Ignition - 18.08

:: JOHNSON TAKES NASCAR NEXTEL CUP

F1 :: AMA :: Nascar :: IRL :: IHRA

PAGING

DR.ROSSI

PRN GOES ONE-ON-ONE WITH THE FORMER MOTOGP CHAMP 2007

$3.95

FEBRUARY 2007

www.prnmag.com

OIL

inside:

MOTO catalRCYCLE ogue

LUBE BUYER’S GUIDE

REVIVAL AT CHILDRESS RACING

NHRA POMONA FINAL

VOL. 18 ISSUE 8 DISPLAY UNTIL FEB. 28/07

18.08 Cover.indd 1

12/12/2006 5:10:12 PM

><K K?< G8IKP JK8IK<;% @E JKF:B 8E; I<8;P KF IF:B $$$ :8C@9<I 8::<JJFI@<J 9P DFG8I%

Caliber Exterior Effects Package: JODI 4QPLF $ISPNF 1MBUFE 8IFFMT $ISPNF 'VFM 'JMMFS %PPS BOE 3FBS 4QPJMFS "MTP TIPXO XJUI 'PH -JHIUT BOE 4JEF 8JOEPX "JS %FfMFDUPST

$PME "JS *OUBLF 4ZTUFN

$BSCPO 'JCSF *OUFSJPS

/BWVTÂ&#x160; /BWJHBUJPO 4ZTUFN

$ISPNF JODI 8IFFMT

3FBS 4QPJMFS

Crank it up with Dodge Caliber Performance Parts and Accessories by Mopar.

The new Dodge Caliber is here. Get the party started with Authentic Accessories and Performance Parts by Mopar. We have the parts your customers want â&#x20AC;&#x201C; right now. Check out NPQBS DB today.

Also available: Tubular Exhaust Headers, Cat-Back Exhaust, Strut Tower Brace, Remote Start, Chrome Bodyside Mouldings, Navigation Radio, Front End and Hood Cover, Slush-Style Floor Mats.

%PEHF .PQBS BOE /BWVT BSF USBEFNBSLT PG %BJNMFS$ISZTMFS $PSQPSBUJPO

110 CHANNELS TO DROWN

OUT YOUR EXHAUST. OR YOUR GIRLFRIEND.

Crank up 110 channels of the best sports, news, talk, entertainment, and 100% commercial-free music. If it’s out there, it’s on here. siriuscanada.ca

© 2006 SIRIUS Satellite Radio Inc. “SIRIUS”, the SIRIUS dog logo, channel names and logos, genre names and logos are trademarks of SIRIUS Satellite Radio Inc. “NFL” and the NFL Shield design are registered trademarks of the National Foo tball League. Registered trademark of the Canadian Football League, used under license. The NHL Shield is a trademark of the National Hockey League. The NBA silhouette logo is a registered trademark of NBA Properties, Inc.

P6_577_MPX_PRN_Ad_4CP.indd 1 Serius 8.06.indd 1

9/5/06 9:42:15 AM 9/5/06 1:04:18 PM

Yamaha.indd 2

7/19/06 10:31:15 AM

Yamaha.indd 3

7/19/06 10:31:42 AM

PRN.FEBRUARY.07 VOLUME 18.08

THE DOCTOR IS IN PRN GETS UP-CLOSE AND PERSONAL WITH THE FORMER MOTOGP CHAMPION TO DISCUSS HIS 2006 SEASON AND WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS.

14 RCR REVIVAL AFTER MANY YEARS TRYING TO RECAPTURE THE GLORY YEARS, RICHARD CHILDRESS RACING SURGED BACK TO THE TOP OF NASCAR IN 2006.

32 THRILL RIDE OVER THE COURSE OF HIS STORIED CAREER PAUL TRACY HAS GIVEN FANS SOME GREAT MEMORIES, PRN REFLECTS BACK ON THE MAN WHO IS ALWAYS FRONT PAGE NEWS.

42 PRN CAR-OF-THE-YEAR PRN’S EXPERTS PICK THEIR TOP VEHICLES FROM THE 2006 YEAR – THE FORD EXPEDITION MAX, BMW 335I AND THE AUDI RS4.

92 6

PERFORMANCE RACING NEWS

TOC 18.08.indd 4

12/12/2006 5:28:29 PM

COLOUR: CMYK COORDINATOR: Chris Rozak

LIVE: 7 x 10" BLEED: 8-5/8 x 11-3/8" TRIM: multiple marks PREPRESS: Ogilvy Delivery Support (416) 945-2388 JOB: PA5WASY2750P

03

THERE’S MORE TO LIFE THAN HORSEPOWER. BUT WHAT KIND OF LIFE IS IT? Air. Food. Horsepower. A man with his priorities in order needs Castrol SYNTEC. No leading motor oil provides more horsepower.* SYNTEC’s unique formula reduces power-robbing deposit formation. Have you unlocked all your car’s power? Check out SYNTEC’s superior performance at www.castrol.ca

IT’S MORE THAN JUST OIL. IT’S LIQUID ENGINEERING. *10W30 as tested vs. leading competitive 10W30.

Untitled-5 1

8/23/06 1:15:00 PM

PRN.FEBRUARY.07 VOLUME 18.08

10

FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK

12

INSIDE RACING

24

ON THE THROTTLE

26

VIEW FROM THE TOWER

50

CAUTION PERIOD

52

TRACKSIDE ACCESS

54

NHRA POMONA FINALS

60

IHRA WORLD FINALS

74

SUPERGT CHAMPIONSHIP

64

LE MANS 100 YEARS

78

IT’S IN THE STARS

88

OIL & LUBRICATION BUYER’S GUIDE

PRN picks its top highlights from the 2006 season.

Todd Lewis looks at some of the big news making headlines as the off-season begins.

Mark Hacking looks at the numerous changes in the AMA Superbike rider line-up.

Geroge Webster highlights some of the biggest moments from the past NASCAR season.

Neal Jones looks at the big battle for the number two seat at Forsythe Racing.

24

David Hatter examines the new IRL schedule and the return of Dario Franchitti.

Tony Schumacher laid down a monster run to clinch the 2006 Top Fuel title at the NHRA season finale.

The 2006 season comes to a close at Rockingham Dragway in North Carolina.

52

Class champions are crowned at the 2006 season finale at Fuji Speedway.

A special event marking the Le Mans 100th anniversary of Grand Prix racing.

60

Kyle Herder reflects back on his 2006 season and his experience in the Star Racer Series reality show.

All the latest offerings from the world’s leading manufacturers.

138 8

12

2006 MOTORSPORTS CALENDAR A full listing of all the winners from the 2006 season.

74

PERFORMANCE RACING NEWS

TOC 18.08.indd 2

12/12/2006 5:28:02 PM

D101660_5551_AdPerformance.indd 1 Suzuki 18.07.indd 1

10/10/06 3:58:32 PM 10/30/06 10:19:19 AM

From the Editor’s Desk

PERFORMANCE RACING NEWS (ISSN # 0834 - 809X) is published 8 times a year by 1009678 Ontario Inc., 44 Prince Andrew Place, Toronto, ON, M3C 2H4.

by NEAL JONES I EXECUTIVE EDITOR

For publishing schedule, send a S.A.S.E. Canadian Postmaster: Send address corrections to: PERFORMANCE RACING NEWS 44 Prince Andrew Place, Toronto, ON, M3C 2H4 SUBSCRIPTION RATES: (1 YEAR - 8 ISSUES): Canada $10 Cdn, U.S.A. $10 U.S.

Photos by LAT Photographic, NASCAR Canadian Tire Series, YamahaMotoGP.com, Ramesh Bayney, Bruce Biegler

T

he 2006 season will go down as one of the most remarkable campaigns in history. Legends retired, new sensations emerged and records that were thought of as unbreakable came tumbling down.

Let’s look back on the season and highlight the biggest moments from the racing world.

FORMULA ONE: Fernando Alonso’s second straight title was a strong contender, but nothing tops the retirement of one Michael Schumacher.

Arguably the greatest driver who ever lived, Schumacher went out while still on top. He finished scant points away from his eighth World Championship and finishes his career holding virtually every significant record you can imagine, including most poles, wins and championships.

NASCAR: It may not have caused a ripple south of the border, but NASCAR made huge news north of the 49th in 2006. First, the top motorsports organization in North America concluded the purchase of CASCAR and in 2007 will run the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series. If that wasn’t enough, shortly thereafter the worst kept secret in racing was officially announced as the Busch Series will make its Canadian debut at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve in August. It was nirvana for Canadian racing fans.

MOTOGP: At mid-season, it was assumed that Valentino Rossi’s five-year reign would come to an end. But, the Italian surged back and the led the championship coming into the season finale. Then the unthinkable happened. The man some call the greatest motorcycle rider of all-time finally proved he was human at the season finale. After getting a strong start, Rossi threw the title away by sliding off the track. The sight of the stalwart champion making such a critical mistake after coming from so far back in the championship was a shock to MotoGP fans.

NHRA: Sure, Jason Line ending Greg Anderson’s rule of Pro Stock and John Force’s 14th Funny Car title were amazing feats, but they pale in comparison to the Top Fuel title chase. It all came down to the final pass of the season as Tony Schumacher let it all hang out. Winning that final round match-up was not enough for Schumacher to take the crown; he also needed a World Record, which is always tough to come by at Pomona Raceway. The US Army driver, however, laid down arguably the greatest and most clutch run in drag racing history in taking the record and the championship.

CHAMP CAR: No champion was more overshadowed in 2006 than Sebastien Bourdais. Despite his third straight championship, the man at the top of the headlines was Paul Tracy. From his pit lane altercation with Alex Tagliani at San Jose, to his helmetto-helmet confrontation with Bourdais at Denver, Tracy was in the thick of controversy. But it was his comments about French drivers that led to the memory of the year as the charismatic Tracy wore a wrestling mask and Quebec provincial flag to quiet his harshest critics in Montreal.

CASCAR: The sale to NASCAR was a major deal, but the biggest moment came when 18-year-old JR Fitzpatrick brought an end to the Don Thomson Jr. era. Thomson was looking for a sixth straight Super Series crown, but his young teammate took the points lead early and never looked back. While it would have been fitting to see Thomson as the last CASCAR champion, Fitzpatrick’s victory ushers in a new era for Canadian stock car racing.

Heading into the off season teams and drivers can look back on an unbelievable season filled with drama and excitement. The 2007 season has a lot to live up to if it hopes to capture the imagination of racing fans around the world like the 2006 campaign did.

See you at the races!

PERFORMANCE RACING NEWS 44 Prince Andrew Place, Toronto, ON, M3C 2H4 PRINTED IN CANADA Publications Mail Registration# 8580 Canadian Publications Mail Products Sales Agreement# 40069655 PUBLISHERS: Perry & Blake Breslin GROUP PUBLISHER/VP OPERATIONS: Frank Spezzano EXECUTIVE EDITOR: Neal Jones DIRECTOR OF SALES & MARKETING: Charles Stancer OPERATIONS MANAGER: Erickson Obiacoro OFFICE/SYSTEMS MANAGER: Arnold Adolfo SENIOR ART DIRECTOR: Brian Pirocchi ADMINISTRATIVE DIRECTOR: Michelle Forsyth SENIOR ACCOUNT REPRESENTATIVES: Graham Wright, Scott Peachman ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVES: Nelson Cheung, Matthew Adolfo, Shane Chattergoon SENIOR EDITOR: George Webster DRAG RACING EDITOR: Bruce Biegler ROAD RACING EDITOR: David Hatter QUEBEC EDITOR: Eric Descarries WESTERN EDITOR: Gerry Frechette MX EDITOR: Wil de Clercq CONTRIBUTING EDITOR: Mark Pereira PRODUCTION DIRECTOR: Richard Robles PRODUCTION COORDINATOR: John Paul Ramos GRAPHIC DESIGN: Queue Gonzalez, Jeff Maguire, Edward Shintani, Patrick Beltijar, Patrick Dinglasan ONLINE GRAPHIC DESIGN: Andrew Buchanan SUBSCRIPTION MANAGER: Carol Franceschinis 1.888.564.SUBS ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE: Samantha Melo

CORRESPONDENTS:

FORMULA ONE: Dan Knutson NASCAR: Monte Dutton MOTORCYCLE: Mark Hacking CASCAR: Jamie Maudsley SENIOR WRITERS: Todd Lewis WRITERS: John Bone, Matt Polito, Tim Tuttle, Marc Travers, Mark Triller SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER: Ramesh Bayney PHOTOGRAPHERS: Alain Assad, Dan Boyd, Muriel Brousseau, Daniel S. Carter, Michael A. Coates, Dave DeAngelis, Yves Desjardins, Steve Embling, Bryan Epps, Carlos Hatfield, Bob Hesser, Jack Heringer, Kirk Horoky, Rick Kolaczynski, John Larsen, Mike Levitt/LAT, LAT Photographic, Bill Murenbeeld, Jim & Gerry Murray, Shawna Nelles, David Oliver, Chris Payne, Sue Phypers, Rob Potter, Len Silvester, Kevin Sproule, Paul Rachwal, Richard Shute Occasionally, we make our subscriber list available to carefully screened companies whose products and services might be of interest to our readers. If you prefer to have your name removed from this list, please write to us at the address above and include your mailing label.

PRN acknowledges the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canadian Magazine Fund toward our editorial costs.

10

PERFORMANCE RACING NEWS

Editorial 18.08.indd 1

PHONE: (416) 922-7223 FAX: (416) 922-8001 TOLL FREE: 1-800-667-7223 EMAIL: editor@prnmag.com WEBSITE: www.prnmag.com

12/8/06 11:27:38 AM

hankooktire.com

Performance

Perfection

Awaken your passion for the open road, When you'd rather take the road less traveled, there is nothing Hankook tires can't handle.

Now who's in control.

Head Office : 6485 Kennedy Rd, Mississauga, ON, L5T 2W4

Hankook 8.06.indd 1

Tel : 905.670.1811 ext.223, Fax : 905.670.7050 0

9/29/06 3:12:07 PM

INSIDERACING WITH TODD LEWIS

BIG NEWS THIS OFF SEASON

12

Photo by Jakob Ebrey/LAT

It’s hard not to like Jimmie Johnson (with wife Chandra) and he deserves all the accolades for his first Nextel Cup crown

Photo by LAT Photographic

W

e’re now in full off-season mode for the racing community as drivers, team personnel, owners and sanctioning bodies try and get all the details sorted out for the 2007 season. Some are doing better than others.

There are folks griping about the lack of a schedule and rulebook for the new NASCAR Canadian Tire series for next year. Why? The same people that have been running the series for the last couple of years are doing so now. I know they would like to have the schedule out, but it’s not totally in their hands to decide, and a track’s best interest and the series best interest are not necessarily the same. It’s like a peace negotiation that has to take place every season.

Here’s what you can expect… similar schedule to last season, discussions to return to the Grand Prix of Toronto (or whatever they’re calling it now) along with the possibility of being on the undercard for the Busch series event in Montreal.

By the way, having the NASCAR name attached to the series is having the desired effect. Potential sponsors are interested and listening because of the NASCAR name.

NASCAR is pleased with the initial ticket sales for the first ever Busch series race set for next August on Ile Notre Dame. With very little advertising and promotion the tickets are being scooped up. Just wait until the first Canadian driver for the event is announced.

I am happy that Jimmie Johnson was finally able to win his first Nextel Cup Championship. After talking with him, you can’t help but like him.

Champ Car made a big splash in the Television pool with the announcement of a multi-year broadcast deal with ABC/ESPN. This is good news for sponsorship sales, better distribution, and there will be a new company producing the shows in 2007. This seems to be an off season ritual for the series, it can’t continue. The right choice this time is critical.

Are there still some people doubting the long term potential of the Champ Car series?

Not me. More teams next year with a more cost efficient operating budget, better TV coverage, with more Big City Festival events, all add up to success.

This may sound odd, but no I don’t believe the IRL and Champ Car signals on a plan to merge in the next 12 months, but I definitely think it can still happen over the next few years. You still have to prove to Tony George that you can beat him before a reconciliation will happen.

George still believes he can win the open wheel racing war, even with a dwindling car count and most if not all of the luster off the Indianapolis 500.

I find it very interesting to read that Philip Morris will continue to pay mega millions to sponsor the Ferrari F1 team through 2011, even though the actual cigarette brand logo will rarely appear on the car. No doubt someone will now try and force Ferrari to change colour schemes and that will make people quit smoking.

Lewis Hamilton will be the second driver alongside Fernando Alonso at McLaren next season, becoming the first black Formula One race driver. This was the way I heard and read the announcement recently. Why is his skin colour relevant?

I have closely inspected the four page press release issued by the team and no where does it mention skin tone, only his racing accomplishments and how excited he and the team are for the future. While I can appreciate that society likes to mark significant firsts, why is ethnic background the main point of every story on this hiring?

Lewis Hamilton is a talented driver who earned his ride with McLaren next year, but all people seem to be focusing on is his skin tone

PERFORMANCE RACING NEWS

Inside Racing 18.08.indd 2

12/12/06 12:54:46 PM

Untitled-3 1

8/29/06 1:02:32 PM

His five-year reign atop the MotoGP universe came to a crashing halt â&#x20AC;&#x201C; literally â&#x20AC;&#x201C; in 2006, but Valentino Rossi has his sights set on returning to the top in 2007. Add in his Formula One, DTM and Rally experiences and 2006 was a busy campaign for the Italian rider. PRN sat down with Rossi just after the MotoGP finale to discuss the past season and what the future holds.

14

PERFORMANCE RACING NEWS

Rossi CoverStory.indd 2

12/12/06 12:57:09 PM

Photo Courtesy YamahaMotoGP.com

Rossi CoverStory.indd 3

12/12/06 12:57:40 PM

nce nfide o c and and ngth e team a. e r t he s he entir Yamah ost ink t “I th e from t olved at was almam cam yone inv knew it n the te i everough we obody and n h g Alt ssible, d tryin impo stoppe 00%.” a ever ing at1 ack from work oming b it c defic - on oint p 1 5

om

Photo Courtesy YamahaMotoGP.com

otoGP.c

mahaM

esy Ya to Court

Pho

fans oth his ns of b e with the o ti ta c ac expe keep p ars of ith the deal w he be able to any more ye to d a h ld’ve Would with m he wou Ferrari fans: rs? Drivers enges of F1? ed Ferrari n e e e all iv e r h wer th b d c s s t d an V10-po es and ssi ha r y bes regular ld’s ve for the stress ossi drove a e other F1 Direct no Ro is that he’s r ti o n w le Va tter ery. ng, R t of th ation port in m like the ma prepar -season testi es. But mos gined machin Rossi and st see , the truth of level motors nship. e m ju n , r ti e d p y n e 8 a e v In V n ti p m io o the peti age in new hile it ere this seas forms of to Rally Champ ith the set com testing their re, difficult. In e Italian eng to an r d h u n w ld a w r fo y s o r in eW eve e ssion erefo ave th usily come mpeted n of th e and th test se were b ons were, th pted not to h also did not /or driving only co , Formula On r lining up latest versio comis o d r y t a n e s a p h u T m g tr to is 6. in co stin p the estioned h P, DTM ith the Doc in 200 rari bra n. ossi te develo u tune, MotoG the Fer sting duties have seen R e to move o numerous 2006: ear began w continuing to t observers q me and for to tim r te e ht fa s r s la m e e ig e a u a tl p il g c im m w x ti h r e h E The y t r e It s w toGP er. m las ght 2007. ent tha ossi ov the Mo F1 tea halleng mier c h brou agreem ri full-time in . In 2006, R trying to win ly rider to Ferrari M1 MotoGP c ionship whic secutive pre . id on ra p on a els for Fer ove on he d liant effort in ’ve been the ct. But he Yamah to the cham n with five c on two whe va fa ld dm ri is u t a e g a n a o n v n r p A e m r o li w u r e g m e e t p F on’s r. g it h m t that th ings left to other matte lian history. and pu ad he won, ind-bo n in the seas a s g m th le in a d d n , r o th a n te u a H r o a h .

It ta e w ti e ip n ic r c reas fe in h d c e . te s d n ion den 990 con e ha math ver, w tsme tifosi Champ a title in the liding out of ’s Nicky Hay Rossi has his nam heels, howe greatest spor tory. Simple uld send the vel r, t, s re nda e is r le o o b o h tu H w h p p to n s a c s a to Four w one of the aha to t c e O li in Ita fell jus sing his title ain in late y figur us foray into crashed his Yam ur is y m a h i ll a d s it a r n s te w e o p te g g g R ts li lo S io r e e n le v r o d ti e (h in p o n s e r l s a p y in n te da ce ng One only atest ese tw cessfu final ra that fateful rse, he’s bee new 800cc e interests: the gre bination of th although his as an unsuc in), Formula u r e o e e c c , a w o Sin for th g oth TM y. Of the com delirium. S -FIM variety of Great Brit repare usy bo pursuin es C-Class D ld to n y r een a b am as they p also been d o b e c W r deep in orts of the no e 2002 Rall e e ’s th M . te p th und of up with otoGP 2007. But he Hakkinen’s e glare o r M th d f motors t 17 km at l step. n o ika in eala shy ght on. a s riously lations testing out M oth the New Z ally. PRN cau departure in Lond after ju the next logic , R b is i is noto s his home t Ferrari ly s a h g e s z d n o e n to ti m o R s r a m n M t, te see boots a e make just prio n, nd con nd the potligh it? acer, a mpionship a n the planet Or did eone in the s native Italy, h her’s driving change. The r e ac ha no For som reside in his hael Schum een a massiv Rally C e fastest me ic b an th M f e th o g ’v r e e . in ld n ll d u o wo Rath of fi Zealan ospect meland for New The pr ing in his ho v while li

W

16

PERFORMANCE RACING NEWS

Rossi CoverStory.indd 4

12/12/06 3:06:22 PM

Toyota 8.08.indd 1

12/8/06 5:07:09 PM

com P. ahaMotoG rtesy Yam Photo Cou

very was I t i e s d cour ting an t I’ve “Of n i b o , u pp disa very sad even s was dy won ionships alrea champ e end d worl ’s not th ” t i rld! e so e wo ing at th h t f h o cras ale n - on on fi seas

otoGP.com

y YamahaM

rtes Photo Cou

PRN: What is your biggest weakness as a rider?

VR: As a rider… I’m not sure, I’m not so good at starts, as I showed in Valencia!

As a person… I think it’s that I am always, always late!

PRN: How would you rate the 2006 MotoGP season in terms of your own performance?

Valentino Rossi: I think, considering some of the problems we had, my performance was quite good.

Especially to come back from 51 points down to lead at Valencia. Obviously I made some mistakes, but there were some great achievements from us as well.

PRN: Was the crash at Valencia the biggest disappointment of your career?

VR: Of course it was very disappointing and I was very sad, but I’ve already won seven world championships so it’s not the end of the world!

PRN: When you were 51 points behind the championship leader earlier in the season, you didn’t seem to lose hope. Where does that confidence or strength come from?

VR: Actually, at that point we thought the championship was gone! In a way it was a good feeling because it meant we could race with no pressure for the rest of the season. I think the strength and confidence came from the entire team and everyone involved at Yamaha. Although we knew it was almost impossible, nobody in the team ever stopped trying and working at 100%.

18

PRN: Earlier in your 500cc career, your races in the rain were not so spectacular. How did you turn this around so effectively?

VR: I think it is just a matter of experience. I used to hate to race in the rain but with the M1 I’ve had some great races in the rain — very funny!

PRN: How do you think Yamaha will fare with the new 800cc rules vs. Honda, Ducati and the other manufacturers?

VR: At the moment it seems our bike is at a good level for this stage, but also everyone else is already very fast too. It’s going to be very exciting I think, but I am sure Yamaha will do a great job.

PRN: Who do you believe will challenge for the championship in 2007?

VR: I imagine it will be just like this year again. (Nicky) Hayden, of course, will be strong. (Dani) Pedrosa, (Loris) Capirossi, (Marco) Melandri… I hope Colin (Edwards), too.

PRN: When developing a new race bike, what are the first priorities?

VR: There are too many! It’s the complete package…

PRN: How important was the engine format switch to your decision to stay in MotoGP? VR: It wasn’t a factor in my decision.

PRN: Can we assume that when you do move on from motorcycle racing that you will switch to rallying and not Formula One? VR: At the moment I will stay in MotoGP, I can’t think beyond that.

PERFORMANCE RACING NEWS

Rossi CoverStory.indd 6

12/12/06 3:07:16 PM

OPP 18.08.indd 1

12/14/06 2:10:34 PM

Photo by McKlein/LAT

future 1 y m e b g could, but Formula n i y l l a R “ otoGP sibility.”

M r e t f a er pos h t o n a is PRN: Why do yo u be pletely successfu lieve a GP rider has not made a coml switch to F1 sin ce John Surtees VR: It’s very dif ? ficult now for su re. The seasons long, there’s les are very s time to train and learn… It’s easy! not so PRN: What are your hopes for yo ur upcoming Wor event? ld Rally VR: To have fun!

PRN: Which rally drivers do you stu way to go quick dy to learn the pr ly? oper VR: No one in pa rticular. I like to watch a lot of ra I’ve also had qu lly ite a few chance s to try (it) myself , but learnt along the , so I’ve way.

Photo by Glenn Du

nbar/LAT

In reality, only Va career step. In ea lentino Rossi knows what he’ll choose as his ne rly November, he xt te set consistently fast lap times. Th sted the Mercedes DTM racer and en er , at ed the Rally New Ze his privateer Su PRN: Do you pla aland, he powbaru Impreza W y F1, MotoGP or 10th-place finis RC to top-10 sta WRC video gam ready for compe h overall. es to get ge times and a tition?

Finally, at the M VR: Sometimes onza Rally, he ca , yes, especially WRC car, beating ptured the win dr MotoGP. such luminaries iving a Ford Focu as Le Mans winn s former rally sta PRN: How do yo er Dindo Capello rs Markku Alen u like to train in an and d m Di or die th e like a rallycross VR: I go to the gy e off-season? r Auriol. Although event — the co m, go running, so this rally is sections of the urse uses the M metimes superm (riding). infield — it’s sti onza GP track an otard ll a notable achie fastest time on all vement. Rossi se d seve t the After the New Ze n stages of the 136km rally.

PRN: What are aland Rally, Ross your favourite sp ond love after m i admitted that ra orts or sporting ties? otorcycling. His llying was his se activifath calso competed VR: After the bik in rallies after th er, a former motorcycle road ra es and cars, I lov cer, e co ca nclusion of his reer. e to ski and snow and also to be on own two-wheeled board the sea with the But the Doctor is ball; I follow Int boat. I also love playing coy and er Milan. footciding on his ne be ing much more caut xt m ious in decould be my futu ove than he’s ever been on a m PRN: If you ha ot re after MotoGP, dn’t become a but Formula 1 is orcycle: “Rallying He then announ motorcycle race would you likely ced that he would an r, what have chosen as run in the 2007 W other possibility.” eye towards eras a career?

VR: Ha! I don’t ales Rally GB wi ing the memory know… my mot th an of his first visit to th But before any her used to wa play football! Bu e event. permanent decis nt me to t who knows? ions are made ab motorsport fans all over the world out Rossi’s futu will have the ple motorcycle racer asure of seeing th re, in history ride for e best at least one mor e season.

20

PERFORMANCE RACING NEWS

Rossi CoverStory.indd 8

12/12/06 3:07:44 PM

$19,995

The world of Ducati awaits you Monster S2R 1000

$13,995 Monster S4R Testastretta $15,995

Monster 695

Multistrada 1100 $14,995

(S Model also available $17,995)

ST3

$15,995

$9,995 SportClassic Sport 1000 S $14,995

GT1000

$12,995 Hypermotard

$13,995 (S Model also available $19,995)

(ST3s-ABS also available $18,995)

(bi-posto Model also available $13,995)

(S Model also available $17,995)

156 Harwood Ave. South Ajax, Ontario L1S 2H6 â&#x20AC;¢ LOCAL: 905.428.8983

1.866.475.7111

ACCREDITED SERVICE DEPARTMENT

SHOP ON-LINE OR CALL

NOW OPEN 905.686.0101

WWW.GPBIKES.COM

845 Westney Rd. S. Unit #7, Ajax, ON

GP Bikes 8.08.indd 1

12/8/06 4:35:55 PM

TRACKSIDEAPPEAL

# ?*2, ,(:: "5(+ %0*:580( $,2

Photos by LAT Photographic

5/4 %(21 &

&,9: :/ <,4;, %(4*5;<,8 $,2

(*0-0* '(3(/( &

&,9:3049:,8 =?

"0*/354+ $,2 8.?22 5:58 #658:9

8+ <,4;, +354:54 $,2

2(*1-55: 5:59658:9 0./-0,2+ 08*2, # (2.(8? $,2

&02+=55+ #658:9

,3)04( 0./=(? &04406,. $,2

6,4 "5(+ & ;25*1 80<, ,=3(81,: $,2 ;++9 & #5;:/ #,8<0*, "+ (1<022, $,2

* 80+, ?*2, ;4+(9 #:8,,: & $5854:5 $,2

& $5854:5

#;420./: (81 "5(+ $5854:5 $,2

5:58 #658:9 &582+

"5?+54 2(*, ,6,(4 ::(=( $,2

& ;8/(3 /(362(04 5;8: &/0:)? $,2 &52- &

>-58+ #:8,,: 54+54 $,2

54,::, #658:9

)5;2 +,9 (;8,4:0+, (<(2 ! $,2 5:5 4:,84(:054(2, #(04: (*7;,9 54:8,(2 ! $,2

5:5 %(40,8

)5;2 (3,2 %(40,8 !;,),* ! $,2

<(9054 & "5;:, #/,8)8551, ! # $,2

:2(4:0* 5:562,> /(362(04 #:8,,: 0,66, $,2

tracksideappeal 18.08.indd 1

12/14/06 2:18:57 PM

BMW 18.06.indd 1

9/29/06 3:19:11 PM

bmw-motorrad.ca

R1200S

©BMW Canada Inc. “BMW”, the BMW logo and “The Ultimate Riding Experience” are trademarks of BMW AG, used under license by BMW Canada Inc.

BMW Motorrad is proud to present the most powerful Boxer the world has ever seen. With 122 bhp, the BMW R1200S is the sportiest 2-cylinder motorcycle, clearly standing out from all other BMW models. Optional factory sport Öhlins suspension, a sport switch on/switch off ABS, and sport wide rear wheel focus clearly on superior performance. For more information, please visit your local area BMW Motorrad Retailer.

More acceleration. More dynamic. More sport.

Sport. Sport. Sport.

The Ultimate Riding Experience.

ONTHETHROTTLE WITH MARK HACKING

Photos by Ramesh Bayney

CHANGE ON THE AMERICAN HORIZON

I

n the fast-paced world of motorcycle road racing, every off-season brings plenty of change and this year is no different. In fact, this year has already seen a number of surprising moves south of the border alone.

In the AMA, the manufacturers continue to wrestle with the regulations, placing their bikes in the classes that will likely offer the greatest chance of success. With this in mind, Ducati surprised many observers by opting out of the Superbike class and sending riders Neil Hodgson and Ben Bostrom to the unemployment line.

This season, the results for the Ducati 999 were even more disappointing than last season. In 2005, at least, the team managed to win a few races; this year, a few podium finishes were all the reward for a hard-fought season in which Yoshimura Suzuki again dominated the proceedings.

Since the announcement, rumours of a Ducati Formula Xtreme effort, supported by Ducati North America, have surfaced. The new class rules allow twin-cylinder bikes to be bored out to 850cc, so the Ducati 749 now seems like a competitive option. Veteran rider Larry Pegram, who rode a customer Honda Superbike this past season, is penciled in to ride if the deal goes through.

Meanwhile, this season’s Ducati factory riders have experienced varying degrees of success in securing future employment. Hodgson, World Superbike Champion for Ducati in 2003, thought he had the inside track on rejoining the factory WSBK team, but he lost out to the returning Lorenzo Lanzi who did not impress in 2006.

The thinking is that reigning champion Troy Bayliss did not want another former champ in the team, so he vetoed Hodgson. (The two were teammates in British 24

IN MENT E V L O INV TO UCATI’S CRAMBLED D F O D MS HE EN AT OSTRO B N WITH T NG UP E I B D , N E E CK K , 7 BI ERSTO P SUPER DE FOR 200 U S N RI R1 I G THE FIND A N I C A IC HA R ER ER H T O YAMA R SIDE B ALONG

NOT R I MAY T A C APPEA U S I D D Y ETEL AS COMPL A IN 2007 AM RS OF FROM UMOU R E R Superbike with GSE Racing in 1999.) Now the man A TEAM, E E R M E E H who has ridden for Ducati for 10 seasons in various T LA XTR series is weighing two options in World Superbike, FORMU Y PEGRAM A one apparently with Carl Fogarty’s new team.

ARR R IF WITH L AS THE RIDE On the other end of the scale, Ben Bostrom has GH signed on to join brother Eric at Yamaha and will ride THROU GGED S E E P M O the Superstock class with the potent R1. Bostrom AL C benefited from the game of musical chairs that saw THE DE Jamie Hacking leave for Kawasaki to replace Tommy Hayden who, in turn, had already jumped to Yoshimura Suzuki.

It’s good to see that Hacking has landed on his feet, considering that he won both the Supersport and Su-

PERFORMANCE RACING NEWS

OnTheThrottleHacking 18.08.indd 2

12/7/06 5:25:59 PM

kymco 8.08.indd 1

12/8/06 1:21:01 PM

perstock championships for Yamaha in 2006. When he expressed a desire to move back up to the Superbike class, Yamaha balked at the idea and Hacking jumped to Kawasaki. His teammate next season will be Roger Lee Hayden, this year’s Superbike Rookieof-the-Year. Both riders will ride in the Superbike and Supersport classes.

After Hacking’s departure from Yamaha, his former team announced that they were, indeed, going Superbike racing in 2007… but with riders Eric Bostrom and Jason DiSalvo, neither of whom was close to Hacking for pace or consistency this season.

Strange decision. Yamaha will also race the Daytona 200 with the R6 FX bike, but will not compete in any other round of that championship.

In other news, former Yoshimura Suzuki rider Aaron Yates, who lost his ride to Tommy Hayden, seems most likely to join the satellite Jordan Suzuki team next season. The Georgian rider, winner of three AMA titles in the past, has long been eclipsed by teammate Mat Mladin. In 2006, Yates slipped further down the pecking order when his other teammate, Ben Spies, nabbed the Superbike crown.

As a result, Yoshimura Suzuki, the team that’s content only when it dominates, figured their chances for utter domination were better with two-time Supersport champ Hayden on the team.

Hayden finished a credible sixth in the Superbike championship for Kawasaki last season; this year, he will compete in both the Supersport and Superbike classes. His switch hasn’t gotten off to a great start, though; Hayden high-sided his GSX-R1000 during a test at Sepang in mid-November and suffered a concussion and a badly bruised ankle.

Elsewhere on the Superbike grid, there will be a handful of new teams and riders vying for points behind the top factory teams. The recently formed NFS Racing team is hoping to field a pair of former AMA champions, Doug Chandler and Kurtis Roberts, in Superbike in 2007. While the brand of race bike and tire has yet to be decided, the team apparently has sponsors already lined up to help offset the cost of both.

ONTHETHROTTLE CHANGE ON THE AMERICAN HORIZON

T IS SPO H T S O L YATES ZUKI AARON HIMURA SU IN OS JO ED TO WITH Y T C E P EX AND IS AN SUZUKI RD 007 THE JO E TEAM IN 2 LIT SATEL

Meanwhile, a pair of former GP riders are set to strengthen the breadth of talent Stateside. Team Corona Extra Honda has recently landed the services of former MotoGP rider James Ellison, who spent the last three seasons with a variety of uncompetitive teams: Harris WCM, Blata WCM and Tech 3 Yamaha. This coming season, the team will field a CBR1000RR in the Superbike class.

And former 125 and 250 GP star Chaz Davies has signed on with Celtic Racing to ride Yamaha machinery in the FX and Supersport classes. The 19-year-old Welsh rider had been hoping for a call up to the MotoGP class, but has instead looked to the US to continue his development.

Finally, a new manufacturer is set to join the Superbike grid: MV Augusta. Run by Eraldo Ferracci, the man who made the Fast by Ferracci Ducati a force to be reckoned with in years past, the team is set to field a pair of F4 1000Rs for reigning Italian Superstock champ Luca Scassa and American Matt Lynn.

While the chances of MV Agusta proving competitive in its very first Superbike season may be slim, it’s still great to see that AMA Superbike is finally attracting a full grid of manufacturer entries again.

Yoshimura Suzuki returns with the reigning (Spies) and six-time (Mladin) champion, as well as Tommy Hayden. Honda counters with the returning duo of Jake Zemke and former champ Miguel Duhamel. Yamaha returns to the Superbike fold with DiSalvo and Eric Bostrom, while Kawasaki starts their second campaign with Hacking and Roger Lee Hayden.

Eleven factory riders, one title up for grabs: Now that’s the formula for a competitive championship.

ARON DED A N A L THE DEN Y HAY D SEAT WITH AM TOMM UKI TE TE Z E U V S O I C A ’ HIMUR AT KAWASAK YATES S O Y T S AN DOMIN VERAL YEAR SE AFTER 26

PERFORMANCE RACING NEWS

OnTheThrottleHacking 18.08.indd 4

12/7/06 5:25:09 PM

Caught on Camera

valen tino ro ssi

Photo Courtesy YamahaMotoGP.com

Rossi hangs it all out in Portugal

COC 18.08.indd 3

12/14/06 2:33:11 PM

MOTORCYCLES

Will the real

Edward Winterhalder please stand up

Dusty Klatt went out on a high note in his last race with Blackfoot Honda as he won the prestigious Montreal Motocross

By Wil De Clercq

W

hen Edward Winterhalder was born 51 years ago in Hartford, CT they broke the proverbial mould. In a world bent on labelling people, Winterhalder defies typifying. Over the years, Winterhalder has worn many hats including farm labourer, motorcycle builder, musician, construction contractor, drag race promoter, writer and outlaw biker to name a few. Winterhalder, however, likes to think of himself as an entrepreneur; his eclectic background just happens to be the raw material that helped shape him into the operator of a small American business empire.

Since 1997 Winterhalder has been president and CEO of Owasso, OK-based Blockhead City, an umbrella company that is home to no less than seven individual businesses including Blockhead City Construction; Blockhead City Music; Blockhead City Motorcycles; Blockhead City Press; Blockhead City Real Estate; Blue Collar Financial Group of Oklahoma and Blue Collar Financial Group of Texas.

But Winterhalder is perhaps best known for his past exploits as a 1%er biker — close to thirty years worth — and a former high ranking member of the Bandidos Motorcycle Club. Winterhalder was the man who launched the Bandidos’ Oklahoma chapter and spearheaded the establishing of a Bandidos presence in Canada, something he accomplished by assimilating Montreal’s Rock Machine into the fold; and this to counter the Canadian expansionism of the Bandidos’ archrivals, Hells Angels.

As a full ‘patch’ member and national officer, first with the Rogues Motorcycle Club and then the Bandidos, Winterhalder was a key figure in the secretive world of hardcore biker gangs until his exit from the

28

Bandidos in 2003. During his nearly 20 years as an associate or member of the Bandidos Motorcycle Club, he was never charged with committing any criminal activities, something society perceives all so-called outlaw bikers to be guilty of.

“Sure, there is a segment of 1%er club members that are involved in criminal enterprises, but by and large probably 60 to 70 percent of active Bandidos these days are decent family men who hold down real jobs and basically keep their noses clean,” said Winterhalder. “Another 15 or 20 percent might be househusbands whose spouses can make more money than they can or they’re guys on some kind of pension. The remainder are the type of people who’ll do exactly what they want to do. This is just a reflection of our society as a whole, for there are loose cannons in every segment of society.

“For me, as it is for a lot of guys, being a biker was about camaraderie and brotherhood, sharing a passion for motorcycles with likeminded people who aren’t afraid to have a good time and be perceived as different from the mainstream, while essentially being regular type people. Some are white collar, some are blue collar and some are professionals.

How much more mainstream or respectable can you get than a paediatrician, like the one I befriended in the Bandidos. Like these guys, I was either gainfully employed or running my own businesses in all the years I was a biker.”

Winterhalder readily admits that the outlaw, macho image of bike clubs holds an attraction for many who join. He said that at the same time you’re already dealing with a bunch of guys that are wild at heart and who probably suffered a dysfunctional

PERFORMANCE RACING NEWS

Motocross 18.08 V2.indd 2

12/7/06 5:14:04 PM

childhood. For a lot of these people, belonging to a 1%er bike club gives them a sense of family. It’s also an ego boost, an empowerment that gives them a confidence they never had.

“One of the reasons I joined bike clubs, in addition to the brotherhood, was to develop business connections, legal connections as opposed to illegal. Being a Bandido or a member of the other clubs can open doors for you. It’s up to you as to what doors you open,” Winterhalder explained. “In my case, the many connections I developed helped lead me to where I am today. In the world of business, being a biker was never a liability for me but an asset.”

DRAG RACE PROMOTER Among Winterhalder’s many business interests is the promoting of motorcycle drag races, which he started in 2002 under the moniker ‘Living on the Edge’. Adopting a grassroots concept, Winterhalder’s drag races are open to anyone with a motorcycle.

While insurance coverage is provided, the races aren’t sanctioned and there are no prizes. The only thing the competitors get is a time slip at the end of their races. According to Winterhalder this greatly facilitates the flow of the event, allowing up to 75 races per hour; in 2005, over 500 participants hit the pavement during the one-day affair.

“I thought about when we were kids, blocking off the streets and racing muscle cars and just having a good time establishing who had the fastest car. It was about having fun, and this is what I envisioned for my Living on the Edge races, bringing back the fun to it. You just don’t see these kind of informal

drags in the States anymore, they’re all sanctioned meets and very serious,” said Winterhalder. “I wanted to provide a professional venue for the regular guy who just wants to test his bike against another guy’s, and provide this as inexpensively as possible. Advance tickets, which allow you to watch, participate or do both, were set at $10. If you pay at the gate, admittance was set at $20.

“I also wanted to bring together the Harley crowd with the crotch-rocket crowd and show them that it was okay to hang out together. Both groups tend to be rather cliquish in the real world and rarely mix. At the Living on the Edge races everybody learned to mix without any incident. Ultimately there is a common love for bikes and that’s what it’s really about.”

Winterhalder hopes to see his low-key racing concept go nationwide and his intentions are to franchise ‘Living on the Edge’. He is currently negotiating with a group in Arkansas and a national Christian-based motorcycle club to kick start the process.

OUT IN BAD STANDINGS In 2005, Winterhalder, who is one of the busiest men on the planet, self-published Out In Bad Standings: Inside The Bandidos Motorcycle Club – The Making Of A Worldwide Dynasty, a book he wrote about the biker lifestyle and his rise and fall within the Bandidos Nation. Out In Bad Standings, which chronicles the establishment and growth of the Bandidos in Canada, Europe, and Oklahoma, is the first book written about the notorious club and the first written by a bona fide insider.

Out In Bad Standings provides a rare look into the secret world of 1%er motorcycle clubs, allowing the reader a unique opportunity to ride along as the Bandidos become the dominant international force they are today. Not surprisingly, Winterhalder was accused in some quarters of selling out the club and exploiting his background to promote his own agenda, something he flatly denies.

“Out In Bad Standings didn’t really start out as a book project and it certainly wasn’t about pushing my own agenda or selling out the club. I wanted to set the record straight because I knew that things like changing over the Rock Machine into Bandidos were an important piece of history and I wanted to

preserve it,” said Winterhalder. “Ditto for things that happened in the United States while I was a Bandido member. As the project grew, when I had some 150,000 words down on paper, I realized that it might be a good thing to go ahead and publish it.”

Since its release in November 2005, Out In Bad Standings has become one of the best selling selfpublished hardcover books of 2006. It was recently ranked at No. 41 on the Barnes & Noble Bookstores’ website. The book, which is available in Canada at Indigo/Chapters, is currently being considered by three major publishers for repacking, marketing, and worldwide distribution.

GIVING SOMETHING BACK This past November, Winterhalder was invited as a celebrity guest to participate in the 23rd Annual Love Ride in California, the largest one-day event for motorcyclists in North America; more than 20,000 riders participated in the 35-mile procession in 2006. Along with such major Hollywood stars as Robert Patrick (star of the current CBS show ‘The Unit’ and the Clint Eastwood movie ‘Flags Of Our Fathers’); Mickey Jones (‘Home Improvement’ star); 1960s biker movie icon Peter Fonda; and late night talk show host Jay Leno, Winterhalder rose to the occasion. He donated his name, presence, and signed copies of his book to the cause. The event reportedly raised more than $1,000,000 for the benefit of multiple charities that includes the Muscular Dystrophy Association, Cure Society of America, and Operation Hope.

“I’m not a writer and I never professed to be one so the fact that the book has been well received is rather gratifying. But I certainly don’t think of myself as some kind of celebrity, that’s just a public perception,” said Winterhalder. “If by attaching my name to worthwhile causes like the Love Ride, I can help do a good thing, then writing Out In Bad Standings has to be considered a win-win situation.”

Out In Bad Standings is available at Barnes & Noble Bookstores and B. Dalton Bookstores in the United States; Amazon.com and Ebay.com worldwide; Indigo/ Chapters, Coles Bookstores and WhiteHots in Canada.

More information about the book can be found at www.blockheadcity.com/outbadbook.htm.

PERFORMANCE RACING NEWS

Motocross 18.08 V2.indd 3

29

12/7/06 5:14:20 PM

RCR

Revival

Photo by Robert LeSieur/LAT

After laying dormant during recent seasons, Richard Childress was able to shake his three-car team out of the doldrums and RCR returned to its former prominence in NASCAR. PRN Correspondent Monte Dutton reflects back on the revival at Richard Childress Racing.

I

t’s not uncommon for a championship organization to fall into decline. In fact, the inevitable advance of time and technology eventually claims most proud competitors. Time passes even the proudest men by.

In NASCAR, recent victims have included the winning organizations of Petty Enterprises, the Wood Brothers, Junior Johnson and Bud Moore. In each case, the past wound up meaning nothing. The first two continue to struggle. Johnson and Moore are among many who have left NASCAR, incapable of or unwilling to keep up and adapt to changes.

What is uncommon is for an organization to stem the decline. This year marked a rare recovery for Richard Childress’ team.

“Everything about this sport is changing, and I mean in a big hurry,” said Childress. “You’ve got to really stay on your toes to keep up.”

For most of the 1990s, Childress, himself a former

32

driver, fielded only the No. 3 Chevy of seven-time champion Dale Earnhardt. Earnhardt, who died in a 2001 crash, won six of those championships driving for Childress.

Following the trend that defined ownership for the entire sport, Childress’ team grew. Success did not, however, follow. In the 1990s, his organization, Richard Childress Racing, won 35 races. In the first six years of the new century, the total was nine. In 2004-05 combined, it was one.

This year marked a glorious return to prominence.

Childress placed two of his three drivers, Kevin Harvick and Jeff Burton, in the Chase for the Nextel Cup. Harvick won five races, half his career total, and finished fourth in the final standings. Burton won a race for the first time since 2001, when he drove for Jack Roush, and placed seventh overall. Rookie Clint Bowyer failed to win but enjoyed a decent initial campaign, finishing 17th in points.

PERFORMANCE RACING NEWS

Rich Childress 18.08.indd 2

12/7/06 5:49:11 PM

Photo by LAT Photgraphic

This year marked a glorious return to prominence. Childress placed two of his three drivers, Kevin Harvick and Jeff Burton, in the Chase. Harvick won five races, and finished fourth in the final standings. Burton won a race for the first time since 2001 and placed seventh.

“I have three drivers,” said Childress, “and I’m happy with all three of them.”

It took three years for any of Richard Childress Racing’s teams to qualify for the championship-determining Chase. There were adjustments inherent in the new format, as Burton noted.

“I think The Chase puts more pressure on more people,” he said, “because, at this point four years ago, there were three or four cars that could win a championship, and at this point right now, there are about 12. More teams are feeling the heat, but that’s a good thing.”

RCR dominated the Busch Series, with Harvick winning his second championship, competing fulltime in NASCAR’s two top series. He won nine times — one shy of Sam Ard’s record, established in 1983 — and finished in the top 10 an amazing 32 times in 35 tries. Bowyer finished third in that series’ standings, albeit a whopping 965 points behind Harvick,

and won once. Burton competed in only 16 races but won two of them.

Childress’ principal lieutenants agreed that intangible elements like cohesiveness and momentum played a considerable role in the resurgence.

“We had mostly the same group of people,” said Harvick’s crew chief, Todd Berrier, “but obviously, you start your season this year and you start having things hitting on higher notes, and obviously, everybody has a better attitude the better you do.

“At the end, it does show promise when things do go bad or don’t go the way you want… Everyone starts digging really hard, not that they didn’t before.

When they go through a year like last year and then a year like this year, it’s just attitude. All of the guys are jacked up and getting on a roll. It’s going to carry into next year, as well. It’s all about momentum and all about attitude and that’s the biggest thing we’ve got going.”

evin RCR was K e revival at th ship ur on sp pi m ng Helpi usch Cha second B ith nine w es ri Harvick’s se inated the as he dom p-10 finishes to 32 d an wins

“You have to keep progressing with the sport,” added Harvick. “The sport progresses really fast, and you have to keep up with that to be competitive. We all know that, especially now, and we’re just going to try to keep making it better.

“Our team is the same as it’s been, for the most part. It’s the same bunch that we’ve had, and we all know each other really well and get along… It’s just a matter of having it all put together, and I think, absolutely, we can get better, based on having the experience that we’ve had this year.”

It took most of two years, but Burton’s addition to the team during the 2004 season had the same effect the addition of Terry Labonte brought to Hendrick Motorsports in the mid-1990s. Burton, 39, is the ultimate team player: patient, articulate and canny.

He exerted a calming effect on the entire operation, helped still the dissent that had marked the team in previous years and set a standard for cooperation.

PERFORMANCE RACING NEWS

Rich Childress 18.08.indd 3

33

12/7/06 5:49:26 PM

34

take the whole team, the whole car, at one time,” said Childress. “That’s the reason you’re seeing different companies come in with different levels of sponsorship. It can really work well.”

With Harvick, Burton and Bowyer, Childress found a chemistry that had been missing a few years earlier when Harvick had been paired with Jeff Green and Robby Gordon. The pairing of Earnhardt and Mike Skinner in the late 1990s, when RCR first expanded to two cars, also experienced difficulties. Childress learned an important lesson. The whole operation has to be cohesive, but drivers set the tone.

“It spurs momentum, but it’s something that you don’t mesh overnight,” said Berrier. “One of the good things we have going is that everybody (i.e., all three teams) knows all the same things and there’s nothing any of us can hide from each other. It seems natural and logical, but, in practice, it’s hard to build the trust and rebuild the confidence.”

“You know, this is a result-oriented business,” said Burton. “When you have results, then your place in the sport is at a different place.”

One clear lesson, emphasized in retrospect by the years of decline, is that it’s never possible to remain complacent in a sport changing so rapidly.

“We need to take as big a step next year as we did this year,” said Berrier. “It’s still a work in progress, and there are a million things we put on the list at this time (in 2005) that we haven’t gotten to or gotten handled or done to our satisfaction through the course of this year.

“As a company, we made a major step, but we need to take that same step again and that’s what we’re working really hard to do.”

Clint Bowyer had a successful campaign with RCR as he finished third in Busch points and was a respectable 17th in final Cup points in his rookie season

Even in the face of his team’s success, Childress had to replace long-time sponsor GM/Goodwrench. Next year Harvick’s No. 29 Chevrolet will share primary sponsorship from Shell and Pennzoil.

Photo by Ramesh Bayney

“I love the past of our sport,” said Burton, “but if you want to compare the racing and the competitiveness today versus 20 years ago, 20 years ago doesn’t stand up… The cars are so competitive. There are no junk cars out there anymore. They’re all good cars with good drivers, and that creates competitiveness on the track, and that creates close racing action, and that also creates a need to work together and maximize whatever opportunities you have.

“The reason you have teammates is that you believe ultimately you are best served by contributing to the well-being of the other teams. Before this year, the ‘29’ (Harvick) was a cut above. Ultimately, they became the givers and the rest of us were the takers.

We got the best end of the bargain, but it works better for all of us in the end.”

Though he only joined RCR for the final 14 races of the 2004 season, Burton saw firsthand the changes the owner and his employees all had to make.

“I don’t have a full understanding of how it got to where it was because when I got here, it was what it was,” said Burton. “I believe that a lot of it had to do with Richard’s being a nice guy. I think that he was really nice, almost was too nice, to a lot of… not individual people but to the groups. I think he gave a lot of groups the benefit of the doubt that they were doing the right thing, and wasn’t dropping the hammer when things weren’t what they needed to be. “…When I went into ‘05, I knew if we ran well, it was more because we were lucky than that we had put a good plan together. I think it kind of lacked a plan. I think each department — whether it be engines or engineering or chassis or whatever — didn’t have that goal. This is what we have to do, this is how we’re going to do it, and it just wasn’t all pulled together.”

Childress adapted. The recovery was more than just morale and renewed determination. The owner had to step up, expanding his operation, hiring an imposing staff of engineers and adapting, in general, to the greater technological demands that the sport has come to demand.

“When you’re winning, everything is good, and you’re going to get your share of wins if you can be competitive week in, week out,” Childress said.

Referring to 2005, his first with Childress, Burton said, “I saw it as we were still learning and still trying to get it done, and circumstances and mistakes just never let us get it done. Some of what we put in place a year earlier finally came to fruition this time.”

But money is becoming an ever more crucial issue.

Even in the face of his team’s success, Childress had to replace long-time sponsor GM/Goodwrench. Next year Harvick’s No. 29 Chevrolet will share primary sponsorship from Shell and Pennzoil.

“The cost of the sport has escalated so high — it’s still escalating — that it’s hard for one company to

Photo by LAT Photographic

“I love the past of our sport, but if you want to compare the racing and the competitiveness today versus 20 years ago, 20 years ago doesn’t stand up… that also creates a need to work together and maximize whatever opportunities you have.”

-Jeff Burton

Photo by Lesley Ann Miller/LAT

STOCKCARS

RCR Revival

PERFORMANCE RACING NEWS

Rich Childress 18.08.indd 4

12/7/06 5:49:46 PM

Mopac 18.07.indd 1

10/30/06 10:17:09 AM

VIEWFROM

THETOWER WITH GEORGE WEBSTER

YEAR-END THOUGHTS

36

Photos by LAT Photographic

N

ow that the 2006 NASCAR season is over, it is time to look back on the memorable stories from the year. The biggest story is Jimmie Johnson winning his first Nextel Cup championship, ridding himself of the Mark Martin-style jinx that seemed to have him destined to never quite grab the brass ring. Winning the Daytona 500 and the Brickyard 400 on his way to the championship helped make this a stellar year for Johnson while crew chief Chad Knaus’ early-season suspension added some spice.

Monte Dutton has written the story of Johnson’s championship year elsewhere in this issue.

It is only in retrospect that we see the Johnson championship as the top story of the year. The Chase is such a lottery that it would have only taken a flat tire or an early crash in the finale to have made the top story Matt Kenseth’s surge to his second Cup title.

A year ago Richard Childress’ once mighty team was in the doldrums. Kevin Harvick was looking for a way out. But this year the addition of Jeff Burton to the team started to pay off and RCR regained its strength, putting both Harvick and Burton into title contention and helping Harvick steamroll the competition on the way to his second Busch Series championship. Dutton has also chronicled that story in this issue.

On the strength of his impressive performance in 2005 — three top 10s and a pole — many pundits favoured Denny Hamlin to win the rookie title this year. But who would have guessed that he would win the Budweiser Shootout and both Pocono races and three poles? He qualified for the final 10 Chase and came into the finale with a mathematical chance to win the title. In the end he was third in the overall points, the highest yearend result of any rookie in the modern era. Even using the old points system, he would have been fifth, better than any rookie save Tony Stewart, who won three points races in his rookie year to Hamlin’s two. In addition, competing in the Busch Series, Hamlin won six poles and two races.

A year ago the failure of NASCAR’s two top stars — Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon — to make it into the final 10 seemed like a serious blow to NASCAR and its Chase concept. This year both surged back to make the Chase but it seemed like their presence in the final 10 was no big deal.

The ‘colourful’ Tony Stewart, the 2005 champion, failed to make the Chase but he came on strong, winning three of the final 10 races and stealing the limelight from the more prosaic championship contenders Johnson, Kenseth and the rest.

In fact one of the big stories of the year had to be the slump in fan support for NASCAR racing. This year, 31 of the 36 points races had lower TV ratings than the year before; overall the Chase was down 10 percent and the much vaunted finale at Homestead was down a whopping 20 percent. As well, lots of empty seats were evident throughout the season. You have to know that this story wasn’t one of the 10 choices NASCAR offered up for their media poll of the “top 10 stories of the year.”

After years of increase, has NASCAR growth topped out? Brian France says no, blaming this

A favourite for the rookie title, Denny Hamlin took that honour, he won both Pocono races, the Budwesier Shootout and finished third in points

year’s weakness on lack of promotion by lameduck NBC which was at the end of its rights deal and placing his trust in ESPN, which is back next year, to turn things around. It’s ironic that after ESPN was outbid in the previous round of TV rights negotiations, NASCAR allowed the winning networks to banish ESPN from the tracks. No surprise ESPN lost interest in covering the sport and dropped its excellent daily RPM 2Night show. In light of their sagging ratings, it is hard to claim that the invention of the final 10 Chase, which was invented to hype interest in the late NASCAR season to help it compete with football, has worked.

Another irony is that, under the old points system, Johnson would have beat out Kenseth for the title in the final race, winning the championship by just four points, the smallest points margin ever.

Congratulations to Todd Bodine for winning the Craftsman Truck Series championship and giving Toyota its first NASCAR title. I’ve always thought Bodine was an underrated driver — and I would have had him on my short list to join one of the new Cup series Toyota teams for 2007 if I were a team owner — but I suspect that he will continue to run hot and cold and this year’s title may well be the high point of his career.

The most dramatic finish was at the fall Talladega race where Johnson was getting set to draft past leader Earnhardt on the final lap when his teammate Brian Vickers made the same move and bumped him, causing both Johnson and Earnhardt to spin out, giving the win to Vickers.

Instead of a win or a second, Johnson ended up with a 24th-place finish, putting his hopes for the championship in jeopardy.

While the Childress team experienced a resurgence this year, the Penske team went into a slump — neither Ryan Newman or Kurt Busch doing much of note. The Robert Yates team fell on

Toyota broke through for its first NASCAR title as Todd Bodine captured the Craftsman Truck championship

such hard times that both drivers opted out, Elliot Sadler bailing mid-season; for a while it looked like the team would close its doors. Meanwhile Cal Wells, who came in from CART full of vinegar, was closing down his NASCAR operation at season’s end.

Meanwhile, many of the hot stories of the year were really more 2007 stories since they look forward to next year: • the Car of Tomorrow will run at 16 of the 36 Cup races in 2007; • Toyota comes to the Nextel Cup and Busch Series on the heels of winning the Craftsman Truck championship in 2006; • the invasion of the open-wheel stars – Juan Montoya, A.J. Allmendinger, Sam Hornish, Jacques Villeneuve; • ESPN’s return to NASCAR racing (which, with ESPN/ABC continuing to cover the IRL and now picking up the Champ Car series, will make them arguably the most important network for race fans in the United States — too bad we can’t get ESPN in Canada); • NASCAR comes to Canada – CASCAR morphs into the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series for 2007 and the ISC will stage a Busch Series race on the Grand Prix circuit in Montreal in early August.

For sure, NASCAR 2006 was an interesting year; 2007 promises even more.

PERFORMANCE RACING NEWS

Webster 18.08.indd 2

12/7/06 5:17:34 PM

A.IOL.PVLPA.176.4C.PR.01

10/11/06

2:08 PM

Page 1

A.IOL.PVLPS.176.4C 8” X 10.875” +.125” BLEED (LIVE AREA = 7” X 10”)

Prints: 4 color process

docket # SIMP-6041.01 Performance Racing

Original equipment in many of the world’s finest cars.

Mobil 1 is original equipment in many of the world’s finest automobiles, like DaimlerChrysler SRT vehicles, Viper, Porsche, Cadillac and Corvette. They recommend it because Mobil 1 protects under the most severe conditions – we prove it every day on the track and on the road. Mobil 1 with SuperSyn is the most advanced Mobil 1 engine protection ever. For more information, log on to www.mobil1.ca ASK YOUR DEALER FOR MOBIL 1 AT YOUR NEXT OIL CHANGE.

Mobile 1 8.07.indd 1

© 2006 Imperial Oil Limited, Mobil, Mobil 1 and Mobil SuperSyn are trademarks of Exxon Mobil Corporation or one of its subsidiaries. NASCAR® is a registered trademark of The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, Inc. Dodge is a registered trademark of DaimlerChrysler Corporation.

PRO

10/11/06 6:12:46 PM

Client

_____

Creativ

_____

Art Dir

_____

CopyW

_____

Accou

_____

Accou

_____

Produc

_____

McGil

TRADINGPAINT with MONTE DUTTON // photos by LAT PHOTOGRAPHIC

JOHNSON SILENCES THE CRITICS hen Jimmie Johnson began his fateful 2006 by winning the Daytona 500, he made reference in victory lane to those who hated him.

In truth, it was never a sizable constituency. Sure, Johnson encounters fans who revile him, but their numbers are hardly as imposing as those who boo his teammate, four-time champion Jeff Gordon, and the only other driver with multiple titles, Tony Stewart. Johnson is pleasant, good-looking and personable. There’s not much to dislike.

Some fans preferred to believe that Johnson’s victory in NASCAR’s most prestigious race was tainted because his crew chief, Chad Knaus, had been suspended for technical violations during qualifying. Their howls made the situation seem worse than it was. Johnson didn’t win the Daytona 500 in an “illegal” — a word NASCAR officials never use, by the way, preferring the vacuous and politically correct “unapproved” — car. If anything, the incident caused inspectors to pay special attention to his cars for the rest of the year.

If there is a common gripe against Johnson, it is that fans find him bland. Since he is the teammate, friend and disciple of Gordon, Johnson is often grouped together with Gordon. Those who dislike Gordon generally also dislike Johnson, and those who like one generally like the other. On either side, the intensity of emotion is less for Johnson.

That could change, of course. Now Johnson has won his championship.

In terms of competition, Johnson has never played second fiddle to Gordon. Since the moment he joined Hendrick Motorsports and climbed behind the wheel of its No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet, Johnson has been the team’s most successful driver. He never won the championship until the season just completed, but he never failed to come at least relatively close. During the span of his

W

Nextel Cup career, which began on a full-time basis at the beginning of 2002, Johnson leads Gordon — and everyone else — in victories with 23. Gordon and Stewart have 17 each.

What Johnson managed to do in 2006 was, to borrow the parlance of the billiards hall, run the table. He won the championship as well as the two most notable races (Daytona 500 and Allstate 400 at Indy). He would have won the championship whether there had been a Chase or not, based on applying his results to both the current system and the previous, pre-2004, one.

“It was a phenomenal season,” he said. “I couldn’t be prouder of the team. We had the Daytona controversy and bounced back from it. We led the points for the majority of the season, won Indianapolis and the 500. I’m happier for my guys than I am for myself because those guys have worked very, very hard to get where they are today, and I’m proud of them.”

Selfless. Wholesome. Photogenic. What’s not to like?

In some ways, it’s Knaus. While he and Johnson have prospered from their affiliation, they share little in terms of personality. Johnson is accessible; Knaus is suspicious.

Johnson is laid-back; Knaus is prickly.

“We were prepared,” said Knaus, “more prepared than we had ever been. We were rested and fresh and (when the Chase began), we were really looking forward to it.

“For every race track, we had a plan that we stuck to.

We had great race cars and… were able to plan ahead, and that worked out well.”

At the end of the 2005 season — Johnson finished fifth in the Chase — friction existed between the two.

Owner Rick Hendrick intervened.

“We had come up a little short, again, and it was kind of… a decision we had to make,” recalled Hendrick.

“They really had to make it. Did they want to be together? If we were going to come back and compete, Chad (Knaus) had to pace himself, and I’ll say this about Chad:

He is the hardest-working guy I’ve ever seen… I was afraid that Chad was going to burn himself out.

“So Jimmie wanted to get along, the pressure was getting to both of them, and there wasn’t any sense in starting the year if they were not committed to making it work… When things got tough this year, they cinched it up between the two of them.”

Another rap against Johnson was that he couldn’t nail down a championship when it was there for the taking. That’s the most unfair criticism of all. In 2004, when Johnson lost the championship by eight points to Kurt Busch, he won four of the season’s final six races.

When in 2006 Johnson won once and finished second four times in the fifth through ninth races of the Chase, it shouldn’t have been a surprise. It should have been viewed as almost predictable. When Johnson left Talladega Superspeedway on Oct. 8, after having been crashed out by his teammate (Brian Vickers) on the final lap, he trailed Jeff Burton by 156 points in the Chase.

A 1.8 average finish over the next five weeks put him 63 points ahead of Matt Kenseth. Johnson finished a rock-solid ninth at Homestead-Miami Speedway to win the championship by 56, the widest margin in the brief, three-year history of the Chase format.

“People expected a lot out of us as a race team from the beginning,” said Johnson. “We never considered that a burden. We didn’t want to miss an opportunity when we were in the position to become a champion, but we’ve always very proud of what we did. I’m not saying we wouldn’t have been happy if we didn’t win the championship, but after a couple days went by, we would’ve be able to look back and be proud of what we’d done.

“Now that we’ve done it, though, we won’t have to dwell on what others perceive as our failures anymore. … Now that we’ve won that title, it can’t linger around any longer.”

“FOR EVERY RACE TRACK, WE HAD A PLAN THAT WE STUCK TO. WE HAD GREAT RACE CARS AND… WERE ABLE TO PLAN AHEAD, AND THAT WORKED OUT WELL.”

38

PERFORMANCE RACING NEWS

Trading Paint 18.08.indd 2

12/12/06 12:55:21 PM

LOSE THE PRESENTED BY

RACE LOSE YOUR RIDE

PINKS

TM

Speed Channel 18.08.indd 1

©2007 Speed Channel, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

.

BL OD O .

BL OD O BLOOD. .

S EAT W .

S EAT W SWEAT. .

T A S E R .

T A S E R TEARS. www.SPEEDTV.COM/PINKS

SEASON4 BEGINS FEBRUARY 2007 12/8/06 1:08:00 PM

PRESENTS

NASCAR CANADIAN TIRE SERIES

g in m o c e im t g n It’s been a lo

By JAMIE MAUDSLEY I CASCAR

Correspondent

on Shawn 2006 Sportsman Champise jump to on t ts gh si s hi s ha nn ly McG s in 2007 NASCAR Canadian Tire Serie dropped hen the final checkered flag Series, an rtsm Spo CAR on the 2006 CAS first caShawn McGlynn had captured his it in style, posting a reer championship, and he did ain on the Ontario hat trick of wins to drop the curt tour. g based travellin ener has been McGlynn, a 37-year-old, from Kitch ‘90s, but was early the e sinc CAR CAS in involved ing a nummiss to led that et, budg always on a tight t around righ l atica sabb ber of events. He also had a le of seasons coup a ing miss ury, cent the of the turn g his brother Chad’s completely, other than supportin shows. After climbCAR CAS in and ware Dela at rt effo ago, McGlynn got s year few a seat the ing back into on. seas 5 200 rolling in the middle of the ained. “We thought expl he ” you, with st hone be “To races. There were we could come out here and win but we found out , cars only four or five really good of problems at lot a had We h. toug ty pret they were the end, we rds towa but on, seas the start of the ‘05 running well. With ted star and nd arou it ed turn y reall s, we wanted to all the rumours of a NASCAR serie to help secure that use fully win the title and hope sor.” a spon at Mosport, he After finishing fifth on the oval Barrie. It was at third a climbed on the podium with McGlynn Racthe that ie Barr to trip rn retu on the tear. He won the ing Team went on a championship field at Cayuga, the encore at Barrie, and then beat the season at of race nal fi the to ing before head a win, and with year the off Kawartha. He finished by a narrow marship pion cham ts poin the ured capt gin over Dion Verhoeven. ng feature for our “I think that title is a great selli equipment, and the have “We . lynn McG said team,” Cayuga quite a at ng testi been it’s fast. We’ve also that with the feel we bit since the season ended, and to the NASCAR up back step can we ing right back Canadian Tire Racing Series.” the series has McGlynn also explained how far “We’ve learned ago, s year 14 it into got come since he have gotten and ons, seas so much over the past few ains how comexpl just that s gues I k. quic so our car were pretty decent petitive everything has gotten. We . We’re so fast ‘90s midwhen we went at it in the .” else yone ever if so now, but ing the pavement For now, the McGlynns are beat crew members. looking for both a sponsor and he does have ing, look one only the While he’s not et on this helm his hang to that trophy in his pocket n. off-seaso 40

Photo Courtesy McGlynn Racing

W

much time celebrating his Shawn McGlynn hasn’t spent having already tested the title, n 2006 CASCAR Sportsma sponsors for a NASCAR up g linin and on Fusi Ford new 2007 in ride es Canadian Tire Seri

2006 FLASHBACK!

Photo by Jamie Maudsley

It was a rough day for Ron Beauchamp Jr. (#60) on Canada Day weekend in Barrie. Despite this incident with Dave Jacombs, the Mopar-sponsored driver was able to survive to finish second to eventual series champion JR Fitzpatrick.

PERFORMANCE RACING NEWS

Mauldsley 18.08.indd 2

12/8/06 11:58:54 AM

EMCEA 18.04.indd 1

8/9/06 10:03:07 AM

42

PERFORMANCE RACING NEWS

Paul Tracy 18.08.indd 2

12/12/2006 5:42:06 PM

RIDE

thrill

FOR OVER 15 YEARS PAUL Tracy has been a reporter’s dream. No matter what his position in the standings Tracy always has something to say and is one of the few drivers left in the racing world with a true personality.

Neal Jones reflects back on some of the big headlines the “Thrill From West Hill” has created over the course of his storied career.

T

aul Tracy burst on to the Champ Car scene back in 1991 when he made his series debut at Long Beach, CA. Two years later he had his first full-time ride in the series and set about creating a legend that continues to grow.

Known around his hometown in Toronto, ON as the “Thrill from West Hill,” Tracy has been a headline maker during his 15 years racing at the top of the motorsports world.

In a squeaky-clean, image conscious era, Tracy stands out as one of the few drivers willing to speak the truth, and damn the consequences.

The result has seen him become a thorn in the sides of team owners and series officials, while making him a favourite with the media.

When the Champ Car World Series was first born out of the ashes of the CART bankruptcy in 2002, it was Tracy’s image that the series used to promote the excitement of Champ Car racing. Tracy’s engaging personality has made him a hit with many fans, while others have come to resent the 2003 series champion. Whether you like him or not, Tracy has proven that when he talks, people listen. There is no middle ground for Tracy, he’s either loved or hated – which is a good thing because there’s nothing worse for an athlete than to be treated with indifference.

With that in mind, let’s look back at some of the most colourful moments this Canadian racing legend has given fans over the years.

ALWAYS A CROWD FA VOURITE, PAUL TRACY HAS THRILLED HIS HOMETOWN FANS WITH A PAIR OF SUPERB VICTORIES IN TORONT O (1993, 2003)

Photos by LAT Photographic

HOMETOWN THRILLS

Paul Tracy 18.08.indd 3

Nowhere is Tracy more loved than in his hometown of Toronto. Every year the media requests are daunting and the fans clamour for a glimpse of their hero. Tracy handles it all beautifully and he truly enjoys the attention.

In 1993 he also gave Canadian fans something extra by becoming the first Canuck to win the Toronto Indy event. The big smile (and even bigger Canadian flag he waved on the podium) was just a precursor of things to come. The young looking Tracy, in his wire rim glasses, was beaming with joy and the Toronto night life got a little more exciting that Sunday evening.

It hasn’t been all roses for Tracy at his home event though. Who can forget the 1998 race? In the event Tracy and teammate Dario Franchitti ruled the streets, with the Scotsman leading his teammate. Then disaster struck. Franchitti spun between Turn 1 and 2, and while others avoided his car, Tracy came into the corner and t-boned his teammate with just laps remaining. It left fans shaking their heads.

His victory in 2003 though, erased those memories. It was easily the most dominant win of his Champ Car career as he led every lap – his

12/12/2006 5:42:34 PM

ID E

th R ri l l

PAUL TRACY AND AL EX TAGLIANI IN HAPP IER TIMES BEFORE THEIR DUST -UP IN SAN JOSE IN 20 06

control so supreme that on a full course caution he was able to enter the pits and exit before anyone else even entered pit row!

TEAM GREEN Tracy’s career at Team Green was intriguing to say the least. He and teammate Franchitti struggled racing each other throughout the 1998 season, culminating in a collision at Houston. Franchitti was able to continue, but Tracy was sent to the pits with a broken car. His confrontation and subsequent push of team owner Barry Green made highlight reels across the continent. He and Green patched up their differences quickly and Tracy was signed to a new deal mere weeks later.

CLOWNING AROUND Tracy has never been shy about expressing his feelings to Champ Car officials. The topic didn’t matter, if Tracy disagreed the series knew about it and so did the media. It’s hard to calculate how much money he has lost in fines and suspensions over his career (he missed the 1999 season opener for indiscretions in 1998), but the Toronto-native was never silenced by his punishment. In fact, it just made his convictions even stronger.

This was typified during a weekend in Monterey, CA in 2001. Tracy had already been called before Chief Steward Chris Kneifel on several occasions that season, but after Laguna Seca things got worse.

Depending on how you saw it, Tracy and Helio Castroneves had a run-in on pit lane that Kneifel blamed on Tracy. When the $50,000 punishment was meted out however, Tracy spoke to the media. He told reporters that, “we would be better off with a circus clown running the series.”

He cooled off those sentiments, but he must have been right to some degree since 2001 was Kneifel’s only season as Chief Steward.

TEARING DOWN THE BRICKYARD This may well be the most controversial moment in Tracy’s career. The results of the 2002 Indianapolis 500 left the door open to interpretation. Tracy was second with just two laps remaining, but leader Castroneves was running out of fuel and could not make the finish line under green conditions. As Tracy gained on the Brazilian, a spin on the other side of the track brought out a yellow flag. To this day Tracy maintains his pass for the lead was completed before the yellow came out. Indy Racing League officials saw it differently.

Castroneves limped across the line for the victory, while Barry Green and Tracy filed an official protest.

Not surprisingly, Tony George sided with his IRL driver over the interloper from Champ Car. Threats 44

IT DIDN’T TAKE LONG FOR TRACY TO FIND ANOTHER FRENCH FRIEND AS HE AND RIVAL SEBA STIEN BOURDAIS SQUARED OFF IN DENVER, MER E WEEKS AFTER THE TAGLIANI INCIDENT of a lawsuit and taking the decision to the courts were made, but nothing materialized. Tracy cried conspiracy and publicly sta ted he will never race in the Indianapolis 500 aga in.

FRENCH REVOLUTION

Tracy avoided some of the boo birds by stayThings had been pretty qui ing away from a mid-we et for Tracy since his ek autograph session, 2003 championship, so but on the Friday Montreal something had to break fans let him know in the 2006 season. On where he stood. On Sat consecutive weekends urday though, Tracy Tracy encountered som donned a blue wrestling e strong opposition from mask and wore a QueQuebec’s Alex Tagliani and Sebastien Bourdais. bec provincial flag as a cape to hide from his Tagliani, Tracy’s former detractors. Over the cou teammate at Player’s For rse of three days he - wo sythe Racing, confronted n the his fellow Canuck on pit crowd back and when he stepped to lane in San Jose for what the podium in second-pla was universally referred ce he was greeted by to as a “bonehead” move a thunderous applause

by Tracy. PT told Tagliani with just a smattering to back off, but when Tag of boos. liani got in his face a shoving match ensued tha Bourdais may have taken t forced series officials home the victory, to intervene. but it is the image of Tracy that will remain with At the next race in Denver, fan s for years to come.

Tracy and Bourdais were battling for position late in the race when con tact took both drivers out It has been a wonderful of the running. Bourdais ride following Tracy confronted Tracy on the through his roller coaste track and the Canadian r career in open wheel pushed him away and the racing. With a new five-yea n invited him to do somer contract with Forthing about it. To his cre dit Bourdais walked away, sythe Racing, the ride will onl y get longer and but the headlines were even more unpredictable filled with the image and . You never know what reporters wanted to talk he will do next and in to Tracy. a racing world where His response was not wh predictable results have at you could call “politibecome common, he cally correct.” Borrowing remains a lone wolf in the from noted NHL antagodistance. He can’t be nist Sean Avery, Tracy cha harnessed – nor should llenged the manhood of he be. It is his flair for his competitors with a rac ially sensitive comment: the dramatic and ability to incite that has kept “Too bad he wouldn’t tak Champ Car at the front e his helmet off, then we of the North American really could have settled rac ing headlines. things. But French guys always keep their helmets Without Paul Tracy, Champ on.” Tracy said he meant Car, and the racit as a joke, but with the Montreal event looming, ing world itself for that matter , wouldn’t be everyone knew what wo nea rly as thrilling. uld be the talk of the tow n come the weekend.

PERFORMANCE RACING NEWS

Paul Tracy 18.08.indd 4

12/12/2006 5:43:02 PM

AAMP of America Stinger 18.04.in1 1

8/17/06 4:56:54 PM

BRINGS YOU

COVERAGE

OF THE 2006 F1 SEASON

No Schuey or Jacques

Photos by LAT Photographic

Ten seasons after their tumultuous title battle, F1 will enter the 2007 season without seven-time World Champion Michael Schumacher or 1997 champion Jacques Villeneuve. One left by choice, for the other the decision was made for him.

I

t took nine years, but Michael Schumacher has finally said he is sorry about trying to ram Jacques Villeneuve off the track in an ill-fated attempt to win the 1997 World Championship.

“If there were a situation in my career which I could undo, it would be this,” Schumacher said in an interview with the German newspaper Suddeutsche Zeitung.

This was Schumacher’s first interview since he retired from F1 and drove his last race, in Brazil, on Oct. 22, 2006. He gave it in part to plug his biography, which has just been released. Titled Schumacher, it’s an updated version of his 2003 book, and at the moment it is only available in German. It will be interesting to see if he expands on his foul against Villeneuve at the European Grand Prix in Jerez in 1997.

It was, as you know, the final Grand Prix of the season. Schumacher had a one point lead over Villeneuve and thus would win the title if he finished anywhere ahead of the Canadian. On lap 48, Villeneuve went charging inside Schumacher as they headed into the right-hander Dry Sack Corner. Caught by surprise, Schumacher turned his Ferrari sharply to the right and rammed Villeneuve’s Williams.

The Ferrari slid off the track and Schumacher was out of the race. Villeneuve kept going, finished third, and became the first Canadian F1 World Champion.

At the time, Schumacher steadfastly maintained his innocence.

DIVERGENT PATHS SINCE 1997 Since then the two men’s careers went in different directions. Schumacher won five more championships for a record total of seven and eventually won 91 Grands Prix. Villeneuve not only didn’t win 46

Michael Schumacher finally apologized in a German newspaper for the incident between himself and Jacques Villeneuve at the 1997 season finale

another crown, he never won another Grand Prix or pole position.

Both men ended their F1 careers in 2006. Schumacher went out on top. Villeneuve slipped quietly away at mid-season. As we now know, BMW Sauber did not fire Villeneuve, but they didn’t stop him from leaving either. Given the way his replacement, Polish rookie Robert Kubica has performed, and given BMW’s penchant for young drivers, Villeneuve would have had had a tough fight on his hands to keep his seat in 2007.

Schumacher says he won’t make a F1 comeback.

“F1 is changing,” he told Suddeutsche Zeitung.

“The technology, the engines, the rules, the circuits.

Once you’re out of it, you’re out.”

True, F1 is more intense than ever, but Niki Lauda and Alain Prost both retired and came back to win championships.

Villeneuve has not said his F1 career is over, but he knows it is. There are simply no viable options for him in 2007, nor, for that matter, in the foreseeable future given F1’s current youth movement and influx of drivers like Kubica and Lewis Hamilton.

What about NASCAR or another series?

Schumacher says he has no interest in any series but F1. You can be sure he will return to his first love — go karting — and it’s been reported he has already been doing so.

Villeneuve says Champ Car and the IRL hold no interest for him, and the only sports car racing he’d consider would be a one-off in the Le Mans 24 Hours.

He and his manager have had talks with Jack Roush and Robert Yates about a Cup or Busch ride in NASCAR, and they might even buy a team.

Juan Montoya’s NASCAR foray has been a success so far in that he certainly has not made a fool of himself. Yet his relative lack of results proves that Villeneuve would not have an easy path ahead of him if the NASCAR option works out.

Montoya loves traveling with his family and entourage, and thus fits in perfectly with the NASCAR motor home brigade. Villeneuve was one of the few F1 drivers, along with David Coulthard and Jenson Button, to stay in a motor home on Grand Prix weekends. In fact, Villeneuve started the current trend that now includes Scott Speed and Nico Rosberg. But do

PERFORMANCE RACING NEWS

F1-Knuston 18.08.indd 2

12/7/06 5:22:08 PM

CALL FOR A DEALER NEAR YOU 1.888-878-6973 OR INFO@LUCASOIL.CA

Lucas Oil 18.08.indd 1

LUCAS OIL HIGH PERFORMANCE MOTORCYCLE OILS

RACES TESTED. WINNER APPROVED 12/14/2006 3:20:39 PM

No Schuey or Jacques Villeneuve’s new wife and son want to camp out in the infield of some rural stock car oval?

Schumacher is certainly not the motor home type.

Mind you, his estate in Switzerland could comfortably absorb a couple of campgrounds.

LOYAL DRIVERS Both Schumacher and Villeneuve were incredibly loyal to their F1 teams. With the exception of his one race debut with Jordan, Schumacher spent his entire career with Benetton and Ferrari.

Villeneuve spent his first three seasons with Williams. Then it was on to BAR Honda for five years, and he probably would have still been there if the political situation with team boss David Richards had not become intolerable. After most of a year away and three “one off” races with Renault in 2005, Villeneuve joined Sauber in 2006, and in 2007 he enjoyed a renaissance and one of his best years since 1997 before it ended prematurely.

It could have been different for both drivers. Villeneuve had other viable options but opted to stay loyal to BAR Honda. And that didn’t work out in the end.

Having raced for Mercedes-Benz in sports cars, Schumacher explored the possibility of joining McLaren Mercedes in F1. He had several meetings with McLaren’s Ron Dennis and Mercedes’ Norbert Haug in 1995. But Michael and Ron didn’t click, and Schumacher signed for Ferrari.

“McLaren, or speaking honestly, McLaren boss Ron Dennis (was the problem),” Schumacher explained.

“With Mercedes everything ran very well and we would surely have found a way… Ron Dennis had another view of how a F1 team was to function.”

Dennis, naturally, would have insisted that Schumacher share equal number one status with his teammate. Schumacher said that was not a problem.

“I never demanded it, neither contractually nor verbally, not during my whole career,” he said. “This

48

While Michael Schumacher says he will not return to F1, there is no doubt he will continue to follow his first love – go karting

is how I see it. At the beginning of the season both drivers get the same material, are equal in every way.

It soon emerges thought that one driver is quicker than the other and the team has to support him.

“The goal always has to be to be first at the end of the season. F1 is no children’s birthday party.”

McLaren sees it differently. Both drivers get absolute equal treatment until one is mathematically eliminated from the championship. There is absolutely no way that Dennis would have ordered Rubens Barrichello to move over and let Schumacher win early in the season as happened with Ferrari in the infamous 2002 Austrian Grand Prix.

As for 2007, BMW Sauber and McLaren Mercedes will both officially unveil their new cars in mid-January.

Ferrari has yet to announce its launch date. Schumacher won’t be there, at least not as a driver (he will be a Ferrari consultant), and nor will Villeneuve.

When it comes to racing, Schumacher won’t be sitting in a car anywhere on any grid in 2007. But Villeneuve just might be lining up on the track named for his father for the inaugural Busch race in Montreal next August.

JUAN MONTOYA’S NASCAR FORAY HAS BEEN A SUCCESS SO FAR IN THAT HE CERTAINLY HAS NOT MADE A FOOL OF HIMSELF. YET HIS RELATIVE LACK OF RESULTS PROVES THAT VILLENEUVE WOULD NOT HAVE AN EASY PATH AHEAD OF HIM IF THE NASCAR OPTION WORKS OUT.

PERFORMANCE RACING NEWS

F1-Knuston 18.08.indd 4

12/7/06 5:22:30 PM

Clear Channel 18.08.indd 1

12/14/06 3:56:56 PM

CAUTIONPERIOD WITH NEAL JONES

6 DRIVERS – 1 SEAT Simon PAGENAUD

The second seat beside Paul Tracy at Forsythe Racing is still open and six young hopefuls have their eyes set on grabbing the coveted ride

I

SIMON PAGENAUD The 2006 Atlantic Champion will be in a Champ Car in 2007. His $2-million prize for winning the championship is to secure a Champ Car ride, and is something big for Forsythe since he has been funding the teams through his Indeck company since Player’s was forced out of the sport.

Pagenaud took only one victory last season, but his consistency in landing on the podium was the determining factor in an extremely competitive field. He previously competed in the Renault World Series in 2005 and was championship runner-up in the 2004 European Championship.

“I’m honoured the Forsythe team has decided to give me this opportunity,” Pagenaud said before a test in early December at Houston. “I want to show them that I can do the job well and that I can give good feedback so we can have a successful test… more than anything I’m just going to have to get used to the speed and to the brakes of a Champ Car… I’m just going to do my best and we’ll see what happens.”

ADAM CARROLL Carroll comes in with the most experience at the top level of open wheel racing. He previously tested with RuSPORT and was Justin Wilson’s back-up driver at the Mexico City finale. Prior to that, Carroll spent 50

Andreas WIRTH

Richard PHILIPPE

Jay HOWARD

Lawson ACHENBACH

the 2004-05 seasons as Honda Racing’s Formula One test driver. His resume includes race victories in the highly competitive GP2 Series.

“I feel great about having the opportunity to test with a team like Forsythe… Champ Cars are a lot of fun to drive, it’s a good driver’s car and you really have to hustle it around. This year I’ve gotten to know the Champ Car World Series up close and it is definitely the championship where I want to be next year,” Carroll stated.

JAY HOWARD Coming from the development ranks of the rival IRL IndyCar Series, Howard brings his 2006 Indy Pro Series title with him. He won the pole at his very first race in the series and won the ’06 crown by just four points, the closest in series history. He also owns a pair of Formula Ford Zetec championships in England (2003) and the US (2004).

“For me this is a great opportunity,” Howard said.

“As far as I see it the Forsythe team could get anybody they want whenever they want to test their car and they chose me, so I think that speaks volumes of what they think of me… basically I’ve been preparing for this call for the last six months, I know I’ll be good.”

ANDREAS WIRTH Wirth opened his 2006 season by winning the first two races of the Atlantic championship as part of the Forsythe Atlantic Team, finishing the year third in points. He brings experience in Champ Car to the table as he contested the final two rounds of the Champ Car season with Dale Coyne Racing and had a top finish of ninth at Australia.

“I’m very thankful that the Forsythe team chose me again for their testing program and trusted me with one of their Champ Cars,” Wirth said after his test in Houston. “This is where I want to be next year so every test day gets me better prepared for the 2007 season.”

RICHARD PHILIPPE Brother of current Champ Car star Nelson Philippe, Richard spent the 2006 season as part of Forsythe’s Atlantic squad. The 2005 Formula BMW USA champion

is still a teenager, but was a consistent front runner in Atlantics, with a best finish of second at Cleveland. “”I was actually pretty pleased because I managed to get up to speed pretty quickly and run competitive laps,” Philippe said after a late-November test.

“I had tested a Champ Car for Forsythe during the pre-season and having a full year of Atlantics under my belt has definitely helped me… it’s still a huge step but the Atlantics definitely help prepare you for Champ Car.”

Photos by LAT Photographic

f the past few seasons have told us anything, it is that Newman-Haas Racing is at the top of the Champ Car World Series team hierarchy.

RuSPORT made tremendous strides the past two years and must now be considered an elite team within the series. So where does that leave perennial title contender Forsythe Championship Racing in the mix?

Gerry Forsythe is one of the best team owners in Champ Car history. His teams have consistently been at the front of the pack, but the 2006 season was a disappointment for the co-owner of the series. Paul Tracy never got on track and finished a dismal seventh in the points. The team was sparked early last season when AJ Allmendinger came on board and he did finish third in points, but now that seat is vacant.

There are rumours Forsythe will run a third car in 2007, but right now the team is preparing for a twocar effort and has spent much of November and December evaluating the talented field of contenders.

The list appears to have come down to six drivers and they have all taken a turn behind the wheel of the second blue car.

Adam CARROLL

LAWSON ASCHENBACH It was an interesting year for Aschenbach as he completed his engineering degree at Vanderbilt University while also becoming the first rookie driver to win the SPEED GT Championship in 2006. Aschenbach brings a wealth of experience from karting, F2000 and Formula BMW to the table and the 23-year-old has shown he is quick on anything with four wheels.

“These cars are just incredible, they handle like a dream,” Aschenbach said after his test. “I have to thank Forsythe for giving me this amazing opportunity. They gave me a great car and everybody just made my job so easy, I really appreciate it.”

While Wirth and Philippe are already part of the Forsythe team, they will both most likely end up on the outside when the dust settles. Aschenbach’s lack of experience in open wheel cars with downforce will probably hinder his efforts to land a top level ride this early in his career. Howard has been on the rise in open wheel circles and will be among the final candidates.

Of course, open wheel racing in North America still comes down to money, so give Pagenaud a bit of an edge in that regard. With that $2 million prize fund under his belt, he brings more than just talent to the table. Carroll also gets an edge based on experience, as his F1 testing days put him well ahead of the pack in terms of experience at the top level.

Look for this battle to come down to Pagenaud and Carroll in early 2007, with the winner bringing home one of the top rides in North America.

PERFORMANCE RACING NEWS

Champ Car 18.08.indd 2

12/8/06 11:55:56 AM

TRACKSIDEACCESS WITH DAVID HATTER

RACING IS BACK A BELLE ISLE Photo by Mike Levitt/LAT

The IRL is set to race Belle Isle in Detroit next summer, the first time a race has been held there since CART took to the circuit in 2001

52

Photo by Paul Webb/LAT

W

hile the IRL IndyCar series will not run in Canada in 2007, a new American event is as close to the border as it is possible to get. The IRL’s five scheduled road/street course races include a visit to Detroit’s Belle Isle Park next Labour Day weekend, previously a CART Champ Car venue from 1990 to 2001.

Championship-winning team-owner Roger Penske is head of the braintrust behind the revival of the Belle Isle circuit, located on the Detroit River, nudging the Canadian border just northeast of Windsor, ON. A large number of Canadians traditionally attended the CART races there.

CART abandoned the site after 2001 for a variety of reasons, including complaints about the unpaved paddock area where crews were forced to work in mud whenever it rained. IRL president Brian Barnhart says the paddock will be paved this time, while the circuit’s layout will also be reconfigured to create more passing opportunities. The new track will be slightly shorter than before — 2.096 miles vs. 2.346 — but feature 13 turns instead of 12.

“Detroit is one of the places I miss the most,” said Helio Castroneves, who won the 2001 race for Penske before he and his boss switched to the IRL the following season. “Everyone knows Detroit, its cars and its manufacturers.”

The Belle Isle IRL race on Sept. 2, will be paired with the American Le Mans Series the day before.

Penske has teams in both. Meanwhile, Michigan International Speedway, located about an hour southwest of Detroit, retains its IRL date on Aug. 5.

The 2007 IRL calendar consists of 17 races, up from 14 this year. Besides Detroit, the other new road circuit is the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on July 22. That weekend will also be an IRL/ALMS doubleheader.

Among existing road/street events, St. Petersburg (April 1) and Sears Point (Aug. 26) retain their usual dates. But Watkins Glen — previously the most accessible IRL event for most Canadians — has lost its coveted post-Indy 500 slot. It moves to July 8, while the Milwaukee Mile gets the distinction of hosting the series the weekend after Indy.

After talking to several Champ Car teams, Dario Franchitti is heading back to Andretti-Green in 2007

The one new oval on the 2007 calendar is the 0.875-mile short track of Iowa Speedway on June 24. Five of the 12 oval events will be held under the lights at night, including the season-opener at Homestead, FL, on March 24.

DARIO BACK IN IRL It now appears that Dario Franchitti will be back in the IRL, after all, returning to Andretti-Green Racing as part of a four-driver line-up alongside Tony Kanaan, Marco Andretti and new recruit Danica Patrick.

Many thought that the 33-year-old Scotsman had made his last IRL start when he finished second to teammate Andretti at Sears Point, CA, last August.

He then missed the season-finale at Chicago due to injury (a concussion from a vintage car racing accident), was widely quoted as stating a preference for road racing over ovals and was reported to be in discussion with several Champ Car teams, including RuSport and PKV. But it seems Champ Car cannot offer the sort of financial rewards that Franchitti is used to and he now appears to be firmly back in the AGR fold — not only as part of its IRL lineup, but also as a driver of the new Acura-Courage prototype that the team plans to enter in the 2007 American Le Mans Series.

At a recent Las Vegas motorsport show, Franchitti was confirmed as one of the Acura’s drivers — alongside former IndyCar teammate Bryan Herta — but only at races that do not conflict with the IRL. In other words, Franchitti still appears to be part of the AGR

IndyCar squad, even if final confirmation was still awaited at the end of November.

The hold-up is thought to relate to Dario’s efforts to persuade team-owner Michael Andretti to hire his kid brother, Marino Franchitti, to drive the Acura when he is not available. Marino has considerable ALMS experience, but mostly in the GT classes.

The return of one of the IRL’s high-profile, “glamor” drivers — Franchitti is married to movie star Ashley Judd — is welcome news for the series, which is again struggling to maintain its car count. Fernandez Racing recently closed its IRL operation, laying off 27 employees, while Rahal-Letterman Racing is cutting back from three cars to two.

16 ENTRIES IN ‘07 By most estimates, it looks like there will be 16 regular entries in 2007 from eight teams. Besides the AGR quartet, two-car teams are expected from Penske, Ganassi, Rahal-Letterman, Panther and Vision, plus single-car efforts from Foyt and Dreyer & Reinbold.

Former Fernandez drivers Kosuke Matsuura and Scott Sharp both have new rides. Matsuura is taking his Panasonic funding to Panther, joining Vitor Meira; while 1996 IRL co-champion Sharp has new tequila sponsorship, which he is taking to Rahal-Letterman, partnering fellow American Jeff Simmons. Meanwhile, the Foyt team — now managed primarily by A.J.’s son, Larry Foyt — has confirmed ex-Ganassi driver Darren Manning.

PERFORMANCE RACING NEWS

IRL - Hatter 18.08.indd 2

12/7/06 5:19:53 PM

*

Always pushing the limits of technology and performance, Maxell media delivers ever-increasing storage capacities for music, movies and data.

From high-quality USB Drives, Memory Cards, CDs and DVDs, iPodÂŽ Accessories, Headphones, to high-endurance Batteries, the entire Maxell product line provides peak levels of speed, capacity, compatibility and reliability.

*No purchase is necessary to enter or win this contest. Enter on line by December 1st, 2006 for a chance to meet and see ALEXISONFIRE perform at a club in Toronto plus receive a Maxell prize pack and $500 spending money, or win one of 20 ALEXISONFIRE limited edition USB Flash Drives loaded with exclusive ALEXISONFIRE content. Contest open to all legal residents of Canada who have reached the age of 19 as of the date of their entry. Visit www.maxellcanada.com for full contest details.

Maxell 18.08.indd 1

www.maxellcanada.com

12/8/06 1:57:36 PM

With literally everything on the line in the Top Fuel final, Tony Schumacher responded with a history-making national record setting winning effort!

A DEFINING

moment!

TONY SCHUMACHER’S RECORD-SETTING AND TITLE CLINCHING RUN HIGHLIGHTED THE NHRA POMONA FINALE.

Story and photos by BRUCE BIEGLER | DRAG RACING EDITOR

54

some controversy. During their final scheduled qualifier on Saturday the car did develop an oil leak after its burnout and the team refused to shut off despite obvious signals from NHRA’s starting line officials.

With oil on the right side slick the car went into instant tire smoke. NHRA officials later fined the team $20,000 for the infraction but did not dock them any points (which proved to be a crucial and highly controversial factor).

The heartbreaking Pomona Finals event letdown for Kalitta came despite another gutsy effort. The Mac Tools dragster had avoided disaster when the chassis broke at high speed during Saturday’s qualifying action. That incident required a complete swap of components into a new car in very short order. After completing that, amazingly, the new car grabbed

Late season sensation Jack Beckman reset both ends of NHRA’s Funny Car class standard at Pomona

away the pole from Schumacher with a 4.452 secs run in the final session.

The 2006 Funny Car title was also determined at Pomona with John Force prevailing to win his 14th World title in 16 years. Force clinched the title for his Castrol GTX Ford team when he bested his nearest challenger, the Brut-sponsored Dodge Charger driven

by Ron Capps, in a decisive second round showdown, winning at 4.742/326.95 to 5.262/204.28.

Force went on to win the event, beating late season sensation Jack Beckman, new driver for the Matco Tools Dodge Charger owned by Don Schumacher. Beckman, who had won at Las Vegas only two weeks before had a sensational NHRA Finals event as he qualified #1 (4.671 secs) and set both ends of the NHRA national FC record at 4.662/333.66. Beck-

Ron Capps, who led the FC points chase for most Jack Wyatt recorded bookend of 2006 saw his title hopes dashed in round two victories at Rockingham Dragway winning both the spring and fall event stops

photos by Phil Hutchison

H

ollywood fiction scriptwriters probably could not have duplicated the dramatic realities that capped off NHRA POWERade’s 2006 Championship season.

At Pomona, CA’s season-ending AAA Auto Club finale, Chicagoland’s Tony Schumacher, driver of the US Army sponsored Top Fuel Dragster, completed the greatest comeback in NHRA Professional racing history when he captured his fourth World Championship in electrifying style.

At mid-season, Schumacher trailed overall points leader Doug Kalitta by as much as 338 points and was sitting eighth in the standings. But a second half flurry of wins gradually moved him within striking distance of Kalitta and he entered the final only 45 points behind. In a drag racing development of truly historical proportions, he completed the astounding rebound at Pomona.

Schumacher’s U.S. Army-sponsored team, which is guided by crew chief Alan Johnson, had the planets align for them at Pomona. After qualifying second behind Kalitta the absolute advantages of a multi-car team in drag racing were exemplified. In the semifinal round they benefited from a truly crucial round win provided by Schumacher Racing teammate Melanie Troxel, who beat Kalitta on a holeshot (.026 to .074) 4.502 secs to 4.500 secs. That allowed Tony and company the opportunity to surpass Kalitta in points if they won the race and also reset the NHRA national ET record. In the truly dramatic conclusion to both the event and the season they did exactly that as their 4.428 secs at 327.98 mph beat Troxel’s 4.582/308.50. The 4.428 secs mark was backed up by a 4.458 secs set during qualifying and their final season winning points total margin was 14. It was only the second time in NHRA history that the Pomona track surface (now known as Auto Club Raceway) has served up a NHRA ET record for Top Fuel dragsters.

Schumacher’s victory (the 35th of his career) also included round wins over David Baca, Rod Fuller and Brandon Bernstein. The win was however, not without PERFORMANCE RACING NEWS

NHRA Pomona 18.08.indd 2

12/12/06 2:37:43 PM

Nitto 18.05.indd 1

8/30/06 3:48:31 PM

A DEFINING

moment!

Michigan’s Bill Reichert capped of his World Championship by winning in TAD at the Pomona Finals

World Champion Jeff Taylor was just one of a marquee Sportsman winner list at Pomona

man’s 4.662 secs ET record run came in the final round loss to Force, who used a better starting line RT (.058 to .103) to just edge him out with a winning 4.697/319.75.

Beckman’s performance, which came in the car formerly driven by Whit Bazemore, was only his fifth start in Funny Car. The strong finish may require some rethinking from within the Schumacher team for the 2007 season which initially had Beckman pegged to move over to the Top Fuel as driver of the Schumacher’s second team TF dragster, replacing Melanie Troxel.

The Pro Stock Motorcycle title went Andrew Hines, rider of the Vance & Hines Screamin’ Eagle Harley Davidson, his 3rd straight POWERade Championship.

Hines was all business during qualifying as he took the pole with a 7.020 secs (low ET). But then he unex-

Ken Black’s awesome Summit Pro Stock team closed off the NHRA POWERade season with a familiar final round pairing

Doug Kalitta’s otherwise fantastic 2006 season had a heart-wrenching conclusion 56

John Force is “the man” once again, winning his 14th NHRA title in 16 seasons!

pectedly had a red-light foul start in round one while racing Tom Bradford, opening the door for points rival Antron Brown should he go on to win the race. Brown however, could not take advantage of that opportunity aboard the U.S. Army Suzuki as he lost out in round two to eventual winner Craig Treble — 7.060/191.95 (top speed) to 7.149/184.60.

Treble ran the Harry Lartigue-owned Suzuki to a final round win over Tom Bradford’s Buell. That win came after beating Karen Stoffer and Matt Smith in earlier action.

The formidable Summit Racing Equipment-sponsored Pontiac Pro Stock team owned by Ken Black signed off on the 2006 season in style as team drivers Greg Anderson and Jason Line faced one another for the event title.

Anderson, who surrendered his crown to Line this season, got some revenge as he beat Line for the AAA Auto Club Finals honours. Both drivers had identical and amazing .005 reaction times in the final but Anderson’s 6.652/208.14 prevailed over Line’s 6.691/208.46.

Anderson’s victory, his fourth of the season, was highlighted by consistency. He ran three straight 6.64 secs elapsed times during Sunday’s final eliminations while topping Bob Panella Jr, Ron Krisher and Allen Johnson.

Line capped his 2006 Championship by recording both low ET and top speed at 6.634 secs and 208.68 mph (both track records).

The Alcohol Dragster and Funny Car programs at Pomona were of typical ferociousness with wins going to Bill Reichert and David Ray. Reichert, who clinched the NHRA TAD World title driving his Rislone-sponsored injected-nitro car beat Texan Spencer Massey in that final. Northeastern racer David Ray drove Jay Blake’s popular “Follow a Dream” Dodge Avenger to the TAFC title, beating the fast racing Canadian team owned by Manitoba’s Brian Friesen and driver Roger Bateman.

Ray won that final at 5.699/255.68 while Bateman’s machine got loose and crossed the centerline.

The Pomona Finals included a couple of spectacular incidents. During Friday’s qualifying, provisional pole sitter and popular FC driver Del Worsham ran off the end of the race track and flipped his C.S.K. Chevy Monte Carlo end-over-end a couple of times. Then on Saturday, during the second round of Competition eliminator, lady driver Jacklyn Gebhardt had a rather vicious crash driving her A/ED. Thankfully neither Worsham nor Gebhardt were injured in the incidents.

Sportsman racing at NHRA’s season closing event featured wins by marquee players including Jeff Taylor (Comp), Brad Plourd (Super Stock), Dan Fletcher (Stock) and Gary Stinnett (Super Comp).

The very prestigious Summit Racing Equipment National ET finals featured a huge win in Super Pro from Western Canadian driver Brad Vinje (from Langley, BC) who prevailed driving his ’68 Camaro. The other national ET titles went to Phillip Truitt (Pro), Willie Hoefer (Sportsman) and Michael Nash (Motorcycle).

PERFORMANCE RACING NEWS

NHRA Pomona 18.08.indd 4

12/12/06 2:46:17 PM

Bully was researched and designed for the racing and street car enthusiast (recognize yourself?) by other enthusiasts who happen to be friction specialists. We know what it feels like to floor the throttle in your high-powered car and receive only moderate reaction and lots of noise !

1 1 7 1 Newmarket Street, Ottawa, On tario Ca nada, K1B 3V1 FOR MORE DETAILS CALL 800-661-9700

Bully 8.06 V3.indd 1

10/11/06 3:10:38 PM

Jason Line became NHRA’s first confirmed 2006 POWERade Champ during the Las Vegas ACDelco Nationals

N

THE VEGAS

Line!

Story and photos by BRUCE BIEGLER | DRAG RACING EDITOR

JASON LINE FIRST TO CLINCH A TITLE AS HE STEALS PRO STOCK CROWN FROM TEAMMATE IN SIN CITY.

In only his fourth start in the Funny Car category Jack Beckman produced his first career Pro victory

58

Louisiana’s Richie Stevens Jr. ended the ‘06 Pro Stock season on a high, winning two fall events

orth Carolina’s Jason Line became the first Professional driver of the season to clinch a NHRA POWERade championship title during action at the ACDelco Las Vegas Nationals. Driving his Ken Black-owned Summit Racing Equipment sponsored Pontiac GTO; Line ended the three-year reign of this racing stalemate Greg Anderson when he advanced past Anderson during the semi-final round.

That victory (6.751 secs to 6.773 secs) was a mathematical clincher.

Line was not able to turn that success into an event win. In the Pro Stock final he got drilled off the starting line by talented Mopar Dodge Stratus pilot Richie Stevens, who combined a superb .002 RT with a run of 6.789 secs at 202.95 mph to hold off Line’s superior 6.735/204.57.

Jack Beckman delivered another huge victory for the Mopar brand during NHRA’s second to last event. Beckman won in Funny Car in what will be ranked as one of the biggest surprise victories of the season. Beckman, who is a talented new driver for Don Schumacher’s Matco Tools Dodge Charger, won in only his fourth Pro start in the category. Beckman pounded out a final round 4.783/327.19 to seal the impressive event outing over Tommy Johnson Jr. and his Skoal-sponsored Chevy Monte Carlo.

Tony Schumacher crept closer to Top Fuel points leader Doug Kalitta when he earned his fourth win of the season driving the US Army dragster. Schumacher outran the Skull Shine dragster driven by JR Todd in the final round, winning at 4.469/313.58 to 4.550/320.81.

Schumacher defeated Kalitta in a crucial semi-final round, winning at 4.494/322.42 to 4.584/327.35 decision to keep his POWERade title aspirations alive. The US Army car was also the quickest car on the premises at Las Vegas, setting low ET at 4.445 secs while pacing the very quick Top Fuel field.

Top Fuel action on Saturday included the prestigious annual Budweiser Showdown. Doug Kalitta, driving his Mac Tools Dragster, won that high-profile feature when he defeated the Valvoline-sponsored car of “Hot Rod” Fuller in the final. Kalitta was awarded a first place cheque of $100,000 immediately following the 4.567/329.18 to 4.669/266.95 victory.

Pro Stock Bike saw defending Champion Andrew Hines reclaim the overall points lead when he won for the third time this season on the Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidson. Hines saved the best performance of the weekend for the final as his low ET shot of 7.080/188.65 easily defeated his teammate G.T. Tonglet.

NHRA’s AMS/RPM Pro Mod Challenge series wrapped up its ‘06 schedule with Australian-born Troy Critchley winning in his popular “Jack Hammer” ’70 Barracuda replica. Critchley was consistently quick while winning that feature, including round wins over Chip King, Shelly Payne and Cody Barklage.

In the PM final, Critchley carded at swift 6.098/235.35 to beat the Valvoline-sponsored Dodge Stratus of Jay Payne, which got loose and crossed the centre strip.

Payne was not too disappointed by the final round development. During round one of eliminations he clinched the overall 2006 AMS Pro Mod points championship when he defeated his closest points rival Joey Martin.

PERFORMANCE RACING NEWS

NHRA Pomona 18.08.indd 6

12/12/06 2:38:49 PM

����������������������� ����������������������������������������������������������������� ������������������������������������������������������������������ ������������������������������������������������������������ ���������������������������������������������������������������������� ���������������������������������������������������������������� ���������������������������������������

��������� ������� ������� ���� ���������������

������������������������������������ ���������������������������������������������������������� ���������������������������������������������������������� ����������������������������������� �����������������������������������������������������

ark 18.03.indd 1

DT-S

������������������������������������ ��������������������������������������������������������� ����������������������������������� ����������������������������� ���������������������������������������������������������������

6/14/06 11:14:31 AM

Story and photos by BRUCE BIEGLER | DRAG RACING EDITOR

PRO MOD

THE IHRA SEASON FINALE AT ROCKINGHAM DRAGWAY WAS A DRAMATIC CONCLUSION TO THE 2006 SEASON, HIGHLIGHTED

BY A RECORD PRO MOD FIELD.

Milestone!

Second generation driver Scott Cannon broke through for his first national event victory during IHRA’s World Finals

60

Wyatt beat Bob Gilbertson and Paul Lee in earlier action and entered final eliminations after qualifying fifth. Despite his victory he missed out on winning the points title by five points (909 to 904).

The star of Alcohol Funny Car was Ohio’s Mark Thomas, who enjoyed a terrific weekend driving his Ethanol Performs Chevy Monte Carlo. Thomas clinched his sixth career World Championship while winning the event. Thomas outran Canada’s Paul Noakes in the final, winning at 5.833/244.07 compared to Noakes’ 6.018/238.81.

AFC was paced by three Canadian drivers as Welland’s Larry Dobbs earned his first career pole with a career best 5.769 secs. Noakes (also with a career best) was second at 5.776 secs followed by Robbie Atchison at 5.786 secs.

AFC was very well attended with 16 cars making qualifying attempts. Racers also produced an all-time quick bump for the class at 5.872 secs.

Pro Stock saw popular New York-based driver John Montecalvo score his first circuit win since the ‘04 season driving his Citgo-sponsored Colbalt. Montecalvo ran top speed in the final (218.83 mph) during his run of 6.370 secs to deny fellow Chevy driver Rob Mansfield a second career win. Mansfield’s car shook its tires hard on the cold and tricky track surface.

Montecalvo’s victory also came over the quickest Pro Stock field in history as the bump spot of 6.421 secs eclipsed the 6.429 secs mark set at MIR. Virginia’s Robert Patrick, as he did often this season, set low ET at a track record 6.326 secs.

The event also saw Pete Berner clinch the IHRA

Jack Wyatt recorded bookend victories at Rockingham Dragway winning both the spring and fall event stops

photos by Phil Hutchison

T

he 2006 eMax Drag Racing Series wrapped up its 11-event season at super swift Rockingham Dragway in North Carolina. The event, which was presented by Universal Technical Institute, had a Monday conclusion after rain storms delayed Sunday’s start time. It featured dramatic title championship conclusions and national record setting performances.

Second generation driver Scott Cannon earned his much overdue first win in Pro Modified when he took the title driving his Torco-sponsored Pontiac GTO past a record quick field. Cannon, son of class legend Scotty Cannon, ran a final round 6.051 secs at 226.16 mph to hold off Canadian Raymond Commisso, who failed in his bid for a second event win this season.

Commisso, who won the prestigious World Nationals in August, had a red-light foul in the final driving his Steelback-sponsored Chevy Camaro.

Cannon’s win came over the quickest Pro Mod field in history. At the conclusion of the event’s JCB-sponsored “Night of Fire” it took an absolutely phenomenal 6.106 secs to qualify 16th, a number far exceeding the 6.165 secs mark set at Maryland.

Quain Stott won the war in IHRA’s ferocious Torco Pro Mod points championship during the event, clinching the title when Canadian Glen Kerunsky was an unexpected non-qualifier and Danny Rowe lost out in round two.

While Cannon’s first win in the class and Stott’s World title were significant, it was Texan Josh Hernandez who grabbed the headlines. Hernandez recorded the first “five” in legal Pro Mod class history. Driving the “Dr. Moon’s Rage” ‘68 Camaro in round two of eliminations, Hernandez hit an historic 5.990 secs at 236.30 mph while beating Canadian Tony Pontieri, who ran a losing 6.048/234.49. Hernandez had run 6.022 secs in round one, and used that as a backup to make the mark official.

Nitro Funny Car saw Jack Wyatt complete bookend wins at “The Rock” as he won for the second time this season at the facility driving his Pontiac Firebird.

Wyatt’s final round 5.849/167.16 beat a red-lighting Dale Creasy Jr., who clinched the World Crown just one round earlier.

PERFORMANCE RACING NEWS

IHRA Rock 18.08.indd 2

12/12/06 2:21:14 PM

Available Applications For:

Acura RSX Chevy Camaro Chevy Corvette Chevy Impala Chevy Silverado Dodge Neon & SRT-4 Dodge Ram 1500–3500 Ford Focus Ford Mustang Honda Accord Honda Civic & Si Jeep- most models Mitsubishi EVO

Energy’s proven performance polyurethane suspension components delivers unsurpassed: Handling Control Durability.

Maximize your vehicle’s modifications– bringing it all together! ●

●

It’s worth every penny!

PERFORMANCE POLYURETHANE

Nissan 240SX/S14 Pontiac Firebird Subaru WRX Toyota Celica VW Golf & Jetta and many more, including universal components.

NEW PRODUCTS: ‘05 Dodge Ram Truck 2WD Suspension ‘05 Ford F150 Truck 2 & 4WD Suspension

Applications available for cars and trucks, both domestic and import.

Components are available in red or black.

Get our 72 page color catalog $5.00.

Includes a FREE sway bar gauge!

WORLD'S LARGEST MANUFACTURER OF PERFORMANCE POLYURETHANE SUSPENSION COMPONENTS

1131 Via Callejon, San Clemente, CA 92673-6230 USA (888) 250-2934

‘04 Ford Mustang 4.6L Motor Mounts GM S10 & S15 Motor Mounts ‘06 GM 2500HD Suspension ‘06 Mitsubishi Eclipse Suspension

www.energysuspension.com

Energy Suspension 18.05.indd 1

8/15/06 5:55:36 PM

Les Shockley’s spectacular Jet-powered truck helped to bring the 2006 IHRA eMax season to an exciting conclusion Canada’s Paul Noakes and his talented team appeared in their third IHRA final round of the season

Texan Josh Hernandez made serious history at Rockingham with the first ever “five” recorded in Pro Mod racing!

62

World title in Torco Pro Stock, giving Pontiac its first Mountain Motor PS title in many years. Berner’s “final four” finish in the class allowed him to hold off class rivals Tony Gillig and Frank Gugliotta in the final tally.

Pro action concluded with Clay Millican capping his championship season with a milestone victory — the 50th of his illustrious IHRA career. Millican won a great final round battle over Rick Cooper, combining a better starting line RT (.057 to .117) to take a 4.642/312.13 to 4.655/315.64 decision.

TF was a tough program by IHRA standards as the bump spot was a quick 4.759 secs. Millican qualified second at 4.591 secs behind Andrew Cowin’s low ET 4.574 secs.

The season ending event included two special Sportsman programs: the Accel Survivor and the Summit Super Series.

Saturday’s Accel Survivor titles went to Steve Furr (TD), Bob Harris (TS), Troy Williams Jr. (QR), Todd Comer (SR), Michael Harris (HR), Slate Cummings (Super Stock) and Anthony Bertozzi (Stock). The IHRA’s national ET Champions were crowned in the Summit Super Series with wins going to John Coyle (No Box) and Joe Gary (Box ET).

Clay Millican capped off his sixth consecutive IHRA Championship season with a milestone 50th event victory

PERFORMANCE RACING NEWS

IHRA Rock 18.08.indd 4

12/12/06 2:21:29 PM

Atchinson Racing 8.08.indd 1

12/8/06 12:57:07 PM

e h t of y r Centena

X I R P D N GRA

NG RAND PRIX RACI G F O Y R SA ER IV THE THE 100TH ANN E ACO MARKED TH 2006 MARKED S, R U O H 4 2 T. S R’S LE MAN RE THE BIG EVEN O EF B K EE AND AT THIS YEA W E T TH A SPECIAL EVEN OCCASION WITH Photo by LAT Photographic

By George Webster

1906

At the first Grand Prix back in 1906, Ferenc Szisz drove this 13-litre Renault on Michelin tires to victory

ary the 100th annivers his year marked . That first ing rac x Pri nd Gra of the birth of ar Le d in June of 1906 ne event was organize obile tom (Au O AC rsor of today’s Mans by the precu 24 Hours of the of r ize an org Club de l’Ouest), the cession of was marked by a pro m threeLe Mans. The event 0k 10 al g over the origin period cars travellin Mans the Le of y cit the of t east cornered circuit jus 24-hour race. weekend before the Grand Prix s organized as the wa The original race France. In de b Clu ile ob Autom ity races (or grand prize) of the o-c y-t cit c d been heroi earlier years there ha sed it was rea inc ds ee sp the t as over open roads, bu the flocks of t the participants or impossible to protec the roads. off ew as the cars fl spectators from injury ended with ch mu tty pre e rac d This style of open roa e which was Paris to Madrid rac the disastrous 1903 aux. rde Bo of the first day in were orstopped at the end es rac ett nn Be n Gordo h they In the same era, the ug ho alt , ich ircuit races wh ay’s tod ganized as closed-c by s mendously long lap offered , were still run on tre ly) ral e tag d-s se e a clo problem standards (more lik crowd control. One more opportunity for three cars. ly on ter en uld co try was that each coun o wanted to h manufacturers wh For the many Frenc their invene nc intolerable — he participate this was t allowed tha x’ Pri d an ‘Gr onal tion of the internati

T

64

PERFORMANCE RACING NEWS

GrandPrix 18.08.indd 2

12/8/06 2:33:02 PM

Binno 18.02.indd 1

5/4/06 3:32:46 PM

Centenary ofPtRheIX GRAND

Photos by Photos by Bill Murenbeeld

ter. t met the rules to en anyone with a car tha erica the term ‘Grand Prix’ Am Of course, in North denote any by its being used to has been debased ’t called a isn t tha e) rac e cours race (usually a road tion of the ula em in er such numb ‘500’ or some other p Car Grands am Ch are re the So famous Indy 500. nd Prix of s Prix, sports cars Gra and the Prix, Indy Car Grand x Pri nd Gra r Canadian all kinds. The prope multitude of the in t los t ge x Pri United States Grand term Grand prix. In Europe, the other, lesser grands th Formula wi s less synonymou Prix is still more-oro been used als s ha ve’ reu Ep de One. The term ‘Gran 50 the FIA pionship races. In 19 to denote the cham ula One rm Fo championship for created the world be used to ds ten m ter ht) copyrig world cars and that (now er mi pre the y to refer to as a more precise wa . es rac drivers championship Prix at Le the original Grand It all started with entrants 32 ted . The race attrac Mans back in 1906 the 100 km of s lap six ys, IOD da o tw and it was run over OCESSION OF PER R P a 1,200 km race dis A it Y g B kin D ma — KE y R da A M circuit each , a HungarREE“THE EVENT WAS won by Ferenc Szisz IGINAL 100KM TH R O E tance. The race was ving a 13TH dri y, ER tor V fac O ult G na Re MANS ian test driver for the CARS TRAVELLIN ndred years OF THE CITY OF LE ST chelin tires. One hu EA ST JU F1 IT the litre Renault on Mi n CU wo R o ” y, Fernando Alons CORNERED CI tires. later, almost to the da E 24-HOUR RACE TH E R Renault on Michelin a O in x EF Pri B nd D N Gra n Canadia st of the THE WEEKE advantage over mo Szicz’ car had an the newlying us s wa it t tha in other competitors ant that a table rims. This me developed demoun t four minou ab be replaced in punctured tire could ove and rem to tes nu mi 15 t ou eels on utes compared to ab wh d he ac att tube on the n of 32 replace the tire and rgi ma a won the race by the other cars. He final lap the on d roa the off ning minutes despite run test lap — front spring. The fas and messing up a mph while 73 s wa — 06 19 in remember this was tance was dis ole wh the eed for causing the average race sp re we ds the cars’ spee 63 mph. No wonder . es rac d roa en problems on the op has long race winning car Unfortunately, this demons wa r but a similar ca since disappeared stival of Fe od wo od Go r’s s yea Grand strated as part of thi the of ry na e of the cente r that Speed’s observanc ca e on event there was cq that Prix. At the Le Mans rra Da 06 19 a e, al rac had run in the origin d brought in New Zealand an had been restored n. sio ca oc s back to France for thi

66

PERFORMANCE RACING NEWS

GrandPrix 18.08.indd 4

12/8/06 2:33:47 PM

THE HARDCORE SHOW FOR CAR ENTHUSIASTS

MARCH 9,10,11 FEATURING INTERNATIONAL CENTRE 6900 AIRPORT ROAD, TORONTO, ONTARIO FRIDAY 10AM-10PM | SATURDAY 10AM-10PM | SUNDAY 10AM-6PM

TO REGISTER YOUR VEHICLE PLEASE VISIT

WWW.PERFORMANCEWORLDCARSHOW.COM

10 Race Tracks Speed & Custom Accessories NASCAR, Cart & F1 Die-Cast Models & Racing Apparel Salute to drag racing Promods & Pro Street Shootout The Worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Fastest Race Cars Many racing organizations

RACEWAY ALLEY Outstanding Awards! Stock Car, Open Wheel, Vintage Race Car, Legend, Open Wheel Drag Car, Best Appearing Crew

WWW.PERFORMANCEWORLDCARSHOW.COM

2006 SPONSORS

PW 2007.indd 1

12/8/06 5:50:25 PM

E G A T S E L’

P

IS

M A H C R ATTE

I

OR

IT Y ED RALL

VID H y DA

Photos by Evan Browne

b

took e h n whe Pines came m dreahe Tall s he be a d t a e aliz ally of finale win e r R e p m to ary i g a e h e r a t s d th nd my lege L’Es line at ampion pion.

US as “ his idol, e w the n t i i h cham g o oth t id C like b n a i r his n s t n e y i d r n l A sta l ge n lize a win an yone a a t a a R e i s r e E s ero L’ ob the adian Canad than ta ge ha yhood h ine ted t s o n e t i a s r n o E n b A L’ ew icto Ca 2006 up, y.” H re v pion fum, his l ing e da has mo n cham f w n ssfu u e o o B r h g t ia o m ucce he hip fan , wh t ions anad p fro sas

p C o a hel rally ham n Buffum o wned ing t es w with r s a nadian c t h c i acqu mber go with his o J J y d l r t e e a w e s v i th m the C an rally e 33, ne as achie uffum “I re se fa h who e sport. w was B ag ric , e t e e a h m g , A th ared sa ay re, sta prep is ter in rst car I . Tod at’s mo d L’E i s a i e a d s v s a a i f h nd d,” th h Can and, wh d the bloo brother a team ning wi ight n . and r y a g o t m n d i — n ” en in m sa s ol Rac on e Begi test. drea recent m rally. It’s also ha 13 year Libra iburons. ge has w and he grea d e o o d s e h t h t e a s a T f st ba as — Iw dw turn as born air o onts an 4, L’E hen said hn w “I w he 1980 1986 w , but Jo his Verm ently a p d of 200 tic,” he d the tis ec en r in t e) in and y da in of d t sta own. ore r s at the a w h m , drive te-Agath o was m Buffum t t , r s ith tra ine ) an sie ec (S t her r years, t an Elan he Tall P leased w aking th bably ea n the US ew s r Defi i f t i r of fou firs pro lly t mp car . My f And Audi the past cars — the Rally s — “I a fore fina rth, and ked his ent o ubaru. t u c e t m y r n o e b l e a f r l o e r S F ti s -05 ai ra t victory ional ev ho w ng’s th hi ly re 2004 yund at n wi tt Iorio (w the ear hard Wo irs his H rough f nadian n p in both ip seaso c g a in Ri M kth Ca nsh ivals ollow tes over er-u brea st 13 hip runn champio of main r y), and f u a n i p m e read nce our of th ampions is 2006 abse was not e than f h ch e d h e s t r d a u w car es. In y mo oncl He c e Tall Pin ose new ictory b he said. v h h t w at n( d to ear,” year ickso e cruise ap the y r E c h ain ard, Sylv ay to e-Pic erfect w i r m Co ep as th “It w

A

68

PERFORMANCE RACING NEWS

Rally 18.08 V2.indd 2

12/8/06 12:56:56 PM

Photos by Evan Browne

I WAS BORN TO RALLY. IT’S IN MY BLOOD. I REMEMBER GOING TO THE DEFI (STE-AGATHE) IN 1986 WHEN I WAS 13 YEARS OLD AND THE FIRST CAR I SAW WAS (JOHN) BUFFUM (L.) WITH HIS AUDI. MY FIRST HERO WAS MY DAD, BUT JOHN WAS THE GREATEST.” -ANTOINE L’ESTAGE

good hind e b year t tha t s t ver, a n i po owe ng. h n , i r l a i l r c vera rd. g sp wer e ne nd o a lowin ed in a seco Pat Rich troyed th a the fol t l resu ert es d ert . frien irtually d in in Alb entration ick Nap f ebec u Q n v a c n t a i he eo on un He rY here 95, t e sid y Mo pse in c co-drive 9 w h t k e 1 c s n l a o n R la g ti ow d de es d even ec, drivin t the mentary s he an e an y. s a rook his first n tim ck injur er, but o b o e b e m r h z m u e s o A a a h d Q e r b S d h ov c e a r t , e l car. test ad half ary” trea rdly mino n was llye d Mon tage con f the Ra rolla, ha But he h r “sc at least ffered a o s 1997 ell a e e o s y s . u d o u h l l s t E s o e C n L’ axw is rt h df tio roll ta tion e ra Nape eared h turn wit Brian M first l por ve Toyo ondi ntere n th . a c e f o f n i r l — e o f e i i e e r d ,h he ac nt nc reg age he r o-driver eel-d lfrien for t e wi ral years season. hen oma aieL’Est nsisted c car r-wh ar for th nd r o his gir nadian, h e a w u v c e e e B e o w e a r h f 1 h i e t s e t s 0 a c l n t o 0 s C n a x s i e l m g 2 e e , l e i l h s r n it us ffu in ri ab all thre sh nin sa ag he mero her brot e suit d for the egional r e sport uction E d Bu ering w ng Engli by win made it e ha co-drive u g n a t n i , n e r t th d rt on ct od th L’Es s latest thre peak byPaSHAWN fun a Quebec aper sBISHOP bout drive pr ts, collePhotos unde ho w titles wi final te (or — and he rebo ck with N us a t. Hi hard, w n l i e v S o i e i e u ” h f n r v t e c n e a r i e r e c o a ci ric at er Ric r-wh ot s nal — novi nd, b Ame geth alie tage He g ed a fou ve natio n top “ Jacques time urs a e Nath d North ed L’Es w live to real. l i o r f a i r w h u e t t o d th cq ieu des-C red an rtner ey n t of Mon llying, bu he a He ente ishes an h his fa er Math U.S. e pa son. Th c s a i h e n r . h a i h t S n f n e o d o o w a h r . e Pat e is id Tal is se ieu, sout home an p-fiv s, a title which b dai d sh l ts th e to a r Hyun s even ur-Riche s to mix iness an rica,” s , thre ) honou 89 and s s i e a s s o e 9 i u ou m -cl . Th rook on in 1 03.

Jean as nerv ’s like b North A ve and tw open the US 0 n i t w f i 2 w a n then m “I had claim in bought rally, rivers i en, aged was r fro e a r o w c o r d h d h l d e l n elde ,w co ou ,w tory chi , h whe best has two ques and w n 2002 mer fac o Buffum am. The king c a e J h I t r li gr of t ther, who riage. a fo ique ok a ction ally pro r age, ng fa g techn icense, ntra, introdu r ng to support i a l y l S l E L’Est past ma ’s rallyi l n a U r vi to o his undai’s a ge t his ern f dri ued rican from led t from as L’Esta asics o oine go of south Ame d contin thdrew Hy h t g r y t b n i i s ta an No w An It w m the runn road ten s n of hat cois ially sma t hi oment t the back ould of ow or uebe dai offic e h t Q g a cond u t g w s ta un ieu oun h se nes s sn y e m man on t y h i a h H t t e a w w r h s Pi from wild brother M en there ime too. s to t ven afte Tall dium d e a as a h yt t po ige and s ffere r i o f him he w . He and ecially w ays. Da ool, it w m his -Ne ort. u c ai d e f w p h p e d f d e c e s i c s r b n a u d d s e the eh stu Que to g si ht, e Pe year, B ory Hyu g n g h o i i a t g t v h n , i n t s l i r ll d ct ,w t ding riv L’E sa rea out a practice ishe the nex is ex-fa ason-en 02 as d L’Estage de Mont n i w f e I h e to se 20 me said at ag site plac and ice, e of the ry ti to a cing ge,” e Univer ped out y, he For f on 003 . o 2 l m i “Eve cial sta e p e h h in a d n t o s i t u dr Tod mo ed conv ked spe the in ion a . He lub.

997 grad th a i 1 p an u w him il ke a l educat a trainer itness c nchises a s, m ed He r fra ica as faf uron , Buffu respond sta ges. o o b g i i r n d T i r e phys s a rk Pine ’Esta ge f 14 anag ie-C e wo 11 o Tall whil ecome m ve Energ dL g n n i a l n i b f e n mod y, wi 20 to wner of ictor v -o t o s c r fi is PERFORMANCE RACING NEWS

Rally 18.08 V2.indd 3

69

12/8/06 12:57:30 PM

Photo by McKlein/LAT

oke b br e o L ept. after on S g g llies n a i r C bik oun r WR s while his y alia u , o f y e e l r c k al Aust w r pla n in Tur won d in o n fou e i Ne Ford w h p n m i t ar holm en trium tories . h n e g for i o r r r u vic am, fail sG his von (l. to r.) Christian Loriaux, Marcus Gronholm, e u r e t i n r c o r H o n i a o hm ns nd M roe Malcolm Wilson and Miko Hirvonen celebrate after fourt Mikk ok two 26. uspe future a s/Cit s e e o t e n a a r o o l d h t m t Kr nti winning the 2006 Manufacturer’s Crown for Ford Worl s in eam onholm only The st, u rallie years, a nks t les. ged Fore Gr a S a 1-2 e n U W d a n a r i n e a as a ore s. and Ma ,m he thre w n s . m e d o e t r w i h n v P o t i o o , a holm Zeal Loeb dr h Xavier Zealand rally, es to d next two to see h Gron ers’ t p i d m d , h o w n t e w o n i c a fr Ne eh riv es whi He h me in th hip even .

Defi rted and nish ed b he d eti ns t the key ce fi elite ily. I sta d some nish tching t olled his r o i a a i m l f l u o p a s p T s n n e r ri th am m ne tio na foun ker victo h fa In bo as Hir vo es of s when he recover erna nks ly Ch a ric ults and gest bac o uent , thi n Ral g the int p , ld q e a o i d u c l e h r m o s a n o s si fro ub als str on keep tai res dc big for F onholm’ ith s n Au 18th an inish to eft has ose shed y Moun to am am not t good i w a h ) r d r w w c e m G l , u o t ro ck ef e “I , go But dash tage fell t (Buff ial.” in a thre inale up s no e Ro esperat rest. ottom aid L’Es “John c were irst day, d a top- Welsh f at d c Fo o ha lt of th b i e h f d h e o i t p l e e t s c s w i s k . f t e m th s c e is Pa resu nger age, t fro dow need ors,” n the him in th en lo L’Est ed as a e is no lo ned a lo pons erto win ng with car o fifth. He . His w . Hir von s r r h i e v nc g to rk atu els I lea fident.”

Loeb s ali edin . Wo only s Co he m nt and fe stage. “ ance t behind con finale ne But i ped a lot t h h d e c g e n i l d i N a g . ra oin his hel RC acc OW y sin relaxed all Pines pionship rd st ne p ever two T ES W R’S CR on his thi absence m o ce. m i ore K a 5 y h h b 0 m win A c 0 e pla his DT re ve w URE h. I’m to the 2 n for the t the titl d have third FOR UFACT b may ha title, but to captu cras s ul nt so o o e l h m d w s e e r o N p h h e He MA astien Lo mpionshi llowed Fo ter T and g. W intin at Pe b broke ” r’s . o e a t Seb lly Cha p ts a e b n p y e t a to a even R el hu was dis e consis out this w 2 e d e 0 l f h 20 r Wor wn. inal aw That was mo oubt ab paired the f tors’ cro ith ts. “ d re m w o y c r e l n l f l u t poin ut Peter o a it tr seas as l e fin cons .B ical re w ck in th inant all won chan S the e e h t m a m U e .B But s do ed a t on ship e wa and jus o have l pion g m a t a t s ch d d L’E prou econ ron, Tibu ins, a s e is also w da. H four Cana n i DNF 70 25

PERFORMANCE RACING NEWS

Rally 18.08 V2.indd 6

12/8/06 12:57:48 PM

Mechanix Wear 18.08.indd 1

12/14/06 4:17:00 PM

rally racing e sport of ve announced th h it W – 06 a ha ov. 28, 20 SPN and Rally Americ ca 2007 National N ., n in M , Ameri LLEY 006, E OLDEN VA onal recognition in 2 PN2 will air the Rally ti ES r racing to enjoying na agreement, in which ght rally ca duced the u r ro a e b y d in lt a u 6 am SPN in 200 g in the U.S. and intro ing will be hip Series. ship with E c Champions ca began its relation re-birth of rally racin ement, Rally Car Ra hereby e re ri e g th dw a e m h e rk A s a th y li p Rall stab ed s rt of which help new audience. As pa ing system will be e d in determining , 2 1 s e m a a XG alify use of racing to es 14. A qu ship will be purest form Games 13 and X Gam a National Champion X c included in f the 2007 Rally Ameri o s lt ERICA u s the re es 13.

RALLY AM m a ID G A S X ,” to Y ITH ESPN invitations ORTUNIT NSHIP W

G

PP TIO US THE O UR RELA NAL S GIVES ABOUT O E M D E A G IT C X E NATIO Y EX Y. “THE NOW TH A D ID N N I AM VER A .

E B DIENC TOR J. HEROES G DIREC E THEIR ROAD AU E B IN S G A O A T O N T A E S M HANC ATHLETE FANS A C ENT OUR ES OUR IV G TO PRES E G OVERA .

NSHIP C SEASON CHAMPIO OUT THE H G U America O R TH s the Rally ppeal with e e s it PERFORM , n io is a

ports div rossover d its motors e property that has c il u b to s e u u ntin uniq As ESPN co pionship Series as a m a h C l a SAID Nation well.

ERICA,” s brand as RALLY AM H IT the X Game W IP NSH . “WITH

RELATIO OR ESPN MMING F AND OUR P A X R E G INITELY O O R T P HAPPY 2 IS DEF PORTS N Y S P R R S E E O V T , E O G WE’R OF M MMIN PROGRA IRECTOR 7.

CAYO, D RSPORTS O T O M S IN 200 FRANTZ F URS O RTS FAN O O H P S 0 0 R 5 O T AN R MO MORE TH WORK FO ighlights ION NET T A IN ecember. H Rally T D S id m in THE DE d e e

ilable on th ill be releas Schedule w roadcasts will be ava V T 2 N P S E merica/ levision b .

The Rally A features from the te a.com. on of ESPN e e distributi v ric th ti e c m rs ra -a ro te y ir ll in a m d .r an ally ww s and virtu ebsite at w America w ow in 91 million home ESPN2 is n

72

PERFORMANCE RACING NEWS

Rally America 18.08.indd 2

12/8/06 1:01:10 PM

Rally America 18.08.indd 1

12/8/06 9:09:21 AM

N

The final round of the 2006 Autobacs SuperGT, the “Fuji GT 300km race,” was held at Fuji Speedway and in the GT500 class, the No. 32 Epson NSX (Loic Duval/Hideki Mutoh) got its first win of the season.

But it was the No. 36 Open Interface Tom’s SC430 (Juichi Wakisaka/Andre Lotterer) captured the series title with a solid fourth-place finish. In GT300, it was the No. 101 Toy Story Racing MR-S (Morio Nitta/Shinichi Takagi) that was victorious. On the last lap of the race, the No. 7 Amemiya AsparaDrink RX7 (Tetsuya Yamano/Hiroyuki Iiri) moved up to sixth place, which was enough to secure the GT 300 title.

GT500

2006 SuperGT 500 Class Champions Juichi Wakisaka and Andre Lotterer

Super

Photos by Yasushi Ishihara/LAT

Champions It was nail-biting finish to the 2006 SuperGT Championship as track position went a long way in determining this year’s class champions.

Sitting on the pole position, the No. 32 was feeling the pressure from the No. 35 Bandai Direzza SC430 (Peter Dumbreck) in second on the grid and got off a good start to pass through the first corner in the top spot. Following were the No. 35, No. 3 YellowHat YMS Tomica Z (Naoki Yokomizo), and the No. 24 Woodone Advan Kondo Z (Masataka Yanagida), the same positions as on the starting grid.

On the other hand, the No. 1 Zent Cerumo SC (Toranosuke Takagi), which still had a shot at the title, and the No. 8 Arta NSX (Ralph Firman) collided at the “Dunlop corner” on the opening lap. This forced the No. 1 off the course. It returned to the pits where damage to the left front suspension was found, retiring the machine. Their dream of back-to-back titles went up in smoke. Probably due to the collision, the No. 8 suffered a flat tire on the right rear on the second lap, and although it returned to the pits to replace the tire and came back to the race, they received a drive through penalty because of the collision.

Behind these two machines was the No. 36, which started seventh on the grid and had moved up to fifth on lap 3. Lotterer maintained a steady pace to hold the position.

Battling for the top spot, the No. 32 managed to pull away from the No. 35, which was pushing hard and by lap 15 built a 10-second margin. At this point, the machine standing at the top of the rankings, the No. 100 Raybrig NSX (Sebastien Philippe), starting from 13th, had moved up to 10th and in range for points. Had it maintained this position to the finish line, it would have taken the title, but some steady driving was necessary. However, when it tried to overtake the No. 23 Xanavi Nismo Z (Tsugio Matsuda), the two machines made contact and it received a drive through penalty. This pushed it back to 13th and out of range.

The GT500 win at the season finale went to Loic Duval and Hideki Mutoh

The GT500 win at the season finale went to Loic Duval and Hideki Mutoh 74

PERFORMANCE RACING NEWS

Super GT-18.08.indd 2

12/12/06 11:28:36 AM

ING R U T A E F | 8 ,27,2 6 2 Y R A U N A J CHIP FOOSE, AJ AND CA

RS FROM THE SHOW

KUSTOM KULTURE

BETH-ANN

AJ

AUTOMOTIVE BUILDING, EXHIBITION PLACE, TORONTO SPEEDORAMACARSHOWS.COM FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT GARY WALLACE

416-462-0132 / GARY@SPEEDORAMACARSHOWS.COM

FP AD2 Speedorama Collagev1.indd1 1

12/8/2006 1:42:55 PM

The No. 32 was running solidly in the top spot and made its routine pit stop on lap 31. Ordinarily, Duval would have continued driving a little more, but on lap 36 Hideki Mutoh took over the wheel. The No. 35 (Naoki Hattori) in second place had taken its pit stop earlier on lap 27, and when the No. 32 got back on the track the gap was still roughly 10 seconds.

All eyes were on the latter half of the race to see whether the veteran Hattori could overtake the rookie Mutoh.

The gap between the front running No. 32 and No. 35 moved back and forth between 10 and 13 seconds. With 15 laps remaining, the No. 35 surprisingly began to fall back. The No. 24, running behind the No. 35, closed the gap quickly. In the last 10 laps, the battle for second intensified. A fierce side-by-side battle ensued as both machines grazed each other slightly at times.

Mutoh, in the No. 32, ignored the group following him and drove solidly, taking no chances. In the end, the two GT rookies at the wheel of the NSX put up an impressive pole-to-finish win. The battle for second lasted until the last lap. The No. 24 overtook the No. 35 on the last lap and that appeared to be it. But just before the last corner, Hattori worked his SC430 inside of Ara. A scant 0.322 second margin separated the machines as the red SC crossed the finish line to take second.

The race for the drivers’ title was won by the team of Wakisaka and Lotterer thanks to their fourth-place finish, which put them just one slim point ahead of the No. 100 driven by the team of Philippe and Hosokawa. This was the second title for Waskisaka since capturing one in 2002, and the first for Lotterer.

GT300 The No. 777 Ryozanpaku apr MR-S (Kazuya Oshima), which took the pole in qualifying, was late getting started and could not get to the dummy grid, making it a pit start for them. But with the way things would develop later, this was nothing more than a preface to an unbelievable drama.

In effect, this put the No. 19 WedsSport Celica (Koji Matsuda) in the top starting position, but it was overtaken by the No. 9 Nomad Advan LeyJun MT that had a faster top speed on the main straight. What’s more, the No. 26 Carchs Tomo Taisan GT3 (Shinichi Yamaji), starting 10th, drove at a remarkable pace to improve positions by moving up to second by lap 10. The No.

2006 SuperGT 300 Class Champions Tetsuya Yamano and Hiroyuki Iiri

26 then whittled away the gap to the leader and was in range by the time 25 laps had passed. However, on lap 28, the No. 9 in the GT500 class made contact and the No. 26 was just barely able to avoid more serious trouble, but in the interval the No. 19 and No. 62 Willcom Advan VEMAC408R (Haruki Kurosawa) pulled in front. But then the No. 19 and No. 62 went into the pit. With this, No. 26 was able to take back the top position.

The front-running No. 26 made its pit stop at the end of lap 35, but the work took a little time and the wheel was handed over to Kazuyuki Nishizawa.

When he returned to the course, it had fallen out of podium contention. On the other hand, the No. 777, which had to make a pit start, put up successive fastest laps. It put off making its pit stop until lap 40 and finally took provisional possession of the top spot. In a daring ploy to save time, the tires were not changed and pit work time was shortened to 18 seconds. When it returned to the course it was still holding the top spot. But as may be imagined, traction was down and Minoru Tanaka spun. He wasn’t able to move up the pace from then and his position fell. With this, the No. 62 was in the top spot, the No. 101 second, and rounding out the top three was the No. 19 Shigekazu Wakisaka. These positions would not change until the last lap where a big surprise was

waiting at the last corner.

In what would have been a victory in just a few more seconds, the No. 62 ran out of gas and stalled.

The machine stopped on the inside of the last corner.

This resulted in an upset win for the No. 101 and put the No. 19 in second. Third place was taken by the No. 13 Endless Advan CCI Z (Masami Kageyama/Tomonobu Fujii) who had started fifth.

The No. 62’s stall also had a big impact on the race for series title. Tetsuya Yamano had spun on lap 7 and for a time the No. 7 Amemiya AsparaDrink RX7 (Tetsuya Yamano/Hiroyuki Iiri) had fallen to 22nd place, but managed to recover by changing only two tires instead of all four and had worked its way up to seventh by the last lap. With the leader out it improved to 6th. On the other hand, the No. 2 Privée Zurich Shiden (Hiroki Katoh/Kazuho Takahashi) had only changed the front tires in a ploy for time that would come back to haunt them. They failed to maintain their position and fell out of point range.

With this, both machines were tied at 86 points.

Since the No. 7 had finished in the top spots more often, they captured a long-awaited series title. Although they were helped by the retirement of the leader and the penalties on their rivals, the fact that they moved up in position by their own power led to them getting the title in the end.

Photos by Yasushi Ishihara/LAT

The GT300 win at the season finale went to Morio Nitta and Shinichi Takagi

76

PERFORMANCE RACING NEWS

Super GT-18.08.indd 4

12/14/06 2:49:12 PM

Edmonton Program.indd 11

6/14/06 11:23:42 AM

It’s in the

STARS WITH

KYLE

HERDER

Photos Courtesy DISCOVERY CHANNEL

Kyle Herder had a hectic 2006 season and takes the time to tell PRN readers about his season and details his experience in the Star Racer Series.

T

he 2006 season was a transitional season for me. Much of the year went to developing karts for my dad’s shop, Karts & Parts, while I also worked for Engineered Automotive tuning high-end cars. But it was the Star Racer Series that turned a lot of heads and it was definitely an experience I won’t forget.

On the karting side, we got our hands on a new line of karts for the Honda and Rotax classes that ran very well, even taking some wins with the Honda stuff. A few too many technical DNFs cost me on the Rotax side, as we were generally on the pace until the gremlins crept in – at least now I know what to “bullet-proof” in the future! Ha, ha you just have to remember that soft axles don’t last as long and give no warning before snapping into two!

Starting the year my biggest goal was to reach the Rotax World Finals being held in Portugal. At the Canadian National Karting Championships in Edmonton, I was in good position as I started on off-pole for the pre-final. Unfortunately, the kart’s set-up couldn’t keep up with the changing track conditions and we finished sixth out of about 70 karts. It was the first time I didn’t reach the podium at the Canadian Karting Championships. However, I feel I turned some heads by winning two of the three heats and showed what I can do.

Outside of the karting, my job at Engineered Automotive in Concord, ON kept me busy doing things I enjoy, like tuning on Porsches, BMWs, Ferraris 78

and even Mercedes-Benz. As part of the job I get to take the cars to Mosport to shake out any bugs and to help build baseline set-ups so the customer gets a safe and fast car. The fun part is taking the customer for ride and showing them how it’s done – when I hit 1:30 most wanted me to let them out, but when I said there was another five seconds in the car they never believed me!

“THE DAY AFTER I APPLIED, DISCOVERY CHANNEL CALLED AND THEY INTERVIEWED ME AT BARRIE. EVERYTHING WENT WELL – I HAD FUN IN THE INTERVIEW AND I EVEN WON MY RACE! AT THE AWARDS PRESENTATION I WAS ANNOUNCED AS A PREQUALIFIER FOR THE SHOW.”

THE STARS ALIGN

LET THE COMPETITION BEGIN

Just prior to the Barrie Grand Prix Ron Fellows Championship event my mother finally convinced me to send an application in for the Star Racer Series (just two days before the deadline) – I had heard rumours about the show but hadn’t been too excited.

The day after I applied, Discovery Channel called and they interviewed me at Barrie. Everything went well – I had fun in the interview and I even won my race!

At the awards presentation I was announced as a pre-qualifier for the show.

After the eight drivers had been selected from the qualifying events across the country, a group of 24 drivers was pared down to 16 after the karting championships in Edmonton. Fortunately, both my brother Pearce and I were selected, but my teammate Rob Oakman didn’t make it past the prequalifying stage. On the ride home from Edmonton we were able to smile and enjoy the long drive all the way back to Ontario.

So, 16 Star Racer driver and two “bubble” drivers were flown to Montreal where we boarded a bus and made the trek to Mont-Tremblant. The competition itself was hectic – it felt like a week long job interview. From the moment we got off the plane in Montreal, the competition was underway as cameras were always in your faces for the rest of the week.

As for the competition, you couldn’t afford to let your guard down as 18 of Canada’s best drivers were on hand trying to steal the spotlight.

One driver’s mistake became another driver’s opportunity, especially with the camera on you from 5am until 2am every day! Luckily, I was well rested before the show because we knew they were testing us physically and mentally but many drivers looked ready to fall asleep several times during the week.

I guess the thinking was that since race weekends are so long, if we couldn’t handle this how could we perform at the top level.

PERFORMANCE RACING NEWS

Herder 18.08.indd 2

12/7/06 5:35:41 PM

1 DAY COURSE

UNFORGETTABLE EXPERIENCE

$499.00

Riding gear & motorcycles YAMAHA R6, SUZUKI GSXR600 or SV650

FastRidingSchool 18.08 V3.indd 1

12/12/06 2:58:42 PM

MUGGING FOR THE CAMERA One of the problems during the week involved camera time. It was a constant battle amongst the strongest to get our fair share. There were a few drivers who went overkill with it, acting up just to make a scene when nothing was really going on. But, talk is cheap and I preferred to let my results/driving do most of the talking. At the end of the week, I’d say it was a show with some competition to it. Viewers only see what the show wants you to see. And to the viewers, I’m sure you have no idea that most of the elimination scenes took place at two in the morning!

One example was the showing of poor lap times, which didn’t always reveal what was really going on.

In one show they list my times down on the charts, but what viewers don’t know is that I had technical problems. Because of the problems I didn’t drive the whole session so I looked to be off on the time sheets.

And that doesn’t even get into the track conditions, which changed from group to group with some wet weather playing a factor.

Something that made me feel bad was the situation the non-karting drivers had to deal with. In a lot of ways they were thrown to the wolves. Did Star Racer know what kind of competition the non-karters would face? A good karter can make the transition to open wheel, but it seemed like the non-karters were meant to come off badly paired up against the karters. And most of the top karters (like me) have a fair bit of open wheel experience.

FRIEND OR FOE? Another interesting back story was the relationship between the drivers. Some people clashed huge with others, while others became friends and helped each other through the process. I can be very serious at the track and focused on the job in front of me, so some of the other drivers might have had some trouble with me, but if I was able to spend time with them they usually saw my fun side away from the track.

We were in two teams and in two separate chalets, so you either bonded or clashed – and that’s when the talking behind each others backs stuff started. Typically though, the rivalries were only within each team. In general though, Team Castrol was very out going and got along great, but I can’t comment too much on Team Mazda as I wasn’t with them much.

In the end though, I made a few new friends. I was offered a kart ride with a major North American shop with a top-notch set-up and a new friend asked me to attend a track day on their sport bike. At least I walked away from the show with some new friends and I’m sure they will be lasting friendships.

PERFECT SETTING The competition was held at Mont-Tremblant in Quebec and they couldn’t have made a better choice on where to hold it. The scenery was awesome and the track was even better. The Jim Russell School 80

“IN GENERAL, TEAM CASTROL WAS VERY OUT GOING AND GOT ALONG GREAT, BUT I CAN’T COMMENT TOO MUCH ON TEAM MAZDA AS I WASN’T WITH THEM MUCH.” was great as the cars were all in great shape and the instructors and mechanics were helpful. Anyone interested in taking a racing school should strongly consider taking it there. It’s the best I’ve seen and I can’t say enough about it – I can’t wait to get back out there for any reason.

Also, the instructors from the Jim Russell School were awesome. Although it was a competition, I was still there to learn — just like any experience in life.

The instructors from Jim Russell were almost more helpful than the judges. They could see things from our perspective and knew where to help us in the competition. I give huge thanks to Keith, Philippe and JeanFrancois, they are all class acts and were extremely helpful. As for the judges, it was great to meet them in reality, but I feel as if they were there to do their job as judges and not be close and personal.

BROTHERLY LOVE Another thing that jumped out at me was that I think Pearce and I were chosen as a pair to be the show’s siblings. Perhaps they wanted to see some fights and drama between us, but since I was signed over as his legal guardian, I figured I’d let him live another week

and we could take care of things at home.

Once the filming started the questions always seemed to be about how Pearce was doing and how things were going between us. Pearce is new to cars and he struggled, so I tried to help as much as possible and the cameras were there filming. It’s too bad the cameras don’t show that on TV though. Being the older brother does have its responsibilities and I would have rather seen him do a little better, but he needed more time and the filming was rushed along.

When Pearce was asked to leave the show, they asked if I wanted to say goodbye. I declined since it would only be a few days before I saw him again and I knew Pearce would be okay. I believe I made the right decision – I wanted to show I cared, but at the same time I was there to do business. I was there to win.

Speaking of winning, unfortunately I can’t give you all the details. As I’m writing this for PRN there are still a few shows before the final one and my confidentiality agreement prevents me from giving away the winner or even who the top three finalists are. Sorry, you’ll have to wait for the last show just like everyone else!

The Star Racer Series contestants faced some stiff judging from the celebrity panel, which consisted of (l. to r.) Paul Tracy, Katherine Legge and Derek Daly

PERFORMANCE RACING NEWS

Herder 18.08.indd 4

12/7/06 5:36:23 PM

viatrailers 8.08.indd 1

12/12/2006 4:43:06 PM

e t t e n i b u n H w o r c D a l u m r o F s e tak AY AS DAI DALE SPEEDW IN W IR AT KS O PRIZE. T INTO THE BO TOOK THE BIG T SEASON WEN TE EA ET R G IN B U ER H H OT EL AN S SAMU OK THE WIN A YOSHIHARA TO

MIRA PHOTOS BY

By MICHAEL SE

JOEY REDMOND

ive a free pass saw Millen rece ur Fo al 350Z Fin e Th plete. te, ust’s AEM Nissan red three of Hubinet ls courtesy of Fo ffe na big su fi e e e th ag Th o m ll. int da wa ial e nents, while due to substant crashing into th ula ted at sed of their oppo lace finbeing sidelined y-crowned Form season culmina and Foust dispo -p D n ird ille th ula round. The newl M D rm s Fo iou ula r ev d e black / rm he pr ha th Fo e ts as th 05 , ec s anot in ra 20 sp e iha su 3 l (th sh ua S1 Yo ra ay, the us t get past Rim Nissan Dai Yoshiha Irwindale Speedw 2006 Formula D Series ckstar / Pacific D champ couldn’ Viper and slid into the finals. er) piloted his Ro ida and into the Great 8. the the ish d be ste to be previous ce er 3 an ov S1 d ch ld a go Hayash ve met up two d a slight lea harging Silvia past Kazu ra and Millen ha n competition. Back in uel Hubinette ha rt thstood a hard-c iha wi sta sh t up Yo us e Fo th n, th d tio wi se Champion. Sam d, S2000 kis in eliminatio In Great 8 ac d into the last roun se RS-R Honda times this season ach, it was Millen that bettere Rhys Millen going in third.

McQuarrie (who off the Ford ld Be ler he e Ty ng O th Lo GT g ed in tin n rn iac 1 tu sit tio nt d t Roun illen’s Po the elimina r. Yoshihara Tanner Fous T-10 the wall), while M n got started in r-sponsored drive ll GTO e Dodge Viper SR sta Th Bu ed ck d Jr. ed Ro n Re se e tti e nth Gi th no hn e Before the actio ing to in th Yamanaka Atlanta, send Mustang of Vaug s a familiar face owd and drivers be too much for tables around in ihara who came out victorious in round, there wa th the cr binette proved to was sent home. Yoshihara bo Hu sh d Yo of ha s at wa th r RockIt . p eiou Kl packing 5 Silvia qualifying gr teran Pierre me the victory fo Tires handle, as the S1 ld Challenge ve shi and his Toyo match, taking ho or W Gu X er n D bb TS Ke EE a ru e ur SP ed . th Ac rn ed e tu d excit RealTim tors. r Rim Racing. was dialed in an the keys to his azda petitors to specta star and Pacific essful season fo nubing gave up in the A’PEXi M ustang from com semi-final, Samuel Hubion M ift other very succ rd dr an Fo his en t be ge promote d s an to ha e s th It ay ing of ew inu rt nt sid y sta co az for a chance to e ing Prior to th pion. The Cr the series is looked great go e drivers’ skills Formula D cham o-Hubinette Formula D, as RX-7. Kleinubing sixth. Unfortunately for the nonNorth America. Th pr tte was the 2006 in e ne th th ow fy gr , ing e previali rd ’s at qu fo tre ing er to drift ted by managed ever, showing th n get rs (Rich Ruth victory Swede celebra usly better than ca ow and a couple s, only three drive chi) managed to vio er sh US fi e ob e ali ok e th qu ar sm at ed e th ed siv rs his se crowd to a mas Japanese drive tulations from ra d Mitsuru Haragu ior er ng an up co ida -s ng sh sly ivi ya ou ce Ha re Kazu illen. ttles. laps, along with p 16 tandem ba n long-time rival M msideways too. make it to the To ts, the all-Nissan battle betwee co petitors including ’t m sn co w wa llo fe ion tit gh pe m rs co Fo of ris ht Ch nig d In Top 16 highli a) an However, the (Nissan S15 Silvi ered Z33 Kenji Yamanaka with the V8-pow d de en ) 0Z 35 berg (Nissan

A

With everything on the line at the seas on finale every driver let it all hang loose and so metimes the results meant a meeting with the wall

e Irwindale s smoking at th Dai Yoshihara wa Millen ys Rh er ov the win finale and took

aD

2006 Formul tte clinched the Samuel Hubine ls na the semi-fi title by reaching

82

PERFORMANCE RACING NEWS

Drift 18.08.indd 2

12/12/06 11:39:05 AM

GET YOUR

DRIFT ON! L L A R O F P HO S P O T S LS E A I N T O N S E â&#x20AC;&#x2122; S O S T TORON OUR DRIFTING E Y SPECIALIZING IN: ENGINE SWAPS CUSTOM PAINT JOBS COLLISION REPAIRS CUSTOM ALIGNMENT

WWW.IACTECH.COM 219 Westcreek Drive | Woodbridge, ON | L4L 9T7 T: (905) 265.1422 | F: (905) 265.1405 | E: iac@on.aibn.com

Working IAC 18.08.indd 1

ISO 9001:2000

12/12/2006 6:22:39 PM

QUEBECREPORT THE BEST IS YET TO COME

story and photos by ÉRIC DESCARRIES | QUEBEC EDITOR

ACT is back Stock car racing has always been in turmoil in Québec. There was a time when everyone thought that CASCAR would be ‘THE’ sanctioning body to unite all the major tracks in Québec. But that was did not happen. Then there was a movement to reunite Quebec City-based Late Model Sportman cars and CASCAR Sportsman racers. But that was short lived. One could feel a strong opposition from LMS people toward CASCAR rules. Eventually, only LMS cars were left and their drivers got organized and involved in the National Castrol LMS series over the last two years. Once again, it began costing more

84

Jonathan Bouvrette (lower left) was crowned champ at St-Eustache; Sebastien Dussault (middle) was vice-champion and Jean-François Bouvrette third; behind that trio are (l. to r.) Claude Aubin, promoter, Brian Thomas, tech inspector, Ron Auclair, president Cummins Canada, eastern region and Pierre Archambault, marketing manager, Cummins

and more to run the dozen races in that series.

So it looks like in 2007 Tom Curley and his ACT team will be back in Québec (he once ruled the area when he founded ACT after being involved in NASCAR North). Consequently, the Quebec LMS teams and drivers recently met in Drummondville to listen to Curley’s proposal.

The ACT’s 2007 Québec Late Model Series is getting organized with, up to now, nine races at Montmagny, Ottawa (Capital City), Vallée Jonction and St-Eustache. There will even be an ACT/QUE Combo Super Series on July 28 at St-Eustache. One additional event has been discussed and should be official soon — the Sanair Mega Classic. But it doesn’t seem like it will count for the points race. Purse money should run between $15,500 to $40,000.

The grand finale will be the Cari-All 300 at St-Eustache on Sept. 22-23.

Lots of news from St-Eustache L’Autodrome St-Eustache remains one of the most active paved short ovals in Québec, As a matter of fact, it is the only NASCAR sanctioned track in the province. And there is much promised for 2007.

Few people know that l’Autodrome will have a new administration in 2007. Also, it will hold three major ACT races, May 26, July 28 (ACT/QUE Super Series) and Sept. 23, the Cari-All 300 classic.

Photo Courtesy Autodrome Granby

Photo Courtesy Autodrome St-Eustache

I

f everything goes as planned, the 2007 racing season in Québec will be the best ever. Obviously, the crown jewel will remain the Canadian Grand Prix at Le Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve. But that will be only the beginning. Following that race, the Champ Car series, which was booted out of the same track, will be at Le Circuit Mont-Tremblant, one of the most beautiful racing sites in North America. It was uncertain at one point if the race was going to be moved to the Mirabel Airport because of citizen unrest concerning the noise level, but it now seems that everything is settled. By the way, if promoter Lawrence Stroll keeps his promise, the Sommet des Légendes vintage race will also be back as good as it was in the past (last June’s event was not exactly a success so the 2007 edition should be back in July… and hopefully with better weather!).

Then there is the NASCAR race at Le Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve in early August. According to first reports, tickets are selling at a very fast rate! Additional stands were promised in front of the pit lane, where most of the action is. However, let’s not forget the Rolex race the night before ! We are still not sure if the now NASCAR Canadian Tire Series will be part of that show, but it seems assured that it will at least be back at St-Eustache and TroisRivières (where it had the biggest crowd ever in its history according to past president Tony Novotny).

Critics who thought the NASCAR race wouldn’t be a success in Montreal must be eating crow now. Still in the stock car arena, the American Canadian Tour (ACT) is back in La Belle Province, taking over from the troubled LMS tour. Now, that’s good news!

Back to the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières. The NASCAR race in Montréal has taken away the traditional weekend for the Trois-Rivières event, but that did not discourage the organizers. They pushed the dates back to Aug. 18-19! Back in 2007 are the Grand Am and NASCAR Canadian Tire series!

Add to that the local stock car and sports car series, drag racing, motorbike and tractor pull… where can one find the time (and the money) to attend each and every one of those events? It surely is not bad news!

Alain Boisvert was one of the most impressive drivers in dirt racing in Quebec

But St-Eustache is first of all home of the NASCAR Cummins Pro-Truck series in which the 2006 champion, Jonathan Bouvrette was also the Division II NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series Vice-champion! Starting in 2007, the Pro-Series (involving older Camaro and Malibu stock cars) is moving back to the local ANCA (Association Nationale de Coureurs Automobile) championship while a new division called Elite is being formed involving the 4-cylinder powered Force 4 Challenge cars and drivers. The Elite division will be NASCAR sanctioned.

Dirt champions crowned This year, both Quebec dirt tracks — Autodrome Granby and Autodrome Drummond — got together to celebrate their 2006 championships, which makes a lot of sense since they share almost all the same drivers. At the same time, they were celebrating the second annual CARQUEST Provincial Championship won this year by David Hébert from St-Damase. Hébert also won the Drummondville championship while Alain Boisvert was the Granby champion, both driving in the highly competitive Modified division. Boisvert also won the Bob Gatien Cup for the most remarkable driver at l’Autodrome Granby. Though he won only two races, he did so in such a perfect way that he also had the fastest times in his division.

PERFORMANCE RACING NEWS

Quebec 18.08.indd 2

12/12/06 11:47:23 AM

R E E R A S E I C T I N U T R O P OP CHAMPIONSHIP ESTABLISHEDEN WHEEL RACING WINNING OP KING FOR FULL TEAM IS LOONNEL TIME PERSO

ASON FOR THE 2007 SE BE CONSIDERED) OF OPERATIONS. BASED IN Y MA E TIM RT (PA TE EFFECT; E TO EXPANSION AND BEYOND DU E OPENINGS ARE WITH IMMEDIAD. TORONTO ON, THEARLY APPLICATION IS REQUIRE CONSEQUENTLY

tor HANIC NO. 1 MEC ars of full time mo d minimum of 2 ye

ferred) an Must have a e (open wheel pre racing experienc h attention to detail. A strong hig a te tra ns ckground is mo de t gineering style ba mechanical or enccessful candidate will show tha car su e eel racing wh en op preferred. Th an g of of runnin they are capablepervision and to a high standard under with minimal surking as part of a multi-car team preparation, wo a Crew Chief.

SITIONS)wheel) NIC (2 PO rably open RACE MECncHA efe (pr ing rac of e l experience

Some experie h any relevant mechanica required, althoug

Autotechnica 18.08-HPH.indd 1

Autotechnica-Chad 18.08.indd 1

cars, karting or (such as sports the will be consideredrking under the supervision of on Wo motorcycles). and/or the Crew Chief (dependingow sh ic to an d expecte No.1 mech n to candidate will be experience), the chanical aptitude and attentio me of el lev od go a detail.

AINEE sense ECHANIC/TR JUNIOR M titude, common direct r od mechanical ap

rking unde Requires go alone detail. Will be wo and attention to will be expected to work largely t bu n, gramme. pro ng supervisio ini tra the within ible relatively quicklyuire hard-working and respons l All positions req candidates must be able to trave individuals, and

ply le work hours apay for rk abroad. Flexib frequently for wommes require the team to be awends as testing prograa time, and races occur on week several days at er holidays. and frequently ov s detailing all ld send resume s: Applicants shou nce to the following addres relevant experie , es Human Resourc p, 101 Freshway drive, Unit 12 Autotecnica Grou L4K 1R9.

Concord. Ontario.agroup.com jobs@autotecnic 66 Fax: 905-660-74

12/12/06 12:16:13 PM

12/12/06 2:51:52 PM

CANADIAN DRAG UPDATE RACING

story and photos by BRUCE BIEGLER // DRAG RACING EDITOR

Brad Vinje (from Langley, BC) won the 2006 NHRA Summit Racing Series World Championship for Super Pro racers

Respected Canadian engine building wizard Bob Atchison will be inducted into the Canadian Motorsports Hall of Fame in February

CMHOF INDUCTEE Legendary Canadian engine builder Bob Atchison will be inducted into the Canadian Motorsports Hall of Fame on Feb. 10, 2007 in Toronto.

Atchison, father and engine builder to threetime IHRA Alcohol Funny Car World Champion Rob Atchison, is one of nine inductees for the mid-Winter affair and will represent the sport of drag racing.

Born in 1941, Atchison first emerged on the Canadian drag racing scene at the tender age of 16 and was a participant at some of the very first organized drag races ever held in Canada, including St. Thomas Dragway (Sparta, ON) and Kohler Dragway (Cayuga, ON), Canada’s first two drag strips. He raced a series of Gassers and Dragsters during his career.

Bob’s reputation in drag racing does however go well beyond his significant on-track accomplishments. His London-based machine shop (Atchison Machine), first established in 1967, is well known for building race car chassis, engines and custom racing components for not only himself but also for numerous other famous racers.

During the later 1970’s Bob’s focus shifted to his thriving business operations. He retired from active competition in order to fully concentrate on the high demand for his expertise within diesel and high performance machine applications.

During that time he began his family with wife Maxine, raising his daughter Darlene and son Robbie.

Bob’s leave of absence from drag racing ended during the early 1990s when Robbie’s urge to go drag racing became apparent. Bob and Rob starting racing together in 1994, eventually graduation to a series of Alcohol Funny Cars.

Their run within the Alcohol Funny Car ranks is nothing short of remarkable. In a class where the norm is a Hemi-powered engine configuration, Bob almost single handedly took a homeengineered Chevrolet-powered car from rags to the envy of everyone in the class. The team enjoyed absolute record setting season domination in IHRA racing, winning three consecutive IHRA World Championship titles between 2003-05.

86

CDRU.indd 2

Ontario’s Victoria Smith was the 2006 Can-Am Stock/Super Stock Champ driving her high-flying Pontiac Sunfire

BC RACER CLAIMS WORLD TITLE The husband and wife team of Brad and Cheryl Vinje earned significant bragging rights for the Canadian drag racing scene during NHRA’s seasonfinale AAA Auto Club Finals in California.

Participating within the event’s race-withina-race Summit Racing Equipment National ET Championship, which is a showdown featuring the most elite and best ET racers from each of NHRA’s 7 geographical divisions, the Mission Raceway track champion prevailed to claim the 2006 overall Super Pro ET National Championship.

Driving his ultra-clean ’68 Chevy Camaro, Vinje combined great starting RTs with solid consistency to claim Super Pro racing’s ultimate crown. He beat Ron Baisden and Dan Beebe to advance to the final where his .010 RT and run of 10.56 secs (10.55 dial in) topped Minnesota’s Rodney Thompson.

“We were really excited about representing our home track at this event,” said Vinje, who is an auto technician from Langley, BC. “After we won the track title at Mission we were one of the top four that went to the Race of Champions event at Medford, OR. We went six rounds there to prevail over 19 other track champions.”

Vinje looked calm and cool throughout the Pomona event where he raced in front of some 40,000 spectators and on a national stage. “I tried to keep it low key and treat it like any other race but that was hard,” he admitted. “My wife helped me keep my head on straight.”

The 2006 Summit Racing Equipment National ET Championships also featured a second Canadian participant — Curtis Monson, from Sechett, BC. Driving his ’81 Malibu in Pro ET and also representing Mission Raceway, Monson capped off his strong 2006 season with a semi-final finish.

VICTORY FOR VICTORIA! Second generation driver Victoria Smith, daughter of Canadian legend FJ (Fred) Smith prevailed to win the 2006 Can-Am Stock/Super Stock Championship series. Driving a spectacular Pontiac Sunfire, which was built at Smith Performance Specialties, the 23-year old recent University of Guelph graduate used a superb season start to clinch the overall season championship.

“We had a really good season, winning three events in total,” said Victoria. “Winning the first two races of the season gave us some good momentum and we were able to make continued performance gains all year. The Can-Am Series is where I was introduced to Super Stock and it’s where I learned to race. It’s very competitive.”

GRAND BEND DATE MOVED IHRA has changed its originally released 2007 eMax Nitro Jam Drag Racing Series schedule.

The MOPAR Canadian Nationals at Ontario’s Grand Bend Motorplex, which has historically been held in early June, will now be held on July 20-22.

PERFORMANCE RACING NEWS

12/12/06 12:27:36 PM

Lucas Oil.indd 1

8/30/06 2:53:55 PM

BU YERS

GREDDY’S GR OIL

GReddy Performance Products is proud to announce the launch of the full synthetic GR oil line. Made from the finest automotive grade, Group IV, PAO and Ester-based oils, GR oil is specifically designed to protect and enhance modern, small displacement, high horsepower engines. GR-3 (5W-30) is ideal for high-revving normally-aspirated engines, like VTEC Hondas. GR-2 (5W-40) works great for stock or bolt-on turbo kits, while the flagship GR-1 (10W60) is geared towards high horsepower engines with extra boost. GR synthetic oil can be purchased at any Authorized GReddy Dealer. For more information visit www.greddy.com or call (949) 588-8300.

QUAKER STATE

VALVOLINE

Today’s advanced engines generate power and performance with the help of aluminum, multi-valve cylinder heads, aggressive cam designs and turbochargers. The new Quaker State Advanced Engine Full Synthetic Motor Oil is specially formulated to maximize the performance and power of today’s modern engines. Heat-activated molecules in Q are unleashed to provide a low-friction, ultra-heat resistant lubrication film. This superior, protective layer helps control power-robbing friction, while advanced additives help prevent oil shearing and resist thermal and viscosity breakdown. For more information visit www.quakerstate.com or call (800) BEST-OIL.

SynPower is an advanced, fully synthetic motor oil formulated for extreme protection and superior performance. It helps extend engine life by reducing wear and oil breakdown.

SynPower motor oil meets the demanding performance requirements for BMW, Corvette, Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Volkswagen, Volvo, and other high-performance vehicles. It helps extend engine life by reducing wear and oil breakdown. For more information visit www.valvoline.ca.

ADVANCED ENGINE OIL

SYNPOWER

ROYAL PURPLE MOTOR OIL

Royal Purple high-performance motor oil has been proven to increase horsepower and torque, reduce heat, wear and emissions, while improving fuel economy.

Royal Purple’s film strength is claimed to be up to four times higher than leading synthetic motor oils. It’s available through authorized performance and national automotive retailers including NAPA, O’Reilly and Pep Boys. For more information visit www.royalpurple.com or call (888) 382-6300.

RED LINE

OIL’S MTL FOR TRANSAXLES

PENNZOIL PLATINUM

Pennzoil Platinum 0W-20 is a fully synthetic engine oil designed to provide extra protection and help deliver maximum fuel economy for hybrid technology vehicles.

Pennzoil Platinum is specifically designed to provide hybrid engines with extra protection against deposits that can rob engine performance. Pennzoil Platinum helps provide minimal pumping losses at the wide range of operating temperatures in your engine. Benefits include enhanced protection against deposits for stop-and-go hybrid vehicles, maximum fuel economy and emission system protection. For more information visit www.pennzoil.com or call (800) BEST-OIL. 88

ROYAL PURPLE MAX-GEAR OIL

Max-Gear is an ultra-tough, high-performance, automotive gear oil designed to provide superior protection while maximizing power output. Max-Gear makes gears run smoother, quieter, cooler and longer without overhauls. All viscosities of Max-Gear are formulated with hypoid friction modifiers essential for use in clutch- or cone-type differentials. No additional additives are necessary. For more information visit www.royalpurple.com or call (888) 382-6300.

Red Line Oil’s MTL manual transmission lubricant is a 70W80 GL-4 gear oil perfect for use with FWD transaxles. MTL provides excellent protection for gears and synchronizers. Its balanced slipperiness provides a perfect coefficient of friction, allowing for easier shifting.

Popular applications include Honda, Acura and Mini. Looking for a 75W90 GL-4 for Nissan, Toyota or Mazda? Try Red Line’s MT-90 which is a similar fluid with a heavier viscosity. For more information visit www.redlineoil.com or call (800) 624-7958.

PERFORMANCE RACING NEWS

Buyers Guide 18.08.indd 1

12/7/06 5:28:48 PM

BU YERS

AMSOIL

EUROPEAN CAR FORMULA 5W-40 Reformulated Amsoil European Car Formula 5W-40 Synthetic Motor Oil is now recommended for VW 505.01, VW 502.00, Mercedes-Benz 229.51 and BMW LL-04 specifications. This motor oil is engineered for turbo direct injection (TDI) vehicles, including the Volkswagen Jetta, Passat, Golf, Beetle and Audi A3, A4, A6 and A8 models. It is formulated to exceed API SM/CF requirements for North American vehicles. It is recommended for European gasoline and diesel vehicles, including Saab, Audi, Volkswagen, MercedesBenz, Volvo, Land Rover, Mini Cooper, BMW and Porsche. For more information visit www.amsoil.com or call (715) 392-7101.

MOBIL 1 5W-30 Mobil 1 5W-30 is the world’s leading synthetic motor oil. It is specially designed to provide the cleaning power, wear protection and performance reserve to keep engines running smooth and clean. Mobil 1 5W-30 exceeds the requirements of the latest industry standards required for modern gasoline and dieselpowered engines. Mobil 1 is recommended equipment in the world’s finest automobiles including Corvette, Porsche, Viper, and Mercedes-Benz AMG. For more visit www.Mobil1.ca or call 1-800-268-3183.

CASTROL SYNTEC

Recent independent tests prove that Castrol Syntec provides superior engine protection, maximizes the performance output of your vehicle and, in fact, outperforms all leading motor oils.

For more information please visit www.castrolcanada.com or call (800) CASTROL toll-free.

TORCO SR-1 SYNTHETIC MOTOR OIL The foundation of SR-1 Synthetic Motor Oil is a unique combination of synthetic-based oil technologies and additive systems. SR-1 is engineered to outperform regular consumer-brand petroleum and synthetic oils. It incorporates Generation-2 MPZ which reduces frictional losses for true performance gains throughout the horsepower and torque range. SAE Grades: 5W20, 5W30, 10W30, 10W40 & 20W50. For more information visit www.torcousa.com or call (562) 906-2120.

LEADING EDGE

SYNTHETIC ENGINE TREATMENT & OIL BOOSTER Leading Edge Lubricants’ concentrated, powerful engine lubricant enhancer is engineered to provide extreme engine protection. Years of research and dynamometer testing resulted in a treatment that reduces friction, wear and heat. It provides cooler oil temperatures by up to 20 degrees, protecting all major engine components. One bottle treats up to 6 US quarts. Great for turbo and nitrous applications.

For more information visit www.lelube.com or call (866) 706-EDGE.

Buyers Guide 18.08.indd 2

TORCO

MPZ ENGINE ASSEMBLY LUBE MPZ Engine Assembly Lube is favoured by professional mechanics during assembly of internal mechanical components including pistons, bushings, bearings and transmission components. MPZ EAL is a high-viscosity, oil-soluble lubricant which contains concentrated anti-wear, anti-friction and anti-shock elements for superior protection. It contains formulated adhesion properties so it will not run or drip from treated parts. For more information visit www.torcousa.com or call (562) 906-2120.

12/12/06 6:02:46 PM

2007 REVIEW BROUGHT TO YOU BY

A GREAT RACE CAR

BMW 335i

hauler

Ford Expedition MAX 2007

BY ÉRIC DESCARRIES – SENIOR WRITER very year at this time PRN talks about some of the most impressive cars or trucks we might have driven at the annual AJAC (Automobile Journalist Association of Canada) Test Fest, an event that includes hundreds of cars and light trucks all competing to be, first of all, winner of their division and, mostly, Car- or Truck-of-the-Year.

There was quite an array of incredible sports coupes, convertibles and sedans this year, including the mighty Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 (covered earlier in PRN) but I just thought, for this issue, I’d put myself in the shoes of so many weekend racers.

There were very few cars that would have been a potential race car, but there was at least one truck that could fill the needs of many weekend warriors — the mighty Ford Expedition MAX. Obviously, it could have been more exciting to describe what the Mustang or the new Jag convertible can do on a fast course rapidly set on an airport tarmac. But then, the big Ford was there answering the needs of so many people involved in racing, it was kind of difficult to avoid. By the way, this Ford was a contender in the SUV over $60K division. It was pitted against such vehicles as the Acura MDX Elite, the Audi Q7, the Cadillac Escalade, the GMC Yukon, the Lincoln Navigator and the Mercedes-Benz 450 GL. The GL eventually took class honours, being the best new SUV over $60K. But at $85,752, I think the Expedition MAX Eddie Bauer at $64, 490$ is a better buy for budgeted racers (and you can get one at an even a better price if you choose a cheaper version than our Eddie Bauer).

E

90

WHY THE EXPEDITION MAX? First of all, I think many weekend racers (road racing, stock car, drag, etc.) are also involved in some form of small business. Already, this vehicle can come in handy within the business. Then I figured it would also be a great car hauler.

Under the hood is a powerful 300-horsepower singe overhead cam three-valve per cylinder 5.4liter gasoline V8 that pumps out 365 lb-ft of torque at a low 3,750 rpm. It comes with a six-speed automatic transmission designed to pull heavy trailers. And talking about heavy, the new Expedition MAX is a 4 x 4 full-size SUV that not only carries up to nine people but can also pull a trailer up to 8,750 pounds! Add to that the extra 680 litres (24 cubic feet) of loading space over the standardlength Expedition (Ford calls it MAX in Canada as it is called EL in the United States, the moniker EL belongs to Acura in Canada). That means that with all the seats folded flat (the third one can be electrically powered), the MAX owner gets 132 cubic feet of cargo space (3,738 litres to you!).

This new big Ford replaces the recently abandoned Excursion and is an important competitor for the Chevrolet Suburban. Unfortunately, like the Chevy, there is no diesel engine offered (yet!) in the Expedition MAX. But the interior is designed not only for work but also for travelling. Though the Expedition seems to have kept the same general design as last year’s (at least for the short version), the interior has been completely redesigned including a more easily readable instrumentation.

What’s more, the truck can be ordered with a precise and easy-to-use navigation system and Sirius Satellite Radio.

AT WORK Long before the AJAC event, I had the opportunity to drive the new Ford Expedition in the mountains of Oregon. And I also had the opportunity to test one of those SUV’s with a loaded trailer in tow.

Obviously, it’s the six-speed transmission that really does the job. It allows the big truck to pull the trailer with incredible ease, especially from a standing start. Tested in a hilly environment, the Expedition MAX had no problem pulling the big trailer.

A GREAT TRAVELLER But what can be most important for many people is the fact that a MAX can be a great vehicle for long hauls. It is very comfortable and quiet on the road. The independent rear suspension contributes a lot to its good road handling. Obviously, it is not as easy to drive in urban situations. And fuel economy will not be its best feature but you can expect something like 17 or 18 L/100 km with such a beast. And its four-wheel drive capabilities will make it ideal in winter situation. It will not be the most agile truck off-road but that is not its purpose. The big Ford Expedition MAX was built to move people, carry cargo and pull trailers, all in class and comfort. Isn’t that what you are looking for when you are going to the races?

PERFORMANCE RACING NEWS

CarReview1 18.08.indd 2

12/12/06 5:55:53 PM

Red Line18.02.indd 1

5/4/06 2:46:23 PM

2007 REVIEW BROUGHT TO YOU BY

INSTANT

BMW 335i

boost

BMW 335i STORY AND PHOTOS BY GERRY FRECHETTE

T

he appeal of the BMW 3-Series coupe hardly needs to be explained. Several generations removed from its 2002-model beginnings a third of a century ago, the 3-series epitomizes the sport coupe with the overall performance capabilities to keep enthusiasts entertained in every way.

The latest generation coupe has arrived, and following the last version that was very well-received, plus a few other BMWs that had some design aspects that were controversial, aficionados of the marque held their collective breath that this icon would be in the tradition of previous models. And that it is, maintaining the expected proportions, including a “normal” trunk, and adding a strong character line just below the belt line.

Subjective aspects aside, the new 3-Series Coupe is available in two versions, the 328i with 3.0-litre straight six as before, and, the big news this year, the 335i, which represents a first for BMW, as not only is it direct injected, but there are two small turbos attached to the 3.0-litre six, providing instant boost and no lag due to their small size.

The result is response at any engine or road speed.

The 300 hp and 300 lb-ft of torque are nice round figures, but tell only part of the story. That torque is available as low as 1,400 rpm, so one needn’t always keep the engine in a lofty power band; it pulls strongly from lower revs. Couple that with the latest generation of the silky straight six, and you get a very potent performer with exemplary refinement, emitting a seductive snarl as the revs climb.

The power goes to the rear wheels (and only there; no “X” AWD available - yet - on the 335) through either a six-speed manual or automatic transmission, the latter with paddle shifters. We haven’t driven the autobox version, but we can say that after driving the car with the stick, you’d have to really not want a clutch to choose it. BMW claims a zero-100 km/h time of 5.6 seconds with the manual, plenty quick by most standards. Make note that the SMG sequential tranny is not offered.

Beyond the expected independent suspension, tuned for “sport” from the factory, and big fourwheel discs, options are pretty much limited to Active 92

Steering, the need for which given such a smooth and communicative old-tech steering box escapes me, and what size wheels and tires you would like.

A bit surprisingly, 17-inch wheels are standard and both 18s and 19s are available. As far as appearance and performance go, the bigger the better. The cars we drove at AJAC Car-of-the-Year testing had the 19s with 255/30 tires in back, 225/35s in front, and high-speed handling was quite surefooted and balanced, at the cost of some ride comfort. So the 18s might be a good compromise, as the 17s just don’t cut it.

Keeping things under control is Dynamic Stability Control with several sub-systems engineered to allow a little leeway in sporting driving, and headlights are Xenon with Adaptive Control that aim into an upcoming corner. Tires are run-flat no matter the size, with a tire pressure warning system, and there are six airbags including side curtains. In other words, BMW includes every bit of active and passive safety technology it has, and it is all standard.

Also standard is a wide range of comfort and convenience equipment, including automatic air conditioning, sunroof, and power windows / driver’s seat / mirrors / locks. Surprisingly, the standard upholstery material is “leatherette,” a high grade of vinyl, but still

vinyl in a $50,000 car. Too bad that a nice cloth seat is not standard, as the only option is leather, available as a stand-alone option or as part of the Premium Package. Our tester had the leatherette sport seats and 18-inch wheels, comprising the Sport Package for $2,000.

One can choose from a wide array of interior colour and trim options to personalize a 335i. With three trim finishes (brushed aluminum standard, burl walnut or poplar grey optional) and six colours available, plus numerous exterior colours including metallics ($800 extra), your 335i can be rendered unique.

Major options include Navigation System, upgraded 13-speaker Logic7 audio with 6-CD changer, and Bluetooth phone with voice recognition. Not on the list is the dreaded iDrive controller, and one has to think that most people buying a 335i won’t really miss it.

So, the new 335i has almost all the performance of the last generation’s M3 model, at about $30,000 less, so the starting price of $51,600 (CDN) is very good value in this performance car neighbourhood.

Of course, there is expected to be an M3 V8 soon, but the 335i should satisfy all but the most powercrazed, it is that good. It really is the ultimate sport coupe for enthusiasts.

PERFORMANCE RACING NEWS

CarReview2_v2 18.08.indd 2

12/12/06 5:54:15 PM

S E S I R N T S A E SU E H T IN

THE

. C O M S T R R S P O A E B E A S T W W W.

v MADE IN USA FIXING POINTS REINFORCED WITH CARBON FIBER DESIGN AND PATENT BY EAST BEAR SPORTS ALSO AVAILABLE: • SEATS • HEADERS • EXHAUST• SUSPENSION • CARBON FIBER: HOOD, TRUNK, DOORS MIRRORS, AND PADDLE SHIFTERS EAST BEAR SPORTS 168 MASON WAY UNIT B7, CITY OF INDUSTRY, CA 91746 T: 626-968-4007 F: 626-968-7020

Tom Motorsports 5.06_V2.indd 1

12/5/06 6:03:33 PM

ONE RIP-SNORTIN’

Ride

L

et’s not beat around the bush here: The 2007 Audi RS4 is an absolute monster. In the three separate opportunities I’ve had to drive this fire-breathing four-door since its Canadian introduction in late July, I’ve experienced the entire gamut of emotional response from mild denial (can the RS4 really be this much fun?) through acceptance (well, I guess it can be this much fun) before finally ending up at the bartering stage (who do I have to blackmail to get my hands on this thing again?).

Stepping back, let’s establish the rational reasons behind these emotions. First, the RS4 is based on Audi’s much more mild-mannered A4 sedan, but the differences between the two cars are striking. Although the surface resemblance is there, the sheet metal on the RS4 is almost entirely unique. Whereas the stock A4 is a fairly sedate example of Audi’s Bauhaus design ethic, the RS4 is, understandably, a more aggressive execution with bulging fenders, gaping air intakes, substantial twin exhaust pipes and 19-inch alloy wheels. The sedan has also been lowered by 30 mm, while the front and rear track have been widened, giving this Audi a much lower and meaner stance.

Of course, the larger story revolves around that which motivates the Audi RS4: namely, a 4.2-litre V8 that develops a significant 420 hp and 317 lb-ft of torque. Although the engine spins up to 8,250 rpm — an eye-opening plateau for any engine with more than six cylinders — 90 percent of its torque is available between 2,250 and 7,600 rpm. (The V8 features the manufacturer’s FSI direct-injection technology, as first used on the Le Mans winning R8 sportscar.)

Combine these characteristics with the Audi’s slick sixspeed manual transmission and you have a sports sedan that begs to be driven fast. Then, toss in the inestimable grip offered by the quattro permanent all-wheel drive system and an exhaust note that sounds like Ricky Bobby along the high banks at Talladega, and you’re literally powerless to prevent yourself from putting the hammer down at every given opportunity.

The first opportunity to do so came during a press introduction that saw a grid of RS4s barreling through the countryside north and west of Toronto. Blacktop that was more accustomed to transporting slow-moving farm vehicles was given a wake-up call as our fleet gave new meaning to the word “fleet.”

The Audi benefits from the latest version of quattro, which includes asymmetric/dynamic torque distribution and a self-locking Torsen centre differential. The high lev94

2007 REVIEW BROUGHT TO YOU BY

BMW 335i

STORY AND PHOTOS BY MARK HACKING

els of traction and grip are further enabled by a dynamic ride control system that reduces both body roll and dive.

The suspension system is comprised of aluminum transverse links up front and a trapezium-link rear axle; in the RS4, the balance between road holding and ride comfort is better than in previous A4-derived sports sedans. The bumpy country roads, broken pavement and uneven camber turns of that initial drive were no match for the Audi’s sweet set-up.

Barely a week later and I was again behind the wheel of the RS4 for a weeklong rendez-vous that included a few more bursts of acceleration punctuated by some poignant reminders that a four-door sedan with the power of a Porsche is not so much a compromise as it is a rocksolid solution.

The evidence: While the RS4 doesn’t offer an overabundance of rear-seat legroom, it does offer a boatload of comfort over long stretches of road. The highly-adjustable seating position, I find, suits me just fine. The sport seats are supportive on the straights, through the hairpins and everywhere in between. The six-disc in-dash CD system provides symphonic relief from the aforementioned exhaust note… as if that were needed. And the standard heated front and rear seats bring an added measure of convenience.

While the “softer” features of the RS4 create a strong argument for justifying the purchase of this autobahnburner, the third opportunity to drive the car served to remind that this Audi is all about performance.

The occasion: the annual AJAC Car-of-the-Year competition. The Audi RS4 was entered in a caged death match in the Sports/Performance over $50K category, a class that also included the BMW M Coupe, BMW 335i, Ford Shelby GT500, Lexus GS 450h and the Audi S6. Stiff competition to be sure — all of the cars posted sub-6.0 second 0-100 km/h times — yet the RS4 still managed to shine through.

On the makeshift track, a high-speed pylon course set up on the runways of the Niagara District Airport, the Audi showed tenacious grip, superb handling and frightening acceleration. In terms of sheer fun, it was neck-in-neck with the M Coupe, both cars displaying a real willingness

to be thrown into corners with near reckless abandon.

The car’s ability to transition from one side to the other in the higher-speed corners was wildly impressive.

In dynamic testing, the RS4 zipped to 100 km/h from a standing start in just 4.7 seconds, a shade quicker than the next fastest entry, the brutish Shelby. The two cars tied in the 80-120 km/h acceleration test. And in braking distance testing, the Audi lagged behind only its S6 stablemate and the BMW 335i. The RS4 features cross-drilled discs front (365 mm) and rear (324 mm) with under-floor jets for added cooling. The latest version of Audi’s ESP stability control also automatically dries the brake discs under wet conditions to ensure certain braking at all times.

Complaints about the Audi RS4 are few, far between and, in the grand scheme of things, relatively inconsequential. The clutch is a bit light and the steering is a bit over-assisted, but this is nitpicking taken to extremes; the car is an excellent example of what a leading manufacturer is capable of when it hands over the keys to an in-house tuning shop such as quattro GmbH. While the 2007 Audi RS4 ultimately didn’t win its category at COTY, it did post the highest raw score of any new car in the competition. When the car’s relatively steep price (MSRP: $94,200) was factored in, it lost out to the BMW 335i. Still, this doesn’t take away from the fact that, for me, the Audi RS4 is this campaign’s car of the year.

PERFORMANCE RACING NEWS

CarReview3 18.08.indd 2

12/12/06 5:54:39 PM

+ 0)#2-) "

“

ÊÊ > ÊÕÃÊv ÀÊÌ iÊLiÃÌÊ Ü iÃ> iÊ«À ViÃ

0ROSTREETAUTOMOTIVE COM 7ENTWORTH 3T 7HITBY /. , . 2

”

VISIT

WWW.PRNMAG.COM

PERFORMANCE RACING NEWS

Marketplace 18.08.indd 1

95

12/12/06 5:00:51 PM

DECEMBER 8 - 10, 2006 METRO TORONTO CONVENTION CENTRE, SOUTH BUILDING

JANUARY 5 - 7, 2007 The only show with all the manufacturers, all the new 2007 models, incredible prototypes ... and MORE!

ROUNDUP CENTRE, STAMPEDE PARK

JANUARY 12 - 14, 2007 NORTHLANDS, AGRICOM

THE NEW AMERICAN MOTORCYCLES

Check our website for more info, admission specials and to play the CANADIAN MOTORCYCLE SHOWS TRIVIA CHALLENGEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;!

Presented by:

JANUARY 25 - 28, 2007 TRADEX, ABBOTSFORD BC

Sponsored by:

Produced by:

Motorcycle & Moped Industry Council

Motorshows 5.06.indd 1

11/13/06 4:24:57 PM

Royal.indd 1

12/13/06 9:30:01 AM

Royal.indd 2

12/13/06 9:30:22 AM

Royal.indd 3

12/13/06 9:30:33 AM

Royal.indd 4

12/13/06 9:30:52 AM

Royal.indd 5

12/13/06 9:31:02 AM

Royal.indd 6

12/13/06 9:31:11 AM

Royal.indd 7

12/13/06 9:31:20 AM

Royal.indd 8

12/13/06 9:31:31 AM

Royal.indd 9

12/13/06 9:31:41 AM

Royal.indd 10

12/13/06 9:31:52 AM

Royal.indd 11

12/13/06 9:31:59 AM

Royal.indd 12

12/13/06 9:32:12 AM

Royal.indd 13

12/13/06 9:33:14 AM

Royal.indd 14

12/13/06 9:33:24 AM

Royal.indd 15

12/13/06 9:35:03 AM

Royal.indd 16

12/13/06 9:35:11 AM

Royal.indd 17

12/13/06 9:35:18 AM

Royal.indd 18

12/13/06 9:35:28 AM

Royal.indd 19

12/13/06 9:35:39 AM

Royal.indd 20

12/13/06 9:35:54 AM

Royal.indd 21

12/13/06 9:36:02 AM

Royal.indd 22

12/13/06 9:36:11 AM

Royal.indd 23

12/13/06 9:36:20 AM

Royal.indd 24

12/13/06 9:36:32 AM

Royal.indd 25

12/13/06 9:36:44 AM

Royal.indd 26

12/13/06 9:36:58 AM

Royal.indd 27

12/13/06 9:37:08 AM

Royal.indd 28

12/13/06 9:37:19 AM

Royal.indd 29

12/13/06 9:37:30 AM

Royal.indd 30

12/13/06 9:37:38 AM

Royal.indd 31

12/13/06 9:37:49 AM

Royal.indd 32

12/13/06 9:38:00 AM

Royal.indd 33

12/13/06 9:38:14 AM

Royal.indd 34

12/13/06 9:38:25 AM

Royal.indd 35

12/13/06 9:38:34 AM

Royal.indd 36

12/13/06 9:38:43 AM

Royal.indd 37

12/13/06 9:39:00 AM

Royal.indd 38

12/13/06 9:39:12 AM

Royal.indd 39

12/14/06 1:56:32 PM

Royal.indd 40

12/13/06 9:39:33 AM

AD INDEX: APR Carbonio....................................137 Ark Performance .................................59 Atchison Racing ..................................63 Autotecnica Group ..............................85 Binno Wheels ......................................65 BMW ..................................................23 Bully Clutch ........................................57 Chag Autosport ...................................85 Clear Channel .....................................49 Eagle One ..........................................IBC East Bear Sports .................................93 Emcea Transport .................................41 Energy Suspension .............................61 Fast Riding..........................................79 Grand Prix...........................................51 Gentec ................................................45 GP Bikes .............................................21 Hankook Tire ......................................11 Honda .................................................13 IAC .....................................................83 Kymco ................................................25 Lucas Oil ......................................47, 87 Maxell.................................................53 Mechanix Wear ...................................71 Mobil 1 ...............................................37 Mopac Auto Supply .............................35 Mopar ................................................IFC Nitto Tire .............................................55 Nitro Moose ........................................95 North American International Motorcycle Supershow 2007 ................................96 Optimum Performance Products Inc. ...19 Performance World Car Show .............67 Rally America......................................73 Redline Synthetic Oil ...........................91 Royal Distributing Catalogue ..... 97 - 136 Sirius Satellite Radio .............................3 Speedorama Car Show .......................75 Speed Channel ...................................39 Suzuki ......................................... 9, OBC Valvoline .............................................30 Via Trailers ..........................................81 VP Fuels .............................................77 Wakefield Castrol ..................................7 Yamaha ..........................................4, 17 PERFORMANCE RACING NEWS

Ad Index 18.08.indd 1

137

12/14/06 3:29:32 PM

THE 2006

MOTORSPORT CALENDAR FIA FORMULA ONE March 12 March 19 April 2 April 23 May 7 May 14 May 28 June 11 June 25 July 2 July 16 July 30 Aug. 6 Aug. 27 Sept. 10 Oct. 1 Oct. 8 Oct. 22

Bahrain Grand Prix Malaysian Grand Prix Australian Grand Prix San Marino Grand Prix European Grand Prix Spanish Grand Prix Monaco Grand Prix British Grand Prix Canadian Grand Prix United States Grand Prix French Grand Prix German Grand Prix Hungarian Grand Prix Turkish Grand Prix Italian Grand Prix Chinese Grand Prix Japanese Grand Prix Brazilian Grand Prix

Fernando Alonso Giancarlo Fisichella Fernando Alonso Michael Schumacher Michael Schumacher Fernando Alonso Fernando Alonso Fernando Alonso Fernando Alonso Michael Schumacher Michael Schumacher Michael Schumacher Jenson Button Felipe Massa Michael Schumacher Michael Schumacher Fernando Alonso Felipe Massa

BRIDGESTONE CHAMP CAR WORLD SERIES BY FORD April 9 May 13 May 21 June 4 June 18 June 25 July 9 July 23 July 30 Aug. 13 Aug. 27 Sept. 24 Oct. 22 Nov. 5

Toyota Grand Prix Sebastien Bourdais Houston Grand Prix Sebastien Bourdais Tecate Telmex Grand Prix Sebastien Bourdais TimeWarner Road Runner 225 Sebastien Bourdais GI Joe’s Grand Prix AJ Allmendinger Cleveland Grand Prix AJ Allmendinger Molson Grand Prix AJ Allmendinger Edmonton Grand Prix Justin Wilson San Jose Grand Prix Sebastien Bourdais Denver Grand Prix AJ Allmendinger Montreal Grand Prix Sebastien Bourdais Road America AJ Allmendinger Lexmark Indy 300 Nelson Philippe Telmex Tecate Grand Prix Sebastien Bourdais

IRL INDYCAR SERIES March 26 April 2 April 22 May 28 June 4 June 10 June 24 July 2 July 15 July 23 July 30 Aug. 13 Aug. 27 Sept. 10

Toyota Indy 300 Honda Grand Prix Indy Japan 300 Indianapolis 500 Watkins Glen Grand Prix Bombardier Learjet 500 SunTrust Indy Challenge Kansas Indy 300 Firestone Indy 200 ABC Supply Co. AJ Foyt 225 Firestone Indy 400 Kentucky Indy 300 Argent Mortgage Grand Prix Peak Antifreeze Indy 300

Dan Wheldon Helio Castroneves Helio Castoneves Sam Hornish Jr. Scott Dixon Helio Castroneves Sam Hornish Jr. Sam Hornish Jr. Scott Dixon Tony Kanaan Helio Castroneves Sam Hornish Jr. Marco Andretti Dan Wheldon

ATLANTIC CHAMPIONSHIP April 9 May 13 May 21 June 18 June 24 June 25 July 9 July 23 July 30 Aug. 13 Aug. 27 Sept. 24

Long Beach Grand Prix Reliant Park Fundidora Park Portland Int’l Raceway Burke Lakefront Airport Burke Lakefront Airport Exhibition Place Finning Int’l Speedway San Jose Grand Prix Denver Grand Prix Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve Road America

Andreas Wirth Andreas Wirth Graham Rahal James Hinchcliffe Graham Rahal Graham Rahal Robbie Pecorari Simon Pagenaud Raphael Matos Graham Rahal Graham Rahal Jonathan Bomarito

INDY PRO SERIES March 26 April 1 April 2 May 26 June 4 July 1 July 15 July 22 Aug. 13 Aug. 26 Aug. 27 Sept. 9

Homestead-Miami Speedway Jeff Simmons Honda Grand Prix Raphael Matos Honda Grand Prix Raphael Matos Futaba Freedom 100 Wade Cunningham Corning 100 Bobby Wilson Liberty Challenge Alex Lloyd Cleanevent 100 Jay Howard Milwaukee 100 Jaime Camara Bluegrass 100 Jay Howard Sonoma 100 Wade Cunningham Sonoma 100 Alex Lloyd Chicagoland 100 Wade Cunningham

STAR MAZDA CHAMPIONSHIP March 17 May 13 May 21 June 3 June 24 July 15 July 22 Aug. 5 Aug. 19 Sept. 2 Sept. 29 Oct. 21

138

Sebring Int’l Raceway Reliant Park Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course The Milwaukee Mile Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve Miller Motorsports Park Portland Int’l Raceway GP de Trois-Rivières Road America Mosport Int’l Raceway Road Atlanta Mazda Raceway

Gerardo Bonilla Daniel Herrington Ryan Justice Michael Potekhen Adrian Carrio Adrian Carrio Michael Potekhen Matt Varsha Ron White Ron White Ron White Ryan Justice

ROLEX GRAND-AM SERIES Jan. 29 March 4 March 25 April 8 April 23 May 7 May 14 May 29 June 3 June 25 June 29 July 30 Aug. 11 Aug. 26 Sept. 2

Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona Dixon/Wheldon/Mears Autodromo Rodriguez Pruett/Diaz Homestead-Miami Speedway Rockenfeller/Long Toyota Grand Prix Pruett/Diaz Virginia Int’l Raceway Rockenfeller/Long Mazda Raceway Angelleli/Magnussen/Taylor Phoenix Int’l Raceway Pruett/Diaz Lime Rock Park Bunting/Lally/Valentine (GT) Sahlen’s 6 Hours of the Glen Bergmeister/Said Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course Haberfeld/Fernandez Brumos Porsche 250 Braun/Bergmeister Barber Motorsports Park Braun/Bergmeister Crown Royal 250 at the Glen Pruett/Diaz Infineon Raceway Pruett/Diaz Miller Motorsports Park Patterson/Negri

AMERICAN LE MANS SERIES March 17 May 13 May 22 July 1 July 15 July 22 Aug. 20 Sept. 3 Sept. 30 Oct. 21

12 Hours of Sebring Capello/Kristensen/McNish Lone Star Grand Prix Capello/McNish Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course Bernhard/Dumas New England Grand Prix Capello/McNish Utah Grand Prix Biela/Pirro Portland Grand Prix Capello/McNish Generac 500 Biela/Pirro Mosport Grand Prix Capello/McNish Petit le Mans Capello/McNish Monterey Sportscar Championships Capello/McNish

NASCAR NEXTEL CUP *Feb. 11 *Feb. 16 Feb. 19 Feb. 26 March 12 March 19 March 26 April 2 April 9 April 22 April 30 May 6 May 13 *May 20 May 28 June 4 June 11 June 18 June 25 July 1 July 9 July 16 July 23 Aug. 6 Aug. 13 Aug. 20 Aug. 26 Sept. 3 Sept. 9 Sept. 17 Sept. 24 Oct. 1 Oct. 8 Oct. 14 Oct. 22 Oct. 29 Nov. 5 Nov. 12 Nov. 19

Budwesier Shootout Denny Hamlin Gatorade Duels Elliott Sadler/Jeff Gordon Daytona 500 Jimmie Johnson California Speedway Matt Kenseth Las Vegas Motor Speedway Jimmie Johnson Atlanta Motor Speedway Kasey Kahne Bristol Motor Speedway Kurt Busch Martinsville Speedway Tony Stewart Texas Motor Speedway Kasey Kahne Phoenix Int’l Raceway Kevin Harvick Talladega Superspeedway Jimmie Johnson Richmond Int’l Raceway Dale Earnhardt Jr. Darlington Raceway Greg Biffle Nextel All-Star Challenge Matt Kenseth Coca-Cola 600 Kasey Kahne Dover Int’l Speedway Matt Kenseth Pocono Raceway Denny Hamlin Michigan Int’l Speedway Kasey Kahne Infineon Raceway Jeff Gordon Pepsi 400 Tony Stewart Chicagoland Speedway Jeff Gordon New Hampshire Int’l Speedway Kyle Busch Pocono Raceway Denny Hamlin Indianapolis Motor Speedway Jimmie Johnson Watkins Glen International Kevin Harvick Michigan Int’l Speedwat Matt Kenseth Bristol Motor Speedway Matt Kenseth California Speedway Kasey Kahne Richmond Int’l Speedway Kevin Harvick New Hampshire Int’l Speedway Kevin Harvick Dover Int’l Speedway Jeff Burton Kansas Speedway Tony Stewart Talladega Superspeedway Brian Vickers Lowe’s Motor Speedway Kasey Kahne Martinsville Speedway Jimmie Johnson Atlanta Motor Speedway Tony Stewart Texas Motor Speedway Tony Stewart Phoenix Int’l Raceway Kevin Harvick Homestead-Miami Speedway Greg Biffle

Aug. 12 Aug. 19 Aug. 25 Sept. 2 Sept. 8 Sept. 23 Sept. 30 Oct. 13 Oct. 28 Nov. 4 Nov. 11 Nov. 18

Watkins Glen International Michigan Int’l Speedway Bristol Motor Speedway California Speedway Richmond Int’l Raceway Dover Int’l Speedway Kansas Speedway Lowe’s Motor Speedway Memphis Motorsports Park Texas Motor Speedway Phoenix Int’l Raceway Homestead-Miami Speedway

CASCAR SUPER SERIES May 21 June 18 July 2 July 16 July 23 Aug. 6 Aug. 12 Aug. 27 Sept. 3 Sept. 9 Sept. 17

NASCAR BUSCH SERIES Hershey’s Kissables 300 Tony Stewart California Speedway Greg Biffle Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez Denny Hamlin Las Vegas Motor Speedway Kasey Kahne Atlanta Motor Speedway Jeff Burton Bristol Motor Speedway Kyle Busch Texas Motor Speedway Kurt Busch Nashville Superspeedway Kevin Harvick Phoenix Int’l Raceway Kevin Harvick Talladega Superspeedway Martin Truex Jr. Richmond Int’l Raceway Kevin Harvick Darlington Raceway Denny Hamlin Lowe’s Motor Speedway Carl Edwards Dover Int’l Speedway Jeff Burton Nashville Superspeedway Carl Edwards Kentucky Speedway David Gilliland The Milwaukee Mile Paul Menard Daytona Int’l Speedway Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chicagoland Speedway Casey Mears New Hampshire Int’l Speedway Carl Edwards Martinsville Speedway Kevin Harvick Gateway Int’l Raceway Carl Edwards Indianapolis Raceway Park Kevin Harvick

Barrie Speedway Scott Steckly Mosport International Raceway Kerry Micks Barrie Speedway JR Fitzpatrick Sun Valley Speedway Brad Graham Grand Prix Edmonton Jeff Lapcevich Grand Prix Trois-Rivières Don Thomson Jr. Mosport Speedway David Whitlock Molson Grand Prix of Montreal Kerry Micks Cayuga 2000 Speedway David Whitlock Autodrome Ste. Eustache Ron Beauchamp Jr. Kawartha Speedway Mark Dilley

FIA WORLD RALLY Jan. 22 Feb. 5 March 5 March 26 April 9 April 30 May 21 June 4 Aug. 13 Aug. 20 Sept. 3 Sept. 24 Oct. 15 Oct. 29 Nov. 19 Dec. 3

Monte Carlo Rally Swedish Rally Corona Rally Mexico Spanish Rally French Rally Rally Argentina Rally Italy Greek Rally German Rally Finnish Rally Japanese Rally Cyprus Rally Turkish Rally Australian Rally New Zealand Rally Wales Rally

Marcus Gronholm Marcus Gronholm Sebastien Loeb Sebastien Loeb Sebastien Loeb Sebastien Loeb Sebastien Loeb Marcus Gronholm Sebastien Loeb Marcus Gronholm Sebastien Loeb Sebastien Loeb Marcus Gronholm Miko Hirvonen Marcus Gronholm Marcus Gronholm

NHRA POWERADE DRAG RACING Feb. 12 Feb. 26 March 19 April 2 April 9 April 30 May 7 May 21 May 28 June 11 June 18 June 25

* denotes non-points event, italics denote Chase for the Nextel Cup

Feb. 18 Feb. 25 March 5 March 11 March 18 March 25 April 8 April 15 April 21 April 29 May 5 May 12 May 27 June 3 June 10 June 17 June 24 June 30 July 8 July 15 July 22 July 29 Aug. 5

Kurt Busch Dale Earnhardt Jr. Matt Kenseth Kasey Kahne Kevin Harvick Clint Bowyer Kevin Harvick Dave Blaney Kevin Harvick Kevin Harvick Matt Kenseth Matt Kenseth

July 16 July 23 July 30 Aug. 13 Aug. 20 Sept. 4 Sept. 24 Oct. 1 Oct. 15 Oct. 29 Nov. 12

Carquest Winternationals Melanie Troxel (TF) Robert Hight (FC), Greg Anderson (PS) Checker-Shuck’s-Kragen Nats Rod Fuller (TF) Tommy Johnson (FC), Warren Johnson (PS) Gatornationals David Grubnic (TF) Ron Capps (FC), Tom Martino (PS) O’Reilly Spring Nationals Brandon Bernstein (TF) Ron Capps (FC), Mike Edwards (PS) SummitRacing.com Nationals Melanie Troxel (TF) Cruz Pedregon (FC), Kurt Johnson (PS) O’Reilly Thunder Nationals Doug Kalitta (TF) Ron Capps (FC), Jason Line (PS) Summit Racing Southern Nats Doug Kalitta (TF) Tony Pedregon (FC), Dave Connolly (PS) Pontiac Performance Nats Brandon Bernstein (TF) Tony Pedregon (FC), Jim Yates (PS) O’Reilly Summer Nationals Doug Kalitta (TF) Ron Capps (FC), Dave Connolly (PS) Carquest Nationals Doug Kalitta (TF) John Force (FC), Kurt Johnson (PS) K&N Filters SuperNationals Rod Fuller (TF) Ron Capps (FC), Jason Line (PS) Sears Craftsman Nationals Tony Schumacher (TF) Tony Pedregon (FC), Mike Edwards (PS) Mopar Mile-High Nationals JR Todd (TF) Gary Scelzi (FC), Dave Connolly (PS) Northwest Nationals Tony Schumacher (TF) Whit Bazemore (FC), Allen Johnson (PS) Fram Autolite Nationals JR Todd (TF) Eric Medlen (FC), Jason Line (PS) Lucas Oil Nationals Tony Schumacher (TF) Tommy Johnson Jr. (FC), Dave Connolly (PS) O’Reilly Mid-South Nationals Doug Kalitta (TF) John Force (FC), Kurt Johnson (PS) Mac Tools US Nationals Tony Schumacher (TF) Robert Hight (FC), Greg Anderson (PS) O’Reilly Fall Nationals Brandon Bernstein (TF) Robert Hight (FC), Richie Stevens Jr. (PS) Toyo Tires Nationals JR Todd (TF) Phil Burkart Jr. (FC), Greg Anderson (PS) Virginia Nationals Cory McClenthan (TF) Eric Medlen (FC), Jason Line (PS) ACDelco Las Vegas Nat’ls Tony Schumacher (TF) Jack Beckman (FC), Richie Stevens (PS) AAA of So. California Finals Tony Schumacher (TF) John Force (FC), Greg ANderson (PS)

IHRA eMax DRAG RACING March 26

Amalie Oil Texas Nationals

Doug Foley (TF)

Mark Thomas (FC), Glen Kerunsky (PM), Frank Gugliotta (PS) April 23 Castrol Spring Nationals Cory McClenathan (TF) Tom Carter (FC), Joshua Hernandez (PM), Tony Gillig (PS) June 4 Mopar Canadian Nationals Bobby Lagana Jr. (TF) Dale Creasy Jr. (FC), Alan Pittman (PM), Pete Berner (PS) June 25 Western RV Rocky Mountain Nats Clay Millican (TF) Tom Carter (FC), Quain Stott (PM), Frank Gugliotta (PS) July 9 GM Motor City Nationals Andrew Cowin (TF) Paul Noakes (FC), Mike Janis (PM), Robert Patrick (PS) Aug. 6 Torco Northern Nationals TJ Zizzo (TF) Tom Carter (FC), Josh Hernandez (PM), Tony Gillig (PS) Aug. 27 Skull Gear World Nationals Hillary Will (TF) Tim Stevens (FC), Raymond Commisso (PM), Pete Berner (PS) Sept. 10 Amalie N. American Nat’ls Bobby Lagana Jr. (TF) Rob Atchison (FC), Eddie Ware (PM), Robert Patrick (PS) Sept. 24 ACDelco Canadian Nationals Clay Millican (TF) Paul Noakes (FC), Mike Janis (PM), Robert Mansfield (PS) Oct. 1 Torco President’s Cup Nationals Clay Millican (TF) Neal Parker (FC), Quain Stott (PM), Ricky Smith (PS) Oct. 22 World Finals Clay Millican (TF) Mark Thomas (FC), Scott Cannon (PM), John Montecalvo (PS)

FIM MOTOGP March 26 April 8 April 30 May 14 May 21 June 4 June 18 June 24 July 2 July 16 July 23 Aug. 20 Sept. 10 Sept. 17 Sept. 24 Oct. 15 Oct. 29

Spanish Grand Prix Qatar Grand Prix Turkey Grand Prix China Grand Prix French Grand Prix Italian Grand Prix Spanish Grand Prix Assen TT British Grand Prix German Grand Prix United States Grand Prix Czech Republic Grand Prix Malaysian Grand Prix Australian Grand Prix Japanese Grand Prix Portuguese Grand Prix Valencia Grand Prix

Loris Capirossi Valentino Rossi Marco Melandri Dani Pedrosa Marco Melandri Valentino Rossi Valentino Rossi Nicky Hayden Dani Pedrosa Valentino Rossi Nicky Hayden Loris Capirossi Valentino Rossi Marco Melandri Loris Capirossi Toni Elias Troy Bayliss

WORLD SUPERBIKE CHAMPIONSHIP Feb. 25 March 5 April 23 May 7 May 28 June 25 July 23 Aug. 6 Sept. 3 Sept. 10 Oct. 1 Oct. 8

Losail, QT James Toseland (1), Troy Corser (2) Philip Island, AUS Troy Corser (1), Troy Bayliss (2) Valencia, SPA Troy Bayliss (1 & 2) Monza, ITA Troy Bayliss (1 & 2) Silverstone, GBR Troy Bayliss (1 & 2) San Marino Troy Bayliss (1), Andrew Pitt (2) Brno, CZR Yukio Kagayama (1 & 2) Brands Hatch Troy Baylis (1), Noriyuki Haga (2) Assen, NED Chris Walker (1), Troy Bayliss (2) Lausitz Yukio Kagayama (1), James Toseland (2) Imola, ITA Alex Barros (1), Troy Bayliss (2) Magny Cours James Toseland (1), Troy Bayliss (2)

PARTS CANADA SUPERBIKE CHAMPIONSHIP May 21 June 4 July 2 July 15 July 16 Aug. 13 Sept. 3

Shannonville Park Circuit Mont-Tremblant Race City Park Mosport Int’l Raceway Mosport Int’l Raceway Atlantic Motorsport Park Shannonville Park

Jordan Szoke Jordan Szoke Jordan Szoke Jordan Szoke Jordan Szoke Kevin Lacombe Kevin Lacombe

March 11 *April 23 *April 30 *May 21 *June 4 *June 18 July 23 *Aug. 6 *Aug. 20 *Sept. 1-3 Oct. 1

Daytona Int’l Speedway Mat Mladin Barber Motorsports Park Ben Spiess (Race 1 & 2) California Speedway Ben Spiess (Race 1 & 2) Infineon Raceway Ben Spiess (Race 1 & 2) Road America Mat Mladin (Race 1 & 2) Miller Motorsports Park Ben Spies (1), Jake Zemke (2) Mazda Raceway Ben Spies Mid-Ohio SportsCar Ben Spies (Race 1 & 2) Virginia Int’l Raceway Mat Mladin (Race 1 & 2) Road Atlanta Mat Mladin (Race 1 & 2) Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course Mat Mladin

AMA SUPERBIKE CHAMPIONSHIP

* denotes doubleheader

CMRC NATIONALS May 27-28 June 3-4 June 17-18 June 24-25 July 8-9 July 15-16 Aug. 5-6 Aug. 12-13 Aug. 19-20

Ste-Julie, QC Jean-Sebastien Roy (Moto 1 & 2) Gopher Dunes Dusty Klatt (Moto 1 & 2) The Watselands Dusty Klatt (Moto 1 & 2) Wil Rose MX Park Dusty Klatt (M oto 1 & 2) Regina Moto Valley Dusty Klatt (Moto 1 & 2) Shadow Valley Jean-Sebastien Roy (Moto 1 & 2) Riverglade MX Park Dusty Klatt (Moto 1 & 2) Sand Del Lee Dusty Klatt (Moto 1) Jean-Sebastien Roy (Moto 2) Walton TransCan Dusty Klatt (Moto 1 & 2)

Red Header denotes Canadian Series.

Red Text denotes Canadian driver.

PERFORMANCE RACING NEWS

2006Calendar 18.08.indd 1

12/14/06 2:15:49 PM

New Eagle One Nano-Protectant™ has what car buffs really want. It dries to a great-looking satin finish with

Never A D ull Moment

TM

See how nanotechnology means better results for your car at www.eagleone.com

Untitled-4 1

no sticky residue. The nano-sized particles penetrate deep into leather and vinyl to clean, c ondition and protect in one easy step. So you can just sit back and enjoy the scenery in its reclining, fully-adjustable glory.

TRADITIONAL PRODUCTS

N A N O - P R O T E C TA N T

S U R FA C E

S U R FA C E

©, 2006, Ashland Canada

“ HEY, YOU IN THE IMPOSSIBLY TIGHT HOT PANTS. YOU’RE BLOCKING THE VIEW.”

Nano-sized particles penetrate deeper to clean and protect.

6/21/06 2:29:23 PM

Bandit Steals the Limelight

The Reward is smoother performance

Specifications, product features and colours are subject to change without notice. Read your owners manual carefully and always wear a helmet and protective gear when operating your Suzuki Motorcycle and remember to observe all safety regulations. Be responsible, take a rider training course and always respect the environment. See your participating Authorized Suzuki dealer for complete details. Suzuki. Way of Life.

Suzuki 18.08.indd 1

12/12/06 10:29:43 AM