THE WORLD OF MOTORSPORT DIRECTLY TO YOUR DESKTOP
Issue No. 170 August 31 - September 06
FORMULA 1 AT BARBAGALLO RACEWAY Sounds crazy, but it’s happening this year!
CALDER’S COMEBACK Massive revamp for classic circuit
A celebration of Australasian Muscle Car heritage and a tribute to the drivers who raced FATHERS DAY SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 5, 2010 Eastern Creek Raceway - Sydney - Australia AMC’s annual Father’s Day celebration of Australia’s unique muscle car heritage returns to Sydney’s Eastern Creek Raceway. 2010 marks 50 years since the creation of the Australian Touring Car Championship, so we’re gearing up for a very special ‘50 Years of Touring Cars’ anniversary bash!
For all ticket bookings, Legends Dinner reservations, trackside hospitality bookings and event info, check out
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Subscribe to Australian Muscle Car Magazine If you’re into muscle cars we’ve got you covered with Australia’s finest and most authorative publication. Australian Muscle Car magazine brings to life the rich heritage of our unique home grown high performance car industry, with in depth feature stories on Australia’s legendary road and race cars from decades past and the men who designed, built and raced them.
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motorsport news
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Issue No. 170 | Aug 31 - Sep 06 2010
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Bull at Barbagallo Or Webber at Wanneroo 7 Redemption Time Davo wants enduro wins 8 FanTazTic Taz signs on to Kelly Racing 10 Tyred old argument FFord looks for new rubber 18 Super Mario Estonian here for Rotax title
chat 20 Five Minutes With ... Will Davison
comment 22 Branagan: Calder Rules van Leeuwen: Kewell Intentions
race 28 Targa West 32 IndyCar 36 Nationwide
trade 42 Classifieds 3
REVEALED!
WEBBER WINGS HIS WAY TO WANNEROO FORMULA 1
W
ESTERN Australia is about to receive a healthy dose of Formula 1 action, with Mark Webber set to conduct a promotional drive day at Barbagallo Raceway in a Red Bull Racing Formula 1 car later this year. Details are currently sketchy, but eNews understands that on the last weekend in November, Webber will drive one of RBR’s F1 cars at the Wanneroo circuit as part of a ‘Goodwood Festival of Speed’-style event. Exactly which model F1 car he will drive is so far unknown, although RBR does have a car specifically set up for such promotions. RBR has a history of this form of promotion. During 2010 alone, Sebastien Buemi has driven on an icy lake in Quebec, Canada, Jaime Alguesuari has driven on a beach in the Dominican Republic (including taking a dip in the water), and David Coulthard has cut burnouts in the middle of Belfast, Ireland – all in Red Bull Racing Formula cars. Webber himself has been involved in several such promotions throughout his career. In 2005, he drove a Williams Formula 1 car across the Sydney Harbour Bridge. This year, Webber and the Red Bull Racing team have conducted a simulated pitstop in London’s Parliament Square, as well as a through-the-streets demo in the Italian city of Naples. As for Barbagallo Raceway, this will be the 2.41km-long circuit’s first taste of Formula 1 action. The closest it has come before was hosting the 1979 Australian Grand Prix, which was held for Formula 5000 and Formula Atlantic cars. However, eNews understands that, for insurance reasons, the ‘long’ circuit won’t be used. Webber will instead cut across the middle after the track’s sole left-hander, re-joining the back straight on the run to the last corner. Organiser of the ‘Australian Festival of Speed’ is Terry Mader. When contacted by eNews, Mader was unwilling to comment, saying only that he “couldn’t confirm” anything, but that an official announcement will be made in Perth on Wednesday. Another interesting drawcard for WA fans could be the inclusion of Daniel Ricciardo as part of the event. The West Aussie is currently Red Bull Racing’s reserve driver, and is widely tipped to be Australia’s next Formula 1 star. – ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN
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motorsport news
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Dirk Klynsmith
EXCLUSIVE
CALDER UPGRADE ON ITS WAY CIRCUITS
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CALDER Park is set to become Australia’s premier permanent motor racing facility, with the support of the Victorian government. Motorsport eNews can report that Calder is to be redeveloped into an international-standard motor sport complex, with an extended circuit built to F1 standards and a state-of-the-art drag racing facility, The redevelopment is to be funded in part by the Victorian government, which is expected to announce its support in the next month, as part of the build-up to the State election in November. Circuit owner Bob Jane confirmed to eNews on Monday that he has signed an agreement with the government and that plans for the expansion of the facility are well under way. The plans are also expected to include an extension to the suburban rail service that currently ends at the Sydneham station, utilising the train line that runs right past the back straight on the current Calder circuit. “We have signed a Heads of Agreement,” Jane told us, “and the extension to the track will be 3.8 or 4km.” But the veteran promoter, whose track hosted Formula 1 cars in 1980, five years before the first Adelaide Australian Grand Prix, stopped short of suggesting that his circuit could be the future home of the AGP, which has been run at Albert Park since 1996: “It could be, but that is not a part of the agreement,” he said. “We are not that far down the line.” Having said that, Jane did say that he maintains
contact with Formula One Management boss Bernie Ecclestone, and added “I am not pushing it, but I would love to see it.” The government’s support for Calder Park would appear to be a blow to those lobbying for the development of a brand new circuit in Victoria for some years. New projects at Avalon and Pakenham have been under discussion for some time, but it would appear that the Victorian government has stuck to the model of upgrading established facilities, rather than building new ones from scratch. Calder Park’s proximity to Melbourne’s CBD, its location alongside the Calder Freeway, its access via a new train station connecting to the city within 20 minutes, and access from the Bendigo rail line, tick all the boxes that the government requires for major sporting venues – and potentially, a new home for the AGP. The Albert Park circuit has been subject to some local criticism of the annual cost of building, then taking down, the infrastructure for the F1 GP as opposed to the creation of a venue, still close to the city, with potential for year-round motorsport use. Should that decision be taken in the future, politically, the move would appear to be a mainly positive one. The redevelopment of the previouslyneglected Albert Park sports precinct (which now includes the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre) has generally been judged to have been a positive. However, ongoing development of the area has been somewhat limited in recent times by the fact that many of the facilities have been developed as much as they can. 5
HRT PAIRS UP, PERCAT IN AT BRR official release from HRT specifically indicates that this line-up is only for The Island, not Bathurst, leaving the door open for Ryan Briscoe to suit up in red at Mount Panorama. “Cameron was the obvious choice to me,” said Tander. “He’s a great guy, we have been team-mates and driven together [at Garry Rogers Motorsport] before, and we have exactly the same seating position. He’s got a lot of
V8 SUPERCARS THE Toll Holden Racing Team has confirmed its driver lineup for the upcoming L&H 500 at Phillip Island. As expected – and reported in eNews last week – Cameron McConville will be Garth Tander’s team-mate in the #2 Commodore, and David Reynolds will partner Will Davison in the #22 Commodore. However, the
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experience and even though Cam’s retired from fulltime driving, he has plenty of miles under his belt this year.” Meanwhile, Nick Percat will partner Andrew Thompson at
the L&H 500 at Phillip Island, which will be his main game debut, leaving Craig Baird with Fabian Coulthard. The Bundybacked team will have a new livery for the remainder of 2010.
SANDOWN UPGRADES CONFIRMED V8 SUPERCARS WORK has already started on major upgrades at Sandown, which will host V8 Supercars for the next decade. As reported last week in eNews, the Melbourne track will undergo a substantial makeover in coming years, to accommodate the V8s. Earthworks at the back of the existing pitlane garages has already started and will be completed in time for the Norton 360-sponsored event in November, while there will also be changes to some of the run-off areas on the 3.1km circuit. The launch was attended by Ford icons Allan Moffat and Dick Johnson and their sons James and Steven, who will race against each other in the L&H 500 for the first time next month, as well as V8 Supercars Chief Executive Officer Martin Whitaker and Melbourne Racing Club Manager Wade Calderwood. The upgrades will be funded entirely by the Club, as part of the long-term strategy of maintaining the facilities at the circuit, which has hosted motor racing events since the 1960s. motorsport news
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DAVO’S BIG CHANCE V8 SUPERCARS
John Morris/Mpix
WILL Davison has earmarked the enduros as his chance to salvage something from what’s been a tough 2010 season. The Toll Holden Racing Team driver will pair up with David Reynolds at Phillip Island and Bathurst (see separate story), and is looking forward to a pressure-free chance to turn around his dogged year. “A Bathurst victory would be very timely,” Davison told eNews. “I’m more than capable, because I won the race last year. I just hope it all comes together for me on that one big day. “At the end of the day this is a cutthroat industry, and results are very important. My excuses for this year don’t really
matter, no one wants to hear about that and I’m well aware of that. So it’s very important for me to get some strong results in the back half of the year, for me and my career. “So I’m very motivated, because it hurts a lot to have a disappointing year.” Davison is testing at Winton today (Tuesday), with most teams running at either Winton or Queensland Raceway this week. Yesterday, Nick Percat conducted a rookie day for Bundy Red Racing, although he is still not officially part of the team’s driver line-up for the L&H 500 at Phillip Island. – ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN For more with Will Davison, see ‘Five Minutes With’ on page 20
V8 SUPERCARS
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Dirk Klynsmith
DANIEL Gaunt will test with Paul Morris Motorsport at Queensland Raceway today (Tuesday), firming him up as the likely replacement should Greg Murphy miss the L&H 500 at Phillip Island due to injury. As first reported by eNews last week, Murphy is in serious doubt for the first of the endurance races after injuring his back while on holiday in Fiji. Since then various drivers have been linked to the potentially open seat, with Gaunt and American Boris Said the favourites. But with Said still in America after winning the weekend’s Nationwide race, Gaunt will be
the man to test today. “Daniel has raced V8s all year, he finished every race and he’s more than capable of doing a good job for the team in difficult circumstances, so he’d be hard to go past if he has a good test,” Morris said. “I offered Boris the opportunity, but he had a commitment to race in the NASCAR Nationwide Series in Montreal on the weekend. He’s still very keen on coming over and there’s the possibility of running him in a driver evaluation day later this week, but [today’s] test is fairly crucial. “We’ll wait and see how [the test] goes and also give Murph every possible chance to recover in time.”
Peter Bury
GAUNT CLOSE TO PMM DRIVE
We seek a fully experienced, practical, hands on race mechanic to join our team which continues to grow from strength to strength, currently 3rd in the teams championship and with both drivers in the top 10 in the V8 Supercar Series. Come and enjoy success with us at our new workshop in Dandenong South. Contact Chris Harris, Team Manager
(03) 9793 6933 or mail@grmotorsport.com.au 7
As the end of the mid-season break approaches, V8 teams got back into testing yesterday (Monday) at Winton and Queensland Raceway ahead of the L&H Phillip Island 500. Among the action, TeamVodafone, Fujitsu Racing and Trading Post Racing, above, shook down their new VEII Commodores. Testing continues today, while SBR will give enduro import David Brabham laps at QR on Thursday. V8 SUPERCARS TAZ Douglas has been officially confirmed as the codriver in Kelly Racing’s #16 entry for this year’s enduros. As exclusively revealed by eNews several weeks ago, Douglas will join Tony Ricciardello in the Stratcobacked car, and is likely to compete in all three endurance races – Phillip Island, Bathurst and the Gold Coast – with Alex Tagliani set to complete the ‘international’ component of the Gold Coast race aboard Jason Bargwanna’s #11 entry. This will be Douglas’ second Phillip Island and Bathurst starts, having paired up with
Sam Walter in Greg Murphy Racing’s wildcard entry in 2009. However this time, Douglas will be going in with just one race meeting for the year under his belt, having missed the first half of 2010 while battling cancer. “For us, Taz is doing all the right things, especially the way he carries himself in the team and presents himself,” said team owner Todd Kelly. “He’s punctual to all our meetings and he doesn’t have a huge ego. He’s prepared to put in the hard yards. He [also] works on his own equipment full-time, which I’ve always said is a really good thing for a driver to do as it gives you knowledge of your equipment.”
The need for ... TELEVISION AUSTRALIA will get a 24-hour motorsport channel later this year, with SPEED launching on Foxtel. An offshoot of SPEEDTV in America, the channel is set to go live in November, with a range of international and 8
domestic content providing an average of three hours of live coverage each day. eNews understands that all motorsport content currently on Fox Sports will be switched to SPEED. NASCAR will headline the new channel, with live practice, qualifying and races
SweeTaz!
from the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series, and live Camping World Trucks Series races. Other international content includes World Superbikes, FIA GT, FIM Speedway, Rolex Sports Cars, the Dakar Rally, WTCC and Intercontinental Rally Challenge.
Among the local content, Australian Superbikes and the Australian Sprintcar Championship will be on the channel, along with V8 Supercar race replays and magazine-style programming such as the Foxtel replays of Shannons Nationals telecasts. – MITCHELL ADAM motorsport news
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FF GOES TESTING FORMULA FORD FORMULA Ford has commenced the testing phase of their tyre tender
SPEEDWAY TYREPOWER Parramatta City Raceway will introduce the George Tatnell Medal for the 2010/2011 season. Based on judgement and voting by prominent Speedway industry figures, including car
process. Winton hosted a test day last Tuesday, August 24, with ’09 Champ Nick Percat and current front-runner Ash Walsh present
owners, drivers and media, the George Tatnell Medal will be awarded to the circuit’s Best and Fairest driver across all Speedway divisions. The inaugural winner will be announced at an end-ofseason black tie presentation dinner in Sydney in May 2011.
New honour at TPCR
in a Sonic Mygale and Borland Racing Spectrum respectively. Alongside the incumbent, allweather Avon tyre, a grooved Dunlop was tested, along with
a slick Michelin. Further tests are planned, with a decision on the supplier from 2011 expected by the end of September.
“I would like this to become our version of AFL’s Brownlow Medal or the NRL’s Dally M Awards,” Tyrepower PCR General Manager David Tapp said. “The Track Championship awards will honour the top three in the mainstream classes at Tyrepower PCR during the season. “The major award on the night will be the announcement of the George Tatnell Medal - deemed as the best and fairest, based upon on-track performances combined with
off-track demeanour.” Val Tatnell, wife of the late Australian Sprintcar great, has endorsed the George Tatnell Medal and will present it. “There was a lot of conjecture who the medal should be named after as there have been some great names over the years in Sydney speedway,” Tapp said. “We opted for George Tatnell because he not only is one of the all-time greats, but he was also the absolute epitome of professionalism both on and off the track.”
John Morris / Mpix
Change, win for Miedecke AUSSIES OVERSEAS GEORGE Miedecke has shaken up the setup of his fledgling American career. The former V8 Utes driver has split with JTG-Daugherty Racing, with whom he’s spent most of the year as a Development Driver running in Late Model races. Miedecke sourced alternate equipment and personnel through local team owner Jamie Yelton and picked up his oval win at Tri County Speedway on August 20. 10
“I was kind of testing the water,” Miedecke said of the race. “I wasn’t sure how good the car we had was, so I just wanted to try something else. I talked to Tad [Geschickter] and got his permission to go and try another car, so we ended up eventually doing the race with a completely different car and team and went from basically not quite being there to sitting on pole and winning. “I’ve talked to Tad again, he was only really interested in running the car if it was going
to be out of his workshop and that’s completely understandable because he’s got a program to keep running there. “He’s done some amazing things for me, that I’m extremely grateful for, but at the end of the day, it works better for me driving this other car and I’ve got to do what’s best for me.” The switch has Miedecke weighing up his options for the remainder of 2010 and beyond. “Right now, I’m focused on
doing a couple of bigger races,” he said. “There’s a big race at Hickory on Labor Day, which is Monday week. I’m really looking forward to running that. That’s sort of the main thing and then we’ll regroup over Christmas and see what we’re doing. “Jamie’s expressed an interest in running me next year and that’s a pretty good option. But, obviously, like I said, I’m just focusing on the short term.” – MITCHELL ADAM motorsport news
news
Fujitsu, Ant and Damian for MW Motorsport, Fisher for GMR? V8 SUPERCARS ANT Pedersen and Damian Assaillit will drive MW Motorsport’s entry in the V8 Supercar endurance races. The pair will run under the Fujitsu Racing banner, in the Jonathan Webb 2009-title winning Falcon. Pedersen raced the car in the opening
FUJITSU SERIES
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a toe-in-the-water exercise for both parties. “People we’ve been talking to in recent times haven’t been able to come up with the budget, then Andrew’s deal with who he was going to run with fell over,” team owner Kevin Murphy told eNews. “He gave me a call, we were
going to be here today and decided he should come and try it out to see. It’s going OK so far, he’s not setting the world on fire but he hasn’t been in a V8 Supercar for a while. “It’s not been an unpleasant experience and hopefully he’ll say the same.” – MITCHELL ADAM
for the opening three rounds. “Hopefully it’s the car I’ll drive at Bathurst,” he said from Winton. “I’m about halfway through the day and it’s been good so far. I’m getting used to the car and building up, so it’s going well. “I’ve finally got a full test day to myself, and it’s good to be out there with the Main Game drivers and seeing what they do.” “Nothing’s finalised, but the plan is to run with the team at Bathurst.” – MITCHELL ADAM
Barker tests with MWM
John Morris / Mpix
FORMULA 3 Australian Drivers Championship leader Ben Barker put some more V8 Supercar laps under his belt yesterday, Monday. As reported in eNews a fortnight ago, the Englishman is working towards making a one-off Fujitsu Series start at Bathurst. MW Motorsport is the likely team, with Barker testing with the reigning champions at Winton in the Falcon raced by Marcus Marshall at Townsville last month and Matthew Hamilton
three rounds of the Fujitsu Series, while Assaillit drove with MW Motorsport in the 2009 series and Main Series endurance races. Meanwhile, Andrew Fisher could become the second driver for Greg Murphy Racing alongside Geoff Emery. Fisher tested with the team at Winton yesterday, Monday, as
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Rubens: I’m sorry FORMULA 1 RUBENS Barrichello has apolpgised to Fernando Alonso for hitting his Ferrari on lap 1 of the Belgian GP. Barrichello was celebrating his recordsetting 300th GP start in Belgium this weekend, and had a season-best seventh place in qualifying. But the Williams surfed through the braking zone at Turn 19 on the opening lap and clanged into the Spaniard. Alonso pitted for repairs, but the Brazilian was out on the spot. “Despite my experience, it was very difficult to know how wet the track was on the opening lap, but it was fully wet when I came into Blanchimont,” he said. “I was closing the door on Rosberg and when I touched the brakes, even though it was quite early, it wasn’t sufficient to stop the car. The car went straight on into Alonso, for which I’m sorry. “It’s also sad for the team. We’ve had such a positive weekend that a good result would have been a nice conclusion. “Despite not having a good outcome in my 300th race, I’m confident we will go well in the 301st!”
Belgian results move Hamilton and Webber clear of the pack but ...
FORMULA 1
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MARK Webber lost the lead in the World Drivers’ Championship at Spa-Francorchamps – but it could have been much worse. The Aussie has revealed that his clutch settings were the cause of his slow getaway that dropped him from pole position to seventh at the start of the Belgian Grand Prix. But a heady drive, and the misfortunes of others saw him emerge second, behind 2008 World champion Lewis Hamilton. “The car bogged down as I left on the formation lap,” said Webber, who celebrated his 34th birthday on Friday, “so I made some changes to the settings in the hope that I’d make a better start when it mattered. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case; it was even worse! The car bogged down again and cars streamed past me.” Webber managed to pick off Adrian Sutil and Felipe Massa to settle in fifth place. When
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IT’S TOO EARLY TO PLAY FAVOURITES Jenson Button was rudely punted out of second by Sebastian Vettel, and Robert Kubica overshot his pit box when he stopped for intermediate tyres, Webber was through to second, in which he stayed for the rest of the race. “The track conditions were pretty tricky at the end of the race,” said Webber. “We put on intermediates and at one point, it looked like west might be needed, but we made it to the end of the race fine. Second was a great result, given where I ended the opening lap.” But like McLaren, Red Bull Racing is not expected to ‘back’ one driver, despite the fact that Webber is now well clear of Vettel in the Drivers’ Championship. “I have 28 points more than Seb, with Jenson and Fernando [Alonso] further behind,” he said. “The picture looks different to how it did 24 hours ago, but there are still six races/150 points available, so I’m not getting too excited. Roll on Monza.”
motorsport news
Ferrari keeping title dreams alive FORMULA 1 FERRARI is staying positive, despite a relatively disastrous Belgian Grand Prix. The Italian team is refusing to rule out winning both the Drivers’ and Constructors’ titles, in spite of having fallen well behind Red Bull Racing and McLaren over a chaotic weekend at Spa. Felipe Massa’s fourth place was the only highlight of a weekend that saw Fernando Alonso’s car stuck sideways on the circuit, after qualifying 10th fastest. “Our performance in this Grand Prix did not match our expectations and interrupted a positive trend that began a few races ago,” said Stefano Domenicali, Ferrari’s Team Principal.
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“We have to understand why immediately and take the necessary countermeasures. The situation in both championships is certainly more difficult, but it is still not impossible for us to reach our targets: for those with short memories, I remember that three years ago, we found ourselves in a much worse situation and we all know how it went in the end.” Alonso has now dropped 41 points behind Lewis Hamilton in the Drivers’ Championship, while Red Bull leads the Constructors’ race with 330 points, one point clear of McLaren. Ferrari is in third, on 250 points.
Pop goes the diesel MOTOR SHOW IF you have ever wanted to see a Le Mans winner up close, you’d better get to the Australian International Motor Show (AIMS) in Sydney. The Peugeot 908 HDi FAP in which David Brabham, Alexander Wurz and Mark Gene won the French classic in 2009 will be one of the stars of the show, to be held at the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre in Darling Harbour from 15-24 October. Also on show will be the diesel-powered Isuzu D-MAX that Australian off-road expert Bruce Garland will drive in the 2011 Dakar. Garland’s racer will be fresh from its debut outing in September’s Australasian Safari in Western Australia. More details can be found at www.motorshow.com. au or via Twitter through @ themotorshow.
For full F1/ Moto GP/ WRC coverage/n ews, CLICK HERE to get to GPWeek magaz ine www.gpweek.c om
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Toyota Back?
Tracy on D&R list INDYCARS
The door is not closed to an IndyCar return – and Kyle Busch wants to win the Indy 500!
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PAUL Tracy may be returning to IndyCars. Tracy is on the short list to return to Dreyer & Reinbold for the Kentucky and Motegi, Japan races. A decision will be made later this week. One of Tracy’s sponsor’s is Motegi Racing Wheels, which have stepped up to sponsor Tracy. Team co-owner Dennis Reinbold has several names on the list to replace Mike Conway, who was injured last May at the Indy 500. Ana Beatriz drove D&R’s #24 Dad’s Root Beer car at Chicagoland, and ran as high as 15th before retiring after brushing the wall on lap 78. Also under consideration is Tomas Scheckter, who spun the Conquest entry out of the Chicagoland race on lap 5. A Twitter message from Tracy to Vasser suggested it’s time for the KV team to make changes after their 34th accident by the three regular KV Racing Technology drivers, Takuma Sato, E J Viso and Mario Moraes, in 14 events. – MARY MENDEZ
INDYCARS
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ONE name that might return to IndyCar competition, as an engine supplier, is Toyota. Asked if Toyota would be interested in returning to open wheel competition when the IZOD IndyCar Series changes engine formula in 2012, Les Unger, Toyota’s National Motorsports Manger, said, “Toyota’s involvement would have to make sense. We still haven’t seen the engine specifications. We have a number of different motors so we would have to see which engine formula would be most appropriate, a sixcylinder or four-cylinder. “I can’t say we won’t compete at some point,
but it’s unlikely in the near future.” And, could Kyle Busch be the driver? He just might get a shot at it if the plan between Bruton Smith, owner of Charlotte’s track and Randy Bernard, CEO of the IRL, to offer a US$20million bonus to the winner of both the Indy 500 and the Coca Cola 600 on the same day. “If I win the Sprint Cup Championship, I’ll go run Indy,” Busch, 25, told WRTV. “But I have to win the championship first. So, if anyone wants to put my name on the check and the trophy now, then I’ll be at Indy next year. I’m looking forward to trying Indy cars at some point.” motorsport news
The King and I and II
Not all thrilled with 2012 IndyCar INDYCARS SOME doubts surround the level of support for the 2012 IndyCar. As part of the requirements for the 2012 IndyCar chassis, the constructor chosen, Italy’s Dallara, agreed to create a facility in the U.S. The Indianapolis area was selected where most teams are located. But the facility completion date is at least 10 months away. That may delay the 2012 chassis completion until the fall of 2011, making it difficult for another company to design the aero kit. Asked if Dallara was currently building the new chassis, Tony Cotman responded, “They aren’t yet building the car. Dallara is still in the design phase and working at
NASCAR SPRINT CUP RICHARD Petty Motorsports has confirmed that it will run only two Sprint Cup entries next season. The Gillet family-owned team has run four entries this season but has recently clarified its 2011 lineup will be Marcos Ambrose in the team’s #9 entry and AJ Allmendinger in the famed #43. Kasey Kahne and Paul Menard are leaving the team to join Red Bull Racing and Richard Childress, respectively. Best Buy is expected to be back as the primary sponsor of the #43, which despite some rumours will not carry any support from the team’s current sponsor, Budweiser. The reason is somewhat oldfashioned; many years ago, Petty promised his late mother years ago that no car of his would never carry alcohol sponsorship and, even if Mrs Petty passed away four years ago and The King is now 73, he is staying good to his word.
the model level.” The aero kit, the engine cover and wings package, can be designed by anyone, a team, an aerospace company, or chassis constructor such as Lola or Swift. But the 2012 field could end up all Dallaras if there isn’t sufficient development time for others to create their aero kit. “Roger [Penske] doesn’t want to build an aero kit for the new chassis,” revealed Helio Castroneves, three-time Indy 500 winner. “If you build your own kit, you have to make it available for all the rest. There would be no advantage.” – MARY MENDEZ
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Honda Racing Media
Legends Dinner Invitation Tall tales and true stories from the legendary past. Guest speakers include:
Kevin Bartlett, John Harvey, Allan Grice, Glenn Seton & John Bowe up front on stage reminiscing about 50 years of Australian Touring Car racing.
You are invited to the 2010 Muscle Car Masters Legends Dinner, proudly brought to you by Valvoline
LEGENDS DINNER SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 4TH, 2010 FOR BOOKING DETAILS: www.musclecarmasters.com.au or 02 9672 1000 www.mnews.com.au
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BRIEFLY
■ Replacing Valentino Rossi must be a daunting challenge, but the pressure does not seem to be affecting Ben Spies. A week after being confirmed as a rider for the Fiat Yamaha team in 2011, the Texan scored his first pole position and best MotoGP result, second, at Indianapolis, with Tech 3 Yamaha. “My first year has been a great learning curve,” said Spies, 26. “I’m pleased that Yamaha have recognised my potential.” The American is expected to partner Jorge Lorenzo, but the Spaniard is yet to actually sign with the team for next year. Spies, the 2009 World Superbike Champion, is currently sixth in the MotoGP world championship. ■ The last piece of BMW’s World Superbike jigsaw puzzle might be Marco Melandri. The Italian is said to be “99 percent certain” to quit MotoGP racing at the end of the season to join the Germans for 2011, probably as a replacement for Ruben Xaus. The news come from Italian website GPOne.com, which quotes BMW team manager Davide Tardozzi. “We don’t have the signature, and that is the most important part, but I received a very positive impression from Melandri,” he said. “We never talked about money, only about how competitive we would be. Marco wants to win and show that he is still a top rider, and I think this is the right philosophy for Superbike.” Speculation is that his seat at San Carlo Honda Gresini might be filled by Andrea Dovizioso. HRC has named Casey Stoner as a 2011 and is believed to be having difficulty finding the additional sponsorship tp expand its factory team to three entries next season.
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Rob Lang
■ The World Superbike Championship has been hit by a bombshell, with Ducati confirming it will pull out of the series at the end of the season. The Italian factory, which has fielded a works team in the series for more than two decades, will continune to support the series, via customer teams. Ducati President and CEO Gabriele Del Torchio cited a strategy change as part of the decision. “This decision is part of a specific strategy made by Ducati, the aim being to further increase technological content in production models that will arrive on the market in the coming years,” he said in a statement. “In order to achieve this objective, the company’s technical resources, until now engaged with the management of the factory Superbike team, will instead be dedicated to the development of the new generation of hypersport bikes, in both their homologated and Superbike race versions.” However, cynics have pointed to the need to fund the two years for which Valentino Rossi has signed to ride the Italian bikes in MotoGP … Since the Ducati factory entered the WSBK in 1988, it won 13 riders’ world titles, including four for Britain’s Carl Fogarty, and 16 manufacturers’ crowns.
WALTER BACK TO V8s V8 TOURING CARS
A TRIO of former Fujitsu Series drivers will make their debut in the Shannons V8 Touring Car Series at Eastern Creek next weekend. Sam Walter, Scott Loadsman and Steve Voight are set to join the series, among 13 entries received to date. Loadsman will race the ex-Paul Morris Motorsport Commodore raced by Steve Owen to take out the 2008 Fujitsu Series, and Voight will drive a VY Commodore alongside Aaron Tebb under the Sydney Star Racing banner. Walter will get back aboard his old Greg Murphy Racing mount, which is currently being re-logbooked from a VZ to a VY in accordance with series rules. The Tasmanian aims to sell the car, which he last raced in the 2009 Fujitsu Series finale at Homebush, with his run at
Eastern Creek a way of attracting attention. With GMR running their V8 Supercar wildcard on the same weekend, Image Racing will look after Walter’s entry. “GMR will be busy down at Phillip Island running the wildcard, so Terry Wyhoon and Ben Eggleston will look after the car for me,” Walter said. “We haven’t raced it all year and it’s been for sale, so hopefully we can get it out there, get a good result and seal the deal. We know the car’s quick, it’s a bloody good car. “The category’s got some good rules with how you modify the cars to keep costs down, so I reckon it’ll become a pretty good thing.” Queensland Saloon Car driver Bevan Garioch will also make his SV8TC debut, driving an ex-Britek BA Falcon. – MITCHELL ADAM
NO V8TC AT BATHURST V8 TOURING CARS THE Shannons V8 Touring Car Series has elected not to join the support card at next year’s Armor All Bathurst 12 Hour. The third-tier V8 class looked at kicking off their fourth season at Mount Panorama in February, but will instead continue to run their entire calendar on the Shannons Nationals bill. “A group of competitors would like to, but on balance, with a fledgling category, we’ve decided not to go,” SV8TC Commercial Manager Rob Curkpatrick said. “There is always a gap between interest and entries, by the time paperwork is in and entry fees are paid. It’s a very expensive exercise in total if you can’t get the right number of cars. “We’re definitely not ruling it out in the future, but next year just isn’t the time to do it.” – MITCHELL ADAM motorsport news
WHINCUP: TIME TO PERFORM JAMIE REVEALS TO MOTORSPORT NEWS WHAT IT MEANS TO BE SECOND – NOT FIRST – IN THE CHASE FOR THE TITLE PLUS: UNIQUE FORMULA 1 MID-SEASON REVIEW, WE DRIVE A FORMULA 5000 IN NEW ZEALAND, V8’S HOTTEST ROOKIE JONO WEBB, CLASSIC FLASHBACK TO PHILLIP ISLAND, BEHIND THE SCENES AT GREG MURPHY RACING AND MUCH, MUCH MORE
No. 399 September
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BRIEFLY
■ Lee Mitchener has taken out the Queensland Formula 100 Title at Ipswich, leading home Adam Mercer, Ryan Wlodzinski, John McSpedden and former V8 Supercar pilot, Michael Patrizi, pictured below. The class – that utilises old-style CIK engines – almost disappeared off the national scene, but has been enjoying a resurgence in Queensland and Victoria over recent years.
■ On Patrizi, he, along with the Kalgoorlie Kart Club is organising a mega KZ2 event on November 6-7. $4,000 will be taken out by the winner, with $8,000 in total up for grabs. Patrizi is also preparing a JMAX kart under the PatriziCorse banner for cousin, Holly at the Rotax Nationals in Ipswich. ■ Soon to be V8 Supercar pilot, Jacques Villeneuve was expected to race in Rotax DD2 Masters at the Canadian National Karting Championships last weekend. The enigmatic 1997 World F1 Champion was a no-show for the event, however current GP3 star, Daniel Morad competed in the DD2 category, finishing seventh.
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Coopers Photography
■ The AKA have issued an addendum that now allows karters to carry on board cameras. The stupid rule that banned cameras – aside from approved situations – has been overturned. In another positive move, all stewards hearings will now be recorded (where possible) to ensure accuracy.
MARIO AIMING TO END SERA’S REIGN KARTING
CURRENT World Rotax Number 2 Mario Vendla has arrived in Australia for this weekend’s Sparco Rotax Nationals at Ipswich, and is looking to end the three-year reign of David Sera as the National Champion in Rotax Light. The most intriguing part of the Estonian’s inclusion in the over-subscribed 45-kart field is that his Cooper’s Photography-supported machine will be prepared by the Arrow factory – right alongside Sera’s. Former World Number 2 Scott Auld also steps back behind the wheel, whilst other strong challengers for Sera’s crown include Josh DeMaio, and old sparring partner Tyler Greenbury. Adding to the international flavour will be the inclusion of 15-year-old Kiwi Andy Schofield. The runaway leader in the New Zealand Rotax MAX Challenge has the experience of expat Kiwi Dale Verrall of Pacific Kartsport in his corner. After spectacularly leading the title final last year, Jessica Golding will be the only lady racer in the field – with new sponsor, Indigo Telecom. Jessica has just returned from the UK, working with the SuperLeague Formula team that operates the AC Milan and Liverpool cars. Former Formula BMW Pacific racer, Steel
Guiliana and V8 Utes regular Ryal Harris are also in the field, whilst one time Formula A Australian Champion Ryan Wlodzinski will be another to keep an eye on. Double Rotax Heavy Champion William Yarwood will be looking for another trophy for the mantelpiece as part of a 26-kart field, but the Victorian CRG-mounted Pringle brothers – Jason and Rick – will do everything in their power to stop him. Standout New South Wales racer David Whitmore will step up to the Heavy division. Junior racer Pierce Lehane will be gunning to back up his Pro-Junior CIK Championship win with his first Rotax Championship in JMAX Light, whilst there’s a very good chance that JMAX Heavy could see a female crowned Champion, with Victorian Jaymee Frampton and Gold Coaster Renee Gracie expected to be among the front runners. For the first time, Rotax Super Heavy will join the championship roster, and Over 35s will be tight as ever – given places at the Rotax World Finals are still up for grabs. Rotax DD2 will be hotly contested with a raft of NSW and ACT competitors venturing north. Qualifying and heats will be conducted at Willowbank Kartway on Saturday, with Finals on Sunday. – MATT PAYNE
FROM THE EDITOR ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN
EXPECT some beefed up karting content in Motorsport eNews from now on. With the sport booming in Australia, we here at eNews are thrilled to welcome Matt Payne to the team as a dedicated karting contributor. An experienced karting commentator, Matt will be digging up news and reporting on the big kart races from around the country and the world. Welcome aboard, Matt. motorsport news
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FIVE MINUTES WITH ...
WILL DAVISON
It hasn’t been a great year for Davo, but with two endurance races to defend, he’s got plenty to look foward to. He spoke to ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN
You guys were team-mates last year, so I’m guessing you know how he goes about driving these cars. Do you think that will suit how you set a car up as well? Yeah, like you said last year we were team-mates, and we did all our debriefs together. Dave and I were quite close last year, and I was trying to help him out a bit, and I think a lot of my data last year was more relevant to his driving and setup than Garth’s was. The way I drove the car was more to his liking. You said before there’s no pressure for these races, but given how your year has gone 20
Peter Bury
MOTORSPORT NEWS: Teaming up with David Reynolds at the enduros is good – he’s a pretty solid bloke to have in the car. WILL DAVISON: Dave and I have known each other for a long time, and the way my year has gone, I think we’re going to complement each other very well. My mentality for these races is ‘going for glory’, so I can take something good out of this year. There’s no real pressure, so we can be pretty aggressive. Dave’s got a fair point to prove as well. Dave is very good; he proved that late last year. He’s in a good place at the moment, so I feel like I’ve got the best driver out there next to me for these races. I actually prefer being out of the limelight a bit, so we’ll work well together. We’ll have some fun with what we’re doing, and hopefully that will translate into a result.
so far, I would have though there was more pressure. I mean, this is a chance for you to take something really positive out of 2010. There’s pressure, don’t worry about that. There’s just not championship pressure. At the end of the day this is a cutthroat industry, and results are very important. My excuses for this year don’t really matter, no one wants to hear about that and I’m well aware of that. So it’s very important for me to get some strong results in the back half of the year, for me and my career. So I’m very motivated, because it hurts a lot to have a disappointing year. I suppose I’ve learnt to deal with the downers, and now all of my energy is going into the being positive, enjoying what I do, and having an attacking mentality. I know how important these races are, because you can really salvage your year with a win
in the enduros. There’s no championship pressure, but there’s certainly pressure. A Bathurst victory would be very timely. I’m more than capable, because I won the race last year. I just hope it all comes together for me on that one big day. You’ve mentioned being attacking in these races because there’s no championship, but what exactly does that mean? Surely you always attack pretty hard at Bathurst ... That’s the thing; whether you’re leading the championship or not, everyone will be pushing as hard as they can. When I say that, I don’t mean I’m going to drive the car any harder, because that isn’t possible. What I mean is that I’m in a position to look at a gamble on strategy, a gamble on set-up, a gamble on race start, the 50-50 moves ...
So you can afford to roll the dice a bit. Exactly, we can roll the dice. We can be aggressive right from the start of first practice, and that changes your mindset a lot, because you’re not worried about where your championship rivals are. You’re just focused on yourself, and that frees you up a little bit. Now I’m sure you’re going to give me nothing here, but I’ve got to ask the question; where are you at with plans for 2011 and beyond? Yeah you’re right, I’m giving you nothing (laughs). At this stage, we’re still going through the motions. We haven’t done a deal for anything yet, and I said the enduros are important for my career, no matter what I do next year. We’ll get things back on track with HRT, and then hopefully there will be decisions to be made soon. motorsport news
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WHY CALDER SHOULD HOST THE AGP
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ELBOURNE is a great place to be at the moment. Spring is in the air, the sporting season is about to go into overdrive and for motor racing fans, there is much to celebrate. Sandown is getting an upgrade, courtesy of the Melbourne Racing Club, and big things are seemingly planned for Calder Park, with the backing of Bob Jane and the Victorian government. And, here is my proposal; let’s move the Australian Grand Prix to Calder. Really. We should. That would future-proof the race. Bernie Ecclestone has been consistently insistent that the AGP needs to run under lights, and let’s be honest, that is impossible (and I think undesirable) to do at Albert Park. Calder, on the other hand, is unencumbered by tree-lovers or protesters
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(or any residents, for that matter) and Hella’s excellent (and Australian-developed) lighting system has already been tested there with, apparently, dazzling (or rather, undazzling) results. Also, the money that is spent on erecting and dismantling the bits and pieces at Albert Park could, and probably should, be spent on something that is available all-year round. That is entirely in line with the Victorian government’s policy of upgrades to sporting facilities, which have ranged from the $363million redevelopment of the Melbourne Park tennis centre, to the three-stage upgrade of Geelong’s Kardinia Park, the home of the AFL’s Cats. Money for tracks is muchneeded, and long overdue. Access? To Calder Park by car is a soda. Public transport? Easy; buses on the Calder Freeway, or trains to a new
OPINION Phil Branagan – Executive Editor Calder Park station, just up the existing Sydenham line. Airport? Fifteen minutes by car, three by helicopter. And let’s be honest; Calder has history – much more than Albert Park. In the 1970s, its $100,000 Sports Sedan Series was a forerunner to what we see today in V8 Supercars; stars in big, powerful cars (though credit should probably be shared with Oran Park’s Toby Lee Series). Then there was Rallycross. In 1980, Jane brought Formula 1 to Australia, Alan Jones winning the AGP in his Williams stifling conditions. In the following years, it was Lauda, Piquet, Prost and a galaxy of stars, fighting out Formula Pacific AGPs with the
locals. The Thunderdome was visionary, and provided great entertianment. The Calder dragstrip hosted the first 4second Top Fuel race outside the USA. Calder Park deserves Formula 1. It will stop all the silly talk about moving the race elsewhere, and ink it in for the long-term. All that F1 can do at, and for, Albert Park has been done, and GP racing is a fitting legacy for Bob Jane as a track owner, let alone racer, team owner and sponsor, and all the other things he has done for the sport over his life. So, I hope it happens, soon. And Bob; we will need a new, and comfortable, media centre, please ...
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OPINION Andrew van Leeuwen – eNews Editor
KEEPING YOUR KEWELL
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HE Harry Kewell Syndrome. It’s a condition that I’ve just given a name, and it involves a sporting personality having a major overreaction to comments made in the media. The name makes perfect sense. In the last few months, the ageing football star has, on at least two occasions, had a blowup over comments made by journalists. First it was in South Africa, where Kewell accused the media of being unsupportive after questioning the Socceroos players and coaching staff after the horror 4-0 loss to Germany in the group stages. Journalist Simon Hill, on www.foxsports. com.au, replied by saying “Sorry, Harry. I’m a huge admirer of your ability – and it’s a great pity that your World Cup looks as though it may be limited to a 25-minute cameo. But the media’s job is not to be a cheerleader for the national sporting teams.” It’s a great point from Hill, but one Kewell obviously didn’t take on board, given his more recent spat with former team-mate Robbie Slater, who wrote an opinion piece questioning Kewell’s role in the Socceroos squad as we prepare for Brazil in 2014. So how does all of this apply to motorsport? Well, in V8 Supercars, there is a serious case of the Harry Kewell
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Syndrome. Write an opinion piece questioning a driver, or a team member, or worst still an official, and the angry emails, text messages and phone calls inevitably follow. We media types hold a powerful position and, yes, what we write can dent someone’s ego and/or reputation. That’s why our profession has a strict code of ethics – and I can promise you that from the moment you walk through the door at Motorsport News, nothing but responsible reporting is encouraged. We understand ‘off the record’, we don’t shit-can people for the fun of it, and believe me, we can keep a secret – and there a few of them! Tell us something in confidence and it won’t show up in any of these pages. But, when the situation calls for it, an opinion piece that offers criticism is not irresponsible reporting. It’s just reporting, and it’s our job. We have the freedom to express an opinion as we see fit, because everyone who works in this office is a motorsport professional, with good insight into the sport. And it shouldn’t be seen as a personal jab at the subject in question – it should be seen as a necessary part of being someone who is well paid and performs in the public arena. The AFL is a perfect example. For
weeks, the Melbourne media has been on the warpath to get Essendon coach Matthew Knights out to make way for the newspaper-touted situation of having exstar player James Hird at the helm of the club. It seemed to work, with Knights losing his job over the weekend. But through it all, did Knights waste his time writing angry emails to Mike Sheehan, Robert Walls or any of the other Footy journos? Did he making threatening phone-ins to sports panel shows? No. He got on with his job, and accepted the fact that it wasn’t the media’s fault that he was left out in the cold.That’s how a situation like this should be handled. We’re not against rebuttals or the right of reply here at Motorsport News. If a driver or team owner has a genuine argument to put, then we’ll welcome it with open arms, and in the right situation, publish it in these pages. But wild criticism of opinions expressed in this magazine is not a right of reply, it’s a hissy-fit. So please, V8 Supercar driver and team owners, let us be journalists. We are entitled to our opinion. If you don’t like what we write, get out on track and prove us wrong. If you can’t do that ... well, that’s not our fault. That’s yours. 23
Master Blasters
It‘s on again this Father’s Day at Eastern Creek, the annual Australian MUSCLE CAR magazine master blast from our touring car racing past
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HE V8 Supercars may bypass Eastern Creek these days in favour of the streets of Homebush Bay, but even without the V8s the Creek still manages each year to host some of our greatest touring car stars and cars – with a Father’s Day weekend meeting that’s more or less as big as any of the V8 Supercar rounds the venue ever held. In fact, in lots of ways it’s just like a V8 Supercar round, but from the 1980s – and the ‘70s, and the ‘60s... The Australian Muscle Car Masters is in its sixth year and it’s getting bigger all the time. It’s the showcase 24
event of what is a burgeoning historic touring car scene in Australia, and it’s unmatched in terms of sheer numbers of classic old machinery with its mix of Group N historic category cars, original historic touring car and an increasing number of ‘70s Sports Sedans, faithfully constructed replicas of famous old cars, and the original ‘muscle car’ road cars. Add to that the large contingent of past star drivers that always features at the event, and there really isn’t anything like this on the Australian motor racing calendar. The list of past stars fronting at the Creek this year makes for a fairly hefty
roll call: Allan Moffat, Bob Jane, Bob Morris, Colin Bond, Allan Grice, Harry Firth, Glenn Seton (not in the strictest sense a past star as he’s still racing as a V8 Supercar enduro driver), Kevin Bartlett, Jim Richards, John Bowe, John Harvey, Allan Grice, John Leffler, Murray Carter, Leo Geoghegan and more. For most of the day they’ll be around the paddock area chatting to fans and signing autographs, but some of them will be seen in action out on the track. Among them will be Grice in his early ‘70s Group C Torana XU-1, Bond driving the STP Commodore he shared with motorsport news
Andrew Hall
Bill Forsyth
Chris Currie
Greg Taylor
Brendon Thorne
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Dan Bourke Greg Taylor
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Brendon Thorne
Grice at Bathurst in 1983 and John in a HDT Torana A9X. Something new to the AMCMasters this year is the ‘Big Three Match Race’. This series of three, two-lap heats is an attempt to recreate the old Sun 7 Series Production match races at Amaroo Park from the early ’70s, which featured a series of three-lap bursts round the short Amaroo track between just six cars: two Falcons, two Toranas and two Chargers. Also on the 29-race schedule is the Australian Touring Car Championship 50th Anniversary Handicap. Cars eligible for this event are Group N machines of the same model as any car that has won the ATCC. They’ll be divided into decades – ‘60s, ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s – and sent off in groups. Should be interesting: from the ‘60s there’s a Jaguar, Cortina and Mustang; from the ‘70s a Falcon GT-HO and Torana models XU-1 and A9X (the latter being an original HDT Hatchback driven by Team BOC Commodore V8 Supercar driver Jason Richards). Then there’s the ‘80s Group A era: Ford Sierra, BMW M3 and even a Volvo 240T like the car in which Robbie Francevic claimed the ’85 crown. From ’80s Volvo to ‘70s Monaro, and everything in between, there has to be something here for anyone with any interest in our 50-year touring car history.
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Clay Cross
Clay Cross
Andrew Hall
Chris Currie
Brendon Thorne
Dan Bourke
Bill Forsyth
Brendon Thorne
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QUIT TARGA WEST WESTERN AUSTRALIA
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MAJOR BREAKTHROUGH
Many expected the 2010 QUIT Targa West to be a two-horse race between Steve Jones and Jim Richards. But Peter Major beat them both to the crown
Matthew Oswald
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P
ETER Major has broken through for his first QUIT Targa West win, holding off tarmac rally legend Jim Richards to win the West Aussie
event. It was a dominant display from Major and co-driver Kim Screaigh, who took the lead from Richards and Barry Oliver mid-way through the first leg and never looked back. In the end, the winning margin was a handy 51s, giving Nissan’s GT-R another win in the west. “We’re over the moon,” said Major. “The car was fantastic it did everything we wanted it to do. “It was great racing against Jimmy (Jim Richards). You know he’s going to come hard, and no matter what he does, he’s going to be fast. You never know how hard he’s pushing so we just tried to stay on it and stay as quick as we could. Luckily we were able to keep that gap we gained in the first leg.” In third outright was Ross Hamilton and Tony Robson, making it a Nissan-PorscheMitsubishi podium. 30
Defending winner Steve Jones went into this year’s Targa West hoping to make it three in a row, but it wasn’t to be. He and new co-driver Ben Searcy barely made it through the prologue, with their Nissan GTR’s engine expiring on SS1. In the Competition Classic class, Tolley Challis was lucky to get away with the top spot. After building a comfortable lead in his Porsche 911 RS, Challis and co-driver Greg Flood were forced to deal with an engine fire on the transport to the penultimate stage. While they got the Porsche going again, they missed SS30 and received a derived stage time. However, it wasn’t enough to stop them taking the top spot from Mark and Mitchell O’Kane (Torana A9X), while David and Vicki Moir (Datsun 240Z) took their third class podium in three years. In the challenge classes, the winning cars mirrored that of the competition winners – Mark and Andrew Conacher gave Nissan another GT-R win in the modern class, while Robert Buys and Sanja Aksamija took out classic in a Porsche 911. motorsport news
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Matthew Oswald Matthew Oswald
Matthew Oswald
Toll(ey) Road: Challis, below, was lucky to escape with the Competition Classic win after an engine fire late in the event, while Jim Richards, top, and Ross Hamilton, above, were left chasing Peter Major over the last two days.
Matthew Oswald
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IZOD INDYCAR SERIES ROUND 14 – CHICAGOLAND, IL
Chipping
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INDYCAR IZOD Me dia
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A rare mistake in the pits from Penske and a great run from the Chip Ganassi team and Dario Franchitti has put a dent in Will Power’s points lead with only three rounds to run
ay
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HINGS went about as bad as they could for Will Power at Chicagoland. There was an Australian on pole but it was not Power, it was Penske team-mate Ryan Briscoe. During the race, Power was right in the fight for the win but the final round of pitstops determined the race – and perhaps, will mark the turning point in the season. Power had just taken the lead and led the field in but at Ganassi, the team decided
to refuel Dario Franchitti’s car without changing its tyres. The Scot had not shown racewinning speed to that point but the track position paid off; Power tried to stay with him and it was looking like a good, rather than great result for the Queenslander. But a refuelling problem meant that Power had a shortage of fuel, and he had to back it off to make it to the flag. By the time the chequers fell, he was 16th. “Unfortunately, we had a problem with our fuel late in
the race and we had to come back in and lost position,” said Power. “That was just a mistake that we couldn’t afford. This obviously makes things tougher for the championship, but we’re still in front and we proved how competitive On Target: Dario Franchitti and Ganassi Racing were right on target at Chicagoland, left, below. Narrow win for Franchitti over Dan Wheldon made it a British one-two.
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we can be on the ovals. We’ll move on and we will work harder next week at Kentucky.” After closing to 23 points behind Power in the race for the title, Franchitti was a happy man. “Chris Simmons [his race engineer] made a brilliant call at our last pit stop,” he said. “Our car was great in clean air, but we really struggled in traffic. After Chris made the call, I got a lot of help from Dan Wheldon, he worked with me as a drafting partner right up until the end. We made
up a lot of ground [in the championship] tonight, but we have to keep going.” Briscoe looked entirely capable of winning the race, fighting Marco Andretti for the lead in the first half of the race. But twice the Penske man got shuffled wide and off the line, and the resulting lack of track position saw him drop to 11th. In the end, Wheldon came through to make it a British 12, with the Andretti Autosport trio of Andretti, Ryan HunterReay and Tony Kanaan completing the top five. Helio
Castroneves was sixth, while Scott Dixon was eighth behind Justin Wilson, the Kiwi lacking the usual oval-speed that has been on show on so many occasions in the past. Franchitti’s dream result augers well for the last three rounds. But Power’s fall from a solid finish was due not to lack of speed but to a pitstop SNAFU from Penske Racing – and that is a rare occurrence. This weekend’s race in Kentucky, and the two after that, promise a lot, so don’t write Power off yet.
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Results :: Peak Antifreeze & Motor Oil, Chicagoland, IL
HONDA RACING Media
Pos. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
No. 10 4 26 37 11 3 22 9 14 02
Driver Dario Franchitti Dan Wheldon Marco Andretti Ryan Hunter-Reay Tony Kanaan Helio Castroneves Justin Wilson Scott Dixon Vitor Meira Graham Rahal
Nat GB GB USA USA Br Br GB NZ Br USA
Team Ganassi Panther Andretti Andretti Andretti Penske Dreyer & Reinbold Ganassi Foyt Newman/Haas
Sponsor Breathe Right National Guard Venom Energy Izod Planters Penske Z-Line Target ABC Supplies Quick Trim
Split Qual. 200 laps Q2 +0.0423s 7 +0.1051s 5 +0.1631s 9 +0.3408s 13 +0.4868s 4 +0.5953s 23 +0.9137s 15 +0.9588s 24 +0.9841s 6
Top 10 Points: Power 528, Franchitti 505, Dixon 443, Briscoe 406, Castroneves 398, Hunter-Reay 392, Kanaan 360, Andretti 319, Wilson 316, Wheldon 309.
Power outage: A mistake in the pits by the Penske team put paid to Will Power’s hopes, right inset, leaving title rival Franchitti to take the big points, inset above. Ryan Briscoe was strong in Chicagoland but got shuffled back, main.
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NASCAR NATIONWIDE ROUND 25 – MONTREAL, CANADA
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ISTORY shows that Marcos Ambrose virtually cannot lose a NASCAR Nationwide race at Watkins Glen but that he cannot win one in Canada. As usual, the Tasmanian won a few weeks ago in upper New York state and, as usual, he was the man to be reckoned with north of the border. But electrical dramas struck his Toyota while leading and further dramas, this time with the car’s suspension, made sure that his day ended in misery. After qualifying on pole position and comfortably leading the first half of the race, Ambrose was classified 33rd. Among all the shenanigans, Boris Said claimed his first NASCAR win, barely ahead of Max Papis, while Jacques Villeneuve brought a tear to the eye of many a Maple Leaf-waving fan with third, which is fairly remarkable considering that the former World champion spun Said out of the lead before both came back. “We just really played it smart and saved our brakes until the end,” Said said. “We had a good car at the end and that’s what it took. It was a cracking finish, with Papis momentarily passing Said for the lead on the final lap. But Said’s Ford maintained its momentum to lunge to the chequer with a few inches (ooops; in Canada, it’s centimetres) to spare. Brad Keselowski did his points lead no hard whatsoever with fourth, and game each marque one position in the top four. Unluckiest man in Canada was Robby Gordon. He actually led at the final restart, but his car ran short of fuel and he dropped back to 14th at the flag.
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How did we know the winner
Because Boris Sa motorsport news
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r in Montreal?
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e aid
Close, and a Cigar! Boris made all the Said Heads happy by scoring his first NASCAR win – but he only beat Max Papis by inches in Montreal. Jacques Villeneuve was third, and he was the man challenging Marcos Ambrose when the race started, above.
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Right Said Fred IRC A DRAMATIC conclusion to the Barum Czech Rally Zlin has seen Freddy Loix claim his third-straight Intercontinental Rally Challenge round win. The lead of the rally changed three times in the final four stages, with Loix and co-driver Frederic Milcotte the last men standing to head a 1-2-3 finish for Skoda.
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Jan Kopecky and Petr Stary won the opening leg by 28.2s ahead of Loix, and were on track to claim the outright victory on Sunday. Despite a Spin on Stage 14, Kopecky was in the box seat, only to spin and beach his Skoda with three stages remaining. That handed the lead to the Peugeot of Bryan Bouffier and Xavier Panseri, only for Bouffier to spin on the
penultimate stage, handing a 3.8s advantage to Loix. A result of damage from his spin, Bouffier’s rally ended off the road in the final stage, with Loix taking the win by 25s. “It’s my second victory in Zlin but definitely my hardest and definitely my most exciting,” Loix said. “The conditions were extremely difficult and it was a big fight with Bryan at the end.
I always had a good feeling with my car but I was missing something in my driving. It was a question to be as quick as possible without making any mistakes.” Juho Hanninen and Mikko Markkula were second to maintain their points lead, ahead of Pavel Valousek and Zdenek Hruza, while Kris Meeke and Paul Neagle took fourth.
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NSW STATE
ROUND 5 of the NSW State Road Racing Championship at Wakefield Park heralded a weekend of recordshattering racing with no less than 12 lap records falling across the two days. Formula 3 star Tom Tweedie was at the wheel of a historic Van Diemen Formula Ford, though his race was a footnote to that of Stefan Borsato, above, who
won all three races ahead of Alan Price in an enthralling weekend-long duel. Honours were shared in Production Touring, with Jim Pollicina setting a new lap record to win the opening race while Garth Walden won the second as Bart Mawer, below, reset the lap record. Mawer went on to win the one-hour enduro on Sunday afternoon by 49 seconds after 51 laps. Both Over and Under 2-
Litre Improved Production lap records were among those to tumble, Graeme Cox taking the laurels in the Under 2Litre class with Dave Loftus and Ryan Brown sharing the Over 2-Litre spoils. Greg King dominated the HQs with three wins and a lap record, Robert Choon following suit with the same result in the Racing Cars class. Adam Proctor also set a new record on his way to a clean sweep of the Sports Car
John Morris / Mpix
Records tumble at WP
category, while Chris Jackson claimed all three victories in Sports Sedans, Simon Copping claiming the lone Under 2-Litre Sports Sedan race on Saturday. Daniel Reynolds won the opening two Formula Vee races with Michael Kinsella sealing victory in the third, while a fiercely contested Productions Sports class saw three winners; Neale Muston, Justin Levis and Iain Pretty. – MAT COCH
John Morris / Mpix
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BRIEFLY... ■ SCOTT Pye will start from second in the opening race as the British Formula Ford Championship hits Snetterton. With Races 16 and 17 of the season to take place tonight (Monday) at the Norfolk circuit, Pye was just four one-hundredths of a second behind Jamun Racing team-mate Emil Bernstorff. The Aussie’s title title rival, Scott Malvern, will start fifth. Also at Snetterton, newly-crowned British F3 Champion Jean-Eric Vergne claimed his 13th race win of the season. The Frenchman moved past team-mate Adriano Buzaid with four laps remaining to win the first of three races. ■ AMERICAN rider Greg Hancock took his first FIM Speedway GP win of the season in Croatia on Sunday. Hancock withstood plenty of pressure in the final, leading home Brit Chris Harris, with Australian Jason Crump third. With fifth, Tomasz Gollob increased his points lead over Jaroslaw Hampel to seven points, but Crump’s third now means he’s just a further three behind with three events remaining.
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APRC AUSSIE Brendan Reeves claimed a dominant victory in Rally New Caledonia, Round 5 of the FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship. On his 22nd birthday, Reeves and co-driver Rhianon Smyth cruised to a fiveminute win, having built a two-minute lead on the opening day. “It’s a fantastic feeling to win the rally,” he said. “Our team have worked really hard to get here, and to finish with our first international outright victory on our first visit to New Caledonia, is awesome. I couldn’t have asked for a better birthday present!” The only official APRC team entered in the event, Rifat Sungkar and Scott Beckwith were second, ahead of Brian Green and Fleur Pedersen.
Caledonia counting
Eight is pretty great GRAND-AM
WITH their eighth win of the season in Montreal, Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas have wrapped up the 2010 GRAND-AM title. Securing Chip Ganassi Racing’s fourth teams title in the process, the pair won the 62-lap race in their BMW Riley ahead of Jon Fogarty and Alex Gurney, while Max Angelilli and Ricky Taylor finished third.
Pruett and Rojas now have an insurmountable points lead heading into the final round at Miller Motorsports Park in a fortnight, but there could still be a change to the engraving instructions ... If one driver fails to complete the minimum half an hour in the car at Utah, the other will become the sole champion. “What a glorious day!” Pruett said.
“This has been one of those races that it’s been difficult for us to get our hands around. It’s exciting for us as a team to wrestle it to the ground today. It’s truly been a dream season, and it takes some of the stress off going into Salt Lake City. That’s another of those races where we’ve never been to victory lane.” Paul Edwards and Scott Russell took out the GT Class in their Corvette.
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Joey on top WORLD OF OUTLAWS
Wet and dry Spas GP2 & GP3 PASTOR Maldonado remains in control of the GP2 Series, despite a retirement at Spa. The Venezuelan picked up another feature race win on Saturday, but was out on the opening lap of Sunday’s sprint race, with winner Sergio Perez still in mathematical contention. Maldonado held out fill-in driver Alvaro Parente to win the feature by just 0.243s, with another supersub, Romain
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Grosjean taking third. Esteban Guiterrez still leads GP3, despite title rival Robert Wickens winning the crazy opening race. Wickens crashed in a rain storm but, nursing front wing damage, stayed out on slicks behind the Safety Car to retake the lead. Then, with the time limit approaching, he slowed the pack just enough to prevent a restart. In Race 2, Adrien Tambay stormed from 27th to victory as a gamble on slick tyres paid off.
Daniel Beard
JOEY Saldana holds just a 26point buffer over 20-times World of Outlaws champion Steve Kinser after driving a methodical race to win the Oil City Cup at Castrol at Edmonton, Canada. Saldana, in the Kasey Kahneowned #9 Budweiser Maxim, won a thrilling 35-lap A-Main from Donny Schatz and Sam Hefertepe Jr. Coming off pole, Hafertepe was superb for 29 laps until the experience of Saldana, who started from position eight, kicked in, taking the lead and staying there for the remaining laps to win his 12th A-Feature win of the season and his third in his last four starts at Castrol
Raceway. “I had to really get my elbows up tonight,” Saldana said. “Tonight it showed how good of a car we had. We are doing the best we can and everyone on this team is working hard. We have had no luck this year and sooner or later it’s got to turn around. “When Donny (Schatz) showed me his nose, I definitely knew that I had to get going or I was going to get beat. He was going to go by both of us. We were all running as hard as we could lap after lap. It was just a good race and I can’t say enough about my team. “We are trying to win a championship and you can’t win championships when you are falling out of races. We
know we have a great car and are doing great things, we just get caught up in silly stuff and that’s just racing.” Schatz, who started third, did challenge the leaders but eventually could not haul in Saldana, after getting by Hafertepe with three laps remaining. He settled for second in the Tony Stewartowned #15 Armor All/STP J&J,
grabbing his 27th top five finish of the year. Australia’s Kerry Madsen started the feature from seventh and finished 12th, after time-trialling10th and winning his opening heat. Points: Saldana 7171, Kinser 7145, Jason Meyers 7133, Schatz 7022, Jason Sides 6958, Paul McMahn 6874 – GEOFF ROUNDS
Mosporty Spice ALMS KLAUS Graf has edged into David Brabham’s American Le Mans Series points lead, with victory alongside Romain Dumas in a shortened Grand Prix of Mosport. Graf and Dumas were leading the way in CytoSport’s Porsche RS Spyder when the race was red flagged after two hours and 19 minutes,
when an accident between Luke Hines and Jonny Cocker caused extensive damage to Armco fencing. The win was Graf’s third of the year, and moves him to within 16 points of Brabham and Pagenaud – who finished second in their HPD Highcroft – entering the season finale, Petit Le Mans on October 2. Tony Burgess and Johnny Mowlen were third in their Lola.
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BELGIAN WAFFLE
We couldn’t let a Formula 1 race at Spa go past without some form of coverage, so here is a couple of pics to whet your appetite before you click over to GPWeek. First, a shot of the gorgeous circuit. Inset is an instructional image on how not to hang an Australian flag at a Grand Prix. Enjoy!
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t o p S d d O Who’s that with Keith Sutton?
On the subject of Formula 1 photography, Motorsport News’ F1 snapper Keith Sutton was on the other end of the lens recently when he bumped into British Prime Minister David Cameron. ‘Keefy’ was bodyboarding in Cornwall when he spotted the PM catching a few waves himself . www.mnews.com.au
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