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STUDY KILLED GODZILLA II THE SON of Godzilla never got beyond the embryo stage.

For all the hype and all the speculation that carried on for years, a potential Nissan GT-R Supercar was only the subject of a short but intense development Todd Kelly. period.

And if it had made it onto the race track it wouldn’t have looked as good as Auto Action’s exclusive computer-generated images.

Godzilla II came under consideration as part of a much more extensive 2016 Nissan Motorsport study into swapping from the VK56DE five-litre V8 to the GT-R’s twin-turbo 3.8-litre V6 (code-named VR38DETT).

It was also keen to find a replacement for the ageing Altima body shape that was going off-sale in Australia. “We were looking for a more competitive engine and given all the hype about the twin-turbo V6, we hooked into the engine thing,� explained Todd Kelly, the co-owner of what was then Nissan Motorsport and is now again Kelly Racing. “At the same time as that – as that was the engine out of the GT-R – we did a study on the GT-R to present to Nissan.�

As Nissan’s association with the team has ended, Kelly can now reveal the story of the stillborn GT-R Supercar exclusively to AA. Mating the low-slung couple roofline of the mega-coupe to the standard Supercars Gen2 chassis simply altered the shape of the roofline too much and the project was binned with Nissan’s agreement.

Kelly says the GT-R wheelbase and track fitted

the control chassis almost perfectly. But the rollcage hoop proved the issue, just as it has for the Ford Mustang Supercar and as Holden Special Vehicles says, it will for a mooted Chevrolet Camaro racer. “The roof would look a fair bit different to what the road car would just to wrap it over the bar work,� Kelly said. “It would be almost back to front to how you wanted it. “That was really the only challenge. Everything else – bonnet height, shape of the car, where the wheels sit in the bodywork – was all spot on. It was just trying to make the roof work and we didn’t go too far into that. “We got to a point where we knew what had to be done so we could have a robust discussion in order to make a decision on it.�

Nissan Motorsport went as far as obtaining the CAD (computer aided design) data for the GT-R’s body panels to assess how they mated to the chassis.

Once it became apparent how difficult a fit it was, that was the end of the plan. No aerodynamic study, including computational fluid dynamics, was conducted.

Kelly admitted there were other non-technical reasons the GT-R program foundered.

Like Nissan itself, the race team had concerns about whether the high-tech all-wheel drive V6 twin-turbo was philosophically a good fit for the category. “It wasn’t the right type of car to turn into a Supercar for our category,� he said. “All along it didn’t feel right messing with a car like that.�

EXC LUS IVE

SUP ERNIS SAN THA TM IGH TH AVE BEE N

BRUCE NEWTON explains why a Nissan GT-R Supercar never made it off the CAD screen

Underlining that, Kelly remembers a standard GT-R road car lapped Calder Park two seconds faster than an Altima Supercar during a ride day.

This was the standard version, not the more recently launched 441kW GT-R Nismo! “We were about 35km/h slower down the straights in the GT-R, but still posted a faster lap time,â€? Kelly recalled. “So, to go and molest an amazing road car with incredible technology and dumb it down to become a two-wheel drive Supercars without all those electronic aids but then still use the brand‌ “It was just not right for GT-R.â€?

Investigation into using the 3.8-litre twin-turbo V6 engine went on either side of the quick dive into the GT-R. Nissan Motorsport got serious about going V6 around the same time Holden was doing its preliminary work on taking the Cadillac LF4.R unit from US racing and adapting it for Supercars.

The Nissan program was canned just before dyno testing was due to begin in 2017.

“As we got further and further into the study, it looked like it was going to be more and more challenging on a number of levels,� Kelly remembered. “So right before we were due to get an engine, we pulled the pin on it. “It’s not just the engine, it’s how it flows into the whole aerodynamic package of the car.

Which makes it a lot bigger project than what you would initially imagine it to be. “The packaging, the cooling, the resultant effect on how you design the bodywork around that engine and then the aerodynamic challenges produced as part of that.�

The Nissan team has since then refocussed on extracting better performance from the VK56DE quad-cam V8. It will race on in the Altima into a final season in 2019.

In the last issue of AA, Kelly Racing revealed a radical plan to develop its own generic five-litre V8 to lure a new manufacturer into the category in 2020.

The Holden V6 turbo program was put on indefinite hold earlier this year.

A standard GT-R lapped Calder Park faster than a Supercar ...

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: Z A H C S FABSFIGVHT FOR FUTURE STARS

Can Coulthard keep Mostert out of his prized Penske seat beyond 2019? As BRUCE NEWTON outlines, results will be crucial WOUNDED WINGMAN Fabian Coulthard will drive for his DJR Team Penske future in 2019 as Chaz Mostert emerges as a candidate to replace him in one of the most prized seats in Supercars in 2020.

Coulthard finished only ninth in this year’s championship, struggling to come to consistent terms with the looser set-up the Ford Falcon FG X required to be competitive against the new Holden Commodore ZB. He is out of contract at the end of next season, when Mostert’s existing deal with Tickford Racing also expires, leading to widespread speculation that they will be vying for the drive at DJRTP. Coulthard’s difficulties with his Shell V-Power Racing Falcon coincided with the departure of his long-time engineer Phil Keed, who was replaced by DJR stalwart Mark Fenning.

The immaculately groomed 36-yearold New Zealander even sacrificed his own results late in the season to support teammate Scott McLaughlin’s successful bid for the title, something that has brought him significant respect at DJRTP’s Stapylton headquarters.

DJRTP managing director Ryan Story has told Auto Action that Coulthard is expected to be a front-runner in 2019.

“Next year certainly marks a reset and it’s an opportunity for him to start from base camp with 23 other drivers, including his teammate and reigning champion Scott McLaughlin, and he’ll give it a red hot go again,” Story said. “We want him back winning races next year and that’s what he wants to be doing, too.

“We want two fast and competitive cars up the front. Fabs has only taken a teamfirst mentality in the latter part of this year because his championship position has dictated it, but that won’t necessarily be the case next year.”

Story added that Coulthard’s competitiveness should be boosted by the replacement of the Falcon with the new Mustang, which DJRTP has developed over the course of 2018 and which the British-born Kiwi has tested.

4 AutoAction

“I think there are some elements of the Mustang, particularly some elements that we observed through testing, that will play more into his style than Scott’s,” Story said. “Hopefully, things like that will help him get back to the front consistently because that’s where he wants to be, too.”

The disparity in performance between McLaughlin and Coulthard was pronounced in 2018 – 12 wins versus one, nine pole positions versus none.

Coulthard’s drop from title contender in 2017 to supporting act this year also effectively cost DJRTP the teams’ championship, and the tactical advantage and prestige that comes with occupying the first two garages in pit lane.

The teams’ crown was reclaimed by the Red Bull Holden Racing Team through the strong performances of Shane van Gisbergen and Jamie Whincup, who finished second and third respectively in the drivers’ championship.

And that’s where Mostert obviously appeals to DJRTP. He’s fast, he’s a Ford

driver and he should be able to go toe-totoe with McLaughlin as well as the RBHRT duo.

Crucially, in 2020 he should be able to exit Tickford Racing, depending on how his contract options are structured.

CHAZ IN DEMAND

MOSTERT, 26, has been on the radar of the top two teams amid his horror run for most of this season, which sparked speculation he could trigger a performance-related out clause to leave a year early.

With his current Tickford deal up for renewal, his possible availability would be attractive to DJRTP if Coulthard fails to fire from the outset next year.

Mostert has a long bond with Tickford Racing, but he also has a strong historical link with DJRTP. He has had a relationship with the Campbellfield squad dating back to 2011 and his Super2 days. He was loaned out to the old DJR in 2013 and delivered it a win at Queensland Raceway.

He replaced Will Davison at what was then known as Ford Performance Racing in 2014 and claimed a fairy tale last-lap Bathurst 1000 win.

This year, he was the best of the Tickford drivers, finishing sixth in the championship with one win despite lacking a frontrunning car for much of the season.

At the Newcastle 500, well-connected pit lane sources were insisting some form of agreement between DJRTP and Mostert had already been completed.

But while AA understands there is strong interest in Mostert at DJRTP, deals don’t appear to have been done.

Story had no interest in discussing his driver line-up beyond 2019 when contacted, preferring to defend and explain Coulthard’s 2018 performances.

“The results this year for him would have been better save for the unintended consequences of mistakes and bad luck,” Story insisted. “Tassie is a perfect example. He nearly went down a lap because of a mistake made in a pit stop and he seemed to be on the receiving end

LEADING GT TEAM LOOKS AT SUPERCARS

of those sorts of things more so than Scotty was.

“And those things apply a multiplier effect to your season as they roll on.

So points lost, you can never really get them back. Where he landed in the standings doesn’t necessarily reflect his competitiveness throughout the year.”

‘ELBOWS OUT’

COULTHARD’S ROUGH and tough encounters with Jamie Whincup at the Newcastle 500, where each ended up in the wall at turn 12 on consecutive days, probably did more for his DJRTP prospects than if he’d won a race at the championship decider.

His defence of his positon against an aggressive Whincup on Saturday ended the latter’s chances of influencing the result and ensured he did his bit to deliver teammate Scott McLaughlin clean air and, ultimately,

his first championship.

The cheer from the DJRTP crew that went up when Coulthard held his ground on Saturday said a lot.

“Fabian isn’t known as being someone who has his elbows out from time to time and isn’t known as being one of the rough racers out there,” Story said. “His reputation is as a very clean racer and that’s part of the reason he is here in the first place.

“He had a job to do for the team over the weekend and we got him out of hot air early to effectively establish a buffer as the other leading cars pitted. He did that perfectly, the strategy played out perfectly.

“Even if Fabs didn’t end up in the wall later in the [Saturday] race, he’d still done enough in backing up that pack to ensure that when Scott pitted he came out in clean air and not in traffic, so there was some method to the madness in how that played out.

“To be on the bleeding edge with strategy, you have to rely on your drivers to pull it off. Fabian did that every time we asked it of him.

“He is the ultimate team player in that respect.”

Also not to be underestimated is Coulthard’s meticulous appearance and impeccable presentation, which are highly valued within the pernickety Penske organisation and make him an effective ambassador in the team’s dealings with corporate partners.

Mostert is a much more colourful character, which is a big part of his appeal, but his presentation is comparatively unruly and dishevelled.

However, McLaughlin was similarly ‘loose’ before joining DJRTP, where the rough edges have been smoothed without anodising his popular appeal, so adapting ‘Mozzie’ to The Penske Way wouldn’t be a barrier.

Contributing: Mark Fogarty

By MARK FOGARTY AMID RAMPANT rumours and speculation, racing patron Scott Taylor has clarified his interest in Supercars.

Linked with a bid for Triple Eight’s handed-backed third Racing Entitlements Contract (REC), Taylor has revealed that while he has made no commitment, he is looking at the possibility of buying an entry for 2020.

“I’m making enquiries, yes,” Taylor told Auto Action. “But it’s nothing more than that at thIs stage.”

He is one of the potential buyers for the RECs handed back to Supercars by Triple Eight and Tickford Racing.

The future of the entries is still being investigated by Supercars, which subject to legal advice will put them out to tender in the New Year.

However, neither is likely to be sold in time for next year’s Supercars championship, which will be contested by 24 cars.

Taylor is a wealthy retired successful businessman who fields front-running entries in Porsche Carrera Cup and Australian GT. He races GTs himself and also competes in NZ V8 touring cars.

He has GT ties with Triple Eight and Erebus, fielding Mercedes AMG GT entries in partnership with both in February’s Bathurst 12 Hour.

Taylor, 55, confirmed that while he is looking at expanding into Supercars, he has made no commitments nor held discussions about buying a REC. “I’m trying to understand Supercars,” he said. “I’m passionate about the V8s. I haven’t got my cheque book out at this stage.

“I’m just making enquiries about costs and all that. 2019 isn’t an option for me.”

Gold Coast-based Taylor has been linked with a Triple Eight-aligned entry, but he denies any commitment to a deal with Roland Dane.

“I haven’t had any talks with Roland about buying his REC,” he said.

He acknowledged he had close links with Dane after buying two of Craig Lowndes’ Bathurst winners for his collection.

He owns the Lowndes/Steve Richards 2015 Bathurstwinning VF Commodore and also bought their 2018 ZB winner.

“They’re iconic cars,” Taylor said. “I’m not looking to race them.”

He said that if he decided to enter Supercars in 2020, he would run a brand-new T8-built ZB Commodore.

Taylor, who is close to Dane and T8 share-holder and racer Tim Miles, is awaiting the outcome of Supercars’ on-going legal deliberations on how the spare RECs will be brought to market.

Although the matter was supposed to go before the Supercars board of directors at their final meeting of the year on December 5, legal advisor Anthony Hogarth is still working through the complications.

Supercars needs to decide and agree with the existing teams about the tender process for the potential sale of the abandoned RECs. “Each case is different,” a Supercars spokesman said.

“Technically, entries for 2019 closed last month, but the board has the discretion to approve a new buyer if they meet the criteria.”

However, the spokesman conceded that, once finalised, the tender for the pair of RECs could extend to the middle of next year.

So unless someone makes an immediately viable bid, there will be no entries to revive the full grid until 2020.

“There’s little doubt that we will be running with 24 cars next year,” the Supercars spokesman conceded.

Supercars is aiming to clarify the tender process for the rescinded RECs “as soon as possible”.

Season’s Greetings to all our readers and supporters. See you on January 10 2019! www.autoaction.com.au

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CHAMP SET FOR LUDO-CROUS MODE Lacroix achieves first Supercars title as engineer, scarily predicts more pace from Scotty Mac next year

By BRUCE NEWTON EXPECT NEWLY CROWNED Supercars champion Scott McLaughlin to elevate his driving to an even higher level in 2019.

That’s the prediction of Ludo Lacroix, who also scored his first Supercars championship as a race engineer with McLaughlin despite a storied technical career in the category that stretches back to 2003.

“Scotty is special,” Lacroix declared.

“He is special in two aspects. I believe he is going to drive like a champion next year and that’s going to be one more step.

“I think that his raw speed is not going to be lost and that is something special.

I have seen a lot of drivers with that raw speed, but very few with the talent of keeping the car on-track.”

Famous for his ‘Fronglais’ fractured English, French-born Lacroix has raceengineered two of the modern greats of Supercars racing – seven-time champion Jamie Whincup and people’s champion Craig Lowndes at Triple Eight Race Engineering.

He clearly sees McLaughlin in the same

elite territory.

“He is exceptional at one-lap speed and he is an exceptional human,” Lacroix gushed. “To combine both things is very hard – very, very hard. That’s why I think he has a great future wherever he goes.”

Lacroix, whose full-time role at DJRTP is as competition director responsible for the team’s technical direction, will be in pit lane again in 2019 with oversight of both McLaughlin’s and Fabian Coulthard’s new Ford Mustangs.

But the exact nature of his engineering relationship with McLaughlin is yet to be finalised.

Lacroix is one of the most successful technical boffins in Supercars – and international touring car racing – history.

Before designing a string of title-winning

Falcons and Commodores for Triple Eight in Supercars, he penned T8 UK’s BTCC winners after being involved in successful DTM designs.

He is the technical mastermind of next year’s Supercars Mustang, coordinating the body design and chassis improvements with Ford Performance in Detroit and Tickford Racing.

Lacroix has won the Supercars teams’ or drivers’ championships every year from 2008 as technical director at Triple Eight or competition director at DJRTP, but until this season, trackside race engineering success had eluded him.

“It’s good to be saying I am a champion now in engineering-land,” he told Auto Action. “I was a champion as a technical director and I am now one as an engineer.

“I know I am one of the best – if not the best – in my business (race engineer) from all the years, but I couldn’t prove it.

I didn’t really care, but now it’s a stone (weight) removed.”

Lacroix had also engineered drivers to championships in the German DTM and British Touring Car Championship.

While pleased with this latest achievement, Lacroix was still waiting for it to emotionally sink in.

“I was really pleased and relieved for Scott,” he said. “For me, I am usually emotive, but I have not been emotive for it yet.

“It will happen sometime, I don’t know when. Maybe it will happen (in a celebration) with Scotty sometime. I’m just ’appy for him and ’appy for me.”

TWIN SPRINGS BANNED

STANAWAY OUT AT TICKFORD

IN A statement released as this issue of Auto Action went to print, Tickford Racing confirmed that it has parted ways with Richie Stanaway after just one season of a two-year contract.

Stanaway came into the Supercars championship with much hype after winning the Sandown 500 with Cam Waters in 2017 and a resume that included race wins in the key Formula 1 feeder class, GP2.

However, in what was a lacklustre year Stanaway finished in the top 10 only once and placed 25th in the championship.

It is believed Lee Holdsworth is strongly connected to fill the vacated position.

The full statement can be read below: Tickford Racing and Richie Stanaway have elected to terminate their partnership. This decision is mutual, as team and driver believe it is best to part ways at this time. Despite a challenging 2018 Supercars season, we think highly of Richie and wish him well in the next chapter of his career.

Tickford Racing’s 2019 plans continue to progress, and we look forward to announcing our driver line-up for the upcoming Supercars season in the coming weeks.

6 AutoAction

THE DREADED twin spring is expected to be banned from Supercars competition in 2019.

The decision, which was due to be ratified by the Supercars Commission on Wednesday (December 12), is designed as a cost-saving measure.

But it might also save the sanity of a bunch of Supercars engineers and drivers who have grappled with the complexity of tuning twin springs for years.

The move back to a single linear spring on each corner of the car will also align the main game more closely with Dunlop Super2, in which twin springs have been banned since 2012.

That should make potential wildcard entries a less daunting step for Super2 teams to make.

So, what is a twin spring?

Well, it’s what it sounds like, two springs mounted together doing the job normally performed by one.

Traditionally found on the rear of the car, they have been more often used at the front as well in recent years.

Essentially, the twin spring delivers more tunability,

allowing the spring rate to be better controlled going in to the corner under brakes and then under drive exiting the turn.

“It’s all about how you get that transition phase from your stiff spring to your soft spring and what point that comes in,” Dunlop Super2 2017 champion and 2018 Supercars rookie Todd Hazelwood told Auto Action earlier this year.

“When you’ve only got a linear spring, you just have to compromise on your braking and your drive because you are only working with one spring.

As a result, your characteristics are very simple.”

The Matt Stone Racing driver said the complexity of the engineering debrief “multiplied by 10” with the twin spring.

“It does your head in very quickly,” Hazelwood said.

The reality is some teams struggle to get it right and expend a lot of resource undergoing that battle.

Plenty of money is also spent in maintaining the many dampers required to work with an array of different spring rates.

Alternatively, some teams

pay suppliers like Triple Eight to access their twin spring intellectual property.

Supercars teams have already started testing linear springs in preparation for 2019.

Testing of the new Xtrac P1293 transaxle has continued, too, with Erebus conducting further running at Winton last week in Anton de Pasquale’s Commodore.

That follows on from outings

by Nissan Motorsport and Brad Jones Racing during the enduros.

Also expected to be officially confirmed by the Supercars Commission this week, the Xtrac unit will replace the locally developed Albins ST6 transaxle that has been in service since the 2013 introduction of the Car of the Future. The hope is the Xtrac

unit will be more reliable and cost-effective to service — and therefore cheaper to run.

The same basic unit was displayed at the Performance Racing Industry show in Indianapolis last week, although Xtrac refused to talk about the Supercars version.

Other issues expected to be addressed by the Supercars Commission this week include the Ford Mustang VCAT aero test (see separate story), tyre allocations and format changes for 2019.

As the championship has one less round next year, there will be more green tyres per event.

More three-part qualifying sessions are also expected.

Full format details will be announced publicly after the commission signs off on them.

BN

EX BRA CLUSIV ND C E: RE OUL D RA TURNING CE M KOR USSO EAN IN 2 019

SSANGYONG LINKED TO SUPERUTES

By BRUCE NEWTON FRESHLY RELAUNCHED Korean pick-up and SUV brand SsangYong could join the 2019 SuperUtes grid with its new Musso dual-cab u te.

Supercars and SsangYong management have had early discussions about a potential entry, but it is by no means a confirmed plan.

“We have been approached by Supercars and we are talking to them,” SsangYong Australia national marketing manager Mitchell Wiley told Auto Action. “But it is no more than that right now.

“It is very early days in the brand’s return to Australia.”

Wiley is very familiar with the positives and pitfalls of motor sport – and, in particular, an involvement in the Supercars championship.

His background includes a long stint with Mitsubishi Australia and its Ralliart division,

and more than three years activating Nissan Australia’s Supercars and motor sport involvement.

Most recently, he spent a year at Toyota Australia as the manager of events, sponsorships and promotions, including the Toyota 86 Racing Series.

Wiley says there are some real positives to associating the new SsangYong Musso with Supercars and the SuperUtes series.

“The Supercars demographic has a strong fit with the Ute segment,” he said.

He acknowledged SuperUtes had got off to a rugged start in 2017, with small grids, reliability issues and a series of spectacular crashes.

But he was encouraged by the tone of discussions with Supercars.

“They have come to us and been very honest about the situation,” Wiley revealed. “They know there are changes to be made and they

are going through that process.”

Understandably, as an automotive brand relaunching into Australia with full factory backing for the first time, SsangYong has been inundated with all sorts of sponsorship proposals.

SuperUtes is just one of many that have to been considered and even if there is a green light, the level of commitment then has to be resolved.

“We don’t know if it’s just a case of someone we have no connection to turning up to race a Musso or whether we go to the other extreme and offer strong backing,” Wiley said.

The relaunched Musso is being offered as a 2.2-litre turbo-diesel dual cab pick-up.

It is one of four models with which SsangYong is returning to Australia after a twoyear retail absence. The others are the Rexton SUV, and Tivoli and Tivoli XLV small wagons.

reach the aero downforce and drag numbers that Supercars prescribe,” he said.

A high priority for DJRTP was producing an improved drag performance from the Mustang compared with the Falcon FG X, which Story contends is not as slippery through the air as the new Commodore.

“Mustang’s been designed to be an evolutionary improvement on the FG X and, hopefully, we’d like to bridge the gap on the

drag number in particular because we felt that was an area that was particularly strong on the Commodore,” he confirmed.

“Look, we won a championship in 2018. We are only looking for very small incremental improvements in efficiencies in the car that we are racing in order to be more competitive — to have both cars right up the front where we want them to be.” Bruce Newton

MUSTANG PASSES CRUCIAL AERO TEST THE FORD Mustang Supercar should be ratified to race in the 2019 Supercars championship by the time you read this.

Outgoing Supercars technical chief Dave Stuart was due to present a report on VCAT aerodynamic parity testing of the Mustang to the Supercars Commission on Wednesday (December 12).

From that should come the sign-off of its aerodynamic package to allow construction of six race cars to be completed in time for testing in mid-February and race debut in Adelaide two weeks later.

The final step in the homologation process follows on from last week’s VCAT testing at Temora airstrip in southern New South Wales.

There, the sole existing DJR Team Penske Mustang was lined up against a Red Bull HRT Holden Commodore ZB and Kelly Racing Nissan Altima.

“All three homologating teams agreed with the conclusions [of the test],” Supercars spokesman Cole Hitchcock said. “The report will be tabled to the commission on Wednesday.”

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While there were some delays caused by strong winds and also early rumours of ructions as the testing got underway, by Friday the vibe was much happier.

“It was good in the end,” a source familiar with the week’s events told Auto Action “I think we have three cars closer than we have ever had.”

There was a suggestion at one point the Nissan might emerge from the process with a new rear wing, but AA understands this is not the case.

Speaking after the Mustang left DJRTP’s Stapylton workshop for Temora, but before the test was completed, team boss Ryan Story expressed his satisfaction with preparation for VCAT. “We went through a fairly regimented testing period over a short period of time and we have come to have a great — even comprehensive — understanding of the car and the tuning tools we have available to us to ensure that when we arrive at VCAT, we can have the car

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SUPER2 SCRAMBLE

LATEST NEWS

CHAZ MOSTERT will race at next month’s Daytona 24 Hour race in a modified BMW M8 GTE alongside Alex Zanardi, Jesse Krohn and John Edwards. Mostert continues his strong association with BMW after representing the German marque at the Bathurst 12 Hour, the FIA GT World Cup, the Asian Le Mans Series, the IMSA Weathertech Sportscar Championship and the Blancpain GT Endurance Series. The Daytona 24 Hours will take place on January 26-27.

THE AUSTRALIAN Production Car Series has announced a change to next year’s calendar. The APC will now visit Phillip Island across June 28-30 as part of the track’s PIARC Endurance Access event, bringing two x 300km races to the popular Phillip Island race weekend. The June 28-30 event will replace the previously announced Phillip Island date in the 2019 APC calendar, which was scheduled to be held earlier in the same month.

“While we were looking forward to visiting Phillip Island with the Shannons Nationals in early June, the feedback of our competitor base was simply overwhelming and something we could not ignore,” APC category manager, Iain Sherrin said.

THE CHANGE from IndyCar fuel vendor Sunoco to new partner Speedway will include a continuation of same grade of product that’s been in use since 2012. IndyCar came to the decision after consulting its engine suppliers at Chevy and Honda whose 2.2-liter twin-turbo V6s power the entire field.

By HEATH MCALPINE A NUMBER of Supercar teams are aiming to contest next year’s Super2 Series, with Triple Eight already confirming a two-car entry for Kurt Kostecki and Brenton Grove, joining fellow main series teams Garry Rogers Motorsport and Matt Stone Racing on the grid.

Speaking upon the announcement, Triple Eight team manager Mark Dutton said that it was part of the team’s succession plan, as well as enabling them to maintain the same workforce after dropping from three to two entries in Supercars.

“Roland (Dane, Team Owner) has talked a lot about succession plans for Triple Eight over the last few years and finding the right drivers to continue the team’s success is something that’s really important, especially since Jamie (Whincup) is now thinking about his own future and when he might hang up the helmet to take on a greater role in running the team,” Dutton explained.

ALGARVE PRO Racing returned to its winning ways in the second round of the series, the 4 Hours of Fuji, with drivers Andrea Pizzitola and Harrison Newey. Newey took the lead into the first corner at Fuji Speedwaywith the team’s Ligier JS P2-Judd, and maintained it until a well-timed pit call by the United Autosports team enabled its pole-sitting Ligier JS P2 Nissan with Phil Hanson behind the wheel to get the jump on the Algarve entry. The battle between the pair continued throughout the race before a safety car period with just 30 minutes to go bunched the field up. At the restart Pizzitola was just in front of Paul Di Resta in the UA car but held on to claim the victory.

“It’s not only about the drivers as well. We have an opportunity to nurture the young engineers and mechanics and help them make the transition to taking on more responsibility in the main game, without completely throwing them in at the deep end.

“On top of all of that, running two cars in Super2 allows us to maintain staff levels, which otherwise would have had to be reduced if we were only running in the main game with two cars, not three. We’ve got a fantastic group of people here at Triple Eight and we wanted to do everything we could to keep everyone together.”

Walkinshaw Andretti United has also shown interest in Super2 after testing recent Porsche Young Driver Shootout winner Jaxon Evans and Grand Tour driver Abbie Eaton.

“With the development of Walkinshaw Andretti United, we see the opportunity to nurture young talent for not only here, but also

8 AutoAction

speed prior to Bathurst next season, as it is the opening Pirtek Enduro Cup round.

“That’s part of it,” said Ryan.

“All the teams are hurting a bit financially, so more income is what the teams need. If you have the equipment you may as well put it together and go make some income out of it. Leading into Bathurst if the co-driver has got some racing miles, it’s not critical for Luke to do that, but particularly if you can do some racing miles, the value would be better and we can win Bathurst by a bigger margin.”

But Ryan did say that it wouldn’t take away from the team’s Supercars program, which has continued on an upward trajectory this season.

“We’ll see if we can make something happen, but we’re not going to lose focus on our Supercars program because we have momentum there and we don’t want to go backwards at all,” Ryan said.

O’KEEFFE REPLACES PITHER AT GRM

AFTER FINISHING in third place in this year’s Porsche Carrera Cup Australia title, 20-year-old Dylan O’Keeffe will move into the Super2 Series next year with titlewinning team Garry Rogers Motorsport.

O’Keeffe is set to pilot the VF Commodore that Chris Pither guided to the Super2 crown this year, after undertaking a successful evaluation day last Tuesday.

“I’ve learned a lot during my last three seasons in Carrera Cup, and this year I demonstrated my ability to match it with the best drivers in the category,” O’Keeffe said.

“My family and I assessed the options for 2019, and the Dunlop Super2 Series presented the most logical pathway towards my ambition of racing full-time in the Supercars Championship.

“I completed around 300km on Tuesday, which enabled me to fine-tune my driving technique – it’s a very different style to the Porsche.

“I also worked closely with the team on car setup, to understand the effects of

GRM LEAD S5000 TECHNICAL SUPERCARS TEAM Garry Rogers Motorsport will take the technical lead for the new open-wheel S5000 series.

The Australian Racing Group has struck a technical alliance with GRM that will see the Supercars team provide total technical support to the S5000 category.

GRM will complete the build of the first batch of 13 chassis, as well as providing ongoing parts support, for the cars that will compete in the allnew open-wheel championship next year.

“We’ve taken on the opportunity to get these S5000 cars built, completed and ready to go for 2019,” said Garry Rogers, Team Principal.

“I have no doubt that we have the workforce to be able to do this.

“This is a serious open wheeler racing category.

This new S5000 car will be safer, stronger, more durable and the reliability factor will be enormous

our links abroad,” WAU Co-Team Principal Bruce Stewart said.

“We would love for Abbie take the step into Super2 with us next year.

Now, it’s about finding the right partner to make that happen.

“As for Jaxon, we’d love the chance to have him in our car when possible, even on an ad-hoc basis.

“We believe Jaxon has an exciting future ahead of him, he is definitely a standout in the next generation of drivers coming through.

“If he decides that Supercars is the path he wishes to follow, having him in some way involved with our team, would be a really exciting prospect.”

Erebus Motorsport co-driver Luke Youlden also spent some time behind the wheel of the team’s Mercedes E63 AMG Supercar.

When asked about the chances of the car competing in Super2, Erebus CEO Barry Ryan told Auto Action that the team were looking at it as a way of getting Youlden up to

compared to what they used to be.

“Back in the 70s, Formula 5000, with flames and sparks, provided very exciting racing. With S5000, I have no doubt that Australia has a real chance here. The rest of the world is toning down on motorsport, and we need to tone it up.”

“These cars will tone up and give Australian motorsport fans a really exciting spectacle.”

The 36-strong GRM workforce will be in charge of the significant engineering, fabrication and composite construction required to get Australia’s fastest motorsport category on track.

Borland Racing Developments, which has undertaken the initial design, engineering and construction work on the debut S5000 car, will continue to play a key role in the development of the cars, adding their unrivalled open-wheel experience to the ongoing development.

“The commitment by Garry, Barry and GRM to

different changes.”

O’Keeffe is excited by the prospect of working with a team that has proven history in developing successful young drivers, including championship winners Garth Tander and Scott McLaughlin.

“When you look at the history of GRM, they’ve introduced and developed a lot of talent over the years – drivers like Garth Tander, Jason Bargwanna, Lee Holdsworth and Scott McLaughlin,” O’Keeffe said.

“More recently, they’ve brought James Golding through the Super2 Series and the endurance races, and he’s now driving for them full-time in the main-game.

“After the day at Winton, I can see why GRM has been so successful at introducing young drivers to Supercars – it’s a very comfortable environment where I’m encouraged to keep improving. It will be the ideal place for me to learn about all the on and off-track aspects of being a Supercar driver, and I can’t wait for next season to start!”

the production of S5000 cars is a fantastic vote of confidence by them in the formula and the CAMS Australian S5000 Championship,” said Chris Lambden, S5000 Category Manager.

“The facility and personnel available at GRM will be a big boost to the production process, following on from the design and development of the car, overseen by Michael Borland, who will still be involved in a consultancy role.

“Following the successful launch, the recent demo runs with the first car and the reaction to it, this is another crucial box ticked in terms of delivering what we expect will be a super addition to the Australian and New Zealand motorsport

scene. Production of the first batch of S5000 cars is now underway and 2019 is looking pretty exciting.”

The first S5000 has made on-track appearances in Sydney, Newcastle and Adelaide, with testing to continue ahead of the series debut in 2019.

COOLDRIVE FOR JONES

AFTER MULTIPLE wildcard appearances, Macauley Jones will join the Supercars grid full-time for season 2019 after it was announced that he will move into the seat that was vacated by the retiring Tim Blanchard in the CoolDrive ZB Commodore.

Jones finished ninth in this year’s Super2 Series in what was a tough season for the 24-year-old after near-victories in Townsville when two rear-damper failures dashed his hopes and a last lap tangle with Garry Jacobson ended in the sand trap at Bathurst.

“The 2018 season has been incredibly tough for me, I’ve grown a lot as a driver and a person,” said Jones upon the announcement.

“We’ve had a few times this year where we’ve had an average result after a promising start, such as Townville and Bathurst; and it’s hard to bounce back from that. If the consistency and race finishes were there it could have made a big difference to our end of season result, but you try not dwell on that any more than you need to.”

Jones debuted in the Super2 category mid-way through the 2014 season, making his maiden codriver start partnering Dale Wood the next year and is eager to get into the rigours of full-time Supercars competition.

“There is so much to look forward to in my first Supercars season,” Jones continued.

“The amount of time I get to spend racing will double, and so will everything else, the workload, the off-track commitments; I’m ready to step up.

I’m excited to be working with the team at the next level.”

“The wild card and co-driving events have definitely helped me prepare for the year ahead. You get a taste of what to expect and how to manage yourself and the car in the longer races; its daunting and exciting all at the same time, but I’m so looking forward to 2019!”

Team owner Tim Blanchard has witnessed first hand the development of Jones within the walls of Brad Jones Racing and is looking forward to continue to be part of the journey.

“We’re excited to confirm that Macauley will be stepping into the Team CoolDrive Supercar in 2019.

In the last three years I’ve spent with BJR, I’ve seen the growth and development of Macauley, both as a person, and a driver.”

“Not many people get to see the work Macauley does behind the scenes, if he’s not working on his own Super2 car he’s usually spending time working on his health and fitness. He’s got an incredible work ethic and is committed to doing the absolute best job he can.”

“There is no doubt the step from Super2 to Supercars is huge. It’s going to be a challenge for Macauley and I look forward to seeing what he can achieve in the main game. This is a very exciting time for Macauley; the time is right for him to take this next step and Team CoolDrive will be there to support him all the way.”

AA JUDGES PRI SHOW AWARDS AUTO ACTION has been recognised as a one of the world’s most significant motor sport media outlets by being on the esteemed Performance Racing Industry (PRI) Global Media Awards judging panel at the 31st annual PRI Trade Show in Indianapolis from December 6-8.

PRI Trade Show is a massive event, with nearly 1200 exhibitors, and is the only trade show exclusive to the motor sports industry where racing professionals from across the USA and around the world gather to conduct business for the upcoming racing season.

The trade-only PRI Show is where industry professionals go to discover the latest innovations and technology in motor sports.

For the first time, expert journalists from motor sport industry publications around the world — including Race Tech Motorsport Engineering, Inside Track Motorsport News, Pit Talk Asia and

Auto Action — participated as judges in the PRI Global Media Awards program.

The on-hand motor sport media were asked to identify products entered into the Featured Products Showcase at the PRI Trade Show that could have the greatest international appeal.

The Featured Products Showcase included some of the hottest new products in the motor sports industry and each judge was asked to select 10 products that they felt would most likely succeed as motor sport industry products in their home country.

Manufacturers of those chosen products received a PRI Global Media Award, with several Australian manufacturers receiving the recognition. Australian manufactures included Bullet Engineering for their aluminium billet Nissan block, Pfitzner Performance Gearboxes and PE Racing Products for their modular brake pedal assembly.

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LATEST NEWS

EREBUS MAKES 12 HOUR COMEBACK PREVIOUS BATHURST 12 Hour winners Erebus Motorsport will make a comeback to the event in 2019, partnering with Scott Taylor Motorsport and Yasser Shahin.

Fielding a Mercedes-AMG GT3, Shahin will be joined by 2017 Bathurst 1000 winners David Reynolds and Luke Youlden contesting the Pro-Am class, but Erebus Motorsport CEO Barry Ryan believes outright victory is within reach.

“The event holds a special place in the hearts of

our team, it was the stage of our first big victory and somewhere we never finished outside the top five,” Ryan said.

“We always go there with high expectations; we want to push for the PRO/AM victory but with the speed Yasser shows as an amateur driver, also give the outright victory a go.”

Shahin successfully tested as part of the Challenge Bathurst weekend and ran consistently faster than the amateur drivers did in the 2018 edition.

“The team’s preparation for the test was second to none and I am incredibly excited to run in such a professional environment,” Shahin said.

Erebus Motorsport took victory with Bernd Schneider, Thomas Jager and Alexander Roloff in the 2013 event, while it secured the Allen Simonsen Pole Position trophy the next year in the predecessor to the Mercedes-AMG GT3, the SLS GT3.

NEW BENTLEY CONFIRMED THE NEW-GENERATION Bentley Continental GT3 will make its Bathurst 12 Hour debut in 2019, as the factory M-Sport team confirmed it will enter a pair of its updated GT3 cars for the once around the clock event.

The British manufacturer announced that it will tackle both the Blancpain GT Endurance Series and the Intercontinental GT Challenge, which opens at the iconic Australian circuit.

M-Sport has retained all six of its endurance drivers for 2019 including Vincent Abril, Jules Gounon, Steven Kane, Jordan Pepper, Andy Soucek and Maxime Soulet.

“The Intercontinental GT Challenge allows us to extend our programme outside of Europe, which is vital to reflect the global presence of our brand,” said Bentley’s Director of Motorsport, Brian Gush.

“I’m pleased that we’ve retained all of our six works team drivers for 2019, and we will (also)

run at least one car at the 24 Hours of Spa with the top drivers promoted from our global customer team programme. Once these are confirmed, we will look at our options for the fourth car. The most important thing for us as a brand is that we have four driver teams capable of winning the race.

“As in previous years, Bentley Team M-Sport drivers will be available to our customer teams in 2019. So far, they have supported our teams racing in Super GT, Pirelli World Challenge, the British GT Championship, GT Masters and the Blancpain GT Series Asia, sharing valueable experience and knowledge.”

Bentley has experienced moderate success at the Bathurst race since debuting in 2015, featuring on the podium in 2016 and 2017.

The 2018 event was a tough one for the British marque as it farewelled the first-generation of the Continental GT.

PORSCHE DOUBLE UP FOR 2019

HAVING YET to taste victory at the Bathurst 12 Hour, Porsche has announced that it will field a two-car entry which includes Australian World Endurance Championship driver Matt Campbell.

Campbell will join former Supercup rival Dennis Olsen and the experienced Dirk Werner, with a second Porsche 911 GT3R to be fielded for Romain Dumas, Sven Muller and Mathieu Jaminet.

Although the team that will prepare and race the cars is yet to be announced, Porsche is doubly keen to win at Bathurst as it’s also the opening round of the Intercontinental GT Challenge after entries representing the German marque finished third, fourth, fifth and sixth in the 2018 event.

10 AutoAction

Youlden is excited by the opportunity to compete alongside Reynolds and Shahin as preparations continue to ramp up.

“I’m wrapped it’s worked out this way, having a previous relationship with Yasser, David and the team,” Youlden said.

“It gives me a huge amount of confidence and really good motivation to try win; we have all the ingredients, so I don’t think we could go into a 12-Hour more prepared.”

SPA 24HR WINNERS AT BATHURST BMW MOTORSPORT has confirmed the Walkenhorst Motorsport will return to the Bathurst 12 Hour as part of an all-out attack on the Intercontinental GT Challenge in 2019.

It will be a two-pronged BMW charge on the IGTC and Bathurst 12 Hour, as BMW Motorsport boss Jens Marquardt confirmed that a yet to be announced second team will join Walkenhorst Motorsport in contesting the worldwide GT challenge.

“Bathurst is such a unique place, the atmosphere brilliant and the track so extremely challenging that we as Walkenhorst Motorsport promised ourselves ‘we will be back soon’ after our first experience in 2017, where we had to learn the hard way that the track is an zero mistake one,” Team Manager Niclas Königbauer told bathurst12hour.com.au.

“The race is challenging on many different ways, it is hard on the cars, the pit stop crew has to be perfectly trained and synchronized as there is no

minimum pit stop time, the drivers have to keep their focus to 100% over the whole stints and there is no room for error around the track while fighting for position or overtaking cars from different classes.

“Our team will participate in the whole Intercontinental GT Challenge and we are looking very forward to the challenges we will have this year.”

Norwegian driver Christian Krognes will lead the Walkenhorst Motorsport line up and was part of the team that took line honours in this year’s Spa 24 Hour, alongside Topm Blomqvist and Philipp Eng. Next year’s event marks the team’s second appearance at the Bathurst 12 Hour after failing to start the event in 2017 when a heavy accident in practice forced it to withdrawal from the race.

Also announced was the inclusion of DTM stars Augusto Farfus and Martin Tomczyk to the IGTC driver line-up, though it is believed both will drive the as unannounced second car at Bathurst.

AA’s unpredictable pundit is unusually full of good cheer as he looks back on a vintage year of drama, intrigue and excitement (Don’t worry, bah-humbug Foges will be back in the New Year) WHAT A year it has been. Big news, historic achievements and exciting battles highlighted 2018 as one of the most eventful seasons in a long time. Globally and domestically, there was action and excitement aplenty, along with portents of more of the same next year and beyond.

It may not be a golden era of motor sport in the eyes of traditionalists, but in contemporary terms, fourwheeled racing continues to fascinate as much as frustrate.

Motorcycle racing has hit a sweet spot in MotoGP that makes it the exemplar for thrilling action and enthralling unpredictability.

But while MotoGP provides some lessons, how it maintains its heady mix of furious racing and extraordinary spectacle isn’t directly applicable to car racing. The problems of motor racing and its declining appeal to younger audiences are as clear as they are complex to solve within the existing regulatory system.

That is a very big discussion for another day. In the meantime, appreciate the likes of Supercars for what they are – entertaining, noisy and visually relatable – and enjoy the battles between two teams at their peaks and drivers at their highest levels.

It truly is a Clash Of The Titans.

DJR Team Penske versus Triple Eight and Scott McLaughlin versus Shane van Gisbergen is about as good as it gets. Throw

in Jamie Whincup on his day and the intensity of the competition at the top is extraordinary.

Add outliers like Erebus Motorsport and David Reynolds to upset things every so often and you have the foundations of an excellent show.

There is still more to like in top level racing than to admonish – even in F1, despite its best efforts – and this year held our interest more than usual. Even the relatively invisible WRC emerged from obscurity with a thrilling title showdown at Rally Australia that matched the visceral excitement of the bucking, sliding cars in the forests.

It’s been a motor sport year worth reliving and as we prepare for the Festive Season, you can remind yourself of the highs and lows with Auto Action’s comprehensive review of all the year’s racing action, including expert rankings and ratings of the superstars of the sport.

Beginning on page 26, we look back at the major local and overseas series, with particularly close examinations of the F1 and Supercars seasons.

This year was one of the biggest ever for Australians on the international stage. The highlight, undoubtedly, was Daniel Riccardo winning the Monaco Grand Prix and Will Power triumphing at the Indianapolis 500 – the two biggest races in the world – on the same day.

It was among the greatest days

in Australian sports history. Right up there with the international achievements of Brabham, Bradman, Laver, Fraser, Rose et al.

Ricciardo showed plenty of speed in a frustratingly unreliable season, which prompted his shock move from Red Bull Racing to Renault in 2019. Power’s pace was also stymied in the IndyCar Series, but his Indy 500 success elevated him into the Penske pantheon of legendary drivers.

The Supercars title battle between contrasting Kiwis McLaughlin and van Gisbergen was one for the ages. Down to the wire amid controversy and drama. Couldn’t ask for better.

Several incidents, however, exposed the poor wording and consequent clumsy interpretations of contentious rules at critical points late in the championship tussle. Not good enough. Simple as.

And amid the glow of McLaughlin’s title triumph, it should not be forgotten that DJRTP was embroiled in a scandal over its self-corrected breach of the technical rules – the infamous drop gear affair. The ham-fisted attempts to hide the inadvertent infraction was a low point in the sport’s credibility.

It doesn’t take anything away from McLaughlin’s and DJRTP’s success, but it did expose a serious flaw in the regulatory process and transparency issues.

Back on the international stage, the F1 Australian Grand Prix and WRC Rally Australia again starred as among the most professionally presented events anywhere in the world. Australia’s popular rounds of the world superbike championship and MotoGP, both at fabulous Phillip Island, underlined this country’s disproportionately high standing in global motor sport.

The most exciting development of the year was the announcement that the Mustang would race in Supercars from next year. AA was at the forefront of breaking that big news and rarely has a motor sport story generated so much interest and enthusiasm.

The Mustang’s racing debut is the most anticipated racing event of the decade and having Ford’s iconic two-door coupe in Supercars will attract a timely boost in attention among the wider public.

Overall, then, a very good year for motor sport. Enjoy the fast-approaching holiday break and we’ll see you back here on January 10, 2019.

Thank you all for your interest and support. We plan to justify your faith even further next year, when we look forward to reporting even more drama and intrigue.

CONGRATULATIONS TO TIM BROOK ON WINNING THE 2018 TOYOTA 86 SERIES. That makes two years in a row that Bond Roll Bars equiped Toyota 86’s have won the series.

Well done to Luke King for his series runner up driving the Team AISIN 86, last years series winning car also equipped with Bond Roll Bars.

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11

INTERNATIONAL LATEST

AUSSIES IMPRESS DURING GP3 TESTING AUSTRALIAN DUO Alex Peroni and Oscar Piastri successfully participated in end of season GP3 test at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi.

Both are hoping to move into the relaunched FIA Formula 3 category next year, after racing in the Formula Renault Eurocup this year. Peroni won a race at Monaco and Piastri took multiple podiums on their way to eighth and ninth in the championship.

Peroni tested with Campos Racing,

while Piastri split his time over the threeday test with Trident Racing and Jenzer Motorsport.

Testing in current GP3 machinery, which is similar to what both could be competing in next year, the duo set lap times that placed each in the top five. Piastri set fourth fastest lap time in two of the six sessions, while Peroni also set fourth fastest lap time in one of his sessions and backed that up with fifth.

“I was a bit nervous before the first

session, driving a car with nearly double the power and more grip than anything I’d been in before, on an unfamiliar circuit,” Peroni admitted after the testing was complete.

“The Campos Racing engineers were great though. They let me settle in at my own pace on the first day, so I could push the car to its limits on the second and third days.

“What surprised me about the GP3 car wasn’t so much its extra acceleration but

the heavy steering through the corners due to the grip of the wider, softer tyres.

My arms started getting tired after about eight laps, which is around half the distance of the longer of the two races at a GP3 round.

“Being fourth and fifth-quickest in two sessions, ahead of the drivers who dominated this year’s Formula Renault Eurocup, was very satisfying. It did a lot to restore my confidence after some difficult Eurocup rounds this year.”

NEW TCM MUSCLE

McELREA TAKES SHOOTOUT AUSTRALIAN FORMULA Ford winner Hunter McElrea has capped off an impressive week testing in the US, to come away the winner of the Road to Indy Shootout at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park.

McElrea made it into the final six alongside Michael Eastwell, Jake Craig, Braden Eves, Flinn Lazier and Ross Martin.

After a qualifying session and race simulation, McElrea was announced as the winner of the $200,000US scholarship, which funds a season in USF2000 in 2019.

“I’m lost for words,” said an ecstatic McElrea.

“This whole weekend has been a crazy experience.

I have to thank Mazda for

12 AutoAction

this amazing opportunity, Cooper Tyres and Anderson Promotions. It has been so great to measure yourself against some of the best young drivers in the world.

“To have the opportunity to be on the grid next year hasn’t really sunk in yet, but I’m so excited to represent Mazda and can’t thank them enough for giving me the opportunity to prove myself.

“I can’t wait!”

McElrea and Formula Ford title rival Cameron Shields had already impressed in testing at HomesteadMiami Speedway, with this year’s Australian Formula Ford winner topping the timesheets by setting a 1m 24.448s lap time, just 0.04s ahead of Shields.

A NEW contender for the 2019 Touring Car Masters crown is currently in the early stages of build for Cameron Mason.

After fielding a 1966 Ford Mustang Fastback in recent years, Mason will step up into a 1969 Ford Mustang from the Phillip Island round of the 2019 season.

“It’ll be a similar spec to the front running cars.

That’s why we decided to build this car rather than freshen the other one up, which would have been cheaper but it wouldn’t be a brand-new car,” team owner Steve Mason told Auto Action.

“We had the opportunity to build a new car and because we found the new shell, it was a no brainer.

“Everything is brand spanking new.”

The cars’ entire build is being undertaken in Melbourne by the experienced Marty Bryant of Garage1, an easy decision for the Mason’s to make.

“It’s just so exciting to be involved with someone like Marty Brant from Garage1.

He’s totally professional, he’s built a lot of fast cars over the years and it’s just exciting to be involved with him,” Mason explained.

“It’s just [gone] straight to Marty and he’ll do the full build, he’ll do every nut and bolt on the car. There were other guys around that would do it, but Marty was available at the time and I think he is as good as any.

“So, that’s the way we went, we’re looking

for a professional build.”

The car will feature a new Steve Makarios 351 Windsor motor, giving the team confidence that car will be able to contend with John Bowe, Steve Johnson and Adam Bressington, when the younger Mason debuts it at Phillip Island.

“We’re not taking any shortcuts and we are hoping it will be straight out of the box competitive,” Mason said.

“We’ll test the week before Phillip Island and use the race meeting as further testing. We’d like to get the car out on the track and rather than spend a week or two testing, we like to go and race.

We’ll be doing a lot of testing as we go along.”

The team’s older 1966 Mustang will have its last hurrah in Adelaide before the family plan to sell the car.

HEATH MCALPINE

EVANS UNLIKELY TO DEFEND TITLE CURRENT AUSTRALIAN Rally Champion Eli Evans will not defend his title next year unless sponsorship is forthcoming, as he plans to focus instead on the development of his Mini Cooper AP4 car.

“Not too sure yet,” Evans told Auto Action.

“I’d like to bring the Mini out but committing to the whole year is tough with no sponsors, so if I want to get out there next year and race, I need to get to work now. “ My life is pretty hectic as it is without rallying in terms of my business and my family. I actually don’t know if I’m going to compete the full year yet, I won’t know for a while.”

Evans fought off strong challenges from Harry Bates and privateer Steve Glenney to take his fourth crown this year, with codriver Ben Searcy winning his maiden title.

The Victorian is now hoping to focus on advancing the development of the Mini after parking it following Round 1 this year and moving across to an R5-spec Skoda Fabia

run out of Perth’s RaceTorque Engineering.

“At this stage (it’s) unlikely,” Evans admitted.

“When I say that, it’s unlikelywe’ll do the full championship. I’ll compete at a few rounds. I’d like to keep developing the Mini and get it to outright pace to win an event,

so that’s probably highly likely what we’ll focus on.”

The level of competition will lift next year as Bates and brother Lewis will spearhead the factory Toyota Gazoo Racing rally team in a pair of Toyota Yaris AP4s.

“You’ve got to work hard to get sponsors,

they just don’t come knocking on your door, so you have to put yourself out there,” Evans told Auto Action.

“That’s something that I need to improve on, trying to get the funding to compete in the Australian championship.”

HEATH MCALPINE

GROVE PAIR REPRESENT AUSTRALIA FATHER SON team Stephen and Brenton Grove travelled to Bahrain as Australia’s representatives in the FIA GT Nations Cup. It was the first edition of the FIA GT Nations Cup with 18 countries represented from Asia, Europe and Oceania, with only Silver and Bronze graded drivers permitted.

The weekend was split into three 60-minute races, two qualifying events and a main race to decide the nations champion.

Driving a Herberth Motorsport Porsche 991 GT3R, the Grove pair banked the most laps during the dual 80-minute practice sessions, with Stephen setting a lap time of 2m 04.9s to place 15th in his qualifying session and Brenton setting 2m 02.5s to place 12th.

Belgium pair Mike Den Tandt and Charles Weerts dominated qualifying to take pole for each of the heat races.

Stephen started the opening race and was placed just outside the top 10 before handing over to Brenton, who managed to hold 12th right until the final corner, where he was beaten to the line by Team China.

In the second qualifying race, Brenton started and moved his way to ninth before handing over to Stephen, who dealt with worn tyres in the second half of the race to finish in 12th.

Despite improving over the course of the weekend, it was bad luck that ended the duo’s main race early as contact approaching the first corner badly damaged the Porsche and Stephen was left to retire the car on the edge of the circuit.

“It’s such a shame that the main race ended before it had really begun,” said Stephen.

“All weekend the team had done a great job with the car and our strategy was really good.I think we were in for a great result.

“Obviously, there was a lot of carnage in the race and unfortunately, we weren’t able to avoid it.

“However, the whole event was a great experience and driving with Brenton once again was something special.”

Brenton also lamented the end result, but was hopefully of running the event in 2019.

“From our side, there’s definitely an element of unfinished business so we are hoping we can get the blessing from CAMS to come back again next year and put our best foot forward.”

MARATHON REUNION ON SATURDAY December 1 the Classic Rally Club of NSW organised a “marathon” luncheon to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the 1968 London to Sydney marathon car rally.

Other classic long distance events were also celebrated, including the 1974 London to Munich World Cup Rally and the 1977 Singapore Airlines London to Sydney.

Many of the participants in these classic and challenging event were present at the reunion.

Ford Motor Company was well represented, with third placed driver in the 1968 marathon Ian Vaughan, fifth placed Bruce Hodgson, team manager John Gowland and the famous Falcon KAG002, which Vaughan drove to third place.

Six other cars that competed in the 1968

marathon were also on display.

Many other veteran marathon competitors were in attendance including Gerry Crown, twice winner of the Peking tp Paris rally, together with journalist and author John Smailes who accompanied the 1968 marathon as a reporter and at the reunion interviewed some of the veterans, providing some entertaining and insightful stories.

Smailes has recently published a book, Race Across the World, recounting his first-hand experiences of the marathon.

A similar function is planned in 2019 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Repco Reliability Trial, the toughest of all the Round Australia events.

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INTERNATIONAL LATEST

Kurt Busch to Ganassi KURT BUSCH has announced that he is leaving Stewart Haas Racing, joining Chip Ganassi Racing in 2019, and taking his personal sponsor Monster Energy with him.

“We have had the good fortune of having a lot of great drivers here at Chip Ganassi Racing across all forms of racing and Kurt Busch adds to that list,” said Chip Ganassi.

“This is a tremendous opportunity to go out and win races, to have a shot at the championship and to use my experience that I’ve gained over all these years with a group like Chip Ganassi Racing,” Busch said. “I am tremendously proud to be joining Chip Ganassi Racing and that prestigious group of alumni.”

The 2004 cup series champion will be aboard the number 1 Chevrolet replacing Jamie McMurray, who has driven the car since the start of the 2010 season, spending nine years with the team.

Ganassi is confident McMurray will stay with the team in a managerial role, with an announcement on his future expected soon.

Busch will be joining Kyle Larson in the team next year, which will see Busch contesting his 20th NASCAR cup series.

The 40 year old has signed a one year deal with the team, with the contract is expected to be extended if the season goes well for both parties.

WTCR CALENDAR & RULE CHANGES ANNOUNCED WTCR HAS announced another 10 round calendar for 2019, consisting of 30 races. Nine of the 10 rounds remain the same, the only change being the Wuhan Street Circuit, which has been replaced by a round in Malaysia at the Sepang International Circuit.

The Malaysian round will conclude the 2019 championship, although a date is still to be confirmed. One of that weekend’s races is scheduled to take place at night.

While most of the rounds remain the same, the order in which they take place has had a substantial reshuffle.

The round in Slovakia has moved forward from July to May, while the event at the Nurburgring has moved back a month to June.

As well as announcing the new

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calendar, the FIA has announced a few rule tweaks and format changes ahead of the 2019 season.

A four car limit per manufacturer will be introduced, as well as a limit of two cars per team. The grid has been expanded to cater for a field of 32 cars, compared with 28 this year.

A much simpler season-long points system will also be introduced, rather than using a points system that varied from race to race.

Each race will now be worth equal points, with points allocated to the top 15 finishers rather than the top 10.

The points system used will be the same as in Moto GP, with 25 points awarded to the winner, down to the driver in 15th being awarded a solitary point.

WEC HYPERCAR REGULATIONS THE WORLD Endurance Championship and FIA have finally released more information on the hypercar concept set to be introduced for the 2020/2021 season. The idea was originally proposed in the week leading up to this year’s Le Mans 24 Hour race.

Cost cuts are a major focus of the new regulations, in a bid to entice more manufacturer and privateer teams to the WEC. Each team will be required to stick to a budget set at AUD$31.5 million per season for a two car team, which is estimated at around AUD $4.7 million per race. And personnel are now limited to 40 per two car team.

Regulations will see the series continue with the current hybrid powertrains. The cars are anticipated to produce around 700 bhp, with the hybrid system creating an additional 268 bhp. Creating a total just shy of

1000 bhp, the engine cannot cost more than AUD $4.7 million to develop.

The battery will weigh 70kg, while the motor will weigh 50kg, with the car coming to a total weight of just 1040kg, very nearly one bhp per kilogram.

Weight success ballast will be introduced in 2020/2021. 0.5kg will be added for every point scored, with a maximum of 50kg to be added, although this has not been officially confirmed.

The Le Mans 24 Hour race will, however, remain ballast free.

Testing will also be severely cut, with three two days tests and four single day tests, for a total of 10 test days allowed.

The GTE Am class will have success ballast introduced from next season although like the hypercar regulations, the Le Mans 24 Hour race will remain ballast free.

CHINESE TCR RACER TESTS

THE LATEST addition to the TCR grid, the Chinese Lynk & Co 03 TCR, has commenced testing in Portugal with new drivers Thed Bjork and Yvan Muller.

The car was initially built

by Geely Group Motorsport and will be raced by Cyan Racing in the 2019 World Touring Car Cup, as the team returns to the world stage after winning the 2017 World Touring Car Championship for Volvo and Bjork.

“The feeling to turn the first laps of an all-new race car is fantastic and I must say the Lynk & Co 03 TCR has lived up to my expectations,” said Björk.

“Geely Group Motorsport

has done a great job of development so far and we can’t wait to get going, as no doubt we are facing one of the toughest seasons in the history of touring car racing in 2019.”

Head of Geely Group Motorsport, Alexander Murdzevski, is pleased with the development of the car so far and already confident that the 03 will be popular with customers.

“We are happy with the progress so far and the car has been reliable in the first tests. The evaluation programme has gone according to plan and we have a couple of intense months ahead of us to secure a competitive car for our customer teams.”

M-TECH SIGN AUSSIE PAIR AFTER A lack of Australian representation in the Toyota Racing Series (TRS) recently, the number will increase significantly for next season after M-Tech confirmed it has signed Jackson Walls and Calan Williams.

Walls has just completed his debut season in Australian F4, placing second in the rookie standings and sixth outright driving for Patrizicorse. Walls is planning to use TRS as a warm up for his second year of F4.

Williams returns down under after racing EuroFormula Open in 2018, where he finished 11th in his first

international season, with a best of sixth in Hungary.

Williams is also a previous winner of the Australian Formula 3 title and will compete against a number of competitors, including Kiwi protegee Liam Lawson, American Cameron Das and European Formula 3 driver Artem Petrov.

“That’s a perfect lead up for Calan, same tyre and just getting a lot more racing experience, he hasn’t had a lot of experience here,” M-Tech’s Bruin Beasley told Auto Action.

“Jackson is looking at doing F4 next year, which means he

can hit the ground running and TRS can give him that launch pad, 15 races over five weeks, you’re not going to get that anywhere else.”

Beasley expects a highly competitive field for 2019’s TRS season with further announcements to be made.

“It’s going to be competitive, over the next few weeks you’ll see a few more big names pop up and I think it’s going to be a strong, competitive year.

I think last season was a little bit unique in the way it played out, but I think next year will be better,” Beasley continued.

As this issue went to press, M-Tech were completing a shakedown and hopes to make further driver announcements soon.

The opening round of the TRS will be held at Highlands Motorsport Park on January 10-13.

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s w e n e n O Formula

NEW BEGINNINGS A NUMBER of drivers got their first chance to work with and drive for their 2019 teams during the two days of testing in Abu Dhabi, following the last race of the season. A notable exception was Daniel Ricciardo, who could not drive the Renault as Red Bull declined to release him early from his contract.

Other drivers, however, did not have any such problems. Kimi Räikkönen and Charles

Leclerc did their swap between Ferrari and Sauber. Carlos Sainz made the move from Renault to McLaren. Former Williams driver Lance Stroll drove the Force India, even though the switch had yet to be officially announced. Pierre Gasly did the jump from Toro Rosso to Red Bull.

Other new “signings” in action included former F1 drivers Robert Kubica in the Williams and Daniil Kvyat in the Toro Rosso.

And three rookies made their official debuts as racing rather than test drivers: Lando Norris at McLaren, Antonio Giovinazzi at Sauber and George Russell at Williams.

Given the wide variety of test programs run by the teams, and the fact that both 2018 and 2019 Pirelli tyres were used, lap times were fairly irrelevant. Still, Leclerc clocked the fastest time, marginally quicker than his new Ferrari teammate Sebastian Vettel.

TO THE POINT

FAREWELL FORCE India. The team name that has been in Formula 1 since 2008 disappears in 2019.

The new owner – a consortium led by Canadian billionaire Lawrence Stroll – has registered the team on the FIA’s official 2019 entry list as Racing Point F1. The chassis is listed as Racing Point, which is a rather clumsy name but then so too was Force India.

There’s a chance, however, that the chassis name will be changed again before the start of the season.

Lance Stroll, who spent two seasons with Williams, will be teammates with Sergio Pérez. It was not even the worst kept secret because everybody knew that Stroll would make the move. It was just a matter of waiting for official confirmation from the team, and that came on November 30.

There was speculation that Stroll would switch during this season, but that never happened.

“He has a contract with Williams,” Force India boss Otmar Szafnauer told Auto Action at the end of September. “So the best thing is for him to finish the season with Williams.

The right thing is to leave everybody as is for the remainder

16 AutoAction

of this year. Administration happened in the middle of the year, which was unplanned. So it was a good decision for everybody to keep this year as it is, and then make your changes.”

And changes aplenty are in store for the Racing Point including a new factory in the UK. It’s the latest chapter for the F1 team founded by Eddie Jordan in 1991. Under different owners it became MF1 Racing, Spyker and then

“It’s very special getting into the car with the knowledge that this will be my team next year,” Leclerc said. “I have to continue to grow and be focused on the areas where I’m still weak. I will try to learn from everyone in the team and also from my teammate.”

Norris also realized how dissimilar it was being a race rather than test driver.

“It did feel a bit different, realising that a lot of the stuff we did was for my own good

Force India, which went into receivership in July.

Each of those teams had a restricted budget.

That’s not going to be the case now, but that doesn’t mean Stroll’s group will spend hundreds of millions like the current top three teams. But his goal is to challenge for a finish in the top three in the constructors’ championship.

“I’m not in this for ego,” the senior Stroll told the New York Times. “I’m not in this to lose money. I’m in this for the long term, as I have been with every other business I’ve owned, be it Tommy Hilfiger, Michael Kors or whoever.”

Stroll is confident that the impending budget cap will benefit his team’s future plans.

“I’ve had enough conversations with (F1 chairman) Chase (Carey) to understand that is the direction they want and need to take the business,” he said. “For me, that spells financial opportunity, and looking at 2021 onwards, a profitable business opportunity.

“With the right funding, the right leadership, the right motivation, there’s no reason we shouldn’t have high expectations and be able to punch even higher above our weight, to hopefully be fighting for that third place.”

DECODING THE NUMBERS

and things that will really benefit me a lot next year,” he noted. “I’m now trying to get everything based around me rather than the other drivers like in the past as test driver.”

How important were the two days of testing in Kubica’s preparations for his return to racing in 2019?

“Very important,” he replied. “It’s true I had the opportunity to drive the car this year, but it’s also true but I was testing only every two or three months.”

While some of the drivers like Kubica and Russell already know people in their new teams having been their test drivers, others were starting from zero.

“I’ve met a lot of people with English names…many Wills, James, Toms!” said Spain’s Sainz. “Relationship building is a process that I aim to continue improving throughout the winter, and when I go to Barcelona preseason testing next year it will be even better.”

All the new driver/team combinations – only Mercedes and Haas retain the same lineups next year – will be on track in the new cars when preseason testing and the new beginning of the 2019 season kicks off in Barcelona on February 18. Auto Action will be there to bring you all the news.

PIRELLI’S SOMETIMES confusing array of tyre offerings on race weekends will be much simpler in 2019, when there will be just three slick tyre compound designations: hard (with a white soft wall); medium (with a yellow sidewall); and soft (with a red sidewall).

But appearances can be deceiving because there will actually be five different compounds, which will be identified by code numbers, available through the season.

In 2018 there were seven different compounds: super hard, hard, medium, soft, super soft, ultra soft and hyper soft. The super soft and super hard will be dropped for 2019. The remaining five compounds will be tweaked and identified by the following code numbers: hard (1), medium (2), soft (3), super soft (4) and hyper soft (5). However, whatever three compounds are designated for a race weekend, they will be called the hard, medium and soft.

At several races this year Pirelli trialed tyres with a thinner carcass surface to reduce overheating and blistering. That concept will be carried over into the 2019 designs.

The drivers and teams got a chance to try out the 2019 tyres at the two-day test following the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

“All the teams were able to define their own run plans and mostly choose whichever tyres they wanted to test, so

it’s not been easy to draw any immediate conclusions on track,” Mario Isola, Pirelli’s head of car racing said after the test.

“We collected a lot of data, which we are just starting to go through now, and we will need to analyse this quickly because the compounds for Australia have to be decided in a week.

“Initial feedback from the 2019 range is positive. In particular, the first important information we had was that the new compound 5 is working as expected: similar to the 2018 hyper soft but with reduced graining from what we can see so far.”

The teams ran a mixture of the 2018 and 2019 tyres at the test.

“We can see some differences to this year’s tyres,” said Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas, “but we have all winter to work on understanding the new tyres from all the knowledge we are gaining from this test.”

Williams driver Robert Kubica said that the true potential of the 2019 Pirelli tyres will only be fully known when they are run on the 2019 cars, which will have considerably different aerodynamic packages compared to the 2018 models.

In other tyre news, Pirelli has won the tender put out by the FIA to be the sole F1 tyre supplier from 2020 through 2023. The FIA evaluated more than a single offer from Pirelli, one of them coming from Hankook.

Michelin, which last supplied F1 tyres in 2006, decided not make a bid.

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE INSIGHTS FORMULA 1 teams have access to masses of data during a race, and they monitor it via computer screens on the pit wall, in the pit garages and back at their factory bases. Using all sorts of computer models the teams can react in seconds to make strategy calls as things change out on the track. And now fans will be able to be part of that as artificial intelligence will be used to explain what’s going on and what could happen.

Formula 1 has formed a partnership with Amazon Web Services that will use its Sagemaker tool to provide new graphics on the TV screen. The system was trialed at several races this year.

“We’re digging deeper to show you where the performance is coming from,” F1’s motorsport director Ross Brawn said during a presentation of the new system. “When a car is faster, why is it faster? For next season we’re expanding F1 Insights for our viewers. By further integrating the telemetry data, such as the car position, the tyre condition, even the weather, we can use Sagemaker to predict car performance, pit stops and race strategy. There will be some exciting new AI integrations into next year’s F1 TV broadcast.”

Brawn showed several examples of how it works. One involved

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pit stops.

“It’s major strategic element of the race and one stop is mandatory,” he explained. “Stopping at the right time, fitting the right tyre, can win or lose a race. We’re going to take all the data and give the fans an insight into why they stopped and when they stopped – did the team and driver make the right call?”

Another was from the Mexican Grand Prix, showing the probability of Sebastian Vettel overtaking Lewis Hamilton go from 44 percent up to 100 percent as the Ferrari closed in on the Mercedes.

“Now, using machine learning and using live data and historical data, we can use predictions of what’s going to happen,” Brawn said. “What’s great about this is the teams don’t have all this data. We as Formula One know the data from both cars and we can make this comparison, that’s never been done before.”

More graphics showed various performance parameters of Nico Hülkenberg’s Renault such as tyre wear.

“We know that someone is in trouble, his rear tyres are

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overheating,” Brawn said, “but we can look at the history of the tyres and how they’ve worked and where he is in the race.

Machine learning can help provide us a proper analysis of the situation. We can bring that information to the fans and help them understand whether he’s in trouble or whether he can manage the situation. These are insights the teams always had but now we’re going to bring them out to the fans and show them what’s happening.”

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17

F1 INSIDER - OPINION THE BATTLE WITHIN THE TOROS AND THEN there were none – as in no more open seats for the 2019 Formula 1 season, now that the last ride with a question mark on it has been filled. Alexander Albon, 22, a Thai-British driver who competed in Formula 2 this season, will graduate to Formula 1 in 2019 with Toro Rosso.

When Red Bull/Toro Rosso announced at the end of September that Daniil Kvyat would make a comeback in 2019, I was amazed because Red Bull is not known for giving second chances in its young driver programme – the Red Bull Junior Team. But Kvyat is getting a third shot with Toro Rosso.

So there are exceptions.

Ironically, Albon is also getting another opportunity after being dropped from the Red Bull programme in 2012, when he was competing in Formula Renault in Europe.

“It was a difficult year for me for numerous reasons, not least because of my results, but it made me work that much harder,” said Albon of 2012. “I was on the brink of stopping racing all

18 AutoAction

together. Since then, I knew I had to impress every time I drove, and fortunately (Red Bull’s) Dr. (Helmut) Marko gave me a second chance.”

Brendon Hartley, another driver to be forced out of the Red Bull system – in 2010 – was given his second chance when he got the Toro Rosso drive for the final four races of 2017 and all of this season. Unfortunately, it just didn’t work out for the Kiwi.

Hartley went into the last race of this season with a long-term

contract but obviously unsure what his fate would be with Toro Rosso. What he was sure of is how much he had improved since making the switch from the World Endurance Championship to Formula 1.

“What I’m really happy with and proud about is how I progressed and evolved,” he told reporters in the paddock of Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina Circuit. “I changed my approach when I needed to, was strong under difficult circumstances. A big part of any

athlete or driver in this scenario is to make sure you finish the season stronger than you started.

I can confidently say that I’ve done that. After seven years away from single seaters it maybe took some more adjusting than I initially thought it would.

“I’m really happy with the way I’ve progressed through the season and finishing in a position where I’m out-performing my teammate on a consistent basis.

Doing top races, understanding how to set the car up for the race, not just qualifying, working with the tyres and engineers. I’m really happy with how I’m approaching the weekends. There were some missed opportunities early on, sometimes out of my control, sometimes very much things I could have done better. But that is history and I’m happy with how I progressed.”

What Hartley did not have was a benefactor who could contribute funding to the team. I’m not saying money alone secured the Toro Rosso seat for Albon – the team insists on drivers with talent – but the 10 million euros contributed by the Red Bull operation in Thailand certainly

sweetened the pot.

Albon won four F2 races this year and finished third in the championship.

“Alexander had an impressive Formula 2 season in 2018,” said Toro Rosso team boss Franz Tost. “The way he is able to overtake many of his rivals in the races shows that he is ready and matured to race in Formula 1.”

Albon has never driven a F1 car before, so will get his first taste during pre-season testing in Barcelona.

“I won’t have many days in the car before Melbourne, so it will be very important to be as prepared as possible and take each race as it comes,” he said. “It’s more about trying to maximise each race weekend as it comes.”

What’s next for Hartley? I don’t know. When he left Abu Dhabi he was scheduled to do some work in the Red Bull/Toro Rosso simulator a couple days after the race. And now he is looking for work.

So Toro Rosso will field a rookie and a driver who already has 71 starts in F1 on his CV, for the 2019 season. I wonder if they will be back in 2020?

Australia’s motor sport authority since 1971 Publisher

Bruce Williams 0418 349 555 Associate Publisher Mike Imrie Editor-At-Large

Mark Fogarty

Deputy Editor

Heath McAlpine

Creative Director/ Production

Jason Crowe

Special Contributor Bruce Newton National Editor

Garry O’Brien

Intern Online Editor

Dan McCarthy Rhys Vandersyde

Contributing Writers Australia Garry O’Brien, Mark Fogarty, Bruce Newton, David Hassall, Bob Watson F1 Dan Knutson Speedway Geoff Rounds Photographers Australia Dirk Klynsmith, Ross Gibb, Rebecca Thompson, Mick Oliver, David Batchelor, Randall Kilner, Rhys Vandersyde International LAT Images Cartoonist John Stoneham

Advertising Manager Bruce Williams All Advertising enquiries bruce@overdrivemedia.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

Published by Action Media Partners ABN number 62976094459 Suite 4/156 Drummond Street Oakleigh Victoria 3166 Phone: 03 9563 2107

THANKS FROM PUBLISHER BRUCE WILLIAMS AS YOU read this, 2018 has almost come to an end and I have to say it’s been an incredible year for the Auto Action team.

Everyone in the team here has put in a big effort to produce another 25 great issues, so I want to say a big thank you to all our contributors and photographers on the ground covering all the events around the country.

The in-house team consists of Heath pulling the mag together in AA HQ each week and Jason on the crayons, making the old girl look as pretty as a picture with all his design and production efforts.

The in-house team has been well supported by Mr Auto Action, Garry O’Brien, who has covered just about every national and state level race and rally in the country over the past 12 months.

Rhys Vandersyde took control of our social media and digital platforms and has done a fantastic job of keeping all the numbers growing, I might add that the Auto Action web site is a great place to visit for your daily fix of motorsport news and features once you’ve exhausted the read of the old girl in paper format.

Of course, I can’t thank our Formula 1 man enough. Dan Knutson attends every race and gives us great access to all the news and behind the scenes goings on in the F1 world, always a must read.

As I said it’s been a big year for AA and one of the major moves for the team was the return of our editor-at-large, Mark Fogarty.

Foges was quickly back into it at Auto Action and boy did he deliver with a bang!

Straight up we had a front-page

story that rocked the Supercar pit lane. Foges and Roger Penske had been chatting and Roger was in the mood to do some stirring, all firmly aimed at the Ford decision makers. He had become frustrated as a decision on a possible official Mustang Supercar program dragged out, so he decided to fire a broadside. As Roger told Foges, if it comes to having to change brands in order to have a winning car, then so be it. Maybe he might have to go to a Holden, he told Foges in an Auto Action exclusive.

As a result of the story, the Auto Action web site and social media channels went into melt down.

To say it came as a surprise to all is an understatement, even the DJR Team Penske media team didn’t know that Roger had shared his thoughts on the possibilities of a brand change with our man Foges.

That was just the warm up and really that story was a blip on the radar compared to the numbers we saw on our web site and the response from social media, when Foges dropped the bombshell news that Ford would soon announce its backing for the development of Mustang as a Supercar.

Again we had been working on the story for some time and we commissioned our digital image guru, Tim Pattinson, to do some artwork to support the yarn. We had the story and kept pushing the people at Ford for a response, but nothing but denials. So we went with it simultaneously in our printed magazine and on our digital platforms, and suddenly it was officially announced a couple of days after Auto Action first broke the news.

Foges has certainly shaken things up, both inside the walls of AA HQ and out in racing land. He brings much experience, guidance and even support, it’s much appreciated.

Another great addition (should I say returning) is former two-time Auto Action editor, Bruce Newton.

Bruce has been one of the most respected motorsport journalists in the country since his days as editor of AA, his first stint at the helm being back in the late 80’s. Bruce adds a real strength to our news gathering team, he is highly respected and his access to all the important people in pit lane is critical to Auto Action delivering genuine news that many others can’t get.

And that’s an important thing I want to finish with, the support that we get here at Auto Action from past AA editors is fantastic. Like Mike and I, they are still invested in the ongoing success of Auto Action and its heart-warming to get their support and encouragement along the way for each issue, again thanks to you guys.

On the racing front it has been an incredible year of racing.

Internationally, we had two of our own lads share the world spotlight on the one weekend, with Will Power winning the Indy 500 and our boy Dan winning Formula 1 Grand Prix at Monaco.

These two races are arguably the sport’s biggest and most famous races, so it was a big day for all fans of Australian motorsport.

Locally we witnessed two of the great modern-day Supercar teams in Triple Eight Race Engineering and DJR Team Penske slug it out for the whole season, with the fight going down to the wire.

In the end it was a good thing to see a new champion crowned in Scott McLaughlin, a young guy now well entrenched in the Penske program. It was also genuinely great to see an emotional Dick Johnson win another Supercars title as a team owner, given the tumultuous time his team and family have been through over the past few years.

And all on the same weekend that Steve Johnson delivered another TCM series win over long-time mate and now rival John Bowe.

2018 was also the finish to the full-time career of Craig Lowndes.

His performance over the past 20 odd years has been fantastic and he remains the fan favourite, so I look forward to now seeing what he does in racing now that he is not shackled to the Supercars world.

There was heaps of great racing all over the country and we have tried to cover it all, a big job by all involved and again thanks to the whole team.

I also want to thank those companies that have supported Auto Action with advertising.

Without that commitment, we would struggle to put out a publication of the quality that we do each fortnight.

However my biggest thanks goes to you, our wonderful readers, who purchase the magazine every issue.

We know you enjoy it because of all the phone calls and comments we get and that’s what really brings a smile to my face.

So thanks to one and all and we hope you have a great festive season. Auto Action will be back on deck first week of January to bring you our first issue for 2019, on sale January 10th.

The trademark Auto Action is the sole property of Action Media Partners The website www.autoaction.com. au and associated social media platforms are wholly owned by Action Media Partners 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 Action Media Partners.

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FABS VS CHAZ

THE FIGHT FOR 2020 PENSKE SEAT

L to R: Bill-payer Mike Imrie, chief colour-inner Jason Crowe, cyberspaceman Rhys Vandersyde, Santa Foges, national racing guru Garry O’Brien, big boss Bruce Williams and deputy dawg Heath McAlpine. That’s Stonie hiding in the background.

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19

The

ICONICS

Living legends Roger Penske and Dick Johnson talk about the special place Scott McLaughlin’s first Supercars crown has among their epic achievements

T

HEY NEED no introduction. One is a straight-laced American icon in racing and business who has been so successful for so long that he is famous and respected around the world. The other is a laconic Ford folk hero known and revered throughout Australia and recognised throughout the racing world.

Together, Roger Penske and Dick Johnson have restored Dick Johnson Racing to its former glory. In just four years as DJR Team Penske, the operation has emerged as the Ford flagship team, taking the fight right up to Holden standard-bearer Triple Eight.

Last year, DJRTP won the teams’ championship and oh-so-narrowly lost the drivers’ title. This year, the teams’ crown was sacrificed for Scott McLaughlin’s first title, finally gaining Supercars’ biggest prize.

It was part of an incredible haul of race wins and championships

by Team Penske on both sides of the Pacific. In the USA, Will Power won his first and Roger’s 17th Indianapolis 500, Brad Keselowski captured Penske’s first NASCAR victory at his beloved Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the Brickyard 400, and Joey Logano claimed the empire’s second NASCAR Cup. For both Penske, 81, and Johnson, 73, McLaughlin’s Supercars championship breakthrough was a highlight of their long and distinguished careers in a sport in which they continue to be feted by the fans.

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THE CAPTAIN What a great year for Team Penske.

They don’t come much better. We won 30 races in 2018. The way we won the last one, with van Gisbergen getting an infraction in the pits (in the Saturday race at Newcastle, relegating him from first to fifth), was really unfortunate for Roland and his team. I feel bad about it, but also I’m sure he understood the issue we had last year when we were given a penalty drive-through for the pit speed infraction.

It’s the rules and we gotta deal with that.

But, overall, when you think about winning the three races at Indianapolis – the road course, the 17th Indy 500 and also the Brickyard 400, which we had never won and that just capped the 500 – and obviously the NASACAR championship.

I mean, this is a coveted prize that we won in 2012, so it took six years for us to win it again. And then to come down here and be able to compete at the

highest level with teams that are really good guys. I’m really impressed with the camaraderie. We’re rivals on the track, we’ll take anything we can get from each other, but we’re friends off the track. It’s been a journey coming down here, with Marcos (Ambrose) originally helping us to get going, and how we built the crew and the driver line-up we have in both Scott and Fabian. They’re guys that just work together so well. The whole operation is outstanding, with (DJRTP managing director) Ryan Story and (team manager) Ben Croke just such key guys.

You must be very satisfied with the progress DJR Team Penske has made?

Oh, yes. I think the new Holden had a little bit of edge on us at the beginning.

I think we’ve made our car better. We’re really excited to see the homologation of the Mustang and come here with a brand

l l he level, h attracts tt t the th mostt talented t l t d people, and I think that’s what you have to look at. Obviously, (Chip) Ganassi’s one of my big rivalries on the IndyCar side, and then you take NASCAR and you get four or five teams that you’re racing every weekend. But that’s why we do this. It’s about winning, it’s about building a brand for me.

Racing has built a brand for us and when I think about our company, this competitiveness has built the brand of Team Penske and then the technology that we have gained through all of this is another pillar. The real foundation of this whole exercise and our success is our people. We have very little turnover.

People like to work for us. We try to take care of them. We understand diversity and the things we have to be cognisant of in this world that we live in today.

There’s always going to be someone that’s better and that’s the guy that we’re shootin’ for.

It sounds like Roland is not only a tough rival, but one of the great ones?

that’s relevant to the market place.

I understand the Mustang has had real good market share here over the past couple of years. We race Ford Mustangs in the US, so it’s a brand we’re supporting on a worldwide basis.

Overall, the guys have done well here and I think our competitiveness has been very good. I mean, obviously, when you think about Triple Eight and what Roland has put together here, people might think he’s The King. Well, he is The King! We’re just glad to be in his court, I guess.

You’ve had some great rivalries with team owners over five decades, so where does Roland rank among them?

Well, he’s a unique guy. He’s smart, he’s a businessman, he certainly prepares a race team at the highest

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Well, I would say coming down here where you don’t know anybody, you just walk up and down the pit lane like I did when I first came here, and you saw his operation and you saw what he did on the track, I said ‘That’s the guy we gotta beat. We have to be able to get to his level and we gotta get there soon.’ It took us three years, but it was the same when we went to Indy (in 1969). We said it’s gonna take three years before we get to be competitive and win a race at Indy (which his team did in 1972). Look, you can’t just get to the top overnight. I don’t care who you are, it takes time, and to me that’s a real important part of this.

sspeaks for itself. I don’t n need to augment that – you just look at the n numbers on the board.

H He’s such a nice guy a and when he has a to tough day, he still comes o out smiling and knows ho how to handle himself as a young man, and that’s so something we look for in the people we bring int into our teams. He’s a su superstar in my mind and wh what he’s done for us has be been amazing. I don’t wa want to take anything aw away from Fabian, tho though. Fabian’s been a vvery vital teammate for us, too, because it takes two to tango here. Overall, I th think Scotty has been exactly what we expected.

Quite honestly, he’s given us a lot more maybe than we had ever thought possible. Just watching him in that blue suit driving that Volvo, we never realised the gold piece that we were going to get on the team at that point.

Last year you likened Scotty to (Team Penske Indycar legend) Rick Mears…

Yeah, I think that’s a good comparison.

He’s quiet and has that smile, but when it’s time to go, he just seems to be able to dig deeper, which is so important. And Rick could do that. I remember when he wrecked on Friday at Indianapolis in 1988. He went to hospital, came back, got in his back-up car, set the fastest lap on Friday, sat on the pole on Saturday and won the race two weeks later. And that’s McLaughlin – just a perfect mirror image.

Do you see future opportunities for him with Team Penske in the US? Well, now that he has this championship behind him, I think we gotta look at a plan for him to get him to the US to do something. So that would

certainly be part of the program and we haven’t outlined it specifically, but it’s certainly something that we want to do, for sure.

You seem to have a great relationship with Dick Johnson, who you really didn’t know until you did the deal to take over his team. How has that friendship developed?

Well, I’ve actually known Dick a long time because he was with Shell and we had a relationship with them back when we were racing in Indycars here (at Surfers Paradise).

So it wasn’t a name a didn’t know.

I think the fact that we’ve come together and you take the pieces he had on his team – Ryan Story, obviously – and Dick’s been a huge help for us with our sponsors and just as part of the team. We have a very, very close relationship. He has part ownership of the team – as does Ryan – and to me that makes a huge difference. So we’re partners, we’re friends and we’re guys that are trying to beat the guys next door (Triple Eight).

Are you surprised by his enduring popularity out here?

Oh, yeah. I mean, it’s amazing, it sure is. Even though it’s been a long time since he raced himself, what he’s been able to accomplish certainly resonates with the fans.

Just being with him, you see that all the time. We were at a McDonald’s a year ago (something you wouldn’t see often, Penske at Macca’s) and people were coming up and getting his autograph. It makes you realise this guy’s the real deal out here.

I bet those fans were asking for your autograph, too.

[Chuckles] Well, I don’t know about that. It’s OK.

Penske has likened McLaughlin’s never-say-die approach to Indycar legend Rick Mears (here seen in his ’80s heyday) – high praise, indeed.

Scott McLaughlin stepped it up this year. How do you rank him among your pantheon of great drivers?

His skill set he has, he’s at the very top. I think as a road racer in this series, competing at the highest level, the number of poles, the number of wins, over the past two years, that

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According to Roger Penske, Will Power’s Indy 500 victory (above) elevates the Aussie to being one of Team Penske’s several Indycar racing greats. Foges with his old mate RP at Newcastle (right).

How well is racing in Supercars working for your business interests out here?

Well, from a business perspective, it’s just helped build our brand through all the major cities in Australia and New Zealand. I give the race team a solid A and from a business point of view with the brand here, I’d say it’s an A+.

So exactly what we set out to do and I think if we can check both those boxes here for the next couple of years, we’ll have a big success.

So it’s worth what you’re spending?

Well, it isn’t cheap, trust me, but it’s an investment that that’s working. We’ve been able to get very good sponsors which help us cover our budget. You can see that little by little, we’re adding sponsors. We’ve added Repco this year and we have great long-term partners like PPG and Shell. A lot of these people we had before and these relationships are now across different countries and that’s because we’re able to deliver for them in multiple markets. It’s all part of the business-tobusiness networking through racing that we’re so proud of with these major companies.

Roger, it looked to me like you had a hand in the deal that got Ford Australia back into racing with its support of the Mustang program.

Did you use your contacts at Ford world headquarters in Dearborn to help push that along?

No, I really just talked to Graeme

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Whickman (immediate past president of Ford Australia).

I talked with him quite at length about how we wanted to do this car and what it was going to cost to do it. And I said “Look, I’m willing to step up” and the guys at Tickford said they’d step up, so, really, it was a third, a third, a third from a standpoint of the time and effort. Obviously, the (Ford Performance) guys in Dearborn were supporting it in a technical way, so I would say it was a three-way partnership. To me, we’re racing here and Ford is so relevant with the Mustang, and at the end of the day, they need to have a car out there that’s competitive. I think it’s worked out well and I think it’s only going to get better, to be honest.

We’re going to push to get them (Ford) even more involved, hopefully.

know the track, we gotta have the ability to test these guys in the car prop properly.

The good news is that Bath Bathurst is after the finish of the IndyC season, so that’s certainly IndyCar som something that’s on our calendar, but w whether it’ll be in 2019 or ’20, I can’ can’t tell you.

But it must be encouraging that, that from what I gather, Supercars Sup is actually looking at relaxing the test and tyre r restrictions for international res drivers? driv Does it look to you like it is going to be better than the Falcon?

It’s hard to say. You can’t tell from early test days and track conditions that weren’t necessarily representative. I certainly don’t want to declare yet that we have something better. I think we have a car we can develop and that’s what we gotta do.

The Mustang prototype has run and I’m sure you’ve been briefed by the team on how it’s shaping up. So are you excited about next year and do you think the Mustang’s going to move the team forward?

From time to time there’s discussion within the team about a wildcard entry at Bathurst with some of your drivers in the States, particularly Will Power. Is that likely to happen?

Well, I would say we have to get it homologated first. We have issues that we have to deal with to make it better, but overall, we’re there. We have a car and we’ve met the required deadlines, so we’ll see as we go through the final technical processes and then we gotta get it on the racetrack. Hopefully, we have something better than we have today. That’s certainly the goal.

Well, Tim (Cindric, president of Team Penske) and I talk about it all the time.

We gotta get our act together here to be sure we’re not trying to do too much. We have some great drivers, but they (Supercars) have to give us a chance to test these guys. We’ve told Sean (Seamer) that. We just can’t come over here cold. To bring guys over and then they don’t even

Well, I think Sean is a visionary in that way and he understands it. Hopefully, we can help him by giving him some insight that will help us. So we’ll see.

Will Power is very keen to race at Bathurst. Of course, he achieved the big one for you this year, your 17th Indy 500 win. A while back you told me the only thing he needed to become one of the Indycar greats was to win the Indy 500. Is he now one of the greats?

He is a changed guy. He was such a good racer and qualifier at the Speedway, but the win just kept eluding him. I’m so excited about him getting that Indy 500 win and working on his car during the season (calling Power’s strategy). He should’ve won that championship. We had four DNFs that had nothing to do with him. But winning the 500 cemented Will as one of the all-time greats of Team Penske and IndyCar, no doubt.

FORD FOLK HERO Dick, how much does this championship mean to you?

It means an awful lot, to be quite honest.

It’s been eight years since the last one and to be able to do this with Roger really means a fair bit, for the simple reason he wanted it pretty bad, I know that. And I know how Scotty feels getting his first because that’s always really special.

It’s been a long, hard road back for the team, hasn’t it?

Dick Johnson congratulates Scott McLaughlin on another of the many wins. Below, best buds Roger and Dick.

It certainly has, but it was something that was always going to happen. It’s obviously happened a lot faster since Roger’s been involved. In the past four years, an awful lot’s happened.

How much easier has Roger’s takeover made your life?

Oh, immensely. Obviously, every day’s a day you’re not worrying about anything. The whole place is totally different to what it was and the past four years have been really good.

Not to put too fine a point on it, but before Roger got involved, the team was on the brink at least a couple of times and had to be rescued, didn’t it?

Well, to a point, but back in 2011, when Ryan (Story) came on board and prior to Roger coming here, things had really turned and we were really heading in the right direction.

Still, the team is now in the best shape it’s ever been since the glory days, isn’t it?

went on to finish it off.

Sandown was tough, too.

It was. Things didn’t go the way they should’ve there, either. We just didn’t have the car speed there.

That’s my point. From then, the team recovered and struck back, and this time

Oh, absolutely. And it’s not about the funding or anything like that. It’s about being able to have the right people – and we have. We have really good people. The whole team works extremely well together and I think that’s the reason why we won.

Everything worked really well together.

Well, tthat’s the thing. We don’t give up. If yyou get to a point where you think yyou’re beaten, well, you have no chanc chance. Scotty went into the last race obviously ahead on points by a wee bit (53 in front of SVG), but the pleasing thing was that – well, he could’ve won the last race, but he was told not to – he came back and won the whole thing (title) on merit rather than penalties (by beating SVG in the final race).

Do you still go into the factory most days?

Yeah. That’s where I am at the moment.

Do you still enjoy being in there and part of it all?

Being around the guys really makes me feel part of the whole thing. I’ve been doing it so long, mate, I’m a creature of habit.

You’re still a significant figurehead for the team and a co-owner, but you’re not

The #17 became famous following The Rock incident at Bathurst in 1980 and McLaughlin will keep it for his title defence in 2019.

It wasn’t easy. The team had to overcome some stumbles and some setbacks, so it was a big team effort, wasn’t it?

Yes, it certainly was. We obviously made some mistakes last year which cost us the drivers’ title. Last year should have been won well before the last race, but there were a few misfortunes that really shouldn’t have happened. This year there some mistakes as well, but Scotty was the only driver to finish every lap of every race. That in itself I think really says heaps for the team and just the reliability of everything.

Nevertheless, Scotty and the team had to fight their way back. Tailem Bend was a particular low point.

That was dreadful. Fortunately, we know why now…

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running the show, are you?

Hell, no, not at all. Leave that up to Ryan Story. You don’t have a dog and do the barking yourself. The job he does is second to none, to be quite honest. Mind you, I don’t get here at 7 am and leave at bloody 10 pm like I used to. I get here when I please and leave when I please.

So you’re comfortable in this handsoff role?

Yeah, absolutely.

How does Scott McLaughlin rate among all the drivers you’ve had at DJR? When you look at Scotty, you have to say he’s the total package on and off the track. Some guys are good on the track, but when it comes to the way they present off the track, I think Scotty does a magnificent job. He’s top-class in that area, which makes things very, very easy for the whole team. And he’s really fast, especially over one lap. He uses his head, too. He doesn’t take unnecessary risks and jeopardise things. He knows when to have a go and when not to.

of that record lap Scotty did in qualifying at Bathurst last year, would you believe they add up to 17. There have been a lot of little coincidences like that along the way.

And it was on the 17th lap that you hit The Rock at Bathurst in 1980, wasn’t it?

Yeah, it sure was.

Dick celebrates his ’81 Bathurst victory (above). Nearly four decades later, he’s in ‘Legends Corner’ at Newcastle with Roger and Foges (above right). Dick expects the Mustang (below) to be a game changer – and better looking in Shell V-Power race livery.

And, unlike your last champion (James Courtney in 2010), Scott’s staying around.

[Laughs] Yep, too true. And so are all the other people we have here, which is an even bigger bonus. Oh boy, I think anyone else would be fairly envious of his situation – any decent driver – because of the opportunities that he has available to himself (with Team Penske in America).

It’s a big difference from the end of 2010, when the core of DJR pretty much walked out. You were helpless then in terms of defending the title, but this time it’s a very different outlook.

It certainly is – and I’ll tell you what, it’s great knowing that you can go into the following season with all the strength you had. And that’s the situation we’re in, thank God. Scotty’s so young and so good already that even Roger’s talking about him having a future with Team Penske in the States. Isn’t inevitable that we’re going to lose him, isn’t it?

Yeah, well, that’s up to him and wherever Roger wants to place him. But I wouldn’t be surprised if you see him in one of the NASCAR road course races of some sort next year.

Really, that soon?

Oh, well, as a guest driver, maybe. I have no idea whether that will be the case or not. I’m just saying that I wouldn’t be surprised if that happened.

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You and Roger seem to get on famously.

Well, it’s not hard to get on well with Roger because he’s such an easy guy to talk to.

He’s just a normal person. He’s very easy to talk to, to be quite honest – and so is his wife Kathy. They’re just really good, genuine people.

That’s important because you’ve been let down by a lot of people over the years.

I can honestly say there are very few people that you can shake their hand and do a deal, and know that’s the way it’ll happen – and Roger’s one of them.

Two legends, you must have fascinating conversations. He’s certainly in awe of you and I imagine it’s the same for you with him.

Well, that’s very flattering, it really is. What that guy’s achieved is pretty spectacular and maybe I’ve achieved a couple of things in motor sport, but what he’s done in business as well as racing is truly remarkable for a person who was selfmade. Absolutely incredible.

I imagine that’s the common bond, both of you being self-made.

Yes, it is. If you want something bad enough, you can get it. Obviously, there’s a little bit of luck that goes with it along the way, but it wasn’t luck that brought him into this team. I think it was the fact that we had a bit of history that he was interested in and that he could certainly use for his business interests in this country, and his motor racing interests could be involved with a name that’s fairly well known here.

You’ve been so synonymous with the Ford Falcon in racing. You must be proud that you sent the Falcon off with a Supercars championship?

Well, I couldn’t think of a better way for the Falcon to end its career in motor sport in this country because it’s been involved since the early 1960s and, boy, they’ve done a lot of winning over the years, haven’t they? Not only has it won a number of championships, it’s won 17 championships. How ironic is that? The number 17 doesn’t mean a lot to some people, but when you add all the numbers

And what is the significance of you sticking with the No. 17?

How the number came about, there was a guy by the name of Graham Littlemore and I used to build his race cars for him and build his engines. It was a Mini Cooper S. He used to work in the marking department of British Leyland and I used to build his cars for him. And when I started racing after I got out of the army (National Service) with my EH Holden, we painted our cars the same colour and we had a bit of a team thing going. A friend of mine had a truck and we hooked a trailer on behind it, and my car would be on the truck and his would be on the trailer. Anyway, in Queensland racing, he was No. 71 and we tried to get either No. 70 or 72, but they weren’t available. So we decided to turn the 71 around and make 17, and that’s where it came from. And I’ve stuck with it ever since because I’m one of creatures that doesn’t change a lot of things.

Now, the new Mustang era begins.

How’s it looking and how excited are you to be running that from next year?

I think it’s the making of Supercars, really.

And what else could we do? With the Falcon out of production, the next most famous Ford sold here is the Mustang. It’s Ford’s hero car in Australia and that’s why we chose to run it rather than anything else.

How’s it going to go? Is this the car to beat the ZB Commodore?

Well, I think it’ll be equal to the ZB. When you look at the ZB against the Falcon FG X, the Falcon had its strengths in certain areas, but the ZB obviously better in other areas. But I think the Mustang will be the total package that will equal the ZB. And then on top of that, all we have to do is rely on Scotty’s ability to make it that little bit special.

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Formula One

2018 Season Review

Y R A D N E LEG

S I W E L

After a seesaw battle with Sebastian Vettel in the first half of the season, Lewis Hamilton took complete control and went to win a modern historic fifth FIA Formula 1 World Championship. Auto Action’s Formula 1 expert DAN KNUTSON explains how it happened and ranks all the runners

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A

CCORDING TO the final statistics, Lewis Hamilton had an easy time earning a fifth F1 world crown. The Mercedes driver won 11 of the 21 races, visited the podium on five other occasions, started from the pole 11 times, scored points in all but one race, finished fifth or higher in those other 20 events, and racked up 408 points.

Now take a look at Sebastian Vettel who finished second in the standings after earning 320 points in his Ferrari. That’s the points equivalent gap of three wins, a fourth place plus one additional point to Hamilton’s tally! Vettel had five wins, seven additional podiums, five poles, only one non-points finish, and was eighth or better in the remaining races.

But Vettel started the season with a victory in the Australian Grand Prix and then won two weeks later in Bahrain. He was already 17 points ahead of Hamilton.

But after round four, in Azerbaijan, Hamilton was four points in front, and by

Lewis Hamilton is now a five time World Driver’s Champion, beating arch-rival Sebastian Vettal to that achievement.

M Monaco, round six, ssix Hamilton had extended that th to 16. In the very next race, in Canada, Vettel won and moved a point ahead of Hamilton who crossed the line in third place. The tables turned two weeks later in France when Hamilton won and Vettel was only fifth.

Advantage Hamilton by 14. One week later, in Austria, Hamilton retired with engine woes and Vettel now had a point over him. Then Vettel defeated Hamilton in the latter’s home race in Britain and extended

that lead to eight points. points The turning point of the season came next, round 11, Vettel’s home race in Germany. Vettel started from the pole while Hamilton lined up 14th, after a gearbox penalty. Vettel was leading when he made a small mistake in the rain and slid into the barriers. Hamilton picked his way through the field to win and move 17 points ahead of Vettel.

And with that, Hamilton was off to the races. He won seven more times while

CHANGING TIMES FORMULA 1’S new commercial rights owner Liberty Media continues to put its stamp on the sport and business, as it evolves from the era of Bernie Ecclestone, who ran the show for over 30 years.

“We are in the process of really building, or in some sense rebuilding F1,” said chairman Chase Carey during a conference call. “So 2017 and 2018 were sort of foundation building, and 2019 and 2020, 2021 will also be steps forwards. We actually feel pretty good about where we are.”

Investments being made now will start to pay off in the next three years.

“It’ll be a step forwards,” Carey said, “but we have a lot of plans in place. We believe the deeper we get into it, the more excited we are by the opportunities to grow the sport. We want to make sure we really prioritise building that value over maximising a short-term profit opportunity. But that being said, certainly in 2019 we do expect that we start to deliver on the opportunities that exist inside Formula 1.”

Daniel Ricciardo won in China and then Monaco (above) but after that a string of mechanical retirements destroyed his season. Kimi Räikkönen was a popular winner in the United States Grand Prix (left). Images: LAT

Vettel only made it to the top step of the podium once more. The German race summed up the season for Vettel and Ferrari – lots of potential but too many mistakes. Vettel’s chances of a fifth world championship slipped steadily away.

Former Ferrari boss Luca Montezemolo reckons Hamilton would have won the title in the Ferrari.

Hamilton and Mercedes, meanwhile, went from strength to strength in the latter part of the season.

SIX PACK

THE REMAINING four drivers in the top six teams were left to scrap for third through sixth in the drivers’ championship.

Kimi Räikkönen scored a popular victory in the United States Grand Prix in this the final season of his second stint at Ferrari. It was his first win since the 2013 Australian Grand Prix. He could have had more wins in recent years but dutifully played the wingman role for teammate Vettel. Räikkönen has lost the peak speed of his early days but still is a consistent performer. Along with his pole in Italy, Räikkönen earned plenty of points in the closing stages of the season, which moved him into third place in the final points standings. There is no place for him at Ferrari next year, but Räikkönen races on by rejoining Sauber where he began his F1 career in 2001.

Max Verstappen came under a lot of criticism for being too erratic in the early

part of the season. But he ignored that and insisted on doing things his own way. Yet later he admitted that he had turned things back a notch and actually went faster by going slower and therefore making fewer mistakes. He won twice, and finished with five podiums and a win in the final seven races, to haul himself up to fourth in the points.

But for twists of fate, Valtteri Bottas would have won at least three times. A puncture in the closing laps took away victory in Azerbaijan. A late race safety car did the same in China, and Mercedes team orders did the job in Russia. Bottas was driving even better in 2018 than in 2017, but fate and an improving Hamilton meant that Bottas was the only driver in the six-pack not to win in 2018.

Daniel Ricciardo rounded out the top six after what he calls his toughest season yet in Formula 1. The Aussie had a mixed start with a couple of retirements, but he also won in China and then had a dream pole and victory in Monaco. And then things took a turn for the worse. Time and time again mechanical problems robbed him of points and podiums. All in all, he retired eight times, more than any other driver in 2018. He had more DNFs in one year than Hamilton has had in the whole turbo hybrid era that began in 2014! Ricciardo shocked just about everybody when he announced just after the Hungarian Grand Prix that he would leave Red Bull for Renault in 2019.

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Nico Hülkenberg & Renault (right) were ‘best of the rest’ while Charles Leclerc emerged as a future superstar & is headed for Ferrari in 2019.

CLASS B

SUCH WAS the continuing dominance of Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull that the rest of the teams had no hopes of a podium finish, never mind a win.

It is a situation that Ross Brawn, F1’s managing director of motor sports, rightly calls “unacceptable.” It’s also a situation that is not going to change overnight.

The factory Renault squad wound up fourth in the constructors’ championship with 122 points. Compare that with the 655 of Mercedes, the 571 of Ferrari and the 419 of Red Bull.

All in all, the Class B battle was closely fought, with the drivers at Renault, Haas and Force India taking turns contesting the mid top10 finishing places in the races.

At times, they were joined by drivers from McLaren, Sauber and Toro Rosso.

Take the top six drivers out of the picture, and Nico Hülkenberg “won” six races in 2018. The standings in the Class B championship without those top six would have been Hülkenberg, Carlos Sainz and Esteban Ocon.

Had it not gone into receivership in July and come back as a new team – thus losing all constructor points accumulated until then - Racing Point Force India would have contested fourth in that championship with its drivers Sergio Pérez and Ocon.

Haas, in only its third season in F1, finished an impressive fifth in the

RICCIARDO’S HIGH AND LOWS

2019 when the Honda powers the superb Red Bull chassis.

ONCE MIGHTY

The once-mighty McLaren struggled again, and at season’s end we said farewell to Fernando Alonso (above). Williams had an even worse season (right).

constructors’ race after being eighth in the first two years. But for some team errors like botched pits stops in Australia, and an erratic start by Romain Grosjean – Kevin Magnussen earned all the points in the early races – Haas could have done even better.

Future super star Charles Leclerc earned an impressive 39 points in his rookie season that included a sixth place in Azerbaijan in the Sauber. His teammate Marcus Ericsson could only manage nine points.

When Pierre Gasly finished fourth in Bahrain, it looked like the new

TWO WINS – in China and Monaco – were the highlights of Daniel Ricciardo’s season, while the eight non-finishes filled in the opposite side of the spectrum.

Ricciardo remains one of the best overtakers in the business, but his teammate Max Verstappen is no slouch at that either. With Verstappen almost always outqualifying Ricciardo, the Dutchman had a head start over the Aussie in the races. The two got along fabulously off the track, and only clashed once on the track when they collided in Azerbaijan.

They were, team boss Christian Horner says, the best combination of drivers ever at Red Bull. “Were” because the partnership has ended with Ricciardo’s surprise and risky switch to Renault for 2019.

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ALTHOUGH MCLAREN put together some top 10 finishes early and then again in the midseason to end up sixth in the constructors’ championship, this once mighty team is still running far below the standards that earned it 12 drivers’ championships, eight constructors’ championships and 182 wins. The switch from Honda to Renault engines in 2018 proved that McLaren’s chassis was simply n not up to the job. Even the superb talent o of Fernando Alonso could not make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear. And poor Stoffel p Vandoorne was left in the dust.

V If things continue to be bad at McLaren, they are diabolical at Williams. Even with th a Mercedes power unit, Williams drivers LLance Stroll and Sergey Sirotkin only managed seven points between them. m This from a once mighty team with seven T drivers’ championships, nine constructors’ d cchampionships and 114 wins. bi i off T d Honda H d combination Toro R Rosso and was going to be a competitive one. But then reality set in. Gasly’s teammate, WEC champion Brendon Hartley, needed too much time to settle back into single seaters. The Honda power unit was much improved over the ones McLaren struggled with for three years, but it still needs work. If enough work has been done will quickly become apparent in

SCORING A SIX

IF LEWIS Hamilton and Mercedes can continue their momentum into 2019, then Hamilton looks good to win his sixth world championship. That would put him one title ahead of the magnificent Juan Manual Fangio, and just one behind Michael Schumacher whose record seven championships once looked unassailable.

S G N I K N A R R E ’18 DRIV

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Points standings in the drivers’ championship don’t always tell the true story. DAN KNUTSON rates all 20 F1 drivers, team-by-team, on how they really performed over the season on a scale of 1 to 10 MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS MOTORSPORT Lewis Hamilton 10

If he made any mistakes during the season, they were small and of no real consequence.

Valtteri Bottas 8

He could have won at least three times. He is driving better than ever. But Hamilton is better still.

SCUDERIA FERRARI Sebastian Vettel 8

Plenty of speed and wins in the early part of the season followed by mistakes and inconsistency by driver and team.

Kimi Räikkönen 7

Age may have taken off a bit of an edge, but there is still plenty of fire in The Iceman.

ASTON MARTIN RED BULL RACING Max Verstappen 9

A chaotic start to the season followed by wins and podiums for this future world champion.

Daniel Ricciardo 8

A dream win in Monaco, plus victory in China, contrasted with eight DNFs and being outqualified

by Verstappen.

RENAULT SPORT FORMULA ONE TEAM Nico Hülkenberg 9 The Hulk had a fifth place plus five sixth places, by far the best finishes of the drivers not in the leading three teams.

Carlos Sainz 7

Sainz is good, but Hülkenberg was even better during the 2018 season.

HAAS F1 TEAM Kevin Magnussen 7

This was his fifth and best season yet in F1, the highlights being fifth places in Bahrain and Austria.

Romain Grosjean 6

A strong midseason and points at the end as well were marred by such an erratic start to the season that his job was in jeopardy.

MCLAREN F1 TEAM Fernando Alonso 10

A perfect example of a driver being far, far better than the car. Alonso remains one of the best in the business.

Stoffel Vandoorne 5

Vandoorne is good but could not overcome the fact his two seasons with h McLaren coincided with the team’s slump.

RACING POINT FORCE INDIA F1 TEAM Sergio Pérez 7

He says he is driving at his peak, and he was able to be more consistent than teammate Esteban Ocon.

Esteban Ocon 8

Masses of potential along with a few rough edges he can hone while being a test rather than a race driver in 2019.

ALFA ROMEO SAUBER F1 TEAM Charles Leclerc 10

This rookie is so talented that Ferrari snapped him up for the 2019 season rather than let him have another season of seasoning at Sauber.

Marcus Ericsson 5

No F1 driver is slow, but Ericsson was heavily overshadowed by teammate Leclerc.

RED BULL TORO ROSSO HONDA Pierre Gasly 7

A fabulous fourth in Bahrain but sporadic points after that. Showed the talent to get promoted to Red Bull in 2019.

Brendon Hartley 5

In the end, it took the Kiwi too long to adapt from sports prototype cars back to single seaters. He ran out of time.

WILLIAMS MARTINI RACING

Lance Stroll and Sergey Sirotkin: Unrated They might not be the next world champions, but these two drivers have talent. However, the Williams chassis was so worthless that they could barely display their potential.

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Supercars

2018 Season Review

FIGHT TO H S I N I F E TH

Vindication for Scott McLaughlin and missed opportunity for Shane TH van Gisbergen in another down-to-the-wire Supercars season. HEATH er – MCALPINE analyses the main action of what was a year to remember or forget – for so many of the principal protagonists THE NEWEST RIVALRY

THE TENSION between the two leading teams was high approaching the season finale in Newcastle,and ended in dramatic style when both made crucial mistakes that decided the championship.

Although the Kiwi battle for the title headlined the rivalry, mind games were played by the respective teammates and team managers, as the Red Bull Holden Racing Team found itself again in the midst of an intense battle with its Queensland counterparts, DJR Team Penske.

Despite losing its way through the early part of the season, RBHRT recovered well through the mid-section off the back of five podium finishes in a row for Shane van Gisbergen, firming him as a challenger to early bolter, Scott McLaughlin.

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The Supercars debut at The Bend provided the first taste of the close rivalry between the teams, when McLaughlin and van Gisbergen impeded each other during the opening qualifying session, something that the normally measured DJR Team Penske leader was unhappy about, “if he wants to start playing games, that’s good.”

Failing to downplay the incident, van Gisbergen walked away from the television crew before explaining that he had slowed for yellow flags. Further investigation found that this was the case.

More mind games were played up on the Gold Coast when McLaughlin’s co-driver Alex Premat was nudged out of the lead by Jamie Whincup’s co-driver Paul Dumbrell. The championship leading Falcon hit a tyre wall

and continued, however was hampered pered by the resultant damage.

But the pressure was showing, particularly for the RBHRT. A mistake at Bathurst rst meant a wheel parted company off the leading ading Whincup/Dumbrell Commodore, and at the Gold Coast it continued with two unsafe pit releases including for van Gisbergen, en, who lost the title lead.

Pukekohe continued the controversy versy as van Gisbergen won Race 28 after nudging ging the rear of McLaughlin’s Falcon. A 5s penalty alty was given to the chasing Kiwi, but it was what at he did postrace that poured fuel on the fire. lled up In parc ferme, van Gisbergen pulled alongside McLaughlin so close that at the DJR Team Penske driver was unable too leave the cockpit.

Shane Van Gisbergen’s parking gamesmanship failed to win him any friends at Pukekohe.

Davy Reynolds was fast and entertaining all year, winning the last race of the season.

All images LAT/Dirk Klynsmith

Overnight, an investigation into a van Gisbergen pit stop found nothing wrong after it was thought that the wheels rotating during one of his pit stops. A further appeal by DJR Team Penske also failed, but the cracks were starting to appear.

Mistakes proved costly in Newcastle as the team cars were the ones contributing to the fisticuffs. It appeared that Ludo Lacroix had made a crucial fuel miscalculation as McLaughlin spluttered across the line and van Gisbergen cruised to victory.

However, an overnight investigation took the win away from van Gisbergen, as another mistake from RBHRT where the jacks were released whilst the fuel coupling remained attached, largely extinguished the fight for the title.

Whincup and Fabian Coulthard made up for the lack of action up front, as each battled to aid their teammates’ title tilt.

The pressure and increased intensity caused by DJR Team Penske’s gradual rise has found chinks in RBHRT’s previously strong armour, with more promised for next season as the Mustang looks likely to replicate the ZB’s strong debut year, but with the series win.

CONTINUED RISE OF EREBUS ARGUABLY 2017 could be described as the emergence of Erebus Motorsport, but this year confirmed that the team should be a title contender in 2019.

Off the back of its 2017 Bathurst 1000 victory the challenge for Erebus was to continue that momentum into the new season with David Reynolds joined by impressive rookie Anton De Pasquale.

Reynolds was seventh in last year’s title race, but from the opening weekend in Adelaide he emerged as a key challenger for the lion, alongside Whincup and van Gisbergen at RBHRT. Reynolds sole victory in 2017 was the Bathurst 1000, but it only took until the second weekend at the Australian Grand Prix for Reynolds to stand on the top step of the rostrum.

Further wins at Hidden Valley and Newcastle meant the fan favourite finished fifth in the title and first Holden driver outside of the Triple Eight trio. The continued upward trend for Reynolds was replicated by his rookie teammate, who shone in qualifying, but struggled to find his place in the races.

De Pasquale often out-qualified his teammate and at Phillip Island, his set-up was crossed over onto his more experienced teammates car. His qualifying lap at Bathurst was one that exceeded his experience and age, and while the race didn’t pan out as well as he and co-driver Will Brown hoped, both earned much respect by the performance.

Speaking of Bathurst, Reynolds was unlucky not to go back-to-back after what had been

Erebus had its Commodores going every bit as quick as the factory cars, often quicker.

Nissan bade Supercars farewell at season’s end, ironically after its most competitive year to date.

AutoAction

31

Cam Waters failed to fire asTickford struggled for form everywhere but Gold Coast (right), while legend Craig Lowndes departed full-time Supercars racing on a high.

a RBHRTesque dominance across the whole weekend.

Outside of Bathurst, the Pirtek Enduro Cup was still a success as he and Luke Youlden finished no lower than fifth in the other two races.

Where the year went wrong for Reynolds was at Winton, the team struggling badly in qualifying, with the resultant 25th and 15th the best he could muster in the pair of races.

However, the team were back on form in Darwin as Reynolds took third and one of his three wins for the season, whilst De Pasquale qualified third to underline the team’s pace.

Reynolds consistently finished within the top 10 and finished strongly at Newcastle.

The team has stability heading into 2019 as it keeps the same driver and co-driver line-up, which will only help the team’s title aspirations.

De Pasquale is destined to become a strong supporter for Reynolds in the future.

TICKFORD TROUBLES

THERE WAS a hint of optimism from the team in Campbellfield after a solid 2017 season, where three of its four drivers placed in the top 10. And there was further enthusiasm when it was announced that recent Sandown 500 winner and international GT driver Richie Stanaway was to join the team.

All was looking up, however the season proved forgettable for the team as results were hard to come by after such an exciting build up. Prior to the season itself, Chaz Mostert must have been confident of challenging for the title given he was only one of seven drivers to win a race in 2017.

Another that was entitled to be confident was Cam Waters after enjoying a breakthrough year, including victory at the Sandown 500 and eighth place in the title, with hopes of building on that for 2018. The only doubts were surrounding long-time driver Mark Winterbottom, who had struggled

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to find the form that delivered him the 22015 title.

Mostert’s strong end of season form saved face for the team as it was in s danger of not winning a single race d for the t year. Although Mostert only fell one position to sixth compared to his 2017 result, he was over 1000 points behind title winner McLaughlin. To put that in perspective, he had been just under 300 points arrears of Whincup the previous season.

Winterbottom finished outside the top 10 for the first time in his FPR/Prodrive/Tickford Racing career and now heads to newer pastures, with Charlie Schwerkolt’s Team18 Holden operation for 2019.

Waters was another to have a disappointing season. He failed to add to his wins tally and fell to 16th in the championship standings finishing a best of fifth twice, but never really made the impact that he was expected of him in 2018. The samee can be said for his former Pirtek Enduro Cupp co-driver Stanaway.

After showing hiss potential during 2017’s Pirtek Enduro Cup, p, great things were expected, but fell incredibly short. A clearly frustrated Stanaway vented his frustration multiple times during the seasonn unt of as he bore the brunt learly a team that had clearly lost its direction. His Supercars future now remains in doubt as om a he walks away from season where he finished 25th.

PYE IN THE SKY

AFTER LOSING its ts Holden niker, there Racing Team moniker, were doubts that Walkinshaw mpete at Racing could compete though it the pointy end. Although

isn’t quite at the level of being a consistent frontrunner yet, the team was much improved in 2018 and it wasn’t off the back of its remaining star driver, James Courtney.

You read that right, Scott Pye took the team’s only win of the year in what were some of the most challenging conditions of the whole season, at the Australian Grand Prix, and it was rare for him to feature outside the top 10.

There were moments when the team and he struggled, no doubt, but there were less of those moments as he began to get more consistent, while mounting a challenge to Reynolds’s tag of ‘best of the rest’.

Seventh in the title was just reward after replacing star driver Garth Tander at the Clayton squad for the 2017 season.

Pye not only took his maiden win but was able to repeat he and Warren Luff’s runner up spot at Bathurst, whilst emphatically emphatic defeating his more mor experienced teammate teamm in the championship c standings. st As A the technical team headed by Carl Faux gains further furth experience, look for Pye to challenge on a more consistent basis.

FAREWELL, OLD F FRIENDS

NEWCASTLE PROV PROVIDED the backdrop for a pair of goodbyes, one highly publicised and another that fell relatively unnoti unnoticed.

Craig Lowndes has been a doyen of Austra Australian motorsport for over 20 year years, changing the landscape aand paving the way fo for an influx of early-20 somethings to be give given an opportunity in Austr Australia’s top motor racing fformula.

Althou Although Lowndes will

participate in the Pirtek Enduro Cup in 2019 and beyond, it will be a strange feeling when the grid lines up in Adelaide with this elder statesman now holding a microphone rather than a steering wheel.

Three championships, 107 wins, 258 podiums and 42 poles is an enviable record to walk away from.

Generally, in other sporting codes, there is a popular belief that players tend to go for a season too long and if last year came into consideration, Lowndes probably would have come under that cloud. But fourth in the championship this year with a pair of wins, including his seventh Bathurst 1000 victory, so just how competitive Lowndes still was.

The other departure was Nissan.

After five years of struggle, the Japanese manufacturer pulled the pin mid-year, which ironically was when it was in its strongest form since the Altima’s introduction back in 2013.

Nissan’s change in marketing direction was the reason given, but the manufacturer’s lack of results was surely a factor too.

Rick Kelly’s decision to step away from some of his team duties played dividends as he took his first win at Winton and his best ever championship result in Nissan machinery.

Kelly took over from where Michael Caruso had left off as Nissan’s consistent frontrunner, but there was little joy for the latter, as engine failures plauged his season and he finished behind an impressive Andre Heimgartner in the final standings.

Heimgartner was quick in qualifying, generally placed among the top two Nissans and was really hitting his straps towards the end of the season, particularly at Newcastle, where he took a pair of top 10 results to round out the year.

And for Simona De Silvestro there was steady improvement and a maiden top 10 in the penultimate race. But she must surely be aiming for a dramatic improvement of fortunes in 2019 as she, like Stanaway hasn’t really lived up to the hype.

Le Brocq finished top Rookie pointscorer (right), De Pasquale (below) surprised with his pace for Erebus.

THE NEXT GENERATION THERE WAS much anticipation heading into the 2018 season as an influx of rookies debuted. Most had graduated from the highly competitive Super2 Series, a field that had been compared to the one that contained McLaughlin, Pye, Mostert and Percat just to name a few.

What turned into the ‘unofficial’ rookie cup was headlined by Kiwi Richie Stanaway, direct from Aston Martin’s World Endurance Championship GTE program and the reigning Sandown 500 winner.

That’s not to say that the other rookies weren’t as highly credentialled, with reigning Super2 winner Todd Hazelwood, runner up Jack Le Brocq, European returnee Anton De Pasquale and Garth Tander protegee James Golding rounded out the contestants.

The two clear standouts for the year were Le Brocq and De Pasquale, as both proved competitive almost immediately, highlighted by the Tekno driver’s fifth place at Symmons Plains and a seventh for De Pasquale at Phillip Island. That was a meeting where teammate Reynolds utilised the rookie’s set-up.

In race pace, Le Brocq had the edge over his contemporaries, logging four top 10 finishes and ending the season as top rookie in 19th place, but did his debut season meet his expectations?

“It was great, it was definitely a rollercoaster for most of the year, it was up and down,” described Le Brocq of his season.

“To come from DVS where we had three solid years on the podium, spraying champagne most weekends.

Then you come into this year, 16 events, we didn’t have any of that go on. We knew it would be tough, but you always try to do better to get those results.

“Having a fifth place in Tassie and then another four top 10s on top of that, so I suppose from our point of view it was quite successful for us and we were happy with that.”

Not far behind was De Pasquale, who was impressive in qualifying – a best of third in Darwin and Bathurst – but was unable to convert those results into consistent top 10 race finishes. The Erebus driver finished the season 20th, 149 points behind his rookie counterpart.

Golding came on strong towards the end of the season, qualifying in the top 10 at the SuperNight event at Sydney Motorsport Park and securing an eighth-place finish at Bathurst with former Super2 teammate Richard Muscat.

Much was expected from Richie Stanaway but his season was a shocker, Winton the only highlight.

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It was a torrid season for reigning Super2 winner Hazelwood as not only he debuted, but Matt Stone Racing followed him into the rigours of main game Supercars racing. Starting the year in an ex-DJR Team Penske Ford Falcon, Hazelwood struggled with a car significantly behind in development, so the team had replaced it with Hazelwood’s title winning Super2 VF Commodore by The Bend.

Results gradually improved, culminating in a best finish of 13th during the penultimate race in Newcastle, as a move to an ex-RBHRT ZB Commodore for 2019 should provide a greater improvement in results.

Probably the most disappointing of the rookies was Stanaway. It was a matter of wrong place, wrong time for the international GT star, as he arrived at Tickford Racing just when the team appeared to have lost its way.

Stanaway was a frustrated man for most of the year, clearly demonstrating it at Townsville and post-season as his Supercars future remained in doubt. A top 10 at Winton appeared to be a turning point, but it proved to be his sole top result of the season, as he again showed glimpses of his wet weather prowess. All in all it was a disappointing season for the Kiwi.

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2018 Season Rankings

PROWLING PUNDITS Supercars TV’s probing pit lane reporters GREG MURPHY and RIANA CREHAN deliver their expert verdicts on the stars, surprises and slumps of 2018

MURPH’S MUSINGS AND MAULINGS 11. Scott McLaughlin

WHAT IMPRESSED me was his resolve, his determination, to be able to use what happened at the end of last year’s championship as learning. He self-developed as well, admitting he went and got some help from a sports psychologist. He was just so convincing in so many ways this year. I think lots of people were still questioning his ability to finish the job, but he proved in the end that he could do it.

2. Shane van Gisbergen

JUST INCREDIBLE speed that is sometimes hard to comprehend, more so in his racing.

They struggled a bit in qualifying and his mental resolve is sometimes hurting him.

But he’s so flamboyant and spectacular to watch, he’s just an X Factor driver. Almost, but

not quite quite, his year year. It was the little things that made the big difference.

3. David Reynolds

HE WASN’T a surprise as such, but he’s just stepped up this year. The support from the team and the connection he has with Alistair is just building him in confidence. I put him ahead of Whincup and Lowdnes because he and his team are the next best, the battlers who prove it can be done. Reynolds has delivered some meteoric performances this year, getting pole positions and race wins. The only black spot – and a massive one – was his collapse at Bathurst. For me, that was the massive disappointment of the year.

4. Jamie Whincup

IT JJUST wasn’t vintage Jamie.

Som Some things along the way duri during the year teamwise let him dow down, but he unusually struggled with the car a little bit in qualifying.

It’s still st there, but it just didn’t all come together for him as consistently as we’d expect this year. He’s still world-class and brilliant, but this year just didn’t quite come together. He was either blazing hot or lukewarm. On the few occasions when he was hot, he was outrageously good.

5. Craig Lowndes

HOW DO you describe someone who’s done what he’s done and is still doing it? The form that he goes out on as a full-time driver is just staggering. Every single driver in the world

would love to be able to retire from full-time racing at the end of a season like he had.

Qualifying let him down again, but his racecraft was probably second to none. I’d assume he passed more cars than anyone else all year.

Just staggering, really, to see a guy at his age – which is obviously no barrier – delivering the performances he did. He’s one of the very few to quit while still near the top. It’s a phenomenal achievement.

6. Chaz Mostert

I REALLY felt for Chaz this year. Everyone knows what a talent he is and what skill he has, and he’s a character. He’s loved in the sport and it was very hard to watch him go through the season he’s had. One race win was a small reward, but the general struggle has been hard to watch at times and not

RIANA’S RANKINGS AND RATINGS 11. Scott McLaughlin M

SCOTT SC DE DEFINITELY came int into 2018 a different driver/man. Much dri more relaxed. I mo could tell during our cou interviews he was inte ‘a bit more Scotty’ – obviously still aware of The Penske Way, but with the flare we missed in 2017. The sting was no doubt still there like a bad hangover lingering on a Monday morning, but he and the team shrugged it off and stepped it up. He and Ludo were working together better than ever, and there was a calmer confidence about Scott. There were the occasional wobbles, but never any panic. The momentum grew, and the team and Scott weren’t going to let this one get away. Scott gives us himself.

What you see 99 per cent of the time is the real Scotty.

2. Shane van Gisbergen

SHANE AND ‘SHIPPY’ probably deserved this championship just as much as Scotty and Ludo. They definitely didn’t have the fastest qualifying car for a fair chunk of the season, but slogged their way onto the podium countless times and got themselves back in the title game. Shane’s aggressive driving combined with Shippy’s incredible strategic brain and ability to extract what Shane needs and the team’s incredible work ethic almost carried the day. It really was

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i i to t watch. t h Wh ld fforgett th impressive Who could those ‘qualifiers’ at Pukekohe? Shane and Grant are very different personalities, which is so interesting to witness from the front line, but both are incredibly focused on their craft.

3. David Reynolds

WE OFTEN refer to Dave as the best of the rest, although as he likes to remind me, he was often better than all of the rest. But credit where it is due, and together Alistair and Dave are an absolute force to be reckoned with. I got to know Al well when he engineered Will Davison at HRT and I would say he is one of the very best engineers in pit lane. He has found a home at Erebus and clearly the chemistry with Dave is like that between Mario and Luigi. They have the car working to Dave’s liking, both are happy (which is sometimes the most important element) and they are showing what they are capable of. From my side, Dave is always entertaining and unpredictable.

He is such a colourful character that his antics sometimes disguise his dedication and sheer speed, both of which he has in abundance.

4. Jamie Whincup

WHAT DO you say about the seven-time champ? He is always there. Five wins, five poles and a (very distant) third in championship. He was only mathematically ruled out of the title fight at the second last round in NZ. There were some inconsistencies this year by Triple Eight as

Coulthard’s season was in stark contrast to his teammate’s.

they got on top of the ZB and some people may not be aware just how involved Jamie is behind the scenes within the team. Often the very last person there at night at a race meeting, his attention to detail is exceptional, and when they got the car in the sweet spot, his domination was frightening. The victory at The Bend where he obliterated the field was an example of this, winning by over 11 seconds. But by his lofty standards, it was a lean season. Still, his statistics continue to add up like my online Christmas shopping cart, and his contribution to the team and the sport off track would surprise many if they knew the extent of his efforts.

5. Chaz Mostert

MY NEIGHBOUR says to his son that his karting budget is based on his school report. If that were the case for Tickford, it would be having a very quiet 2019. Things did start to improve and Chaz’s win at the GC600 probably felt like a championship

after a fairly lean year. Chaz brings such character to our championship. He is quirky, has so much energy, makes us laugh and given the right car, he will absolutely win the championship one day. Tickford will be rejuvenated in 2019 by a fresh injection of drivers, reorganised team personnel and the Mustang. They will have the ingredients they need to cook the cake – if they get the mix right. I expect big things from Chaz and Tickford next year.

6. Craig Lowndes

APPARENTLY RETIREMENT Is good for you! What an incredible year CL had. It was clear from the outset the ZB was made for him. A car that suited his flamboyant style. Pushed or not, whatever theory you want to believe, this year CL delivered us a hamburger with the lot. A pole position, a sprint race victory, another Bathurst win, a Pirtek Enduro Cup win for the ages and a drive at Barbagallo that will go down in

where he should be. In the right car, Chaz is as good as the very best of them. We want to see him back up there.

were very costly for him. He only hung on in the top 10 by his fingertips. Next year is going to be make or break for him.

7. Rick Kelly

10. Nick Percat

IT’S BEEN a very different year for Rick. He came out of the gate stronger and it’s been a reprogrammed Rick Kelly in some ways.

He’s still lacking outright speed with that car, but some of his performances this year were brilliant. I’d like to see him somewhere else with a whole different mindset, a whole different race team, and see what he could do.

It was just good to see him being competitive again. He works very hard and he deserves it.

8. Scott Pye

HE JUST crept along, scored his first race win in the main game and was generally very solid.

He struggled with car consistency, but showed great pace, good strategy and good racing.

A lot of people would be surprised to see him seventh in the championship, but it looks like there’s more to come from him. He proved he can withstand the pressure from the best.

He had some standout drives, particularly at Bathurst. He made very few mistakes. He knew what he had and did the job as best he could. And, let’s face it, Scott overshadowed his teammate James Courtney, who I still think is a fantastic driver.

9. Fabian Coulthard

HOW DO you explain Fabian this year?

It’s been a real hard slog for him. He only managed to be on a par with his teammate on very few occasions. He’s just struggled and I’m not quite sure why. Is the fact that Scotty has that X Factor and Fabian’s just that notch below as far as what needs to be done with that race car? It’s a real puzzle. He’s won races before, been at the pointy end and handled the pressure, but he really struggled this year against Scott and had many moments that

NICK CLEARLY has a massive amount of skill and I think if you look through a lot of the races this year, there were a lot of disappointments of what should have been.

He deserved a lot more. BJR just didn’t deliver consistently enough for him to get the results he was clearly capable of. He definitely has the ability to be racing a lot further up the field.

It was a combination of the team letting him down in some respects and also being in the wrong place at the wrong time in some races.

I believe he can be mixing it right up the front given the right opportunity.

Surprises and disappointments

ANTON DE PASQUALE – Just so sort of laid back, really, and ho-hum about his ability.

He’s been entertaining to watch. The way he wrestles that car and things he does with it is very impressive. He made a couple of shootouts and had some brilliant results. I think youthful enthusiasm got in the way a few times, making rookie errors, but he will grow massively and, hopefully, the team at Erebus will support that and work with him to refine his outstanding ability. There’s a good chance he’ll emerge next year as a much bigger prospect and make things difficult for the established drivers ahead of him. For me, he was the standout rookie.

Tickford Racing – Their struggle was both a surprise and a disappointment. It was a surprise how much they struggled and that they didn’t get on top of things better.

The expectation was there and it was a disappointment that they never really got on top of things. An indication of the depth of Tickford’s problems is that Mark Winterbottom

continue to grind away and make things work. The two Tims and Nick are all a good fit within that group. Hopefully, Nick and BJR will keep chipping away next year.

8. Rick Kelly Percat ranked highly with both pundits.

history as one of the greatest ever (25th to third), as well as the endless smiles. Not often seen – actually, VERY rarely seen – was his frustration and anger at Newcastle, showing he is still intensely competitive. His final full-time season was a fairy tale fit for an absolute legend. I am incredibly grateful that I have been able to be there in the thick of it for many of his great moments. At the time, they are just flashes in our hectic day, but when I sit back and reflect, they are classic CL legendary moments.

7. Nick Percat

A MUCH more consistent season from Nick in 2018, with the AGP a particular highlight, qualifying on the front row and scoring back-to-back podiums. He said he was more relaxed this year after feeling like he was ‘at home’ at BJR and once Andrew Edwards settled in as his full-time engineer, things seemed to click. Seventh at Bathurst was a very strong result. Brad and Kim Jones

AN END of an era for Nissan’s involvement and Ricko provided his team their standout season. A pole position, a victory after a podium drought of three years and best championship position of eighth with Nissan.

Many question marks remain over the future of the squad. They definitely didn’t have the fastest car this year, but there were signs of a much better package. The lack of consistency is what really hurt them this year. They are such a great bunch of people at Nissan Motorsport. Rick is probably one of the funniest blokes in pit lane. If he is not pranking me, he’s trying to sell me something (usually his merchandise.) The sport would be poorer without him.

9.Will Davison

NEW TEAM, part-time engineer, first-time team owner, single-car team, yet they came out swinging at Adelaide straight into the top 10 Shootout. Maybe set the bar too high, but certainly put some people on notice.

After driving at many teams – big, small, successful and not so successful – Will knows what is required for a team to work.

I know him better than anyone, obviously.

His approach to racing is different these days. He is just as intense as ever, but in different ways. His hunger for success has

Anton De Pasquale was a surprise to Murph in his debut season.

has left and gone to a single-car Holden team.

That is a surprise and a disappointment in itself.

Where’s Angry Murph?

RULES INTERPRETATIONS – That’s just such a tough one. I’m sure everyone would say that there’s always the ability to improve the interpretation and application of the rules.

It’s an on-going process. Like everyone, I hate seeing stuff come down to some of the rulings we saw this year coming into play at the end of the season. You just want a dead-straight fight. And because we were having such a pure fight between such incredible operators, it was tainted by post-race penalties. But infractions need to be policed and I think they were dealt with pretty well. I would never want to have to make those kind of line-ball decisions and we have very good people

never faded, but he doesn’t sweat the small stuff anymore. This year was a building year.

It certainly wasn’t perfect, he wanted more results, but it was just enough. Next year, going back to an old home (Tickford) in a sense, will be brilliant for him – and also for the ever-enthusiastic and ambitious Phil Munday.

10. Fabian Coutlhard

IF YOU compare teammate with teammate, it’s not pretty. Championship: Scotty first versus Fabs ninth (1467points adrift). Race wins: nine vs one. Pole positions: 13 vs 0.

Ouch! But Fabs is a brilliant team player, he says the correct things and he looks the part. He is every bit a Penske driver except when you look at the numbers. Yes, he was a sacrificial lamb and the Gold Coast would of been a hard pill to swallow and he should have stood on the podium absolutely. But given the team and car, should we be seeing him on the podium more than what we are?

I’d have to say so. I rate the guy and want to see him up the front. His sportsmanship is exemplary. Fabs is always the first person to congratulate Scotty and never misses a podium celebration with the team, which says a lot about the man’s character.

Surprises

THAT WE were treated to another brilliant and intense championship that went down to the final race after a long, hard-fought season. I think everyone thought after 2017 it wasn’t possible to repeat that kind of

making those calls. Some of the decisions have made me cringe, but the officials have all the information at their disposal. I’ve had wars with officials in the past and I think we have a much better system in place than when I was having the book thrown at me! So it’s a hard place to operate in and I’m certainly not going to throw rocks at anyone who makes those decisions because it’s a tough game. Hey, can the whole sport do better in that area?

Probably, but that’s a whole different can of worms that maybe needs attention. But, overall, I think Craig Baird and Michael Masi have done a bloody good job of managing everything that’s been thrown at them. And it’s created controversy and it’s created massive interest in our sport, and it’s always going to happen. The championship is at such a high level that people will fight for anything they can. The stakes are that high.

slogfest. But 2018 delivered once more, with more twists and turns then we can find at Movie World. We are incredibly lucky to have witnessed the battles we did year-on-year.

The Lowndes Effect. Everything just seemed to fall into place. Safety car windows, rain at the correct time, fuel windows. It was something none of us could explain, along with his uncanny ability to eke tyre life despite his flamboyant driving style.

Disappointments

TICKFORD. A season to forget. A single victory by Chaz Mostert and James Moffat at the Gold Coast and a podium by Mark Winterbottom at Barbagallo were their highlights. Winterbottom suffered his worst season since joining the squad and then delivered the final blow when he announced his departure.

Richie Stanaway’s rookie season. The only real ‘rookie’ in the true sense of the word, being new to the car, category and majority of the tracks. He was one of the most internationally accomplished newcomers, accompanied by huge expectations. Turned into what some would describe as an epic fail. It just goes to show what happens when the team environment, car and timing are wrong; it can truly break you. Yes, maybe Richie could have handled certain things better, but his first year was hell for many reasons. I absolutely hope he gets another shot. He most definitely deserves it. He has the talent to be a star. He is a student of the sport. He just needs the right home.

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SUPER 2 2018 Season Review

MAIDEN TITLE FOR PITHER AND GRM

By GARRY O’BRIEN TWELVE MONTHS ago his career racing Supercars was at a standstill. But ultimately a deal came together and Chris Pither became the Dunlop Super 2 champion of 2018.

After a polished performance in a co-drivers role at Erebus for the enduros in 2017 Pither, who came to Australia in 2005 to further his career, had nothing in place until inking a deal with Garry Rogers Motorsport to partner Garth Tander for the 2018 Pirtek Cup. With then-Super 2 driver Richard Muscat then taking a different path for 2018, there was an opportunity to contest that series.

Not only did Pither take the title, but he claimed GRM’s first championship season victory.

“Racing is my life, I put everything into this and I’ve had a few cracks along the years and haven’t, to be honest, put that many championships together,” he said.

“Joining Garry Rogers Motorsport and winning involved a lot of people who all played a role in putting the championship together, I’m just the lucky guy that gets to steer the car around the track.

“It is a credit to everyone that contributed to the whole program, our sponsors and everyone else that has really supported me over my whole career and put me in a position to win.”

Pither cites 2015 as probably his best shot at winning the series previously, when he racing for Ice Break Racing. He missed the final round due to joining Super Black

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and competing in the Supercar Championship.

The year’s series standings showed a 59-point advantage to the Kiwi in the GRM Holden Commodore VF, over the category veteran Paul Dumbrell but in reality it was a far tighter contest than that.

Dumbrell, again spearheading the Eggleston Motorsport squad of Holdens, won more rounds, won more races, and placed second more frequently. However Pither finished every race. His poorest result being a pair of round sevenths while Dumbrell had one failure. That was critical as it was the Bathurst enduro round – one race with full points on offer.

“Going to the first round in Adelaide, we were a new team with me and Sweno (engineer David Swenson) and that takes time to gel. We also had some speed issues to sort and we won the next round in Tasmania,” Pither explained.

Meanwhile Dumbrell had four race wins out of the first six contested and was chalking up a handy points lead. Garry Jacobson was another who performed well at the opening round in the Matt White Motorsport Nissan Altima, but had dramas at Symmons Plains.

The MWM equip hit back solidly at Barbagallo’s round three, with Dean Fiore winning the round, Alex Rullo placing fourth and Jacobson fifth. Fiore and Rullo each scored race wins and also figured in a one-two result.

Rookie of the Year, Tickford

New Champion Chris Pither celebrates for GRM (top) while Garrry Jacobson (middle) was a front runner as always, and Brodie Kostecki emerged as a contender (above).

Images by Dirk Klynsmith.

Racing’s Thomas Randle (Ford Falcon FG/X) had his best result of the season, finishing third overall.

“I really like Barbagallo as it is more critical in regards to managing the tyres. We had good car speed there as well,” Pither said. He finished sixth for the round, losing places in one

race in what he described as an adventurous move on Randle.

Dumbrell finished second overall and then took the Townsville encounter with its two-race format, although the races were won by Jacobson and Pither.

Somewhat flying under the radar was Brodie Kostecki,

cousin to Kurt and Jake and part of the three-prong Kostecki Brothers Racing Commodore team. Brodie came to the fore at Sandown where he won both races and the round, ahead of Dumbrell and Brad Jones Racing’s Macauley Jones. It was a poor round for Pither after he was punted off by EM’s Will Brown and finished seventh overall.

Bathurst made up for it with third in the single race behind Fiore and Rullo. Dumbrell was out early, a result of contact with Fiore that ripped a rear shock out of the Commodore. Brodie Kostecki failed to finish and the two brothers also went out when they tangled.

By the last round at Newcastle, four drivers were in title contention – namely Pither, Dumbrell, Jacobson and Rullo.

Pither qualified fastest for both races, taking his seventh pole for the year.

Brodie Kostecki won the only race with Pither second and Brown third. Jacobson was fourth and finished third in the championship. Dumbrell ended the race fifth after an indiscretion lost him a potential third. The second race was declared a nonpoints race after Kirstian Lindbom crashed.

Meanwhile the team principles at GRM, Garry and Barry Rogers, took their maiden championship in their stride. “Sure they were pleased with the result, but typically they look forward rather than rest on what they have achieved,” Pither commented.

2018 Season Review

CARRERA CUP

JAXON PREVAILS

By HEATH McALPINE IN WHAT was one of the strongest fields in Porsche Carrera Cup Australia history, Jaxon Evans continued his progress up the Porsche Motorsport pyramid to not only take an impressive title win, but also become the second winner of the global Porsche Junior Shootout from down under.

“Being consistent sums up the whole year. When we weren’t the fastest car, we were no lower than the top five unless I made a mistake,” Evans told Auto Action.

“It’s a massive credit to the team, they made me look good when the car probably wasn’t as good as it needed to be to challenge for podiums and race wins.”

Evans significantly improved on his debut in the series during 2017 where he finished fifth, scoring five wins and two further podiums. To put this year’s result into perspective, the Kiwi ex-pat scored one less race win, but failed just six times to finish on the podium, which started with a run of seven podiums in a row during the opening seven races.

The increased competition for 2018 spurred on by the introduction of an updated Cup Car included Supercars refugees Dale Wood and James Moffat, Toyota 86 graduate Cameron Hill, and Touring Car Masters frontrunner Adam Garwood.

Reigning Carrera Cup winner David Wall and young duo Dylan O’Keeffe and Jordan Love were also back, keen to keep their positions at the top of the Porsche tree.

Wood was first to draw blood in

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Jaxon Evans put in a classy season to win the title (top), while Dylan O’Keeffe (above left) was a title contender and Stephen Grove won the Challenge class (above right).

Supercar refugees Dale Wood & James Moffat clashed heavily at Bathurst (below). Images by Dirk Kylnsmith, Ross Gibb and Insyde Media.

Adelaide, but Evans took the next two victories to sure up his title tilt.

Former Erebus Motorsport driver Wood was involved in a number of incidents including a collision with Michael Almond at the Australian Grand Prix and with Moffat at Bathurst, that took him out of the title race.

The Victorian was the winningest driver in Carrera Cup with seven victories, but this was countered by having the most retirements including in all three races at The Mountain.

Moffat took time to adjust to the robust nature of Carrera Cup, first visiting the podium at Hidden Valley, which started a run of four in a row including a victory in the

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final race up north. But Moffat failed to appear on the podium for the rest of the season in what was a solid, if somewhat unspectacular debut season.

His teammate, reigning series winner Wall failed to have the consistency of Evans, taking seven podiums, including two victories. He finished just short of back-to-back titles after snatching the runner up slot off O’Keeffe on the Gold Coast, after Dylan failed to finish the opening race.

O’Keeffe was another to improve in his third season of Carrera Cup competition. His third place should have been second if not for the aforementioned DNF, but just as Evans had, O’Keeffe

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improved his consistency to challenge for race victories and podiums at every opportunity.

The Victorian took 11 podiums and a victory, which crucially occurred at Sydney Motorsport Park, where Porsche Motorsport’s Sascha Maassen was on hand, suggesting that O’Keeffe enter the Porsche Young Driver Shootout as a wildcard.

Next year’s series will be a tight contest as Love and Almond continue to build on successful years, and debutants Garwood and Hill hope to emulate Evans in progressing up the Porsche ladder.

For Evans a season of Supercup awaits, after winning the Porsche

Young Driver Shootout, in an incredible run for the McElrea Racing organisation.

“The championship was certainly really, really hard this year and I think that has been shown by how many round and race winners there were throughout the season,” he said.

“But to finally grab a championship, especially Carrera Cup, which is what we’ve been working towards for four years was really special. Not only for me, but my family and the massive group of people that have helped me get to this stage.”

Stephen Grove went back-toback in Challenge Class, heading Adrian Flack and Tim Miles.

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TCM 2018 Season Review

TEAM JOHNSON DOES IT AGAIN THE LAST time the Johnson family had a day as good as Sunday, November 25 2018 may have been 20 years ago.

1988, when a pair of bright red Sierra’s swept everything before them in Australian Touring Car Racing, proved a good year for the Johnson family concern. Or perhaps even better was 1981, when a blue Falcon pushed a laconic Queenslander into hero status when Johnson defeated Brock in that Lakeside epic, to win the first of five titles.

However, there is a chance that one Sunday in November came close to matching both those milestones, as the famous No. 17 swept both the Supercars Championship and the Paynter Dixon Touring Car Masters series.

“It feels like we have completed the job this year,” Steve Johnson said on Sunday night, relaxed, finally, if still laden with a head cold he’d been battling all weekend.

Both Dick and Jill watched on proudly as ‘Junior Johnson’ accepted the championship trophy for the second time.

“Last year was a bit strange.

We won the championship but with everything that happened on the Supercars side, it was a bit weird.

“This year feels amazing. For Dad and the family it means so much to be able to do this and get the Supercars title as well. It’s pretty emotional for

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everyone.”

There really were shades of ’81 in Team Johnson’s return TCM campaign this year: Working with a new crew, Johnson brought in his former Supercars No. 1 mechanic to work with friends and family members, to fettle the iconic Mustang this year.

The result was a championship campaign controlled from the opening round in Adelaide and perfectly managed throughout the year: Johnson won 14 races and only missed the top three on four occasions. Just two non-finishes ensured that even with the fact drivers could drop their three worst races from the end of season score, the title margin was comfortable – if not quite secure - heading into the final round.

Tenacious as always was John Bowe, who finished

second for the second consecutive year in the Touring Car Masters title chase.

Bowe fell 59 points short at the end of the season; a critical non-finish at Sandown and a challenging weekend at Winton, in particular, costing the affable veteran a chance at a record sixth title. Still, Bowe has finished first or second in the championship every season since 2011 and remains a factor week in, week out.

Third was Adam Bressington, who took a mighty leap forward this year to become a regular contender.

After years of trying, he won his first race in the seasonopening reverse-grid affair in Adelaide and then his second at Winton, in May. Six podiums in a row through Darwin and Townsville built his case, and slamming home

a pair of emphatic victories – under searing pressue from John Bowe all the way – in Newcastle capped off his strongest ever year in the class.

Jason Gomersall was fourth overall this year, but most notably was another to break through for his first win in the category, after four years of trying. His reverse-grid win in Tasmania came despite enormous pressure from Paul Freestone and showcased the BigMate Torana driver’s new, relaxed attitude to racing.

There were tales aplenty in the battle for ProAm, too, as Cameron Tilley and Ryan Hansford staged a beauty.

Tilley was in the news more often than not: his iconic Pacer starting with a six, gaining an eight for Bathurst, before a tail shaft ripped the car asunder.

With the familiar six back in

place, the Sydneysider held on to win the class by seven points in a thriller.

Hansford also broke through for a maiden victory this year – his drive in Townsville was superb. The Queenslander has become a regular force in the championship and with a new Torana coming next year, should be elevated to outright title contender as well.

Jim Pollicina was another great yarn; the V8 Touring Car and Production Car champion joining the ranks in a quick Torana and grabbing three podium finishes en-route to the ProSports title.

The future for TCM includes the XD Falcon, a new Capri, the possibility of another Camaro and some familiar names returning.

But in the present, it’s all about the famous No. 17 the Johnson surname once again.

2018 Season Review

GT/SUPERUTES

BACK-TO-BACK WINNER IN THRILLER

By HEATH McALPINE THIS PAST season of Australian GT produced a nail-biting finish in what was a year of change except that champion Geoff Emery took back-to-back titles for the Jamec Pem Racing Audi outfit.

Heading into the final round at Hampton Downs, any one of six drivers could take the crown and provided the perfect scenario with four of the title contenders line astern racing for the lead.

Supercars ace Garth Tander aided in Emery’s title as co-driver for the Phillip Island and Hampton Downs endurance races, which was crucial as the multiple Bathurst winner charged his way to the lead in what was a championship winning move.

“We sort of struggled in the first couple of rounds. We had hit the ground running in the first year, but we came home a lot stronger [this year],” Emery told Auto Action.

“I guess the last one was probably the toughest because in that last race there were potentially six cars that could have won the

Geoff Emery went back-to-back in the Australian GT title (top) while Max Twigg won the Australian Endurance Championship with Tony D’Alberto.

championship. It’s pretty tough when it is up for grabs that hard.

“Consistency is what it is all about, you’ve just got to be consistent in the first two-four and that’s probably what paid off for us in both years to be honest,” he explained.

“I think the Porsche and the Mercedes have

a bit more mechanical grip than us at some circuits, so we kind of struggled a little bit with that, but just being consistent is what has won us the championship, and reliability.”

John Martin put his title contending codriver Liam Talbot in with a shot of the crown, but couldn’t hold back Tander after leading

early.

Talbot had a very consistent year and if it wasn’t for a mistake by Martin, while leading at Phillip Island that forced the duo into retirement, Talbot would have been in the box seat for a maiden Australian GT Championship.

McLaren driver Fraser Ross was another to be incredibly consistent as he led the title heading across the ditch, without having taken a race victory. After a troubled 2017, Ross rebounded to be a consistent front runner, however contact with Peter Hackett during the early stages at Hampton Downs ended his title hopes in the sand.

Speaking of Hackett, he was among the title combatants in New Zealand, but contact firstly with Ross and then with Martin dropped he and Dom Storey to fifth.

Steve Richards was a roughie to win the Australian GT Championship, but the way the BMW M6 GT3 was coming on especially during the endurance component of the title, the Bathurst winner looked like a sneaky

chance.

Although it still struggled over the course of the sprint season, the big BMW found its mojo in the longer races with a third at The Bend Motorsport Park and the runner up slot at Phillip Island putting the pair in contention for the Australian Endurance Championship.

However, that crown went to the MercedesAMG GT3 driven by Max Twigg and Tony D’Alberto after winning at The Bend and finishing with a pair of thirds in the other two events. Tony Bates and Daniel Gaunt finished as runner up after winning the Phillip Island event, which gave them a sniff in the overall title.

GT Trophy had an up and down season entries-wise, but Nick Kelly took Audi’s second title in what was an Audi 1-2-3 as just 12-points separated Kelly and Matt Stoupas, as Rio Nugara took an impressive third place.

Jeremy Gray was the only sole runner in GT4 and dominated the title, finishing 299 points ahead of his nearest competitor driving the Aston Martin Vantage GT4.

REDEMPTION FOR HARRIS

By HEATH McALPINE SPURRED ON by disappointment from last season, Superutes series winner Ryal Harris had an up and down season with a mix of mechanical failures and race victories as he held out Craig Woods to win the inaugural crown.

“The biggest relief was that I made up for the disappointment of last year,” Harris recounted. “We lost the championship by two points, I crossed the line first in Newcastle, but then got the penalty. It was more about redemption this year and there was obviously a lot of hard work by the team with testing and at the start of the year we were just trying to get the cooling issue sorted.

Harris was by far and away the winningest driver taking 11 victories, but mechanical issues also hampered his title tilt as Toyota

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Hilux driver Woods led for most of the series thanks to his consistency and reliability.

Improved reliability for Harris’ Mazda BT-50 changed the complexion of the series as he went onto clean-sweep the round at Bathurst, then score another overall victory on the Gold Coast which enabled him to overhaul Woods.

“I won all three races at Bathurst and with Gold Coast, we won both rounds and that was when we took over the championship lead, which we never gave up,” Harris said.

“If I hadn’t had the mechanical failures, I would have probably had the championship wrapped up on the Gold Coast.”

Young Kiwi Tom Alexander was also a victim of reliability issues, but took six wins. to finish third in the standings, while Aaron Cameron also impressed as teammate to Harris.

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Image: Dirk Klynsmith

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Toyota 86 2018 Season Review

Tim Brooke put his experience to good use, to win the Toyota 86 Series in its third year. Images by Insyde Media.

LESSONS LEARNT EARNS 86 TITLE

By GARRY O’BRIEN TIM BROOK secured the Toyota 86 Racing Series and a prize purse of $50,000 at the final round, taking the 2018 series ahead of Luke King while Cameron Crick finished third.

The third year of the one-make series had an extra round and over the 17 completed races, there were eight different round winners.

Brook recorded five race wins and five seconds to take overall victory in his third year in the series. “We learnt a lot out of the highs and lows of the last two years. It is so close in the category and you don’t have to do a lot wrong to be nowhere.”

Liam McAdam took out the first event by winning the three races at Phillip Island. A third, a second and a fourth put Brook second in the points, utilising his road car brought up to race spec. King was another strong performer in the car that won the 2017 title. He qualified 13th and finished with a

10th, a third, and a second.

Races four, five and six of the second outing at Townsville, were dominated by Brook as he eked out a handy points-leading advantage. King finished second in each. Third over the three races was shared between Crick with two, in the car that won more races than any other last year, and Jake Klein.

Three new names were added following the running third event at The Bend with James Wilkins, Nic Carroll and Broc Feeney the respective winners. Wilkins netted the most points from the weekend.

Dramas hit race fastest qualifier McAdam, who was the early race nine leader but fell to 24th. Cam Walton had a brief run in front until an off-track excursion. Declan Fraser too was among the front runners until contact with Wilkins.

Toyota guest driver Chris Pither was second ahead of Crick and in race eight, and led race eight until the partially-engaged park brake

Luke King was a front runner all year in the 2017-title winning car (below) while Jake Klein snuck through for a win at Sandown (above right).

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played havoc with the ABS while prominently placed John Iafolla fried the clutch and stopped.

Walton placed second ahead of Fraser and Crick. Carroll led the next race but a touch from Walton put him around. Walton led until losing out to Fraser, Crick and Wilkins.

Brook had a disappointing round, starting with a poor qualifying run. “We came off such a high in Townsville and The Bend threw a massive spanner in the works for many of us.”

The fourth event went to King as race wins went to Brook, Feeney and Klein. Brook came to Sandown as the series leader, took pole for the opening race and passed King for the win. Third placed Walton pulled out with a seized diff, gifting Gulson until he was passed by Feeney.

In race two, King headed Feeney, Luke van Herwaarde and a slow-away Brook. Soon Feeney grabbed the lead and Brook also found a way around King for second. King also led the

third race, holding off Brook who clipped the back of his rival and speared off. The pressure was still on the leader and van Herwaarde eventually passed. Klein also snuck through before snatching the win on the final lap.

That last race ended in carnage when Aaron Cameron bounced across the track on the back straight, taking out Gulson, guest driver Leanne Tander and George Gutierrez, while Harry Bates, the second guest, was also caught out.

Bathurst was the next round and saw race 13 red flagged due to a multi-car pileup after Griffin Bend. The incident took out Ben Grice, McAdam, Trent Grubel and Gutierrez, while several others were damaged.

Klein won the next race (14) after a race-long dice with van Herwaarde and Brook. Ultimately Klein and van Herwaarde clashed in the Chase, with van Herwaarde coming off worse. Brook finished second with Gulson filling third ahead of Crick, van Herwaarde

and King.

Race 15 was won by Brook over Crick and Klein, who survived a challenge from van Herwaarde until he went off at the Chase.

Again there was drama with Dylan Thomas spearing off after the Chase and into James Davison, who was collected by Jaiden Maggs.

At Newcastle Fraser was the class of race 16, winning over Luke Youlden. King physically fended off David Sieders, before holding off Brook for third. Youlden became only the second guest driver to claim a victory when he won race 17. King moved past Fraser and targeted the race leader only to be tagged by Fraser.

That elevated Brook to second ahead of McAdam.

As the final lap started, Carroll’s oil cooler was pieced by the rear toe hook on McAdam’s car. The oil dump turned the first corner into a skating rink and caused King to career into the tyres, with Klein and Kane Baxter-Smith joining the melee.

Turn one would the scene for similar drama in race 18 with Zane Morse, Jaylyn Robotham, van Herwaarde and Iafolla crashing there. Brook was the early leader until passed by McAdam while Youlden remained third throughout.

Brook summed it up: “We chipped away and tried to play it smart even though the 86s is a category where you really can’t go into conservative mode.”

2018 Season Review

Aussie Race Cars

HEINRICH’S OUTSTANDING SEASON

By GARRY O’BRIEN IN HIS first full season assault, Joel Heinrich won the 2018 Aussie Racing Car Championship Series.

Three drivers came to the final round with a chance but fellow title contenders Kyle Ensbey and Kel Treseder had weekends to forget.

It was a standout year for the South Australian as he also won the Saloon Car Nationals in a Ford Falcon AU, and together with his dad Bruce won the Ken Leigh 4 Hour for HQ Holdens.

“We did some Aussie Racing rounds last year to learn the setup and how to drive them, so we wouldn’t be chasing our tails (this year),” Heinrich said.

“Halfway through this year though, we really thought we were out of any chance of winning the series.”

This 19th season for the motorcycle-engined pocket rockets featured 43 drivers with five different round winners. Easily the most successful in terms of race wins was Kel Treseder who notched 10. He was bidding to get the title after finishing third in 2017, and missing out last year by a single point.

It started well with winning the opening round at Baskerville Raceway. In his Camaro-bodied racer Treseder scored fourth in race one, was second in race two, and won both the third and fourth races, ahead of Adam Gowans (Aurion) and Kyle Ensbey (Mustang).

Justin Ruggier (Mustang) had started with two wins at Baskerville, finished second in the third and looked poised for overall

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victory, only to succumb to a broken camshaft.

The momentum continued for Treseder with victories in each of Phillip Island’s first two races.

Second overall went to Heinrich with Ensbey third.

In his first time at Winton for round three, Treseder came away with another round win, making it three out three. Fog played its part, it brought about an early red flag to race one and Ruggier was a chance to knock off Treseder when he beat him in race two.

The next race, ie the postponed one, was put on after sunset.

Ruggier led until pipped at the chequered flag by Treseder. Then Ruggier was first across the line in the third, only to cop a 5s penalty.

The pair came into the final race equal on points but Ruggier was tagged by Heinrich whilst leading.

Ensbey took the win ahead of Blake Sciberras (Mustang).

Despite not winning a race, Ruggier took out the fourth round at Queensland Raceway. He carded with three thirds and a second to outscore race winners Ensbey, Sciberras and Heinrich, who netted two. Treseder was second in race one before losing third gear in the second.

At The Bend, Heinrich won all four round-five races, ahead of Ruggier and Treseder. Heinrich led throughout race one, grabbed the lead early in race two, won the reverse top 10 race and delivered the coup de grâce with an emphatic 4.7s victory in the last.

“At both those two tracks we were really good on the older tyre and that really turned our season

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Champion Joel Heinrich was a front runner all year (top) while Kel Treseder (above) put in a storming drive on the Gold Coast, and Justin Ruggier (left) won at Queensland Raceway. Images by Ross Gibb and Insyde Media.

around,” Heinrich related.

But Treseder scooped the pool at Sydney Motorsport Park’ round six ahead of Heinrich and Ensbey, who had the points lead.

Here it was mandated that new Kumhos be used from qualifying onwards. “We just couldn’t match those that had been used to qualifying on the new ones,” Heinrich admitted.

In race one Treseder had to overcome Ruggier. Third went to Sciberras, who held off Heinrich and Ensbey. Treseder

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and Ruggier resumed their duel in race two until the latter encountered a mid-race misfire.

Treseder charged through the reverse top 10 race, diced with Heinrich, before taking the lead as Ensbey finished third. In the last outing Treseder was never headed. Second looked likely to go to Ensbey but in the run to the flag, Heinrich edged him out.

The first two races at the final round on the Gold Coast went to Paul Morris (Altima) from Heinrich. Treseder went out with

a broken diff in race one and in the second spun and was hit by two cars. Ensbey stopped on the final lap with an electrical-related engine drama.

Ruggier picked up a win on the final lap of race three as Treseder made a brilliant fight back to 10th.

Again Ensbey was a casualty, retiring early and out of title contention.

The fourth race saw Morris fend off Sciberras and Ruggier, crossing the line first, but the lack of an engine seal excluded him. Sciberras won the round.

Heinrich’s round second enough for the season accolades.

“The goal was qualify near or on the front row and stay out of trouble. It worked for us while the others had their dramas,” Heinrich concluded.

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Khumo Cup/Porsche GT3 Cup 2018 Season Review

BY GARRY O’BRIEN IN HIS first season, 17-year-old Tyler Everingham won the Kumho Tyre V8 Touring Car Series and he had to beat his team mate to do it.

Together with year younger Zak Best, the two were the new recruits at Matt White Motorsport, racing former Ford Performance Racing Falcon FGs. They ultimately finished one-two, separated by 33 points.

“It has been a really competitive year and the battle with Zak has been really tight since the opening round,” Everingham said.

Reigning series winner Jack Smith had a limited schedule planned for the five-round season.

It did include round one, although he missed practice due to university exams.

Not that it mattered for he dominated the three Phillip Island races in his Brad Jones Racing Holden Commodore VE, finishing ahead of Best, Everingham and Ryal Harris, in a one-off appearance driving the Aussie Driver Search ex-FPR FG. Smith also took in round two at Winton. However this outing didn’t come as easy, as he missed out on pole before winning the first race ahead of Jordan Boys (Image Racing ex-Stone Brothers Racing FG) who stormed through from the back after stalling at the start. Boys would be penalised as he crept forward initially,

due to not having a clutch, and was relegated to fifth behind Best, Everingham and Jon McCorkindale (ex-SBR Falcon BF).

Smith led race two until he fired off the road but he did manage to retain the lead before Everingham passed him to take the win. Boys also overtook Smith while Best was fourth. In the third race, Smith led all the way as Boys retired with a blown engine. That elevated Everingham to second ahead of Best, which is the way they finished the round while McCorkindale was fourth.

No Smith at Sydney Motorsport Park’s round three paved the way for Everingham’s round victory over Best and McCorkindale.

Despite poor starts, Everingham fought through to take out races one and two before finishing third in the last. Best scored a trio of second-placed finishes while McCorkindale suffered a gearbox issue in race two, before rebounding to take out race three.

The MWM team mates finished equal first at Queensland Raceway’s round four.

Everingham won the first two races and Best the last which was weighted more heavily pointswise. As a result, the latter was declared the overall winner.

In each outing Jon McCorkindale, racing his newlyacquired ex-Triple 8-built Dick

YOUNGSTERS ONETWO IN KUMHOS

Johnson Racing FG, finishing third ahead newcomers Harley Haber (Image Racing ex-SBR FG) and Harry Hayek in Smith’s BJR VE. Smith was back for The Bend where Everingham and Best came into the fifth round split by nine points. Everingham showed his increasing maturity with an

emphatic three-race win as Smith placed second ahead of Best.

“It’s a massive feeling of relief after a very tense weekend but fortunately it fell together for us to get the championship,” Everingham said.

Smith finished fourth overall while Jim Pollicina (ex-Tasman

Motorsport VE) scored fifth and also won the Kumho Cup (Privateers) crown for the third time. He had a season-long fight with Garry Hills (ex-Walkinshaw VE) who finished second ahead of Chris Smerdon (ex-SBR FG).

The Heritage class went to Andy Cantrell in his ex-GSR Falcon EL.

FALLON SNATCHES TITLE Simon Fallon & Cooper Murray battled it out for the GT3 title right to the last race (left) while Christian Pancione (above) won the Group B Cup Car title. Images: Dirk Klynsmith and Insyde Media.

BY HEATH MCALPINE THE PORSCHE GT3 Cup Challenge firmly established itself in 2018 as one of the top development categories in the country, with an unprecedented number of talented young drivers joining the series. It ended in drama as Simon Fallon snatched an unlikely series victory.

Replicating what occurred in Carrera Cup, the GT3 Cup Challenge underwent a swift progression, as the competition hoped to follow in the footsteps of category graduates Matt Campbell and Jaxon Evans in climbing the Porsche ladder.

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The series was a highlight on the Shannons Nationals roster.

European returnee Luis Leeds combining with new Supercars team 23Red in what was a big coup for the class, however a funding shortfall abruptly ended the former Red Bull Juniors season.

Other noteworthy drivers included F4 graduate Fallon, former Super2 driver Chelsea Angelo with the backing of Carrera Cup winning team Wall Racing, Formula Ford protagonists Max Vidau and Cooper Murray, Toyota 86 series winner Jimmy Vernon and karter Christian Pancione.

The title was dominated by Fallon

and Murray, the pair taking 13 wins between them out of 17 races.

Murray was the early pacesetter, taking victory at The Bend Motorsport Park to open the season, but failures to finish cost him dearly.

Fallon had his issues too as he struggled at The Bend, despite taking pole position, and was concerned his title hopes were dashed when he failed to defeat Murray at Winton. This played on the Sonic driver’s mind as he approached the final round of the year at Sydney Motorsport Park.

“When I came into the last race, I didn’t think I was going to get it. I

thought going into the weekend I had a shot,” Fallon told Auto Action.

“I knew I was going to be quick, I was quicker than him at Winton and I messed up.”

“I was a bit upset with myself over Winton for not making the most of it, but going into Sydney I didn’t go in all that confident. After that first race I thought I’d just given it to him, then I had a good start and he gave it to me”.

It was a devastating end for Murray, as a stall in the final race of the year led to Shane Barwood and Sergio Pires colliding with the stricken Ashley Seward Motorsport Porsche. Murray didn’t go away entirely empty handed, as he won the Jim Richards Endurance Trophy by taking two out of the three races.

After putting together a late deal to compete in GT3 Cup Challenge, Vernon rewarded team owner Andy McElrea by clean-sweeping the

final round and finished fourth in the series, while Vidau adapted to tin top racing well although little mistakes crept in, which prevented him from challenging Fallon and Murray.

Rounding out the top five was Angelo, which highlighted the level of competition in the class, as she also made some uncharacteristic mistakes.

On a number of occasions Christian Pancione challenged the newer machinery in his Class B Cup Car and was rewarded with that crown. The Pro-Am title also went to the wire with Danny Stutterd edging Brett Boulton for the crown.

The rude health of Porsche racing in Australia will be highlighted next year when the graduates from GT3 Cup Challenge enter Carrera Cup, leaving a gap to be filled for the next generation.

2018 Season Review

Shannons Nationals

CLOSE CONTESTS

BY GARRY O’BRIEN ASIDE FROM Porsche GT Cup Challenge and GT Trophy, the mainstays of the Shannon Nationals were the Australian Production Car Series, the Australian Prototype Series and the Radical Australia Cup. There were also a couple of rounds of Sports Sedans and Formula 4, while other categories like Heritage Touring Cars, Group S Production Sports Cars and X3 Excels had appearances as well.

No doubt the highlight was the whole show racing at the new Tailem Bend Motorsport Park facility in South Australia. Despite the trying conditions with a sand storm, wind and rain, the meeting was hailed by all as a success.

The Australian Production Car numbers were the biggest seen in recent times, particularly in the early rounds where they were joined by their state-based counterparts from NSW and Queensland.

Even though the APCS ran their final round as a separate event, the outright fight was really between the new generation Lotus Exige 350 Sports and the tried and true BMWs. The anticipated arrival of the Porsche Cayman was thwarted by computer issues.

But after a troubled opening round at Sandown, the Lotus teams came on strong.

Grant Denyer and Tony D’Alberto won the second leg of the second round, after a tyre blowout damaged the rear end of their car in the first leg which was one of the category’s hallmark events at Queensland Raceway –

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the Fight in the Night.

Round 3 really proved their worth with one-twos in both races.

Jim Pollicina/Ryan Simpson were extraordinary fast but Denyer/ D’Alberto won races – including the single event at round four.

The latter duo were leading the outright points going to the six-hour finale at Phillip Island, but were hit with a similar tyre/ rear end failure that they’d experienced in Queensland.

Pollicina and Simpson came through for a race win and secured the outright title.

Grant and Iain Sherrin (BMW M4) finished second overall, while Denyer and D’Alberto salvaged third. The top three were the A1 Class season podium, while A2 went to Chris Lillis/Nathan Callaghan (HSV Clubsport).

B1 went to James Keene and Dominic Martens (Volkswagen Golf), Katilyn Hawkins (Holden Commodore) took out B2, Calum Jones (Renault Megane) topped Class C, Matt Thewlis (Mini Cooper S) snared Class D and Class E went with James Brock (MG6 Plus).

The Prototype Series followed the Production Cars to a nonShannons round finale, where Jason Makris won in a Wolf GB08, ahead of Mark Laucke (West WX10) and Phil Hughes (Radical SR3).

In a close-fought season Makris was the only one to win two rounds. Peter Paddon (SR3) won the opener, David Barrum (Chiron LMP3) and Laucke were victorious at the others. Despite not winning a round, John-Paul Drake (Wolf) was also an outright

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Jim Policina and Ryan Simpson won the Australian production Car title (top), while Jason Makris (Wolf) won the Australian Prototype Series (above).

Steve Tamasi was a deserved Sports Sedan winner (left), while Jayden Ojeda won the Formula 4 title. Images by Rebecca Thompson, Dirk Klynsmith and Insyde Media.

contender throughout. The fields were never huge but the Radical Australia Cup contests over two 50-minute races at each Shannons round featured several close finishes. Kim Burke finished second twice in the series previously and despite only one race win this year, figured

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prominently enough to take the 2018 title.

This year’s Sports Sedan Series had the backing of Skye Sands and became a three-way contest between the returning 10-time title holder Tony Ricciardello (Alfa/Chev) after a year’s break, Steven Tamasi (Calibra/Chev) and

Thomas Randle (Saab/Chev).

The John Gourlay Audi/Chev with Jack Perkins at the wheel was considered the pre-season favourite but fell away with various mechanical issues. Ricciardello’s season ended prematurely with a blown engine at the penultimate round, while Randle was otherwise committed and couldn’t compete at the final round.

That left Tamasi the deserved series winner. He had his issues over the five-round series but was never out of the top two. He was second at the first three rounds and won the last two – the final comprehensively so.

Jayden Ojeda was a convincing winner in Formula 4, heading AGI Sport teammate Ryan Suhle and Team BRM pairing Aaron Love and Cameron Shields.

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AMRS 2018 Season Review

GOAL KICKER IN MAIDEN SEASON

By GARRY O’BRIEN and HEATH MCALPINE IN ITS inaugural year the Australian Motor Racing Series launched a number of categories and competitors that enabled recognition and an opportunity to race outside the usual haunts.

Livestreaming of the AMRS through Blendline TV and its subsequent post-edit packages also showcased categories such as Mazda RX8 Cup and Legend Cars Australia to a wider motor racing audiences.

The series allowed other categories like GT-1 Australia, Super TT, Miniature Race Cars and Group 4 some interstate racing options and gave Super 6s and Aussie Racing Utes extended lives.

Ric Shaw’s Mazda one-make creation not only put on great racing but brought back a couple of racers who had given the game away years ago.

Terry Lewis won an Improved Production Nationals and later the Australian Production Car Championship, before a 25year hiatus from racing.

Likewise Nick Dunkley raced Production Cars over 12 years ago and finished this season third.

While Shaw won the series he certainly had to work for it. Second placed Stephen MacLaine scored a couple of pole positions, and together with Will Harris and Kiwi Aaron Prosser, gave Shaw some great competition.

Legends provided good fields, strong competition.

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James Burge dominated at the pointy end, also winning the series with 22 race wins out of 30 starts. The 30’s Americanbodied scaled down racers also opened our eyes to a category that in a two-hour transformation period becomes a speedway car . . . and vice versa.

GT-1 was created by Rod Salmon and Paul Taylor as an avenue to race older Sports Cars made redundant in the GT Championship, as well as providing a home for the Australian MARC Cars. Jake Camilleri won the title and did it the hard way, using four different vehicles in the five-round series to beat Matt Stoupas (Audi R8) and John Goodacre (MARC V8 Focus).

Super TT was a mix of Sports Sedans, Improved Production and Production Cars, classed by lap times, while the Miniatures took in the motorcycle-engined Future Racers and older generation Aussie Racing Cars.

Auto Action spoke to Benalla Auto Club CEO Chris LewisWilliams to summarise the season from the AASA’s perspective.

“The idea for our first round at Winton, it was a lot of our traditional classes,” explained Lewis-Williams.

“There was that little bit of a kafuffle with GT and most of the guys, Rod [Salmon] and Paul [Taylor] came up with their GTOne idea. We were just really pleased that we could provide [for] them, what we talk about

Ashley Jarvis’s Camero won the TA2 series, GT-1 was created to provide a home for older GT and MARC cars, Hunter McElrea was a Formula Ford frontrunner and Ric Shaw won in RX8s.

Images by Insyde Media.

is we provide the dancefloor, so we’ll put everything in place, what we need you guys to do is come and have a race.

“There’s been some

disappointments too though.

There was some real passion at the start of the series about giving the V8 Utes somewhere to run and our hope was that

they’d be really supportive of that, having lost the ability to race somewhere on a national stage. But they just didn’t come and play. Certain runners came to play regularly, but what we thought would be a solid class with 15-18 utes just didn’t eventuate. That was a disappointment. The RX-8 Cup has been a real positive, they sort of grew-up with us where they have a strong, good class now and there’s other exciting things that should develop into 2019 as well. I think overall year one, it was a very pleasing year, we’ve learned a lot and we’ve forged some good relationships with circuits that we didn’t have previously.”

2018 Season Review

ARC

FOUR TIMES A CHAMP

By HEATH MCALPINE THE AUSTRALIAN Rally Championship was a tight tussle all year, but Eli Evans with Ben Searcy reading pace notes took his fourth and Searcy’s maiden title.

Though holding a comfortable points lead heading into the finale as support to the World Rally Championship at Coffs Harbour, Evans made a crucial mistake that gave his title rivals a chance.

“It was a pretty weird year to say the least, [but] it was nice in the end to come out on top,” Evans reflected.

“We had enough points going into the last round that if a mistake was made, we were still a chance to win, and it turned out I did make a mistake early on the Friday. I went over a jump a bit high and a little bit too fast, and we did a fair bit of damage to the front of the Skoda.

“At that point we thought it was going to be difficult to win from there. But the way the weekend turned out, come Sunday all we had to do was really finish in the top six or seven, so we just took it easy and made sure we won the title.”

The final round had many twists and turns as Harry Bates held a 3m advantage before mechanical failure on his Toyota Yaris AP4 ended his chances, while Molly Taylor suffered a major accident on the rally’s second stage in her Subaru Impreza WRX STI. Returning veteran Steve Glenney won the event comfortably, but it wasn’t enough to win the title after issues with

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faster in every event to the point where I felt he had the upper hand in Rally SA, I was chasing him. It was pretty impressive from those guys, which made the victory even more special.”

The decision to park his Mini brought mixed emotions as the small team that supports Evans was finding it harder and harder to find time to develop it, so the opportunity to lease the Skoda was a no brainer.

“We did Round 1 in Victoria driving the Mini. I drove as hard as I could there and we were only good enough for third outright,” lamented Evans. “The car was doing a few things that I wasn’t entirely happy with, so we decided to go back to the drawing board and make some geometry changes. “(Then) we had an opportunity to lease the Skoda for Perth and that’s what we did. We straight away set the fastest stage time in the first stage that I did and went even faster in the second. I really gelled with the car straight away and it’s something that had been proven, so all I had to do was drive it and that’s all I did.”

Bates was the hard luck story of the year after mechanical failures hampered his season, despite dominating the opening round of the year. Taylor and Glenney didn’t have the outright pace of the R5 and AP4 machinery, but consistency kept them in the hunt.

Next year’s championship has a new factory Toyota team, but its reigning champion may not participate in a full schedule of rallies. Watch this space.

A switch from MINI to Skoda was the secret to Eli Evans’ title succes, while Harry Bates (Toyota) battled reliability issues and Molly Taylor’s Subaru wasn’t quick enough.

his regular Subaru had forced him to join Evans in a Skoda Fabia R5.

Evans’ switch to a Skoda after Round 1 proved a masterstroke as he immediately clicked with the Czech car, taking out the second round in Perth before scoring a further three heat wins, winning the title by 13-points ahead of Glenney.

“The guys that own it at Racetorque have run Skodas for years. They have all the inside knowledge of what set-ups work on difference surfaces, so that gave me the upper hand on the opposition,” Evans told Auto Action.

“In saying that, Steve Glenney was pretty awesome in the Subaru until he had issues later in the year, and Harry [Bates] in the Toyota he got faster and

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INDYCAR 2018 Season Review

DIXON MAKES IT FIVE SCOTT DIXON’S name is now among the greats of American motorsport after securing his fifth IndyCar title, fighting off the challenges of Will Power, Alexander Rossi, Josef Newgarden Ryan Hunter-Reay.

Power and Rossi were the most likely to snatch the title, but retirements at key moments for the Australian and a failure to produce consistent results for the 2016 Indy 500 winner, meant Dixon took a comfortable series lead heading into the final doublepoints scoring round at Sonoma.

Dixon took a while to kick off his season, but his first podium at the Indianapolis Road Circuit in round five of the series kickstarted a run of three podiums in a row culminating with victory in Detroit.

Texas and Toronto also bore victories, while Pocono, Gateway and a crucial second place at the Sonoma finale sealed the title.

For Power it was a lost opportunity to add to his 2014 title, but that was surely counterbalanced by becoming the first Australian to take the Indy 500.

Power replicated Dixon’s lacklustre start, but this crucially included two retirements in the first four races, before kickstarting his title tilt with two consecutive victories at both Indy races, which were then

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Scott Dixon now has five American open-wheel titles, second only to AJ Foyt. Alexander Rossi (left) had another strong year while Australia’s first-ever Indy 500 winner Will Power was a title contender until crashing.

followed by another pair of retirements at Texas and Road America.

Power was still in the fight after podiums at MidOhio and Pocono, while victory at Gateway increased his title hopes, but this was shattered at Portland when his gearbox failed before an excursion into the tyres dropped him many laps down and out of title contention.

At that same event, it was a case of luck for Dixon after he miraculously emerged unscathed

from an incident at Turn 1, which resulted in Marco Andretti rolling his car. Restarting in 20th place, a superb drive through the field to fifth further extended his lead over Alexander Rossi, who had strategy to blame for him not eating into the Ganassi driver’s lead.

It was an otherwise strong year for Rossi as he started off the season with two thirds and victory at Long Beach, but two finishes

outside the points compared to Dixon’s sole failure proved costly, as he scored just one less podium than his rival and took the same amount of victories.

However, it was Rossi’s best season in IndyCar after finishing runner up in the GP2 in 2015.

Rossi was involved in controversy at the opening round after he tapped rookie Robert Wickens out of the lead with two laps to go ending an

impressive debut for the former DTM driver. Although his season ended in disaster, Wickens was the highlight of the year as he dominated the rookie of the year standings, narrowly missing victory at St Petersburg and taking four podiums on the way to 11th in the championship.

A clash with Ryan Hunter-Reay sent Wickens into the catch fencing at Pocono, resulting in severe injuries including a thoracic spinal fracture, a neck fracture, tibia and fibula injuries to both legs, fractures in both hands and a pulmonary contusion.

Wickens is on the recovery trail, but it will be a long road.

Wickens’ incident was a low point in what was a strong year for IndyCar overall, with new teams including renowned junior development squads Carlin and Juncos joining the field, while the updated aerodynamic bodykits have promoted close racing and lots of passing.

The quality of drivers has also lifted, as proven by 2016 IndyCar champion Simon Pagenaud’s failure to win a single race and a disappointing 16th place for veteran Tony Kanaan.

For Dixon, his fifth title means that he now only trails AJ Foyt for all-time American open-wheel titles. It marks him as one of the greats at 38 years old, the talented Kiwi hoping to add to his tally in the coming seasons.

2018 Season Review

WRC

Sebastian Ogier won his sixth consecutive WRC title, his first for Ford before going to Citroen.

OGIER WINS WRC DOGFIGHT THE 2018 FIA World Rally Championship will go down in history as one of the most exciting seasons in history, with twists and turns at every round. Three drivers, driving for three manufacturers, had a mathematical chance of winning the championship heading into the final round at Coffs Harbour.

That was Sebastien Ogier, driving for the M-Sport Ford Team, Thierry Neuville with the Hyundai team, and Ott Tanak with Toyota Gazoo Racing.

Ogier dominated the early part of the season, Neuville was strong mid-season and Tanak showed phenomenal pace late in the championship.

Nine time world rally champion Sebastien Loeb contested a part-time campaign for Citroen.

The season saw him compete in three rallies across the 2018 championship, sampling the faster WRC cars introduced in 2017.

Ogier shot out the blocks strongly in Monte Carlo, winning the rally ahead Ott Tanak on his debut for Toyota Gazoo Racing after leaving M-Sport at the end of 2017. Jari-Matti Latvala finished the rally in third, in what was to be a tough season for the Fin. Neuville lost time in a ditch finishing fifth.

Neuville fought back strongly in Sweden, taking the rally win.

Ogier and Tanak spent the weekend road sweeping costing them dearly, Tanak finishing ninth and Ogier 10th.

Loeb made his first appearance in Mexico, the rally producing its usual attritional affair. Neuville finished sixth and Tanak finished

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outside the top 10, but picking up maximum power stage points.

Loeb led the rally on Saturday before a puncture cost him two and a half minutes, eventually finishing the rally fifth. While his rivals hit problems, Ogier was able to cruise to a comfortable victory.

Ogier won again in France, ahead of Tanak and Neuville, this was the only time the three title protagonists shared the podium all season. Loeb was in contention until a mistake saw him get stuck in a ditch.

At this stage it looked like Ogier was on his way to a sixth consecutive championship, leading Neuville by 17 points and Tanak by 39 points.

But Tanak won in Argentina beating Neuville, with Ogier in fourth nearly two minutes off the rally win.

Neuville then asserted his authority in Portugal, the Belgian winning the rally, a rally which saw Tanak and Ogier retire.

As a result, Neuville retook the championship lead. Portugal would be Kris Meeke’s last rally for Citroen, being fired by the team for having too many accidents,

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Ott Tanak was an outside chance for the title for Toyota (above), while Thierry Neuville was closer for Hyundai, but neither could top Ogier.

his replacement the popular Norwegian Mads Ostberg.

The rally of the season took place in Sardinia. Heading into the final stage Ogier held a slender margin of 0.8s over Neuville. The Belgian drove the stage of his life to beat Ogier by 1.5s, winning the rally by 0.7s, the third closest rally win in history. Esapekka Lappi got his first podium of the year, while Tanak finished ninth.

The Toyota driver fought back well though, winning the next three rallies, while his rivals struggled.

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This meant that with three rounds to go Neuville led the standings with 177 points, Tanak was second with 164 points, with Ogier slipping down to third with 154 points.

Rally GB saw Tanak dominate the first day of the rally, but he then damaged his radiator landing after a jump, forcing him to retire.

Neuville struggled all weekend, briefly getting stuck in a ditch, and finished fifth. Ogier won the rally ahead of the Toyota’s of Latvala and Lappi.

Loeb returned for the

penultimate round of the season, the mixed surface rally of Spain.

The event will be remembered for the titanic battle between the Sebastien’s. It saw Sebastien Loeb come out on top by 2.9s, despite a spin on the penultimate stage, giving Citroen their first and only win of the season. Tanak had dominated the opening day once again, but a puncture cost him dearly and he finished sixth.

Neuville suffered the same fate on the final stage, handing Elfyn Evans third and costing Neuville any chance of Power Stage Points.

Heading into the final round in Australia, Ogier led Neuville by three points, with Tanak an outside chance 23 points behind.

Neuville’s title hopes took a major blow when he landed a jump awkwardly, causing a left rear puncture. Then on Sunday Neuville left the road clattering into a tree, his season coming to a disappointing end.

With Tanak running second, Ogier knew he only had to finish sixth to win the championship.

On the penultimate stage Tanak retired with transmission trouble, handing the title to Ogier.

The rally was won by Latvala, his first of the season, beating New Zealander Hayden Paddon and Ostberg, with Ogier fifth.

The team’s title was eventually won by Toyota, edging out Hyundai and Ford. Ogier won his sixth consecutive championship, despite at times having the third fastest car and being third in the standings with just three rounds remaining. Ogier moves to Citroen next year,

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Y R O L G T G N O C FAL

years ago 0 5 on th ra a m g in ll ki rm conquered ca a te z O rd Fo ow h s in la p MARK FOGARTY ex

The man who led the XT Falcon GT charge to the coveted teams’ trophy reveals how a bunch of Aussies beat the world in the greatest road race ever

A

GAINST THE might of rival Ford outfits from Britain and Germany, full factory efforts from then UK giants Austin and Hillman, and heavily supported entries from Citroen, Porsche and MercedesBenz, it was the Blue Oval’s Australian squad that was the most successful team in the 1968 London To Sydney Marathon.

Ford Australia’s three XT Falcon GTs all finished in the top 10, with then Broadmeadows engineer Ian Vaughan leading the way in a spectacular third place. The other big Aussie V8s came in sixth and eighth, clinching the teams’ prize against international opposition.

They outlasted the fast-but-fragile Ford UK and Ford Germany cars – as much rivals as corporate cousins – and beat the powerful AngloAustralian British Motor Corporation armada of Austin 1800s.

The Roaring Fordies also trounced the unofficial – but nevertheless heavily factory backed – Holden

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Monaro team, gaining sweet revenge for the XT GT’s Bathurst 500 defeat.

It was a truly world-beating achievement that added to the Falcon’s growing lustre under Broadmeadows’ American boss Bill Bourke, who used performance and racing to enhance the homegrown Ford’s image.

This month is the 50th anniversary of the finish of the greatest crosscontinents motoring event ever staged. In fact, the first – and most famous – London To Sydney Marathon was a road race across Europe, Asia and Australia, run relentlessly for nearly 17,000 km. It was also a torture test for men and machines, especially on the largely outback tracks of the final leg across Australia.

French ace Lucien Bianchi had it shot to pieces in his Citroen DS21 until eliminated in a bizarre crash in the closing stages. That dramatic misfortune handed the win to taciturn Scot Andrew Cowan in a Hillman Hunter, ahead of charismatic Irish race and rally star Paddy Hopkirk in

an Austin 1800 ‘Landcrab’, followed d

by Vaughan’s now-famous KAG 002 02 XT GT. It was an adventure for the ages and spearheading Ford Australia’ss teams’ victory did no harm to Vaughan’s career trajectory at Broadmeadows. An accomplished amateur rally driver in the 1960s, he rose to No.2 in the company as vicepresident of engineering and design until he retired 15 years ago.

Vaughan, now a sprightly 76, was the ‘father’ of the Falcon-based Territory, Ford Australia’s trend-anticipating SUV that was a top-seller until local production ceased in 2016.

He co-drove what was nominally the Ford Motor Company of Australia’s second entry in the London To Sydney, co-driven by rally buddies Bob Forsyth and Jack Ellis. Official team leader was Ford Oz competitions boss and still gun race and rally driver Harry Firth, who took accomplished rallyists Graham Hoinville and Gary Chapman along as essentially ballast.

The third GT was crewed by

Australian i rally lly star Bruce Hodgson and co-driver Doug Rutherford, gambling on surviving one man down to save weight and gain performance.

Although fastest to Bombay (now Mumbai), Firth later took a mechanical risk that cost him a podium place or even the win. He was the last of the Falcons home in eighth, with Hodgson – later of GTHO Phase IV prototype ARC fame – finishing a crucial sixth.

The team, much to the famously autocratic Firth’s chagrin, was run by young Broadmeadows PR executive John Gowland, a club motor sport enthusiast who was appointed team manager.

According to Vaughan, the audacious entry against star-studded European Ford teams – led by b British

Image by Bruce Thomas

A young Ian Vaughan, applying the finishing touch to the newly-completed KAG 002 at Broadmeadows (left), and at the wheel leaving the London start in front of Westminster and Big Ben (above).

rally star Roger Clark – was a result of the ‘Mustang-bred’ broom that had swept through Broadmeadows under Bourke.

“Rallying was important for advertising in those days. We used to rally on Sunday and advertise on Monday,” Vaughan recalls. “Bill Bo Bourke decided that we should add rallying to racing with the GT and really get the story right.

Ford For Australia had relaunched itself itse with the XR/XT Falcon, so it was w a good way to reinforce that. t a So it was decided that we th wou run three cars and John would Gow Gowland was appointed as the te ea manager, and we selected team o r drivers out of the Ford factory ou our

rally team, which had been doing the major Victorian and Australian rally championship events.

“It was different to the Holden team, which GM didn’t get behind officially.

It was a bunch of people driving the Monaros that weren’t co-ordinated by Holden. There was a lot of back-room stuff going on, but it wasn’t an official GM entry. Fortunately, Ford Australia did run an official works team.

“It was an exciting time, with the ‘Going Ford Is The Going Thing’ slogan and all that. It was a very upbeat time. The Marathon was projected as an absolute adventure across the world. It was a navigation event, it was a driving event, it was rough roads, and we thought the

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Falcon would handle the rough roads well.

“We knew we wouldn’t be as fast as a Lotus Cortina, particularly with Roger Clark at the wheel. Clark was going to drive like a demon and if the he car held up, he was going to be first st there. But as it turned out, the Lotus us Cortina couldn’t handle that sort off pace and we were conscious that we were stronger and more durable ble than the others, although it was a big car and if you went off the road, you ou were in big trouble.”

Vaughan admits in hindsight that at he could have pushed harder, earlier, rlier, and possibly challenged for the win.

“We probably drove a bit cautiously,” he said. “I certainly drove too cautiously in Asia. Guys ys like Roger Clark and Rauno Aaltonen were going flat, flat chat all the time. They were seasoned rally racers out of Europe, whereas we were coming out of what were largely navigational trials on dirt roads in mud and slush.

“We were trials drivers rather than rally drivers and it showed in the speed that we were driving at. We were driving at 95 per cent of what those guys were doing. Roger Clark

drove 100 dr drov ove e at 1 00 per cent the whole time. But it caught with ht up wit him because the car couldn’t handle it.

“We were really competing on a different plane, but in a way, it helped us because so many cars broke down because they were being over-driven.

We under-drove our cars. I think it also helped that I was an engineer. I drove the car with a sensitivity to its strength and a reserve because I’m a

LEADER OF Holden’s unofficial campaign on the 1968 London to Sydney marathon, David McKay, received a massive shock when his original choice to drive the third car was overruled by sponsor Castrol.

The oil lubricant manufacturer had an association with successful New South Wales rally driver Barry Ferguson who it enlisted, along with his loyal co-driver Dave Johnson, to drive the third of the Holden Monaro GTS 327s alongside Doug Chivas.

Ferguson had already won the prestigious Southern Cross Rally in 1967 and was heading off on his first overseas trip to tackle the first of four rally marathons during a nine-year period.

“David McKay was the man who instigated the team and he did so for General Motors, but General Motors had a non-motorsport policy,” Ferguson explained.

“The money came from essentially The Telegraph; the Daily Express. Castrol were another big sponsor and it was essentially through them that we got involved. They looked at who McKay had lined up, I’ve forgotten who it was, but they said ‘no, no, no you need to at least have someone with

real rally experience’, which is why they got onto myself and Dave because we’d been partners for years. We’d run under Castrol sponsorships in a lot of events, so they volunteered us and McKay first heard about it when he was overseas.

“We weren’t there, but he spat it and couldn’t believe that he’d been undercut!”

According to Ferguson, the Monaros were underdone compared to the opposition and his team encountered a number of issues, including a misfire that remained unrectified throughout the whole event.

The stage from Sivas to Erzincan provided them with the first issues on the event.

“One downhill hairpin the pedal went to the floor, the left-hand rear drum brake mechanism just fell apart and it had the twin system, but of course in those days it didn’t really work, so you had minimal braking from two wheels,” Ferguson recalled.

“When we got into the control point in Erzincan, we pulled the left-hand back wheel off and then the drum off, and there was a pile of metal that poured out under the back axle. Everything had disintegrated.

Dave the entrepreneur grabbed a Turkish to

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All three Falcon GTs were built and prepared at famous Firth Motors workshop, later home of the original Holden Dealer Team. Images: Ian Tate Collection

conservative engineer.

“I was hanging back so the car would last. I was never going to be the quickest and we were 11th when we got to Bombay. It was further back than I wanted to be – I thought around about seventh would be good – but I knew how rough the Australian leg would be and that there’d be some casualties there.

“From Perth, we moved up pretty quickly. We felt pretty good on our home turf and I started to pick up positions as we went across Australia.

The other area where we did really well was in the Alps in Victoria and NSW. I did feel I was on my home turf there – I knew so many of the roads.

We felt confident in Australia, whereas we were a bit tentative in Asia.

“It was a long event – nearly 17,000 km – and I’d never driven an event that long before, so I didn’t know how much I had to save the car. I probably saved it too much in Asia, but when I got to Australia, I felt that we could really give the car what it can handle.”

Vaughan remembers that winning the teams’ trophy rather than

English dictionary and nd he was looking for a ball bearing, because se Doug Chivas had said aid that if we could get a ball bearing, we cann block off that line too the brakes becausee there was nothing there to work and then we’d have three-wheel brakes. es.

“There was another massive crowd and I thinkk it was about 2ish in the morning. You can picture it, cold, dark, damp, in the middle of the mountains and lots of army great coats. This little bloke came up, I think he knew a little bit of English and he understood a little of what Dave was trying to do, so Dave was pointing and he saw the ball, saw the bearing, then went to another page, ball bearing.

“This is true, he put his hand in his pocket of his English army great coat and pulled out about a handful of little ball bearings of

individual glory was the main goal.

“We were hoping to win outright, but we were determined to win the teams’ prize,” he said. “We figured that would give Ford Australia the advertising value they needed – the Australian team that beat the world.

We had to get to Bombay in good shape as a team to mount our real challenge across Australia.

“We were driving to finish as a team rather than driving to win.”

Vaughan, who British bookmakers had at outsider odds of 100 to 1 compared with Firth at a still 33-1 long-shot, bet on himself to finish in the top three.

“I won more money with a bet than I got in prizemoney,” he smiles.

Vaughan and some of his surviving teammates were reunited with KAG 002 – its Victorian road registration – at a London to Sydney Marathon celebration in Sydney earlier this month.

He drove it in a 25th anniversary re-run of the event in 1993, finishing second to Francis Tuthill’s Porsche 911, and was last behind wheel in a revival version of the BP Rally in Victoria, which was a big event in the 1960s and ’70s.

Image by Bruce Thomas

various sizes. Chivas Chiva said, ‘look, can I have one off those, those two of those and one of these,’ he blocked the line off, plus we’d lost a bit of time of course, but away we went again. We had three-wheel brakes – or essentially two and a half wheel brakes, they weren’t very good – until we got to Australia.”

Ferguson, Chivas and Johnson finished in 12th and lead Holden, this despite a shrink ring failure in the Australian outback, a pair of tales that can be told another day.

Heath McAlpine

FALCON HELL

XT GTs that Veteran engineers recall the Aussie ingenuity behind the ms in ’68 London humbled Holden and embarrassed the Euro factory tea toilet To Sydney torture test – including the infamous in-car

FORGET THE Aussie-tough body shell, the bullet-proof mechanicals and the loafing 302 V8. All very interesting, but not as fascinating as the back-seat toilet.

The Aussie Fords that swept the teams’ prize in the Marathon all had on-board commodes. So the three crews could ‘go’ on the run, as it were, during the long competitive or even transport stages.

We’ve found a photo of the infamous throne and talked to two of the principal players about its usefulness. The XT Falcon GTs were the only entries that had in-built sit-down loos.

Like the GTs’ water-cooled brakes, the toilets were a typically lateral-thinking innovation of team-leader Harry Firth. And like the brake-cooling system, the late ‘H’ was the only member of the Ford Oz team to avail himself of the in-car convenience.

“It seemed like a good idea beforehand,” recalls Ian Vaughan, who finished third. “We thought, well, it’s a non-stop rally, day in, day out, and if someone had the runs, you didn’t want to have to stop every 10 minutes.

“So it was really for emergency use only, in case somebody got dysentery or something – of which there was a fair chance in India if we weren’t careful. As far as I know, none of us used them. We took ours out. We gave it to some Indian beside the road.”

In fact, veteran mechanic turned guru race engine builder Ian Tate, who helped build the cars, reveals that Firth himself used his car’s shitter. Once.

“It was Harry’s idea – and I think he was the only one to use it,” Tate said. “I believe he disposed of it out the window. It was a very Harry thing – ‘We’re not stopping, cock, for anyone’.”

Calling someone “cock” back in the day had a very different connotation. It was an old-school variation of “mate” or “son”.

And before you ask, the on-board crapper didn’t have a trap door or hole to release the, ah, effluent onto the road. It went into a plastic bag that was then jettisoned. Still doesn’t bare thinking about…

Tate, 71, worked for Firth through the Ford Oz competition years in the 1960s and the legendary Holden Dealer Team from 196977. He is still a master engine-builder/car restorer with a thriving restoration business in Nunawading in Melbourne’s outer east.

According to Tate, all three Marathon XT GTs were built and prepared at Firth Motors in Queens Ave, Hawthorn, a back street in Melbourne’s inner east. This debunks the myth that at least one was put together offsite.

“We built the three Falcons there,” he insists, starting with standard road-going cars. “They were pulled apart completely and we rebuilt the engines. The engines were rebalanced by Paul England and those engines, you could literally balance a penny

on the air cleaner.

They were silky smooth.

“We lowered the compression ratio because of the poorr fuels in Asia – I thinkk we dropped them down to 8.5:1. Apartt from that, they were just blueprinted and put together with the right tolerances, plus we modified thee carbie. We rebuilt thee gearboxes and the diffs, and modified the rear axle bearings.

“We have a massive amount of work to do on those cars for a very small team.”

According to Tate, who has extensive records to back up his undulled memory, the trio of Falcons didn’t need extensive modification or strengthening to withstand the rigours of the Marathon.

They didn’t even have roll cages!

“We had a head start with a strong car and a lightweight, lazy V8 motor (Windsor 302 4.9-litre). It had 230 horsepower standard and ours were about 220 because we detuned them a bit. The heads and the manifold were ported, so we regained a bit of power.

They didn’t have to rev them hard. At

100 mph, they were just loping along.

“When our cars go got to the UK, the Fo Ford of Britain guys la laughed at them.

To Too big, too heavy, th they reckoned. That ch changed when they go got to Australia. They re realised how strong ou our cars were while Ian Tate th they ran theirs into the gr ground. Roger Clark dest de destroyed stroyed his car.

“They had a boy for a man’s job and we had a proper man for the job.”

Tate also clarified that what cruelled Firth’s charge across Australia was his decision not to change rear axles near the end.

“One of the Achilles’ heels of the axles was the bearings were small, considering the loads the cars were going to carry and the pounding over the roads,” he said. “That’s why it was planned to change the axles during the event.

“But at the service point at Wangaratta (north-eastern Victoria), Harry said ‘If they’re going to play up, they would’ve played up by now’. Well, they were his famous last words.

The Ford Falcon team stopped for nothing: the innovative though ultimately little-used back seat toilet. Image: Ian Tate

“Of course, it fell over. Down the road, a rear wheel bearing collapsed and it cost him 53 points (minutes). He had no spare axles; he’d jettisoned them to lighten his car. He had to wait till Hoddo came along with a spare axle.

“That delay cost him top place among the Falcons. The expectation was for Harry to finish in the first three, for sure.

But we were still elated to win the teams’ prize and to do as well as we did. It was a great adventure.”

Added Vaughan: “At Bombay, I insisted on changing the rear wheel bearings and axles because I knew about them as an engineer and from my rallying with Cortinas. The rear wheel bearings were always a weak point.

“That paid off for us. Harry rued the fact that he hadn’t put a new back end in the car.

“We went in on a very conservative basis, you might say a little naïve.

We didn’t understand how tough it was going to be. But the conservative approach paid dividends in that we didn’t damage our car.

“A lot of guys were driving cars that were wounded. We kept ours pretty straight and good.”

“It was Harry’s idea – and I think he was the only one to use it,” Tate said. “I believe he disposed of it out the window. It was a very Harry thing – ‘We’re not stopping, cock, for anyone’.”

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R E F R U S R E SILV

FORD AUSTRALIA ICON A AS ON S VE LI 2 00 G CELEBRATED KA

KAG 002 as it looks today, shot especially for this Auto Action celebration. Still owned by Broadmeadows, its livery was – sadly – updated in the 1990s. The ‘old girl’ is destined for permanent display at a new all-makes museum in Geelong.

London To Sydney winner Andrew Cowan talks MARK FOGARTY through the unlikely victory that established him as the longdistance rally legend IT’S BEEN a very, very long time since anybody referred to me as a lad. But it happened at the end of my phone conversation with Andrew Cowan about his career-making success in the 1968 Marathon.

After I confirmed that we’d finished the interview, Cowan responded “OK, lad”. It was amusing and I couldn’t resist cheekily pointing out that I was hardly a young man.

But, then, Cowan is a hearty 82 and 13 years into retirement. He is still going strong on his farm at Duns in Scotland. It’s also where the late F1 legend Jim Clark grew up; they were friends and competitors in their youth.

Half a decade ago, Cowan and his co-drivers Brian Coyle and Colin Malkin were just days away from arriving triumphantly at Sydney’s Warwick Farm racecourse (then also incorporating a motor racing circuit) as last-gasp winners in their Hillman Hunter on December 17, 1968.

They famously inherited the victory after leaders Lucien Bianchi and Jean-Claude Ogier were eliminated in a controversial late crash. In the NSW bush, with just transport sections to go, their Citroen DS21 was hit head on by a Mini driven the wrong way down the course.

Of course, being a dour Scot, Cowan bristles at the suggestion he was handed the win. His standing as the pre-eminent long distance rally exponent in the era of gruelling events is a matter of record.

He also won the even longer and tougher – but not as colourful or famous – 1977 London To

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Sydney Marathon and dominated Australia’s testing Southern Cross International Rally with Mitsubishi from 1972-76.

Cowan’s five straight Southern Cross successes, along with other long distance victories, led to him becoming the boss of the Mitsubishi Ralliart team from 1983-2003. He orchestrated the Japanese maker’s four straight world rally championship drivers’ titles with Tommi Makinen (now running Toyota’s WRC squad) from 1996-99 and a manufacturers’ crown in ’98.

Now describing himself as a retired farmer, Cowan is as sharp and as uncompromising as he was in his rallying hey day.

Was winning the ’68 Marathon your greatest achievement?

Publicity-wise, yes, I think it had to be. It was rough, tough and perilous, but we were pretty well prepared for that. We did the reconnaissance as far as Bombay (Mumbai), but, unfortunately, we were one of the poorer teams and we weren’t able to go to Australia and do a recce. But from the stories that came back from the Ford and BMC teams and from all the Australians, we knew it was going to be pretty tough, so we just prepared our car for that.

Ultimately, in unusual circumstances,

Winners are grinners. Andrew Cowan (centre) celebrates with partners Brian Doyle and Colin Malkin. Image: Bruce Thomas

Australia was the decider, but in terms of overall difficulty, was it the killer leg?

Oh, yeah, there’s no question about it, right from the minute we left Perth. We had three days to get to Sydney and every stage was tortuous.

Were you surprised that you won?

Well, to answer your question as modestly as I can, no, I wasn’t surprised. As I said, we weren’t a big rich works team and weren’t able to recce the whole route, but we listened to and read about the other teams’ reports that Australia was going to be a car-killer. So we built our car to withstand that. We tested it to the extreme in the UK and it wasn’t quite the tortoise and the hare – our car was quite quick – but we knew

we weren’t going to win on outright speed. We decided that anything we had problems with during our endurance testing, we’d make sure it didn’t happen on the event. So we built a car to stand up to the Australian conditions, which were the most difficult. The other important decision we made was, it was 3000 miles (4828 km) from Perth to Sydney and only three days to do it, and it was obvious to me we were going to get very, very tired, so at the last minute I decided to go with a three-man crew. And I think that was one of the deciding factors. Lucien Bianchi went with a two-man crew and I can imagine how tired he and Jean-Claude Ogier must have been, and they had an accident. It was decided right there.

You had to be right up there, though, to pick up the victory.

Yes, you had to be there, but I think the three-man crew was decisive.

Looking back now, it seems absurd that a

Slightly detuned Bathurstspec 302 V8 (above) proved to be bulletproof. Standard body and suspension needed very little strengthening to survive rigours of Marathon (below).

Interior was also updated, including ’90s leather-bound steering wheel replacing original ‘wood rim’ tiller. In here, on-the-run driver swaps were perfected. Studio images for AA: Nathan Duff/Ford Australia

Hillman Hunter won. But it was a very serious effort, wasn’t it?

It was, indeed, yes. At the time, it was no more unlikely than a Hillman Avenger winning the British Saloon Car Championship (1974) and the engine we had in the Hunter was a proper race motor, and it was indeed quite capable of going at high speeds and being competitive. And we managed during the development of the car to make sure that the components that were going to get the hammering were strong enough to take it. We also made sure the car was as light as possible.

The Hunter may seem unlikely now, but you only have to look at what came second – an Austin 1800.

gearbox, front suspension struts and brakes, and the rear axle. All that was done in Bombay and we went to Perth with a brand-new car.

Clearly, you were a man with a plan and it was essentially a one-car effort.

Well, we really had two cars because we entered another one for the RAF (Britain’s Royal Air Force) car club. We entered them because we got a lot of help from the RAF in our planning and logistics. It was a calculated approach.

But that car was pretty much invisible, wasn’t it?

Yes.

Point taken. So, what was your plan and did you stick to it?

We stuck to it to the letter, yes. I think one of the cleverest things we did was that we knew that the fuel was going to be very poor quality across Turkey and Afghanistan and these sorts of countries, so were running fuel down to about 80 octane, which is very near paraffin. We actually had three 12-gallon (54.5 litres) tanks in our car, all linked by special piping, and we started in Perth with 102 octane petrol. In places like Afghanistan, we just kept topping it up with the good stuff. And to answer your question, it worked out exactly as we planned. We arrived in Perth with a new high-compression cylinder head and a new gearbox. We started from Perth with virtually a brand-new car. We shifted all our service support to Australia, whereas the other main teams did their big services in Asia. They restarted in Perth with tired cars. We sent our mechanics to parc ferme in Bombay because we got there four hours early and used that time to work on the car before it had to be loaded onto the boat. We worked out what we could change in four hours, which was the cylinder head, the

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Did you think the Ford Australia team’s performance was impressive?

Well, I actually thought that they would be even better prepared for the Australian section. I don’t know if Ian Vaughan had any problems in Australia, but he certainly went well through Europe and Asia. The outback roads in Australia were probably a bit narrower, a bit tight and a bit rough for the big Ford. I don’t know, but I expected them to be better at home. It was too rough for them to keep up with us, anyway. The Australians did well – but just not good enough.

You are quite the Marathon Man, aren’t you?

Well, that’s what people say, that this is where I have fared best. But I certainly put a lot into the preparation, both mechanically and physically, and, obviously, the three-man crew allowed us to go full-speed right across Australia. That was a big advantage. Also, my teammates were both very capable drivers. Colin Malkin was a British rally champion and a nice little light guy, which is why I chose him.

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Andrew Cowan has a small collection of his original cars & pride of place is the 1968 London to Sydney Marathon winning Hillman Hunter. Image: Bob Watson

Emphasising the Marathon Man tag, you went on to win the 1977 London To Sydney as well. Was that as tough or even tougher than the ’68 event?

I would say ’77 was more difficult. The Australian leg was a lot longer – we went up to Alice Springs and places like that – and the average speeds were higher. But ’68 was a much greater adventure because it was the first of its kind. And it wasn’t just about speed. It was about endurance and reliability, and good maintenance and service.

It encompassed all aspects of motoring as it was back then. It’s still being spoken of as a special event 50 years on and it certainly helped my motor sport reputation. We were proud of what we did for Britain and Rootes Group. We put a lot into it.

I guess both wins set you up for your distinguished career in world rallying, along,

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of course, with your domination of the Southern Cross International Rally.

That was a wonderful event. Rally Australia is very similar. You have some great roads up there (northern NSW coast). The Southern Cross was the rally in Australia at that time and it certainly was an event where the fastest man won. Of course, back then, we weren’t allowed to practice and make pace notes. It was completely blind for us. It was a proper rally, with a lot of night time running and it was in the forests, in the bush. We tried to get it into the world rally championship.

I was one of the instigators of that, along with Garry Connelly (‘father’ of Rally Australia in Perth and now Australia’s FIA delegate). It eventually led to the WRC event in Perth. It was very much like the Southern Cross Rally. I’ve had a very happy time knowing the people in Australia and visiting Australia and rallying there over many years. I’ve certainly no complaints.

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A matching Golden Jubilee cap ($20) also is available with the magazine ($19.95) for a discounted price of $35.00 Phone the Lismore Speedway office 66212733, promoter David Lander 0408222908 or Ann Clarke (0400450205) during business hours with your credit card details, or send your order and contact information via email: office@ lismorespeedway.com.au Even snail mail your magazine/cap (or both) order with accompanying cheque or money postal note to: Lismore Speedway, PO Box 675, Lismore, NSW., 2480.

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ADELAIDE’S FASTEST FESTIVAL

Ivan Capelli starred again, setting a new Victoria Park Sprint record.

By DAN MCCARTHY THE ADELAIDE Motorsport Festival delivered once again with thousands of people flocking to the Victoria Park Sprint, as well as the Shannons Adelaide Rally and the Peak Hour of Power Parade.

The crowds who came through the gates of Victoria Park over the weekend were lucky enough to witness formula one cars and million dollar supercars. In two Adelaide Motorsport Festival firsts, Le-Mans and Can-Am cars were at the event, as was Matt Hall in his Red Bull Air Race plane.

The event attracted Le-Mans 24 Hour winner David Brabham, former FIA World Rally Championship driver Alistair McRae and former Formula 1 driver Ivan Capelli.

Capelli returned to the event after a one year absence, when in 2017 Tim Slade beat his lap record. The Supercars driver setting a lap time of 43.03s around the shortened Adelaide Parklands Street Circuit. This year Capelli stole the show, smashing the lap record achieving an impressive 42.575.

“I did it, and I was lucky I didn’t have any other cars in front of me,” Capelli said. “It’s all I really can do with this car because it’s very, very tight and I cannot do more than two or three laps.”

Capelli told Auto Action he still feels like there was some time left on the table.

“I think that there is, there are some more tenths to gain because obviously not been in a Formula 1 (car) for two years, it’s not easy to just jump in and drive.”

Another highlight of the event was the car versus plane shootout. Red Bull Air Race pilot Matt Hall beat both Jim Richards driving a Porsche and David Brabham driving the Adelaide-built Brabham BT62, the car impressing spectators right around circuit.

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CALDER R DOMINATES RALLY

The Adelaide-built Brabham BT62 was a crowd-pleaser (far left), as were the many motorsport personalities attending (left). The S5000 hhadd another public outing (above) while the mix of memorable rally and race cars kept everyone entertained. Images by Insyde Media.

The final race saw Capelli in the lap record setting 1989 Leyton House March take on Hall. The Italian rounded off a successful day by coming out on top to the delight of the fans.

Capelli spoke to Auto Action on Sunday afternoon about the growth of the event.

“The organiser have put together some good stuff, new cars, bikes, different cars, different exhibitions like the aero plane, it’s improving every time,” Capelli said.

Alistair McRae, brother of the late 1995 WRC Champion Colin McRae, made his first appearance at the event.

McRae was given the opportunity to drive his brother’s 555 Subaru Impreza in the parade and on Sunday around Victoria Park with Craig Lowndes alongside him.

McRae was a busy man as codriver for Lowndes in the LaFerrari.

He also raced a Chevrolet Camaro against John Bowe in a Ford Mustang and Todd Hazlewood in a Dodge Challenger.

“I reckon they gave them the quicker cars, that was the problem,” said McRae. “I even jumped the start by a car length and I still got beaten to the end of the straight, so it’s good fun obviously.

“They bring in all the different disciplines, motorbikes, rally cars, racecars, you’ve got everything here for any enthusiast. I think it brings in the public that maybe are not that into motorsport, but they come to see the collections of cars, so yeah a really good event,” McRae said.

LEADING FROM start to finish, Ben Calder and Steve Glenney (Mitsubishi EVO) won this year’s Shannons Adelaide Rally, part of the Adelaide Motorsport Festival, on November 28 – December 1.

Calder was fastest on the first three stages before Oscar Matthews and Karien Heimsohn (EVO VI) scored a stage win, after which they suffered a terminal misfire. Paul Scrambler and Anthony Dall’Oste’s Fiat 131 Abarth Group 4 was also out after the third stage with engine problems.

Second by day’s end were Tim Ramages and Lisi Phillips (EVO) ahead of Richard Lovell and Bernie Webb (Subaru Impreza WRX STi C-spec).

Nick and Jacob Streckiesen had been fastest on each stage in Classic Competition, to head Matt Selley and Hamish McKendrick (Hartge H35-24 – an BMW M1 powered E30 M3) and Tim Pryzibilla and Rick Powell (Porsche 911 RS).

Ramages was fastest on five of the Thursday’s stages which included several at The Bend.

Calder was quickest on two, to still lead with Lovell third. In Classic, blows were traded all day with Streckeisen coming out best, ahead of Selley and Roger Lomman/Annie Bainbridge (Datsun 240Z) and Roger Paterson/Richard Geue (Porsche 911 RS).

Traditional roads east of the city featured on Friday. Ramages was out following the opening stage with two melted spark plugs. Calder won on all nine stages, and was well ahead of Lovell, with Martin Farkas and Tristan Catford (BMW M3 E46) moving up to third.

In Classic, Streckeisen took one stage to Selley’s six despite a high-speed 180-degree spin on Castambul 1. He was still quick enough for second, whilst Streckeisen was out on the same stage with a blown turbo. That left Selley ahead of Paterson and Lomman.

Eight more stages east of Adelaide featured on Saturday, before a final evening one at Victoria Park. Calder’s domination was complete on the final day, quickest on all stages.

Jai Raymond’s Rover SD1 blew its engine on the final stage, dumping oil that saw several spin in the chicane. The stage was then cancelled, with Selley and Patterson, who were still to run, given derived times.

Calder’s won over Lovell by 2mins 37s with Farkas 16s back and 1min36s up on Sean Mullins and Jay Medlen (EVO 9 RS). Fifth outright and first in Classic, Selley won from Paterson, Lomman and Pryzibilla.

JOHN LEMM

Winner Calder (top) & Selly (above). Images John Lemm

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s w e n Y A W D E SPE FARR HOPPS TO WIN

Image: Corey Gibson

DAVE GARTNER has won his fourth consecutive South Australian Super Sedan Championship at Borderline Speedway, Mount Gambier. The Penola driver led from start to finish from pole position to record the victory from Ryan Alexander and Jamie Collins. It was his sixth SA title and his first at the venue, where he won the 1998 National Street Stock title. “To win my sixth SA title was great. It definitely wasn’t the easiest of victories, as I was very conscious of looking after my car on what was a challenging track and holding off the pressure from second-placed Ryan (Alexander). But I just needed to hold my line and keep composed, and in the end it all paid off,” Gartner said.

COULD A Ford engine be powering Sprintcar Donny Schatz in 2019? Tony Stewart Racing, who Schatz drives for, hope to have the legendary manufacturer’s engine in his Sprintcar ready for World of Outlaws competition in the next few months. “This is an extremely important project for Tony Stewart Racing. The accomplishments that Rick (Warner, chew chief) and Donny have achieved together have helped shaped the modern-era of Sprintcar racing,” Stewart said.

Image: 44Photography LISMORE YOUNGSTERS made a clean sweep of the podium in the inaugural RSA national Junior Sedan Championship. Josh Boyd, 17, won in his four-cylinder Toyota Corolla in the 20-lap race ahead of Brock Youngberry and Connor Reeves at Cullen Bullen Raceway, near Lithgow, in NSW. The Racing Sedans Australia (Inc) sanctioned junior class is the nursery for future speedway stars and Boyd, in his third season of Juniors, is keen to progress. “I will keep racing juniors for a while longer and keep enjoying them before I then go into a senior division. I am not sure what that will be at the moment, but all I know is I want to keep racing,” Boyd added.

KAYDON IVERSON has warmed up nicely for the 2019 Australian Formula 500 Championship with a dominant win in the Cane Cutter Classic at Pioneer Park Speedway in Queensland’s north. Iverson, who won the 30-lap feature from James Kennedy and Kristin Brown, put two heat wins and a front row start to good use. Just days later Ryan Skennar repeated his result from the previous round of the Queensland Formula 500 Series, with another feature win ahead of Australian champ Liam Williams.

Image: Dean Miller KYE WALTERS has won the Ern Overall Memorial that doubled as the second round of the Victorian Modified Production Association’s Series at Ballarat’s Redline Raceway. Walters had a solid night with a win and two placings in his heats; he also won the pole shuffle and led all 30 laps to win the Memorial from Brock Atkins and Matt Nelson.

TIMING WAS the key for Steve Jordan’s win in The Dream 30lap Production Sedan main event at Lismore Speedway. Jordan grabbed the lead late and was closely followed across the finish line by Brody Fraser and Nick Chilcott. Shane Whild recorded an upset victory at Margaret River Speedway, downing Phil Lycholit and Jack Favero in the 20-lap Street Stock Christmas Cup. And Mothar Mountain Speedway near Gympie in Queensland was the scene for the Street Stock City of Gympie title, won by Travis Hutchison from Peter Thompson and Greg Langton.

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Image: Ray Ritter A DRIVER whose name is synonymous with the venue has won the race that pays homage to the man who built Parramatta City Raceway.

Finally, veteran Sprintcar racer Robbie Farr secured his first win of the season and his 46th win at Sydney’s Valvoline Raceway, after leading all 30 laps and taking out the fifth annual Sid Hopping Shootout.

Farr’s pole position start came after recording the second fastest time in his time trial and winning his heat, setting him up as favourite for the pole shuffle and a flag-to-flag win.

Troy Little went off to New Zealand to race with a good second in his pocket after shadowing Farr for the entire race, recording his first podium finish of the season, while Alex Orr also set a milestone with his career-best finish in a Sprintcar at Valvoline Raceway.

Earlier in the night multiple Australian Sprintcar champion Garry Brazier showed he’s still got what it takes by setting the fastest time of 12.622 in flight two of time trials. Little was the quickest overall with a lap of 12.099 in flight one.

Farr’s form continued a week later with an unlucky runner-up place behind winner Matt Egel in the third round of Ultimate Sprintcar Championship at Murray Bridge in South Australia.

Farr fell just short with a last lap pass by Egel to add his name to the list of USC SA main event winners. From position eight Egel had charged to the front late, in one of the most memorable Sprintcar races in the venue’s history.

“I can’t believe it. We have been in the position to have won a couple of races here

over the last couple years, only to have something go wrong. I can’t thank my guys enough, with about five laps to go the car just took off. I had one chance to get by Robbie and I took it,” Egel said.

Farr, who had started from the pole, lead all of the previous 29 laps and was understandably dejected following the race.

“We didn’t really do anything wrong all night, but the lapped cars gave the guys behind me a chance and Matt took it”.

Third place went to current points leader Luke Dillon, who now has three podium results in the three completed rounds. Fourth place went to Mount Gambier’s Steven Lines, who a week earlier drove from the rear of the field at Mount Gambier to a stunning win in the SRA series round and is possibly the form driver in Australia right now.

HISTORY BECKONS FOR SUPER TEAM IS THE pairing of multiple Australian Champion Kerry Madsen and Sprintcar powerhouse Krikke Motorsport set for Australian Speedway history this summer?

With the extraordinary talents of Madsen aboard the KMS “Hot Rod” team manager Ryan Krikke is aiming for a Sprintcar Grand Slam with his super team.

“It’s going to be a big season for us with World Series and all of the other blue-ribbon events on the calendar.

Winning the World Series Sprintcars Championship, the Australian Championship and the Grand Annual Classic, which no driver has ever achieved in a single season, would be an incredible accomplishment, and we feel that with Kerry as our driver, we are a strong chance to make history,” Krikke said.

“Between Kerry, Dylan (Buswell, crew chief) and Ben Griffin, who is a new addition to our crew, I believe that we have what it takes to have one of those seasons.

“We have very lofty expectations, as we do every season, but this season seems slightly different. It adds a bit of extra pressure, but it has made me appreciative of the fact that we have Kerry on board and I’m really excited to

see what we can achieve.”

Madsen, a four-time Australian champion, returns from eight feature victories in the USA. He will drive for KMS for a second time and is looking forward to his 2018-19 summer.

“I’ve known the entire Krikke Motorsport team for a really long time and I had the pleasure of racing with them back in 2013, so I’m looking forward to becoming a

part of the team on a full-time basis,” Madsen said.

“Being familiar with the team, I’m expecting it to be a really smooth transition.”

Prior to his Australian campaign Madsen reflected on his American season.

“We should have won more than we did, but it was still a strong year. You always look at missed opportunities, but in all reality we had a good year,” Madsen said.

“For whatever reason we were missing something at the start of the year. Around June we got back to where we were (last year) and it was business as usual. To me it’s all about that balanced package and then the confidence comes.

I look to get a nice balanced package.

Once you get that package and everything sinks in, the wins will come. I’ve done it enough to know if you have good people and keep working, you’ll find it.”

Image: Richard Hathaway

COREY COOL FOR CLASSIC DEFENCE COREY McCULLAGH is looking to join an illustrious list as he sets his sights on consecutive wins in the prestigious Grand Annual Sprintcar Classic in January.

McCullagh, who stunned the Speedway world and raced to a comfortable victory in the 2018 Classic, is eager to be on top of the pod again, McCullagh told Auto Action.

The 28-year-old Warrnambool driver, in just his fifth season of Sprintcar racing, fulfilled his childhood dream and upset his more fancied rivals to win.

He started from position nine and grabbed the lead with nine laps to go to defeated American Carson Macedo and three-time winner Brooke Tatnell. Then followed past multiple winners Kerry Madsen and Steven Lines.

Since that night and into a new 2018-19 season, McCullagh has been doing his “homework” on his opposition and admits that “things still need some tweaking” with his immaculate #V90 Maxim for his defence.

“I’ve been struggling for car

speed. If I can get that feeling bbackk th thatt I needd th then I hhave no doubt we can go back to back, with a bit of luck on our side.

“I have been watching videos of not only myself racing but how others do it.

“I’m just trying to find out why they are better than me in certain ways and then just trying to work on it. I like to study photos and videos and tell what is going and then nut it out.

“Because it is such a tough sport and everyone has different opinions on how to go fast, you have to be smarter about it and make the right calls.”

McCullagh could again add to an amazing run of local success following Jamie Veal in 2016 and James McFadden in 2017, as the latest Classic Champions all who are Warrnambool based.

McCullagh is very clear in his direction and eager to add more Grand Annual and general race wins to his resume, as he strives to match it with the best in his sport.

“I love the Classic. You pretty much know where you are after it,” he said.

“You should be able to leave that weekend knowing exactly where you are at and what you need to do to improve, and if you compete against the best it only makes yourself better.

“That is what I strive to be, I strive to be the best one day.”

Image: Geoff Rounds

NASH NAILS FIRST TITLE AJ NASH rates his stunning win in the 2018 Western Australian 360 Sprintcar Championship alongside his favourite football team’s premiership victory.

The self-confessed “sports nut” and one-eyed fan of the Western Bulldogs AFL football team said, “Both were on a par” and the recent title was easily the biggest win of his career.

“Yeah, it was as good as the Dogs’ 2016 flag, well it’s level. I think the WA title might be just a fraction ahead as no one in my family has done it but they came close,” Nash told Auto Action.

“I was stoked to win. Just super proud of our team and thankful really. By far the greatest moment was to hug my Dad and be able to say thanks to them for helping me get there. (It’s) just the beginning I think.”

His maiden title win aboard the immaculate Colonial Motorsports J&J owned by Damien and Carolyn Baker, came after a patient drive in the 30-lap final from former WA champion Mitchell Wormall and James Inglis.

At just 20 years-of-age AJ is part of Western Australian Speedway royalty.

His father is Alan Nash, his uncle is Lee Nash and grandfather is the legendary Des “The Outlaw” Nash, one of the original racers in the early days of World Series Sprintcars.

“It was always in the blood to race. Des

www.autoaction.com.au

Image: Richard Hathaway has a passion for racing. Growing up as a kid all he wanted was for us all to race Sprintcars. Just like Des did the World Series, it’s something on my bucket list.”

During the early months of 2016 the Nash family were rocked.

Just weeks separated Des’s passing and AJ suffering life-threatening injuries from a crash in South Australia.

During qualifying in the national 360 cubic inch Sprintcar title AJ suffered third degree burns at Borderline Speedway, Mount Gambier, and was airlifted to Adelaide for surgery.

“They were pretty major burns. I remember during recovery that I was determined to

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race again and I stayed hungry to comeback and compete,” Nash said.

“That’s why the WA title means so much to myself and many close to me. I’ve been through a lot of ups and downs to get here.

I can’t thank my family and girlfriend enough for their support through all those hospital trips and late nights in the shed.”

During the nights working on his Sprintcar as well as combining university study AJ keeps track of sport, with an interest in AFL, NBA and NFL. “The NBA is my weakness. I follow the Chicago Bulls and the Patriots in the NFL. Any sport I can get my hands I’m there and watching it.”

instagram.com/autoactionmag/

Image: Ray Ritter

AUSTRALIA VE VERSUS ERSUS WORLD KAIDON BROWN will lead an Australian team in the International Midget Series in New Zealand later this month.

The reigning Australian Speedcar champion will be joined by Matt Smith and Scott Farmer to compete against some of the world’s best Speedway drivers.

Competition will be held at Western Springs Speedway in Auckland and feature five nights of racing from December 26, finishing with the King of the Springs – Bryan Clauson 39 Lapper event on January 3, 2019.

Australia’s team will compete against Team USA at all five meetings.

Team USA will be represented by NASCAR stars Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell and USA Sprintcar ace Tyler Courtney.

“All indications are that we will witness some of the best open wheel midget racing we have seen at Western Springs. The team line ups are next level,” Western Springs promoter Greg Mosen said.

Image: Richard Hathaway

THE YAN YANKEES NKEES ARE COMING AUSTRALIAN SPEEDWAY fans sit back and get ready to witness the talents of America’s best.

A number of Uncle Sam’s finest will appear in various classes across most states this summer with Sprintcar superstar Donny Schatz again featured.

He jets into Brisbane for a fortnight of action at Archerfield from Boxing Day, while two of America’s exciting young talents are also coming to Australia.

Teenager Gio Scelzi will make his debut early in 2019 and Harli White will also return for her second visit Down Under.

Scelzi will be at Avalon Raceway in the annual President’s Cup on January 16 for car owner Domain Ramsay and his tour finishes at Premier Speedway, Warrnambool a few days later in the Sprintcar Classic.

White, 23, makes her second trip to Australia to contest the USA v WA Sprintcar Speedweek that kicks off at the Perth Motorplex on December 26.

Carson Macedo was runner-up in the 2018 Classic and has confirmed to again be in the 2019 Classic for car-owners Sean and Felicity Dyson.

He is also scheduled to race in the final Scott Darley from mid January, while countryman Terry McCarl returns to run in southern Australia.

Cory Eliason is returning to Australia and will drive one of the country’s best-prepared teams.

Eliason will get behind the wheel of the Bunbury-based Diamond Bay Motorsport machine for the East Coast stint of their 2018-19 campaign.

He’s a regular with the World of Outlaws and has had multiple wins this season during his 70 races in the USA. One of world’s best Micro Sprint racers is already in Australia.

Californian teenager Jake Andreotti 16, together with father Jared, are already here for a three-week campaign driving for Perth-based car owner Jason Ryan which includes the Formula 500 Speedweek. He will be joined by fellow Californian Koen Shaw, who will be in a Mansell Motorsport machine.

American Late Model veteran Billy Moyer has won most of the big races in the USA and he’s hoping Australia will be just as rewarding in early 2019.

The 61-year-old Hall of Famer from Arkansas boasts a staggering 834 wins in his 41 years of racing, and will be in Western Australia from early 2019 as part of an American team in the annual Invasion Tour.

He is part of a formidable USA list of Late Model racers including Jason Fitzgerald, Jeff Roth and Joe Godsey set for WA racing.

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MAGICAL ISLAND

PHILLIP ISLAND hosted its traditional Island Magic meeting on November 24-25, ending the Victorian racing season on a high. Strong fields and close competition were greeted with the usual mixed weather conditions, with the headline act being the final round of the Australian Sports Sedan Series, incorporating the 50K Plate.

Steven Tamasi won the Sports Sedan title (above) while Aldo De Paoli (right) was a front runner in Historic Touring Cars.All images Rebecca Thompson.

SPORTS SEDANS

HEADING INTO the final round, it was going to be hard to defeat Steven Tamasi in taking the National Sports Sedan title, with only Steve Lacey a chance of toppling the Victorian due to key title rival Thomas Randle’s absence at Super2 commitments in Newcastle.

Tamasi let it be known that he was keen to secure the title by taking Pole by 3.0185s clear of Phil Crompton, who was showing impressive speed in his Ford Mustang. Third on the grid was Victorian Michael Robinson, enjoying an improved run driving his reworked Holden Monaro, while title challenger Lacey was seventh in his Chevrolet Camaro.

Not only did Lacey need points to pursue Tamasi, but Shane Woodman was also a chance of snatching third away from the New South Welshman.

The opening race of the weekend was won comfortably by Tamasi as Crompton and Robinson fought tooth and nail for second with the Mustang just shading

Victory in the Victorian Touring Trophy went the way of the Audi of Garry Higgon and Daniel Gaunt, over the Porsche of Andrew MacPherson and Brad Shields.

60 AutoAction

the Monaro. Woodman continued his BMW M3’s Queensland form by narrowly missing out on the podium. However, this aided his shot at overhauling Lacey, who retired with steering issues.

Tamasi again was unchallenged in the second race as Crompton had to hold out Woodman for second this time, as Robinson had his hands full defending fourth from the returning Tasmanian Alex Williams in his Mazda RX-7.

The form of Tamasi was ominous approaching the annual 10-lap 50K Plate. He proved it by taking another comfortable victory to seal his first National Sports Sedan title, ahead of

Crompton and Woodman, who secured third in the title with Lacey recovering from his opening race DNF to finish 11th and fifth.

IMPROVED PRODUCTION

PREDICTABLY IT was a Ray Hislop dominated weekend in Improved Production as a smaller than usual field fronted for the season finale. Key contenders Luke Grech-Cumbo and Rob Braune were no shows, leaving it up to Keven Stoopman, Andrew Butcher, Paul Rule and Matthew Logan to try and challenge Hislop’s all conquering Falcon.

Hislop took Pole by 2.1256s to head Stoopman (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VII) and Butcher (BMW E36 M3), which was repeated in Race 1 where the margin between Hislop and the chasing Stoopman was 23s.

Logan (Holden Commodore VE) finished best of the rest in Race 2 with Butcher again third, while Hislop was within a second of the lap record he set at the circuit during the Improved Production Nationals two years ago.

Stoopman recovered after an incident in Race 2 to reclaim second spot, ahead of Butcher as Hislop completed a cleansweep.

Jay Hanson (leading) impressed at Phillip Island, in his first Formula Ford outing direct from Karts.

Ray Hislop dominated Improved Touring as R uusual (far left) while Cam Beller had a bit more pressure in Porsche 944s (left). m

FORMULA VEE

HISTORIC TOURING CARS

A LARGE field of 37-cars took starter’s orders for the opening Historic Touring Car race, but it was Chevrolet Camaro country up front as Aldo De Paoli, Dean Neville and Darren Collins held off the Ford Mustangs of Daryl Hansen and Michael Miceli, to give the bow tie a podium clean-sweep.

It was more of the same in Race 2, however Neville took the win ahead of De Paoli and fellow Camaro driver Darren Pearce, heading the same Mustang duo from the opening race.

Les Walmsley (Chrysler Charger R/T) broke the Camaro monopoly up the front by taking third in the Trophy Race, with De Paoli and Collins capping off a weekend dominated by Chevrolet.

SPORTS CARS

GARRY HIGGON and Daniel Gaunt (Audi R8 GT3 LMS) successfully

defended their Victorian Tourist Trophy after a number of contenders including the Porsche 997 GT3R driven by Andrew MacPherson and Brad Shields, were eliminated.

Shields showed the way early by winning the first sprint race of the weekend ahead of Gaunt and Carrera Cup driver Jordan Love. Love’s codriver, brother Aaron, took the codriver’s sprint race ahead of the SIN R1 550 driven by Rhys Howell and the Audi R8 GT3 LMS of Ryan How. Howell was right in the mix on Sunday, however an incident that also involved Shields and the race-winning Audi took the SIN and Porsche out of the event, while slightly delaying the race winner.

Higgon and Gaunt were untroubled throughout the rest of the race to take a 43s victory over How, who shared with Tony D’Alberto, while the Love brothers rounded out the podium.

FORMULA FORD

A QUALITY field at the Island put on extremely close racing with newcomer Jay Hanson, Angelo Mouzouris and Josh Buchan the big winners over the course of the weekend.

Fresh from karts, Hanson defeated more experienced competitors such as Liam McLellan, Cody Donald, Courtney Prince and fellow debutant Ben Bargwanna, to take a maiden victory with McLellan and Donald rounding out the minors.

Hanson repeated the feat in Race 2 ahead of Donald and Spencer Ackerman, as Mouzouris came from the back of the field to finish fourth, setting up a run for the Trophy Race which he took out ahead of a close following Donald and McLaughlin, with Hanson finishing fifth.

It was a clean-sweep for Josh Buchan in the Kent Class, holding off Peter Fitzgerald and Raymond Stubber throughout the three races.

HEATH COLLINSON just failed to pick up a clean-sweep to round out the year in Formula Vees, with Jake Rowe denying him in the Trophy Race.

Collinson notched up a pair of wins with Nicholas Jones and reigning champion James Dean rounding out the podium in Race 1, with Austin Pearson unlucky to miss the podium. Collinson again took control in the second with Pearson finishing runner-up this time, ahead of Jones in what was a close battle with Dean not far behind.

Rowe had finished close behind the lead pack in the pair of heat races, but it was an uber close battle in the last as Rowe through to Rod Lisson in seventh were separated by under a second. Rowe had to hold off a strong challenge from Dean and Jones particularly, as Collinson dropped to fourth.

PORSCHE 944

DESPITE WINNING the first race by 17s, Cam Beller didn’t have it all his own way in the Porsche 944s. Beller dominated the opening race ahead of the Westaway duo, James and Michael, before Race 2 sprung a surprise as James took victory over Beller and Michael, but in the final it was normal service resumed as Beller took victory by 3s over the pair of Westaways.

Big fields and close racing ... a hallmark of Formula Vee action.

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p ra w S L A N NATIO

TASMAN MEET FINAL FOR YEAR CAPPING OFF the season of Historic racing was the Tasman Festival at Sydney Motorsport Park on December 1-2. In hot and blustery conditions the event was highlighted by a Production Sports Car mini enduro with mandatory pitstops, plus the usual array of categories.

Group S

IT WASN’T just in the 21-lap enduro that Wayne Seabrook dominated, but the Porsche 911 Carrera driver won the prelim and the final sprint race as well.

In the initial outing he showed the way to fellow Porsche steerers Doug Barbour and Mikki Piirlaid, who got the better of Bryan Taylor in the latter part of five-lap race. Fifth went to Damien Meyer in the indecently quick MG Midget, ahead of John Harrison (Shelby GT 350).

Unfortunately Meyer didn’t get too far in the enduro, around 100m actually, and then parked up against the pit wall as Barbour made the best start and took the initial lead. On the second lap Tom Walstab (Porsche 928) spun off at turn one but was moving again as the safety car was deployed.

Seabrook had taken the lead by this stage and drove away from the opposition, only losing it briefly in the pitstop cycle, which for some included a driver change.

Barbour had the lead for a lap, pitting after Seabrook, in what turned out to be a far longer stop and dropped him to 26th. Barbour made up six spots as Taylor finished second ahead of Andrew Sebesfi (Midget), Simon Meyer (Austin Healey Sprite), Piirlaid, Kevin Luke (Carrera) and Sydney Reinhardt (GSM Dart).

Group N

OVER THE four Historic Touring Car races, Jamie Tilley was unbeaten. But the Ford Mustang driver had to see off some spirited challenges from Chris Thomas (Holden Torana XU-1), who led at the start on occasion.

Less than a second covered them at the finish although Thomas was relegated to third in race two after a post-race 5s penalty for not being squared up in his starting position.

In Mazda RX2s, Wayne Rogerson and Bill Attard were

third and fourth in the Trophy, Trophy ahead of Dale Parry and Wayne Cooper in their Mustangs. The latter pair had contact in an earlier event before Cooper was relegated a spot in the Trophy to Spencer Rice (Alfa Romeo GTV) after a 5s penalty.

Group Q R Sports/Racing & Formula 5000

DRIVING THE family-owned Chevron B24/28, Tom Tweedie was totally dominant after going under the F5000 lap record in qualifying. As he did in all the sprint races, Tweedie ran away in the Trophy event, finishing 28.6s clear.

Daniel Nolan (Nola Chev) jumped well off the rolling start to be second, but trouble at turn two put him out. That left Chris Farrell (Ralt RT2) second ahead of Malcolm Oastler (Kaditcha AF2). Ray Stubber (March 722) and Stephen Webb (Elfin 360 Repco Brabham)were fourth and fifth, before being passed by Andrew McCarthy (Ralt RT4) and Martin Dunlop (March M 802).

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FFormula Ford

OV OVERCOMING EARLY issues Jimmy Vernon was too good for the opposition in the Trophy w race, ra a taking the Swift to a 6.4s victory over David Da a Hardman (Van Diemen), with William M Marshall (Reynard) a further 2.5s in arrears.

H Hardman won the opening two encounters af after pipping Vernon in qualifying. The latter ddidn’t start race one but came through to take di th third behind Marshall in race two. Behind the

TThe Th he fifina nnal na al FFo Formula orm rmul ula VVe Vee eeee bbattle ttll off tth tt the h season was close, as usual. Image by Riccardo Benvenuti.

front runners Kieran McLaughlin (Van Diemen) headed Dan Holihan (Swift) in all three races.

Formula Vee

RACE ONE was a close contest where Anthony Paynter (Stag) edged out David Cutts (Spectre).

There was a bigger gap between the pair in race two, before Paynter had a resounding win in the Trophy. The battle for third however, was a far tighter contest where Daniel Bando (Elfin) scored ahead of Nigel Jones (Renmax), Don Greiveson (Spectre) and Geoff Stone (Elfin) – the four covered by just over a second.

Group L M O & Formula Junior

IN TAKING out the Dawson-Damer Trophy Damon Handcock had to come from the back of the field. He won the opening race in his Brabham BT23C, narrowly ahead of Ross Hodgson (Elfin 600B) but an oil pressure issue meant he missed out starting the next race, where Hodgson won easily.

As this was the only category to set their grids by fastest laps from the previous encounters, Handcock started rear of grid for the Trophy.

There was a lengthy safety car as Hodgson and Robert McConville (Brabham BT29) were retrieved because of a second lap encounter.

After that Hancock scooted away to a handy advantage over Scott Whittaker (Milano GT2), while it was a close result for third with Colin Haste (Brabham BT2) just in front of Wayne Wilson (BT29) and Norm Faulkner (Elfin Mono).

Wayne Wayn Wa yynne Se Seab Seabrook abrro ab rookk ddominated rook om omin minat ated ed GGroup rooup up S (above), as did Tom Tweedie in F5000 (right). Images by Bruce Moxon.

“Coming up at the nation’s action and spectator tracks” Wakefield Park

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December 14 WPM Trackschool Open Pit Lane Track Day December 15 WPM Trackschool Track Day December 19 Fifth Gear January 12 WPM Trackschool Track Day January 17 Speed Off The Street/Test & Tune January 19 RaceAway Track Time – Open Pit Lane

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Winton

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December 14 Test & Tune Cars & Open Wheelers December 15 Vic Drift December 16 BAC Member’s Track Day January 18 Test & Tune – Cars & Open Wheelers January 23 Performance Test Day January 26 Test & Tune – Cars & Open Wheelers

WINTON 2018 WINDS UP THE TRADITIONAL conclusion of the Winton Motor Raceway season again was the Ken Leigh HQ 4 Hour on December 1-2 and this year was supported by two 90-minute Hyundai Excel races, plus a good rollup of Super Minis.

HQ HOLDENS

THIS YEAR’S Ken Leigh 4 Hour Enduro was won

by Bruce and Joel Heinrich. The South Australian father and son combination crossed the line first in both two-hour legs of the classic long-standing event for the venerable one-make category.

They trailed the shootout winning Glen McDonald/Ryan Woods entry in the early part before getting gifted a lap’s advantage as an opportune first safety car triggered a round of pitstops.

Two thirds of the race in and McDonald/Woods regained the lead briefly. Ultimately the Heinrichs won ahead of Darren Jenkins/Darryl Crouch by 12.4s with Dave Smith/Wayne King third.

McDonald and Woods finished fourth ahead of Matt linscott/Ken Wright while John Baxter/Brett Osborn eventually got themselves back on the lead lap for sixth. Winners of previous two Ken Leighs, Rod Raatjes and Andrew McLeod failed to finish after an engine failure.

In the first part of the second leg, the lead was a fight between the Heinrichs and Neil Corey/ Peter Holmes with the latter gaining the upper hand. After the mandatory pitstops the Heinrichs crossed the line ahead of Smith/King. Third to the finish was Richard Whyte/M. Fitzgerald ahead of Baxter/Osborn, Jenkins/Grouch and McDonald/ Woods.

When the two parts were collated together and the laps were taken off from those who finished laps down in race one, the Heinrichs were the overall winners ahead of Smith/King, Baxter/ Osborn, Jenkins/Grouch and McDonald/Woods.

The Corey/Holmes entry had struggled home in leg one with a blown head gasket and ultimately retired from leg two with head damage while Lindscott/Wright failed with a blown gearbox.

Father and son team Bruce and Joel Heinrich won the Ken Leigh 4 Hour Enduro (above), while Adam Bywaters and Aaron Cameron (below left) were overall winners in the Hyundais. John Walker’s much-modified Mini (below right) won the Doug Byrne Memorial. Images: Neil Hammond.

HYUNDAI EXCELS

AFTER THE two Cryo Cycle endurance races Adam Bywaters and Aaron Cameron were declared the overall winners, ahead of Cam Wilson and Ben Bargwanna, with Dylan Innes and Matt Thewlis finishing third.

Each day featured separated qualifying for both drivers as well as top 10 shootouts, the first of which was won by Aaron Cameron and the second by Jordyn Sinni.

Wilson and Bargwanna took out the opening 90min race which had four safety car periods, ahead of Bywater/Cameron but had a gearbox issue in the second, locked in third gear and finished fifth.

Cooper Webster and Toby Pope finished third

in race one ahead of Innes/Thewlis and Gil Slade/Mac Dohnt, while Nathan Skelton/Jaylyn Robotham were the first of the 33 crews starting that were a lap behind.

Having failed to finish the first, Sinni and his father Paul were only half a second behind the winners in race two, where there were two safety cars called. Also among those that failed to finish in race one, Marcus and Matt Fraser returned to take third ahead of Innes/Thewlis.

SUPER MINIS

AFTER THE first two races were fought out between the late model Minis driven by Craig Lindsell and Iain McDougall, John Walker won the feature Doug Byrne Memorial in his earlier model

for the second year in a row.

The East Coast Minis used the older short track for their races where Lindsell (Cooper S) beat McDougall (JCW) by 1.5s. Henry Draper (JCW) was third ahead of Paul Attard (Clubman), Trent Spencer (Cooper S) and Neil Turner (JCW).

McDougall turned the tables in race two for a narrow win. Walker, Spencer and Turner were next.

Walker led every lap to take the 10-lap feature by 3.2s over Lindsell and MacDougall, who were separated by a second. Spencer was fourth and Lindsay Siebler (Cooper) pipped Turner for fifth.

Walker just won the fourth scratch race ahead of Lindsell, before Peter Walsh (Cooper S) took out the Handicap race.

BARKER AND MONTGOMERY BEST AT SHORT SPRINT THE GEELONG Revival Motoring Festival continued the tradition of a quarter mile sprint along Richie Boulevarde at Eastern Beach on November 25-26, with Leigh Barker and Adam Montgomery taking FTD on the respective days.

The event started in 1956 and was based on the English Brighton Speed trials and now includes historic car, boat and caravan displays as well as a fashion show, along with market stalls and music providing a great weekend of entertainment.

The main focus is the sprints for modern and historic cars, and motorbikes – a mix of contemporary road and race cars from the 70s through to the latest machinery.

On Saturday Rod Moody (Cheetah Mk7) set the pace ahead of Peter Weichard (Dallara) but as the track dried after early rain, Barker (Ferrari 488) snatched the lead with two very quick runs, the best a 10.1726s, and leaving Moody second with 10.3349s.

Weichard was edged out of third by Chris Thompson (Holden Director), and completing the top five was Sally-Anne Hains (Porsche 997 Turbo) who was the fastest female. The most impressive performance was by Jeff Beable who was to

compete in the AWD category but after problems with his Nissan GTR, organisers allowed him to have a run in his new Jeep tow car, and he managed to take ninth outright.

Patron Joy Rainey whose late father Murray Rainey was instrumental in starting the original Trials, introduced a challenge between Britain and Australia with a number of drivers from Prescott Hillclimb competing in shared cars. Australia’s Mark Patane (Alfa) and Daryl Coon (Hyundai) were the top two while Martin Jones (Alfa) and Grant Cratchley (Hyundai) took third and fourth for Britain.

Sunday was the turn of the Historics with Montgomery (Porsche GT2RS) taking outright FTD on 10.3624s ahead of Christopher Dalton (1965 Ford Mustang) and Adam Cieciura (1970 Ford Capri) which sported an engine somewhat bigger than the original.

On both days Colin Stark competed in his 1971 Alpine Renault A110 and the brand new recreated version, also called the Alpine A110. The new one is much bigger than the original and proved to be quicker.

GARY HILL

Leigh Barker’s Ferrari 488.

Image by Gary Hill

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NATIONALS wrap n compiled by garry o’brie

COUPLE TAKES VRC TITLE LATE CHANGES to the rally route and headquarters did little to stop husband and wife duo, Ben and Cathy Hayes from winning the George Derrick Memorial Rally on November 24. In taking victory aboard a Subaru Impreza WRX, the Hayes’ won the VRC title for the first time.

The final rounds of the CAMS Focus On Furniture Victorian Rally Championship and the State Club Rally Series attracted 58 entries. It was originally scheduled to run in the Stoney and Glnmaggie State Forest areas, before it was moved to the Moornappa Forest area, while the HQ became Boisdale Hillclimb.

The event started at the hillclimb course with a lap, before heading to the forest northeast of Briagolong for 55kms of action over five special stages. Heat two comprised a second run of the course.

In wet and slippery conditions, Subarus filled the top three places with Ivan Regester and Paul Humm second and ahead of Wayne Stewart and Lucas Zinsstag. Matt Lee (with

Cathy Elliott) had a mathematical chance of winning the championship, but their Subaru went off the road early in the event.

Fourth outright was the first 2WD crew in Grant Walker and Steph Richards (Ford Escort RS1800) just over a minute clear of class rival Brian Newton and Ryan Price (Honda Civic EG6), and up and coming youngster Josh Bohm, who with Anthony Staltari, was a strong sixth in his Hyundai Excel.

In the final round of the VCRS where competitors started an hour later, Cody Richards and Matthew Dillon (Ford Escort) were the winners. They won by just under four minutes over Aiden Peart and Stuart Armstrong (Datsun 260Z), with Peart’s second place enough to give him the 2018 VCRS title.

Third place went to Joel Wald and Chris Ellis (Datsun Stanza) ahead of Adrian Stratford and Kain Manning (Diahatsu Charade) and David Gates and Gareth Nicholls Mazda MX5).

Ben and Cathy Hayes won their first Victorian Rally Championship (above). Cody Richards and Mathew Dillon won the Victorian Clubman Rally Series. Images: B Team Rally Media

HOY/STEAN BEAT CHAMPS

Image: CH Images

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BASED OUT of Woodenbong in northern NSW, the Phoenix Homes Queensland Yowie Country Rally on December 1 was won by Clayton Hoy and Alan Stean in their Mitsubishi EVO VI. They won the one-day eight all-daylight stage event by 5s over 2018 NSW rally champions Glenn Brinkman and Harvey Smith (EVO 9). Third place, a further 54s away were Garry Yeomans and Kam Baker in their EVO 5.

The event was a blind rally with a detailed road book and Hoy had a 7s advantage after heat one where he and Brinkman had two stage victories each. The latter won the first two stages of the second heat before they squared the third. The gap was down to 4s before Hoy won the last stage by a second.

Behind third placed Yeomans, Clay and

Ella Badenoch were fourth in their Toyota Celica RA40, also taking out the Classic class and the only non-4WD in the top 10.

Classis rivals Allan Griffin and Brad Smith (Datsun 1600) were 11th behind Brayden Wilson and Blake Wilson (EVO 6), Gerard McConkey and Dennis Neagle (Subaru Impreza WRX), Connor Oldham and Jenna Bulmer (Mazda Familia), Steve Arthur and Blair Hallberg (EVO 9), Adam O’Brien and Matt Sosimenko (Mazda 323 GT) and Rob Dixon and Peta Davies (WRX).

Two wheel drive honours went to Neill Woolley and Ryan Williams (Hyundai Excel) ahead of Wayne Daniels and Ray Priest (Holden Gemini), Jason Ives and Dale Hancox (Toyota Corolla), Stephen and Jarryd Whitaker (Mitsubishi Mirage) and Mark and Carol Fitton (Holden Commodore).

THIS YEAR’S Ray Vesty Memorial, the final off road racing event at Colo Park for 2018, was won by Nathan Chivers. He completed the four four-lap races over just under 100km ahead of Kevin Cant, while third place went to Paul Allport. Image: Gordon Robb

HEAFEY DRAGS A CLEAN WIN COMPETITORS HAD a much cleaner Sydney Dragway track for the second round of the Whiteline Summer Rallysprint Series, which was taken out by Phil Heaphy and John Boston on November 20.

Heaphy (Mitsubishi EVO) was fast right from the start, setting a time of 1m 58.6s for the 3km course ahead of over 70 starters. His second run was the fastest of anyone on the night and only 0.1s faster, but still the only one to do sub-2mins run. As the surface cooled, the times slowed.

Heaphy was fastest on the third run as well. Then he put the car away after four runs out of five allowed.

Stephen and Olivia Marlin (EVO) were the runners-up, second fastest all night and are starting to look like they might challenge Heaphy with a bit more car development. They were just over 8s adrift at the close of proceedings. Third, and first 2WD car, was Michael Caine and Mark Newman’s Mazda RX7. Caine was

fastest on the fourth and fifth runs, but by then Heaphy had it wrapped up.

Next were Jeff Morton and Jarred Kershaw (Lotus Exige), 5s behind Caine and they were second of the 2WDs. Quickest of the crews in under 2.0-litre cars were Adam Casmiri and Alaine O’Connor (Honda Civic), from Benny Tran and Craig Secoaube (Honda S2000), an excellent sixth and eighth outright respectively.

Hyundai were back, running a handful of their i30N hot hatches.

Fastest of them was Brendan Reeves and photographer Aaron Wishart, with the other cars being driven by motoring writers. Bathurst 6-hour class winner David Baker was running his circuit car, a Honda Integra. Seeded 65th, Baker, with codriver Ashlee Christiansen, finished an excellent 32nd in their first crack at one of these events.

BRUCE MOXON

Image: Bruce Moxon

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NATIONALS wrap n compiled by garry o’brie

KING CROWNED AT COOMA DANIEL BURTON was the fastest at the King of the Mountain, one of three hillclimbs on the same weekend last month at the Cooma Car Club’s annual ‘Festival of the Mountain’.

The supercharged Honda S2000 pilot posted a best of 40.98s, ahead of Nick Coote and Tony Anthony, who were both driving Subaru Impreza WRXs and finished 1.1s and 3s behind respectively.

In the contest for fourth, Jackson Frew (Datsun wagon) triumphed over Daniel Matthews (Peugeot 206 GTi), Tom Donahue (BMW M3) and Bryan Fitzpatrick (Renault Clio), with the quartet covered by just over half a second.

The event was conducted on Mt Gladstone Rd which is off the Snowy Mountains Highway about 4km west

of Cooma, leads to the Mt Gladstone Lookout and is approximately 1km in length. The weekend kicked off with a ‘come and try’ on the Saturday and was followed by a classic hillclimb for pre-1988 manufacture vehicles.

In the lead-up to the main event, Daniel Matthews (Ford Escort) was the fastest on almost every run in the Classic, yet was less than half a second up on Rogan Corbett (Valiant Charger) with Nick Besestri (Fiat 124) third.

Come and Try featured the closest result as Simon Smith (WRX) finished 0.1s ahead of Darian McGarryWatson, also Subaru mounted. Jack Hills was third in his 2WD Holden Astra ahead of class rival Anthony Barfod (Skoda Fabia VRS).

Image: MayneRidge Photography

MACKAY TIES UP POINTS AT THE sixth and final round of the Tighe Cams Queensland Hillclimb Series on November 24-25, Dean Tighe was the fastest while the outright points score win went to Ross Mackay by just two points.

Tighe (Dallara/Judd) didn’t compete in the opening four runs and his first attempt to better the benchmark of 38.12s set by Dean Amos (Gould GR55B) was good enough for the FTD of 37.54s.

Formula Libre over 1301cc class cars filled the top three spots with Michael Von Rappard (Dallara F392/Hayabusa) third ahead of James Milliner (OMS 2000M) who also went under the magic 40s mark, finishing fourth and winning the Formula Libre up to 1300cc.

Milliner finished just in front of class rivals Paul Van Wijk (OMS Hornet) and David Quelch (Honda DPQ

Image: Ian Colley

CHALLENGE COMES OF AGE A TIMING glitch in the early part did little to distract from Michael von Rappard’s runaway win at the 21st Noosa Hillclimb Classic & Sports Car Challenge last month.

The event catered for all cars and drivers including Historic, Log Booked and Non-Log Booked, Classic and Modern.

Driving his supercharged Hayabusapowered Dallara F392, von Rappard posted a best time of 52.70s on the challenging 1.5km twists and turns course, 5.2s better than second placed and Formula Libre over 2.0-litre class rival Warwick Hutchinson (OMS 28 RPV03).

Third went to Matt Read in his Formula Libre U2L Readster MTR1 ahead of the best of the tin tops in Zak Davidson in his AWD Subaru Impreza WRX. Davidson also entered and won the Regularity section

Image: Elegee Photos

66 AutoAction

where competitors had to nominate a time and get as close as possible to it. He was closest with the fifth fastest time, also the posting the only other sub 60s time outside the top three.

Sixth outright was Garry Ford (Historic Sports Sedan Ford Escort) ahead of Cameron Freeman (AWD WRX), Chris Ching (AWD Mitsubishi EVO 6 RS), Phillip Charles (Formula Libre U2L GRD Nota) and Michael Larymore (Sports Cars O2L Toyota MR2).

Mark Hulst (Brabham BT29) won Historic Racing, and the various Sports Cars classes went to Dick Reynolds (Caterham), Trevor Bassett (Ferrari Daytona), Patrick Mewing (Lotus Elan), Barry Handley (Audi TT) and Jason McGarry (Caterham).

AUSSIES WINS INTERNATIONAL CHALLENGE

Special). Recently crowned Australian Supersprint Champion Vikki Paxton (Dallara F301/Toyota V8) for the second time, was seventh ahead of Matt Read (Readster MTR1), Greg Tebble (Van Diemen FF2000) and Dave Homer (turbocharged Grp A GAE001).

Two new records were set, one by Geoff Cohen (Bulant Clubman) for Group Q Sports, and the other by Ray Bromley (Locost Seven) in Clubman Sports Cars up to 2000cc.

In the meantime Mackay finished 12th outright behind Bromley, taking out Sports Sedans up to 2.0-litre and winning the season overall ahead of Tebble. Third place in the points was a five-way tie and comprised Milliner, David Robertson (Subaru BRZ), Barry Smith (Ford V8 Special), Sebastian Black (Subaru Impreza WRX) and Luke Weiks (Superkart).

Image: Trapnell Creations

Scott Bingham took out Supersports in his Minetti and Tyson Cowie (Ford Escort) won U2L Historic Sports Sedans. In Touring Cars the class winners were Ross Mazza (BMW THE ROB Roy Historic and Classic meeting on November 18 featured an International Challenge between England’s Bugatti Owners Club which operates the Prescott Hillclimb and The MG Car Club of Victoria, which operates Rob Roy. Six drivers represented the two clubs and shared six cars supplied by MG Car Club members. The locals did have an advantage with their home track and their own cars and that proved to be enough for the MG Car Club to claim the Brake Shoes Trophy by a close margin.

The quickest of the challenge competitors were Mark Patane (Alfa Romeo GTV) with a first for MG, while Martin Jones who drove for Prescott in the same car, was third.

In the overall competition it was Darren Visser who took the honours with his tiny 750cc Bates Cyclo with a 21.84s run.

323i Turbo), Stuart Burrows (Toyota Levin), Glen Wesener (Holden Torana XU-1), Dan Mischok (Ford Escort), Garry Lang (Holden HSV) and David Sorrell (Renault Clio).

Second outright went to Mike Barker (Elfin type 3 Clubman, 23.12s) while Chris Randall (Amaroo Clubman, 23.31s) was close behind in third.

Fourth outright went to the young Daniel Leitner (Subaru), a name to watch in motor racing at club level. At the more mature end of the age scale, both for driver and car, fifth place went to Graeme Raper in his historic Monoskate Ford Special with his 24.08s, also earning him the Tate Engines Trophy for the fastest side valve V8.

It was encouraging to see five female drivers including Sandra Tomlin from the UK all putting on a good show, with the fastest being Jane Vollebregt in her MGB allowing her to collect the impressive Diana Davison-Gaze Plate for the fastest lady driver.

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11_AA_#1751_131218

ONLINE OR INSTORE!