Motorsport eNews Issue 167 - August 10-16, 2010 by V8 Sleuth

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Issue No. 167 August 10-16 2010

BACK TO BARBAGALLO THREE-RACE FORMAT RETURNS – WHAT WESTERN AUSTRALIA’S BEST DRIVERS THINK OF V8 SUPERCARS’ RETURN TO PERTH

CARRERA CUP

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TEAMS ALREADY LINING UP FOR PORSCHE RETURN

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Yes, that skinny fella running on the right is Jenson Button. The World Drivers’ Champion competed in the London Triathlon around the city’s Docklands region, raising funds for the Make-AWish Foundation. Despite suffering from tonsillitis, JB completed the course in 2:14: 15, seven minutes down on last year.

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Issue No. 167 | 10 - 16 August 2010

news 4

Barbagallocation Back to WA for 5 more years 6 Bing-le all the way New look for Fiore 10 Power: I owe it to ... Webber! Aussies praising Aussies 12 Honda’s turbo return Out with the Indycar V8s 14 Porschesational Teams making CCup plans

chat 20 Five Minutes With ... Dean Fiore

comment 22 Clark: NASCAR’s Dominos 23 Branagan: Air Race effects

race 26 Mid-Ohio: Dario and Ready 30 NASCAR: Juan Perfect Day 34 Nationwide: Marc OS 3.0

trade 42 Classifieds

WA BACK WITH A BIG CA V8 SUPERCARS

HREE races of the 2011 V8 Supercar Championship Series will be held in Western Australia next year. V8 Supercars Australia and the West Australian Premier Colin Barnett announced in Perth on Saturday that the Government, Western Australian Tourism and

Eventscorp would back a WA event for the next five years. The events, which will feature three races, will be held at an upgraded Barbagallo Raceway, which will feature a new pit lane and pit lane facility, along with ongoing upgrades. Reports indicate that up to $10m more than the $5m previously allocated for the track upgrades will ensure a

long future for the event. “I congratulate the Barnett Government for having the vision to ensure WA remains a vibrant Tourism and Events State for many years to come,” said V8SA Chairman Tony Cochrane. “Western Australia is now assured of having a world class V8 Supercar event and the continued growth of motorsport

in the state. I am absolutely delighted that Premier Barnett and his Government have made this significant ongoing commitment to motorsport and V8 Supercars.” The weekend launch was attended by WA drivers Dean Fiore (Triple F Racing), Tony Ricciardello (Stratco Racing) and Karl Reindler (Fair Dinkum Sheds), along with V8SA CEO

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ASH BANG Martin Whitaker. The three races will be of 120km duration, but there may be a change to the series regular qualifying regime. V8SA will consider how the events will be formatted, and whether there will be a dedicated qualifying session to determine the grid for each race, as is currently the case for events that feature two rounds. All other V8 Supercar

NEWS ANALYSIS with GARTH TANDER

events feature either a single race, or two races, with separate qualifying sessions, but the move to three races may mean that, for this round, cars will be gridded for at least one of the races based on their finishing order in a previous race. V8SA’s board is expected to determine the format for the event, and its position on the calendar, shortly.

IT’S great news from my point of view that we are going back to Barbagallo Raceway to race next year and beyond. Ultimately, there are two scenarios that I think are important. There is going to be some short-term pain for some long-term gain, in terms of the facilities at Barbagallo. I think that it is important to focus on the long-term, and to recognise that the supporters of the track and the WA Sporting Car Club – and I am one of those – are more important than any shortterm goals. I have always supported the Club in its endeavours to get V8 Supercars back, and I think that is an important part of being an established driver. I think it is like anything else you deal with in life; you have to remember where you started and how far you have come since, and be prepared to give something back, if you can. This is a fantastic result for me. I am obviously passionate about the place and the V8 Supercar Championship Series has prided itself as being a national championship for a long time. To go back there, and to have events in every state of Australia, is very important. I have fantastic memories of racing at Barbagallo. I had my first race there when I was 16, and I will take that memory with me always. In 2007, I was on the pole there and I won all three races. I had my breakthrough race win there – I never managed to win there in Formula Ford, so it came some years later! There have been bad results as well, and you tend to forget about the bad and remember the good. I think that circuit tends to lend itself to the shorter races and, if there is a place that screams out for races with only the softer, Option tyre, Barbagallo is it. Most of the drivers would agree with that, but it is up to the Board to determine what the format will be, and how it will happen.

Dirk Klynsmith

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QR BUMPED OUT OF TESTING V8 SUPERCARS ONE of the main complaints many V8 Supercar drivers have about Queensland Raceway – its bumps – may be about to be addressed, but it could cause disruption to the teams’ pre-2011 testing plans. The Ipswich circuit is due to be resurfaced at the end of the season but owner John Tetley’s plans to allow the new surface to ‘cure’ over the summer would mean that there is no access to the

circuit until March – including for V8 Supercars. “We were looking at doing it in early October,” he told eNews, “but now, we have to wait until the test day for Surfers.” Tetley’s plans are for the ‘first’ half of the track, T1-T2 and T4 and T5, to be resurfaced in the first instance. The ‘second’ half would be done some time in the future. With the 2011 season likely to once again kick off with the Middle East doubleheader in February, teams

would be forced to seek an alternative testing venue to get any meaningful preseason testing completed. “We are waiting to see what would happen,” V8 Supercars Australia spokesman Cole Hitchcock said this week. “If that [resurfacing] goes ahead, that would be something that may have to be considered by the Board.” That would mean that the current V8 Supercars testing regulations, which tie Victorian-based teams to testing at Winton, and

Queensland-based teams to QR, would have to be relaxed to accommodate a move. With Lakeside subject to strict noise restrictions, the ‘local’ alternative is Morgan Park, but that track lacks the pit facilities to which V8 teams would be accustomed. An alternative might be Sydney’s Eastern Creek, which has better facilities, is used by some V8 teams for ride days and which, traditionally, has had its lightest use during January and February in previous years.

Dirk Klynsmith

BING LEE BACKS TRIPLE F V8 SUPERCARS

DEAN Fiore will have a brand new look for the remainder of the 2010 V8 Supercar Championship Series. Fiore’s Triple F Racing squad has secured major backing from Sydney electronics giant Bing Lee, who along with Panasonic will have the majority of the signage on the car. Both companies have been supporters of Fiore since he entered V8 Supercars at the start of last season. Fiore said the deal will help him focus on his driving duties with Michael Patrizi at the upcoming endurance races.

“It is a big weight off my shoulders to have the majority of the car sorted for the rest of the championship,” he said. “I am working hard and focusing on filling the remaining space for the rest of the season. I have been busy catching

up with all our existing partners during the break, to ensure their involvement continues to develop and work for them moving forward.” The livery will debut at the L&H 500 at Phillip Island in September. motorsport news

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NEW SIDE INTRUSION RULES FOR PI V8 SUPERCARS V8 Supercars Australia has increased the minimum side intrusion requirements for Main Game and Fujitsu Series cars. Effective from next month’s L&H 500 at Phillip Island, extra gusseting will be implemented on cars across both fields, with some mandatory and some optional items. Teams are currently making the necessary changes to the driver’s side, which include additional tubing to and around the door cross, and revisions to the C and A pillar gusseting.

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NEW CAR FOR GRM

John Morris/Mpix

FUJITSU V8s GREG Murphy Racing will debut a new car in next year’s Fujitsu Series. The current series leaders are building up an unraced VE Commodore shell at their Melbourne workshop to race in next year’s series. When completed it will give the team four VE Commodores, and three of the same specification, alongside last year’s two Sprint Gas Racing cars. While the shell – which was finished `in mid-2008 – hasn’t raced in the Main Game, the team has received clearance from V8SA to run it in the Fujitsu Series. “It sat around last year as a caged shell in case we needed it; if we had a big crash it might’ve been easier to build it up,” team

owner Kevin Murphy told eNews. “We’ve started work on it, putting the fuel tank in and wiring it up. It’s stopped at the moment, but it’ll become a new car for next year.” GMR’s aim is for all four VEs to run in the 2011 series. “We’re quite capable of running four Fujitsu cars without a shadow of a doubt,” Murphy said. “It’s looking much more promising for the future with the amount of inquiries we’ve received. And obviously only 10 percent of your inquiries ever come to fruition, but with that being the case, I’m picking we could fill our cars next year, and that would be our aim.” – MITCHELL ADAM

MORE KIWI MILES FOR MURPH V8 SUPERCARS STEVE Owen’s Fujitsu Series car will have a couple of extra miles under its belt by the time he races it again at Bathurst. The Greg Murphy Racing VE Commodore will head to New Zealand this week to conduct four ride days at Hampton Downs. Murphy himself will drive the car at the new circuit, taking personal sponsors and fan club members for rides across one day in late August and three in September before returning to Australia for Owen’s use in

the Fujitsu Series. The four-time Bathurst winner conducted similar days at the circuit earlier in the year, with the team receiving V8SA approval to use the circuit for rides. “Hampton Downs is a great little track,” GMR owner Kevin Murphy said. “We had two days over there back-toback, with about 60-odd people each day. At the end of the second day, Greg was asking if anyone else wanted a ride! “He loved the place and said the car was awesome around there.” – MITCHELL ADAM

HEY BIG EARNER V8 SUPERCARS THE Clipsal 500 continues to deliver for the South Australian economy. Figures released last week by the South Australian government credit the race with economic benefits of over $33.76 million, up slightly from the 2009 return. The data also revealed that crowd numbers rose again despite a slight reduction in interstate and global visitors for the secondstraight year. “The twelfth Adelaide Clipsal race has delivered another significant injection into the state’s economy”, SA Treasurer Kevin Foley said. “Spectator numbers were up on last year, and the economic benefit has grown modestly from $33.5 million in 2009 to $33.76 million this year. These are impressive results, which ensure the Clipsal retains its title as South Australia’s largest annual ticketed sporting event. “Even with this reduction in visitor numbers, attendance at the Clipsal has continued to grow thanks to the record number of local sports fans that came to see this year’s race, bringing total attendance from 272,800 in 2009 to 277,800 this year.” motorsport news

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LDM DRIVER CONUNDRUM V8 SUPERCARS

John Morris/Mpix

LUCAS Dumbrell Motorsport’s driver lineup for the endurance races will require approval by V8 Supercars prior to racing at Phillip Island next month. The team changes drivers prior to the last round of the championship, after the team split with Daniel Gaunt. Cameron McConville raced the Gulf Western Commodore in Townsville, and Nathan Pretty and Mark Noske have been named for the L&H 500 and Bathurst 1000 – events in which McConville is already contracted to the Holden Racing Team. But none of those drivers qualify as the Primary Driver of the car, so LDM will submit is application to V8 Supercars Australia for approval. “The team will nominate who they believe will be their

Primary Driver for the rest of the season, subject to Board approval,” V8SA spokesman Cole Hitchcock told eNews. “It’s unlikely the board would reject a nomination. “Obviously it’s an unusual situation with Cameron McConville being in that car at Townsville and having an endurance drive with HRT.” At the start of the year, the definition was a Primary Driver was “the Driver who is entered to drive a Car at the first Sprint Round of a Season”. This had to be changed because Greg Murphy missed the Abu Dhabi round because of a prior commitment in New Zealand. Paul Morris subbed for him in the Castrol Racing entry, a move that in theory would have had Morris recognised as the Primary Driver of the entry, as the rules was then written. In theory, had the team so chosen, Murphy could have

partnered Russell Ingall in the other PMM entry in the two endurance races. At that time, the rule was amended to include “Any Primary Driver that has competed in a VSC Sprint round for a Competitor will not be permitted to Compete in a VCS Round for another Competitor in the same year, unless: 5.7.2.1 An application

has been made in writing to V8 Supercars stating the reasons for the proposed change of REC; 5.7.2.2 V8 Supercars determines, in their absolute discretion, that it is in the best interests of the VCS and the Category that the Primary Driver compete under another REC; and 5.7.2.3 V8 Supercars gives written approval for the proposed change of REC.”

MOSTERT IN FOR BATHURST FUJITSU V8s

AUSTRALIAN Formula Ford Championship leader Chaz Mostert will make his V8 Supercar debut at Bathurst in October. Mostert will drive Wayne Miles’ BF Falcon in the Fujitsu Series round at Mount Panorama, the same ex-Triple Eight Ford that Michael Patrizi raced in Wilson

Security Racing colours in the main game last season. Mostert has already tested the Falcon, completing his first-ever V8 test at Queensland Raceway recently. Now, he will get to sample the V8 in race conditions, at one of the world’s most challenging race tracks. “It’s really exciting to be heading up to Bathurst as a V8 Supercar driver,” he said.

“It’s a bit nerve racking in a way, because the place has such a fearsome reputation, but we’ll go into the event with no pressure to mix it with the series regulars,” said Mostert. “My aim is to keep it off the walls and just have a nice clean weekend. It’s going to be a fantastic experience, and a tremendous step toward racing these cars full-time next year.”

CARRERA CUP IS BACK

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Red Bull team to beat: Webber FORMULA 1

REDBULL media REDBULL media

errari might have enjoyed a summer resurgence over the last few grands prix, but Mark Webber isn’t concerned about Red Bull being trampled by a stampeding Prancing Horse in the remaining seven rounds of the World Drivers’ Championship. After a supremely dominant performance from Red Bull Racing at Hungary, Webber is confident that the RB6 will be the car to beat at all remaining circuits on the 2010 calendar. “We’ve shown this year that the car is performing on all tracks so we hope we don’t have any weak circuits,” he was quoted on Red Bull Racing’s website. “Singapore should be good, Suzuka, Brazil and Abu Dhabi. We’re a little bit worried about how the long straights might go at some of the other venues, at Monza maybe. But the car is very, very strong at most tracks so we’re ready to take on anyone at any venue.

“It would be nice to win Spa, Suzuka and a few other victories, and along with that hopefully comes something special. I have a few of my goals already in the pocket this year, which is sensational , but we have some great races coming up in the future – some real signature events which would be great to win. “At some tracks we’re not quite there or I’m not quite there. We’ve had some small hiccups but you need perfect weekends to win at this level. Every race gives 25 points and we need to perform everywhere. “If we can do that you never know what could happen at the end of the year.” The Formula 1 circus reassembles in three weeks time at Spa-Francorchamps.

Webber’s Power assist FORMULA 1

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AR media

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ill Power likely wouldn’t be where he is today without the generosity of Mark Webber, Power himself confirmed recently in an interview with Canada’s Globe and Mail. Six years ago when Power was out of cash and his career looked set to stall, it was Webber who came to the Queenslander’s rescue, contributing much of the budget needed to keep Power racing in 2004. “I can’t tell you exactly why he helped me out, but if he didn’t think it was worth it, he wouldn’t have,” Power told the Canadian newspaper. “But he’d been through exactly the same thing as me trying to find sponsorship and getting back to racing.” It was seven years earlier that Webber received some critical assistance from Australian rugby star David Campese, who provided in the region of $100,000 to finance

Webber in the British Formula Ford Championship. Campese had played rugby with Webber’s father, Alan. “I was fortunate enough to have a few key people support me just at the right time — like David Campese — to keep my dream alive, so when I was in a position to do the same for someone else, I did,” Webber was quoted on JA.F1. “It’s fantastic to see Will’s hard work and determination finally pay off for him — I’m glad we were able to give him a little boost when he needed it. It was a make-or-break time for him but I could see how determined he was not to give up and go home. “Maybe he’ll be in a position to re-pay the favour to someone else coming up through the ranks one day.”

Newey injured in race crash FORMULA 1

REDBULL media

e might be untouchable when it comes to putting pen to paper to design a Formula 1 car, but it is a different story for Adrian Newey out on the track behind the wheel. The Red Bull technical director and amateur racing driver was hospitalised for precautionary examination after crashing a Ginetta sports car in a race at Snetterton on the weekend. In the one-make Ginetta race, Newey’s car was punted off the track by Julien Draper before being t-boned by Tony Hughes. Newey was stretchered away

in an ambulance, but Ginetta chairman Lawrence Tomlinson confirmed that Newey was not seriously injured. “Adrian has been taken to a local hospital as a precautionary measure after being clipped by Julien Draper of Barwell Motorsport which caused Tony Hughes of Speedworks to have a side on collision with Newey’s DynoJet car,” Tomlinson told Autosport. “It’s testament to the strength of the G50 roll cage that the car withstood heavy impact and there were no serious injuries.”

I’m staying, Trulli FORMULA 1

eports of an impending retirement for Jarno Trulli are premature, according to the man himself. Following a difficult season as a backmarker with the reborn Lotus team, there had been speculation that Trulli was considering retiring at the end of the year, or even a shift to NASCAR. While Trulli says he doesn’t want to endure too many more seasons at the

back of the field, the Italian is not ready to give it away yet. “Honestly, I don’t know when,” he told AutoBild. “If I’m suddenly no long fast than it makes no sense to remain in Formula 1. “Of course this year is difficult for me to accept but the outlook for 2011 is better. I do not want to come to terms with being a backmarker. I accepted that because Lotus has a long-term plan. “That it would be difficult in the first year was made clear to me from the start.

For full F1/ Moto GP/ WRC coverage/n ews, CLICK HERE to get to GPWeek magaz ine www.gpweek.c om Now I have to be patient.” “Right now I’ll be here again next year because it’s (Lotus) going in the right direction. But I do not think too far into the future.” At 35 Trulli is the fourth oldest driver in F1, behind Michael Schumacher, Rubens Barrichello, and Pedro de la Rosa. Trulli began his F1 career with Minardi in 1997.

IZOD IND

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Honda commits to turbo INDYCARS

that is interested in competing in the IZOD IndyCar series in 2012 needs to have already started on their engine. We’ve been working on ours for quite some time. It takes lots of man hours to do the computer design, build, dyno test, and finally on track testing.” Honda first supplied engines to IndyCar in 2003 competing against Toyota and Chevy, and remained as the sole IndyCar engine supplier since the 2006 season. – MARY MENDEZ sutton-images.com

HONDA announced at MidOhio its plan to furnish engines to the IZOD IndyCar series in 2012. Honda’s formula will change from the current 3.5-litre, normally aspirated V-8, to a 2.4-litre, twin turbocharged V-6 starting in 2012. Honda Performance Development, HPD, located in Santa Clarita, California (north of Los Angeles) will design and build the engines, which will cost IndyCar teams 40 percent less for the 2012 season’s lease than current prices. “Through both robust and trying times, our commitment to open-wheel racing in America has never wavered,” said Erik Berkman, President of

HPD. “With today’s announcement, we are pleased to reaffirm that commitment, and extend it deep into the current decade.” Berkman went on to explain that if necessary in 2012, Honda will supply engines to the entire field, including increasing the supply to accommodate the extra drivers for the Indy 500. But if another engine manufacturer comes in to compete the following year, likely required to supply a minimum of 12 drivers, Honda will have a

large pool of engines it can’t lease, and will have to eat that expense. “We can’t pass on the cost to the competitors,” explained Berkman. “Any manufacturer

... and they might just face an old rival INDYCARS COULD American engines return to IndyCar? Randy Bernard, IRL’s CEO, postponed his European trip to meet with engine manufacturers until the end of August and has admitted there may be an American company showing positive signs of

entering the series. Speculation is that Ford may be ready to take on Honda, in league with long-time collaborator Cosworth again. There are also suggestions that the engine may wear the Mazda brand, as a logical competitor to Honda. “There is an American manufacturer very, very interested,” admitted Bernard at

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

Mid-Ohio. The IndyCar series has gained momentum this year. Overall sponsorship has increased to US $81million, up from $34m last year. Title sponsor Izod commits $3m per year and is doing an excellent job of marketing the series, making it attractive to potential engine manufacturers. – MARY MENDEZ

AUTOBARN TOURING CAR MASTERS GROUP N HISTORIC TOURING CARS (Pre-1973) GROUP C HISTORIC TOURING CARS (1973-84) GROUP A HISTORIC TOURING CARS (1985-92) MASTER BLASTS BEST OF THE BEST HERITAGE HOT LAPS ULTIMATE RACE REPLICAS

FATHERS DAY SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 5, 2010 CHECK OUT: www.musclecarmasters.com.au or 02 9672 1000

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HELIO COPS $60K FINE

Castroneves still unahppy but apologises over Edmonton incident INDYCARS

Honda Racing

HELIO Castroneves has been fined and put on probation over his outburst after the Edmonton IndyCar race. The Penske driver was fined U.S. $60,000 and placed on probation for the rest of the season for portraying unsportsmanlike conduct when he engaged in physical contact with two officials and failed to follow their directions. Castroneves was leading the Honda Indy Edmonton race two weeks ago when a restart with three laps remaining resulted in Castroneves being penalized with a drivethru penalty for blocking his team-mate Will Power, which he ignored. The Brazilian

crossed the line ahead of Dario Franchitti. Castroneves has moved on from the incident, having apologized, stating, “I regret what occurred following the

IZOD IndyCar Series race in Edmonton. I apologize for my behavior as I let my emotions get the better of me. I’ve been punished enough. I lost 50 points in the championship,

the prizemoney, and they took the win away. I don’t know why I always seem to be the one they make an example of.” “I think the call was completely wrong,” continued Castroneves, whose explosive objection to being stripped of the win aired on CNN, giving IndyCar worldwide exposure they couldn’t buy. “The rules are written inconsistently. It’s unfair for us drivers when it’s not clear. We don’t know where we can make a move. I didn’t change my line. I gave my team-mate room. The officials should give us a warning. It’s racing. There is attack and defense. I still don’t agree with the call. But it’s over.” – MARY MENDEZ

Pole vaults Power to Andretti Award INDYCARS

Honda Racing

WILL Power did not win at Mid-Ohio but his pole position was an important milestone. The Queenslander’s seventh pole of the season not only ties the record, held by Helio Castroneves, but by earning a point and starting the race, Power clinched the road course championship named after Mario Andretti. “It’s an honour to receive the road course award with Mario Andretti’s name on it,” Power said.

“My whole team is focused on winning the overall championship. I really want to win it. That’s my goal.” “My opportunity here [at Penske] is the first time I’ve been in a very good environment as far as feeling comfortable and been given all the tools to win. We have three quick drivers pushing each other and looking at each other’s data. We get absolutely the most you can out of the driving details. That’s why you see the Penske cars up front at the road courses.” – MARY MENDEZ

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

BATHURST 12 HOUR A TRIP to last weekend’s Merdeka Millennium Endurance race in Malaysia has given Armor All Bathurst 12 Hour organisers further leads with potential international competitors. Event promoter James O’Brien and Warren Aubin from Bathurst Regional Council attended the 12 Hour race at Sepang to raise and canvas interest from teams to join February’s event, for which Australia GT-spec cars are now eligible. Among those to express interest were Audi Race Experience Team Joest, who finished second with an Audi R8 LMS for Frank Biela, Macro Werner and Darryl O’Young, the Petronas Syntium Team, who fielded two BMW Z4M Coupes,

Is this Audi Bathurst bound? and Porsche Club Singapore “It was definitely productive,” O’Brien said of the trip. “There was a lot of interest, we took promotional material, went through the garages and spoke to a number of teams. “The Audi team is very keen, subject to eligibility and funding. We had some good

dialogue with them, and the eligibility shouldn’t be an issue, so it would be great to have them there. “The Petronas team are keen to race at the Mountain, whether that’s next year or in the future, and the Porsche Club Singapore are very keen to enter the race as well.

“We’re conservative in year one of GT eligibility. We’d be delighted to get about half a dozen international entries, including New Zealand, and I think we’re on track to reach that. Hopefully, when entries open, we will see some come through.” – MITCHELL ADAM

R-TEK GETS HUNT. NO, NOT KARMICHAEL FORMULA 3

Phil Williams

JOSH Hunt will make his Formula 3 Australian Drivers Championship debut at Morgan Park this weekend. The former Formula Atlantic driver will join R-Tek in one of the team’s F304 Dallaras, with John Magro likely to drive the other. In F3’s debut at the Queensland circuit and the first round of their East Coast Shootout to conclude

season, 10 cars are expected to run, with Hunt joining local debutants Ben Gersekowski and James Mann. “I think he’ll go well with his experience in these types of cars, and he’s looking forward to it,” team owner Ian Richards said of Hunt. He’s probably a little bit of a talent that’s gone begging in recent years, so I’m looking forward to having him on board.” – MITCHELL ADAM

AMSF BACKS DAN, OPENS USA OPTIONS AUSSIES OVERSEAS THE Australian Motor Sport Foundation has relaxed its stance on backing drivers with career ambitions in America, with the signing of Daniel Erickson to the program. Erickson, who races in the USbased F2000 Championship Series, has received sufficient backing to finish the season, with a top-three championship 14

position beckoning. “We have been following Daniel’s progress in the 2010 F2000 Championship Series with great interest,” Martin Stillman, AMSF General Manager said. “He’s the leading rookie driver despite missing four rounds, and has a good chance of placing in the top three in the final pointscore. That’s no mean feat in a series that consistently fields around 30

cars at each round. “However, recently it became apparent that Daniel would struggle financially to complete his ambitious USA racing program, so we’ve found the funds to guarantee his entry in the final rounds of the F2000 Championship Series.” “Martin Stillman’s phone call, confirming that the AMSF had been able to raise additional funding, was the best news

I’ve had all year!” Erickson said from his USA base in Ohio. “Having tried without success to obtain corporate support to race in the USA this year, I appreciate how the global financial crisis is affecting motorsport sponsorship at all levels everywhere.” The news comes as the AMSF opens applications for the 2011 AMSF International Rising Star program, with the deadline set for October 29. motorsport news

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Teams plan for CCup CARRERA CUP MCELREA Racing and Greg Murphy Racing have both put their hands up to run in the reborn Carrera Cup next year. Andy McElrea started his outfit in 2009 to run in the allPorsche category with Warren Luff and Nathan Caratti before the series was disbanded. The Queensland-based outfit – which has since been involved in a number of categories – is aiming to run up to four CupCars in 2011. McElrea hopes to run Luff as one of those drivers, while Yuey Tan, who drives for McElrea Racing in the GT3 Cup Challenge and Carrera Cup Asia, is another likely candidate. “I started the team to run in Carrera Cup, we had little

or no interest of running in other categories,” McElrea told eNews. “When I ran Paul Cruickshank Racing’s Carrera Cup team in 2007, we had four cars, and that ran really well, logistically and financially. “I’ve probably got two drivers confirmed verbally and there’s more we’re talking to. I want to run Luffy as our lead driver, and Yuey is very keen to do the series as well as Carrera Cup Asia.” Meanwhile, dual titlewinning outfit GMR is also keen, and will look to establish a multi-car Carrera Cup program alongside their Fujitsu Series campaign. “We’re pretty excited about Carrera Cup, we’d love to have an involvement again,” team owner Kevin Murphy said. “That was one of our core

businesses for a number of years, from 2003 until 2007, when we got into Fujitsu. We were running four cars and able to win a couple of championships with Fabian (Coulthard) and Alex (Davison). “It’ll be something we’d certainly like to get into. We

won’t be out there buying cars, but we will be opening up our workshop to look after customer cars at the same high level we’ve always done before. “We’ve got our hands right up there.” – MITCHELL ADAM

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Astranomical PRODUCTION CARS GARRY Holt will continue his Australian Manufacturers Championship campaign in Ryan McLeod’s Holden Astra at Morgan Park this weekend. After selling his dual Bathurst 12 Hour-winning BMW 335i earlier this year, the remainder of Holt’s season was up in the air. He joined McLeod in the turbocharged Astra at the Australian 6 Hour, taking a dominant Class C win

and ninth outright to maintain his outright AMC points lead. Holt will be back in the car this weekend at the newlyextended circuit, with results to play a role in what he drives for the season finale at Sandown in October. “It’s a great little car,” Holt said. “It doesn’t have the power of the BMW, but it handles very well. I don’t know how well it’ll go at Morgan Park; the old circuit probably would’ve

suited it better. “We’ll see what happens this weekend with the championship and work out what I’ll do for Sandown after that. I might run Barry Morcom’s BMW, he’s offered me that, or I might be in something very different.” Holt will be part of a 15-car field at Morgan Park in the penultimate round of the AMC. The inaugural Australian 6 Hour at Eastern Creek has had some flow-on, with Rod

Barrett (FPV F6 Typhoon), Steve Briffa and Christian D’Agostin (HSV Clubsport) and Ian and Aaron Thorp (Renault Clio 197) among those joining championship regulars. Meanwhile, McLeod is making preparations to take the giant-killing Astra overseas, to contest January’s Dubai 24 Hour. Holt is yet to decide if he’ll join the driver lineup, with fellow Production Car racer Lee Castle already signed on. – MITCHELL ADAM

Kiwi joins Aussie MINI field at PI MINI CHALLENGE FORMER New Zealand MINI Challenge Champion Craig Inness will drive the Pizza Capers UberStar car in the next round of the Australian series at Phillip Island. Innes won the 2008/2009 series and the 2WD class of the New Zealand Production Racing Series over the summer of 2009 and 2010. “I tried not to get too excited before I was confirmed as Pizza Capers UberStar driver but now that it is confirmed, I am very excited at the opportunity,” Innes said. 16

“I am borrowing a MINI from a friend a few weeks prior to the event so that I can get my eye in, because I don’t want to waste a practice session trying to get used to the car again. “It will take a little bit to get my head around the R56 as we use a supercharged R53 version of the MINI in New Zealand but essentially the nature and handling of the car is the same so I’m confident we can be in the mix from the word go.” Phillip Island will host the fifth of seven rounds in the 2010 MINI Challenge. motorsport news

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AUSTRALIAN RALLY HYUNDAI’S diesel-powered rally car could make the switch from dirt to tarmac in 2011. Mick Gillett and Harvey Smith have competed in two Australian Rally Championship rounds this year – Coffs Coast and Queensland – in their turbodiesel Hyundai i30. Backed by Hyundai Genuine Parts and Accessories, the car showed plenty of promise in Queensland,

winning the P4 class, the Showroom class, the Eco-Rally Challenge class, as well as finishing second of the two-wheeldrive cars and a very respectable eighth outright in the ARC class Along with a full ARC program for ‘11, Gillett is hoping to debut the i30 at Targa Tasmania, in the Showroom class. “We’d like to do the full Australian Rally Championship, plus another couple of things. We’d like to take the car to Targa,” he told eNews.

Michael Vettas

i30 SET FOR TARGA

“The car is not that modified, because we run under showroom specs. The brakes are pretty much bolt on, bolt off, although the suspension is a bit more work, because we have MCA gear in it. But I don’t think it would be too much of a hassle to convert it to tarmac specification.” A diesel-powered i30 has already competed at Targa Tasmania, with West Aussie Razvan Vlad taking on last year’s event with a similar Hyundai-backed car. – ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN

MADSEN SIGNS ON SPEEDWAY

John Morris/Mpix

SYDNEY driver Ian Madsen is the latest driver to sign on for a full program in the upcoming World Series Sprintcar season. WSS management has confirmed that Madsen will be a fully-contracted driver when the latest series kicks of in Brisbane on November 20. With Wayne Rowett also contracted for every race, there are now 15 drivers committed for the 2010/11 season. Madsen will drive for Perth team owner Garry Miller, after the two ran successfully together in the latter part of the last WA season. They also combined to win the A Main at the Perth Motorplex round of the 2009/10 WSS. motorsport news

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Five Minutes with ...

DEAN FIORE

It’s been a good week for Deano. The V8 show is coming back to his hometown of Perth, and Bing Lee has signed on as a major sponsor. By ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN

John Morris/Mpix

MOTORSPORT NEWS: As a proud Perth lad, it must be nice to have the future of V8 Supercars in WA secured for the next five years. DEAN FIORE: Yeah, definitely. We have had potential backers this year that haven’t come on board purely because there was no round in WA. That shows the strength of the WA support. Four of the major teams still trekked over here to do ride days to support their sponsors. To have this five-year deal will be a big relief commercially, and not just for me, but for the whole field. So you’re saying that as a Perth-based team, this will open up sponsorship opportunities. One hundred percent. Our team itself is based on the Gold Coast, but administratively and commercially we are a Perth team. We can now go to people that we couldn’t have done before, and that’s great. What needs improving most at Barbagallo Raceway? Not just for V8s, but in general, where should the money be spent? Obviously the pit facilities. The track need 20

a one-stop station, where you can pit, hang your boom out, and have better access. That probably means a wider pit lane as well. In the future, it would be nice to see a bigger and better layout. In addition to that, the track could do with some better access and car parking, and more grandstands. We want the crowd to be able to get more out of it. As a product of the WA club motorsport scene, is it nice to know that the competitors at that level will benefit as well? Absolutely. This has the potential to improve life for club racers out of sight. The new facilities might ultimately be being built for the V8 Supercars, but it improves it for everyone. And that doesn’t just include club racing, that includes driver training and functions and all the other uses the circuit has. This can’t be a waste of money. This will help benefit the local economy when the V8s are on – look at Adelaide, they’ve generated $33m just from Clipsal! That’s awesome. If we are anywhere near those figures that amazing, and like I said before, there are

so many other ways that the circuit will benefit. If the West Coast Eagles win the wooden spoon this year, will that put more pressure on you to do well next year and give the locals something to cheer about? (Laughs) I’m shattered that West Coast are going to win the wooden spoon. Absolutely shattered! But they’ll come back. There won’t be any pressure on me because they’ll be bigger and better next year. Finally, Bing Lee have finally stepped up as a major sponsor for Triple F Racing. That is a nice coup ... The way the calendar has panned out, the second half of the year works great for Bing Lee. There are two rounds in New South Wales, and they’ve got Panasonic on board too, so between the two of them they can go with whatever livery they like for each race. It might tie in with promotions or whatever they want – the space is theirs! It’s a big weight off my shoulders. Now I can just focus on the racing, but on the dough that’s coming in. motorsport news

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Dirk Klynsmith

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OPINION Martin D Clark – NASCAR Expert

DOMINO EFFECT

HILE NASCAR fans in Australia, understandably, want to know where Marcos Ambrose will race next season, the Silly Season is taking place on a much bigger stage here in Charlotte. Ambrose is a piece of the puzzle and, as we reported last week, all signs point to Richard Petty Motorsports in 2011, with Marcos driving either the #9 or #19 Fords. Petty’s currently runs four entries. What is clear about next season is that Elliott Sadler is leaving and that current RPM pilot Paul Menard is all but certain to move to Richard Childress Racing, taking his family’s Menard’s sponsorship with him. He will also drive a Nationwide car for Kevin Harvick’s self-owned team, piloting an RCR-engined Chevy with Menard backing. The next domino is Harvick himself. Although not confirmed, RCR’s pointsleading driver will have Budweiser backing, the now Belgian-owned brewer leaving Kasey Kahne and RPM at the end of the year to join the most improved

team of the season. AJ Allmendinger, who re-upped his contract with RPM during the week, finished a strong fourth at Watkins Glen on Sunday, and I believe he will be the ‘lead’ car at the team next year. It’s possible Best Buy could be back as a primary backer for some races on his car, but with Menard’s pot of gold (and almost certainly Budweiser) leaving, the current four-car team has no other backing confirmed. So, RPM may shrink to just two entries next year; Allmendinger and, perhaps, Ambrose. But the team will not be that worried about sponsorship; Petty’s falls under the Roush Fenway Racing banner and the ‘Fenway’ side of that equation is John W Henry, owner of baseball’s Boston Red Sox. Some of the sport’s best in sourcing marketing dollars could be working for Ambrose before 2011 starts. But, if you are like me, you might be wondering: why, amid all this uncertainty, why is Ambrose ending his contract, and a confirmed 2011 seat, with JTG Daugherty Racing a year early? Sure, the gas-saving debacle at Sonoma

that handed a certain win to Jimmie Johnson has to be one reason. However the answer may be found at Watkins Glen. In a Goodyear tyre test there in the first week of June, Ambrose swapped cars with Jeff Gordon and drove a Hendrick’s Chevy. This is something almost unheard of between teams with support from opposing manufacturers, but for Ambrose, this was his first taste of anything other than a JTG or Waltrip-prepared, current Cup car – and it’s possible that the difference was a revelation. After the test, Gordon was, publicly, most complimentary about Ambrose’s driving. Whether he offered an opinion about the Camry to the Tasmanian remains between the two. But that taste of a top-flight Hendrick Chevrolet may just have been the eye-opening catalyst to prompt Ambrose to work on an exit from his current position. Ironically, by allowing him to sample a different car, Toyota and Chevy might just have created a new threat to both of them – from Ford. No-one tell me that motor racing is not a funny business! motorsport news

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OPINION Phil Branagan – Executive Editor

THEIR LOSS, OUR GAIN

Red Bull

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OLLOWING the news that the Red Bull Air Race is ‘taking a sabbatical’ next year, I must admit; I never really got thewhole thing anyway. The whole notion of ‘Formula 1-in-the-sky’ was beyond me. While I have happily plodded around racetracks that feature racecars capable of over 300kmh for years, I worried about the Air Race and the potential for planes to end up injuring pilots – or worse. This season alone, Adilson Kindlemann parked his MXS-R race plane in the Swan River with slightly less aplomb than Chesley Sullenberger might have done, and Matt Hall raised pulses when he touched the water in a practice run in Windsor, Ontario. That did not set off my alarm bells, but the fact that Hall was ordered to sit out the next race in New York did. Hall is a former RAAF fighter pilot and not a man given to worry about near misses. But the demise of the Red Bull Air Race is a boon for motor racing. The plans already in place for the West Australian government to invest $5m at Barbagallo Raceway received a bonus and my guess would be that much of that money was already earmarked for future Air Races. Aviation fans’ loss is our gain. The are good things to come out of this. One is that here is an example of a government investing money in a motorsport facility that will be in place, for the benefit of the community, all year round. Racetracks are already busy places from Monday to Friday and, perhaps, other governments may take notice. Premier Barnett, you have our permission to brag about this to your interstate counterparts at the next COAG meeting. Another bonus is that Eventscorp is going to get involved with the race. That is no comment on the WASCC’s credentials, at all, but events like the Air Show, and Rally Australia, were absolutely first-rate in terms of their organization. The WRC fraternity regularly rated the Perth event the best on the calendar, for good reason, so we look forward to a boom event at Wanneroo (damn, did it again). One more thing. The Red Bull Air Race had its final event of the season, maybe ever, at Germany’s Lauritzring on the weekend. Hannes Arch won the event and Paul Bonhomme the title, but in the days leading up to the event, the series’ Technical Director, Adrian Judd, lost his life in a motorcycle accident. He was the man responsible for the safety of the aircraft competing in the events, and it is a tragic curtain call for the series.

The Shape of Things to A LMOST three weeks after IndyCar detailed the specification of its future racecar, with a Dallarasupplied safety cell fitted with aerodynamic kits developed by other companies, there has been no additional information available. eNews asked the opinion of a two teams at either end of the IndyCar financial totem pole – a small team that will need to purchase an aero kit and the highly competitive Penske team, which will likely develop its own. Rules dictate the aero kit can’t cost more than US$70,000 and must be made available to any team that wants to purchase it. Representing the smaller, low budget, one-car teams is Rob Edwards, the Chief Operations Officer of Fazzt Race Team, which runs Alex Tagliani’s entry. Edwards asked for the series to create a financial assistance program that will allow teams to spread 24

out the cost over three years. “The plan was to move forward,” said Edwards, who is happy that Dallara was chosen. “The committee did a great job coming up with the concept. As with anything in life, the devil is in the details. “The IndyCar series needs the right people in place to create a detailed road map of where we are going. Even though they have the concept there isn’t any rulebook yet. “The series needs to be driving the horse and cart – not Dallara. Unless the structure is there within the next couple weeks, Dallara will dictate what will happen. “Teams would have like to have the rules announced within one to two weeks of the IRL’s chassis announcement selecting Dallara. When the new chassis goes into effect, 40 chassis will become show cars. All the teams will be starting from scratch. When you buy a street car from a dealership, you are pretty happy to have it last seven years. This will be no

different than when in Champ Car all the teams switched to the Panoz chassis. “Given the parameters that the new Dallara chassis will be 200 pounds lighter, that will dictate changing everything on the car. Dallara will start building the cars but whoever builds the body kits needs sufficient lead time. Within the next three months, having a set of rules laid out is vital so that there is time for wind tunnel testing and Computational Fluid Dynamics. “We need time to design, make and test. There will likely be a subcommittee with a chairperson with people who understand how race teams operate, an aerodynamicist, and people experienced in designing race cars. “There will be a savings in the new engine budget in 2012, which will cost about $500,000 less. That savings can be applied to the cost of new cars. And, the first 28 chassis will be reduced in price by $150,000 thanks to a government

rebate for teams located in Indianapolis. But there needs to be a formula in place that Chip [Ganassi] and Roger Penske don’t buy all those cars.” (Note: Ganassi’s team is in Indianapolis and Penske’s is in North Carolina. Since the rebate is only for teams based in Indianapolis, those two teams, and Newman Haas, will not be eligible.) Representing the big teams, Tim Cindric, also agreed it’s time for a new car. “We just want to understand where we are going,” said Cindric, who admitted Penske could develop its own aero kit. “A lot of good ideas are out there. The 2012 car is more thought through by more qualified individuals than any car I can recall. We are optimistic the racing and safety will be as good as ever. “Obviously, there are a lot of details to understand from a competitive viewpoint. Having a decision 18 months in advance is actually a positive for the series. There are still

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Come

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A brand new look: Dallara’s chassis cell, above, will host a number of different aero kits, top, the makers of which must make available to other teams on a commercial basis. So far, the reaction has been generally positive, from Fazzt’s Rob Edwards, left, and Tim Cindric of Penske.

sutton-images.com

a lot of questions from the competitive side. “The foundation of the new chassis is the safety cell from Dallara as the first piece of the puzzle. But what are the actual regulations for the car? What can a team develop independently? How will various body kit regulations be applied?” “The overall process, how to expand and construct, is based on car count. As the car count decreases, the development will shrink. As the car count increases, the development opens. The first year the biggest challenge is everybody obtaining equipment. The capital expenses will be highest the first year. “It’s time for a change. Recall 10 years ago, we changed cars on an annual basis. The world is a lot different now. When technical people not close to our sport come to IndyCar races and see our cars, they are fascinated by cars that we view as outdated. Lotus management has

IndyCar’s future involves a single, Dallara chassis, with teams developing their own aero kits. MARY BIGNOTTI MENDEZ asked teams from both ends of pitlane for their reaction to the new initiatives

admitted they will develop an aerodynamic package for the Dallara, the famed

maker having a link through KV Racing Technology, and while Lola and Swift appear

to still be very upset by the decision choosing Dallara, they are waiting for the rules to determine if it would be cost effective to design aero kits for the IndyCar series in 2012. Whatever happens, the new car will not satisfy everyone – no car will ever be approved unanimously. New partnerships will be formed. Some teams will flourish, some will not. Let us hope that the new cars produce good racing – because so far, it appears that they are producing fascinating politics. 25

IZOD INDYCAR SERIES ROUND 12, MID-OHIO

SUPER DARIO

Will Power threw everything he had at Franchitti, but it wasn’t enough to stop the Scot from stealing the win at Mid-Ohio

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race

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ARIO Franchitti has won the latest round of the IZOD IndyCar Series, but Aussie Will Power sure did make him work for it. It came down to slicker pit work from the Ganassi. There was little between Franchitti and Power throughout the race, but the Scot managed to get the jump coming out of the pits – twice – to gain track position. He then had to withstand extreme pressure from Power over the last 15 laps to grab the win by just half a second. “I think the key to the race, obviously, was [that] the Target car was very fast,” said Franchitti. “I drove every lap like it was a qualifying lap today, whether I was behind Will or ahead of Will. But the key was that first pit stop by the Target boys, to get me out ahead, especially [in] a 35-foot pit box. It’s the tightest we run. “In practice, we couldn’t get the thing out of the box with Will parked in his, or get it in properly. But when the race win was on the line, it didn’t seem quite as difficult and [we] managed to pass him. I think that was the key today, because we were incredibly evenly matched on the track.” “Dario, he just got out before us,” added Power. “I mean, that was it. I couldn’t do anything about it. Obviously those guys did a really good stop. Initially, I thought they might have short-filled. “I was trying really hard at the end to make him make a mistake, letting him see me in his mirrors, letting him know if he made one little slip-up, I’m going to get him. That was the only way I was going to get by.” Helio Castroneves was third, but the star of the race was fourth place finisher Alex Tagliani. The Canadian led the most laps, after making his first stop just laps before a full-course caution. When the remainder of the field pitted under yellow, Tagliani lined up first behind the Safety Car – having come from 14th on the grid. Under racing conditions, Tagliani looked to have the speed to keep Power and Franchitti behind him. But a slightly early last stop saw him tumble to fourth. Behind the top four was Scott Dixon in fifth, while Ryan Briscoe could only manage sixth. Back in seventh was Raphael Matos, who gained a whopping 12 spots throughout the race to lead home Simona de Silvestro – a career best finish for the fast femme. Former Formula 1 pilot Takuma Sato looked like he was on for a good weekend, qualifying third and briefly running ahead of Franchitti in the early part of the race. But a late crash took him out of the running, capping off a bad day for the KV squad, after a tangle between EJ Viso and Justin Wilson had caused the day’s first caution. 28

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race

Hard Luck Stories: Takuma Sato, above, qualified well but crashed out late in the race after a bad pit stops. Alex Tagliani, below, qualified poorly but found himself in the lead thanks to strategy – only to be bundled back to fourth at the last round of stops.

Top 10 Points: Power 461, Franchitti 420, Dixon 379, Briscoe 352, Castroneves 340, Hunter-Raey 336, Tony Kanaan 304, Andretti 266, Justin Wilson 262, Dan Wheldon 259.

Results :: Honda Indy 200, Mid-Ohio

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Pos

Driver

Team/Car

Qual

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

10 12 3 77 9 6 2 78 26 37

Dario Franchitti Will Power Helio Castroneves Alex Tagliani Scott Dixon Ryan Briscoe Raphael Matos Simona de Silvestro Marco Andretti Ryan Hunter-Reay

Target Chip Ganassi Racing Verizon Team Penske Team Penske CV Logistics/FAZZT Race Team Target Chip Ganassi Racing Team Penske HP de Ferran Dragon Team Stargate Worlds Meijer Team IZOD

2 1 6 14 5 7 19 10 9 4 29

NASCAR Round 22 - WATKINS GLEN, NY

Top

Juan NASCAR Media

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You’d expect a top effort on a road course from a former Grand Prix winner, and that is what Juan Pablo Montoya delivered at Watkins Glen. But as you also might expect, his main opposition came from another of NASCAR’s ‘foreigners’ ... By MARTIN D CLARK

fter two poor results in the last two races at Indianapolis and at Pocono, Juan Pablo Montoya finally found his way to Victory Lane on Sunday at the Watkins Glen road course, taking his second NASCAR victory. “This was awesome,” said Montoya, who headed 74 laps and ended a 113-race losing streak. “Last two years here I should have won it, but always was out of brakes. This time I played it really smart and when it was time to go, we

had the car. I drove it at 95 percent, we raced really smart all day, because we definitely needed this.” After starting third, Montoya passed polesitter Carl Edwards and took the lead from his Earnhardt Ganassi Racing team-mate Jamie McMurray on lap six. Aside from an onHeluva Good Juan: Montoya brought his road course expertise to bear at Watkins Glen, main, but so too did Marcos Ambrose, inset, who fought the Columbian hard.

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track pass by Marcos Ambrose through the mid-point of the 90 lap race, he was unchallenged on the way to a 4.7 second lead at the finish line. Ambrose was exceptionally strong from his 11th qualifying spot and moved into second on lap 25, taking the lead in turn one from Montoya on lap 40. But a caution saw a lap 46 restart, and that was where Ambrose first showed signs of weakness. Starting to the inside of Montoya, he sailed off into turn one, but over revved the engine entering the turn and the car wheel hopped losing traction and valuable positions to drop back to fourth. He fought his way back to second, but that’s where the Tasmanian stayed through cautions and final green flag pit stops until Kurt Busch passed him on the

final lap, giving Busch a career best road course result. “I think it was maybe a bad set of tyres or something,” said Ambrose, who later reported his lean engine settings hurt him at restarts. “After the last pitstop we had nothing for them, we lost the balance of the race car and struggled. It was a lot of fun racing Juan in the middle part of the race, neck and neck. “We’re not running for a championship so there was not much left out there. I wore everything out trying to pass him, it was a real thrill to compete against a guy like that.” AJ Allmendinger gave Richard Petty Motorsports a sound result in fourth, with Edwards good for fifth and McMurray sixth.

Jimmie Johnson got the worst of a three-wide battle between Jeff Burton and Kyle Busch. Johnson was spun and was hit hard by Denny Hamlin, while Tony Stewart spun out Boris Said, the latter forcing ‘Smoke’ off course, which Stewart didn’t appreciate so stayed in the gas to end Boris’s day against the fence in the Red Bull Toyota while running in the top 10. Final battle: Montoya heads Ambrose and Kurt Busch at the final green flag, main. Ambrose gets inside Kurt Busch at turn one, inset left. This is the exact move Busch would use on Ambrose to snatch second place late in the race. Another bad day for Jimmie Johnson, who tangled with Denny Hamlin, inset right.

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Results :: Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at the Glen Pos. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

No. 42 2 47 43 99 1 14 18 31 24

Driver Juan Montoya Kurt Busch Marcos Ambrose AJ Allmendinger Carl Edwards Jamie McMurray Tony Stewart Kyle Busch Jeff Burton Jeff Gordon

Make Chevrolet Dodge Toyota Ford Ford Chevrolet Chevrolet Toyota Chevrolet Chevrolet

Team Ganassi Penske JTG Daugherty Petty Roush Fenway Ganassi Stewart Haas Joe Gibbs Childress Hendrick

Sponsor Target Miller Lite Little Debbie Insignia HDTV Aflac McDonalds Old Spice M&Ms Caterpillar DuPont

Qual. 3 5 11 4 1 2 6 10 22 16

Top 10 Points: Harvick 3080, Gordon 2891, Hamlin 2829, Johnson 2803, Burton 2757, Kyle Busch 2724, Kurt Busch 2722, Stewart 2719, Kenseth 2682, Edwards 2666, Biffle 2652, Bowyer 2564.

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NASCAR NATIONWIDE Round 22 – WATKINS GLEN, NY

The Devil’s Playground His future may not be settled, but one thing about Marcos Ambrose is – he is unbeatable in a Nationwide car, at Watkins Glen

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CHIP Ganassi isI having quite a year. The NASCAR team he co-owns was victorious in the Daytona 500 in February, and Dario Franchitti won for Ganassi in the Indy 500 in May. Less than race

N what appears to be the most starladen NASCAR top-10 in history, Marcos Ambrose has shown his domination of Watkins Glen by taking his third straight Nationwide win on the New York state track. The Australian sped away from the pack in his Toyota and established a 3s-plus lead, before easing off on his way to the chequered flag. He later revealed that his run was hampered by a broken gearbox mount. “To win three in a row here is pretty sweet; it’s a huge result for the team,” he said. “I’m saying goodbye to JTG Daugherty Racing at the end of the year, so it’s nice to score a win for them.” Second was Joey Logano who, after his bestever result on a road course. “We had nothing for the #47 – he's the man,” said Logano. “ This is the first time I’ve been happy with a second-place but when I come

to a road course like this, that’s definitely the first time I’ve been excited.” Cup points leader Kevin Harvick edged out Nationwide points leader Brad Keselowski for third. Kyle Busch led home Canadian road course expert Ron Fellows for fifth, ahead of two of the sport’s best-know names. Nelson Piquet and Gilles Villeneuve both created their share of history when the track hosted Formula 1 events and Piquet Jr took a strong eight in his Nationwide debut, ahead of Jacques Villeneuve. Both former F1 drivers were in their first event at the Glen, Villeneuve in his his fourth NW start. It appears that the Brazilian, who raced a Baker Curb Ford in the event, may have a future racing in the second-tier series, if he can land a ride for 2011. In the meantime, he has more Truck races ahead and could race in the Montreal NW event.

He can make it there, but ... Ambrose one again proved to be the class of the field on Saturday, taking his third win at Watkins Glen. In the same Baker Curb entry driven by Owen Kelly at Watkins Glen, Nelson Piquet Jr finished in the top 10 – and failed to prompt any yellow flags.

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IRON JASON

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race WORLD OF OUTLAWS JASON Meyers flexed his muscles as he picked up a cheque for US$20,000 after winning the world’s longest Sprintcar race, the Ironman 55 in Missouri on the weekend. It is just the second time the unique 55-lap race has been held at the I-55 Raceway at Pevely, and Meyers would claim a tense victory on the final lap by a mere 0.092s over Lucas Wolfe with Tim Shaffer third. It was Meyers’ eighth win of the season and has significantly tightened up the battle in the World of Outlaws Championship, closing current leader Joey Saldana’s lead to just 46 points. Meyers started the feature in position two, with Shaffer on pole and the pair would battle out the race until Wolfe made a late challenge over the last

three laps. Wolfe closed the gap on Meyers and with two to go it was nose-to-tail racing for the pair. As the chequered flag was being prepared, Wolfe did a big slide job in turns three and four to take top spot and charge down the front straightaway with Meyers right behind him. Meyers wasn’t done, though, and dived down low at the start-finish line to inch out Wolfe to win. “To win any race here, let alone a 55-lap race is pretty special,” Meyers said. “It was a long race and we were a little tight at the beginning, but we set up for that. I waited for the car to kind of come to me and it did after the fuel came off a little bit. It ended up being a very good car tonight.” “I was thinking I made the wrong decision when he (Wolfe) came by me, but I was

able to get back by him, he drove a great race [and] it’s great to race guys like that.” Kraig Kinser finished fourth ahead of Saldana, Steve Kinser, Donny Schatz, Paul McMahan, Kerry Madsen with Jason Sides rounding out the Top 10. The World of Outlaws takes a short break now until August 20 and 21 with the Magic City Showdown at Nodak Speedway in Minot, North Dakota, to kick off the 2010 Gold Rush Tour. Between now and then will be the 50th running of the prestigious Knoxville Nationals set to start this Wednesday, with 110 sprintcars set to compete for the US$150,000 first prize. Points: Saldana 6611, Steve Kinser 6602, Jason Meyers 6565, Schatz 6446, Sides 6393, Paul McMahan 6334, Wolfe 6145, Craig Dollansky 6100, Kraig Kinser 5958, Danny Lasoski 5938. – GEOFF ROUNDS

Stewart wins 360 Nationals SPEEDWAY

Daniel Beard

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REIGNING Warrnambool Classic winner and regular Australian visitor, Shane Stewart has beat some stellar company to win the 20th running of the 360 Knoxville Nationals last weekend in Ohio. Stewart held it all together after getting to the lead of the 25-lap race on Lap 10, and

although challenged he never gave up to the advances of Outlaws stars, Sammy Swindell and Jason Johnson. Two Australians made the feature with Warrnambool’s Jamie Veal home in 17th and Brooke Tatnell 24th. The event is held as a prelude to this week’s Knoxville Nationals, and usually attracts some of the biggest Sprintcar names in the

world as the warm-up for the Nationals. Some drivers entered this meeting and double duty in their 410 and 360-powered machines and in the 410 feature on the same night it was Johnny Herrera winning from Aussie Skip Jackson, Sammy Swindell, while Veal put in another superb effort to take fourth. – GEOFF ROUNDS

WALL UNBREAKABLE KARTING

MATTHEW Wall, Cian Fothergill and Pierce Lehane walked away from the final round of the CIK Start of Karting Series at Port Melbourne with the big trophies on Sunday. Wall picked up the John Pizarro trophy for winning Pro Gearbox, Fothergill took out Pro Light, while Lehane claimed the honours in Pro Junior. The title win for Wall at his home circuit came following contrasting weekends for the two title protagonists. Kel Treseder led the Pro Gearbox points entering the event but struggled all weekend and could only muster seventh in the final. Meanwhile, Wall was a strong second behind debutant David Sera to snatch the crown by six points and secure a spot on the grid at

the prestigious SuperNats in Las Vegas in November. “This is simply an amazing feeling,” Wall said. “I’m now 32 years old, so my time at the top of the sport is possibly running out and this championship is something that I wanted more than anything. “The Pro Gearbox category and the CIK Stars of Karting Series this year has been great, we’ve got the best drivers racing against each other. So when you win a round, or a championship you certainly earn it.” Troy Woolston secured third for the season, while Jordie Lindstrom wrapped up the Victorian State Championship. In Pro Light, Fothergill played second fiddle to local debutant Adam Hughes, but did enough to win the title by 50 points over defending champion

Hayden McBride. “I came into this year purely to test and prepare myself for an all out assault in 2011 so to come out and win the championship is a dream come true,” Fothergill, who will compete at the Asia Pacific Championships in Japan next year as part of his prize, said. “Adam was very fast this weekend, he had some great pace and I’m looking forward to hopefully having him as a part of the series next year when I defend my title.” Lehane capped off his title winning Pro Junior season with a victory in the final ahead of Aidan Wright and James Macken, having secured the championship earlier in the day. In the East Coast Titles, Jason Hryniuk won Clubman and Mitchell Gee wrapped up Junior Nationals.

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Erickson the Second AUSSIES OVERSEAS

DANIEL Erickson has walked away from the latest two rounds of the US-based F2000 Championship Series with two second places. The Aussie was on the pace right from the start of the weekend at Road America, taking on the daunting circuit for the first time and smashing the qualifying record to bits while

qualifying fastest. But in the first race Erickson was unhappy with the balance of his car, and had to settle for second place behind series leader Victor Carbone. The second race was an epic affair. With four cars all fighting for the lead, Jonathan Scarallo managed to grab the lead with two laps to go and hold on for his first win. Erickson held on for second, after once again fighting

handling issues. “I managed to hold second on the start and then got around Scarallo,” Erickson said. “The car developed some handling issues but the racing going on at the front of the pack was just brilliant. Everyone was clean and it was some great dicing.” The final two rounds of the year will be held at Mid-Ohio in September.

AUSSIES EVERYWHERE IN MALAYSIA AUSSIES OVERSEAS TWO all-Australian teams finished in the Top 10 at last weekend’s 11th Merdeka Millennium Endurance Race at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia. Tony Quinn, Klark Quinn

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and Paul Weel combined to score the best finish for an Australian team, finishing sixth in their Porsche 997 RS. One place behind them was Mark Cini, Mark Eddy and Max Twigg, who were in the Cup S version of the 997. David Wall was also in

action at the 12-hour race, sharing a Mosler with Andrew Macpherson and Mike Reedy. But the team struck disaster mid-race, with the Mosler losing power, and taking 2.5 hours to get started again. They finished down in 21st place.

At the front of the field, Tunku Hammam, Christopher Haase and Peter Kox combined to take outright victory in the Arrows Racing Lamborghini, beating the pre-race favourite Audi entry, driven by Frank Biela and Marco Werner and Daryl O’Young.

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Spengler leads Merc spanking DTM BRUNO Spengler’s second DTM win of the season at the Nurburgring has extended the Canadian’s advantage at the head of the series. Spengler took the lead off the line from pole-sitter

Mattias Ekstrom and was never headed again; leading home a 1-2-3 finish for Mercedes Benz, with Paul Di Resta and Gary Paffett completing the podium. “My start was mega,” Spengler, who now has a 16point lead of Jamie Green, said. “Afterwards, it was my target

to move away as quickly as possible and that was what I did. However, it was quite difficult, as there were always a few drops of rain. I thank my team for their great job. “We will now enjoy this moment, and tomorrow we will focus on the six races

which are still ahead of us.” Tim Scheider was the best of the Audis in fourth, ahead of Green. Ralf Schumacher scored his first points of the season with sixth and Ekstrom could only manage seventh after running wide at the first corner.

VERGNE AND MORTARA EXTEND F3 LEADS BRITISH F3 JEAN-ERIC Vergne has moved closer to the British Formula 3 Championship with his 10th and 11th wins of the season at Thruxton. After finishing second to team-mate James Calado in a Carlin 1-2-3-4 in the opening

race, Vergne came from sixth to win the Reverse Grid Race 2. The Frenchman then broke away from the pack to win Race 3 to win by 7.896s. With three rounds left, Vergne has a massive 104-point advantage over Oli Webb, who beat Calado to second in the final.

F3 EURO SERIES EDOARDO Mortara and Antonio Felix da Costa split the wins in the latest round of the Formula 3 Euro Series at the Nurburgring. From pole, Mortara took his fourth win of the year in the opening race to extend

his points lead. But passing proved difficult and with the top eight reversed in Race 2, Mortara could only manage sixth. He maintains a 22-point lead over Macro Wittmann, who was fifth in Race 1 and second to first-time victor Felix da Costa in Race 2.

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Jason plates up BTCC

Second good for first ALMS DAVID Brabham and Simon Pagenaud have extended their American Le Mans Series points lead with second at Mid-Ohio. With Pagenaud at the wheel, the Highcroft HPD put in a late race charge, but couldn’t unseat Chris Dyson and Guy Smith, who took their first win of the season in a Lola Mazda. Clint and Jon Field led the way for much of the race,

and eventually looked set for third but suffered mechanical problems. That handed the final podium position to Christophe Bouchut and Scott Tucker, while the pole-sitting Lola of Paul Drayson and Jonny Crocker was eliminated early after clashing with lapped traffic. Brabham and Pagenaud now have a 23-point buffer at the top of the points with three rounds remaining. “Second is good for us today because it is a big

points haul which will help us a lot in the championship,” Brabham said. “Today was very similar to 2008 when I was chasing down the Penske Porsche at the finish and Simon was right on his tail of the Mazda the whole way. “It is very difficult to pass here and if you don’t have that little bit of straight line speed it can make it really challenging. It has been a good day overall with a strong haul of points.”

GANASSI GOES TRIPS GRAND-AM ON a weekend where Ganassi Racing picked up NASCAR and IndyCar victories, Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas gave the team a dominant Grand-Am win at

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Watkins Glen. In the team’s BMW Riley, Pruett led home the Max Angelelli and Ricky Taylor Ford Dallara by 2.722s to win their seventh race of the year – an equal record in Grand-Am. With two rounds remaining,

Pruett and Rojas hold a 26point buffer at the top of the points over Ryan Dalziel, who finished fourth with Mike Forest. Alex Gurney and Jon Fogarty claimed third place, while Leh Keen and James Gue took out the GT class.

WITH a pair of wins and a fifth in Round 6 at Snetterton, Jason Plato has moved into the lead of the BTCC. Plato took wins in the opening two races to claim the lead over Matt Neal, who wasn’t classified in Race 1 after suffering a puncture and recovered to ninth in Race 2. In the Top 10 reverse grid final race, Gordon Shedden took the win in his Honda, ahead of Rob Collard, who forced Neal back to third on the final lap. Plato consolidated with fifth, to leave the weekend with a 20-point buffer. “I expected us to be strong here and so it’s proved,” Plato said. “The team has used the summer break really well and dug deep into all the data. We’ve improved a couple of key areas and the result is a really fantastic race car now in the Cruze. “This is where last year we really got our championship going and I have a sneaky feeling we’re going to be very strong again from here on in. I’m feeling very confident for Silverstone.”

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LIVING IN AMERICA

Is the Australian racing dream moving from Europe to the United States? Maybe. Here we see Marcos Ambrose being dwarfed by his team owner Brad Daugherty (a former NBA Basketballer, BTW), and young gun Daniel Erickson spending some time with another US-based Aussie, David Brabham. Yep, living the dream ...

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