Motorsport News Issue 223 - January 24-February 6, 2002

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No. 223 January 24 - February 6 2Q02

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^SENNA V SCHUMACHER ■ STEVEN JOHNSON ■ DRAG NATIONALS ■ WORLD SERIES SPRINTCARS

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NEW SERIES III FALCON XR8.

A HELL OF A DRIVE.

With a V8 punching out 220 kW, Series III XR8’s performance is seriously wicked. And,thanks to a body-kit inspired by V8 Supercars, it has a look that’s just as mean. So go on, be a devil. See your authorised Ford Dealer or call 1800 503 673. rSEFtlES-nfl ^ www.ford.com.au

FEEL THE POWER OF 3

We have linlltin

news

Issue 223

24 January - 6 February 2002

news and opinions 4

One stays put, the other goes places fast Perkins will be back in 2002, whiie Webber's FI deal looms

6

Move over, Wilson Briscoe in the frame for Fortec F3000 drive

7

Rrst look Kmart prepares new livery for 2002

8

Testing 1, 2... FI teams start their homework in preparation for the AGP

27 Motor Mouth Want to get into FI? Leave Australia ASAP 28 Box Seat Joe finds himself in ‘Place de la Motorsport' 82 Talk Converter Go on, say something!

featnres

30 5 minutes with Larry Perkins LP gears up for a three-car operation 32 5 minutes with Alex Davison His other car is also a Porsche 34 Senna vs Schumacher Battle of the stats 38 Don’t call me Junior Steve Johnson aims high for 2002 42 Tliie Insider 30 years of FI, and Peter Windsor is still looking forward to 2002 48 F3000'? No problem Ryan Briscoe's career is moving as fast as he does Ji

46 And the winner is =..? The WRC gets off to a confusing start in Monte Carlo ^S© The Drag Nationals All the action from Willowbank S4 Max-ed out Dumesny wraps up the WSS title

PERKINS,;;;

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Photos: Cover: Marshall Cass, Jodie Payne. Contents: SuttonImages, Dirk Klynsmith.

Marshall Cass

2© Motorcycles

£3 Drag Ftacing

S6 Speedway

64 NASCAR

68 Rallying

72 Histories

74 National Scene

76 Marketplace 3

LP fights on LARRY Perkins will contest a full V8 Supercar season this year,scotching suggestions over recent weeks that he might retire.

The signing of Steven Richards to the Castrol team had increased the retirement rumours, but according to Perkins, Richards's signing wast.simply good, strategic forward planning for his team: "This is the best way to get a driver hired - well before you need him," LP told MN exclusively, this week.

Perkins reveals that he never gave much thought to stepping out of driving completely and that he will run three cars out of his

Moorabbin base for the season, including two potential race winning combinations for the long distance races later in the year including Bathurst: "Nothing's nine out of 10 this year," he quipped. "Everything's going to be 10 out of 10, including the championship."

However, Perkins did suggest that if circurristances demanded it, he would step out of his car: "If Russell or Steven badly damaged a car, or something like that, I will use that option to best optimise our position in the championship," he said.

(Five minutes with LP- p30)

Ca?t young blokes do this? Perkins has a busy 2002 ahead. (PiwwhyMarshallca,o

And the ECU battle ...

THE introduction of a standard engine management system into V8 Supercar racing this year looks to be set for a rocky road.

While the TEGA Board has made the fundamental decision to proceed immediately (from the AGP) with a proposal by MoTeC to supply and monitor a 'cheat-proof system, the few cars not currently using the MoTeC system face a _ sudden and unplanned cost, not to mention technical headache, and are set to object strongly.

Heading the queue is Larry Perkins who, on the face of it, has a point or two, "Technical issues aside, the process simply hasn't been followed," he said on Monday.

"With a control tyre, specifications were agreed and a competitive tender called.

Submissions were evaluated and a decision taken. In this case no specs, no tender, just a decision to implement it - immediately, "There's no consistency. When 4

Ford teams were previously required to rectify an essentially illegal flywheel, they were given a year to do it - now they want this to take effect next month ..."

TEGA Chairman Wayne Cattach this week confirmed the Board's decision to proceed: "Larry may have a point, but the Board has made the decision to proceed. A couple of points to consider are that MoTeC came to us to offer this deal - we didn't go out to them; 85 percent of our cars already use MoTeC; and this system is more than just a common ecu.

"It will be technically guaranteed, if you like, by MoTeC. They will monitor it and guarantee that it can't be 'hacked'.

Faced with a substantial bill and a short term technical impost to change over immediately, Perkins hasn't ruled out legal action.

"There are a set of rules governing how any changes should be implemented and this doesn't comply," he concluded.

Vltebber Confirmation soon for Minardi contract

by CHRIS LAMBDEN MARK Webber’s Minardi FI deal could be confirmed as early as next week.

While the parties concerned are non-committal, MN believes that a deal is close to if not already finalised and that an announcement could be scheduled sometime next week.

Having visited the KL Minardi base at Faenza, near Imola, en route to the Valencia test last week and then put in a strong two days with the team, all the signs are that all that remains for Webber^s some paperwork.

If this was a Federal Election night, MN would be ‘calling the result’...

KL Minardi team boss, Australian Paul Stoddart, has for some time been hoping to capitalise on the team’s Austrahan-ness to source backing from within Australia and is thought to have been in touch with GP Chairman Ron Walker regarding some possible opportunities.

The introduction of Webber to the team boosts that Australian flavour considerably and may well biing all the elements together for all parties.

Confirmation that Webber has emerged the favourite for the drive comes with the news that he has travelled to Italy this week to conduct further testing with the team, at Misano.

As usual, Webber himself is getting on with the job, while ttie negotiating goes on elsewhere.

“Nothing’s changed,” he to d us on - Monday. “It’s looking pretty positive, the testing at Valencia went extremely well, thin^ happening - but until I ™ ® that piece of paper in my hand ...

“The effort that’s gone into getting things this close has de®n tremendous and everyone involved has been working very hard, but I’m more than aware that it doesn t take much at all to throw the whole thing off course and find all our work has gone down the drain.

“It was great to visit the Minardi factory prior to the Valencia test. I

flew out with Paul and Alex Yoong and spent most of the day there making a seat and meeting people.

I was made to feel very welcome by the team.

“There’s no doubt it is a small team,in terms of personnel, when compared to the big boys, but there is certainly a tremendous atmosphere and they really, really want to make some progress this year.

“I spent the first two days of the test at Valencia hanging aroimd with the team and observing how they work together. Alex was on track for the first two days and Paul also gave a couple of Formula Nissan drivers a run, as well as my own EFR F3000 team-mate Christijan Albers. Alex and Paul flew off to Malaysia on Wednesday for the official launch of the team’s 2002 livery in KL and I took over / Alex’s car.

“It was great being back in an FI car after the winter break and to be with the other teams,to see how they were running.

“We were still running the PS-01 and on my first day we got'through 50 laps of work and tested some new parts. Even though we were using a fairly old spec Michelin tyre, we were able to gather a fair amount of info. On day two we were unfortunately struck by a few reliability problems - but this is often the case when testing new material.”

Roll out the green and gold for Melbourne, race fans. Our first GP driver since David Brabham is perilously close ...

notorsport niws

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NEWS

FI done deal Fast times in Spain

THE final two days of the fourday FI test at Valencia last week gave Webber the platform to reinforce his CV for the vacant seat with Minardi.

Over the course of some 50 laps on his first day,in the car driven earlier by Minardi signing Alex Yoong,the Aussie knocked a sensational second and a half off Yoong’s best, recording a lml6.113s best.

“1 was quite comfortable in the car,” Webber told us.“We weren’t paying too much attention to how the rest ofthe teams were going.

We were running with an older spec Michelin tyre and just working through some chassis stuff.”

Team boss Paul Stoddart immediately annovmced that Webber would undertake two more days, Tuesday and Wednesday of this week,for the team at Misano.

■

How many Cats?

Couid there be a second CAT Racing Falcon on the tracks this year? The possibility of another black and yellow Ford from the Briggs stable is being rumoured but nothing has been settled yet, MN understands. Various names are being bandied around to take the second Cat for a Canto, er.

Canter ...

■ There may be a change in rubber in V8 Supercar racing this season but expect a familiar face to appear in Dunlop colours. Kevin Fitzsimmons, who has had a long career with Bridgestone, will bring his experience to the yellow and black camp this year.

■ We hear that there could be a 2seater Minardi coming to Australia soon. Team boss Paul Stoddart is rumoured to be packing a double in one of his European Aviation planes to bring home to Melbourne, though we believe that it will not necessarily appear at Albert Park.

■ Speaking of 2-seaters, the man who gave McLaren's 2-seater its world debut may be in Australia soon. Darren Turner, late of Mercedes-Benz's DTM squad, has stuck up the paw in a quest to get a ride down under, Max Wilson-style.

The ex-McLaren tester is determined to have a go at Bathurst, at least, before setting out on the championship proper.

■ CAT Racing driver Simon Wills will be part of his own team on his own car! The Kiwi told us last week that hi is the "number three" on his own car, having joined Briggs Motorsport full-time as an apprentice!

nv;

Tiger’s colours: Webber and Stoddart talk turkey at Valencia after KL Minardi’s latest test.

Webber was immediately at home in the older PS 01-Ford.

(Photos by Sutton-lmages)

And another award WEBBER hasjoined a select group of drivers including Jacques VUleneuve,by becoming a three-time winner of the prestigious Bruce McLaren Award, presented annually by the British Racing Drivers' Club(BRDC)to the top Commonwealth driver.

Webber received the award from BRDC Chairman and former PI star Martin Brrmdle, left, at the Autosports International show in Birmingham,last week.

Webber first won the Bmce McLaren Award in 1998 while driving for the AMG Mercedes team in the FIA GT 24 January 2002

Championship and again in 2000 for his achievements in his debut season in the FIA International Poi-mula 3000 championship in which he finished third with Paul Stoddart’s Em'opean Formula Racing team.

Last year-, Webber raced for the Super Nova P3000 team and finished ranner-up in the championship with wins at Imola, Monaco and Magny Corn’s to his credit.

He combined his season with extensive testing for the Benetton Renault Foi-mula One team and remains a Renault Sport contracted driver for 2002, although seemingly destined to be loaned to Stoddai’t’s KL Minardi FI team in 2002.

■ Whose been sniffing around the possibility of having a run in a V8 Brute this season? The name Allan Grice has been mentioned. After all, he did run a Ute as far back in 1992 in the Bathurst 12 Hour.

■ Apparently the first Porsche Supercup car has hit our shores for this year's Nations Cup. The new machine is destined for former Ferrari pilot Maher Algadri. There's also the chance that one of the new 360 Micholotto Ferraris will be here for the Australian Grand Prix support races.

■ Apologies to the Honda Indy 300 folk for scheduling the 2002 race four days early in our Castrol Motorsport calendar last issue. The race meeting will take place between October 24 and 27, not the 23rd as stated, so make your booking early for the race. The guilty party will be watching the event on TV from a cold, chilly place...

5

Kmart Racing's new

KMART Racing starts the 2002 V8 Supercar'^as'ori as one ofthefavoured teams - and with a new paint scheme.

Greg Murphy and Todd Kelly will carry a predominantly blue scheme into the new year, the drivers having shared the spoils in thefinal two races of 2001 at Pukekohe and Sandown respectively.

Expect a new line of merchandising to go along with KRT’s new do and, along with Kmart policy, expect it to be pretty reasonably priced...

Mallala is back V8 Supercars are set to return to iViallala this year - for Clipsal 500 prequalifying.

With a substantially over subscribed entry likely for the Adelaide street event and no provision in the schedule for a prequalifying session, AVESCO has been forced into the amazing precedent.

According to AVESCO CEO Wayne Cattach, the 25 leading cars from the 2001 championship wi|l qualify automatically (less one FTR Falcon as the team will only run one in 2002) along with up to two Konica series cars.

That leaves between nine and 11 spots to be decided following a 20 minute warm-up and a 20 minute timed session at IViallala on Wednesday, March 13 - using four Dunlops from their weekend allocation.

Expected to be among the nervous contenders will thus be John Bowe (second OzEmail Falcon, Larry Perkins (one of the three Castrol cars will have to), Tony Longhurst and Max Wilson (new Briggs Betta team), Wayne Gardner 6

(second Caltex car) and Rick Kelly (Young Lions).

While all could expect to make the cut on merit, it will only take a small glitch in a single 20 minute session to ruin anyone's week ...

"We really had no choice," Cattach told MN this week. "An influx of likely new entries close to Christmas meant we had to look at it again, and this is the best solution we could come up with."

The situation will improve thereafter, where the top 25 positions in the championship will form the basis of automatic qualification - although AVESCO is considering requiring all third cars from Level 1 teams to prequalify.

Firstly, though, the entry for the AGP Invitation races has to be finalised, and this is subject to a completely different contractual arrangement with the GP. The top 26 drivers (not cars) from 2001 get in, along with Level 1 cars which may not otherwise qualify, plus two 'wildcard' entries allocated by the GP. Bowe, Perkins and Longhurst will thus be automatic qualifiers, while

Gardner doesn't plan a GP start, leaving Wilson and Kelly to perhaps get in via wild cards.

AT the same time, AVESCO has completely revised its points scoring table. Initially allocating points only to l5th, the revised system goes all the way down to 32nd - important if championship standings are to affect qualifying.

Testing regs have also been finalised. Each team will be allowed 10 days of testing at a single (down from two) nominated circuit. Only one day can be used prior to the Clipsal 500 - effectively limiting each team to a single test day on the new Dunlop control rubber.

Each team will be issued with six of the Dunlops per car when stocks arrive - currently in about a week's time, with teams due to get their prized tyres on January 31.

Trafficjam: Everyone wants to race in Adelaide so, now, we have to go back to Mallalafor pre qualifying.

(Photo by Dirk Klyit-smilb)

moiorsport news

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Briscoe's

F3000

NEWS n Correction: last issue we reported that Czech driver Tomas Enge was returning to F3000 with the European Minardi squad. He is returning to the FI support category, but with the Arden team. Either way, it takes him out of the contest for the final FI seat for 2002... n Add Queenslanders Shane Beikoff and Phil Foster to the Konica Series field for 2002. The duo have acquired the Imrie VS Commodore and will run the series in it. n Former Stone Brothers and Prancing Horse V8 Supercar driver Craig Baird was involved in a bit a biffo after a fracas atTimaru Raceway last week. Mack Peach was fined $5000 and suspended for three months after he allegedly struck Baird after a V8 Touring Car race.

and an AGP Ferrari

n Honda has confirmed its BTCC return with a pair of Civic Type-Rs run

by Arena Motorsport, which ran Stefan Johansson's Gulf Audi at Le Mans last year. Formula 3 flier Andy Priaulx and former Production'Class champ Alan Morrison will do the driving. Priaulx ran two BTCC races last year in the works-backed Egg Vauxhall when Phil Bennett was suspended. n The non-German races in the DTM in 2002 will be staged at Donington Park in the UK (which hosted a round of the series from 1990-91 and 1992-95), Zandvoort in the Netherlands, Al-Ring in Austria and Zolder in Belgium.

Artwork by Jodie Payne

Have helmet, will travel: Briscoe is headed to Nordic.

RYAN Briscoe looks set to contest the Mteraational F3000 Championship with 2001 championship-winning team Nordic Racing.

While Toyota, to whom Briscoe is contracted, has yet to make a formal announcement(one is expected as MN hits the streets), our European soui'ces are telhng us that Ryan will line up alongside Hungarian Zsolt Baumgartner.

Although Baumgartner contested a handful of F3000 races last year with Prost, the Nordic line-up wiU essentially comprise two F3000 rookies.

With a year’s Formula Renault (winning the Italian Championship) and a handful of late-season F3 races behind him, Briscoe’s deal indicates a willingness by Toyota to push its young signing forward in his FI apprenticeship.

Briscoe and Toyota Motorsport manager Ange Pasquale had also considered the F3 option, but opted for P3000 because of its closer links with FI: 24 January 2002

(Photo by Sutton-lmages)

“We’ve been looking at both categories and they are both very competitive classes to race in, Briscoe told us on Monday.

“F3000 is especially good, though, as it follows the FI Grands Prix,’ Following confirmation of the signing, official testing starts on February 13-though om- spies are suggesting that Ryan is in fact jetting to Brazil late this week for some sneaky pre-season running at Interlagos, the venue for the opening race in the series...

AT the same time,it looks as though AGP fans will get to see Briscoe in action - in the Nations Cup supporting races.

Negotiations are under way for Briscoe to make the one-off appearance in a Prancing Horse Ferrari.

That’s one way to learn a circuit!...

- see page 48 for our full chat with Briscoe

n Mathias Lauda, the younger son of former world champion Niki Lauda, will race a Dallara in the 2002 Spanish Formula 3 Championship.

Mathias is managed by his elder brother, Lukas. n Changes are afoot for the Adelaide Parklands circuit before this year's Clipsal 500. The corner onto the back straight. Turn 8/9, will be opened up to allow better flow onto Dequetteville Terrace, which will be great news for Brad Jones, who inverted the OzEmail Falcon there two years ago. n The Premier 1 racing series, written off by many in the sport as not being a very serious idea, insists that it will kick off in 2003 and that this year will be spent signing up deals with more of the football clubs which it hopes will lend their support to the championship. The involvement of the clubs is essential if the series is to get television coverage. The organisation says that it will shortly host a meeting of all the top marketing men of the leading soccer clubs of Europe to thrash out the details of how the money is distributed. The big question which motor racing is asking, however, is where is the money coming from.

1

Testing times ahead THE 2002 season finally took a step closer with the beginning of pre-season testing.

The first tests of the year came with a week at Barcelona with BAR, Fen-ari, Jaguar, Jordan, Renault. Sauber, Toyota and Williams all present and correct, with an array of 2002 cars(BAR, Jaguar and Toyota), or 2001/2 hybrids.

On a bright, cool opening day Williams new boy Antonio Pizzonia was the fastest man on the track, Olivier Panis said that his new car felt like the 2001 BAR on its rare good days and Kimi Raikkonen appeared with the new Miss Scandinavia in tow.

Rain set in for the following two days, with David Coulthard’s McLaren topping the times on both days when he managed to play the few dry spells to his advantage.

He claimed that the team’s new relationship with Michelin was the key to 2002, and that the signs were good.

Toyota’s TF102 appeared in the hands of Allan McNish and, whilst the car was over four seconds off the pace, the rest of the paddock was somewhat

taken aback by the scale of the Toyota operation.

Other new sights included Renault’s yellow and white testing livery and the prominent Vodafone branding on Luciano Burti and Luca Badoer’s Ferrari F-2001S. At Sauber, new boy Felipe Massa impressed everyone by setting a time which was just 0.12s away from Nick Heidfeld’s best effort of Wednesday.

The weather cleared on Thursday’s fourth day of testing and Eddie Irvine set the fastest time - albeit in the hybrid R2B rather than the new R3- while on Friday fog delayed the start

Lt

Holidays are over: Mika Salo puts the Toyota TF102 through its paces above, while Michael Schumacher, below, made a surprise early return to the track ahead of the launch of the team’s 2002 challenger.

(Photo by SutK

but later when the skies cleared the Jordan team set the top two

fastest times, Giancarlo Fisicheila just a tenth of a second ofi'Jean Alesi’s testing record of last year.

The times set are difficult to judge, as no-one is saying exactly what specification they are running.

A year ago, let us not forget, the Frost team was setting the pace in winter testing so the lap times should not be taken too seriously at the moment.

- JOE SAWARD

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V8 star eyeing Sprintcars

by AARON NOONAN

Just change the car number and helmet colour... Could Brooke (Photo by Paris Charlos) Tatnell have Steve Johnson as a teammate next year?

8

'V8 star Steven Johnson wants to go Sprintcar racing!

In this issue, the Shell Helix Racing star tells us exclusively that he wants to attack the World Series Sprintcar schedule.

“I really want to have a few runs during the year and race the full WSS at the end of the year when the V8s aren’t on the track,” Johnson told us.

“I’d like to do as many as I can and certainly the QLD Series that they’ve got up here would be great to keep me driving through the Christmas/New Year period. I’d like to make it a regular thing because it doesn’t co-incide with my regular racing commitments.”

An obvious link-up for Johnson would be with the Shell Helix squad of Brooke and George Tatnell, though Johnson said that he doesn’t have any firm deals or backers, but is quite serious about a possible venture.

“I’m quite good friends with

Brooke and George. I see them a lot when they come up here and am good friends with them. I’ve expressed interest that I’d like to run but I don’t know if Shell would foot the two-car deal.

“I pesonally don’t have a sponsor on-board myself, but hopefully some current sponsors involved in the sport may have interest in me driving. Hopefully I could help them out by getting some more exposure by me driving the car and Td get some seat time in return.”

Johnson’s previous speedway experience includes a Sprintcar drive a few years ago in a Todd Wanless machine as well as a Super Sedan. He doesn’t see getting permission from DJR as a major problem, pointing to his ‘extra curricular’ racing in the Lamborghini Diablo at Sandown last year and the Honda Young Guns race in 2000.

“If I was to do it. I’d do it serious; I would want to go into it to win the thing,”added Johnson.

For a chat with ‘Junior’, turn to page 38.

moiorsport news

A

NEWS n Kurt Steinhausen, boss of the Olympia Reisen travel company, is rumoured to be an investor in the planned Russian Grand Prix. Olympia Reisen is heavily involved in the sponsorship of motorcycle sidecar racing with the travel business that specialises in tours for Germans wanting to visit Russia and Russians who want to visit the West.

^

JEAN-Jacques His is to replace Christian Contzen as managing-director of Renault Sport in Paris.

The announcement is a surprise as 62-year-old Contzen was expected to stay in charge for a couple more years to ensure that Renault's transition from enginesupplier to FI team went smoothly.

His replacement, before his retirement, is a sign that there has been a shift in Renault policy and the FI world is now waiting to see if there will be other victims.

The removal of Contzen undoubtedly weakens Flavio Briatore’s position within Renault.

For some months there have been rumours that the French are trying to find a way to ease

Briatore out of his position and the stories at one point reached such proportions that Faure issued an official denial.

His is a highly-rated engine designer and has been working in FI since 1984 when he was involved in the final stages of the Renault turbo engine development.

After a brief spell at Ferrari, he returned to Renault and worked under Bernard Dudot on the development of the VIO engine which brought Renault huge success in the early 1990s.

After Renault pulled out of FI His became head of engine design for the entire Renault company before deciding that he wanted to return to designing competition engines and took the role of

n pi-g^irh|i fiiiBQn-pna^

technical director of Renault Sport.

Meanwhile, the team arrived in Spain for testing with the B201 test car in an unbranded yellow and white livery.

The yellow and white colours of Renault were a familiar sight in Formula 1 from 1977 to 1985 when the French manufacturer was last a chassis constructor, and it is expected that the colours will be retained after the official launch of the all-new Renault challenger in Paris on January 27.

Longtime Renault backer Elf is also expected to feature prominently, with the Mild Seven backing expected to be retained with a powder blue rear end of the car.

- JOE SAWARD

V8s poised for Indy return

V8 SUPERCARS may be returning to the streets of the Gold Coast - perhaps this year.

After seemingly having their final run as a support to the Flonda Indy 300, discussions have been held to possibly see the V8 circus return this.year.

Geoff Jones, Motorsport Manager for Indy promoter IMG, said this week that the door to the category was far from closed.

"We had a meeting with AVESCO late last month," said .

Jones. "And we are in discussions with them. We always wanted the V8s at our event; we are a major event, they are Australia's premier category."

But Jones was adamant that IMG's preference was for a full round of the V8 Supercar championship, rather than a non championship race as has been the case previously. Last year, there was a pending trip to New Zealand to deal with, a situation which occurs again this season.

24 liBuaiy 2002

H Former Grand Prix driver Ukyo Katayama made it to the end of the gruelling Paris-Dakar Rally on Sunday, albeit nearly 55 hours behind the race winner. Katayama was competing in a productionbased, diesel-engined Toyota Land Cruiser 4x4 and climbed up through the field to run as high as 39th before problems - including serious dust storms in Mauratania, dropped him back down the order. n Dresdner Bank has granted an extension to the overdue repayment on KirchGruppe's $4 billion loan. The German media giant is suffering after a prolonged bout of spending that includes in the region of $5 billion for control of 75 percent of the commercial rights to Formula 1. n New Ferrari sponsor Vodafone's branding is prominent on the red cars already in pre-season testing and in pre-season hype. Vodafone is also title sponsor of the Manchester United soccer team and the mobile phone giant has indicated that it would like to arrange for soccer-mad Michael Schumacher to train with the team and to have United's Ferrari-mad star David Beckham test with Ferrari. n BMW has ruled out a return to tha German Touring Car Championship (DTM), to resume the battles with Mercedes-Benz and Opel that took place in the series' previous high point of a decade ago.

BMW's technical chief Mario Theissen said that despite the rise in popularity and new global TV deal for the DTM, he couldn't justify the 100strong workforce required for a touring oar program.

Back on the cards? Supercars could return to the Gold Coast, possibly (Pholo by Sutlon-lmages) as early as this season.

"We want to have them as a round of the championship," said Jones. "But this year? We can't comment; it's too soon to have had discussions about that."

IMG had a gain last week with the news that its New Zealand round of the championship will continue to be sponsored by mobile phone company Boost.

The youth-oriented company backed the hugely successful inaugural NZ Shell round last season and has committed to the 2002 event early, but the media release failed to mention Pukekohe - or anywhere else as a venue, boosting speculation that a street race may happen in the near future.

- PHILBRAWAGAIM

n Maria Bellanca, former Benetton PR, has been named a director of Octagon Motorsports.

She has now been will handle all media relations including assisting Vodafone with its new sponsorship of the Ferrari team. m Dr. Edmund Stoiber, the Christian Socialist Minister-President of Bavaria, is to challenge Gerhand Schroeder for the Chancellery of Germany. Stoiber has suffered considerable criticism for his support of Leo Kirch, the Bavarian media magnate who now owns the commercial rights to Formula 1 racing.

-JOE SAWARD 9

home of

'3j

[motorsport]

McLaren i

it '*.

!?:S V8 Supercar Championship* Mar 3 ....Albert Park ...(non Championship) Mar 17 ...Adelaide

,Rd1

Apr 14

Phillip island .

.Rd2

Apr 28

Eastern Creek

,Rd3

May 19 ...Hidden Valley

,Rd4

Jun 9 —Canberra ...

,Rd5

Jun 30 ...Batbagallo ..

Jul 28 Oran Park .. .

.Rd7

Aug 18 ...Winton

.Rd8 ,Rd9

Oct 13....Bathurst ....

.Rd 10

Konica VS Series* ,Rd 1

May 5 ....Phillip Island Jun 16 ....Oran Park .

Rd2

Jul 7

Winton ...

Rd4

Aug 4 Mallala Oct 12 ... .Bathurst ..

.(non Championship)

Rd 3 Rd 5

FiA Formula One World Championship Albert Park

.Rdl

Mar 17 .. .Sepang

,Rd2

Mar 31 .. .Inlerlagos

.Rd3

Apr 14 ....Imola

,Rd4

Apr 28

.Rd5

Barcelona

May 12 ...At-Ring

,Rd6

May 26 .. .Monaco Jun 9 Montreal

.Rd7

Jun 23 ... .Nurburgring Jul 7 Silverstone

,Rd9

,Rd8 ,Rd 10

CART FedEx Championship* ,Rd 1

Mar 10 ...Monterrey .

Apr 14 ....Long Beach

.Rd 2

Apr 27

.Rd 3

Motegi ...

Milwaukee

.Rd 4

MotoGP Motorcycle Championship* Japan ....

,Rd1

Apr 21 ... .South Africa

,Rd2

May 5 ... .Spain ....

,Rd3

May 19 .. .France ...

,Rd4

Jun 2

.Rd5

Italy SBK World Super Bike Championship*

Mar 10 ...Spain ....

.Rdl

Mar 24 .. .Australia ..

.Rd2

Apr 7

South Africa

.Rd3

Apr 21

Japan

.Rd4

Nations Cup Mar 3 ... .Albert Park . . .(non Championship) Mar 17 ...Adelaide

.Rdl

Apr 7

.Rd2

Symmons Plains

May 12 ...Oran Park

V.1 ’V

.Rd3

r

1 ten

All event dates in this calendar were correct at the lime of pnniing. Please consult any individual tracks and/or assoclalions for dale changes.

Sorloa or ovonia lolocnst on Nolwork Ton aro marked vdth an asterisk. Chock your local guldofi for screening dotolls.

1 Prost on edge

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Mar 31 ...Wakefield Park

Apr 7

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.Rd 6

Sep 15 .. .Qld Raceway

Mar 3

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AS we were closing for press the decision of a French commercial court was expected to decide whether or not Alain Prost will be allowed to continue running his FI team - or whether the team will go into liquidation. That decision was due to be made in the course of Monday.

The team has debts of $60m but is believed to have an offer for $80m. This would see the team being taken over by a group of investors, including the familes which own Michelin and Luis Vuitton Moet Hennesy, with Prost being kept on to run operations.

The future of Prost will help to decide the driver market, as Heinz-Harald Frentzen is still waiting to find out if Prost is going to be in Melbourne. Frentzen has a deal to join Arrows if Prost goes out of business.

This would be bad news for Jos Verstappen,the Arrows team having confirmed Enrique Bernoldi , only a few days ago.

Verstappen was announced as an Arrows driver in the middle of last summer but it ' seems that he will be considered expendable if Frentzen is on the market.

- JOE SAWARD rooiorsport news

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urns seventeen

by JOE SAWARD

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Tliiiiulerhirds are Go! David Coidlluird is already sayiny dial 2002 eaidd he his year, a.iiaiii ...

Thai said. MP4/17 does look die yoods taid Mereedes-lieiiz and llniiir have have heeii hiisy develapiii.y die new enyiiie.

McLAREN-MERCEDES has revealed its 2002 Formula 1 World Championship challenger, the MP4-17, at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona.

The new McLaren is not offering any radical leaps from a proven formula, and is in many respects an evolution of the race-winning 2001 car.

Principal talking points of the MP4/17 revolve around the all-new Ilmor-built Mercedes-Benz FO llOM engine, which has been running on the bench at Ilmor’s base in Brixworth, Northamptonshire and in Stuttgart since November and features a wider-angle vee than the outgoing unit. The lower line of the engine is reflected in the rear

bodywork of the MP4-17, which also features a new suspension layout in order to optimise the team’s new relationship with Michelin after foim seasons on Bridgestone rubber.

“We are launching at this early stage of the pre-season to maximise the opportunity for track work to ensure we are totally prepared for the new season and the ultimate goal for the whole team, the fight for the World Championships,” said Ron Dennis.

Immediately after the car was unveiled, the team went out onto the Barcelona circuit, with test driver Alexander Wurz debuting the new car as David Coulthard appraised the new design.

“It looks meaty,” said last year’s title runner-up. “It looks raceable and you can barge your way among other cars and not have bits fall

NEWS n Stefano Fabi, 18-year-old son of former Benetton FI driver Teo Fabi, is preparing for a season in the British Formula 3 championship with Team Avanti. He joins the series straight from karting to drive the new Bait F3 chassis. n The McLaren name is to go back to Indianapolis this year with the announcement that Californiabased McLaren Engines is to prepare Chevrolet engines for Blair Racing.

The team is planning to run one car in the Indy Racing League for former CART driver Aiex Barron. n Former touring car celebrity and an early Williams team shareholder - Dave Brodle has turned his attentions towards grooming young drivers towards Grand Prix stardom with his new British Formula 3 Championship team called Valiant Motorsport.

■ Former Ligier mechanic turned Rally Raid preparation expert, 54year-old Daniel Vergnes, was killed on the Arras-Madrid-Dakar Rally when the back-up vehicle in which he was travelling suffered a tyre failure on the 12th stage of the event In Mauretania.

■ No McLaren launch would be complete without Ron Dennis having a pop at Ferrari and he didn’t disappoint in 2002, suggesting that 'teams unnamed' are exploiting the regulations with particular regard to brakes, an area in which Ferrari has been concentrating its efforts for some time.

■ Former privateer FI driver Geoffrey Crossley has died at the a^e of 81. Crossley campaigned an Alta in the first-ever world championship Grand Prix at Silverstone in 1950, his best finish was seventh in the 1949 Belgian Grand Prix.

tS*.

Lola, Falcon, whatever: Max Wilson is going from CART to V8 Supercars.

Bri^s goes for the Maximum BRIGGS Motorsport has signed Brazilian Max Wilson for the upcoming V8 Supercar Championship.

Wilson, 29, will line up in Briggs’s two-cai’ Betta Electrical Falcon team alongside veteran Tony Longhurst.

Last year, the Brazilian 24 January 2002

drove for the Arciero-Blair Champ Cai' team before being di’opped for the last two races, with Alex Barron stepping into the Lola-Ford for the Honda Indy 300 and the California 500.

The team has signed him to a one-year deal, with an option for a second year.

■ Steve Clark, a engineer with over 10 years experience with a variety of different teams in Formula 1 and in CART, has joined McLaren to take up a new role as a leading test team engineer. Originally hired by Lotus's Frank Dernie in the late 1980s, Clark moved with Dernie to Ligier in 1991 and became the race engineer for Erik Comas. He stayed with Ligier becoming Olivier Panis's engineer in 1994 and 1995 but them moved to Arrows in 1996 and worked with Pedro Diniz. In 1998 he went to the United States as engineer for Alex Zanardi with Target Chip Ganassi Racing but then returned to Europe to work with Johnny Herbert at Sauber in 1999.

Since 2000 he has been in the United States, engineering with PacWest Racing.

-JOE SAWARD 11

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ENDING weeks of speculation, Sauber team boss Peter Sauber has confirmed that he has bought back the stake of ■' the team held by Red Bull and that it has now been sold on to Swiss bank Credit Suisse.

"Credit Suisse will take over these shares in order to place them with different investors," Sauber said.

"It's my objective to secure, by this transaction, the financial ' basis of Sauber Holding and thus the key factor of success for the Sauber team on a long-term basis."

Red Bull's sale of the stake in Sauber frees the soft drink giant

to invest in Arrows and the rest of Tom Walkinshaw's empire, including the Nissan Infiniti IRL team of Eddie Cheever, as the battle to win over the American soft drink market gathers momentum.

Due to funding problems. Arrows has only just taken delivery of the first Ford Cosworth VI0 engines under its agreement and thus missed the start of pre season testing.

Sauber has been present at Barcelona this week and will unveil its new car on January 25, while Arrows has yet to announce when it will unveil its new contender.

- JOE SAWARD

Sauber fires early warning SAUBER is looking forward to building upon its success of last year following encouraging results from early tests of the new C21 at Fiorano.

Nick Heidfeld completed 59 laps in the new car with a quickest time of 1m 00.59s, almost a full second faster than the best time recorded by last year's car.

"After 20 laps we could stop holding our breath," said Peter Sauber. "That's when we knew the C21 is no flop."

"I have a real good feeling with the 2002 car," said Heidfeld.

"The engine never stopped and the car was never towed back to the pit during the entire day. This is a first contact and I need more mileage overall, but my first impression of the new car is very favourable."

The C21 will be officially launched near the team's headquarters on January 25.

Bernoldi's back

THERE was no great surprise when last week the Arrows Formula 1 team confinned that it will run Brazilian youngster Enrique Bemoldi for a second season.

Bernoldi is a favourite of Red Bull owner Dietrich Mateschitz and his financial clout is clearly behind the signature.

Last year Red Bull took $10m to Aitows; this year, that is expected to increase and there are suggestions that Mateschitz will ultimately buy a majority shareholding in the team from Deutsche Bank.

Mateschitz wants to use Arrows to promote the sales of Red Bull in the Americas and sees Bernoldi as a good marketing tool in South America.

The most significant thing about the Bernoldi announcement is that it made no reference at all to Jos Verstappen, who was named as an Arrows driver in 2002 way back last summer.

The statement said that the full Orange 12

Arrows driver line-up for 2002 “will be announced in the near future”.

There have been rumours for some months that the team was trying to sign up HeinzHarald Frentzen and there is believed to be a provisional agreement between the team and the German driver that he will race for Arrows if Frost does not survive.

It is curious that there was no mention of Verstappen in the Bernoldi press release. It may be that Walkinshaw is working on some parallel deal which will bring more funding to the team but Verstappen’s pace and experience is still of enormous value to a team in Arrows’s situation.

Money, however, is often a more powerful influence at Arrows than talent. Last summer, there was much talk that Walkinshaw was considering giving the team an American flavour to please Mateschitz and to try to advantage of the money that could be available in the United States.

- JOE SAWARD

Photo by Sulton-lmagBS

motorsport news

J

NEWS n Niki Lauda's test drive in the Jaguar R3 became something of a jolly for the senior men in the Premier Automotive Group, as he was joined by PAG chief Wolfagang Reitzle, product development boss Richard Parry-Jones and Martin Leach, who is head of Ford product development in Cologne. So much

for Jaguar attracting younger drivers through its FI program ...

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THE Formula 1 'Silly Season' has been starting earlier each year but the 2003 version beats all records as it has begun before the 2002 racing season has even got underway. ' The big rumour in recent days is that Juan Pablo Montoya is being sought by Ferrari as a possible driver for 2003.

The Colombian goes in to 2002 as the favourite to deny Michael Schumacher a third consecutive World Championship but now he is also being tipped as the man most likely to replace Schumacher.

Michael in under contract to Ferrari until the end of 2004 and

unlikely to stop racing before that, although some say that he will win his fifth World Championship in 2002 to equal the record of Juan Manuel Fangio's record and will then retire.

This does not seem very likely, as Schumacher will probably want to go one better than Fangio. Thus Ferrari can hardly offer Montoya the position of team leader.

It seems more likely that, while Ferrari might have a long term interest in Montoya, the Ferrari rumours are more likely to be part of the negotiating process between the Colombian's management and

Williams. The Grove team has first option on Montoya for 2003, but the financial detailsrot the arrangement have yet to be sorted out. Currently, Montoya is not thought to be earning more than $4 million a year, while Ralf Schumacher is earning at least $14m.

The Williams team is not known to be keen to pay drivers when the money can be put into the development of a car in which lesser talents can still thrive.

Ferrari has been quick to deny the stories saying that there has been no contact "either directly or indirectly" with Montoya.

- JOE SAWARD

From FI to the courtroom BRITAIN'S former Formula 1 driver Ian Ashley has been released on bail after a bizarre arrest at Heathrow airport for attempting to carry offensive weapons onto a flight to Seattle.

Ashley, who drove in four Grands Prix during the mid1970s, was stopped and detained after being charged under the Aviation and Security Act for carrying offensive weapons, including a three-inch penknife, a pair of pliers and a screwdriver.

“Security staff at Fieathrow Terminal Four’s main search area discovered sharp items inciuding a knife and pliers on a man attempting to fly out to Seattle,” a Heathrow Airport spokeswoman said.

“The items were concealed in his socks and were confiscated along with a screwdriver hidden in a spectacles ease.”

The 54-year-old was later bailed to appear at Uxbridge Magistrates Court on February 1st.

Ashley - who was nicknamed 24 lanuani 2002

'Crashley' during his racing career - had to abandon racing after an horrific practice crash at the 1977 Canadian GP which saw his Hesketh wrecked in a spectacular backward flip which ended up with the colliding with a TV tower.

He had previously suffered serious leg injuries in a shunt in

the 1975 German GP. Ashley later made a career as a pilot of executive jets in the United States. He made a racing comeback in the late 1990s driving in the British Touring Car Championship and TVR Tuscan series.

- JOE SAWARD

n Ralf Schumacher has bought a $20 million yacht capable of crossing the Atlantic. The 41m 12berth vessel comes shortly after the younger Schumacher's declaration that: "in the past, I was always looking at which private aircraft or boat I might buy, but material things are no longer that important to me.

I now have a family to consider and to ensure their futures are secure." n A Brazilian stockbroker, who traded on his association with the late Ayrton Senna, has been ordered to pay $820m in damages for selling shares in dormant or near-bankrupt companies to wealthy clients in what was described by the New York Stock Exchange as a litany of "acts of fraud, forgery, breach of fiduciary duty, embezzlement, self-dealing and other heinous acts". Enrique Ernesto Perusquia used his connection with Senna to gain access to wealthy Brazilian clients.

The court decided that he should pay $420m in damages plus the same amount again in punitive damages and legal costs of $23m. n Brickbats and bouquets for Michael Schumacher, who was voted the Champion of Champions by readers of French sports paper I'Equipe- only the second FI driver after Ayrton Senna to receive the accolade - but berated for his stance on safety by FI veteran Hans Stuck. "If Schumi really wants to have covered wheels, then he should drive Sportscars. The wheels would be covered there and he would even have a roof above his head," 'Stucky' said. n The Renault Sport Formula 1 team has allowed British hot air ballooning duo Andy Elson and Colin Prescott to use its facilities.

The pair are aiming to reach 40,000 metres in a balloon designed on the FI CAD/CAM equipment whilst the pilots themselves have begun a program of physical training with the team's Human Performance Centre. n Octagon Motorsports CEO Sir Frank Lowe has stepped down from the role, leaving Octagon co founder Les Delano at the helm.

-JOE SAWARD 13

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Crick fop Kmikii V8s

Marshall

eyes FF title

2002 Title contenders begin testing for AGP

GOLD Coaster Marcus Marshall has added his name to the list of drivers with a chance of winning this year’s Formula Ford title.

The No Limit Van Diemen driver was scheduled to have his first test for the year at Winton alongside many of his Formula Ford rivals and says his aiming for the title.

“I can certainly win the titlej” he said on Monday. ‘fiVe’ve got the right package but we’ll take it as it comes. My extra experience in the 2001 Van Diemen holds me in good stead compared to the other drivers in our team (Jamie Whincup and Barton Mawer)hut we have to wait until the Grand Prix and the first round to see where we’re at.

“Certainly Whincup will be one of the guys to beat as well as Andy Jones. Jamie and I were the only ones to split the two Wills last year.

Marshall will again be a part of the Sonic Motorsport squad, engineered by Michael Ritter.

The Queenslander switched his car preparation to the Victorianbased team midway through 2001 and instantly improved, finishing on the podium at Queensland Raceway and at Sandown.

IN other Formula Ford news, Bx’ett Francis has returned home to Brisbane after four years chasing the British Formula Ford 1600 title.

He’s brought home a pair of Van Diemen RF02s with him for a two car attack on the Australian Formula Ford Championship with teenage FFord racer Kurt Wimmer to drive the other.

The Queensland team will be run out of the same workshop as father Bryce’s Honda Civic Sports Sedan.

Another Queenslander,Ash Lowe, will have a newer car for 2002. The Jack Godbehear Award winner of 2001 will run the ex-Will n Power Spectrum 07 instead of his ageing 1993 Swift.

AARON NOONAN/ MARK JONES 14

Crick is go for launch: Having driven with Halliday Motorsport at Bathurst, Greg Crick wiil again team up with (Pholo by API Images) the team, aibeit in a DJR Faicon.

GREG Crick will be on the grid for the entire Konica V8 Supercar Series behind the wheel of an ex-Dick Johnson Racing Falcon AU. The Tasmanian will drive for the Halliday Motorsport squad for which he drove at last year’s V8 .

Supercar 1000 at Bathurst.

“The deal was done last week,” Crick told us on Monday.

“We’re going to do the Konica Series as well as hope for a couple of wildcard shots at the big ones.”

Halliday will drive the team’s second, ex-CAT, Falcon AU which he and Crick raced at Bathurst, with the team also apparently going to run three V8 BRutes from its South Australian base.

The DJR car is the eldest AU of the Shell Helix fleet, driven to fourth place at Bathurst last year hy Greg Ritter and Cameron McLean and last used hy Paul Radisich in the Indy support races.

Porsche Cup dates set

THE Porsche Racing Association has announced its calendar for the 2002 season.

Round one will support the Konica Series at Wakefield Park on March 31 before moving to Phillip Island on April 14. There will be two rounds at the sweeping Victorian circuit with May 5's Konica round the next Porsche event,followed by June 16 (Oran Park), Barbagallo (June 30), August 4(Mallala), August 18 (Winton), September 15(Queensland Raceway). Former champ Peter Bradbury has been appointed CEO of the series.

STEVE Soper has decided to call it a day.

The 49-year-old touring car and Sportscar veteran rounded out his career in the Peugeot 406 works team in last year’s British Touring Car Championship,though an accident in the Pug at Brands Hatch at the end oflast season aggrivated an old spine injury and the Brit is retiring on medical advice.

Soper was a works driver for Ford in the dominant Texaco/ Eggenberger Sierras as well as BMW,for which he won the Spa 24 Hours in 1992 and raced for in the BTCC and Japan, as well as Rover.

His only tin-top title came in Japan in 1995 and thereafter he spent much of his time in Sportscar racing, running BMW’s open-top prototype in the American Le Mans Series and at the 24 Hours itself Perhaps he will he best remembered in Australia for winning the 1987 James Hardie 1000 only to have it taken away from he and Pierre Dieudonne after the duo were disqualified.

Black and red, all over: Soper \was one of Eggenberger’s main men in Group A, right.

(Photos by Sutton-lmages)

molorsnor! news

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NEWS

.\

Just Briefly ...

THE French ORECA team looks certain to take part in the FIA Sportscar Championship in 2002.

ORECA are aiming to run one of the Judd-engined Dallara LMPs they are taking to the Le Mans 24 Hours in a number of rounds in the European-based series.

The team want to use the races to prepare for the June enduro but, finance permitting, also hope to contest more races in the second half of season. n The Rafanelli Ferrari squad is preparing to be on the grid for the American Le Mans Series opener at Sebring in March.

The team are re-working one of the ItalTecnica-built 550 Maranellos they raced in the 2001 FIA GT Championship to Le Mans rules. The green-light for an attack on the full ALMS is expected this week.

It’s a bit different to a Nissan, but it’s a works deal! Matt Neal takes over James Thompson’s Astra drive in the BTCC. It’s hisfirst deal in a top-line, works-involved car since the Peugeot, which lastedfor one race. And the 1994 Mazda that barrel-rolled down the road at Silverstone ...

(Photos by Sutlon-Imagcs)

Egg in your face Neal tojoin satellite Vauxhall BTCC team

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FORMER BTCC Independents 'king' Matt IMeal will return to the BTCC this year, but for the first time in a Vauxhall.

Neal will join the Vauxhall works team satellite squad as lead driver backed by internet finance firm Egg and run adjacent to the Triple Eight works cars.

After his deal with the works P.eugeot team fell over, Neal spent 2001 in his own Team Dynamics Nissan Primera in the European Championship as well as a limited foray into

the V8 Supercar scene with Paul Morris's Big Kev Commodore squad.

The 'Tall One' apparently received offers from Volvo and Alfa Romeo to continue in the ETCC, albeit with the new, lower-spec, class.

Yvan Muller and James ^ Thompson will drive the two works cars in the BTCC, while Champ Jason Plato is still without a drive. The second Egg seat is yet to be filled, following Phil Bennett's move to Proton.

quits

n Jorg Bergmeister got his first taste of an Alex Job Porsche 911.

GT3-RS at Sebring last week.

The reigning Porsche Supercup Champion appears certain to be confirmed with the team when it is announced as Porsche's worksblessed ALMS team. n FIA GT Champions Larbre Competition have emerged as darkhorses for overall honours in the Daytona 24 Hours next month. The French team has put in a late entry with a solo Chrysler Viper GTS-R similar to the factory example that won the Florida race in 2000.

They are hoping to score a repeat victory if the faster Prototypes prove unreliable as they have over the past two seasons. Christophe Bouchut, Patrice Goueslard Jean-Luc Chereau and Carl Rosenblad will drive the car. n The four-rotor Mazda engine that won Le Mans back in 1991 is returning to the race. Long-time Mazda driver Yojiro Terada has secured a supply of the engines to fit into one of the Welter Racing LMP675 chassis he has raced at La Sarthe for the past two seasons.

Jim Downing's team, which whom Terada race at Le Mans in 1995-97, will be involved in the project. n The Elise-based Lotus GT1 could race again. Austrian entrant Klaus Altschach is planning to enter at least one of the twin-turbo cars ran by the GBF squad back in 1997 in a some ALMS rounds and at Le Mans.

Michel Ferte, who failed to gain a Le Mans entry with the GTP class cars last year, will drive. n Milka Duno, the only female racer full-time in the ALMS, will drive one of Dick Barbour's Panoz-Mugens in this year's series.

- GARY WATKINS

24 lanuary 2002

15

2002 Show me the money: Miller won'/ he hack apart from an Indy 50(1 effort with Ruhal,.so the .second seal .sccm.s open to anybody with the right amount afca.sh. il'ludir by .<irt"ii.lrufi}iptl

$illy season still on!

Papis, Servia and Jourdain look for rides "

WHILE the Champ Car field looks like being the smallest in some years following the defection of some teams to

the IRL and others having financial problems, there are still drivers busy trying to find a seat for this year.

Mexican Michel Jourdain Jr is talking to Team Rahal about a possible second car, though the team requires funding in the wake of the loss of Miller Brewing.

V

Jourdain Jr lost his Bettenhausen/Herdez seat after a career-best third place at the Michigan 500 last year and therefore his primary backing.

Meanwhile, Max Papis is reported to have signed for the Sigma team to replace Oriol Servia, who, in turn, seems likely to head to PacWest and replace Mauricio Gugelmin alongside Scott Dixon.

Gateway Computers has been rumoured as a backer for one of

FORD TICKFORD RACING DATA ENGINEMD Ford Tickford Racing requires an experienced Data Acquisition Engineer.

The person we seek must have experience with the Motec Data system.

rm/CK DRIVED

«

Ford Tickford Racing requires an experienced truck driver. The position will involve the following: ® responsibility for cleanliness, presentation and stocking of the transporter ° driving the Race Car Transporter to and from race events and test day sessions o servicing and repair of the Race Car Transporter Both positions involve weekend work and interstate travel.

If you believe that you have the necessary skills and experience for these positions, we would encourage you to apply in writing to the General Manager, FTR, 31 Rhur Street, Dandenong VIC 3175 or fax 03 9706 8 i 21 or email ftrteam@bigpond.com

16

the PacWest cars, which will move to Lola chassis after

●campaigning Reynards this year.

Their mooted switch to Honda power apparently won't happen.

Papis was told by Team Rahal last year that he would be let go, and he had been looking at an IRL drive with Eddie Cheever's team.

The current car count for CART looks set at 19, though the result of Jourdain's talks as well as dormant teams finding funding may change that slightly.

Tech changes for 2003?

FOLLOWING all of the moves and countermoves for the introduction of the 3.5-litre engine into Champ Car racing, comes plans from CART to make equipment changes that make the category cheaper.

CART reportedly believe that team budgets will be cut in half when new cars, 3.5-litre engines and gearboxes hit the scene in 2003.

This means one of a handful of things. A CART ‘spec’ car is one possibility, but a more likely - and sensible - change is that it ■will bring both CART and the IRL into line on a technical level, allowing teams to race in both/either series as well as the Indy 500.

by PHIL MORRIS TESTING for this year’s FedEx Championship Series is weU underway, with new chassis, engine and driver combinations hitting the track.

Jimmy Vasser Jias had his first run the in the SHell/Rahal LolaFord and the 1996 is excited about the upcoming season.

“I’ll admit that I’m pretty damn excited about the 2002 season,' said Vasser.

“This is a very good operation and I have been with good ones at Ganassi and Patrick in my CAET career. Having the Lola again as well as the Ford horsepower has given me a strong combination for the upcoming season.

“At my age (36), I have to be in better shape to race against the younger guys. I can see what Bobby(Rahal) told me a few years ago. You have to be prepared for the season as you get older.”

Fellow Lola users NewmanHaas Racing have also been out in the new chassis, with Christian Fittipaldi and Cristiano da Matta driving at Sebring.

The forrner, who was working with new en^neer Craig Hampson for the first time, said that “we had the usual first-test problems but overall we are happy with the fact that we learned some areas that we can work on before our next test.”

Also at Sebring was Herdez/Bettenhausen’s new signing Mario Dominquez. The young Mexican, who replaced Michel Jourdain Jr in the seat, had his first full-blown test with the moiorsnort news

.s

CHAMP CAR NEWS

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cars on track

Milwaukee gets a face-lift ONE of the oldest tracks in America will undergo a $40 million renovation before the Champ Car teams return to the Milwaukee Mile in 2003.

The Mile held its first automobile race in 1903, though it's time for an upgrade. The 67-year-old main grandstand will be replaced to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the circuit, while the circuit itself will be re-surfaced and new walls and catch fences placed around it.

Milwaukee is home to Champ/Indy car history. Jim Clark won the first oval track race in a rear-engined car in 1963, Rick Mears won his first race in 1978 and Nigel Mansell won his first oval race on the one-miler.

Carl Haas took over as circuit promoter in 1992 and the latest project is a joint venture between the team owner and the State of Wisconsin.

iastic about new season in Shell colours

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Says Shell, goes like Hell: Jimmy Vasser, above, has to start as one of the title favourites considering Kenny Brack's 2001 form in the same team. The new Lola, below in Christian Fittipaldi’s hands, features plenty of scoops and curves.

(Photos by Sutton-lmages)

This year's CART race will be extended by 25 laps, making the race a 250-miler,

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Off the Page The voice of the CART series, Paul Page, won't be with the series this year. The talking head, who is signed to ABC Sports, will call the IRL action alongside Scott Goodyear while pit-lane man Gary Gerauld also 'crosses over'.

Page moved to the IRL for ABC in 1997 but returned to the CART series to work alongside Parker Johnstone.

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t team, while Dario Franchitti sampled his new Re3mard-Honda for the first time as he attempts to take his first Champ Car title.

“I can't believe how much we got done here at our first test,” said Franchitti.

“I think this is the most I’ve run in one test at Sebring and it was

great to get back in the KOOL car after a couple of months off. I really like the new car, especially the gearbox which is a definite improvement from last year.

“Working with my new engineer Allen McDonald for the first time was also exciting and I think we learned a lot, I sure know we ran a

bunch of laps.”

Also testing at Sebring were Shinji Nakano(Fernandez Racing)and Ibny Kanaan(Mo Nunn Racing).

Teams were to again begin testing as we went to press, with the CART Sneak Preview event to take place at Laguna Seca in the second week of February.

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17

Lola challenges Dallara

DALLAEIA continues to dominate in Formula 3 but will still face a new challenger Lola.

The British manufacturer, which controls the Formula 3000 market and large slices of CART and n Sportscars, will have a new F3 challenger on the market in time for the 2003 season.

But the Lolas will be run on a purely customer basis, with no works involvement.

“We are primarily a customer operation,” said Lola’s marketing director Christopher Tate. “While we will obviously have to work with certain teams to develop the _ car, it is not the plan to have a works team. It would go against what we’re trying to do.”

The announcement comes after Dallara unveiled its F302 car, for which 62 orders have been received. Prime mover behind Lola’s initiative is Rick Gome, former marketing man at Reynard, who was with the manufacturer when it laimched assaults on the F3 and F3000 markets in the mid to late-1980s.

Brock flummoxed

Black to the Future: Dallara has 62 orders for its F302. Now Lola wants a slice of the F3 market.

(Photo by Sutton-lmages)

Ralt dominated the F3 market in the early 80s and will also take on Dallara with a new car this season after its most recent F3 car proved to be a disappointment.

Circuit Boat Racing Sat EEth & Sun S7th Jan BOOB

Autosport's Most Exciting Drivers Top 20 1.

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Gilles Villeneuve Ayrton Senna Juan Manuel Fangio Tazio Nuvolari Georges Boillot Jochen Rindt James Hunt Ronnie Peterson Michael Schumacher Mario Andretti Alberto Ascari Dale Earnhardt Jim Clark Peter Brock Ricardo Rodriguez Stefan Bellof Juan Pablo Montoya Bernd Rosemeyer Stirling Moss Mike Thackwell

PETER Brock has been named as one.pf the world’s most exciting drivers by Britain’s Autosport magazine.

In an feature listing the 50 most exciting drivers of all time,the nine-time Bathurst winner was ranked 14th, the highest-rating Australian, ahead of three-time world champion Sir Jack Brabham.

Brock, who retired from touring car racing in 1997, says he is stunned by his sxirprise selection.

“I am flummoxed,” Brock said.“I actually thought this was another set-up by my wife, Bev, and the ‘Surprise, Surprise’television show and I went looking for UFOs in tlie back paddock! But, no,I got a copy of Autosport and it’s all there in black and white.”

Written by Autosport’s Marcus Simmons,the article said Brock’s nicknames of ‘Peter Perfect?and ‘King of the Mountain’were indicators of him being considered an Aussie hero, while his efforts in “the world’s most exciting touring car race” at Mount Panorama had etched his name into Australian folklore.

“His style was not spectacular - mechanical sympathy was his trademark though his golden years - but what made Brock such a star is his sheer charisma,” the article said.

Gilles Villeneuve was named number one on the list ahead ofi^nrton Senna.

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Niki the Rat returns Jaguar Racing boss Niki Lauda goes for a spin, spin, spin

I remember how this goes: Niki Lauda may have won three world championships but that was a long time ago ... Now it is all the spins you can handle.

THE early focus of Formula 1 testing,as it moved from Barcelona to Valencia, was the return to an FI cockpit of Niki Lau^ The Austrian, who was Formula 1 World Champion in 1975,1977 and 1984,took to the track at the wheel of a 2001 Jaguar 200i,ostensibly to better understand the problems his drivers are having- but also because it gave the team a good photo opportunity...

Lauda did not bother with £uiy rnE^'or work on his fitness,saying he had cut back a little on the number of cigarettes he was smoking.He delighted drivers Eddie Irvine and Pedro de la Rosa by spinning twice as he found his feet.

The Jaguar R2is still somewhat quicker than the new R3- which could become a serious issue for the team ifit continues- and there is talk within the team of problems with the front wing downforce.The team is confident, however,that new aerodynamic developments now comingthrough the system will cure the problem before the start ofthe season in Melbourne.— That may sound like a forlorn hope but it is worth noting that Williams began last season with a similar problem and it was fixed within a month.

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1

NEWS

1 Marsh/Bnthvifilt

Eye of the beholder

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NOT that coverage of Formula 1 is getting out of control, but the will-he/won't-he headline case of Ralf Schumacher's spectacles finally reached a conclusion this week.

Having driven into the back of a iine of stationary traffic in Germany, the-$14 miiiion doiiar driver reveaied that he was short sighted. For some unknown reason, the German press then decided that FiA medical delegate Sid Watkins had told the German that he couldn't wear spectacles to cure the problem, which was of course rubbish.

Jacques Villeneuve has done exactly that on many occasions, although he prefers to wear contact lenses - as do several other drivers - as a matter of comfort. Schumacher meanwhile debuted his new designer Oakley frames at Valencia this week.

- NICK CARTON

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Brock and you

PETER Brock has upped the ante in Motorsport News’ exclusive ‘Join Brock Behind the Scenes at the GP’ competition.

Not only will the winner(s) now enjoy a guided tour of the FI Paddock with Brock, but they will also get to join the touring car legend on a parade lap around the circuit in the Monaro he will have driven in the Trading Post Rally in the days leading up to the GP. “There are a couple of people in for a gi'eat time at the GP,” Brock said this week.“Having a snoop around the FI Paddock is an

n

interesting exercise and there’s nothing like a lap of the track -in the Monaro too - to convey just what a terrific venue we have at Albert Park.”

Readers can enter by collecting three ‘Brock’ coupons -from any of the last issue (the ‘Sample’coupon can be used), this issue and next issue, plonking them on an entry form and then answering the question. You can use three coupons from three copies of one week’s issue if you like -just get three from somewhere!

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Ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes in FTs inner sanctum The Paddock? Here's your chance to find out, with Peter Brock as your guide, at the GP. To enter, collect three 'Peter Brock' coupons from this, the previous or next issues of Motorsport News and answer the question for your chance to win our exclusive 'Join Brock Behind The Scenes At The GP' competition.

PLUS: Join Peter for a parade lap in his Trading Post Rally Monarol Prize includes an awesome Grand Prix package for two including a tour of the FI Paddock with Peter Brock, a lap in the Monaro, a stroll down pitlane, t-shirts, caps, grandstand seats,flights* and four nights accommodation. (’For nun-Victonan winnurs unly)Sue page 8)for lull coinpumton tuims and conditions

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deFm jumping ail over me ptace: former driver IWson heads for Oz. Barron am

3

CART loses another WHILE Roger Penske's team may be the biggest team to head from CART to the IRL, one of the Champ Car series's newest teams - Blair Racing - is heading to the all-oval series as well.

Larry Blair's team, which was formed last year as Arciero-Blair, will have some time Champ Car driver Alex Barron di iving its Dailara/Chevrolet in the full 2002 championship.

Blau also has a new partner in layden Harris, who is chairman of the McLaren Pei formance Technologies company that wi! build the engines foi the team, fhe company also liuilds the engines loi the Cadillac Noithslar IMP racer in the

ALMS, and built the last fourcylinder car ever to win the Indy 500 in 1976 driven by Johnny Rutherford.

The team has also attracted former Team Rahal engineer John Dick (who engineered Arie Luyendyk to an Indy. 500 win in 1990) as well as TransAm team icon Tom Gloy to be piesident.

"Since May of last year, I have continued to make dramatic changes, improving and expanding the team to be competitive in the top levels of racing," Blair said, "Alex has alieady pioven his ability in lunning foi us at two events last year. His super speedway experience is important to me as a team owner.”

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22

Barron, the 1997 Toyota Atlantic champion, made his IRL debut last August with Sam Schmidt Motorsports at Gateway, while he replaced Max Wilson in the Arciero-Blair Champ Car at Surfer's and California late in 2001.

The 31-year-old has experience with Marlboro Team Penske, Dan Gtirney's All-American Racers and Dale Coyne Racing.

"I am looking forward to racing for Larry again," Barron said.

"Drivers always look for the right program and a winning combination. I am looking forward to the next few weeks with pre-season testing starting in Febiuaiy and the first race in March."

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TWO-TIME CART Champion Gil de Ferran has tested his new IRL mount at both California Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway, with the team deciding on the Dailara/Chevrolet package.

The powerplants will be built by Ilmor Engineering, with de Ferran to carry #6 and team-mate Helio Castroneves to carry #3, which has been relinquished by Rick Galles.

De Ferran tested at Texas on January 10, having run a day at California three days earlier.

“We are just trying to get some miles on the car and learn as much as we can about the Indy Racing cars here at Texas,” de Ferran said.

“It has been a good day; we have collected a lot of data already.”

The Brazilian tested a 2001-spec Dallara minus the 2002 IRL update kit that will be added to it soon.

“The performance has been OK, de Ferran said of the California test.

“No big issues. It’s a different engine than the CART car, so the car shakes differently and feels different,-hut it's not a big issue in my mind.

“Testing is very much like doing your homework. Some would classify it as boring, but I like it.

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»tests RL waturs

IRL NEWS Herbert still dreams of Indy JOHNNY Herbert isn't giving up on his dreams of racing in the Indy 500, even despite Heritage Motorsports -the team for which

he originally tested — folding due to financial problems.

Speaking at the AUTOSPORT International in Birmingham, Herbert said "1 will definitely be racing in the 500, come what may and anyway I can.

"My aim is to try and win both the Indy 500 and the Le Mans 24 Hours in the same year, which hasn't been done since AJ Foyt in 1967."

P

Line ’em up and roll ’em out: Marlboro Team Penske has decided on Dallara/Chevrolets for 2002 after (Photo by Ron McQueeney/indyracing.com) winning Indy with Dallara/Oldsmobiles last season.

New Brayton team

Late mtiy pole winner's brother to run IRL team

by PHIL MORRIS TODD Brayton,the brother of the late Scott Brayton - who took pole position for thd^lndy 500 in 1995 and 1996 but was killed in final practice for the 1996 race - will run his own IRL team in 2002.

The team's driver will be John deVries, who campaigned herein Australia in Formula FHolden in 1998, with Pit Bull Energy Drink as sponsor and New York Knicks NBA star Latrell Sprewell involved in the team.

Todd's wife Teri will be the first woman owner in Indycar racing, while Todd will be team manager for the crew that has purchased equipment from the Tri-Star Motorsport squad.

His late brother drove for Team Menard, though succumbed to head injuries after crashing in final practice in the first IRL-era '500.

Brayton Engineering has been an engine builder in Indy/Champ Car racing for some 16 years, winning the Indy 500 with Eddie Cheever's team in 1998.

The team will debut on January 31 in a private test at California Speedway followed by the 'Test in the West' on February 6 in California.

24 lanaarv 2002

n Chip Ganassi is again talking to Winston Cup star Tony Stewart about re-joining his Target squad for the Indy 500 in May. "You know Tony, he's like trying to nail jelly to a post sometimes," Ganassi said. "So, we'll see. You can play telephone tag with him for three weeks before you reach him. It's moving along, and I would say on schedule."

Stewart did the Indy/Charlotte NASCAR double last year, running sixth at the Brickyard and third at Charlotte. n Kenny Brack and team-mate Bruno Junqueira, as well as Jimmy Vasser (Team Rahal), are due to have their first IRL runs of 2002 at the League's open test on February 6 at California Speedway. n A.J. Foyt will again run two cars in the IRL this season. Eliseo Salazar returns in a car backed by the Bank of Chile, while midget ace Donnie Beechler gets another shot, with the team to begin testing on February5-6 at Phoenix.

Brayton’s car and engines: Memo Gidley tried to qualify a Brayton Engineering car at Indy last year but couldn't muster“enough speed.

Far too Daring BRAZILIAN young gun Airton Dai’e has to a new seat for this year’s IRL series,following the annoimcement that Team Xtreme has shut down.

The team simply couldn’t find sponsorship to continue to run Dare for another season, having just moved its operation to Phoenix. Dare is released from his contract and his free to find another ride, although it is only just over a month until the season-opener at MiamiHomestead.

Panther Racing, which won the IRL title with Sam Hornish last year, is trying to put a second program together for Dare.

n Eddie Cheever continues his search for a team-mate, with South African Tomas Scheckter scheduled to test at Las Vegas as we went to press. n Firestone will back the Nashville IRL race to be run on the 1.33-mile oval on July 20. The circuit is considered by Firestone to be its 'home' track, considering it's so near to its Nashville headquarters and manufacturing plants in Lavergne and McMinnville. n George Mack, the AfricanAmerican recently announced as the drive for the new 310 Racing team, has completed the first phase of his IRL rookie test at Homestead in a car prepared by Cunningham Racing. n Among the car numbers reserved for the IRL's new Infiniti Pro Series are #5 (for Arie Luyendyk Jr), # 14 (for A.J. Foyt IV) and No. 44 (for Tony George's stepson, Ed Carpenter).

23

Sportscar Briefs A FIELD of 30 prototypes should be on the grid for the opening round of the American Le Mans Series at Sebring in March.

Doug Robinson, boss of ALMS sanctioning body IMSA, predicted that the race would attract 20 LMP900 cars and 10 entries in the LMP675 class.

"We had 28 prototypes back in 1997 (prior to the creation of the ALMS), but after that entries began to fall off. Sebring is going to be a huge race in 2002."

Robinson claimed that the total entry could be as many as 60 cars.

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■ The Spa 1000km, above, race

will be revived for the firet time in 15

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Herta to Panoz

AS we predicted last issue, Champ Car refugee Bryan Herta has signed to drive the second Panoz LMP-1 roadster in this year’s American Le Mans Series as well as in the Le Mans 24 Hour.

A winner of two Champ Car races at Laguna Seca, Herta will team with veteran road racer and 2001 ALMS GTS champ (in a Saleen) Terry Borcheller as team-mate to the David Brabham/Jan Magnussen combination.

“This is completely different to what I have done in the past and I am really looking forward to the opportunity,” Herta said.

Herta has enjoyed a strong career in American road racing. He is a former winner of the Barber Saab Pro Series (1991) and also clinched the 1993 Indy Lights crown in addition to his Laguna wins. < Also, 19-yoimg-gun Gunnar Jeanette has been signed to run Le Mans as well as be team test driver.

Jan and Jo for R8

years as a part of the 2003 FIA Sportscar Championship, helping to celebrate the circuit's centenary celebrations.

■ David Brabham and Jan Magnussen will run last year's Panoz LMP Roadster LMP in the first round of the American Le Mans Series in March.

The US team has decided against fielding their number one crew in the heavily-revised version of the car in the 12-hour enduro at Sebring. Panoz do not want to risk putting them into the race with an untried car.

■ Formula 1 engine builder Asiatech has abandoned plans to contest the Le Mans 24 Hours with their own car. The Japanese-funded organisation, which will supply Minardi in FI this season, revealed last year that it was designing a chassis and engine for the big race, possibly as early as in 2002. m The team which built and operated the works Aston Martin AMR-1 Group C project, back in 1989, is returning to international sportsprototype competition in 2002.

Northamptonshire, UK-based RML (Ray Mallock Limited) will make a move into the FIA Sportscar Championship with a new Panoz Roadster.

- GARY WATKINS 24

by GARY WATKINS FORMER Le Mans winners Stefan Johansson and Jan Lammers will drive the Champion Audi in the Sebring 12 Hours in March.

The pair have been snapped up to partner Andy Wallace in place of Johnny Herbert, who has now been confirmed in the same 2001-spec Audi R8 for the majority of the American Le Mans Series. The former Jaguar Formula 1 driver will, however, be on duty for the factory Joest team at Sebring as a

prelude to driving for them at Le Mans in June.

Johansson is a double winner at Sebring and also has one Le Mans win to his name. Lammers, meanwhile, has a Le Mans victory and one victory in the Daytona 24 Hours.

Team boss Dave Maraj expects that Herbert will contest all the races together with Wallace, whose deal for the full ALMS was also firmed up last week, bar Sebring.

“I hope Johnny can do the other nine races, but there are a couple of question-marks about races that

may conflict with any Indy Racing League programme he gets,” he said.

Johansson’s presence in the team appears to spell the end of his hopes of his team continuing to run an R8 on either side of the Atlantic next year.

Audi sources conceded that it would be very difficult to provide the necessary spares support for an addition privateer at this late stage.

Herbert’s two-race factory deal was due to be announced this week. motorsport news

L.

SPORTSCAR NEWS

Caddy unveiled 1 l

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THIS is the challenger that Cadillac and General Motors will he taking to Le Mans this year.

The Cadillac Northstar LMP 02 will debut at the Sebring 12 Hour with Wayne Taylor, Max Angelelli, Eric Bernard and Emmanuel Collard doing the driving duties, having had its initial shakedown at the same circuit.

CAD programs were used to design the complete car, with the Arrows wind tunnel being utilised by the team for its aerodynamics, under the direction of designer Nigel Stroud.

The new car also features a

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revamped four-litre engine in a bid to improve power and fuel consumption from the LMPOl, which was run by the factory Cadillac squad as well as the French DAMS outfit during 2000 and 2001.

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The new one at least looks the part: While the previous incarnation of the Cadillac Northstar LMP looked nice, it got blown away by the Audis and Panozes. Will the 2002 car turn that around in the ALMS and at Le Mans?

BMW is pulling American Le Mans Series and looks certain to send the Schnitzer factory team as well as drivers including JJ Lehto, Dirk " Muller and Jorg Muller, to the ETCC this year instead.

Changes to the GT class winning V8 M3 would have meant its cars would have had to run with a draconian weight penalty and less engine power because the M3 GTR was not made in sufficient quantities, further prompting a pull-out.

News that BMW will not be doing the championship follows a test two weeks ago in which the second factory team, PTG, tried the car loaded with the penalties it would have had to have raced with in 2002.

The car lapped three seconds off its previous pace, which would have left it the best part of two seconds behind Porsche's BMIfs - going dotm; No more M3s in 911 GT3-R. (Photo by Sutton-fmagcs) - GARY WATKINS the ALMS in 2002.

24 lanuary 2002

“We tried a number of very extreme mechanical solutions, but in the end decided to go for a more conventional, yet state-of-the-art package,” said Stroud.

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Bike Ney^s

Rossi and Honda have words VALENTINO Rossi and Honda are at odds and the Italian will

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Both parties have described their differences as ‘minor’ and

miss a test in Malaysia this week.

Rossi is expected to continue The World Champion has - testing the new RC211V bike next reportedly baulked at attending mbnj;h. the Sepang test until he and the Meanwhile, Tohru Ukawa and HRC test rider Shinichi Itoh Japanese factory agree to contract terms for the 2002 season. His continued testing the 5-cylinder management has reportedly indicated that he wants $7 million

990cc machine in the two-day test.

for the year.

Daijiro Katoh was due test the Team Honda Gresini NSR500 he

Reports say that Valentino Rossi wants $7m for the season. We reckon he is worth it...

will campai^ in the 2002 championship, as was Team Pons’s Loris Capirossi and Alex Barros for their first serious track testing of the off-season.

ALEX Criville will maintain his links with Repsol, despite his upcoming move to Yamaha. n The 1999 World BOOcc Champion will enjoy the support of the Spanish oil giant, which will follow him from Honda.

Respol will feature prominently on Criville's Yamaha YZR500, and will also be on the sister bike of Norick Abe, who will run in Antenna 3 colours.

The duo are expected to start testing next month.

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TROY Corser has signed to race for the Foggy Petronas Team.

The 30-year-old New South Welshman will join fellow former World Superbike champion Carl Fogarty in the new team, where his team-mate will be Briton James Haydon.

"When we set up the team I didn't think for a minute we could have attracted as big a name as Troy Corser in our first season," Fogarty said "Everyone knows how talented a rider he is, but Troy is also one of the best riders for setting up a bike. What he did

for Aprilia on a new bike was sensational and we want him to try even harder to make this project a success." , Corser, who raced for Aprilia last season, said he was positive about the move.

"This is a really exciting project and something that is unique in motorcycle racing," said Corser.

"I'm really happy to be working with Carl and his team and am fired up to take on this new challenge. This is a long term project and the aim is to get the new bike out on the track and win races."

motorsporl news

A

OPINION Photo h\ Suitoii-fmages

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It's a beautiful day

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IKE many Australians, I've been waiting for an Australian to grid up at Albert Park in a Formula 1 Grand Prix, Come to think of it, without the good fortune of having seen Alan Jones in a Beatrice Lola or David Brabham in a Simtek (or a Brabham for that matter), 1“ haven't actually been at an Australian Grand Prix where there was an Australian racing.

All of a sudden we've got three drivers in Mark Webber, James Courtney and Ryan Briscoe all at various stages of 'getting in the door' to Formula 1.

Webber looks like he's in the house at Minardi, Courtney's shacked up at Chateau Jaguar and Briscoe's on the beanbag at Toyota. It's a pretty exciting time, with the three in the top three categories of European open-wheeler racing in FI, F3000 and F3 in 2002, There's some chance all three could be in FI as early as next year. Flow big is that!

There's a common link between the three. Apart from the fact that they're Australian and can drive fast, they all left Australia virtually as they were getting out of nappies.

Courtney and Briscoe fired

24 January 2002

across the seas for karting before moving to cars, with Webber hanging around a fraction longer in Formula Ford.

It's all ifs, buts and maybes. but perhaps had Webber headed overseas a little earlier he may have been in 'the door' a lot earlier. Having said that, 1996 was the last time he raced on Australian soil. That's a fair while ...

It's clear that getting out of Australia as early as possible is the way to go, with no disrespect meant to the junior categories of Formula Ford and Formula Holden.

Both local formulae are more and more becoming feeder classes for our next V8 stars, and that's healthy. But those with international aspirations need to get a plane ticket as soon as possible and get noticed outside of our 'little' land.

While 'the' trio are the ones getting the headlines, there are other Aussies overseas also pushing the barrow.

Will Davison is probably the fourth on the list of 'men likely' but 2002 is a critical year where he'll need to ovecome not just his Formula Renault rivals in Britain, but the fact that it's his first year obt of the country.

It doesn't sound that bad, but he'll have to adapt to life away from home, friends and family and that will be tough.

It's all part of chasing that overseas dream.

Throw in Peter Flatkett whose still trying to do an F3000 deal for 2002, as well and you've got more Aussies overseas than a Golden Globe Awards night.

Strength to all their arms.

T'S an exciting time all round. The Motorsport News offices are obviously buzzing with the Webber and Briscoe news in addition to the smorgasboard of Sprintcar racing, but there's a lot of local goings-on to get pumped up for as well.

One of the first things to look at in a V8 Supercar sense is the likely list for pre-qualifying for the Adelaide 500.

With so many cars (expanded three-car operations included) to be thrown into the session, the pre-qualifying session will probably turn out to be more entertaining than ever before!

Look at the list of cars not in the top 25 in last year's title or who have switched (or joined) teams that will be in the session.

Motor Mouth wllk llaroii Noonan There's Longhurst, Wilson, Bowe, Perkins, Gardner and Rick Kelly to name just a few!

But the notion of pre qualifying itself is one that continues to bug me.

While I recognise the importance of entertainment, why not let all the cars that turn up practice and qualify and the fastest 32 (or whatever the grid size is) get in the field?

That way, the cream of the crop are in the show,(which is what the fans are coming to see) with the provision for a provisional spot (just like NASCAR)at the discretion of AVESCO or the promoter in the case of one of the big names having unforeseen dramas.

If you continually don't make it into the field, head to the Konica Series.

Just a suggestion.

21

I Tlie Box Seat With Joe Saward

Waiting.

n Melbourne right now,so they tell me,everyone is getting excited about tennis.

Albert Park is just beginning to turn itself back into a racing circuit but the girls in the short skirts, grunting at one another, hold the public attention.

In six weeks time Melbourne will be revving up for Grand Prix fever but, over here in Europe, the excitement is already beginning. The new Formula 1 cars are beginning to run and everyone is trying to figure out who is going to be quick this year. The teams are playing games with one another and

everyone else is watching, looking for clues. Great stuff.

But, at the same time, it is a bit frustrating because there are still six wintry weeks to go before Melbourne. It has been a bitter winter and the lure of some sunshine, some balmy Melbourne warmth and a lunch or two in St Kilda seems very powerful (ED: still waiting for some warmth in Melbourne, Joe).

n these grey months of I waiting, even Paris has seemed cold and miserable. Nowhere more so than at Guyancourt where the Prost factory has had

a frigid air about it in recent weeks as the staff wait to see if the team is still in business. n It is very different from five years ago when a rather younger-looking Alain Prost took over the old Ligier team and announced plans to turn it into something special. The ironic thing when one looks back is that Frost's first year was its best. The team was using Mugen Honda engines and Bridgestone tyres - Olivier Panis came close to winning races but was hobbled (quite literally as it turned out, given his leg breaking crash in Montreal) by reliability problems.

FORMULA ONE

dnd shopping The first Prost-Peugeot FI car in 1898 was a disaster. The AP01 had an Achilles Gearbox and had to be botched. The weight distribution went out of the window and the car became a pig to drive. The AP02 was a lot better but a new generation of engines had arrived and the Peugeot was too big. Prost and Peugeot fell out.

Alain did a deal with Ferrari for 2000 but that season was ruined when the team began to get uppity. There were demands that the technical director be fired (mainly because he was English) and Prost backed down. It was a disastrous move and the team sank back into the old Ligier mould.

To give him credit (which noone would by now) Alain decided that he would have to break the mould and got rid of a lot of French influence in the team. Fie hired some good new people but the lack of money meant the team was on a downward spiral and France was more excited about having a new Formula 1 team in the form of Renault Sport. Prost is an old toy, tossed aside like Woody when Buzz Lightyear arrived on the scene ...

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eing born English, one grows up poking fun at the French but I have to admit that I like France. I have lived here for 10 years and, despite the foibles of the people, I love it. Until recently it was a mystery to me how the country kept going with its perpetual strikes, national holidays, 35-hour-weeks and 13th months of salary. But one day I concluded it is because they are an inventive lot.

They will tell you that Frenchmen have invented more

Grand Prix racing itself. And that is why I find it so hard to understand why the nation has not produced a truly successful racing team. They used to be able to do it in the early days of the sport. I know this because the neighbourhood in which I live is famous for a couple of things: it was where they invented the automobile: and where motor racing began.

If I nip out to my local brasserie, I am in a bar called the I'Auto. The one next door is

if the French did not actually invent the computer or the aspirin, they have invented stories to suggest that they might have done U

or less everything that has ever been invented (including 'chauvinism') ranging from the parachute to the cinema, to photography, the automobile, the dustbin (a Moniseur Poubelle), the fashion industry, the Internet and the fastest trains in the world. If they did not actually invent the computer or the aspirin, they have invented stories to suggest that they might have done.

They have also invented the belief that Renault Sport is French. It's about as French as 'le hot dog'. Renault Sport is an English team. The Frenchmen do the engines.

That aside, one of the greatest French inventions is

called Le Touring. And round the corner is a restaurant called Le Phaeton. If I go to visit the TV repairman, I find myself in the Place St Ferdinand, looking at a statue of Leon Serpollet, one of the pioneers of steam cars. In the next street, Rue du Debarcadere, Ettore Bugatti had his experimental department.

And I get my croissants from a wonderful bakery on the Rue Pergolese. I am sure that the baker does not know (or perhaps care) that it was here in the 1880s that Count Albert de Dion-Wandonne de Malfiance, a famous playboy and duellist, established a workshop for an engineer called Georges Bouton and his brother in law Charles-

Armand Trepardoux. They began to build steam-powered cars but then Bouton realised that the future was probably in petrol engines and Trepardoux performed a magnificent departure from history by storming off saying that steam was obviously the way to go.

Racing scholars will tell you that the first motor race in history was the Paris-Rouen Trial in 1894, starting at the Porte Maillot. But actually history is wrong. The first race took place seven years earlier, just around the corner in the Bois de Boulogne.

It was won by Bouton at the wheel of a De Dion-Bouton but it has been forgotten for the simple reason that Bouton was the only competitor to turn up.

Fie did however complete the course and the other day at an antique show I found a picture to prove it ...

Seven years later he made up for that disappointment by winning the Paris-Rouen Trial as well.

I must admit that I love being surrounded by automotive history but, at the same time it does have its disadvantages.

As I drum my fingers waiting for the new FI season to start, I cannot even go shopping without the whole neighbourhood reminding me there are still six weeks to go.

Maybe I need to watch some tennis ...

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29

Five Minutes With l ll

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Larry Perkins

Atter months of speculation about his immeUiate future in V8 Superear racing, LP teiis camsLAMBDEV that he never reaiiy consUered redrement at ait MOTORSPORT NEWS: There has been quite a period of speculation over what you would do for 2002 - especially ,, once it became known that Steven Richards would join the team. How did you come to the decision you've made?

LARRY PERKINS: I always had an inkling that I didn't want to retire, but at the same time wanted to cover my tracks in case I retired and when, one day, I do retire from cTfiving.

When Steven Richards came on the market, I made the decision to snaffle him, because I've got the utmost respect for him - both as a driver and in the way he conducts himself. That meant I had covered my contractual obligations to always run two drivers.

This is the best way to get a driver hired - well before you need him I It also means I'm better prepared than ever for the long distance races - I've only got to hire one more driver. I'm also very keen this year to have two cars that are capable of winning Bathurst.

In the past. I've always hired

you like, but if Russell or Steven young drivers and, because of badly damage a car, or something that, not expected them to be in like that, I will use that option to a position to win. This year I want best optimise our position in the to up the ante. Nothing's nine out championship. of 10 this year - everything's Having said that, after two going to be 10 out of 10, races, I might be our leading including the champiojnship. driverl I'm certainly not going to I'm really quite excited about it - I haven't used those words for lie down and let these two guys beat me. Make no mistake about a few years. My team has been that. working right through Christmas They know that and we are on solid engine and suspension three competitive programmes drivers until we and everything get a pattern of is going to be n in the cars who is more likely Nothing'S nine out of 10 to win the from race one. this year - everything's championship.

MN; Did you With due respect going to be 10 out of to each other, we seriously 10,incfuding the consider the still have to race each other. options of championship" either doing Larry Perkins MN: Running a just selected races or third car indeed involves extra commitments in funding etc. calling it quits and stepping back to run the team?

How have you covered that?

LP: There are two issues in LP: I never considered the option running a third car. The first is of sitting back and running the the workload. We're totally team. I had thought- and I still have a caveat out - that I can covered, because for many years we've run a third step out of my car if the need 'customer' car - the Pepsi car, arises. It's not a 'live' option, if the Gardner car, the Gatorade car etc.

We've pulled back from the Pepsi car this year, but retained the same labour - and funnily enough, there's less labour needed when it's your own car rather than a customer car.

There are certain things that customers think they need that you don't need or have to address yourself.

The second issue is funding.

I've always been cautious with how I spend my money. I've also always had good support from my traditional supporters and, without making anyone 'sweat' too much, we've been able to

cover the requirement and can press on.

MN: According to the latest qualifying plans from AVESCO, it sounds as though one of your cars may have to prequalify at most races. Will you take that burden on if it's the case and what do you think of that situation?

LP: I'm unfamiliar with what the (latest) requirements are - it's a situation that is a bit fluid with AVESCO presently. All I kjpow is that I have a franchise which allows me to run three cars and I'd find it a bit odd if I had to choose one of us to go through prequalifying.

I don't think it should be a decision of the team owner who should have to prequalify, but until I see the rules covering how they want to play it, I simply can't answer that.

I might add that I'm a supporter of the prequalifying concept and I'm not afraid of it, but in our case - all three of us are among the top 15 drivers in the country - I would find it odd that we should have to prequalify ...

(VIN; Come November, you're probably going to be faced with the same thought process again. Russell Ingall's contract will be lip for renewal,so there'll be plenty to think about...

LP: Sure. What Russell and I decide to do is obviously in the future, but I'll still continually be keeping my eye open for another driver.

You certainly need to have new drivers waiting in the wings - as HRT has done - and I have to get myself into the same position, simply to be efficient. moiorsport news

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INTERVIEW Pholos by Dirk Klynsmith

24 ianuam 2002

Five Minutes With ...

Alex uanson

Alto’two seasonsIn the Porsche Carrera Cap hi Germany, tlw tenner Formiha Fordster has his eyes on a titb hi2002and SiHu^car racing hi Uia tutura. AUUKd HOavAiyspoke to Idm MOTORSPORT NEWS: For those who don't know,tell us about the Carrera Cup. ALEX DAVISO-N: It's a one-make Porscite series in Germany using the 911 GTS Cup car.

It's exactly the same as the Porsche Supercup but it's the German national championship.

The cars are the same in both classes - about 400 horsepower, 1150 kilograms and pretty fast.

Over a lap time they'd probably be comparable with a V8 Supercar on a short, handling track. They run with the DTM, which is fantastic and gets huge crowds, with young drivers comipg up like Marc Lieb, plus older guys like Roland Asch and experienced people like Sascha Maassen and Christian Menzel.

MN: With two wins last year and two years under your belt, is the title your focus this year?

AD: For sure. I'm aiming at the championship.

My first year was difficult with the team set-up that we had, so I didn't learn as much as I should have. I had a really good team around me last year (the Phoenix team, which also runs works Opel DTM cars) and we progressed really well and won two races at Flockenheim in the season opener and closer.

That was great but after that first win you're expected to keep on doing it!

MN: You did a couple of rounds of Supercup as well, didn't you.

AD: Yeah. The Superc'up race at the Nurburgring I did with my regular team and, as an indication of the competitiveness of Carrera Cup, the top five-odd positions were filled with Carrera Cup regulars.

I finished fifth and all the guys ahead were the regular guys I race against. That particular race opened people's eyes to how strong the Carrera Cup really is over there.

32

And the Porsches are go!Davison leads Marc Lieb and the rest ofthe Porsche Carrera Cupfield into turn one at Hockenheim. It's a track that’s been pretty kind to the Victorian, who has won races on both the long and short circuits.

WIN: Are the perks of being a Porsche racer pretty good?

AD: Hal I don't really talk too much about my racing unless somebody asks me. I don't see myself as a guru or a legend or anything!

1 crashed and burned last year.

I won two races but lost my company car! Maybe this year I'll get it back.

MN: You're in a different situation to many racers with your little brother Will in your wheeltracks and heading overseas. How was the adaption to the German lifestyle, language and the like and what can Will expect?

AD: We're both going off in our different directions in terms of our respective careers but I'm really happy that he did so well last year. It'll be good to have him overseas next year and hopefully we can catch up a bit.

I'm waiting for the phone calls though.'What can I put in a toasted sandwich apart from ham and cheese?' is the question I'm waiting to hear from him!

The language barrier makes

things difficult but most of the people 1 work with speak English well and my German's getting better all the time. They might know the word in German but not English and vice-versa, but we sort it all out eventually.

MN: A works Porsche Sportscar - is that your ultimate aim?

AD: I think it's pretty certain that they'll be back doing a Le Mans prototype car at some stage in the future, so it would be fantastic to be involved in such a program.

I'll just focus on what I'm doing at the moment and do a good job for Porsche and we'll see what happens, MN: You've already had a taste of some of Porsche's best Sportscars at the Adelaide ALMS race as well as at the Porsche test track at Weissach. That must have been a buzz.

AD: I tried to drive the 917 Porsche at Adelaide in the demonstration laps but I was too tall. I strapped myself in and pulled the wing-door down and it

bonked me on the head so I couldn't drive it.

I was too big for the 936, but I got to drive the Dauer 962 that won Le Mans in 1994.

At Weissach I got to drive the 911 GT1 road car and that was awesome too. It had so more horsepower, but only road tyres, so you could slide it around a little bit.

I also had a drive in the Joest Porsche LMP that won Le Mans in 1996 and 1997. I have never driven anything with'so much horsepower before. They've just got so much downforce and the tyres are so big!

If you see the test track at Weissach, you'll see why, when you're driving a car on rock hard tyres, you have to show a little respect. You're doing 290 km/h down the straights past trees and stuff and it's got two banked corners without fencing at the top of them so it's best to roll around the corners and 'gun' it on the straights.

I couldn't help it, but even though it was some ungodly time in Australia, I just had to ring Dad and Will to say, 'guess what I just drove?' ... motorsport news

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INTERVIEW

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24 January 2092

33

Senna and Schumacher

Iwo The careers ofAyrton Senna and Michael Schumacher are inexorably linked -and share a number ofinteresting similarities. SCOTT LORD looks at the statistics of the two most dominant Grand Prix drivers ofrecent times

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N 1980, Michael Schumacher witnessed something that would forever change his life.

While attending the World Karting Championships in Nivelles, Belgium, the 11-year-old saw a driver with whom he-.would be later linked in life - and death.

Wearing the then-unfamiliar yellow helmet with green and blue bands, the driver in question came second, but he displayed so much ability that from that day forward, Schumacher knew he wanted to do nothing more than follow this new idol into competitive car racing.

The following day’s newspaper told him that this driver was a 20year-old from Brazil by the name of Ayrton de Silva. A man the world would come to know as Ayrton Senna.

Schumacher would eventually make his Formula One debut in the Bel^an GP on 25 August 1991.

Qualifying seventh, he killed his Jordan-Ford’s clutch at the start.

Senna won, chased by 34

Schumacher knew he wanted to do nothing more than follow this new idol into competitive car racing

Schumacher’s team-mate Andrea de Cesaris(who eventually retired with an engine problem). It was Senna’s 32nd GP win; he would win nine more. But Schumacher stole the headlines; despite his brief debut, he was a wanted man and Tom Walkinshaw swooped on the uncontracted German. At the next GP at Monza, Schuey was in Benetton yellow.

Seven years earlier, Senna had also impressed. In his second-ever GP start, he dragged the unloved Toleman-Hart into the points at Kyalami;four races later at Monaco he speared through a

The best race we never saw: Michael Schumacher and Ayrton Senna never raced against each other for Ferrari and Williams respectively, but the brilliance of their respective careers shines brightiy.

(Photos by Mike Hewitt/Allsport and Marsh/Bolhwell)

rainstorm to all but run down Alain Prost before a red-flag on lap 31(of a scheduled 77). He also was a wanted man; despite being contracted to the Toleman team, he jumped to Lotus for 1985 and the rest is history.

The parallels between the two men’s careers are startling; both reigned over their respective eras; Senna won three titles, Schumacher has won four. And when Senna was killed at Imola in 1994, he was in his 161st GP; when Schumacher won at Suzuka continued on page 36

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Senna and Schumacher continued from page 34 last October, he was in his 161st GP...

The two raced each other in 41 races, both scoring 25 points finishes. During their battles.

Senna took 10 wins, six second places, and three third places (all in McLarens) while Schumacher’s Benettons carried him to four wins, eight second places and seven third places. What makes these figures impressive is the level of competition they shared the grid with; four-time champion Prost, triple world champion Nelson Piquet and 1992 champion Nigel Mansell.

When the Brazilian moved to Williams-Renault for the 1994 season, many predicted this should have bqen Senna’s easiest championship after the retirements of his closest rivals from the past 10 years, but this was before fate was to intervene.

Following Senna’s death, Schumacher took his first driver’s title and followed up the following year with his second before moving to Ferrari in 1996. From here he would have to wait until 2000 and 2001 for his third and fourth titles.

In doing so, with 53 wins he has eclipsed Frost’s record of 51 from 201 races, 798.5 championship points, and 41 fastest laps, making him the most successful driver FI has ever seen. In a career spanning 10 years, he has won every third race, finishing in the points a staggering 70 percent of the time.

And he is not finished, being under contract to Ferrari for at least another three seasons.

At the time of Senna’s death (also after also 10 years of FI)he had 41 wins at an average of one every four races, and a podium finish on average every two races.

Senna’s career yielded 610 points(from 96 finishes), 19 fastest laps and, as a true indication of his brilliance, a record 65 pole^ positions, in a career where he was only out qualified by a team-mate on 18 occasions. In comparison, Schumacher is second on the alltime list with 43 pole positions, yet by the end of his career could eclipse Senna. Prost, whom Senna partnered for two years at McLaren, is equal third with the late Jim Clark on 33, but the real indicator of Senna’s qualifying superiority is perhaps that Prost started second on the grid 53 times in his career, despite often driving the dominant cai'.

Out of Senna’s 161 starts, he had 62 DNFs; 40 were due to mechanical failure (over which Senna had no control); four were due to running out of fuel (something unheard of today due 36

to the rule changes which took effect in 1994); seven were due to other drivers’ misfortune; and 11 were the result of driver error. He led during 22 of these races, and was in a winning position on than 11 occasions.

Of these DNFs, eight came in Senna’s first season but only one through his own error. He finished the season in equal ninth place on 13 points, a terrific effort for a car being riin on a tight budget by a team that would disappear a year later after being bought out by Benetton.

Of the retirements that could easily have been wins, three came in 1985, Senna’s Lotus-Renault running dry at San Marino and Silverstone and blowing an engine at Adelaide. With two wins, he finished 1985 in fourth place in the

One question remains how much credit for Schumacher's success must he credited to the support he has received from around him?

Drivers’ title, but scored 10 frontrow starts and seven poles.

In 1986, Senna experienced six retirements (all due to the Renault engine) and scored two wins and eight pole positions, but was still fourth place in the championship.

A year later, with Honda power.

Senna managed only one pole position and two wins, along with four retirements. But he advanced to third in the Drivers’ championship behind Piquet and Mansell.

In 1988, Senna’s move to McLaren allowed him to win his first championship by three points over team-mate Prost. Two silly accidents lost him races; in Monaco where, after gaining pole by nearly two-seconds, he built a lead of 46s only to lose concentration and crash into the barriers with 12 laps remaining; an at Monza, colliding with a backmarker with two laps to go after leading the whole race.

The other race he did not finish came at Brazil’s first round where he was controversially blackflagged on lap 31 after beginning the race in his spare car from pit lane after his gearbox had failed him on the grid. Senna still managed to qualify on the front row of the gild for all but one of the 16 races, taking 13 pole positions and eight wins.

Senna did not let up on his competitors in 1989, qualifying on the front row of the grid for all 16 rounds of the season. Armed with

the new Honda 3.5-litre VIO engine, he collected 13 poles and six wins. He retired from eight races; he should have won in Canada after his engine quit with three laps remaining; at Monza he led from the start until his engine once again expired, this time with nine laps remaining; and in Japan, where he was controversially disqualified time for cutting the chicane after clashing Prost.

Ofthe other five DNFs,three of them he led at some stage, hut in only one he did not firush due to his own error. He finished the season in second place, 16 points behind Prost.

Continuing his domination with 10 pole positions and six wins.

Senna finished the 1990 season for McLaren with his second championship, winning by seven points over Prost, now driving for Ferrari. Senna retired from five races, all but one due to faults other than his own. Four of these he led, with two quite comfortably; in Mexico, where he led from the start before receiving a puncture with four laps to go; and in Adelaide, where he lead from the start until a gearbox seized with 20 laps to go.

In 1991 Senna won his third championship by 24 points from Mansell. Only two races he did not complete; Canada (alternator); and Hockenheim, where he ran out of fuel on the final lap while fourth.

He had eight pole positions and seven wins which included the first four races of the season.

McLarens’new Honda V12 engines were no match for the Renaults of the Williams team in 1992. Even with Prost taking a sabbatical. Senna recorded only three wins, with eight DNFs. He finished a.substandard fourth in the championship, his lowest finishing position since his final season with Lotus back in 1986.

Montreal in Canada was the retirement in which Senna came to closest victory when, after his only pole position of the season, he led for the first 37 laps before again having to yield to the unpredictability of his Honda engine.

With Honda withdrawing fi'om Grand Prix racing, McLaren turned to the Ford engines, no match for the Renaults, yet Senna still finished the year in second place, 26 points behind Prost(now driving for Williams). With just one pole position, he still won five races (including his wet Bonington epic), scored six retirements, all due to problems other than his own.

In 1994, Senna left McLaren for Williams, 10 years after he tested for the team for the first time.

Many predicted a fourth title, but fate would see the dominant team

.11

and the best driver in the sport score not a single point together.

In Brazil, he spun off^while chasing Schumacher in the lead.

Senna retired from the Pacific Grand Prix at Aida in Japan after being hit from behind and then rammed by Nicol Larini’s Ferrari as he spun off on the first lap.

In Imola’s fateful San Marino Grand Piix, while leading on lap seven and travelling at close to 300kmh,Senna’s Williams left the road for reasons stUl not categorically known and hit the outside concrete retaining wall at high speed.

A little over four hours later he was pronounced dead.

Senna had qualified on pole for each of the three 1994 races, even when it was quite evident Schumacher had the faster car...

In comparison to same Senna’s gi'eat of career, from the number starts Schumacher has retired on 43 occasions, but only 21 of these came as a result to engine or mechanical failure, due to the advance of technology over the years. The remainder were from the consequences of either accidents or spin-offs, with Schumacher responsible on at least 14 occasions. Of these retirements, 13 times he led, with a possible two confirmed wins.

Both Senna and Schumacher were the most influential drivers of their eras. Sharing similar characteristics, they were exceedingly close in their motorspDrt news

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FORMULA ONE

The End, and The Beginnings: Senna leads Schumacher after the restart of the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix at Imola. Right from the start of their careers, both men were marked as future stars, Senna dazzling at Toleman in 1984 and Schumacher taking his first win in Belgium in 1992. (Photos by Anton Want/Ailsport, Nigel Snowdon and Pascal Rondeau/Allsport)

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him, he was able to exploit his racing potential through his capacity to adjust the car’s handling to the absolute optimum.

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philosophies, surfacing through their attention to detail and total commitment.

I have no intention to document Schumacher’s races, preferring to leave it up to the reader to make their own conclusion from the statistics I have included above.

Let it be said, though, that Schumacher has had his fair share ofluck over the years. But likewise, he has also shown the driving brilhance for which he will always be remembered.

He is, like Senna was, a master in the wet, with the 1996 Spanish Grand Prix one of the greatest performances against the elements one could ever hope to witness. He also became the first driver since 1979 to win a driver’s title at Ferrari, ensxiring his legacy would live forever among the legions of Tifosi faithful the world over.

From all of this however, one question remains - how much credit for Schmnacher’s success must be credited to the support he has received from around him?

Senna also received some great assistance from the teams for which he drove, which were led by some of the most successful team owners in the sport; Lotus’s Colin Chapman,Ron Dennis of McLaren and Frank Wilhams and Patrick Head. He was a master tactician, both out on the track and in the garage. Like no other didver before

Schumacher has received the *assistance of one of the greatest team principals of the modem era in Ferrari’s Jean Todt, but has had some constants in technical director Ross Brawn and chief designer Roiy Byrne, both of whom defected with him from Benetton to Ferrari. Without that support, and the single-minded push behind him, would Schumacher have won half his races?

It is also worth questioning whether a number of races today are not won on pace, but on strategy and tactics through pit stops and tyi'e wear, and that talent and skill is something often overlooked through the use of electronic driving aids. After Senna fought so long and hard to abolish these regulations back in the early 90s, they are slowly creeping back in. This takes away the competitiveness of the racing, placing more emphasis on the teams than the actual drivers.

This only adds to the unfeasibility in comparing drivers from different eras, but nonetheless, the comparisons in the careers of arguably the two greatest drivers of the modei'n era make fascinating reading...

37

Steven Johnson

Ford's ffroni

Steven Johnson was the top Ford dr ‘Junior’sat down with AARON NOONa 2002 championship season, q

MOTORSPORT NEWS: First of all, tell us about your off season mishap.

STEVE JOHNSON: Everybody's been asking me 'where am I going over Christmas' and I use the same answer for everybody.

The last thing I want to do is go away. I go away all year and I don't get a chance to use all my toys so I stayed at home, went out on the boat, jet-skied, had a couple of drinks etc. * Then on Christmas night I fell over and half broke my ankle!

I sprained it and tore the ligaments on the outside of the ankle'of my left foot - which is only the clutch foot so it's fine and went over on it so hard that the two bones on the inside of the ankle touched one another.

They are crushed and bruised, but didn't break.

MN: How much has that set back your pre-season training plans?

SJ; Well, between Christmas and New Year I was just lying down with my foot in the air with ice on it. It's getting better now so I'm back out on the bike riding and the swelling's gone down a hell of a lot.

By the Grand Prix it should be pretty much 100 percent.

I've missed out on quite a bit of riding, but I've still been swimming with my ankle strapped up, not using my feet.

i

/

Would you want to run into thisfigure in a dark street at night? Johnson is killed up and ready to improve on fourth in the title.

(Phoio hy Dirk Klynsmilhl

38

IVIN: Looking back at 2001 was it more a case of proving to yourself what you could do or proving it to the establishment?

SJ: I knew what I was capable of and I always have been. I'm fairly confident in myself, so it was more of a case of getting a bit of direction.

I sorted out a few problems in general life as well as the racing side of things.

I just needed to re-direct my life a little bit and I did that and it

really started to pay off.

I can't emphasise enough how much I enjoyed last year. It showed with the way I was acting, the way I was driving, the whole lot.

I was never not wanting to be -there and I'm glad it's turned out that way. If it didn't change dramatically, I really wouldn't have known what to do.

IViN: I'm guessing that all those changes of hair colour had nothing to do with those 'general life' changes though?

SJ: Well I've got to keep up with you, mate! It's back to blonde again, you'll be happy to know.

IVIN: Canberra last year showed that those changes had paid off, but it was 12 months earlier in Canberra that that process had begun, motorsport news

.\ V

INTERVIEW

t-liner

ver in the 2001 \/8 Supercar Series.

V to taik about how he approaches the ompiete with sprained ankie...

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Careful Rat, I can’t reach down thatfar: Johnson and Radisich celebrate their 2001 Queensland 500 win, above, though the big one at Bathurst, left, got away after an engine problem put them out ofthe race.

(Photos by Marshall Cass)

SJ: Exactly. It takes a long, long time to change things around.

It's a bit like when you get a new engine builder or some new staff.

It takes them a while to gel with everybody and fit in and for it all to start to work.

That's why HRT are so good, because they've had the guys for so long. I made some major changes and I really took note of what I did in Canberra.

Up until Canberra it was all well and good thinking I was among the country's elite racing drivers in the top category. After Canberra, it wasn't good enough just to be there and making up the numbers. I was really keen to win races.

MI\J: Was there a time when it really hit you that you weren't 24 lanuar.) 2002

in the seat by right of birth or anything like that?

SJ: It doesn't take much to realise that if you don't do the job, you're out.

Dick Johnson Racing's got a

going when I'm training.

To train by myself is probably the hardest thing I've ever done.

You've got to motivate yourself you've got no-one to work with or bounce ideas off. It's a lonely

I just needed to re-direct my life a little bit and I did that and it started to pay off"

W

- Johnson on the ehanges he made to reach the next level of ¥8 racing very big investment in the sport with very important sponsors that you've got to keep happy.

If they're not happy ... well ... allowing your business to go down the drain just to keep your son racing is not what it's all about.

I realised that I'd be out if I didn't start performing - that's another thing that keeps me

thing when you're doing two or three hours a day training by yourself, but thinking about winning and wanting to be a race driver - which is what I've always wanted to do - really kept me going and motivated last year.

WIW: Which was the more satisfying out of the Canberra and Queensland 500 wins?

SJ: Both were great. Canberra was fantastic.

What I was quite happy with last year was that I needed to focus on qualifying better and that's what I did. I had pole there, second at Calder, and really qualified quite well throughout year when things were good.

If things weren't good, then I salvaged the best I could and there was never a time when 1 was half a second or threequarters of a second slower than Paul (Radisich).

Of the majority, I was slightly better, which says to me that I've improved a hell of a lot in that area, but Canberra was good because it was a solo effort. It was really exciting continued on page 40 39

Steven Johnson continued from page 39 winning the Queensland 500 because Paul and I worked really well together.

We've got a great relationship and it was great to share it with the team.

MN;So is anything less than a championship win in 2002 a failure?

SJ; Geez, that's a bloody hard call I It's a hard category at the moment to do well in.

Obviously, I'm definitely going for the championship.

The most disappointing part of last year was Bathurst. It really hurt us. I was running second at the time we went out.

If we'd finished second at Bathurst it would have put us second in the championship and I think we could have put more pressure on them (HRT) to go for the win.

I'm not going to be unrealistic and say I've failed if I come second. I want to improve every year.

You're never going to see What Craig Lowndes did in the past - someone coming in first time and win it. There's no chance of that.

I'm thinking realistically and I really want to finish in the top three and, if I finish in the top three, then I've succeeded.

That's what I'm aiming to do, but if I don't, I'm not going to be dramatically disappointed - but next year's going to be better and the year after's going to be better again.

I'm looking at a top,three finish this year. More wins, more pole positions and get that bloody Bathurst trophy in my cabinet!

MN: Consistency has been the cornerstone of HRT's success and when things go pearshaped,they maximise a minimal situation. Is that where you and DJR need to improve?

SJ: I think so. They've (HRT) got a very good team so it's going to be pretty tough this year.

There's a lot of good drivers and teams.

You've got to work flat-out from January to December or else you're not going to win it.

The guys put in a big effort last year and they need to put in an even bigger effort this year, just like I do.

I need to put in a big effort again this year if we're going to win it. It's as simple as that.

40

MN: What's your secret in these street races? You won Canberra and were on the podium at Adelaide. What's the go?

SJ: I don't know what it is. I love the walls - that's just the way it's worked out.

People were calling me the 'street race expert' and that sort of thing and saying that I wasn't that much good anywhere else.

I was quite ill in Perth and, to come back from a poor qualifying performance (14th) to end up fourth overall, was a good effort. Calder, where we qualified second, we should have won the meeting (apart from the start of the second race) and ended up second overall there. I think I've proved myself on a majority oftracks.

MIM; So you feel like you're out of the shadow of Dad? SJ: Yeah, I think so. I've never thought that I was in it, because realistically, he's not the one driving the car.

He can obviously help me out with things, but it's hard. You're never going to get a Dick Johnson or a Peter Brock ever again because there are too many good guys out there.

What they've done is going to stay unmatched forever. What we do is really a lot different to what they've done.

I've never thought that I was in it, because realistically, he's not the one/driving the car...

If

- On being in the shadow of his famous father

MN: You didn't just confine yourself to the V8 Supercar during last year either, having a run in the Lamborghini Diablo in the Sandown 500.

Is there time and space in your schedule to do more of those sorts of things and not just be a full-time V8 driver?

SJ: Anything that you can drive that may be a help can only be a good thing. I'm going to try and do it again if I'm allowed to.

If I can drive as much as I can throughout the year, it's got to help me at the end of the year.

I just want to win any race. 1 would like to run some Sprintcars at the end 'of the year and see how I go. If you know anyone that wants to give me a Sprintcar drive ...

I've already driven one and I was just a tenth slower than Todd Wanless at Archerfield. It was awesome I Brighty was there and I was three seconds a lap quickerl Maybe if I could go and do the World Series in our off-season or the local Queensland championship or something like that. I'd certainly look at it. motorsport news

INTERVIEW Sharon Phipps Promotions www.sppromotions.com.au

From that to this: 1993 and the Datsun 1600 in which Steven started his career, above, seems sofar away nowfrom 2001, below, launching through the Senna Chicane in one ofthe biggest V8 Supercar races ofthe year. Along the way there have been drives in Sports Sedans, Super Tourers, TranZams and Nations Cup, but thefull-time seat in #17 is the onq Johnson Jnr covets the most.

(Photo by John Aforris/Mpix)

3

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The site boasts a range offeatures including a model portfolio contoining over 60 models with 200 to be added within the nextfew months.

I would also like to take this opportunity to announce that Sharon Phipps Promotions has been selected as the Official Supplier ofthe 2002 Fosters Australian Grand Prix Grid Models.

I hope you enjoy our new website and wish everyone a fantastic 20021

Sharon Phipps Sharon Phipps Promotions Pty Ltd Australia +61 39557 7710 24 January 2002

411

Peter Windsor

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Since leaving Sydney in 1975 Peter Windsor has done most things in Formula One;from journalist to team manager,from commentator to(almost)team owner.

PHIL BRAIUAGAN caught up with him during a quick holiday visit(for the cricket and tennis!)to Melbourne there and say, This is what we MIM: Do you have a sense of are going to do'; but I am sure which teams will be where he goes to ... whoever, whether this year? Obviously, Williams it is Luca di Montezemolo or looks pretty good.

PW: You have to look at Todt, and says 'I think that we need to do this'.

Williams, McLaren and Ferrari as I cannot believe Todt or the top three, and not Montezemolo go away and say necessarily in that order.

'We know Michael wants to do I think that the decision this, but we want to do that'.

Michael Schumacher made The odds of them doing that are about Bridgestone staying with a billion to one. Why would you Ferrari for 2002 and beyond was ever do that? a good one, because the option Michael Schumacher has the was there to share Michelin with best FI brain in the world by a WillFams. To some extent, that would have been the soft option; huge margin. You wpuld listen to him... there was less risk in doing that.

Remember, they lost the Michael would probably feel that championship in 1998 when Michelin might have an they made a mistake and didn't advantage, and the Williamsgo to Bridgestone, and Ron BMW is, obviously, a very good Dennis did. That effectively won package.

I can imagine Michael thinking, the championship; McLaren switched to Bridgestone at the 'In order to beat Montoya and last minute. Great move.

Ralf, I need to be on the same Because of all that, I think that tyres as them. I can't have a tyre the balance of power now d/sadvantage'. favours Ferrari more because of On the other hand, in keeping the tyre situation. So Michael Bridgestone and having McLaren looks pretty good. move to Michelin is the sort of Another question is that of thing that suddenly puts Ferrari Kimi Raikkonen. If you were in a very strong position. They Jean Todt and you had leverage have almost an 'exclusive' with on Raikkonen's career because Bridgestone, whereas McLaren you supply engines to Sauber, has joined Williams on Michelin. you would never let go of Either Michael took a gamble or he had an unbelievably astute 'Raikkonen in a million years. Fie is, obviously, extremely talented brain to commit to Bridgestone and, if Michael ever leaves when he did, because he Ferrari, Kimi is the guy you want effectively forced McLaren to go to have on your short, short list. to Michelin.

For Ferrari not to nave Raikkonen under some sort of IVIN: Are you saying Michael control, to me, is unbelievable. made that decision?

Michael doesn't want to have PW: I say 'Michael' because it is him around for now. It would be his team. It is his team in the a matter of, 'Let's keep the team same way that Jackie Stewart as it is, but we will get (test ran the Tyrrell team when he driver Luciano) Burti because was winning championships.

Rubens (Barrichelio) likes him Dear old Ken, bless him, was and we will keep Luca Badoer'. effectively his secretary.

To me, that is Michael. Of Jean Todt is a very good course, no-one will ever admit administrator. But Michael calls the shots. Fie doesn't stand any of this!... motorsport news

.s

INTERVIEW If a Williams driver is going to do it, my feeling is that it will be Juan Montoya, He just has this tremendous ability to get out there and do something special, like Nigel Mansell, or even Ian Botham used to do in the cricket!

You just feel that something is going to happen on that day; whether it is win, or whether he'll have a wheel come off on the grid and drive a blinder, Montoya has that kind of talent.

And I think McLaren will go much better than people think, I think that the Michelins will suit Coulthard's style of driving and they have a very good aerodynamics package now.

They have picked up a very .good guy from Sauber, SaifDeen Akanni, who is a very impressive Rastafarian from Jamaica, but he will not have an effect for some time.

He is a Computational Fluid Dynamicist who Adrian Newey hired about two months ago and he is very, very talented.

That shows how hungry McLaren is.

They are not saying,'We have been successful and we have everything we need', but they

are really hungry, I think that DC could have quite a good year, I hope he will win some races; 1 think that Kimi will win some races, for sure.

The only question will be how DC handles it? He may get very frustrated, but he may not.

MN; What about the balance of power within that team, with Raikkonen's arrival?

MN: You are in a different position now that you are not as directly involved with FI; you can sit on the fringe and pretty well say what you like, whereas at Ferrari and Williams, you had to be more circumspect...

PW: I think that one of the reasons that I am not involved with a team is that I did say what I thought when I was

\\

Michael Schumacher has the best FI brain in the worid rr by a huge margin. You wouid listen to him

PW: I think it will be the same.

It's a Finnish-oriented team; they are used to Mika (Hakkinen), and I can see Raikkonen fitting straight into the Mika Hakkinen slot.

The only question mark will be how DC will handle it when things start to go Kimi's way which, inevitably, they will.

I can see DC out-qualifying him in the first few races but Kimi out-scoring him in the first few races. By Imola, Kimi could have six more points and all the pressure will be on DC.

I ^*^*3

involved! That, perhaps, has been one of my bugbears ...

But I do quite like expressing my thoughts about racing in writing, or in front of a television camera. I am certainly not afraid to express my opinion; sometimes I am wrong, sometimes I am right. I base it on observation and on 30 years of trying to understand a very complicated sport which is unlike tennis or golf - where you see guys make mistakes and where it is obvious why they lost a match.

In Formula One, you are very much dependent on what people tell you and what you get from sniffing the air to find out what is going on, A driver can drone around all day and say that he is absolutely on the limit and his engineers will believe him.

And then, someone else can get in his car and go around threetenths quicker!

That is the reality about motor racing. We have so much technology, and everybody believes that everybody is driving on the very limit all the time, I love being in press conferences now and you might ask a driver, 'On your fourth qualifying lap, you missed the apex at Turn 3 by half an inch'.

Well, I might not actually ask that, but the driver's reactions are always interesting, because very few drivers actually admit to making mistakes these days, MN; Back to Coulthard; how many more chances should he get to win the championship?

PW: I am sure that he would not look at it that way. He sees himself getting better every continued on page 43

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43

Peter Windsor continued from page 42

A busy life...

year. He is probably the fittest driver in Formula One, except for Michael, he is very bright and he has won a lot of races. He has raced a lot wheel-to-wheel with Michael and he has sometimes come out better than Michael.

I don't think that he is sitting there thinking,'How long can I do this for?' He is getting better every year. Look at Monte Carlo - he should have won that race by a minute but for an electronics stuff-up on the grid.

I think it is easy in Formula One just to look at results and think,'Oh, he is not a winner'. I think DC is a winner and he can n win a championship, easily.

IN the world of Formula One journalism,few people are better placed to view the sport from both the outside and the inside than Peter Windsor.

Born in the UK 50 years ago but growing up as a motor racing nut in Sydney, Windsor served a sort of 'apprenticeship' in the sport under Warwick Farm's Geoff Sykes and, in 1975, moved to Britain to pursue his dream of becoming a Formula One reporter, initially taking the position of Sports Editor at /\ufocar magazine.

After 10 years behind a typewriter, he moved to Williams Grand Prix, assuming the position of manager of sponsorship and public affairs. He was a passenger in the car accident "which permanently injured Frank Williams a year later in France.

Together with golfer Greg Norman, Windsor tried to buy the Brabham FI team in 1989, but the deal fell through, which resulted in Windsor seeking, and securing, a substantial award for damages.

When Nigel Mansell moved from \ Williams to Ferrari, Windsor became , the head of Ferrari's English-based Guildford Technical Office (GTO)and, when Mansell moved to the USA and CART racing, Windsor moved with him again.

In more recent times, Windsor has combined driver management and sponsorship work with journalism, as a writer for the prestigious FI Racing magazine and London's Sunday Times, a TV commentator for Fox Sports and a consultant for several international companies.

MN; What was your take on the incident in that race where he was trapped behind Enrique Bernoldi?

PW: I see both points of view which, I admit, is a cop-out of an answer.

On Rernoldi's side, they were racing for position. I also see DC's point that, at one moment, when they were going up the hill and coming up on a lapped car, Bernoldi came across on him without warhing and forced him„ to back off or hit the wall.

His point was, it is OK to race wheel-to-wheel but, when you are lapping slower cars (and he was much quicker than Bernoldi), at that point Bernoldi should have moved across and let him through.

But Monaco is Monaco; start from the back of the grid there and you are never going to have an easy ride to the front. If I had been running Bernoldi I would have been pretty happy with the way he drove.

MN: What it your take on this generation of FI cars? It seems as though, despite having been designed around a set of

You're invited to be part of Australia's fastest growing motor sport

rules to try and encourage overtaking,they actually discourage it.

PW: 1 don't think that the cars were designed solely to encourage overtaking. I think that they were designed to incrementally keep the speeds under control so that circuits

And I love the racing - without using the word in italics.

There is not the same amount of overtaking as you see in, perhaps, motorcycle racing. Even in touring car racing, there is not the same amount of overtaking as there used to be either!

There is this great myth;'We want overtaking!' Do we want overtaking? We want some overtaking.

Some of the greatest Grands Prix of all time have been one driver being stalked by another for the entire race.

Grand Prix racing is not about a myriad of overtaking manoeuvres and 57 lead changes. If you want that, go and watch oval racing in Americarr

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The 1964j,British Grand Prix is a good example; Jim Clark's Lotus beat Graham Hill's BRM by a nose. Or somebody making"" an overtaking manoeuvre and timing it until three laps from the end of a Grand Prix.

That ls what Grand Prix racing is all about. It is not about a myriad of overtaking manoeuvres and 57 lead changes. If you want that, go and watch oval racing in America, with 57 yellow flags.

Look at the 1950s; people talk about Fangio and Moss but Mercedes walked it in.

Anyone who knows anything

could continue to run Formula One cars safely. Every year, when you look at it, there has always been something in the design regulations to slow the cars'down; smaller wings, or whatever.

But, for the overall business of the treaded tyres and the narrow track ... I think that the cars look great!

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INTERVIEW possibility,that Mark Webber will be on the grid for the Australian Grand Prix. What should he be aiming to achieve?

PW; 1 have know Mark for some time and I have always been impressed with not only his driving, but the way he has progressed each time he has Stepped up a level in his career.

He is a far, far more accomplished driver than many Grand Prix racing today, which EUROPEAN people here realise. I have seen are also very dangerous and on a lot of drivers during my time in ifnmardilFII which no-one ever goes off.

The drivers realise this and the sport and 1 have not been as come off the throttle. On other impressed by many drivers as I have been by Mark. corners, with big run-off areas, Over the years, as an people go off all the time. That is example, 1 have been driven very interesting ... around tracks by all sorts of But ultimately, as we sadly drivers, in road cars of various saw at the Grand Prix here last Backwards andforwards: Despite a long-time link with Nigel Mansell, Windsor kinds. Some impress; some not year, the worst accidents are the believes that Mark Webber may be a better driver. iPhotos by Siiiton-lmagcs and Ford Racing) so much. Mark drove me around ones that take place on the Silverstone in a BMW road car straightaways. Two cars collide and I was very, ven/ impressed about racing knows what great Technology has changed; but on the straight, on the wrong with his ability. For instance, 1 the bottom line is that a good angle, and what you have is an years they were. have been driven around many driver is a good driver. A guy like aeroplane accident. And there is They say, 'It would have been times with Nigel Mansell and, 1 fabulous to have seen Fangio at Montoya would have absolutely nothing you can do about that; it starred in a 1967 Lotus 49, with would say, Webber is in my view is the same at any circuit in the the Nurburgring in '571' Sure it better than Mansell, and I can't world. We hope that it never no wings, in the wet, at Spa. But would have; it was a great drive see any reason why he will not he is equally as brilliant in a car - but he passed three cars! be as successful. today; he looks the part in the car, So I do not go for this thing But I am not so sure that even though he looks different to that it is too difficult to overtake; I Ralf Schumacher in the car. being in a Minardi is the best love watching Grand Prix cars place for him at the moment.

That says it all; if a great Grand being driven on the limit on very He had an opportunity to go Prix driver can still get into a car tight circuits. I don't care whether and do the job, then the cars are and race in the Champ Cars in they can overtake or not. the USA with a factory fine. I don't think that they are over-technical at all.

Mercedes-Benz drive and it may MN: Do you think that What is a 'Driver Aid'? A driver have been better for him to go technology has taken the edge that route. If he had done that, aid is a steering wheel, if you away from 'The Driver's and been successful at it, he Driver'? Niki Lauda made like. Where do you draw the line some comments in that on that? The bottom line is that a could have been in the position happens, but... to have a drive this season I think that some drivers, and regard after driving the Jaguar driver has to go out and drive with, for instance, Renault, R3 recently. it would probably be wrong to very quickly; have great hand-towhich is maybe where he PW: I don't put an awful lot on name any here, are so convinced eye coordination; have what Lauda has to say. Not should be at this stage anyway. that they can never hurt tremendous balance; fantastic because of him being Niki themselves now, and that the But he is tremendously vision; be a great athlete. You Lauda, but because he has done racing is so safe that they, determined, fit and technically have to be all these things to be such a poor job of running the perhaps, do not take the same very bright and it would not a great Grand Prix driver. surprise me at all if he makes a Jaguar team in the last 18 things into account as drivers did Perhaps the only criticism you months. 1 don't really respect lot of progress for Minardi and some time ago„ could level at the sport - and I then moves onwards - maybe anything he has to say right now, know people will disagree but I respect him as a multiple MN:There now appears to be even sooner than people might strongly with me on this - is that think ... the probability, rather than world champion... it is too safe. Stirling Moss has that great comment about 'if you are going to walk a tightrope, what is the point of doing it three feet off the ground?'

It's funny. There are some corners on some circuits, like the Curva Piratella at Imola where, virtually, no-one ever, ever goes off. Why? Because there is no run-off there.It's interesting.

There are other corners in

"There are some corners in Grand Prix racing, even today, which are very dangerous and on which no-one ever goes off"

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45

Monte Carlo Sebastien Loed was stunningin Monte s' S Carto, taking his fitst WRC win by the scniffofthe neck untii penalised for a misdemeanour by the Citroen crew.

So,subiect to appeal, Tommi Makinen H 3may have won a record 24th WRC event. Mm A confused JON THOMSON reports

I I

s

EBASTIEN Loeb has taken his first World Rally Championship win under protest.

The final outcome will be decided by an appeal court; a less than satisfactory end to a highly competitive event.

Nonetheless, Sebastian Loeb was the star of the show, demonstrating considerable maturity as he upheld Citroen honours after his two team-mates were eliminated before turning a wheel in anger. " ● “I’m delighted - it was a difficult rally,” said Loeb at the finish.

“I think for all the drivers and spectators I am the winner. It’s been a real pleasure to fight with Tommi. I’m happy with my driving.”

Day 1

Th e battle was over before it started for two-thirds of the Citroen team, with the Xsara T4s of both PhiUipe Bugalski and Tomas Radstrom forced out vvdth engine problems on the 75-km road section to the first stage. The problems left just one Citroen, the marque’s hopes riding on the shoulders of protege Loeb.

It was a day full of drama as, one after another, leading contenders struck problems. Gilles Panizzi was penalised 2m 10s on the first road stage after his Peugeot’s gearbox had to be changed. Panizzi was still in the rally, but with a big handicap.

It wasn’t a good start for new World Champ Richard Burns either. The Peugeot driver crashed off the road after he misjudged a crest and spun his 206 WRC on

SSI. However he was able to continue with only light damage to

the front of his car.

“We were in fifth gear,” explained Burns. “We landed in a field, kept the engine running, put it back into first and got back on the road again.”

Carlos Sainz led the rally first up, having won the opening stage.

However the Spaniard was forced to wrestle his Focus through the 46

next two stages after his power steering broke Spectators again caused problems for Monte organisers, officials forced to cancel SS2 due to traffic congestion.

Makinen proved a change of car, t3rres and co-driver was no barrier to him taking the lead. But it was at this stage that Citroen team manager Guy Frequelin released Sebastien Loeb and told him to “just go for it”.

Hyundai’s Freddy Loix crashed heavily into a bridge on SS3. The Belgian was evacuated to hospital after breaking his foot, while co driver Sven Smeets was uninjured.

Then Armin Schwarz broke his suspension on SS4, eliminating the H3oindai squad totally.

Meanwhile Loeb scorched through stages four and five to take the top spot on the leaderboard as the cars returned to Monaco for the overnight halt, the Frenchman 36s clear of Makinen.

Colin McRae had a consistent and steady day to be third, while Sainz placed his Focus in fifth with Solberg sixth in his Subaru.

Of all the Peugeot drivers, only Gronholm was able to find his feet, ending the day in fourth, more than 50s down on the leaders.

Burns was still struggling with the 206 WRC to be back in seventh.

Mitsubishi runners Delecour and Alister McRae struggled after poor tyre choices and a lack of experience with the car, the Frenchman finishing the day in eighth and McRae ‘Jr’ back in 12th.

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Frenchman blasted the little red car around the mountain roads to the cheers of the partisan crowd.

McRae had problems on SS7 going off and Iqsing time as well as battling a broken seat - and to add insult to injury, he received a 10s penalty for leaving sei'vice late. He lost third to Gronholm as a result, but the Scotsman fought back

hitting a wall and damaging the rear of his Evo Lancer, while team mate Francois Delecour finished the day in ninth.

Loeb held 28.6 second lead over Makinen at the end of the day, with Sainz another two minutes back in third, while Gronholm was in fourth and McRae had dropped to fifth just ahead of Solberg.

further 10 seconds between himself and Makinen as the young

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while Gronholm came under threat from Sainz. The Spaniard had luck on his side after he clipped a stone wall on the exit of a corner. Solberg hit the same spot but suffered more damage and had to limp to service, putting him out of contention for a podium.

Makinen was now 46 seconds down, but the four-time winner skillfully fought back to win the next two stages, reducing the gap to just 26 seconds.

Loeb came back to triumph on SSIO, but Makinen trumped him to win the final stage of the day.

Loeb retained his lead.

The final stage of the day saw a change in order, as Sainz jumped both Gronholm and McRae to move into third, while Gronholm was able to pass McRae after the Ford driver experienced engine problems.

Day 2

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Then, in a refuel service, Citroen made the astounding decision to change Loeb’s tyres, a move specifically banned in the refuel area. He received a two minute penalty, but Citroen team manager Guy Frequelm immediately protested and the young Frenchman would run the final leg under threat of a penalty. motorsport news

.\

WORLD RALLY

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Besiilts^ Citroen Xsara WRC Sebastien Loeb/Oaniel Elena Subaru Impreza WRC Tommi Makinen/Kaj Lindstrom Ford Focus WRC Carlos Sainz/Luls Moya Ford Focus WRC Colin McRae/Nicky Grist Marcus Gronholm/Tlmo Rautinaen Peugeot 206 WRC Subaru Impreza WRC Petter Solberg/Philip Mills Drivers Championship points: Loeb 10, Makinen 6, Sainz 4, C McRae 3, Gronholm 2, Solberg 1.

1 2 3 4 5

3:58:44.8 3:59:30.7 4:00:46.4 4:01:28.7 4:01:38.1 4:02:00.3

Manufacturers Championship points: Subaru 12, Ford 10, Peugeot 5.

All results subject to appeal by Citroen Sport over Day 2 time penalty to Loeb

WRC Round 1 Rally of Monte Carlo ’Ere, Loeb: Sebastien Loeb was the class of the field in Monte Carlo.

Too bad Citroen’s crew was not.

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I ’ave Tommi’s car!

Frankie Delecour still looks a little out of place at Mitsubishi/ Ralliart but Makinen has stepped into Subaru blue and hit the ground running.

Day 3

Just four stages remained, but all attention was on the Loeb penalty.

After the penalty had been imposed by the Stewards on Saturday night, it was suspended by the Chairman of Stewards, Xavier Bnigue.

This meant that Citroen would 24 lanuary 2002

run without the penalty appearing on the time sheets, allowing the maker to potentially take the honours on the podium and claim the win -‘subject to confirmation’.

This is the reverse of the usual procedure, in which a penalty is imposed and stands unless or until appealed successfully. The appeal is unlikely to be heard for weeks.

With so much emphasis on the stewards’room drama, the focus was taken off the competition on the road. However there was quite a bit to keep an eye on dm'ing the final leg.

While first and second were pretty well set(no matter what happens with the appeal) Sainz had another good run to take third.

Behind the Spaniard, team-mate Colin McRae had a tremendous last-day battle with Gronholm. The Scot was able to grab fourth on the penultimate stage, an amazing performance on an event he dislikes intensely.

Behind Gronholm was Fetter Solberg, who did well to limit the

damage from his day two excursion to finish sixth. He set some blistering stage times to be fastest on five of the 14 tests.

A fast-recovering Panizzi overtook new team-mate Biums to take seventh in what was an uncomfortable debut for the World Champ at his new team.

Although Loeb is for now the winner of the rally it remains to be seen if Citroen will win its appeal on his penalty, or if Makinen will be able to keep his 24th world rally victory.

And, by the time the matter is sorted out, there is Sweden’s next WRC event to wony about... stay tuned.

41

Ryan Briscoe

The Briscoe I Its nowjust 18 months since Ryan Briscoe last raced a kart - at the 2000 World Championships. Since being signed by Toyota to a 10 year contract, he’s won in Formula Renault, done a handful ofF3 races, tested the FI car and now looks set for F3000 with the championship-winning Nordic team.

CHRIS LAMBDEN updates the whirlwind story.

Ryan Briscoe stiU pinches There are times when himself.

His dream is coming true. Like James Courtney,Briscoe took the big decision, at the age of 15, to accept an offer to live and race karts in Italy.

He hasn’t raced in Austraha since (although that’s about to change) and a single event- being talentscouted by Toyota -is turning the dream into reahty.

Toyota is investing in the Sydney youngster, still only 20,in a big way.

He’s being groomed for FI. During a visit home prior to Christmas, Ryan had hinted that Toyota was considering F3000 rather than, say, Gennan F3 for him for this year. This week’s news that he is likely to drive for Nordic suggests that Toyota is deadly serious; “We’ve been looking at both categories and they are both very competitive classes to race in.

F3000 is especially good as it follows the PI Grands Prix,” Briscoe told us this week.

“It’s a good opportunity to learn the tracks as well as just being around the Formula 1 atmosphere at the races.”

Simple. Obvious. Decision made.

Having already driven an FI car, F3000 holds no particular concerns, but will the pressure be on to become comfortable with F3000 set up and nuances during what is reasonably limited testing: “For sure. We don’t get a whole lot of testing before the races start and I still haven’t driven one yet.

It’ll all be about building up confidence in the car as soon as possible and working out how to set the car up in the best way.

“Official testing for the F3000 championship starts on the 13th and 14th ofPebmary,in Estoril. All the teams will be there and before 48

the opening round in Brazil we have another three tests.

“In all, that’s eight days of testing, which should be enough to get into a reasonable shape.”

In Briscoe’s favour is the fact that F3000- both the car itself and,the amount of race weekend practice and quahfying time - has changed, improved considerably since last year.

“I haven’t seen the race programmes yet, but the car is different. Last year’s car, they said, wasn’t the best. It was very heavy and difficult to drive - difficult for newcomers to come in and go fast in. The new car is apparently more like other race cars -the dimensions are the same as an PI car.

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His goals are those you would expect: “Hopefully, ifI can get enough practice, my goal is to he in the top three and, hopefully, during the season to start winning some races.

In the beginning it’U simply be concentration on doing my best and . trying to bring results home.”

You could suggest that, with the extended Toyota contract- perhaps a level of security not normally available in motor sport-there rrt might be less pressure to perform immediately.

A short F3 career: Ryan Briscoe had success in his iimited F3 outings in 2001 but now has F3000 in his sights.

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INTERVIEW

nd grows up

After all, the decision swayed towards F3000 so Briscoe could basically learn the FI circuits!

“I guess it doesn’t really come into it,” he counters,“because, when I’m

I

in the car and driving. I’m not driving for Toyota, or anyone else.

I’m just driving for myself.

“I don’t think being vmder contract to Thyota or not changes

my attitude in the car.

“It’s aU about trying to win, to do the best you can.”

On the other hand, will there be a certain level of pressure as he is destined to drive for last year’s championship-winning team?

“We’re in negotiation with what is a very good team - Nordic.

“They won the championship last year and for sure if I’m racing for them,expectations will probably be qmte high.

‘Tve already hstened to a fair bit of chat around that says how difficult it is to win races and/or the championship in your first year. I’m trying not to hsten to that too much ... we’ll see what happens.

“I guess FU have a better idea on that half-way through the championship!”

So this is part two of Toyota’s plan.

Briscoe now fives in the coastal Tuscan town of Reggio, primarily because Toyota’s fitness development guru is based there.

Pisa airport is 20 minutes away, with direct connections to most of Europe.

It all points to the distinct possibility that Ryan Briscoe could be in FI as early as next year. Is that realistic?

“Fd be hoping so and there’s nothing to say that that can’t happen at the moment.

“I haven’t got a final schedule of testing for this year with the team at the moment.

“I am expecting to be doing a fair bit, though. I don’t know exactly what is going on behind the scenes -I’m just taking it as it comes at n the moment.

“FU just do my best in whatever I’m driving and hopefully, if the opportunity comes I could be racing FI next year.”

FI next year...

Is he still stmmed by just how quickly this all seems to be happening- or is he now settled into his rapidly advancing career?

“It stfil crosses my mind because, obviously,it has aU happened really qtiickly.

“A lot quicker then I could ever have realistically hoped for.

“However,I have to take it as it comes, concentrating on keeping going forward, keep the wheels rolling and not be overcome by it.

“But for sure, my career took a great turn 18 months ago -1just hoping it keeps going...”

According to MN’s spies, Melbourne supporters could be in for a bonus at the AGP. As part ofthe ‘track-learning’ exercise, Briscoe may well appear in a Prancing Horse Ferrari in the Nations Cup races. It wfil be his first race in Australia for over five years.

“Yes, it’sJa possibility that’s been talked about. Not confirmed yet, but Fd love to do it-it’d be a lot of fun. The last time I raced in Australia was when I was a Jimior in karts -1 was 14,1996 ...”

TOYO TYRES

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2002 Nationals

The Nationals flew north for the summer in 2002, anO saw some new facesJoin seaseneO veterans on the honour roll.

KEN FERGOSON reports from Wlllowhanh EN Bray became the ‘Holeshot Hero’in the Castrol camp at the 2002 Global Info Links Nationals held at Willowbank Raceway last weekend.

Bray Jnr. was driving the Castrol Ford Customline at his very first Nationals, while his father, Victor, was a shock non qualifier for the first time ever in his distinguishes Top Doorslammer career.‘Pommie’ Steve Read again proved to be the class of the field in Top Fuel, while defending national champions, Gary Phillips and Peter Ridgeway, both worked hard for their wins in the Top Alcohol and Rro Stock brackets respectively.

Read piloted the Rapisardaowned Santo’s Cranes entry to the

top qualifier spot in the Lifestyle Australia Top Fuel bracket with the only four second pass in qualifying. Read’s 4.94s/287mph came on his third attempt, edging out Jim Read’s 5.04s/263mph in his brand-new Gregory’s Automotive Publications dragster.

US nitro Funny Car driver Terry Haddock held third spot on the list with an off-pace 7.22s/122mph, while Robin Kirby’s Pennzoil machine rounded out the field with his tyre shaking, early shut off 9.01s. , Haddock, who hooked up with the Bailey Brothers nitro Funny Car team following the no-go of their planned Australia-wide Funny Car tour,joined forces with Dwayne Riley, using their Funny Car powerplant in Rile/s dragster.

The team were required to licence Haddock in the dragster before competing, and did so with a best of 5.80s.

The first round of eliminations went fairly well, with Steve Read defeating Kirby with a 4.90s blast at 296mph, while Jim Read took care of the Haddock/Bailey/Riley team, with his first four in the new car, a 4.94s/294mph. Form suggested that Australia’s first side-by-side four second pass was on the cards for the final, but Steve Read took the win in a one-sided race after Jim Read’s car produced a monster wheelstand from the start line, and suffered front end damage when he aborted the run and crashed down heavily onto the track.

The Rapisarda car narrowly missed a third consecutive four second pass, recording a 5.01s/286mph for the win.

Peter Kapiris unleashed the . quickest Doorslammer pass ever seen at Willowbank Raceway, when he took the top spot in qualifying for the Hogs Breath U Cafe Top Doorslammer bracket. || Kapiris eclipsed Robin Judd’s " previous 6.17s best, with his 6.16s/218mph in the Kapiris Brothers Studebaker to take the number one spot ahead of Kym Petterwood, who surprised everyone with his last-ditch attempt, producing a 6.20s/224mph in the Lifestyle ’63 split window Corvette.

Brett Stevens recorded a 6.25s/232mph with his spare engine in the Jack Daniels Studebaker to take third spot in the field, despite having destroyed his brand-new engine during a burnout a day earlier.

Another Studebaker rounded out the top half of the field, with Gary Phillips recording a 6.29s/230mph in his Lucas Oils sedan. Andrew Searle, Les Winter, Ben Bray, and Robin Judd filled the final four positions in the field.

Victor Bray failed for the first time in his career to qualify in a Doorslammer field, after not being able to tame the car down enough to get a straight pass out of the Ca.strol ’57 Chev.

Bray’s best pass of the weekend was a 6.55s on his very last

attempt, but was disqualified for crossing the sideline.

Ben Bray opened eliminations with a holeshot victory over the more fancied and quicker ’63 Corvette of Petterwood, grabbing a tenth and a half advantage on the startline, and defeating Petterwood’s quicker 6.46s/218mph, with a 6.50s/218mph.

Winter received a harsh call from officials after backing up from his burnout.

He was ordered to shut down following a srnall fuel leak, despite his crew tightening the offending loose fitting within a matter of seconds, handing a solo win to Brett Stevens in the other lane.

Luck was certainly on Stevens’s side, as he only recorded a 7.79s/126mph after getting out of shape early in the run.

Phillips also had an easy win over Searle, when Searle’s Acme Fibreglass Customline soared skjnvards off the start line, and aborted early.

Kapiris won a close battle of the

Tough start; Jim Read debuted a brand-new Gregory’s Top Fueller at the (Pholo by Diri; Klynsmith) Nationals, but a wheelstand sent him packing early.

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DRAG RACING

Something old, something new: Pommie’ Steve Read left, successfully defended his Nationals Top Fuel title in the Santo’s Cranes machine but the big story from the

weekend was in Top Doorslammers. It’s not unusual to see the name ‘Bray’ at the top of the ' timesheets, but this time it was not Victor, but his teenage son, Ben, below.

Even more astonishing was the fact that the

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continued from page 51

the next day repairing in readiness for eliminations.

He defeated a wheelstanding effort by Debbie Reed in the first round with a 5.71s/236mph, and went even quicker in the next round to defeat Dean Oakey with his best ever numbers at 5.66s/241mph, to move to the final.

Phillips was a little off-pace in his dragster, but got through to the final at the expense of Dean McClennan, and a red-lighting Wayne Newby. Shackleton handed the easiest of wins to Phillips when he left the line way too early.

Peter Ridgeway took a hardfought win in the Travelaire Tours Pro Stock bracket in his No Fear Oldsmobile Cutlass, but it seems as though he is going have to work a little harder this year for wins.

John Barbagallo, and Pro Stock newcomer Denis Whiting are almost on level terms in performance, with Barbagallo going 183mph in qualifying in his Ford Probe, and I^iting recording his quickest ever numbers in the second round of eliminations, when his 7.53s/181mph was defeated by Ridgeway’s better-reacting 7.56s/181mph.

Ridgeway met Barbagallo in the final, and took the win with a 7.52s/181mph over a 7.56s/174s.

Jay Upton was miles out in front in qualifying for the Morgan and Wacker Top Bike bracket, recording a 6.83s/199mph on the

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So what did you do last weekend?

Chances are you weren’t as busy as Gary Phillips, who campaigned in both Top Alcohol and Doorslammers. The result? A win in the Top Alky, left, and a finalround appearance in the Doorslammers, „ where he fell to Ben' Bray. All in all, not a bad couple of days work.

Meanwhile, Pro Stock stalwart Peter n ! Ridgeway, below, I added the 2002 Nationals title to his already long list of achievements, although the form of some of his rivals suggested that he may be in for a tough fight this season.

(Photos by Dirk Klynsmilh and Marshall Cass)

Sprintex Triumph.

Upton was on and off the throttle on at least four occasions during the pass trying to keep the monster in a straight line, and one interesting statistic was the 330 foot time was quicker than that of Larry McBride’s first ever five second pass. Although receiving the bye in the first round, Upton could not improve on his time, breaking a drive belt on the startline.

His luck got worse in the second round when a brand-new belt broke at the hit of the throttle in the burnout. Craig McPhee took the win with a solo pass in the final, when Brett Stevens could not get the new Jack Daniels Harley to the startline.

Jason Lee took an easy win in the Dragster Australia Pro Bike bracket, when Sam Scerri lost the chain on his Suzuki just before the 330 foot mark. Lee posted a 7.72s/169mph for the win. '* Group Two winners included Ian Brown in his B/Gas Camaro in Heavy Duty Carpets Super Stock, Anthony Selva in his C/Dragster in Advanced Sheet Metal Competition Eliminator, and Daniel Peatey in the Morgan and Wacker Comp Bike bracket.

Group Three winners included Dave Perricks in Modified, Max Carpenter in Super Sedan, Juan Kudnig in Super Street, Andrew Le Dilly in Modified Bike, and Kelly Bettes in Junior Dragster.

Dale O’Dwyer tobk the win in the Group Four Super Gas bracket.

White knight: Ian Brown walked away with the main prize in Super Stock after topping the tables in his B/Gas Camaro, right.

(Photo by Dirk Klynsmith)

52

motorsporl news J

DRAG RACING Drag Briefs

AMERICAN Chuck Haynes lit up Quit Motorplex on January 12 with a series of three 300mph+ runs in his Volcano jet dragster.

Haynes was running the Volcano alongside the older Gravity Storm jet dragster that j has visited Australia in the past.

V*/-Haynes red-lighted in the first

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race, however he still set the scene for the evening by posting a 5.20s/304.05mph.

Olsen broke the beams at 6.035s/257.14mph.

Haynes followed up with a 5.161 s/302.01 mph to 5.915s/267.85mph win in race two, but it was the third race that got the jaws dropping,

when the Volcano notched up a whopping 5.125s/307.16mph pass that would go down not only as a PB for Haynes, but also the fastest run recorded outside North America.

Olsen also performed well, picking up a personal best elapsed time in the final race with a 5.886S/267.85.

Construction of the new Port Stevens Motorplex north of Newcastle is expected to begin in March.

The $9m facility will include a 2.5km circuit, and a quarter-mile concrete drag strip, along with grandstands, pit areas, and VIP suites.

The 300-acre site is owned by the MG Club of Newcastle, and will be used for club racing and hillclimbs . along with drag meetings. n Eddie Hiram 'Buster' Couch, who served as NHRA's Chief Starter between the early 1960s and 1995, passed away on January 12. n Mike Dunn, who was sacked

by Gwynn/Steinbrenner Racing to make way for Andrew Cowin in the NY Yankees Top Fueller, will join the NHRA's broadcast team for 2002.

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Pro Stock poworhousos mergo *

2001 IHRAPro Stock Champ Gene Wilson will run his Ford alongside the Chevrolet of John Montecalvo in 2002, with the two powerful teams having announced that they are joining forces for the new season.

“I think we will be a force to be reckoned with in 2002,” said Montecalvo, who finished fifth in last year’s points chase.

“We will run our individual teams, but in some areas we will pool efforts. No need to assume

anything, I plan on spanking that Ford eveiy time I come up against it.

“I may be a teammate with a Ford team, but nothing gives me more satisfaction than beating one on raceday. In other words, we’ll do everything we can te make sure a Chevy and a Ford end up in the final.”

Montecalvo’s engine man Sonny Leonard will assume responsibility for the engines on both cars, while Gary Henry will be crew chief.

“I think that it’s going to be an incredible opportunity for the two

On yer bike

ROUND Two of the 2001/2002 Australian Top Bike Championship has been locked in for Quit Motorplex as part of the Westernationals program.

The 31st running of the event, which will also include Round Three of the Australian Top Doorslammer Championship, and the second round of the ANDRA Australian Drag Racing Series, will be held over the March 2/3 weekend.

2a lanuairy 2002

I

of us,” Wilson said.

‘We have a great friendship on and off the track. I look forward to teaming up with John. I believe it ■will provide a gi'eat opportunity to win some races, not to mention the fun we will have being at the races.

“It pro-vides no better satisfaction than to get those Chevi-olet guys rattled,” he contionued.

“Bringing in John and his Chevrolet into our team will be like adding a little brother. I can smack him around, but no-one else can!”

Dunn will sit alongside Marty Reid in the commentary booth for ESPN, taking the seat vacated by Cruz Pedregon, who relinquished his post as race analyst to make a return to Funny Car competition this season.

■ NHRA Top Fuel team boss Joe Amato has announced a major sponsorship agreement with Bilstein Engine Flush.

The company will take pride of place on the dragster to be driven by 2001 NHRA Rookie of the Year Darrell Russell.

■ Normally, reports of drivers making licence runs are not particularly newsworthy, but Ohio native Steve Kotten is an exception.

As Motorsport News went to press, Kotten was preparing to make licence runs in the ex-Scott Weis 'Wiseguys' nitro Funny Car during the NHRA pre-season.

The catch? Kotten has been confined to a wheelchair since 1993, when he become paralysed from the waist down after a racing accident.

Shortly after he was released from hospital, Kotten set about having a new car built with special hand controls, and has since driven Top Sportsman and Pro Mods, along with a series of a series of low7.0s/200mph runs in his own alky Funny Car. If all goes to plan, Kotten will become the first paraplegic to hold a fuel license of any kind.

53

World Series Sprintcars

Dumesny gets nun

I

N one of his best seasons of racing, Max Dumesny has out-run some of the most talented Sprintcar racers from both Australia and the United States to take his fourth World Series Sprintcar championship.

While the Valvoline Maxim driver had to give best to American Donny Schatz in the season final at Newcastle Speedway on Saturday night, his second place was enough to guarantee the title.

“This is definitely one of the most satisfying momente of my career,” breathed the elated champion.

“What makes this more special is the talent we had to race to get here. Donny and Brad(Furr)in particular are highly credentialed World of Outlaw drivers and their teams down here inf Austraha lack nothing in equipment..This is a great feeling.”

Schatz, meanwhile,is as hungry as ever for a breakthrough WSS title win and said that he’ll keep on coming back to tiy and take the title.

“We had a talk about today, myself and the car owners Jeff Grubisa and Luch Monte and if they -will have me back I'll be back again next year to try and win this deal,” he said.

‘Tn fact, if I have to keep coming dovTO here until I’m 50 I’m gonna do it unto I get a Championship win.”

Schatz picked up the $10,000-towin season finale, clear of Dumesny and Skip Jackson, rounding out the season after a tough year.

Wisconsin’s Kurt Winker was the surprise packet of the final round, taking fourth in the Gough and Gilmour JB, with Rookie of the Year Brad Furr in fifth ahead of outgoing champ Brooke

Tatnell.

The Shell Helix Avenger had started from 11th and picked up the O’Brien Aluminium Hard Charger Award.

The the penultimate series was atround Barterof Card Lismore Speedway last Thursday, after lightning storms in the area had forced it to be postponed from the previous night.

Tatnell led all the way, winning from Furr on a slick one-lane surface.

“I knew Donny would have to work hard to pass me up there,” said Tatnell in victory lane, “so I 54

stuck to the bottom and made them work for any traction they could find. Tonight I just played the percentages game, using up the fast way around as best I could.”

Furr held off another American in Daryn Pittman, driving the #1 John Weatherall-ovnied entry.

“I’m real happy to be where we are tonight,” he explained, “it’s tough to run against these World Series guys and I'll take a top three spot any night of the week.”

The evening of racing didn’t run entirely smoothly, after Stephen Bell ended up in orbit. The Queensland-based Victorian rode the rear wheel of Winker and flipped hat'd in turn three, ending up over the gate and into a . restricted area.

Bell headed off to hospital for xrays, while track staff restored the lighting in that corner that his car had mowed down, lea-ving drivers to sign autographs through the fence during the 45 minute delay.

his move SCHATZ reallyinmade on Dumesny the <January 12 $8000-to-win feature at Brisbane International Speedway, moving from sixth to take the win.

He battled for most of the way with Tatnell, the motor in TatneU’s car holding him back with a miss that dropped it onto seven cylinders.

“I have the car right where I want it right now, the team have got me right on the ball set up wise but this motor is really starting to annoy me,” said Brooke.

When rival Jackson flipped in heat one, Tatnell and Furr’s crew chief Kim Buswell were among the helpers getting his machine back on-track.

“I’ll help anyone because I’m sure they’d do the same,” said Tatnell. “Last year Skip lent me a motor and it helped me out so I have no problem doing the same.”

Brent Kaeding took third, with yet anther American - Danny Smith - running fourth in his first guest drive for the Titan team, having run Peter Attard’s car at Newcastle.

Furr finished right behind Jackson in sixth, but it was Dumesny who scored the ‘oops’ award for season 2001/2002, when he slowed as he crossed the line in the belief that the race was over.

There was five laps to go and he dropped to seventh ...

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The Newcastle January was 9 show at another success for Schatz, who held off Dumesny and Tatnell to take the win and give himself every chance of taking the title.

Furthermore, the Monte Motorsports driver gained some momentum towards a title run, having chased down Dumesny and passed him for the lead, before Dumesny used the lap traffic to claw his way back up onto the #15 machine’s tail tank.

Kerry Madsen, in a rare WSS run, took fifth, having driving an unfamiliar car in James Thompson’s machine.

“This is not all foreign to me,” he smiled. “I ran this motor three seasons ago and , it’s a good old motor. We screwed up a bit in qualifying and that hurt us.”

mosorsaort news

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SPEEDWAY World Series Sprintcar Results WSS Rd 12 - Newcastle Time Trials -1. Dumesny 12.23,2. Schatz 12.24,3. Green 12.35,4. Leadsman 1Z39,5. Tatnell 12.45,6, Furr 12.51,7. Hodges 12.52,8. Jensen 12.63,9. Maher 12.66,10, Madsen 12.70,11. Bell 12.77,12. Scheuerle 12.78,13. Gessner 12.81,14. Jackson 13.00,15. Bartlett 13.06,16. Winker 13.07,17, Maggs 13.09,18. Monte 13.10,19. Shore 13.54,20. Smith 13.57.

Heat 1 - Gessner, Madsen,Dumesny,Winker, Loadsman, Hodges,Shore.

Heat 2- Smith, Schatz, Maggs, Bell, Tatnell, Jackson, Jensen.

Heat 3- Scheuerle, Bartlett, Furr, Green, Maher, Monte, Heat 4- Bell, Gessner, Dumesny, Hodges,Tatnell, Maggs,Shore.

Heat 5- Scheuerle, Winker, Madsen, Furr, Loadsman, Monte.

Heat 6- Schatz, Bartlett, Smith, Jackson, Green, Jensen, Maher.

Pole Shuffle - Schatz, Dumesny, Scheuerle, Green, Gessner, Furr.

A-Main -Schatz, Dumesny,Tatnell, Furr, Madsen,Scheuerie, Hodges,Smith,Winker,Jackson, Green, Gessner. Maher, Bell, Maggs, Bartlett, Loadsman,Jensen, Monte,Shore.

WSS Rd 13 - Rrisbane International (Night 2) Time Trials -1. Furr 11.950,2. Jackson 1Z022,3, Smith 12,056,4. Jensen 12.130,5. Kaeding 12.140,6. Gessner 12.140,7. Dumesny 12.165,8. Pittman 12.188,9. Tatnell 12199,10. Schatz 12.200,11. Wanless 12265,12 Bell 12.275,13. Monte 12276,14. Hodges 12.397,15. Maggs 12545, 16. Bartlett 12.564,17. Scheuerle 12.565,18. Mitchell 12613,19. Green 12709,20. Dean 12951.

Heat 1 - Schatz, Bartlett, Jensen, Green, Dumesny, Furr, Monte.

Heat 2-Scheuerle, Wanless, Kaeding, Pittman, Dean, Hodges, Jackson.

Heat3-Tatnell, Maggs, Bell, Gessner, Smith, Mitchell.

Heat 4- Green, Scheuerle, Kaeding, Furr, Dumesny, Wanless, Monte.

Heat5- Mitchell, Bell, Schatz, Bartlett, Jensen, Gessner.

Heat 6- Maggs,Tatnell, Smith, Jackson, Pittman, Hodges, Dean.

Pole Shuffle -Tatnell, Kaeding, Furr., Smith, Jensen,Schatz.

B-Main - Hodges, Bartlett, Green, Monte, Dean, Mitchell, A-Main - Schatz,Tatnell, Kaeding, Smith, Jackson, Furr, Dumesny, Scheuerle, Gessner, Maggs, Bell, Green, Bartlett, Monte, Wanless,Jensen, Pittman, Hodges.

WSS Rd 14 - Lismore Time Trials -1. Schatz 11.972,2. Pittman 12.142,3. Jackson 12.142,4. Furr 12.165,5. Green 12.274,6. Dumesny 12.389,7. Tatnell 12.425,8, Smith 12.425,9. Scheuerle 12.438,10. Bell 12.558,11. Monte 12.591,12. Winker 12.635,13. Maggs 12.725,14. Kaeding 12.730,15.

Gessner 12.767,16. Bartlett 12.808,17. Kratzmann 12.944,18. Hodges 13.233,19. Jensen No Time.

Top marks: Dumesny, above, was brilliant throughout the WSS season, winning his first title since 1992/93. Victorian Darryn Maggs, below, ended up just outside the top 10 in final points, taking 12th, while Kurt Winker, left, rounded out nicely with a fourth at Newcastle.

(Photos by Geoff Grade, Paris Charles and John Morris/Mpix)

Heat 1 - Tatnell, Schatz, Furr, Maggs, Bell., Bartlett.

Heat2- Kaeding,Smith, Green, Pittman, Kratzmann, Monte.

Heat3- Gessner,Scheuerle,Jackson, Dumesny, Hodges,Winker.

Heat 4- Kaeding, Tatnell, Maggs, Pittman, Smith, Schatz.

Heat 5- Hodges, Furr, Dumesny, Bartlett, Winker.

Heat6- Gessner, Green, Scheuerle, Kratzmann, Jackson, Monte.

A-Main - Tatnell, Furr, Pittman, Jackson, Kaeding, Dumesny, Green, Smith, Hodges,Schatz, Scheuerle, Maggs, Winker, Bartlett, Monte.

WSSRd 15-Newcastle Time Trials -1. Dumesny 11.927,2. Schatz 11.949,3. Jackson 12108,4. Bell 12.117,5. Winker 12.168,6, Green 12.193,7. Furr 12.200,8. Loadsman 12.200,9. Hodges 12.243,10. Tatnell 12.301,11.

Jensen 12.302,12. Scheuerle 12.325,13. Gessner 12.473,14. Maggs 12.527,15. Smith 12.684,16.

Bartlett 12.770,17. Monte 12.811,18. Kratzmann 12.951,19. Reed 14.690,20. Thompson 14.691.

Heat 1 - Gessner, Smith, Bell, Furr, Tatnell, Dumesny,Thompson.

Heat 2- Schatz, Maggs, Jensen, Loadsman, Winker, Bartlett, Reed.

Heat 3- Monte, Scheuerle, Green, Hodges, Jackson, Kratzmann.

Heat 4- Smith, Tatnell, Schatz, Bell, Loadsman, Maggs,Thompson.

Heat 5- Gessner, Furr, Dumesny, Scheuerle, Green, Monte.

Heat 6- Hodges, Jackson, Winker, Bartlett, Jensen, Kratzmann, Reed.

Pole Shuffle - Dumesny,Schatz, Jackson, Furr, Gessner, Bell.

A-Main - Schatz, Dumesny, Jackson, Winker, Furr, Tatnell, Hodges, Gessner, Smith, Green, Loadsman, Scheuerle, Maggs, Monte, Bartlett, Bell, Jensen, Kratzmann.

liitdl WSS poiii^core Dumesny 14278,Schatz 13877, Furr 12199, Tatnell 10089, Jackson 8192, Smith 6895, Bell 6872, Green 6781, Gessner 5458,Jensen 5017, Scheuerle 4923, Maggs 4638, Kruck 4015, Bartlett 3793, Monte 3734, Hodges 3166, March 2907, Reuter 2355, Kaeding 1850, Rush 1746, Ended 1563, Maiolo 1465, Pittman 1267, Winker 1251, Van Bremen 1230, Clayden 1017, Wright 1016, Leisk/Downing 971, Reed 930, Warren 898, Anderson 885, Migro 884, Priolo 858, Moule 850, Rgliomeni 764, McCann 726,Slubber 682, Vogels 675, Lewis 596, Veal 569, Madsen 565, Dalton 560, Wells 554, Loadsman 511, Bunker 497, Matthews 429, Johnson 392,Sully 385.

U lanuarv 2002

55

Lasoski links wth

by BRETT SWANSON

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Making it an Outlaws kind of Classic: WoO Champ Danny Lasoski will team up with Garry Rush in a chaiienge on the Classic. (Photo by Marlin D Clark)

ELEVEN Americans are included in the entry list for this year’s Grand Annual Sprintcar Classic and among them is current World of Outlaws Champion and former Classic winner Danny Lasoski.

Lasoski has teamed up with the event’s winningest driver, Garry Rush, for this season’s campaign.

“When you go to Warmambool for the Classic, you’d better have the best driver you can have,” Rush told Motorsport News recently.

“Danny has performed so well there before and when you look at the Americans, guys like Danny and Donny Schatz are a class above the rest.”

To aid Lasoski’s attempt at another Classic title. Rush has even gone so far as to purchase an Eagle chassis.

“Danny was quite happy to come and run one of our Maxims, but we were able to find a Brand new Eagle here that was at a good price.

“Danny likes running the best and we're giving him the best and putting a lot of effort into it."

In fact the effort that is being directed towards Lasoski hag^ meant that Rush Jnr will not be. driving at the classic.

“Garry’s had a couple of big crashes lately so we’ve decided to put his car aside for the moment and concentrate on Danny.

“Garry has awery busy work schedule but we expect him to be there to help crew the car.”

Rush also revealed that he had tried to get the Outlaw and Knoxville Nationals champ out to Australia for the whole month of January but other commitments had prevented that.

“We’re hoping that after the Classic, if we’ve made some money and everyone’s still talking to each ●other, that we can entice Danny back for the whole month of January next year.”

The Rush team will contest the Kings Challenge before the classic and is looking forward to the southern sojourn and the Garden State speedway’s hospitality.

Americans join Titan

AFTER vowing every time that he left the track "that I was never coming back again," Queensland's Reeve Kruck is back for another go with possibly the strongest two-car team in the whole pit enclosure.

Kruck's Titan Garages Eagles will be run in the Grand Annual Classic by Americans Danny Smith and rising Outlaws star Darryn Pittman.

Smith will be making his 20th consecutive start in the Classic and after Robin Dawkins pulled the ride out from under him at the recent $50,000-to-win event, Smith's chances of a decent ride were looking slim.

Kruck, however, after a disagreement with his former driver and son Drew, has opened the door to Smith with one of the best rides available.

"While Drew and I had a discussion which resulted in him no longer driving, I still enjoy racing and seeing my cars go well," Kruck said.

"Darryn is a nice young man, level-headed, not precocious, and who just wants to race who we think we can work with. And Danny, well, any one can work with Danny. He's so laid back it's like it's yesterday."

Both drivers will have equal equipment with a pair of Eagles powered by Gaerte built engines.

"Both frames were new this season and the

motors were bought about a month apart."

Ready for a Titanic Classic attempt: Danny Smith, above, and rising star Darryn Pittman head BRETT SWANSON probably the strongest two-car driver line-up in the Classic field.

(PhoiQ by Mark Jones) 56

motorsport news

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Parts Plus return

HAVING been the backers of the recent $50,000-to-win show at Parramatta, Parts Plus Auto Recyclers will return to back the Australian Sprintcar Title to be run on January 30/February 1 and 2.

The meeting will see the 40th running of the Australian championship, and Garry Brazier will start as one of the favourites. While he has run a limited schedule in preparation for the big meetings of the summer, ‘The Brash One’ is a four-time Aussie champ, along with his father Steve, who won in 1979 and 1980.

The three-night format will see a 25 lap main event on Wednesday, a 30 lap A-main on the Friday night and a 40 lap grand final on the Saturday.

Former national title holders Max Dumesny, defending champion Skip Jackson and Brazier will take on the sons of former champs in Brooke Tatnell (father George won in 1988) and Garry Rush Jr, whose father is a 10-time champ.

24 January 2002

Consistently up the front; Robbie Farr may have had to run second to Mark Blyton last weekend, but he’s looking strong for the PCR title.

(Photo by John Morris/Mpix)

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Blyton breaks through at PCR

by GREG BOSCATO

MARK Blyton scored his first Parramatta Sprintcar A-Main victory by the slimmest of margins last Saturday night after defeating Robbie Farr with Kei-ry Madsen coming home in third in the 30-lap event.

For Blyton the victory was ever so sweet. The previous week, after finishing third behind the talented duo of Farr and Madsen, his Dyno Flow Exhausts Eagle was excluded after post-race check found his machine underweight.

The Dubho-based racer took over the lead from David Doherty (racing the ex-Kinser Maxin) just before lap 15. Blyton was looking strong out in front but with a handful of laps to run, Parr coming from 13th in the 20 strong field was right on Blyton’s tail. The final laps were sensational and Blyton withstood the pressure from Farr, with Jamie Jones, Ti-oy Little and Wayne Skipper rounding out the six behind Farr and Madsen.

“The car was really good again,” said Blyton.

“1 though Kerry and Robbie might be a little faster. I must have carried enough speed through the race.”

Meanwhile, Farr said “there wasn’t a lot of room for passing.

We worked our way to the front but ran out of time. He (Blyton) was on the right part of the track so it was always going to be hard to get past him. But he did an

excellent job and after last week he definitely deserved the win.”

Speedcars again shared the programme and the 20-lap feature saw Steven Graham, who was also running his Sprintcar, take out a good victory over brother-in-law Adam Clarke with Craig Brady third.

Track conditions earlier in the night caught a number of drivers out with 'Tim Evans, Brett Morris and Brent Jameson all rolling over in different incidents during the heat races.

A WEEK earlier, Farr had to overcome a late challenge from Madsen to win his fourth PCR feature.

A last lap stoppage saw Fanretaking the race lead going on to score a thrilling victory over Madsen with Blyton third across the line only to be removed from the results afterwards, handing third to Adrian Maher.

The 30 lap A-Main was maired by quite a few crashes and incidents, but it was an impressive Lynton Jeffery who led for most of the race.

It wasn’t until lap 22 that Farr took control and Jeffeiys brilliant i-un came to an end after he spun his Vortex machine a lap or so later.

‘T had it then I didn’t,” said Madsen. ‘Tt’s all my fault. If I hadn’t spun out I would have been fine. It was a good race and I had a ball.”

Kelly Linigen returned to racing after only two weeks away and won a heat and was seventh in the main.

DURING the running of the Parts Plus S50,000-to-win Sprintcar Summer Slam recently, some very generous people dug deep to raise a grand total of $14,005 towards new and better equipment for the NSW Rural Fire Services.

The appeal kicked off when the n winner of the 50/50 raffle donated the first $1000 towards the kitty.

International Speedway P/L, the track operators, kicked in the next $1000 quickly followed by race sponsor Parts Plus and the Mercure Hotel who each contributed $1000. Just prior to the Feature event, in lieu of driver introductions, drivers walked through the crowd passing their helmets around and a further $10,005 was raised.

The NSW State Government has pledged to contribute seven dollars for every dollar raised - a fantastic effort.

■ Making its World Series Sprintcar debut at the Brisbane twonight show was the Titan team's two seat Sprintcar. The car was being driven by Andrew Pizootti and Dean McComb, making his sort-of return to Sprintcars after his horrendous season-ending shunt at Warnambool last year. McComb and Pizzootti thrilled raffle winners with laps of BIS, also taking country singer and WSS mascot, Adam Brand for a spin.

■ Ricky Mitchell missed the Wednesday night Brisbane before the WSS two-nighter with good reason.

Baby Madison Mitchell was brought into the world on Wednesday afternoon, and made her race track debut when two days old, wowing all around the Premier Performance pits.

H The visiting American Flynn Motorsport team of Ryan Flynn and Destiney Hays didn't run the Brisbane WSS round after Flynn's two Maxims were bought by John Kelly after the Wednesday night club show. Daryn Pittman moved into Flynn's car and Todd Wanless made his return to Sprintcars driving the exHays car.

■ Seen in attendance at Brisbane International Speedway were member of the VSSupercar set. Craig and Nat Lowndes took in the action and wandered the pits after the racing on Saturday night. Paul Romano was also spectating on Saturday, while Paul Weel was drumming up business on Friday night. PWR logos appear on a lot of Sprintcar radiators...

- BRETT SWANSON/MARK JONES 57

Grand Annual Classic Previevsr

Who will take out l An All-Star cast ofAmericans are about to try and again take the Grand Annual Sprintcar Classic away from Australia’s best this weekend. GEOFFROUNDS previews the 30th anniversary event at Warrnambool

2

Carefully taking aim: Gany Brazier, above, has restricted his racing schedule this summer but will come out with all guns blazing. Max Dumesny, below, is a favourite down Warrnambool way and, after a strong season with WSS competition,wil want to add another Classic crown to his long list of achievements.

(Photos by John Slorris/Mpix and Brell Swanson)

001 WORLD of Outlaws champion Danny Lasoski again heads an impressive American contingent in this weekend's prestigious The Standard Newspaper Grand Annual Sprintcar Classic at Premier Speedway, Warrnambool.

Lasoski is again visiting Australia specifically for this event and his past two starts at the Classic have netted him third last year and victory in 2000. He will be driving for Australian speedway legend and seven time winner Garry Rush.

At least 10 Americans will form part of the expected 60-car field for the 30th running of Australia's most prestigious Sprintcar event, including veteran Danny Smith from Danville, Indiana.

Smith is making his 20th consecutive visit to the Classic and finished second in last year's Classic to Schatz. Victory for Smith will see him equal Rush's classic record.

Schatz will drive for the powerful West Australian-based Luch Monte Motorsport team, while Smith is campaigning his anniversary Classic drive for Queensland businessman Reeve Kruck in one of the two Titan-Garages Eagles, with WoO star Darryn Pittman alongside him in this impressive classic assault.

In the 2001 Classic, Americans completely dominated the field, filling the podium and a repeat performance again is on the cards with other US entrants including Outlaws drivers Jeff Shepard (in the Disbury Family machine) and Brad Furr, who as been in hot form during this season's World Series.

Chad Kemenah ran second in the 2000 Classic behind Lasoski and the talented American will suit up for Melbourne's Jim Knight. Tommy Tarlton, like Kemenah, has been on the podium twice already down under and will steer for Walsh

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Motorpsorts of Cobden, while Brent Antill may make a return visit racing for Warrnambool's Ken Veal.

Australia's best will be headlined by current national Champ Skip Jackson, who has a very impressive record in the Classic, with tough competition expected from Max Dumesny, Brooke Tatnell and Garry Brazier, all former winners of this race.

Of the past 29 Classics, Americans have won 12 times inoiorsport news

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the 80th?

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Annual Sprintcai* Classic Entry List Two Sydney speedsters: Brooke Tatnell has had a tough year in the World Series, above, but a Classic win would be a great way to round it out. Robbie Farr, below, can't be discounted either.

(Pboio.s by Brett Swanson and ifarrcn Bridge)

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An American, and the Australian Champ: WSS Rookie ofthe Year Brad Furr, above, will have Skip Jackson, below, to deal with at Warrnambool.

(Photos by Brett Swanson)

Leading the American charge: World of Outlaws Champ Danny Lasoski, top, will suit upfor Gariy Rush s team in an Eagle chassis, while Donnv Schatz. above, will want to add the Classic to his two wins in the last two $50,000 races at Parramatta.

(Photos by Martin D Clark and Paris Charles)

and ran the (first-two) quinella four times.

Premier Speedway Club manager Graeme Hose said the $5000-to-win 25-lap Kele & Associates Challenge Cup will form Saturday's A-Main feature with Sunday's 40-lap Classic offering $20,000 to the winner.

24 January 2002

"Again we are very lucky with the quality of entries received for this year's race," Hose said.

"We have America's best on offer with Lasoski the world number one at the moment and a fairly handy group of other Americans coming too as well as Australia's best drivers entered."

OrOTA

Driver No A1 Skip Jackson NSW 2 Garry Rush Brad Furr USA 2 Phil March SA3 Vic 3 Mike Lauterborn NSW 5 Brooke Tatnell Qld5 Darryl Hodges USAS Jeff Shepard Vies Max Dumesny NSW 6 John Shore Qld6 Stephen Bell Vice Mike Van Bremen Vic 7 Daryn Maggs NSW 10 Adrian Maher Vic 11 Jeff Judd Vic 14 Peter Knight USA 15 Donny Schatz USA15K Chad Kemenah Tas 17 Jason Dawkins WA17 Luch Monte Vic 18 Ian Lewis NSW 20 Troy Little Tas 20 Robin Dawkins USA 20 * Danny Lasoski Vic 20 David Swayn NSW 21 Garry Brazier QLD21 Darryn Pittman USA 22 Tommy Tarlton Vic 24 Steve Knight Vic 25 Mark Smith Vic 26 David Magiiton Vic 30 Darren Russell Ian Thomsen Vic 32 Qld 36 Danny Smith Vic 36 Troy Shiells David Anderson Vic 37 Vic 43 Garry Chippindal Vic 47 David Brown Matthew Reed Vic 49 NSW 52 Marty Perovich NSW 53 Peter Attard Phil Johnson Vic 55 NSW 56 Robbie Farr Vic 70 John Vogels Charles Hunter Vic 73 SA 75 Tony Bartlett Darren Jensen Qld 75 NSW 86 Kerry Madsen Qld 95 Andrew Scheuerle SA 95 Mark Reuter Vic 99 Jeff Drew WA99 Jamie Maiolo

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Mike Van Bremen

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The defending PRC Super Sprint Series winner is quickly becoming a man to watch whenever the World Series rolls into Victoria. BRETT SWANSON caught up with him

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On board with the Victorian Champion: Van Bremen took out victory in last year’s SRA Series, one of the strongest state Sprintcar (Photo by Ian Robinson) championships going around.

60

'ATCH the red Victoria number six Foster Sprintcar race around Avalon, Warrnambool, Simpson and other venues and you're watching the "The Flying Dutchman’, Mike Van Bremen.

Van Bremen (pronounced Van Breemen), has established himself as one of the best yoimg racers to pound the dirt around the garden state’s speedways.

Now in his seventh, and by his reckoning, best season to date, the Lanky lad from Lilydale is definitely on the upward curve toward his peak performance.

Ask the company director to list the highlights of his brief career so far and one answer is obvious winning the Autopro Super Sprint Series.

The other highlight as far as Van Bremen is concerned is more recent. December 2001 proved a great month for the Dutchman in his Affordable Fireworks/Speedway Fibreglass machine.

When the World Series came to town at Avalon, Van Bremen surprised many by time trialing second quickest behind Stephen Bell.

“I was rapt to be second quickest but thought maybe it was a bit of a fluke,” said Van Bremen.

Then later in the month when the circus came to the sleepy little Nyora Speedway, Van Bremen went one better - he actually topped the time sheets.

“Nyora showed us that Avalon wasn't such a flukey result after all.”

Not just happy -with fast time, a

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pair of thirds - on a racetrack which is notoriously difficult to pass on - saw Van Bremen emerge as the highest pointscorer ahead of the heavy-hitting Max Dumesny, Donny Schatz, Brad Furr and Skip Jackson full-time professional road show.

Brooke Tatnell beat Van Bremen in the pole shuffle, but Tatnell knows his way around Nyora and took the feature win as well.

There was no shame in being pushed back to a fine fifth place finish, especially as he’d actually dropped back to about eighth, and then recovered some ground.

“It was disappointing in a way because I’ve run fifth before in World Series and it would have been nice to have at least improved on that the be fourth,” said Mike.

“The good thing was that, even though I dropped back, I wasn’t passed by any of the small players.

They were all big names with tons more experience and better equipment.*^ One of the questions often asked about Van Bremen is how, when World Series comes to town, he elevates his performance above that which he often displays running in the local club shows.

Why is it so?

“Stuffed if I know,” he replies.

“It’s funny you ask that. My crew often ask me the same thing.

I think maybe it’s just that you concentrate and try a bit harder and also that you don’t have to worry so much about the guys you’re racing with.

“No disrespect, but there are motorsporl news

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Hooking it in and standing on the ioud pedai: As much as Van Bremen would love to race full-time with the World Series, his budget restricts him and his volunteer team as to what they can and can’t do. {Photo by Ian Robinson)

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- Van Bremen on why he’s so quick when the World Series drivers came to Victoria more guys running locally, who logically don’t have the same experience and you have to be a bit more wary of them when you race or attempt to pass them.”

While Van Bremen would love to run WSS full-time, that’s unlikely to happen.

“The next step for me would be to run the full WSS championship and the Australian Title, wherever that may be next season. However, the financial, time and equipment requirements are beyond me and my crew at the moment.

“A few years back I had two 24 lanuary 2002

frames, two motors and more spares. My equipment though this year is probably better than what I had then, but I don’t have the spares needed to go all the way to Western Australia for four consecutive rounds of racing.

“If I could do soitle sort of deal with another team to pool our resources, that might be one way to do it, but apart from all that, it’s hard for the crew to get the time off and be willing to spend so much time away from home.”

Van Bremen and his elder brother David, who also races Sprintcars, started their careers together with what was called an Independent Modified they ran at Alexandra speedway. From here, Mike bought a Camaro Super Sedan which was spectacularly unsuccessful.

His involvement with Sprintcars came about through veteran Ray Maloney. There were various different aspects with Ray from crew member to sponsor to engine owner before Van Bremen had his first taste of real racing at Avalon during the 1995 Easter Ti-ail.

“I wasn’t sure whether I could cut it as a Sprintcar racer so Ray gave me the drive of his car at Avalon. I was so nervous and

gripping the wheel so hard before I’d even gone out to race. In the first heat I think only the lead car lapped me and in the next heat no one lapped me.

“But by then I had blisters on my hands from gripping the wheel so tight and couldn’t race in the feature.

Van Bremen then purchased the rest of the car which he didn't already own and fronted up for the' first-ever round of the SRA series at Wagga.

“I now owned the car so if I crashed it, it was my problem and that showed in my on track performance. If I’d crashed Ray’s car at Avalon I would have had to buy it, which I did anyway as it happens.”

Van Bremen is very satisfied with the way the SRA Series has grown over the years to the point where the fields are nudging 40 cars per night, requiring the running of C,B and A Mains.

Van Bremen’s satisfaction is not just from a competitor viewpoint as both he and his partner Natalie Morton are members of the SRA executive and committee.

“It’s pleasing to see the size of the crowds that are attending the series rounds, which I think is because they’ve come to recognise

the series as being good value with big car counts and good racing.

“WheiXjI won the series last season I believe it was the toughest one run but this season it’s even tougher.

“With such big fields if you have one bad heat, like Ian Lewis did at Avalon, all of a sudden you’re in the C or B Mains and that makes it tough.’

It’s this closeness that keeps Van Bremen racing, something he intends on doing for quite a while.

“I’m really enjoying it and believe that I’m dri-ving better now than I ever have. If I’d been driving like this a few years back there’d be more feature ■wins alongside my name.

“I’ve spent a lot of money on racing but as long as I’m enjoying it and feel like I’m improving each year. I’ll continue to keep wasting money on it.”

As far as the crew of Dennis Smith, Barry Harding, Daniel Robson, James Smith and Dean Kavathas and main sponsors Affordable Fireworks and Speedway Fibreglass are concerned, the ‘Flying Dutchman’ will continue to fly as high as they can collectively go for some time to come.

81

Photo t^pjiri-i ChqNks

Shepard arrives But Phil March takes the Stampede

eiSlBuu.*Going home for the Stampede: After a long slog on the World Series tour, Andrew Scheuerle will be among those to head home for the one(Photo by Aaron NoonanA^News Digital) night Sprintcar Stampede.

Stampede takes place of QSSS A COMPACTED three-round Queensland Sprintcar Summer Shootout series was to feature plenty of local stars when it was due to kick off later in February, although series organiser BiU Mann has cancelled the series due to “tough economic times for competitors and sponsors.”

Having been compacted down from the full series it has previously been run as, the third annual QSSS was to compliment the Queensland Tri-City Sprintcar Series held earlier this year, though Mann and John Kelly, promoter of Brisbane International Speedway, have created a onenight ‘Sprintcar Stampede’even set down for Saturday, March 16.

Defending Series Champion Darrell Hodges will take on World Series competitors Darren Jensen, Stephen Bell, Andrew Scheuerle and Cameron Gessner.

Current North Queensland Champion Leigh Holman and Michael Walsh will join in the action against the WSS hotshots in the event that will be backed by Energy Release Products.

82

AFTER winning on debut in the South Australian Thunder Down Under Series, above. World of Outlaws star Jeff Shepard ended up tumbling out of the Sprintcar Stampede at Speedway City on the weekend.

Hometown hero Phil March took the chequered flag from American Daryn Pittman in the Titan Garages Eagle and Chad Kemenah in one of the Knight Racing machines.

Shepard was charging through the A-Main field after just missing out on the Pole Shootout (running seventh), but exiting turn two, a car directly in front of him was turned sideways and into his path, the impact rolling Shepard several times.

"I simply had nowhere to go, I went very low and virtually to the infield when the car in front of me was turned sideways by another car," said a disappointed Shepard.

"It was that fast I didn't even have time to brake. The most disappointing part is that we know that the car was fast but we couldn't show anyone how fast it really was."

Photo hy Brett Swanson

While Parramatta City Raceway's Parts Plus $50,000 event may have been run and reported, we simply hail to run this photo. Steven Graham went for a tumble during time trials, though it looks spookily like he’s launched offa ramp and is heading for the crowd. Luckily, that wasn’t the case, though it has a ‘Dukes ofHazzard’feel to it, doesn’t it? motorsport news

SPEEDWAY

Kemenah takes Cup

by BRETT SWANSON

DRIVING for JK Racing and Flocon Engineering, Ohio's Chad Kemenah added his name to an illustrious list of past champions including compatriots Steve Kinser, Joey Saldana and Tim Green when he won the prestigious President’s Cup at Avalon on January 12.

The meeting, which was also round six of the hard fought PRC Super Sprint Series, saw Californian and last start Avalon victor Tomrtiy Tarlton pushed back to runner-up spot, with defending series Champion Mike Van Bremen grateful for the last corner spin by top pointscorer John Vogels that elevated him to the podium.

Jeremy Warren continues to ,J impress with a smooth drive to win the opening heat and then in heat two,former series champ Jeff Judd showed just what a class driver he is. Judd had literally torn his Avenger in two a week ago at the fast Warrnambool track but his dedicated crew had hustled to rebuild the team’s spare frame.

Sonigj)f the parts had only arrived the night prior and showing complete confidence in his crew’s repair skills, Judd charged from seventh and failed by a matter of centimetres to snatch the heat two win from poleman Lauterbom.

Van Bremen and Steve Knight won the next two heats before an ambitious three-wide run through turn one saw points leader Ian Lewis flip the Coates & Wreckair Hire J&J in heat five.

Tarlton took the next heat, while the rest went to Troy Shiels, David Swayn and Matthew Reed.

Lewis would have to work hard to make the feature and try and preserve his points lead and the first leg went well when he won the spin filled C-Main.

Starting from 13th in the BMain was too big a task, with Garry Chippindall winning from Ken Veal, Rod Matthews and Reed.

Up and over; ‘The Fly’ Ian Lewis got whacked by what can only be described as ‘The Aeroguard Wall’ at Avalon, above. Chad Kemenah picked up the trophy, left, while the PRC Sprint Series continued to draw (Photos by Ian Robinson and Brett Swanson) good field numbers, below.

t

The pole shuffle saw Tarlton beating Swayn before Kemenah beat Tarlton, Knight, Lauterbom and Vogels to take pole for the feature.

With all the pushing and shoving that inevitably happens at turn one. Smith was lucky to survive some contact, but not so lucky was Matthews, who made contact wdth Chippindall and was tipped over. Next time around Frank Ramsdale spun but amazingly everyone avoided him.

On the third start the race

Max Dumesny Motorsport Australian Distributors for

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^^ RACING TIRE

For more Infbrmathn on Hoosicr Drag and Speedway Tyres calt

NSW:02 9679 1990 l Fax 02 9679 1187 VIO 03 9331 6477 l Fax 03 9331 7444 SA-08 8332 0800 » Fax 08 8364 0296

24 January 2002

finally got underway with Kemenah leading from Vogels, Tarlton, Lauterbom, Van Bremen and Knight. On lap eight Tarlton moved to second and Van Bremen closed on Vogels and started a race long duel.

From here it was a case of two drag races each lap as the drivers nui'sed their way through the tm-ns then gmmed it up the straights.

Kemenah, whose car was set very low in the tail and dragged the left hand frame rail on the ground

when the car ‘winged down’, was never threatened by Tarlton and scored his first Avalon feature.

Tarlton followed the Ohioan across the line but Vogels spun to a stall on the very last turn, handing third to Van Bremen. Chippindall took fourth from Knight(who had a deflating tyre for the majority of the distance), Warren, Lauterbom, Ramsdale, and Reed.

Points: Van Bremen 1642, Lewis 1480, Reed 1269, Matthews 1229, Thomsen 1093.

2001/02 WORLD SERIES SPRINTCARS Final Standings 2001/2002

Newcastle Speedway, January 19

14213 I Max Dumesny Valvoiine 2 Donny Schatz Sunnyvale Plants .13824 12082 3 Brad Furr Sanmina 10050 4 Brooke Tatneli Shell Helix .8156 5 Skip Jackson Toyota Parts .6868 6 Danny Smith Tamar Cars . 6812 7 Stephen Bell Speedflow .

8Trevor Green Adrad Radiators ..6760 .5265 9 Cameron Gessner Tri>Stccl

IS Luch Monte LjS Motorsport ..3730 16 Darrell Hodges MasterMac ....3099 17 Phillip March Lcs March Autos .2908 18 Mark Reuter ROH Wheels ....2355 1850 19 Brent Kaeding

10 Darren Jenson

20 Garry Rush Pick N Payless

Australia SO 12

t i Andrew Scheuerlc Lucas Oils ...4887 4616 12 Daryn Magg5 H.M Headers 13 Drew Kruck Titan Garages ....4015 3779 14 Tony Bartlett Caltex

1746

1. US15 Donny Schatz 2. VS Max Dumesny 3. A1 Skip Jackson 4. U16 Kurt Winker 5. U2 Brad Fun 6. N8 Brooke Tatnoli 7. Q5 Darreii Hodges 8, 068 Cameron Gessner 9. N53 Danny Smith 10. S4 Trevor Green

11. N33 Brett Leadsman 12, Q95 Andrew Scheuerlo 13. V7 Doryn Maggs 14, W17 Luch Monte 15. S75 Tony Bartlett 16. Q6 Stephen Boll 17.075 Darren Jenson 18. 016 Brent Kraizmann

S3

Flash n »f ? ~z

It only seems like yesterday that Jeff Gordon had clinched the 2001 Winston Cup. Now he's saddling up for another long Cup season with an all-star cast keen to take away the title. MARTIN D CLARK previews the season ahead

T

The Champ; Having assumed the mantle of 'leader'in more ways than one of Winston Cup racingfollowing the death ofDale Earnhardt, Jeff Gordon looks to (Photo hy Sutiou-Imafit's) go hack-to-hack in 2002 64

HE 2002 Winston Cup season is almost upon us, as teams have completed testing for the Daytona 500 on February 17, and this year’s 36race schedule looks set to become one of the most competitive for many moons.

The title is as open as ever, with Jeff Gordon always a hot favourite, but the likes of Dale Jarrett, Kicky Rudd, Kevin Harvick, Dale Earnhardt Jr, Sterling Marlin and Tony Stewart are likely to be his major competition.

There are major questions to be answered throughout the year.

Can Roush Racing turn their horrible 2001 season around for the five plus teams and return Mark Martin to victory lane? Will a Dodge win a Winston Cup title?

Will Tony Stewart learn how to keep his mouth shut? Will Stewart and Robby Gordon come to blows in the first event of the year? Or win it be the second?

Will Petty Enterprises turn its three-car operation around with new team manager Robin Pemberton and other leading employees, plus the engines from Mike Ege? Will the injured Steve Park make it behind the wheel again, this year or in the future?

As was the case last year, the big questions revolve around driver safety. Will 2002 have the tragedy of last year? Will NASCAR implement the use of soft walls or the Humpy Bumper?

“Black Box’ crash data recorders will be used in all three major divisions this year, but one has to ask how long will NASCAR take to implement any structoal changes to the chassis of these dinosaurs

they call ‘stock’.

NASCAR bosses continue to use the phrase used all year long; ‘we’re not going to react for the sake of reacting, we’re going to wait until we can do it right.’ They recently allowed the.use of the first non-aluminum seat and soft walls testing is underway, so maybe the tide is turning.

Some dark horses to look out for will be the Richard Childress threesome of Robby Gordon, Kevin Harvick and Jeff Green. Quite how Childress is going to keep the lid on the three boiling tempers these guys possess is a whole different question in itself.

Ganassi Racing has a strong pair in the shape of Sterling Marlin and Jimmy Spencer. The motorsport news

2002 Winston Cun Runnens

-r

Belting around the Beach at Daytona; Testingfor the season-opening Daytona 500 is well underway, though many ofthe teams elected to run in primer colours and unveil their new 2002 colour schemes somewhere other than during testing. This is Dale Janett’s Ford Taurus.

(Photo by Siiilort-Jmages)

Can Dodge and Sterling Marlin beat Chev and Jeff Gordon?

So many questions are left to he answered in 2002 as the young guns of Winston Cup racing look to run out the last ofthe good 'ol boys.

(Photo by Sution-lmagc.'!) two are great friends and met at a Charlotte toupee shop many years ago...

And speaking of Harvick, the youth movement of Harvick (26 years old), Earnhardt Jr.(27), Kurt Busch (23), Casey Atwood (21), Ryan Newman (24), Stewart(30) and Gordon (30), look to be the strongest of the way forward in NASCAR, with the ‘good ‘ol boy’ image finally disappearing.

Other young guns in the shape of rookie Jimmie Johnson (26), Elliott Sadler(26) and Matt Kenseth (29) are also part of the changing the face of the sport, 24 January 2002

although not with the success of the first group.

As for the rookie crop, it has the lowest number in a few years, with basically two and half, after five contenders last season. Hotshoes Newman and Johnson can be taken seriously with lady driver Shawna Robinson’s limited schedule not a threat. That’s the way it is - she will struggle to make the field in her 25 attempts.

So hold on to yer chewing tobacco and chicken bones, folks, because 2002 is going to be an interesting year for what’s left of the good ‘ol hoys!

I

I

Chev NAPA/D El Ford Subway/Roush Ford DeWalt/RouSh-Martin Pontiac Interstate/Gibbs Dodge Dodge/Evernham Pontiac Home Depot/Gibbs Ford MotorcraftAA/ood Bros CAT/Davis Dodge Hill Bros Coffee/Davis Dodge Chw DuPont/Hendrick Chev Delphi/Hendrick Ford Kmart/Haas-Carter Ford Texaco/Yates Chev GM Goodwrench/Childress Chev AOL/Childress Chev „ Cingular/Childress Ford Tide/PPI Chev Petree Pontiac M&M/SB2 Dodge Coor's Light/Ganassi 40 Sterling Marlin 41 Jimmy Spencer Target/Ganassi Dodge 43 John Andretti Dodge Cheerios/Petty 44 Buckshot Jones Dodge Georgia P^ific/Petty Dodge Sprint PCS/Petty 45 Kyle Petty Chev 48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe's/Hendrick-Gordon BAM 49* Shawna Robinson Dodge Chev Schneid er Electric/Petree 55 Bobby Hamilton Ford 66 Todd Bodine Kmart/Haas-Carter Chev TWC Motorsports 68* Anthony Lazzaro Chev 71 Dave Marcis Realtree/Marcis Ford 77 Dave Blaney Jasper Ford 88 Dale Jarrett U PS/Yates Ford 90 Rick Mast Dukes Mayo/Donlavey Dodge 92* Robert Pressley Melling Ford 97 Kurt Busch Sharpie/Roush Ford 99 Jeff Burton CITGO/Roush * - Indicates partial racing schedule

5 Michael Waltrip 6* Greg Biffle 17 Matt Kenseth 18 Bobby Labonte 19 Jeremy Mayfield 20 Tony Stewart 21 Elliott Sadler 22 Ward Burton 23 Hut Stricklin 24 Jeff Gordon 25 Jerry Nadeau 26 Joe Nemechek 28 Ricky Rudd 29 Kevin Harvick 30 Jeff Green 31 Robby Gordon 32 Ricky Craven 33* Mike Wallace 36 Ken Schrader

The ‘other’ Gordon: Robby Gordon will take on namesake Jeff. Theformer (Phoin by Sirfftwr //najjrt) Indycar starjoins Richard Childre.s\s Racing.

B5

start your stock cars!

Testing underway for 2002 as teams gear up for Daytona “'^rr

by MARTIN D CLARK ALL Winston Cup teams running the Daytona 500 took part in mandatory testing at the track during January 7-9 and 14-16.

The format was a little different than previous years. Instead of ‘manufacturers tests’, the two sessions were diyided by odd and even finighing positions in the points standings.

For some of the multi-car teams this was a hindrance, with their cars split between the two tests, so they could not compare the data gathered from their Pi data ” acquisition systems.

Kevin Harvick was the only exception to this rule, as he was allowed to compete in the second test due to his commitments at the Busch Series banquet in California at which he was crowned Champion.

Some were not happy about the decision as testing ended on a Wednesday and the banquet was on a Friday...

The tests allowed for single car testing on the first two days and drafting on the third day, the first time with the new aerodynamic package NASCAE had put together.

“There is no dramatic draft or wind buffets that move the car around,” said Ward Burton, one of the fastest drivers in the first test.

“It’s really stable. When you do get to pass somebody, you need help and you’re going to need to have run to clear somebody.”

But how much do testing speeds mean when qualifying comes around for the ‘Great American Race?’ Bill Elliott was not fastest in testing last year but won the pole with the exact same speed he tested with at 183.565 mph.

Rusty Wallace was fastest in 2001 testing at 183 mph, but could only muster the 23rd fastest speed for the 500.

In the first three-day session, Hendrick rookie driver Jimmie Johnson was consistently the fastest, his 183.816 mph speed some four miles an hour slower than Wallace’s 2001 lap thanks to the aero changes. Johnson’s speed held on to be fastest overall of the two three day sessions.

Ward Burton, Kenny Wallace, Dale Earnhardt Jr and Champ Jeff Gordon’s 183.262 mph lap 66

f.. .

Stable and able: Ward Burton, above, reported a stable ride with the new NASCAR aero package, while rookie Jimmie Johnson, below left, was quick in the Lowe’s Chev. Dale Earnhardt Jr, below right, had (Photos by Sutton-images) half-brother Kerry helping his team, while Matt Kehseth, bottom, was up front in draft mode.

L_'.jl completed the top five of the 23 cars in attendance during session one.

The second set of three day pj’actice saw Jeremy Mayfield in his new Evernham Dodge post the speed to beat at 183.221 mph, with

Jerry Nadeau in a Hendrick Monte Carlo, Bill Elliott and defending 500 champ Michael Waltrip impressive each day.

KeiTy Earnhardt, the elder half brother of Dale Jr, was also on track in a #81 Chevy to help with sharing

data between the Dale Earnhardt Inc teams.

Elliott did whip out the fastest speed of the two sessions, some four mph faster than seen, but his Evernham Dodge was found to have an oversized restrictor plate.

Evernham was embarrassed and apparently looking to fire the crew member...

Ricky Rudd was present at the test in an observer’s role while he continues to recover from winter back surgery, leaving Andy Hillenburg, an often called upon test driver and spotter, to handle duties behind the wheel.

Mike Wallace in a Andy Petree owned Chevy recorded the third day’s fastest speed in the multi-car draft session at 184.302 mph, with Elliott, Jimmy Spencer, Bobby Labonte and Matt Kenseth the top five in draft mode. motorsport news

NASCAR

Change for 500?

Aero changes in store prior to Winston Cup season opener

NASCAR is fully expected to make aerodynamic rule changes before the Daytona 500, specifically with the Ford teams who struggled the whole time at the track.

The blue oval brigade will likely get a quarter to half-inch concession on the rear spoiler height in an effort to boost their single car straight line speeds. * Other aero changes may also be considered if the governing body thinks safety can be improved at any level.

NASCAR set parameters for January testing at Daytona, but those rules obviously may not stay in place for the racing at the track in February.

All marques had a 7/8th inch hole in the carburetor to inlet manifold opening and all rear spoilers will measure 57 inches

uu

Don’t give me any lip: Expect aero changes before Daytona. wide at 55 degrees - changing from 70 degrees last year - and be six inches tall, with the exception of the Monte Carlo, that will have a spoiler height of 6 and 1/4 inches.

The Ford Taurus sees an increase of half an inch in the front spoiler extension, the Taurus can now extend beyond the bumper by one inch. The Dodge stays at one, Chevrolet at

Sirius SOPHOMORE Winston Cup driver Casey Atwood,left, has picked up a two-year contract with Sirius Satellite Radio as sponsor of his Evernham Motorspoi’ts/Ultra Motorsports Dodge.

Atwood was moved to the joint Evernham/Jim Smith venture, when it was announced in Atlanta in November that he would be replaced by Jeremy Mayfield at Evernham.

Sirius is a new in-car commercial-free 60 station radio system now available in the US via satellite. Kevin Cram, an exEvernham/Bill Elliott employee, will head wrench the operation.

- MARTIN D CLARK

Yates picks up Kahne

A 211-year-old who is being touted as the next Jeff Gordon or Tony Stewart has been signed to run the 2002 Busch Series for Robert Yates's Ford team.

Kasey Kahne, who is signed to Ford and has previously tested a Team Rahal Champ Car via the link, will run a 21-race program this year in a Channellock-backed Taurus, beginning at Rockingham on February 23. It's the first time Yates has run a Busch Series car.

Kahne took the wheel of his first Sprintcar at the age of 14 and has accumulated over 40 wins, three championships and a rookie of the year title in just seven years.

"It's no secret that we've been looking for an opportunity for Kasey to move up to the next level of racing," said Dan Davis, Director of Ford Racing Technology.

- PHIL MORRIS 24 lanuatii 2002

(Photo by Sutlon-Images)

two and Pontiac at an inch and a half. Also, there will be no roof blades or spoiler lips as used last year.

The one engine rule will apply to all tracks except Daytona. Due to the amount of time spent on track, teams will be allowed to switch engines following qualifying and prior to the 125 mile qualifying races at the 'Beach.

- MARTIN D CLARK

Parrott steps away from the perch

BUDDY Parrott, a 34-year Winston Cup veteran, has retired from the sport, quitting his position as Roush Racing’s Performance and Development manager.

PaiTott, 62, a keen Harley rider, wants to enjoy life riding his turbocharged machine and watch his sons grow up in the sport.

Son Todd until recently was Dale Jarrett’s crew chief and now team manager and other son Brad works as Jeff Bui'ton’s crew chief in the Busch Series for Roush.

Parrott Snr has crew' chiefed for Rusty Wallace (taking 18 victories in 1993 and 1994), Derrike Cope, and Richard Petty among others.

- MARTIN D CLARK

Brack tests and waits for $$$ SUPER-SWEDE Kenny Brack tested a Ganassi-owned Dodge at Daytona and is hoping to make the field for the 500 in the car if some sponsorship is found.

He could also run a select amount of events that would not dash with his CART schedule should backing be forth coming throughout the year.

"I've always wanted to test a stock car, so I'm grateful for that right now," commented Brack.

"I’m taking it one step at a time, next week we'll test the CART car and ni focus on that, what will come will come." n Melling Racing has secured sponsorship for the Daytona 500 from BrandSource shops.

The team and series lost long-time backer Kodiak at the end of last season and things looked bleak for the operation, which is down to less than a handful of full-time employees.

Robert Pressley will pilot the same Dodge that sat on the outside pole with Stacy Compton in the 2001 Daytona 500. The veteran 21-year team will not enter further events unless full backing becomes available. n Jasper Motorsports has lined up associate sponsorship with Liberty Life Assurance for their selfowned and sponsored Dave Blaneypiloted Ford. n Tommy LeMance, son-in-law of A.J. Foyt and team manager of his NASCAR team, has surprisingly parted ways with the team and has bee^ replaced for the most part by Foyt's son Larry, who competes in the Busch Series. The team has struggled with mismanaged funds and no improvement was seen during LeMance's reign. n Kmart Stores financial situation and its possible filing for bankruptcy is not expected to effect the sponsorship of the two Haas-Carter teams driven this year by Joe Nemechek and Todd Bodine as the team has a contract through 2002, but don't expect the 'Big K' to return in 2003. n According to team sources, Andy Petree Racing has secured backing for four races including the Daytona 500 for driver Mike Wallace. Sponsors were at the Daytona track to watch the team test, APR has apparently secured backing for the #33 Chevy for a full 2003 and 2004 schedules from another source. n In a surprise safety move, NASCAR has approved the use of a composite seat manufactured by Cal Wells's PPI Motorsports. This is the first non-aluminium seat to be allowed in NASCAR competition.

- MARTIN D CLARK 67

e>o

Back again: Subaru and Ford, bottom, had new liveries in Monte Carlo, even ifTommUMakkinen could not run 555 on the car across the French border.

BATmobile returns

BRITISH American Tobacco has announced that it will be reuniting its 555 brand with the works Subaru Impreza team this year.

The team is run by Prodrive and it seems that the deal is somehow linked to the recent appointment of David Richards as head of the British American Racing FI team.

The deal bears all the hallmarks of Richards, who is famous for offering his sponsors better value for money, and it can safely be assumed that there is a deal in place for both the FI and WRC deals for the next five years, with BAT getting much better visibility for both Lucky Strike and 555 than is currently the case.

BAT'S 555 brand has been active in rallying since the mid1980s, and joined the ProdriveSubaru partnership at the outset. The blue and gold Subaru Imprezas of 1994-98 became globally-recognised, thanks to their successes in the sport and thanks to thee Colin McRae rally simulator game for

68

PlayStation consoles.

BAT later pulled out of rallying to concentrate on FI but was forced to drop the plan to run one car in Lucky Strike colours and the others in 555 branding.

The team tried a half-and-half branding in 2000 but made Lucky Strike the predominant brand last year.

Prodrive meanwhile decided to keep the Subaru colour scheme unchanged to maintain the visual branding of the team and so 555 can go back on the cars without any major changes and can use the team’s heritage and brand recognition in the years ahead.

Subaru is not the only team to have modified livery this season. The works Fords appeared without signage from Martini, which has supported its Focus program since 1999. The cars ran in Martini colours but with 'Ford Rallye Sport' signage, though both McRae and Carlos Sainz had 'Martini' on their racesuits.

- JOE SAWARD/STAFF

Cut to the Chase: Whenever we see a cutaway of WRCai; we all say ‘Wow’, so we thought we would run this artwork ofRalliart’s Lancer Nice, huh?

(Amvork counesy Mitsubishi Rtillitiri)

Mitsubishi gi

THE dominance of Mitsubishi and KTM continued to the end of the Arras-Madrid-Dakar Rally, with Hiroshi Masuoka taking his first win in the fourwheeled class and Fabrizio Meoni repeating his 2001 triumph on two wheels.

Masuoka took the lead as soon as the travelling caravan hit Africa, taking five stage wins in the 24th edition of the classic event. He finished 22 minutes over defending champion Jutta Kleinschmidt, while his countryman Kenjiro Shinozuka was third. But while Mitsubishi continued its recent dominance in the rally, the signs are that they will face challenges in the future, most notably from Nissan. Former Group N rally champion Gregoire de Mevius impressed in a new South African-built utility, winning the final two stages of the event, but a 24-hour penalty after missing a stage saw him finish well down the order. Still, Nissan appears to have a car - and maybe

the will - to challenge their rivals.

For Masuoka, victory in his 15th Dakar was sweet.

“At the beginning I had a problem with the language,” he said. “I needed French to talk to the mechanics. For two and a half years I worked at a garage with the mechanics. I was very hungry and worked very hard.

“So now I am so happy to win Dakar. I am top of the world. Mr. Brehmer (Ulrich Brehmer was the team manager for Mitsubishi who passed away earlier this year) looks down over me. He helped my program at the start and I'm sure ihe is watching now.”

Meoni took the win aboard KTM’s new V-twin machine.

“Because this win was taken with the new bike, it is sweeter for me than the one last year,” he said.

Vladimir Tchaguine won the truck class in his 4WD Kamaz, while former world alpine skiing champion Luc Alphand took a double, with Super Production and Diesel honours in his Toyota, moiorsport news

RALLY NEWS Safety goes the full Monte

Its its just deserts ft

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lu is4i§r’-1

nirjuiiinHl

I couldn’t get a clear lap: Mitsubishi won its second straight Dakar, Kleinschmidt (red) taking second.

24 lanuary 2002

n

4

THE issue of spectator safety has again reared its head in world rallying after the second stage of the Monte Carlo rally was canceled by race officials concerned about safety after large crowds lined both sides of the narrow roads through the mountains.

Sisteron-Thoard is the longest and hardest of the rally and one of the favorite viewing sections of the season premier event of the World Rally Championship.

Conditions were particularly harsh at the top of the snowcovered Col de Fontbelle.

"It was icy for about three or four kilometres so we drove cautiously," said Ford's Carlos Sainz. "It's too early to take risks. We chose Pirelli's softcompound dry weather tyres and that was the right choice. It's frustrating for us and the spectators that Sisteron was cancelled. The rally organisers must put arrangements in place to control the fans."

Stage four, over the same Sisteron-Thoard course, ran with no problems later on Friday.

Monte Carlo organizers were apparently able to institute suitable crowd control measures.

FIA President Max Mosley has issued a stern warning to event organisers, stating that stages and even events could be cancelled if spectator marshalling is not handled properly, "Spectators must stand in authorised areas," said Mosley.

"We won't run the stage if they are standing in unauthorised places. It's extreme but we'll have to take that approach."

And what is French for ‘Ooopppsss’?

CITROEIM may yet keep its Monte Carlo win, but Philippe Bugalski and Thomas Radstrom were forced into retirement before the season opening event got underway.

Bugalski ran into problems after almost 75 km of road section on the way to the first stage, while Radstrom did not even make it that far, with his engine giving up just five kilometres after the start.

69

Rally champions call for change

■..'■area

TWO of the world’s best rally drivers have declared there shoidd be radical changes to the current World Rally Cai' formula to make the cars more relevant,spectacular and easier to drive.

Current World Champion Richard Burns and 1995 title holder Colin McRae have said the cars would be more enjoyable in all conditions if they had the right specifications.

McRae has declared that the World Rally Championship formula should adopt normallyaspirated V6 engines which rev to lO.OOOrpm, making for a more spectacular look and sound.

“Turbocharging has largely disappeared from road cars apart from a few exceptions here and there, and a 2.5 litre V6 would be far more relevant to the man in the street,” said McRae. His comments were backed up

by Burns, left, who also believed the cars were under-tyred and hard to drive in tarmac rallies, which is borne out by the high

drop out rate in recent tarmac WRC rounds.

“Look at New Zealand last year; every works car finished, the current cars are great on gi-avel but on tarmac they are dogs,” said Burns.

“You’ve got a car with tyres about the same size as a road going Focus 1600, 17 percent of the tread has to be cut away and you’ve got ISOOkgs of rally car and 300 horsepower, that’s not good,” he said.

‘You have to plan a long way in advance coming downhill on tarmac - you can’tjust stand on the brakes and get around, it’s mad when you look at the tyres.

“They need to have 30 or 40 extra horsepower and bigger tyres then we would be getting to a better spec,” Burns agi-eed. “ I agree with Colin, a V6 would be a much better way to go.

Both McRae and Bui-ns now drive for manufacturers who no longer make turbocharged 4WD road cars like their World Rally Car machines.

JON THOMSON

McRae eyeing Bathurst

FORD'S key World Rally star Colin McRae has declared that he wants to drive in the Bathurst 1000.

The 1995 World Rally Champion, known for his love of road dirt bikes and jetskis, has said the legendary race is on his 'to do' list after having watched the race on TV and video in Britain over the years.

"It is an amazing track, like the best tarmac stage you could ever imagine with 30 or 40 of those 600 horsepower V8 monsters all around you," said McRae. "Then you get rain and hail and it is just like doing a rally," he added.

The World Rally calendar in 2002 provides the best possible window of opportunity for a McRae Bathurst drive to happen.

The Scot will be competing in the Rally of New Zealand on the weekend before this year's Bathurst, and his next rally is Rally Australia in Perth two weeks later.

There could be some Ford teams clamoring to sign the high-profile Scot for their Bathurst lineups, as the publicity alone would be phenomenal.

- JON THOMSON 10

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r

\

“This first comer’s a 3-left” Colin McRae might have a hard time convincing CAMS to iet Nicky Grist ride in the passenger seat, but nevertheless the multiple WRC champion has confirmed his desire to swap a Ford (Photos by Marshall Cass and Ford Racing) Focus for an AU Falcon Supercar to take on Mount Panorama. moiorgport news

battling against time

Clock is ticking: With only a few weeks left before the 2002 ARC kicks off in Sydney, the pressure is on Bates to find a new-spec car.

(Photo by Jon Thomson)

THREE-time Australian Rally Champion Neal Bates is racing against time to make the start of the opening round of the Australian Rally Championship,the Harbour City Rally in Sydney. ” Bates hopes to join Australia’s fastest and most spectacular drivers as rallying comes to the heart ofAustralia’s biggest city for the first time.

Bates’s 11-year relationship with Toyota came to an end in November, and the Canberra driver is hoping to lease a car to contest the new-format, production-based Australian Rally Championship kicking off in Sydney.

“I desperately want to make Sydney, and while there are some options for the future, there is nothing concrete at the

moment,” he said.

“If we are to stand a chance this year we have to be in Sydney for the Harbour City Rally, so that will mean leasing a car,” said Bates.

The Harbour City Rally will be based at Darling Harbour, with the opeqing competitive special stage of the three-day Championship rally to be staged on the edge of the Sydney CBD,a first for any form of motorsport.

The major competitive stages of the rally will be held in the forests of the Watagan Mountains 100 minutes north of the city near Wyong on Saturday the 9th of March and Sunday, 10 March.

Full details of the rally route, format and spectator information will be revealed at the launch on February 4.

- JON THOMSON

Hyundai on Pole HYUNDAI has surprised the i-ally world by naming a virtually unkown Polish driver to its World Championship line-up on four of this year’s 14 rounds.

Tomasz Kuchar, a fonner Polish Formula 2 rally champion, will make hi.s first appearance for the MSD-run Hyundai team on the Tour de Cor.se in March,joining the team’s regular driver.s Freddy Loix and Arm in Schwarz. He is also confirmed for Catalunya, Rallye Deutschland and Sanremo, but is hoping to extend that to include .some gi’avel events.

“It is of importance to the future of the World Rally Championship that all teams nurture and develop the drivers of tomorrow,” said Hyundai team boss David Whitehead.

MSD also has four-time world champion Juha Kankkunen signed up for this year, and is set to drive an Accent WRC on all gravel rounds in 2002.

- JON THOMSON 24 lanuary 2082

TOMMI Makinen,Subaru's star signing for this year, has admitted he considered retirement prior to joining the Prodrvie outfit.

Subaru's offer convinced Makinen not to bow out of the sport in which he has claimed four world championships.

The Finn disclosed that he planned to quit the sport at the end of last season, but changed his mind to join the blue team.

The 37-year-old was also approached by Citroen before

signing a two-year deal w'rth Prodrive.

"Retirement was my original target", said Makinen.

"Last summer, 1 started to think about what to do in the future and slowly 1 made up my mind.

"Originally I wanted to stop at the end of 200.1, but the pressure was there, so I said, 'OK, I can do a couple more years.' It sounds like a very long time, but I'm happy to continue.

It's a good feeling."

-JON THOMSON

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Me and my Macdon

AMAZING as it might seem,it’s still possible to find significant cars in sheds and paddocks around the country, as Keith Roberts recently discovered.

With his supercharged 1932/34 Riley developed as far as he wants to take it, Roberts had turned his sights towards building up a V8 special, and a chance comment to fellow historic racing buff Doug Keith led to a property at Elmshurst near Avoca in Victoria.

Hiddep in long grass were the remains of a.motor car from a bygone era - nothing special until Keith discovered some interesting finned front brakes and an intriguing independent rear end. l It took all the effort of a hefty 4WD to haul the chassis from its long-established resting place, and the business waS soon settled with the owner.(“He wanted a round of drinks for it!” said Keith’s dad, Neville).

What followed was a discussion with another buff, John Needham, of ancient gearbox fame, who contacted another great source of vintage and historic car knowledge, John Medley.

Medley was able to identify the remains as the Macdonberg Special built around 1936 in SA by A.V. and J. McDonough.

The car had been based originally on a 14hp large Amilcar chassis, with cable operated fourwheel brakes, centre lock wire wheels, steering and front end all sourced from Amilcar.

Transmission was interesting in that it used two gearboxes - an Essex at the front and Lancia at the back to compensate for the 2.5:1 ratio.

An Essex 4 engine believed to be ex-*Wizard’ Smith originally powered the Macdonberg Spl., with dual ignition and twin carburettors which later became Amals.

Mostly Amilcar instruments were used and the car featured a stylish single seater body with pointed tail and an Amilcar radiator.

A rebuild took place in 1950, and the Essex engine was replaced by a side valve Ford V8.

The dual gearboxes gave way to a single Ford three-speed and brakes were converted to hydrauHc actuation using FX Holden components.

Plates were welded over the huh splines and drilled to take disc wheels(probably Ford or Dodge), and a new body was fitted along the lines of the MaybacK Spl. Around the mid-fifties, John McMillan swapped it for a motorbike, and the car was driven from Mildura to Ararat.

Because it was unregistered at the time, it was towed throught the towns and then let go’ on the open road!

After several other owners and years of neglect, the Macdonberg Spl found what might have been its final resting place at Elmshurst - until Roberts came on the scene.

Although the body, radiator, dashboard and other components were missing, the V8 engine had been used to power the previous owner’s truck and the rear rims had been reversed to increase the track, seriously upsetting the firont end and steering geometry, Roberts has already made a significant start in restoring the Macdonberg Special back to its former glory.

Hydraulic brakes will be retained.

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A lucky find: The Macdonberg Special in its heyday, above. The shot is believed to have been taken at Lobethal in South Australia. After being rescued from a paddock, the car is on its way back onto the track, with a little help from Keith Roberts, right.

(Photos supplied by Keith Roberts and Brian Reed)

the chassis is already well on the way with original friction shockers fitted, hubs have been restored to centre locks, and new wire wheels and original instruments are being sourced.

Roberts plans to have the car running in chassis form first and then have a replica body made in keeping with the original car.

- BRIAN REED

Group C crackdown looms Gaaring up

GROUP C is going from strength to strength, and a record 20 cars turned out for the final gallop of the year at the TattersalFs Historic Sandown meeting.

Overall club champion for 2001 was Paul Davis, whose consistency was rewarded with several strong outright and class placings throughout the year.

Davis was driving Adam Workman’s IHumph Dolomite Sprint with all its original signage the car carried when Tterry Wade and I drove it at Bathurst in the 1980 Hardie-Ferodo 1000.

n

In fact, only one car in the field of 20 Group Cs at Sandown didn’t have its original livery.(I bet the owner copped a bagging!)

Not surprisingly, Mike Wilson’s immaculately restored L34 Torana (the ex-Bob Morris Bathurst car), won the ‘Best Presented’trophy.

Other 2001 Association winners were Willie Van Wersch (Group C) and Norm Mogg(Group A).

For 2002, the Group C Touring Car Association plans to have six rounds approximately two months apart commencing with the HSRCA Historic meeting at Oran Park on the Australia Day holiday

weekend in January.

This will be the first meeting for Group C cars rmder the new 5th category status so scrutineering is likely to be more stringent.

The Association strongly suggests that competitors spend the Christmas break paying close attention to oversize brakes, oversize engines, coil over shockers, incorrect diffs, incorrect gearboxes, cut away panels for increased air flow and any other misdemeanours.

Sounds like the Group C fi'atemity has some work to do to pull everyone into line!

- BRIAN REED

THE husband and wife team of Steve and Rachael Goad have contested several major events in their very distinctive Torana XU-1, but this year have upped the ante and will compete in the 2002 Trading Post Grand Prix Rally in a $520,000 Ferrari F550 Maranello.

Meanwhile, the Clubman class is attracting strong support with four Elfin, two PRB and two Amaroo Clubman amongst the earliest entries. moforspori news

i

HISTORICS

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SOME one-off Australian 'specials' are carefully planned, and others just evolve.

The latter was the case when Melbourne's Jim Orr set out to build an Austin Special back in 1952.

The result was a Clubmantype openwheeler powered by a Morris 1100S engine which Jim campaigned until 1971.

The car competed at Phillip Island, Mallala, Port Wakefield, Winton, Tarrawingee and Hume Weir.

It even put in an appearance at Lubeck, a small track near Horsham.

The Orr Austin Special then changed hands, and Ron Hackett raced it until 1985 when Len Nation took over.

Just three months ago, Jim Orr's son Paul bought the car back and had his first taste of the action in December when he track tested the Austin Special at Winton Motor Raceway.

After so many years away from its original owner, the Austin Special proved to be a bit temperamental when Paul took to the track, but Jim is patient and will gradually sort out the bugs before his son experiences his first race.

- BRIAN REED

51 years and still Holden

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2001 class winners Bill Murdoch and Chris Barry are back with their 2000 model PRB, as are runners-up Phillip Leith and Randall Langdon from Tasmania in their 1963 Elfin.

But watch out for the even older Elfin of former outright winner Graham Hoinville and son Greg.

Graham has recovered from a stroke which forced him out of the event on day two last year, and he's out to make amends this time around.

- BRIAN REED 24 lanuary 2002

racing legend Bob Holden will celebrate 51 years of active involvement in motor sport when he heads up the official Mini Cooper Team in this year’s Trading Post Grand Prix Rally.

Holden, now 69 years of age, won the 1966 Gallaher 500 at Mt. Panorama when he teamed with rally ace Rauno Aaltonen in a BMC factory entered Cooper S. The flying ‘mini bricks’filled the first nine outright placings that year in a total domination of the event.

The following year Holden

continued his successful Mini

racing career when he and Tony Fall scored a class win at Bathurst.

A fortnight later Holden and George Shepherd finished third in the Southern Cross Rally to finish the year on a high.

The veteran NSW driver will contest the 2002 Trading Post Grand Prix Rally driving his own 1966 Mini Cooper S. The 1200km rally runs from Febniaiy 23 to 27 and ends at Melboume’s CBD the day before the AGP carnival.

- BRIAN REED

Briefly Historic Winton Motor Raceway celebrated its 40th anniversary in November and has certainly stood the test of time compared with other tracks in the region, such as Tarrawingee and Hume Weir.

Thanks to a handful of hard working enthusiasts, the construction of the then - 1.3 mile bitumen circuit was completed in just 12 months, with the final surface being put down just days before the inaugural meeting on November 26, 1961.

Local ace Barry Stilo set the first outright lap record in 1961 - a rather modest(by today's standards) 1-24.2.

Stilo is still involved with the Raceway, along with Jim Ronke, George Plumridge and the circuit's Chief Executive Officer Mick Ronke, who was just a lad at the time.

While many other racetracks of the 1960s have fallen by the wayside, Victoria's leading country circuit is now one of the nation's busiest, hosting 250,000 spectators each year. n The Riley Club of New Zealand is planning the country's biggest ever gathering of Rileys for its major rally in January, 2002.

What one imagines as the Harris Twead brigade will this time be confronting river crossings, long stints in isolated areas and bunking down in shearing quarters - enough to sort out the fair dinkum rallyists from the cucumber sandwich chaps.

It's a long event on the beautiful South Island with lots of great scenery, /^stalward of the Dunlop Targa New Zealand, Robert Kyle, has asked me to accompany him in his 2.5-litre Riley Pathfinder, one of the younger cars in the event. The Pathfinder was a popular model built between 1953 and '57 and even enjoyed a stint as official cars for the British police force. n Hundreds of historic cars look set to descend upon Mt Panorama during Easter 2003.

The Bathurst and Districts Chamber of Commerce & Industry (BCCI) instigated discussions with the HSRCA NSW to conduct a full race meeting for historic racing cars at Mt Panorama over the Easter weekend in 2003. Discussions commenced with HSRCA after attempts by Bathurst City Council and the BCCI failed to revive Motorcycle racing over the same weekend in 2002.

The proposed HSRCA meeting would coincide with events being organised by the Bathurst Light Car Club who will celebrating its 50th year in 2003. On top of this, it will be the 65th anniversary of racing at the Mount Panorama Bathurst.

- BRIAN REED/STAFF 73

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Broooommmmm! While there were negotiations underway for the FIA GT cars to be on the support bill at the Australian Grand Prix, the glorious Group N touring cars have got the gig. Now, just get Brock, Moffat, Beechey and the like on the grid and you’d really be cooking ...

(Photo courtesy Australian Grand Prix Corporation)

Group N for AGP HISTORIC Touring Cars will fill the final support slot on the 2002 Fosters Australian Grand Prix.

The glory cars of the 1960s arid 1970s such as Mustangs, Monaros and Falcon GTHOs will take to the Albert Park circuit in three eightlap races.

“We’re very excited to welcome back Historic Touring Cars to the Grand Prix,” said AGPC CEO John Hamden.

The oldest car on the grid, a 1957 Holden FE, was brand new when Albert Park races were originally held, while 1972 Holden Monaros and Ford Falcon GTHOs come from the days when names like Moffat, Beechey, Geoghegan and Jane were Australia’s race heroes.

Run by the Historic Touring Car Association of Victoria, the category has attracted entries from ai'ound Australia.

Top New South Wales H

contenders include Ross Donnelly in a Boss Mustang and Jose Fernandez, Cam Worner and John Lustri in Falcon GTHOs, while Phil Morris will travel all the way from Western Australia to take up the challenge in his GT HO. Local historic racers John Mann in a Mustang and Tino Leo in Monaro believe that either one of them will be first to the flag, while a famous name from Australian motor racing history returns to the Grand Prix with the sons of the late, great Bib Stillwell.

Chris will race a top-contending Boss 351 Mustang, while Nick regularly frightens the big cars in his super-quick Mini.

The Toranas of Victorians Trevor Talbot and Mai'k Brewster and New South Wales’s John Harrison could come to the fore against the bigger cars, which will undoubtedly have to conserve their brakes over the three-race distance.

Black and Brand

THE V8 BRute Muster will again compete on road-legal Pirelli P Zero C tyres in 2002 and, in a boost to the category, country singer Adam Brand is being lined up to run a Ford in this year's series.

Brand, who penned the World Series Sprintcar title song and is a regular at dirt tracks around the country, will be among the 32-car field to use the Pirelli rubber with PROCAR striking an agreement with the national distributors Motorsport Tyres Pty Ltd. motorspor! news

F

NATIONAL

Best in the West Michael Patrizi was Western Australia’s most successful karter last season. MARK WICKS spoke with the Perth Birel/Parilla driver about last year, this year and beyond...

Karting Briefs THE 2002 CIK series will see all of karting's fastest classes race at the same meeting with the announcement of the CIK support programme.

In addition to the CIK classes of Junior and Senior Intercontinental A and senior Formula A, the support categories could prove to be even more spectacular.

The six-speed gearboxed Intercontinental C class will be joined by the four-stroke Biland 250 category at all four CIK rounds commencing at Bolivar (SA) on May 4-5,

n It's official - the Oceania Championships are off for '02. After a dismal entry at last years event, the Championships will take a one year sabbatical before a planned return early next year.

Stepping up into Formuia A: Michael Patrizzi wants to pick up some more wins before he heads off overseas.

(Photo by Sean Henshelwood))

T

HE karting career of Michael Patrizi illustrates how a driver can start at club events and progress through to Australian Championship CIK level racing.

The-then Kalgoorlie-based Patrizi started in the sport as an 11 -year old Rookie in 1995 before moving to Junior National and then Junior Clubman.

Once he turned senior, Michael stepped into the deep end of karting, contesting Intercontinental A in the 2000 CIK Australian Championship.

It was a steep learning curve, but last August the 17-year old student took his maiden CIK win at the Geelong round and eventually finished fourth in the series Stepping up to Formula A for 2002, Patrizi is looking for more wins before heading off to Italy and the cut-throat world of international karting.

MOTORSPORT NEWS: How was it to get that first win under your belt?

MICHAEL PATRIZI: Excellent! It was great to become the only CIK winner from WA since David Clark. He was my idol as a kid and he was winning Formula A not long after I started racing.

2a January 2002

To come all the way from WA with our-own team and beat the big teams was great.

MN: This will be your third season of CIK racing. 2001 saw a dramatic improvement over 2000. Was that purely because you changed equipment, or did you just do a better job in '01?

MP: In 2000 I'd come straight out of Junior Clubman, so I had no experience with reed valve engines or with sticky tyres, so it was all new.

We started with a Tecno chassis, but the S04 wasn't very good on the tyres we were using and we were still learning.

We'd been racing Birel in Clubman and they had good results overseas, so vye thought 'why not give it a go?' and switched for 2001.

MN:You're continuing with Birel/ Parilla/Vega for a second year.

How do you rate your chances?

MP: We should put on a big show and hopefully be in the top three. We're fast enough, it all depends on if we have problems.

If we have no problems, we could take out the title.

MN: Who will battle out the Formula A honours in 2002?

MP: There's a few. Geoffrey Grant, who 1 rate highiy, will go well and Adam Graham is good. Chris Cox will be up there if he races, and how can you not rate Troy Hunt?

But I reckon Geoff Grant and myself, barring mechanical failures, have a big chance.

WIN: How about little Bro, Hayden, making the step up to seniors in Intercontinental A? MP: He hasn't raced as a senior yet, but he'll be a front runner.

He was running 10 kilograms overweight by the end of last year (Junior ICA) and because he plays state level cricket, he only raced four times.

He practices with my reed engines at home and he'll be very quick. In my mind he'll be one of the favourites in ICA. WIN: Are you still planning to make it overseas this year?

MP: Yes. Even though we've had to pull out of the first round, we hope to do the Italian round of the European Championships or maybe a round of the Italian Championships.

The (Birel) team have a place for me so hopefully that will still come together because 1 want to get ready to race the European season next year.

n With an unprecedented number of street meetings being promoted in the southern states this year comes news of a number of changes.

Having been cancelled towards the end of last year, the Murray Bridge (SA) street race is back on. The August 10 and 11 meeting will now be a sensational double header making up round three of the Road King Karting Series as well as round four of the Ford KartStars series.

It will be the first time the KartStars series races on a temporary circuit, and with a full grid of future champions vying for a Formula Ford drive, there should be plenty of actfcn.

While the Road King series expands to five rounds with the addition of Murray Bridge, changes have also been made for the second round which will now take place at Morwell instead of the long running Bairnsdale event.

A circuit has been mapped out around the town's Civic Centre for May 18-19. n PCR Australia's Franco Guaitoli finished 2001 on a dismal note. The Sydney based karting veteran suffered a heart attack late in the year, and only days after returning to work, his PCR kart centre was the target of a robbery, thieves smashing a car through the front window and making off with a number of karts and engines. n All drivers competing in Clubman classes at the Portland Street Grand Prix on February 9 and 10 will receive a new set of tyres at almost half price.

A deal between the Vega tyre importer and event organisers sees tyre pooling introduced for the meeting just as it is at State and National Championships.

- MARK WICKS 75

news

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AM-uiwiiiwmiwi RADIATORS, INTERCOOLERS & OIL COOLERS ° Offroad cars ° Motorbikes ® Boats ° Hot Rods ® Street Cars ® Circuit Cars Contact Paul Weel on 07 55 981 499 or Fax drawings to 07 55 981 980 HANOBUI

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Contact have on Pk (oz) W? OSfS Mobile: 040Z 034 487 wuiw.tlmaccleiyn.cnik Email. infelSilmacclesyH.com Melbourne 44 Racecourse Rd North Melbourne 03 9326 6088

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Distributors for Victoria and Tasmania

Your high performance tyre and suspension specialists

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BOND ROLL BARS FUEL SAFE AUSTRALIA

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22 Carlingford St Regents Park NSW 2143 Phone 02 9743 7005 Fax 02 9743 7610 Mobile 0410 637 005

● Feb 25 - Winton ● March 24 - Winton ● May 5 - Winton ● July 21 - Winton Call

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Contact your state distributor...

Hardiman Auto Supplies (02) 9771 5877 M' otorsport Connections (02) 9838 7272 (03) 9794 5177 Victorian Speed Pro Performance Wholesale (07) 3808 1986 (08) 8363 5566 Crane Technologies (08) 9443 4400 Gogear Racing Services

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Coipor^ DYNO’S, FLOWBENCH, DATA ACQUISITION HmnmU ■ & DYNO SOFTWARE

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steel Main Caps to suit most V8 applications Manufactured in USA by Pro-Gram Engineering

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Peter Finlay's International Racing Drivers Schobl

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For more info ph 02 9873 1773, fax 02 9871 1018 or email peter@finlays.com.au

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TRADE enquiries WELCOME sale8@rockettndustrles.com.au

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Importers Cleerance Dfrejj^to Public"^

Lazer car racing helmets FIA Approved suitable for all motorsport applications includin open wheel competition, fi re proof lining, all new superseded^ stock, while stocks last." n

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Distributed nationally by:

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PREPARATION

● Kits and overhauls available ● High flow intercoolers and kits ● Link engine management systems ● Oil coolers and oil coolers kits ● Silicon hoses and bends ● Tein suspension kits Ph 03 9584 4499 or fax 03 9584 4008 Email avo@bigpond.com or check out our website www.avoturbo.com

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This space could be yours cnotorsport news

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MARKET PLACE

OFREE Seilans/SDorts Cars

Python S.R. 302 #98, Marque Sports championship winning car. 1st 1998, Is 3rd 2001. For lease, infrastructure and crew supplied, ready to race 2002. Bring helmet and - ● -|e 03 9696 0646 or money. Call George or Maggie 0402 053 116.224

Classifieds

absolutelyfree*

*IVlotorsport News Classifieds are FREE for private sales. Classifieds from motor sport traders are accepted (marked with a ●) and must be prepaid at the following per issue rates: $5 per 10 words {min $10 per ad), photo $10. Further enquiries to our advertising department on 03 9527 7744.

Classifieds can be mailed, faxed or emailed. Classifieds are not accepted over the telephone.

Forward to Motorsport News Free Classifieds, PO BOX 1010 North Caulfield 3161. Fax; 03 9527 7766.

Email: msnews@ozemail.com.au. Make sure to list your category. with assistance at a respectable cost, $10,000, ph 03 9725 3234.224

hp, single rail box, 10 bolt Salisbury 4 w/d, SAAS Simmons set Avon slicks, sprint hillclimb car, rego, 1st outright Bathurst 2001 Flying 1/5, $17,500 Ph 02 6884 3418. 221

"""1

Mazda Familia 323 GTX, (GTR spec), 2001 Championship holder class 3B Benalla Auto Sprints (Winton), GTR engine, gearbox, turbo etc.

Large intercooler, Koni suspension. Unichip ECU, dyno sheet available, CAMS registered roll cage.

Also suitable for tarmac or dirt rally $18,000 Ph Michael 03 5762 1096 or 0408 574 995.224

Mazda RX2 Capella Club car, 13B Bridgeport 250+ hp engine with 5 speed g/box, 4 piston Volvo front brakes, locked diff, Sparco Pro 2000 race seat, 4 point harness, 6 point roll cage, adjustable rear spoiler, weighs 970kgs, very quick and reliable, car comes with 2 spare wheels with new Yokohama A032R tyres. Club championship in 2001, 2nd in Supersprint class championship last 2 years, 4 class wins, Winton in 1,43s and Calder in 1.06s. Will not separate. $10,000 ono, Ph: 03 9308 1280.224

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UIC8

Welsor Sports Racing Car, Ford engine.

Rocket GBox, Harry Galloway bodywork, suitable as is for Group R Historic. Full history provided, sell due to new project, $19,500 ono, ph 07 92T7"3374 {leave message) or 0409 277 975.224

2 issues

●Parkel:AUTO:WR£i:KER5

tracks. Car also registered, would make fantastic Targa car. One of the cheapest cars to maintain in GTP. Built with the best. Proflex shocks, Momo seat, Moly cage, Autronic engine management, FT3 Fuel cell. Includes 8 wheels, spare clutch and many spares. $ 65,000 ONO Ph Brett Peters, Wk 07 3284 8844 Mob 0417 750 108. 224

Sports Sedan, Ford Cortina TF, 351 WINDSOR fresh engine, alloy heads, roller cam. roller rockers, dry sumped, 600 + HP, big brakes. Koni fully adj shocks. Super 110 box, full floater 9 inch Ford diff fab front end, big rose joints all round, simmons wheels, all moulds, new paint. Ready to race, $25,000 ONO, Ph Frank Sola on 0412328124 224

Saloon Caf| EA Falcon, front running car, ready for 2002 with spares, $18,000, Ph Harry 02 9548 1308 bh 0419292890.224

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Ford Falcon EB Saloon Car, Ex-Heinrich. Mkl, very quick. New paint, heaps of spares including panels, wheel? and tyres etc. Nothing to spend, 224 ready to race. $25,000 Ph; 0407 352 933.

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"1 EB Sports Sedan, 302w Toploader, 6 spot AP front stand, rear full floater, Sparco seat, Autometer, 10 EL GT rims, good rubber $18,000 Ph 03 5367 7856. 224

V8 Supercar rolling chassis, V5 Commodore, complete roller with: single bolt wheels Harrop brakes and running gear air jacks, dry brake system complete differential, $15,000 Ph 03 9217 8933. 224

nr 1^ NASCAR/V8 Stockcar, Pontiac Grand Prix, exAlan Grice #3 Valvoline car, fresh engine, gearbox. Fast car with spares, $60,000, Ph 03 9725 3234 or 0418 389 438.224

Porsche RSCS, Jim Richards's 99 GTP championship-winning car, 1996 model. Travelled 15800 only and has been restored to beautiful factory condition. Current NSW rego and CAMS log book. This collectible lightweight factory special is offered with large spares inventory and is ideal for any number of categories including Production Sports, Porsche Cup A, Targa etc and is 'bulletproof. $160,000, ph 02 9524 1199.224

1965 Ford Mustang, Champagne Beige (light met. gold) with black interior. Mildly worked rods, Screw in Studs, Hypertectic pistons, Edelbrock performer manifold. Carter 600 performance carburettor, Mallory unilite,

Sports 1300 Clubman, Toyota U2 - Haggis chassis 1974 (Historic), Dual seat and harness,

Magnecor HT ignition leads. Koni adjustable shocks all round. King Springs all round, H/duty front stabilizer. Recoed C4 transmission (less than

meets old, $22,000. New cars from $20 000 of 03 9725 3234 or 0418 389 438 . 224

dyno sheets available, all reasonable offers considered, ph Peter Hogan 02 4646 1033. 224

Historic Group A Sportscar. Auscam 138 Rotary. Built & raced in Qld by Ken Peters.

Winner 1982 Lakeside round of Australian Sportscar Championship. See Yearbook 12.

Restored to that era and ready to race apart from minor cosmetic details. These car are as rare as hens teeth. Opportunity to go fast historic racing without expensive engine rebuilds (more grins per lap). Log Book & C of D. Reluctant sale $65000 with Tandem Trailer. 0413 121717.224 NASCAR/V8 Stockcar, Pontiac Grand Prix, ex-

Torana SLR 5000, 308 Dyno, 300 rear wheel

24 January 2002

spare rims - slicks and wets, immac condition, $12,500, Ph Mark 0438 586 115. 224

1,000km). Flowmaster muffler and sports system.

Garaged for last 4 years. California car. Too much to list. $25,000 ono. Ph 07 5441 7700 bh or 07 5448 5569 ah. 224

Saloon Car #77, fastest Commodore round of championship, consistent top runoGr, 3

HQ Holden race car, NSW #52, top car, Div One car, loads of spares, gearbox, diff and mor e,

Honda Prelude, built by ElfinSports Cars. DGB gearbox, front running car, all spares, good history, $80,000, Ph Steve Voight 0412 769 841. 224

302W, S/Steel valves. Roller Rockers, Moly push

Petty Enterprises, roller complete. Join Power Tour

m .

Australian GTP Championship-winning Subaru WRX Sti 2 Door. This car is still only 11 races old, never crashed, comes with set-up data for most

HX Holden, 4Q0ci, 4 bolt small block, fuellies, forged flat tops, custom Holley 800 D/P, Crane roller and valve train, hornet cell, Mallory 140gph pump, HEI, Edelbrock, Ashdown, Pedders, Pacemaker, B&M Quicksilver, Weld Draglites, Auto Meter, M&H, manual TH350 by BTC, 9" 4,11 steel hat and HO Yoke, all parts new.

Strong, fresh, clean car. $11,500 neg. Ph 08 8131 0401, 22)

?9

ready to race The Power Tour with spares. $40,000.

Ph 0419 659 790 or 0418 450 740. 223

\i

Open Wheelers

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2001 championship winning team. Fully prepared, set up and ready to race. All inclusive, only $1200 per day. Ph Greg 0411 052 944 or 07 5446 7611. 223

Parts

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Torana Sports Sedan 202, 5 speed, fast & reliable. Eastern Ck lm46.4s, Oran Pk Sth 48.2s.

Numerous spares include 12 wheels, 2 spoilers,!

Mazda RX7, rolling chassis. 6pt steel cage, group 2E body spec, 3.8 diff. $3500. Sparco Pro

race. $8500 ono. Ph Michael 02 4732 5011 bh or 02 4731 1574-ah. 223

diff, moulds, springs. Car is complete & ready to

2000 seat, Sabelt 5pt harness, window net, $1100. Speedline suede wheel. Memo boss kit, $200. Webber 48ida downdraught, $500.

Lightweight flywheel and clutch, $150. Front rotor plate and 12a mounts, $100. The lot $4650. Ph Kev 0403 534 992. 223

Mazda RX2 Coupe, Improved Production, neat tidy car as last run, minus engine and gearbox.

Setup for 13B, includes 4W vented discs, Mazda Race LSD, New 4.8 CW&P, 2 sets 14"x7" rims, new extraaors & exhaust, new FIA-spec cage, 3" VP Sports Sedan, full space frame, all new panels including fibreglass, 16x10 Simmons race wheels, all adjustable rose-jointed suspension, full floating 9" diff, less than half build cost. $4000. Ph 03 5332 9888 bh or 0409 803 762 ah. 223

Toyota Corolla Hatch, a well equiped tarmac race car. New FIA seat and 6pt harness. King springs, LSD, 2 sets of wheels and tyres. Plus heaps of spares. Ph Nathan 03 5332 9888 bh or 0409 537 345. 223

TRS 5pt harnesses, rewired, adj. suspension & Korlis all 4 corners. Bolt in engine & box. Reluctant sale, offers around $5000, Ph Michael 0421 119 249 for full details. 223

V8 Supertar, collector's car. Perkins Engineering chassis 030. Last VS, 1997 Bathurst winner, finished 2nd in 2000 Konica Series, 11th QLD 500. Great Konica car, will run top 5 at less than half cost of VT. Second in Konica race at Bathurst - 2ml3.4s lap time! Setup assistance available for

new team. $115,000. Ph Matthew White 0417 558 452, 223

Formula Ford wheels, lightweight performance alloys, little use, set of six, $500, ph 03 9842 3315.224

07 Spectrum Update AQL, with many spares inci 3 engines, all fresh, $34,000 plus, Ph 03 9725 3234 or 0418 389 438.224 Complete Kart package, including trailer, Haase Blitz 28mm chassis, 40mm axle and blue printed J motor (qualified 11 th Aust. Champs) with fully enclosed purpose-built trailer. Lots of spares and accessories including trolley, all sprockets and chains, spare carby, medium and short hubs, spare 30mm axle, 2 sets of tyres, wets on rims, tacho & temp guage, wheel alignment bars, all lubricants, matching race suit, boots and gloves.

This would be perfect for a newcomer to the sport and is a very competitive package. All you would need to start rqacing is a helmet and a few tools. Will assist with setup etc. The lot for $5500. Ph Steve Abrahall 0438 645 182 or 02 9686 8001.224 Van Dieman RF 95, Queensland Championship winner 2001, immaculate, totally rebuilt, s/steel floor, new discs, wheel bearings, rod ends etc, spares inci wishbones, ratios, bodyworks etc, engine speedtech, only one meeting, $28,000 Ph 0411 052 944.224

Formula Vee, GAS competitive and reliable state race runner, John Deane engine with good HP, front and rear suspension rebuilt 2 meetings ago, chrome wide rims, fully enclosed trailer, spares, $4500 ono. Ph 03 5127 7754. 224

1B0B Sports Sedan, fuel Injected L28, Aultronic management system, wets and slicks, 260hp, some spare parts with car, log book, red. $7000 ono. Ph 0425 798 020.223

Datsun 120Y Coupe Improved Production car, 340hp turbo SR20, Autronic fuel injection, brand new 12" discs, Nissan 4 spot calipers, adjustable pedal box, double adjustable Koni shockers. Built from bare metal shell, fully welded roll cage. Car only raced one season from new.

Winner SA State Championship, winner SA Driver of the Year, 3rd outright Island Magic.

Very reliable and very competitive car. $21,500. Ph 0419 853 134. 223

NASCAR Ford Thunderbird, very competitive car.

Chev s/block 5.7 Childs.+ Albert alloy rods, L7J brand new $700 Ph 07 3888 5934 or 0409 895 934.224 Chev s/block 5.8 Cola crankshaft, just reground and crank tested $1200, ph 07 3888 5934 or 0409 895 934.224 Motec fuel injection manifold Chev, complete with distributor less injection $2550. Chev sixlitre engine complete 670hp $20,000, HRT fuel injection manifold 1995 $2300, used forged Chev cranks from $1200, Ph 0418 341 261.224 Sump and conrods, narrow journal Cosworth rods to suit Ford BD/VD, $950. Steel dry sump to suit F Ford, BDA etc $300. Ph Richard Carter, 02 9999 3606.224 Porsche wheels,(Simmons P86), 2/16 x 8", 2/16x9" with Hoosier tyres 225/50, 255/50. Suit 930 body, VGC, $1400. Ph 0418 325 745 or 03 5964 2909.224

16x7 Compomotive alloys to suit late model Celica/GT-Four and Subaru Liberty/Impreza with near new Dunlop Performa 215/50R 16 tyres near new hardly used. $1000 ori’d Ph 0418 641 959. 224 Mazda RX7 SP carbon fibre 110 litre fuel tank

Formula Libre, 1997 Pirahna, powered by Suzuki GSX-R 1100 WC, mounted wets, spare nose, wing, suspension, winner 2000 Winton Masters, log book, ready to race or hillclimb. $15,000. Ph 03 9723 6632.223 Nissan 280 ZX, Improved Production car. Built 1998. Willwood brakes, Bilstein Group A style suspension, full weld in cage, RB-25 engine, too much to mention, plus spares. Uncompleted project.

Cost $50,000, sell $13,000. Ph 0418 139 646. 223

X-Flo race head assy, including inlets, exhaust systems, roller rockers and cam/followers and cam/followers $3000 Ph Clive 02 9997 8072.224

$1200. Gemini coupe fibreglass panels, front guards, bonnet, boot lid, doors, front apron & bumper bars $1250. Fuel cell 5 gallon $150.

Bosch Motorsport 550hp fuel pump and adjustable malpassi $380. Ph 0411 271 571.224

Formula Ford Van Diemen RF93, 1995 update, Penske shocks, immaculately maintained, 2 sets of wheels and tyres, spare suspension arms + other spares, fresh Lamer engine, very competitive car. $25,000. Ph Mark 0414 750 147. 223 Drive available, QLD Formula Ford state series.

Send us your classified ads and we’ll run them for FREE* CatBBOrV: □ Sedans □ Open Wheelers □ Speedway DDrag □ Parts □ Engines □ Trailers □ Wanted □ Photographs □ Other.

Description; Please keep ads tonomorethan 30words,plusa photo if required.

N ame; Address; Ph( 80

)

NOTICE TO ADVERTISERS Please use the form provided and print clearly. Please note we are unable to return photographs used in classified ads. Ads will appear as soon as possible after receipt. *FREE Classifieds are for the sale of private goods and vehicles only, not business advertising (Trade advertisers see Classifieds header for rates). Photos marked "proof" v/ill not be used.

motorsport news

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>S

MARKET PLACE Ford Windsor V8, 8 butterfly electronic fuel injection patterns, manifolds, throttle bodies, drill jigs and tooling. $10,000 ono. Ph 03 9336 2248 all hours. 223 McPherson Racing Cosworth BDE-BDG, Weber Carby inlet manifolds(1 pair brand new)$700. Ph 0408 522 175. 223 Cosworth BDE-BDG fuel injection system, based on Speed Technology 48mm fitted with Porsche fuel injertors flowed at 500hp with fuel rail and piping, butterfly with throttle sensor. Inlet manifold machined aluminium matched to

magneto, good torque (dyno), complete engine $15000 ph 07 3888 5934 or 0409 895 934. 224 Super Sedan EB Falcon, complete car, Chev motor, 2 speed box, q/c, power steer, needs some work to complete, some spares, fuel cell. $3000 ono. Ph 0405 204 819 or email: flyingfox019@hotmail.com 223

Transporters/Trailers

http://www.bevenyoung.com.au or posted out on request. Inquiries/orders Beven D Young, Ph 08 8298 5548.224 Kart trailer, fits 3 + spares. Tows well. $1500. Ph 03 9725 3234 or 0418 389 438 . 224

l Oil coolers - heat exchangers, Earls, Setrab, Serck, 6-70 row, new/used, also used water to oil heat exchangers, over 100 in stock. CCI Ph 0418 925 767. l Racecar parts, brake parts, chassis stands, diff oil pumps, exhaust collectors, fuel cell accessories, oil filters, quicklift jacks, ratio boxes, radiator ... caps, springs, spoilers, wings etc. CCI Ph 0418 925 767. l Uprights, fabricated/cast, fronts/rears, various sizes, new/used, also CVs, driveshafts, wishbones, rockers, pushrods, all top quality, exc condition. CCI Ph 0418 925 767. l Air jacks, new/used, large range, most applications, quick release handles available, top quality. C.C.I.Ph 0418 925 767. l Radiators, aluminium, new/used, single/dual

leading 2-stoke engine simulation software, 'Slide Show' of features online postage. All credit cards. From Sevan D Young, 68 Somers Street, North Brighton 5048. Ph 08 8298 5548.224 Motor Sport, January 1950 - June 1995, in good condition, sell complete only, UK publication, all reasonable offers considered, Ph 0417 288 116, 08 9414 6776. 224

Isuzu SBR, Dual cab turbo, genuine 175,000 km, 9 months rego, mechanically Al, highway diff, tail loaders, heaps of storage carries three openwheelers at present but easy to convert to any size car. Complete package in top condition $27,000 PH 02 9476 4366 or 0418 447 760. 224 Transporter, Chev C60, articulated low line, ex mags, rebuilt everything, real head-turner and practical. 1000km range on LPG. Fresh Chev, split diff, new tyres, reg Oct, $65,000, Ph 03 9725 3234 or 0418 389 438. 224 Isuzu NPR 400 turbo, 5mt alloy pan rego 5/02, good tyres, air con, 240v shelving, tyre rack, side door, tailgate lifter to suit F/Ford, Sports Car, $14,750 ono. Ph Greg 07 5446 7611, 0411 052 944. 224

C.R. crank, Carillo Rods, T&D Rockers, Geardrive Isky Cam, WRG molly sump, genuine 610hp, 456ft/lb, complete with 4-stage oil pump, Motec injection harness, alternator, lightweight flywheel, AP clutch, fabricated engine mounts, braided lines, distributor cap and leads, maintained by Neil Burns. Full history, kms, and dyno sheets. $36,500, ph 0418 551 170. 224 Ford 1600 sohc. Ideal Group R F2. Wayne Ford Conversion. Steel crank, Cosworth pistons, Webers, complete from exhaust to clutch.

Checked by Peter Lamer 165hp $8500 Phone 0413 121717.224 Ford Cosworth YBM, Normally-aspirated, full racing version of Sierra. Dry sump, 260 bhp @ 8500 rpm. Red line 8750 rpm. Racing car exhaust headers, twin 48 DCOEs. Make me a sensible offer over $12,000. See running in car before you buy. Email pfirds®optushome.com.au, ph Peter 02 9873 1773.224

MOTA version 6 for Windows, The world's

http://bevenyoung.com.au, $255 incI GST and

l Pedals, brake/clutch, floor mount/hanging, new/sued. Also available, bias valves, bias cables, master cylinders, reservoirs etc. CCI Ph 0418 925 767.

l Hewland, DGB, 5 speed transaxle, top condition, new 9:31 CWP, ratio choices and spares available, $14K ratios, over 300 in stock to suit DGB, GFGB, TPT, FT200. CCI Ph 0418 925 767.

Transporter, 2 car trailer and prime mover.

Registered, new engine rebuild. $22,000 ono. Ph 0419 659 790 or 0418 450 740. 223

SusProgBD Suspension By Design, A 3 Dimensional automotive suspension design n program. Live axle, watts linkage or panhard rod. $275 inci GST. All credit cards. Demo

l Clutches, 7.25, 5.5, 5.0 single, twin, triple plate, sintered or carbon, AP-Tilton-QM, new/used. Spare covers, rings, plates also available. CCI Ph 0418 925 767.

l Brake calipers, discs, pads, Mega range, new/used, exc condition - AP, Alcon, Brembo, Outlaw, Willwood. Overnight delivery. CCI Ph 0418 925 767.

'72 Ford Bus, 6 cyl turbo diesel, seats 8, bunks, storage area, rear section for racecar. rego 11/02 $11,800 ono. Ph 0408 246 032. 223

Other

Cosworth head and throttle bodies, high pressure fuel pump and regulator $2500. Ph McPherson Racing 0408 522 175. 223 9" diff centre, with Detroit locker complete, 3.9 ratio $1500. PFC 93 bedded front Harrop style 6 spot pads $700. Perkins VS tailshaft and yokes to suit POA. Perkins VT tailshaft and yokes to suit PDA. Rebco computer scales $2000. JFZ Coil over adjustable shocks POA. Endless MA45 pads, new $700. Ph 0417 558 452. 223

Transporter, 1989 Flino FD 16, 6 speed, 170 HP, steer/brke, 1500kg crane, 2 x open wheelers + wkshp space. Big 18ft pan -r side door. Low kms.

Easy 1 OOkph cruise. $19,000. Ph 0412 780 515. 223

Bell housing, to suit Holinger 6 speed to Cosworth 2L turbo. Or anyone knowing the whereabouts of a bell housing to suit, any information greatly appreciated. Ph Graeme 0418 423 007. 223 Motoring books and magazines, large run of Autosport 1968-1994, Autocar and The Motor UK 1950-1964, Racing Car News, various Modern Motor 54-98, Ph T McGrath 08 9279 7003, fax 08 9377 3939. 224 Jacques Villeneuve autographed, 1994 Gold Coast Indy Car programme. $100. Ph Martin 07 3285 3547 ah. 223

Wanteil Formula Atlantic, must be in good condition, basically ready to race with log book etc, ph 03 5439 6440 or 0418 509 145. 224 Wanted - Mechanic. Due to the expansion of of our business, Barnes High Performance are looking dor an experienced dyno tuner with engine building skills. The ideal applicantmust be multi-skilled, honest, reliable and very tidy. Enjoy an excellent wage package while you live and play on QLD's Sunshine Coast. To apply call Jeff on 07 5441 7700 or email your details to jeff@barnesperformance.com.au. 224 VW-style Speedway engine. Autocraft, etc, complete parts. No junk. Cash for right unit, email pfirds@optushome.com.au, ph 02 9873 1773. 224 Parts and advice for preparation of '77 VW Golf for club rallying: roll cage, seats, harnesses, wheels (4-stud 14x6) tyres, helmets and suits, trailer, fire equipment, 2nd hand or new, Ph 03 9818 2726. 224 Fibreglass front clip, for Datsun 1200 Coupe or

Full roll cage,8 point will fit most 2 door cars and some 4 door cars. Out of a 1992 TX3 4WD.

any fibreglass panels to suit Datsun 1200 Sports Sedan. Ph Steve 02 6682 8250 or 02 6682 8082

Alloy Pan, suits Isuzu SBR, cab over storage, will

Complete with 5 point 2" racing harness.

ah. 223

take two Fomula Fords or sedan, winch, alloy ramps, workbench, storage draws, tyre racks, side door, gas ram rear door, full length annexe and sides, $6000 Ph Greg 0411 052 944. 224

Professionally build to CAMS specifications. Urgent sale. $1500. Ph Troy 0414 063 889. 223

Engines

Bell (jousing, to suit Holinger 6 speed to Cosworth 2L turbo. Or anyone knowing the whereabouts of a bell housing to suit, any information greatly appreciated. Ph Graeme 0418 423 007. 223 Toyota Sprinter race parts, quick rack, g'box, LSD etc. Also, 14" AD32 tyres. Ph 0417 687 161 or 07 3814 3762 ah. 223

pass, top quality, large range, various sizes, suit all applications, fr $300. CCI Ph 0418 925 767.

Speedway

Sponsor wanted, for ex-QLD F/Ford and F/Vee

street Stock Mitsubishi Scorpion, 2-6 straight body, new gearbox, ready to race $1500. Sigma Production Sedan, rego 2-6 motor 5 speed $3000. Ph 02 6963 5563 or 0427 635 563. 224

energetic team. Will look at all categories. Ph 0412 746 986 or 07 3398 1338 ah. 223

Chev 366 race engine, suit late model or super sedan (taxi cars). All components 2 seasons old, built by Jack Brothers Brodix Track I heads, Ross Pistons, L/A Rods, BRC crank, C & S aerosol carb.

COME TO THE GP WITH BROCK COMPETITION Terms and Conditions (Amended to include BONUS Monaro lap) i The promoter is Australasian Motorsport News PO Box 1010, Caulfield North. VIC 3161. o Information on how to enter and prizes form part oi these conditions of entry.

3 Entry is open to all readers. Overseas readers may enter on the understanding that the travel comoonent of the pnze is limited to travel within Australia and. should they win, will be required to orovide their own travel to Melbourne. Employees and their immediate families of the Promoter.

Ticketmaster 7 Australia Pty Ltd. General Travel Group Pty Ltd. Mojo Partners. Australian Grand Prix Corporation and their agencies associated with this promotion are ineligible to enter.

4. This is a game of skill and chance plays no part in determining the winner. Each entry will be judged based on creativity and originality.

5. To enter, consumers must fill out an entry form, complete with three ORIGINAL (no copies) official competilion images of Peter Brock (the Driver);

24 ianoary 2002

champion. Ready to make a comeback with

HQ Photos, Winton Three Hour races 1999 & Hino, 170hp with 15.5ft Pantech, pwr winch, solid ramps, belly lockers, tyre racks, very reliable, selling only because I need a bigger truck. Willing to trade on bigger one. $15,990. Ph 03 9790 6204. 223

Chev V8 Supercar engine. Current spec, Benson original build, Bowtie block, Morrison inlet manifold, 18 deg weltech hand finished heads.

published in Australasian Motorsport News between 9/1/02 and 17/2/02(NB:‘sample’ coupon accepted) answer the questions and send their entry to PO Box 1010 North Caulfield 3161. Multiple entries will be accepted but each entry must be on a separate entry form. The main entry form may be photocopied but all three (3) Peter Brock images MUST be originals and no photocopies will be accepted. No responsibility accepted for late, lost or misdirected mail.

6. Promotion commences 9/1/02. Entries close 5pm 13/2/02. The draw will take place al 11am at 357 Nepean Highway East Brighton Vic. 3187 on 14/2/02. The winners will be notified by mail and their names will be published in Motorsport News on 21/2/02.

7. The best entry, as determined by the judges will win a trip for two people to Melbourne valued al up to $3,000 depending on the point of departure, including return economy airfares from the winner’s nearest capital city to Melbourne (if necessary), 2 four-day grandstand tickets. 2 pit lane walk passes, 2 event caps and polo shirts to attend the 2002 Foster’s Australian Grand Prix and 4 nights twin share accommodation.-Tf-io prize includes a tour of the Formula 1 Paddock with Peter Brock and a lap in

Brock’s GP Rally Monaro. The prize must be taken to coincide with the 2002 Foster’s Australian Grand Prix from 28/2/02 to 3^02, and the Paddock tour and Monaro lap at the time determined by the Promoter in its absolute discretion. The prize is subject to booking and flight availability and flights may not be changed once the tickets are purchased. Flights are on Qantas Airv/ays Umited only and not its subsidiary airlines (ie Sunstate, Eastern Australian, Southern Airlines and Airlink) and flights do not accrue frequent flyer points. Upgrades cannot be purchased either with cash or frequent flyer points.

8. Spending money, meals, transport to and from departure point, transfers and all other ancillary costs incurred as a result of taking a prize are the responsibility of the winners. The Promoter accepts no responsibility for any variation in the prize values.

Prizes are not transferable or exchangeable and cannot be taken as cash.

9. The prizewinner and their companions attending the 2002 Foster’s Australian Grand Prix agree to comply with the Conditions of Entry to the event.

10. The prizewinner acknowledges and accepts that motor racing and related activities are dangerous and accidents can happen, and that participation In

2000, any shots of HQ S60. Ph Tim 03 9868 9214 bh. 223 Modified Production car required, no junk. Ph Allen 0411 271 689. 223 any prize has a degree of danger. To the extent permitted by law. the prize winners exclude, release and forever discharge the Promoter and the Australian Grand Prix and their respective personnel from all liability for claims, loss, damage, costs or expenses (whether arising under statute, from negligence, personal injury, death, property damage infringement of third parly rights or otherwise) arising from or in connection with the participation in the relevant prize or attendance at the event or otherwise howsoever arising.

11./Ml entries become the property of the Promoter.

All entries will bo entered into a database and the Promoter (or any third party nominated by the Promoter) may use entrants’ names, addresses and the winners imago and their comments relating to the prize for future promotional, marketing and publlcily purposes in any media worldwide without notice and without any fee being paid.

12. If the winner is under the ago of 18 years, the prize will bo awarded to a member of the winner’s immediate family (as nominated by the winner) provided such person Is 10 years of age or over and such person complies with all of the conditions set out above in relation to the prize.

81

OPINION

■ourswrl EDITORlAi STIFF

Editor: Phil Branagan (editor@mnews.com.au) Assistant Editor: Aaron Noonan Staff Journalist: Mark Glendenning

PRODUCTION

Adv & Graphics Co-ordinator: Viv Brumby

IDVERTISINO

Advertising Wfenager: Brendon Sheridan Email: ads@mnews.com.au

ADMINISTRITION

Managing Director: Chris Lambden Email: publisher@mnews.com.au

CONnCTS

357 Nepean Highway, Brighton East Vic 3187 (PO Box 1010 North Caulfield Vic 3161) Ph: 03 9596 5555 Fax: 03 9596 5030 Email: mnews@mnews.com.au

CONTRIRUTORS

General: Grant Nicholas, Darryl Flack, Mark Jones, Jon Thomson FI: Joe Saward, Adam Cooper, Nick Carton Europe: Quentin Spurring, Gary Watkins US: Phil Morris Speedway: Brett Swanson, Julie Pearce, Geoff Rounds, Wade Aunger, Tony Millard (UK), Greg Boscato Rally: Peter Written, Jon Thomson Histories: Brian Reed Drag Racing: Greg Ward, Jon Asher (USA), Dave Ostaszewski (USA), Nick Nicholas, Steven White, Ken Ferguson Super Speedway: Martin D Clark (USA) National: Mark Wicks, Sean Henshelwood, Michael Shaw, Erin McCowatt Photographers: Sutton Motorsport Images, Dirk Klynsmith, Bothwell Photographic, Marshall Cass, Nigel Snowdon & Diana Burnett, API Images, Neil Hammond, Slipstream Photographic, Phil Williams, Ailsport, John Morris/Mpix, Frank Midgley, John Bosher, Lynley Reid, Mike Patrick (UK), Daniel Wilkins, Peter French, Chris Carter, James Smith, Paris Charles, Bob Potts Cartoonist: Allan Schofield Motorsport News is published by Australasian Motorsport News - ABN 55 125 120 702 Publisher: C Lambden Printed by: Offset Alpine Printing Pty Ltd, Lidcombe, NSW Distributed by: NDD LtdMaterial published by MOTORSPORT NEWS is copyright and may not be reproduced in full or in part without the written permission of the publisher. Freelance contributions are welcome, and while all care will be taken, Australasian Motorsport News does not ■>-accept responsibility for damage or loss of material submitted. ●Opinions expressed in Motorsport News are not necessarily those of Australasian Motorsport News or its staff.

SUBSCRIPTIOHS Australia (ind GST) Overseas (Air Mail): New Zealand, PNG, Malaysia, Indonesia, Phillippines, Hong Kong,Japan US, Canada, Europe

1 year $143

2 years $275

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Post your cheque/money order to the address above, fax your credit card details (Bankcard, VISA, Mastercard, or Amex) to 03 9527 7766 or email to mnews@mnew5.com,au

82

One-man Webber fund

Letter from a bloke Dear Blokes, Well, another year gone. A good job done by your team.

Top job! Just been looking over my tape of the Sandown second race.(We don’t get Channel 10 up here so we get the races replayed at Channel Nine’s discretion).

My beef is the latest slight by the Scot’s team; read: WaLkinsha.w, read: HRT, where Grech says he forgot that he cannot clear the air dam on short races. “I forgot.”

A sharp operator like Grech does not ever miss a beat, mate. He could have had the dignity to be honest, to admit, ‘we push the rules to the limit.’

The whole Supercar series has turned into a dollar and dirty tricks game.(Sometimes I wonder if TWE has that much control that it can dictate the whole game).

There are many good racers and engineers in this country but one wonders about the politics of having a so-called Australian product winning, i.e. Holden.

To me it seems un-Australian now. Thank God for GTP, Nations Cup and USA NASCAR, where any brand can win!

Tex Hansen Berry Springs, NT

The Big Go

Having just attended my first ever Drag Racing Nationals at Willowbank, all I can say is ‘wow’!

The whole event was just brilliant, but the highlight by far was seeing the Top Fuellers in action. Those things are mad.

I only made it to the track on the final day, but next time I’ll definitely be making a weekend of it. Well done to Steve Read, Ben Bray and all the other winners, and thanks for a great event!

Nigel Anderson West End, QLD

converter Send us your thoughts: mail: 357 Nepean Highway, Brighton East, VIC 3187 lax: 03 9596 5030 email: mnews@mnews.com.au

the last four or so years.

Congratulations Willowbank, but don’t hang onto the event for too long - Adrenalin is opening soon!

Tony Johnson Alphington, Vic

Quizzical

Re: Who, when, where, MN quiz, issue #221 I don’t know who the two drivers or their two teams are, in the photo but the track must be Gold Coast and I will guess 1992.

Thanks for the quiz and a great magazine. But if you ask the question, an answer would be nice.

Philip Archer archer@senet.com.au MG: We did answer the question but instead of including the solution with the rest of the answers of page 21 of the following issue, we ‘cunningly’ listed it with the briefs on page 9. For the record, the photo depicted Hiro Matsushita (Payton-Coyne Racing) and Eddie Lawson (Galles Racing) at the Gold Coast Indy race in 1996.

We all know that Mark can’t get to FI on his driving talents alone.

Why don’t his sponsors Yellow Pages and Foster’s do something like what happened with Dick Johnson after he hit the rock and needed money to continue racing?

Have a money-raising scheme where.every dollar his fans donate they double or triple.

This would give them great exposure and help him get closer to getting that elusive FI drive in either 2002 sometime or 2003, or keep him in a testing role at least.

C’mon people, I’ll donate $20 but that’s no good on its own. If every fan does their bit, we can help him get there and show someone like Paul Stoddart that the Aussie fans are 100 percent behind Mark Webber.

You never know, Stoddart might then lower the price for Mark.

What do ya think, MN? M. Burge mburge@austamet.com.au CL: Nice thought, Burge, but as you will have read in our news pages, we reckon the Minardi thing is a done deal. Ifyou want to support Mark, get yourself to Melbourne...

Where’S Webber?

/

Do you have an email address for me to send Mark Webber all the best from some Aussies?

Cheers, great mag. My Bible.

Can you explain the V8 franchise system to us mortals?

Tony Pimblott pima@iprimus.eom.au MG: Webber’s official website, which you will find at www.webber.yellowpages.com.au, has a facility that allows you to contact him via email.

V8 franchise system? Explain?

You’ve got to be kidding!

The Big Gone

It broke my heart to hear the Nationals were moving from Victoria to Willowbank, especially after 10 years back in the city where the event first began.

But having attended the event this past weekend, I can honestly say that the Nationals has returned to being the event it used to be, and was given the dignity and respect it deserved by ANDRA and Willowbank.

Not only did the event have great racing, but the show was slick, the entertainment plentiful and entertaining and the atmosphere was electric.

I dearly want the event to return to Melbourne, but not if it’s treated the way it was treated for

f.

Flamin’ impressive: Reader Nigel Anderson had his first taste of Top Fueiiers at the 2002 Nationals and liked what he saw - and heard. Tony Johnson also enjoyed himself, but would like to see the event return to Melbourne.

(Photo by Dirk Klynsmith) motorsport news

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TRADING post GRAND PRIX RALLY HEADS EAST The 2002 Trading Post Grand Prix Rally will make a major break with tradition and take an exciting new route to the 2002 Foster’s Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park.

The five-day Rally for the first time will take Classic and Modern competitors 'over the top' to Melbourne via the spectacular Victorian Alps and CIppsland.

n The Rally will travel to Melbourne via Wangaratta, Milawa, swifts Creek, Bairnsdale, Sale and Leongatha

Shepparton to Bright ●b.

Bright to Lakes intrance Lakes intrance to Traraigon

n Gala Awards presentation Dinner at the Grand Hyatt Thursday February 28

n The car you drive everyday is your Grand Prix Rally Car n Over 30 Special Tests venues, including DECA, Winton Raceway, Morweii Hillclimb, n Classic and Modern competition winners Phillip island Grand Prix Circuit, Holden's receive trophies on the Formula 1 Lang Lang Proving Ground and sandown podium international Raceway, plus many more n Four day competitors display at the ■ The 2002 Trading post Rally will conclude Albert park circuit on the day before the Foster’s Australian Formula One Grand Prix at Albert Park n Competitors parade laps of the Albert Wednesday February 27 Park circuit during the 2002 Fosters Australian Grand Prix ■ classic and Modern competitions j

Traraigon to Cowes

weanesaay 27 FeDruary

Cowes to Melbourne * (siihjcci fn oflhwl l oiilirimiiion hv ilic /●'/. I of ilic dale /i>r the lusmilian 11 (iPi

For enquiries eon-tact Octagon Motorsport: Oh ph 9H27 h655 fax 03 9429 1591 email 3a11ciy.nichois@octagon.com or hownioatl re§uiaitlon$ and entry forms at fww.grandprix.com.au

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