Motorsport eNews Issue 166 - August 3-9, 2010 by V8 Sleuth

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Issue No. 166 August 03-09 2010

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Issue No. 166 | 3 - 9 August 2010

news 4

Home or Away Where next for Ambrose? 7 Fantaztic Douglas gets enduro seat 8 Schumacher for Symmons? Board open to more wildcards 10 Upside Lowndes CL’s first Safari test 12 Boiling Vettel Seb rues with SC ruling

chat 22 Five Minutes With ... Simon Evans

comment 22 Normoyle: Rules are rules 23 Adam: Series’ aren’t series’

race 24 Int. Rally of Queensland 30 NASCAR 34 World Superbikes

trade 40 Classifieds

OPTIONS FOR AMBROSE ... V8 SUPERCARS MARCOS Ambrose has left the door open to a return to Australia and V8 Supercars after announcing his split with NASCAR team JTG Daugherty Racing last week. The two-time V8 Supercar titleist said in a media statement that he would part ways with the one-car team at the conclusion of the 2010 season. The following day, JTGD announced that it would sign Bobby Labonte to drive the #47 Toyota Camry in 2011. “It’s been coming for a while,” Ambrose told Radio SEN’s On the Grid.

“I feel like it was not heading in the direction that I need to. We had issues there and I just felt like it was time for a change. It’s a risky move, no doubt, I don’t have a guarantee on the backside. “There’s plenty of stuff going on. I haven’t got any deals signed today but I would like to think that I have good opportunities.” Motorsport eNews believes that Ambrose’s most likely course of action will be to continue racing in the Sprint Cup Series, but since he specifically said in the statement that “I would like to continue in NASCAR and finish off what I started, but I have not discounted returning to

Australia”, there is a slim possibility he could race Downunder next season. eNews believes that there are four V8 Supercar teams with the competitive position and budget to meet what would likely be a significant salary Ambrose would demand to return to the category. On the Holden side of the fence, the Holden Racing Team, which has Will Davison out of contract at the end of 2010, told eNews that “we have seen the story however we don’t have any comment to make”. Similarly, we had a firm “no comment” from TeamVodafone boss Roland Dane.

But that has not been the case and, as of last week, Kahne still had no firm plans in place for next season. At the same time, there are concerns about RPM’s entries. Kahne and Budweiser are the team’s highest-profile combination, and many of the other teams’ sponsors have ‘crossover’ deals that see their logos carried on the #9 while backing other entries like Valvoline on the #43 and Stanley Tools on the #19 in some races. We believe that RPM management fears a mass pull-out if Kahne departs. Budweiser is strongly rumoured to be heading to Richard Childress Racing and current Sprint Cup point leader Kevin Harvick, replacing Shell which has already confirmed a move to Penske. eNews sources also report that NASCAR itself is anxious to see Budweiser placated, lest it depart the sport altogether. So the problem for Ambrose may not be any lack of enthusiasm from the team so much as a lack of certainty the team management has over its own future, regardless of which drivers may be staying or going. If Kahne stays, the likely ride for Ambrose would be the #19. Clearly, despite JGTD’s defection from Ford to Toyota, Ambrose is considered a wanted man by the blue oval. Last week, Ford Racing Marketing Manager Tim Duerr told Sirius NASCAR Radio: “Marcos started with Ford and Ford brought him to NASCAR. He bleeds Ford blue, and we would love to see him back

in a Ford next season. I don’t think that Marcos has a signed Sprint Cup ride for next season at present. “It all depends on him, a sponsor and a team putting something together, but I am optimistic that we will see Marcos back in a Ford next season.” A return to Ford is a sensible move. It is the strongest US auto manufacturer right now and if a decision has been made that Ford wants Ambrose in a car, planting him at Petty’s, where Ford has a major influence, would not appear difficult. But there are negatives as well as positives. Despite the development of its new FR9 purpose-built engine, Ford is not the strongest marque on-track. After a tough opening half of the season, Greg Biffle scored Ford’s first Cup win of the year at Pocono on Sunday – in the 21st race of the year – and only one Nationwide race has been won by a Fusion. But there are signs of progress, with team co-operating to the extent that all three Roush Fenway Racing teams have been using the Petty-chassied cars more often over recent races, with some encouraging results. While Ambrose has left the door open, slightly, to a return to V8 Supercars in Australia, going to a Ford NASCAR team now, and re-establishing himself as a blue oval racer, makes a lot of sense. Our dollar bet would be Ambrose at RPM in 2011, and we expect an announcement by the end of the month.

... BUT PETTY MOST LIKELY NASCAR

MARCOS Ambrose appears likely to join forces with NASCAR’s biggest name, Richard Petty, in 2011. We believe that a number of teams are interested in the Australian’s services for next season but the team, overseen by NASCAR legend Richard Petty, is thought to be at the forefront of the options. Ambrose has admitted that RPM is one of “a few” that he is talking to about next season. Richard Petty Motorsports currently races four Ford Fusions in the Sprint Cup Series; the #9 for Kasey Kahne; the #19 for Elliot Sadler; the #43 for AJ Allmendinger; and the #98 for Paul Menard. However all four drivers’ contracts with the team expire at the end of this season, and before Ambrose’s news last week, there were already reports linking Menard (and his backing, from his family’s billiondollar retail chain) with a fourth entry from Richard Childress Racing. Kahne has already signed a multi-year deal to move to Hendrick Motorsports for 2012. When that deal was confirmed in mid-April, many thought that it looked a formality that he would join the team a year early, or that owner Rick Hendrick would find backing and a possible ‘friendly’ seat (perhaps with the Hendrick-affiliated Stewart Haas Racing team) for him to race in 2011 while Mark Martin saw out his deal to race car #5 next year.

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NEWS ANALYSIS

with PHIL BRANAGAN

WHEN Marcos Ambrose did his stand-up intro to ONE HD’s Sprint Cup highlights package from Indianapolis, he was standing in front of Richard Petty Motorsport’s #19 truck (OK, ‘hauler’). That is no conspiracy theory; the haulers line up in points order, so it was something over which Ambrose had no control. He would have had far more control over the fact that his guest in his intro was his team boss, Tas Geschicker. Both were all smiles; they were mates. Maybe they really are. Maybe this is an amicable divorce and, maybe, Ambrose really has nothing in place for next season. For a man who had, in effect, been told by his driver that he would rather risk having no drive next season than see out the last year his contract with JTG, Geschicker sure looked happy. The subtext here is this; Ambrose did a great job last year, particularly on the road courses, but the team is not going anywhere near as well in 2010. Maybe it will next season, with former Cup champ Bobby Labonte in the #47. Drivers join race teams, drivers leave race teams. Maybe the real reasons behind this split will come out, maybe, they never will. In the last two road races, Ambrose has been in a position to win both, the dominant driver in the field, and at Watkins Glen last year and Infineon in June, the team’s Marx Brothers-style strategy calls blew his chances. There is one more great chance for JTG and Amrose to share a Cup win; it’s this weekend at The Glen. Let’s hope that for once, they don’t drop the ball.

TEN NOT WAITING ON AMBROSE NASCAR NETWORK Ten is not waiting for a decision regarding Ambrose to reaffirm its commitment to NASCAR racing. The network, which broadcasts highlights of all Sprint Cup rounds and all Nationwide events in full, has stated that regardless of what the Aussie driver www.mnews.com.au

decides, it is staying with the sport. “Our commitment to NASCAR remains unchanged,” network spokesman Sam Heard told eNews. “Of course, we always love to see Australians do well and we hope that Marcos is a part of NASCAR again next year. Even if he is not, our enthusiasm remains undiminished.”

V8 SUPERCARS FORD Performance Racing and Dick Johnson Racing have finalised their line-ups for the L&H 500 and Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000. FPR have elected to pair Luke Youlden with Mark Winterbottom, and James Moffat with Steven Richards for the two long-distance races, while Dean Canto joins Paul Dumbrell in the Bottle-O Falcon as previously announced. At DJR, Warren Luff will

partner James Courtney, with Marcus Marshall to drive #17 with Steven Johnson and David Russell already confirmed in the Mother Falcon with Jonathon Webb. “With Luke and James, we’ve got a good mix of experience and youth,” FPR’s Tim Edwards said of his team’s combos. “Luke has demonstrated for the last seven or eight years with people like [Russell] Ingall that he’s got a good, level head and will bring it home; [pairing him with Winterbottom] is the

right combination. “It’s James’ first crack at the 1000 and it’ll be more enjoyable without having the pressure of driving with Frosty, who’s third in the championship. With Richo, James will be able to enjoy the race and they’ll be able to go for a good result without having to worry about championship points. “All four are very similar in

John Morris / Mpix

Leading Ford squads sort combos

Dirk Klynsmith

Break shmeak V8 SUPERCARS

GARTH Tander has hit out at V8 Supercar’s mid-season break.

A celebration of Australia’s Muscle Car heritage and a tribute to the drivers that raced

size and all four are potentially very quick up there. James was quick in the DVS up there last year and Luke is always quick at Bathurst. Even with the #55 car, with PD and Dean, they’re both quick up there as well. “So we’re pleased to go up there with six fast drivers across the three cars.” – MITCHELL ADAM

The Toll Holden Racing Team star is well into his preendurance race training but has questioned why nine-

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Taz gets Kelly enduro gig V8 SUPERCARS

week break between the last race in Townsville on July 11 and the L&H500 at Phillip Island on September 10-12 is a good idea. “I am still yet to hear a reason why we’re having such a long break in the sport, I have some real reservations about it all,” Tander said. “I find it all a little bit frustrating really. We just

get some momentum going in the sport and then we’re finished racing for such a long period. “To me personally, I just think it loses all the attention we gained in the first half of the year during the races we’ve had.” Tander, who is currently fifth in the championship, acknowledged the need for

Dirk Klynsmith

TAZ Douglas is set to suit up in Kelly Racing colours at Phillip Island, Bathurst and on the Gold Coast this year. The Fujitsu Series driver has had a troubled year off the track, missing the first three rounds of the season after a battle with lymphoma. After three bouts off chemotherapy, Douglas returned to the driver’s seat in Townsville, finishing an impressive fifth for the round on his 2010 debut. Now, his year is about to get right back on track, with eNews understanding that he will partner Tony Ricciardello in the fourth Kelly Racing car for all three endurance races.

eNews contacted Douglas, but he declined to comment about any plans to race in the endurance events. This won’t be Douglas’ main series debut. Last year he competed at Phillip Island and Bathurst, sharing Greg Murphy Racing’s Wildcard entry with Sam Walter. In other Kelly Racing news, Glenn Seton will be paired with Jason Bargwanna at Phillip Island and Bathurst, equaling Craig Lowndes and Mark Skaife as the most experienced pair set to start the 2010 Bathurst 1000. The team is yet to name it’s fourth endurance driver, who will share with one of the two Kelly Brothers. – MITCHELL ADAM

people who work in the sport to have time off, but points to the other sporting activities that will run concurrent to the resumption of the season. “The problem I see is that the when we come out of the break, we have the run into our major races like Phillip Island and Bathurst, but also at the same time it ramps up into the AFL finals, so it’s

again a tough time to get the sport getting the recognition it deserves, particularly for our endurance races,” he said. “I think it’s a fine line all of us involved in the championship have to tread, in the fact that having our sport stop for nine weeks just loses a lot of interest that we should be generating towards finishing our year off well.”

Legends Dinner Invitation Tall tales and true stories from the legendary past. Guest speakers include:

Kevin Bartlett, John Harvey, Allan Grice, Glenn Seton & John Bowe up front on stage reminiscing about 50 years of Australian Touring Car racing.

You are invited to the 2010 Muscle Car Masters Legends Dinner, proudly brought to you by Valvoline

LEGENDS DINNER SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 4TH, 2010 FOR BOOKING DETAILS: www.musclecarmasters.com.au or 02 9672 1000 www.mnews.com.au

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WILD TASMANIAN BOY V8 Supercars clears way for one-off ‘Wildcard’ entries V8 SUPERCARS COULD Marcos Ambrose race a Ford V8 Supercar at Homebush? That is the a potential outcome of a decision last week by V8 Supercars’ Board to allow Wildcard entries to be accepted, under certain conditions, in any V8 Supercar Championship round. The Board notified teams late last week that it would allow teams “the opportunity to apply for one off additional entries to be included in our signature events that could further enhance the event and commercial opportunities for the Teams, V8SA and Event.” The bulletin also included the guidelines by which

the applications would be considered. They are; n Must be a high profile driver or exceptional talent (rising star). n Team and Driver must be able to demonstrate they have the capacity to be competitive. n Selected signature and/or international events only. n Must be entered by a VCS team and only as an additional car. n Applications must be submitted to V8SA a minimum of 3 months prior to their nominated Event. n Applications must include a detailed proposal outlining the sporting, commercial and marketing benefits for the Team, V8SA and the Event. n A $50,000 bond for a non-

appearance (refundable after appearance) payable before the application is approved. n Meeting race points will be awarded to the entry. n Event appearance or prize money will not be paid to the Wild Card Entry. n Applications must be submitted to the full V8 Supercar Board for approval. The move would appear to be a method of resolving a situation which prevented Ambrose racing at Homebush last December. The double V8 Supercar champion was in line to drive a third Stone Brothers Racing Falcon, with backing from Pirtek, but V8 Supercars’ own regulations did not cater at that time for a Wildcard entry in a sprint round. More than one REC holder has told eNews that they were offered a deal to allow Ambrose to race under their entry, but they declined. Ford is not against the idea; “We would consider it on merit,” said Chris Styring, the company’s Group Manager, Motorsport. “We would want to see how it impacts on the driver in the other car, and which team it would be before we made any decision.” So the possibility of seeing Ambrose race against the current breed of V8 driver, or possibly Mark Skaife or Dale Earnhardt Jr, for that matter, is now possible. Whether it happens, is another matter.

V8 CoTF Tenders open V8 SUPERCARS V8 Supercars Australia will start its tender process for the supply of Car of the Future components in the coming days. Interested engineering companies will have around a fortnight to lodge formal submissions to provide components for the two COTF prototypes currently being built, and the eventual platform used by the championship. “We look forward to finalising the suppliers for these vehicles so we can begin to fit out the two Car of the Future prototypes, which will be ready for these components towards the end of this year,” V8 Supercars Australia Motorsport General Manager Adam Perry said. “It is also a good opportunity to test the market and see what is out there in terms of the latest technology, especially when it comes to the ever-evolving electronics and electrics packages. “All these components are fundamental to the Car of the Future project. Once we secure these suppliers, the next stage is to produce the required parts before fitting them to the two Car of the Future prototypes. And once the prototypes have been complete, the final sign-off will occur on-track with a test program of up to 3000km. “All these steps take time but we're still on target to deliver the Car of the Future on time for 2012 which is very important.” Interested parties should email vjd@v8supercars.com.au. motorsport news

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Evans sets for Czech IRC debut IRC SIMON and Sue Evans are set to make their Intercontinental Rally Challenge debut in the Czech Republic at the end of this month. eNews understands that the

Evanses are close to securing a deal with a Peugeot team that will see them compete on tarmac in the Czech Republic, before returning to the series in October to compete on gravel – Simon’s favourite

surface – at the Rally of Scotland in October. 2C/Combronde, who run fast femme Burcu Çetinkaya in Peugeot Turkey colours, is expected to run the Evans

207 Super 2000. They are supplying a new 207 as a zero car for the upcoming German round of the World Rally Championship, which is likely to act as a shakedown for the car ahead of Evans’ expected European debut. More details are likely to be released in the coming weeks. – ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN

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7/14/10 9:15:11 AM

BRIEFLY... n A competitor has been suspended by the Australian Karting Association for suspected drug use. Hayden Stephensen has been issued with a twoyear period of ineligibility, following an investigation by the Australian Sports AntiDoping Authority (ASADA). On June 1 last year, the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service intercepted a package containing Sustanon 250, an oil-based liquid that contains testosterone compounds, and notified ASADA. The independent AntiDoping Rule Violation Panel recommended a two-year ban from competition, and that recommendation was enforced by the AKA. Stephensen, 25, will be ineligible to participate as an athlete or support person in the sport until 6 July 2012. Stephensen is an experienced competitor, most recently racing in the Senior National Heavy, Clubman Heavy and Leopard Heavy classes. n Ahead of this month’s 2010 event, several leading Quit Targa West competitors, including defending champion Steve Jones, passed on their knowledge to school students. Jones, Kim Ledger, David Moir and Event Director Bob Schrader conducted a driver awareness session at Bullsbrook District High School, north of Perth. The drivers spoke to Year 11 and 12 students about topics including the importance of safe driving and advanced training. n If you like Frosty’s Teac ads ... Mark Winterbottom has signed on as a brand ambassador for Bolle and we hear a new TV commercial will hit the airwaves soon.

PORSCHE BACKS CUP RETURN

CARRERA CUP A PORSCHE board meeting last week has given its approval for Carrera Cup to return to Australia in 2011. As first revealed by eNews in March, work had been ongoing for the return of the one-make category next year, following its demise before the start of the 2009 season. Having now been given the green light by the manufacturer, Porsche Cars Australia will seek to make the necessary arrangements for the category to resume on the V8 Supercar program in 2011. The category will use an all-new generation racer, pictured, with a 3.8-litre engine producing 450hp, while Porsche Cars Australia will mange the category in-house. “We have the chance for a fresh start, with an all-new race car and an all-new approach for Porsche Carrera Cup Australia,” PCA Managing Director Michael Winkler said. “Motorsport is an important part of our brand and our business in Australia. We have been busy working behind the scenes on a sustainable and viable long term that

places Carrera Cup at the forefront of our domestic racing. “Our job is to now engage organisers, promoters, broadcasters, sponsors and

of course potential teams so we can have a full grid for the start of 2011; as well as ensure we are in a position to deliver required outcomes to all stakeholders.”

Testing Times ... CRAIG Lowndes and Kees Weel went testing in Weel’s Holden Colorado last week, and it was all smiles as they got familiar with the car. Unfortunately, the grins did not last as, we hear, the orange beasty ended its maiden appearance ... um, inverted. Enquires for details to Holden Motorsport were met with silence (literally). Still, the unit looked pretty tough to start with.

Give me the keys, Kees: Lowndes and Weel get to work on testing the Colorado. However ... motorsport news

Thornell departs: WASCC seeks new CEO FORMULA 1

Daniel Beard

Bet on 9 Red: Joey Saldana was second in Canada but still leads the WoO Series pointscore.

Schatz fires, but Saldana leads OUTLAWS DONNY Schatz has hit top form, just days away from attempting to defend his Knoxville Nationals crown, by winning the final of the Six Nation Showdown at Ohsweken Speedway, in Ontario Canada today. Schatz, driving for NASCAR star Tony Stewart, will aim at winning five straight Nationals,

running August 11-14. In the prelude in Canada, hewas dominant, leading throughout the 30-lap race to register his third win of the season, and the 103rd of his career, pocketing US$10,000 along the way. He beat home Joey Saldana and Steve Kinser. Schatz also did his chances of winning this year’s 2010 World of Outlaws championship no harm, and now trails series

leader Saldana by just 161 points. The ‘Month of Money’ in the Outlaws heads to St. Louis for the second annual Iron Man 55 at the I-55 Raceway in Pevely, Missouri, this weekend, before next week’s 50th running of the Goodyear/Lucas Oil Knoxville Nationals. – GEOFF ROUNDS

PETER Thornell is no longer the General Manager of the West Australian Sporting Car Club. The WASCC decided to terminate Thornell’s contract, ending his stint at the helm of the club. During his time as GM, Thornell helped secure almost five million dollars worth of government funding for circuit upgrades, was involved in mending the bridge between the WASCC and V8 Supercars Australia, and was also involved in developing the proposed lengthening of the existing Barbagallo Raceway. “It seems they were looking for someone with more experience,” Thornell told eNews. “I originally only stepped in to fill a gap.” The club is now seeking a Chief Executive Officer, with committee member Peter Bowra understood to be in line for the job. – ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN

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Asleep at the FORMULA 1

EBASTIAN Vettel has accepted that he is to blame for not winning the Hungarian Grand Prix The Red Bull driver’s drive-through penalty dropped him to third place, behind team-mate Mark Webber and Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso, and despite a massive speed advantage, he was not able to pass in the final half of the race. Webber’s fourth win of the season sends him into the summer break leading the World Drivers’ Championship. After taking his seventh pole position of

the season, Vettel led early in the race but a pitstop under Safety Car saw him drop behind Webber, who did not stop. At the restart, Vettel dropped well back from the Australian and, as a result, race stewards handed him a drive-through penalty for exceeding the 10-car length gap behind the Safety Car. “I didn’t understand what was going on and why I was penalised,” said Vettel, who reported post-race that he was having radio problems. “It was a question mark for me, I didn’t understand until someone told me why after the race.” At the post-race, Vettel admitted he had

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not been concentrating on the race: “At the restart, I was sleeping, probably relaxed too much,” he said. “I saw the Safety Car boards and was waiting for instructions, so I didn’t see the lights on the Safety Car. Usually, when the Safety Car comes in, the leader tries to drop back and dictate the pace, but Mark was very close. “I was just warming up my car. I was sure we had another lap. Then I saw Mark at the last corner and the safety car going into the pits, so I knew it was a restart. “I lost a lot of time there, which was not the intention. And then I got the drive-through.”

FORMULA 1

HERE is nothing weak about Nigel Hope. The WilliamsF1 mechanic took a direct hit from an errant wheel in pitlane, during the Hungarian Grand Prix, but that did not faze him. After being checked in the track medical centre Hope, with nothing broken but with the odd bruise, returned to duty, and took his role as a wheel changer during Rubens

Barrichello’s late-race pitstop. Hope was hit by the wheel from Nico Rosberg’s car, which was not securely fastened when the German left the pitlane. The wheels bounced along pitlane before it struck Hope. The Mercedes GP team was fined US$50,000 for releasing Rosberg unsafely. Renault was fined a similar amount for an unsafe release of Robert Kubica, who also served a 10s penalty after hitting Adrian Sutil in pitlane.

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Bad blood runs deep FORMULA 1

UBENS Barrichello will not take up his frustration with Michael Schumacher because he says there is no point in speaking to the multiple World champion about his driving standards. Schumacher will take a 10 grid spot penalty into the next Grand Prix in Belgium for what Barrichello later described on his Twitter account as “the most dangerous manoeuvre against me that I have ever known”.

“No, and I won’t, because it won’t resolve things,” said Barrichello when asked if he would speak with Schumacher. “You know Michael – you talk to him and he will always feel that he is right. After being forced off the track on the main straight, Barrichello told Germany’s RTL television: “I like fair battles but I don’t think it was fair.” “It was a go-kart manoeuvre. If he wants to go to heaven before me he can; I don’t want to go to heaven.”

The two former Ferrari team-mates were fighting for 10th place, and the final point that went with it, when the freshly option-tyred Williams-Cosworth pulled alongside Schumacher’s Mercedes on the straight. Clearly watching his right mirror, the German edged Barrichello perilously close to the wall, the Williams missing the pit exit by millimetres. The Williams slithered by under braking for the first corner to take the position before pulling away convincingly from the silver car.

Flexi wings

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ED Bull’s dominant RB6 may face further scrutiny when the Formula 1 World Championship reconvenes in Belgium. The front wing of the car, in which Mark Webber leads the Drivers’ Championship and Sebastian Vettel is third, may be subjected to more examination after FIA Technical Delegate Jo Bauer last week declared the wings’ design legal, as he also did to those on the Ferrari F10. The current rules allow for wings to deflect by a maximum of 10mm downwards, after

a weight of 50kg is applied to the wing endplates. Other teams, including Mercedes GP and McLaren, have both asked for claifications, and there may be a further test applied to the cars before the race at Spa-Francochamps. In the meantime, Red Bull team boss Christian Horner has shrugged off the latest technical fuss surrounding his flying bulls. “We pass the tests, and that’s what counts,” he said. “Today, they complain about the wings, tomorrow the floor, the day after it will be about the colour of the car. We know these games very well.” 13

Ford Racing

ROUSH RECOVERING

Team boss watches first 2010 win from hospital after plane crash NASCAR SPRINT CUP JACK Roush is making a good recovery from injuries he received in a plane crash in Wisonsin last week. The veteran team owner crashed his plane at Oshkosh, Wisconsin, last Tuesday night, eyewitnesses describing the Beechcraft Premier jet

as “cartwheeling” along the runway before coming to a rest, facing the ‘wrong’ way. Airport worked were quick to surround the jet with extinguishant before Roush stepped out, bleeding from head wounds. Roush, 68, underwent surgery for undisclosed injuries the following day and was described as being in a “serious

but stable” condition by a hospital spokesman. Brenda Strickland, a business associate in the plane with Roush, was reported in good condition at Oshkosh’s Mercy Medical Center. Roush is a noted aviation enthusiast, and attends Oshkosh’s airshows regularly. He was involved in a serious

crash in 2002, in which his aircraft struck power lines and ended up submerged in a lake near Troy, Alabama. The unconscious Roush was pulled from the plane by a retired Marine, Larry Hicks, who witnessed the crash from his house and who had been, remarkably, trained in rescuing pilots from submerged aircraft.

The Chasers are almost set NASCAR SPRINT CUP ELEVEN of the 12 places in the Chase for the Sprint Cup look set – but there is still plenty to see over the next five races. By winning at Pocono and ending Ford’s 2010 drought, Greg Biffle has almost secured a place in the final 10 races that will determine the 2010 Champion. The Roush Fenway driver is 122 points clear of Mark Martin who, after 14

finishing seventh in Pennsylvania, is now 13th. Splitting the pair is Clint Bowyer, who for a moment looked like he would become involved with the Kurt Busch/ Jimmie Johnson incident in Sunday’s race, but survived unscathed to finish 15th. Martin is now just 34 points behind Bowyer, and the battle to be the last man to make the final dozen looks to be between the two Chevrolet drivers. Dale Earnhardt Jr, who despite having

missed the Chase four of the last six years remains NASCAR’s fan favourite, is 14th, 129 points out of 12th, and Ryan Newman is 15th, nine points further back. This weekend’s road course race at Watkins Glen may prove an upset but, with four oval races after that before the final 10 races start at New Hampshire on September 19, there could still be some upsets to be had before NASCAR’s ‘playoffs’. motorsport news

HORNISH BACK TO INDY? Sponsors on the move – will Penske downsize to two Sprint Cup entries? NASCAR SPRINT CUP

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SPECULATION grows that Penske Racing might not renew Sam Hornish’s NASCAR Cup contract for 2011 – and he may return to open-wheelers. Hornish, driving the #77 Dodge, has earned two top-fives and seven top-tens in 91 starts. But the three-time IndyCar champion and 2006 Indy 500 winner has failed to translate his oval success to stock car racing while other open wheel stars Juan Pablo Montoya and A.J. Allmendinger have outperformed the American. “I definitely would like to be back in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series,” Hornish told the IndyStar. “But there are definitely things tough with the economy and trying to find full-time sponsors.” Penske is currently in the midst of a sponsorship change. Pennzoil/Shell will back Kurt Busch, and his current sponsor Miller Lite will move on to Brad Keselowski’s car. With Mobil 1 on the move – probably to Stewart Haas, to replace Old Spice – Roger Penske is still to confirm a third entry for 2011. “We’re doing everything we can to have three cars (in Sprint Cup) next season,” Roger Penske told the IndyStar. “As you know, it’s not easy out there (financially). At the end of the day, these (cars) won’t run without gas.” Should Hornish lose his ride in Cup, there are several teams that would welcome him back in open wheel including Panther and Andretti. – MARY MENDEZ

MID OHIO INDY GRID GETS A BOOST INDYCARS

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Honda Racing

THREE additional drivers will be added to the IndyCar field at Mid-Ohio. Adam Carroll, the 2008/2009 season A1GP champion, returns for his second IndyCar start in a fifth Andretti Autosport car. Newman-Haas will again run Graham Rahal in a second car, with backing from National Tire and Battery, and Jay Howard returns to drive for Sarah Fisher Racing

on the road courses. JR Hildebrand, the 2009 Firestone Indy Lights champion, will make his IndyCar debut at Mid-Ohio driving for Dreyer & Reinbold. Hildebrand, who participated in open testing at Mid-Ohio last week, replaces the injured Mike Conway in the #24 cockpit. Should Conway return to competition at Infineon August 22, Hildebrand will drive a third team entry. – MARY MENDEZ

Joel Strickland

Kiwis confirm 12 Hour campaign BATHURST 12 HOUR NEW Zealand outfit Motorsport Solutions is the first international team to lock in their plans for the 2011 Armor All Bathurst 12 Hour. The team will enter three cars in the event, a pair of Porsche 996 GT3 Cup Cars from New Zealand and a BMW 130i, which they campaigned to 12th outright in the 2010

race. Allan Dippie and Scott O’Donnell – who were part of the BMW line-up – will each lead a Porsche for the Hampton Downs-based outfit. “Before this year we had raced all around the world but a major endurance race at Bathurst was missing from the list,” team manager David Taylor said. “We’re really looking forward to coming back to Bathurst, this time with the Porsches.

Allan and Scott have raced one of the 996s together at the Nurburgring 24 hour so for them it will be like putting on an old glove. “Allan’s car has been racing in the New Zealand endurance championship and recently finished 6th in the Pukekohe 6 hour – despite breaking a gear shifter during the race. “We doubt the cars will compete on an outright

level against the newer GT3 machinery, but like we did with the BMW we think a good result in our class is very possible. We’re really looking forward to it. “We are also planning to bring the BMW 130 over again and are talking to drivers about running that car. It’s a great package and all we did to it this year was put tyres on it and filled it up with fuel. It went really well.”

went it fine, but then the guys drained the oil today and there was a heap water in there. There might be a leak in there, so I might end up running the 996. “Driving the Lancer is about maximising my time while I’m there. When we ran the 6 Hour, we were lucky we stopped

the car when we did; we had a problem with the number four cylinder which could’ve gotten worse. “It’s been about three or four years since I raced at Morgan Park. They’ve just opened the track so it’ll be good to be there and support it.” – MITCHELL ADAM

Tony’s quinella NATIONALS

Dirk Klynsmith

IF running back-to-back race meetings in different countries wasn’t enough, Tony Quinn will be on double duty in next weekend’s Shannons Nationals round at Morgan Park. Quinn leaves for Malaysia tomorrow, where he son Klark and Paul Weel will race a Porsche 997 RSR in the Merdeka Millennium Endurance Race at Sepang. The following weekend, August 1415, he’ll race in the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge and Australian Manufacturers Championship

at the opening of the Warwick circuit’s extension. While Quinn will race his Mitsubishi Evo IX Lancer in the penultimate round of the Manufacturers Championship, he’s unsure exactly which Porsche he’ll end up in. Quinn had originally planned to drive his 997-model Carrera Cup car, but may end up in the 996 he used to win the opening round of last year’s GT3 Cup Challenge at Bathurst, pictured. “The 997 hadn’t run since Christian Jones raced it at Indy in 2008,” Quinn explained. “We charged the battery and started it up on Friday and

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May back in big Superkart field SUPERKARTS LUKE May will contest the second and final round of the Australian Superkart Championship at Morgan Park next weekend, through a late deal. May did the opening round at Phillip Island in May as a oneoff in another competitor’s kart.

He won the 250 National Class, but the kart was sold at the conclusion of the race meeting. With the meeting approaching, RMR Superkarts sourced an older Stockman chassis for May to run at Morgan Park alongside Wayne Sprostan and 250 International points leader Gary Pegoraro. “Phillip Island went well and

we won the round but the kart was sold that night at the meeting!” May said. “Gary rang me and said, ‘you’re going to do the next round, you’re leading the Australian Championship you’d be silly not to go.’ “We’ll go to Morgan Park, which I don’t think anyone has been there before so we’ll learn

the new track and the new equipment. I’m sure it’s a good package.” May will be among a bumper field of 44 karts at the final round of the Championship. He won’t be as busy as 2008 champ Darren Hossack, though, who’ll be on double duty with his usual Kerrick Sports Sedan Series ride.

Dirk Klynsmith

UTES AND MINI TV GOES GLOBAL AUSSIES OVERSEAS

John Morris / Mpix

THE Yokohama V8 Ute Racing Series and Hertz MINI Challenge have extended their international TV deals. The Utes have announced new deals with Fox Sports domestically, along with TV3 in New Zealand and Motors TV in Europe. Having previously announced Fox Sports and TV3 broadcasts, the MINI Challenge has also finalised arrangements with Motors TV. Races from each series will be shown across 33 countries on the broadcaster in January and February 2011. “This will give our European

counterparts an opportunity to discover what our series has to offer and perhaps entice some internationals to our shores in the future,” MINI Challenge’s Ted Toleman said. “After Paul [Stokell] and Chris’ [Alajajian] trip to Spain last month the category has been looking to engage the global MINI Challenge market and to be able to display ours to the European market is a huge boost for everyone concerned.” The MINI Challenge has also launched their own YouTube channel, featuring TV broadcasts and unique content. It’s online at www.youtube. com/MINIchallengeAust. motorsport news

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Five Minutes with ...

SIMON EVANS

A crushing victory in Queensland has handed Simon and Sue Evans the 2010 Australian Rally Championship title. It’s their third in a row – each in a different make of car – and their fourth in total. Simon spoke to ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN MOTORSPORT NEWS: You’ve won another Australian Rally Championship, in another car. Has that sunk in yet? SIMON EVANS: I guess when you look back, and think about it, we’ve achieved a pretty major goal. It’s fantastic, and you can’t do it with all the guys in the team, and Susie (Sue Evans), and Mum and Dad. They all make it happen, and I have the easy job – driving the car. You often mention Sue and how important she is. The driver/navigator relationship is very important, and it seems like you guys have got it just right. It works really well. People were asking me last night after we’d won, ‘what’s the difference?’ I don’t know what the difference is, but the one thing I do know is that we work really hard. We know what we want, and what we want to achieve, and we work really hard to do that. In between rallies, we’re always talking about rallies and watching in-car videos. We’re always trying to be better. We analyse everything we do, and look for a better, easier and more efficient way to do it. I don’t know, but I think that’s the key. You get out what you put in. In the last years with Toyota, as other manufacturer involvement waned, you were seen as the driver with the big budget behind him. Is it nice to win a couple of titles as a privateer and prove it wasn’t just the corporate bucks from Japan making you look good? It’s funny you say that, because I don’t think even Toyota thought we’d be able to win after they left. When that all finished, there was a few people at Toyota who were thinking that it was the end of Simon Evans. They thought I wouldn’t be able to win without the cheque book, but I think I’ve proved that theory wrong. Just a bit, yeah. Do you wish you’d registered for Asia Pacific Rally Championship points in Queensland, 20

given that you were about two minutes faster than the APRC winner? Not at all. I’m proud of the Australian Rally Championship. I’m proud of where it is, and where it’s going. I have no real interest in the APRC; I think we have a better championship. Obviously it was a satisfying weekend, given that Eli (Evans, Simon’s younger brother) finished third. It was great for Eli, and great for Honda to see their car up on the podium. It’s good to see a manufacturer who is supporting the sport starting to achieve their goals. Eli is starting to drive it well; it was a big challenge for him this year. And he’s starting to step up to it now. Now we’ve had Toyota, Mitsubishi and Subaru – what’s next on the ‘Simon Evans cars to win and ARC title in’ list? (Laughs) I don’t know. Maybe a Datsun Bluebird. What about your old Formula 2 VW Golf?

I’d need to find it first! Look, that’s something we’ll talk about in time. I try to fosuc on what’s at hand, and we’ve still got Rally of Victoria to go, and I’m excited about that. It will be great to rally in my home town, and hopefully we can go well and celebrate the championship properly there. Scott Pedder gave you some stuff competition before his accident. Your life has been a bit easier since he crashed, but I’m guessing you would have liked to have fought it out properly ... Mate, I would have loved Scotty to be there. I would have loved to have gone into Rally Victoria with a point between us, they’re the ultimate rallies to win. As a driver, you dream of the rallies where you go into the final stage with a second between you. It all comes down to the wire and the pressures on – that’s the rally you want to come out on top in. I’ve battles like that with Scotty before, and they are awesome. That makes winning really worthwhile. motorsport news

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SEBASTIAN, GO DO YOUR HOMEWORK sutton-images.com

EBASTIAN Vettel is certainly one for breaking racial stereotypes. With a taste for Monty Python and a penchant for naming his racecars after saucy females such as ‘Kate’s Dirty Sister’, he’s a German who has a sense of humour. And on Sunday, he demolished another racial preconception: it appears he’s a German who doesn’t steadfastly observe rules and regulations. No doubt he is regretting this right now. Vettel will be kicking himself: had he followed the rules in the Hungarian Grand Prix, he would have won in a cakewalk. He would have gone into the three-week break leading the world championship. He is at least not alone. Over the years plenty of other drivers have managed to ruin their races, or merely make themselves look silly, by not being fully abreast of the rules. Who can forget Lewis Hamilton not understanding that a red light at the end of the pitlane at Montreal really did mean what it means in real life on real roads?

OPINION Steve Normoyle – Special Projects Editor Or closer to home, and a lot longer ago, Dick Johnson believing that he’d won the 1992 Bathurst 1000 because the race was stopped after leader Jim Richards crashed (Dick must have forgotten how he’d won the 1981 race, which was by the same rule that delivered Richards the victory in ’92). Such rulebook ignorance is a peculiarity of motor racing. In, let’s say, football (any code you like), you will not see this: all the players know all the rules. If they don’t, there is a guy out there with a whistle ready to punish them if they transgress. Much like the guy in the control tower at the Hungaroring ... And this is the thing: motor racing these days has an umpire. Traditionally it was left to the drivers to sort it out between themselves, but increasingly these days the on-track action is being overseen by a remote authority ensuring that an ever-increasing array of rules of conduct are being obeyed. That itself is a big recent change in the sport (and something Michael Schumacher will no doubt have

noticed in the three years since his first retirement). Until not very long ago, there actually weren’t all that many rules outside of those governing the technical specification of the cars. This being the case, it’s probably about time the drivers sat down and read the rule book. Vettel can say that his radio wasn’t working (though we heard plenty of radio chat on the telecast between himself and the Red Bull crew both before and after the Safety Car saga), or that he didn’t know the Safety Car was peeling off on that lap. But, had he known the rules, none of that would have mattered, because he’d have made sure he maintained the correct gap to Mark Webber, and would have strolled on to the easiest of victories. Webber said that during the threeweek break before the Belgian Grand Prix he’s planning to have his phone turned off for almost all that time. That should give him, and his team-mate, plenty of opportunity to sit back and have a read of the FIA Formula 1 regulations for future reference. motorsport news

comment

The hard work is just beginning OPINION

HERE are some who’ll say that the return of Carrera Cup to Australia will dilute the pool of national-level sportscar racing. ‘We already have the Australian GT Championship and the Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge,’ some will say, ‘why do we need another series just for Porsches?’ But I’m not one of those people. Of course, the acid test will be how many cars rock up for the opening round next year, but I feel it will slot nicely back into the landscape. Granted, it was barely 18 months ago that the category was disbanded due to low competitor interest on the

eve of the 2009 season, and the economic climate still isn’t fantastic. But enough people have been talking about the possible return of Carrera Cup for me to feel that it’ll attract a solid competitor base. And, given they’ve come this far, Porsche Cars Australia obviously feel the same way. Will that be to the detriment to Australian GT and the GT3 Cup Challenge? I don’t think so. Both of those classes tailor more to gentleman racers; drivers who are about enjoying their motorsport rather than trying to carve out a career. Australian GT has a handful of carefully chosen – and heavily paritied – professional drivers in their field, while

Mitchell Adam – National Editor the GT3 Cup Challenge caters exclusively for nonprofessionals. That’s the way their competitor bases want to play, and it’s obviously each category’s prerogative. Carrera Cup positioning will give the ‘professional drivers’ a place to race a sportscar in Australia. If you look through the current V8 Supercar scene, guys like Fabian Coulthard, Alex Davison, David Reynolds, Jonathon Webb and Dean Fiore all spent time in CupCars. This year, they wouldn’t have had that opportunity. Giving younger drivers another place to race starts to cross over to ‘prospective

Fujitsu Series driver’ territory and while the Fujitsu Series might lose a couple of competitors, the two categories have co-existed before. Many drivers chose to do Carrera Cup and then the Fujitsu Series. And now they’ll have that choice again. From here, the work really starts for Porsche Cars Australia. Arrangements need to be made and interest in the category will need to be turned into completed entry forms, cold hard entry fees and cars at the track. All eyes will be on Carrera Cup fields next year, hopefully it’s here for good this time.

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ASIA-PACIFIC RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP/AUST. RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND 4/5, INT. RALLY OF QUEENSLAND

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SLOW AND STEADY

Gaurav Gill wasn’t the fastest driver at the International Rally of Queensland, but when his rivals faltered, he ended up on top

Jeremy Rogers

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Jeremy Rogers

T was a classic case of hares and tortoises. Gaurav Gill wasn’t the fastest driver at the International Rally of Queensland; in fact, he won just a single stage of the 18 held across three days. But consistency, and a little luck, helped him take the AsiaPacific honours on the Sunshine Coast. The win put he and co-driver Glen MacNeal within two points of APRC leader Katsuhiko Taguchi with just two rounds left to run. “It’s been a great weekend, although not very clean,” said Gill. “We’ve got some dents in the panels and I don’t even know how I got them; there’s some invisible trees I think out there. “Glen’s been a great partner. He’s been co-driving with me for more than a year now, [and] we make up a good team and he’s been helping me go fast. “The team’s done a brilliant job this weekend. We got everything set up for the wet, but we didn’t have a lot of sun this weekend, then finally it stayed up to its name – the Sunshine Coast.” It could have been so different. 26

Australian Chris Atkinson, driving for the Proton R3 squad, was by far the class driver of the weekend. He won 11 of the weekend’s 18 stages, and completely decimated the field on the Sunday. But a stall during a river crossing on Saturday left him out of outright contention – another cruel blow for the Bega native. “We were very fast, [but] we were just a bit unlucky this weekend, which is a real shame,” he said. “We had the potential to win the rally and it’s good to be back on these roads, they’re good fun to drive on. “It’s a shame we couldn’t do it here. We’re really disappointed, obviously, and disappointed for the whole team. It’s frustrating, but that’s rallying; it’s a tough sport, you’ve got to get to the end. “I think a win’s just around the corner. [We need] a little bit of luck to go our way and it’ll be all perfect.” But it wasn’t all bad news for the Australians. Thanks to the demise of both Atkinson and his team-mate Alistair McRae, who had engine failure on Sunday, wildcard entry Glen Raymond was able to take second in the APRC class. The Australian Rally

Championship regular staged one of the drives of his career, to take his family-built Mitsubishi Evo X to the APRC podium. He was also classed the winner of the Pacific Cup portion of the competition. Third of the APRC cars was Taguchi, with Australian co-driver Chris Murphy, allowing the pair to hang on to a slender title lead, with just rallies in Indonesia and New Caladonia to come. In the ARC class, Simon and Sue Evans were utterly devastating – and have now wrapped up a fourth ARC title, despite there being a round left to run. The Evanses won every stage of the rally, and finished with a total time two minutes faster than that of Gill’s. It is their third title in as many years – each coming in a different make of car. Second for the round was Mark Pedder, with his brother Scott – the Evanses biggest competitor this year – still on crutches following his massive crash in South Australia. And, making it a great weekend for the Evans, Eli Evans came home third in the factory-backed Honda Civic Type R. motorsport news

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Jeremy Rogers

So close, but so far away: Chris Atkinson was clearly the fastest driver on the Sunshine Coast, but a creek crossing proved to be his downfall ...

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Jeremy Rogers

Great Result: Glen ‘Raymo’ Raymond was second in the APRC class, main pic, while Simon and Sue Evans, top left, dominated ARC and took their fourth title. Mark Pedder was second in ARC, above middle, and Eli Evans joined his older brother on the podium with third in ARC, above right. 28

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Michael Vettas

Jeremy Rogers

Michael Vettas

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NASCAR Round 21 – POCONO, PA

Biffle breaks d Ford Racing

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drought There was fire and rain in Pennsylvania, and red flags and, in the end, a result that was almost unbelievable

Ford Racing

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REG Biffle had not won a race since the start of the 2008 season, a streak of 65 races without a W. Ford had not won a Sprint Cup race all season, and Ford racing icon Jack Roush lay in the famed Mayo Clinic after stepping out of a wrecked plane at Oshkosh, Wisconsin last week. So, you will never guess who won at Pocono ... “This one’s for Jack, guys,” smiled Biffle on the final lap. “We just answered all the questions about the Ford. It’s running really good, and there it is.” After two years without a win, Biffle admitted, “Man, I forgot what to do. I was really excited to see Elliott Sadler win yesterday [to take Ford’s first win of the season in the Truck Series] and I kind of feel the same right now. We know we have a great team, I can do it behind the wheel and we proved it today.” For much of the last sector of the race, Biffle’s biggest threat looked like Sam Hornish Jr, the former Indy 500 winner coming back from, believe it or not, two laps down. But the Penske Dodge faded over the final laps to finish 11th, allowing Tony Stewart and Carl Edwards to fill out the minor placings.

Stewart’s result was aided in no small way by a brilliant final pitstop, Smoke leading the ‘four-tyre’ cars off pitroad, while Edwards was pleased enough to get some points that he predicted his own losing streak might not go much further. Kevin Harvick was an unexpected fourth. The points leader was in the wall as early as the first lap of the race, and it was only swift work from the Childress crew that kept his Chevy in contention. Denny Hamlin, who has dominated at the Pocono track in the past, was less than happy with a new Gibbs Toyota, but motored through the field to fifth. Marcos Ambrose had another disastrous weekend, parking the JTG Daugherty Toyota after 47 laps when his engine dropped a valve. The race started late after thunderstorms drove through the area, and was redflagged for a huge crash involving Kurt Busch and Elliott Sadler. Busch got turned by Jimmie Johnson on the back stretch and triggered the incident, and later blamed the incident squarely on the defending Champion. In the ensuing melee, Sadler’s #19 Ford cannoned into an earth bank, ripping the motor from the car. Neither driver was hurt in the impacts.

Ford Racing

Results :: Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500 Pos. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

No. 16 14 99 29 11 24 5 31 56 48

Driver Greg Biffle Tony Stewart Carl Edwards Kevin Harvick Denny Hamlin Jeff Gordon Mark Martin Jeff Burton Martin Truex Jr Jimmie Johnson

Make Ford Chevy Ford Chevy Toyota Chevy Chevy Chevy Toyota Chevy

Team Roush Fenway Stewart Haas Roush Fenway Childress Joe Gibbs Hendrick Hendrick Childress Waltrip Hendrick

Sponsor Qual. 3M 12 Old Spice 1 Aflac 25 Shell Pennzoil 14 FedEx 3 DuPont 4 Hendrickcars.com 10 Caterpillar 8 NAPA 28 Lowe’s 6

Top 10 Points: Harvick 3080, Gordon 2891, Hamlin 2820, Johnson 2803, Burton 2757,

Kyle Busch 2724, Kurt Busch 2722, Stewart 2719, Kenseth 2682, Edwards 2666, Biffle 2652, Bowyer 2564.

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Toyota Motorsports

NASCAR Media

Ford Racing

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No Con Fusion: While team owner Jack Roush was recovering in hospital, Greg Biffle was getting it done at Pocono. Sam Hornish impressed in the #77, while Kyle Busch had to settle for a ninth Nationwide win after a suspension failure.

WORLD SUPERBIKES ROUND 10 – SILVERSTONE

DROOL BRITTANIA

Cal Crutchlow was in untouchable form at Silverstone for his first WSBK double – and he led a rout for the hometown heroes

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T was as if Winston Churchill himself was watching the Silverstone round of the World Superbike Championship. Cal Crutchlow led home Jonny Rea and Leon Haslam to an all-British sweep of the podium in Race 1, but things could not, possibly, get any better in Race 2 – could they? They could; Crutchlow won to score the double, Rea was second and Leon Camier took third. Haslam was fourth and, to cap it all off, James Toseland was fifth, in a Union Jack sweep. “As people have said, it’s a dream come true for a lot of Brits, three on the podium in both races,” Crutchlow beamed. “All credit to the fans, they gave us tremendous support here today. What a brilliant day for Yamaha and a brilliant day for me! I couldn’t believe both wins came at once, I would rather have had one earlier in the year and one today, but we’ve been fighting for this all the year and here it is.” If it was a great day to be a Brit, it was less so for Italy. Camier’s amazing podium

Points: Biaggi 373, Haslam 313, Rea 243, Checa 204, Crutchlow 188, Toseland 179, Haga 177, Camier 164, Fabrizio 160, Corser 155. EUGENE Laverty kept the British Isles theme alive at Silverstone, even if he is Irish! Laverty beat Kenan Sofuoglu to the line to win Supersport race by 0.2s, with Brits Gino Rea and Chaz Davies third and fourth.

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Yamaha Racing

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Vita Brits: It was all-Yamaha and all-Crutchlow at Silverstone, as Cal took his first and second wins in the Big Leagues. It was a familiar podium, with Jonny Rea, Crutchlow and Leon Haslam filling the top three positions in Race 1.

– he came through the field from 16th after making mistakes in qualifying – was the highlight, with the works Aprilias struggling to match the pace of Jakub Smrz’s privateer bike in qualifying, and the Ducatis looking slugglish against the fours. Michel Fabrizio was fourth in Race 1, ahead of Max Biaggi, while Max backed up with first in the non-Brit class (sixth) in Race 2. It was a tough weekend for the Aussies. Troy Corser was 10th in the first race and crashed in the second, while Josh Brookes was 16th and 12th.

SUPERLEAGUE JOHN Martin picked up a cool €100,000 after dominating Round 7 of the Superleague Formula season at Brands Hatch. The Aussie was the form driver, but things didn’t go entirely to plan. Martin took out the opening 45-minute race for Beijing Guoan, leading home Craig Dolby to grab his second Superleague victory of the season. In the early stages of the Reverse Grid

Race 2, though, Martin made contact with the rear of Dolby’s Tottenham Hotspur entry and broke his front wing, eventually finishing down in 16th, right. But he more than made amends in the final. From second on the grid, Martin got the jump and went on to take a comfortable win ahead of Davide Rigon and Duncan Tappy. “The first race felt so easy but in the second I made a good start and then had nowhere to go and just touched the front

end plate on Craig’s (Dolby) car and it was enough to break the front wing.,” Martin said. “It stuck under the car and I thought I was going straight into the wall, but luckily it broke off as I went through the gravel and I was able to get back to the pits to get a new nose box. “I absolutely love it here at Brands Hatch, it’s one of my favourite circuits in the world, so to win twice is fantastic. I was annoyed to miss pole position on Saturday, but today

we’ve made up for it.” Fourth place went to Yelmer Buurman, who retained the lead of the championship for AC Milan, two points ahead of Dolby. Narain Karthikeyan won Race 2, which was shortened by a massive accident for Chris van der Drift. The Kiwi was made contact with the rear of hallenging Julien Jousse’s car, flipping through the air and hitting a bridge. Fortunately, a suspected broken ankle was the extent of his injuries.

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Barbagallo goes old school HISTORIC RACING

Brands Power

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MODERN Formula Vee was the odd category out as Barbagallo Raceway hosted the annual Clem Dwyer Cup for historic racing cars on Sunday. Ben Riley emerged victorious, winning the Keith Morton Plate after a thrilling battle with title rival Cameron Edwards across the weekend. The pair each won a heat race and fought it out for the trophy in the final, with Riley sneaking through on the final corner of the final lap to grab the honours. Rookie Derek Bromlewe held out veteran Bruce Welsh to win the famous Zamels Plate for the 1200cc drivers. Michael Henderson dominated Formula Classic in his Ralt RT4 Formula Atlantic Car. After claiming pole by 4.5s, Henderson took three easy wins ahead of Russell Sewell in his Lola T800. Neil McCrudden was the best of the non wings-

and-slicks cars in fourth in his Macon Formula 2 car. Motorsport eNews Editor Andrew van Leeuwen headed home to race a Van Diemen RF80 in the class, but his weekend ended with an engine failure in qualifying. Gary Martinovich and Greg Barr shared the Historic Touring Cars points. The Holden drivers each took a win and a second-place finish to end the weekend on 45 points. Gary and Brian Francis dominated the pre1965 class, in EH Holdens. In the Historic Front Engine class, John Rowe secured the honours with victory in the final, after Charlie Mitchell won the opening two races. Three Regularity classes rounded out the program at Barbagallo. In a Lotus Super Seven, Evan Jones won the open-wheel class, while Peter Pisconeri took his XW Falcon to Historic Sedans honours and Peter Harrold won Production Sports in a Datsun 260Z.

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Joylon Division FORMULA 2

WTCC title fight wide open WTCC THE FIA World Touring Car Championship title fight has closed up dramatically, following the seventh round at Brno. Points leader Yvan Muller had a shocking weekend, failing to score a point, as Gabrielle Tarquini, Andy Priaulx and Rob Huff closed the gap. Muller ended up 19th and six laps down in the opener after being collected by Colin Turkington at a Safety Car restart, and could only muster 12th in Race 2. Huff converted his first pole of the year into his first win of the year in Race 1, leading home Tarquini and Alain Menu.

“Finally I am very happy,” Huff said. “Great result for me and the team and is exactly what I needed at this point in the season. I had a good fight with Tarquini before the safety car and then got a good restart. I had to look after the tyres for the last three laps while also keeping a gap but we needed a lucky weekend after the puncture’s we’ve had.” Priaulx was also in the wars in the opening race, sustaining damage in a first corner incident but fighting on to take fifth. With the Top Eight inverted for Race 2, he made a blinding start to move into second from fourth.

He passed Turkington on the second lap and went on to take a comfortable win, BMW’s 50th in the WTCC. “It is a special day for BMW for sure,” the three-time champ said. “It’s getting close and exciting in the championship. I had a couple of DNFs early on in the season which really hurt me but we are back in the fight. We need to improve but we’re challenging. It will be won or lost at Macau which, as we all know, is a casino.” Turkington was second, ahead of Huff and Menu. Tarquini was in the mix early and could have taken the points lead, but retired with a mechanical failure.

NICOLA de Marco and Joylon Palmer shared the Formula 2 race wins in Round 7 at Brno. Saturday’s race win was de Marco’s first in the class. The Italian got the jump on polesitter Dean Stoneman and was never headed, eventually winning by 3.090s over Stoneman. It gave Stoneman the points lead, taking top spot from Palmer who finished fifth. But Palmer didn’t have to wait long to reclaim the points lead. Stoneman again qualified on pole for Race 2, but was again beaten off the line, with Palmer taking the lead. He withstood early pressure and went on to take his fifth win of the year by 2.194s over Stoneman. “That was all about the start – it was a perfect getaway,” Palmer said. “I couldn’t pull away from Dean but we were both pulling away from third, so I just made sure not to make any mistakes and keep him behind. I was pretty relieved when the chequered flag came, but at the same time I was in control of my own race.” Kazim Vasiliauskas was third, ahead of Sergei Afansiev, Benjamin Bailly and de Marco.

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Maldonado gives them a pasting sutton-images.com

PASTOR Maldonado extended his run of GP2 Feature Race victories at the Hungaroring. Maldonado won a manic opening race, with Davide Valsecchi and Sam Bird both unable to get away from the front row of the grid on successive formation laps. The race was further delayed by an opening lap accident at Turn 2, which eliminated several drivers and left Ho-Pin Tung and Jules Bianchi with back fractures. When racing resumed after the Red Flag, Maldonado built a sizeable lead and won by 5.865s, despite a late-race Safety Car, over Christian Vietoris and Sergio Perez. The win was Maldonado’s fifthstraight GP2 Feature Race victory. “It was a difficult race from

the beginning, which was very confused because the first two drivers stalled before the start, so we did two laps before the real start,” he said. The Sprint Race was far less fruitful for Maldonado who was excluded for disobeying a meatball flag he received for front wing damage. Regardless, he left with a 26-point lead over Perez with three rounds left. Giacomo Ricci cruised to his first GP2 victory from pole in the inverted Top Eight Sprint Race, a task made easier when team-mate Michael Herck stalled on the dummy grid and vacated second on the grid. In the end, Ricci recorded a 7.097s win over Vietoris and Valsecchi. In GP3, Nico Muller and Alexander Rossi each took straight-forward race wins, while Esteban Gutierrez maintained his points lead with a second and a fifth.

BMW’s Spa blues GT RACING WITH 40 minutes to go, the Spa 24 Hours turned on its head. The dominant BMW M3 of Dirk Werner/Dirk Muller/ Dirk Adorff had a two-lap advantage but suffered a frontleft suspension failure and plunged off the road. Werner was able to limp back to the pit lane but the delay handed

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victory to the BMS Scuderia Italia Porsche of Romain Dumas/Jorg Bergmeister/ Martin Ragginger/Wolf Henzler. Dumas became the first driver since Luigi Chinetti in 1949 to win the Spa and Le Mans 24 Hour races in the same year. Second place fell to the similar Porsche 911 GT3-RSR of Patrick Pilet/Patrick Long/ Raymond Narac/Richard Lietz

with the BMW recovering to take third. The sister BMW of Pedro Lamy/Uwe Alzen/Jorg Muller bagged fourth after cockpit overheating problems and a misfire delayed it mid-race. GT3 went to the steady, if unspectacular Porsche 911 GT3-RS of Jurgen Haring/ Dimitrios Konstantinou/Gilles Vannelet/Arnaud Peyroles after the two Phoenix Audi

R8s crashed out and the Bas Leinders/Maxime Martin/Marc Duez Ford suffered a starter motor failure. That gave the class lead to Eddie Cheever/Mark Blundell/ Richard Dean/Zak Brown (Audi R8) but Cheever suffered a power steering failure and lost many laps as it was repaired. That dropped the car to third behind the recovered Ford. – DAVID ADDISON

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Odd Spot

STICK TO RACING, JOHN

HUMAN Foosball. Does it get any better than that? Playing on their association with the world game, the Superleague Formula designed the world’s biggest table soccer match in the lead up to the Brands Hatch round, with SF United (a collection

of drivers) taking on track owners Motorsport Vision. Included in SF United was John Martin, and despite helping the team take a narrow win, he rued a lack of football skills given his Australian upbringing. “I was alright, I’m just not very good at

football,” said Martin. “I definitely think the skills need to be improved, so I’ll have to work on that. I’m not going to give up my day job, that’s for sure! I played a bit at school when I was about 10, and that was about it. I wasn’t very good then either, as I remember!”

Chris Atkinson took on a Chopper in the lead-up to Rally of Queensland – and won. If only he’s had a bit more luck in the rally proper ...

Michael Vettas