Pitstop magazine September 2015

O ff ici a l Pu blication of t h e B e n a l l a A u t o C l u b I n c .

pitstop September 2015

F O L A V I T S E F G N THRILLI N O T N I W T A D N SPEED WEEKE

PLUS

REMEMBERING BAC LEGEND MARY STAFFORD AUTHORISED PRINT POST NUMBER PP100001045

September 2015

Contents | BAC President’s Report................................................. 4 | BAC Treasurer’s Report................................................. 5 | Unique Career Opportunity at Wakefield Park... 5 | Vale Mary Stafford......................................................... 6 | News Briefs....................................................................... 7 | Members at Play............................................................. 8 | Proposed BAC Bathurst 1000 Member’s Day....... 13 | Winton Festival of Speed Report ............................. 14 | Winton Festival of Speed Photos............................. 16 | AASA NSW State Championship Report............... 18 | CAMS NSW State Championship Report.............. 20 | Big Burnout Bonanza.................................................... 22 | What’s On at Winton and Wakefield Park............ 23

PITSTOP The Official publication of the Benalla Auto Club Inc. September 2015 Edition #601 BENALLA AUTO CLUB INC. 41 Fox Street Winton, 3673 Phone (03) 57607100 www.benallaautoclub.com.au Email: president@benallaautoclub.com.au secretary@benallaautoclub.com.au Encompassing: Winton Motor Raceway 41 Fox Street Winton, 3673 Phone (03) 57607100 race@wintonraceway.com.au www.wintonraceway.com.au Wakefield Park Motorsport 4770 Braidwood Road Goulburn, NSW 2580 Phone (02) 48222811 info@wakefieldpark.com.au www.wakefieldpark.com.au COMMITTEE OF MANAGEMENT President: Peter Lawrence Vice President: Barry Stilo Secretary: Rex Monahan Treasurer: Chris Lewis-Williams Neville Kettels, Bernie Mylon, Willie Van Wersch, Phil Wagner, Murray Edgar, Rob Hoskins, Warren Sheehan PITSTOP EDITOR Lachlan Mansell PHOTOGRAPHS Judi McDonald, Rene Martens, Phil Wisewould, John Smith, Shannons Nationals Media, Touring Car Masters Media, Porsche Carrera Cup Media

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pitstop PETER LAWRENCE President, Benalla Auto Club Inc. Welcome to a new edition of Pitstop. Since the last edition arrived in your inbox, the Club has continued to consolidate the changes that were commenced after the AGM. The Committee has worked very hard to proactively improve not only the Club’s infrastructure at Winton and Wakefield, but also to regain some momentum as a Car Club in its own right. To this effect we are planning a special race day activity to celebrate Australia’s great race at Bathurst (see elsewhere) where our members and their guests can interact in an entirely social way. We hope the membership will embrace that.

The Committee has held an in depth review of the Club and the way it is managed. This will lead to a number of structural changes in the way the assets are administered as well as the way we work with the motorsport community. Bruce Robertson, who needs no introduction to most of our members has come onto the AASA Board and he will be undertaking a sweeping review of the operations of this entity. One of the first decisions taken has been to cease sanctioning of motorcycling events from 1 January next year, pending consultation with affected parties. It is important to note that although AASA will not be sanctioning motorcycling events, motorcycling will be continuing at Winton and Wakefield but with a different sanctioning body. We are most certainly not stopping motorcycling racing at our tracks. Further improvements to the administrative structure of AASA can also be expected as we strive to work on our core business.

Manager who will report directly to the CEO of the BAC Group and whose role will be the day to day administration of Wakefield Park but with less emphasis on financial and business planning. I will follow up on the above in a forthcoming issue.

I would like to take this opportunity on closing to talk about noise. All activities that generate noise well above what can loosely be described as ambient, or background noise are required to manage those emissions to ensure that surrounding inhabitants are not unduly affected. This very clearly affects motor sport venues. Both Winton and Wakefield, whilst well away from major population centres, do have local residents who from time to time become frustrated by noise emissions from our venues.

Whilst not wishing to delve into specifics the Club is working with the local councils and other stakeholders to treat these issues responsibly.

It is not simply a case of saying ‘you bought a house near a racetrack, toughen up’. That very ‘sixties’ view of the world does not cut the mustard today.

Whatever the outcome of these current issues, the Club will have to develop a sound management plan (or is that a sound ‘sound management plan’?). This plan will need to be rigorously enforced to be effective and this of course may have implications for some of the Club’s members and their race cars. It must be remembered that the power of the cars’ engines does not necessarily dictate their exhaust An integral part of the way forward will be the noise. In many cases the greater the number of appointment of a new CEO of the BAC Group of cylinders the less the noise due to the reduction companies. Reporting directly to the Committee of in the duration of each pulsations in the exhaust. the BAC the successful candidate will have carriage I therefore must encourage all of our members of all commercial operations and management to respect the requirements imposed on them of the Club’s assets and services provided to the by the standing and event supplementary members. Keep an eye on Seek.com. regulations, whether that relates to actual noise on the track or not starting engines within the With the departure of Matthew Ronke from curfew hours. With the privilege to conduct Wakefield, the Club has re-structured the motorsport operations comes the responsibility management of Wakefield Park Motorsport. to do so in a responsible manner.

Matthew held a semi-autonomous role as Executive Officer, reporting to the BAC Committee. Till next month, The Club will shortly advertise for an Operations Peter Lawrence.

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CHRIS LEWIS-WILLIAMS Treasurer, Benalla Auto Club Inc. Hello fellow BAC members, Our group is having a challenging, but successful 2015, with revenues up and expenses in line with budgets.

Staff changes and restructuring of the group has meant some extraordinary expenses, but we are still performing to budget and better than previous years.

Our 2014 Financials have been submitted to Community Affairs Victoria (CAV) and are approved.

We are still working through some historical challenges with our 2013 Financials, but the new BAC committee is committed to getting up to date and compliant with CAV. The Committee is working with CAV to restore our status as a well managed incorporated association.

Wakefield, Winton and the AASA – there is a mountain of work needed to be done to develop procedures and modernise our work practices so that our businesses remain viable long into the future. My thanks go to them for their efforts above and beyond their normal duties to ensure a prosperous future for the BAC group.

To clarify a question from an online discussion - a full copy of the full 2014 Financial and Unqualified Audit reports were availableat the AGM as discussed and a copy is available for members’ perusal at the Winton office.

I look forward to updating you with our progress next issue.

Chris Lewis-Williams

This has been a challenging time for our teams at

Unique Career Opportunity at Wakefield Park A rare opportunity is being presented for a passionate individual to take on a management role at one of Australia’s most popular motorsport facilities, Wakefield Park Raceway.

The Benalla Auto Club (BAC), which owns the Wakefield Park venue along with Winton Motor Raceway in Victoria, has restructured the operations at Wakefield Park. As such it is seeking an Operations Manager.

The position vacancy comes at an exciting time for the BAC, which is formulating a new strategic plan for the two circuits, and both BAC President, Peter Lawrence and acting Winton/Wakefield Park CEO, Wayne Williams, are keen to ensure the role is filled by the best available candidate.

“We are confident there is someone out there with the combination of management expertise and motorsport passion to drive Wakefield Park forward well into the future,” Mr Williams said.

“The BAC committee is in the process of developing a long-term plan for both circuits, and Wakefield Park has massive potential as one of only two permanently operational, national-level motorsport venues in New South Wales,” Mr Lawrence added.

“There is a real opportunity for the new operations manager to make a positive and significant difference to the wider circuit racing landscape.”

Wakefield Park hosts a wide assortment of state and national-level motorsport events, with highlights including the Shannons Australian Motor Racing Nationals and Valvoline Wakefield 300. Wakefield Park Motorsport also organises and promotes rounds of the CAMS NSW Motor Racing Championships and an assortment of AASA-sanctioned race meetings for cars and motorcycles.

In addition to this, the circuit is also privately hired by car clubs for track days and sprint events, while weekdays are also privately booked for corporate functions, drive days and professional driver training.

In addition to the vacant operations manager position, Wakefield Park is also seeking casual staff to assist in the areas of track maintenance and support, kiosk and food services, weekend supervision and office administration.

Interested applicants for the operations manager position or any of the casual positions are advised to apply via the advertisement on the Wakefield Park website.

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VALE MARY STAFFORD

One of the most significant people in the history of the Benalla Auto Club, and one of the driving forces behind turning Winton Motor Raceway into the national-class motorsport facility it is now, Mary Stafford passed away on Saturday, 22 August.

no fridges and drinks were kept cold in ice.

Mary and the other kiosk workers, including Jean Stilo, Colleen Stilo, Jean Nicholson, Kaye Fogg, Vi Plumridge, Joyce Cox, Dianne Stolz and Mary Ronke, formed the Ladies Auxiliary.

Mary and her father Marty Stafford lived on the corner of Fox Street and the old Hume Highway, and Marty was involved in assisting with car parking for major events at the circuit. At one particular race meeting, Marty asked Mary to go and help with serving food in the kiosk, and she never left; it was a position she would occupy for more than four decades.

The Ladies Auxiliary was involved in running the kiosk, and Mary was often in charge. She was very efficient, ensuring only just enough food was purchased to meet demand from the customers, saving money by ensuring none of it went to waste.

In those days, the kiosk was certainly not up to the standard of the facility that is at Winton now; in fact, it was an old corrugated iron shed which was often roamed by sheep, owned by a neighbour of Winton who allowed them to graze around the circuit when it was not in use, to keep the grass trimmed.

As a result, Mary and the other kiosk staff would have to clean sheep droppings out of the shed before it was able to be used for food preparation, making sandwiches and salad rolls for customers. There were

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As a result, the Ladies Auxiliary became very profitable, and the funds were given back to the Benalla Auto Club where they were used for capital works such as new fences.

As Winton became a more popular racing venue and attracted large numbers of spectators, so the Ladies Auxiliary made even more money, which was eventually used to buy the land used for the track extension. The funds were also used for buildings, including the new race control tower and media centre.

Mary also took an interest in helping paid staff at

September 2015

NEWS BRIEFS

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AVE THE DATE AND LINE UP YOUR DATE for the inaugural Benalla Auto Club black tie dinner to be held on Saturday night, 19 December, in the Winton Corporate Centre. The evening will feature the presentation of awards to outstanding club members of 2015, along with live entertainment and dancing - a fantastic opportunity for members to let their hair down after a busy year.

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ORD FANS UNITE! The Benalla Auto Club Ford day will be held on Saturday, 14 November and is expected to feature a collection of old and new Fords, which will participate in a number of sessions around the circuit. Expect your favourite Fords including V8 Falcon GTs from the 1970s to the 2000s.

BENALLA AUTO CLUB LEGEND Winton, and mentored young staff at the kiosk, teaching them the best methods for food preparation and serving customers. Her efforts were appreciated by all those who worked with her, and she was greatly missed when she was no longer able to work in the kiosk for health reasons.

However, Mary retained her sense of humour well into her old age. One anecdote is when she visited Mick and Heather in the Winton office, and told them she had received an OBE – when Mick asked what she had received it for, she said OBE stood for “Over Bloody Eighty!”

In 1983 Mary’s tireless and selfless work for the club was acknowledged when she was awarded a Benalla Auto Club life membership, and the new restaurant at Winton is named “The Two Marys”, in honour of both Mary Stafford and Mary Ronke.

No-one in Mary’s family had any involvement in competing in motorsport, which only serves to make her contribution to the club all the more outstanding, and she will be sorely missed by everyone in the Benalla Auto Club. Mary Stafford, rest in peace.

Editor’s note: this obituary would not have been possible without the information generously contributed by BAC Life Members Heather Wallace (who also provided the photo), Bruce Robertson and Dianne Stolz. Their support is greatly appreciated.

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oming to Winton on Saturday, 4 October - the BIG BURNOUT BONANZA. For the first time, a professional burnout competition will be held at the nation’s action track, with $10,000 prize money up for grabs. The event is expected to attract some of the most prominent names in the burnout scene from all over Australia, along with expert judges. Entries for the competition will open shortly.

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ntries are still rolling in for the third and final round of the Australian Endurance Championship, the VALVOLINE WINTON 300 on 7-8 November.

The quality of entries is bound to ensure another cracker race, and a full preview will be published in an upcoming issue of Pistop.

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Members at Play

by Lachlan Mansell

The month of August was somewhat less hectic for BAC members than the previous couple of months, but there were still enough racing events to keep them busy. The weekend of 8-9 August was a particularly notable one, with BAC members in action across no less than three different states on the one weekend.

V8 Supercars Coates Hire Ipswich SuperSprint Queensland Raceway, 1-2 August Albury driver Greg Jones made the trek to the Sunshine State to compete in the Sports GT support races at the Ipswich V8 Supercar event.

The Sports GT category is similar in many ways to the Super TT category in which Jones normally races at Winton - it is open to a wide variety of different cars including Improved Production, Production Sports, Time Attack, Porsche Cup, Historic Touring Cars and even old V8 Supercars, along with Future Tourers like Jones’ EF Falcon.

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Jones qualified at the back of the grid after some technical glitches, but worked his way through the field to finish third in Class B in Race 1. He won Class B in Race 2, but did not start Race 3.

With Taz Douglas electing to sit out the remainder of the Dunlop Series to focus on his V8 Supercar endurance commitments alongside James Moffat at Nissan Motorsport, Matt Chahda was the sole BAC member on the grid in the V8 Development category.

With experienced V8 Supercar racer Steven Johnson coming on board as a driver coach for the weekend, Chahda’s form improved noticeably, although he still found himself in the thick of the action for most of the event.

After qualifying 20th, he improved to 19th in Race 1.

A blinder start valuted Chahda up the order in Race 2

Matt Chahda on the grid at Queensland Raceway, alongside current. Dunlop Series leader Cameron Waters.

September 2015

Grant Phillips under lights in the Australian Manufacturers Championship, Queensland Raceway.

er Glen Postlethwaite, Sup

Six Touring Cars, QR.

and he finished in 12th after running just outside the top 10 for much of the race.

More drama awaited the Albury driver in Race 3 and he fell back to 19th, taking 15th for the weekend and holding 21st position in the standings ahead of the next round, the 250km endurance race at Bathurst in October.

Shannons Nationals Round 5 - Queensland Raceway, 8-9 August Just a week after the V8s tore around the circuit affectionately known as “the Paperclip”, the Shannons Nationals made their annual appearance at the circuit, with BAC member Grant Phillips teaming up with Andrew Turpie in the Pedders Racing Toyota 86 for the pair of Australian Manufacturers Championship 200km races.

The first 200km race, coined “the fight in the night”, was

Greg Jones, Sport s GT, Queensland Raceway.

held under lights with Phillips taking the start and battling with the BMW 130i of Michael Sloss before pitting after 39 laps to hand over to Turpie.

Seven laps later, Turpie was pit-lane bound with overheating warnings lighting up the dashboard of the Toyota 86; the problem was diagnosed as a cracked radiator and their night was done.

The Pedders Racing Team worked hard to repair car in time for the second race, which was held in daylight; Phillips and Turpie fought their way up to eighth outright and first in Class D. The Super Six Touring Cars were also in action for their fourth round of the season, with Victorian Commodore drivers Harley Phelan and Glen Postlethwaite again in action.

Postlethwaite and Phelan qualified 10th and 11th respectively for the weekend’s opening race; Phelan made his way up to eighth but Postlethwaite endured

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Bernie Mylon, Festival of Speed, Winton

a much more torrid race. He was turned around by another competitor on the opening lap and dropped to the rear of the field, and was carving his way through the pack when his left-rear tyre delaminated, causing him to spear through the gravel-trap at high speed in Turn 1.

He soldiered on to the finish, coming home in 18th position.

Postlethwaite carved his way through the field in Race 2, finishing in 10th position while Phelan also gained another place to finish seventh.

In Race 3, the two BAC members had a good battle, with Phelan again finishing seventh, 1.5 seconds ahead of Postlethwaite in eighth.

Phelan has maintained his top three position in the Super Six Touring Car points, holding down third behind Gavin Ross and Ashley Jarvis, while Postlethwaite has moved up to eighth in the standings.

The next round will be held at Phillip Island, 18-20 September.

Festival of Speed - Winton Raceway, 8-9 August A couple of Benalla Auto Club members were in action at the now-tradtional historic Festival of Speed race

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meeting on the Winton National Circuit.

Tony Hubbard competed in the FoS Group N races for the first time since 2012, and despite missing qualifying and Race 1, the veteran acquitted himself well in Races 2, driving his distinctive orange Camaro from the back of the grid to sixth, before finishing fourth in Race 3.

Bernie Mylon raced in the Group J, K and Lb races aboard his 1957 Morris Special.

Despite an engine capcity of just 996cc, the Morris proved to be much more nimble than some of the more powerful but heavier vehicles and Mylon used this to his advantage; he qualified 10th, and improved to sixth in Race 1.

After slipping back to 10th in Race 2, Mylon was again making up places in Race 3 before spinning on the final lap, and finishing 13th.

“The car was really honking along and I had a great battle with Eddie Woods and Max Pegram,” Mylon said.

“In the last race I was trying to overtake a few cars through Turns 7, 8 and 9 but I had to get out of the throttle when one of the cars was a bit slower out of the corner than I expeceted, and around she went!

September 2015

“It was a fantastic, well-run meeting with a great atmosphere. All the drivers were battling hard on the track, but helping fix each other’s cars off the track!

“The weather was fine all weekend as well, which was great for the spectators but I was actually hoping for rain in the last race as I thought my little Morris would have been really fast in the wet.”

AASA NSW State Championships – Wakefield Park, 8-9 August Two BAC members, Matt Thewlis and Phil Alexander, were in action at the busy AASA NSW round, both competing in the V.E.K. Tools Pulsar Challenge meeting, which featured three sprint races followed by a 45 minute feature.

Alexander and Thewlis qualified third and fourth respectively, with Thewlis working his way up to second in Race 1 while Alexander finished fourth.

Thewlis retired right at the start of Race 2, breaking an engine mount off the line, while Alexander used some

Bernie Mylon, Festival of Speed, Winto

n

Phil Alexander, Pulsar Challenge, Wakefield Park.

cunning racecraft to fight his way into the lead and ultimately, the win.

Alexander also won Race 3, fending off some concerted attacks from a number of young go-kart stars and accumulating enough points to start from pole position in the feature race, while Thewlis finished 15th from a rear-of-grid start.

The feature race was a real spectacle, Alexander leading the early laps as he was again forced into some committed defensive driving by his younger rivals.

Unfortunately, his day ended at around the half-way mark with mechanical problems, but BAC members still had something to cheer about with Thewlis finishing seventh from the rear of the field.

V8 Supercars Sydney Motorsport Park SuperSprint Sydney Motorsport Park, 21-23 August Steven Richards returned to the circuit for Round 5 of the Porsche Carrera Cup at Sydney Motorsport Park, keen to solidify his points lead in the one-make Porsche category.

llenge, Wakefield Park.

Matt Thewlis, Pulsar Cha

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Steven Richards, Carrera Cup, Sydney Motorsport Park.

The weekend started on a positive enough note, Richards qualifying fifth and improving to third in Race 1.

Richards lined up for his 100th Carrera Cup start in Race 2 but there was little cause for celebration; he was forced into an early retirement after contact with Shae Davies. He recovered from the back of the grid to eighth in Race 3 and continues to lead the points, albeit by a reduced margin, over Craig Baird ahead of the next round at Sandown.

September is shaping up to be a busy month for BAC members - a number of them will be in action in the V8 Supercars Sandown 500, along with the HSRCA historic race meeting at Wakefield Park, Shannons Nationals at Phillip Island and VMRC Round 3 at Winton, so stay tuned for the next issue of Pitstop for details on how they all performed!

Want to see your car and race results featured in the “Members at Play� review? Send an email with your name, car description and other relevant information to Pitstop editor Lachlan Mansell: lachlan @wakefieldpark.com.au 12

September 2015

Proposed BAC Bathurst 1000 Members Day Dear Benalla Auto Club member, The committee of BAC are endeavoring to put together a day for members (and their guests) to celebrate “Australia’s Great Race�, the Bathurst 1000 on Sunday 11 October.

We are looking to provide a social event for our members to come together and view the Great Race from start to finish in the corporate facilities at Winton Motor Raceway. Food catering is proposed for the day & drinks will also be available (alcoholic & non alcoholic). NO BYO. Specific costs regarding drinks & food will be detailed after an evaluation of expected numbers from feedback response. It is our goal to make this cost effective for you, the member (there will be an admission charge for guests).

A mini bus with designated pickup points in Benalla is also a possibility.

Please respond to register your interest in participating in this event as soon as possible, so we can crunch the numbers regarding catering. If you intend on bringing friends and family, please let us know of numbers if you can.

Respond by: Providing your name & member number If you intend on coming for all or most of the day, as opposed to just a few hours.

If you intend on bringing any guests (non members), and if so how many?

Reply to Rob Hoskins on 0412 508 258 or reefhills@ optusnet.com.au.

Bruce Henley

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Festival of Speed Report

MICHAEL BYRNE WINS 2015 ROS Driving his 1975 Lotus Seven S4, Michael Byrne has taken out the feature race at this year’s Winton Festival of Speed, the Rose City Tourist Trophy for Group S cars.

The Tourist Trophy race, held over 15 laps, combined all the Group S cars together for a field of 36 cars in total. Starting from pole position, Byrne led every one of the 15 laps.

Paul Blackie held second position initially in his 1971 Corvette, but came off the circuit on lap three, allowing fellow Corvette driver Joseph DiBartolo into second spot.

(MG Midget).

V8 Supercar driver Tim Blanchard returned to his roots, driving his father John Blanchard’s Van Diemen in the historic Formula Ford races. Blanchard won all three races with Jonathon Miles second in the first two heats.

Miles fell back in Race 3 allowing David Hardman to move into second position ahead of Anthony Mann.

Damien Meyer finished a stunning third in his 1300cc MG Midget, overtaking the Porsche 911 of James Calvert-Jones on the very last lap to snatch the final podium position.

The Group N Historic Touring Cars are always one of the most popular categories at the Festival of Speed meeting and 2015 was no exception, although they ditched their 20lap mini endurance format in favour of three sprint races.

Rounding out the top 10 were Laurie Burton (TVR Tuscan), Richard Watts (Porsche 911), the recovering Blackie, Colin Ward (MGB), Ray Narkiewicz (Corvette) and Brian Weston

Michael Anderson (Ford XY Falcon GT) took victory in the first two races after polesitter Phil Woodbury retired with mechanical problems in his Mazda RX2. The Mazda

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September 2015

SE CITY TOURIST TROPHY brigade had cause for celebration in the third race though, because Jason Humble fought his way to the front of the field, taking the win ahead of Darryl Hansen (Mustang) and Darren Smith (Falcon GT).

The oldest cars of the meeting participated in the Group J, K and Lb races, with three different winners across the three sprints.

Dick Willis (1959 Mildren Cooper) won the first race ahead of Brian Simpson (Cooper) and Warren McBean (Lolus) but Willis retired from Race 2, allowing Simpson to take the win from Samantha Dymond, who charged her way through the field after a DNF in Race 1.

In Race 3, it was Dymond’s turn to taste victory, crossing the line first ahead of Dick O’Keefe and Fred Greeneklee, with Simpson falling back to fifth at the finish.

at the Festival of Speed, delivering plenty of action and positional swapping amongst the front-runners.

Joel Heinrich won Race 1 before his father Bruce Heinrich turned the tables in Race 2. The Heinrichs missed Race 3, and David Tessari capitalised to take the win from Andrew McLeod and Jordan Symes.

Some beautiful historic open-wheelers were on display in the Group M and O Sports and Racing category, with Keith Simpson winning all three races in his Brabham BT16, with Norman Faulkiner, Melinda Price and Will Walker battling over the other three podium positions.

In the Group P, Q and R category for the 1970s and 80s open-wheelers, it was Andrew Makin (March 73B) who won all three races ahead of Jamie Larner (Ralt RT1).

HQ Holdens made their maiden appearance

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WINTON FESTIVAL OF SPEED

Tim Blanchard took a clean sweep in the Historic Formula Ford races.

HQ Holdens made their first appearance at the Festival of Speed.

Historic produciton sports cars battled it out in the Group S races, highlighted by the 15 lap Tourist Trophy.

One of the most distinctive cars at the meeting was Rob Tweedie’s 1974 Elfin MS7.

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September 2015

WEEKEND PHOTO HIGHLIGHTS

The oldest cars at the Festival of Speed raced in Group J, K and Lb...

...while the newest cars competed in the MG races.

As always, the Group N races were highly popular among the fans.

Ross Jackson’s De Tomaso Pantera has become synonymous with the historic racing scene in Australa.

It may have been historic racing, but drivers were still pushing to the limit.

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WAKEFIELD PARK AASA NSW State Championships Deckspeed Racing’s Luke Otten has taken out the 2015 Mazda MX5 Nationals, held at Wakefield Park on 8-9 August as part of the AASA NSW State Championships.

Otten clinched victory by mounting an all-or-nothing overtaking move upon team-mate Daniel Deckers at Turn 2 on the very last lap of Sunday’s one-hour endurance race, after shadowing Deckers all race long. Deckers held on for second position, while Todd Herring completed the podium.

The hot favourite coming into the weekend, Nick Cancian won both Saturday’s sprint races but was ruled out of the main feature by a crank sensor failure in the morning warm-up.

Other outright contenders to strike trouble were Matilda Mravicic (fuel pump problem) and the car of Wayne Cooper/Scott Bargwanna, eliminated in a first-lap tangle with Queenslander Jeff Hume.

The race meeting also featured Round 2 of the Australian Super Truck Championship, which was won by John Hepburn. The former New Zealand Truck Champion won Race 1 with a lastcorner move on John Bomberle, along with Race 3.

Steven Zammit won Race 2, while Bomberle won Race 4, the Super Prix. However, Bomberle surrendered the championship lead to Zammit, due to a non-finish in Race 3 with mechanical problems.

The Pulsar Challenge produced some of the most exciting racing of the weekend, with three sprint races followed by a longer 45 minute race.

Matthew Femino took out the first sprint race, but was upstaged by the experienced Phil

Luke Otten claimed the 2015 national MX5 title in his NC model Mazda MX5.

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September 2015

The Australian Super Truck Championship produced four typically entertaining races.

Alexander in Races 2 and 3.

The 45 minute final was an absolute thriller, with a freight train of seven cars jostling for the lead and swapping positions lap after lap. Alexander and Femino both spent time in the lead before talented 18-year-old female racer Tyra Maranik seized the advantage with a brilliant pass around the outside of Alexander at Turn 2.

The race was neutralised with a mid-race Safety Car and at the restart, Maranik ran wide at Turn 8, handing the lead back to Alexander.

A few laps later, Alexander was forced into retirement with mechanical problems, leaving Josh Heath and Dimitri Agathos to fight for the win. Heath eventually prevailed, despite several attempts from Agathos to overtake him at Turn 10; third place went to Max Healy, whose trouble-free approach to the weekend yielded dividends.

Alfio Musumeci scored a clean-sweep in the Alfa Romeo East Coast Challenge aboard his beautiful Alfa Romeo GT, but Frank Carigliano (Alfa GTV) made Musumeci work hard for his result. Paul Young was third overall, with a consistent weekend in his Alfa 156 GTA. Chad Cotton won all five Miniature Race Car heats, although he was promoted to victory after crossing the line second behind Jase Collins in Race 2 – Collins received a five second penalty for not forming up correctly for the rolling start. Josh Guetaya was third overall, while Kyle Angel was the highest-placed of the Speedway-derived Legend Cars.

Henry Draper won all four East Coast Mini races from Chris Adlam, while the battle raged for third position between Trent Spencer, Lindsay Siebler and Steve Turner (all in new Minis) and Adam Duce (in an old Mini sports sedan). Duce eventually prevailed, and even overtook Adlam for second place in Race 4.

The Stock Car races were a battle between the father and son combination of Steve and Michael Coulter; Michael won the first two races before Steve took out Race 3, when Michael was sent off the track at Turn 8 due to a tap from Ian McAlister. The fourth and final race was won by series organiser Brian Walden, but Michael Coulter sealed the round win with second place.

Jack Mackay won three of the four Superkart races after leading contender Aaron Cogger was eliminated from the meeting in a nasty crash in Race 1; the other race victory went to John Pellicano. Mark Vickers was best of the non-gearbox karts.

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CAMS NSW State Championship Round 5 Report

DOUBLE SUCCESS FOR Dylan Thomas has claimed dominant victories in both the Formula Vee and Production Touring Car categories in the CAMS NSW State Championships at Wakefield Park on 22-23 August.

In Formula Vee, Thomas qualified on pole position and led the first two races from start to finish; in the final race, he slipped back to fifth after a slow start, but was able to fight his way back to the front of the field to take the win from Michael Kinsella and Ryan Reynolds.

Driving his CXC Global Racing Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X, Thomas qualified on pole position for the one-hour endurance race, topping Sunday morning’s Top 10 Shootout. He was beaten off the line by fellow Mitsubishi driver Daniel Oosthuizen, but was able to shadow Oosthuizen throughout the opening laps.

The majority of the field completed their compulsory pit-stops during a mid-race Safety Car, which was deployed when the championship leader, Matthew Holt, stopped on the side of the circuit with mechanical problems, and this worked to Thomas’ advantage; a swift pit-stop allowed him to gain almost a lap advantage, and he cruised to victory ahead of Oosthuizen and the HSV Coupe of Cary Morsink.

“I’ve had successful weekends before, but this one is pretty special; to win so convincingly in two separate categories doesn’t happen very often,” Thomas said.

Chevrolet Camaro drivers Steven Lacey and Birol Cetin battled for supremacy in the Sports Sedans, Lacey winning the first race before Cetin turned the tables in Race 2. In the third race, the two drivers made contact at turn 10, with Lacey spinning back to fourth; Cetin capitalised to take another win from Chris Jackson (Holden Calibra) and Anthony Macready (Nissan 300ZX).

John Baxter was the winner of all three HQ Holden races; after qualifying in third, Baxter engaged in a thrilling dice with Brett Osborn and Chris Buckley in Race 1, eventually fighting his way to the front. He led all the way in Races 2 and 3, with Osborn and Buckley finishing second and third in all three races.

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September 2015

R DYLAN THOMAS Formula Ford also produced close racing with Andrew Kahl, Chris Lazarevic, Lachlan Gibbons and Anthony Colombrita all jostling for the lead in each race. Kahl won the first two races but was overtaken by Gibbons at the start of Race 3. Gibbons was able to withstand extreme pressure from both Kahl and Colombrita for the rest of the race, taking the win by just 0.07s at the finish line.

By far the best start of the weekend came from the Mazda RX7 of Paul White in Improved Production Over 2 Litre. White qualified fourth, but an absolute blinder launch in Race 1 enabled him to rocket to the lead by the first corner. From there, he was able to take victory in all three races; Matt Ingram (Mazda RX7) and Michael King (Mitsubishi Evo) were second and third in Races 1 and 2, but problems for both in Race 3 enabled Rod Thorpe (Mazda 808) and Andrew McMaster (BMW E30) to fill the podium positions.

Improved Production Under 2 Litre delivered three different winners from the three races; points leader Justin McClintock took a comprehensive victory in Race 1, but retired with mechanical problems in Race 2, allowing fellow Toyota Sprinter driver Ben Algie to win Race 2.

Algie drifted backwards in Race 3, with the Honda Civics of Mathew Harris and Graham Bohm finishing first and second, and McClintock minimising the damage to his championship campaign by charging from the rear of the field to third.

In their Mazda-powered Ginetta G50, Craig and Adam Burgess won the Production Sports Car one-hour endurance race after a trouble-free run, ahead of Alex Cook/Damien Meyer (Porsche 911) and Glenn Townsend/ Anthony Soole (Lotus Exige).

Marcel and Tadros Zalloua led the opening portion of the race, but lost significant time when their Porsche would not restart during their compulsory pit stop; after a lengthy delay, they eventually finished sixth.

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pitstop

22

September 2015

WHAT’S ON

at Wakefield Park and Winton

Winton Events 11 September 12-13 Sept 17-20 Sept 25 September 26-27 Sept 1 October 3 October 4 October 8 October 9 October 10 October 11 October 16 October 17-18 October 22 October 23-25 October 30 October 31 October 1 November 2-3 November 6 November 7-8 November 12 November 14 November 15 November 20 November 21 November

Wakefield Park Events Test and Tune - Cars/Motorcycles EXE Crew Performance Car Mania Test and Tune - Cars/Trucks only VMRC/Trucks Round 3 Test and Tune - Cars/Motorcycles Big Burnout Bonanza Tampered Motorsport Track Day Test and Tune - Cars/Motorcycles Test and Tune - Drifting Only Hi-Tec Drift All Stars BMW Car Club Test and Tune - Cars/Motorcycles AROCA 6 Hour Test and Tune - Cars/Motorcycles Australasian S’bike Champ’ship Test and Tune - Cars/Motorcycles VicDrift MSCA Tampered Motorsport Test and Tune - Cars only Valvoline Winton 300 Test and Tune - Cars/Motorcycles BAC Ford Day Circuit Club Test and Tune - Cars/Motorcycles Simply Sports Cars

12 September 13 September 17 September 19-20 Sept 26-27 Sept 3-4 October 8 October 10 October 11 October 14 October 16-18 October 24-25 October 28 October 31 October 1 November 6 November 7-8 November 14-15 Nov 19 November 21-22 Nov 27-30 Nov 2 December 5 December 6 December 12 December 13 December 18 December

Circuit Club MX5 Club FX Ride Day HSRCA Australasian Superbike Champs Cobra Nationals FX Ride Day Nissan Sporting Car Club Australian Drift Club GEAR Shannons Nationals TSOC FX Ride Day Track Day Club HSV Club FX Ride Day Stadium Drift Aust Supersprint Championship FX Ride Day AASA ACT Championships V8 Race GEAR PCRA Circuit Club Burnout Warriors FXRRC FX Ride Day

The Shannons Nationals will be held at Wakefield Park on 16-18 October.

23

DISCOVER VICTORIA’S NORTH EAST VALLEYS… Indulgence Package One nights luxury accommodation in a king suite, inclusive of a two course dinner at Atrium, fully cooked breakfast, a bottle of King Valley prosecco and late check-out at 11.00am Package Rate $299 for two Subject to availability, valid until December 30 2011

Quality Hotel Wangaratta Gateway 29–37 Ryley Street Wangaratta

P. 03 5721 8399

E. info@wangarattagateway.com.au www.wangarattagateway.com.au