The Inside Line: Townsville 2019 Edition #71

Edition #71 / Townsville 2019

WELCOME TO THE INSIDE LINE WELCOME TO the latest edition of Inside Line for the 2019 Townsville SuperNight.

This year is a special one for us, as we celebrate 15 years in motorsport.

We’re so proud of our committment to our motorsport program. Our various sponsorships have brought us and our closest friends together for well over a decade, and now we’re looking forward to sharing it with you again this weekend.

Building on a very successful 2018 season, the Doric and Cowdroy racing programs continue again this year with Supercar star Will Davison, Australian Touring Car legend John Bowe, young gun Hunter McElrea and motorcycling great Troy Bayliss.

Cowdroy was first introduced to our motorsport program in 2015, and since, has joined Doric with exposure right around the globe.

We are pleased to be able to continue our long relationship with Supercar driver Will Davison, who you will see behind the wheel of the new #230 Ford Mustang for 23Red Racing this weekend.

The introduction of the Mustang marks an exciting new chapter for the Supercar series and we’re eager to watch Will be a part of that.

2019 marks Will’s ninth consecutive year as our Doric Ambassador. He is such a big part of our racing family and we’re proud to stand beside him as he continues to push to new heights.

We are also continuing our support of our longest-running ambassador in 2019; motorsport legend John Bowe. JB has been a part of the Doric family for many years and is an integral piece of our motorsport program. It is always a thrill to watch JB on track in the Touring Car Masters. JB is entertaining, engaging and an absolute legend, who continues to deliver value for the Doric business.

We’ll also be continuing our support of motorcycling legend Troy Bayliss in

the Australian Superbike Championship this year. Troy made a stellar comeback last year, and will no doubt be brilliant to watch on track again in 2019.

This year we’re also backing young gun racer Hunter McElrea once again.

Hunter won the Australian Formula Ford Championship last year which earned him a place in the USF2000 series in America for the 2019 season.

Our sponsorships have taken our brand exposure to a new level, helping raise the professionalism and image of both Doric and Cowdroy and delivering money can’t buy experiences for our valued clients and staff.

Motorsport is competitive, exciting, passionate and innovative. The team here at Doric and Cowdroy stand for all the same great values.

We hope you enjoy today as our guest and thank you for your ongoing support.

NIGEL LONG CEO, Alchin Long Group

CONTENTS Welcome to the Inside Line

/ 03

About us

/ 05

2019 with Doric and Cowdroy

/ 06

Will Davison

/ 08

John Bowe

/ 10

Troy Bayliss & Mike Jones

/ 12

Hunter Mcelrea

/ 16

Retro Revival

/ 18

Tech Talk

/ 19

The Inside Scoop

/ 23

Townsville Schedule

/ 25

ABOUT THE INSIDE LINE Managing Editor - Tom Arciuli Alchin Long Group Marketing Manager tom.arciuli@alchinlong.com Design - Kate Blackman & Daniel Johns Marketing & Design Coordinator kate.blackman@alchinlong.com daniel.johns@alchinlong.com Facebook // cowdroyaustralia doricracing Instagram // @doricracing

COMING IN

HOT DORIC AND COWDROY ARE BACK ON TRACK AND HAVE BIG PLANS FOR 2019 ON THE TARMAC.

DORIC AND Cowdroy are back in 2019, building upon its brand marketing and customer activation program in a series of motorsport partnerships around the globe. Central to the 2019 program is the continuation of the exciting partnerships with front-running Supercar star Will Davison, Touring Car legend John Bowe, young gun Hunter McElrea and motorcycle maestro Troy Bayliss. The program saw Doric and Cowdroy follow the racers’ ventures throughout Australia and New Zealand in 2018, and this year, McElrea will see that grow to include the USA. At the heart of the program, parent company Alchin Long Group (ALG) has been building upon many years of loyal commitment to Doric Ambassador Will Davison, joining the star driver at 23Red Racing.

Davison will proudly display Doric branding on his helmet throughout the 2019 Supercar season, while Cowdroy branding is visable on the front of his Mustang, which will be seen widely

via the series’ extensive Australia-wide television coverage.

John Bowe will also continue into his 12th year as a Doric Ambassador in 2019, contesting the Touring Car Masters series in his all-Aussie Holden SLR5000 Torana, which will sport Doric branding throughout the season.

ALG has also continued supporting young gun Hunter McElrea, who will take on the 2019 USF2000 in the United States throughout 2018. McElrea is a true talent and a rising star and we’re proud to stand beside him this year as he takes on this new challenge.

Doric has also thrown its support behind two-wheel racing ace, Troy Bayliss, who came out of retirement to chase a maiden Australian Superbike Championship title last year.

Aboard a Doric-branded Ducati and racing for the factory-supported DesmoSport Ducati operation he coowns with former racer Ben Henry, Bayliss will be a force to be reckoned with on track this year.

//PONY EXPRESS : WILL DAVISON IN 2019 WILL DAVISON loves a challenge. In fact, he thrives on them. Throughout his Supercars career, he’s faced plenty of new experiences to keep him on his toes. And in 2019, the racing star has the special task of a brand new car with 23 Red Racing.

At the helm of one of the new Ford Mustangs in the Supercars Championship this year, Davison kicked off the season in style in Adelaide with two top ten finishes – one just shy of a podium.

Over the subsequent six championship weekends the 23 Red Racing rocket has always been a contender, generally qualifying in the top 10 and on occasion contending for a podium.

And all this in a privately-owned team that draws on the preparation resources of Ford Tickford Racing.

Heading into Townsville Will sits ninth in the Championship with a season-best third in qualifying in Perth and best finishes of fourth, three times!

He’s now aiming to repeat his victory on the streets of Townsville back in 2013.

8 /

BACK IN BLACK : JOHN BOWE IN 2019

JOHN BOWE has become a staple of both the Doric Racing family and the Touring Car Masters, since joining the series in 2008. The legendary touring car racer has been a consistent front runner ever since, raising the bar over and over again.

JB has already shown 2019 will be no exception, with the seasoned champion proving nothing will hold him back.

After starting the season strongly in big black Torana in Adelaide with a pair of second placings, but then engine trouble took him out of the third. JB was back for the final race, though, driving through the field to fifth.

That was good enough for eighth for the round and then at Phillip Island he was third overall, following that up with second at Winton, so the trajectory is certainly in the right direction heading into the next round at Queensland Raceway at the end of July.

Bowe now sits third in the Touring Car Masters series point score pre-QR with designs on more moves forward.

10 /

BACK IN THE

SADDLE

: TROY BAYLISS & MIKE JONES IN 2019 MOTORCYCLE RACING legend Troy Bayliss is back in the saddle for the 2019 Australian Superbike Championship with DesmoSport Ducati this year.

Unfortunately the opening round at Phillip Island did not go to plan for the team, with Bayliss leaving the round with two broken fingers. He tried to ride on but it quickly became apparent that he couldn’t pull the brake lever properly, and had to withdraw from the series’ second round.

Sadly, his recovery has not gone to plan since and Bayliss will now sit out the rest of 2019 to fully recover, rated unlikely to return to the saddle this year.

DesmoSport Ducati instead recruited 25-year-old young Queensland hotshot Mike Jones to step aboard the Ducati V4-R. Jones wasted no time making the most of the opportunity, taking a pole position and four podiums in the second and third rounds at Wakefield Park (NSW) and The Bend (SA).

Having scored that first pole position, Jones is now keen to add a first race victory to his scorecard at the next round of the Australian Superbike Championship, at Morgan Park.

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on the

HUNT : HUNTER MCELREA IN 2019

HUNTER MCELREA secured his maiden victory in the USF2000 Championship at Road America last weekend. McElrea took victory in race 1 and 3rd in race 2 to cap of a successful weekend for our young Kiwi driver.

McElrea is currently in 2nd position in the championship after 7 of 15 rounds, 41 points behind championship leader Braden Eves.

Hear from Hunter below: Race 1 – WINNER!!!! Hunter McElrea (#22 Mazda/Doric NZ/Miles Advisory PartnersPabst Racing Tatuus USF-17): “This feels like an entire elephant off my back – maybe two! This is what you work for, these moments. I knew I had the guys behind me to do it, it was just a matter of time.

I’ll remember this day for the rest of my life. I’m so glad to bring this result to Augie and the team, they deserve it. We’re really a family-based team so to get this result in the team’s backyard is just unbelievable.

Race 2 – 3rd and POLE! - Hunter McElrea (#22 Mazda/Doric NZ/Miles Advisory PartnersPabst Racing Tatuus USF-17): “It was unfortunate, having the issue before the race, and it was out of our control. I’m just happy that the team was able to get me out for the start of the race. The fact that we were competitive and finished on the podium was a win, given how competitive this series is. I have no doubt that we were the fastest car this weekend and I think we showed that yesterday, so I’m disappointed on one hand – but on the other, to get my first pole and first win and another podium from the weekend, there are a lot of positives to take away from this weekend.”

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Retro Re 2019 marks a historic milestone for ALG’s motorsport program. The coming season is the Aussie brand’s 15th year of involvement in Supercars and motorsport in Australia. Starting with a sponsorship program alongside Rupprecht Motorsport in 2004, our involvement has come a long way over the past 15 years. So this year we’ll be looking back at some of our favourite moments from the track over this time.

2006 It was in 2006 that Doric and Paul Cruickshank Racing made the jump from the V8 Development Series to the main game Supercar Championship. With Doric taking up a spot on the front and rear of the #20 Ford Falcon, young gun Marcus Marshall raced to an impressive top-ten finish just four rounds into the team’s first main game season.

18 /

evival

2007 Looking to expand on its first foray into the main game in 2006, Doric threw its support behind Touring Car and Bathurst Champion John Bowe in 2007 at PCR. In what was Bowe’s final year racing fulltime in Supercars, Doric graced the front of the PCR Falcon as the legend accrued a record 225 round starts.

tech talk

2019 FORD MUSTANG SUPERCAR

: THAT WING :

One of the most talked about features of the new Mustang is the massive rear spoiler.

: DEVELOPMENT :

Development of the Supercars Mustang has been led by DJR Team Penske in Queensland in co-operation with Ford Performance in the USA, Tickford Racing in Melbourne and Ford’s Melbourne design office.

: A FIRST :

The Mustang is the first two-door to race in the current series. Previous generations were raced under different technical regualtions in the past, by stars such as Dick Johnson, Pete Geoghegan and Allan Moffat.

: PARITY PLAY :

The new Supercars entrant has undergone a series of thorough straight-line aerodynamic tests at Temora Airstrip in New South Wales. The Mustang was matched against a current model Holden ZB Commodore and a Nissan Altima, ensuring the new Ford is on par with the other models.

: ONE-OF-A-KIND :

The new Mustang has had to adapt to the official Supercars control chassis, which has meant a series of changes. Compared to the road-going Mustang, the roofline of the Supercar is higher to clear the roll cage, while the body has been lengthened to meet the required wheelbase.

: POWERPLANT :

Power comes from the same 473Kw 5.0-liter V-8 used in the Falcon race cars.

THE INSIDE SCOOP

NEED TO KNOW :

THE FORM BOOK

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Ford’s new Mustang Supercar has been a stunning success in season 2019, winning all but one of the 16 Championship races so far. And this is despite a change in the parity regulations between the Mustang and the Commodore before the Perth round, made in a bid to even up the competition. It certainly made the racing closer but it didn’t change the ultimate outcome, with Mustang also winning both races at the most recent Darwin round.

Darwin saw Doric’s Will Davison enjoy arguably his best weekend of the year. He was set for a podium in Saturday’s race until a pitlane penalty dropped him to an unrepresentative 12th, while on Sunday he was a frustrated 9th when strategies didn’t play his way.

Will is always strong on street circuits and Townsville is one of his favourites. In fact, he has strong connections with the town because he’s a regular competitor in the annual Townsville Triathlon and always enjoys his visits to the region to promote both events, no matter how short.

Davison’s Mustang is expected to be a strong contender on the streets of Townsville, the Victorian keen to improve on his 9th position in the 2019 championship chase.

BEST VIEWPOINTS

STATS THAT MATTER

Townsville is a hybrid track, a mix of closed public roads and a special section built through parklands that, together, are used just once a year for the annual Supercars Championship round. It’s very fast, with a long banana-shaped front straight that really allows the Supercars to stretch their legs, and where grandstand-seated spectators are offered a great view of the scramble out of the slow last corner onto the straight, and the action in the pits. Around the back and sides of the circuit spectators can get very close to the concrete-walled action, where there’s a mix of fast and slow corners, a spectacular esses section and lots of passing opportunities.

This year is the 11th time that the Supercars Championship has visited the Townsville street track.

THE FORECAST Townsville is known for its pleasant tropical holiday climate for good reason. The weather is almost always pleasantly warm for the annual Supercars event, in the low-mid 20s, with the occasional threat if not actual rain showers. Humidity adds to the tropical feel, too, particularly for the fireproof-clad drivers as the concrete walls lining the Townsville track radiate the heat inwards back towards the cars, adding to the high temperatures generated in the cockpit. Drinking lots of water is a must for the drivers.

THE CIRCUIT First held in 2009, the Townsville Supercars event is one of the favourites on the annual calendar. The track is made up of closed streets and a new section laid across parklands, to create a 2.86km layout that is both fast and challenging. A long main straight allows the Supercars to stretch their V8 legs and leads into a sharp right hander, in which there is inevitable action. Turns 3, 11 & 13 also see lots of place changes, while in between there are other opportunities for the brave. And it’s all lined with concrete walls, meaning that any mistakes are punished.

A total of 21 races have been held during that time, Holden winning 14 times and Ford 7 times. Triple Eight Race Engineering is the most successful team with 12 victories.

Will Davison has won one race at Townsville, in 2013, driving a Falcon for Ford Performance Racing. Jamie Whincup is the most successful driver with 10 wins, the next best being Garth Tander and Mark Winterbottom with three each.

// S U N D AY //

// S AT U R D AY //

TOWNSVILLE :

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SCHEDULE

08:20 - 08:35

Toyota 86 Racing Series

Qualifying

08:50 - 09:10

Porsche Carrera Cup Australia

Qualifying

09:25 - 09:40

Dunlop Super2 Series

Qualifying

09:55 - 10:25

Virgin Australia Supercars Championship

Practice 3

10:40 - 11:00

ECB SuperUtes Series

Race 1

11:15 - 11:35

Toyota 86 Racing Series

Race 1

11:50 - 12:10

Virgin Australia Supercars Championship

12:35 - 13:00

Porsche Carrera Cup Australia

13:10 - 13:25

23 Red Racing Pit Tour

13:35 - 13:50

23 Red Racing Pit Tour

13:45 - 14:15

Dunlop Super2 Series

Race 1

15:10 - 16:50

Virgin Australia Supercars Championship

Race 17

17:10 - 17:35

Toyota 86 Racing Series

Race 2

08:30 - 08:55

ECB SuperUtes Series

Race 2

09:10 - 09:50

Porsche Carrera Cup Australia

Race 2

09:35 - 09:50

Will Davison visits our Suite

10:05 - 10:20

Dunlop Super2 Series

Qualifying

10:35 - 10:55

Virgin Australia Supercars Championship

Qualifying Race 18

11:15 - 11:35

ECB SuperUtes Series

Race 3

11:35 - 11:50

23 Red Racing Pit Tour

Qualifying Race 17 Race 1

11:45 - 12:05

Toyota 86 Racing Series

Race 3

12:20 - 12:45

Virgin Australia Supercars Championship

13:05 - 13:30

Porsche Carrera Cup Australia

13:15 - 13:30

23 Red Racing Pit Tour

13:45 - 14:15

Dunlop Super2 Series

Race 2

15:10 - 16:50

Virgin Australia Supercars Championship

Race 18

Top Ten Shootout Race 3