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14-27April 2000
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14 April 2000
V8 Supercars reclaim October Sandown to host November Granil Finale in 2001? By CHRIS LAMBDEN THE V8 Supercar FAI 1000 will return to its traditional first Sunday in October date next year. A return to the traditional date follows recent developments with the struggling Super Touring event, which faces an uncertain future. Despite reports of a move to March, there are suggestions that Network Seven may not persist with the event at all. The change back to October for the V8 Supercars will remove the final round status from the Bathurst race. Instead plans are afoot for a Grand Finale event at Sandown, in November. l AVESCO Chairman Tony Cochrane confirmed on Sunday that he expects to meet with the Bathurst City Council this week to negotiate the return to October. “I’ll be meeting the mayor of Bathurst,” he said, “and we expect, no demand, a return to October in 2001. “The skirmish is over, we’ve all had our fun, that’s it,” he continued.
in reference to the three-year con test between AVESCO and Super Touring group TOGA over Bathurst. While not being specific, Cochrane confirmed that discussions are under way for a new Grand Final event “which will be in one of the major capital cities, which makes it possible for our fans, sponsors and corporate backers to be there more easily.” Tlie venue? “Watch this space. / Motorsport News believes negotia tions are under way for such an event at Sandown, in conjunction with IMG, which was in discussion with Sandown promoter Jon Davison prior to the venue losing its 500km race to Queensland last year. n Cochrane also flagged further lob bying for Federal Government sup port for major infrastructure at Mount improvements Panorama.“It’s an Australian icon,” he said. “Every other sport gets. Federal support and yet there is a sporting icon venue in dire need of some major work. “We have 2.5 million core support ers in Australia. We can deliver a strong vote...”
Coyrtney, Webber star in Europe
IT was a great weekend to be an Aussie in Europe, with James Courtney and Mark Webber featuring in great dri ves in England and Italy. While Webber qualified and finished third in the first round of the European F3000 champi onship [see p8 and p21] Courtney was in untouchable form in the opening round of the Slick 50 British Formula Ford Championship round at Brands Hatch.
The 19-year-old put his works Van Diemen on poie and led every lap of the race, cruising home to awin ahead of his Van Diemen team-mate Robert Dahlgren. Mygale's leading runner, Anthony Davidson, who had qualified third behind the Van Diemen duo, spun out of the race on lap six. The race was red-flagged on
lap 12 after a three-car pile-up at Paddock Hill bend, allowing the field to close up behind Courtney, but he soon re-estab lished himself when the race went green.
AT the same Brands Hatch meeting it was confirmed that Australian Alan Gow's 10 year involvement with the British Touring Car Championship will come to an end, following the sale of TOGA to new BTCC pro moter BMP. The sale was confirmed at the weekend, to take effect in a around a month. Gow, a TOGA shareholder, will not stay on and "after a bit of a break, will see what the options are. Gow won't be totally idle - he manages James Courtney and has a part share in an IRL team.
Brands aware: Courtney dominated at Brands Hatch. (Sutton-images)
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Could Ten face a chalRumour of the week: does Network 10 face a challenge as V8 Supercar TV rights for 2001 and beyond come up for renegotiation? Ten has played a big part in the recent growth of the category, but the news that Seven may abandon its broadcast of the Bathurst Super Tourer race meeting altogether adds weight to rumours ofits interest, while there are those who believe that Nine may also be interested, following the demise of such winter programming as Sports Sunday...
Happy campers: AVESCO CEO Wayne Gattach and Chairman Tony Cochrane, Shell’s Ross Brodie and IMG’s Geoff Jones.(Photo by Dirts wynsmith)
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n Several new appointments have been announced at CAMS following the departure of, amongst others, former Admin Chief Jen Grant and media officer John Benson. Former automotive marketing man John Macdonald is Manager, Marketing & Communications, assisted by Jeromy Lohmann,while the admin functions have been grouped under new Company Secretary/Business Manager Jennifer Jones. ■ Octagon Motorsports has taken full ownership of Future Tourer Concepts, the company formed to manage the fledgling category, by purchasing the remaining share held in the company by originator of the concept, Bruce Williams. Williams' formal finks to the category are thus severed, although he retains ownership of two cars built to contest the planned series, which is expected to run in conjunction with the Super Touring Championship.
Foreign invaders: Greg Murphy (1), Glenn Sefon and co are returning to Pukekohe, where they last raced in 1996. (Photo by Di* Kiynsmiih) V8 Supercars will head, to Pukekohe, near Auckland, next March for their first ever overseas cham pionship round. AVESCO confirmed at the weekend that it has a five year agree ment with IMG to stage a round of the series at Auckland’s permanent race track. IMG and Motorsport New Zealand will oversee improvements to the circuit and its amenities in the lead up to the first race. 32 cars will be shipped (or flown) directly from their Australian GP appear ance in time for the Pukekohe meeting.
scheduled for 23-25 March, which will fea ture three 100km races, each with com pulsory' pit stops. The IMG/Pukekohe bid prevailed over an Auckland City Council street race proposal. The street race pro posal fell short because, according to AVESCO Chairman Tony Cochrane, “the Auckland Council doesn’t have the vision of the South Aus tralian Government.” Motorsport News understands the finan cial package for the street race proposal wasn’t as concrete or all-encompassing as the IMG package is
when it came to deci sion time. The dea l was finalised last Wednesday, according to Cochrane. IMG will underwrite the costs of the event, including the freight and travel costs for the teams, which will all be met. “This is probably the most important announcement relat ing to V8 Supercars since Shell has been involved,” Shell Motor Sport Manager Ross Brodie commented. “New Zealand is a key market for our core businesses and those of several of the category’s other lead ing sponsors.”
... but what will happen In Western Australia?
THE NZ race will replace the Indy support race in the V8 Supercar schedule in 2001, expanding the number of points-scoring championship rounds from 13 to 14. At the same time, the future of a round in WA is “uncertain” acording to Cochrane. However, while a first proposal
for a Perth street race has been turned down by the Perth City Council, Motorsport News under stands that the concept is not dead. Barbagallo Raceway is also con ducting a lobbying campaign to retain a race in the State and series sponsor Shell is known to favour inclusion of as many States and Territories as possible in the series. - CHRIS LAMBDEN
■ Bathurst winners Steven Richards and Greg Murphy will be at Parramatta City Raceway this weekend for the NSW Sprintcar Premiership on promotional duties. Both will do some quick laps in a 700hp Sprintcar but Murph isn't too keen to go all-out racing. "You've got to be bloody joking!" he said this week. ■ Speaking of Murph we were a little kind in our results box and forgot to take 10 points away like the officials did over the weekend for the contact he had with Rodney Forbes towards the end of race one. That drops him to ninth in the series on 218 points, Russell Ingall picking up eighth on the ladder on 220. ■ Brazillian Antonio Pizzonia has dominated the second round of the British F3 series, taking his Manor Motorsport Dallara to his second win of the year. Pizzonia, known as the 'Jungle Boy' as he hails fi-om the Amazon region, won by five seconds from Tomas Scheckter, Scheckter also repeating his first round performance. ■ Network Ten's telecast of the FAI 1000 is in the running for a logic in the category of most outstanding sport teleca.st. Woodsy, Bazza, Mark, Diff and Rusty are up against the Rugby World Cup, Pan Pacs swimming and Melbourne Cup, Don't let Barry make the presentation speech...