FUTURE OF F1 FOGES GRILLS CHANGE-AGENT ROSS BRAWN SINCE 1971
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PHOTOS AND DETAILS OF FORD COUPE’S WIND-CHEATING ADVANTAGE
FUEL’S GOLD
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Apr 4 to Apr 17, 2019
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PARC FERME PREVIEW WILL SUPERCARS QUALY SHAKE-UP WORK?
F1 INSIDER
with Dan Knutson
F1 VS INDYCAR THE RESULTS are in. When it comes to an almost direct comparison between the speed of Formula 1 and IndyCar – and it’s been quite a while since one could be made – the F1 machines are distinctly superior. No real surprise, but the recent IndyCar Classic at the Circuit of The Americas outside Austin, Texas, was the first chance in modern times to compare the world’s premier open-wheelers on the same track. Lewis Hamilton holds the official lap record at COTA. During last year’s United States Grand Prix, the Mercedes driver set the in-race mark at 1m37.392s around the 20-turn, 5.515-km track, at an average speed of 203.782km/h. He was even faster in qualifying, winning the pole with a time of 1m32.237s. During the last weekend of March this year, the IndyCar series competed on the exact same COTA track for the first time. Colton Herta won the race in his Dallara Honda, and the 18-yearold also set the race lap record with a 1m48.895s, an average speed of 181.424km/h. Will Power won the pole in a Dallara Chevrolet with a 1m46.017s. So a slam dunk for F1 – as you’d expect. One-third more horsepower, way more downforce and much greater technical sophistication – not to mention cost – will do that. But comparing F1 and IndyCar speeds is not fair, as they have very different agendas. When I talk about IndyCars, I’m using the designation to cover all the names and various sanctioning bodies of that type of racing over the years such as Champ Cars, CART and IRL.
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The field may be smaller but there’s now no doubt that the Formula 1 cars are considerably quicker than IndyCars.
Images: LAT
For convenience, let’s call them generically Indycars. Comparing their lap times with F1 has always been difficult because the two series have almost never been on the exact same track. When the Indycars went to former F1 tracks Mexico City, Caesars Palace, the Detroit street circuit, Long Beach and Watkins Glen, the track layouts were different. Both raced on the same Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal. Juan Pablo Montoya won the pole position for the 2002 Canadian Grand Prix by clocking 1m12.836s
in his Williams BMW. A few weeks later for the Indycar race at the same venue, Cristiano da Matta gained the pole with a 1m18.959s in his Lola Toyota. The last time the two series competed on the same Montreal track was in 2006, when the F1 cars were five to seven seconds faster. The only time in history when F1 and Indycar actually went head-to-head were the famous Race Of Two Worlds at Monza in 1957 and ’58. But very few F1 cars showed up. The event, also called the 500 Miglia di Monza (500 Miles of Monza), was staged on the
Autodromo Nazionale Monza oval that had been completed in 1955. Each event consisted of three 63-lap heats for a total of 500 miles (805km). Ferrari and Maserati withdrew their modified F1 cars after practice for the 1957 event, leaving the Indycars to dominate over a trio of Jaguar D-type sports cars. The closest the modified F1 cars got to the Indycars in the 1958 ROTW was in the first heat, when Stirling Moss finished fourth in a Maserati, one lap behind the winning Watson Offenhauser driven by Jim Rathmann.
After failing to make a profit, the Automobile Club of Milan cancelled the event in 1959. Rathmann won all three heats in ’58, at an average speed of 268.367km/h. During qualifying for the 2018 Italian Grand Prix on the Monza road circuit, Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen turned the fastest lap ever in F1 when he averaged 263.587km/h. The fastest Indycar lap ever was achieved by Gil De Ferran, who won the pole for the 2000 California 500 by averaging an astounding 388.541km/h (241.428 mph) in a ReynardHonda around the California Speedway. Even today, 20 years later, IndyCars are supers-speedsters on high-speed ovals. But on a road course like COTA, they’re not even close to F1. The 2019 F1 technical regulations were supposed to slow the cars by as much as three seconds a lap in racing conditions. And, indeed, when the engineers and designers first started looking at computer models, it was about three seconds. But then they got down to work, clawing back the speed – and Hamilton set a lap record to win the pole for this year’s Australian Grand Prix. It will be interesting to see what speeds the F1 cars reach at Monza in September. Of course, an IndyCar would not be able to match that speed at Monza, but how well would an F1 car do on an oval? Now that would be a fascinating comparison. Of course, F1 would kill for the diversity of race winners from both big and small teams in IndyCar racing, and the routinely close and unpredictable racing in the series, which features street and road courses, short ovals and superspeedways. When it comes to F1 vs IndyCar, though, it really is a case of apples and oranges. And I like both.
OPINION WHY WASN’T DJRTP PINGED FOR ‘MUFFLERGATE’? By MARK FOGARTY Editor at Large
Bruce Williams 0418 349 555 Associate Publisher Mike Imrie Editor-At-Large
Mark Fogarty
Deputy Editor
DESPITE BEING found guilty of running ballast outside the interior, DJR Team Penske wasn’t penalised. That’s the layman’s interpretation. Running heavyweight exhaust silencers wasn’t deemed by Supercars technical officials to be a breach of the rules. And yet, they were at least four times the weight of anyone else’s mufflers, clearly indicating they were in excess of normal mass. On the surface, a creative way to relocate ballast as low as possible. Image: LAT It was, to most people, an obvious ploy, once revealed. But look a little closer running overweight mufflers to and it could be deemed no quite locate ballast as low as possible, kosher. aiding cornering. For a start, there is an overThe ‘fat boy’ silencers on arching rule that components DJRTP’s Mustangs were are to conform to their primary discovered at the Adelaide 500 purpose and not have a and the team was instructed secondary use – or an extra to remove them at Albert Park. benefit not foreseen by the It complied with much lighter regulations. mufflers. So the mufflers are meant to Subsequently, it seems DJRTP keep the engine sound within had been running 20 kg-plus the 95dB noise limit, nothing silencers since last year on the else. Falcon FG X. The overweight units also, That was approved by the you’d think, fell foul of the strict previous Supercars technical requirement that ballast has to leadership, but upon closer be mounted inside the car, not examination of the Mustang, anywhere on its exterior. Like the the new regime ruled that the exhaust system under the floor. bar bell-like mufflers weren’t The reason ballast must be acceptable. contained is for valid safety Clearly, they weren’t overreasons. Don’t want great engineered for any reason other chunks of lead letting loose than contribute to lowering the outside the car in an accident. car’s centre of gravity. You don’t need to be a rocket Clever, but ostensibly in scientist to know that DJRTP was contravention of the requirement
Heath McAlpine
Creative Director/ Production
Jason Crowe
Special Contributor Bruce Newton National Editor Online Editor
Garry O’Brien Rhys Vandersyde
Contributing Writers Australia Garry O’Brien, Mark Fogarty, Bruce Newton, David Hassall, Bob Watson, Dan McCarthy F1 Dan Knutson Speedway Geoff Rounds Photographers Australia Ross Gibb, Rebecca Thompson, Mick Oliver, David Batchelor, Randall Kilner, Rhys Vandersyde International LAT Images Cartoonist John Stoneham
that ballast is to be contained inside a car for safety reasons. And yet, when examined, Supercars ruled the Mustang’s mufflers were borderline. They were changed to much lighter silencers at the AGP without sanction. So despite their apparent intended purpose of lowering the Mustang’s centre of gravity, officials by-passed the illegality. When queried, Supercars told Auto Action: “DJRTP modified their exhaust following the Adelaide 500. This was deemed an acceptable outcome in response to a request from the Supercars technical department. It was not a breach of the rules.” In other words, blah, blah, blah. Effectively, DJRTP broke the rules until discovered – again. It’s about time the regulations were enforced properly and applied equitably. Supercars chose to view
DJRP’s transgression as a misdemeanour, conveniently overlooking the safety issue of ballast being mounted externally. It ruled on unnecessarily heavy mufflers rather than the relocation of ballast, which was clearly the main purpose. Cleverly manipulating the rules is fair game, but once you’re caught out, a points or position sanction should be automatic. Otherwise, the big teams will stretch the boundaries until told not to. It beggars belief that no penalty was applied for a creative interpretation of the rules that was deemed non-complaint upon review. If no stern action is taken, some teams will continue taking the risk. That should not – and cannot – be allowed to continue. Is it any wonder Supercars finds itself embroiled in a raging parity controversy after the fact?
We take a look back at what was making news 10, 20, 30, 40 years ago 1979: BOB MORRIS extended his
Publisher
Australian Touring Car Championship lead after a dramatic round at Sandown, where teammates Peter Brock and John Harvey clashed. In shock touring car news, it was revealed that Allan Moffat was to jump ship to Holden as tail-gunner for Morris at Amaroo Park.
1999: MARK SKAIFE was the winner
1989: THE INTERNATIONAL motor sport body FISA was beginning to prepare regulations for the post-Group A era, the plan being for a new set of rules to be introduced across the board in the early to mid-1990s. On Australian shores, the Lakeside round of the ATCC was a wash out and delayed until the following weekend.
2009: BRAWN WAS the fairytale story after the Australian Grand Prix, winning the event after an off season where Honda had pulled out and team principal Ross Brawn scrambled to keep the outfit together. Opinions were split over the V8 Supercar schedule at the Australian Grand Prix which saw a manufacturer’s based challenge.
at the opening round of the V8 Supercars Championship at Eastern Creek. In other news, Colin McRae was set to sample a Stewart F1 later in the year, the second time he’d driven a Formula 1 car after testing a Jordan in 1997.
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 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. Printed by Fairfax Media FUTURE OF F1 FOGES GRILLS CHANGE-AGENT ROSS BRAWN .COM.AU
SINCE 1971
PHOTOS AND DETAILS OF FORD COUPE’S WIND-CHEATING ADVANTAGE
EXCLUSIVE INSIGHT
OVERPRICED, OUTTA THERE?
FUEL’S GOLD Why petrol and oil are new F1 battleground om.au www.autoaction.c
Issue #1758
Apr 4 to Apr 17, 2019
$7.95 NZ $8.50
PLUS
Courtney driving for Walkinshaw future
PREVIEW PARC FERME QUALY SHAKE-UP WORK? WILL SUPERCARS
Cover image: Rhys Vandersyde - Insyde Media
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NATIONALS wrap n compiled by garry o’brie
SCHLIFELNER’S POT OF GOLD ERIC SCHLIFELNER won the Rainbow Rises 240 on March 10, the opening round of both the Victorian Off Road Championship and the Victorian Off Road Club Shield. At the wheel of his single-seater Sportslite Saber/Hayabusa, Schlifelner completed the three sections and 244km duration in 2h29m28.557s. He finished 41s ahead of class rival son/father combination Steven and Daryl Graham (Tatum/Honda). In third position, and the winners of Super 1650, were Peter and Brock Stevenson (Hunter Rivmaster/Toyota). Just a minute behind them in fourth were
Luke Densley and Warren Collins, who finished first in the SXS Turbo class on their debut. Fighting back from a mid-race stop to change an alternator, Hayden and Hannah Bentley (Racer Truck Trophy Truck/Toyota) took fifth outright and first in Extreme 2WD. Second in the SXS Turbo Class and sixth outright were Regi and Oriola Lumani, just ahead of Sportsman Buggy class winners Dean Williams and John Huber (Southern Cross/Daihatsu), with David Davis (EMS Saber/Suzuki) in eighth place. Davis was third in Sportslite and the last to complete the full
race distance, 23 laps of the 8.7km course. In his new Sportslite Tatum/Honda after previously racing in Super 1650, Daniel Wells was fastest in the early running, but hit a tree in the second race and broke the rear hub assembly. Kieran Kelly and David Sumak then took over the lead until a fuel issue sidelined their Pro Buggy Chenoweth Millennium 2/Chev. Matt Coleman and Leigh Slorach succumbed to overheating in their mid-engine Colman Jimco (with Toyota Tundra panels), while Keith Owers (Rivmaster) went out with broken rear spring plate bolts.
Engine dramas brought about the undoing of Joseph and Jourdain Patterson (Ford Ranger/ Chev) and Jake Freckleton and Toby Hederics (Pro Buggy), while Justin and Melissa Watt (AlumiCraft Trophy Truck) and Dale Martin and Adrian Rowe (Tatum/Nissan V6 Turbo) both had alternator failures. Others with troubles claimed Dean Petschel and Jake Stevenson (Super 1650 Buggy, gearbox), Craig and Adam Button (CBR/ Holden, overheating), Mark Hardman and Mark DeGruchy (Racer Engineering Pro Buggy, shifter cable), and Nigel and Brock Pendlebury (Can-Am, CV).
SUNRAYSIA CANCELLED THIS YEAR’S Sunraysia 400 has been cancelled. Set down for April 26-28, it was to be the opening round of the ARB Australian Off Road Racing Championship, as well as Round 3 of the Victorian Off Road Club Shield. The Sunraysia Motorsports Club made the difficult decision due to concerns for competitor safety and the preservation of Keera Station, the venue for the event. However, the members are determined to see the event return next year, in late April. Since the last year’s event, where it was the second round of the ARB series, Keera Station near Lake Cullulleraine has had just 15mm of rainfall whereas the usual annual precipitation is generally over 200mm. Long-range forecasts suggest there is no substantial rain coming and that the event would cause more damage to the already
desolate and barren landscape resulting from the drought. To ensure the longevity of the Sunraysia off road event at Keera Station, the organisers needed to look at the big picture and give the area time to recover. In 2018, the field was split into two groups, the first of which covered the six-lap, 65km course on the Saturday and the second group racing on the following day. Tanner James (Alumi Craft/ GM) and Jack Rhodes and David Pullino (Jimco Aussie Special/ Nissan V6 Turbo) were the respective winners, with the latter the overall victors when times were amalgamated. The opening round of the ARB Australian Off Road Racing Championship will now be the Sea Lake Mallee Rally, also in Victoria, which will be held over the Queen’s Birthday long weekend (June 7-9).
“Coming up at the nation’s action and spectator tracks” Wakefield Park
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April 5 Champions Ride Day April 6 Speed Off The Streets/Test & Tune Track Day April 9 Track Day Club April 12 Over 65 Track Day – Goulburn Mulwaree Council April 16 Revolution Motorsport April 18 WPM Trackschool Track Day
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Winton
www.wintonraceway.com.au
April 5 Test & Tune – Cars & Open Wheelers April 8-10 AMRS – Winton April 15 Test & Tune – Cars & Open Wheelers April 16 Track for Days April 21 Performance Test Day April 22 Test & Tune – Cars & Open Wheelers
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BIG WIN AT ROSEWOOD OBLITERATING THE competition, Jayke Skeffington and Mark Patroni won the Wagga Trucks Rosewood Rally, the opening round of the Pipe King AMSAG Southern Cross Rally Series on March 23 by almost five minutes. With grey clouds above and the threat of rain, 37 crews set out from Rosewood Golf Club to battle it out over 170km and 10 stages of the fast and flowing roads in the nearby Carabost State Forest. Skeffington (Subaru Impreza WRX) was quick out of the blocks, going 31s quicker on SS1 than Tom Dermody and Eoin Moynihan (Ford Escort), while Jody Mill and Michael Bannon were third-fastest in the Mitsubishi EVO VII Mill drove to victory in the Live the Dream competition earlier this year. A string of quick times followed for Mill before having to retire with a mechanical problem.
Skeffington went fastest on all the stages by the mid-way point in the event to hold a 2m30s advantage over Dermody, with Bryan van Eck and Lizzy Ferme (Toyota Altezza) a further 28s behind. Dermody pulled four seconds back on SS6, but Skeffington was in a class of his own, winning the final four stages, making it nine stage wins in all for the day. Dermody and Moynihan were a comfortable second and first in 2WD, more than three and a half minutes clear of third outright van Eck. Peter Neal and Craig Whyburn (Subaru) came home fourth, ahead of Darkie Barr-Smith and Jono Forrest (Datsun 200B). Anthony Campbell and Gary Wilson (Holden), Tony Jordan and Richard Davidson (Triumph), Riley Walters and Jeffrey Williamson (Subaru), Rob and James Hunt (Mitsubishi) and Kevin Ashby and Aaron Topliff (Nissan) completed the top 10.
HEINZEL IN NT TITLES WIN TAKING OUT three of the four sections, Alex Heinzel and Liam Glynn won the Jaws Contracting 250, the first round of the Northern Territory title at the Mt Ooraminna off-road track on March 16-17. Driving their ProLite class Southern Cross/Nissan, they completed the course 1m9.027s quicker than Jesse Schembri (Hyabusa-powered ProLite), who did the event on his own. Third place went to Greg and Julie Hicks (Southern Cross/Toyota ProLite) ahead of Harry Weckert and Caitlin Stephens (Yamaha YXZ 1000R UTV) and Craig and Penny Pankhurst (Southern Cross/Toyota ProLite).
Heinzel had a strong start, winning the prologue by 5s from Hicks, before again battling in the first section. Hicks had the better start and won the first 55km section, but a flat tyre on the second section dropped him to 10th, while Heinzel was first. Heinzel took out the third and fourth sections comfortably. Meanwhile the race for second developed into a three-way contest between Jason and Sam Adami (Porter/Chev Pro Buggy), Weckhert and Schembri. Adami was the first to fall, leaving Weckhert ahead of Schembri. On the fourth section, Weckhert extended
Tyrepower Tasmania Supersprint, Supercars Championship Races 7&8, Porsche GT3 Cup Rd1, Aussie Racing Cars Rd2, Formula Vee National Series Rd1, Sports GTs, Symmons Plains TAS, Apr 05-07 Forest Rally, State Rally Championship Rd1, Nannup WA, Apr 05-07 St George 399, CAMS Off Road Championship Rd1, State Off Road Championship Rd1, St George QLD, Apr 05-07 Condo 750, Condobolin and Cobar Shires, Apr 05-07 Vic Time Attack, Phillip Island VIC, Apr 05 Caves Classic, State Rally Championship Rd2, Oberon NSW, Apr 06 State KCF Short Course Rally Rd1, Glastonbury, QLD, Apr 06 State Rallysprint Championship Rd3, Awaba NSW, Apr 06 State Off Road Club Shield Rd2, Mellool VIC, Apr 06 Shannons Busselton Rallysprint, Busselton WA, Apr 06 Ross Giddins Rallysprint, Awabawac Park Awaba NSW, Apr 06 Multi Club Motorkhana, Queanbeyan Showgrounds NSW, Apr 06 Australian Motor Racing Series Rd2, Mazda RX8 Cup Rd2, Formula 3 Premier Series Rd2, TA2 Muscle Cars Rd2, Morgan Park QLD, Apr 06-07 National Sports Sedan Series Rd1, National Formula Ford Series Rd1, State Motor Race Championship Rd2, Sydney Motorsport Park NSW, Apr 06-07 Colo Park Club Challenge, State Off Road Championship Rd1, Colo Park NSW, Apr 06-07 State Hillclimb Championship Rd3, Fairbairn Park (ACT), Apr 06-07 Northam Motorsport Festival, Northam Township WA, Apr 06-07 State Motorkhana Championship Rd3, New England Traffic Education Centre NSW, Apr 06-07 Club Motorkhana, Tonker Park Proserpine QLD, Apr 06-07 Multi Club Supersprint, Phillip Island VIC, Apr 06-07 State Multi Club Hillclimb Rd1, Collingrove SA, Apr 07 Multi Club Motorkhana, VMA Transport Industries Skills Centre Canberra ACT, Apr 07 Multi Club Autocross/Motorkhana, Bagshot Motorsports Complex VIC, Apr 07 Rally Retro Day Club Khanacross, Avalon Motorsport Complex VIC, Apr 07 Multi Club Hillclimb, Bryant Park VIC, Apr 07 Multi Club Motorkhana, Geelong Motor Sports Complex Avalon VIC, Apr 07 Multi Club Hillclimb, Boisdale VIC, Apr 07 Club One-Car Sprint, Wodonga Tafe Logid Centre VIC, Apr 07 Multi Club Hillclimb, Ringwood Park NSW, Apr 07 Club Khanacross, Avondale Station Broken Hill NSW, Apr 07 WD-40 Phillip Island Supersprint, Supercars Championship Races 9&10, Porsche Carrera Cup Rd3, Super 3 Series Rd1, Touring Car Masters Rd2, Toyota 86 Racing Series Rd1, Phillip Island VIC, Apr 12-14 Fiat Nationals, The Bend Motorsport Park SA, Apr 12-14 Caves Classic, State Rally Championship Rd2, State Clubman Rally Rd3, Oberon NSW, Apr 13 Motor Racing Australia Rd3, Sydney Motorsport Park NSW, Apr 13 State Off Road Series Rd1, Symmons Plains TAS, Apr 13 State Circuit Racing Championship Rd3, Barbagallo WA, Apr 13 Multi Club Hillclimb, Lake Barrington TAS, Apr 13 Young Driver Development Motorkhana, Ringwood Park NSW, Apr 13 Multi Club Tarmac Khanacross, Symmons Plains TAS, Apr 13 NT Titles Off Road Rd2, Mt Ooraminna NT, Apr 13-14 Ipswich Festival of Speed, Queensland Raceway QLD, Apr 13-14 Victorian Cross Rally, Mt Disappointment State Forest VIC, Apr 13-14
the gap over Schembri to well over a minute before losing the right-rear wheel just 3km from the finish. He managed to continue on three wheels, but it wasn’t enough to hold off Schembri. Hicks also slipped past the limping Weckhert, bouncing back from his disastrous second section. Weckhert still won the SXS Sport class, while Extreme 2WD went to Shannon Lander, with Shae and Keoini Lander navigating his Ford Ranger/Chev. Jack Weir and Jackson Agnew (Holeshot/ Toyota) took Super 1650, and Zac Gunston and Lincoln Sheedy topped SXS Turbo in their first outing.
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