Motorsport eNews Issue 147 - March 23-29, 2010 by V8 Sleuth

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Issue No. 147 March 23 -29 2010

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Issue No. 147 | 23-29 Mar 2010

news 4 Briscoe @ Bathurst Indy Star for Great Race 6 Italian sounding Scot Franchitti to drive for JBR 9 Pye in the Sky Make that the UK 11 AGP back at Calder? No, but it’s a good yarn ... 18 V8TC: Sweet as sugar E85 for Shannons class

chat 22 Five Minutes With ... Jamie Whincup

comment 24 van Leeuwen 25 Branagan

race 26 Phillip Island Classic 30 Lake Mountain Sprint 34 NASCAR

trade 44 Classifieds

Follow Motorsport eNews on Twitter! Breaking news and opinion fro

BRISCOE BAGS HIS BATHURST WISH IndyCar star to race at Bathurst and Surfers, but not Phillip Island

V8 SUPERCARS RYAN Briscoe will race for the Toll Holden Racing Team at Bathurst and Surfers Paradise later this year, but will miss the L&H 500 at Phillip Island. With The Island race falling between two rounds of the IZOD IndyCar Series, Briscoe has made himself unavailable for the 500, despite having indicated an interest in competing in all three V8 Supercar endurance races. But Bathurst, which is a week after the IndyCar finale in Miami, will fit into Briscoe’s schedule, and he will make his second 1000 start for HRT, having raced alongside Jim Richards in red car back in 2006. “We’ve been talking with HRT, and we actually had talks with several teams, but when HRT got in touch, having raced with

them before and knowing what a class team they are, they became number one on my list,” Briscoe told eNews last week. “We’re finalizing stuff now, and the plan is to be out there for Surfers, and probably Bathurst as well. “I’m really excited. I’m excited about the prospect of driving a V8 Supercar again, and even more excited about racing in front of a home crowd again.” While Briscoe has done very little tin-top racing since his Sandown and Bathurst starts in 2006, he did test one of Penske’s NASCARs last year. – ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN

For more on Ryan Briscoe, see the April issue of Motorsport News (on sale March 31) for a full feature story.

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FRANCHITTI’S V8 DEBUT

The deal’s not done, but expect to see Dario in a Jim Beam Falcon on the streets of Surfers V8 SUPERCARS INDYCAR racing will be back on the streets of Surfers Paradise this year – in a way – with a host of front-running IndyCar drivers set for V8 Supercar drivers in the SuperCarnivale. With Ryan Briscoe and Scott Dixon locked in to drives (see separate stories), the latest IndyCar driver to be linked to the event is reigning series Champion Dario Franchitti. Well placed sources have indicated to eNews that Franchitti is headed Down Under for the race, and while it is yet to be confirmed which team he will drive for, the same sources are suggesting that the Scot will be paired with his good friend James Courtney in a Jim Beam Racing Falcon. Franchitti has a strange history in tin-top racing cars. After winning the 2007 IndyCar title for Andretti Green Racing (as well as the Indy 500), he switched to Chip Ganassi’s NASCAR team in ‘08. But the results never came, forcing Ganassi to move Franchitti back to IndyCar for the ’09 season – where he won his second title. But he does have a good history in sportscars. In ‘07, he finished first in the LMP2 class, and second overall, in the 12 Hours of Sebring. In ’08, he won the Rolex 24 Hour at Daytona, with Juan Pablo Montoya, Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas. – ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN

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Black and White for Dixon V8 SUPERCARS

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SCOTT Dixon is set to make his V8 Supercar debut in Jack Daniel’s black. As reported last issue, the IndyCar champion and Indy 500 winner is a headline driver for the Supercarnivale and now, eNews understands that the New Zealander will race for Jack Daniel’s Racing. It is unsure whether Dixon, 29, will partner Todd or Rick Kelly.

INXS to rock Sprints only for Ipswich 300 Townsville V8 SUPERCARS

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Marshall Cass

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WHAT you need in Townsville is INXS. The legendary rock band will be the headline act at the Armor All Townsville 400 on Saturday July 10. The band, which will release its INXS: Platinum album on April 20, will appear as part of V8 Supercars’ ‘Rock n’ Race’ program. “To secure one of Australia’s greatestever bands, INXS, to play at the Armor All Townsville 400 is a huge bonus for the event and for North Queensland,” said V8 Supercars Australia Acting CEO Shane Howard. Tickets are on sale now and are available through www.ticketek.com.au or 132 849. Children 12 years and under will again receive free entry to general admission areas with a paying adult.

V8 SUPERCARS THE two Sprint-tyre only V8 Supercar rounds will be held back-to-back. Winton was originally to be joined by Barbagallo in hosting a soft tyre only round in the 2010 season. With Barbagallo dropped from the calendar, Queensland Raceway’s round on April 30 – May 2, a fortnight before Winton, will

replace it. Teams will receive 20 Dunlop Sprint Maxx tyres for qualifying and racing at each event. One set will also be issued to teams at QR to cover practice for the two events, alongside eight pre-marked control tyres. Queensland Raceway and Winton will also a practice session for endurance race co-drivers.

Bowe hits the VodkaO Ascari

Touring Car great to debut in Pommy racer at Albert Park this weekend AUSTRALIAN GT JOHN Bowe will return to the Vodka O Australian GT Championship this weekend, in a 40-strong field at Albert Park. Bowe will race the Ascari KZ1 GT3 debuted in Australia at Clipsal by Darren Berry, to help Berry’s understanding of the new machine. “Mike Arnold, who’s been a mate of mine forever, has been helping Darren with the car,”

Bowe told eNews. “Darren has just bought the car and is relatively new to motorsport, so Mike suggested I jump in this weekend as a one-off to try and sort it out a bit and help with his understanding of it. “There isn’t a lot of track time this weekend, but it’ll be like an extended test session for us. “I’ve driven a number of the GT cars now, I think the only models I haven’t driven are the Porsche Cup S and the Audi

R8 – I’m trying to complete the whole set!” Elsewhere in the field, Dean Grant has sold his Lamborghini Gallardo to Simon Middleton, and purchased a Mosler from Tony Quinn. For his part, Quinn will jump back into his Aston Martin, after heavily damaging primary Mosler at Clipsal. Meanwhile, Australian GT has confirmed July 10-11 as the date for Round 4 of their 2010 season at Phillip Island. – MITCHELL ADAM

.. and Seto’s a Mini Me AUSTRALIAN GT

GLENN Seton will be back in a MINI this weekend, for Round 2 of the MINI Challenge. The two-time Australian Touring Car Champion will be part of an expanded 15-car field at the Australian Grand Prix, after contesting a pair of rounds last year. He will drive a brand-new car, prepared

by Melbourne Performance Centre. “It’s just a one-off at this stage,” Seton said. “The last time I raced there was 2005, so a few years have gone by. It’ll be great to be back there again, racing infront of one of the biggest crowds you get in Australia and being a part of the MINI Challenge, which I thoroughly

enjoyed last year.” Other additions to the field for the weekend include former Formula Ford racer Grant Doulman, Aaren Zerefos and Dylan Thomas, while Sam Newman will drive the Uber Star entry. Chris Wootton, who crashed in Adelaide, will be back on the grid in a car leased from BMW. – MITCHELL ADAM

David Edwards have not been answered, and messages are unreturned. Max Everingham, who had filled the role of General Manager of the 2010 event, confirmed that he was no longer with the event but that “as far as I understand, the office is still open.” However, eNews has been told that a number of the

2009 event’s key contractors, including Clerk of Course Ivor Stanelis and Media Manager Chris Nixon, were yet to be paid for their efforts in the event, which was conducted in November. Meanwhile, the event’s website appears to be functioning – including a link to the on-line entry form to the 2010 event.

Concerns over Classic Adelaide TARMAC RALLY THE future of the Classic Adelaide Rally appears to be under a cloud, with a number of competitors fearing that the event will not proceed in its former guise. At the same time, some competitors who have prepaid their $6100 early-bird entry fees for 2010 are concerned

that they may have lost their money. Certainly, organisers Silverstone Events currently appears to be uncontactable, with locals reporting that there is no one in its Hutt Street, Adelaide office. Phonecalls to its office number are met with a ‘number disconnected’ recording. Voicemails to the event’s founder and owner

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Pye in Jamun UK FORMULA FORD

John Morris

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SCOTT Pye will race with Jamun Racing in the British Formula Ford Championship. The South Australian has joined the multiple championshipwinning outfit for the 2010 season, his first European season after racing in the Genuine Ford Parts Australian Formula Ford Championship in 2008 and 2009. He’ll race alongside Josh Hill (son of Damon), Finnish driver Jesse Anttila and Dane Jeroen Slaghekke in Jamun’s SJ10 Mygales. Pye has made a strong start to the season, topping testing at Oulton Park recently by three-tenths of a second. "I’m very pleased,” the 20-year-old said. “I had a test with Jamun a month or so ago in Spain, so I knew what to expect from the team and the car, but it's a tough job to come to a new circuit in a new country and be quickest." It’s not the first time an Australian has raced for the team, with Tim Blanchard finishing second in the 2008 Championship. The 2010 season kicks off at Outlon Park April 3-5.

RISE AND SHINE FORMULA FORD

THIS is a sneak peak of what the 2010 CAMS Rising Stars Formula Ford entries will look like. For this season, the CAMS Rising Star program has been switched from the factory Spectrum team to Minda Motorsport, with Matthew Brabham, Jack LeBrocq and Garry Jacobson doing the driving.

While Spectrum has released it’s latest chassis – the 012 – only Synergy Motorsport and Borland Racing Developments will use the new car. Minda will stick with the latest evolution 011d chassis, which feature new rear bodywork built by Minda, and a different nosecone, with more access to the front of the car for the team’s engineers. – ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN

Full Spectrum FORMULA FORD BORLAND Racing Developments has finally pulled the covers of its latest Formula Ford – the Spectrum 012. The new car has been built to conform with the new-for2010 bodywork regulations, allowing Australian Formula Fords to have engine cowlings that run as high as the roll hoop – along with various other technical improvements. “This is without doubt the most development effort that has gone into a new model,” said Michael Borland. “We have reviewed literally

every aspect of the previous model in bringing the Spectrum 012 to market. Anything that could be done to reduce weight, lower the centre of gravity, or minimise the polar moment has been explored. Even the new logo is lighter, and printed on thinner vinyl.” Four Spectrum 012s will take part in the 26-car field that will kick off the 2010 Australian Formula Ford Championship at Albert Park this weekend. They’ll have to be on their best behaviour to avoid the wrath of new Driving Standards Advisor, Cameron McConville.

Genuine Ford Parts Australian Formula Ford Championship, Albert Park entry list: 2 4 5 6 8 11 13 15 16 20 25 30 31 32 33 35 45 47 49 55 71 74 76 77 78 83

Sonic Motor Racing Services Borland Racing Developments simPRO Master Electricians Evans Motorsport Group Brad Jones Racing Linde Material Handling Steeline Metal Framing Systems Synergy Motorsport Parramatta Smash Repairs G-Force Events Synergy Motorsport Team BRM Team BRM Team BRM HMT Racing Rob Spence Motorsport Borland Racing Developments Widex Australia CAMS Rising Stars CAMS Rising Stars Synergy Motorsport Marshalls & Dent Lawyers Borland Racing Developments Borland Racing Developments Speco/VHT/Motor Improvements CAMS Rising Stars

Geoff Uhrhane Andrew McFarland Andre Borell Adam Graham Tom Williamson Cameron Waters Nick Foster Chaz Mostert Ryan Simpson Greg Woodrow Daniel Cotton Tom Goess Martin Short Jon Mills Robert Hackwood Cameron Spence Ashley Walsh William Vass Jack LeBrocq Garry Jacobson Nathan Morcom Nick McBride Ben Jurczak Caleb Rayner Brendan Jones Matthew Brabham

Mygale SJ10a Spectrum 011c Mygale SJ10a Mygale SJ10a Mygale SJ09a Mygale SJ06a Mygale SJ10a Spectrum 012 Mygale SJ10a Mygale SJ07a Spectrum 011 Mygale SJ09a Mygale SJ09a Mygale SJ09a Spectrum 011d Spectrum 011c Spectrum 012 Mygale SJ07a Spectrum 011c Spectrum 011c Spectrum 012 Spectrum 011b Spectrum 012 Spectrum 011b Spectrum 011 Spectrum 011d

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AUSSIES OVERSEAS

Dirk Klynsmith

DANIEL Erickson’s plans to race in the United States of America this year have hit the skids. The 22-year-old New South Welshman spent last year racing in the British Formula Ford Series, and made his intention to move Stateside clear with a successful test for a Star Mazda team last December. But despite plans to race in the series this year, a lack of funding has caused Erickson to abandon the plan. “It’s a historically bad time for young drivers seeking commercial partners to further their careers,” Erickson said. “The global financial crisis is a big pothole that motorsport hasn’t been able to avoid. It’s had a major effect on the amount of money that’s available for sports partnerships, and motorsport is no exception. “I’ve lost count of the marketing managers who’ve told me ‘come back in six or 12 months, and then we’ll be in a better position to consider your proposal’.” Despite the set-back, Erickson is not ruling out a parttime Star Mazda program for 2010. “I’m determined that missing the first few rounds of the Star Mazda Championship, or even the entire 2010 series, will only postpone my racing career,” he said. “My track record shows that I adapt well to difficult situations, so the prospect of joining a competitive series like the Star Mazda Championship

mid-season doesn’t worry me. The front-running teams can usually prepare an extra car at short notice, so it shouldn’t be a problem to begin my 2010 campaign during the season.”

ERICKSON OUT

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If you were Jamie Whincup, where would you rather test an F1 car?

Albert Park or Calder? FORMULA 1

GP o t o M / 1 F For full ge/news, covera get to o t E R E CLICK H k magazine! GPWee week.com www.gp

A MODERN Formula 1 car at Calder? It sounds preposterous, but according to eNews spies, it almost happened. Late doubts as to whether Albert Park would be ready for the Vodafone-fuelled Jamie Whincup/Jenson Button car swap today (Tuesday) had organisers scrambling for a new venue over the weekend. And apparently, Calder was considered as a replacement by Vodafone. We even hear that McLaren personnel visited the ageing circuit, and deemed the bumps on the main straight to be inappropriate for a modern Formula 1 car. eNews would

also assume that the runoffs (or lack thereof ) would have posed a serious safety problem for a fully-fledged, 2010 Grand Prix car ... When contacted by eNews, Whincup wouldn’t comment on the reported plans to change circuits, simply confirming that the event was likely to take place, as planned, at Albert Park tomorrow. Calder actually has a Grand Prix history. Back in 1980, the Australian Grand Prix was held at the Melbourne circuit, with a combined field of Formula 1 and Formula 5000 cars. However, only two F1 cars showed up – and ’80 World champ Alan Jones won the race in his Williams FW07. – ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN

Now, THIS is a roller coaster we want to rid FORMULA 1 FERRARI World is due to open in Abu Dhabi at the end of this year and, if you like a roller coaster, you might want to starting talking to Etihad. The 2km Ferrari GT coaster will see patrons whisked along at 95kmh – and not only is it fast, it also allows overtaking! Two sets of roller coaster trains set off simultaneously and race each other around track, repeatedly over taking each other and with a different 12

‘winner’ every time. As you might expect, the cars themselves resemble Ferraris – this is an F430 Spyder – and if 95kmh is not enough, get ready for the ultimate. The big coaster aims to replicate the sensation of being in a Ferrari F1 racer, with a maximum altitude of over 62m, through the roof and back down again at speeds touching 200kmh. It’s so real, there will be journalists waiting at the bottom to ask you questions. We hope ... motorsport news

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Bigger Bulls FORMULA 1 MARK Webber may soon have more power with which to fight the Ferrari and Mercedes-Benzengined teams. UK motorsport magazine Autosport reported recently that the French maker had sought, and received permission, from the FIA leave to update its 2.4-litre V8 motor, reportedly for cost and reliability reasons. This is despite Formula 1’s engine freeze, which is meant to ensure that all engines have the same caharacteristics. Red Bull Racing boss Christian Horner has been particularly vocal about the power deficit he believes that Webber and Sebastian Vettel have faced. “We have 3.5 to 4 percent less power than Mercedes,” Horner told Germany’s Auto Bild Motorsport. Horner further claims that there is a two percent performance difference allowed within the FIA’s own regulation, but he added that Mercedes is “refusing to consent to the equalisation”. However, on the fupside, the Renault engine is widely acknowledged to be the most fuelefficient in the pitlane, allowing Red Bull and Renault’s drivers to go to the grid with up to 12kg less weight than their opposition.

Lucky 13 for ‘11 FORMULA 1 THE debacle that has seen Hispania Racing Team doing its early testing during Grands Prix, and USF1 fail to make it to the grid at all, has not put the FIA off its quest to have new team come into Formula 1. The FIA has invited any groups interested in becoming F1’s 13th team next season to a “formal expression of interest” fee by 15 April. “The overall long-term interests of the championship will determine which candidates are selected,” the FIA said in a statement. The move means that should USF1 decide to reapply, it will face other candidates competing for what is a single slot. Stefan GP, which is based at the former Toyota factory in Cologne, may apply, though Toyota Motorsport recently issued a media statement to the effect that its agreement to supply “high-performance design, development and production services” to Stefan – in other words, the technical support required to field an F1 entry – had lapsed.

Bull Crash Opera FORMULA 1 RED Bull’s racing equipment for this weekend’s Australian Grand Prix was involved in a road crash near Melbourne. A truck carrying the team’s equipment was reported to have made contact with a car, with an eyewitness telling radio station 3AW that it was carry containers and “Red Bull Racing is written over the side of the containers”. An ambulance spokesman said a 32-year-old man was treated at the scene. The team reported that its cars and equipment arrived in pitlane at Albert Park on schedule.

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IndyCars: Two Dozen INDYCARS THERE may be 24 cars at the next round of the IndyCar Series at St Petersburg. Of the 22 drivers who

competed at the first race in Brazil, only Ana Beatriz is not expected to return, and former race winner Graham Rahal is expected to race Sarah Fisher’s car.

KV Racing Technology could run a fourth car for James Rossiter, finances permitting. Similarly Robert Doornbos could join Simona de Silvestro at HVM, while Dreyer &

Reinbold, known to share a season between two or more drivers, could run a third entry to team up with regular drivers Justin Wilson and Mike Conway. – MARY MENDEZ

US cable TV deal fixed INDYCARS THE pay-TV battle that plagued IndyCar last year, and lost it audience, has been solved. The TV blackout occurred after negotiations between US satellite provider, DirecTV, and Comcast, the cable company that owns the Versus network (which carries 12 of 17 IndyCar events), broke down. The two sides eventually agreed on a deal, but only on the day after the Sao Paulo 300, causing fans to also miss the exciting 2010 season opener, won by Will Power. “I would like to thank Derek Chang (Executive Vice President of content strategy and development of DirecTV) 14

along with Jamie Davis (President, Versus) for working diligently on getting this deal done,” said the relieved new CEO of the IRL, Randy Bernard, just two weeks into the job. “Everyone wins – DirecTV, Versus, and most importantly the fans of the Indy Racing League.” Despite the networking chaos, ratings for the IndyCar Series remain strong. Last year’s average TV audience averaged over 300,000 viewers per race. The Sao Paulo 300 was unavailable on DirecTV, but it earned a 0.4 rating, with over 400,000 households in the US watching, a 30 percent increase over last year’s season opener in St Petersburg, Florida. – MARY MENDEZ motorsport news

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WORLD SUPERSPORT

Ducati Corse

MAKOTO Tamada he will return to the World Superbike Championship at Portimao this weekend. The Japanese veteran, who was due to race this season for the Italian Pro Ride Honda team in Portugal, will make a one-off appearance for the privateer Reitwagen BMW team. Tamada will take the place of Roland Resch, who broke his collarbone in an accident at the Phillip Island season opener “I am grateful to Team Reitwagen BMW for giving me this opportunity to race with them in Portimao,” said the former GP winner. “Although this will be my first time racing a BMW, I have seen what it can do and am confident that I can ride it at its full potential.”

STONER TOPS THE Au Revoir! NIGHT RIDERS WORLD SUPERSPORT

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... and Hayden picks up the pace with Ducati MOTOGP DUCATI has put an end to Valentino Rossi’s reign over winter testing, Casey Stoner topping the final test at Qatar. The former World champion blitzed the final night of testing at the track, which will host the opening round of the 2010 season on April 11. To add to the smiles in the red team, Nicky Hayden has his best test of the off-season and ended the final night fourth fastest on the new GP10. “In the first Sepang test we had a few things to work out but we have made constant progress,” said Stoner. “The latest big step forward with the GP10 came last night and today I was able to set a consistently fast pace. I have been able to work with the tyres without putting too much stress on them and I was able to keep my pace on used rubber. I like the new engine a lot, it is more manageable and I am pleased to see the other Ducati riders, especially Nicky confirming that with fast times.” Rossi was second fastest but half-a-second

Yamaha Racing

SEBASTIEN Charpentier’s return to the World Supersport Championship has ended, after only one race. The former double title winner has left the Triumph BE1 Racing team, which after a two-year sabbatical. Charpentier’s place will be taken by countryman Matthieu Lagrive. “[Charpentier] has decided to withdraw from the championship after failing to demonstrate the pace which made him a two-time champion in the opening round of the season at Phillip Island in Australia,” said a statement from the BE1 team. Charpentier finished a distant 13th, out of 15 riders to reach the flag, and almost 90 seconds behind winner Eugene Laverty at PI. His teammates finished fourt (David Salom, eighth (Jason Disalvo) and 12th (Chaz Davies).

behind the Aussie, with Andrea Dovizioso third quickest on the Repsol Honda. Loris Capirrosi was fifth on the Suzuki, ahead of all three other Yamaha riders, while Dani Pedrosa was well back. The Spaniard never attempted a fast time, while working on a raft of changes to his Honda, including a new chassis and swing arm. 15

BRIEFLY... n MARCOS Ambrose is seeking a leg-up into the Sprint All-Star race at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May. Past Sprint Cup Champions, race winners from 2009 and 2010 and former All-Star race winners get an automatic start and there are three other spots up for grabs. While fans can’t assist Ambrose’s quest for a Sprint Cup win or help him in the qualifying race, they CAN help him into the AllStar field by voting for the #47 driver to get the final spot in the field. The driver with the most votes on a NASCAR.com poll will get a start, with Kasey Kahne winning the 2008 race after qualifying via the fan vote. Voting opens on Wednesday, USA time.

FORMULA 3

THE Formula 3 Australian Drivers Championship will make its debut at Morgan Park Raceway in August. Formula 3 had originally tried to secure a spot on the bill of Barbagallo Raceway’s V8 Supercar round. However when that event was scratched, a slot on the calendar became available to include the Queensland circuit. August’s Shannons Nationals round will utilise the circuit’s extension and be Round 6 of eight in the 2010

Formula 3 season. A number of Formula 3 cars currently race at the circuit in Statelevel events. “There are so many F3 cars in Queensland, having a round there is a must-do,” F3 chairman Ian Richards said. Meanwhile the championship is confident of attracting a bigger field to Round 2 of the Championship at Symmons Plains next month, after six cars fronted for the season opener at Wakefield Park. Richards’ R-Tek Motorsport is likely to expand to field a second car alongside John Magro, pictured.

“The Championship has got some measures in place for Symmons Plains; we’re working with Brett Francis to utilise space in his truck to transport some Queenslandbased cars down there,” Richards said. “We’re looking at having 10 12 cars there. “I’m close to locking in an English driver to drive our second F304 and there’s a couple of other things in progress. We could end up leasing an ’07 for the weekend and running three cars.” – MITCHELL ADAM

John Morris / Mpix

n JAMES Winslow has signed a deal to race in the Firestone Indy Lights Series. The 2008 Australian Formula 3 Champion will join three-time champs Sam Schmidt Motorsport, after impressing the team in a test at Sebring recently. His first race will be the Indy Lights season opener at St Petersburg this weekend.

F3 heads north

n LAURIE Bennett will take his Elfin 600B Formula 2 car to Europe this year. The Victorian has spent the last three years racing an Elfin 600B Formula Ford in historic events throughout Europe, racing at tracks like Silverstone, Oulton Park, Brands Hatch and, of course, Spa Francorchamps. Now, he will now try his luck on similat tracks in the F2 version – on slick tyres. Aussie Aussie Aussie!

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TRS to join F3? F3 / TRS THE result of negotiations to incorporate New Zealand’s Toyota Racing Series into the 2010 Formula 3 Australia Drivers Championship is likely to be known this week. A move which would see a group of TRS cars come to Australia and contest a mini series within F3 races has been discussed, and could commence at Round 3 of the FDAC season at Phillip Island in May. It would be a boost for both classes, putting more cars on the F3 grid and giving TRS competitors an option to race during their off-season. “[TRS Category Manager] Barrie Thomlinson and I have spoken at length, and we’ve spoken with CAMS about it as well,” F3 Association chairman Ian Richards told eNews. “We hope to have a positive result this week and, ideally, we’d like it to start at Phillip Island. They had their final round on the weekend to get through, and there’s various protocols they need to follow. “At this stage, I’d suggest about six of their cars would come over and race. They

would be a standalone class within our series, with their own setup, tech commissioner and the like.” Pending the outcome of negotiations, it is likely the TRS cars could contest the final six rounds of the F3 season, with the 2010/2011 TRS season expected to start after the F3 season finale at Sandown in late October. “The cars would come over and stay over here for the season,” Richards said. “We’d probably also look at aligning them up with a pro F3 team, such as Team BRM, TanderSport or my team [R-Tek Motorsport] to share facilities. “The TRS cars have similar power to an F3 car, but there’s less torque, aero and tyre grip. We think they’d be about oneand-a-half to two seconds off the money, but still competitive with some of our National Class cars.” While Richards could not comment, sources have suggested a reciprocal arrangement could be on the cards, which would see F3 join TRS at a New Zealand event, possibly the Hamilton V8 Supercar round in the future. – MITCHELL ADAM

The Windus and the Willows ARC DARREN Windus and Toyota’s S2000 Corolla will be back in the Australian Rally Championship next month. The former Ford factory driver has done a deal with nine-time ARC champs Neal Bates Motorsport to run a car at his home rally again. Windus drove the same car in www.mnews.com.au

the Quit Forest Rally last year; he finished third in Heat 1 and was leading Heat 2 before crashing. “We all know how great the Corolla S2000 is and we have no doubt we can repeat the performance from last year, though we intend to do so minus the part where we hit a stump,” Windus said. “The only thing I am unsure

about is the new control tyre. I’ve never used them, but we have scheduled a preevent test so we can gain some data and evaluate how they perform. I’ve heard good things about their performance on other S2000 cars. “In general, this year’s field looks much stronger than previous years – and

the Corolla gives you the confidence to go rallying the way you are supposed to. “You can get into it straight away and just concentrate on driving hard. “Neal’s team is extremely professional. To have such experienced people around you, including Neal, who I will be able to bounce things off, is going to be great.” 17

E85 enters SV8TC V8 TOURING CARS CARS in the Shannons V8 Touring Car Series can now run E85 fuel. With BA Falcons and VY Commodores now eligible to run in the third-tier V8 series and BFs and VZs becoming eligible in 2012, the move has been made with new model cars in mind. E85 will not be compulsory,

with most existing competitors expected to stick with their regular blend race fuel. The Ethanol blend of fuel was introduced to the V8 Supercar Championship Series and Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series last year. “It’s been introduced to accommodate the new models,” V8TC Commercial Manager Rob Curkpatrick said.

“Cars that have run in the Fujitsu Series in the last 18 months or so would be tuned for E85, so it’s a costsaving measure for those competitors. “When we set the series up, we were expecting it to have a heritage feel, with EL Falcons, VS Commodores and the like, but almost it’s been the opposite with the flow of new cars. “We’d still like to see the

older cars in there, but everyone wants the new gear.” A number of new competitors will make their debut at Symmons Plains’ season opener, with former Fujitsu Series racer Tony Evangelou (BA Falcon), West Australian Matt Hansen (AU Falcon) and James Stewart (VY Commodore) joining the grid. – MITCHELL ADAM

Proddies go longer PRODUCTION CARS

Peter Bury

THE Australian Manufacturers Championship has done away with sprint races. Accompanying the Bathurst 12 Hour and Australian 6 Hour at Eastern Creek in the sixround series, each event will consist of a pair of one-hour races. The format has been used in the past at selected rounds, but will now be in place at Symmons Plains, Phillip Island, Morgan Park and Sandown. The format allows teams

to run two drivers per car if they wish, and avoids the need for refueling. In another format change for 2010, the

AMC has changed its outright championship points system. Previously, the system has been based on class results

and the number of cars in each class, but it’s now based on overall race positions. – MITCHELL ADAM motorsport news

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Rowe Memorials come to Nitro Champs DRAG RACING

AFTER the tragic passing of Wayne Rowe recently, Sydney Dragway has announced an award to help remember Wayne, a pioneer in Pro Stock and Doorslammer in Australian Drag Racing. Rowe was the first Australian to exceed 200mph in a doored car and was known

as a gentleman of the sport. Not only did he race in Top Doorslammer but he also enjoyed competing with distinction in Pro Stock for many seasons. The upcoming Nitro Champs event will see Sydney Dragway celebrating the life of Wayne Rowe’s brother Andrew with the running of the Andrew Rowe Memorial for Super

Stock, and it was decided after consultation with Ian Brown of the Pro Stock Owners Association that Sydney Dragway would also have a Wayne Rowe Memorial for Pro Stock. Just like the Andrew Rowe Memorial for Super Stock, Sydney Dragway will provide a perpetual plaque and a smaller trophy for the Pro

Stock bracket winner who, at this year’s Nitro Champs will become the inaugural winner of the Wayne Rowe Memorial. Sydney Dragway hope that having both the Andrew Rowe and the Wayne Rowe Memorial events at the Nitro Champs will help in some way to keep the memory of these two great racers in everyone’s minds.

DRAG RACING FERGIE Donaldson ran his bestever pass at Perth Motorplex on 20 March in the Greene Machine Nitro Funny Car, covering the quarter mile drag strip in 5.30s at 258mph. Car owner and tuner Allan Greene was excited about the potential the car showed

during the pass, given Donaldson got off the throttle a fraction early. “He was probably about 150 feet from the line when he shut off,” he said. “It might have been a low 5.2 second run, but we were rapt. Fergie proved he is fearless and he can drive it.” Greene changed the Funny

Car’s set-up from the last event, switching to a new clutch and increasing the boost from the supercharger. “We’ve gone to a five disc clutch from a four disc, which has been a big saver and has given us a bit of consistency back,” he said. “It was making too much power for the last clutch. Finally

Luke Nieuwhof

Even faster than Allan Donald

we have a bit of an idea where the tune up is and it’s not far off getting there.” Nitro motors are normally renowned for their volatility but Greene said they had no problems during the night bar an accelerator linkage breaking on the last run which restricted the car to quarter throttle. – LUKE NIEUWHOF

ANDRA Pro Series news is proudly presented by:

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Not so fab ... DRAG RACING TOP Doorslammer championship front-runner Maurice Fabietti looks like being out for the remainder of the ANDRA Pro Series, after a crash during a nonchampionship event at Mildura in Victoria. Currently third in the standings, Fabietti was racing at the Mildura Slamfest in his Holden Trade Club Monaro up against Peter Kapiris when he overpowered the track and turned the car hard

right, hitting the opposite wall and just missing Kapiris’s Studebaker. The incident has all-but ruled Fabietti out of the last two rounds of the championship at Sydney Dragway and Willowbank. “We tamed it right down but obviously not enough, the thing was going awesome and I thought we were going to get away with it, but it got up on the tires and turned hard right,” he said. “My first thought was where Peter was, but luckily I had

a better light and he just avoided us. I was heading to the wall and managed to bring it around a bit, it hit with the right front wheel and pulled me around.” From the first look at the Monaro, the assessment was not good according to Fabietti, and he said he would not be able to repair it by the next round. “It’s pretty major but hopefully it’s repairable; it will need a whole new body and probably a quarter of the chassis,” he said.

“It’s only five weeks until the next round and although the chassis could probably get done there are only two of those bodies in the world and it’s a lot of work.” Fabietti was philosophical about his championship chase coming to a premature end. “That’s what happens when you race these things, it’s part of the game,” he said. The Mildura event was won by Matthew Abel over Peter Blake. – LUKE NIEUWHOF

Next ANDRA Pro Series Round: ENZED Top Fuel Championships, Willowbank Raceway, April 17-18 www.mnews.com.au

Five Minutes with ...

JAMIE WHINCUP

Just hours before the reigning V8 Supercar champ was to drive a Formula 1 car for the first time at Albert Park, he spoke to ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN MOTORSPORT NEWS: Well Jamie, you’re about to become a Formula 1 driver. It’s only for half a day, but still, it must be a pretty exciting feeling. JAMIE WHINCUP: Absolutely. It’s unbelievable. This is one of the top three life experiences that I wanted to do before I die. It’s right up there with flying an F18 fighter jet, or going into space. So I’m just really thankful to Vodafone Australia for helping make it happen. Has it been a hard secret to keep? Well, we didn’t really need to keep it a huge secret. I’ve been telling my family and friends the whole way along that it was 20 percent done, then 30 percent done and so on. I’ve just been really, really hoping it would all come together, and we’ve even had a few issues over the weekend that had to be sorted, but it looks like it’s going to go ahead. What are your expectations of the car? I’m just expecting it to be an awesome machine. It’s as good as it gets, as far as racing cars go. Obviously, there are no compromises. It will have heaps of power, heaps of grip, perfect brakes. It should just be an absolutely awesome car to drive.

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Are you nervous? (Long pause) No, I’m not really nervous. I don’t have anything to prove. In the V8 Supercar, I’ll be going for the big times, but there will be no stopwatches ... Surely someone will have a stopwatch going, even if it’s on a mobile phone ... (Laughs) Yeah I’d imagine so, but it won’t be going out live or anything like that. I don’t need to be nervous because it’s just a great opportunity to drive one of the best racing cars in the world. I’m just looking at it like that.

for sure. I’m not sure exactly what sort of tin-top experience he has, but he’ll have to get used to how heavy a V8 Supercar is, and how it moves around in the corners and so on. We’ve been very focused on making the car as good for Jenson to drive as possible, so he has a good impression of our category.

What will you be telling Jenson Button about driving a V8 Supercar? How do you think he will go? Well, it will be interesting for Jenson, that’s

Finally, there are no points on offer this weekend, but will you be having a good dip in the V8 Supercar races anyway?

After all, Clipsal wasn’t a great weekend. It would be nice to get a few runs on the board pre-Hamilton, even if they are unofficial runs ... Yeah exactly. We have a good car, so any chance to go out there, do a good job, and get a result, I’m going to take it. It is nice to prove yourself. The other thing is, we have a lot of people from Vodafone come along to this race, so it is important for us to have a good run and show them why they are tipping the big bucks into our racing team. motorsport news

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John Morris/Mpix

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THE TROUBLE WITH Opinion SUCCESS

HEN I returned home from the Goodwood Revival back in 2006, I was hard-pressed to pick a highlight. The gorgeous cars, wheel-to-wheel racing and spectacular aircraft made it a feast for the senses, and way, way too good to pick a single standout moment. After spending last weekend at the 2010 Phillip Island Classic, I’m in the same boat. Now, I’ve been to every PI Classic since 2004, so I’m not going to write the standard, sycophantic, ‘this is how motor racing used to be’ sort of rubbish – mostly because the majority of the cars there had earned historic status before I was born, so I can’t really recall their heydays ... But I will say this; that meeting actually

Andrew van Leeuwen – eNews Editor

does get better every year. The only problem that I see for the future of the PI Classic is that the requests for entries is going to get so ridiculously large, that they won’t just be kerbing entries, but they’ll have to cut classes out of the program. And that’s no big deal – in fact, that’s exactly what they do at Goodwood. For example, at the Goodwood Revival, they have Formula Juniors racing every year – but the age limit for FJ in Europe is split in three, and each age bracket takes its turn on the grid. So, if you own a historic Junior deemed significant enough for Goodwood, you still only get to race every three years. All that PI is missing to be a genuine Goodwood contender is better trade and

retail displays (and these do improve every year), the mandatory period dress code (and plenty of people dress appropriately anyway), some old aircraft flying around – and there is an airfield on The Island, so why the heck not? Anyway, back to picking a highlight. Like I said, it’s hard, but here is the shortlist – standing on pit wall on Lap 2 of the Formula 5000 race; watching Rohan Carrig lead the Q&R field (including a 1985 Ferrari F1 car) in a Melbourne-built Hardman F2 car in the rain; and seeing the look on my dad John’s face when he jumped out of his Formula Ford after passing seven cars in the first race – on debut at the daunting circuit. Actually, bugger it. The last one wins.

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WHY WEBBER CAN WIN Opinion

Phil Branagan – Executive Editor

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KAY, let us be perfectly frank. The Bahrain Grand Prix was a crap race. But, let’s not get all panicky about the new Formula 1 regulations. Bahrain was a crap race last year too and, in 2008, with a lot more downforce on the cars, it was nothing to write home about either. It is a great facility that turns on lousy races, and the sooner we admit that, tick off that box and move on, the better. There are some that reckon that this weekend’s GP at Albert Park is going to be equally bad to watch. In one sense, I hope that they are right. Y’see, Mark Webber can win this weekend. Yep, we said that last year too, and probably in other years in the recent past as well. But this year, it is different. He has won a GP (actually, two); he has taken a pole. He has beaten his team-mate, fair and square. He has done everything a driver needs to do to be A Contender, regardless of what category we are talking about. So, if the race is boring, so long as the skinny bloke from Queanbeyan is leading, it’s all good. Webber should have won in Bahrain. He didn’t because he made errors on the final sector in qualifying, and started from the third row. He should have started alongside Sebastian Vettel and, when the German suffered whatever problem he suffered – interesting that Ron Dennis recently announced that he believed Vettel’s problem was fuel consumption! – Webber would have been there to pick up the pieces. The true pecking order in F1 speed at the moment is not the Bahrain finishing order of FerrariMcLaren-Mercedes, it’s Red Bull-Daylight-The Rest. The dark blues need to cash in those chips, as BrawnGP did last year, and bank some heavy points while they have the edge. One more thing. It is 30 years since an Australia won the World Drivers’ Championship, so one assumes that Alan Jones will be an honoured guest at the track this week. It is also 30 years since AJ blew the field into the weeds at Calder to take the Australian Grand Prix. He is the last Aussie to win either title, and the time is right for a repeat. And if the GP is a lousy race, enjoy the support races and the other events. I am not really one to hang around after the race and enjoy the band, but this year, I just might. If you are thinking that there is a direct correlation between yours truly and Simple Minds, you might just be right … 25

HISTORIC MOTORSPORT PHILLIP ISLAND CLASSIC

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ISLAND THUNDER!

The Formula 5000s stole the show at the Phillip Island Classic, but as usual, there was great cars and great racing up and down pit-lane. CALLUM BRANAGAN reports

James Smith

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James Smith James Smith

James Smith

T would seem Mother Nature sent the predicted bad weather elsewhere, as a massive 500-plus historic racecar entry list took part in the 21st running of the Phillip Island Classic on the weekend. It was a weekend to honour the Grand Prix achievements of the Italian motoring marque Alfa Romeo, which featured a beautifully presented Alfa Romeo 159, in only its second trip to the southern hemisphere. But the Formula 5000s, as part of the Tasman Revival Series, were the on-track highlight of the weekend, as a confirmed 34-car entry list shook the foundations of the Phillip Island Grand Prix circuit once again. The man of the weekend was Ken Smith, who took advantage of the mechanical issues of his main adversary, Chris Hyde in Race 2 (this starting midgrid for the final) to narrowly hold out second placed Steve Ross and a closing Hyde. Smith now extends his championship lead, going into the final round at the Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park next weekend. Guido Belgiorno-Nettis was again mpressive in his Ferrari 156/85 turbo Formula 1 car, as he continued to display a huge bill of speed in a brief showery period, despite running on slick tires. The low altitude and the flowing nature of the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit aided the turbo Ferrari as it led home the Brabham BT26 of Andrew Newall, and Peter Landan’s March Ram F1. The mighty Fred Gibson-built R32 Nissan Skylines made a welcome return to the racetrack, as competitors and fans were blessed with the distinctive sights and sounds of the Group A and C Touring Cars. A mechanical problem in Race 3 left Terry Ashwood in the Winfield Racing GT-R starting from the rear in Race 4, allowing Paul Stubber in the ex-Alan Moffat Mazda RX-7 to take the spoils. Re-creation of classic racing was the order for the weekend, however, the drivers in the Over 3000cc Touring Cars took the competitive racing up to the next level. John Mann in the Mustang Coupe took the honours in Race 4, as he stormed home ahead of the Holden XU1 Toranas of Andrew Williams, and Victorian Gary Edwards. John Bowe also made a guest appearance at Phillip Island, becoming somewhat of a worry for the much bigger cars in his smaller yellow Porsche 911ST. Mazda RX-2s were doing all the winning in the Under 3000cc Touring Cars, with Jason Humble dominating the proceedings for Group Nc in his distinctive orange RX-2. Ben Wilkinson took the Group Nb honours in Race 4, driving his 1964 blue EH Holden. Ray Stubber finally finished ahead of the Alfa Romeo T33 of Andy Newall in Race 4 of the M and O Sports and Racing and Formula Ford class, as Stubber struggled to find a way past the rare Alfa, which had a clear straight line advantage. Group Sa and Sb Sports Cars saw Jason Lea’s Datsun Sports conquer Sunday’s events, while Rod Jolly led a Cooper Climax one, two and three across the line in Groups J, K and Lb Sports and Racing. motorsport news

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Mark Cooper

Clockwise from top left: Paul Stubber waged a weekend-long war on the BMWs in his ex-Moffat Mazda; A Ralt RT4 and a March F1 car got a little too close for comfort; Kenny Smith led the way in 5000s; John Mann was the guy to beat in Historic Touring Cars; Ray Stubber and Laurie Bennett had some great dices in Formula 2, the Alfa 159 made its second trip below the equator.

James Smith James Smith

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AUSTRALIAN TARMAC CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND 3, LAKE MOUNTAIN SPRINT

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White Wash Tarmac kings Jason and John White added another Lake Mountain Sprint title to their collection in Round 3 of the Australian Tarmac Championship.

Justin Collins

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Justin Collins

JASON and John White have continued their perfect form in the maiden Australian Tarmac Championship, winning Round 3 on the weekend, the 2010 Lake Mountain Sprint. In their formidable Lamborghini Gallardo, the Tasmanians were the pick of a strong field over 10 runs on the

10km sprint. On the opening day, the White team topped three of the six stages and set the fastest-ever time up the Mountain – 4m25.18 – to leads the Nissan GTR of Steve Jones and Ben Searcy by eight seconds. Jones and Searcy lowered the outright record to 4m24 on the opening leg of Day 2, closing

the margin to seven seconds with four runs remaining. They took another two seconds off the Lamborghini’s lead on Stage 8, before the Whites bounced back on Stage 9. With a new record run of 4:20.75, they put their lead back up to seven seconds and won Stage 10 to claim the overall honours by eight seconds and

extend their ATC points lead. Such was the dominance of the lead two cars, the third-placed Mitsubishi Evo IX Lancer of Tony Warren and Natasha Deniese was almost over two minutes in arrears. Fourth-place went to Tim Hendry and Joanne Sibley from Stephen Bradford and Andrew Chudleigh.

Justin Collins

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Justin Collins

Clockwise from above left: Jason and John White went home with some more silverware. Ray Vandersee and Cameron Reeves won the opening stage in their Skelta but later found trouble. Steve Jones and Ben Searcy were second in their GTR, well clear of the Evo IX of Tony Warren and Natasha Deniese.

Justin Collins

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NASCAR SPRINT CUP ROUND 5, BRISTOL, TEN

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JIMMIE HITS 50

No, not years, wins. With his third win in five races, the four-time Sprint Cup Champ is now third in points, and threatenting to take a fifth title

NASCAR Media

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IMMIE Johnson’s pusuit of history continued at Bristol, when he took the 50th win of his Sprint Cup Series career. The four-time Champion, who had never tasted victory at the short track, did not have the best car in the field. Kurt Busch did, leading 275 of the race’s 500 laps, but he could not hold out the Hendrick Chevy. The battle for the win came down to a sprint over the final 10 laps. Both men took four tyres at the 11th and final yellow, and lined up fifth and sixth. Johnson made the best of the restar, and quickly moved past the ‘two-tyre’ drivers in front – Greg Biffle, Matt Kenseth, Carl Edwards and Tony Stewart. “Man, we have worked so hard for this,” said Johnson after his third win in five races. “I thought we were in trouble there but those four [new] tyres were everything and I was in the outside lane, which was helpful. “[Bristol] has been one of the most difficult [tracks] for us. It is so great to set some goals and go out and accomplish them as a race team. I am so proud of what we have done as a group. We’ve been off here over the years. We focused on what we needed to do and got it done today.” Busch was philosophical after taking second. “We were solid all day. We just got beat at the end on the luck of the draw on restarts.” There was plenty of action on the short track. Biffle caused one of the biggest crashes, elbow Marm Martin into a wall. The veteran tried to make it into the pits but with only limited steering, soon car after car piled into him, including Juan Pablo Montoya and Marcos Ambrose. In the end, another 10 cars were delayed or put out of the race in the accident. The other problem with the race was two delays for rain, some drivers even gambling the second time that the red flag would come out and refusing to pit. Sure enough, the clouds hovered until the end of the race, and then it rained. An 11th place allow Kevin Harvick to maintain the narrowest of points leads but, with one bad race behind him, Johnson is now third, and a threat. Anyone who says that they do not fear the man from California is either fibbing, or not paying attention …

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RESULTS :: FOOD CITY 500 1 48 2 14 3 2 4 16 5 17 6 99 7 88 8 1 9 18 10 31

Jimmie Johnson Chevy Tony Stewart Chevy Kurt Busch Dodge Greg Biffle Ford Matt Kenseth Ford Carl Edwards Ford Dale Earnhardt Jr Chevy Jamie McMurray Chevy Kyle Busch Toyota Jeff Burton Chevy

Hendrick Lowe’s Q4 Stewart Haas Office Depot 11 Penske Miller Lite Q11 Roush Fenway US Census 13 Roush Fenway Valvoline 14 Roush Fenway Aflac 8 Hendrick Nat’l Guard 18 Earnhardt Ganassi Bass Pro Shops 17 Joe Gibbs M&Ms 38 Childress 14

POINTS: Kenseth 778, Harvick 774, Johnson 760, Biffle 750, Stewart 685, Kurt Busch 677, Burton 677, Earnhardt 626, Menard 614, Gordon 608. Maestro: Jimmie Johnson gave another virtuoso performance to take his maiden win at Dover. Kurt Busch’s team worked hard, and Marcos Ambrose and Juan Pablo Montoya were among those caught in a 12-car melee. There really is nothing in racing like a NASCAR short track ...

All images: NASCAR Media

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AMERICAN LE MANS ROUND 1, SEBRING 12 HOUR

Lions tame Sebring Inevitably, Peugeot dominated the Sebring 12 Hour, and they are making understandably confident noises about Le Mans

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Andrew Hall

Peugeot Media

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OU might be excused for thinking that, if Team Peugeot Total showed up with two of its factory 908s, much of its Le Mans-winning squad and an attitude to win, almost any endurance race would be a foregone conclusion. And that is what happened at Sebring. Marc Gene qualified on pole, and the two French coupes led all the way. Gene, Alexander Wurz and Anthony Davidson strode to a 15s victory over the similar Peugeot 908 HDiFAP driven by Pedro Lamy, Sebastien Bourdais and Nicolas Minassian. The race between the cars was a cracker. With two hour to go, the gap between then was only 2s, a margin Wurz managed to stretch during the final stint. He managed to pull enough of a gap to keep the lead when Bourdais pitted later, for a shorter fill, and when the former Champ Car titleist spun, on cold tyres, on his out lap, the race for the win was over. It was an emotional win for the team. Apart from having fallen a handful of seconds short of the 2009 win, Wurz dedicated the win to a fallen comrade. “The last time I was at Sebring was 1997 where I shared a car with Greg Moore,” said the Austrian. “He was really, really a great guy and I was thinking of him and his family today and I want to share this win with him.” The team is now confident of

Happy with their day’s work: Davidson, Gene and Wurz made up and short and tall podium after dominating the race. The works Corvettes, however, had a pretty ordinary day after this happened ... defending its title on home soil this summer. “We really think after driving, this is the best prep for Le Mans,” said Gene. “The bumps are a more perfect to test for Le Mans than maybe Paul Ricard, where it is more smooth.” But that is not to say that there were no challengers to the Peugeots. Emanuele Pirro starred in Paul Drayson’s Lola, briefly getting to second during the opening stint of the race, despite the car being crashed in practice by its owner. Gradually, the petrol-engined car dropped back, until alternator problems stopped its progress. In the end, the Stefan Mucke, Harold Primat and Adrian Fernandez Aston Martin Racing

claimed third, and best of the petrol-powered cars in the factory-backed Lola. In LMP2, electrical problems hampered David Brabham’s Acura, which finished second despite numerous pitstops (and a pitlane speeding penalty). Team CytoSport’s Porsche RS Spyder of Greg Pickett, Klaus Graf and Sascha Maassen took class honours, and fourth outright. In GT2, Risi Competizione won again, with Jamie Melo, Gimmi Bruni and Pierre Kaffer in the team’s Ferrari 430GT showing a clean pair of heels to the Rahal Letterman Racing BMW. But the big story was the collision in the pits between the two Corvette Racing entries.

NZ GRAND FINALS TAUPO MOTORSPORT PARK

One title is not enough

SportProMedia.com

ONE title just wasn’t enough for Craig Baird in the 2009/2010 New Zealand season; so he made sure he picked up two. At MotorSport New Zealand’s Hydraulink Grand Finals meeting at Taupo Motorsport Park, Baird secured the BNT V8s Championship and Battery Town Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge – his fourth V8 and

sixth Porsche title. After finishing third in Race 1, fourth in Race 2 was enough for Baird to wrap up the title. In the 20-lap, reverse grid final, he showed his class, passing Dale Williams on the final lap to take victory. “It’s been tough racing all season so it is great to come away with two championships added to the tally,” he said.

“I have enjoyed every meeting as there has been some really good racing which shows the promoters have got the V8s formula about right.” With a pair of wins and sixth in the final, John McIntyre won the round and claimed second in the series ahead of Kayne Scott. It was a similar story in the GT3 Cup Challenge for Baird.

He entered the weekend with a 182-point lead, and fourth in Race 1 and third in Race 2 wrapped up the crown with a race to spare. As with his V8 season, he concluded the Porsche campaign with a win in the reverse-grid final. “There have always been two or three blokes at the front battling for the title and each one has had his own agenda,”

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Lance Hastie

Baird celebrates with his Porsche crew, left. Bamber won all three races in the TRS, above, but it wasn’t enough to stop Evans from taking the title. Reid, below, won the GT3 round.

SportProMedia.com

the 39-year-old said. “Mine’s always been to tick the championship box so this year for example we had plenty of speed early on and I’ve been consolidating my points lead since then. “That’s what was so good about the last race today. By banking all those points early on I could come out all guns blazing in the final.”

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With two wins and a fourth, Jonny Reid on the round to finish his rookie season second in the standings, while Daniel Gaunt wrapped up third. David Reynolds took pole position, but suffered a puncture in each of the first two races, eventually bouncing back to third in Race 3. While Baird wrapped up his titles with time to spare, the

Formula Toyota championship fight went right down to the wire. Mitch Evans entered the weekend with a 34-point buffer over Earl Bamber, who took out the opening two races ahead of Evans. It set up a tense final showdown, with Evans needing to finish third to wrap up the title if Bamber won the race. Out in front, Bamber was

looking after his side of the equation in the lead. He controlled the race and, with Evans third, backed up the pack to put the 15-year-old under pressure. It worked, with Evans losing two positions but eventually regaining third to claim the crown. In the end, just three points split Evans and Bamber, with Andrew Waite third.

IRC JUHO Hanninen has moved further ahead in the Intercontinental Rally Challenge points after dominating last weekend’s round in Argentina. And to make matters even better for Hanninen, reigning Champ and winner of the last round in Brazil, Kris Meeke, didn’t make the finish. Hanninen’s win also means that three different makes of car have won the first three rounds of the year, with Mikko Hirvonen (Ford) winning Monaco, Meeke (Peugeot) winning Brazil, and Hanninen (Skoda) winning Argentina. Hanninen’s win was a resounding one, the Finn taking having to run first on the road in his stride to win 11 of the 15 special stages. He was never challenged, and won from team-mate Guy Wilks by almost a minute. “I’m very happy but a little bit surprised how good everything has been for me on this rally”, Hanninen told Eurosport. “There was a lot of fog on the first stage, but I knew I didn’t need to push. “I took it easy to avoid the rocks, but I also had to keep my rhythm to avoid making any mistakes. It’s been safe and fast; you could say I have had a very good feeling. I would like to have the same feeling on every rally.” Meeke had been running

EASY DOES IT

third, but struggled with issues throughout the rally. First it was a throttle problem, before his Peugeot broke a steering bolt on the penultimate stage and was forced out of the rally. This gifted third place to Jan Kopecky, making it a Skoda 1-2-3. “It is really disappointing after all the niggling little problems we’ve had this weekend, but safety must come first,” said Meeke, right. “We’ll take stock and move on.” Local driver Gabriel Pozzo finished fourth, scoring the first IRC manufacturer points for Subaru in the process. The series will continue on the Canary Islands in two weeks.

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ANDERSON WINS THE FIGHT; WAR YET TO BE DECIDED ... SPEEDWAY GRANT Anderson won the pentultimate round of the Eureka Garages and Sheds Sprintcar Series at Moama’s Heartland Raceway last Saturday night, but the series is poised for a thrilling finish this weekend at Ballarat’s Redline Speedway. Lilydale’s Mike Van Bremen ensured it will be real grand finale with a second place finish, and has cut John Vogels series lead to 71-points, with a possible three-way battle for aggregate honours. Van Bremen, Vogels and Warrnambool’s Jamie Veal are the only three that can win the championship. For the second week in a row, Anderson was top point scorer after the qualifying heats, and came off the front row after

setting quick time in the topsix shootout alongside Veal, and just ahead of Van Bremen, Charles Hunter, Brett Smith and Darren Hickman. Lap 7 cost Veal any chance of the win when, for the second successive week, an out of control Taylor Johnson spun in Turn 4, leaving Veal with nowhere to go. Veal and Johnson would restart, albeit from the rear, and it was a fired-up Veal who showed his real talent and came back from the dead to grab third in a superb recovery. But it was all class from Anderson, who was in heavy traffic throughout the race, and held on comfortably for his fourth A-Main win in his career. “It was definitely hairy out there, some of those guys we must have come around three

or four times to lap,” Anderson said. “We are really comfortable in this car and a lot of people have a go at us because we don’t win many races, but we do chase the biggest ones

around the country, and I think it shows when we come back to club level, not that it’s easy here. It’s good to get the win and some confidence before Easter where we hold the title.” – GEOFF ROUNDS

CROSS MAKES HIS MARK AT TPCR SPEEDWAY YOUNG Dubbo-based Sprintcar racer Jeremy Cross scored the biggest win of his short career last Saturday night, when he defeated Mitchell Dumesny and Ian Loudoun at the Tyrepower Parramatta City Raceway. It was an incident-filled 30-lap

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Sprintcar feature right from the green, when Mark Richards spun with Craig Brady, James Thomson and Adrian Maher all getting involved. Only Maher was able to restart and continue in the race. Two laps later another incident saw Marty Perovich, Max Dumesny and Troy Little get together. Rod Bell-Bowen was the early leader,

but slipped off the track, allowing Ben Atkinson to take control. The NT racer looked comfortable leading, but on lap 12 Atkinson’s top wing mount started to break. That allowed Cross to blast his way to a lead he would retain to the end of the race, despite pressure from Dumesny. – GREG BOSCATO

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THE ISLAND’S MAGIC

Sure, historic motor racing is supposed to be a little less serious than contemporary motorsport, but nobody told Bob Fraser, who spun his Porsche, or John Mann and Andrew Williams, who rubbed panels, or Peter Jackson, who had them burning in his Healey 3000. But Paul Stubber saw the lighter side ...

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James Smith