Motorsport eNews Issue 157 - June 1-7. 2010

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Issue No. 157 June 01-07 2010

RICHO:

EXCLUSIVE!

IN HIS OWN WORDS

Embattled V8 star talks about his future at FPR, and why the results just aren’t coming www.mnews.com.au

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Editorial Editor: Andrew van Leeuwen Executive Editor: Phil Branagan National Editor: Mitchell Adam Publisher: Chris Lambden

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Issue No. 157 | June 01 - 07 2010

news 4

Richo still in the game Veteran not giving up ... yet 6 Setting the Seat GRM’s driver shuffle 8 The new car is Reddy HRT test its fresh VEs 10 Island Magic PI keeps MotoGP 16 Can Australia win the Cup? Carrera Cup, that is

chat 22 Five Minutes With ...

Steve Richards Chief Executive Officer, David Gardiner Commercial Director, Bruce Duncan Motorsport eNews is published by nextmedia Pty Ltd ACN: 128 805 970, Level 5, 55 Chandos St, St Leonards NSW 2065 © 2009. All rights reserved. No part of this e-magazine may be reproduced, in whole or in part, without the prior permission of the publisher.. The publisher will not accept responsibility or any liability for the correctness of information or opinions expressed in the publication. All material submitted is at the owner’s risk and, while every care will be taken nextmedia does not accept liability for loss or damage.

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comment 24 AVL: Webber’s Win Branagan: 40 years On

race 26 Indy 500 30 Shannons Nationals 36 Aus GTs 38 Aus Sprintcar Champs 44 NASCAR

trade 50 Classifieds

RICHO: I CAN STILL DELIVER

After a tough 18 months, Steve Richards isn’t ready to give up on a future in V8 Supercars ... or even at Ford Performance Racing V8 SUPERCARS

F

ORD Performance Racing’s embattled driver Steve Richards is adamant he can still deliver as a front-running V8 Supercar driver, despite enduring another tough season.

Richards is currently sitting 21st in the V8 Supercar title race, 13 places behind his team-mate Mark Winterbottom. And with his contract effectively coming to an end this season, paddock chat has suggested he may be left out in the cold.

But Richards has told Motorsport eNews that the lack of results isn’t entirely his own doing, and that with the right package he can still deliver: “Absolutely. There have been lots of measures for me, over the past 12 months that solidify my view that I’m still capable of driving well. I’ve led the start of Bathurst the last three years in a row; when Frosty and I have been in

the same car, our performance has been very similar.

“You’re measured by the chequered flag, but I’m sure if those inside the industry wandered back through the results, they’d see a few other factors involved in why that hasn’t been the case.”

While Richards believes he can still get the job done, the cloud hanging over his position at FPR is not lost on the twotime Bathurst winner.

“Clearly, when you’re in the latter part of your contract, results are even more important,” he added.

“It’s a situation I haven’t found myself in the past. Right now, as things stand, as much as the team has been fully supportive in what I’m trying to achieve, I’ve got to look at what’s happening beyond 2010 for Steve Richards, because I’ve still got a heap left to offer; I can still perform at the top level.

“But unless I start getting some results,

I’m not going to be on the top of too many people’s phone list.”

The other factor that might affect the situation is that while Richards is technically out of contract for 2011, FPR does hold an option on his services.

“There is an option clause there,” he said.

“I haven’t had much by way of conversation with Tim [Edwards] and FPR about where I stand with the team currently, other than, of course, if the results come then there’s the possibility to continue in the future.

“FPR has a great group of people there, all the ingredients – it’s just about getting the recipe right. If we can do that, I have no doubt we can challenge for race wins, as we have done over the past few years.”

– CHRIS LAMBDEN/STAFF For more with Steve Richards, see ‘Five Minutes With ...’ on page 22.

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eNews is on iPad!

JUST in case you have returned from Mars in the last few days, Apple has released its iPad – and Motorsport eNews is one of the first compatible publications available on it.

If you are one of the lucky sleepless few who braved the cold and ridicule last week to get their mitts on the must-have device of the year, or whether you sauntered into an Apple reseller over the weekend and shopped like normal people, you can now get all your motorsport information in an easy-toread format. From this week, eNews is on iPad and you do not even have to tell our website; software will detect whether you are on an iPad or another device, and decide what you need.

“We are very excited to bring an iPad version of Motorsport eNews to market,” says Bruce Duncan, Commercial Director of our parent, nextmedia. “nextmedia is committed to growing its digital audience across a range of mediums.”

Dirk Klynsmith

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Dirk Klynsmith

GRM’s New Position V8 SUPERCARS

LEE Holdsworth and Michael Caruso will get a feel for their enduro environments a little earlier than usual.

Garry Rogers Motorsport will test at Winton next

Monday, with endurance codrivers David Besnard and Greg Ritter turning laps. At Phillip Island and Bathurst, Besnard will join Holdsworth and Ritter will partner Caruso, as reported by eNews.

The team will finalise seating positions for

the enduros at the test, with Holdsworth and Caruso to run the revised arrangements in their Fujitsu Commodores at Hidden Valley and Townsville.

“You don’t want to be uncomfortable at Phillip Island and Bathurst,”

Holdsworth told eNews.

“We’ll run Greg and David at the Winton test next week and sort out our seating positions, then use it at Darwin and Townsville. It’ll be good to get used to them nice and early.”

– MITCHELL ADAM

TIAGO GETS FIRST V8 LAPS V8 SUPERCARS

Dirk Klynsmith

TIAGO Monteiro turned his first laps in a V8 Supercar at Winton yesterday, ahead of October’s Armor All 600.

The Portuguese driver jetted into Australia on the weekend to conduct running the Centaur Racing Commodore he’ll share with Tony D’Alberto on the streets of the Gold Coast.

Monteiro, who flies back to Europe on Wednesday, shared a test on Monday with the team’s endurance driver, Shane Price.

“It’s been a really good experience so far,” Monteiro said.

“It’s a different philosophy with driving and setup of the car, but it’s been a lot of fun getting up to speed, especially the first laps. You feel the weight difference straight away, and the power, especially on the exit of corners.

“Overall, it’s a little bit of what I expected, but better.

“Tony and the team have been a really big help. I’ve settled in quickly and feel confident, I feel at home already.”

– MITCHELL ADAM

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V8SA’S OFFICIAL APPROACH TO NEW MAKES V8 SUPERCARS

V8 SUPERCARS has formally approached car companies regarding their potential involvement in racing in the category.

Last week, the Car of The Future concept, by which marques other than Ford and Holden will become eligible to participate in the category, was unanimously endorsed by the V8 Supercar teams, with the new, cheaper cars due for introduction in 2012. During the course of that season, some of the components in the COTF technical package, which is due to be finalised at the end of the month, will be phased-in, prior to the new-generation cars becoming mandatory in 2013.

During the last month, a number of car companies have been contacted by letter by V8 Supercars Australia, which advised of the implementation of the new car and extended an invitation to participate in discussions regarding the program. Motorsport eNews has been

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told that the letter, from V8SA Chairman Tony Cochrane, indicated that V8SA CEO Martin Whitaker and COF Project Leader Mark Skaife would be available to further discuss the program in the third quarter of this year, and that V8SA would have experienced “executives” available to work with the car companies, should they choose to join the two American companies in the category.

PLUS, A RATHER CURIOUS CASE AT THE FORUM ...

LAST week’s V8 Supercar Teams’ Forum included a number of new faces for the first time from the other side of the sport and – briefly – Ford and Holden.

Teams’ commercial and marketing representatives were invited to attend the Forum and met to discuss a number of aspects of the sport in a discussion separate to the technical matters in front

of the team principals.

But there is some doubt about the role that Holden and Ford’s racing representatives took in what appears to have been a very brief appearance at the Forum. Holden’s Simon McNamara and Ford’s Chris Styring were both spotted at the Forum but appeared to leave early, for unspecified reasons, leading some to speculate that they had been ‘uninvited’.

Neither company representative were in a position to shed light on the matter.

“We went to the marketing forum, and that involved all the information that we already get as one of the sponsors of the sport,” McNamara told eNews.

“I attended that [forum] for a brief time, then changed my flight and came home early.”

“We have solved the problem,” said Styring, without saying what the “problem” was. “Martin Whitaker was tremendously supportive. Things are sorted, and I left happier than when I arrived.”

CAM-DO ATTITUDE V8 SUPERCARS

GT’S NEW VE! V8 SUPERCARS

THE Holden Racing Team rolled out its two new Commodore VEs at Winton and, in the short time they had on the track, they performed pretty well.

Garth Tander and Will Davison completed the maximum 20 laps allowed to shake down new cars under V8 Supercars’ strict testing regulations, and Tander was very pleased with the impression that the new car gave.

“On the installation lap, it felt great straight away,” he said.

“Given that it was 20 laps, on a Monday morning after an Historic race meeting and

that the track was fairly well lubricated, we were pretty happy.”

The two identical cars feature a number of small changes over the cars that HRT has raced this season.

“It’s the first car that actually fits me!” Tander said.

“It’s a little bit different, and better. The seat is slightly lower, and about 8mm closer to the middle of the car.”

Meanwhile, Kelly Racing tested enduro signing Glenn Seton, along with Dale Wood and Jonny Reid. Ford Performance Racing and Brad Jones Racing were also in attendance at Winton.

THE maiden test of V8 Supercars’ new control camshaft has been a success – because it feels like the old one.

According to Kim Jones, whose BJR team runs three Commodores in the series, drivers were quiet about the new cam when they tested at Winton on Monday.

“We cannot see any lack in performance,” he said after the morning session at Winton.

“The drivers cannot feel anything different, and the cars are about as fast as they were when we tested here with the old cam.”

The camshaft, which costs $1000 a unit, is expected to assist in extending the life of the engines.

“When we rebuild the engines, it will be cheaper because of the lower strain on the engine components,” said Jones. “So far, it looks good.”

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BLANCHARD IN FOR FNQ V8 SUPERCARS

Dirk Klynsmith

TIM Blanchard will definitely be on the Fujitsu V8 Supercar grid in Townsville, having found the necessary finances to keep his 2010 program on track.

Blanchard had only committed to the first three rounds of the FV8 series with Sonic Motor Racing Services, which meant Winton was his last confirmed round. But now he will have at least one more outing in Far North Queensland.

“The finances aren’t 100 percent locked in, but I’ll definitely be there,” he confirmed to eNews.

And he will arrive up north with plenty of miles under his belt, having completed a test last week with Paul Morris Motorsport at Queensland Raceway. Blanchard, who is supported by the Morris family’s Sirromet Wines brand, also drove the Castrol Edge Commodore in the rookie session at Winton recently.

“It started with the rookie session at Winton, and a bit of financial support,”

said Blanchard.

“Paul has always supported me. I know the team very well, so it is a good fit.

“And it is Triple Eight gear, which means the cars are very similar to what I’m used to, so the laps really help.”

Blanchard added that he was unsure if he would test for the team again this year.

“It’s really up to the team. I just get in the car whenever they say and do the best job that I can.”

Blanchard isn’t the only driver to have been tested recently. Marcus Zukanovic also tested for PMM at Queensland Raceway, in the Commodore the team uses in the Fujitsu Series. Jack Perkins got the best of both world’s testing both a PMM Commodore and Wilson Security racing’s Stone Brothers-built FG Falcon on the same day.

Kiwi youngster Earl Bamber was also on hand, driving Scott Mclaughlin’s SBRrun Fujitsu Series entry.

– ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN

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State of Origin ... sort of MOTOGP THERE was no fight between Victoria and New South Wales over the future of the Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix, according to the NSW Minister responsible.

Ian McDonald, the state’s Minister for Major Events, has refuted claims made by his opposite number in Victoria Tim Holding, that a new contract to keep the race at Phillip Island came in the face of opposition from NSW. In a statement on the

went on, “I think the big difference is that you go to Sydney once and you have seen it all but you can come to Melbourne four times each year and get a totally different experience which is why people keep coming back.”

But Minister McDonald returned serve, with the following comments to ABC News.

“I think they’re beating it up, and trying to make it look as though they’ve done something to secure over New South Wales,” he said.

“But we have not made any bid for the MotoGP, and did not intend to do so.”

Likewise, management at Eastern Creek Raceway, which hosted the Motorcycle Grand Prix between 1991 and 1996, were unaware of any plans for the event to return there.

Oh yes, with all the political pillow-fighting, we almost forgot; Iveco has been confirmed as the race’s sponsor, after signing on to a two-year naming rights sponsorship agreement for the 2010 and 2011 events.

Haslam (Suzuki) and Noriyuki Haga on the works Xerox Ducati.

Jonathan Rea overcame the effects of a huge crash on his

Hannspree Ten Kate Honda to finish seventh, one place up on Leon Camier (Alitalia). It was a tough weekend for the Aussies, with Troy Corser 15th

fastest on his BMW, six spots behind team-mate Ruben Xaus, while Chris Vermeulen is 17th, two spots ahead of Broc Parkes.

John Morris / Mpix

southern state’s government website – provocatively titled SYDNEY CRASHES OUT OF RACE FOR MOTOGP – Holding said, “Victorians love their sport and securing the Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix confirms Melbourne’s status as the sporting capital of the world.

“We are proud to support major sporting events that place Melbourne and Victoria in the national and international spotlight and boost tourism to our State.”

Later in his statement, he

Charlie checks out pole WSBK

10

Athea Racing Team

ITALIAN bikes are to the fore in Utah, with Althea Ducati rider Carlos Checa taking his second career Superpole for Monday’s World Superbike races.

The Spanish veteran lapped the Miller Motorsports Park track in a record time of 1m47.081, to ease out Max Biaggi (Aprilia) and Cal Crutchlow (Yamaha). Jakub Smrz was fourth on his Pata B&G Ducati), one place ahead of championship leader, Leon

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11

sutton-images.com

Red Mist hits Red Bull FORMULA 1

R

ahead and focusing on the braking point and then we touched. Mark’s car hit my rear right wheel and I went off – there’s not much more to say. We were all on the same pace during the race, I think I was a bit quicker than Mark for two or three laps, I was catching him and thought I could get him on the back straight. I was very close and passed him on the left, that’s the story.

This is something that happens, no one needs it, but there’s not much you can do now.”

It might have been, as Webber described, a ‘f****** disaster’, but with Vettel not scoring, the Australian left Turkey with a five-point lead in the championship over Jenson Button – and 15 over Vettel ...

sutton-images.com

ED Bull Racing left Turkey in turmoil after what had looked set to be another one-two result for the team was ruined when Sebastian Vettel crashed into team-mate Mark Webber as the German attempted to take the lead.

Vettel’s car was too badly damaged to continue, while Webber recovered after a stop for tyres and a new nose section to claim third place behind winner Lewis Hamilton and his McLaren team-mate Jenson Button.

The clash occurred on the run into Turn 12 on lap 40 of the Turkish Grand Prix, at a time when Vettel was coming under increasing pressure from Hamilton behind him. Vettel went for the inside; Webber held him to a tight line. But as the cars were side-by-side Vettel jinked to the right, into Webber’s car, with disastrous consequences.

“Sebastian had a bit of a top speed advantage,” Webber explained. “He went down the inside and we were side by

side. I was surprised when he came right suddenly, as I was holding my racing line. It happened very, very fast and it’s a shame for the team. Not an ideal day. The McLarens were solid and it was a good race between all four of us up at the front until then; neither of us wanted to make contact with each other. It’s obviously not ideal, but it happened.

“There was a long way to still go in the race, but that was an interesting few metres on the track between both of us. In the end it wasn’t the result that either of us wanted. I’ll have a chat with Sebastian about it, we might have a difference of opinion but we’ll be adults about it and press on.”

Vettel, who walked away from his car twirling his finger in a circular motion to the side of his head to suggest it had been a crazy act from his team-mate, blamed Webber.

“If you watch it on the TV, you can see what happened,” he said. “I’m not in the happiest of moods. I was on the inside going into the corner. I was there, I was

Gives him wings ... I Redbull Media

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FORMULA 1

N Turkey Mark Webber got the wing that helped him win pole position literally a matter of minutes before qualifying began.

With the team opting not to run the new F-Duct, they had to switch aero configurations. It meant a new rear wing was needed for Webber’s car, and it was flown in from Milton Keynes to be collected at the local airport less than half an hour before qualifying. They were still bolting new part onto the car ‘about four minutes before I went out for Q1,’ said Webber. motorsport news

Australia vs Austria?

FORMULA 1

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over on the left, Sebastian got a run on the inside of Mark, but then came across too early. They didn’t give each other room; it’s as simple as that.

“It was a massively close race between us and the McLarens up until that point. We managed to get ourselves ahead with a better pit-stop and a better strategy for Sebastian and were first and second. Sebastian was a bit happier on the prime tyre than Mark and was looking quicker at that point in the race. He got a run on Mark up the inside and we saw what happened.

It’s massively disappointing and the situation shouldn’t have occurred. To give McLaren 28 points on a plate is very frustrating for everyone in the team – especially after so much hard work. We’ve lost a lot of points today with what’s happened. We need to learn from it, so we don’t find ourselves in this position again.”

Redbull Media

ILL the legacy of the sensational clash between Webber and Vettel in Turkey be a divided team and a poisonous driver war in style of Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna at McLaren in the late 1980s?

After the race, as each driver blamed the other, Webber reportedly told journalists they should ‘dig more’, suggesting there are outside factors which contributed to the incident.

There is debate over the exact situation concerning the fuel consumption of both cars. A lap before the accident Webber had been required to turn down his engine to save fuel. This proved Vettel’s window of opportunity to challenge.

Vettel’s consumption had reportedly been less than Webber’s, on account of the fact Vettel had spent all of the 40 laps in the slipstream of either Webber or Lewis Hamilton. This left Vettel with one lap further at full power when Webber turned his engine down.

Yet initially the reports from the team were that both cars were identical in terms of fuel consumption in the race.

As far as Red Bull Motorsport boss Dr Helmut Marko was concerned, there was no ambiguity. It was Webber’s fault, because not only was Webber slower (because of the fuel situation) but Vettel was under threat from Hamilton and would likely have lost second place had he not challenged for the lead.

“Webber was slower and Vettel had immense pressure from Hamilton,” the Austrian said on German TV.

“Unfortunately, Mark was not told about the situation accurately by his race engineer.

“He [Webber] had radioed the pits to say he was slower on the straights. He knew the situation and had just been informed about the pressure Hamilton was putting on [Vettel]. Vettel was so much faster that he had to pass. If Webber and he had braked together, then Hamilton would have passed Vettel.”

Dr Marko is known to be close to Vettel, a product of the Red Bull junior programme.

If Marko blamed Webber, the postrace comments of Christian Horner hardly seem to suggest the team boss is of the opposing view – although he did take issue with Marko suggesting that Webber was the sole culprit.

“The one thing I always ask the drivers is that, yes, they can race each other, but give each other room, and that’s exactly what didn’t happen. They were too far

F1 is big picture on small screen For full F1/ MotoGP/WRC coverage/news, CLICK HERE to get to GPWeek magazine www.gpweek.com www.mnews.com.au

FORMULA 1

T

HE Bad News: Mark Webber lost an almost certain GP win in Turkey.

The Good News; there were plenty of people watching.

Sunday night’s Turkish Grand Prix attracted a big audience on ONE HD and Ten. On ONE’s live broadcast, 295,000 people tuned in to see Webber race away from pole position, while the pre-race show from 9pm-10pm attracted 157,000 viewers. For the later, delayed telecast on

Ten, 159,000 viewers watched. All numbers are for a five-city metropolitan audience.

“This is another fantastic result, and we are delighted that so many Australians are enjoying Mark Webber’s success this season,” said Sam Heard, the Network’s head of Marketing – Sport.

The numbers were down slightly on the preceding race at Monaco, with 322,000 watching on ONE and 186,000 on Ten. As a comparison, the Winton V8s on the Monaco weekend got 279,000 viewers on Saturday and 251,000 on Sunday.

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NASCAR ride for DTM star NASCAR MATTIAS Ekstrom looks set to make his NASCAR debut at Sonoma, after a successful test last week at Virginia International Raceway.

The Audi DTM star flew from his winning performance at Valencia to the USA and tested Red Bull Racing’s Toyota at VIR last Tuesday. According to crew chief Ryan Pemberton, the Swede was apparently up to speed and impressive in no time.

Following the test, the two-time DTM champion spent most of the next day practicing pit stops to get up to speed in stopping as well as turning left and right

in a stock car.

Ekstrom, a nine-year Red Bull-sponsored driver, will be a fill-in driver for Brian Vickers, who is suffering from some serious blood clots and will be out for the season. RBR decided to take Casey Mears, Vickers’s current relief driver, out of the seat for the California road course.

“I was really surprised how the car drove today,” said Ekstrom. “Everyone had told me that it would be very special and it was quite nice. The first hour of the test. I was fighting the car a lot, just getting used to the power, the weight and the fact that the car has little aero; all things that are very different for me.

“A few hours into the test I felt a lot more comfortable in the car and overall I think we had a really good test. I came into this test not having any experience in these types of cars, and also having never worked with the team before, so it was really nice to see how well we all worked together. I really enjoyed my first Sprint Cup test and am glad to have had this opportunity.”

Ekstrom will not be able to compete in the August Watkins Glen event due to scheduling conflicts with DTM. RBR have yet to make a decision on a driver for that event.

– MARTIN D CLARK

Tracy returns INDYCAR PAUL Tracy may have missed out on driving in the Indy 500, but he will race in IndyCar’s Canadian races.

Tracy will compete with 14

sponsorship from Honda Canada in Toronto and Edmonton this July. His GEICO insurance sponsor will be moved to the Mario Moraes car at KV Racing Technology.

– MARY MENDEZ motorsport news

Crew cut INDYCAR PENSKE star Helio Castroneves may not have won the Indy 500, but his pitcrew did get some beer money.

His Penske team helped him beat Newman-Haas with driver Hideki Mutoh by 1.5 seconds in the pit stop competition, which offers a $25,000 prize split by the winning pit crew.

– MARY MENDEZ

Newman-Haas milestone INDYCAR WHEN driver Hideki Mutoh took the green flag at the 94th running of the Indy 500, it gave NewmanHaas Racing its 450th start.

Since 1983, NH has earned 107 wins, 109 poles, and 248 top-three (podium) finishes.

NH’s success at Indianapolis includes earning pole position in 1997 and finishing second in 1985 and 1991.

– MARY MENDEZ

When the Chips are up INDYCAR CHIP Ganassi has made his history by winning America’s two biggest races.

The owner of Target Chip Ganassi Racing, and coowner of Earnhardt Ganassi Racing, has become the first owner to win both the Daytona 500 and the Indy 500 in the same season. Last February, Jamie McMurray won at Daytona to open the NASCAR Sprint Cup season and Dario Franchitti backed it up with his Indy 500 win.

Coincidentally, the Daytona

500 winner’s trophy, the Harley J Earl Trophy, for the first time ever left Daytona to be on display next to the Borg-Warner Indy 500 trophy.

“We’ve had good rivalries and we are friends,” explained Roger Penske, about his relationship with Chip Ganassi, who competes against him in both NASCAR and IndyCar. “He’s supported us in a number of areas when we needed it and vice versa. I tell you, if he needed a car for some reason at a race track, he could have one of mine.”

– MARY MENDEZ

Push to Pass at Indy INDYCAR FOR the first time, drivers at the Indianapolis 500 got to use Push to Pass.

The 33 drivers in the race had a device on the driver’s steering wheel that can be used to activate a temporary increase of engine revolutions in order to achieve a power increase of around 20 horsepower. Drivers had 15 pushes during the race, each lasting 18 seconds, the length of the straightaway (1/2 mile).

Drivers could use the PTP to get by a driver or defend their position but they must wait 10 seconds for the system to www.mnews.com.au

‘recharge’.

“You must make sure you have some left in your pocket for the end of the race,” said Ryan Briscoe before the race. “Honda gets 20 extra horsepower by using the top end of the RPM (from 10,300 to 10,500rpm). Shifting costs you speed, so it is better to use the PTP. And, you should save some PTP to use defensively at end of race.”

“I feel good and ready to win this race,” continued Briscoe, who had a quiet month.

“There isn’t a race in the world that tops the Indy 500. I have the team, the equipment, and the experience. There

are times when you need to be a little aggressive early or need to be careful. You must have patience. I know what it takes to win here at Indy. You must make sure you have a good race car the last quarter or half of the race. This is the happiest I’ve been at Indy, so I’m ready.”

“The Push to Pass could make a huge difference here,” said Will Power, who admitted he is so focused on the Indy 500 that he forgot he is leading the IndyCar championship. “If you get to the last stint and have used all your PTP, you will be a sitting duck.”

– MARY MENDEZ 15

Formula Ford racer Matthew Brabham has been named as Kidney Health Australia’s first young ambassador.

The 16-year-old was on hand at a ceremony in Sydney, with GovenorGeneral of Australia, Ms. Quentin Bryce AC, the Patron in Chief for Kidney Health. Sir Jack Brabham and Lady Margaret Brabham are also patrons.

“It was an awesome experience today to go Admiralty House and meet the Governor-General,” Brabham said.

“To be recognised as a Young Ambassador for Kidney Health Australia was a great honour and something that I remember for a long time to come.

“Your health is at the end of the day the most important thing in your life and the message from me is to start looking after yourself at an early age and you have a much better chance of living a long and healthy life.”

Dirk Klynsmith

BRIEFLY... n

n You can read all about Matty Brabs’ mostrecent hitout, in the Victorian Formula Ford Championship, in the new edition of Vic State Racer.

The second installment of the year is now online, covering last weekend’s Sandown round. It’s free and covers all of the Victorian action. Follow the link from www.mnews.com.au. n If you’re on the net and want even more motorsport chat, you might want to check out a new podcast from Motorsport eNews contributor Lachlan Mansell.

Chequered Flag Chat will cover national circuit racing beyond V8 Supercars.

It’s online now through www.chequeredflagmedia. com.au.

16

Carrera Cup comeback firming

CARRERA CUP NEXT year looks like being the year Carrera Cup returns to Australia.

Porsche Cars Australia remains committed to reintroducing the one-make series, as reported in eNews #148, following its demise before the start of the 2009 season. eNews understands 2011 is the target being worked towards, and that interest has been informally sought from former and prospective teams to try and assess the level of competitor support.

Porsche Cars Australia spokesman Paul Ellis shed a little light on the matter.

“It’s too early to speculate when Carrera Cup might be reintroduced to Australia, but there is certainly a desire from Porsche Cars Australia to see that happen. We have had discussions with a number of the key stakeholders and they support the concept of getting Carrera Cup back, in Australia.”

But Ellis would not be drawn on what kind of Porsche model would be involved, other than, “We have identified the car we would like to see here, should we be able to reintroduce Carrera Cup racing here.”

– MITCHELL ADAM

COMMODORE CUP COMBOS CONNECT FOR WINTON WEEKEND COMMODORE CUP TEAMS are coming together for the third-annual Commodore Cup Endurance Challenge at Winton next month.

In addition to the Holdsworths joining the field, a number of high-profile drivers will join the field.

Fujitsu Series leader and TeamVodafone V8 Supercar endurance driver Steve Owen is set to have his second crack at the event. Owen and Geoff Emery will team up with either

Ross McGregor or Tony Bates.

Current Commodore Cup series leader Scott Andrews has recruited Stephen White as his co-driver for the event, and Andrews’s main rival Adam Beechey will be partnered by fellow Tasmanian Dean Crosswell.

As previously reported by eNews, Nick Parker will be joined by Sports Sedan leader Darren Hossack for the enduro, leaving Parker’s co-driver from last year, Shane Price, to drive alongside Matt Chick.

While karter James Sera had

his first taste of car racing in the Sports Sedans at Mallala, his highly-successful brother David Sera is expected to have his first taste of tin-top racing in Commodore Cup, driving alongside Matthew Hayes.

“As long as David passes his observed licence test, he’ll be in the car,” Hayes said.

Other combinations include last year’s winners Jason and Craig Domaschenz and Marcus Zukanovic / Gerard McLeod.

– LACHLAN MANSELL motorsport news

news

John Morris / Mpix

Holdsworth brothers team-up for Winton COMMODORE CUP LEE and Brett Holdsworth will team up for the Commodore Cup Endurance Challenge at Winton next month.

The June 26-27 event will be Lee’s first run in a Commodore Cup car since a one-off appearance at Oran Park in 2008, while it’ll be Brett’s first

race meeting since wrapping up the 2009 title at Sandown last November.

The brothers will race Brett’s title-winning TTM Commodore.

“I wanted to do it last year, but I couldn’t make it, I had something else on,” Lee told eNews.

“It should be pretty fun. We’ll try to win, but having fun will

be our main objective; Dad will be our team manager and Mum will be our chief time-keeper.

“Brett’s really keen about getting back into the car, it’s exciting for him. It’s disappointing that he’s not racing anything this year, but if we win, it might get him back into it.”

Meanwhile, Holdsworth has

been a busy boy since Winton, moving into his new home.

Lee and wife Alana have entered the property market, buying their first home in Melbourne’s bayside area.

“Moving has been my training for the last couple of weeks, with all of the packing and unpacking I’ve been doing!” he said.

– MITCHELL ADAM

Dirk Klynsmith

www.mnews.com.au

17

Phil Williams

Australia vs. Spain!

MINI CHALLENGE PAUL Stokell and Chris Alajajian have left Australia to contest a round of the MINI Challenge Spain this weekend.

As previously reported by eNews, the pair will share a car in Round 2 of the 2010 Spanish series at Jarama, a reward for finishing first and second respectively in the 2009 Australian series.

Each driver will contest a 20-minute sprint race, before sharing their MINI in a 50minute race with a driver change.

Stokell and Alajajian flew out of Australia yesterday, Monday.

“It hasn’t really sunk in yet,” Alajajian admitted late last week.

“Paul has been using his simulator, but I haven’t done anything like that. I’ve seen some videos and looked it up on Google. It should be interesting; I like that it’s not a simple track.

“We’ve both got different driving styles, but we’ll be able to work together and hopefully have a good weekend.”

– MITCHELL ADAM

Good start for Targa South West TARMAC RALLY A new format of tarmac rallying was successfully launched last weekend, with the first running of Killarnée Targa South West.

Based in Pemberton and the Shire of Manjimup in Western Australia, Killarnée Targa South West was run as a non-competitive, timed event with the goal of introducing interested crews to the world of tarmac rallying.

“We wanted to make sure that interested crews - whose 18

vehicles might not quite meet all of the CAMS regulations – had the opportunity to experience the thrill of tarmac rallying,” Killarnée Targa South West Event Director Bob Schrader said.

“Our goal was that new competitors would go away from this weekend and modify their cars to comply with the regulations and early indications suggest that several if not the majority of crews will now be making the appropriate adjustments to be able to

compete in Quit Targa West.”

More than 30 crews participated in the event, which comprised 12 stages encompassing 105.49km.

“I believe we were successful in providing a highly enjoyable event for Classic and Modern vehicles and it was fantastic to see the faces of competitors when they finished the stages, everyone was just ecstatic and raving about the event and tarmac rallying,” Schrader said.

“It was also wonderful to see the crowds of people lining the stages in Pemberton, the

whole main street was just a buzz and the local community certainly came out and supported the event.”

The organising crew will now turn their attention to Quit Targa West to be held in Perth and the surrounding shires from the 26-29 August 2010.

All competitors that participated in Killarnée Targa South West will be guaranteed a slot in Quit Targa West providing their vehicle meets the required CAMS Tarmac Rally Technical Regulations. motorsport news

news

www.mnews.com.au

19

Tremaynes on the brink DRAG RACING TWO brothers have well and truly made their mark on ANDRA Pro Series Pro Stock in the last few years, with Queenslanders Aaron and Tyronne Tremayne becoming the ones to beat.

It all comes under the watchful eye of team patriarch Kerry Tremayne. The team comes into the final round of the series at the Castrol Edge Winternationals at Willowbank Raceway in the lead of the points courtesy of Aaron, pictured, followed by this season’s break out driver Lee Bektash.

Tyronne has worked his way into third in the meantime.

Kerry said the season started off in a tough fashion, but by refreshing the team’s Chev Cobalts they have been able to recover some performance.

“Damaging Aaron’s engine in the first round of the championship hurt us in the points,” he said.

“The cars haven’t been performing as well as we thought they should.

“We’ve got the shock absorbers re-done and have found a bit (of speed) in the set up to get the cars more or less back to where they were; it was a bit of a lack of

maintenance.”

The team is familiar with the lead up to a potential championship, with Aaron the reigning Pro Stock Champ.

Kerry said they plan on doing some testing beforehand to get a grounding on their home track.

“We’re trying to get to the warm-up event and see how we go there,” he said.

“Qualifying will be the major concern. To get into the top eight you may need a sevenzero (7.0s) and that will be tough, even with our cars.”

Getting into the top eight of the 16-car field will mean lane choice, and in a category

where races are decided by just thousandths of a second it can be a major advantage.

“We’ll take it one round at a time, but you don’t get two shots in drag racing,” he said.

“We’re not going to get too stressed about anything, the boys will do their job.”

The Pro Stock field continues to grow, with 20 cars so far entered for the Winternationals. Many racers are capable of the performances necessary to win on race day.

“Blokes like Wayne Daley and Bill Kotsias are doing a really good job, they’ve got good power and are getting a

ANDRA Pro Series news is proudly presented by:

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motorsport news

news

Sichter setting up for strong season finale with new look DRAG RACING

reasonable hold,” Kerry said.

The Tremayne family not only races in Pro Stock, but also builds motors for a number of customers, including Shane Tucker and Jason Hedges.

“They’ve got as much bang as we’ve got, if not a little bit more,” Kerry said.

The Winternationals will also see the return of former Pro Stock champion Peter Ridgeway in a new Holden Monaro.

“It’s good to see Pete back in, he’s a smart man and will always be a threat,” Kerry said.

“He told me he has enough (power) to come and play

now, which means he will be running with us or even better.”

The Tremayne team is taking the steps necessary to bring their engine program up to another level. Billet cylinder heads are currently being designed, which Kerry hopes will provide the extra power needed to get very close to the six-second zone – the next major performance barrier for the category.

“They will be commercially available, hopefully by the middle of the next season they will be on the cars, that is the aim,” he said.

“We are 10-15 horsepower down on the John Barbagallo

ANDRA Pro Series on

John Bosher

of another title

engines, which are running billet heads.

“We can do what we want with them, they will flow better, with cast iron we are limited with what we can do with them.”

Next season will see Pro Stock running at its first new track in some time when the series heads to Palmyra. Kerry is looking forward to the challenge.

“I haven’t got a problem with the Palmyra round,” he said.

“Running at night time could result in dew. But if they fit in to what we want we will fit into what they want.”

– LUKE NIEUWHOF

ANDRA Pro Series Top Alcohol driver Katherine Sichter and her S&S Motorsports and Trailer Sales team debuted new livery at the recent Top Fuel Championships meeting at Willowbank Raceway, and is finding pace that will enable them to be a serious contender come the Winternationals.

“The car needed a new image and it has given the team a whole new appearance,” she said.

Sichter and the team are still refining the car and looking at qualifying well into the field to make race day. Some 5.7s runs have given them the confidence to do that.

“Running the car in [in sportsman racing] gave us the valuable track time we needed. This has enabled us to improve the car’s 60 foot times to an area that we are happier with,” she said.

– LUKE NIEUWHOF

Wednesday June 2, 6:30pm Top Doorslammers, Nitro Champs

Next ANDRA Pro Series Round: Castrol EDGE Winternationals, Willowbank Raceway, June 10-13 www.mnews.com.au

21

Five Minutes with ...

STEVE RICHARDS

With the two-times Bathurst winner struggling through a difficult patch, with results hard to come by , there have been suggestions his spot at FPR is under threat. He spoke to CHRIS LAMBDEN MOTORSPORT NEWS: All sportsmen go through ‘down’ periods and the past 18 months really hasn’t been great for you … what has been the problem?

STEVE RICHARDS: Fair call. We’re all measured by the chequered flag at the end of the day, and if you’re not performing in terms of results, people start asking questions.

Over the past 12 months or so we’ve had varying levels of good and bad performance (at FPR). As a driver you try and take out the positives at any point in time, but you have to be honest with yourself and ask the question. Even though last year, by my standards, was a disaster, I’d like to think that when you use the one clear comparison, your team-mate, I finished closer to Frosty than many other drivers in other teams did to their team-mates – including Craig in relation to Jamie at Triple Eight.

Those are the things you need to motivate yourself with when times are tough.

More recently, FPR hasn’t been going that well – but two or three races back the team was flying along and Frosty had some great results. The other side of the garage – Car #6 and Richo – had a few dramas. In most cases, fortunately or unfortunately, they haven’t been my doing.

The team has put up its hand and admitted to some errors along the way.

From where we sit, the team has often looked quite strong on Friday, only to fall short in qualifying. Is that the area where things are going wrong for you?

I’ve always said that the area of my game that I need to improve is qualifying. To a degree I think I’ve managed to address some of those issues, but this year, particularly on my side of the garage we’ve had issues– such as brakes – which hasn’t helped my performance at that crucial time.

And once you start further back, it’s difficult. You are measured, simply, by where you’re at when the chequered flag comes out. Nevertheless, on those occasions, we’ve managed to make some ground, get through the pack and get some sort of result.

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There’s not a driver out there who hadn’t gone through a bad patch. What can you as an individual do to get out of that slump?

All you can do is analyse the areas where you are weak. When the team itself is going through a slump, it doesn’t help that process. You’re always trying to look beyond the bad patch, and better your own individual performance by looking at every aspect – is it the car, is it the way you drive the car, is it the way you work with your engineering group on making the car better in that 20 minute session.

I’ve been working really with my engineer Dan Kroehn to work through those things and we are definitely making headway. It’s just that, for several reasons, we haven’t been able to show it at a race weekend.

But that’s all you can do – analyse your weaknesses as a collective group and work on them.

Clearly, when you’re in the latter part of your contract, results are even more important.

It’s a situation I haven’t found myself in the past. Right now, as things stand, as much as the team has been fully supportive in what I’m trying to achieve, I’ve got to look at what’s happening beyond 2010 for Steve Richards, because I’ve still got a heap left to offer; I can still perform at the top level. But unless I start getting some results, I’m not going to be on the top of too many people’s phone list.

As I understand it, FPR has an option on you beyond this year. True?

There is an option clause there. I haven’t had much by way of conversation with Tim and FPR about where I stand with the team currently, other than, of course, if the results come then there’s the possibility to continue in the future.

FPR has a great group of people there, all the ingredients – it’s just about getting the recipe right. If we can do that, I have no doubt we can challenge for race wins, as we have done over the past few years.

If the team didn’t want to take up the

option, what would you do?

That’s a hard one. There’s been no indication of that to date … I’m not ready to retire from V8 racing – I may not have the choice, but I’m not ready to wind it up just yet.

When I’m out there, driving against the competition, I feel like I’m still doing as good a job as I was a few years ago. That being said, when you’re sitting 21st in a championship, people want to know why.

As I said, you’re measured by the chequered flag, but I’m sure if those inside the industry wandered back through the results, they’d see a few other factors involved in why it hasn’t been the case.

Given the number of silly issues that have compromised both your and Frosty’s performance, that really shouldn’t be the case in a ‘factory’ team, would you want to stay on anyway?

That’s another agenda I guess. Do I, without going into contracts too much, have that option? Clearly, as a driver, you analyse your performance and the team’s performance and how best you can attain the results you want. FPR more than has the ability, with the people that we’ve got there, to achieve the results I want to achieve. I guess we wait and see.

So, you are still confident that you can – with the team providing the right circumstances and car – deliver?

Absolutely. There have been lots of measures for me, over the past 12 months that solidify my view that I’m still capable of driving well. I’ve led the start of Bathurst the last three years in a row; when Frosty and I have been in the same car, our performance has been very similar.

I still love training; I still love getting out in the morning on my bike or going for a run. If you’ve got the motivation to do all that, you want to do it for as long as you can. This is the most competitive touring car championship in the world, so when you do get it right, and get a result, it is the most satisfying things you will accomplish in your life. motorsport news

chat

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sutton-images.com

WHY WEBBER DOESN’T HAVE THE BLUES

S

O, it finally happened. Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber crashed into each other.

I’ll be honest, I thought it would happen at the start of a race. I even though it might happen at the start of the Turkish race.

Don’t I look silly now. Thankfully, I don’t look as silly as Seb does.

I’m not going to go into whose fault it was.

Chances are you’ve seen the footage, and it’s pretty obvious that Vettel drove into Webber.

In saying that, either driver could have avoided the crash if they’d really wanted to concede the position.

The thing, the crash couldn’t have worked out better for Webber. Had it not happened, here are the two scenarios; Webber would have won the race from Vettel, and would lead the World Championship by five points from his team-mate. Or, Vettel would have snuck through, and he would lead Webber by five points.

As it turned out, and thanks entirely to the shunt, Webber ends up leading the championship, by five points, exactly as he would have had he won the race. But instead

24

Opinion

Andrew van Leeuwen – eNews Editor

he has Jenson Button behind him, a far less threatening rival than Vettel, and the German is 15 points in arrears. Perfect! The net benefit is equal to having led home a Red Bull 1-2, but the gap between Webber and Vettel is three times what it might have been.

The unilateral press conference said it all. While Vettel was out the back of the garage telling the world it was Webber’s fault, Webber was sitting in ‘presser’ making quiet hand gestures to Lewis Hamilton while Button talked through his own race. He knew exactly what had happened, but when the microphone turned to him, Webber went quiet on the subject, simply saying the situation wasn’t ideal for Red Bull Racing.

He didn’t launch a scathing attack on Vettel, because he didn’t need to. The World Championship points table says it all. motorsport news

comment

40 YEARS WITHOUT BRUCE I Opinion

KNOW this sounds like treason, but there was some kind of just Phil Branagan – Executive Editor result in Turkey on the weekend.

In the giant scheme of things, I would have liked to have seen Mark Webber on the top step of the podium and Sebastian Vettel led down pit-lane, by the ear by Christian Horner for being a naughty boy (Eddie Jordan, what are you thinking?) But I can live with a McLaren 1-2, because of the calendar. This week marks 40 years since the death of Bruce McLaren who, at 32, achieved more than many drivers do in their careers.

McLaren is an icon. The bare statistics do him no justice at all; four wins in 100 Grands Prix, the first of which marked him for many years as the youngest driver to ever win a GP. The current edition of Motorsport News celebrates the legacy of Sir Jack Brabham, in particular his 1960 season. What we omitted from that yarn is that McLaren was second in the championship. He was 23.

In 1968, he emulated his mentor, Brabham, by winning a Grand Prix in a car of his own manufacture. I am already on the record as stating what a monumental achievement that is; the likes of Graham Hill, John Surtees and Chris Amon never got near succeeding at that.

Add to that, the success that the man had in Grand Prix racing has to be combined with his domination of Can-Am racing, which was renamed ‘The Bruce and Denny Show’, such was the speed of McLaren and countryman Denny Hulme. Of course, McLaren also triumphed at Le Mans, sharing the 1966 win with Chris Amon.

McLaren’s death in 1970 was a shock of monumental proportions. If Jim Clark was killed in a relatively meaningless Formula 2 race, the loss of McLaren, while testing a Can-Am car, was a tragedy. Of course, the McLaren team lived on, through different incarnations to its present form, but when Bruce McLaren died, it was a massive blow to the sport.

There is much that divides Australians and New Zealanders when it comes to sport, and that gulf can extend to motorsport.

But in admiration for the life and achievements of Bruce McLaren we stand, I hope, united. There are many friends, and family members, who still personally feel the loss the McLaren, and this week will be a tough one for them. For the rest of us, who did not know McLaren, the man, perhaps a quiet moment on Wednesday, when we will all be a little bit New Zealander, will be appropriate.

www.mnews.com.au

25

IZOD INDYCAR SERIES 2010 INDY 500

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motorsport news

race

SCOT MILK?

45 years after Jim Clark won the Indy 500, another Scot, Dario Franchitti, took his second win at the Brickyard. And he can thank mistakes at Penske and a race-ending shunt for it

www.mnews.com.au

27

D

ARIO Franchitti has won his second Indy 500, on a weekend where everything that could go wrong for Penske and the Australians, did.

For much of the prestigious race, it looked as if the fight would be between Helio Castroneves, Will Power and Franchitti. But separate pit-stop issues ruled the two Penske pilots out.

First, Power took off from his pit bay with the fuel hose attached, causing a delay that ruled him out of challenging for the win.

Then, Castroneves stalled after a stop, dropping him well into the field. His day wasn’t completely done, a risky strategy getting him back into contention late in the race. But when the yellow flags didn’t go his way, Castroneves had to make an extra stop, leaving him ninth, one spot behind Power.

To add some salt to Penske’s wounds, Ryan Briscoe crashed out of the race at the threequarter mark, leaving the team with little to cheer about at the end of the race.

“Well, we always say the one that makes the fewest mistakes wins the race and I made one that put us too far back,” said Castroneves.

“We were fighting understeer and oversteer all day, but we were still there fighting at the end and we still managed a Top 10 result.

Congratulations to Dario. Those guys were on it today and they deserve to be Indy 500 champions.”

With Scott Dixon never really in the running, thanks in part to losing a wheel in pit-lane midrace, Franchitti was clear to take out IndyCar’s biggest race. It wasn’t quite that easy, with fuel-saving a key factor in the latter part of the race. In fact, had it not been for a huge accident between Mike Conway and Ryan Hunter-Raey, which caused the race to finish under a caution, Franchitti may not have made it.

“Up until 10 laps to go, I was pretty relaxed,” said Franchitti.

“Then all hell broke loose with fuel savings and all. I just needed to know what the other guys were doing. If they were saving more than me, they were doing something special here.

“This tastes just as good the second time.

To come back from a year away and win the championship and then win the Indy 500, it just means so much.”

While Hunter-Raey emerged unhurt from the accident, Conway broke his leg in what was a massive impact caused by the American’s car running out of fuel without warning.

Second was Dan Wheldon, who inherited the place late in the race thanks to Tony Kanaan having to make a splash-and-dash. Even more remarkable was Alex Lloyd’s third place for Dale Coyne Racing, which made it a British 1-2-3 at the Brickyard – 45 years after another Brit, Jim Clark, won the Indy 500.

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motorsport news

race

The Moment: While Franchitti emerges from his pit bay unscathed, Power drags his fuel nozzle with him, costing him a shot at the race.

Results :: 2010 Indy 500

The Moment #2: Contact with the wall put Ryan Briscoe out of the ‘Five Hunner’, but that was nothing compared to Mike Conway’s monster shunt, below.

www.mnews.com.au

Pos

Driver

Team

Time

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 DNF DNF DNF DNF DNF DNF DNF DNF DNF DNF DNF

Dario Franchitti Dan Wheldon Alex Lloyd Scott Dixon Danica Patrick Marco Andretti Justin Wilson Will Power Helio Castroneves Alex Tagliani Tony Kanaan Graham Rahal Simona de Silvestro Mario Romancini Tomas Scheckter Townsend Bell Ed Carpenter Ryan Hunter-Reay Mike Conway Takuma Sato Ana Beatriz Bertrand Baguette Sebastian Saavedra Ryan Briscoe EJ Viso Sarah Fisher Vitor Meira Hideki Mutoh Raphael Matos John Andretti Mario Moraes Bruno Junqueira Davey Hamilton

Ganassi Panther Dale Coyne Ganassi Andretti Andretti Dreyer & Reinbold Penske Penske Fazzt Andretti Rahal Letterman HVM Conquest Dreyer & Reinbold Ganassi/Schmidt Panther/Vision Andretti Dreyer & Reinbold KV Dreyer & Reinbold Conquest Herta Penske KV Sarah Fisher Foyt Newman/Haas De Ferran Dragon Andretti KV Fazzt De Ferran Dragon

3:05:37.0131s +0.1536s +20.9876s +21.4922s +21.7560s +23.5251s +25.9761s +30.2474s +33.0137s +34.2482s +59.5957s +59.9739s +1m01.6745s +1:05.0219s + 1 lap + 1 lap + 1 lap + 2 laps + 2 laps + 2 laps + 4 laps + 17 laps 159 laps 147 laps 139 laps 125 laps 105 laps 76 laps 72 laps 62 laps 17 laps 7 laps 0 laps 29

SHANNONS NATIONALS ROUND 4, MALLALA

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motorsport news

race

Breakthrough There was something missing from Darren Hossack’s Sports Sedan resume ... a win in the Clem Smith Cup. Now, though, Hossack has one to his name, after cleaning up at Mallala. LACHLAN MANSELL reports on the Round 4 Shannons Nationals action

Phil Williams

www.mnews.com.au

31

32

James Smith

D

ARREN Hossack has taken out Round 2 of the Kerrick Sports Sedan Series, winning all three races including a stunning victory from the rear of the field in Race 2 to claim the prestigious Clem Smith Cup. Hossack was relegated to the back of the grid after electing to change tyres for the second race, having damaged a set in qualifying.

He stormed through the field to second within a few laps, and the lead was his when impressive debutant James Sera spun his Saab at the northern hairpin.

“I flat-spotted a couple of tyres in qualifying, and the worn tyres were OK for the first, slightly damp race, but I knew they weren’t going to

be good enough once the track dried out, so I decided to change them and cop the penalty,” Hossack said.

“I mentioned to Clem Smith at the start of the race that I had never seen his car leading the field around on the warmup lap, because I had always been too far back. This was the fourth year in a row that I started at the back of the grid for the Clem Smith Cup but this year, I finally won it.

“It was a challenge trying to manage working through the field with conserving the car.

I set the tyre pressures fairly high because I wanted the car to be strong early so I could make up positions, and when James spun, I just conserved the car from there.”

Karter James Sera’s debut in the class, driving the

Dean Randle-owned Saab, was impressive, despite his unforced error in the second race. Sera qualified second and finished second behind Hossack in all three races.

“These cars are a bit of a step up from karts, and I had only driven the car once before this weekend,” he said.

“The spin at the hairpin was just a rookie error on my part; I was still changing down gears when I turned into the hairpin and the compression lockup caused me to spin out.

Hopefully I’ll get to race some more rounds this year.”

Trent Young finished the round third overall, also moving up to second place in the series points. Young also continued his impressive wet weather form in a soggy Dash for Cash encounter, chalking

up a race win from sixth on the grid in the four-lap sprint.

Phil Crompton was the best of the Trans-Am entries, bringing his Mustang home in fourth overall, while Graeme Gilliland and Damien Johnson battled ferociously for the minor places in their smallercapacity vehicles.

Round 1 winner Kerry Bailey had a nightmare weekend, crashing his Nissan 300ZX out of the weekend’s opening race. The resultant damage sidelined Bailey for the remainder of the weekend.

Hossack was gracious in taking the series lead after his rival’s misadventure.

“The goal this weekend was to come away with the lead, but it would have been more satisfying if Kerry hadn’t had such a terrible weekend,” motorsport news

James Smith

Darren Hossack, left, picked up the Clem Smith Cup, after a mistake from rookie James Sera, above. Otherwise, Sera had a blinder on debut.

Trent Young, below, was third and led Race 2 early, while Kerry Baily, bottom, was forced out by a Race 1 crash.

Phil Williams Phil Williams

www.mnews.com.au

33

Phil Williams

Barker scores maiden F3 wins, joins tight title fight MITCH Evans’s winning streak in the Formula 3 Australian Drivers Championship ended at Mallala on the weekend, with British driver Ben Barker chalking up a clean sweep of race victories in Round 4 of the championship.

Barker qualified second behind Evans, but capitalised on a mistake by Evans in a wet opening sprint race to take the ascendancy and from there, he was never headed.

Barker’s victory also moved him to within nine points of the championship lead.

Evans finished second for the round, disposing of Tom Tweedie, below, who made a mistake in the second sprint race. Tweedie ran wide at Turn 1, and also a place to Martin Short, who stepped into one of the R-Tek cars out of his usual Team BRM Formula Ford ride. Tweedie recovered to finish third in the feature race, clinging onto his championship lead by just three points from Evans.

Chinese competitor Zhang

Shan Qi finished fourth in the feature race ahead of Short, with Josh Burdon rounding out the field.

Matt Kingsley made it six race wins from the last six races in the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge, driving his 996 GT3 Cup car. However, Kingsley had to work for his race wins, particularly in the opening encounter.

The Queensland driver, who started from pole position, was swamped at the start of the race and nudged wide in the first corner, dropping back to seventh. He then moved back up to fourth with some inspired moves on his fellow competitors, before avoiding a spinning Mark Krashos and Sven Burchartz, who both looped their Porsches in separate incidents on the final corner.

When race leader John Trende spun at the hairpin, Kingsley found himself back in the race lead, and from there he charged to two more race victories. Roger Lago

continued his consistent season, finishing second overall and best of the 997 GT3 Cup competitors, while local driver Gary Dann finished third overall, also moving up to third in the series points.

Former Saloon Car competitor John Goodacre also made a solid debut in the category, with a best result of fifth in Race 3. Not having so much luck were Carrera Cup Asia driver Yuey Tan, who retired after being caught up in an incident in the first corner in Race 1, and NSW competitor Anthony Skinner, who dropped out of Race 1 with mechanical problems and did not make the start for Races 2 or 3.

Tony Bates claimed his first-ever round victory in the Commodore Cup series in style, winning both 30minute races. Bates was shuffled down the order at the beginning of each race, but race craft and clever pit strategy elevated him back to the front of the field once the

pit-stop shuffle was complete.

Adam Beechey continued his fine debut Commodore Cup season with second place overall, closing him to within one point of series leader Scott Andrews, who rounded out the podium for the weekend. The recovery of the weekend belonged to Nick Parker, whose car was severely damaged after being rearended by Matt Chick in Race 1, but fought back to fourth in Race 2.

Terry Wyhoon picked up two Shannons V8 Touring Car race wins to Tony Evangelou’s solo victory, but Evangelou scored some valuable points by setting the fastest time in the time attack session. Chris Smerdon was third overall despite a strange incident in Race 2 in which he lost a rear door from his ex-Stone Brothers AU Falcon.

NSW driver Dylan Thomas won four out of the five Formula Vee races, with Robert Surman notching up the other race victory.

James Smith

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motorsport news

Phil Williams James Smith James Smith

From top: Matt Kingsley took a clean sweep in the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge, ditto Tony Bates in Commodore Cup, with Saturday’s opening race run under lights.

Terry Wyhoon led home Tony Evangelou in the Shannons V8 Touring Car Series races, while Dylan Thomas, right, was too good in the Formula Vee races.

James Smith

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AUSTRALIAN GT ROUND 3 – EASTERN CREEK

Wall to Wall wins Defending champion David Wall made it a perfect score at Eastern Creek on a weekend that didn’t go to plan for most of his title rivals. By STEVE NORMOYLE

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AVID Wall is well on track to defend his Australian GT Championship crown.

He went into Eastern Creek’s twin one-hour races as the points leader, and left the Creek with a perfect score of consecutive wins over the Saturday and the Sunday of the annual ARDC Sports Car Carnival meeting.

The Wilson Security/ Shannons Porsche driver really had to earn his Saturday victory as he fended off the challenge from Peter Hackett’s Vodka O Lamborghini Gallardo.

But Wall’s team timed the change to wet tyres to perfection to regain the lead once all the stops had cycled through, and Wall took care of business out on the track.

Despite dire weather predictions of cyclonic conditions for Sydney on Sunday, the rain was confined to Saturday.

However, while there was scarcely a single incident in Saturday’s race as the field demonstrated great skill in the difficult semi-wet conditions, on Sunday in the dry, the field never got past the first corner.

Ian Palmer found himself running out of space as he tried to overtake another car in the run into the Sweeper, and chaos ensued. Out with heavy damage were Palmer’s Dodge Viper, the Porsches of Ray Angus and the previous round winner, Max Twigg. Richard

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Wonder Wall: David Wall was the class of the field at Eastern Creek, taking out both mini GT enduros, inset, below right. Sunday’s race was a disaster for previous round winner Max Twigg, who found himself in the wall as the rest of the field raced on to Turn 2, main. Ian Palmer’s Viper was one of four cars damaged in the opening corner fracas, centre.

Dean Grant’s Mosler heads Peter Hackett’s Gallardo. Hackett pushed Wall hard on Saturday but suffered tyre troubles the next day.

Kimber made it round the lap but his Porsche had copped collateral damage in the melee and was headed for the pits, while Mark O’Conner put his Lotus Exige into the wall out of turn four – doubly unfortunate for O’Conner as the Safety Car was moments away from being deployed when he crashed.

Retrieving the wrecks and cleaning the debris off the track reduced it to a 40-minute affair by the time they went green. Wall led them away, but dived straight into pit lane, opting (along with several of the other front runners) to take his compulsory stop on what was effectively the first competitive lap of the race.

Wall’s eventual winning margin over Mark Eddy’s Audi R8 was little more than a second but the ‘real’ gap was far greater, as Wall cruised home over the final laps.

“On the soft tyres I tried to push on a bit and get a gap,” Wall said afterwards. “After that I just tried to manage it and maintain a good pace. We were planning to run long, because I prefer the harder tyre – but that’s what good about this category; every car looks after its tyres differently.

“I’m very pleased with this weekend and now I’m looking forward to Phillip Island.”

Eddy took over second place when Hackett fell back, the Gallardo slowing due to worn rear tyres. Hackett dropped to an eventual sixth. Tony Quinn and Dean Grant made it Moslers fourth and fifth, ahead of James Koundouris’ Porsche.

Back-to-back wins for Wall has further entrenched his points lead, especially given Hackett’s woes on Sunday, Twigg’s non-finish and the shocker experienced by Greg Crick, previously third in the points. With his own car not ready, Crick had teamed up with Ian Palmer for the two mini enduros. The best they could manage on Saturday was 20th, which was a whole lot better than Sunday ...

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AUSTRALIAN SPRINTCAR CHAMP. DARWIN

McFabulous McFadden

He had a little help from Ryan Farrell, but it was still and awesome effort that netted home-town hero James McFadden the 2010 Australian Sprintcar Championship title

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Paris Charles

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Paris Charles

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AMES McFadden has taken a brilliant Australian Sprintcar Championship win on home soil in Darwin.

In a 40-lap thriller, McFadden found himself leading on Lap 24, after early leaders Kerry Madsen and Ryan Farrell collided while battling for the top spot.

Farrell had tried to slide past Madsen, sending Madsen into a violent flip and straight out the race, above. Farrell was

sent to the rear of the field, and McFadden was promoted into a lead he would never lose.

“I had a good car throughout and thought I could keep up,” said McFadden.

“It sucks for those guys (Madsen and Farrell), but it’s good for me.

“I’ll have to step up my game a bit now I have this. I’d like to thank [car owner] Scott Milling, [without him] wouldn’t be here, and my father [Dave], who’s been with me

from the go kart days.”

Second and third went to Victorian Stephen Bell, and West Australia’s Jamie Maiolo.

On the whole, Farrell had a wild night.

Before his clash with Madsen, he touched a lapped Jason McIvor, causing him to roll and the race to be red-flagged. After the Madsen incident, he charged back to finish sixth, having taken the points lead into the A Main final.

Paris Charles

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HISTORIC WINTON WINTON MOTOR RACEWAY

Justin Collins

Wet Winton holiday Winton hosted its 34th-annual Historic meeting on the weekend, ROB LANG reports on the action ...

PETER Guest won the All Classic-Vintage Ken Lucas Trophy on his 1956 Vincent, followed by Keith Campbell and Ian Saunders on his little JAWA, which was nearly a giant killer. The Sidecars were dominated by Horner / Dinuzzo on their beautifully presented Irving Vincent.

All Powers Post Classic & Forgotten Era was also dominated by Peter Guest, this time on a Suzuki, followed by Andrew Lind and Michael Dibb.

Cars were also wellrepresented at the meeting, and the biggest field was in

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the Regularity, which was won

by Doug Layng in his Redback Special, followed by Bill Morling and Fred Heming.

Groups J&K was looked after by Trevor Eastwood in his ‘36 Alvis who won the Col Arthurwaite Trophy, with Patrick Ryan (‘36 MG TA S/ C) and Geoff Hood in his ‘23 12/50 Alvis second. Rod McMullin claimed the Douglas Briese Trophy, and Jim Russell the Lou Molina Trophy.

There was some good racing in the LB sports & Racing field, with Mildren Cooper driver Dick Willis winning ahead of

Graeme Marks and Bill Schapel.

In Formula Ford, Nick McDonald (Birrana) was the best of the bunch over the weekend, closely followed by Andrew McInnes and John Connely.

Keith Simpson was awarded the The Phil Irving Trophy in his ‘66 Brabham BT16 after winning the Groups M&O races, with Richard Carter and Ed Holly rounding out the podium.

Kim Jones took his March 80A to victory in the first two Q&R Sports races, but failed to finish the final on Sunday

afternoon, Jamie Larner picking up the win.

Group Nc was won by Robert Burns in his Charger, holding out Wayne Seabrook and Laurie Donaher in a Porsche and Camaro respectively.

Henry Daper fared well in Group Nb for the win in a big field, with Jason Armstrong and Lindsay Siebler second and third.

The Alan Jones Trophy for Group S was won by Perry Spiridis in his De Tomaso, which was pushed hard by Michael Byrne (Lotus Seven) and Paul Black (Corvette).

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Rob Lang

Rob Lang

Peter Guest, above, was in fine form on two wheels, while Perry Spiridis, above left, won Group S. Keith Simpson, right, splashed his way to the Phil Irving Trophy in Group M&O. Kim Jones, below, picked up a pair of Group Q&R wins in a March 80A. Justin Collins Justin Collins

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NASCAR SPRINT CUP RD 13 – CHARLOTTE, NC

This will have to do Many expected Roger Penske to win the Indy 500. He didn’t – but Kurt Busch made it up to him in Charlotte. By MARTIN D CLARK

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“Everybody pulls the rope the same direction. It’s unbelievable to have a car that would stick that good. Roger Penske, this one was for you; I thought about that Ganassi car behind me, he wasn’t going to get by.”

Earlier in the day, of course, Dario Franchitti took his second win in the 500, giving Chip Ganassi the distinction of winning both the Daytona 500 and the Indy 500 in the same year.

Jeff Gordon and Mark Martin, both of whom elected not to pit under the last yellow flag, headed the final restart, but Busch and McMurray made quick work of the Hendrick duo, with McMurray just lacking the gusto he possessed earlier in the race.

A big talking point was Jimmie Johnson, who led The Big Blue: Kurt Busch carried the set-up from last weekend’s much shorter All-Star race at Charlotte into the 600-miler, and came away smiling for the second time in eight days. The Dodge driver looks a genuine threat for another title.

Martin D CLark

OGER Penske might have been looking for a win at Indianapolis on Sunday. Instead, he got one at Charlotte.

Kurt Busch completed a Charlotte sweep, a week after taking the non-points Sprint All Star Race last Saturday. The elder Busch took the checkers for the first time in the CocaCola 600, after leading 252 of the 400 laps at the Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Busch took the lead from Jamie McMurray during the final pit stops under caution eight, the pair each choosing to take on two tyres. But Busch managed to get his car out of the pits before McMurray’s and that proved the pivotal moment in Busch winning by 0.737 seconds at the end of the 600 mile marathon.

McMurray’s Chevy had been quicker than Busch’s Dodge on the long runs and opened up a sizeable lead before the final yellow flag.

“It’s unbelievable how much this is a team effort,” said Busch of his Penske pit crew that got him off pit road first.

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early until slapping the wall.

His his Hendrick Chevy and never running the same again, but then, to add insult to injury, he looped the car exiting turn two and slammed the inside wall. Amazingly, his crew had the car back on track in 30-plus laps, but the result saw the defending Champion slip three spots to seventh in points – and that constitutes a slump by Johnson’s standards.

Kevin Harvick, who finished 11th, heads the points by 29 over Kyle Busch, Matt Kenseth, Jeff Gordon and Denny Hamlin.

Tempers boiled over post-race with Jeff Burton upset with – wait for it – Kyle Busch who bumped Burton on the final restart cutting Burton’s tyre and costing the veteran a solid top

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ten result.

“He’s really aggressive and that’s cool,” said Burton of Busch.

“But when he starts affecting me with his aggressiveness I will just not put up with it. I’ve been around here long enough. I just will not tolerate it.”

Marcos Ambrose was one of many who fought a visibly loose Toyota all night, hitting the wall in turn four to air caution two.

Later, he replicated Johnson’s spin off turn two and hit the inside wall hard to air the eighth and final caution on lap 378.

Ambrose ended a miserable night 36th and sits 30th in points, a fall of two spots.

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Results :: Coca Cola 600, Charlotte, NC Pos. No. Driver 1 2 Kurt Busch 2 1 Jamie McMurray 3 18 Kyle Busch 4 5 Mark Martin 5 00 David Reutimann 6 24 Jeff Gordon 7 33 Clint Bowyer 8 98 Paul Menard 9 39 Ryan Newman 10 17 Matt Kenseth

Make Dodge Chevy Toyota Chevy Toyota Chevy Chevy Ford Chevy Ford

Team Penske Earnhardt-Ganassi Joe Gibbs Hendrick Waltrip Hendrick Childress Petty Stewart Haas Roush/Fenway

Sponsor Qual.

Miller Lite/Vortex 2 Bass Pro Shops 27 M&Ms Pretzel 9 Carquest 11 Aaron’s 6 DuPont Stars & Stripes 15 Cheerios 10 Menards 33 US Army 1 Crown Royal Black 16

Points: Harvick 1898, Kyle Busch 1869, Kenseth 1781, Gordon 1760, Hamlin 1732, Kurt Busch 1726, Johnson 1694, Burton 1657, Biffle 1648, Martin 1635.

No place like Home: The vast majority of NASCAR teams are based in Charlotte and the home race is always spectacular. Busch was aided by slick pitwork, below, allowing him to fight off McMurray for the win.

Martin D CLark

Martin D CLark

NASCAR Media

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ANZAC’S REVENGE INDY LIGHTS

WHILE the Anzacs had no luck in the Indy 500, there was an emphatic New Zealand victory in the Firestone Freedom 100 support raced.

Wade Cunningham took his third Indianapolis win in the Indy Lights class, after a race-long battle with Charlie Kimball. The pair shared the lead, with Kimball slipping past Cunningham twice.

But as the Kiwi explained post-race, he

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was never really worried.

“The car was great in the draft and it was pretty easy for me to pass Charlie, and both times he got in front I didn’t panic because I knew in a couple of laps I’d be back in front,” said Cunningham.

“I never gave him the chance to get by.”

Kimball agreed that his chances of victory were slim.

“The setup wasn’t exactly where we wanted it to be,” Kimball said.

“I ran out of tools about midway

through the race. I had to get the car down almost all the way down to the apron just to get it to turn, and it’s a ride down there. But it’s what it took to challenge for the win.”

Pippa Mann, the first female pole-sitter at Indy, lost her chance of victory when Jeff Simmons collected her on Lap 3.

“I’ve got some pretty bruised feet, and I’m going to have a very sore neck tomorrow,” said Mann.

“I’m pretty angry, but I’m okay.”

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QLD STATE

HEAVY rain struck Morgan Park Raceway in Warwick for Round 2 of the Queensland Motor Racing Championships, blighting Saturday’s action before fining on Sunday.

Nissan Sylvia driver Aaron Lawrence won Improved Production for the weekend ahead of Graeme Wilkinson (Ford Escort). Lawrence, Bruce Cook (Escort Turbo) and Tony Isarasena (Mazda RX-7) shared the race wins.

David Skillender had a wheel part company with his VS Commodore at the

start of the final race, but nobody hit the V8, pictured.

Tim Hamilton (Jacer F2K8) took both points race wins ahead of Bruce Acheson (Manta NG82) in Race 1 and Mike Smith (Gebert FV16005) in Race 2.

Grant Gatland (AU Falcon) won both Saloon Car races, pushed hard by HQ Holden champion Gary Bonwick (AU Falcon).

Sam Zavaglia (StockmanYamaha) and Jason Smith (Anderson-FPE) shared the Superkart wins, with Smith winning the round over Drene Jamieson (StockmanHonda) and Jason Laker

(Stockman-Honda) after Zavaglia suffered engine damage. Richard Flanagan impressed in the wet race taking fourth in his Phoenix Rotax Max. Benn Wilson won on his return to Gemini racing, winning Race 2 and the round ahead of Jake Brackenridge with Rohan Barry winning Race 1 and crashing late in the day.

Ben Gersekowski (DallaraRenault) won all three Racing Car races with Roman Krumins (DallaraOpel) sharing the seconds with Shae Davies (Van Diemen-Ford). Jordan Lloyd

Mark Jones

RAIN, HAIL THEN SHINE (Van Diemen RF04K) won the Formula Ford division.

Bob Sudall (Mazda RX-2) dominated Historic Touring Cars with Bob Heagerty (Mazda RX-2) and Gary Jackson (HQ Monaro) each taking a second.

Wayne Selby (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo) and Anthony Cox (Holden Gemini turbo) shared the Sports Sedan wins while Frank Mascardi damaged his Mazda RX-7 in a collision with the wall.

HQ Holden’s return was dominated by Gary Bonwick, while Bruce Bunch was second.

– MARK JONES

VERNE BACK IN CONTROL OF BF3 BRITISH F3 A FRENCHMAN was the big winner during the British F3 Series visit to Germany.

Jean-Eric Vergne qualified fastest at Hockenheim on the

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weekend, and then went on to win two of the meeting’s three races. The only race he couldn’t win was the partially reverse gird Race 2, which was taken out by Gabriel Dias.

But by the final, Vergne was

back to his best, leading home William Buller.

“It was an easy race for me,” said Vergne.

“To be honest it was like a 40minute qualifying session. The car was amazing and really

easy to push with. So I just did what I could, pushing every lap and making no mistakes.

It’s been an awesome weekend.”

He now comfortably leads the series from Oli Webb.

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Targa Drift Car VZ V8 Supercar Last Tasman motorsport VZ built, possibly the newest VZ out there, late 06 build. Qualified 4th for 06 bathurst 1000, then was run by greg murphy racing for sam walter in the fujitsu series, no major damage, no expense spared. 12 Wheels. Sam Walter 0419 319 304. $90,000. Dean Lillie 0395871022 / 0400691683.

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Priced for quick sale. In melb until 29th may then perth. Targa tas 4 times. Class and gold plate wins. Cams and aasa books. Not registerable. Bolt in cage; sparco seats; trs harness; plumbed and portable fire ext; rays forged alloys; koni shocks; whiteline adj sway bars; 4.1 + Std diff ratios; . $29,500.

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rear of grid

Odd Spot

Just a couple of Drag Racers INGALL and Murph? And a Christmas Tree?

The Enforcer and the Kiwi Hero will be taking it one quarter-mile at a time at Willowbank when they race their V8 Supercars at Willowbank. The Holden pair got some tips from fellow Castrol men Victor and Ben Bray before their showdown, on June 12.

“Talking to Victor and Ben we have learned a fair bit about drag racing today, it is slightly different to our style of racing but I think it is a fantastic sport, I love watching it and I don’t think people realise just how much goes into it and its been great to be able to delve into that with the guys today,” said Murphy.

“Any chance to have a race of any description is something we jump at and we are a pretty competitive lot so we are looking forward to getting on track and having a go.”

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Fly West, on gossamer wings (with chips)

V8 SUPERCAR racing in the West may be a thing of the past – at least for now – but you will not be able to swing a cat in WA over the next little while without taking out a driver.

Holden Racing Team stars Garth Tander and Will Davison are heading West to sign a few chickens at Red Rooster’s Warwick store this Wednesday (2 June), beginning at midday. One lucky race fan will win a private lunch with the drivers.

Tander and Davison, right, will spend a total of three days in Perth visiting sponsors as well as their HRT Members, who will be treated to an exclusive function.

Ford Performance Racing will be out in force this week, with Mark Winterbottom and Steven Richards making a personal appearance at the Burswood Casino on Tuesday night and a ride day on Wednesday and Thursday.

Not to be outdone, TeamVodafone will throw

open the gates at Barbagallo Raceway next Monday, June 7 so that fans can witness what goes on at a ride day. Better yet, two fans will get a hot lap of the 2.42km track with Jamie Whincup. Merchandise will be on sale, but we are not sure about roast chickens.

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