle by 0.1996s.

They were in a league of their own with next best, Ingram, a further 3s adrift.

The fog and morning cold had cleared when it was time to go racing and a fascinating battle played out.

Ingram got a lightening start in his RX7 and flew past the front row, leaving a stunned Taunton and Randle in second and third.

An early Safety Car was required with Kim Barwick in the gravel, while Ashley Jarvis also had issues.

At the restart Ingram overcooked it at Turn 6, which allowed Taunton into the lead.

But the MARC driver’s time in the front was

Peter Ingram and Geoff Taunton fight for track position.

Steve Tamasi pushes his Calibra through the morning fog.

over on Lap 7 when he slipped from first to third.

Ingram launched a counterattack at Turn 1, which opened the door for the patient Randle to pounce two corners later and steal second.

Things continued to go Randle’s way as by Turn 6, Ingram spun in the grass, presenting a clear path for the SAAB to cruise into the lead and Taunton to jump to second.

Another driver looking to pounce was Tamasi, who had risen from ninth to fourth, but tagged Ingram, sending the pair into a spin.

Both cars rotated and whilst Ingram carried on to hold onto third, Tamasi could not restart his Calibra.

This meant Steve Lacey and category rookie Bradley Sherriff had a ding-dong battle for fourth.

Not for the first time in the weekend, the Sports Sedans were providing The Bend’s hotel guests with an early morning alarm call

as Race 2 started at 7.30 local time.

The action on the track proved to be a bit quieter than the opener as Randle led all 11 laps to cruise to a 7s win over Ingram, who also had a rather straight forward race in his Mazda RX7.

There was a close contest for third that was initially held by Lacey before Taunton’s pace became overwhelming.

Taunton was as low as 10th after the first lap, but shot to fifth on the following tour of The Bend’s West Circuit.

The MARC driver only needed one more lap to seize third and complete an impressive comeback to the podium.

Meanwhile, Lacey dropped to fifth as Tamasi slotted into fourth.

With Randle on pole many expected him to simply collect the clean sweep, but there was a big curveball thrown his way instantly.

The dominant SAAB struggled to get up to temperature and was swallowed up by the pack as soon as the field was unleashed at the rolling start.

Instead Tamasi was in control and shot more than a second clear ahead of the battling Ingram and Taunton, while Randle found himself down in fourth.

By lap four he was back on the move and hunted down Taunton with a well executed move at Turn 1.

With Randle on the charge and Ingram also going at rapid 1m16s times, the fight

for the lead was igniting with Tamasi’s advantage slashed to just half a second as the race descended into the final five minutes.

By lap eight, Ingram thought about making a move on leader Tamasi into the first and penultimate turns but was not quite close enough.

However, a mistake by Tamasi coming out of the final corner left the Calibra vulnerable going down the main straight and Ingram launched a big dive at Turn 1.

But Tamasi performed the switchback to retake the lead as Ingram’s challenge proved counterproductive as it allowed Randle to swoop in and snatch second.

Turns 1-3 were again a hot spot on the following lap where Tamasi slumped from first to third in three corners.

The biggest mover in the sequence of corners was Randle, who perfectly placed the 9-3 to fly to the lead and he was away.

In a heartbeat the #49 SAAB was already 1.5s clear and no one could stop the hattrick.

Ingram had to settle for second ahead of Tamasi, while fourth placed Taunton was a further 27s back with Lacey completing the top five.

The Precision National Sports Sedan Series returns at Sydney Motorsport Park alongside the Supercars on July 19-21.

Thomas Miles

PRECISION NATIONAL SPORTS SEDANS POINTS AFTER ROUND 2 1: Peter Ingram 259 points 2: Geoff Taunton 232 3: Steve Lacey 173 4: Steve Tamasi 168 5: Matt Ingram 167

Thomas Randle flies in the SAAB under the rising sun at The Bend.

Images: JOHN MORRIS

autoactionmag

Auto_Action

autoactionmag

autoactionmag

www.autoaction.com.au I 45

NATIONALS WRAP

TUSSLING AROUND THE BEND

THE TRANS Am trip to The Bend produced plenty of action with big names fighting hard at the front – but a familiar face again emerged on top.

Although Todd Hazelwood enjoyed his most successful round so far, penalties proved costly for the South Australian on home turf and James Moffat’s consistency ensured he came away with another round win.

Moffat raced out of the blocks by taking pole with a 1:31.6838, which was just less than two tenths ahead of Hazelwood.

They were well clear of James Golding, while Lee Stibbs and Nathan Herne were the lone non Mustangs in the top 13.

But when the racing began there was plenty of tension and controversy.

Hazelwood crossed the line first in both Saturday races but was only awarded victory

in one of them.

He and Moffat were fighting for victory in the closing stages of Race 1 when a Safety Car disrupted proceedings after Stibbs spun at Turn 11.

It was judged that Hazelwood had passed Moffat at the same corner when Safety Car boards and flags were displayed. As a result, Hazelwood was stripped of what would have been a maiden win and Moffat was promoted to the top step.

However, the TFH Racing driver only needed the very next opportunity to get that sought-after victory.

Hazelwood jumped Moffat off the line in Race 2, while Jackson Rice rotated at the opening corner.

Moffat stayed within a second by the end of the race but this time there was no stopping Hazelwood from taking the first victory.

Herne put in a solid drive in the privateer Dodge Challenger to get a safe third, well ahead of Boys and Golding.

The bragging rights were initially with Hazelwood as he put in a strong drive in Race 3.

After keeping his rivals at bay at Turn 1 off the start, Hazelwood pressed on to a take a 1.8s win over Moffat with strong mid-race pace the key.

They were well ahead of next best Golding, who was forced to sacrifice third to Herne, who was 10s back.

Golding had an eventful drive, going from seventh to third on track but he received a penalty for nudging Ben Grice.

There was more action in the finale that decided the round honours as contact between Moffat and Hazelwood allowed Jordan Boys to take an unexpected win.

The clash occurred at Turn 1 early in the race where Hazelwood spun Moffat as Boys hit the lead.

Although Moffat came out second and Golding snuck past Hazelwood for third, the latter received a 5s penalty for the clash with the #34.

Boys cruised to a dominant win over Moffat, who won the round by by five points over Hazelwood and extended his series lead to 41.

Moffat once again is the man to beat with the ‘Paperclip’ coming up in July.

Thomas Miles

TRANS AM POINTS AFTER ROUND 4 1: James Moffat 518 points 2: James Golding 477 3: Todd Hazelwood 477 4: Jordan Boys 471 5: Elliot Barbour 325

Nathan Herne, Todd Hazelwood and James Moffat wrestle door-to-door for the Trans Am lead.

Image: SPEEDSHOTS PHOTOGRAPHY

MUSTANG KEEPS ON WINNING

IT MIGHT have faced greater opposition, but the new Ford Mustang GT4 took its winning pedigree to new ground at The Bend.

Despite Tom Hayman and Marcos Flack winning in Race 1, George Miedecke and Rylan Gray gave the new ‘Pony’ another win in the GT4 Australia finale at the South Australian circuit on Sunday.

But the Mustang was not quite on the pace in qualifying, with Miedecke coming fifth as Josh Buchan took pole ahead of Jarrod Hughes.

However, this did not stop Miedecke from fighting hard against Flack for second behind Buchan.

The pair swapped spots a number of times and the power of the Mustang prevailed, which put them in a good space ahead of the compulsory stops.

But the tide turned to Flack’s McLaren in the lane as he enjoyed less of a

46 I www.autoaction.com.au

George Miedecke and Rylan Gray pushed the Mustang to another win.

Image: SPEEDSHOTS PHOTOGRAPHY compulsory stop time than the Ford when changing over to Hayman.

Hayman held on with a rather comfortable victory margin of 3.9s over Gray, but the Mustang ended up being disqualified due to being 2kg underweight.

This ensured Nathan Morcom and Tom McLennan were the runners-up ahead of Lachie Mineeff and Shane Smollen in a Method Motorsport 1-2-3.

The McLaren of Buchan led early, but his co-driver Jason Yu could not keep up

with his rivals.

Fuelled by losing second place, Miedecke and Gray dominated on Sunday.

After starting on the front row, Gray made a great start to take control over the #1.

The #35 Mustang was one of the first to pit on Lap 14, but this re-emerged with a comfortable lead with Miedecke behind the wheel.

Flack/Hayman settled into second ahead of Method Motorsport teammates Morcom/McLennan and that remained the case for the remainder of the race.

Mineeff made a late move on Tim Leahy to steal the Pro Am honours.

Vince Gucciardo was the only retirement, on lap two.

The GT4 Australia Series returns at Queensland Raceway on August 2-4.

Thomas Miles

Want to see your category event or news story included in the Auto Action Nationals Wrap.

Send your information, images and contact details to team@autoaction.com.au or give us a call on 03 9563 2107 Zac Soutar had the perfect Sunday to rise to the top of the TCR standings Image: DAVID BATCHELOR

SHOOTING SOUTAR

ZAC SOUTAR did not start the Supercheap Auto TCR Australia trip to The Bend brilliantly, but ended it with flying colours.

Soutar was unstoppable on Sunday and, despite just falling short to Josh Buchan in round honours, he leads the TCR standings.

After a wet practice day, qualifying was a touch unknown as drivers took on the West circuit in the dry for the first time.

Tony D’Alberto excelled in the Honda, taking pole by two-tenths over Buchan, Jordan Cox and Soutar.

Buchan lost his front row start due to a five-place grid penalty for swapping cars to the HMO Customer Racing Hyundai i30 Sedan N he used in last year’s title.

Soutar was unable to make the most of

the opportunity with a clutch drama seeing his #110 Audi go nowhere.

He was eventually able to get going and salvaged important points in ninth.

Up front, the fight for victory was a tense two-horse race between Cox and D’Alberto.

Although the #33 GRM Peugeot led from start to finish, the higher top speed of the Civic always kept the Wall Racing driver interested.

Despite a look on lap 13, D’Alberto had to settle for second, six-tenths adrift as Buchan fought back to reclaim third.

Finishing ninth ensured Soutar could start on the front row for the top 10 reverse grid affair in Race 2 and he made full use of it to take the lead and never be challenged.

No-one came close as he cruised to a 7s

win, but there was plenty of drama behind.

Clay Richards and D’Alberto went off after getting the worst of a three-wide contest also involving Aaron Cameron.

This brought out the Safety Car while championship contenders Buchan and Ben Bargwanna also lost significant ground.

However, Buchan again put in a fighting drive to be third across the line with Brad Harris coming up second best.

In Race 3 Buchan had a tough start in which he was bashed around, while Cameron was spun where Iain McDougall and Glenn Nirwan were caught in the crossfire.

Cox was the early leader, but he lost track position with a wild moment at the final corner, which put Soutar in charge.

However, the race was far from over with the recovered Buchan applying the blowtorch.Buchan came within half a second but could not quite get close enough.

Behind them young rookie Ryan Casha held off Harris to secure an impressive third.

The TCR season now heads to Queensland Raceway on July 12-14.

Thomas Miles SUPERCHEAP AUTO TCR AUSTRALIA CHAMPIONSHIP AFTER ROUND 4 1: Zac Soutar 414 points 2: Josh Buchan 393 3: Ben Bargwanna 383 4: Jordan Cox 378 5: Ryan Casha 366

GERMAN DANCE THE GERMAN manufacturers regained their control of the GT World Challenge Australia with Audi and Mercedes sharing the spoils at The Bend.

On Saturday Declan Fraser tasted GT success for the first time in the Triple Eight Mercedes alongside Peter Hackett, while, on Sunday, Will Brown and Brad Schumacher surged ahead after the cycle of stops.

The Ferraris were still fast however, with Jaxon Evans leading an Arise Racing 1-2 ahead of Chaz Mostert by a commanding four tenths with a 1:14.730.

But the pace of the Audis was evident in the second session where Schumacher shot to the top.

He was the only driver in the 1m15s window and was three-tenths clear of Garth Walden’s

Mercedes, while Liam Talbot had to settle for third.

When it was time to race, another Mercedes (Mark Sheargold and Walden) hit the lead after winning a four-wide battle into Turn 1.

After overcoming Schumacher, Talbot settled into second in the #1 with the #888 of Hackett sitting an important third throughout the first stint, while the #87 dripped to fifth.

Walden opened up the best part of an 8s lead and, determined to retain it, was one of the first to pit and change over to Sheargold.

However, the big winner from the cycle of stops was car #888 which jumped from third to first.

Fraser emerged ahead of Mostert with 20 laps still left. Although Mostert pushed hard

in the #1 296, he could not quite get close enough with traffic and would come up 2s short.

The battle for third was also a tight one, with Jaxon Evans keeping Brown behind to ensure two Ferraris appeared on the podium.

A similar strategy charge helped Brown and Schumacher emerge victorious on Sunday.

Earlier in the race Mostert looked ominous as he charged into the lead as Brendon Leitch saw off Brown for third.

There was drama at Turn 1 where Renee Gracie spun the returning Lamborghini of Tony D’Alberto.

As the first stint carried on, Brown had stronger pace and caught Leitch before eating into Mostert’s lead.

This proved critical as the Schumacher Audi

emerged from the stops in the lead.

Although Miles was not far behind initially, Schumacher powered away to take a commanding 18s win.

Mostert/Talbot flew to second with Evans/ Schutte in their wake as Miles dropped to fourth.

With four different cars winning the first four races, it is an open field ahead of Queensland Raceway on August 2-4.

Thomas Miles GTWCA STANDINGS AFTER ROUND 2 1: L. Talbot/C. Mostert 75 points 2: B. Schumacher/W. Brown 68 3: T. Miles/B. Leitch 59 4: E. Schutte/J. Evans 55 5: P. Hackett/D. Fraser 53

Declan Fraser enjoyed a breakthrough GT win in his second round in the Triple Eight Mercedes.

Image: SPEEDSHOTS PHOTOGRAPHY

autoactionmag

Auto_Action

autoactionmag

autoactionmag

www.autoaction.com.au I 47

NATIONALS WRAP

THE DESERT HAS A NEW KING

AFTER FINISHING ON THE PODIUM SIX TIMES PREVIOUSLY, BEAU ROBINSON AND SHANE HUTT HAVE FINALLY GOT THE FINKE MONKEY OFF THEIR BACKS IN AN HISTORIC VICTORY. TIMOTHY W NEAL REPORTS …

IT WAS a long time coming, but the West Aussie pair were crowned the 2024 Finke Desert Race champions after an epic twoday battle, prevailing in the overall stakes by a margin of just over five minutes.

With a total time of 3 hours, 28 minutes and 44.776 seconds, the Extreme 2WD pairing overcame Queensland pair Billy Geddes and Corey Cooper, of the same classification, to take the class and the ultimate King of the Desert honours in their MASON GEN 2 SPEC TT 7000 cc Trophy Truck.

With the top two spots filled by the Trophy Trucks, it came down to a battle of the Pro Buggies for the last podium spot and the class win. It fell the way of Victorian duo James Cook and Mitch Aucote, who came within six minutes of the second placegetter, and over four minutes ahead of their nearest class and overall rivals.

In the bikes, it was local hero David Walsh on his KTM 500 EXC-F who added his name

FROM THE WINNING TRUCK

to the long list of victors since the event’s beginning in 1976.

In recent times the race has been dominated by Toby Price – arguably Australia’s greatest ever off-road racer – with the last three falling his way. But his absence opened the door to a new hero in Alice

Persistence! Beau Robinson and Shane Hutt took out the over-all victory, ahead of Bill Geddes/Corey Cooper, hanging it out (above) ...

Images: SHOW ‘N’ GO PHOTOGRAPHY, SUPPLIED.

48 I www.autoaction.com.au

Springs, in one of the world’s most remote and rugged off-road races.

With 10 classes of four-wheel action and the traditional Finke bike category, there was no shortage of action and stories to emerge from this year’s running, the 36th since the addition of the four-wheelers.

AFTER HOLDING the lead after Day 1 by just over one minute from the eventual runners up, the 223 km finale saw the #3 victors take Day 2 by over three minutes.

“It feels really good, we’ve come close a lot of times,” Robinson said post-race.

“We were certainly not counting our chickens through the run back. When we got about 10km out from Alice Springs, I was thinking, ‘we might just do this’.”

Alongside his long-time navigator, the pair were in a position to play it safe on the run home, with Robinson fully aware of the unexpected dangers that are hiding on the rough desert tracks.

“We conserved massively. I’ve never driven that slow in my life,” he continued.

“We wanted to make sure we finished.

We were really keeping a check on ourselves, tried to keep it in one piece and just really looked after her (the car).

Want to see your category event or news story included in the Auto Action Nationals Wrap.

Send your information, images and contact details to team@autoaction.com.au or give us a call on 03 9563 2107

Raptor, whilst Lowndes said he was “beaten by the desert”.

With the Pro Buggies filling fifth through seventh, eighth outright went to Prolite Buggy class winners Mel and Liam Brandle, ahead of ninth placegetters Andrew Brown/ Danny Hardman as Extreme 4WD class winners.

Paul Tinga and Daniel Kelsey were fastest in the Sportslite class in 15th outright, while Timothy Wier and Mark Nietschke took the Super 1650 class honours in 29th.

Michael Shipton was fastest of the Performance 2WD competitors in 35th outright, and John White/Jack Briggs secured the SXS Sport honours, making it there and back in just over six hours.

And despite losing out on Day 2 to Norton and Korey McMahon, Walsh did enough to take the bikes in a 47-second thriller.

VOLUNTEER HONOURS

Craig Lowndes led the 4WD Production class into the second day, but suffered suspension failure – allowing the Lovell Ford Raptor to take the win. Above: Local David Walsh took a popular bike race win ...

Above (top to bottom): Judy and Lance Thomason – Finke Heroes; It’s desolate out there; Jeff Niven powers to provisional class victory in SXS; Shannon Rentsch hit problems at the start ...

“I’ve been coming up here a long time and you don’t realise it but you learn a lot of little things. The race comes to you – you used to think you had to chase it. We knew where to push and where to back down – and that’s how we got here today.”

When asked how they’d be celebrating, his response carried with it the whiff of an early morning affair, in the crisp air of an Alice Springs sunrise.

“We’re turning it on, we’re turning it on and this time, it’s a celebratory one ...”

FROM ALICE TO APUTULA AND BACK

STARTING OFF with the 8.3 km Prologue, Robinson took the lead from the get go to claim the first starting spot for Day 1, finishing 2.3 seconds clear of Pro Buggy pair Carl Haby and Chloe Roehr.

In the race to the first checkpoint in Aputula, a 223km leg, Robinson laid waste to his stellar 2023 time, coming in the leader with a time of 1 hour and 41 minutes and 8.68 seconds with Geddes in hot pursuit in second place.

WA’s Brent Smoothy of the EXTREME 4WD class held third at the day’s end, three minutes behind Geddes, whilst the eventual outright podium Pro Buggy held fourth over Danny Brown, with all five pairings never having been crowned champions. The day wasn’t without its problems for the third placed Cook however, having rolled the

autoactionmag

Auto_Action

autoactionmag

autoactionmag

buggy three times through a dry river bed and losing GPS. In the bikes, Walsh held a three-minute lead over Callum Norton with a time of 1:47:36.812 with a speed average of 122.6km/h, And though it was only a three entry class, the 4WD Production had an intriguing battle with Supercars Legend Craig Lowndes piloting a Chevrolet Silverado ZR2 6200 CC with Dale Moscatt as co-driver, up against their chief rival of a Ford Ranger, steered by American off-road hall of famer Brad Lovell, alongside his son Byam Lovell. Impressively, Lowndes had a three minute jump!

The race back to Alice Springs saw Brett Comiskey take over the wheel in the secondplaced 2WD truck, but he would end up fifth in the Day 2 standings, still enough for the #434 truck to claim outright second.

In the Day 2 outright, Michael Zacka had a great run to second behind Robinson in the #51 Pro Buggy, which was enough to narrowly claim second in class and outright fourth.

In the SXS class, Jeff McNiven stormed home by over 13 minutes in outright 20th, but a 15-minute penalty hung over his head for an illegal pre-run of the course, with the honours then going to Greg Campbell and his daughter Tori.

35km in, Lowndes’ Silverado lost its front suspension to end the Ford v Chev battle, with Lovell going back-to-back in the

AN IMPORTANT part of the Finke furniture, long-time race volunteers Julie and Lance Thomsen were awarded the highly valued Finke Hero award. The husband and wife couple have occupied the Finke checkpoint at the halfway point for the last 15 years.

After drivers sign on at the Alice end, Julie records times as exhausted competitors arrive at Finke and then the following day flags off the competitors from Finke as they re-start back to Alice Springs.

Whilst Lance is the first face that competitors see on arrival in Finke to ensure their well being, he does plenty of pre-race prep work, driving the water truck to Finke that sprays down the track to ensure the best condition.

Whilst Julie said she was “actually lost for words,” Lance described his attachment as owing to “the community spirit. Everyone is here to help and makes it nice to come down.”

FORD VS CHEV

AMONGST THE big heavy-hitting categories, the 4WD Production class saw the Raptor and Silverado face off, with the Lovell-driven Chevrolet taking the honours in an overall time of 5:58:23.501s.

With Craig Lowndes making his first Finke and a rare off-road appearance, the manufacturer battle within the greater war was viewed with interest, with Lowndes initially getting the better of the famed Lovell.

“First of all I’d like to congratulate the Lovells and the Ford team on their class win today,” Lowndes said.

“The Silverado was tough all weekend, from taking out prologue and line honours to Day 1, but unfortunately we were beaten by the desert today.”

Coming back over after last year’s class Raptor victory, Lovell was relieved with the win.

“Coming over here from the US is a big deal – there’s a lot of pressure on us,” Lovell said.

“We’ve got the best team around us, engineers, mechanics, everybody. A lot of pressure, and it feels great to come out on top. The Raptor had blistering pace through the whoops for a stock vehicle.

“I’m glad our formula worked out to be faster than Chevy, but I tried not to be worried about them and their pace, because it is just a distraction.”

www.autoaction.com.au I 49

DRAG RACING

HARRIS TAKES MAIDEN NDRC TOP FUEL TITLE

WAYNE NEWBY may have won the Winternationals battle, but Damien Harris has won the war, taking out the maiden National Drag Racing Championship Top Fuel title.

A historic 2023/24 season came to a close in a big way at Willowbank Raceway last weekend, when Top Fuel, XPRO Nitro Funny Car, Top Doorslammer, Top Fuel Motorcycle, Pro Alcohol, Pro Stock, Pro Stock Motorcycle, FuelTech Pro Mod and 12 Aeroflow National Sportsman Championship brackets staged finals.

The fight for Top Fuel honours came down to Rapisarda Autosport International teammates Newby and Harris.

Fittingly they lifted the intensity in the finale and went head-to-head in the A Final.

Newby snatched Winternats honours with a blistering 3.779-second 520.75kph pass over Harris’ 3.778-second 521.62kph effort.

However, Harris still did enough to take the first NDRC Top Fuel title and list the Stan Sainty Cup like he did in 2022/23.

“To go home with the Gold, the Silver, and the Stan Sainty Cup as a team is amazing and what we set out to do at the beginning of the year,” Harris said.

“We had the setback in Perth, but we bounced back and what a way to end the weekend for the team.”

Newby secured his path to the decider by besting Peter Xiberras by just 0.032s in a thrilling pair of side-by-side three-second 500kph+ runs.

Phil Read would have met Xiberras in the B Final, but a fireball erupted as Read left the line in Round 2.

This meant the PremiAir Racing driver enjoyed a solo run in the B Final.

Justin Walshe proved he was the class of the XPRO Nitro Funny Car field.

He went head to head with Brandon Gosbell in the championship race where a holeshot with a 4.085-second 516.79kph run pushed Walshe to the Winternationals and NDRC double.

Rapisarda Autosport International teammates Damien Harris and Wayne Newby go head-to-head for Top Fuel NDRC honours.

Images: CACKLING PIPES PHOTOGRAPHY

50 I www.autoaction.com.au

The leading Funny Car was Justin Walshe once again.

“When you are the older bloke in the class and coming up against these young guys, all you can do is get there and give it everything you have got on the tree,” Walshe said.

“I lost my old man a year and a half ago and he is there in the car talking to me on every run.

“This is all about the team, I have the easy job.”

In the B Final, Morice McMillin overcame Adam Murrihy with an impressive 3.945-second 511.32 kph pass.

In the C Final Begley beat Leahy after the latter was left at the tree before shutting down.

The Top Doorslammer NDRC title was decided in the semi-finals when Ronnie Palumbo knocked out 11-time champ John Zappia.

This paved the way for Russell Taylor to become Top Doorslammer champion in style.

He marked the occasion by setting his quickest ET of the season in the final, where he also claimed the Winternats event win with a 5.592-second 416.51kph run over Palumbo (5.728s/400.46kph).

“This is unbelievable, a dream come true, I am just speechless,” Taylor said.

Russell Mills entered the final round as the Pro Alcohol champion elect and celebrated by

Russell Taylor and Ronnie Palumbo race sideby-side in Top Doorslammer final at Willowbank. making the A Final.

Despite securing the title, he missed out on another gold Christmas Tree due to local racer Daniel Reed taking event honours.

Reed took the event win by laying down a new career-best run of 5.395-second 436.34kph over Mills (5.561s/401.80kph) after having earlier taken round victories over John Cannuli in Round 1 and Luke Marsden in Round 2.

Luke Crowley once again showed he was lightning on two wheels by celebrating his Pro Stock Motorcycle NDRC title with a hat-trick of Winternats wins.

As the Top Qualifier, Crowley enjoyed a bye in round one, before a win over Tony Frost in round two. In the final, Crowley took the win with a 7.132-second 305.38kph run over Jason Lee’s 8.015-second 192.75kph effort. Lee

earned his way to the final with victories over Paul Andrews and Daniel Rabnott.

Benny Stevens also wrapped up his Top Fuel Motorcycle NDRC crown, while his Dananni Hotshots teammate Aaron Deery took the event win on ‘The Gorilla’.

Deery beat Corey Buttigieg with a a 7.182-second, 278.75kph pass as his rival took out some timing boxes.

In Pro Stock, Rob Dekert claimed his first NDRC championship win, decided in the nailbiting first elimination round of the weekend.

With Rick Chilton knocked out in the first round by Omar Sedmak, all Dekert needed to do was claim victory over John Barbagallo to clinch the championship, which his 6.916-second 304.87kph round one pass more than enough to do.

Despite both races being red lit on the line, Top Qualifier Tyronne Tremayne won the A Final over Dekert.

Although Sunday did not go his way, top qualifier Craig Burns did enough to secure the FuelTech Pro Mod crown as Zoran Gajic would go on to claim the Winternats event honours.

Taking out the Aeroflow National Sportsman Championship Eastern Conference wins for their respective brackets were Dean Jamieson (Modified Bike, over Nick Thompson), Craig Collis (Real Street, over Kay Swenson), Zayne Condello (Junior Dragster, over Savanna Condello), Adam Jordan (Junior Drag Bike, over James Lowday), Luke ‘Tex’ Griffiths (Super Street, over Andrew Waight), Daniel Morris (Top Sportsman, over Tony Whyatt), Sean Maher (Super Sedan, over Daniel List), Cory Dyson (Modified, over Daniel Carranza), Leonard Azzopardi (Extreme Bike, over Brendan Miglionico), Edge Mallis (Performance Bike, over Ken Collin), Toby Austin (Supercharged Outlaws, over Davydd Estcourt), Mitchell Oxley (Competition, over Peter Pisalidis), and Darrin Gay (Super Stock, over Steve Norman).

Thomas Miles

INTERNATIONAL

IMSA I DETROIT

IMSA RACE ON THE STREETS OF DOWNTOWN DETROIT UNDER THE SHADOWS OF GM’S TOWERING HEADQUARTERS, IMSA’S LATEST ROUND SAW THE GTP MACHINES TAKE TO THE DOWNTOWN STREETS OF DETROIT FOR THE FIRST TIME. TIMOTHY W NEAL REPORTS …

JOINING THE Long Beach Grand Prix, the second street circuit on the calendar, Acura flipped the tables on Cadillac to return serve after a GM LMDh stole the show in Acura’s hometown of California.

The #10 Acura ARX-06 piloted by Filipe Albuquerque/Ricky Taylor became the fifth different winner in as many rounds, with only the BMW squad yet to take the chequered flag, as well as the enduranceonly Lamborghini team.

In what was the #10’s first visit to the podium for the year, they beat out the #6 Porsche 963 of Mathieu Jaminet/Nick Tandy by just 1.132s, whilst a further 4.198 back was the hometown machine driven

by Sebastien Bourdais/Renger van der Zande in the #01 Cadillac, giving GM its only joy for the day.

There were mixed reviews for the race from the drivers perspective as they took on the bumpy and narrow circuit used by the IndyCars for a 100-minute outing, but it delivered a hectic show for the fans.

The overall consensus from the drivers post-race was that the layout needed some tinkering to create some wider corners, and some sections of track needed some smoothing over to better accommodate the wider and higher-powered Hybrid sportscars. But nonetheless, it was a wildly entertaining and chaotic race from the viewers perspective, with five full-track yellows (FCY) being called.

After qualifying in fourth, Taylor (a twotime IMSA prototype champion) described the relief.: “It means so much, with how important track position is here – we didn’t think we

autoactionmag

Auto_Action

The Albuquerque/Taylor Acura survived a crash-fest to take out the race. Below: The field exits one of the tight hairpins in formation to take the start.

Images: MOTORSPORT IMAGES

had a chance really,” the American said.

“But Filipe had an amazing start. We ran one set of Michelin tires for the entire race. The one pit stop, the guys nailed it.

The driver change was flawless. I’m just so happy and proud of the team. Just super excited.”

With overtaking expected to be a difficult task, the two Porsche-Penske 963s went in as favourite’s after locking out the front row from the #10 Cadillac and the eventual winner.

Despite a clean start to the race, it was a Mustang GT3 that stalled on-track to bring out the first FCY, with the longest period of green flag running to come (25 minutes).

It was in that period, that the pole-getting and comfortably leading #6 Porsche overshot Turn 3 to find the back of a Ferrari GT3.

The incident led to a drive-through penalty but, whilst doing so on the short pit road, the #25 BMW went hard into the Turn

autoactionmag

autoactionmag

2 wall to bring out a second FCY, which remarkably put the Porsche back in front after being last on pit-exit.

A re-bunched field led to a scrappy second half of the race, with three GT3s finding contact (including the eventual winner), whilst the third FCY then came seconds later as the #31 Whelen Cadillac went for an overly ambitious Turn 1 pass, catching the #85 JDC Porsche to create an impassable snarl-up.

After the restart, the #10 Acura started to reel in the leading Porsche with a bold dive on the slow exiting Turn 3.

But after just 18 minutes of racing a fourth FCY was called for debris and, at the drop of the subsequent green, the #31 Cadillac then turned the #5 Proton Porsche into the Turn 5 wall for a fifth and final FCY. A seven minute stretch to bring it home wasn’t exactly clean with another GT3 clash, but it stayed green as the #10 Acura brought it home, rewarding the earlier bold pass.

In the GTD Pro class, it was the championship leading #77 ‘Rexy’ Porsche GT3 (Laurin Heinrich/Sebastian Priaulx) that took the win after the pole-getting hometown Corvette had alternator issues on the first lap, further compounding a rough day for GM. Rounding out the GTD Pro podium was the Vasser Sullivan Lexus, and the Heart of Racing Aston Martin.

After IMSA’s shift from the nearby Belle Isle Park to downtown Detroit, there was a wide mix of feelings from the drivers.

Second place getter, Tandy said that: “We were a little bit worried about how they were going to be able to navigate through all the tight sections here, but actually it’s not so bad.

Although it’s short, the track feels fast, these cars accelerate a lot faster in first and second gear than they do in fourth and fifth gear out of a corner.”

The shunted JDC-Miller Porsche driver, Richard Westbrook, was way over on the other end of the spectrum: “To be honest, the track is not suitable for racing with prototypes in the top GTP class. It was like being in a bumper car.

The damage to the vehicles worsened lap by lap. It was unacceptable … I have such fond memories of the times we competed on the beautiful Belle Isle in Detroit.”

Sorry Dick, the IMSA Detroit downtowner is here to stay.

Next up is the all-category Six Hours of the Glen at Watkins Glen in New York on June 23, with the #7 Porsche-Penske of Dane Cameron/Felipe Nasr holding a 70 point series lead over the #10 Cadillac.

www.autoaction.com.au I 51

INTERNATIONAL

MY TURF Francesco Bagnaia was perfect on the blue Ducati.

Images: GOLD AND GOOSE FRANCESCO BAGNAIA continued his MotoGP title charge by producing the perfect weekend on home turf at Muguello.

Despite starting fifth, Bagnaia dominated the Italian Motorcycle Grand Prix on the ‘blue’ Ducati, winning the Sprint before smashing it on Sunday to score a hat-trick of home wins.

The reigning champion continues to chop down Jorge Martin’s points lead, which now sits at 18.

Martin threatened to challenge Bagnaia by taking pole position in a competitive qualifying where less than half a second covered the top six.

However, the factory Ducatis showed their prowess as soon as lights went out in the Sprint with both Bagnaia and Enea Bastianini shooting past Martin.

KTM’s Brad Binder was also electric, flying from 14th to fourth on the opening lap.

The fight for second behind Bagnaia ignited and proved to be one of the turning points of the Sprint.

The factory Ducati 1-2 was broken when Bastianini ran too wide at Turn 1. The Italian was determined to fight back and as he tried to return to the racing line, contact was made with Martin.

It sent Bastianini sliding into the gravel and out of action, while the surviving PRAMAC Ducati rider now had Marc Marquez for company.

The #93 hunted down the #89 with ease and turned its attention to the #1, halving the latter’s lead that was once up to 1.3s.

Martin had little left to fight with – and by lap eight he was out all together, suffering a costly crash.

Despite Marquez’s mid-race momentum, Bagnaia was able to restore a 1.5s lead by the time the chequered flag arrived, while Pedro Acosta snared third.

Australia’s Jack Miller made ground from grid position #19, but missed out on points in 12th.

On a sunny Sunday, Martin appeared to get a good jump, but he could not stop

52 I www.autoaction.com.au

Martin (left) and Millar – on the move.

Enea Bastianini completes his last-corner move on Jorge Martin for second.

Bagnaia leads the field through the twists of Mugello

Bagnaia from flying from fourth to first with an incredible exit out of Turn 1.

Bastianini and Marquez slotted in behind, while the leading non Ducati was fast-starting Tech3 of Acosta and Miller moved up six spots from 19th to 13th.

But before too long, the Aussie had slumped from 13th to outside of the points and came home 16th.

Augusto Fernandez was the first retirement with dramas on his Tech3 KTM, while Honda battlers Joan Mir and Takaaki Nakagami both fell.

As the race crept into the second half, Bastianini had his work cut out keeping Marquez behind.

On Lap 19 the #93 fired his shot and performed the block pass perfectly, leaving Bastianini no answer but to settle for third.

The Spaniard had some work to do to make further ground with Martin more than a second up the road and on the attack.

Inside the final five laps, Martin cut down Bagnaia’s lead down to just three tenths, but he had used all of his credits.

Bagnaia had an emphatic response, producing a special penultimate lap to suddenly be almost a second clear in the run to the flag and destroy any thoughts of a grandstand finish.

Now Martin was looking behind, with Bastianini on the charge.

The sister Ducati had nudged past Marquez and quickly caught the #89 for second.

Bastianini waited until the very last corner to make a move and it worked.

Martin ran wide under threat and Bastianini slipped inside to make it a Ducati 1-2 and a perfect day for the factory outfit.

Racing with a Kiss tribute, Bagnaia marked his home hat-trick by playing the air guitar in his best rendition of Gene Simmons.

Martin might have the championship lead, but ll the momentum is with Bagnaia as a small break arrives before the Dutch TT at the end of the month on June 28-30.

Thomas Miles MOTOGP WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP AFTER ROUND 7 1: Jorge Martin 171 points 2: Francesco Bagnaia 153 3: Marc Marquez 136 4: Enea Bastianini 114 5: Pedro Acosta 101

MILLER, MARC AND MARTIN ON THE MOVE THREE MASSIVE pieces of the MotoGP silly season puzzle were resolved during in Mugello, including the future of Australia’s Jack Miller.

Miller’s days at the factory KTM team appear over after just two seasons with the Austrian squad keen to promote flying rookie Pedro Acosta.

It is understood the Australian won’t be lost to the MotoGP grid, with the #43 expected to make a straight swap to the Tech3 team.

But the big shock came after the race at Mugello when PRAMAC Ducati star Jorge Martin announced a shock deflection to Aprilia for 2025.

Martin has been part of the Ducati family since he stepped up to MotoGP in 2021 and has competed all four of his seasons at PRAMAC Ducati, but in 2025 he will ride for the factory Aprilia outfit to replace the retiring Aleix Espargaro.

With Jorge having been a longtime favourite to rise to Ducati, this opened the door for Marc Marquez to join the factory squad.

After rediscovering his best on the 2023-spec Gresini, Marquez will suit up in red alongside Francesco Bagnaia to form one of the most fearsome Ducati combinations ever, in 2025 and 2026.

MOTOGP • MUGUELLO I WRC RALLY • ITALIA SARDEGNA

OTT’S ISLAND THE WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP’S ROUND 6 VISIT TO SARDINIA, ITALY, RESULTED IN THE JOINT CLOSEST FINISH IN WRC HISTORY. TIMOTHY W NEAL REPORTS …

OTT TANAK and Hyundai jointly declared prior to the Rally Italia Sardegna that both himself and the i20N were ready to enter WRC championship contention.

Returning to an island he’d previously won twice on, the tight and slippery confines of Sardinia’s gravel roads suited the Estonian’s driving style, as he and co-driver Martin Jarveoja claimed a miraculous win at the death over Toyota’s Sebastien Ogier by 0.2 seconds.

Such a margin was last seen in Jordan in 2011, when Ogier nicked it off his now Team Principal, Matti Latvala.

After finishing second in Round 5’s visit to Portugal, it was his first win back at Hyundai since the Ypres Rally in 2022 after crossing from Ford-MSport following a mechanically frustrating 2023.

After Ogier had taken the last two round wins in Portugal and Croatia, the eighttime champion was just one stage and 6.2 seconds away from a third straight, but in the last 3 kilometres of the 266.12 km rally, a puncture cruelled his efforts to win a fifth Italian rally after leading 12 of the 16 stages.

“I was really surprised at what happened, I was focusing on Sunday points to score as much as I could,” said Tanak.

“We were parked up and I saw Seb’s time and I saw at the mid-point that he was just one second behind. I didn’t know the time gap and I asked Martin (co-driver).

“In the end it is just a bunch of emotions.

But obviously I am very sorry for Seb. To lose like that is cruel, and I’ve been in exactly the same position myself a couple of years ago.”

Adding to the Korean marquees seventh win in Sardinia, 41-year-old Spaniard Dani Sordo also guided his i20N to third place, 2:25.8s in arrears of Tanak to help maintain

Sebastien Ogier was back, driving hard and pushing for victory.

Elfyn Evans on the tools – one of the drivers hit by tyre issues.

the team’s manufacturer title lead.

Whilst the Estonian was lucky to get the win, it was his tenacity to stay in touch throughout the rally, despite also having component issues, and in closing the 17-second gap over the Sunday that really secured the win.

To kick things off, although WRC series leader Thierry Neuville took out the 2.08 km shakedown, the odds were stacked against him as the first car out on a loose surface across Friday’s four stages and 77.82 kms.

Ogier was near perfect across the first full day where protecting the tyre on a rough and rocky surface was crucial.

Whilst a puncture greeted Toyota’s Elfyn Evans in Stage 1 to put him on the back foot, Tanak had to battle a hybrid failure, making the inclines a struggle, but he nonetheless held second spot throughout the day, going into the service park only 4.5s behind, with Sordo holding third over Takamoto Katsuta and Neuville.

Saturday’s 149 km featured eight stages and the famous Micky’s Jump, and with four

stage wins, Ogier opened the lead up to 17.1 seconds by day’s end after a tough tussle.

Early tyre damage saw his lead erased over the first outing, with Tanak edging ahead as they then traded the lead four times until Ogier went on a three stage tear to reclaim the advantage.

Saturday also saw Neuville back in strong points contention, climbing briefly to third before going off the road via a braking error on Stage 8, sending him into retirement for the day.

That brought Katsuta into play for a podium before transmission issues scuppered his efforts, which played into the hands of a stalking Sordo, two minutes behind his second placed team-mate, and comfortably clear of Evans and Ford’s Gregoire Munster.

Sunday’s finale provided four stages across 39.3 km, finishing in view of the Mediterranean Sea. Although Neuville would go home in 41st place, his efforts on the Sunday netted him a vital 12 championship points in the new Super Sunday points format, winning three

of four stages to help maintain his title lead.

The battle up front was heart-in-mouth stuff, as the first Cala Flumini stage saw the Estonian pursuer reduce the lead to 13 seconds, and then to six seconds by the second outing. Although Tanak then took the penultimate stage, Ogier held the difference at 6.2 going into the final Cala Flumini re-run.

The extremely hostile road conditions then saw Ogier’s tyre drama unfold at the death, which led to Tanak’s victory, securing the 2019 champion joint second place on the table with Evans.

In the WRC2 the win was claimed by Toyota’s Rally2 driver Sami Pajari, with the Finn finishing sixth overall following the Rally1 retirements. Citroen Rally2 driver Yohan Rossel took second ahead of Spaniard Yan Solans in a second GR Yaris.

The next round sees another high-speed gravel edition with the 80th Rally Poland, returning to the WRC calendar for the first time since 2017 on June 27-30.

WRC STANDINGS AFTER 6 ROUNDS Neuville/Wydaeghe - Hyundai 122 Tanak/Jarveoja - Hyundai 104 Evans/Martin - Toyota 104 Ogier/Landais - Toyota 96 Fourmaux/Coria - Ford 74

Ott Tanak flew to a first WRC win of 2024.

Images: RED BULL CONTENT POOL

autoactionmag

Auto_Action

autoactionmag

autoactionmag

www.autoaction.com.au I 53

INTERNATIONAL

Images: MOTORSPORT IMAGES

LARSON TOPS UP IN WINE COUNTRY

KYLE LARSON is putting together an ominous season, claiming his third NASCAR Cup Series win of the year last weekend, adding the Sonoma Raceway to his efforts in Las Vegas and Kansas.

It comes just one week after NASCAR rightfully granted the Hendricks driver a playoff waiver to ensure that he participates in the post-season after he missed the Coca Cola 600 due to his rain-delayed drive in the Indianapolis 500.

Despite turning up in Charlotte just in time to take part in Stage 3, a thunderstorm meant there were no more laps turned and he never got in the car.

(Under NASCAR rules a driver cannot contest the post-season if they’ve missed a round).

Also participating at Sonoma were Supercars Aussies Will Brown for Richard Childress Racing, and Cam Waters for RFK Racing. Both would find trouble on-track in

Stage 2, with the Triple Eight championship leader finishing three laps down after electrical issues forced him to pull over, whilst his Tickford combatant registered a DNF after being collected in the hairpin not long after Brown. The latter would eventually finish in 31st, but he did climb as high as P11 before his US sojourn went awry.

But the winner of the day, the commissionreprieved Hendricks driver would ultimately add a second career win to add to his California ‘wine country’ CV, overcoming a dramatic three-way battle to guide his Chevy home over the final eight laps, eventually beating Mustang driver Michael McDowell by 4.258s, with Chris Buescher (who led a race-high 38 laps) rounding out the podium in another Ford machine.

Larson -–who hails from Elk Grove in California – didn’t have it at a canter however, and was pushed hard by Martin Truex Jr in the closing stages.

But on the 110th and final lap, Truex’s Toyota ran out of gas at the final corner, eventually rolling home in 27th to the cheers of the crowd who applauded his gamble.

“I didn’t know what we were doing as far as strategy,” said Larson in Victory Lane.

“I was just out there banging laps away.

So I was thinking, ‘these guys have to pit another time maybe,’ but then they said I had to go race and then pass those guys.

“So I got a bit nervous. I knew I’d be quick from the get-go but thought once the tyres came up to temp it would even off too much.

“Thankfully we had enough grip because those other guys really got racing … just an awesome race.”

The win catapulted Larson into first place in the regular season standings over Chase Elliot and the previous leader in Denny Hamlin, whose race and championship lead

was derailed when his Toyota engine hit trouble on the second lap, finishing dead last by day’s end.

In terms of the points breakdown on the day, Stage 1 went to Tyler Reddick, who opted not to pit in the search for vital stage points.

Buescher then held off Ryan Preece to claim the second – his second stage win of the year – with a seven-car wreck highlighting the stage, creating the logjam which Aussie Cam Waters got caught up in.

Over the final stage, Larson initially had the lead, running long on his tyres, but it was Buescher who cycled into the front after the final fuel stop with 15 to go.

But with fresher tyres, it would be Larson who deservedly claimed the glass of claret.

Next up is the Iowa Corn 350 at Iowa Speedway, the first ever Cup Series race at the 1.4km oval.

TW Neal

THE CINDRIC FUEL STEAL

TEAM PENSKE’S Austin Cindric (right) pulled off his first NASCAR Cup Series win since claiming the 2022 Daytona 500 as a rookie, with race leader and team-mate Ryan Blaney falling short of fuel at the death in Illinois on June 2.

Blaney looked in a fortunate position late in the piece after Christopher Bell’s lighting fast Toyota suffered heating issues to drop off the pace, but didn’t expect his Mustang to fall short of juice, which also surprised the conflicted race winner with the team robbed of a onetwo.

“This weekend was a great weekend for everybody involved,” Cindric said.

“But to have two cars in the fight and losing the 1-2 … heartbroken for those guys.

“This is huge for me though. This is huge for this team. I’m so glad I was able to get a win with Brian Wilson as my crew chief in

54 I www.autoaction.com.au

the Cup Series. You never know when it’s going to happen again. Just drove my butt off and hoped for the best.”

With the Sonoma round marking 11 races remaining, Blaney sits on decent points, but is without that vital win to ensure

qualification for the playoffs.

“One lap short, which just stinks.

Congrats to the #2 team. They did a good job all day. Props to them … proud for Team Penske and Ford,” Blaney lamented.

“I don’t know what I’ve got to do to get some luck on our side. Gosh, wrecked in the last two points races. Thought we had a great shot to win today. Ended up bad.”

With Blaney rolling home to an eventual 24th place, second place fell to series leader Denny Hamlin in the Joe Gibbs Toyota, whilst Brad Keselowski remained as a present factor of late to take third.

Coca-Cola 600 winner, Bell, would count himself unlucky after proving the fastest car on the day with Stage 1 and Stage 2 victories, and was looking a lock to pass Blaney for the lead in Stage 3 before his engine issues.

TW Neal

NASCAR • MADISON • SONOMA I INDYCAR • DETROIT • ROAD AMERICA

POWER BREAKS HIS DROUGHT

WILL POWER has snapped the longest losing streak of his Indycar career – 34 races – claiming his first win since Detroit in 2022 at Road America, as well as jumping into the championship lead.

The two-time series winner led home a Penske ‘Thirsty Three’ 1-2-3 at Road America for his 42nd visit to victory lane, topping Indy 500 winner Josef Newgarden by 3.260s, with Kiwi Scott McLaughlin in tow.

It was the first IndyCar team podium sweep since 2020, with the triumphant Aussie also levelling on all-time wins with Michael Andretti (fourth).

An emotional Power was joined on the podium by his wife and son to create a memorable moment, as he expressed the hardship of enduring his partner’s illness over the last year.

“Massively special, we’ve worked so hard to try to get wins. I worked really hard in

the offseason,” Power said.

“Obviously, last season was very stressful. I had half my mind at home and half at the track, so it was very difficult to perform at a high level there.

“Man, I’m just stoked. I’m very happy.

That was very well deserved for the whole team. We worked so hard for that.”

The #12 Chevrolet driver kept his composure throughout to take out the 55-lap affair after qualifying in fifth, overcutting his teammates at the last pit stop to vault into the lead from third place, guiding it home from lap 45.

The result saw Power overtake Kiwi Scott Dixon as the series leader, with the Chip Ganassi (CGR) driver dropping to third overall after finishing in 21st, whilst last year’s champion Alex Palou finds himself five points behind Power in second after finishing in fourth.

The Wisconsin race started in a chaotic

fashion, when the poleman Linus Lundqvist was tagged from behind by his own teammate, Kiwi Marcus Armstrong, who had started from a career-best third place in a CGR disaster.

Colton Herta was also tagged from behind by Newgarden to have his own front row start blown, with Kyle Kirkwood leading McLaughlin early as a result.

The Kiwi then took the lead on laps four through 16 after surviving another lap 10 restart, but it was Newgarden who looked in better shape after the first cycle of tyre changes, staying on the faster but higher-deg Alternates ahead of his mandatory switch to the harder Primary set.

Power – who was on the same rubberplan – was well placed in the top-five and, as it would turn out, his ability to patiently stay on the Softs until lap 44 would prove the race-winning move.

With the ‘Thirsty Three’ in control of the race, it would come down to individual strategy, and it the race high lap leader, McLaughlin (18 laps), who blinked first, pitting on lap 41 to strap on the Primaries, whilst Newgarden followed a lap later which gave Power the vital overcut.

As Power made his pit exit, Newgarden could just be seen coming over the hill on pit straight with McLaughlin behind him, and with the Aussie leading for the first time, he parried off a serious attempt at the lead from Newgarden.

The wind direction was in Power’s favour however, with the hefty tailwind compromising Newgarden’s efforts.

After a big month in IndyCar with three back-to-back races that started with the Indy 500, a week off to recharge will greet the field before they hit up Laguna Seca in Monterey, California, on June 23.

TW Neal

Will Power – back on the top step and into the championship lead ... Images: MOTORSPORT IMAGES

DIXON ENTERING AJ FOYT TERRITORY

AFTER A competitive podium in last month’s Indy500, Chip Ganassi’s Scott Dixon (pictured above) replied with a 58th career victory, his second of the season on June 2, briefly climbing to the top of the IndyCar leaderboard after seven rounds.

The Kiwi fuel-saving king survived a caution-riddled race on the streets of

autoactionmag

Auto_Action

Detroit to overcome Marcus Ericsson by leading a race-high 35 laps.

Dixon’s teammate and fellow Kiwi Marcus Armstrong also captured his first ever series podium with an impressive drive, fighting off Kyle Kirkwood at the death.

The win has also placed Dixon firmly in the AJ Foyt conversation as he now sits

autoactionmag

autoactionmag

within nine wins of the all-time win record, and will also tie the Texan legend on seven championships should he go all the way in 2024.

“The team called it perfectly – we were on the right strategy,” said Dixon.

“It’s always in the variables. Trying to stay out of trouble, trying to keep your car

on track. We had rain also… It was all over the shop out there. You had no idea how the transitions were going to fall or even the strategy. So, stoked for everyone on the team. That was cool.”

As expected in downtown Detroit, the first two-third of the race were marked by street chaos, with 47 caution laps across the first 73 laps, with strategies changing all over the place as the longest run of green-flag racing saw just 13 circuits.

Tyre choice was also thrown into the mix owing to rain, which saw one of the race fancies in Colton Herta shunted from the calculations, whilst fellow front row starter Alex Palou had earlier fallen by the wayside owing to his choice of alternative rubber to start with, which degraded quickly, ultimately ending his run of 23 consecutive top-eight finishes.

After taking the lead on lap 66 after a final yellow-fuel stop on lap 56, Dixon never relented, stretching his fuel load until the 100th and final lap to stamp his authority ahead of Road America in Wisconsin.

TW Neal

www.autoaction.com.au I 55

INTERNATIONAL

VERSTAPPEN WINS AS RIVALS MAKE MISTAKES Report: LUIS VASCONCELOS Images: MOTORSPORT IMAGES

MAX VERSTAPPEN won the Canadian Grand Prix, beating very strong opposition from McLaren and Mercedes. But without being unfair to the Dutch driver and his team, both their rivals threw away a great opportunity to beat him as costly mistakes were made either by the drivers or their strategists.

On a wet track, Russell and Verstappen took off from the front row like scalded cats but by lap 10 they were separated by just 1.3s, but Norris was already 10 seconds behind, with Piastri a further five seconds adrift.

With a dry line forming, what the leading duo had taken out of their tyres started to show and in just seven laps Norris was all over the back of the Red Bull, also helped by a minor excursion Verstappen had in Turn 1.

And by lap 21, the McLaren driver was in the lead, with Russell dropping to third after making a mistake in the chicane.

With rain on the horizon, all front runners held on to their used Intermediates, Norris pulling away at more than one second per lap and Norris catching the Verstappen-Russell battle.

And when Logan Sargeant crashed and the Safety Car was sent out, everyone bar Norris, Ocon and Bottas decided to pit immediately for fresh Intermediates. The timing of the Safety Car was very unlucky for Norris, as it came just 1.5s before he had to decide either to pit or brake for the chicane, as Team Principal Andrea Stella explained: “He was 1.5 seconds from the time when you need to either turn or go straight. In hindsight we could have told the driver that in case of a Safety Car, pit, so he would have just reacted instinctively, but we were monitoring the intensity of the rain, and this intensity in the last few minutes was reducing. So we didn’t want to pit unnecessarily for a new set of Inters when the set he had could have been good enough in case of very light rain.

“I think it was much easier for the car behind to do the opposite, for instance, of Lando. So I think that is a little bit unlucky, not

Aston Martin and Lance Stroll were back closer to the pace.

The field tiptoes through Turn 2.

A poorly-timed pit stop cost Lando Norris and McLaren. only with when the Safety Car was deployed with respect to Lando’s position on track, but also the time of the Safety Car in the race, because by that time Lando was by far the fastest car on track.

McLAREN THROWS IT AWAY …

THE RAIN did increase a bit, so Norris pitted one lap later, dropping to third. So, once the track was free, it was Russell who was all over the back of Verstappen’s car but, again, the Mercedes driver used his tyres too quickly and lost pace, so then the battle became between Norris and Russell – the McLaren driver’s off in Turn 1, on lap 42, costing both more than a second and giving Verstappen a more comfortable cushion over the duo.

The crucial moment came when the racing line became dry enough for slicks. Those in the second half of the field were the first ones to gamble, Gasly kicking off the final sequence of tyre changes. McLaren then took another risk, leaving Norris out two laps longer than his rivals – a gamble that nearly paid off as he opened enough of a gap to pit and resume in the lead, but on cold tyres and with the first two corners still having a lot of water in the line, he nearly lost it coming out of the pits and dropped to third.

… AS DOES MERCEDES!

WITH RUSSELL, Norris and Piastri all over each other for the following 10 laps, Verstappen opened a comfortable gap and,

effectively, sealed his second difficult win in three races there.

Russell then went wide in Turn 7 and lost a position to Norris and, when there was another Safety Car following a clash between Sainz and Norris, the Mercedes duo dived into the pits for new slicks – Mediums for Russell, Hards for Hamilton, who was catching the trio in front of him fast. The seven-times World Champion had such a gap to Alonso that he kept P5 but Russell droppped behind Piastri, to fourth place.

A clash with Piastri in the chicane made Russell lose the position to Hamilton, the veteran then needing just one lap to make quick work of the young Australian on older Mediums and move to third. But, on softer tyres, Russell ended up passing both Piastri and Hamilton, to claim the final step of the podium.

For Verstappen, this was another difficult win and he had no problems admitting he really had to fight for it: “It’s very rewarding. It’s never an easy race when conditions are like this – it’s easy to make mistakes, especially on the Inters when they were almost becoming slicks. It was very easy to go off because the track was drying in most places. But in some corners, it was still a bit too wet to go to slick tyres. And that made it just very, very difficult. It’s a lot of fun to drive this kind of races now and then. You don’t want it all the time because that’s too stressful, but I had a lot of fun out there today.”

The best pit stop call helped Max Verstappen into the lead. Right: Versteppen and George Russell compare notes after their qualifying dead heat.

56 I www.autoaction.com.au

And looking ahead at a return to traditional tracks, like Barcelona, Red Bull Ring and Silverstone, the Dutchman expressed his hope things will again become easier for him and his team: “The last few races have been quite difficult, but not only just difficult, too many problems as well, throughout the whole weekend. We need to have a cleaner weekend. Even in the race now, we’re struggling a lot with the kerbing and the bumps. So, we definitely have an area we can work on and definitely improve the car by quite a big margin if we get that under control.”

A TALE OF WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN

FOR NORRIS and Russell, there was some relief at making it to the podium at the end of such a difficult race, but both felt they had lost a great opportunity to capitalise on Red Bull’s issues with kerb ridding.

The McLaren driver was clearly disappointed he couldn’t add a second win to his tally, but admited the first one had come with a bit of luck too: “The first two stints were very strong – I had amazing pace. But then the Safety Car had me over. Just like it helped me in Miami, it’s now had me back over. I thought it was a pretty perfect race from my side; just a bit unlucky but that’s what it is. But it was good fun.”

As for Russell, the Mercedes man made no bones about the fact that he “felt like a missed

Formula 1 Round 9 CIRCUIT GILLES VILLENEUVE Grand Prix - Race report

Oscar played the team game, and McLaren left Montreal with the biggest bag of team points for the weekend.

George Russell almost splashed his way to victory, but fell short. “we had a car that was capable of winning.”

The veteran was downcast, saying that his own weekend was “shocking, with too many mistakes,” explaining that “I could’ve just driven better, make fewer mistakes. I was stuck behind Fernando, so there was nothing I could really do there, but then I made lots of mistakes over the weekend as a whole …”

Ferrari had a weekend to forget.

ASTON MARTIN BACK TO THE FRONT

Aussie Daniel Ricciardo defied the critics – one in particular – to get points.

opportunity, to be honest”, adding that, “we were really quick at the beginning of the race on the Inters, and then obviously Lando came through really fast, and then we jumped back onto the slicks, made a couple of mistakes out there, just pushing the limits and paid the price for it.” Still, he took solace in the fact that this was his, “first podium of the year: we truly GRID RACE 9

had a really fast car this weekend, and to be back in the mix fighting for victory was really fun.”

With Piastri (see sidebar) dropping behind the two Mercedes in the last five laps, Hamilton recovered from seventh on the grid to fourth at the end, but was extremely hard on himself, on a weekend where he felt that

RESULTS RACE 9 70 LAPS CIRCUIT GILLES VILLENEUVE

CHAMPIONSHIP AFTER RACE 9

Pos Driver

Time

Pos Drivers

Make

Laps

Margin1 Max

Pos Driver

1

George Russell

1:12.000

Verstappen

Red Bull

70

1:45.47.927 s1

1

Max Verstappen

Points 194

-

2

Max Verstappen

+0.000

2

Lando Norris

McLaren

70

+3.879 s1

2

Charles Leclerc

138

-

3

Lando Norris

+0.021

3

George Russell

Mercedes

70

+4.317 t2

3

Lando Norris

131

-

4

Oscar Piastri

+0.103

4

Lewis Hamilton

Mercedes

70

+4.915 s3

4

Carlos Sainz

108

-

5

Daniel Ricciardo

+0.178

5 Oscar Piastri

McLaren

70

+10.199 t1

5

Sergio Perez

107

-

6

Fernando Alonso

+0.228

6 Fernando Alonso

Aston Martin

70

+17.510 -

6

Oscar Piastri

81

-

7

Lewis Hamilton

+0.280

7

Lance Stroll

Aston Martin

70

+23.625 s2

7

George Russell

69

-

8

Yuki Tsunoda

+0.414

8 Daniel Ricciardo

Racing Bulls

70

+28.672 t3

8

Lewis Hamilton

55

-

9

Fernando Alonso

Lance Stroll

+0.701

9

Pierre Gasly

Alpine

70

+30.021 s6

9

41

-

10 Alex Albon

+0.796

10 Esteban Ocon

Alpine

70

+30.313 s8

10 Yuki Tsunoda

19

-

11

+0.691

11 Nico Hulkenberg

Haas

70

+30.824 s6

11

17

-

12 Carlos Sainz

+0.728

12 Kevin Magnussen Haas

70

+31.253 s2

12 Daniel Ricciardo

9 s2

13 Logan Sargeant

+0.736

13 Valtteri Bottas

Sauber

70

+40.487 s6

13 Ollie Bearman

6 t1

14 Kevin Magnussen

+0.916

14 Yuki Tsunoda

Racing Bulls

70

+52.694 t6

14 Nico Hulkenberg

6 t1

15 Pierre Gasly

+0.940

15 Zhou Guanyu

Sauber

69

+1 Lap s5

15 Pierre Gasly

3 s3

16 Sergio Perez

+1.326

NC Carlos Sainz

Ferrari

52

+18 laps t4

16 Alex Albon

2 t1

17 Nico Hulkenberg

+1.978

NC Alex Albon

Williams

52

+18 laps t6

17 Esteban Ocon

2 t1

18 Esteban Ocon

+1.435

NC Sergio Perez

Red Bull

51

+19 laps t2

18 Kevin Magnussen

1 t1

19 Valtteri Bottas

+1.366

NC Charles Leclerc

Ferrari

40

+30 laps t8

19 Zhou Guanyu

0

-

20 Zhou Guanyu

+2.292

NC Logan Sargeant

Williams

23

+47 laps t7

20 Valtteri Bottas

0

-

Charles Leclerc

autoactionmag

Auto_Action

autoactionmag

Lance Stroll

autoactionmag

AFTER A difficult period, when the team was no longer able to fight with the other four top teams and was being beaten by some of the midfielders, Aston Martin managed to score 14 valuable points, with Alonso and Stroll finishing in no-man’s land, in sixth and seventh, respectively.

Encouraged, the Spaniard explained that “I think we are understanding more and more about the car, about the packages that we introduced this year. Some of them, they need a little bit of fine-tuning in terms of setup, in terms of maybe direction as well.”

With Ricciardo in a fighting eighth place, as Tsunoda spun just in front of him while trying to pass Ocon, VCARB defended its position in the championship but it was Alpine that made a good leap, as Gasly and Ocon completed the top 10.

But the latter wasn’t happy with the order to let his team mate through with just one and a half laps to go, insisting that the decision “is unexplainable, that one. I’ve always respected the instructions that I’ve been given as a driver, and I’ve done that once more. I’m the nice guy! I’ve done my part of the job – the team hasn’t, honestly. It is not fair what they did today.”

Clearly, that’s not the last we’re going to hear from the two fighting Frenchmen…

A DISASTER FOR FERRARI

IF FERRARI hasn’t been mentioned before it’s because the Scuderia had its most appalling outing since 2020!

Both Leclerc and Sainz were out in Q2, unable to get their tyres to work as well as their rivals and the race wasn’t better for the duo.

Leclerc fought with an engine problem that was costing him a deficit of 80bhp until the team gave up on waiting for a red flag that never came, gave him a lengthy pit stop to reboot the V6, but then retired him as he was already lapped.

Sainz remained in the midfield until a spin and then contact with Albon also threw him out of the race. Team Principal Frédéric Vasseur summed up the feeling in the Scuderia when he said, “let’s hope all the shit we were due the entire season came together in just one weekend…”

A MATURE PIASTRI AND A FEISTY RICCIARDO

BOTH OSCAR Piastri and Daniel Ricciardo scored valuable points for their teams, the youngster helping McLaren leave Montreal with more points than Red Bull and Mercedes, cutting the gap to 40 points, while the veteran had his second best result of the season and kept VCARB safe from its direct rivals.

Piastri was way easier on his Intermediate tyres than the top three runners in the first 15 laps and that paid off as the track dried up, as he had caught Norris and Russell when the first SC came out.

He was then at the back of the battle for third during the second stint, making no mistakes while the more experienced Brits both had an off, but then had no answer for the Mercedes duo when they came flying by on fresher tyres with five laps to go.

At that stage, with Norris narrowly in front, Piastri admitted that a DRS help from his team-mate “was what I wanted”, but added that, “I am not sure it would’ve been the best call as a team. I think it would have just meant the Mercedes were closer to Lando once they got past me, because at the end of the race, they were over a second faster a lap.

“At that point of the race it would’ve been helpful, but I’m not sure it would’ve been the right decision anyway, so for me that was fine.”

Ricciardo, who admitted making changes to the way he operates during the race weekends after a lot of soul searching the previous week, was delighted to score four points with his eighth place. A 5s penalty for a false start didn’t help, losing positions in the first lap either, but his fightback earned him a great result and he was delighted with it.

The Australian admitted that “I felt the race was getting away from me after the first lap and then the penalty,” but then “with the slicks at the end, we managed to claw our way back past some cars and, fortunately, grab a nice bag of points.

In these races it’s hard to be perfect.

I made mistakes – we were just trying to survive at times. So, I’m happy we got there in the end.

www.autoaction.com.au I 57

ONCE UPON A TIME – 50 YEARS OF AUTO ACTION

1994 – WINTON PUNCHUP THREE DECADES AGO RACE FANS JOINED DARRYL EASTLAKE IN PURE SHOCK AS TONY LONGHURST AND PAUL MORRIS HAD THEIR INFAMOUS FIGHT IN THE SUPERTOURERS AT WINTON. THE THREE punches that television viewers around the country saw Tony Longhurst throw at his teammate Paul Morris cost him $10,000.

Stewards also recommended a six month suspension of Longhurst, but that it not be enforced unless he offends again in the next two years.

The $10,000 fine was the maximum and twice the previous highest in touring car racing.

Longhurst already held the $5000 ‘record’ for punting John Bowe’s Ford Sierra off the northern Victorian track two years earlier.

There was contact between the BMW E36s as they came through the esses on the 21st lap and as they crossed the finish line they rubbed sides, with the suspension apparently breaking on Morris’ car and the pair speared off the track locked together.

The cars were extensively damaged and Longhurst jumped out of his car quickly, ran to Morris’ open driver’s side window and threw three punches – one with the right and two with the left.

Longhurst denied he made contact.

“It was a very unfortunate incident which I obviously regret,” Longhurst said.

“Paul is a good friend and teammate.

“The racing was unbelievably fast and furious all day and I simply wanted to beat Paul.

“When the accident occurred I thought Paul had run me off the track, but after reviewing the video of the race I apologised immediately. I simply lost my cool with all the adrenalin which was running.

“Plenty of drivers have been involved in similar incidents, including Ayrton Senna – who put a bit of a dent in the side of Eddie Irvine’s head.

“I suppose I was fortunate Paul never hit me – he’s bigger than I am.”

Morris dismissed the incident as “nothing really – a bit of a slap on the helmet.”

“Tony was just waving his arms around and screaming,” Morris said.

He said he lost control of his steering and “veered straight in front of Tony and he thought r’d run him off the track.”

The race was red-flagged and the results declared at the end of the previous lap, with Morris the winner.

Third-placed British driver James Kaye, in a Toyota Carina, said he almost drove off the track laughing his head off at the Longhurst-Morris incident.

However, he could not understand when he came around the next time that the race had been stopped when the track was not blocked.

1974

1984

THE KING of the Mountain was hailed as the ‘King of Touring Cars’ after wrapping up the 1974 ATCC title.

Peter Brock was a dominant figure driving the new Holden Dealer Team SLR 5000 Torana, winning the final round with “ridiculous ease.”He beat Bob Morris by 43s and set a new Production Car record.

There was a big driver movement ahead of the Gold Star Championship with Phil Moore being announced to drive for Ansett Team Elfin. The current Australian Sports Car champion was set to drive the Elfin MR5, which John McCormack used to win the New Zealand Grand Prix.

The Australian Hillclimb Championship kicked off with Paul England taking the opener at Mt Cotton.

THE FORD ‘Group A’ ATCC teams received a boost from Dick Johnson Racing which developed a turbocharger kit for the 4.1 litre six-cylinder engine.

Johnson claimed 209 horsepower and 385 ft/lb of torque for the prototype with a quarter mile time of 15.7s.

“Its half a shot I reckon,” Johnson said. “The sorted car goes better than the old GT Falcon.”

Allan Grice became the latest Aussie to take on the Le Mans 24 Hours with his drive alongside Englishmen Alain de Cadenet and Chris Craft coming to light.

Grice would become part of a “good, strong team” in a Charles Ivey Racing Porsche 956.

58 I www.autoaction.com.au

2004

2014

THE V8SUPERCARS headed west where Jason Bright showed PWR Racing meant business by winning the round.

Bright won the final two races in a crushing performance at Wanneroo with Marcos Ambrose and Rick Kelly forced to fight for the podium, while Saturday race winner Mark Skaife found trouble. “I had a good car from qualifying onwards,” Bright said. “We made the right changes. There is still a long way to go in the championship but last year proved you have to be competitive and consistent.”

After a Monaco hiccup, Ferrari was well and truly back to its best by Canada with Michael Schumacher leading Rubens Barrichello in another 1-2. The red cars were particularly fast in Montreal with only third place Jenson Button joining them on the lead lap with both Williams disqualified.

AUSTRALIA was celebrating as Daniel Ricciardo stormed to a famous maiden Grand Prix win on a special Sunday in Canada, joining Jack Brabham, Alan Jones and Mark Webber as Grnd Prix winners.

Ricciardo ended Mercedes’ run of domination with a stunning drive where he passed Sebastian Vettel, Sergio Perez and Nico Rosberg in the closing stages to be on the top step.

The race ended in dramatic fashion after Perez and Felipe Massa had a high-speed crash fighting for position on pit straight.

It ensured Ricciardo took the chequered flag under Safety Car, but he did not mind at all.

Up until Ricciardo passed Rosberg, Mercedes had led every lap of the 2014 season.

2

1

3

WHEN COMPROMISE ISN’T AN OPTION BE RYCO READY Ryco is proud to be the Official Filtration Partner of the Repco Supercars Championship.

Along with being engineered, developed, and tested at its Melbourne Laboratory, Ryco’s range of GEN3 Control Parts deliver outstanding filtration and extended engine life without compromising flow or performance.

So, when your everyday passenger, 4x4 or commercial vehicle needs the same protection as a Supercar, be Ryco Ready.

Established

r quality and

standard fo “Setting the

d

stralian Owne

1930, 100% Au

value”

N TILL

S! OPE R U O H G IN D A R EXTENDED T

& 29TH D N 2 2 Y A D R U T 3PM SA

JUNE

E L A S Y F O E

CENTRE LATHE

NEW RELEASE

DIGITAL READOUT

• Ø300 x 900mm capacity • 2-Axis digital readout • Hardened & ground bed • 38mm spindle bore • 2hp 240V motor • Includes: 3 & 4-jaw chucks, faceplate, dead centres, work light, steadies, foot brake, splash tray & stand

7” Colour LCD Screen

SCAN HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO

Display

Multiple Pre-Set Colours

ZERO

Programmable Up To 3 Axis Colour

One Touch Axis Zero Keys

S INCLUDENGE HA QUICK C OST P TOOL

AL-336D DELUXE

Multi Language Menu

6,435 (L682D)

$

2-Year Warranty

SAVE $440

ONLY $352 (Q8500)

EDS

E N E G A R O T S D N A T N E UR GARAGE EQUIPM

ALL YO

Tube Bender - Electric - DB-32 • Ø15.87, Ø19.05, Ø22.22, Ø25.4 & Ø31.75mm OD round tube formers • Digital angle display 0 - 180° • 2.0mm m/s wall thickness • 1.7kW / 2.3hp, 240V

Industrial Hydraulic Press HPF-50

Heavy-Duty Pedestal Drill Belt Drive - PD-510

Medium-Duty Bench Drill Belt Drive - BD-325 • 16mm drill capacity • 2MT spindle • 12 spindle speeds • Swivel & tilt table • 1hp, 240V motor

• 50 Tonne • Robotic welded steel frame • 200mm ram stroke • Hand / foot operated

• 32mm drill capacity • 4MT spindle • 12 spindle speeds • Table tilts 45° • 2.4hp, 240V motor • Includes light

LTS LEFT TABLE TI TO 45° & & RIGHT S 360° TE ROTA

LTS LEFT TABLE TI TO 45° & RIGHT

$

2,398 (T070)

$

$

$

SAVE $231

320 (D590)

900 (D600)

SAVE $32

SAVE $90

SAVE $169

Hydraulic Vehicle Positioning Jacks - VJ-680

2 Stage Hydraulic Transmission Lifter - 2059T

Auto Parts Washer - APW-140

Industrial Sandblasting Cabinet - SB-375

• 680kg hydraulic lift per jack • 270mm max. tyre width • 620mm max opening • Sold in pairs

• 500kg capacity • 820 - 1768mm height • 2-way tilt saddle • Forward: 9° & 17° Rearward • Hydraulic 2 stage telescopic lift

• 140 litre tank • 180 litre/hr 240V pump • Safety link on lid • 1060 x 520 x 270mm

IVEL 360° SW S WHEEL

• Heavy-duty steel cabinet • 940 x 600 x 340-580mm blast area • Includes vacuum system, LED light, tempered glass screen, gloves, gun & ceramic nozzle

FLUID FLEXIBLELE NOZZ

730 (A3452)

299 (A332)

2,350 (P152)

270 (A374)

$

$

$

SAVE $53

SAVE $18

SAVE $27

$

1,125 (S300)

SAVE $74

PACKAGE DEALS Offset Pipe & Tube Notcher & Hole Saw - PNP-3/4-3” • OD capacity from 19mm to 76.2mm (3/4-3”) • Cutting angle up to 50° • Works with a 12mm chuck power drill 1/2” x 20tpi, 5/8” x 18tpi thread sizes • Hole Saw Kit • 11 Piece HSS M42 Bi-Metal set Ø19 ~ Ø76mm, supplied in convenient blow mould case

297 (K4012)

SAVE $77

Industrial Mobile Tooling Cabinet with Backing Panel TCW-900NP

• Ø200mm fine & coarse wheels • 50 x 1220mm linishing attachment • 1hp, 240V motor

• 565 x 580 x 1400mm • 2 fixed & 2 swivel ø125mm wheels • 100kg load capacity per drawer • 97% drawer accessibility • Includes backing panel & drawer dividers

399 (K4014)

$

$

SAVE $110.70

SAVE $198

$

SAVE $52

799 (K065)

Industrial Storage & Tooling Cabinet STC-COMBI • 900 x 450 x 1800mm (LxWxH) • BSC-900 • 2 x shelves • 3-point key lock design • 150kg shelf load capacity • TC-900

1,199 (K033)

BUY AND INSTALL

BEFORE JUNE 30TH TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE $20,000 INSTANT ASSET WRITE-OFF! *UP TO $10 MILLION TURNOVER! View and purchase these items online: www.machineryhouse.com.au/AAC2406 Specifications & Prices are subject to change without notification. All prices include GST and valid until 30-06-23

E ADELAIDLY OPENING JU

06_ACC_130624

$

Industrial Bench Grinder with Linisher - HG-200 HLA-1220 KIT