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Issue No. 150 April 13 -19 2010
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Issue No. 150 | 13-19 Apr 2010
news 4 Mathias Louder Spelling wrong, driver right 6 Symmons Extension Tas seeks new V8 contract 9 Proton Accelerator Mk II Atko’s IRC chance 15 Langley Park is Back!!! Targa West’s new SSS 18 Hall: Photo Gun! Our man wins V8 prize
chat 22 Five Minutes With ... Chris Atkinson
comment 24 van Leeuwen 25 Murphy
race 26 Shannons Nationals 32 IndyCar 36 NASCAR
trade 44 Classifieds
LAUDA LINKED TO LDM Son of three-time World Champ set for Gold Coast and Fujitsu Series outings with Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport
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V8 SUPERCARS
T looks like Mathias Lauda has found a home in the V8 Supercar Championship Series. Lauda’s father – three-time World Champion Niki Lauda – was reportedly canvassing the V8 Supercar paddock at the recent Australian Grand Prix, indicating an interest by the younger Lauda. And if eNews’ sources are correct, then he has landed a seat with Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport for the Gold Coast SuperCarnivale in October. The links to LDM are obvious. At the AGP, Lauda Senior was chaperoned around the V8 paddock by Holden Racing Team’s Will Davison, who has a personal friendship with Mathias since the pair were up-and-comers on the European open-wheeler scene. While there are no places left at HRT, LDM’s position as a Walkinshaw Racing customer team provides the perfect basis for a deal. But the Gold Coast race may well not be Lauda’s only V8 outing this year. eNews understands that LDM may expand its program to include a Fujitsu Series entry later this season, with Lauda as the driver. This would act as a way for the Austrian to gather some V8 Supercar experience without the pressure of a main series debut, and would
also potentially increase the cashflow of the fledging one-car team. eNews attempted to contact team-owner Lucas Dumbrell on Monday, but he was unavailable. Lauda, 29, has been specialising in tintop racing since 2006. Up until then, he was regular in junior open-wheel series, making it all the way to GP2, where he raced alongside Gian Bruni for Coloni in 2005. He then switched to the DTM in Germany, where has been racing since ’06. He finished 15th in the series in ’07, ’08 and ’09, with a best result of sixth at Catalunya back in ’07. Lauda also raced in the Middle Easternbased SPEEDCAR Series, finishing seventh in the ‘08 season.
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n other LDM news, Mark Noske is shaping up as the favourite to partner Daniel Gaunt at the regular V8 Supercar enduros later this year. While Lauda was apparently keen to do all three races, Dumbrell is expected to opt for a more experienced driver for the Phillip Island and Bathurst outings, with Noske and Nathan Pretty heading the list. Noske is expected to test for LDM soon. He partnered Jason Bargwanna to sixth place at last year’s Bathurst 1000 – ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN
Dirk Klynsmith
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Will the Lauda name bring people to the Gold Coast? Let us know on Twitter – @motorsportenews
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THREE STILL FREE
SuperCarnivale – Who’s going where? TeamVodafone – Andy Priaulx (UK)* Holden Racing Team – Ryan Briscoe (AUS) Centaur Racing – Tiago Montiero (PT) SBR – David Brabham (AUS) Wilson Security Racing – Heinz-Harald Frentzen (DE) FPR – Will Power (AUS)* Bottle-O Racing – TBA Jack Daniel’s Racing – Scott Dixon (NZ) Kelly Racing – Alex Tagliani (CAN) Brad Jones Racing – TBA Britek – TBA Bundy Red Racing – TBA Triple F Racing – Gianni Morbidelli (ITA) Jim Beam Racing – Dario Franchitti (UK) DJR – Sebastien Bourdais (FRA)* LDM – Mattias Lauda (AUT) Fujitsu Racing – TBA PMM – Yvan Muller (FRA) * Speculation only at time of press
V8 SUPERCARS ONE of the mysteries currently surrounding the Gold Coast SuperCarnivale is where the remaining three ‘V8SA-contracted’ drivers will end up. When the concept was originally announced, V8 Supercars Australia revealed that Scott Pruett, Christian Fittipaldi, Mark Blundell, Alex Tagliani and David Brabham had all signed up, and would be farmed out to teams. But spots are rapidly filling with drivers not on the original list, with only Brabham (Stone Brothers Racing) and Tagliani (Kelly Racing) having officially found a home on the grid. That leaves Pruett, Fittipaldi and Blundell – none of whom would be described as a desirable catch – without a seat as of yet. As it stands, the only teams that eNews can’t strongly link a driver to are Rod Nash Racing’s FPR-run Bottle-O entry, Brad
Jones Racing, the BJR-run Britek entry, Bundy Red Racing, and Garry Rogers Motorsport. However, TeamVodafone, Ford Performance Racing and Jonathon Webb’s third Dick Johnson Racing entry all have drivers linked to them, although with serious question marks. Those drivers are Andy Priaulx (TeamVodafone), Will Power (FPR) and Sebastien Bourdais (Webb). eNews can also confirm that none of the ‘pool’ drivers will be the Bottle-O entry either, with team owner Rod Nash confirming “RNR has got their driver.” When asked to further confirm it was not Pruett, Fittipaldi or Blundell, Nash responded by saying “yes, that is correct.” That leaves one of the BJR cars, Karl Reindler’s Britek car, one of the Bundy Red Racers, and one of the GRM cars in contention for Pruett, Fittipaldi and Blundell – should they still be in the game ... – ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN
Tasmania wants more V8s V8 SUPERCARS
NEGOTIATIONS for a contract extension of Symmons Plains’ V8 Supercar round have begun. This year’s event will be the last of current, six-year deal, in which V8 Supercars Australia hire the circuit
and promote the weekend. Motorsports Tasmania is keen to secure the event’s long-term future and has begun discussions with the State Government, following the recent election on the Apple Isle. “We believe it’s a good event,” Motorsports Tasmania
General Manager Dick Caplice said. “There’s been a State Government Election recently and until that has all been sorted, we haven’t been able to have the discussions with the relevant Government Ministers. “So we’ve been in a holding
pattern for two or three weeks, but negotiations are starting now to renew the deal. “V8 Supercars is the event promoter, and they would likely continue to hire the track and use that arrangement.” – MITCHELL ADAM motorsport news
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TD: More Top 10s Chip in V8 SUPERCARS TONY D’Alberto will be looking to this weekend’s ITM Hamilton 400 to keep his rich vein of form running. After a disappointing start to the season in the Middle East, D’Alberto fired into form on the streets of Adelaide at the Clipsal 500, qualifying in the Top 10 twice and taking seventh place in Sunday’s 500km leg. Now, he is hoping to keep the Top 10 run going on the streets of Adelaide.
“That’s the plan,” he told eNews. “That would really keep the momentum going, and the car should be good because the circuit is so similar to Adelaide. “I don’t want to put too much pressure on myself, but I’ve got good expectations, because we’ve been pretty competitive there the last couple of years.” D’Alberto added that Hamilton being a street circuit will help all of the Walkinshaw Racing-built
Commodores. “Short, sharp corners really suit those cars,” he said. “So does a high-grip circuit. I tend to struggle on long corners without grip. For example, we were off the pace in the Middle East, did nothing to the car, and we were on the pace in Adelaide.” And how’s this for an omen; D’Alberto did a personal best time biking up Mount Dandenong last weekend, in pre-event training. – ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN
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to help Keith!
THE Australian motorsport industry will come together to help one of its own with a major fund raising event at the Queensland Raceway V8 Supercar round on Saturday May 1. Former V8 Supercar Team Manager, Keith Evers, has been diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia – commonly known as AML. He will under go chemotherapy at the Gold Coast Hospital for the next three weeks, before another assessment is made on the next phase of his treatment. The fund raising activities will include a one-off memorabilia shop over the Queensland Raceway event weekend, a formal auction on Saturday afternoon and an account at the Bank of Queensland where fans can donate funds (BSB: 124001; Account: 21422310). Teams, drivers, fans and sponsors have already committed a range of items for the store and auction including helmets, race suits, car parts, Supercar rides, corporate tickets, team apparel and much more. Every cent raised through the activities will be presented to Evers to help with his medical costs and his loss of income.
Dirk Klynsmith
Barker to test V8 FUJITSU SERIES
ENGLISHMAN Ben Barker will test with Fujitsu Series outfit Jay Motorsport next week. The Formula 3 Australian Drivers Championship front-runner will drive the team’s second Commodore at Winton on Tuesday April 20. It will be Barker’s second test of a Supercar, having turned laps for Greg Murphy
Motorsport last December. “I got to know them through James [Winslow], when he tested and raced for them last year, they’ve invited me along to drive their second car next week,” Barker told eNews. “It’ll give me more of an idea on where I want to go and do next year, the ultimate goal is to break into V8 Supercars.” Barker said the door was open about doing a round later in the year.
“I’m thinking about it,” he said. “It’ll come down to budget, at the moment we don’t really have the budget for it. I’m keeping my options open, I’ll see how the test goes.” Garth Walden, who raced alongside Winslow at Homebush, will also turn laps in the ex-Team Dynamik Commodore. After a strong debut at Clipsal, Nick Percat will test his car, while Team
Owen to run QR V8 SUPERCARS
STEVE Owen will line up with Greg Murphy Racing again at Queensland Raceway next month. The 2008 Fujitsu Series Champ did Adelaide’s 2010 season opener to showcase GMR’s new, ex-Tasman Motorsport VEs, taking the team’s maiden race and round wins in the process. With a deal for fulltime drivers still yet to eventuate, Owen will jump back into the seat for Round 2. The team is continuing negotiations to have a second VE on the grid at QR, running alongside Owen and Geoff Emery’s VZ. “Steve’s back in for Queensland Raceway,”
Team Manager Dean Lillie said. “We’re still talking to people about the other VE, so we’ll see how that pans out. At the moment, it’s about a 70 percent chance we’ll have it out there too, as a one-off.” It’ll be a busy weekend for GMR, which will also run Tony Bates’ Commodore Cup car at the Phillip Island Shannons Nationals round, and has clients competing in Targa Tasmania. Owen will be among an increased group of VE Commodores, set to be the highest-ever in a Fujitsu round, with Jack Perkins and Paul Morris both contesting the weekend in PMM-built machinery. – MITCHELL ADAM Dirk Klynsmith
Manager Keith Rennie is working towards running the second car for the remainder of the year. “We want to run a second car from now on,” Rennie said. “Garth wants to do a couple of New South Wales rounds, Bathurst and Homebush, so it’ll be good for him to get some laps next week, and we’re working on things for Queensland Raceway.” – MITCHELL ADAM
Ant’s Back for more FUJITSU SERIES ANT Pedersen looks likely to remain in the Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series with Matthew White Motorsport. The Kiwi led the impressive rookie bunch at Clipsal, finishing third for the round, in what was a one-off deal alongside David Russell and Matthew Hamilton. MWM is scheduled to test at Winton next Tuesday with all three cars, and team owner Matthew White told eNews that Pedersen was set to stay on board for the next round at Queensland Raceway. “It’s status quo at this stage,” he said. “Running Ant again is what we’re working pretty hard towards. I’ve been running these cars for 10 years and I’ve never seen someone go as fast in their first test as he did, and I think he was THE standout at Clipsal.” – MITCHELL ADAM motorsport news
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ATKO PLANS IRC OUTINGS WORLD RALLYING
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CHRIS Atkinson is likely to do some Intercontinental Rally Challenge rounds this year, as part of his deal with Proton MEM. Atkinson has signed on with the UK-based team to drive one of their Proton Satria Neo Super 2000 cars in the Asia-Pacific Rally Championship this year. But the Bega-native is hopeful of also doing some IRC rounds, and didn’t rule out an outing in the newly established S-WRC class, either. Proton MEM has a history in the IRC, competing in six rounds last year, shared between Guy Wilks, who now drives for Skoda, and Alistair McRae, who will be Atkinson’s team-mate this year. “I really hope [I get to do some IRC rounds],” Atkinson told eNews. “I’m coming into this with the expectation that we will do some IRC rounds. Proton MEM did some IRC rounds last year with Guy Wilks and Alistair McRae, so I don’t
see any reason why we wouldn’t do it again this year. “That would definitely be a big bonus, especially to rack up some tarmac miles in an S2000 car.” McRae will definitely be doing some IRC rounds for Proton MEM this year, alongside his regular co-driver, West Aussie Bill Hayes. McRae and Hayes are currently scheduled to do Rally d´Italia Sardegna in Italy, the famous Ypres Rally in Belgium, the Rali Vinho Madeira in Portugal, the Barum Czech Rally Zlín, and the RAC MSA Rally of Scotland. “Having done IRC Scotland last year, we found it a very exciting championship,” said Hayes. “A large number of manufacturers can compete for outright honours, rather than just a general placing behind WRC cars.” – ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN For more with Chris Atkinson, see ‘Five Minutes With ...’ on page 22.
FIA WARNS TEAMS ON RIDE HEIGHTS sutton-images.com
FORMULA 1 THE FIA has sought to clarify Formula 1’s regulations regarding adjustable suspension and ride-heights. An official warning has been circulared to teams, advising that any device used to alter the distance between the underbody of the chassis and
the track from qualifying to the race is strictly prohibited. The clarification comes after several teams, notably Red Bull Racing and Ferrari, were thought to have a mechanical device in the suspension that allowed ride height to be adjusted, regardless of the car’s fuel load. Subsequently, Red Bull Racing boss Christian
Horner underlined that his cars were not running such features and, should another team employ such a device, he would have no hesitation in protesting its use. The FIA’s latest instruction reads: “Any system, device or procedure, the purpose and/
or the effect of which is to change the set-up of the suspension whilst the car is under parc fermé conditions, will be deemed to contravene Article 34.5 of the F1 Sporting Regulations. “Any self-levelling damper system is likely to contravene (Article) 3.15 of the technical regulations.”
Durango applies for 13th F1 slot FORMULA 1
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IF USF1 does make it onto the Formula 1 grid next season, it will have to overtake Durango Racing to do it. Durango has announced that it is applying for the 13th slot in the Formula 1 field next season. Ironically, the team is not running in GP2 this season due to financial problems, but it is those problems that underlined to the team’s owners that and F1 project was a realistic ambition. “After all the wrong things happened last season we tried our best to look for new partners in our racing activity,” said team boss Ivone Pinton. “It did not take too long to understand that the interest could be aroused just about Formula 1 and nothing else. So we pushed towards this direction and I can say that, to enter F1, we can now enjoy the
backing of two very big international groups. “So even keeping the feet on the ground as we say in Italy, because up till now this is just a serious attempt, I like to consider that after so many years spent pushing young drivers to become future champions now the time has come to strongly push Durango as a team towards the motorsport pinnacle.” Applications for the 13th slot must be received by April 15, and the FIA promises an announcement by July. Durango was established as a Formula 3 team in 1987. The team has scored three GP2 race wins, for drivers Clivio Piccione, Davide Valescchi and current HRT driver, Karun Chandhok. It has also fielded entries at Le Mans and other Sportscar races, and has entered the new Auto GP championship, which will be raced by drivers in former A1GP cars. motorsport news
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Decision re Korea’s F1 future this week
Track construction problems: Ecclestone could postpone race until 2011 FORMULA 1 THE fate of the Korean Grand Prix could be decided in the next few days. Reports in the German magazine Focus are suggesting that so late is construction running on the Korea International Circuit in Yeongam, in Sampo
District, that a decision may be made by Formula One Management within a week whether to postpone the race. The 5.621km track, which is being built by the The Korea Auto Valley Operation (KAVO) consortium to a Tilke design, is said to be in danger of not being completed in time for the October 24.
According to the report, Bernie Ecclestone detoured to Korea on the return journey from Malaysia in order to assess the situation, and may make a decision in the next few days. One of the problems involved with any such a decision is that tickets for the race have already been sold.
Tickets went on sale in Korea on April 1, priced between 117,000 won ($113) to 920,000 won ($890), excluding tax. As many as 123,000 spectators were expected to attend the event, the fifth and las t Asian race of the 19race 2010 season after GPs in Malaysia, China, Singapore and Japan.
GP/ o t o M / 1 F For full rage/news, e WRC cov RE to get to E CLICK H k magazine! GPWee week.com www.gp
... but it’s all-go in India – you guessed it – cricket, and the total costs of construction ON the other side of Asia, of the 2800-acre site is organisers of the maiden estimated at $380m. Indian Grand Prix remain The Jaypee Group has signed confident that their facility a 10-year deal to host the will be ready in October 2011. race, through its subsidiary New Delhi’s “sports city”, JPSK Sports. Mark Hughes, 35km outside India’s capital, is formerly Operations Director on-schedule, and will include for the Bahrain Grand Prix, is a brand-new metro station as overseeing the project. well as an eight-lane motorway. “We expect to complete The complex will include a construction by July 2011,” 100,000-seat sports stadium for Hughes told Reuters, “and, once
FORMULA 1
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the FIA has given its approval, we can finalise training for marshals, track officials and medical staff in time for an October race.” Australians are expected to be involved in that training process and eNews believes that there have already been discussions between JPSK and CAMS over the matter. Hughes expects the track to be very fast. “It’s an undulating 5.5-
kilometre track which we expect to have the second fastest average speed of any circuit on the calendar behind Monza,” he said. “We sent the details to all the teams and they programmed the information into their simulators and gave us feedback on where we could make improvements and add overtaking opportunity points.” Overtaking? On a Tilke circuit? Is that allowed? 11
Toyota Motorsports
Go Ahead. Change NASCAR SPRINT CUP ONE of Marcos Ambrose’s sponsors might be in for a shakeup, according to the US business media. The influential Wall Street Journal reports that Clorox is considering the sale of its automotive brands, STP and Armor All. According to the report, the Oakland, Californiabased company has been analysing its varied product portfolio and may well hire an investment bank to broker the sale within the next couple of months. STP and Armor All have combined annual sales of about $300 million. Clorox was founded in 1913 as a maker of bleach, and its brands include such household US names as Glad, Brita Water Filters and Pine-Sol cleaning products. The reason behind the potential move is rumoured to be Clorox management’s desire to concentrate on its core business of cleaning and foodbased markets. STP, which has a long history with NASCAR through Richard Petty, is one of the brands that features on Ambrose’s JTG Daugherty Racing entry, others including Kingsford Charcoal and Hidden Valley Ranch salad dressing. 12
Liberty, Freedom, Justice and the High Speed Pursuit of Happiness NASCAR SPRINT CUP NASCAR is breaking new ground, again, this week, with a Sprint Cup team sponsored by a political campaign. Bobby Labonte will be supported by Texans for Rick Perry this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway. Labonte, himself a Texan, will wear the slogan ‘Moving Texas Forward’ on his the #71 TRG Motorsports Chevy. Governor Perry’s campaign has paid US$225,000 to sponsor the car, according to the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram. “This is a prime example of why NASCAR sponsorship is such an effective marketing platform,” said team owner Kevin Buckler. “We are going to help Gov. Perry reach a
huge number of Texans in a very short period of time. Bobby and the No. 71 are going to provide a call to action to all of the governor's supporters in the NASCAR world. It’s great to see Gov. Perry utilize such a creative way to run for re-election – right in his own backyard.” Racing is considered big business in Texas, with TMS hosting the five largest single-day spectator events in the state. The track’s two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events, two NASCAR Nationwide Series events and the IndyCar Series Race contribute a regional economic impact of approximately $300m per year, of which the April Cup race contributes $90m, according to government-supplied statistics. motorsport news
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Ed Carpenter gets 500 ride Panther Racing signs ex-Vision driver
INDYCARS
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PANTHER Racing has added Ed Carpenter to its Indy 500 roster. Carpenter, the stepson of former Vision Racing and Indianapolis Motor Speedway boss Tony George, will drive alongside regular Panther Racing driver Dan Wheldon for the 94th running of the Indy 500 this May. “We looked at a lot of opportunities for the month of May, and as strong as Vision Racing has run the last few years, we felt like partnering with them made a lot of sense for us,” John Barnes, CEO and co-owner of Panther Racing, said. “I feel that Ed is a threat to win at any race he runs, and he’s proved that to this league in the last two or three years. I honestly hope this isn’t a one-and-done deal. We very much look forward to the opportunity of expanding this and running more IZOD IndyCar Series races together this season.” Carpenter demonstrated his oval skills in a tough battle with Ryan Briscoe at the Kentucky 1.5-mile oval last August, losing by mere inches. The 29-year-old American, whose best finish was second, has competed for the past six IndyCar seasons. This year, with Vision shutting down, Carpenter has not had a ride. – MARY MENDEZ
Clarke returns to Indy Lights INDYCARS
Delta Good ‘Un INDYCARS THE DeltaWing design has proven itself, somewhat, in windtunnesl tests. The controversial and revolutionary chassis proposed to be the future IndyCar showed that its design can reduce aerodynamic drag by half of the current IndyCar chassis. The full-size DeltaWing prototype proved these parameters in a wind tunnel test in Concord, North Carolina. “The test was a huge success and confirmed the trends of our advanced computational www.mnews.com.au
fluid dynamics modeling,” said Ben Bowlby, Designer and Chief Technology Officer of DeltaWing LLC. “We believe that a 4-cylinder, turbocharged engine with approximately 300-350 horsepower will meet the performance requirements of the IZOD IndyCar Series for the 2012 chassis, doing so with only half the fuel consumption of today’s car.” Drivers have been cautious about the unusual looking design, similar to a modern land speed record car with a very narrow front and wide-
tracking rear end. Questions have been raised about whether the car would really turn at over 320kmh and if there would be more accidents due to the difference widths between front and rear. “The concept is definitely in the right direction,”‘ said Ryan Briscoe. “The DeltaWing is very ultramodern looking but very different from what we race now. We’ll have to see just how the actual cars perform with other cars on track and make sure they are safe.” – MARY MENDEZ
DAN Clarke has become the latest former IndyCar driver to drop down to Indy Lights. The Brit, who competed in the Champ Car World Series in 2006 and 2007 but was unable to find a ride after the open wheel merger in 2008, will drive with Walker Racing, both of them hoping to move up to IndyCars in 2011. Walker ran rising American star, Jonathan Summerton, at the Indy Lights season opener in St. Petersburg. That driver is looking for funding to continue at Walker in a second car. Another former Champ Car driver, Jan Heylan of Holland, is also competing in the Lights series this season. – MARY MENDEZ 13
BRIEFLY... n Daniel Erickson will hit the paddock at this weekend’s IndyCar round at Long Beach. Following a standout performance on debut in the USF2000 Championship at Virginia Raceway on the weekend, see race coverage, Erickson will aim to meet with IndyCar and Indy Lights teams as he looks to setup a Stateside program for 2010. The Sydneysider had aimed to race Star Mazda this year, before encountering a budget shortfall.
Eli ready to get dirty RALLY ELI Evans is confident his new Honda Civic Type R will be a contender on gravel in this weekend’s QUIT Forrest Rally. On the new machine’s debut in the ARC at Tasmania in February, Evans showed plenty of pace, but finished down the order after tyre
problems. This weekend will be its maiden run on gravel. “We haven’t done any testing on gravel yet and we’re still waiting on some parts so at this stage the first time I drive it will be at the event but I think the car will be good straight out of the box,” Evans said. “I’ve finished second the last two years (in Perth) and
if you stay out of trouble you seem to do well. If I can repeat second on the podium I think it would be a great result in the two wheel drive. “Heat one is going to be tough as we’ll be running up the front and will be doing a lot of sweeping but second time around I think you’ll really see the pace of the Honda come out.”
n Seven V8 Utes will cross the Tasman this week to take on the Kiwis at Hamilton. Charlie Kovacs, Kim Jane, George Elliot, Warren Millet, Rob Jarvis, Craig Dontas and Greg Willis will represent Australia in the V8 Utes Trans Tasman Challenge across three races.
Fancy a new ride? Following the demise of A1GP, administrators are having a liquidation sale. While the series (including, funnily enough, its ‘goodwill’) is up for grabs as a whole, it’s the machinery which will attract the most interest. From the final season of A1GP, 20 of the Ferrari-built cars are up for grabs, along with 15 of the original Lola chassis’. There’s also a heap of spares and infrastructure, the Ferrari 599GTV Safety Car and Maserati Quattroporte Medical Car available through www.godove.com. n
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Michael Vettas
Brad Jones Racing has appointed Lucy Peacock as its PR Manager. Peacock worked with Ford Performance Racing in the same role in 2008 and 2009. n
Win with eNews! DRIFTING MALLALA will host its secondannual Drift Supercup this weekend, and you could be there with thanks to Motorsport eNews! While 2009 winner Luke Fink won’t contest the event, entries from the likes of 2008
Australian Drift Champion Leighton Fine and fellow SA standouts including Christian Pickering and Simon Podlewski mean there’ll be plenty of competition. Organisers have attracted about 60 entries across the two classes, Pro and Street, with a $12,000 prize pool up
for grabs. If Drifting’s your bag and you want to go into the running, get in touch with us via email – mnews@mnews.com.au – or on Twitter or Facebook – search for Motorsport eNews – and tell us who won the 2009 Drift Supercup. Entries close at 10am Wednesday (AEST). motorsport news
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Ash Budd
Targa West to hit the city RALLY QUIT Targa West will introduce a new special stage in the Perth CBD this year. In conjunction with the City of Perth, a new, 3.5km stage on the Swan River foreshore will host the final stages of the August 26-29 event. The stage is based around Riverside Drive and Langley Park, formerly used in Rally Australia, and will be run three times on the Sunday afternoon to conclude the event. “The City of Perth have been great sponsors of the event since Day 1,” Event Director Bob Schrader told eNews. “They’ve done a fantastic job for us, in letting us use the city for various displays and now they’re supporting with the new city Super Stage to end the rally. “We’ve been trying for this for some www.mnews.com.au
time, and now we’ve got a workable solution which ticks all of the boxes, in terms of disruption to the area and opportunities for spectators. “There’s a lot of work to be done with the logistics, but we’ve finalised the layout. It’s a fantastic starting point for us to use this year and hopefully build on in the future.” The rally also has a new location for Prologue, which will be held at Whiteman Park, the site of the WA Motor Museum, and QUIT Targa West has received approval from the City of Swan to conduct two trial stages in the Bullsbrook area. Meanwhile, the brand-new Killarnee Targa South West will be held for the first time on May 29-30. Designed as a warm-up for QUIT Targa West competitors, the event will take place in Pemberton and include a 3.5km stage in the centre of the town. – MITCHELL ADAM 15
FORMULA 3 THE Formula 3 Australian Drivers Championship is looking to continue to increase its field for Round 3 at Phillip Island next month. While the opening round at Wakefield Park saw just six cars race, eight raced at Symmons Plains and F3 is eyeing more for Phillip
Island, where they anticipate cracking double figures for the first time this year. Former National Class Champion Chris Gilmour will make his first appearance of 2010 in the F307 Dallara he purchased from Steve Morcombe during the off-season. Mitch Evans is set to get back into his Team
BRM Dallara, after missing Symmons Plains while testing in Europe, and Andrew Waite – who filled his seat in Tasmania could return. Waite won a race in his debut round and is believed to be keen to contest more rounds, while Kristian Lindbom is a strong chance to line up with Astuti Motorsport again after a strong run in his second F3 outing.
Currently racing an F304 Dallara for R-Tek in National Class, John Magro is investigating getting his hands on an ’07, while young Tasmanian driver Josh Burdon – his team-mate at Symmons – could appear again in Round 4 at Mallala. – MITCHELL ADAM
F3 eyes stronger PI James Smith
Fancy an Aston, Ric? Sure! AUSSIES OVERSEAS VETERAN Nurburgring 24 Hour competitor Ric Shaw will have a change of pace in this year’s event. Shaw had planned on contesting the May classic with his purpose-built Mazda RX7, which underwent an extensive rebuild following the 2008 race. However, it wasn’t 16
sufficiently sorted prior to the shipping date, so Shaw has made arrangements to drive a UK-based Aston Martin N24. He’ll be joined in the GT4spec car by fellow Australians Steve Borness and Rob Rubis, and will run with backing from Shaw’s regular partner Sennheiser. “We’ve done a lot of work to the Mazda, but it wasn’t
to the point where we were confident enough to ship it,” Shaw told eNews. “This has all come about through the English team I raced a BMW for last year. They’re going to run and look after the Aston for us. It should be a good car, I’ve driven one down here. It’s got a 4.3-litre V8, it’s well balanced and pretty good to drive.
“It’s a reliable package in GT4, I’ve got a 100% finishing record over there I want to keep going. It’ll be a tough battle in the SP10 class, practice will be the first time we’ll drive it and there’s a lot of seasoned competitors. “We’ll be back with the Mazda in 2011, in a faster trim to try and win its class.” – MITCHELL ADAM motorsport news
news
SPORTS SEDANS KERRY Baily is set to debut his new Aston Martin Sports Sedan in September. The replacement for the fivetime champ’s Nissan 300ZX is nearing completion, after an exhaustive build process. Round 4 of the Kerrick Sports Sedan Series at Eastern Creek with the Shannons Nationals on September 11-12 is looming
NATIONAL AUSTRALIAN F3 race winner Mat Sofi is assessing his options for the remainder of 2010, after a stint in a Radical in Round 2 of the Supersports Series at Wakefield Park on the weekend. Sofi was immediately competitive in the Radical, qualifying second and running consistently in the top five www.mnews.com.au
as the likely first hitout. “That’s what we’re working towards,” he said of the Eastern Creek debut. “It should be completed some time before then, but we’d like to do some testing. I’ll see how it goes. I might run two cars at that meeting, and cross-enter myself [with the Nissan].” Baily currently leads the 2010 series in the 300ZX, which
made its racing debut 10 years ago this week. The car is likely to remain in action, with Baily running it as a second car. Among the contenders for the drive are Glenn Seton, who has done some running with Baily in the car in recent years, and Tasmanian Sports Sedan racer Shane Bond. “You never get what these cars are worth if you sell them, so I might as well keep it,” Baily
said. “The plan is to keep it and run somebody else in it. I could put Glenn in it and there’s another young fellow in Tassie who shows a lot of promise – Shane Bond. I’ll give him a run and my son has indicated interest, but he’s got a long way to go before he could be competitive, he hasn’t run before.” – MITCHELL ADAM
throughout the races, in what was a one-off at this stage. “The opportunity came about through some driving instructing I was doing with the Radical guys,” he said. “Whether I get to race in a Radical again this season really depends on if any more opportunities come up. The cars are really good to drive, I was very impressed. They’re not that much slower than F3 cars
and they’re a lot less twitchy.” Sofi was looking at a Fujitsu Series ride for 2010, but the plans did not come to fruition. He’s focused on stepping up in 2011. “I had some Fujitsu stuff lined up at the end of last year, but it fell over,” he said. “At this stage, I’m really trying to conserve the budget for this season and I’m focusing on next year. I might do one
F3 round somewhere, but that would be it. “If I’m going to do the Fujitsu Series, I’m looking to do my own thing. I would purchase an ex-main game car, and ideally I’d look to run two cars because when you already have everything in place to run one car, the costs of running a second car are not significantly greater.” – LACHLAN MANSELL
John Morris / Mpix
Sofi eyes 2011
John Morris / Mpix
Martin, Aston Martin
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THE WINNER IS ... OUR GUY! HALL’N ARSE!
IF this looks like a pretty handy snapshot, it is. In fact, it won the Award for the best photograph of the 2009 V8 Supercar Championship Series season.
We are chuffed that Andrew Hall of Chevron Publishing, eNews’ parent company, took home the award this year. The veteran shooter grabbed the gold ahead of James Baker and Justin Deeley. Hall was on the spot in
pitlane at Bathurst when the Mark Winterbottom/Steven Richards came in, ablaze, to document how FPR’s winning hopes literally went up in smoke, denying them of another B1000 win. The award is the latest in a
long list of badges earned by Hall, whose recent efforts saw him do an almost unthinkable Adelaide-Sebring-Albert Park treble, in successive weekends, last month. Well played, mate. Now, about the next race meeting ...
Symmons Plains turns 50 V8 SUPERCARS COOL and windy conditions failed to dampen the enthusiasm shown by fans at Symmons Plains Raceway last weekend as the circuit officially celebrated 50 continuous years of racing. Whilst the four Shannons Nationals categories produced the goods on the track, off it, the good-sized crowd was treated to a carnival atmosphere that included displays of memorabilia and 18
classic racing cars that played a role in the history of the Tasmanian circuit. The Launceston circuit has played a significant role in developing the sport in Tasmania and currently hosts the state’s largest sporting event via its annual V8 Supercar round. “It’s a big milestone to have 50 continual years of racing at a national level here at Symmons Plains,” Motorsports Tasmania General Manager Dick Caplice said. “There’s been plenty of up and downs over the years, fortunately most of them
have been up and very progressive. Tasmanian fans are very passionate about their motorsport, and per capita we would have more competitors competing at a national level than any other state.” “We’re very happy with the Shannons Nationals here this weekend, all of the National categories have been very good to us, and the crowd should be commended. “The variety of activities we have had off the track has certainly helped as well.” – RICHARD CRAILL motorsport news
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DRAG RACING
WA State Series ends on a high
Willowbank wedding bells
John Bosher
FORMER multiple Australian Top Fuel drag race champion, Steve Read, will have a rather unusual lead-up to the Enzed Top Fuel Championship at Willowbank Raceway this weekend. Read will marry long-time partner Heather Bond, right with Read, at Willowbank on Saturday morning (April 17), then after the wedding breakfast, take part in qualifying for fifth round of ANDRA Pro Series Top Fuel. The Brisbane-based English couple first met when Read was racing at Avon Park Raceway in
England in 1989, where Bond was an official and later Avon Park Chief Executive Officer. After getting engaged, Read and Bond had trouble finding a suitable wedding date, due to their busy business commitments. “So we thought, why not get married at Willowbank on the morning of the Top Fuel event,” Read said. “Most of our closest friends will be there as well as our crew and family. The only thing is I will not be able to have a champagne toast that will have to wait until after we win on the Sunday.” – LUKE NIEUWHOF
DRAG RACING
Luke Nieuwhof
THE Western Australian drag racing season wrapped up on Saturday, with state champions decided across nine categories in a fitting end to the series. Iluka’s Maurice Brennan had a chance to clinch the Top Comp title if he won the final but overpowered the track with his supercharged Monaro and had to abandon the run, allowing Mandurah’s Jeffrey Clarke to take out the event, and Spearwood’s John Zappia to win the championship. Clarke’s dragster also spun the tyres but he was able to recover to rocket through to the finish line. “It’s been a great season with four finals out of eight rounds,” he said. “We’ll be back next season and hopefully in number one.” While Brennan barely missed the championship he was pleased with the progress
his team has made, coming from constant mechanical dramas to being the quickest car in its class in Australia. “We’re proud to come second, it’s really great,” Brennan said. Both Clarke and Brennan will now travel to the east coast to compete in National Championship rounds in Sydney and Brisbane. Kardinya’s Neil Anderson achieved a never before seen accomplishment at Perth Motorplex, completing a perfect season. Across all nine events he never lost a single race. Meantime the super-tight Modified Championship chase was decided when Innaloo’s Andrew Katavatis went out in the second round, allowing Ridgewood’s Simon Lekias to progress all the way to the final and win the championship as well as the event. – LUKE NIEUWHOF
ANDRA Pro Series news is proudly presented by:
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Luke Nieuwhof
Bektash back to the bank DRAG RACING LEE Bektash comes into this weekend’s round of the ANDRA Pro Series at Willowbank Raceway as the current leader of the points in Pro Stock, and the Melbournebased Team Mopar driver has his eyes on beating up a few of the local drivers. The last round of Pro Stock was in October at Perth Motorplex so there has been plenty of time to contemplate the challenge ahead for the last three rounds of the championship. For Bektash. it is taking on drivers such as Queensland’s own Aaron and
Tyronne Tremayne who are defending what they consider home turf. Bektash does not consider that a massive advantage however, with the lack of an ANDRA championship drag racing facility in Melbourne meaning he has made more runs at Willowbank Raceway than any other strip. “I call Willowbank my home track, we love it up here,” he said. “We’ve had some really good results and a lot of finals. It’s got the best surface in Australia.” Bektash has been adapting to the conditions of the track
with three days of testing last week to make sure everything is in order with his Dodge ahead of competition. “We want to make sure we make the right choices on race day,” he said. The Mopar team has expanded to two cars recently, but Bektash said they will just be concentrating on his own car this weekend and then bringing on the second car in coming events. The team has also been working on a new engine package to update their current set up which has been running for three years. The new engine will have the latest head design, with
the team chasing more horsepower. However the opportunity to step up must also be balanced with the need to maintain the current reliable set-up that the team has. They do not want to risk the championship on an unknown. “It’s a tough call on whether to put in the new engine, it could unsettle what we’ve got,” Bektash said. “If we maintain consistency and pace at this event then we will probably persevere with the current engine and then next season we will run the new one.” – LUKE NIEUWHOF
Next ANDRA Pro Series Round: ENZED Top Fuel Championships, Willowbank Raceway, April 17-18 www.mnews.com.au
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Five Minutes with ...
CHRIS ATKINSON Finally, Atko is back in the seat of a rally car on a full-time basis. He spoke to ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN about his Proton deal in the Asia-Pacific Rally Championship MOTORSPORT NEWS: Well, Atko, you’ve finally got a full-time drive again! CHRIS ATKINSON: That’s the big thing. It’s been a while since I’ve had a full season program, so it’s really exciting to be back in that position. Do you know much about driving Super 2000 cars? I don’t know too much, at this stage, but it shouldn’t be too different to driving a Super 1600 car, which I’ve done plenty of. I did a quick test in the car in Wales earlier this year, and it all felt pretty good, so I’m not too worried about getting used to the car. As far as I can tell, it’s all about keeping the revs up and keeping the car flowing through the corner, and that’s just like the S1600 car was. But that’s totally different to a World Rally Car, which is what my recent experience is in, because the WRC car has so much torque and so much grip. Is this a way to prepare yourself for a return to the World Rally Championship in 2011? Because the Proton S2000 is similar to what the new WRC technical
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regulations will dictate. Exactly. The Proton S2000 platform is exactly the base that the new WRC cars will be developed from, so some extra miles will be a massive bonus. Hopefully we will see some new manufacturers come into the sport when the new regulations come in, and who knows, maybe even Proton, so some seat time in a car of this nature will be very, very important. You’ve done some Asia-Pacific stuff before, haven’t you? Yeah, I did plenty of Asia-Pacific rallying with Suzuki in the Super 1600 car, so I’ve got a pretty good idea of what to expect. Is winning the title a feasible outcome for 2010? I’d like to think so. This is the first time in the APRC that Super 2000 cars have really come up against the Group N cars, so it will depend a lot on how competitive we can be. For instance, the first round in Malaysia might be hard, because it’s quite slow, and that will suit the Group N cars. But on the faster rallies, like New Zealand and Japan, we should be able to
be every bit as quick as the Group N cars. I’m really looking forward to those events. And you get to race at home again, at Rally Queensland. A fast event like that should suit the S2000 car, shouldn’t it? Oh yeah, Queensland will be perfect for the S2000 car. It’s really fast, flowing, and narrow. It takes a lot of commitment. I love that rally. I’ve won there before, and that’s one I’m really looking forward to. That was a big part in deciding to do this program. It will just be great to rally at home again. Is there any chance of doing some Intercontinental Rally Challenge or SWRC rounds as well throughout the season. I really hope so. I’m coming into this with the expectation that we will do some IRC rounds. Proton MEM did some IRC rounds last year with Guy Wilks and Alistair McRae (ED: MEM did five rounds with Wilks, and a round with McRae in ’09), so I don’t see any reason why we wouldn’t do it again this year. That would definitely be a big bonus, especially to rack up some tarmac miles in an S2000 car.
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Peter Bury
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DIRT MUSIC
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HE World Rally Championship has a problem, and it isn’t the fact that there are only two manufacturers. The tactics on gravel rallies are posing a real threat to the credibility of the WRC. Readers of our sister magazine GPWeek will know that last week’s Rally Jordan was punctuated with tactical to-ings and fro-ings. And afterwards Mikko Hirvonen came out and said that it was alienating the fans, which is true. For a close follower of rallying, the whole thing is quite interesting. Basically, it works like this. Running first on the road on a gravel rally is a massive disadvantage. Unless he can leave a lingering dust trail behind him, the leading driver will always lose time to the followers, simply thanks to have to deal with a layer of lose rocks on the surface. The following cars follow the wheel track, and take chunks of time out of the leader. As the rules stand, the title leader goes first on the Day 1, and then, on the subsequent days, whoever is leading the rally is first out of the gate each morning. And that’s why we are seeing drivers purposely slowing down, and trying to
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hand slender leads to their rivals. The problem is hard to fix. A reverse running order automatically Andrew van Leeuwen – eNews Editor hands a massive advantage to the leader, dominant than he is now, and the rallies and the chook lotto system used several will become Formula 1-style snoozefests. years ago just makes a mockery of My suggestion is that J-WRC, P-WRC rallying top level. and S-WRC cars run first. That way, the There are three options. First, leave it as up-and-comers in the sport have a better it is. That’s what Ford’s rally boss Malcolm audience (WRC fans traditionally leave Wilson says should happen, citing that after the 15-odd WRC cars have blasted the tactics make the rallies interesting. through, leaving the next wave of drivers He’s right, to an extent, but the tactical racing past empty spectator points), and undertones really only appeal to the the roads are semi-swept before the big diehard fans, and car companies – who guns come out to play. I say semi-swept, want to use the WRC as a mass marketing because the lower grip, less powered campaign – want the sport to appeal to a cars use slightly different lines to the wider audience. WRC cars. However, the worst of the lose I his post-Jordan comments, Hirvonen gravel will be gone. told Autosport that the solution was That will mean there will still be a “the first 10 or 15 drivers pick their road disadvantage to the leading car, but it position. On the first rally of the season, won’t be as big. Should a driver believe in the champion gets first pick and then his speed on a certain rally, he won’t be after that, the leader at the end of the frightened to take a lead and keep it. day gets to chose his place for the next It’s not a perfect solution, but short of day. It’s simple.” The risk there is that making the WRC all-tarmac there is no Sebastien Loeb will become even more perfect solution.
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Home Sweet Home Personal
Greg Murphy – Kiwi V8 Supercar star
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T Hamilton this weekend, I feel like I will be in a better place, mentally, than I might have been in recent
years. I think that there is more confidence in the goods that I have got underneath me now, and I feel more relaxed than I have been, in many ways. It definitely makes me feel like I have a better psyche, I suppose. It has not been a difficulty to adapt to the new Castrol Commodore that we have this year, but it has seemed to have taken a little time. It is clearly a really good package and we are not trying to reinvent the wheel with it. We need to learn what it likes, and I have learned some things along the way in that process. There are a few idiosyncrasies in the car that are a bit different, and that is all good. That is an enjoyable process, and there have been some promising moments so far. I expect that there will be a lot more of them, after some time. But having said that I am enjoying this time, there is obviously an expectation that we need to get a result fairly soon. We need to do what we said that we were going to do. Racing in New Zealand is great. It was a big deal when we first went there and it is still a big deal, and for me in particular. That all runs off the back of having had such a good run there previously, when were at Pukekohe. But it has been a while since we have had some success on home soil, and I think that you will find that there are going to be some pretty competitive Kiwis there this weekend.
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SHANNONS NATIONALS ROUND 2, SYMMONS PLAINS
Tom tees off With the two leading drivers in the Formula 3 Australian Drivers Championship on the sidelines, Tom Tweedie pounced. After scoring his first two F3 wins, he moved into the lead of the championship, as the Shannons Nationals hit Symmons Plains 26
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James Smith
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James Smith
“I think I can get used to this feeling!” Those were the words uttered by the new Formula 3 Australian Drivers Championship leader Tom Tweedie, following a remarkable weekend of action at Symmons Plains Raceway. Having started 19 F3 races prior to the second round of the 2010 season without a win, the Sydney-based driver became the first Australian to win a Gold Star race since August 2009, when he won Saturday’s heat race, his 20th start. That, however, was only the precursor. Enjoying the moment, Tweedie staged a mighty battle for the lead in the 30-lap SuperPrix presented by Elf Lubricants with three other drivers before winning a thrilling race and vaulting directly to the top of the standings. “It’s nice to be on top of the table, that was our aim this weekend and it’s nice to have achieved that,” he said. “We always knew this track would suit our car thanks to its straight-line speed advantage. It was really competitive out there and that last race was 28
fantastic, so it’s a nice reward to pull this one off. “It’s the race you want to win, so to achieve that is brilliant. Now we keep pushing.” Tweedie was but one star of many, during a competitive weekend that returned the F3 racing of old to Symmons Plains. Andrew Waite, the New Zealand driver drafted in to fill in for the absent Mitch Evans, was one of the biggest surprises of the weekend as he adapted immediately to an F3 car. Picking up where Evans left off at Round 1, Waite qualified on the front row and finished second in Race 1, before promptly pulling away from the pack to win the second sprint race. From pole, he lead the Super Prix in the early running and though he faded slightly to third at the end, he proved his point, despite never having seen an F3 car until one day before the round. Ben Barker was second, posting his career-best race result after a weekend filled with highs and lows. The Briton scored his first pole position on Saturday but
he slipped wide at the hairpin on the first lap and was forced to come through the field to a fourth place finish. A trip across a sand trap cost him track position in Race 2 – he finished fifth – but he pulled it together in the SuperPrix, to race his way to second in the event and in the standings. Kristian Lindbom was another star, though his sixthplace result in the main race failed to show his true pace. The Victorian spun his Astuti Dallara at the hairpin whilst attempting a pass on Tweedie, but up to that point had shown race winning potential. Two thirds and a pair of fastest laps in the sprint races, though, proved his pace. And then there was 17year-old Josh Burdon, who impressed with his levelheaded approach, despite the pressure of racing in-front of home fans and sponsors in his first ever Formula 3 start. Burdon acquitted himself superbly in the R-Tek Dallara and achieved his goal of a topfive finish when he finished fifth in the SuperPrix. Points: Tweedie 70, Barker 53, Evans 46, Magro 43, Ben Crighton 35. motorsport news
Andrew Waite, left, joined Tom Tweedie, below, as first-time F3 winners at Symmons. Kristian Lindbom, right, was quick all weekend, but ultimately finished sixth in the SuperPrix after a challenge on Tweedie at the hairpin.
Richard Craill
Ben Barker, bottom right, had an up and down weekend, which included his first pole and left second in the standings.
James Smith James Smith James Smith
James Smith
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weekend and secured second overall whilst Sven Burchartz, another to fail to score at Round 1, finished third. The GT3 Cup Challenge weekend was highlighted by a 40-lap finale, the longest race the series has contested. Kingsley sprinted away from the field to win by more than twenty seconds. Tyre management was crucial across the weekend, with leading contenders like Jeff Bobik and John Trende amongst several requiring replacement tyres after brake lock-ups caused flat spots and cost them results. The Australian Manufacturers Championship field contested two, one-hour races that ended up being a TMR Mitsubishi benefit as Stuart Kostera took both races driving the West-sponsored Evo X. Kostera won Race 1 comfortably, but had to fight his teammate Inky Tulloch for the win in Sunday’s Race 2; jumping past after a series of quick laps gave him an advantage during the pit stop shuffle. “We’re very pleased with this,” Kostera said. “The car has had a lot of pace all weekend and once we got past Inky in the second race it was a matter of bringing it home.
James Smith
TASMANIA’S Symmons Plains Raceway celebrated 50 years of racing in style, as Round 2 of the Shannons Nationals provided plenty of action across the weekend. And whilst the circuit’s celebrations were extensive, perhaps the person celebrating the most at the after party was Mat Kingsley, who won the second round of the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge presented by Mission Foods. Rebounding superbly after a Turn 1, Lap 1 crash all but destroyed his car at Bathurst in February, Kingsley topped a 15-car field in qualifying and all three races to leap to the lead of the series – a feat that he felt impossible after his Mountain dramas. “I thought we would kiss the championship goodbye after the Bathurst crash,” Kingsley said. “To bounce back like this is brilliant. The team has done an amazing job to rebuild the car and get it to a point where it’s probably better than it was before the crash. “This weekend was all about looking after the tyres and getting a buffer out in front and we managed to do that. It’s put our campaign right back on track.” Roger Lago, inset, was the epitome of consistency all
Richard Craill
and in other events ...
“The team has had a bit on with the engine change so it’s very good to get a 1-2 result for them after their hard work.” Tulloch’s second place, however, was an impressive feat in itself after his Lancer blew an engine on Saturday. Freighting a replacement over from Melbourne on Saturday night, the team only received the new unit three hours before the race started. The Wilson Brothers Subaru was another to require an engine change after failing to start Race 1, the duo of Kurt Wimmer and Sam Walter scoring fifth in the second race. A pleased Garry Holt shared his Bathurst-winning BMW with Tasmanian hero Greg Crick, taking the class honours and finishes of second and third in the two races,
respectively. Jake Camilleri took his Mazda 3 MPS to the Class C win, whilst Richard Gartner narrowly claimed Class D over the Lauren Gray Corolla and Trevor Keene’s Mini. The Shannons V8 Touring cars were proof that you only need two cars to make a race. What the four-car grid lacked in numbers it made up in entertainment value as Terry Wyhoon and Tony Evangelou, in particular, put on a quality show. Wyhoon won the round thanks to a pair of race victories whilst Evangelou’s first start in the series, in his exLownedes BA Falcon, netted him a race win and second overall. Chris Smerdon and Mark Sheppard were also in the mix. – RICHARD CRAILL motorsport news
Stuart Kostera, right, won both Manufacturers Championship races, while Richard Gartner, below, took his Renault to the Class D honours. Kurt Wimmer and Sam Walter missed Race 1 after engine problems in their WRX, below right, but finished fifth on Sunday.
Richard Craill
Terry Wyhoon led home Tony Evangelou in the Shannons V8 Touring Car Series in their BA Falcons, bottom, eligible for the first time.
Richard Craill
Richard Craill
Richard Craill
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IZOD INDYCAR SERIES ROUND 3 – BARBER
FUEL FOR THOUGHT For the third race in a row, Will Power was the fastest driver. But some strategic brilliance from Helio Castronever robbed Power of a third-straight win, and gave the Brazilian his first of 2010
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WO stops? Or three? That was the question that decided the outcome of the first ever IndyCar race at Barber Motorsports Park on the weekend. In the end, two was the answer – and that played right into the hands of Helio Castroneves, the Brazilian taking his first win since Texas last season. It also helped Scott Dixon get his campaign back on track with second, and give reigning Champion Dario Franchitti third. The confusion regarding pit-stops was caused by Takuma Sato’s car giving in on Lap 11, causing a full-course yellow. A faction of the cars decided to pit, including early leaders Will Power and Mike Conway, while the likes of Castroneves, Dixon and Franchitti chose to stay out, head the field, and try and save fuel. It was actually Marco Andretti who led the majority of the racing, having also opted for a two-stopper. But his youthful exuberance proved too hard on his fuel tank, and he had to throttle off late in the race, handing the win to the wily old Brazilian. “This race was all about strategy, and the biggest challenge was to keep up the pace while saving enough fuel to finish the race in two [pit-]stops,” he said. “We had to do something different today to beat Will Power, and also Mike Conway, who was very strong at the start of the race. “It was fantastic to race in front of all these fans in Alabama, and this is a great start to 2010 for our entire team.” Despite racking up his best finish of 2010, Dixon was the left frustrated. He had passed Castroneves and Andretti at the start of the race, but was deemed to have done so before the control line, meaning he had to redress the positions. “I think the officials screwed us at the start,” Dixon said. “I passed Helio on the outside heading into [Turn] 1. I tried to do it on the inside going into one. I got beside him again and then passed him, and they still called me to go back behind Marco. I don’t know where that came from, and I think that was a pretty bad decision.” Will Power finished fourth, the best of the two-stoppers and one position clear of Andretti, who fell back after a lastminute splash-and-dash. Ryan Briscoe was sixth after starting ninth, while the biggest mover of the race was Alex Tagliani, who took advantage of an early first stop to move from 21st to 10th. 34
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Full Brazilian: Castroneves, left, was, as usual, super-excited to take the win. It might have been Will Power doing the celebrating, had he not made one-too-many pit-stops, above. Viso proved how narrow the tricky Birmingham circuit was in a brutish IndyCar, below.
Results :: Grand Prix of Alabama Pos
Driver
Team
Gap
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Helio Castroneves Scott Dixon Dario Franchitti Will Power Marco Andretti Ryan Briscoe Justin Wilson Tony Kanaan Mike Conway Alex Tagliani
Penske Ganassi Ganassi Penske Andretti Penske Dreyer & Reinbold Andretti Dreyer & Reinbold Fazzt
+0.5703s +8.1590s +8.6639s +9.7410s +10.9611s +11.5478s +12.8533s +13.3162s +14.8450s
Top 10 Points: Power 136, Castroneves 104, Franchitti 94, Wilson
85, Dixon 80, Briscoe 79, Ryan Hunter-Reay 77, Raphael Matos 72, Kanaan 64, Vitor Meira 62.
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NASCAR SPRINT CUP ROUND 7, PHOENIX, AZ
Hello Newman!
Ryan Newman rolled the dice and came up big in the desert, taking his first win in two years and his first for Stewart Haas Racing
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YAN Newman has broken the mould of recent NASCAR Sprint Cup races to take his first win of the season at Phoenix. Over the last few races, the pattern has seen drivers trade late-race track position for four tyres, and then use that grip to run down the drivers ahead on ‘only’ two fresh Goodyears. But this time around, Newman took two at the final round of stops and then beat out Jeff Gordon on the final restart to take the win, his first for Stewart Haas Racing. “I kind of threw [crew chief Tony] Gibson under the bus because he wanted to put four [new tyres] on and I said just give me two, I like the track position,” said Newman about the call. “I would rather block. I was in a good position there obviously. I restarted on the bottom side earlier in the night and could not get going a couple of times. So on two tyres I was kind of impressed. We had a lot of guys behind us on two tyres so it was a good situation to be in.” Newman has hung around the race leaders for much of the race, without necessarily looking like the man to beat. That title fell to Juan Pablo Montoya, whose Ganassi Chevy looked the class of the field, along with Godon and Kyle Busch. The Colombian was fastest of all while the sun shone, but his car seemed to lose its edge when the sun set. That put Busch in the best seat in the house, but his winning ambitions ended when Scott Riggs crashed, prompting the final yellow that erased Busch’s 2s lead. That set up a green/white/chequer finish and for after almost every restart was won by the man on the outside, Newman reversed the trend to end a drought of almost two years. “I couldn’t believe it, I saw that white flag and thought, ‘I ain’t got that far to go!’” he said in Victory Lane. Jimmie Johnson was third, after having made the call for four tyres and making from seventh at the final restart. Marcos Ambrose had a relatively unspectacular run to 11th, while first-time posesitter AJ Allmendinger was 15th.
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Phoenix rising: Ryan Newman was a happy man, after holding off the Hendrick cars for his first win with Tony Stewart. Kyle Busch, above, and Juan Pablo Montoya, left, both had winning speed but had to settle for top-10 results.
RESULTS :: SUBWAY FRESH 600 1 39 2 24 3 48 4 5 5 42 6 17 7 99 8 18 9 33 10 20
Ryan Newman Chevy Stewart Haas Jeff Gordon Chevy Hendrick Jimmie Johnson Chevy Hendrick Mark Martin Chevy Hendrick Juan Pablo MontoyaChevy Ganassi Matt Kenseth Ford Roush Fenway Carl Edwards Ford Roush Fenway Kyle Busch Toyota Joe Gibbs Clint Bowyer Chevy Childress Joey Logano Toyota Joe Gibbs
Tornado’s Q14 DuPont 10 Lowe’s 16 GoDaddy 23 Target 7 Valvoline 27 Aflac 9 M&Ms 17 Cheerios 25 Home Depot 6
Points: Johnson 1073, Kenseth 1037, Biffle 981, Harvick 961, Gordon 948, Bowyer 885, Burton/Edwards 873, Stewart 869, Earnhardt Jr 866.
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WORLD SUPERBIKES ROUND 3, VALENCIA
Noriyuki Haga returned to the top step of the podium in a frantic weekend in Spain
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Ducati Corse
Nitro Moves
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Suzuki Racing
Yippe-yuki! Noriyuki Haga returned to his winning ways, main pic, after Leon Haslam, above, extended his points lead in Race 1. Troy Corser, below, certainly worked hard for fourth.
ORIYUKI Haga has returned to what he does best – winning World Superbike races – by taking the second race in Valencia. The Japanese ace steered his Ducati to fifth in the opening race, and it looked like it was going to be a continuation of his tough season to date. But in the second race, which was red-flagged then restarted, Nori worked his way into third, then passed fellow veterans Carlos Checa and Max Biaggi to return Ducati to the winner’s circle. The win followed a fifth place in Race 1, after a tense fight with Troy Corser’s BMW. The two races featured much different results, with Biaggi the only constant. Leon Haslam took out the first race but brake problems struck his Suzuki in the second, forcing him back to fourth. Biaggi was second and third in the two races, while James Toseland scored his first podium finish for Yamaha in the first race but dropped back to seventh in Race 2, finding the increase in pace beyond his R1. Checa had crashed out of the first race but his Ducati came on strong in the second, just falling short of Haga’s Ducati. Behind Biaggi came Haslam and Rea, who fought of Sylvain Giuntolo (Suzuki). And the hot-and-cold malaise struck BMW as well, with Corser’s set-up not suited at all to the pace in Race 2. Still, with Ducati back in the hunt, it looks like the WSBK is getting back to what we expect. Points: Haslam 123, Biaggo 105, Checa 80, Haga 79, Rea 60, Toseland/Guintoli 50, Corser/Fabrizio 46, Crutchlow 41.
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Erickson flies in USF2000 debut AUSSIES OVERSEAS DANIEL Erickson made a strong impression in a one-off appearance in the USF2000 Championship. Erickson picked up a ride with Primus Racing at Virginia International Raceway’s season opener. From pole, he lost out at the start of Race 1, but finished second to Victor
development formulas,” Erickson said. “It was my first drive in an F2000 car, at a circuit I’d never seen until Thursday, but I started both races from pole position, set a new qualifying lap record, finished second in the first race by half a carlength after making a hash of the rolling start, and had the second race sewn up until a plug lead fell off.”
Carbone by just 0.213s. In Race 2, he was on-track to claim victory, before his Van Diemen dropped onto three cylinders late in the race. He eventually finished 10th. “Sure I’m gutted at losing what looked like a certain win today, but more importantly I’ve proved that I’m capable of winning in one of the world’s most competitive
Limi rolls on in WA WESTERN AUSTRALIA
BEN-LEE D’Limi has continued his early form in the WA Formula Ford 1600 Series, winning the second round of the year at last weekend’s Autotrader Raceday at Barbagallo Raceway.
D’Limi won two of the weekend’s three races, with Kiwi Scott McLaughlin winning the other, but failing to figure in the final points thanks to a Race 2 DNF. Michael Howlett was second for the weekend, ahead of Andrew Goldie, who is now second in the standings.
Phil Williams
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AUSSIES OVERSEAS GEORGE Miedecke picked up a pair of Top 10 finishes in his first Late Model event. The JTG-Daugherty development driver joined the Hickory Speedway Track Championship weekend and had a strong run in his Toyota. Miedecke will be back in action this weekend. trouble in the Formula Classic class, winning all three races from James McDonald, while Greg Barr did likewise in Historic Touring Cars. Rick Gill continued his winning start to the Saloon Cars season, sharing the wins with Clint Harvey. Cade Bell and Steve Jones split the Street Cars wins, with Andrew Stevens taking out Sports Sedans.
Straight Lines
Catman
THE 2010 Mt Alma Mile Hillclimb was blown wide open on Saturday’s first run, when defending champion Kevin Mackrell’s monster Chevpowered Nissan suffered a terminal mechanical failure. Tristan Catford (Lancer Evo IX)
In HQ Holdens there were two very familiar names at the front, with Steve Raisin and Rod Jenzen sharing the honours. There was plenty of familiarity at the top of the Improved Production Car results as well, with Kerry Wade winning the weekend with to race wins, and Ashley Barnett taking the other. Russell Sewell had little
Miedecke starts US career
headed the time sheets for the bulk of the weekend and came out the victor on 44.66s, with John Beasley (Evo IV) at 45.00s and Keir Wilson (Nissan GTR) with a 45.09s filling the minor podium positions. – PHIL WILLIAMS
SPEEDWAY STEVEN Lines made every post a winner to claim the Sprintcar Champion of Champions trophy, coinciding with the final round of the Revolution Racegear Track Championship Series at Adelaide’s Speedway City. Lines took home the
$10,000 prize purse after leading home Max Dumesny and the ever-improving Ricky Maiolo. Jamie Cobby rounded out the top four, while Luke Dillon crossed the line in fifth to claim the track championship. Pre-race favourite Robbie Farr had a night to forget, failing to transfer through the B Main. – PARIS CHARLES
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PRICELINE NEW SOUTH WALES ALAN Price and Stefan Borsato shared outright honours in Round 2 of the NSW Formula Ford Championship at Wakefield Park in their Duratecpowered vehicles, with Price winning the opening two races and Borsato taking out the trophy race. However, in the outright championship class for the older Kent engine cars, it was Adam Leung who was victorious, winning Races 2 and 3 and moving into the
championship lead. Leung finished second behind Round 1 winner Richard “Spike” Goddard in the opening race, but Goddard crashed out of Race 2. Garth Walden took a comprehensive victory in the Supersports series, smashing the lap record en-route to a trio of race victories ahead of Adam Proctor and Aaron Steer. Neil McFadyen copped a drivethrough penalty for a jumped start in Race 1, fought back to fourth in Race 2 and then withdrew from Race 3 with mechanical problems. Back in
Leading when it matters ... John Morris / Mpix
the pack, Andrew Macpherson caused havoc when the engine in his West expired in a ball of fire, also coating the racetrack in oil and causing several other drivers to spin off. Leigh Burges (Honda Civic) won the first Under 2 Litre Improved Production race before reigning champ Graeme Cox (Honda Integra) fought back from a poor qualifying position to claim Races 2 and 3. In the Over 2 Litre class, Ryan Brown won the first two races before retiring from the final and
handing Doug Moss the win. Jim Pollicina moved into the Production Touring Car series lead with three race wins, while Greg King and Peter Green Jnr spent most of the HQ Holden races door-to-door, with King eventually winning two races to Green’s solitary victory. Other category winners were Chris Jackson (Sports Sedans), Neale Muston (Production Sports Cars), Daniel Reynolds (Formula Vee) and Robert Choon (Racing Cars). – LACHLAN MANSELL
SPEEDWAY
third, from Reidy, Ian Madsen and Mitch Dumesny. The A Main was marred with a number of crashes and stoppages, but due to time constraints, a fuel stop wasn’t called, meaning a number of drivers including Brazier and Maher were running low on fuel. Brazier unfortunately stopped two laps from home and wasn’t classified as a finisher. – GREG BOSCATO
A fast-finishing Adrian Maher won the last Saturday night’s 53rd NSW Sprintcar Title at Tyrepower Parramatta City Raceway. Current Australian Champ Garry Brazier led for all-bar the final few laps, retiring after his ex-Kraig Kinser Maxim ran out of fuel. Maher benefited and won, with Glen Saville taking second. Grant Tunks claimed
NOW AVAILABLE IN AUSTRALIA Brute Industries (USA) has appointed Motorsport Leasing as its Australian agent
FIRST CONTAINER OF RACE RAMPS ARRIVING APRIL For further information on pricing and products, contact
MOTORSPORT LEASING PTY LTD
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Team MNews gets amongst it! t o p S d d O
y, you even get to have a all on asi occ d, an rks pe e som s ha dia Being in the motorsport me PR & Commentary man ’s ge en all Ch p Cu 3 GT he rsc Po the d an pedal. MNews contributor y afternoon at Symmons da Fri t las he rsc Po t’s igh Kn ry Ter in f Richard Craill found himsel ntator – he gets around), me com a ’s he ich wh (on ek we eed Sp S’ Plains. In a segment for SB corner, flat-spotting all four tyres. In the al fin the at it d pe loo d an s lap e som Craill did him facing the right way ... of e tur pic a ve ha o als we ce, lan ba of interest
But it’s not all TV and hotlaps ...
Paris Charles
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Paris Charles, one of our SA photographers had a close shave at the recent Tatnell Cup. “Robbie Farr and Matt Egel touched, after Robbie got all out of shape at the finish line. The pair bounced off each other and headed towards the in-field. “Clerk of Course Scott McIntosh ran for cover, but before I knew it, the two bounced past me – one on each side at full noise. There was just a few feet on either side ...” And he still got the pic! That’s dedication ... 45