Motorsport eNews Issue 225 - October 4-10, 2011

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Issue No. 225 October 04 - 10 2011

V8s AND F1 TOGETHER AT ABU DHABI? IT COULD HAPPEN – AS EARLY AS 2012. DETAILS INSIDE

THE MOUNTAIN CALLS: A FINAL PREVIEW OF THE 2011 GREAT RACE

EXCLUSIVE: WALTRIP TALKS www.mnews.com.au BATHURST WITH eNEWS

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BATHURST AND BEYOND

in the latest issue of motorsport news, craig lowndes talks exclusively about the title, winning another bathurst 1000 and his future plus: our car-by-car bathurst preview, a look back at bathursts past, inside the life of wrc star petter solberg, will power on his indycar title tilt, and a first person account of the us drag racing nationals. and a whole lot more!

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AT RACE

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Abu Dhabi Do? V8s could support F1 date 7 Where New Zealand Hamilton to go, Air Base race?

8 Ingall Turns 200 Though he claims he’s 47 12 Webber explains starts Pirellis are different 14 Clint Eastward ... to MWR Bowyer/Toyota deal Friday

chat 22 Five Minutes With ...

Dieter Zetsche

feature 24 Looking to the Bathurst 1000 race 38 Australasian Safari 42 Kentucky IndyCar 46 Dover NASCAR 50 Magny Cours WSBK

trade 56 Classifieds 3

WILL V8s RACE AT THE ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX?

Grand Prix support slot rather than a standalone V8 Supercar event mooted for 2012 calendar

V

8 SUPERCARS may be about to add another Formula 1 event to its calendar, with eNews sources suggesting that V8s will play support to the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in 2012.

With a calendar announcement imminent, talk of V8 Supercars’ future in the Middle East has been quiet. But well-placed sources are telling eNews that, following rumoured cutbacks at the Yas Marina circuit, a standalone round in Abu Dhabi is now unlikely.

Instead, V8 Supercars may join

4

the support bill for the Formula 1 Grand Prix next November, making it the second F1 event that V8 Supercars race at, along with the Australian Grand Prix.

A deal to race at the Abu Dhabi GP would have its complications. The 2012 Abu Dhabi F1 race is scheduled for November 2-4 – so if the Gold Coast retained its traditional spot two weeks after Bathurst, teams would have less than a week to get from Surfers Paradise to the Middle East, an unlikely prospect. With the Abu Dhabi date already well and

truly locked away by Formula One Management and the FIA, the GC 600 would be forced to find a new date.

Another sticking point could be Singapore. V8 Supercars Australia would be unlikely to want three events as a support category – as well as being at the behest of Bernie Ecclestone and FOM – so an Abu Dhabi deal would be likely to put paid to any chance of V8 Supercars racing at the Singapore Grand Prix.

There are also matters of television coverage, with a

potential clash between Seven and ONE HD, which could also affect whether or not the round would be for championship points. eNews contacted V8 Supercars’ International Director Martin Whitaker about the immediate future of the Abu Dhabi race, but he was unable to shed any real light on the subject.

“A lot of that will come out when we have the calendar announcement in a week or so,” he said.

“There’s not much more I can add to that. Obviously we’ve

motorsport news

NEWS

U

FILIPINO DRIVER TESTS V8 SUPERCAR V8 SUPERCARS

F

ILIPINO driver Enzo Pastor has had his first taste of V8 Supercars, testing a TeamVodafone Commodore at Queensland Raceway last Thursday.

Pastor, a former Asian Formula 3 driver, drove the #888 Commodore in both wet and dry conditions at the Ipswich circuit, having earlier completed an evaluation with Paul Morris at the Holden Performance Driving Centre in Norwell.

According to V8 Supercars’ International Director Martin Whitaker, the test is the first step towards a full-time Fujitsu Series program for Pastor, with a Wild Card entry at a main series race in the Philippines the ultimate goal.

“His ambition is to do the Fujitsu Series in 2012,” Whitaker told eNews.

“If he does a full season of the Fujitsu Series, that might allow him to get a Wild Card entry for the race in the Philippines in 2013 – much like we did with the Bahrainis. That’s what we were trying to achieve.

“Enzo had to prove his qualities, so to begin with he went to Norwell and Paul Morris personally coached him. Paul did a fantastic job. I think Paul was pleasantly surprised, because none of us knew what Enzo was going to be like.

“At Queensland Raceway, Roland and the whole of the Triple Eight team were there, and it came together excellently. The day wasn’t great, because it was very wet to start off with. But actually, Enzo performed very well on wet tyres.

“He did a concise and excellent job. He didn’t put it off, and he was quick – compared to some of the Fujitus Series guys that were there, he was quicker

r got a fantastic working relationship with the people in Abu Dhabi, and we’re working on ensuring that we have a long-term future there.

It’s as simple as that.”

When asked if any future events would be standalone or as a Formula 1 support category, Whitaker declined to comment.

“I wouldn’t want to comment on that,” he told eNews.

“That’s one that we have to wait and see about.”

– ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN

than them, and that’s very, very encouraging. Most importantly, he’s a calm individual, he’s got a lot of humility and he listens to people.”

Pastor said that he was happy with his progress throughout the day – and with the V8 Supercar product as a whole.

“In terms of Touring Cars, this is for me way better than driving World Touring Car Championship, which I am supposed to be doing,” he said.

“I struggled the first two laps and then gradually picked up. According to the team, my time was matching some of the current Fujitsu Series drivers, so they were impressed with my time in the wet.

“It dried up in the afternoon so I was running the slicks. As soon as they put newer tyres on my lap times just kept coming down. The cars are very stable, [and] the power is great. It was overwhelming in the wet, but with the slick on I got used to it pretty quickly.”

– ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN

WHITAKER: MOMENTUM FOR FILIPINO RACE IS BUILDING V8 SUPERCARS

Dirk Klynsmith

www.mnews.com.au

ENZO Pastor’s V8 Supercar test is a clear sign that a V8 Supercar event in the Philippines is gaining serious traction, according to V8 Supercars’ International Director Martin Whitaker.

Just months after V8 Supercars announced their intentions to race in the Philippines in 2013, the Filipino driver tested a TeamVodafone Commodore at Queensland Raceway (see separate story).

Whitaker, who was on hand for Pastor’s test, told eNews that the test was an important step in getting the Filipino round off the ground.

“From our perspective, Enzo and his father are incredibly well connected in the Philippines, and we had meetings with Tom Pastor when I was up in Manila four or five weeks ago,” Whitaker said.

“So he’s been great in leading us through the

minefield of government authorities and private sector companies who are looking to invest in an event that would take part at Clark from 2013 onwards.

“One element from the test was to show them what V8 Supercars are all about, give them a first-hand feel for it, show them the preparations for the Gold Coast, drive the car, and further our discussions.

“I have to say that the momentum towards 2013 is very encouraging. There’s a good ground swell of opinion, which is what you need in a country where there is no real heritage of international motorsport.

“They are very excited that V8 Supercars could be the first major international motor racing event to take place in the Philippines.”

– ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN 5

WATERS TO BREAK BATHURST RECORD V8 SUPERCARS Dirk Klynsmith

CAMERON Waters will become the youngest ever driver to race in the Bathurst 1000 this week, after winning the inaugural Shannons Supercar Showdown.

Waters beat British Touring Car Championship race winner Andrew Jordan to the opportunity to race a Kelly Racing-prepared VE Commodore in The Great Race, after a two-day shootout in the Shannons-backed car at Winton.

Waters, 17, will beat Paul Dumbrell’s record as youngest ever starter by just a week.

“I’ve only ever been around the track in a road car,” said Waters.

“I’ve been watching a lot of in-car and race vision on YouTube and what the team has given me, and also driven around it a lot on my simulator to learn it as much as I can. The first time I go out there I will just take it easy and get my head around where all the corners go and find my braking markers and stuff like that. I’ll just have to wait and see how I go in that first practice.

“There has been heaps of preparation go in.

I’ve been on my rFactor simulator and looking at vision and data as much as I can, but that doesn’t really do Bathurst justice. It’s a pretty amazing track, so we’ll just have to wait and see what happens when we get up there.”

“I’ve had two test days now and each time I’ve improved and learned a little bit more. I’m pretty comfortable in the car now, but I guess I’m never going to be 100 percent ready for Bathurst, because it’s such an awesome track and pretty hard to get around.

“I’ll just have to go up there, be smart and give it my all.”

Waters will be paired with Grant Denyer in the car that Rick Kelly drove to victory in Saturday’s race at Hamilton earlier this year.

HAMILTON DEAL OFF V8 SUPERCARS

NEXT year’s V8 Supercar street race in Hamilton, New Zealand, will be the last.

Late last week, V8 Supercars Australia and the Hamilton City Council issued a joint statement announcing that next April’s race in the town will the last.

According to the statement, the decision to terminate the contract between V8SA and HCC is a mutual one, led by poor ticket sales in 2011. The statement blamed the earthquakes in Canterbury and the one-off Rugby World Cup for the poor attendance earlier this year.

HCC will receive a one-off NZ$1.25 million payment from V8SA, while V8SA has released HCC from its annual financial commitment after the 2012 race.

“This is the best outcome for both the city and V8 Supercars,” said Hamilton Mayor Julie Hardaker.

“While I am sorry to see such a high profile event go, there has been a cost to the ratepayers which is not sustainable.

We’ve reached an agreement with the promoters that is the best for the city.”

As recently as this year’s Hamilton race, V8SA told media that New Zealand’s future on the V8 Supercar schedule was safe – despite what that future held for Hamilton. However, now Hamilton is off the table, Tony Cochrane is less bullish

about the chances of NZ staying on the calendar beyond 2012.

“We have loved our time in Hamilton and are looking forward to staging the 2012 race as planned,” he said.

“A street circuit is expensive to create, with race infrastructure unique to each venue, and requires considerable corporate sponsorship to achieve.

Despite our best efforts, in the current market we could not secure the corporate support we had budgeted for Hamilton.

“The 2012 event will be our last in the Waikato [region], and while we assure fans we will do everything possible to find a new venue, unfortunately we cannot guarantee racing in New Zealand after 2012.”

While it seems work on finding a new venue is well under way (see separate story), the last line of Cochrane’s comments are very different to comments made by then-CEO Martin Whitaker in New Zealand last April, which read: “The most important thing is our relationship with New Zealand as a whole, and that is very much a long term relationship. The future of V8 Supercars is very much in place as far as New Zealand is concerned.”

It would seem like that is no longer the case ...

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NEWS

Dirk Klynsmith

MURPHY: NZ RACE A PRIORITY V8 SUPERCARS KIWI superstar Greg Murphy has called for a new venue in New Zealand to be made an “absolute priority”, following the axing of the Hamilton street race from 2013 onwards.

Kelly Racing released a statement from Murphy immediately following the news that the contract between V8 Supercars Australia and the Hamilton City Council will be cancelled after the 2012 race next April.

“It must be an absolute priority to keep a race in New Zealand and I know that V8 Supercars is thinking the same way as well,” said Murphy.

“There has been a very successful event of the championship in New Zealand for quite some time.

“There are so many people in New Zealand that support the sport in a big way. It’s been so popular among Kiwis for such a long time that it’s clearly an integral part of the future of the sport to keep racing in New Zealand.

“Hamilton might be done and dusted after 2012 but I’m 99.9 percent confident that there will be another event following on from that pretty quickly.”

Murphy highlighted that proximity to Auckland was key for a successful future across the ditch.

“I think Auckland is the area that has to be looked at. You need population and it’s been proved that the key for street races is that you have to have the people. You need to take the racing to the people.

“We tried to do that in

Hamilton but there are a few things that probably got in the way of it. I think it’s just proven that effectively if you want a successful street race you have got to have the people.

“Even though Hamilton is not far from Auckland it just didn’t provide what was necessary to give the event the boost it needed to survive.

“North of the Bombay Hills is where a lot of the people are in New Zealand and it’s my belief that the Auckland area is where we need to look to for a new event.”

AIR BASE TOUTED AS POTENTIAL REPLACEMENT V8 SUPERCARS WHENUAPAI Air Base could be the new home for V8 Supercars in New Zealand, according to reports in the NZ Herald over the weekend.

The newspaper reported that the military airport is in line to take over the running of a V8 Supercar race, following the cancellation of the contract between V8

Supercars Australia and the Hamilton City Council (see separate story).

According to the story, NZ’s defence minister Wayne Mapp has confirmed that talks are in place for the Whenuapai Air Base, situated approximately 25 kilometres north east of Auckland, to stage a V8 Supercar race – in similar fashion to airport events that have been held for Champ Car and IndyCar in Cleveland in the USA, and

Edmonton in Canada. The circuit would be 3.5 kilometres in length, and would not utilise the main runway.

Kiwi motorsport legend Frank Radisich and town planner Peter Stinton are behind the ambitious plan.

“It’s a bums on seats equation,” Stinton told the NZ Herald.

“Auckland is the only place that can hold a big event, make it pay and get a big crowd.”

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TD GOES PINK V8 SUPERCARS TONY D’Alberto and Dale Wood will continue Wilson Security Racing’s support of the McGrath Foundation.

At Bathurst 2009 and Homebush 2010, Wilson-backed cars have traded green for pink to support the foundation, and this weekend is D’Alberto and Wood’s turn to don a special livery, pictured, at Bathurst under the Wilson Security Team McGrath banner.

NEW LOOK FOR RUSSELL’S 200TH V8 SUPERCARS THIS is the warpaint that Russell Ingall will carry at Bathurst this week – and in which he will make his 200th V8 Supercar race start.

The veteran driver is looking for a solid result in his Supercheap Auto Commodore, which he will share with Jack Perkins.

“The Bathurst 1000 is not a particularly hard race to win but it is a very easy race to lose,” said Ingall.

IRWIN AND SBR STICK TOGETHER V8 SUPERCARS IRWIN Tools has renewed its sponsorship deal with Stone Brothers Racing.

The American company will carry on its title sponsorship of the #4 SBR Falcon, which is currently being driven by Alex Davison. However, Lee Holdsworth will take over driving duties in that entry from 2012 onwards.

8

“Everyone at Stone Brothers Racing is delighted to have IRWIN Tools re-sign for another two years,” said team boss Ross Stone.

“Maintaining our relationship beyond the initial three years gives us the longevity and continuity that every professional V8 Supercar team strives for in a sponsor. We are also thrilled to see that they wanted to stay with us. We

have a solid relationship and a strong sponsorship foundation that we can continue to build upon.”

IRWIN’s managing director Nick Pritchard said that the V8 Supercar Championship’s inaugural visit to the United States of America, which will happen in 2012, played a big part in the company’s decision to renew its sponsorship deal.

“IRWIN Tools’ parent company

in America has always been impressed with the way in which we market and leverage our V8 involvement,” he said.

“Going to Texas to race in 2013 is one of the reasons why we extended our sponsorship with SBR. “Americans love their motorsport, when they see IRWIN Tools on an Aussie V8 I’m sure they will back us and the sport.” motorsport news

NEWS

PIRRO-UETTE V8 SUPERCARS

“The team that makes the least mistakes will end up at the pointy end.”

For more on Ingall’s pre-race thoughts, see Page 26 for our preview of the 2011 Great Race.

www.mnews.com.au

SCOTT Dixon is a late withdrawal from the Armor All Gold Coast 600.

With the New Zealander’s wife having just given birth to their first child, the IndyCar driver has elected to pull out of his drive with Shane van Gisbergen, and will be replaced at Stone Brothers Racing by five-time Le Mans winner Emanuele Pirro.

At 49, Pirro will be the oldest driver in the field, but has a wide range of experience, primarily in sportscars after making 40 Formula 1 starts for Scuderia Italia and Benetton.

“The chance to race on the Gold Coast is just fantastic,” the Italian said.

“I would like to thank Audi, being their brand ambassador, for having given me the permission to drive. I love street circuits and have lots of great memories from Down Under, I can’t wait to arrive.

“To join a young driver like Shane will be cool and I look forward to meeting him and sharing stories with each other and learning all the secrets of the V8 Supercars. He has had a lot of success this year already and watching last year’s race – he is clearly very good around the Gold Coast circuit. I’ve seen it on television over the years and its very unique – being right next to the beach.

“To come to Australia and race an endurance race on one of the world’s best known and most challenging street circuits will be great fun.”

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NEWS

RICHARDS HUNTS TCM WIN TCM

Dirk Klynsmith

A Small hint at DR’s future?

V8 SUPERCARS

Dirk Klynsmith

JAMES Small has not had long to cool his heels, having been snapped up by Ford Performance Racing.

Small, who parted ways with Kelly Racing last week, has joined FPR late last week. He will work on the engineering side for the #55 Rod Nash

Racing entry, to be driven by Paul Dumbrell and Dean Canto.

Following the race, he

will move into FPR’s design department.

The move is an interesting one, as Small’s roll at KR was as race engineer for the #16 Stratco Commodore. David Reynolds is expected to take the seat in the #55 at the end of the season as expected, so Small could potentially be reunited with him.

NOT THE INDIAN HAPLESS 500 V8 SUPERCARS NICK Percat has returned from India, where he shook down the Formula MRF car that he will race at next month’s Indian Grand Prix.

Percat drove the Van Diemen racer at a circuit in Chennai last week, ahead of his upcoming appearance at the Formula MRF support event at the Indian GP. “It was definitely a shakedown; the car shook down around me for a couple of days!” Percat told eNews.

“We had some interesting times, making sure the car was running correctly. [And] if you went off the track, you have to deal with a lot of snakes, I was told.

“I hadn’t been out of open-wheelers for that long, but I had forgotten how fun they are. It took me a few laps to remember to get off the brakes, get on the throttle and carry some midcorner speed. The cars have a bit of downforce, 10

so on the fast sections it’s good.”

Percat added that the experience of driving the car was somewhere between an Australianspecification Formula Ford and a Formula 3 car.

“In terms of horsepower, the cars have the same engine as an Australian Formula Ford but with a different inlet manifold,” he said.

“I’m not sure what they do with their cam timing, but it did feel like it had a bit more power.

“Grip-wise, they run on slicks, so there is a lot of mechanical grip. You can have a crack without the car wanting to fire you off the road. But it was a bit like a Formula 3 car in that when you get it sideways it does want to spit you off quite quickly. I had a few little moments, but I never speared it off.

“It was a good experience – I definitely have to thank Ryan Walkinshaw for getting me over there.”

– ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN

JASON Richards will make a popular cameo in the Touring Car Masters at Bathurst this weekend.

Sidelined from fulltime racing by his battle with adrenal cortical carcinoma, Richards’ 2011 racing has been limited to several oneoff appearances, namely in the V8 Supercar support races at the Grand Prix, Fujitsu Series and Australian GT. He’ll add the TCM to that list this weekend, driving Tony Hunter’s 1971 HQ Monaro, in a deal put together by Hunter and close friend John Bowe.

“It was tough to know I’d be watching the V8s this year rather than being in the car, but this opportunity to race with TCM will certainly ease the pain,” Richards said.

“As I think people have realised, I’m not too good at standing around, I like to keep busy and I love to race so to know I’ll be racing against all the legends of the sport is amazing – it’s going to be great going head-to-head.

“I’m not familiar with the HQ but I am with the track, so it will be somewhat of an unknown.

My main motivation is for the enjoyment of the experience, but I think we’ll be competitive after Tony’s made a big effort to make sure that we are.

“I haven’t won at Bathurst with the V8s, we’ve been close so many times, so to win with TCM would be the ultimate this time out but I’m just so happy to be there and be participating.

“The older cars will make for a nice change, and I’ve been speaking with JB who tells me these are very different, being unstable on the straight, meaning it’s going to be an exciting drive.”

In other TCM news, Andrew Miedecke has been added to the series’ list of Seeded Drivers, following back-to-back round wins at Hidden Valley and Eastern Creek. He joins Jim Richards, Gavin Bullas, John Bowe and Glenn Seton. motorsport news

HOLDEN HT MONARO 1972 SANDOWN 3RD PLACE

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The 4th Round was at Sandown with Beechey finishing a credible third. This was the first time for the season that the HT Monaro was able to make it to the finish line in one piece.

The 5th Round held at the Adelaide International Raceway saw Beechey blow an engine in practise forcing him to miss the race. This would be repeated in Round 7 at Surfers Paradise.

With Beechey finishing one race for the season, he only managed 13th in the Championship.

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HAMILTON: SUZUKA WILL SUIT MY AGRESSIVE STYLE FORMULA 1 LEWIS Hamilton thinks his aggressive style will suit this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix.

The McLaren driver has been under fire recently thanks to a spate of incidents brought on from his aggressive driving style, with a clash – and post-race altercation – with Felipe Massa in Singapore the most recent. But he says the nature of the Suzuka circuit will suit his aggressive style, and warned that McLaren could pose a real threat to Red Bull Racing in Japan.

“I think Suzuka will play to my strengths: it’s a track that really requires you to drive in an attacking way to be able to get a good

laptime,” he said.

“It’s an uncompromising place. But that’s when the thrill of driving a Formula 1 car is at its highest; when you know you can’t afford a single mistake and where driving on the absolute limit is the only way to get the best time. In that sense, it’s a lot like Monaco, and maybe that’s why I like the place so much – it’s unique.

“I think we’re headed there in pretty good shape. We know that the Red Bulls will be strong – but we also have a very quick car, and we can make it work on different kinds of circuit. Suzuka is another reasonably high-downforce track, which should play to our strengths.”

SAUBER GOES FOR MAJOR UPGRADE IN JAPAN FORMULA 1 SAUBER will have bring a raft of aerodynamic upgrades when the action kicks off at the Japanese Grand Prix this weekend.

After a disappointing recent run of races (Sauber have scored just a single point since the German Grand Prix), the team will look to bounce back 12

at Suzuka this weekend, with a whole new aero package.

“We will bring a wide ranging aero package for the car, which includes a completely new front wing, new rear wings, new turning vanes and side pod deflectors, new brake ducts and modifications to the floor,” said technical director James Key. “This was always planned for Suzuka and, if it all works well, it

should give us a reasonable step forward. Obviously we want to bounce back from some recent bad luck.

“Going into the final quarter of the season there will be tracks which should suit our car better.

It would definitely be great to get a positive result for all our supporters in Japan in what has been a very challenging year for the people there.”

MERC S RBR AND DIRECTO FORMULA 1 MERCEDES GP has bolstered its technical staff with the addition of Geoff Willis and Aldo Costa to the squad.

Willis, the former technical director at Red Bull Racing, will take the role of technology director at Mercedes, while Costa, the former technical director at Ferrari, will also join the Silver Arrows.

“I am delighted to announce that Aldo Costa and Geoff Willis will be joining the Mercedes GP Petronas team,” team principal Ross Brawn said.

“Geoff is a highly respected engineer with over 20 years of Formula 1 experience, and we look forward to his arrival next motorsport news

NEWS

WEBBER SAYS PIRELLI TO BLAME FOR STARTS FORMULA 1

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MARK Webber has put the blame on Formula 1’s move to Pirelli tyres for his poor starts this season.

The Aussie has failed to turn any of his three pole positions into a win this year – in fact, the best finishing position he has been able to muster from pole position has been third place.

In his regular column for BBC Sport, Webber wrote that the Pirelli tyres were making starts harder.

“This year, we have seen the biggest fluctuation in starts for years, which is purely down to the new Pirelli tyres and how they perform off the line,” Webber wrote.

“It is harder to manage the grip away from the start but if you get it right – as Fernando Alonso

did in Monza – it makes a big difference. For all that, my starts have been poor this year.

“The rules make it pretty challenging for engineers to get the starts right as launch control and other electronic aids that limit wheel-spin are not allowed,” he added.

“There is a lot of work for the drivers to do as well. I cannot give too much away, but there are a number of procedures to go through before we get going.

“When the lights go out, we quickly release one clutch paddle on the steering wheel and feed in a second gradually – that’s the one the driver uses to modulate the grip of the rear wheels.”

Webber’s team-mate Sebastian Vettel has converted eight of his 11 pole positions into wins in 2011.

SIGNS FORMER D FERRARI ORS

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boss Norbert Haug added.

“Our technical organisation was strengthened by the arrival of Bob Bell and, working closely with Ross, he has identified the areas where we can improve still further.

“Aldo and Geoff will reinforce our technical management and bring the experience required to harness the talents of our people in Brackley; we have also recruited and invested at other levels in order to maximise our competitiveness under the Resource Restriction Agreement. Our goal remains to progress step by step in order to establish ourselves as a frontrunning team for the long term, in line with the tradition of the Mercedes-Benz Silver Arrows.”

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month. Having worked closely with Aldo for many years, I know that he will bring dedication and championship-winning expertise to the team when he joins in December.

“Building a winning team is an exciting challenge for us all as we work towards the competitiveness and standards that we aspire to as the Mercedes-Benz works team. With a strong technical structure led by Bob Bell, we are moving ourselves into the best possible position to achieve our ambitions.”

“Since Mercedes GP Petronas was formed as a new team in early 2010, we have been putting in place the building blocks for success,” Mercedes motorsport

13

BOWYER/MWR DEAL: TGI FRIDAY NASCAR

KK TO TEST NASCAR

NASCAR Media

MONTHS of speculation will end this Friday when it will be announced that Clint Bowyer will join Michael Waltrip Racing next season.

Bowyer is expected to drive an MWR Toyota, with sponsorship from 5-Hour Energy Drink for half the Cup races, next season.

Details of the team’s other sponsorship arrangements are expected to be made later.

The news was all but confirmed by Kevin Harvick last week at Charlotte. Bowyer’s current team-mate at Richard Childress Racing spoke to the

media and admitted Bowyer will be missed at RCR. “It’s definitely going to change the look of [RCR],” Harvick said.

“I think Clint was a good asset for us because he was competitive on a weekly basis, so he brings something to the table.

“I’ve been around Clint since 2004 or 2005. So he’s a good friend of mine and we’ve been through a lot together, so it’s not something that I look at that’s real positive. But sometimes in this sport, sponsorship and circumstances dictate things happening that you don’t really have a lot of control over.”

Bowyer, 32, has driven for

RCR since 2006. He has won four Sprint Cup races, and made three Chases with the team.

HOME IN INDIANA

KASEY Kahne will get his hands on a Hendrick Chevrolet in two weeks’ time.

Kahne, currently the driver of the #4 Red Bull Racing Toyota, will test a Hendrick car as part of NASCAR’s trial of fuel injection.

Kahne will drive the car at Charlotte Motor Speedway on October 17, watched by his crew chief Kenny Francis – who is also leaving RBR for Hendrick’s.

“I’m going to get into the 5 for the Charlotte test the Monday after the race,” Kahne told NASCAR.com.” That’ll be the first time I’ve been in one of those cars. That will be the first and maybe the only chance I’ll get in those [fuel-injection] tests that are coming up.”

A limited number of teams will be involved in the test, but not Red Bull Racing – hence, the allowance for Kahne to jump in a Chevy earlier than originally planned.

AL JR CHARGED INDYCARS

INDYCAR MEDIA

INDYCARS DAN Wheldon has continued testing Indycar’s new 2012 racer.

14

The two-time Indy 500 winner drove the car at Indianapolis Motor Speedway last week, declaring that the Hondapowered car performed well.

Testing will move to a road course later this month, with Will Power expected to step into a prototype to assist with the sorting of the new car.

AL Unser Jr has been suspended by Indycar after being charged with driving under the influence of alcohol.

The two-time Indianapolis 500 winner, who has worked with the organisation as an advisor in Race Control, was stopped by police near his home in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Unser was allegedly clocked at 162kmh and is due to appear in court on October 16.

“INDYCAR is aware of the charges and will not be commenting at this time,” said a statement from the series. “Al Unser Jr has been suspended indefinitely and relieved of his duties in race control, pending further investigation.” motorsport news

NEWS

Cudlin pleased with debut despite fall MOTOGP

MOTOGP

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The Italian was out but Spies, already weakened after suffering food poisoining before he travelled to Japan, regained the track to finish stone motherless last.

The other hard luck story was that of Alvaro Bautista. He was in third place, easily his best showing of the year when he lost the front of the bike and crashed out of the race.

The End for Corser?

Bee Cee

DANI Pedrosa took a classy win at Motegi – but it could well have been a much different race for the Spaniard.

The race appeared to be there for the taking for Casey Stoner.

The Aussie planted his Repsol Honda on pole and led away from the start, but when he hit a bump on lap five and his Honda speed-wobbled its way past his braking marker, Stoner ran off the road. He rejoined seventh, and made his way back to third.

“As I came out of the back straight I got a wobble on the bike,” he explained, “we hit the big bump and as the front came down it practically shook the bars out of my hands, I was lucky to hold on.”

That appeared to hand the race to Andrea Dovizioso. But, along with Marco Simoncelli and Cal Crutchlow, he had crept at the start and earned a ridethrough penalty – handing the lead to Pedrosa. Countryman Jorge Lorenzo got close enough to have one look at the lead, but the HRC bike was faster, and Pedrosa built a gap to the end of the race.

It was the first win for Honda at the track since Makotoa Tamada seven years ago, and the first there for a Honda 800.

It was also the 400th GP win for a Spanish rider. As for Dovi, he has never before been pinged for a jumped start and to make matters worse, he lost fourth place in the final lap – to his arch-rival, Simoncelli.

But all that happened after Valentino Rossi, looking for a gap between the two factory Yamahas on the first lap, crashed hard, taking Ben Spies with him.

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DANI BUOYS LOCALS

DAMIAN Cudlin’s MotoGP debut ended in the kitty litter at Motegi.

Cudlin, 29, was called in to substitute for the injured Loris Capirossi on the Prama Ducati. The Taree rider, more accustomed to endurance racing than 40 minute sprints, qualified the bike 18th – ahead of experienced Honda wildcard Shinichi Itoh – and was running in 12th place when he took a fall from the V4.

“Only 2nd crash I’ve had in entire 2011,” he Tweeted after the race. “Talk about bad timing.

Still, was a great experiencehope it’s not the last...”

The German domiciled Aussie followed with, “Plenty of time to reflect on the bus ride to Tokyo.

Disappointed to crash, but not about being here. A great experience I’ll never forget.”

WORLD SUPERBIKES TROY Corser’s Superbike career may be coming to an end, with news that he will not be racing a BMW next season.

The Aussie veteran is out of the team, after BMW announced that Marco Melandri will join the team next season.

The Italian, currently second in WSBK points in his first season with Yamaha Italia, will partner Leon Haslam on the German four-cylinder bikes next year.

Corser, who turns 40 next month, first raced in the World Championship in 1995. He won the title the following year before moving to 500cc GP racing with Yamaha in 1997. In 1998, he returned to the production-based bikes, and won a second title with Alstare Yamaha in 2005.

Ironically, the news comes on the same weekend that Carlos Checa, who turns 39 this month, takes the WSBK crown from Max Biaggi, 40.

15

FV8 EVALUATING LICENSING FUJITSU SERIES THE way teams enter the Fujitsu Series could be set to change. eNews has learnt of plans to reintroduce a right of entry system, in which teams would be required to hold a licence to compete. ‘Level 3’ licenses were owned and used for many years, but that requirement was relaxed several seasons ago, in an attempt to boost grid numbers.

The details are a work in progress, but

several probable pieces of the framework have emerged.

Competitors who race at five of this year’s seven rounds would be eligible to secure a licence, and the 2012 grid is likely to be capped at 28 or 30 cars. Any leftover ‘entries’ would be retained by series organisers, to be sold to expanding or new fulltime teams, or used for wildcard entries at their discretion.

Like Main Game franchises, having and retaining entry would come with

responsibilities, namely to contest the majority of rounds – i.e. five of seven.

Similarly, teams will be able to sell or lease their licence to other competitors, or return it to organisers if they no longer wish to hold it.

The same system and criteria would apply to Fujitsu Series teams and Main Game teams fielding cars in the series.

Teams are set to meet at Bathurst this weekend to discuss the proposals.

– MITCHELL ADAM

NEW FV8 INK FOR BATES, TWEEDIE FUJITSU SERIES TONY Bates will switch from blue to orange for the remainder of the Fujitsu Series.

Following the collapse of his previous backer, the Greg Murphy Racing driver has secured a deal with another online sports betting agency, favourit.com. Bates will debut his new livery at Bathurst this weekend.

Meanwhile, Tom Tweedie has secured backing from GPS Nagivational firm Garmin, who will feature on his MW Motorsport Falcon, as pictured.

“I am very proud to be representing a great brand like Garmin who are leaders in their field and it is an enormous vote of confidence in me, the MW Racing Team and the sport that they have now come on board in 2011 to support me,” Tweedie, currently 11th in the series, said.

“Maybe we can install a Garmin GPS on top of the dash so I can find my way around Mount Panorama over the first few laps.”

16

motorsport news

NEWS

RUSSELLS GET MAJOR SUPPORT FUJITSU SERIES FUJITSU Series outfit Novocastrian Motorsport has secured a much-needed funding boost.

The squad runs BF Falcons for brothers Drew and Aaren Russell in the series, and has done so without major sponsorship for most of the year. But on the eve of Bathurst, they’ve secured

backing from earthmoving and mining firms CEG Rentals and Carrington Equipment, through Newcastle-based V8 Touring Car competitor Michael Hector and his business partner, Shane White.

Both ex-BJR Falcons have been reliveried, with Drew Russell carrying Carrington Equipment branding, above, and Aaren CEG Rentals signage.

“You can’t imagine how happy we are about securing our new sponsors, it takes so much pressure off Dad and the rest of us, we were really struggling financially just to turn up at

each event,” Aaren Russell said.

Local businesses Duncan Excavations, Environmental Land Contracting and Hunter Kitchen Kings have also joined the team.

MCBRIDE LOOKING AWAY AND HOME AUSSIES OVERSEAS NICK McBride is weighing up two very different options for 2012.

McBride leads the Australian charge in the British Formula Ford Championship, sitting second in the standings after winning his maiden race at Donington a fortnight ago. A year into international foray, McBride is keen to continue in Europe, nominating British Formula 3, but returning to Australia to tackle the Fujitsu Series is another possibility.

“We are looking at two options either British Formula 3 or Fujitsu Series back home,” McBride told eNews.

“My first preference would be stay in Europe because I feel I can develop and advance my driving more rapidly than back in Australia, basically because of the time in www.mnews.com.au

the car and amount of miles you cover over here.

“Nothing is finalised but I am in discussions with a number of teams. I believe I have proven myself this year to be worthy of some sponsorship deals and have had some interest after the win at Donington from some teams.”

The 20-year-old’s parents will arrive in England later this week, as the McBride camp work towards a British F3 deal.

“I really want to have a crack at British Formula 3 as I think I have what it takes but as always in motorsport it comes down to finances,” he said.

“If I do return to Australia I will pursue a career in V8 Supercars and continue my law degree part time.”

– MITCHELL ADAM 17

GAME ON IN WRC TITLE FIGHT WRC THE fight for the World Rally Championship is well and truly on, with a DNF in France for Sebastien Loeb locking he and Mikko Hirvonen on points at the top of the table with just two rounds remaining.

An oil pump failure on Loeb’s Citroen left him out of the running on the first day, allowing

CARRERA CUP JEREMY Gray will spend the rest of the year in the Porsche City Index Carrera Cup. Gray has run V8 Utes for the last 18 months and also dabbled in Production Cars, linking with Nathan Tinkler in that time. With business commitments keeping Tinkler from his regular Carrera Cup ride at Phillip Island, Gray stepped into the Porsche for the first time, finishing with a best result of ninth outright in Race 2.

Due to Tinkler’s looming commitments – he owns the Newcastle Knights NRL club and Newcastle Jets A-League team in addition to his horse racing and business interests – Gray will finish the season in the Porsche, with Tinkler reverting to Gray’s Ute at Bathurst this weekend.

“I’m very excited to jump into the Porsche for the rest of the 18

his team-mate Sebastien Ogier and MINI driver Dani Sordo to fight it out for the win. Ogier ended up taking the points, putting him within three points of Loeb and Hirvonen.

Hirvonen was lucky to end the rally level with Loeb, after going off on the first day. He was helped backed into contention first by Jari-Matti Latvala conforming to team orders, and

secondly by Petter Solberg being excluded from third place three hours after the event due to his Citroen DS3 being found four kilograms under the minimum weight.

“It’s unfortunate to inherit a position due to a rival’s misfortune, but at this stage of the season every point counts,” said Hirvonen.

“We’ll go to the next round

in Spain as joint leaders of the championship and with just two rounds remaining, the fight for the title is truly wide open. I aim to be on top form in Spain and an exciting conclusion to the year is in prospect. “ Loeb, who was leading when his Citroen faltered, says he is prepared to fight until the end.

“There’s never a right time for something like this to hit us, but

year; it’s a huge step up for me,” Gray, who finished fourth in the Elite Class at PI, said.

“Phillip Island was very daunting at first having only limited time in the car, but I think I had a good showing considering my experience in the Porsche prior to the round.”

“From here, I want to step up to the next level in Carrera Cup and learn as much as we can. My goal for the rest of the year is to hang on to the top three in the Elite Class, and anything above that would be fantastic.

“The team is great and I’m looking forward to improving as the year goes on.”

Meanwhile, Craig Baird will debut a new livery, right, at Bathurst. Jet Travel Insurance, a brand of Alliance Insurance Broking Services, will feature on his Porsche for the balance of the year.

GRAY IN, BAIRD GOES

motorsport news

NEWS

Justin Collins

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it’s the last rally in which I would have wanted it to happen,” he said.

“I’m going to have to fight hard in the last two rallies of the season if I want to win my eighth world crown.”

Hirvonen and Loeb are now locked on 196 points, with Ogier back on 193. The two remaining rounds are Spain (Oct 20-23) and Great Britain (Nov 10-13).

LEBROCQ AND ROLL AUSSIES OVERSEAS JACK LeBrocq is putting together his plan for life after the Australian Formula Ford Championship.

It starts this weekend, when the CAMS Rising Star makes his debut in the British Formula Ford Championship at Silverstone with the Jamun Racing Team, ahead of the Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch a week later.

LeBrocq has hit form in recent Australian rounds, claiming his maiden race and round victories to sit third in the standings with two rounds left. Next year, he

wants to move to Europe fulltime, and has identified British Formula Ford and Formula Renault as his primary options.

“I have chosen to go to England and race as I think it will offer me the best chance of proving myself to the international scene and to get my name out there so that I can progress further up the open wheel rankings,” LeBrocq said.

“British Formula Ford or the Formula Renault 2.0 series would offer me the best chances at breaking into the European scene, and they have proved great feeder categories into the higher levels of racing

throughout Europe.

“I have been speaking with many teams across England and Europe about my plans for the 2012 season, and we are still working on what could be the best option for us depending on the budget that we can secure for the season.

“This is something that I’ve been aiming for, for so long and to finally have this opportunity is awesome! I know it is going to be a massive challenge, but going off the form we have had in recent rounds, I think anything is possible and I believe I can take it to overseas and show them just how it’s done in Australia!”

15-16 ahead of a full campaign in 2012.

“It was tougher than I initially thought it would be to jump into the Formula Renault this weekend,” Uhrhane said of the Brands Hatch weekend.

“But, I improved every time I got into the car and finished both races without any damage

and that is important. This weekend was treated as a test day for me and I have defiantly learnt a lot from it.

“I am now looking forward to getting into the car to do some serious testing over the winter period so when I get back racing in 2012 I will be at the pointy end of the field.”

S FLUORO FRENAULT GIVES UHRHANE WINGS AUSSIES OVERSEAS

www.mnews.com.au

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GEOFF Uhrhane looks set to switch to wings and slicks in 2012.

The Queenslander switched from Australian Formula Ford to British Formula Ford this year, and sits sixth in the standings with one round remaining. His next step is likely to be Formula Renault UK, with Uhrhane making his debut in the category at Brands Hatch over the weekend, finishing 13th in the two races.

Uhrhane linked up with Atech Reid GP for Brands Hatch, with the team indicating he’d also contest the championship’s finale at Silverstone on October

19

NEWS

SERA AND WALL REIGN IN THE RAIN KARTING

IT’S an age-old adage in the world of motorsport; a wet track sorts the good drivers out from the best drivers. At the New South Wales Championships, hosted by the North Shore Kart Club at Newcastle, on the weekend, this was once again the case.

Rising to the top on this occasion was David Sera and Matthew Wall, with the pair each claiming two victories in the Clubman and Leopard categories. Sera claimed the win in the Light divisions, while Wall dominated the proceedings in the Heavy classes.

Sera was challenged in the dry conditions, particularly in the Leopard class where fellow CIK Stars of Karting competitors Jake Spencer and Cian Fothergill were competing. However, when the heavens opened during the pre-finals on Saturday afternoon, and continued all day Sunday, it was clear no one was going to reign on Sera’s parade.

Such was the dominance of Sera that during Saturday’s Clubman Light pre-final he had time to take note of a sign that was held up by his team, confirming that the Geelong Cats were on track to claim the AFL Premiership.

In Sunday’s 11-lap race, Sera was unstoppable in Leopard Light to take a sixsecond victory in Leopard Light ahead of Fothergill and Spencer. Joining him on the

podium in Clubman Light was Warren White and James Sera.

Like Sera, Wall was unchallenged on his way to victory in his finals. He finished well clear of Jason Hryniuk in Leopard Heavy, while the Yamaha Challenge title contender finished second in Clubman Heavy.

Despite being headed by Chris Hays early in the Rotax Light final, it was Tyler Greenbury taking a comprehensive victory ahead of a hard-charging Dale Corbett – who started from 29th on the grid.

The Junior Clubman final was a two-part affair, with torrential rain causing officials to red flag the event after only a couple of laps. Shortly after the restart, leader Anton

De Pasquale slid off the circuit handing the front running to Joseph Mawson, who went on to record a 10-second victory.

Liam Morey proved too good for his rivals in Junior Max, while James Foster and Isaac Vaccarella broke through to claim their maiden state championships in the Senior National Light and Rookies categories respectively.

Simon Meyer once again showed his wet weather prowess to win Rotax Heavy. Also in the winners circle was Blake Sciberras (Senior National Heavy), Kyle Ensbey (DD2), Bradley Moody (Clubman Super Heavy), Damon Strongman (Junior National Light) and Michael Saller (Junior National Heavy).

MOORE OF THE SAME IN BUSSELTON KARTING JARROD Moore has continued his stellar form in 2011, this time claiming three crowns at the Australian Independent Dirt Kart Association National Championships.

The event, held at the Busselton Kart Club in Western Australia, saw just shy of 300 competitors battling for supremacy.

Moore has been on top of his game since the start of the year with success at both the SA and NT State Championships, but his latest achievement has to be his greatest feather in his cap.

20

Piloting a Brown Racing Kart powered by Kart Factory tuned engines, Moore’s first victory came in the KT Medium class where he led home Adrian Heywood by a narrow points margin – the event using a new controversial points format that saw drivers compete in six heats and dropping their worst result for the weekend.

The elite 100cc Open class was next on the list for Moore, this time he was triumphant over Northern Territory driver Brad Connor.

His third victory came in the 125cc Heavy class over Bryden

Chalmers, however Moore wasn’t so lucky in the fourth class he was competing in, the 200cc Open where he missed

the podium, that win going to Daniel Keen leaving Ben Brown and Brock Zonca to round out the podium. motorsport news

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FIVE MINUTES WITH ...

DIETER ZETSCHE The Chairman of Daimler AG is a strong supporter of the Mercedes-Benz -VYT\SH [LHT ¶ HUK P[Z Z[HY KYP]LY 4PJOHLS :JO\THJOLY )` 7(<3 >(9+

When are you expecting your Formula 1 team to win a race?

On the one hand, of course, when you start a new team and you have ingredients like Ross Brawn, and the team which won the championship the year before, and two drivers like Nico [Rosberg] and Michael [Schumacher], and a brand like Mercedes, of course you hope that things could move very fast and you could be winning very soon.

That was not the result for the first season.

But you’re now nearly to the end of season two?

Ok, you can talk everything positive, but it shows how challenging this sport is. When you get there, and we did that twice, you really have accomplished something.

Of course, our objective was in the second season to be better than the first season – which we will not accomplish, by today’s assessment.

So, will you change strategy?

We have not been opportunists in this business before. It only makes sense to engage there if you have a long-term stamina and that’s what we do.

22

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The top man in motorsport at MercedesBenz is Dr Dieter Zetsche.

In fact, he’s the very top man at Mercedes-Benz, and so the buck stops with him on everything – including Formula 1.

Zetsche has been instrumental in a generation of change at the German carmaker, from the days when it was involved – badly – at Le Mans with the Mark Webber ‘backflip’ SLR sportscar, through the engine successes with McLaren, then on to the takeover of what was once the World Championshipwinning Brawn team.

After another disappointing year on the F1 front, Zetsche was surprisingly open when quizzed about what’s gone wrong on the Grand Prix track.

Of course, we are driving change and we are doing everything possible to make sure that next year’s performance will be better.

This year, it’s not the drivers, it’s the car which is not sufficiently competitive. I think we just have to admit that.

What about Michael Schumacher’s driving and results?

Now, we can argue whether Michael could or should have come in front of Nico more often or not, but it’s much easier to look strong in a strong car than when you are driving at the limit.

It certainly took Michael some time to familiarise himself with today’s Formula 1, which is significantly different from the past.

I think it’s not by accident that more recently you saw more races where he looked pretty good. Again, given the tool we gave him.

And, therefore, the ultimate judgement can only be made when we have a really competitive car and that’s what we hopefully will offer – at the latest – next season.

Will you invest more in Formula 1?

All the time our strategy was not to pour as much money into this game as possible, to ultimately overpower the competition, but to try to have an efficient system and we are very happy with the very efficient system that we have.

We under-utilised the capacity constraints, which are part of the rules today and that might have gone a little bit too far.

But we will not totally change, perhaps we might add one or two millions to the budget but not in a different league.

What did you think of Michael Schumacher’s driving at Monza [Ed: Where he was widely criticised for his ‘robust’ defending in front of Lewis Hamilton]?

Michael did a great job with a car that is still not yet quite at the same level as our best competitors.

It was a thrilling battle over 20 laps; it was pure racing. I was so excited that I almost wanted to climb inside the TV! It was absolutely of the highest class.

And if Nico hadn't been crashed out by another car on lap one, we could even have seen two drivers in that position. It was a great race. motorsport news

CHAT

Daimler

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23

ENEWS SPECIAL FEATURE BATHURST 1000 PREVIEW

THE GREAT RAC

24

motorsport news

RACE PREVIEW

CE

THE 2011 SUPERCHEAP AUTO BATHURST 1000 IS JUST SLEEPS AWAY. EXCITED? YOU SHOULD BE. TO PREVIEW THE BIG ONE, ENEWS SOUGHT THE OPINIONS OF SOME PEOPLE THAT MATTER

Phil Williams

www.mnews.com.au

25

ENEWS SPECIAL FEATURE BATHURST 1000 PREVIEW

THE VETERAN RUSSELL INGALL, PAUL MORRIS MOTORSPORT

I

for Bathurst. A couple of weeks later, they rolled out a program for Thompson, then Jack went to Sonic to drive a Triple 8 Falcon.

It made a lot of sense.

Jack is going well in the championship but it was not about that. It was about him doing starts, some wheel-to-wheel racing and keeping his eye in. It was not a process of signing Jack and saying, ‘Righto, see you in seven months’ time’.

A lot of this year’s race will be about what Larry Perkins always said to me; ‘Don’t make mistakes!’ When Larry and I won Bathurst together, it was not necessarily by having the fastest car there. You just have to be smart about the way you go about it. You need mistake-free pitstops; don’t hit anything; and be kind to the car until the end of the race. Do that and there is a chance you will end up on one of the steps of the podium.

The Bathurst 1000 is not a particularly hard race to win but it is a very easy race to lose. The team that makes the least mistakes will end up at the pointy end.

When it comes down to a dogfight at the end, I think that I am up to it but it is about making sure that the car is in a fit state to have that dogfight. That is what we have to work towards.

Looking after the brakes and engine, making sure that nothing annoying happens, keeping the car brand new. It is

Dirk Klynsmith

T will be my 200th start in V8 Supercar at Bathurst this week.

I just hope that the stat is right and that someone will not come out and say, ‘No, that’s not right, he has only done 199!’

It is also 20 years since I raced at Bathurst for the first time. There are a lot of 2-0s happening! I have done a few laps around the old joint. You get drivers who care a lot about their stats, some of them might use them to remind themselves about how good they used to be. But I have never been that concerned about that, to me, it is not a high priority, to be honest.

In one way, it is good. To stay in this game long enough to get to 200 is an achievement in itself. But I just like going racing and leaving all the rest of it up to someone else. Later in my life, in 10 or 20 years time, when I look at V8 Supercars, in whatever guise it is in then, that is when I will look back.

I am taking this year’s race seriously.

Triple 8, I think that I can take some credit for them doing the Fujitsu Series deal with Andrew Thompson. I actually spoke to Roland initially about it. I was trying to get some support for Jack Perkins to get his Fujitsu deal happening in a Triple 8 Commodore.

I wanted Jack to get plenty of laps before Bathurst. It’s not so much about Phillip Island, that is always a lead-up, but mainly

an old saying that the race is definitely a team thing, but it still holds true.

No matter how hard you pedal it, if you have a wheel hanging off it or your fuel economy is down, you are not going to win it. If things head in the wrong direction, it can be good to have an old head on that kind of day.

John Morris / Mpix

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motorsport news

RACE PREVIEW

THE ROOKIE NICK PERCAT, HOLDEN RACING TEAM

I

of the year, the lead-up was okay. I mean, it was more intense than what I’m used to, but it was manageable.

Bathurst, however, is just crazy, because you start doing appearances more than a week out. Fabian Coulthard is already on his way! I just want to soak all of that up, and make it feel as normal as possible.

Phillip Island was an awesome weekend.

I didn’t expect to be one of the quickest drivers in our cars; that was a surprise. It just shows that all of the hard work that I’ve put in behind the scenes is paying off. Hopefully it’s the first sign of what’s to come in my future. It also shows how much work that Garth and Mike Henry have put into my career so far.

I’m definitely more relaxed now than I was before Phillip Island. I told anyone that asked that I was more nervous about Phillip Island than Bathurst, because I ran there the year before, but the situation wasn’t ideal, and I struggled for pace. It didn’t give me a lot of confidence. So to get through it with the pace we did was excellent.

Now we go to Bathurst, where I’m more comfortable. That might sound

Andrew Hall

’M feeling pretty good, less than a week out from my first Bathurst.

My training has been going well, so I’m feeling really fit – which I’m sure everyone will be saying! But I legitimately am.

I’ve just walked out of the Holden Racing Team’s pre-Bathurst meeting, and everyone’s happy with where we are at.

But once I actually leave Melbourne and head to Bathurst, that’s when the nerves will kick in ...this is the biggest race of the year, and, obviously, the biggest race of my career. It’s a big deal. It will be cool, I just can’t wait to get there and get behind the wheel.

The build-up has been different. Garth Tander told me ‘Phillip Island was really good, but at Bathurst you have to step up again’. So it’s been a lot of time in the workshop, because this is the race everyone wants to win.

Things have kicked up a gear since Phillip Island, particularly for the Melbourne teams. At the end of the day The Island is just down the road for us, and while the Saturday there is one of the busiest days

weird, but it’s an awesome track and I feel comfortable there.

Peter Bury

www.mnews.com.au

27

ENEWS SPECIAL FEATURE BATHURST 1000 PREVIEW

THE ONLOOKER JOHN BOWE, DUAL BATHURST WINNER

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well, which I think helps.

Of the Holdens, because I have a soft spot for Brad Jones’ team, I think Jason Bright and Andrew Jones are a pretty good chance, if it goes their way. They’ve got some really good people there now, but they have had the odd thing go wrong, haven’t they? There’s a certain amount of inconsistency, but Brighty’s as good a driver as anyone out there and all three of their cars were quick there last year.

Because, personally, I have a slightly biased opinion of them, I think they’ll be there or thereabouts.

The HRT pairing is interesting. Garth Tander is a supreme driver, there’s no question about that and young Nick Percat has shown in the very early stages of a professional driving career to be up to the task. But this particular race is a difficult one.

It will depend on how they manage their stints. Tander is certainly capable and Percat doesn’t have to do anything spectacular; he just has to hold his end up, so that Tander’s in a position to race to the finish. And that’s how the race has become, it’s become a bit more NASCAR-like over the last few years, hasn’t it?

Of all of the circuits we go to, Bathurst is the circuit that rewards a car that works well.

I’ve been there with cars that were terrific and I’ve been there with cars that were hard work – and, let me tell you, that makes a lot of difference as to how you are in that last hour or so. If the car’s helping you do the

Dirk Klynsmith

THINK the race, as it has evolved in the last number of years, is always won and lost in the last hour, really.

Instead of a race race, it’s become a massive strategy event, and I think whoever manages all of that and has the right drivers in the car at the right time will come up trumps.

You’d have to say that from the last five or six years, it’s a brave man that bets against Triple Eight. In this category now, for my way of thinking anyway, there’s Triple Eight and then the rest. They’re clearly better at their job than anyone else. I’m not saying others can’t win, because others can win, but they’ve got to beat Triple Eight first.

On the Ford side of the fence, there’s Mark Winterbottom and Steven Richards; it will depend on how their car manages itself. Even though they claim it’s hard on its soft tyres and there won’t be soft tyres at Bathurst, it’s reasonably hard on it’s hard tyres too. Bathurst doesn’t really have that tyre degradation that other circuits have, it’s about the only place where the car goes quicker as the fuel load lightens.

Both of those guys are very good drivers, Richo as a co-driver is very strong, he’s got a lot of experience, so from a Ford side, that’s probably the best chance. Although they’ve been around a long time, FPR, they’ve never managed to win the race. I think there’ll be a serious amount of desperation in their act as

work, you’ve got a chance of winning. But if the car’s hard work, you haven’t. It’s as simple as that.

I reckon, if I had to put my cash on one car, I’d put it on Craig Lowndes and Mark Skaife. There’s masses of experience, the best team in the business, they don’t make many mistakes ever and Lowndes is certainly reinvigorated a bit this year. You’d be a brave man to bet against them.

motorsport news

RACE PREVIEW

THE DETAILS

THE ODDS

THE LINE-UP 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 11 12 14 15 16 17 18 19 21 30 33 34 39 47 49 55 61 77 88 888

Toll Holden Racing Team Toll Holden Racing Team Wilson Security Racing Stone Brothers Racing Orrcon Steel FPR Trading Post FPR Jack Daniel’s Racing Team BOC Stone Brothers Racing Pepsi Max Crew Triple F Racing Jana Living Racing Jack Daniel’s Racing Stratco Racing Jim Beam Racing Jim Beam Racing Tekno Autosports Fair Dinkum Sheds Racing Gulf Western Oil Racing Fujitsu Racing GRM Fujitsu Racing GRM Supercheap Auto Racing Lucky 7 Racing Paul Morris Motorsport Rod Nash Racing Bundaberg Racing Kelly Racing TeamVodafone TeamVodafone

James Courtney/Cameron McConville Garth Tander/Nick Percat Tony D’Alberto/Dale Wood Alex Davison/David Brabham Mark Winterbottom/Steven Richards Will Davison/Luke Youlden Todd Kelly/David Russell Jason Bright/Andy Jones Shane van Gisbergen/John McIntyre Greg Murphy/Allan Simonsen Dean Fiore/Michael Patrizi Jason Bargwanna/Shane Price Rick Kelly/Owen Kelly David Reynolds/Tim Blanchard Steven Johnson/David Besnard James Moffat/Matt Halliday Jonathon Webb/Richard Lyons Karl Reindler/David Wall Warren Luff/Nathan Pretty Lee Holdsworth/Greg Ritter Michael Caruso/Marcus Marshall Russell Ingall/Jack Perkins Tim Slade/Daniel Gaunt Steve Owen/Paul Morris Paul Dumbrell/Dean Canto Fabian Coulthard/Craig Baird Grant Denyer/Cameron Waters Jamie Whincup/Andrew Thompson Craig Lowndes/Mark Skaife

#888 #88 #2 #9 #6 #5 #1 #15 #8 #11 #16 #17 #33 #47 #55 #39 #7 #34 #4 #61 #49 #14 #19 #18 #12 #21 #3 #30

Lowndes/Skaife Whincup/Thompson Tander/Percat van Gisbergen/McIntyre W Davison/Youlden Winterbottom/Richards Courtney/McConville R Kelly/O Kelly Bright/Jones Murphy/Simonsen Reynolds/Blanchard Johnson/Besnard Holdsworth/Ritter Slade/Gaunt Dumbrell/Canto Ingall/Perkins T Kelly/Russell Caruso/Marshall A Davison/Brabham Coulthard/Baird Owen/Morris Bargwanna/Price Webb/Lyons Moffat/Halliday Fiore/Patrizi Reindler/Wall D’Alberto/Wood Luff/Pretty

$2.75 $4.50 $8.00 $9.00 $11.00 $12.00 $17.00 $19.00 $21.00 $26.00 $26.00 $31.00 $34.00 $34.00 $41.00 $51.00 $51.00 $67.00 $67.00 $67.00 $81.00 $126.00 $151.00 $201.00 $251.00 $251.00 $251.00 $401.00

Odds courtesy of www.tab.com.au. Correct as of September 29, and subject to change.

THE SCHEDULE Thursday Thursday Thursday Friday Friday Friday Saturday Saturday Sunday Sunday

10:40 12:55 15:05 9:25 11:00 14:45 10:25 15:45 7:45 10:30

50 mins 45 mins 50 mins 45 mins 50 mins 40 mins 50 mins 1 lap 20 mins 161 laps

Practice 1 Practice 2 Practice 3 Practice 4 Practice 5 Qualifying Practice 6 Top 10 Shootout Warm Up Bathurst 1000

All times in AEDT

THE COVERAGE Dirk Klynsmith

www.mnews.com.au

On Seven and 7mate: Friday: 12:00 - 15:00 Saturday: 11:00 - 16:00 Sunday: 06:00 - 17:00 All times in AEDT

Online: Follow MNews Live Updates for live coverage.

Twitter - @mnewsupdates Web - www.mnews.com.au 29

HER

BO

NASCAR Media

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ONE O TO AUS FOR TH NASHV

motorsport news

INTERVIEW RACE

HEAVY VETTEL THANKS TO ANOTHER, DOMINANT, GRAND PRIX VICTORY, SEBASTIAN VETTEL IS JUST A SINGLE POLE FROM BACK-TO-BACK TITLES

BY ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN IN SINGAPORE

NASCAR Media

NASCAR Media

RE COMES THE

OOGITY MAN

OF NASCAR’S GREATEST-EVER DRIVERS IS FLYING STRALIA TO COMMENTATE AT THE BATHURST 1000 HE FIRST TIME. BEFORE DARRELL WALTRIP LEFT VILLE HE SPOKE EXCLUSIVELY TO PHIL BRANAGAN www.mnews.com.au

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Courtesy Darrell Waltrip

You have been doing some homework about the cars, what strikes you when you 32

NASCAR Media

M

OTORSPORT NEWS: How much do you know about Mount Panorama, the Bathurst circuit?

DARRELL WALTRIP: The more I read and the more video I watch, the more I know that it is a bad Mountain! That circuit looks pretty challenging; I have talked with Marcos Ambrose a little bit about it and he says that it is one of the toughest racetracks that he has ever raced on.

The setting is beautiful. Up on top of that mountain, the course is just amazing. I have never seen a more difficult course.

I have watched some of the races now and in the races they have done, the guys scare you to death! With their driving ability, they take it to the limit.

I am learning a lot about it. I can’t believe the magnitude of the race. I have been watching the video of last year’s race, and the pre-race show, everything leading up to the race itself, and the start of the race, it has the feel of an Indy or a Daytona, or any of the big races that I have been to. It really is an amazing event.

A Racing Life: Darrell Waltrip was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2003, and won his third Winston Cup in ‘85, above. His parents and wife Stevie joined him in Victory Lane in the 1970s; years later, daughter Jessica and the great Dale Earnhardt joined in at Daytona.

look at V8 Supercars?

The thing that is cool about the cars is the technology.

The cars really look like Stock Cars, a little like the cars that we race here in America.

But, the skill of the drivers and the way that they drive those cars around the racetrack ...

I have not had the opportunity to get up close to one of your cars and to see how they are built, but they almost look like Formula 1 cars with bodies on them, they way they go around the racetrack. They have a lot of grip, and the ‘little’ engine that they run makes a lot of power. The tyres look like they are pretty grippy. It is no wonder that they put on the show that they put on, because they have a pretty nice piece of equipment that they are using there, and the skill of the drivers is second to none.

Let’s talk about NASCAR a little bit, Darrell.

There have been a couple of mergers in the last few years, there is the possibility of another team closing its doors now.

How do you think that the sport is coping with the economic times?

Quite honestly, racing is no different to any other business.

Everybody in the sport kind of got big, fat

and lazy. Money was pretty easy to come by, sponsors were knocking the door down to get into the sport, team owners were adding cars to make multi-car teams. We were on a pretty big roll, just like the rest of the economy was, three or four years ago.

When everything came crashing down, the one thing that the team owners, and everyone else in the sport, had to do was learn, not so much how to do more with less, but more for what they were getting. A lot of these sponsors were over-paying for the properties that they were getting. So the owners had to go back to their drivers, their crew members and everyone on their teams to say, ‘Look, we’ve got to cut back’. They had to make some changes.

I think that we have weathered that storm pretty well. I don’t know what Red Bull’s intentions are, we hear something different every day. But, I think, Red Bull is really not a good example of the economy in the sport, necessarily. When Red Bull came into the energy drinks market, they were the only ones there. Since then, they have got a lot of competition, across the board. There’s not just Red Bull, not only in racing but in the marketplace as well. The exclusivity that they had, when they came into NASCAR, motorsport news

INTERVIEW

Courtesy Darrell Waltrip

Courtesy Darrell Waltrip

It has the feel of an Indy or a Daytona, or any of the big races that I have been to. It really is an amazing event

DW is w-a-y enthusastic about Bathurst

has diminished a little bit and I think that the marketing side has been driving their decisions, probably, more than anything else.

I like where we are. I think that NASCAR has done a pretty good job of managing the situation. We have all adapted to some trying times, and I think that we have been doing pretty good. Things re on the upswing again, right now.

What is the best thing about being Darrell Waltrip?

Well, I am going to get to make a lap around Bathurst with Jason Bright, so that is pretty big!

I am pretty excited about that. I am just not a very good passenger. I don’t know how that is going to turn out. I don’t know whether I am going to be able to sit down there, and not grab the steering wheel out of his hands or not.

I am real excited about getting to go around the racetrack, because I loves tracks. Y’know, you hear drivers talking all the time about ‘character in the racetrack’. This Bathurst course is ate up with character!

You will be sitting on the left side of the car so maybe they will give you your own steering wheel, Darrell!

I hope so! But I am thinking that I am going to need a brake pedal more than anything!

When I watch those speeds, they are hittin’ some high speeds. On that straight coming down, are they hittin’ 190 miles and hour?

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You will be telling him to go, ‘Boogity, boogity, boogity’, won’t you?

Maybe! ‘Do it again, do it again!’

I was in Vegas earlier this year and I missed out, by a couple of days, on seeing your brother Michael doing some stand-up comedy. Does that make you the serious one in the Waltrip family?

Apples don’t roll too far from the tree, Phil!

We have a lot in common. The biggest thing is, there is such a difference in our age. There is 16 years’ difference. Matter of fact, a lot of people think he is my son. We both get a big kick out of that.

We have a unique sense of humour, both of us.

That helps both of us to do our job, doing TV and entertaining people. He is doing very well; his teams are performing relatively well these days, and he is having some fun.

He is going to drive my tribute car, my Hall of Fame car, at Talladega, and he was going to try to run at Kentucky but he didn’t make the race because of rain. We are looking forward to that.

He is a cool guy. His book is doing well, In the Blink of an Eye. I have a book coming out in January, Sundays will never be the Same. We multi-task! We are on social media, we both do Twitter, Facebook and all those things. We are pretty busy guys!

Well, I am sure that Bathurst is going to be another great experience for you.

I can’t wait!

I was watching the pre-race show, the flyovers and so on. Some of the things they do there are really great, the way that the cars are gridded ... it really has a Formula 1 feel to it. There’s a little Indycar feel to it. The course is just the icing on the cake. That course is just amazing.

Born Owensboro, Kentucky, the same hometown as NASCARs Jeremy Mayfield the Green brothers and the bike racing Haydens.

NASCAR debut Talladega, Alabama, in 1972.

809 NASCAR Winston Cup starts for 84 wins – fourth on all-time list behind Richard Petty, David Pearson, Jeff Gordon and tied with Bobby Allison.

Winston Cup champion 1981, ’82 and ’85.

Last race at Atlanta 500 in 2000.

Lives in Nashville Tennessee, where he has a number of car dealerships.

Joined Fox as a commentator for the 2001 season. The first points race he called was the Daytona 500, won by his brother Michael Waltrip, and in which Dale Earnhardt was killed.

DW was elected to the NASCAR Hall of Fame, Class of 2012.

Fox Sports

Just under, and it’s flat through that right-hander at the bottom of the hill [The Chase].

Yeah, yeah. [Silence for a few seconds, which is somewhat rare].

Jason and I are going to have to have a little talk about how fast we are going to go! I am not going

to be going out there on no qualifying run!

The DW File

33

THE eNews GUIDE TO THE S Australia is lucky enough to be right on the doorstep of Formula 1’s newest prestige race.

ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN ^LU[ [V :PUNHWVYL [V JOLJR P[ V\[ ÄYZ[ OHUK

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motorsport news

NEWS INSIGHT

SINGAPORE GRAND PRIX

sutton-images.com

www.mnews.com.au

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sutton-images.com

F

INALLY, we have another Grand Prix in our region – and it’s a beauty.

Given how isolated we are from the rest of the world, and the fact that New Zealand or Bali are unlikely to receive a visit from the Formula 1 fairy any time soon, Singapore is about as close to a second GP as we Aussies are likely to get.

Less than eight hours from the east coast of Australia, and less than five if you’re in Perth, the island of Singapore is really not too far from home. It’s also on Western Australian time, which makes for relatively lag-free jet setting. And with airlines ranging from the premium (Qantas and Singapore Air) to the budget (Air Asia, Royal Brunei, Jetstar), getting there is easy. Basically, if you want a quick getaway to see a Grand Prix, this is the only option; it can genuinely be long weekend away, up on Friday and back on Monday, unlike a trip to a European round that is barely worth it unless you’re going to be away for a week plus.

Having been to the race for the first time this year, I’m happy to admit that I’m smitten.

It’s a simply awesome event. Formula 1 cars look amazing under lights, the city sparkles with a mix of modern skyscrapers and colonial buildings, and the race offers the same level of glamour that you’d expect to find in Monaco. Like Monaco, the circuit doesn’t lend itself to the best racing, but

when the backdrop is as spectacular as it is in Singapore, it doesn’t really matter.

The drivers love it as well, despite the fact that the track is long (I think there is 2543 corners in total), hard work and dealt with in 80 percent humidity, even at night time.

“I think it’s incredible,” said race winner Seb Vettel in the post-race press conference.

“I think we all love coming here. Obviously we seem to race more and more in Asia over the last couple of years, but I think the excitement is great over here, the people really get hooked up to Formula 1.

“I think this weekend, here, in particularly, is very special for people to come and visit, even people from Europe. As a fan, I think not only the cars on the track are spectacular, seeing them so closely, seeing them racing at night, seeing them right in front of you in the middle of the city, but also around the event, around the race itself there are obviously a lot of concerts.

“Things like that make it all in all very spectacular for people to come and the attraction is huge. I think we all enjoy events like that and for us, I think the pleasure is huge. Once we are racing, we can’t really see how many people there are as the engines are quite loud so you can’t really hear, but before the race, on the drivers’ parade, to see the people cheering for all of us is great. On the lap after the chequered flag,

to come back, seeing the people standing up, cheering for us – in a way, I think we are quite privileged to be part of that and see that, feel those emotions. It makes our job, if you want, very enjoyable.”

It’s interesting that Sebastian makes mention of how close fans can get to the cars during a session. Upon arriving to the circuit, which I did just as Practice 1 was kicking off on Friday evening, the long, sweaty march from the accreditation office to the media centre gave me a great chance to get a fan’s perspective of the circuit. Even without a grandstand pass, the vantage points are awesome. Fans can stand on a corner and get a perfect view of a Formula 1 car braking, turning and accelerating ... all just a few metres away. It’s cool. It’s why so many people go to the race.

The fan-friendliness of the event doesn’t stop with the viewing. Singapore is the sort of city where you can be reasonably relaxed as to where your hotel is. You don’t need digs that are right near the circuit, you just need digs that are near an MRT station (the MRT being the underground railway system).

As long as you’re near an MRT station, you’ll be near the circuit in no time. Most of the gates are serviced by MRT stations as well, so it’s easy. All you need to do is by a ticket, put $10 on it, and you’ll be set for a whole weekend. Each trip costs between 60 cents motorsport news

NEWS INSIGHT

sutton-images.com

Sparkle Sparkle: Formula 1 cars shine under lights, above. But the drivers work hard to stay cool in the heat and humidity, left and below.

www.mnews.com.au

chance for their city to shine for the world, and they love that.

Of course, nothing is perfect. Hotel prices do take a bit of a spike for the GP weekend, and alcohol is always expensive in Singapore. Tiger beer is delicious (a statement I can make after having done plenty of research), but don’t be surprised to pay S$18 for a frosty glass of it, which works out at about A$14. But when you’ve been sweating it out at the track for a couple of hours, it will still seem like a bargain.

sutton-images.com

sutton-images.com

and just over a buck, so it’s cheap too. Taxis are actually also very affordable, but with the traffic on the island, you’ll get around much faster on the train.

Singapore is the perfect place for a Grand Prix. It is small enough that the whole city goes GP mad, just like Adelaide used to.

But with its bulging population, there are enough people to ensure the event is well supported. What it costs would give the Lord Mayor of Melbourne a triple heart attack, but the Singaporeans don’t mind; this is the

Speaking of which, take plenty of shirts, shorts and underwear. In fact, take at least twice as many of each as you usually would for whatever the duration of your stay is. I won’t get into the disgusting details, but you sweat a lot in Singapore, even just standing around. It’s seriously humid, so be prepared.

We’re lucky, we Australians. The Singapore Grand Prix has Monaco looking in its mirrors in a serious way. This event will become a classic on the Formula 1 calendar, and we have it on our doorstop.

37

2011 AUSTRALASIAN SAFARI WESTERN AUSTRALIA

A RILEY GOOD OUTCO

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RACE

OME

www.mnews.com.au

EVENTS LIKE THE AUSTRALASIAN SAFARI ARE ABOUT STAYING OUT OF TROUBLE – JUST ASK STEVE RILEY AND JOHN DOBLE, WHO WON IN 2011 TO BECOME THREE-TIME VICTORS

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C

RAIG Lowndes didn’t win the 2011 Australasian Safari.

Not to discredit his rivals or eventual winners Steve Riley and John Doble, but Lowndes was the red-hot favourite to make it back-to-back wins, having taken out the 2010 Safari on debut. And for most of the event, it looked like Lowndes and co-driver John Panozzo would do so.

After four legs, they led by over 20 minutes, but drama struck last Wednesday, during the fifth leg, when their Holden Colorado rolled as Lowndes manoeuvred around a tree.

They got the car back onto four wheels but had to be towed to the end of the stage. Rubbing salt into the wounds, it happened during a Marathon Day, in which teams were heavily penalised if anyone 40

other than the driver and co-driver worked on the car.

With little option, Lowndes and Panozzo copped a mammoth 10-hour penalty to rejoin the Safari, finishing fourth, four hours behind, having won 15 of the 17 stages.

Capitalising on Lowndes’ roll, Riley and Doble took the lead in their Mitsubishi Pajero, finishing almost two hours clear to become three-time Safari winners.

“My team are legends, I couldn’t have done it without them,” Riley said.

“We are close-knit and this is the result we’ve been looking for. I’ve been aiming for this all year.”

John Purshouse and David McShane (Triton) and Production Class competitors Adrian Dilallo and Rob Masi (Pajero Evo) completed an all-Mitsubishi podium in the Auto Class. The second of Colorados was

driven by Paul and Kees Weel. They won the first stage despite a rollover, but further contact with the scenery ended their Safari on the second day.

Todd Smith took out the Moto Class on his Honda CRF450X, ahead of brother Jacob Smith, after taking the lead in Leg 2. French rider Cyril Despres was the star attraction of the Moto Class, but the threetime Dakar winner withdrew late in the rally due to a foot injury sustained on the opening day. Despres had been running fifth in class prior to retiring.

“It’s a great feeling, I’ve been chasing this for a few years and it’s my fourth attempt at Safari,” Todd Smith said.

“It’s not sunk in yet and this is my first major win in something like this.”

The Quad class went to John Maragozidis, ahead of Colin Lawson and Neville Yeatman. motorsport news

RACE

Steve Riley and John Doble, left, won the event after Craig Lowndes and John Panozzo struck trouble, above.

Todd Smith, right, won the Moto Class while Cyril Despres, below, withdrew due to injury late in the piece.

www.mnews.com.au

41

IZOD INDYCAR SERIES ROUND 17 – KENTUCKY SPEEDWAY, KY

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motorsport news

RACE

THAT’LL DO, ED YOU DON’T NEED TO BE MILES IN FRONT TO WIN A RACE. YOU JUST NEED TO BE IN FRONT, WHICH IS WHERE NEW INDYCAR WINNER ED CARPENTER WAS WHEN IT MATTERED

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K

ENTUCKY will go down as the place where there was a decisive swing in the 2011 Indycar Series.

Will Power was The Man all weekend. He claimed pole position, and with it a point, and dominated the opening laps of the race. At quarter race distance, having led every lap, he headed into the pitlane for his first stop. But as he approached his Penske pitbox, the Dreyer & Reinbold crew release Ana Beatriz right into his patch. The two made contact, and Power was in an out of the pits for much of the rest of the race for repairs to a damaged sidepod.

He was 23rd when he resumed; by the flag he was only 19th, well behind title rival, Dario Franchitti.

“I wasn’t surprised he ended up leading,” Power said. “I don’t think he was as quick as we were. I was expecting those guys to end up at the front, no question, but I wasn’t expecting us to have the day we had, losing so many points. It is what is it, it’s racing and we can’t do anything about it now.”

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The only good news to come out of all this brouhaha is that Franchitti didn’t win. He came second, on a weekend when he looked to be struggling for speed, missing the top 10 in qualifying. By lap 170, the Scot was in the lead and looking to be the man to beat.

But then a crash – by that woman Beatriz – brought out a yellow and set up a cracking finish.

It was Ed Carpenter that stood in Franchitti’s way. The American, in Sarah Fisher’s car, had less push-to-pass than Franchitti but refused to give way. Wheel-towheel they went around the track, neither giving an inch, but as the laps clicked off, it was the yellow car that gained inches. That was the winning margin, Carpenter getting his first Indycar win by 0.098s.

“First, that feels pretty good because Dario’s one of the best of all time,” he said. “Once we were inside 10 to go, I was able to use Pushto-Pass to beat him to the line. The last lap he had a better run out of Turn 4 than me, but the No. 67 rolled. There was no stopping us

today. I think the highest my pulse was the entire race was going down the back straight [after winning].”

Carpenter’s maiden in was not that unexpected, the journeyman showing great speed before on mile-and-a-half ovals, and he did have a problem, a lifting visor requiring some 100mph tape during a pitstop.

It was an emotional day for Fisher, who tempered her first win as an owner with the fact that she had recently learned that sponsor Dollar General would not return next season.

Scott Dixon was third ahead of James Hinchcliffe, with Ryan Hunter-Reay fifth. Oriol Servia followed ahead of a continuingly impressive Wade Cunningham, Ryan Briscoe and Buddy Rice.

Dan Wheldon finished 14th, after starting at the back of the grid in the Sam Schmidt entry normally driven by Alex Tagliani. The Brit will be hoping for the same starting position leads to a 13 spot-better finish and US$5m in Las Vegas in two weeks’ time. motorsport news

RACE

Will Power, above, was – again – quick on an oval, leading early from pole. Unfortunately – again – he copped some bad luck.

James Hinchliffe, left, moved into the lead of the Rookie standings with fourth, while third saw Scott Dixon, below left, secure the A.J. Foyt Oval title.

Results :: Kentucky Indy 300 Pos.

No.

Driver

Nat.

Team

Qual.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

67 10 9 06 28 2 17 6 44 7

Ed Carpenter Dario Franchitti Scott Dixon James Hinchcliffe Ryan Hunter-Reay Oriol Servia Wade Cunningham Ryan Briscoe Buddy Rice Danica Patrick

USA GB NZ Can USA Esp NZ Aus YSA USA

Fisher Ganassi Ganassi Newman Haas Andretti Newman Haas Schmidt Penske Panther Andretti

4 11 7 3 8 9 15 18 17 14

Franchitti 573, Power 555, Dixon 518, Servia 425, Kanaan

Top 10 Points: 366, Briscoe 364, Hunter-Reay 347, Andretti 337, Rahal 320, Patrick 314.

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45

NASCAR ROUND 29 – DOVER, DE

Red and Yellow, Black and White: Kurt Busch tore it up over the last 40 laps at Dover, taking an emphatic win over Jimmie Johnson.

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RACE

W

DOVER ACHIEVER Kurt Busch got his title ambitions back on track with a win at Dover – but Jimmie Johnson did likewise, with second place

NASCAR Media

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HEN the going gets tough, the tough get going – and it was a pretty tough day at

Dover.

After looking unbeatable for two races, Tony Stewart was anything but in Delaware, running 25th. Kyle Busch, who was in danger of driving himself out of contention, looked much more lile his old self, starting the 400 lap race fifth and finishing it in sixth.

And Jimmie Johnson and Kurt Busch fought out what turned out to be the penultimate restart of the event. Stand well back, folks …

The two rivals fought clean and hard and Busch won. He drove like a man with a Sprint Cup title in his background, and was relatively comfortable in the lead.

The win boosts him to equal third on the points table, just ahead of Johnson.

“It was just a perfect execution today with pit stops and with making the car better during the race,” said Busch, who has been sixth and 22nd in the first two races in The Chase. “That’s been some of our troubles when the track rubbers in. To win a Sprint Cup race in the Chase, that’s what it’s all about. That’s the feeling of the playoffs.

“I feel like we’re right in the mix.

We’ve just got to cover up those bad days.”

Carl Edwards was third, having spent much of the race looking like a winner – until he earned a penalty for speeding on pit road.

He didn’t lead the most laps – Johnson did – but the form of the Roush Fenway car was such that

47

it will be hard to discount the #99 for the next few races.

“I definitely took myself out of position to fight for the win by doing that [speeding in pitlane],” Edwards said.

“That was really, really dumb.

Luckily we had a caution and I got the lap back. We had the car that could win. It was completely my fault we didn’t win.”

Kasey Kahne led the non-Chase drivers in fourth ahead of Matt Kenseth and Kyle Busch, who was much more competitive this weekend. The two Richards, Childress and Petty, split the rest of the top 10, AJ Allmendinger leading home Clint Bowyer, Marcos Ambrose and Kevin Harvick who, with Edwards, took over the points lead. Allmendinger was lucky to survive a scrape with Denny Hamlin, making perhaps the save of the season to limit the damage to flkat-spotted tyres on the Best Buy Ford.

“We’ve been bashed up pretty good the last month, so it’s just good to come back with a solid day,” Ambrose said.

“We should have finished better than ninth, but we played it safe there and took four tyres at the end.

The other man to have a bad weekend, apart from Stewart, was Brad Keselowski. After losing a lap when his crew had to replace a power steering pump belt, he pitted immediately before a yellow, costing him another lap. His Dodge finished 20th.

Dale Earnhardt Jr appears to have put himself out of title contention, a broken sway bar forcing him to pit for repairs. He later had a wheel come loose, and finished 24th.

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Results :: AAA 400, Dover, Delaware Pos. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

No. 22 48 99 4 17 18 43 33 9 29

Driver Kurt Busch Jimmie Johnson Carl Edwards Kasey Kahne Matt Kenseth Kyle Busch A.J. Allmendinger Clint Bowyer Marcos Ambrose Kevin Harvick

Make Penske Hendrick Roush Fenway Red Bull Roush Fenway Joe Gibbs Richard Petty Childress Richard Petty Childress

Team Dodge Chevy Ford Toyota Ford Toyota Ford Chevy Ford Chevy

Sponsor Shell/Pennzoil Lowe’s Aflac Red Bull Crown Royal Interstate Batteries Best Buy Cheerios Stanley Rheem

Qual.

2 6 4 9 18 5 7 27 12 22

Top 12 Points: Harvick/Edwards 2122, Stewart/Kurt Busch 2113, Johnson 2109, Keselowski/ Kenseth 2108, Kyle Busch 2107, Gordon 2103, Earnhardt 2088, Newman 2081, Hamlin 2054.

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RACE

NASCAR Media

NASCAR Media

Save of the Season: AJ Allmendinger went drifting in his Petty Ford after a tap from Denny Hamlin. He hit no wall, no Hamlin and no Greg Biffle (16). Jimmie Johnson and Kyle Busch got back to business, above, but Carl Edwards had his winning ambitions flounder after a speeding penalty on pit road, below.

NASCAR Media

OUTSTANDING PIT DISPLAYS BY OCTANORM MANY OTHER DISPLAY OPTIONS AVAILABLE PLEASE CALL US TO DISCUSS REQUIREMENTS

SYDNEY (02) 9556 6012 MELBOURNE (03) 9394 3150

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49

WORLD SUPERBIKE CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND 12, MAGNY COURS, FRANCE

KING CARLOS NEED TO JOIN A CAR CLUB TO GET YOUR CAMS LICENSE? No matter what car you drive, Formula Ford Association membership is a cost effective way to get you on track.

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RACE

YTamaha Racing

Suzuki Racing

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IT is difficult to argue that Carlos Checa is anything but a deserving winner of the 2011 Superbike World Championship.

The veteran took his fifth clean sweep of the season by winning both races at Magny Cours, becoming the first Spaniard to win the title, and give Ducati its 14th championship.

“Today has been a perfect day, the best day of my career and probably the best day of my life,” said Checa, who now holds an unassailable 107pt lead over Italian Marco Melandri. “I thank everyone, every person that has helped me throughout my career, from the beginning up until today, for helping me reach this point.

“I especially want to thank Genesio Bevilacqua (the boss of Althea Racing), my entire team and Ducati of course.”

There was a certain symmetry in the race results in southern France.

Checa beat Melandri by just over 2s in Race 1 and just over 1s in Race 2, the Yamaha rider the only man to keep the flying white V-twin in sight. The Battle of Leons was won by Haslam in both races, the BWW man easing out

Charlie Checker: Carlos Checa was in top form in France to seal his World title. So too was the other number 7, Chaz Davies.

Camier’s Aprilia, but both gave best to Eugene Laverty in Race 2.

On the weekend when it was announced that he would not be racing a BMW next season Troy Corser was ninth and 15th in the races.

Points: Checa 467, Melandri 360, Laverty 283, Biaggi 281, Haslam 216, Camier 194, Guintoli 179, Haga 170, Badovini 155, Fabrizio 145.

Briton Chaz Davies joined Checa as a 2011 world champion after finishing sixth in the SuperSport race, won by his Yamaha team-mate Luca Scassa.

Sam Lowes (Honda) was second, with Australia’s long-time leader Broc Parkes (Kawasaki) just holding off his rapidly advancing team-mate David Salom for third. Fabien Foret (Honda) was only eighth at Magny-Cours but remains second in the championship on 144pts.

Parkes is third in the points, on 136, tied with Salom.

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BTCC Media

MATT IS NEAL-Y THERE IN THE BTCC ...

BTCC MATT Neal left Brands Hatch as the BTCC championship leader after winning the third race of the weekend. Arch-rival Jason Plato meanwhile won the earlier Race 2.

With pole sitting Andrew Jordan a nonstarter in Race 1 following an electrical problem, Plato eased away from the field with Neal suffering from a front left

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puncture mid-race. Title rival Gordon Shedden, who was tied on points with Neal heading into the Brands round, also suffered a front-left puncture resulting in neither driver scoring points – and Plato moving into contention for the championship. Plato won Race 2, despite carrying the maximum success ballast of 45 kgs, while both Neal and Shedden were happier with seventh and eighth after their tyre dramas in Race

1. Plato meanwhile took the championship lead.

Neal won Race 3 ahead of Shedden, with their dominance such that Neal allowed Shedden past to take a point for leading a lap, before the Scotsman let Neal back ahead. Heading to Silverstone, Neal leads by five-points with Shedden and Plato tied for second.

– D AVID ADDISON

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RACE

ATKINSON OUT OF LUCK ONCE AGAIN APRC

LUCK seems to be something Chris Atkinson has gone without in 2011, after he retired from the latest round of the Asia Pacific Rally Championship at Japan on the weekend.

Atkinson led Rally Hokkaido before suffering an engine failure late on the opening day.

The rally win went to Gaurav Gill, who managed to hold out teammate Katsu Taguchi in an enthralling final-leg battle.

Atkinson’s Proton teammate Alister McRae

almost caught them, fighting back from an early puncture to finish third, just eight seconds behind Taguchi. It gives McRae the lead of the championship, two points clear of Atkinson.

The championship finishes in China on November 4-6.

MERHI TAKES OUT F3 EUROSERIES F3 EUROSERIES A WIN at Valencia has given Spaniard Roberto Merhi the F3 Euro Series title.

He became the first Spaniard to take the crown and gave the Prema Powerteam its first title since Ryan Briscoe won for the Italian squad in 2003.

In the AutoGP series, for early A1GP cars, Kevin Ceccon took the crown after a seventh place at Mugello.

– DAVID ADDISON

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DTM MARTIN Tomczyk has won the 2011 DTM crown, despite being demoted to a 2008-spec car at the end of last season.

The German finished third at Valencia behind race winner Mattias Ekstrom and Filipe

Albuquerque, both also driving Audis, and that was enough to see off the challenge of Mercedes’ Bruno Spengler.

“This is just unbelievable,” said an elated Tomczyk.

“At the beginning of the season, nobody had me on the radar, and now, I am champion.”

Martin took two wins early season but remained a consistent points scorer all year, allowing him to remain a threat to Spengler who endured a difficult round at Brands Hatch in September, losing two points to the Audi driver as a result.

As for the race, Ekstrom (who

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MARTIN CZYKS IN HIS TITLE CROWN

seemed to have recovered his lost mid-season form) controlled the race from the front to score victory.

Tomczyk meanwhile out paced Spengler all race to secure the championship, with another round still left to run – DAVID ADDISON.

PEUGEOT, LE PETIT WINNERS PETIT LE MANS

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PEUGEOT continued to make up for their Le Mans 24hr short fall on the weekend, by taking victory in the Petit Le Mans enduro at Road Atlanta.

The victory also hands Peugeot the Intercontinental Le Mans Manufacture’s Cup, with another race still to run.

Five-laps was the winning margin after the 1000-mile event as the Peugeot 908 LMP1 in the hands of Franck Montagny, Stephane Sarrazin and Alex Wurz overcame a great run from the Oreca run, previous generation Peugeot 908.

Both Audi R18 TDIs were unfortunate early retirements at the famed American circuit. Romain Dumas took his Audi out after coming together with a GTC Class Porsche, and the Allan McNish/Tom Kristensen/Fabio Capello failed with steering problems.

Aston Martin Racing was third overall in the hands of Adrian Fernandez, Stefan Mucke and Harold Primat.

Level 5 Motorsports HPD was the victor in the LMP-2 class.

Gianmaria Bruni, Giancarlo Fisichella and Pierre Kaffer meanwhile overcame a one-lap deficit to the lead Rahal BMW M3 to win the GT class. motorsport news

RACE

WATERS AND KELLY WIN IN KELLY COUNTRY SUPERTRUCKS ROB Waters and Brett Kelly have teamed up to take out the 2011 Supertruck Nationals at Winton Raceway on the weekend.

The event featured six races, with starting positions determined by a random griddraw for each race. Waters and Kelly won Races 4 and 6, while

Steve Zammit and Shane Gray teamed up to finish second overall, winning Race 1 and finishing second in four out of the other five races.

Peter and Beau Hewat finished third overall, also notching up two race wins but retiring from the final with mechanical problems, while Colin Sieders won a wet Race 2 but failed to start the final

four races after the truck he was sharing with Glenn Dobson developed a mechanical problem.

Tony Evangelou won the Saloon Car round with victory in three out of the four races, while Andrew Nowland won the other race and finished second overall ahead of Gavin Ross.

Mark Ruta was the overall

victor in the Improved Production category, charging from the back of the grid to second in Race 1, and winning Races 2, 3 and 4. Mark Bradly finished second overall ahead of David Cocks.

Robert Free won the Future Racer round and Hayden Pullen took a clean sweep in Super TT in his AU Falcon V8 Supercar.

– LACHLAN MANSELL

FORMULA 2 CHAMPIONSHIP GOES TO BORTOLOTTI FORMULA 2 MIRKO Bortolotti has clinched the FIA Formula 2 Championship after a win at Monza on the weekend.

The Italian battled with Spaniard

Ramon Pineiro through the opening laps, before moving ahead to take his fifth win of the season. And, along with his championship win, a Williams F1 test at the Abu Dhabi circuit and an FIA Superlicence.

Pineiro took second ahead of fellow countryman Miki Monras, while Alex Brundle (son of former F1 racer Martin) took a personal best fourth. Saturday’s race was taken out by Mihai Marinescu.

–DAVID ADDISON

NOT SPARKLING BREEN IN FRANCE WRC ACADEMY LEADING contenders in the WRC Academy, Craig Breen and Egon Kaur, have both endured difficult round at the Rallye de France on the weekend.

Both drivers managed to run their Academy-spec Ford Fiestas off the stage, putting them well out of contention with retirements.

Yeray Lemes meanwhile look set to inherit the Rally win, but a second speeding offence saw him cop a five-minute penalty.

Out of almost nowhere, Ulsterman Alastair Fisher found himself the winner of the French round of the WRC Academy.

Australians Brendan Reeves and Molly Taylor had differing fortunes in France. Reeves was looking great to finish fourth, but disaster struck after his clutch failed with two stages left to run.

Taylor meanwhile broke through to cross the line with a personal best of fifth place.

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55

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rear of grid

ODD SPOT!

REAL MEN WEAR PINK PINK is not what you might call a popular colour on racecars – but it was on the weekend.

There was much pink in evidence at Dover, with many of the Sprint Cup cars running pink makers’ logos and some – like Kevin Harvick’s #29 – taking it even further. Harvick and sponsor Rheem had a special paint scheme, planned well in

advance of the AAA400.

Almost half-way around the world, the theme was carried at Motegi’s Indycar race,

by JR Hildebrand’s Panther Racing entry.

Of course, pink carries the message of support for victims of breast cancer, and the drivers and teams were supporting fundraising for this worthy cause.

Tony D’Alberto Racing will carry the

cause’s message, and colours, for the McGrath Foundation at the Bathurst 1000 this weekend.

To all three teams, in all three countries, well played.

Indycar meda

NASCAR Media

ON THIS DAY 3 OCTOBER 1993

EIGHTEEN years ago, Larry Perkins dominated the Bathurst 1000. Ably aided by co-driver Gregg Hansford, Perkins planted his Castrol Commodore on pole position and won a war of speed and fuel consumption against the Gibson Motorsport Commodore of Mark Skaife/ Jim Richards, which finished second. It was the fourth win in the race for LP, and first ‘in his own right’ after partnering Peter Brock to three wins with the Holden Dealer Team in 1982-’84.

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