p1 issue 3
DESCRIPTION
Issue 3 of P1 MagazineTRANSCRIPT
Issue 3 • 2010
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Well here we go – another issue of P1 and I must say it’s been a heck of a ride so far and I can guarantee we won’t be
slowing down. I have just returned from my first trip to Bathurst, and after
watching it religiously for as many years as it has been on the gogglebox in my fair land, to finally set foot on the hallowed ground was an amazing feeling. It was like meeting a pen-pal (or net-buddy these days) for the first time – familiar - yet a complete stranger. While I was certainly taking the weekend of racing to heart, my main goal was to visit the sacred land known as ‘The Hill’. It was an adventure in itself, I found the missing link and have sent test samples to the Smithsonian Institute for confirmation. I promise to bring you the in-depth findings in upcoming issues of P1.
It will also be a privilege during the month of October to attend the biggest party the Gold Coast will have had, and one really has to sit up and take notice of this one because if you remove all the fanfare, hype and frenzied media action, the actual racing would have to be considered as an all time great.
Just for a moment let’s bath in the beauty side of the event. We have the Gold Coast, a place that immediately tips the scale when it comes to reputation as a sun soaked party central. Glorious weather with glorious beaches covered in just as glorious toned and tanned bodies, family parks and venues for wild rides and adventures, and nightlife that can rival any city in the world. But for one weekend only, this spot of magic and wonder gets an extra boost.
The Australian V8 Supercar fraternity have created a simple recipe for success by the joining together of bulk entertainment spectacles. Concerts for three nights running with the likes of James Reyne of Australian Crawl fame, The Angels, Noiseworks, Mondo Rock, Richard Clapton (sorry no relation to Eric), the Baby Animals and of course, the kings of pop harmony The Beach Boys. It should ensure a whole heap of happy campers, but I’m more enthused by what is happening on the track, not around it.
Let’s not forget what happened last year when the shameful A1GP fiasco created turmoil with the scheduling. The V8 organisers at very short notice made a format change that at the time kept everyone happy – but they knew at that point in time things needed to change. The carnival atmosphere would not reach any form of brilliance if it was to solely become another round of their standard V8 Touring Car season. The event obviously needed some kind of attractive punch – and they have achieved it.
The Gold Coast 600 in my eyes regardless of results has now become one of the greatest racing spectacles on the planet. Forget the showcase ‘one night only superstars of racing’ type of events that are scattered around the United States and Europe – those are designed as giggle and are by no means a serious take on motorsport. The Gold Coast event quite simply is because look at the names involved.
Helio Castroneves, Sebastien Bourdais, David Brabham, Ryan Briscoe, Scott Dixon, Dario Franchitti, Fabrizio Giovanardi, Patrick Long, Alain Menu, Tiago Monteiro, Gianni Morbidelli, Yvan Muller, Will Power, Andy Priaulx, Scott Pruett, Mika Salo, Alex Tangliani and Jacques Villeneuve.
Yeah, I know – truly amazing. Helio has won the Indy 500 three times already and will partner the young fireball Tim Slade. Dixon has won the IndyCar Series twice plus has an Indy 500 notch on his belt which should work wonders with Todd Kelly, and equally as such Dixon’s Target teammate and 2010 Indycar Champion Dario Franchitti has enough wins under his belt to keep Steven Johnson full of joy.
You can spice it up even more by looking at Craig Lowndes’ driving buddy Andy Priaux who has won the FIA WTCC three years in a row, and then cast a glance as his fellow WTCC rival Yvan Muller who has had time behind the wheel of a V8 Supercar when he won the Sandown 500 in 2005 with Lowndes – but he will partner Greg Murphy this time around.
While we are at it, why don’t we also take a sneak peak at a driver who has three particular trophies sitting in his pool room cabinet – Jacques Villeneuve. He claimed the IndyCar championship along with the Indy 500 ribbon in 1995 before moving to the Formula One Championship where he won in 1997 – talk about prestige.
I’m like a kid in a candy shop at the moment, the highlights of the Australian series are underway, the major events around the world are dramatically concluding and my own local summer of racing is about to start – I’m so easily amused.
Remember, Motor Racing is sport... everything else is just a game.
Enjoy.
Craig “Sooty” Lord editor
EDITOR’S NOTES THE TEAM
EDITORIAL Kia Kaha Media PO Box 37 978, Parnell, Auckland, New Zealand
PHONE +64 21 757 747 • FAX +64 9 528 3172EMAIL [email protected]
www.p1mag.net
PubLIsHER Ned Dawson
PROjEcT MANAgER Cathy Horton
EDITOR Craig Lord
DEPuTy EDITOR John Brooks
sub EDITORs Matt Trulio, Leigh Neil
F1 EDITOR David Tremayne
uNITED sTATEs John Dagys
sOuTH AFRIcA Paul Bedford
TOyOTA RAcINg sERIEs Bob McMurray
NAscAR Amanda Vincent
INDy cARs Jeremy Shaw
cONTRIbuTINg PHOTOgRAPHERs
Scott Wensley
Joel Strickland
Mark Horsborough
PROOFREADINg Barbara McIntosh
gRAPHIc DEsIgN Dot Design
PRINTERs GEON Group
DIgITAL EDITION GEON Group
WEb DEsIgN Fuel Design
REGULARS CONTENTS
16 Minor Change – Major effeCtS History was recently given not a minor
but a rather major shake-up when the V8 supercar teams ran the first two endurance rounds for the 2010 season.
26 Maintaining an even Strain Or why Jenson Button may be the most
relaxed of the five title contenders.
38 2010 Le ManS 24 hourS – ’tiLL the fat Lady SingS
In the Diesel and GT2 classes, the song remained the same at this year’s Le Mans 24 Hours: Winning means as much about staying in one piece for the entire race as it does about turning blistering-fast laps.
50 one for aLL… How would you like to be the guy who lets
his team down by fumbling a pit stop? It might look cool on television, but being a pit stop crew member is no trip to Paris
56 deveLoping vaLue – now and Later
Though spectators often dismiss them, the value of a development series in motorsports is beyond question. Known as the Fujitsu Series, the V8 Supercar Development Series provides a perfect example.
62 the SaMe, but different Michael Schumacher and Valentino Rossi
have both had tough seasons; but is one about to rise again as the other falters?
70 ModeL for SuCCeSS Heading into its seventh season, the
Toyota Racing Series in New Zealand is healthy and vibrant.
78 Man of the iSLand At the Vodka O Australian GT Racing
Series on the fast Phillip Island track, Porsche driver James Koundouris didn’t simply win – he dominated.
88 SeaSon preview: nZv8 touring CarS
Veteran drivers such as Craig Baird, Angus Fogg and John McIntyre look strong, but up-and-comer Tim Edgell and wildcard Eddie Bell can’t be counted out.
92 naSCar waveS a new Kind of green fLag
Environmentally friendly automobile racing isn’t an oxymoron. Far from it. Through its own efforts that include “green” facility construction and emissions mitigation, NASCAR is presenting a model for exactly how environmentally responsible auto racing can be.
5 FROM THE PITLANE
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6 P1 MAGAZINE
Porsche Mobil 1 suPercuP: RENE RAST WINS
The Porsche Supercup has been supporting the F1 circus since 1993
and in its time it has seen plenty of championship drives. After ten rounds of the 2010 season Rene Rast has become the latest to secure the prestigious title. Behind the wheel of the Al Faisal Lechner Racing team the German driver didn’t need to win the final round, but he still needed to place well, and his fourth was enough to do it. His closest rival Nicholas Tandy from Great Britain driving for Konrad Motorsport had to win and also had to hope that problems would unfold for the German – part of the plan came together as Tandy held of his compatriot Sean Edwards in Team Abu Dhabi, but the points chase was too far for Tandy and Rast managed to sneak clear by 6 points. As well as the drivers title Rast managed to secure the team championship as well.
Nascar Truck series: SponSor CrunCh Starting to hurt
K yle Busch has been so successful at the track in his Nascar Sprint Cup car that he decided to enter the Truck series as well this season – but he has done it as a team
under his own steam, and it’s proving to be costly. It seems clear that success in one code does not immediately translate to financial support of another as Busch has had to dip deep into his own pockets to run the team rather than via a sponsor – as is the norm with major motorsport teams. His primary funder pulled out just before the start of the season and although the team has won four races and is a strong contender for the owner’s championship title, the cost of getting there may be the end of the team. If it does fall, it won’t be a shock to see others go the same way – whether or not the recession is over, it will take a long time for wallets to recover it many camps. Watch out for big changes as the dollars gets sparse.
ForMula oNe: Korea under preSSure
Speculation is still rife in regards to the inaugural Korean F1 race to be held on October 24. The tarmac for the event is still fresh and will only have test rubber embedded into it from the odd
practice lap. The circuit was meant to have been completed by July 2010 but that plan along with many others was and is way overdue. There are still issues with accommodation for not only spectators but the teams, officials and support organisations, and whilst the FIA are still smiling they may have to break their own rules to allow the race to go green. The official track inspection was still not completed with six weeks remaining, and if it gets the red flag by Charlie Whiting, head of the F1 technical department, Korea will not only lose the 2010 event but the 2011 one as well.
bTcc: donington parK getS a Lift
The privately, family owned racetrack known as Donington Park finally had
some good news after a turbulent two years. They lost the rights to run the Formula One British Grand Prix due to a lack of funding and then the circuit was deemed unraceable – forcing the MotoGP to leave as well. This was of course a disastrous time for the famous circuit but thankfully after a 2 million pound upgrade the circuit is fighting back. The British Touring Car Champs have always stuck with Donington, and that currently makes them the only big-ish event to circulate there. Work is continuing on the track to bring it back to a fully-fledged international arena, but with Silverstone having signed a 17 year deal with Formula One, Donington has a long time to wait – that should be enough time to get it right.
ForMula oNe: the return of KiMi raiKKonen?
Kimi Raikkonen has had enough of the gravel
and wants to return to the smoothness (and money) of the tarmac. The former (and some say lucky) World Champion retired from the hustle and bustle of the F1 circus after nine seasons – helped along by mediocre results and Ferrari’s choice to employ Fernando Alonso instead. His talks with Toyota went nowhere, but neither did Toyota as they left the game, and his demands for a high salary to drive for his former McLaren team were wasted. He therefore decided to go to where many Finn’s had gone before – the world of Rallying, but it has not been a successful transition. After seeing the success that Renault have had in the 2010 F1 season, Raikkonen has approached the team to put his hand up for the potential second driver position for 2011. There will be many problems to deal with first though, like funding and the fact that there are many younger drivers out there as good as or even better than he is. Renault are expected to make a decision on a second car and driver before Christmas 2010.
FROM THE PITLANE
ISSUE 3 7
DTM: audi StiLL in
A busy October will finally see a championship winner appear from the DTM (German Touring Car) Series.
Audi were looking down and out with Mercedes shaping up to take the championship, but with a third placing at the Oschersleben round Mattias Ekstrom in his A4 has put the quad circles back into contention. The Swede was in his 101st DTM race but that milestone meant little as he was unable to match the pace of Paul Di Resta who took the round in his AMG Mercedes. October has three race meets meaning little time for repairs if disaster strikes early and the first of those races at Hockenheim could potentially be the winner for the AMG clan.
Nascar: ‘the ChaSe’ 101
S eptember 2010 sees the top 12 Nascar drivers starting The Chase – but what exactly does that mean? Here it
is in a simple breakdown:
• The season comprises of 36 races, after the first 26 the top 12 drivers in the standings qualify for ‘The Chase’
• The Chase consists of the season’s last 10 races.• All Chase drivers had their point totals reset to 5,000.
They then received 10 bonus points for each race victory prior to the Chase, creating the seedings.
• The top seed at the outset of the Chase was Denny Hamlin in the FedEx Toyota with 5,060 points, going into the first Chase event at New Hampshire.
• All 12 Chase drivers battle with the full 43 Nascar entrants.
The standings for the start of The Chase were as such:denny hamlin 5060jimmie johnson 5050Kevin harvick 5030Kyle busch 5030Kurt busch 5020greg biffle 5010tony Stewart 5010Carl edwards 5000Clint bowyer 5000jeff burton 5000jeff gordon 5000Matt Kenseth 5000
With a race meet each weekend to finish the season there is no room for error, and that was shown clearly in the first of the ten events when drivers were running out of gas in the last few laps – including race leader Tony Stewart who spluttered to a coasting crawl on the white flag. The chase also throws up a host of surprises, like the winner at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway Clint Bowyer. Bowyer has been without a win for 88 races and then manages to slip into the top 12 at the last event. Being the last to qualify for The Chase obviously made little difference to Bowyer, and the win has put him in good position to challenge for overall honours. The same cannot be said for Jimmie Johnson who is pushing for his fifth consecutive championship – Johnson finished 25th after a loose wheel forced him to pit late in the race. The Chase is on and October is a great month to love NASCAR.
iNDycar: the trendS Continue
The calendar for the 2011 Indycar season has been announced – with three interesting spectacles. Firstly, Baltimore will be
the home of a new street circuit incorporating the local marina, and secondly, Iowa Speedway will be another night race on the calendar. Those two items of course will pale in comparison to “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” – as the Indianapolis 500 turns 100 in May 2011. But still, there will be plenty of interest in the newest street race, which is becoming quite the trend amongst motorsport organisations. They all do it, but it is more of a surprise to see it come from Indycar, where the oval is king. The new calendar format now has five street events, St. Petersburg Florida, Long Beach California, Sao Paulo Brazil, Toronto Canada and Baltimore Maryland.
FROM THE PITLANE
8 P1 MAGAzINE
FROM THE PITLANE
ForMula oNe: FLAVIO? SURELY NOT....
W ell, given the way the FIA punishes anyone who does
anything wrong in F1, it would not be surprising to see the disgraced and banished Flavio Briatore getting a reprieve and returning to the mainstream F1 fold. He currently resides as the manager for Fernando Alonso, but the former Renault boss has been spotted repeatedly visiting the Ferrari headquarters at Maranello. He was also at Monza having a great time with the Ferrari bosses, and now the rumour mill is speculating that he may be employed as the new Ferrari Team Boss. He is still good buddies with Formula One owner Bernie Ecclestone, so expect the expected...
MiniMaL horSepower for MarK webber
F 1 superstar Mark Webber dropped back a few cogs from normal but was still able to put the pedal to the metal when he completed
a 50 mile ride on two wheels. Webber organised the charity cycling event ‘Ride to the Horns’ back in 2008 with family festivity in mind. Three different routes of 93 miles, 50 miles and the family friendly 7 miles flow through the districts of Buckingham and Bedfordshire, with the longer runs utilising the local hills. Unfortunately Webber was unable to complete the longer run due to his foot injury from the Valencia accident but he did manage to finish the 50 mile run with his young Padawan Jedi in tow. Webber’s 16 year old motorsport apprentice from New Zealand, Mitch Evans, used the time on the bike to gain extra fitness for his Australian Formula 3 escapades, but also to enjoy more quality time with Webber. As a birthday present Mitch flew to the UK to hang out with Mark at the Goodwill Festival of Speed and then the British Grand Prix at Silverstone. Evans was taken on board to be mentored by Webber in the middle of 2010 after the Red Bull team started to take notice of the young drivers racing skills.
Stanaway winS adaC forMuLa MaSter ChaMpionShip
A perfect weekend with pole position and three race wins in the penultimate round of the German ADAC Formula
Masters Championship at the Nurburgring circuit has seen young New Zealand driver Richie Stanaway (18) win the seven-round German ADAC Championship with one round to go. Following the latest Nurburgring round his total of 315 points cannot be beaten, no matter what happens in the final round at the Oschersleben circuit in October. Richie won each of the Nurbugring races comfortably, the first race from his team-mate and flat-mate, William Vermont of France, the second from Dominik Baumann of Austria and the third race from Germany Patrick Schranner. As of now Richie has lead the most distance, won the most races, and finished on the podium more times than anyone else in the history of the series.
bright future LiKeLy for young toM bLoMqviSt
He’s only 16 but Tom Blomqvist is making waves after his recent stellar performance at Silverstone. Tom collected a
pole position and two wins from two in rounds 13 and 14 of the Formula Renault UK Championship. Despite being the youngest competitor in the field, Tom has been a consistent frontrunner in 2010 and is fighting for the title in what his effectively his rookie season. Tom’s maiden victory of 2010 in round 13 clearly instilled fresh confidence and the young Brit wasted no time in securing win number two just a few hours later. The results mean Tom has continued to reel in the championship protagonists; there are now a mere 20 points separating Tom from the points leader. The double win capped a fantastic weekend where Tom was also awarded Rising Star status from the British Racing Drivers Club. Tom maturely managed the Silverstone round and never came under any serious pressure. His seventh podium in 10 races puts him in good steed for Rounds 15 and 16 of the Formula Renault UK Championship at the Knockill circuit in Scotland. The event will be the first time Formula Renault has visited the Fife based venue in four years.
10 P1 MAGAzINE
ISSUE 3 11
That aim is usually the province of cat-stroking super villains always destined to be thwarted by James Bond. Yet global alliances and world championships by any other
name seem to be the order of the day for 2011 and onwards in International Motorsport.
The FIA jealously guards the right to give the label “World Championship” to any form of competition in the sport. We have Formula One, World Rally, World Touring Cars and this year GT1 – all with the FIA logo spattered on their letterhead, all paying whopping great sanction fees for the privilege. Actually these organizations do not fund the First Class, Five Star lifestyle of the FIA delegates – You do, through your ticket prices and your race fees. Mind you, it would be hard to find any recognition of this in Paris, so disregarded are the lower echelons of the sport by our betters.
In addition to the FIA’s well-trodden path to global exposure, other powerful organizations within the sport are looking to extend their reach too, to tap into important markets in far-flung places outside the cosy racing experiences in Europe or North America.
Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (or German Touring Car Masters) has been a two-horse race since Opel left in 2005. Mercedes Benz and Audi have been very keen to lure BMW into the fold, if for nothing else but to share in the huge marketing and promotional budget required. Buying TV coverage and giving away tickets does not come cheap. There has been a conflict within the Munich manufacturer with the Marketing department in favor of the new initiative but with the Motorsports side not so. As usual these days, marketing triumphs over common sense and from 2012 BMW will join the DTM and leave motorsport, as one of my esteemed German colleagues puts it. One of the conditions of entry was that there would be a DTM race or two in North America. So it would appear that an alliance between DTM and Grand Am, with possibly NASCAR, is on the cards. This would take the form of DTM exhibition races at the road races for either of these series. It would be mutually beneficial to all parties concerned.
A similar arrangement is also being considered with the Japanese Super GT series and DTM. How much or how little of these schemes actually come off is anyone’s guess. However, the announcement of the 2011 DTM schedule featuring an exhibition event in the Olympic Stadium in Munich gives a clear signal as to the direction that is being taken – “racertainment” or whatever the German equivalent is.
Across the French border the custodians of the World’s Greatest Race, the ACO, have long had ambitions to take their endurance brand far from the confines of the La Sarthe circuit. In 1999 they and Don Panoz launched the American Le Mans Series, and after a few false starts Patrick Peter did the same in Europe with the Le Mans Series. Both of these ventures have been regarded as a success, with full grids and some classic races and racing. This year has seen the emergence of the next step to take Endurance Racing to a global stage, the
European ConnectionIntercontinental Le Mans Cup. Aimed at factory teams in the LMP1 and GT2 categories, this competition cherry-picks the best of the existing races and bundles them together. For 2011 the rounds will be Sebring and Petit Le Mans in North America, Suzuka and Zhuhai in Asia, Spa and Silverstone in Europe, plus of course the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Sounds great in theory but there are still a few loose ends. What local rules are in force, for example in the ALMS cars run on E85 fuel, and what will be the standard for that? Who controls the television package? Even something as basic as what are the final technical and sporting regulations for 2011, only a few months away? That is a big unknown. Actually who pays for the whole shooting match is also not a small matter.
During a recent press conference at Silverstone, the ACO airily swatted away such impertinent questions saying, “Just trust us, all will be OK on the day.” A bit of a leap of faith considering the budgets involved. Still there is much to be optimistic about, and the thought that the glory days of the Group C World Endurance Championship could come again is one to quicken the heart.
In FIA-land it would appear to be business as usual. F1 dominates as it always does. Both Rallying and Touring Cars are in a transitional stage with a new spec engine for both Championships, but the 1.6 liter, four cylinder turbo units are starting to appear. The GT1 World Championship has been a bigger success on track than anticipated, though there are still questions on how the money will work in the longer term.
For now, things are looking more optimistic than the past few years’ financial problems would have allowed. I am looking forward to the Brave New World. I hope you are too! P1
By john brooks
worLd doMination
Epic EvEnts arE oftEn historical in thEir naturE, that bEing
thEy arE classic in thEir format and in thE way thEy arE run.
howEvEr, history was rEcEntly givEn not a minor but a
rathEr major shakeup whEn thE v8 supErcar tEams ran thE
first two EndurancE rounds for thE 2010 season.
The V8 Supercar field thunders through the first set of turns at the Island.
issue3 13
storybyCraig Lord
bathurstPhotosby Ned dawsoN
PhiliPislandPhotosby sCott weNsLey
Epic EvEnts arE oftEn historical in thEir naturE, that bEing
thEy arE classic in thEir format and in thE way thEy arE run.
howEvEr, history was rEcEntly givEn not a minor but a
rathEr major shakeup whEn thE v8 supErcar tEams ran thE
first two EndurancE rounds for thE 2010 season.
14 p1magazine
Systemscanbechangedatanyeventwithoutanyeffectontheoverallfinalpackageforthoseoutsideoftheorganization.these“system”changesareusuallydoneto
trimcosts,orstreamlineinformationandgenerallogistics,andpredominantlytheyaredoneforthosewhooperateanevent.however,whena“format”changeisdonethenithasaneffectonmany.thequestionisthough,ischangingtheformatforsuchepiceventsworththerisk,andisitfair?
theenduranceroundsfortheV8supercarsutilizethedriverchangepolicy.itisasimplesystemthatovertheyearshadpairedtogethermanyindividualsuperstars,andinturntheyhadcreatedsuperstarteams.thesepairingshadbecomepartoftheculture,andbyallaccountsthepairingprocessdidnotappeartobebroken–so,astheclichégoes,itthereforedidnotneedtobefixed.Well,that’snotcompletelytrueaccordingtothetopdogsoftheaustralianV8supercars,whoclearlysaiditdid.
startingin2010thepowers-to-begavethepairingruleaminortweak.thatminortweakdidnotseeanyalterationtothe
factthatdriverswouldbeswappingoverduringtherace.butwhatitdiddototheeventswasstopanyteamfrompairingV8supercardriverstogetherinthesamecar–andthattinyweelittlechangeinthepaperworkhashadamonstereffectontheepic,classicalandhistoricenduranceevents.
Forsuchaseeminglysmallchangeintheformattherearemanyramifications,theobviousonebeinghowtofindthedriverwhowillstepintothehot-seatwiththeleastdisruptiontoateam’s“mojo”.asanexample,adrianburgesswhoisthesportingdirectorforJimbeamracingisveryclearonhowthatallworksanddoesn’tseemtohaveanyissueswithit.“Westartedthewholedriversearchprocessninemonthsbeforethefirstenduro,andweweresimplylookingforsomeonewhowasnotouttoimpressusorproveheisbetterthantheregulardriver,butsomeonewhowouldfitwiththeteam,”saysadrian.
onewouldassumetherequirementsforasecondarydrivertoenteranyteamaresimilartowhatadrianwanted.theynaturallyneedtobequick,buttheyneedtohaveafull
issue3 15Kiwi John McIntyre proved a very capable co-driver
for fellow kiwi Shane Van Gisbergen.
16 p1magazine
Mark Winterbottom leads the field up Mountain Straight for the first time at the start of 161 laps around Mt Panorama.
issue3 17
understandingofwhattheirjobis.ateamcannotaffordtohavetheseconddriverstepintothefoldwithanupsettingattitude,andadrianclearlypointsoutthathehasitrightwhenitcomestothepartnerforChampionshipseriesleaderJamesCourtney.“Warrenluffisnostress,thereisno-oneelseonpitrowthatiwouldratherhave.”soitseemssimple–tickafewboxesforaco-driverandthingsshouldbeallrosesandbuttercups–surelyitcan’tbethatstraightforward.
harkingbacktothe“mojo”sideofthings,onewouldexpectsomedifficultyfortheseconddriverwhenitcomestothemindsetofhowtoapproachthewholeadventure.let’sbehonestaboutit.nomatterwhotheyareorwhattheircredentialsshowonpaper,thenewdriverwillbecomepartofateamthatisnotnormallypartoftheirregularracinglife.andaswillhappenatthegoldCoast,thesecondarydriversarenotevenpartofaneventbasedinthesamecountry.takeryanbriscoeasaperfectexample.Weknowthatbriscoehascredibility,andwealsoknowthathecan“pedal”forwantofaracingdescription.butthatdoesn’tmeanhewouldbeathisnaturalbestorfullyateasewhenhetakeshisturnatthebadlapsofaV8supercar.
The endurance rounds for The V8 supercars uTilize The driVer change policy. iT is a simple sysTem ThaT oVer The years had paired TogeTher many indiVidual supersTars, and in Turn They had creaTed supersTar Teams.
18 p1magazine
Bathurst Rookie Ant Pederson teamed up with Damian Assaillit.
Opposites Attract, the experienced Todd Kelly shares the No 7 car with Dale Wood.
Two very talented Kiwis combine for Bundaberg
Racing, Fabian Coulthard and Craig Baird.
Nathan Pretty has finished in 10 of his 12 Bathurst starts, and partners up with Mark Noske for Gulf Western Oil Racing.
issue3 19
“ijustwanttodothebestican,”saysbriscoe.“sure,i’vegotaresponsibilityandiunderstandthati’mthenumbertwodriver.butidon’thavetoworryaboutgettingthemaximumspeedoutofthecar–that’stomo’s(andrewthompson’s)job.i’vegotadifferentroletodobygettinguptomyownspeed,gettingcomfortablewiththelaps,andtheniletandrewdohisthingduringthelaststint.”Fromthesidelinesthatisalogicalandprocessedsolutionfrombriscoe,anditprobablycomesfromthefactthathehashadzerotesttimeinthecar,andonlygothisfirstseatfittingonthedaybeforehisfirstrunatbathurst’smtPanorama.butheisaracecardriverjustlikealloftheothersandracecardriverscertainlywanttowin.
markWinterbottomwhodrivesfortheFordPerformanceracingteamconfirmsthat–butwithatwist.“therearelevelaandlevelbsecondarydrivers,andtheaonesareheretowinraceswhilethebdriversareprobablygoingmoreforsurvival.”thatisaninterestingsummationasonewouldassumethatalldriversareouttowin,buttheredoesseemtobesomebasistoit.
briscoewillbetornasheisadriverinsectiona,whilehiszerotesttimeinthecarforceshimtobecomeab.yes,itistoughtoclassanydriverasab.itisinsomewaysslightlyinsulting,butatthesametimeitisanobviousrealism.allofthismeanstoughtimesforpairingslikethompsonandbriscoeandmanyothersaswell–notimpossibletimes,justtough.howeveryoucertainlycouldn’tsayitwasthepatternthroughoutallthegarages.
usingPhillipislandasanexample,youwouldhavetotaketheconclusionthatitwasthe“winning”attitudethatcamethrough,becausethepairingofCraiglowndesandmarkskaifewasundeniablyachampionone.andwhentheFPrpairingofmarkWinterbottomandlukeyouldencamethroughforsecondplaceyoucouldseethe“win”mindsetstarttocomethroughstrongly.theJamieWhincupandsteveowencombinationwasanotherofwhatyouwouldcalla“win”partnership–butinthatsituationitwasthecarbreakingdownthatstoppedthemfromachievingtheglorythattheysostronglydeserved.
WinterbottombelievesinthenewformatandboththePhillip
20 p1magazine
using phillip island as an
example, you would haVe
To Take The conclusion
ThaT iT was The “winning”
aTTiTude ThaT came
Through, because The
pairing of craig lowndes
and mark skaife was
undeniably a champion one.
Rick does get to race with another Kelly, albeit Owen Kelly this time, not brother Todd.
issue3 21
islandandbathurstresultsshowthatitcanwork,althoughheisoneoftheteamsthathastheadvantageofsecondarydriversalreadyinthemoldandtheyarenothavingtobringinpeoplethattheyhaveneverworkedwithonaseriousorregularlevelbefore.
lowndesandskaifeareoneoftheveryfewteamsthatdon’thavetoworryaboutthegellingtogether.WhenthepaircamethroughtowinatPhillipisland,itwasofcoursetoutedasadreamcombination,andalsoadreamcomebackfortheretiredskaife.afterthebathurstwin,itthenbecameasitwasoncebefore–“thedreamteam”.butisn’tthatindirectlywhattheV8supercarwisemenweretryingtoavoid?sure,skaifeisnotaregulardriver,buthe’snotanoutsidereither.
itwouldnotbefairthoughtopickonthisparticularteam.theyareofcourseoutstandingdriverswithanequallyoutstandingteambehindthem,andyouwouldexpecttoseehighresultsbecauseofthat.andalso,thereisnothingtostopanyotherteam(apartfromthechequebook)fromfindingapairingjustasgood.butthesuspectpartofthatplanisthattherearenotmanylowndesorskaifestogoround.
so,weclearlyhavepairingsthatwillslottogetherflawlesslyandtherewillbeothersthatshouldbeabletocopeafterabitofwork;andfinallytherewillofcoursebeteamsthatwillfindthemixalltogethertoospicy.butwhilemostoftheeyeshavebeenpayingattentiontothemajorteamswithtwocars,therearethosewithoutthoseparticulardramasbutwhostillhavetheirowninterestingproblemstodealwith.thelucasdumbrell
teamisaprimeexample,ateamthathasneitherasecondcarnoraregulardriver.
theearlydriverthroughthefirstpartoftheseasonforthedumbrellteamwasdanielgaunt,butafterhewasletgothecarwasthenhandedovertoCameronmcConvillewhocameoutofretirementtodrive.unfortunatelyforthedumbrellteam,mcConvillewasalreadyontherostertodriveforthetollholdenracingsquadfortheendurosandthismeantafullchangeofdriversforPhillipisland,bathurstandgoldCoast.dumbrellneededtocreateapairingatshortnoticeandwhilstitappearstobesatisfactory,itiscertainlyclearthatitwasn’tthesmoothestwaytostarttheenduroseason.
havingmarknoskeandnathanPrettybehindthewheelisnotabadthingthough;justgoingonthestatsfromPretty’slogbookalonehashimatbathurstforthe13thtime.hisprevioustwelvestartshadaratiooftenfinisheswithsixofthosebeinginthetopten–goodenoughtogivedumbrellpeaceofmind.butthisisagenuineexampleofhowdifficultitisforsomeandnototherswhenitcomestothenewpairingformat,andtherecanalsobenodoubtthatsinglecarteamshaveverylittlesympathyforanyproblemsthetwo-carteamsmayhave.
takinganotherexample,wecouldlookatdeanFiorewhoofcourseisasingle-carself-managedarrangementandheslotsintothe“shouldbeabletogeleasily”camp.hispartnerincrimemichaelPatriziwaschosenbyFiore,notonlybecauseofhisabilitiesbutbecausetheyarebestmates,andthatmakesworkingtogetherawholelotsmoother.anditisPatriziwho
Murphs long standing track record at Bathurst was finally lowered over the weekend, by none other than Craig Lowndes.
22 p1magazine
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issue3 23
probablysumsuptheco-drivermentalitythebest.“tomeit’ssimple,ifyouarethinkingaboutcrashingtheracecarthenyou’llneverperformandyou’llnevergetthemostoutofit.theteammanagersandmechanicswilltellyouasmuchastheycantolookafterthecar,butattheendofthedayit’sourjobtodriveitandtheirjobtofixit.yeah,wearematesbutitwon’tbreakafriendshipifeitherofusdoestheunthinkable.”
butsurelydoingtheunthinkablehastobeinthebackofeveryone’sminds.itwouldsimplybehumannaturetohavethosethoughts,andasweknowitdoeshappen.it’sjustthatwhenithappenswiththenewformatitwillfeelawholelotworsethanifitwasoneofthepartnershipscenariosfromtheprecedingarrangements.
ironically,itwasduringtheFridaypracticeandqualifyingsessionsofbathurstthatthefirstofthedramashappenedwhenbothJasonrichardsandtoddKellyhittheconcretewalls–thedamagesustainedbybothcarsdroppingthemoutofplayforanyfront-gridglory.thenwhenFabianCoulthard’smachineleftthebathursttrackindramaticfashiononthefirstlapofraceproper,theseeminglyunlikelyscenarioofamainstreamdrivercreatingissueswasactuallycomingtofruition.
sowithallthattothinkaboutfortheprosandconsofitall,thereisyetanotheraspecttothewholeingesteddriversystem–careers.Fiorelikesthenewdriverpairingsystemfortworeasons;firstlybecauseitsplitsthefieldandgivesthewhole
James Courtney leads fastest qualifier Jason Bright up through the Cutting on Mt Panorama.
Jason Richards and Andrew Jones were lucky to make the field after their car undertook a major rebuild the night before the race.
24 p1magazine
gridachanceratherthanjusttheelitepairings;andsecondlybecauseitshowsthattherearemorethanjustthethirtymainstreamdriverswhoarecapableofdoingthejob.hefirmlybelievesthatnotonlydoesthechangehaveapositiveeffectforthesportasawhole,butithasanequallyimportanteffectoncareers.Fiore’sthoughtsareequalledbyWinterbottomwhoquitesimplystatesthatitdoeshelpwithasecondarydriver’sincomeanditcanimprovetheirchancesofafutureinthesport.
Justtokeepthewholedebatealive,thereisyetanother
hiddenproblemwiththenewformat–butit’sonlyaproblemfortheteamswithtwocars.inthepastwhenyoupairedthetwomaindriverstogetherintothenumberonecar,theteamwouldgivethatoneparticularcarallthepriority,thebestengine,thebestgear,thebesteffort.nowtheyhavetosplittheirlogistics,splitthetopteamandshareanycomponentrytotryandgivebothhalvesofthegameanequalchance.it’scertainlynotanidealsituationforthemtobein,butatthesametimeyoucanguaranteethatthesinglecarteamsonceagainhavenosympathyatall.
Lee Holdsworth put on a great display of driving early in the Bathurst event, only to have it unravel later in the day.
issue3 25
Finally,thereisacross-overeffecttothinkaboutaswell–ateamwithtwocarshassuddenlydoubledtheiron-trackprofile.theywon’tneedtoflipacointodecidewhowilldothequalifyinglaps,andyetatthesametimetheycouldendupfightingeachotherduringanytoptenshoot-out.also,duetothefactthattheyareintheirowncars,thebosseshavenoneedtodecidewhichoneoftheirstarswouldstartorfinishtherace.ithasofcoursemeantthattheyarealsounabletoimproveontheirformerstatisticswhendrivingtogether,andthatithastobesaid,isoneverysadpartthathascomefromthechange.you
couldevenfeelforthelikesoftheKellybrotherswhowillneverhavethechanceofwinningbathursttogetherunlessoneofthemstepsawayfromaregulardriveposition.
assaidatthebeginning,suchasmallchangeinformatfortheenduroseasonhasinturncreatedsuchamassivechangeforthefuture.andwithseeminglysomanyprosandconshavingappearedwithitall,ithasasaminimumproducedapolarizedreactionfromtheteamsandthefans–thatwillkeepaheavydebateonthetonguesofmany,formonthsifnotyearstocome.p1
story by DaviD Tremayne
Photos Courtesy voDafone mcLaren
... or why Jenson Button
may be the most relaxed of
the five title contenders.
issue 3 27
28 p1 magazine
I t’s not often that any topline racing driver is prepared to concede where his team-mate is stronger, but Jenson button isn’t your typical F1 driver.
sure, he looks the part and he’s the reigning World Champion, but there has always been a preternatural calmness about the 30 year-old from Frome that has set him apart. that, and a fundamental honesty with himself and others.
“even if the balance of the car is not 100 per cent, Lewis can be very quick,” he concedes of 2008 champion Lewis hamilton, whom many believed would eat him alive at mcLaren. “i need a car that is more stable than he does. When the car isn’t right it makes me work very hard as a driver to get the car i want. in that respect Lewis is very strong.”
a pause, as he reflects further, before venturing a candid opinion that is a stark contrast to most drivers’ refusal to acknowledge any personal weakness.
“overall i think it’s been very close with Lewis. i outqualified him at hockenheim and monza, and even when i don’t, within five laps i’m usually right behind him. but i am behind him, not in front. so qualifying is something that i still need to work on with my engineers.”
even before the italian gP put him back into title contention,
and in which victorious Fernando alonso said of him “Jenson was driving superb [sic], he was not doing a single mistake,” button was feeling pretty chilled. the great gamble to switch to mcLaren from brawn, where he had finally won the World Championship in the surprise performance of the year, has paid off spectacularly. he has proved to his detractors that on his day he can duke it out with hamilton. and, the title success notwithstanding, he’s proved to a new circle of team-mates in the paddock that he genuinely is the real deal. that 2009 wasn’t a fluke.
there isn’t much to choose between their individual performances, except when it comes to tigering a lap time out of a less than perfect car, in which case hamilton has the upper hand. as button considered the suggestion, the habitual smile played on his lips and he came out with the aforementioned comments, broadly agreeing as he added: “i’m very happy with my races. i don’t feel that i’ve made any real mistakes. my weakness is in finding the balance in qualifying.”
arguably, of the five title contenders he is the one who has made the fewest mistakes. alonso crashed embarrassingly at monaco and spa, and made a rookie mistake at silverstone in passing robert Kubica illegally and then not immediately handing the place back; hamilton messed up at monza; Webber
issue 3 29
30 p1 magazine
in australia and Valencia; Vettel in turkey, hungary and spa. button, meanwhile, blessed with a silky smooth style, has kept out of trouble, and won two races.
so does he wake occasionally in a cold sweat, wondering what he would be doing now if he hadn’t changed camps? he laughs.
“i’m very, very happy with the decision that i made. i have made a lot of wrong decisions” – another laugh, more rueful this time – “but i’m really happy with the one to move to mcLaren. one of the many things that excited me was how much mcLaren improved its car last year. and the challenge of mcLaren was the main reason why i made the move. it was like going to a new school. it’s very important for me to have input into the car, and mcLaren really listens.”
immediately after monza he was unhappy with the team’s decision to pit him sooner than alonso. “i had mixed emotions then and, obviously, i wanted to win the race, and, having led most of it, that was probably an achievable ambition,” he said. “but i also managed to score some very useful points over the guys ahead of me in the Championship. and that gave me a great feeling.
“What was also interesting was the damage to the rear of my car. Fernando had hit me on the first lap, and it caused some damage to the floor but i didn’t realise quite how much damage it had caused until i saw the car after the race.
“Would i have felt better if i’d won, but had Lewis and mark alongside me on the podium? that’s a difficult one to answer. but, i think, in the immediate aftermath of the race, you tend
Targa Bambina 12-13 March 2011
Tier 1 2010/2011 Round 1 Pukekohe 5-7 November 2010 Round 2 Christchurch 26-28 November 2010 Round 3 Invercargill 14-16 January 2011 Round 4 Timaru 20-23 January 2011 Round 5 Palmerston North 1 1-13 February 2011 Round 6 Taupo 18-20 March 2011
North Island Enduro Series 2011 Manfeild 4 hour Date TBA (usually May) Pukekohe 6 hour Date TBA (usually May) Taupo 4 hour Date TBA (usually June)
South Island Enduro Series 2011 Christchurch 3 hour + 1 hour Date TBA (usually September) Invercargill 3 hour + 1 hour Date TBA (usually September) Timaru 3 hour + 1 hour Date TBA (usually October)
Dunlop Targa (Main event) 25-31 October 2010
Targa Rotorua 4-5 June 2011
Altherm 1000 4-5 June 2011
Tier 2 2010-2011 Round 1 Palmerston North 2-3 October 2010 Round 2 Taupo 23-24 October 2010 Round 3 Hampton Downs 13-14 November 2010 Round 4 Pukekohe 4-5 December 2010 Round 5 Palmerston North 5-6 February 2011 Round 6 Hampton Downs 5-6 March 2011 Round 7 Taupo 23-24 April 2011
Please note than cars can be rented in entirety and you split the drive as you see fit, up to 4 drivers per car, or we can sell individual seats.
Discounts available if you want to do a whole series!
Unit 8, Hampton Downs Motorsport ParkHampton Downs Rd, RD2 Te Kauwhata,
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issue 3 31
Targa Bambina 12-13 March 2011
Tier 1 2010/2011 Round 1 Pukekohe 5-7 November 2010 Round 2 Christchurch 26-28 November 2010 Round 3 Invercargill 14-16 January 2011 Round 4 Timaru 20-23 January 2011 Round 5 Palmerston North 1 1-13 February 2011 Round 6 Taupo 18-20 March 2011
North Island Enduro Series 2011 Manfeild 4 hour Date TBA (usually May) Pukekohe 6 hour Date TBA (usually May) Taupo 4 hour Date TBA (usually June)
South Island Enduro Series 2011 Christchurch 3 hour + 1 hour Date TBA (usually September) Invercargill 3 hour + 1 hour Date TBA (usually September) Timaru 3 hour + 1 hour Date TBA (usually October)
Dunlop Targa (Main event) 25-31 October 2010
Targa Rotorua 4-5 June 2011
Altherm 1000 4-5 June 2011
Tier 2 2010-2011 Round 1 Palmerston North 2-3 October 2010 Round 2 Taupo 23-24 October 2010 Round 3 Hampton Downs 13-14 November 2010 Round 4 Pukekohe 4-5 December 2010 Round 5 Palmerston North 5-6 February 2011 Round 6 Hampton Downs 5-6 March 2011 Round 7 Taupo 23-24 April 2011
Please note than cars can be rented in entirety and you split the drive as you see fit, up to 4 drivers per car, or we can sell individual seats.
Discounts available if you want to do a whole series!
Unit 8, Hampton Downs Motorsport ParkHampton Downs Rd, RD2 Te Kauwhata,
Waikato 3782 - P. 09 280 6593
issue 3 33
34 p1 magazine
to look at what might have happened and if i’d stayed ahead of Fernando after his pit stop, then it’s reasonable to assume i had every chance of winning.
“so, did we get the strategy wrong? People have said it was a case of who blinked first but, really, the fact was that we didn’t have the fastest car in the race, and, while it would have been possible to have kept the lead, Fernando’s pace meant that, at best, that was still quite a long-shot. so i think the team played its card properly, it’s just that there were a number of factors that were always going to work hard against us to ensure that a victory was difficult.”
his second place boosted his title aspirations, however, and he was very pleased, “because i took the opportunity with both hands, and i scored 18 points on a day when Lewis scored none, mark took home eight and sebastian 12.”
away from the title fight, he admits that he’s bemused about the way brawn has slid off the pace in its new guise as mercedes. and how slow his replacement michael schumacher has been.
“i’m surprised that the team hasn’t performed better. but we all have bad years, and last year at times was very tough. ross brawn and michael will strike back in 2011, i’m sure. you can never count ross out.
“it has a different car to what we had at brawn. i like a car to have good rear-end stability. oversteer is part of racing, but i like good stability back there. so i try to improve a car to have better rear-end stability. that’s my starting point. it’s also important that the front end has good turn-in, but rear-end stability is more important to me. i can’t talk for michael, but he’s driven that style of pointy car for so many years, where it turns in right on the nose and the rear end is loose. so i think a different kind of car, like he’s had with the mercedes this year, has been a shock to his system.” he smiles again, not prepared to stick a knife into his one-time nemesis, but still wanting to be candid. “and it’s harder to learn new things at 30 than at 20, or at 40 than at 30.”
much was written of the clash between red bull team-mates
sebastian Vettel and mark Webber in turkey, not so much about the wheel-rubbing between button and hamilton as they fought for the resultant victory. on the surface everything appeared hunky dory, but button admits he wasn’t too impressed with the way that hamilton shouldered back in front going into the first corner, after losing the lead to him the previous lap. typically, he dealt with that quickly, without the ‘he’s loco’ gestures to which an angry Vettel resorted against his team-mate. he’s not the sort to bear grudges and gripes.
“i’m a straightforward person, i think. i don’t take any shit. i know that if something bothers me i have to get it on the table, that’s important. i don’t hold back and i say what things i have to say face-to-face and not through other people.
“as far as things with Lewis have been concerned this year there was only that one time, in turkey. and i said something to him as soon as i got out of the car. We resolved those issues immediately, and we moved on.” neither will say what was said.
their friendly rivalry has been a cornerstone of mcLaren’s strength this season, and it’s clear from their body language that it’s genuine. this is one of history’s more harmonious pairings of number one drivers.
one year on, button looks a calm and confident title contender. having won in 2009, he now knows how it works when it comes to a down-to-the-wire fight. Which is why he could sympathise with Vettel’s error that cost him so much in belgium. the german succumbed to the pressure of the moment.
“skill is still an important part of the package. but it’s amazing how the mental side can affect your driving. suddenly it doesn’t flow. you might feel apprehensive, or nervous, and if you haven’t been in that situation before, fighting for a World Championship, it can be hard to handle it.
“there are two people, as well as me, who’ve been there before: Lewis and Fernando. they’ve seen what happens. then you have mark and seb. mark will handle it, he’s a pretty
issue 3 35
36 p1 magazine
smart guy. i’m surprised that seb is behind mark. he is still a contender and there are circuits coming up that he really enjoys.”
button is hard on himself when he says: “Lewis is 17 points ahead so he’s done a better job and i respect that,” because he takes no account of the radiator blanks that a mechanic left in place which cost him a finish at monaco, or Vettel’s assault on him at spa. “it’s going to be more difficult for me to win the World Championship than for Lewis,” he admits, “but coming from behind can be more exciting though you have to take more risks for that to come off.”
in the middle of the season, to the surprise of many, button ended his relationship with the model Jessica michibata. even those close to him were amazed, since they seemed so good together. two races later it was all on again. button won’t go into details, but says cryptically, “this,” meaning racing, “is so much more stressful than it should be. but you do things when you are passionate. now i am in a very happy time in my life. both in my racing life and in my private life.” and his face breaks into the familiar grin that is never far away these days, as he adds: “but i’d be happier if i had another five points…”
twelve months ago he looked haunted in pursuit of his
championship. now he looks like a man who is relaxed, who feels fulfilled. but don’t underestimate the desire to win a second title.
“i think you have to take each race as it comes,” he says. “i think that driving just to score a certain number of points isn’t in a racing driver’s psyche: i felt that a little bit last year, i knew i only had to keep scoring consistently to take the title, but that was probably more mentally taxing than just putting your head down and going for it.
“For instance, at interlagos last year, i had nothing to really lose. i was 14th on the grid and my team-mate was on pole. What did i have to gain by driving steadily and taking home a handful of points? i just went for it, and that was a really liberating race for me, and an experience that will be useful this year too.
“i think consistency is important in some ways though: obviously, you need a car that will get you to the finish of every grand Prix, and you don’t want to start making knee-jerk, or radical, decisions on set-up or strategy because you think it might give you an advantage. We’re racers, so we’ll always be racing, but the pressure’s now on all of us, because none of us can afford another non-finish or a mistake. and the guy who cracks least will be World Champion.” p1
Chicane RacewearUnit K Cain Park
Cain Rd Penrose AucklandEmail: [email protected]
freephone 0800 ChICAne
issue 3 37
Chicane RacewearUnit K Cain Park
Cain Rd Penrose AucklandEmail: [email protected]
freephone 0800 ChICAne
In the Diesel and GT2 classes, the song remained the same at this year’s Le Mans 24 Hours: Winning means as much about staying in one piece for the entire race as it does about turning blistering-fast laps. For Audi and Porsche, that was the key to victory in one of the most gruelling events in all of motorsports.
issue3 39
story&photos
by John Brooks
’tilltheFatladysings...
Early Morning Alarm. 07.05am Sunday, Franck
Montagny sees the hopes of France, Peugeot and the crew of #2 go up in
flames as the con rod fails in the leading car.
R ickMears,afour-timewinneroftheindy500,iscreditedwiththephrasethatallentrantstothe
24hoursofleMansshouldchantastheirmantra:“tofinishfirst,youmustfirstfinish”.
Whilethosewordsstillapply,factoryteamscompetingforvictoryin24-hourracessincetheturnofthecenturyhavedisplayedbulletproofreliability.that’sbecauseofthehightechnicalstandardsthatprevailthesedaysinthetopendofmotorsports.
Wehavebeengracedwithano-holdsbarredcontestbetweenpeugeotandaudiduringthepastfourseasonsforoutrightvictoryatleVingtQuatreheuresduMans.audi–winnersin2007and2008–werecomprehensivelybeatenin2009andwereoutforrevenge.peugeottoo,underthedirectionofolivierQuisnel,hadlearnedthehardlessonsofdefeatandwereinnomoodtoyieldtotheirgermanrivals.
sofor2010thestagewassetforoneofthose“onceinadecade”contests.theprologue,atthespa1000kilometersbackinMay,showedthatalthoughaudihadmadeprogresswithther15,itstilllackedtheoutrightspeedofthepeugeot,amachinedesignedwithleMansinmind.
therewerethreefactory-enteredpeugeots:#1forMarcgene,alexanderWurzandanthonydavidson,#2forFranckMontagny,stephanesarrazinandnicMinassian,#3forsebastienbourdais,pedrolamyandsimonpagenaud.asifthistriowerenotenoughtherewasaback-upintheformofa2010-spec908enteredbyoreCawiththetop-notchdrivercrewofolivier
panis,nicolaslapierreandloicduval.ontheothersideofthepitchwerethe
threedieselsfromaudisport.theywereledbythe#7r15with“Mr.leMans”himself,tomKristensen,partneredbyallanMcnishanddindoCapello.#8wasstaffedbyMarcelFassler,andrelottererandbenoittreluyer,and#9hadtimobernhard,romaindumasandMikerockenfelleraboard.
therewereanother11entriesinthelMp1class,andallintheorycapableofwinning.butinrealityeveryoneknewthatjustsevenofthoseteamswould–inalllikelihood–vieforthetopthreeslots.
theopeningroundwenttopeugeotasthefronttworowsofthegridwereturnedintoanaudi-freezone.themanagementatpeugeothadallowedtheirdriverstocompetewitheachotherjustbeforetheconclusionofqualifyingonWednesdaynight.Whenthesmokecleared,polepositionwasinthepossessionof#3andsebastienbourdaiswhoflashedaroundinthedarktostoptheclockat3:19.711.toputthatincontext,itwas3secondsfasterthanthe2009pole,andthatwasafterpowerrestrictionsandaerodynamicchangesimposedbytheaCoinanattempttotryandreininthediesels.
thebestoftheaudiswas#9whichMikerockenfellerusedtopostatimeof3:21.981.itwasaworryingtimeforaudi,andastheracestartapproached,peugeotwastheclearfavorite.reliabilityonbothsideswasagivenanditwasclearthatpeugeotcouldmatchaudiinthepitstops,andwouldbeequallyconfidentabouttheirracecraft.theweightofexpectationondr.ulrichandhisaudisportteamwasoverwhelming.theywereacoupleofsecondsalapslowerthan
issue3 41
The Pratt & Miller Corvettes had the legs on all their rivals in the GT2 class but like the Peugeots they were not destined to finish.
OPPOSITE PAGE: Rush Hour on the Mulsanne Straight.
42 p1Magazine
theirrivals.despiteallthemoneythathadbeenspentondevelopment,itwasgoingtobealongrace.
afteraprotractedsetofopeningceremoniesthecarslinedupbehindthepacecarandcompletedtheirfinalwarm-uplappriortotherollingstart.asalways,allanMcnishattemptedtousetheflagdroppingasanopportunitytogetinamongsttheFrench,butafterthreeyearsoftheseanticspeugeot’sdriversknewwhattoexpect,andtheWeescotwaskeptatbayinfifthplace.hemanagedtokeeponthetailofthepeugeottrainbutwasthwartedinthefirsthourbyamisplacedsafetycarthatcosthimaminute.
FormorethantwohourstheFrenchquarteteasedawayfromthegermantrio,andthenonlap38thefirstchinkappearedinpeugeot’sarmor.pedrolamy
broughttheleading908intothepitstoretire.thefrontwishbonemountingplatehadbecomedetachedfromthetub,probablytheconsequenceofbouncingoverthekerbstooaggressively.inanycase,the908entrywasoutoftherace.
thenextoftheleadingpacktohaveaproblemwastomKristensenwhoseaudihitthebarriersattheporscheCurvesavoidingthebMWM3gt2ofandypriaulx,whichwaslimpingbacktopitsafterapuncture.priaulxwastryingtogetofftheracinglineandadmittedthathegotthemaneuverwrong,misjudgingtherelativespeeds.itmadedr.ulrichveryangry,tothepointwherehestormeddownthepitlanetoshoutathisbMWcounterpart,Charleylamm.thatwasavisibleindicationofthepressurethataudiwereunderatthatstageintherace.theprocessofgettingbackontrackand
thenstoppingtoreplacethedamagedrearbodyworkcostthe#7threelapsandremovedthemfromanyrealisticchanceofawin.
atthesix-hourpoint,allthreesurvivingpeugeotshadatleastalapovertheremainingtwoaudisremainingincontention,#8and#9.thingswerelookingbleakforaudiasthelightfaded.thensome90minuteslatergenebroughtthe#1peugeotintothepitstogetthealternatorreplaced–threelapslostforanitemthatshouldbebullet-proofinthefourthyearoftheproject.WeretheFrenchlosingtheirgrip?
Whilethepeugeotseasedawaytheaudiswererunninglikeclockwork,andasthehalfwaypointwasreachedthebalancetippedinfavorofthegermans.theoreCa908lostfourlapsandsecondplacearoundmidnightwithadriveshaft
A trouble free race resulting in victory and a new distance
record for the Audi R15 TDI plus of Timo Bernhard, Romain Dumas and Mike Rockenfeller.
Million Dollar Deal. The BMW M3 GT2 given the Art Car treatment by Jeff Koons.
Lacking the Midas touch. The Rebellion Racing Lola B10/60 had Marco Andretti, Nicolas Prost and Neel Jani on board but retired early on in the race.
LMP Champions, Strakka Racing
were never headed and finish
an amazing fifth place overall.
The record crowd was treated to a fantastic Saturday evening battle between the Risi Ferrari and the #64 Corvette, both would later retire.
The Diesel Armada heads the grid.
With hordes of Dutch supporters in attendance, the Spyker C8 Laviolette was the last classified finisher.
GT2 Champions, the Felbermayr Porsche 997 GT3 RSR.
Not a successful return to La Sarthe for BMW Motorsport.
Serene and unaware of the troubles ahead, a trio of Peugeots
head the field early on.
The last chance for GT1 saw a victory for the Labre Competition Saleen S7-R.
Also retiring with a podium place, the Aston Martin DBR9 of Young Driver AMR.
issue3 45
failure.allofpeugeot’saspirationsrestedonthe#2carthatwascomfortablyahead,nearlytwolapsuponthe#9car.then,justafter7.00amMontagny,strokingthe#2along,glancedintohismirrortoseeflamesshootingoutoftherighthandsideofhis908fromtheenginebayasheapproachedterterouge.gameover,Montagnysatonhisstrickencarforsometime,reflectingonwhatmighthavebeen.
audinowwererunningfirstandsecondwith#8leading#9,buttherewasstillathreatintheformofthefast-recovering#1peugeot,nowonlyalapdown.anthonydavidsonputinanamazingquadruplestintononesetofMichelins,regularlyposting3.20slapsandgraduallyworkingthe908intoapositionwherethecrewwereabletoun-lapthemselves.nosoonerhadWurzachievedthis,theengineletgoinaslightlylessdramaticwaythanthesistercarbutstillleftsmokeandoilalloverthepeugeotpit.sothatwastheendofthechallengeforvictoryfromtheFrench,barringacatastropheforaudi.
themaininterestnowwasonwhetherthefinalpeugeot,thatoforeCacouldsurvivetillthefinishandwhetheritcouldcatchthe#7audiandsnatchthirdplace.Muchinthestyleofdavidson,loicduvalproducedsomemagicwithabsolutelybreathtakingpace,eventuallysmashingthelaprecordandleavingitat3:19.074,fasterthanthepoletime.thiswasanheroiceffortbutwasdoomedtofailurelikenapoleon’soldguardatWaterlooandinthe22ndhourtheenginebrokeinasimilarmannertotheother908s,andthatwasthatforpeugeotandthe2010leMans24hours.
audinowhadaresultthatfewthoughtpossiblebeforetherace,includingsomeintheteamwhoconsideredthatevenaplaceonthepodiummightbearemotepossibilityoratleastarealstruggle.auditookacleansweepofthesilverwarewiththe#9carofbernhard,dumasandrockenfelleronthetopstep,backedupby#8and#7intheothertopslots.therewasaninitialfeelingthatthegermanteamhadluckedintothistremendous
win,thatsomehowpeugeothadbeen“robbed.”
nonsense.Justconsiderthepremisethatledthispiece,“tofinishfirst,youmustfirstfinish.”audididjustthat.thewinningcarbarelymissedabeatandfurthermorebrokethedistancerecordthathadstoodsince1971,covering397lapsor5,410kilometers.thatisaChampion’sperformance.
Whatwentwrongforpeugeot?theinitialwisdompointedtowardpistonfailureorperhapsturboproblems.afterapost-mortembackattheirVelizybaseitwasannouncedthattheproblemwaswiththecon-rod.thecarsranmoreefficientlyandfasterthanexpected,anddespitethoroughtestingandsimulationthestrainwastoomuch.
oK,enoughaboutthe“Magnificentseven”diesels.therewereanother48carsthatpassedledrapeautricoloreonthesaturdayafternoon.Whatoftheirstories?
thesub-classinlMp1,thosecarspoweredbypetrolengines,playednopartinthefightforoverallvictorybutstillhad
Another Le Mans swansong, the Lola Aston Martin LMP1.
Top ten finish for the Oak Racing Pescarolo 01.
46 p1Magazine
theirownhardscrap.itwasathree-wayfightbetweenthelolaastonMartinfactoryduo,apairofrebellionracinglolasandtheoreCa01aiM.
rebellionwereontheirbackfootallweekwithrunningrepairsaftervariousindiscretionsleftthemshortofproperset-uptime.intheracetheywerequick,butsufferednigglingproblemsthatledtoeventualretirementofbothcars.thelolaastonMartins,easilythebestsoundingcarsintherace,seemedtohaveeverythingsown-upatthreequarterdistancebutthenatransmissionissuecost#007anhour,droppingthemdowntheorder.
inanotheractofcrueltybytheracegods,#009wascruisingtowardfourthplaceinthefinalhourwhentheV12letgo.allofwhichgavetheoreCa01aiMthehonorofbeing“bestoftherest,”smallconsolationforhugesdeChaunac’scrackFrenchoutfit.predictablytheheadlinesatleMans,atleastinthebritishtabloids,werereservedforacarthatonlycompletedfourlapsbeforethedriver,ex-WorldChampionnigelMansell,crashedout.
thelMp2classwasintheendastraightfightbetweenthetwohpdentriesofhighcroftandstrakka.Verymuchpre-racefavorites,thebig-budget,high-profileamericanteamwasexpectedtodominatewithitstop-drawerdriverteam,featuringformerwinnersdavidbrabhamandMarcoWernerjoinedbyMarinoFranchitti.onlysomeonehadforgottentotelltheboysatstrakkaracing.dannyWattsandJonnyKane,backedupbyteamownernickleventisandthehighlymotivatedteamputinanalmostfaultlessperformancetodominatetheclassrightfromlapone.thenetresultwasanamazingfifthplaceoverall.
theleMans’swansongforthelMgt1classwasadisappointingaffair,withathinentrycomparedtothetitanicbattlesofthepastdecadeasCorvettetookonanddefeatedViper,FerrariandastonMartin.theFordgtentriesself-destructedandvariousmaladieshobbledtheastonMartinsandCorvettes.allofwhichmeantthatvictorywastakenbythelabreCompetitionsaleens7,drivenbygabrielgardel,rolandbervilleand
JulienCanal.thesaleenismorethantenyearsoldandisnotincludedinthenewFiagt1WorldChampionship.thatabouttellsyouallyouneedtoknowaboutlMgt1andwhyithasbeendroppedbytheaCo.
yetlMgt2isacompletelydifferentstory.thetraditionalcontestbetweenporscheandFerrarihasbeenenlargedwithfactory-backedeffortsfromastonMartin,bMW,CorvetteandJaguarjoininginthefun.Withtopdriversandtopteams,thecompetitioninlMgt2waseverybitasfierceasattheheadofthefieldindieselland.thefavoritesattheoutset,certainlybasedontheformofwinningtheclassintheprevioussixclassicraces(leMans,sebring&petitleMans)wasrisiCompetizioneandtheirFerrariF430.supportingtheFerrarichallengewasaFCorsewithex-F1starsJeanalesiandgiancarloFisichellaandtheefficienthankookteamFarnbacherF430.thestrongestoppositiontorisiwasexpectedtocomefromapairofpratt&Miller-runCorvetteC6zr1s.Factorinfourorfivegoodporscheentries,abraceofwerksbMWsandanastonMartinV8
Always an incredible sensation, the opening lap of the Le Mans 24 Hours.
issue3 47
1939 - 20091939 - 2009
cars–15.6lapsagainst14.ofcourse,duringtheracetheCorvettesrefuelledatthe14-lappoint.theirpitstopswereshorterastheywereputtinginlessfuel,whichalsogavethemaperformanceadvantage,carryinglessweight.
theracegotunderwayandprettysoonitwasclearthattheleadcontestwouldbebetweenthetwoamericanteams.ForseveralhoursthemassedranksofthespectatorsweretreatedtoamemorablespectacleastheFerrariand#64Corvettepassedandre-passedeachotherinafantasticscrapforthelead.WatchingthisunfoldikeptgettingthefeelingthatCorvettestillhadsomethinginreserveandthattheywerewaitingtoseehowthingslookedinthelightoftheearlymorning.intheendtherisicarcrackedfirst.eighthoursintotherace,the430startedtohavegearselectorproblems,thatfirstslowedandthenputtheFerrarioutoftherace.theirwinningstreakhadbeenbroken.
theCorvetteskeptupafiercepacethroughoutthenightwith#64leading#63.theyhadatwo-lapadvantageovertheFelbermayr911andseemedsettocruisetoanotherleMansclasswin.theneverythingfellapartjustaround7amsundaymorning.the#63carsufferedanenginefailurethatstrandedantoniogarciaoutontrack.Worsewastofollowfor#64,whenemmanuelCollardgottangledupwiththeflyingpeugeotofanthonydavidson.althoughthecarsdidnottouch,theCorvettethumpedthewallattheporscheCurvesprettyhard.Collardgotthecarbacktothepitsandtheteamrepairedthedamageandgotthe’Vettebackontrack,onlytosufferanotherenginefailure.itwasapoorreturnforadominantdisplayfrompratt&Miller.
sowhenthecheckeredflagwasunfurledbydanielpoissenotataround3pmonsundayafternoon,#77teamFelbermayrprotonporsche997gt3
Vantageandthestagewassetforabattleroyale.
risiCompetizioneseizedtheinitiativeduringtheWednesday/thursdaypracticeandqualifyingsessions.gianmariabruniwhizzedroundin3:59.233totakeclasspole.thencametechnicalinspection.theofficialstorywasthattherearwinggurneyflapwas2milimeterstoolow.eventhoughthiswasnotthepartusedonthepoletimerun,thecarwasdespatchedtothebackofthegrid.inrealitythedemotionwouldnotseriouslyhampertheFerrari,asitprovedbytakingtheleadwithinafewhours.
Withtheirrivalshobbled,thepratt&MillerCorvetteslookedasiftheyhadthewholefieldcovered.therewasmuchtalkofthenumberofwaiversthattheaCohadallowedonthecar–47asiunderstand.MostsignificantwasthattheC6.rzr1carswerebothrunningaboschdirectinjectionsystem,givingnearlytwolapsfueladvantageovertheothergt2
rsrstoodproudattheheadofthegt2class.Marclieb,richardlietzandWolfhenzler,whocomprisedthecrewof#77didallthatwasaskedofthemandmore.theykeptthepressureontheirfasterrivals,theCorvettesandtherisiFerrari,tobeintheperfectpositiontotakeadvantageoftheslingsandarrowsofoutrageousfortunethatafflictedallthreeopponents.itwasthekindofperformancethatusedtobestandardforporschefactoryteams,especiallyatleMans.MaybehavingthegreatMan,norbertsinger,intheFelbermayrpitwasagoodomen.Whateverthecase,theporschetrioweregoodfortheirwin,thefirstfora911since2007atlasarthe.itwasalsothefirsttimethatporschehadrunafullprodriverlineinyears,proof,ifanywereneeded,oftheveryhighstandardsthatcurrentlyprevailinlMgt2.
secondplacewenttothehankookteamFarnbacherF430gtC.theteam
anddrivers,dominikFarnbacher,allansimonsenandlehKeenperformedmiraclesonashoestringbudget.disciplineandfocushelpedtoachievethisdreamresult,repeatingtheirnurburgring24hoursheroicsandpositionfrommid-May.
FinalpositiononthepodiumwenttotheporscheofbMsscuderiaitalia.thetrioofdrivers,Marcoholzer,timoscheiderandrichardWestbrookhadtoendurenumerousnigglingproblemsandfinishedtheracewiththeenginerunningononlyfivecylinders,buttheirpersistencewasamplyrewarded.
Whatoftheotherleadingcontenders?arguablythehighestprofilecarinthefieldwastheartCarfrombMW.thisJeffKoons’designmadeabigimpacteverywhereitwentexcept–thatis–onthetrack(wellignoringtheroleithadintheincidentwithtomKristensenandthe#7audi).thebMWM3gt2wassimplynotquickenoughandnothelpedbya
latesmallerrestrictorchange.theartCarsufferedfromanumberofissues,finallyrunningoutoffuelonthecircuitonsaturdayevening.thesistercarstruggledroundtofinishsixthinclass,representativeofneitherbMWnorschnitzer.
theastonMartinV8VantagehadissueswiththebrakesallweekatleManssothenewsthatoneofthedriverscrashedthecarduringtheracewasnotasurprise.theonlyconsolationforastonMartinwasthattheirracewasamilliontimesbetterthanthereturnofJaguartoitsformerhappyhuntingground.theXKrsrefusedtoruncleanlyallweek,sufferinganunexplainedelectricalfaultthatwouldputitoutoftheraceafterfourlaps.
the2010VingtQuatreheuresduManswasanendorsementoftraditionalleMansvaluessuchasdurabilityandstaminaovertheultimatespeed.itisafteralla24-hourrace.p1
Porsches in the woods at Indianapolis.
How would you like to be the guy who lets his team down by fumbling a pit stop? It might look cool on television, but being a pit stop crew member is no trip to Paris…
story by DaviD Tremayne
Photos courtesy reD Bull racing, Team loTus, renaulT racing & merceDes moTorsporT
issue 3 51
COVER FEATURE
52 p1 magazineThe Renault F1 team changing all four tyres for Robert Kubica during his pit stop.
issue 3 53
A t monza, Fernando alonso won the italian grand Prix. but Ferrari’s pit crew made a crucial difference. but these are not select millionaires but up to 17 ordinary,
yet extraordinary guys, team mechanics who have worked their way up the system and often migrate from team to team, who are paid real-world wages of between £30,000 and £50,000. they are drilled to perfection. at monza the race turned on a 0.8s margin: Ferrari changed alonso’s tyres in 3.4s. mcLaren took 4.2s to change Jenson button’s.
neither were bad performances. the record, thought to be held by red bull, is 3.2 seconds. bound by the limits of the quicklift jacks and air guns, anything under four seconds is good; below 3.5s and you may just have won your team a race.
Pit stops are carried out with military precision and efficiency – especially since this is a dangerous environment. since refuelling was banned this year, the risk of a horrifying pitlane fire, such as the one that momentarily engulfed benetton’s Jos Verstappen and his crew at hockenheim in 1994, is thankfully no longer a worry. or in 2005, sauber refueller sylvan ruegg had his leg run over by Jacques Villeneuve at silverstone. and in 2008, Felipe massa rejoined the 2008 singapore gP with the refuelling rig still attached to his Ferrari…
but accidents can still happen. in hungary a loose rear wheel from nico rosberg’s mercedes bounced down the pit road before striking Williams mechanic/truckie nigel hope. he was treated in the medical centre before, being a racer, returning to active duty. in the same race renault’s robert Kubica crashed into incoming adrian sutil’s Force india when the renault pit let their man out prematurely, in what is these days termed an ‘unsafe release’.
much depends on the key man, the ‘lollipop man’. it is he who holds the stop/go sign and oversees the operation. but they, too, make mistakes. at monza, hrt driver sakon yamamoto was signalled that it was safe to leave but a technician was
still leaning unexpectedly into the cockpit attending to a radio problem, and suffered concussion in the ensuing ugly accident when the lollipop man reacted instinctively as he saw four raised wheelchangers’ hands. in all of the 2010 cases, the teams concerned were fined up to $50,000.
it’s not hard to see why the tension levels are sky high during a race. nobody wants to be the guy who fumbles a wheel change, who lets their team down. Like many things, changing a wheel isn’t that difficult. but doing it perfectly under immense pressure and on a massive stage certainly is. an F1 wheel and tyre is so light – around 15 kg – you can toss it into the air with two hands. one guy undoes the wheel nut with an air gun, and while he’s changing the rotational direction of the gun, a team-mate whips off the old wheel and a third man bangs on the new one before the gunman tightens everything up again. simple enough? sure. but try doing that when you’re under real pressure. When you’re the outside front or rear wheel changers. they run arguably the biggest risk as the car behind swings out of its pit, or the car in front cuts in. they are nearest the oncoming scream of rival cars, and a front wing is wide and brutally sharp-angled…
these unsung heroes are so focused on their sole task that
PIt stoPs are carrIed out
wItH mIlItary PrecIsIon
and effIcIency – esPecIally
sInce tHIs Is a dangerous
envIronment.
54 p1 magazine
It takes a well orchestrated team of crew members to
effect a quick pit stop, with every one of these well
trained professionals being responsible for a specific task.
issue 3 55
extraneous things tend to be blanked out. “the car could have been on fire when i was a wheelman,” mcLaren chief mechanic Pete Vale admits, “and the first i’d notice that would be after i’d changed my wheel.”
Vale, like most, started as a general mechanic. as mcLaren’s lollipop man he oversees all the preparation for the stop and has ultimate responsibility not just for his crew, but for rivals while he controls the whole thing.
“this year after the christmas break, we returned to the factory and started our pre-season indoor pit stop practice sessions, using the previous year’s car,” he reveals. “throughout January and February, we spent the mornings running through about 20 practice stops. after lunch, we did another 10 or so, and after that an additional 15, during which the whole crew changed position so everybody tried a different role to what they had been practicing earlier that day.
“by mixing it up, we were able to get a clearer idea of which guys were suited to which jobs. We saw which groups became consistently quick, who was improving and refining their technique, and we kept detailed records to help us make a quality crew selection.
“once we had the pit stop crew selected we worked further with the guys to refine the whole operation, analysing how to best solve the various problems that crop up, devising ways to speed up the process, and also looking at how we can modify
the design of our tools or the car itself to improve the whole operation.”
at every grand Prix mcLaren, like most of its rivals, rehearses its stops on Wednesday, thursday, Friday and saturday, and, during these sessions will perform as many as 150 of them, trying to ensure that the crew is completely prepared for the race.
“We aim to start the process on Wednesday evening,” Vale says. “this session is more about getting everybody back into the routine of changing wheels – we’ll focus on standard wheel changing stops, maybe introducing nosebox changes, front wing adjusts and rehearsing what to do if there’s a problem on the opening lap.
“as the weekend goes on, we’ll introduce more complex scenarios into the rehearsals, utilising the three different configurations of pit stop crew that we have available to draw upon at different stages. by sunday, our aim is to be perfectly drilled so we can cope with any eventuality.”
“We always warn the guys on the radio beforehand if a stop is going to be tight,” Vale continues, “and make sure everyone is where they should be, doing what they should be doing. you tend to be very focused. all of the wheel change crews are focused entirely on their wheel, they are absolutely blinkered to anything else.
“me, i’m looking for those four raised hands. When i see them, and it’s safe to let the car go, it goes.” p1
The Team Lotus pit crew look like bees around a honeypot.
Crewmembers signal that they have completed their assigned tasks and are ready for Schuey to leave. Red Bull Racing pit crew in action.
Though spectators often
dismiss them, the value
of a development series
in motorsports is beyond
question. It provides a
stepping-stone for drivers on
their way to marquee classes
and delivers consistently tight
racing action and drama
that knowledgeable fans can
truly appreciate. Known as
the Fujitsu Series, the V8
Supercar Development Series
provides a perfect example.
story & photos by Craig LordSteve Owen has proved to be a
dominant contender this season.
58 p1 Magazine
vehicles are of a lesser ability in most aspects. but that should not be a pre-requisite for snobbery. on the contrary, there are very good reasons to pay more attention to a development series than you would think.
the first reason is “figures” – not those of horsepower but those of statistics, where the general return on the investment for team and driver development has been relatively successful.
For example, the indy Lights have turned many of their developmental drivers into fully-fledged superstars, with names like helio Castroneves, scott Dixon, tony Kanaan and Dan Wheldon, all in the “superstar” category.
Formula 1 cannot be ignored in the stats – gp2 is the feeder series for the highest of open-wheeler honors after taking over from the exorbitant Formula 3000 series. this class, which was
aS In moST
buSIneSSeS There
are rewarDS For
perFormance – anD a
DeVelopmenT SerIeS
IS The beST way To
ShowcaSe anD gaIn
ThoSe rewarDS.
The question is often raised on the validity and purpose of a motorsport development series.
of course, this question always is raised by seat-buying race fans, no matter what circuit or class they follow. and it is abundantly clear that if a development series was run on a different weekend than its big brother, it’s unlikely that those same seat-buying race fans would storm the ticket office for an extra piece of action.
that said, it would still be difficult to argue against the purpose and reasoning behind a motorsports development series, especially when you talk to the people directly involved. that’s because they have reasons and results that instantly kill the debate.
so why is it that the general motorsports follower takes so little interest in “second-tier” events? Well, it seems that the simple answer is that the
James Moffat has been doing double duty in both Fujitsu as
well as the main game.
Kiwi Craig Baird was another getting some valuable track time before he paired up with
Fabian Coulthard at Philip Island and Bathurst.
David Reynolds got some track time in preparation
for the upcoming enduros.
issue 3 59
formed in 2005, has had plenty of success when it comes to the development side of motorsports. nico rosberg, Lewis hamilton, timo glock and nico hulkenburg are all gp2 Champions who have made the step to F1 – all with good results.
another pure example is the nationwide series – the proving ground before nasCar glory. Driver names such as Jeff gordon, Kyle busch, Carl edwards, Kevin harvick, greg biffle and Dale earnhardt Jr, have all logged time in the second-tier seats before showing their wares to the mainstream audience. some drivers from the main nasCar sprint series still compete in the nationwide series as well – controversial to be sure, but that is a story for another time. the point is that a development series can do a good job of finding new talent.
so it is clear that on the previously
noted statistics alone a development series is worthwhile. For the motorsports viewer, there’s an even more compelling reason to watch – the racing itself. the racing offers pure and simple, door-to-door, wheel-to-wheel, no-holds-barred action. Clichés, yes, but ones that hold true because the development series of most codes produces spectacular thrills and spills that will often rival the main event.
of course, any development series is not necessarily a must-do for aspiring race car drivers. there are many in the main games that have traveled different paths. still, the chances of movement through the ranks are seemingly better for the junior drivers if they are driving the same road.
in australia, there is without doubt one of the world’s best motorsport series – the australian V8 touring Car Championship. as such, it also has a
dead-set-ripper under its wings, the V8 supercar Development series. Currently known as the Fujitsu series, it has a reputation for action and drama. but aside from that, it has a purpose as the home to many a rising star. it also serves as a temporary home to many drivers such as those who cannot secure full-time supercar seats, those who want to try something different, or those who simply want to play on a main V8 supercar weekend but with a moderately controllable budget.
as with all the different development series around the globe, the Fujitsu offers no guarantee of promotion, and as with all the others classes there are many who try it and fail. but as in most businesses there are rewards for performance – and a development series is the best way to showcase and gain those rewards.
Driver steve owen provides a strong case in point. his race career has seen
The JAYCO Falcon was a regular front runner in this seasons Fujitsu series.
Tim Blanchard in the Sirromet backed Falcon at Townsville.
Nick Percat masters the Townsville street course.
60 p1 Magazine
2010 marKS The STarT
oF year eleVen For
The V8 DeVelopmenT
SerIeS, anD SInce ITS
IncepTIon IT haS lenT a
STrong hanD TowarDS
The SucceSS oF ITS V8
Supercar bIg broTher.
him stepping from karts and open-wheel Formulas to the V8 supercar, with the Fujitsu series being his push for honors. With 11 individual races completed during the first four rounds of the 2010 season, owen has only been out of the top three once – and that was eventually to fourth place. it would be hard to imagine any driver being upset with a fourth position considering the overall season numbers placed on the board. this, of course, is not the only reason owen was given the task of joining Jamie Whincup in the 2010 endurance rounds, but it certainly cemented the decision.
owen drives the no. 45 earthex racing Commodore for the greg Murphy racing team, but that doesn’t necessarily
mean there is a partnership in the V8 supercar – nothing is as cut and dried as that in the world of motorsports the task of driving with greg Murphy in the phillip island enduro was given to V8 rookie tim blanchard, who at only 23 years old is without doubt one of the flyers in motorsports.
While blanchard may be 204 points behind owen after eleven races, he has made sure that his name was in lights by keeping to what seems to be a basic recipe for success – consistency. by no means is blanchard failing to rise, after the debutant’s round win at the townsville 400 had the team boss from paul Morris Motorsport making contact in regard to teaming up with his
Paul Morris in the ‘Love Machine”.
Luke Youlden was another with a foot in both Fujitsu and the main game.
The Bob Jane T-Marts sponsored Falcon of Rodney Jane was one
of the most impressive looking Fujitsu series cars this season.
issue 3 61
mainstream supercar driver Murphy. the simple fact is that it would never have happened without time behind the wheel of the Development V8.
the list of Fujitsu series drivers getting their chance for glory doesn’t finish with owen and blanchard. third-place nick percat was teamed up with andrew thompson in the Walkinshaw Commodore. Fourth-place David russell joined Jonathon Webb in the Dick Johnson racing camp, and fifth-place James Moffat secured his enduro run with steve richards and Ford performance racing – the top five drivers in the V8 Development series admirably rewarded for their efforts.
since its inception 11 years ago, the V8 Development series, has lent a strong hand toward the success of its V8 supercar big brother. in fact, every one of the ten V8 Development Champions has run, or currently is running in the supercar series.
the names of those drivers speak volumes: Dean Canto, simon Wills, paul Dumbrell, Mark Winterbottom, andrew Jones, Dean Canto, adam Macrow, tony D’alberto, steve owen and Jonathon Webb. owen looks to be the odds-on favorite to be the first driver to win the Fujitsu Championship twice.
the advantages of the V8 Development series are not just caged toward putting the champions into the main game. the fourth round of the season held in townsville gave the Fujitsu series a fair bit of glitz and glam. Craig baird, paul Morris, David reynolds, Luke youlden and Marcus Marshall all made visits to get behind the wheel of the closest match possible to a V8 supercar – much-needed practice time before the phillip island enduro.
there is, however, a minor setback with the V8 Development series as a whole. that’s because the driver and car consistency plays a wee bit of havoc
with the results – not in the aspect of performance or even lack of it, but because out of the 37 different drivers who are registered to race or have actually raced at some stage this season, only eight of those have gained points in every round. that takes some the shine off the current top-five placings. however, it would be discourteous to those top five drivers to question their results, given the seemingly unpredictable competition. they are without doubt talented and worthy of their positions. but how much better could the season be if a regular field was to line up on the grid?
that small problem doesn’t detract from the overall spectacle, because while it is still known by the colloquial term of “Development series” the australians have ensured that competitive and exciting racing cars are hitting the track. take nothing away from other codes and their expansion systems, they also produce the right stuff. but there is a major difference that is clearly shown by the individual vehicle specifications.
the V8 supercar and V8 Development cars share the following most important fact, an engine that produces 635-plus hp limited to 7,500 rpm. With that numerical share, they are equal in most other aspects as well, which includes a 3.8 second acceleration of 0-100 kph (182 mph). the only real difference is the Fujitsu Development cars use the older “hand-me-down” chassis from the supercar series and a different engine management system, and in a way it almost makes it difficult to truly call it a Development series. Maybe “Driver Development series” would be better, if somewhat ego-killing towards the few drivers who don’t really sit under the so-called development label.
by race results, if one was to put the Fujitsu series V8 Development car and the australian V8 supercar on the same
grid at the same time, the supercar would cross the finish line first – but only by a couple of car lengths. and one could only drool at that kind of idea transposed with the next hot laps being done by the same drivers in the opposite machine. (now there’s a marketing ploy for the powers to ponder.)
the same comparisons, however, cannot be made with other development series in other tarmac classes, and as agricultural as it is, you can look at the simple figures as a starter. the main indy Car produces approximately 650 hp, with the indy Light running at 420 hp. the Formula one car produces a rating known only to the builders but it is something between 750 and 900 hp, while the gp2 sits at 580 hp. all pie-in-the-sky figures as there are many contingencies including budget caps that separate them, but it makes for simple bullet-points.
in the overall scheme of things a development series has merit, but it’s not always roses and champagne. the indy Car series, for example, is struggling to live up to the purpose of a feeder series. since scott Dixon’s indy Lights Championship win in 2000 none of the subsequent winners have made any major progress in the main indy Car league, including the 2009 Champion J.r. hildebrand who had moved on to the american Le Mans series only to finally return and land an indy Car drive nearly 12 months after his Lights Championship – it must hurt to have the feeder class Champions not playing a major role in the main game.
but it does seem as though the aussies have the right systems in place to ensure that their V8 Development series is living up to its title, and with three rounds remaining (containing seven races overall) in the 2010 australian series, there is a genuine reason to sit up and take notice. p1
Kyle Busch running in the Nationwide Series, the feeder series for NASCAR’s main game.
J.R. Hildebrand running hard in the 2009 Indy Lights Championship, one rung down the ladder from the Indy Car series.
62 p1magazine
The same, but different
issue3 63
The same, but differentMichael SchuMacher and Valentino roSSi have both had tough seasons; but is one about to rise again as the other falters?
storyby DaviD Tremayne
Photoscourtesyof
merceDes moTorsporT & Team yamaha
64 p1magazine
thereinliesoneoftheircrucialdifferences.rossimightnothavebeenallthatenamouredtohaveJorgeLorenzoashisteam-mate,buttherehasneverbeenastagewherehehasinsisted,asschumacheralwayshas,thathisteam-mateshouldbeastooge,therepurelytohelphisownquestforgreatness.
and,asweweresoforciblyremindedinthehungariangP,schumacherispreparedtodothingsonthetrackthatgentlemanlyrossiwouldneverremotelycountenance.schumacherwaspannedafterpushingformerferrariteam-materubensbarrichellowithinaninchofamajoraccidentat300kmh.
sirJackiestewart,thecleanestoftheclean,said:“itwasoneofthemostblatantabusesofanotherdriverthatihaveseen,aterribleexamplefromamanwhohassevenworldtitles.”
Twoofmotorsport’sgreatestlegends–michaelschumacherandValentinorossi–havecomeunderthemicroscopeafreshduringthelongsummer.
botharemultiplechampionswidelyregardedasthemodern-dayepitomeoftheirsports.theitalianmayhaveawaytogotocatchthewinningtallyofthegreatgiacomoagostini,whereasthegermansurpassedJuanmanuelfangio’slongago,butinmanywaystheyareverysimilardespitea10-yearagegap(41to31).intheirheydaytheyweretheirrespectivesport’syardsticks.eachhassurvivedwithonlyabrokenlegapiecetoshowfortheirderringdo,thoughwhererossicamebackwithinsixweeks,schumacherangeredferrarichiefLucadimontezemolobyplayingfootballlongbeforehereluctantlydeclaredhimselffittosupportteam-mateeddieirvine’s1999Worldchampionshipcampaign.
issue3 65
66 p1magazine
fellowtriplechampionnikiLaudasaid:“toendangeranothercompetitorinsuchawayistotallyunnecessary.icannotunderstandwhyhedoesthosethings.”
schumachershruggeditoff.butthenhewaspressuredintomakinganapologythatwasashollowastheoneheofferedtoDamonhillbackinadelaidein1994,afterhehadmadeanunforcederrorandcrashedhisbenettonandthenturfedthebritonofftheroadjustastheWilliamsdriverwaspoisedtosnatchawaytheWorldchampionshiptitle.
rossiandschumacherdiffernotjustonthewinatallcostsphilosophy,butalsotheirknowledgeofandpassionfortheirsport.Whowilleverforgetthatmomentofmonumentalignoranceandarroganceatmagny-coursin1998whenschumacherandeddieirvinefinishedfirstandsecondforferrariinthefrenchgrandPrix,andschumacherdeclaredcrassly:“idonotknowifthishashappenedbefore.”
scuderiaferrarihadbeenintheWorldchampionshipsinceitsinaugurationin1950,withdriversofthecalibreofalberto
ascari,froilangonzales,Juanmanuelfangio,Petercollins,mikehawthorn,Philhill,Johnsurtees,chrisamon,Jackyickx,clayregazzoni,nikiLauda,carlosreutemann,gillesVilleneuve,Jodyscheckter,renearnoux,nigelmansellandalainProst.and,yes,theyhadindeedmanagedmany1-2s.
eventhisyear,whenhismuchvauntedcomebackatmercedeshasbeenadisaster,schumacherexudesahaughtycoldness,whereasrossiiswarmandemotionalabouthisracing.Whenitwasfinallyannouncedthathewasleavingyamaha–forDucatiin2011!–hewaxedlyricalabouttheyamaham1whichhadtakenhimtofourofhisWorldchampionships.“itisverydifficulttoexplaininjustafewwordswhatmyrelationshipwithyamahahasbeeninthesepastsevenyears,”hebegan.“manythingshavechangedsincethatfar-offtimein2004,butespecially‘she’,mym1,haschanged.atthattimeshewasapoormiddle-gridpositionmotogPbike,deridedbymostoftheridersandthemotogPworkers.now,afterhavinghelpedhertogrowandimprove,youcanseehersmiling
issue3 67
68 p1magazine
rossi,whohasneverhadaproblempraisingothercompetitors,saidthatinDucatigeneralmanagerfilippoPreziosiheseesmuchofwhathedidinyamaha’soutgoingboss,masaofurusawabackin2004,andthatheisoptimisticaboutliesahead.“yamahahavegreatriders,especiallyLorenzo,butalso[ben]spiesisfast.soitlookslikeformehere,thetimeisfinished.soineedanewadventure,butespeciallyanewmotivation.filippowantsmeandtrustsinme.so,i’mcurious…”
PerhapsthemostsignificantdifferencebetweenthetwoiconsthesedaysisthatwhenmichaelschumacherandValentinorossispeakofgreattimesstillahead,rossiistheoneyoubelieve.p1
inhergarage,courtedandadmired,treatedasthe‘topoftheclass’.“nowthemomenthascometolookfornewchallenges;my
workhereatyamahaisfinished.unfortunatelyeventhemostbeautifullovestoriesfinish,buttheyleavealotofwonderfulmemories,likewhenmym1andikissedforthefirsttimeonthegrassatWelkom,whenshelookedstraightinmyeyesandtoldme‘iloveyou!’”
howcanyounotloveaguywhoexpresseshimselfinsuchapoeticway?
Lookingtothefuture,schumachersaidrecently:“thefactisthatifeelcomfortableinthesituationandibelievethatwearemovingintherightdirectiontoensurethatnextyearwewillberealcontenders.”
issue3 69
70 p1magazine
Heading into its seventh season, the
Toyota Racing Series in New Zealand is
healthy and vibrant. Thanks to its solid
foundation of equipment parity, the TRS
provides close competition that gives
drivers a chance to display their talents.
Because it matches up well with other
classes abroad, the TRS circuit has
attracted talent from around the world
and has served as a springboard for many
of today’s top junior drivers.
issue3 71
storyby Craig Lord PhotosbyNed dawsoN
72 p1magazine
Thetoyotaracingseriesisabouttocelebrateitsseventhbirthday,whichmakesitveryyoung
indeedwhenitcomestotheworldofmotorsport.itisalsotheonlyclassinnewzealandofaninternationallevel,albeitadevelopmentone.butthetrshastwootheritemsthatmakeitspecial.First,ithasoneofonlytwoFia-sanctionedgrandPrixeventsoutsideofFormulaone.second,andpossiblymoreimportant,itracesinthenorthernhemisphere’soff-season.
thatsecondfactmakesthetoyotaracingseriesintriguingformanyinternationaljuniordriverslookingtobuildtheirresumes.butthatalsomeansmanyofnewzealand’spotentialworldchampshaveachancetoracedirectlyagainsttheirpeers.ontopofthat,localdriverscanmaketheirsponsorsfeelmorecomfortablebysupportingthemathome,whilestillallowingthetalenttocompeteagainstthoseinternationals.
thetoyotaracingserieshasbeenthestepping-stonetowardmanyinternationalgoals,andhasserveditsownlocaltalentwell.shaneVangisbergenhasbecomeayoungstarintheaustralianV8supercars.mitchevanshasbeentakenunderthewingofmarkWebber.WadeCunninghamwasanindyLightschampion.brendonhartleymovedontobeareservedriverforredbulltorrorossoF1.matthallidayhasshoneinthePorschesupercup.
buttheinternationalsthattraveldown-underforaslotonthenewzealandgridshavealsomovedtogreaterthings.Willstevens,whoiscontractedtoanF1teamandismanagedbyformerFormulaonedriversmarkblundellandmartinbrundlehashadtimebehindthetrswheel.bahrain’shamadalFardanwenttothebritishFormula3andtheasiangP2,benLucasfromtheuKnowhasanaustralianFormula3Championshiptrophy.edoardoPiscopo
Brasilian Lucas Foresti came to NZ to compete in TRS under the guidance and reccomendation of his coach Roberto Moreno.
issue3 73
The ToyoTa Racing
SeRieS haS been
The STepping STone
TowaRdS many
inTeRnaTional goalS,
and haS SeRved iTS own
local TalenT well.
74 p1magazine
fromitalyisnowintheeuropeanFormula3,andLucasForestifrombrazilisnowinthebritishFormula3.theseandmanyothershavemadethetoyotaracingseriespartoftheirestablishingcareers.
travelingdown-undertofaceoffagainstfellowspeeddemons,theinternationalcontingenthastheopportunitytocompeteinfiveroundshousing15differentraces.Forthe2010/2011seasonthefiveroundswillalsoincorporateaserieswithintheseries.thisisknownasthetasmanseries,andisdonebyusingthefirstfourroundsonly.
thosefourroundsareheldduringafive-weekperiodinthemonthsofJanuaryandFebruary,goodtimingforthoseinternationalswhoarewaitingforthechillymonthsintheirhomecountriestoend.thatsaid,theydoraceattheteretongatrackatthebottomofthesouthisland,andonlythegodsofmotorsportshaveanycontrolovertheweatherthere.
thefourthandfinalroundofthe
tasmanseriesisatthemanfeildcircuitinFeilding,homeofthenewzealandgrandPrix.this100-kilometerraceisanFia-sanctionedgPgivingitsomeexclusiveheritage–andwithcarsthatlapfasterthanthenzV8touringcarsitgivesthelocalfansatasteofopen-wheelerpace.
yetaquestionoftenariseswhenpeopletalkaboutthetoyotaracingseries.Withsomanydifferent“wingandslick”classesaroundtheworld,whydoesnewzealanduseaclassthatnooneelsedoes?thatquestionhasmanyanswers.someofwhicharedeepandmeaningful,whileothersarequitesimple.
tostartwith,thetrscarsoperatewiththecarbonfiberitalian-madetatuuschassisusedinthe2-literFormularenaultclassbasedineurope.thisinstantlycreatesalinkbacktoamajoroverseasChampionship.Fornewzealand,the1.8-litertoyotaenginehasbeenmodifiedtoallowittorunonthee85ethanolbiofuel,andthatallowstheenginetoprovideacompetitive215hp.
so,withthechassislinkandasimpleengine,trsactuallyisaChampionship
The ToyoTa Racing
SeRieS haS a
pRofeSSional SeTup
ThaT aTTRacTS The
oveRSeaS dRiveRS
and TeamS – and in
a way iT haS found
iTS own niche in The
moToRSpoRT maRkeT.
Current TRS Champion – the talented Mitch Evans.
Jamie McNee in the Hot Chilly sponsored car at Teretonga.
issue3 75
Life is not a spectator sport. The new 911 GT3.
Every idea, every part, every line that went into the design of the new 3.8 litre, 435 hp 911 GT3
was dedicated to the purest expression of Porsche performance. And as is the case with every
911 GT3, the rest of the world will just have to chase it.
For more information on the new GT3 contact your Offi cial Porsche Centre or visit www.porsche.co.nz
M13602/P1
GILTRAP PRESTIGE Auckland Ph 09 92 00 911CONTINENTAL CAR SERVICES Auckland Ph 09 52 68 991ARMSTRONG PRESTIGE Wellington Ph 04 38 48 779ARCHIBALDS Christchurch Ph 03 37 75 200
13602 EM F1 Mag GT3 Ad.indd 1 28/04/10 11:06 AMProcess CyanProcess MagentaProcess YellowProcess Black
76 p1magazine
classthatdoesmatchupcleanlywiththebetter-knownoverseasFormulas.this,inturn,meansthatdriversfromoverseasdon’thavetobeconcernedaboutdrivingacarthatisafullhybridwithnorelevancefortheirreturnbackhome,whichaveryimportantfactforthereasonofdriverevaluation.
FormulaFordandFormula3000asexamplesarecertainlywell-knownclasses,buttheyhaveaserioussetback.
bothclasseshaveanopenpolicytocertaincomponents.inparticular,theFordclassallowsforadifferentchassiswhilethe3000classallowsfordifferentengines.thismakesthetaskofevaluationextremelydifficult,andasonecanimaginethebestresultsonthetrackmaynotnecessarilyhavecomefromthebestdrivers.thisisonestrongpointwherethetrsChampionshipthrivesbecausethepackageunderneath
thedriverprovidesalevelplayingfieldintermsofequipment,allowingthescoutsandbossestoscrutinizethedriversproperly.butthereisanotherpointtoitall–synergywiththeteam.
thereisacrewwaitingimpatientlyinthepitsandhopingtheyhavedonetheirjobsofcarpreparationandsetupcorrectly.theyworkdiligently,andduringthefulltrsseasontheyhavethetimetoanalyzeandmakechanges,becausethey
Two Kiwi stars of the Toyota Racing Series – Earl Bamber leads Mitch Evans through the turn at Teretonga.
issue3 77
tomotorsportsdevelopment.ithasaprofessionalsetupthatattractstheoverseasdriversandteams,andinawayithasfounditsownnicheinthemotorsportsmarket.Lookingthroughthefilesofitsshorthistoryyoucanspotdriverswhohave,orwillgoontogreatergloryaroundtheglobe,andthatalonegivesitareasonforinterest.totopitoff,theracingintrsseriesiscompetitiveandexciting.p1
canputacaroutfortesting,practice,qualifyingandofcourse,theraces.thisissomethingthatoverseasteamsdonothavethetimeforduringtheirownoff-season.also,thecostsofthetestingandpracticeoverseaswithoutanyactualracingmakelittlesensewhencomparedtoenteringacompactandcompetitiveChampionshipseasoninnewzealand.
Withoutquestion,thetoyotaracingseriesdelivershugebenefits
looking ThRough
iTS ShoRT hiSToRy
you can SpoT
dRiveRS who have,
oR will go on To
gReaTeR gloRy
aRound The globe.
Estonian Sten Pentus was a regular TRS competitor last
season, here leading the field.
Bambers latest victory came in the recent Superleague series where he took the round win in China.
Alastair Wootton has been a stalwart of
the TRS series.
Dean Grant (VIC) Mosler MT900 GT3.
issue2 79
story&Photosby Joel Strickland
At the Vodka O Australian GT Racing Series
on the fast Phillip Island track, Porsche driver
James Koundouris didn’t simply win – he
dominated. Not only did he notch a personal
best with wins in both races, he posted the
fastest lap in both events. Driver Max Twigg
made a strong run in the second race, but in
the end Koundouris prevailed.
80 p1magazine
Thegtracingseriesinaustraliahasn’teverreceivedalotofcoverageintheaustralianmedia.that’safact.butihavebeentoacoupleofroundsovertheyearsandi’ve
alwaysenjoyedtheracing.sowhenthecarswererunningatmyfavoriteracetrackonPhillipislandafewweeksbeforethisissuewenttopress,ithoughtitwouldbeworthhavingalookat–withmoslers,Vipers,PorschesandLamborghinisracingaroundsuchaquickcourse.
thefasttrackcertainlyprovedfavorableforJamesKoundouris,whohadhisbest-everVodkaoaustraliangtresultwithtworacewinsatthePhillipislandcircuitinroundno.4oftheChampionship.
“itwasagreatdayandagreatfeelingtohavemyfirstgtwinandthenfollowitupwithavictoryinthesecondraceafterahugebattlewithmaxtwigg,”saidKoundouris,ashesteppedfromthetopofthepodium.“thesuperbarnsupermarketsPorschewasfantastic,andthetwovictoriesareagreatresultfortheentireteam.”
Withbothracesbeing60-minute“enduro”events,DavidWall(PorscheCups)ledthewayofftheperfectlyformedrollingstartinraceno.1,byvirtueofhimtoppingthetimesinqualifyingwithalapof1:32.2143.
however,Wallfellvictimtoanearlyvisittopitlanebefore
thecompulsorypitstop(CPs)thatcan’tbetakeninthefirst20minutesoftherace.Wall’sproblemwasreportedasalooserearhub,andthedriverlosttimeinthatstopandthemfurthervaluabletimeforhisscheduledCPs.eventuallyWallfinishedin16thposition.
intheend,itwasabattlebetweenVodkaoteammembersDeangrant(moslermt900)andPeterhackett(Lamborghinigallardogt3)fortheminorpodiumplaces,withgranttakingsecondintheracethatranover37lapsfortheleaderswithouttheinterventionofasafetycar.
thefastestlapoftheracewenttoKoundouriswithatimeof1:34.3742.maxtwigg(PorscheCups)wasfourthintheoutrightgtdivisionfollowedbygregCrick(DodgeVipergt3),Peterhill(Lamborghinigallardo),rossLilley(DodgeVipergt3),andmarkCini(PorscheCups)ineighthspot.
havinghisfirststartinthegtChampionship,ivanKlasendrovehisPorscheCupCartovictoryintheChallengedivisionaheadoftheDamienandadrianFlack(PorscheCupCar)entry,andmichaelLoccisano(PorscheCupCar)inthethirdspot.
tonyalford(nissangtrr35)tookthegtProductionwinfrommarko’Connor(Lotusexiges),whocompletedonly13lapsbeforepullingoffthecircuitjustpastmgcornerwithbrokenfrontsuspension.
Ash Samadi (NSW) Mosler MT900 GT3.
issue3 81
James Koundouris (ACT) Porsche GT3 997 Cup S.
82 p1magazine
Cars lined up in pit lane before race.
issue3 83
Tony Quinn’s (QLD) Mosler MT900 GT3 is pushed back to pit by team
after engine detonation.
David Wall’s (NSW) Porsche GT3 997 Cup S is pulled out of pits prior to race.
Mark Seamons (VIC) Lamborghini Gallardo GT3.
Ross Lilley (VIC) Dodge Viper GT3.
84 p1magazine
Simon Middleton (VIC) Lamborghini Gallardo GT3.
Tony Alford (NSW)Nissan GTR R35.
View down the pit lane.Ash Samadi (NSW)
Mosler MT900 GT3.
Marc Cini, Damien Flack, Michael Loccisano in action on the main straight.
issue3 85
WITh TWO ROuNDS ReMAINING IN The chAMPIONShIP, The lAST feW RAceS WIll
be TOuGh beGINNING AT The NexT ROuND AT bAThuRST eARly NexT MONTh AS
A SuPPORT cATeGORy TO The V8 SuPeRcARS.
Kevin Weeks (SA) Lamborghini Gallardo GT3.
Aussie actor Eric Bana in action in his Porsche GT3 996 Cup Car.
Mosler bodywork sitting in pit lane, between races
Transporters lined up in paddock.
simonmiddleton(Lamborghinigallardo),ashsamardi(moslermt900),markseamons(Lamborghinigallardo),andKevinWeeks(Lamborghinigallardo)werealsoclassifiedasnon-finishers.Crossingthelineinseventhspot,therossLilleyVipershowedsignsofanengineproblemthatpreventedthecarfromstartingthesecondrace.
inraceno.2,KoundourissetthepaceforthesecondrollingstartofthedayandthesuperbarnsupermarketsPorscheCupspulledaslightgapatthestartfromDeangrant(moslermt900)andPeterhackett(Lamborghinigallardo).butthefirstoftwosafetycarperiodssoonnullifiedthatadvantage.Wallhadstormedupfrom16thspotonthegridandwasrunninginthetoptenbeforethecompulsorypitstop.
atthefront,Koundourisstampedhisauthorityontheeventbysettingthefastestlapoftheracewithatimeof1:33.9616.buttheadvantageheenjoyedwasagainreducedbyanothersafetycarinterventionwhentheKeithWong/KevinWong
Porschestoppedonthecircuitwithgearboxissuesjustpasthondacornerafter24laps.
Koundourisandtheleadingpack,whichincludedmaxtwigg(PorscheCups),Deangrant(moslermt900),andPeterhackett(Lamborghinigallardo)encounteredtrafficasthelapswounddown.Withonlyonelaptogo,twigglookedmenacinglyclosetopassingKoundouristhroughtheultra-fastturnno.1.
anditthenappearedthattwiggdecidedtosettleforafinesecondplacebehindthedominantKoundouris.Deangrant’sthirdplacewasyetanotherimpressiveperformancefromthemelbournedriver.
Crossingthelineintheeventthatcovered34lapswithtwosafetyperiods,infourthplacewasPeterhackett(Lamborghinigallardo),followedbyDavidWall(PorscheCups),ianPalmer(DodgeViper)andsimonmiddleton(Lamborghinigallardo).
ingtChallengeitwasshanesmollen(PorscheCupCar)thatcameoutwiththewinfollowedbytheCupCarsofmichael
86 p1magazine
Loccisanoandtheconsistentericbana.tonyalford(nissangtrr35)took
thepointsingtProductionwhilePeterhill(Lamborghinigallardo),ivanKlasen(PorscheCupCar),andmarcCini(PorscheCup)joinedtheWongentryasnon-finishers.
Withtworoundsremaininginthechampionship,thelastfewraces–startingatthenextroundatbathurstearlynextmonthasasupportcategorytotheV8supercars–willbetough.
tofinishup,thechampionshipreturnstoVictoriatoagainplaysupportcategorytotheV8supercarsatsandownracecourse.
theseason-openernextyearwillbeveryinterestingwiththegtcategorybeinginvitedtoattendthebathurst12-hourenduranceraceinearlyFebruary2011.untilrecently,thiseventhasbeenpurelythedomainoftheperformance-classcars,sothegtcategorywillcertainlymakethe12-hourmoreinterestingtowatch.p1
P1 magazinewouldliketothankhttp://www.australiangt.com.aufortheinformationbaseofthisarticle.
Damien Flack & Adrian Flack (QLD) Porsche GT3 997 Cup Car.
Aussie actor Eric Bana in action in his Porsche GT3 996 Cup Car.
Michelin race tyres lined up in
pit paddock.
Cars lined up in pit lane before warm up lap.
car # driver car State race 1 race 2 total
69 JamesKoundouris Porschegt3997Cups aCt 57 57 114
2 Deangrant moslermt900gt3 ViC 52.5 49.5 102
18 maxtwigg Porschegt3997Cups ViC 48 52.5 100.5
4 Peterhackett Lamborghinigallardogt3 ViC 49.5 48 97.5
55 gregCrick DodgeVipergt3 tas 46.5 45 91.5
1 DavidWall Porschegt3997Cups nsW 39 46.5 85.5
20 ianPalmer DodgeVipergt3 QLD 40.5 43.5 84
66 Peterhill Lamborghinigallardogt3 ViC 45 DnF 45
3 rossLilley DodgeVipergt3 ViC 43.5 Dns 43.5
9 marcCini Porschegt3997Cups ViC 42 DnF 42
88 simonmiddleton Lamborghinigallardogt3 ViC DnF 42 42
5 KevinWeeks Lamborghinigallardogt3 sa 0 Dns 0
7 tonyQuinn moslermt900gt3 QLD Dns Dns 0
11 markseamons Lamborghinigallardogt3 ViC DnF Dns 0
22 ashsamadi moslermt900gt3 nsW DnF Dns 0
56 shanesmollen Porschegt3997CupCar nsW 48 57 105
19 michaelLoccisano Porschegt3997CupCar ViC 49.5 52.5 102
99 DamienFlack Porschegt3997CupCar QLD 52.5 48 100.5
99 adrianFlack Porschegt3997CupCar QLD 52.5 48 100.5
67 ericbana Porschegt3996CupCar ViC 46.5 49.5 96
89 ivanKlasan Porschegt3997CupCar ViC 57 DnF 57
74 KeithWong Porschegt3996rsr sa 45 DnF 45
74 KiangKuanWong Porschegt3996rsr China 45 DnF 45
54 tonyalford nissangtrr35 QLD 57 57 114
10 marko’Connor Lotusexiges ViC DnF Dns 0
issue3 87
wrc des 8860 sT4 FOrMULA sT4 rALLY
hi-Tech
spOrT
X-LighT
TechnicA
34 Olive Rd, Penrose, Auckland | 09 579 0113 [email protected] | www.namsport.co.nz
story by craig lord
photos by Ned dawsoN
Standing starts won’t happen
– later braking will. Veteran
drivers such as Craig Baird,
Angus Fogg and John
McIntyre look strong, but
up-and-comer Tim Edgell
and wildcard Eddie Bell
can’t be counted out.
All that and more is in
the mix for the upcoming
NZV8 Touring Car season.
I f you happen to be in the sign-writing business and can set yourself up with a mobile vinyl repair shop in a small truck or van, then you could do very well during the upcoming season
of New Zealand motorsports. you see, when it comes to sponsor collection, the NZV8 touring cars have a rather novel way of doing it, because often a car will come back from the terror laps with more names on the car than when it started.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying the drivers of the NZV8s are reckless or unskilled – that’s far from the truth. but what I can say with certainty is that the men and women behind the wheel of a V8 touring Car protect their personal track spot fiercely. because of that fact, the racing is more often than not described as spectacular.
In recent years, the V8 touring cars have taken the top billing in New Zealand’s motorsports frenzy. While the Gt3 porsches
and Gt1 trans-Am cars may have the stopwatches flicking a little faster, the V8 touring Cars offer a different kind of racing, and are without doubt a breed unlike any other.
At one point between the end of last season and the start of the upcoming one, there was the potential for an exciting format change that would have seen the big taxis coming back to what many would call “purist” racing. It would have been most noticed when the green flag dropped as the removal of the controversial rolling start and the return of the traditional standing grid were on the cards. this, however, is now not to be, as there has been no significant and comprehensive testing done to prove that the grid start would work without failures.
there were a handful of stories floating around the campfire as to the reasoning behind the NZV8 rolling starts, the most popular of those being that the clutch, rear differential
Issue 3 89
and overall drive-train were unable to handle the power applied off the grid. And while those reasons do seem somewhat antiquated, there is an unknown quantity of disasters that could happen.
the push for the start change has been ongoing, and amongst those fighting hard for change has been driver Angus Fogg who gives a very clear summation.
“We’ve been dropping clutches and doing burnouts for years – never had a problem yet,” says Fogg, who also is quite clear on the pros and cons of the change. “there is only one con to the standing start and that is the remote possibility of a gear breakage. but it’s unlikely to happen.”
on the positive side of a rolling start season, driver John McIntyre sums it up clearly.
“A standing start in these cars is an unknown factor; we
can’t place that sort of pressure on the veteran teams or the new teams,” McIntyre explains.
this does make sense as gear breakage puts finances into play that are not accounted for at the beginning of a season.
unfortunately though, there will be no chance to see it in action this season, but it is highly likely that it will happen when the newer-model cars pop out of garages in about 12 months. For now, the mind games, setups behind the pace car, and – as always – high speeds into the first corner continue. Fogg believes that had the class gone for standing starts there would have been a safer drive into turn No. 1 due to theoretically lower speed.
so no standing starts then. but there is one huge change that spectators should notice on the tracks this season – later braking. the NZV8s now have a totally new friction package on
Craig Baird is rumoured to be running in both GT3 and NZV8, will he be able to complete
the same double as last season.
90 p1 MAGAZINe
Andy Booth will be back this season but under a different guise.
all four corners, closely modeled from the NAsCAr stable. It also puts the brake system right up close to the Australian V8 supercar specifications. of course, that means more action just before the corners as teams try even harder to out-brake and out-maneuver one another.
Looking beyond the cars and format for the upcoming season, John McIntyre could well be the next champion. McIntyre, who finished last season in second position has been sneaking in a few practice laps with one of the Australian V8 supercar teams. Well, he’s is actually racing as he partners with shane Van Gisbergen for their enduro rounds. phillip Island, bathurst and the Gold Coast – you can’t deny that’s the ultimate way to sharpen the skills before his venture back into the New Zealand season.
It’s not all glitz and glam for “the Mac” though. Just like all the other V8 supercar drivers Johnny is deep into the business side of motorsports, not just the game of it, and that requires more than just a weekend warrior attitude – including flights across the tasman for just a couple of hours track testing, gym sessions with full physical analysis, team meetings and sponsor commitments. this is the big deal and he will certainly return to the New Zealand circuits with extra knowledge and abilities, plenty of ammunition to help push his Ford Falcon into the top rungs yet again.
the Mac is not alone in that aspect, as one of the world’s best touring car champions Craig baird has also been putting in serious track time with an Australian team – partnering fellow Kiwi Fabian Coulthard.
the last season on New Zealand tracks was one of baird’s best as he finished with both the Gt3 porsche and NZV8 touring Car Championship trophies. the driver, who recently turned 40, shows no sign of slowing down. he’s had time behind the wheel of the #38 Jax Quick Fit Commodore in the Fujitsu Development series and that combined with his bundy racing enduro pairing in the supercars will ensure that baird is booming by the time he returns to New Zealand.
the Fords had the edge over their direct competition in 2009 and 2010 with seven of them finishing in the top 10, and you
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would be hard pressed to think that it wouldn’t happen again. however, there are those who wish to push for a change in fortune, one of those being Andy booth.
booth had a past season of frustration in his holden that has changed his planning and approach for the upcoming one. he and his team will be focusing on one car only that will enable a full effort to be placed into their mission, and they have been putting in the regulatory long hours with full off-season rebuilds and developments.
Motorsports, however, are never without their challenges and along with the actual track and driving preparation booth has had to deal with his last season main sponsor pulling out of motorsports at the final hour – never an ideal situation for any team but one that many have had to deal with before, and boothy won’t be the last. still, expect plenty of fireworks from holden’s top runner as he attempts to stem the flow of Ford’s taking checkered flags.
the problem for booth, and everyone else for that matter, is that he has to deal with others on the track at the same time. When it comes to a V8 touring car the mix is very eclectic in terms of age and experience. In front of booth last season were two great examples – the reasonably youthful tim edgell who put in some fantastic results to shock the series into life, and Kayne scott who has been doing bad laps since Noah put the Ark into dry-dock.
edgell’s rise in the rankings of the NZV8 series has been methodical. In 2006/2007 he was 20th. by 2007/2008 he’d finished 15th. In 2008/2009 finished tenth, and finally in the last season of 2009/2010 he was fourth. by all odds he should therefore be taking the big trophy home by April 2011.
but don’t go throwing it all on edgell so quickly, because Kayne scott – who finished third overall last season – already has plenty of shiny tin in his display cabinet, so he knows exactly what it takes to win.
scott’s third-place season was nice, but nice is not something that champions want – they want excellence. scott was champion in the 2008/2009 season and he’s already feeling the drought etching into his throat. scott hates losing and it would be a safe bet to have him in the top five at least.
but what about Angus Fogg? he finished eighth last season, which to be fair is not really where you would expect someone of his ability to conclude. his driving skill is not in question, nor his machine. It was just “one of those years” for Foggy, with
Issue 3 91
mishaps costing him valuable points. but he, too, should be on your tick list for potential champion.
then of course you have the “wildcards,” the ones who make you raise your eyebrows. eddie bell would have to be high on that list.
bell entered the V8 touring car ranks in total obscurity. In fact, most dedicated observers of the sport wouldn’t have given bell a second glance when looking at the entry list. his efforts during his debut season in 2008/2009 never raised much interest. he had a pedigree, though. he wasn’t exactly a rookie, having won the rX7 pro7 and Mini Challenge championships, but the V8 cars were a big step.
that step was taken when he came away with a round win on the 2009/2010 season opener at pukekohe raceway. he qualified on the front row scoring a win, took second in the next race and then proceeded to finish sixth in the reverse grid race. bell does have skill behind the wheel and this third season in the premier class will not necessarily be a question of that, but more on the skill of the whole bell team to continue with the form and consistency that enabled him to take sixth overall for the season.
the championship, however, will not just be decided by these few picks, as there are others in the pack with the ability and team support that can also make claims. Andrew Anderson, for example, had a mixed bag of results last time around, and while
it was tough going for him to hold tenth place overall (one point over Clark proctor), he also should not be forgotten. Nor too should paul Manuell.
Manuell was a bizarre horse last season. he did something that many would consider sacrilege – some would say it was simply crazy. but Manuell had a genuine reason for doing what he did. For those who aren’t fully up-to-speed on it, he switched from a holden to Ford for the last round of the season where he finished 12th overall.
there is more to the story, because last season he was also teamed up with Andy booth and Wayne Anderson of AV8 Motorsports where they shared resources. this season it will be different as paul will be facing the battle on his own – not that it will be a problem, just a return to what he knows from days gone by. A link will still exist between booth and Manuell, but they will manage and run their own kits allowing both sides to put a core focus into their own game, and that may have an effect on Manuell’s season.
As to the many others on the track – Well! there could always be another eddie bell who can crack a line through the gaps, but they will have to prove their worth in the early rounds. the ItM400 V8 supercar round has finally been added to the NZ Championship, but that simply makes it seven rounds instead of six and that doesn’t give any driver much more space to play in when it comes to the always congested leader-board. p1
The 2010 Sprint Showdown race takes the green flag at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
issue 3 93
story by AmAndA Vincent
Photos courtesy of nAScAR media
Environmentally friendly automobile racing isn’t an
oxymoron. Far from it. Through its own efforts that
include “green” facility construction and emissions
mitigation, as well as recycling efforts on the part
of its sponsors and teams, NASCAR is presenting a
model for exactly how environmentally responsible
auto racing can be. And there’s a lot more to come.
When conversations turn to the environment and what can be done to conserve it, auto racing is probably the sport that is seen as the one most detrimental to
the earth’s wellbeing – from the use of fossil fuels to harmful emissions. on the surface, NAscAr racing looks to be Public enemy No.1.
but that’s not the case. the sanctioning body itself, racetracks, race teams and corporate sponsors have banded together during the last couple of years to make NAscAr more “green” or environmentally friendly.
in 2008, NAscAr instituted its NAscAr Green innovation initiative and hired Dr. Mike Lynch as the movement’s Managing Director.
“Mike will be developing and coordinating an industry strategy to ensure we are embracing green as an opportunity for all of us,” said bryan france, NAscAr chairman and ceo, upon Lynch’s hiring. “he’ll be working with teams, tracks, and our partners to develop an environmental plan that’s right for the sport and all its partners - one that can include and mobilize our fan base in this important issue.”
in the time since Lynch’s hiring and the creation of NAscAr Green innovation, strides have been made to make stock car racing more environmentally friendly.
one of the first “green” moves NAscAr made came with the construction of the 20-storey NAscAr Plaza in charlotte, N.c., and the Daytona speedplex facility in Daytona beach, fla. both structures were built with LeeD certification in mind to make them both “green” buildings.
According to Lynch, NAscAr has also partnered with some of its corporate sponsors, including Goodyear, safety Kleen and uPs, to put recycling programs in place. Goodyear recycles almost all tires used on NAscAr stock cars, and has for years –
by shredding them and selling the material to power-generating plants and cement kilns. some of the shredded rubber is even used in the construction of playgrounds.
Meanwhile, safety Kleen recycles the oil that comes out of the racecars. the company collects and refines approximately 170,000 gallons of NAscAr oil annually, according to a press release.
in 2010, uPs began a cardboard recycling program that encompassed all the tracks the NAscAr camping World truck, Nationwide and sprint cup series compete at – recycling trash generated from the tracks’ merchandise row, hospitality village, garage, and concession areas.
NAscAr expects the various projects with its corporate partners to result in approximately 100 tons of material being kept out of landfills next year.
the recycling at the racetrack isn’t isolated to race teams and other various entities working at the track, either. coors
Kyle Busch (18) and Clint Bowyer (33) take the green flag at Pocono.
94 p1 MAGAziNe
Carl Edwards in full flight.
Greg Biffle crosses the start/finish line at Pocono.
Ryan Newman speaks at the solar farm near Pocono Raceway. Dr. Joseph Mattioli flips the switch on the Pocono solar farm.
David Ragan steps out of a UPS truck in Richmond.
issue 3 95
Light and coca-cola recycling recently started up a recycling program at racetrack campgrounds to help fans in attendance at NAscAr races to do their part in the recycling effort.
“NAscAr and its partners share a strong commitment to preserving the environment and operating in an environmentally responsible way,” Lynch said. “together with our partners, we’ll continue to make a real difference.”
While NAscAr has implemented several environment-saving activities already, it’s not finished. there are also long-range goals the NAscAr Green innovation initiative hopes to get accomplished, one of them being the development of an alternative fuel.
“it is one of the long-term initiatives that is very important to us,” Lynch said of the vision of an alternative fuel in NAscAr. “that solution may be well down the road, but it’s very important.”
According to Lynch, the search for an alternative fuel isn’t something that NAscAr is rushing, because a viable alternative has not yet been identified. besides, the amount of fuel used during a sprint cup series race weekend isn’t all that large in the grand scheme of things. According to Dr. Diandra Leslie-Pelecky, a physicist at the university of texas at Dallas, the amount of fuel NAscAr goes through during any given race weekend is equivalent to the amount of fuel the united states uses up in a mere two seconds.
“fuel is certainly an important symbol, but we can have a much greater impact on protecting the environment by initiating a comprehensive, industry-wide strategy in how we operate overall,” Lynch said.
While the move to an alternative fuel looks to be several years down the road, another environmentally-friendly step NAscAr has taken is a tree-planting movement that it’s calling “NAscAr Green clean Air.”
With “NAscAr Green clean Air,” NAscAr is looking to help capture the carbon emissions exhausted from its racecars. the movement began in 2009, with 11 racetracks participating, and had continued in 2010 with all tracks hosting a sprint cup series event taking part.
“tree planting is one of the simplest, most tangible and lasting things we can do in our lives,” said Kevin sayers, state coordinator of the urban and community forestry Program for the Michigan Department of Natural resources. “the benefits are immediate and last for generations, improving the environment, the communities we live in and our quality of life. this partnership in tree planting between NAscAr and Michigan international speedway is a commendable example of corporate awareness and stewardship of our natural resources.”
NAscAr drivers are among those getting involved in the tree-planting party.
“i think everyone knows that i am a big advocate for conservation and preservation of our environment,” sprint cup series driver ryan Newman said. “i’m proud to be part of NAscAr’s new green initiative to help the environment.”
Newman participated in the first tree-planting event at Michigan international speedway in 2009.
the “NAscAr Green clean Air” program aims to plant 10 trees for every race-starting green flag waved during the sprint cup series season.
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“this is a first important step in an ambitious five-year plan to significantly reduce the environmental footprint of NAscAr, while raising awareness of conservation among fans,” france said.
the goal is to mitigate 100 percent of the carbon emissions produced by sprint cup cars. NAscAr hopes to expand the program to also include its camping World truck and Nationwide series.
While NAscAr is working on recycling and tree planting to help the environment, at least one of the tracks on the NAscAr circuit – Pocono raceway – is making strides to reduce its dependence upon electricity.
the Pocono raceway solar Project, which was developed by enXco and owned by Pocono raceway, utilizes a former parking lot on the racetrack’s property. the project is a 25-acre solar installation with 40,000 photovoltaic modules to get energy from the sun. Not only will the new solar installation become the primary electric energy source for powering racetrack operations, it’ll also add electricity to the local power grid for Long Pond, Pa.
“this is an important milestone for Pocono raceway and our sport,” Pocono raceway President brandon igdalsky said. “Pocono raceway strongly believes in the NAscAr industry’s commitment to operate in a more environmentally responsible way and is proud to be the first race track to power our sport with clean, renewable sunlight as the world’s largest solar-powered sports facility.”
Meanwhile, Auto club speedway in fontana, calif., is helping its local community in recycling efforts. the track hosts several recycling events every year, including an annual mower recycling day, during which people in the area can return their used-up gas-powered mowers. Auto club speedway also serves as home base for a local toilet trade where older toilets can be traded in for newer low-flow models. the track also serves
as a drop-off site for the proper disposal of old televisions and computer models.
Another track in california, infineon raceway in sonoma, is making strides in conserving water with a switch to waterless toilets.
roush fenway racing, one of the most prominent teams in NAscAr sprint cup and Nationwide series racing, is also following the sanctioning body’s lead in environmentally-friendly practices. According to a release from the race team, roush fenway racing recycles approximately 96 percent of every racecar it builds. the organization also reports recycling 65 tons of plastic, metal and paper last year.
“i am most proud of the smaller impacts we have achieved,” said ian Prince roush fenway director of real estate and sustainability.
the team takes pride in that it expanded its recycling efforts last year. in 2009, roush fenway racing recycled 26,660 pounds of plastic. that’s nearly triple the figure from 2008 – 12, 427 pounds.
the team did recycle less paper in 2009 than in 2008 – 11,335 in 2009, down from 19,628 pounds in 2008 – but that’s a result of another conservation move by the company. the organization prints and/or copies far fewer documents now than it did just a few years ago.
roush fenway racing has also made some changes in some of the products it uses. the team cites making the move to biodegradable soy-based products wherever it can, no longer using styrofoam cups, and switching from 400-watt to 360-watt light bulbs as moves it has made in the right direction.
the team isn’t only becoming more environmentally conscious within its race shop, but it’s also becoming active in the community within the environmental realm. roush fenway racing participates in the cabarrus sustainability council – an effort between the cabarrus regional chamber of commerce and cabarrus economic Development that has an aim of promoting sustainability through public and private collaborations.
“this project really is an example of what can happen when the public and private sectors roll up their sleeves and work together for a common community good,” Prince said.
As people the world over are becoming more environmentally conscious, the NAscAr community is entrenched in the efforts to save the world for future generations – from planting trees and recycling waste, to tracks operating on solar power, to race teams and fans doing their parts.
“there’s a lot of meaningful activity in the green space, and we’re just getting started,” Lynch said. p1
Mike Lynch talks about the solar farm
Kevin Harvick shows off recycling efforts at Richmond International Raceway
The No. 99 team provides service for driver Carl Edwards on pit road.
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Round 1 Invercargill 14-16 January 2011
Round 2 Timaru 21-23 January 2011
Round 3 Hampton Downs 4-6 February 2011
Round 4 Manfeild (NZGP) 11-13 February 2011
Round 5 Taupo 11-13 March 2011
Five-round New Zealand Championship incorporating a ‘series-within-a-series’ International Championship.The four FIA International rounds during January and February 2011 revive the Spirit of the Tasman Series.