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Issue 360 JUNE 2007
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www.mnew5.com.au
news
HE 4
Enforcer Exit
Could Ingall be Holden in 08?
6
Selling Up
SCAR sold, DJR on the verge
9
Legend passes
George Tatnell tribute
10 Raffles 6P
Singapore gets its FI street race
16 Bigger than big 'Junior'leaves his Dad's team!
opinion 18 Motor Mouth
All day,everyday, Hyundai
26 Box Seat
Like Holden,FI are talking in 4s
98 Talk Converter
Sayonara Bradley!
FEATURE 24 Five Minutes with Nigel Mansell 28 LP doesn't mind speaking his mind,and that's I exactly what he did with MNews... \ 36 Second fiddle? NotJamie Whincup. He's leading the way for the Eights 42 May the force be with you Glendenning heads to McLaren's HQ to find out just how much like the Death Star it is 48 Scrapbooking A look back atSBR's stable ofcars-past and present 52 A pack ofsmokes and a Champ Car, thanks PaulStoddartIs back in (Minardi)black 58 Burning FI rubber at'The Ring'
I 62 First corner blues in Spain J Alonso runs wide, Massa wins the race n 66 Short and sweet
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Rick and Garth keep that winning feeling alive in NZ
I 70 Evans still winning in ARC
i n I 72 Loeb still winning in WRC
J 74 Jim wins Targcr Sullens wins Targa
nniionni & iniERnflTionnL 76 Speedway 80 Drag Racing 84 NationalScene
92 Race Shop/Industry News/Classifieds
JULY issue on sale June 271
TRnoe 5utTon-images.com Klynsmith Cormick
Welcome! Aaron Noonan Editor, Motorsport News IT'S Issue 360 of Motorsport News and there have been a lot of changes happening within the fort here in the MN offices. eNews is off and racing with great success and plenty of great feedback, but we haven't forgotten the rest of the'old spec'magazine. This is the first of MN in its new monthly format and,as you will see, it now features much more focus(and page count!) devoted to features and interviews with all sorts of people and on all sorts of topics within the sport. Rather than squeezing a great story into four pages,or running smaller pics than we'd otherwise like, now we can let some great stories breathe and have even more room to be told in full. There are plenty offamiliar features,some new bits and pieces but still the same sort of passion for what we do from the staff here at MNews. Those who know me know that I am a sucker for history. I love the old stuff- old magazines,looking back and events and places and people. I'm a firm believer in needing to know where we've come from to know where we are going. While on one of this'historic hunts'the other week I came across MN Issue 97, appropriately enough from early 1997. Wayne Gardner had just won his first V8 Supercar round at Calder(under lights!) and young blokes called Tander and Ambrose were going wheel-to-wheel in Formula Ford. That was also the first issue where MN let me loose and put my by-line in the mag. As a 16-year-old schoolkid in Ballarat it was quite a thrill to visit the newsagents and see my name in there. And here we are - 10 years later - and I'm in what we jokingly refer to around here as 'the big chair'. During the time in between '97 and '07 I've been around the place a little with stints in journalism, PR and now also in television. Oh,and there were those years from '97 to'99 taken up by that most evil of jobs-school ... But coming back to MNewsjust seems natural. We have people who have a nose for a story, have dedication and passion for the sport and a genuine understanding of the 'bigger picture'. We have the trust and respect of plenty of important people in the industry, and that is a combination of years of experience and relationship building across a wide range of spectrums. So entering a new era at MN,the same philosophies remain the same. A good read from cover to cover, plenty of great pics and a magazine you'll pick up a few times over to make sure you read it all. The only difference is that you'll have to just make one trip to the newsagent a monthi 1
Could Ingall cross T
What are the chances of Russell driving a Holden in 2008? 1 HE future of Russell Ingall is one of the keys to the 2008 V8 Supercar driver 'silly season'- and could it possibly include a cross back over the fence to Holden?
That is emerging as one of the possibilities as Ingali, who has driven for Stone Brothers Racing since moving to Ford in 2003, looks to lay his future plans in concrete for next year and beyond. Out of contract with SBR at the end of 2007, however still with a year to go on his Ford contract, Ingali has recently suggested that he is "only"a 50/50 chance to stay at SBR. With Ford (and indeed Holden) cutting back on its budgets,there's no doubt that a bidding war isn't an option and collecting money from Ford for the final year of his contract is dependant on Ingali driving a Falcon. Whether he can find a competitive enough seat to be a contender if he is to leave SBR remains the major issue. The 2005 V8 Supercar champ commented on Channel Seven's Pukekohe race telecast that team owner Ross Stone has said that he wants him to stay, although at this point, there remains no formal contract beyond the expiry of the current one. Ingali is one of many drivers out of contract at the end of the season, but his options elsewhere for next year appear to be limited if he leaves SBR. Potential seats at Britek Motorsport or Paul Cruickshank Racing could end up giving him a Ford lifeline (see breakout). However, one possibility that is yet to really be explored - externally anyway - is the
potential to move back into a Commodore. Despite moving from Hoiden to Ford after seven years with Larry Perkins'squad, Ingali is known to stili have retained the respect of those on the'red'side of the fence. Some paddock chat has suggested Team Sirromet Wines as a potentiai ianding spot for Ingali, with plenty of factors that make it a possible destination. Based on the Gold Coast, the two-car team clearly needs a driver who can push it further up the grid and tie-in with the Holden Performance Driving Centre (as well as being based in the same part of the world as Ingali) all could make it a possibility. The close ties between Holden's motorspof,. department and the Sirromet team - which recently built, prepared and ran the Astra Bathurst 12 Hour cars - is also another factor that could help orchestrate the deal. "Russell is in a top-level Ford team with at least another year on his Ford contract," said Holden Motorsport Manager Simon McNamara. "It's not really open for discussion, I woulq have thought."
And given the large number of drivers who have crossed from Holden to Ford in the [Past - Lowndes, Ingali, Bright, Richards, Bargwa PPa, Whincup,Courtney - and the lack offlow back across the fence the other way, it com,j be a nice little PR boon for the General. There's no doubt this story has a way to yet, and with so many drivers out of contra^* at the end of this season, the silly season sure looks like a busy one ... -AARON NOONAN motorsporinews
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WHERETO FOR RUSSELL IN 2008? STONE BROTHERS RACING
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With one season left on his Ford contract, it seems extending his SBR contract by oneyear would make the most sense. However, this is motor racing - one and one doesn't always equal two! Retaining Ingall's services would make sense as SBR looks to retain Caltex as one of the team's major sponsors. SBR's long standing Caltex deal is up for renewal at the end of the year. C*LT«
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PAUL CRUICKSHANK RACING John Bowe is retiring from V8 Supercar racing at the end of the year, opening a spot at Cruickshank's Falcon team. Luring another Ford star to PCR would strengthen Cruickshank's relationship with Ford, and the team's sponsor Glenfords Tool Centres may be tempted to renew with a name driver on board. Both PCR and Ingall are Queensland-based.
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BRITEK MOTORSPORT Jason Bright's Melbourne team would need extra sponsorship dollars to recruit the likes of Ingall, but those dollars could come from CAT.The earthmoving company has spent 2007 as only a minor sponsor of Britek, but are mooted to return in 2008. What CAT love the most, remember, is a name driver. When Lowndes left FPR in 2004, they demanded a name driver replace him. So, FPR hired Jason Bright....
WPS RACING Outside chance, but Craig Gore could see real value in securing Ingall's services. The biggest hurdle is that WPS isn't a Fordsupported team - however,the Queenslandbased team has close ties with Ingall's manager Brett Murray...
PAUL MORRIS MOTORSPORT Could Ingall jump the fence? Don't rule it out! It would be a change of policy within PMM,which has generally supplied one car for Paul, and one car for a young driver. The key factors here are that Ingall left Holden on relatively good terms in 2003, and PMM is Queensland-based. Hang on, maybe one and one can make two!
THE INGALL FILES YEAR 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998 1997 1996 www.mnews.coni.au
CAR Caltex Falcon BA Caltex Falcon BA Caltex Falcon BA Caltex Falcon BA Castrol Commodore VX Castrol Commodore VX Castrol Commodore VT Castrol Commodore VT Castrol Commodore VS/VT Castrol Commodore VS Castrol Commodore VR
ROUND WINS
No wins
6th
No wins 1 3 + Sandown 2 + Bathurst 1
5