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No.362 AUGUST 2007 Australia $6.95 NZ $8.50 inc GST

WILL DAVISON

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1 Issue 362 AUGUST 2007

www.mnews.com.au

NEWS

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news

7 Th^ilitoWin

Whatis Davison's next move?

Honda hires and fires in Formula 1

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r WILL

le Eshes Team Kiwi's back in the Game

lion

10 Pt^er Viewing

Willstars in USA -and it's on TV!

T2 Board Senseless V8Supercar, the Monopoly game!

OPINION 14 MotorMouth

Whose car are you driving?

22 Box Seat

There is such a thing as bad publicity

98 The Back Page

Looking backwards. OK, we're old

Photos Cover;

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Dirk Klynsmith Contents: sutton-images.com Kiynsmith John Morris/Mpix

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FEATURE:^ 20 Five Minutes with Jean-Pierre Jabouille 24 DJR's Will Davison spills his guts But he never spills his Jim Beam 32 Following the Family Business Nico - Williams's second Rosberg 38 Lime Rock Star -if

NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL

Hanging with Ryan Briscoe in the ALMS 44 Captain Fantastic

80 Speedway

Inside Roger Penske's back shed. Sort of

82 Drag Racing 84 NationalScene

46 V8 Supercar's Fu Fighters The Fujitsu Series has come a long,long way 62 Freddie Mercurial A briefhistory ofGibson's V8 Supercars

RACE 66 Old cars-h wet weather = Goodwood 68 Wheeeeeeee!ofthe Never Never Craig storms Hidden Valley. And smiles 72 How the Carrera Cuppers found Darwin(with GPS?) 76 FI:Raikkonen takes 10 points at Silverstone

TRADE 92

Race Shop/Industry News/Classifieds

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jniotorspgrt SBR LIFELINE FOR

team kiwi

Stones confirm TKR deal

SBR prepares Kiwi Falcon from OP with van Giz behind the wheel STONE Brothers Racing will prepare Team Kiwi Racing's entry in the V8 Supercar Championship Series from Oran Park onwards. As exclusively revealed in Motorsport e News (Issue #013),the Queenslandbased team will prepare and maintain the all-black entry for young Kiwi star Shane van Gisbergen, who has been part of SBR's long-term plans for some time. TKR owner David John's title within the team will remain as the team principal and licence owner. The car that van Gisbergen will drive is Russell Ingall's current BF Falcon, with Ingall moving into a new BF chassis as from now. ^ SBR's Fujitsu Series engineer Lindsay Tht^pson will look after the #021 car at the racetracks. Van Gisbergen finished second in New Zealand's Toyota Racing Series last season and tested with SBR at Queensland Raceway in May. The Falcon will remain in a similar livery to the ●WATTYtFord Performance Racing-prepared car that Adam Macrow and Paul Radisich drove in the first four rounds of the series.The SBR/TKR link up comes after a split between FPR and TKR in early June. - GRANT ROWLEY

Drivers support Dunlop option tyre

THERE is a growing level of support for the introduction of an'option'tyre in V8 Supercars. Dunlop was awarded a five-year deal last month to continue its exclusive supply of control tyres and, with a five-year tenure, the company and V8SA together have the option to develop and then implement an option tyre to run beside the current K5P5 tyre. And there is a fair degree of support for the concept. "It's a great idea,"said Steven Richards. "My version of it is that it would work well if it has to be used, either from the start of the race or to have drivers go onto the option tyre at the [compulsory pit] stop.

"It would be good if the tyre was about half-a-second a lap, over a 60-second lap, faster than the 'control'tyre. That way, if drivers have a bad race, or are at the back after qualifying, they have the option of using four tyres and charging through. I thinkthatthe racing would be awesome." Supercheap Autos driver - and Network 10 Formula 1 head Cameron McConville largely agrees.

"F/^ke "The

Nex^t S“tep a seminar designed to educate drivers and teams looking to move forward with their car racing careers

"I think it's a great idea, it's a good concept," he said. "It sort of works in Formula 1 and created another element to the racing. Sometimes the problem is that everyone goes to the option tyre at the same time so it doesn't spice it up. "But the important thing is to make sure the option tyre is substantially faster or slower. In FI, sometimes it's only two or three tenths of a difference. I'd say you'd need to make it half a second difference. It should be that if the back 15 cars (in the field) have changed to the option tyre and the front 15 haven't, then they can make up some inroads for a period of the race."

Speaking on the night will be Industry Leaders and Drivers

Bertrand Decoster Ray Price Manager Managing Director Mygale Cars ^r-»^Ford Motoreport

Rick Kemp Top Performance Konl Shocks

~ FORMULA FORD ~ V8 SUPERCARS ~ CAREER PATHS ~

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~ MEET DRIVERS & TEAM OWNERS ~ MEET INDUSTRY LEADERS

~ COSTS & BUDGETS ~ DRIVER DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

ONE of Ford's young stars has made a big impression in the 2007 V8 Supercar Series, so much so that a range of teams are believed to be eyeing off the young gun for 2008. With Russell Ingall virtually certain to be leaving Stone Brothers Racing after five seasons with the Queensland-based Ford squad, paddock talk has linked former open wheeler international Will Davison to the team for 2008 among a range of other teams who have been keen on securing the 24-year-old's services. However, the Jim Beam driver says he has a contract with Dick Johnson Racing for next year the third and final on his current deal - and that he wants to stay, provided the team continues to move along and progress as it has done so in recent times on track. "I do want to stay loyal," Davison told Motorsport News in this

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issue's main feature. 1 signed a three-year deal because I wanted to be there for three years and I felt that early in my career it was a perfect scenario for me to grow with a growing team. "There would have to be certain criteria happen for me to want to move on. I'm happy to stick with them through the tough times and I've had to make some sacrifices to stick with them, but loyalty pays off. "I'll know soon enough whether things are going to be all rosy there for next year and whether they're going to be able to fulfill what I need them to do for me to want to stay there. At this stage, that's all I want to do and I'm contracted to be there. "I want to be there and I have a contract to be there. "Unless something changes soon,there will be no reason why

anything changes. "If things start to change throughout this year, you've got to do what's best for yourself. I've been in the wrong position quite a few times now and I know it's vital for my career I don't get stuck again." Ongoing talk relating to the economic future of Dick Johnson Racing has been continuing around the V8 Supercar paddock, with the latest potential buyer being John Marshall, whose deal with Kees Weel to purchase Supercheap Auto Racing fell over at the 11th hour. Carrera Cup category rights owners Sherrin Motorsport have also been linked to taking an interest in DJR, while Josh Thompson,father of Fujitsu Series star Andrew, has hosed down speculation about a possible involvement with the team. -AARON NOONAN

Will Davo: 'A I

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS Age: Lives:

24 Gold Coast, QLD

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1995-1999 Karting 2000 1st,Victorian Formuia Ford Championship 2001 1st,Australian Formula Ford Championship 2002 4th, British Formuia Renault Championship(3 podiums) 2003 8th, British Formuia 3 Championship (Croft round win) 2004 7th, British Formula 3 Championship,Minardi FI test drive 2005/2006 A1 Team Australia driver,6th at Eastern Creek 2006 19th in V8 Supercar Championship Series(DJR) V8 Round Starts: 19(After Hidden Valley 2007) V8 Debut: 2004,Winton(Team Dynamik) Best V8 Result: 4th,Sandown 5002006 Best 2007 Result: 5th, Barbagallo Raceway Best V8 Qualifying: 4th, Hidden Valley 2007

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