After Nissan, Mitsubishi and Suzuki pulled a no-show at the Detroit autosalon in January, it was understandable that the snubbed Americans would return fire and decline the invite to Tokyo in October.
Unfortunately for the Japanese, the trend has not only stuck, but come full circle, with a huge number of the world’s automakers apparently deciding to skip the big biennial show.
Rumours suggest the high cost of both attending and hosting an international motor show, and diminishing crowd numbers as the credit crisis boils over might have seen the biennial 41st Tokyo passenger vehicle show canned entirely.But while the show must go on, the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA) all but admitted most of the world’s major automakers will not be attending the show.JAMA has confirmed its local stable of Honda, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Subaru, Suzuki, Diahatsu and Toyota (and we may finally see what Toyota and Subaru have been working on).Also in attendance are Alpina, Lotus, Ferrari, Maserati, Porsche and Hyundai. However, the numbers are drastically down for the tuner-heavy show.Automotive News reports that Audi, BMW, Jaguar, Land Rover, Mercedes, Renault, Volkswagen and Volvo will all save their pennies back home.Only 122 exhibitors have confirmed – and this might sound like a lot, but in 2007 there were 241.
This is one helluva homework assignment.
Meet the F-Cell Roadster, a fuel cell concept that took more than 150 trainees at the Daimler AG Sindelfingen Mercedes-Benz plant over a year to design and build.
Modelled on the first Merc, the Karl Benz Patent Motorwagen, the ‘training exercise’ F-Cell features an alternative fuel cell powerplant where the old one-cylinder pumper used to be.The cell claims 1.2kW will get you a top speed of 25km/h, and a range of about 350 kilometres.Add scissor doors, leather bucket seats and a modern fly-by-wire take on the Motorwagen’s joystick steering wheel, and you have a very cool take on the sometimes boring topic of saving fuel.Fantastic stuff.
OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE
Young people unite high tech and tradition Alternative drive systems as a training topic
In a hitherto unique project bridging various fields of profession, the trainees of Daimler AG at the Sindelfingen Mercedes-Benz plant have built a Roadster with fuel cell drive. For about a year, more than 150 trainees and dual education system students worked on the overall concept, development, assembly, and completion of the F-CELL Roadster. This project involved junior employees from the fields of automotive mechatronics, model-building, electronics, coating technology, manufacturing mechanics, product design, and interior appointments. The prime objective of the project was to integrate the topic of alternative drive systems into training with hands-on experience.“This project impressively demonstrates that the topic of sustainable mobility has become an integral part of our vocational training,” said Human Resources Board member and Labor Relations Manager Günther Fleig. “I am delighted to see how much initiative and creativity the young people have put into this project.”Tradition meets the futureThe F-CELL Roadster uniquely combines state-of-the-art technologies with the history of vehicle construction. As an allusion to the Benz Patent Motor Car from 1886, the vehicle is fitted with large spoked wheels. Moreover, the F-CELL Roadster incorporates stylistic elements from diverse eras of automotive history, such as the carbon-fiber bucket seats with hand-stitched leather covers and the distinctively styled fiberglass front section, based on the component from the Formula One racing bolides.The F-CELL Roadster is controlled with drive-by-wire technology, and a joystick takes the place of a conventional steering wheel. The vehicle is powered by the emission-free fuel cell system located at the rear. With a power rating of 1.2 kW the F-CELL Roadster reaches a top speed of 25 km/h and has an operating range of up to 350 km.
How do you make the polarising, chubby Cayenne look bloody good? Black wheels and racing stripes, for a start…
Porsches design mob in Zell am See, Austria, has formulated a pack for the 4.8-litre V8 Cayenne GTS, called the GTS “Porsche Design Edition 3”.
The edition gets an exclusive ‘Lava Grey’ metallic palette with Porsche Design decals, badges and racing stripes, which suit the 21-inch SportPlus alloys perfectly.Inside, the design studio’s moniker adorns the glove box, dash and door sills, and alcantara seat panels, door and roof lining and grab handles are flanked with carbon fibre highlights.And, of course, you get the Porsche Design goodies of a matching Chronograph watch and understated four-piece luggage set. For the price, you’d expect some prezzies…Only 1000 models will be made for global sale. The edition will arrive here in September, and retail from $199,700. That’s $46,200 more than the standard GTS, and $65,000 more than the Cayenne S! No wonder there’s only 1000….
OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE
New Porsche Cayenne GTS Porsche Design Edition 3
An exclusive limited edition Cayenne GTS “Porsche Design Edition 3” will join the successful Porsche SUV range when it goes on sale in Australia in September.Limited to just 1,000 units worldwide, the limited edition Cayenne adds equipment and Porsche Design styling touches to stand out from the crowd. A striking Lava Grey metallic exterior colour with Porsche Design decals and badges identifies this Cayenne as something special, with interior design enhancements including “Porsche Design Edition 3” identification on the tachometer, front door entry and glovebox.The overall design clearly expresses the classical signature of the Porsche Design Studio based in Zell am See, Austria. Electrically adjustable sports seats with a comfort memory package and high-rising side supports offer the driver and front passenger optimum seating comfort. Front headrests boast an embossed Porsche logo and the centre seat sections front and rear are finished in slip-proof alcantara. The same material is applied to parts of the centre console and door linings as well as the inner sections of the door handles and the complete roof lining, giving a discreet but sophisticated touch of class and elegance. Carbon trim bars bear clear and convincing reference to Porsche’s proud motorsport heritage.The unique experience in sound so typical of a Porsche comes, first, at the touch of a button from the sports exhaust system featured as standard and, second, from the Bose 5.1 Surround Sound System with no less than 14 loudspeakers and overall output of 410 W.The Cayenne GTS Porsche Design Edition 3 is powered by the company’s acclaimed 4.8-litre V8 engine developing 298 kW of power and 500 Nm of torque. With six-speed Tiptronic S as standard the latest Cayenne accelerates to 100 km/h in 6.5 seconds on its way to a 251 km/h top speed.By tradition, every Porsche Design Edition comes as standard with unique Porsche Design accessories. The Porsche Design Chronograph watch exclusively matches the Cayenne GTS Porsche Design Edition 3. It features a light titanium casing and metal strap with DLC (diamond-like carbon) coating. Carried over from racing engines, this unique coating gives the titanium body of the watch its characteristic colour, while the exclusive face of the chronograph takes up striking design features from the interior of the Cayenne.Another perfect match is the four-piece luggage set bearing the Porsche Design Edition 3 label and made up of three trolley cases varying in size as well as a briefcase.
The Cayenne GTS Porsche Design Edition 3 will join the Australian Porsche range in September in strictly limited numbers, priced from $199,700.
It’s still a rumour, but this is the most concrete news yet that Toyota will jam its Hybrid Synergy Drive into the smaller Yaris hatch.
With the Prius sitting a hefty wad of cash above Honda’s new Insight hybrid, and the diminutive iQ only available in certain markets (and only available with two doors), the Yaris and the Corolla are plausible recipients of Hybrid tech that will return the Hybrid market strangle-hold to Toyota.But the Corolla could cannibalise Prius sales, and may not necessarily be the best size for a market craving cars with small footprints that can fit into even smaller spaces.Also the Insight was basically built off the platform of Yaris competitor, the Jazz…Today, Automotive News reports the Japanese automaker is indeed working on a hybrid Yaris platform for 2011. It’s smaller 1.3-litre petrol would be a match for the Insight’s powerplant, but cost considerably less than both the Honda and its own Prius.No further details have come to light as yet, but stay tuned…
Maybe Leanne Tander should have stuck to gymnastics. If she had she might have won a few gold medals and been a household name by now. Or perhaps she should have gone for a glamour sport like swimming and tasted the chlorine highs of fist-pumping Olympic glory.
Imagine the perks. An inbox full of invitations to red-carpet openings, a wardrobe crammed with designer threads, endless cover shoots for insatiable women’s magazines or even a plum job co-hosting a 20 Greatest TV show.But no, Leanne Tander chose instead to get grease under her fingernails and race cars. And that’s why she’s driving a Kenworth semi-trailer in the wee small hours of the morning for a Formula 3 test in Adelaide. You can’t get much less glamorous than that. Her most significant perk? A freebie HSV VXR.Leanne Tander is the best female racing driver in Australia and the best since the likes of Christine Gibson and Sue Ransom, pioneering (and quick) women racers from the ’70s and early ’80s.But you probably only recognise her name because she’s Mrs Garth Tander and hubby is the 2007 V8 Supercar champion and 2000 Bathurst 1000 winner. And there’s the rub: it’s no easier now for a woman to make it in elite motorsport than it was back in Gibson and Ransom’s day, despite noughties women being more ’empowered’ than ever before. In fact, it’s probably even harder.“Some people reckon being female is easier; you stand out, it’s easier to get media and sponsors,” says Tander, who was a competitive gymnast for five years before taking up karting at age 13. “A lot of sponsors aren’t interested because they don’t see the value of a female [ambassador]. Then there’s the issue of being taken seriously in a man’s sport.”That’s worth repeating: the problem of being taken seriously in a man’s sport. For Tander that began when she started karting and beating boys. “I had to put up with a lot of crap,” she says. “I got the usual stuff, mostly from boys’ dads saying, ‘I can’t believe you let a girl beat you!’ So the kid, who doesn’t want to disappoint his dad, biffs you off in the next race. I had people telling me to my face that I should be doing ballet instead.”Sitting high in the ‘Kenny’ watching Mrs Tander wrestle its huge steering wheel, it’s difficult to imagine her dancing a delicate pas de deux. She says she was never a “girly girl” and generally favours freckled freshness over mascara, although she can “glam-up”. Small and power-packed, a legacy of those rigorous gymnastic years, she has a pretty face that makes her look younger than her 28 years. It also benignly masks her steely resolve to succeed.The thing is, while V8 champion Craig Lowndes, for example, had Peter Brock for a mentor when he was a rookie, Tander has had no-one of her gender as a role model or racing coach.“It’s been hard work to get where I am and I’ve learnt a lot of lessons because there’s been no-one to show me how to do it,” she says, without a trace of bitterness. “I’ve probably gone one step forward, two steps back, and three steps sideways. The way Christine Gibson got her [touring car] drive was just so far removed from me. Today it’s a profession; back then it was a hobby. No-one has really been able to give me advice, that’s why I’m passionate about getting something going for other girls.”Her motorsport career began almost by accident. After chucking in her daily regime of balance beam, constant dieting, early nights and no social life, she had a turn in a go-kart for a giggle. Her sister had started racing one and Tander thought it looked like fun.“I just wanted to turn up and race. The problem was I won a race (1994) but it wasn’t against the best drivers and, as a competitive person, I wanted to challenge the best. To do that I had to start practicing and after that it became a passion to be the best.”A year after winning that first race, Tander won the NSW Junior ‘J’ Karting Championship, then 12 months later, won the Senior ‘J’ Karting Championship, was runner-up in the prestigious Australian Intercontinental A titles and came 13th in the World Cup in Japan. She could obviously steer.In 1997, she became the youngest woman to race in Formula Ford, the traditional first feeder category to Formula One and now the main conduit to V8 Supercars. She was seventh in her second full season in 1998 and seventh in 1999. In 2000, she became the first woman to win a round of the Australian Formula Ford Championship and finished third in the series, another first for an Australian woman.The photo of Tander atop the podium after her 2000 win is both triumphant and poignant. Alongside her are Luke Youlden – an underrated driver still trying to find a full-time niche in V8 Supercar – and Will Power, who went on to race in the US and was fourth in the 2007 Champ Car series before switching to the rival Indy Car open-wheel series last year.Power is not the only driver racing at an elite level that Tander has beaten, but she doesn’t waste energy on past glories. “It’s really easy to obsess about the fact that you’ve beaten drivers who have gone on to bigger and better things,” she says calmly.“[But] it takes your focus away from what you’re trying to achieve. Garth gets it all the time; people saying, ‘Oh, I beat you in 19-whatever’. It takes more than just talent to get to the top, you also have to be in the right place at the right time and grab the right opportunities. I don’t begrudge Will’s success, it just makes me more determined to prove that I’m just as good.”Her Formula Ford success and subsequent notoriety won her a drive with V8 Supercar team Garry Rogers Motorsport in the V8 understudy Development Series in 2001. It was all happy families because Garth was racing for GRM in the main V8 game. She finished second in her first race, another podium first for a female driver in this country. Things looked promising.But what was to be a three-year deal evaporated when GRM took on Holden’s Monaro GT race program and Leanne was dropped after one year. And it hurt. It wasn’t just the fact that she had lost her drive, it was also the realisation that her ascension to V8 Supercars was a little too premature.“I wasn’t ready,” she shrugs. “I was a good enough driver but I’d only been racing for six years … I didn’t have the experience or the head on me to jump straight in and attack it the way I needed to. That’s the difference between a 20-year-old boy and girl: males don’t have any thoughts of crashing or looking stupid, they just go out and do it. I thought too much about what people would think if I did something silly and as a consequence I didn’t do a good job. It made me a bit too timid.”Leanne did a second Development Series season, racing for the small West Australia-based Fleetcare Motorsport team but she barely troubled the lap scorers. “We spent all our budget preparing the car and didn’t have money to test,” she shrugs.Garth engineered the car when he could and it was fast but with no development or testing Leanne was not as competitive as she had been and the car also suffered “a lot of gremlins and mechanicals”.“Every time we pushed the car out to race we never knew what it was going to do; it was the wrong way to do things but at the time it was the best we could do.” The experience “shattered” Leanne’s confidence. “I was almost ready to give up after that,” she says.She stepped back a few notches and raced her dad’s RX-7 in the Improved Production category and a factory Toyota Corolla in the Australian Production Car Championship while she studied for her Bachelor of Commerce and got her mojo back. She won both the Victorian and NSW Improved Production titles in 2005 and was a late starter in that year’s Australian Formula 3 series after her father, Mark, funded a drive in an outdated 2000 Dallara chassis. Tander and the nimble open-wheeler clicked.Formula 3 cars are like mini F1s. Getting the most out of one means maximising downforce, braking as late as you dare (Tander is a demon braker) and carrying as much corner speed as possible. The little four-cylinder, wings ‘n’ slicks cars make around 160kW from 2.0 litres and weigh just 550kg. You need precision, brains, and bravery to drive them quickly and they reward the committed driver.“F3 cars are so precise, they don’t move around like a Supercar. When you first drive them it’s hard to feel the difference in set-up changes,” Tander explains. “They feel like they’re on rails, but you have to be able to tell whether the tiniest changes have improved the car or not. It’s easy to get within a second of the fastest guys but to find that second you have to figure out how to use the aero in the right corners and downforce under brakes and to really push because the car has so much grip.”In 2006, Tander finished fifth in her first full season and second in 2007. With good sponsorship for 2008, TanderSport bought a newer Dallara chassis and was runner-up in the championship again by just four points. One less ‘mechanical’ and she probably would have won.But for a championship, Tander has gone as far as she can in F3 and a big, booming V8 Supercar beckons and this time, she reckons, she will have the racing maturity to succeed. “I learnt more in three years in Improved Production than in the entire time I’d been in Formula Ford and V8s. I learned how to tune and drive a car that wasn’t perfect and how to race against cars with more power. Then I went into F3 and learnt even more about set-up and racing and I’m better than I’ve ever been as a driver; I’m ready to get back into a V8.”But the global economic downturn had all but scuttled her chances of securing funding to contest the 2009 V8 Development Series and as Wheels went to press TanderSport was preparing to run two young drivers in F3 in ’09. “I’ll continue to pick up drives wherever I can and maybe score an endurance drive but, if not, I’ll just run our F3 program and work on next season,” Tander says optimistically. Bouncing along in the Kenny on the way back to Melbourne and now confirmed as her ‘truck bitch’ – evidently that’s a term of truckie endearment – I can’t help but pose the eternal motor racing question to Mrs Tander: are women as good as men, given equal equipment? She smiles, almost as if she’s been waiting for it to come up and offers her opinion.“Because girls don’t have that all-out testosterone thing, a guy will get the most out of a car in five laps whereas a girl might take 50 laps to beat the guy,” she says. “Males and females just have different ways of approaching things but women get better a little bit older than men.”Which means Leanne Tander has still got plenty of time left to become a household name. And she doesn’t have to wear Speedos to do it.
Bathurst 1000 podium finisher David Besnard’s simple idea of a ride-themed day at Queensland Raceway to raise money for two major natural disaster relief funds into something has blossomed into what is now a grand event.
Besnard, who has founded a thrill-ride company called Real Deal Supercar Rides using a 700 horsepower ex-Stone Brothers Falcon, initially decided he wanted to do something for the relief funds using his ride machine.
But the germ of an idea has mushroomed brilliantly and is now promising to be a mega day of all things exciting in motoring on April 26.Fellow racers Craig Lowndes, James Courtney, Steve Johnson, Alex Davison, Shane Van Gisbergen and Craig Baird have volunteered to take punters for paid rides in the Real Deal car.The Stone Brothers, Queensland Raceway, and the Salvation Army are also involved in the charity fund raiser, which Besnard hopes race fans will support in their usual generous way.Along with the chance to sample the ferocity of a V8 supercar (and this car has even more grunt than usual), attendees can bid for rare motor sporting memorabilia which is going under the hammer.A collection of some of the great touring cars of yesteryear will also be displayed including Dick Johnson’s Greens Tuf and Tru-Blu Falcon (above, restored), Glenn Seton’s Peter Jackson Skyline, Bo Seton’s Ford Capri, and more than a dozen wonderful vintage speedway cars and bikes.Everyone who stumps up the $10 for the admission ticket is eligible to go into a draw to win a ride in Craig Baird’s 997 Porsche Carrera Cup car or Robbie Bolger’s 1000-horse Monaro drift car.Those chasing the ultimate thrill can purchase a VIP package which includes three hot laps in the Real Deal V8 supercar and all the usual VIP trimmings.Queenslanders…mark April 26 in your diary.
In what could be called a spike in Subaru’s WRC flatline, Prodrive has released an image and details of its Rally de Portugal contenders.
In a one-off appearance, two-time World Rally champ Marcus Gronholm will be hauled out of retirement to drive another recent pensioner, the now-defunct Subaru World Rally Team’s 2008 Impreza WRX STI.
“It’s okay to come back again. Everybody is looking at me, and maybe I’m stupid, but to have fun and drive again, why not?” Gronholm told wrc.com last month.“I will not start aiming for the win, as I want to compare my speed with the regular WRC boys over the first few stages. The important thing is to feel confidence and pleasure, coming back to an event that I enjoy very much and know the stages quite well.”“I hope we can do some little bit good times – that’s the aim.”The Impreza successfully completed its first shakedown two days ago, and Gronholm will familiarise himself with the a test car in Wales later this week before a full two day pre-event test in Spain next week. Gronholm will have three days in total with the car before the rally begins on April 2.Gronholm, who has won 30 WRC rallies over his career, finished fourth in 2007 for Ford (see in-car video below) and drove the safety car in 2008. However, he has not driven a WRC round for 16 months.“In a perfect world, Marcus would have had far more time behind the wheel, however, with his years of experience, I am absolutely confident he will very quickly find a rhythm in the Impreza,” said Prodrive technical director, David Lapworth.“We have only been able to make minor changes to the car because of homologation restrictions, with the most significant difference being the Ohlins dampers.”The car has been entered under the Prodrive team name with funding and support from the Portuguese Tourist Board and rally sponsor Vodafone, as both car and driver are a major attraction. Prodrive will run the car with sister team Adapta WRT.Gronholm will compete against former teammate Mikko Hirvonen and old foes Sebastien Loeb and Petter Solberg – the latter formerly of Subaru, but now driving a privately-entered Citroen Xsara.The swapping of cars and drivers is a shake-up that the WRC desperately needs, with only two manufacturers left in the sport after Subaru’s shock exit at the start of the year.As for Gronholm and Prodrive; neither are ruling out future WRC round possibilities.“It’s a one-off at this time but we’ll see if he likes it,” said Prodrive director Richard Taylor.
Round: 4, 2 – 5 April 2009 Categories: WRC, J-WRC, P-WRC Based: Vilamoura Surface: Gravel Most recent winner: Sebastien Loeb (2007)New for 2009 Back in the WRC calendar after a year out in 2008, Portugal returns as one of only four events this year eligible for the WRC, P-WRC and J-WRC competitions.The Rally: Portugal is country with a long rallying tradition. The first Portuguese round of the WRC came in 1973, and for the next 29 years the event went on to become one of the most difficult and notorious rallies on earth.The event earned a reputation for tricky road conditions (often a mix of gravel and asphalt) and unruly crowds of spectators. Most of the pictures showing people swarming around Group B cars as they drove by at full speed were taken in Portugal.In more recent years Portugal was a gravel-only event, based on the west coast near Porto, but in 2001 it was dropped – replaced on the calendar by Rallye Deutschland. In 2007, after two years of candidacy, Portugal’s return to the WRC represented a fresh start. The new-look rally moved to a new host town, Vilamoura, in the Algarve holiday region on the south coast. The event base is the Algarve Stadium, where two Super Special stages will be held, while the spectacular gravel stages are located in the Algarve and Alentejo regions.
The former Formula 1 street circuit is renowned for being one of the best in the world. Shortened from its Grand Prix length by 700 metres to 3.2-kilometres, the circuit is very busy from inside the cockpit and, apart from the run down the back straight, gives drivers very few opportunities to relax. The circuit features major resurfacing work for 2009 as well as new pit lane facilities.
Circuit length: 3.2-kilometres Circuit direction: Clockwise
Average speed: 146km/h Maximum speed: 251km/h Fastest Point: Peter Brock Straight approaching turn 8 Slowest Point: Turn 9 hairpin V8 Supercar Qualifying Record: Jamie Whincup, Falcon BF, 1m21.3301s, 2008. V8 Supercar Lap Record: Jamie Whincup, Falcon BF, 1m22.3564s, 2008. Point of Interest: The winner of the Clipsal 500 has gone on to win the V8 Supercar Championship Series four times. Craig Lowndes did it in 1999, Mark Skaife in 2002, Marcos Ambrose in 2004 and Jamie Whincup in 2008.
10 FAST FACTS
1. Defending V8 Supercar Champion Jamie Whincup is eyeing off some further history in the opening event of the 2009 series. If Whincup can win the Clipsal 500 he will become the first three-time winner of the event. The TeamVodafone driver is currently tied on two Clipsal 500 event wins with Marcos Ambrose and Mark Skaife. He has won three individual races in Adelaide – Race 2 in 2006 and both races last year. Despite the change to race winners being recognised in 2009, the winner of the Clipsal 500 event is still deemed to be the winning driver in Sunday’s second 78-lap race.2. There are many changes for this year’s V8 Supercar Championship Series, perhaps the most notable being the introduction of E85 ethanol fuel, which will drastically modify the amount of laps a car can run before it needs to refuel. Another significant factor is the abolishment of compulsory pit stops. Teams will pit in Adelaide whenever they wish to change tyres or refuel, whereas previously there were separate compulsory stops, one for fuel and another for tyres. The Top 10 Shootout is back full-time as the third leg of qualifying (the first time since 2006), while the big change to qualifying will be that it will determine the grid for both races over the weekend. Previously the finishing results of the first race determined the grid for the next race.3. The make-up of this year’s 30 car field is interesting with 18 Holdens taking on 12 Fords. Of the Holden teams there are four brand new VE Commodores debuting in Adelaide in the hands of Rick and Todd Kelly (Jack Daniel’s Racing), Russell Ingall (Supercheap Auto Racing) and Michael Caruso (Garry Rogers Motorsport). On the Ford side, nine brand new FG Falcons will debut in Adelaide, while Jason Bright (Britek Motorsport), Michael Patrizi (Wilson Security Racing) and Marcus Marshall (Team IntaRacing) will be using the older model BF Falcon.4. The brothers Davison – Alex and Will – get to face off this year for the first time on a full-time basis in their careers, beginning with the Clipsal 500. Previously they have competed against one another in the endurance events, but this year both are factory-backed drivers for Ford and Holden respectively. Alex replaces James Courtney at Stone Brothers Racing after a season racing Porsches in international sportscar racing and will make his first appearance as a full-time driver in the Championship Series since a largely unsuccessful season in an Autobarn Commodore in 2005. Will replaces Mark Skaife at Toll HRT, the first time he has raced a Holden since driving for Team Dynamik in the second half of the 2004 Championship. He’ll become the 11th different full-time driver for HRT since it started in the series in 1990.5. 2008 Championship Series runner-up Mark Winterbottom is keen to get this 2009 challenge off to a good start. But the Clipsal 500 has never been very kind to ‘Frosty’ whose second place in last year’s opening race remains his only real Adelaide highlight. The Melbourne-based FPR pilot has never finished in the top 10 overall results and of the 10 individual races he has started has only finished in the top five twice. Mechanical problems and being the innocent victim of multi-car accidents have generally proven to be his downfall at the Clipsal 500.6. With the retirement of Mark Skaife, there are now just five drivers who can lay claim to having been on the grid for every single Clipsal 500 since the event was first held in 1999. Garth Tander, Steven Richards, Russell Ingall, Greg Murphy and Craig Lowndes will all line up for their 11th start in the event this year. Of them, FPR’s Richards can claim bragging rights over the rest for the fact he has finished every single 250-kilometre race in those 10 previous events.7. Experience is a major factor again in 2009 and the signing of Jason Bargwanna to Sprint Gas Racing means it now has the most experience of all of the two-driver teams in the V8 Supercar Championship Series. He and Greg Murphy combine to make 273 Championship starts and the stats make for interesting reading. Jason Bright’s 131 starts will help contribute to the Stone Brothers Racing tally given his Britek Falcon is being run by the team this year.RANK TEAM (DRIVERS) STARTS1 Sprint Gas Racing (Murphy/Bargwanna) 273 2 Brad Jones Racing (J.Richards/McConville) 230 3 Ford Performance Racing (S.Richards/Winterbottom) 223 4 TeamVodafone (Lowndes/Whincup) 222 5 Jack Daniel’s Racing (T.Kelly/R.Kelly) 216 6 Toll Holden Racing Team (Tander/W.Davison) 186 7 Jim Beam Racing (Johnson/Courtney) 175 8 Supercheap Auto Racing (Ingall/Slade) 162 9 Walkinshaw Racing (Dumbrell/Reynolds) 91 10 Garry Rogers Motorsport (Holdsworth/Caruso) 64 11 Wilson Security Racing (Coulthard/Patrizi) 45 12 Stone Brothers Racing (A.Davison/Van Gisbergen) 38 13 Kelly Racing (Perkins/Wood) 238. Just 16 of the 30 driver/team combinations for the 2009 V8 Supercar Championship Series remain the same as last year, however only three of the two-car teams are returning with the same drivers line-ups. Not surprisingly, the top two teams in last year’s Teams and Drivers Championship – TeamVodafone and Ford Performance Racing – are two of the three, while Garry Rogers Motorsport is the other.9. Five drivers are making their Clipsal 500 debuts in the opening event of the V8 Supercar Championship Series. Dale Wood (Kelly Racing), Tim Slade (Supercheap Auto Racing), David Reynolds (Bundaberg Red Racing), Dean Fiore (Team Kiwi Racing) and Michael Patrizi (Wilson Security Racing) are making their first starts in the event, however only Slade and Fiore are making their maiden start in a Championship Series event. Wood, Slade and Reynolds all raced in the Fujitsu Series round at Adelaide last year with Wood finishing third overall, while Fiore finished second in the Porsche Carrera Cup round at the circuit.10. Adelaide sees the beginning of the 10th season of racing in the Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series. Originally established in 2000, the development category has produced a total of eight different Champions. Among the interest in this year’s championship is the addition of Formula Ford and Carrera Cup Championship-winning squad Sonic Motor Racing in a pair of former TeamVodafone BF Falcons. Local South Australian driver Bryce Washington will drive for the team in the car Jamie Whincup and Craig Lowndes used to win Bathurst last year. He will be joined by James Moffat, while 2006 series runner-up Shane Price returns in a locally-run Jay Motorsport Commodore and Jonathon Webb – who finished third in last year’s championship – will drive an ex-FPR Falcon for Matthew White’s team.Previous Clipsal 500 Winners 1999 Craig Lowndes HRT Holden Commodore VT 2000 Garth Tander GRM Holden Commodore VT 2001 Jason Bright HRT Holden Commodore VX 2002 Mark Skaife HRT Holden Commodore VX 2003 Mark Skaife HRT Holden Commodore VY 2004 Marcos Ambrose SBR Ford Falcon BA 2005 Marcos Ambrose SBR Ford Falcon BA 2006 Jamie Whincup Triple Eight Ford Falcon BA 2007 Rick Kelly HSV DT Holden Commodore VE 2008 Jamie Whincup Triple Eight Ford Falcon BFNote: In 2000 the winner of the Clipsal 500 was the driver who scored the most points over the two races. In all other years the winner of the Clipsal 500 is the winner of the second race on Sunday.Wins By Driver 2 – Mark Skaife, Marcos Ambrose, Jamie Whincup 1 – Craig Lowndes, Jason Bright, Rick KellyIndividual Clipsal 500 Race Winners 1999 Craig Lowndes HRT Holden Commodore VT 2000 Craig Lowndes HRT Holden Commodore VT Mark Skaife HRT Holden Commodore VT 2001 Craig Lowndes Gibson Ford Falcon AU Jason Bright HRT Holden Commodore VX 2002 Mark Skaife HRT Holden Commodore VX Mark Skaife HRT Holden Commodore VX 2003 Marcos Ambrose SBR Ford Falcon BA Mark Skaife HRT Holden Commodore VY 2004 Marcos Ambrose SBR Ford Falcon BA Marcos Ambrose SBR Ford Falcon BA 2005 Marcos Ambrose SBR Ford Falcon BA Marcos Ambrose SBR Ford Falcon BA 2006 Craig Lowndes Triple Eight Ford Falcon BA Jamie Whincup Triple Eight Ford Falcon BA 2007 Todd Kelly HRT Holden Commodore VE Rick Kelly HSV DT Holden Commodore VE 2008 Jamie Whincup Triple Eight Ford Falcon BF Jamie Whincup Triple Eight Ford Falcon BFNote: The 1999 event was deemed to be one race held over two days rather than two individual races.Race Wins By Driver 5 – Marcos Ambrose 4 – Mark Skaife, Craig Lowndes 3 – Jamie Whincup 1 – Jason Bright, Todd Kelly, Rick KellyPole Positions By Driver 2 – Jason Bright, Greg Murphy, Mark Skaife 1 – Garth Tander, Rick Kelly, James Courtney, Jamie WhincupPrevious Clipsal 500 Pole Positions 1999 Jason Bright SBR Ford Falcon AU 2000 Garth Tander GRM Holden Commodore VT 2001 Greg Murphy Kmart Holden Commodore VX 2002 Mark Skaife HRT Holden Commodore VX 2003 Jason Bright Team Brock Holden Commodore VX 2004 Greg Murphy Kmart Holden Commodore VY 2005 Rick Kelly HSV DT Holden Commodore VZ 2006 Mark Skaife HRT Holden Commodore VZ 2007 James Courtney SBR Ford Falcon BF 2008 Jamie Whincup Triple Eight Ford Falcon BFNote: From 1999 to 2006, pole position was determined by a Top 10 Shootout – 15 cars competed in the Shootout in 2001 and 2002. In 2007 and 2008 the pole position has been determined by a three-leg qualifying system with 10 cars on-track together for the final segment of qualifying to determine pole.
Just like our V8 Supercars, the international spectacle of F1 has recently come under fire for awarding consistent point scorers over outright victors in the title race.
The points system was shaken up at the start of the Noughties to give drivers other than Schumi a go at the driver’s title. But the FIA heavies have decided the current system – 10 points for first, then scores all the way to eighth place – is still not exciting enough.The 2009 season will now be scored on wins alone. The placings will still be given a point score as a carry-over ‘safety precaution’ – in case there is a tie for the title, and to determine the runners-up.Had this system been in place last year, Massa would have won the championship by a round win…
The 10th season of the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) kicked off last weekend at America’s oldest event, the 56th 12 Hours of Sebring race in Florida, USA.
Its historic 5.95km, 17-turn circuit, which tracks around an old World War II air base, has for the last eight seasons been dominated by the Audi R8 and R10 racecars. But this year, a Porsche has claimed victory after a 20-year absence from the podium, and ended Audi’s strangle-hold on the enduros.
The rise and rise of the Penske Porsche team has been well documented on this site – our own Ryan Briscoe is part of their American Le Mans- winning LMP2 category outfit. In fact, the Category 2 cars were so successful in last year’s ALMS series, that restrictions were placed on their speedy vehicles to even out the playing field, essentially making it a little easier on the premier LMP1 class. The LMP2 Penske Porsches continued to win regardless…The Porsche RS Spyder of Timo Bernhard, Romain Dumas and Emmanuel Collard won the season opener with a relatively tight margin of 13 seconds, and the second, third and fourth place cars crossed the finish line on the same final lap. This is hardly unusual in a sprint race, but is an incredibly tight finish in a 351-lap, 2100km endurance haul.The Audi R10 of Rinaldo Capello, Allan McNish and Tom Kristensen crept onto the podium when the LMP2 Fernandez Racing Acura failed post-race scrutineering. The car, which had crossed the line in second place, did not pass a test on its mandatory air restrictor. Only air passing through the restrictor is allowed to feed the engine under LMP2 rules, so the engine should stall if the restrictor is blocked. When the restrictor was plugged in a post-race test, the engine kept running, which in turn disqualified the team.Second place was then awarded to the Dyson Racing Porsche of Leitzinger, Lally and Franchitti, making it a Porsche 1-2, and a clean sweep of the LMP2 class with the other Dyson Racing entry taking third in class and fourth overall.Fifth overall went to Australia’s David Brabham, Scott Sharp and Stefan Johansson in a Highcroft Racing Acura, and sixth went to the other Audi R10.The Sebring track was covered in dust, with inconsistent weather and wind wreaking havoc on the track throughout the race. Twenty one cars from the 33 starters finished the race, with an average of one car per hour forced to retire.Both diesel Audi R10s suffered mechanical difficulties through the race, as did the new Peugeot 908 HDi. And the other RS Spyder of Sascha Maassen, Patrick Long and Aussie Ryan Briscoe were forced out on hour two due to overheating problems.
The last time a Porsche won at Sebring was in 1988, when Hans Stuck and Klaus Ludwig clocked line honours in a 962.
OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE:
Penske Racing, Porsche Win at Sebring
SEBRING, Fla. (March 16, 2008) – Porsche, the most storied name in the history of the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring – America’s oldest sports car race – added to its legacy Saturday with a double victory at the 3.7-miles airport course in Central Florida.Scoring its 18th overall win (Ferrari is second with 12 overall victories), Porsche combined with another classic name in motorsports – Penske Racing – as Romain Dumas (France), Timo Bernhard (Germany), and Emmanuel Collard (France) piloted their 3.4-liter, V8 Penske Porsche RS Spyder to a one-minute victory over the Dyson Racing Porsche.Bernhard and Dumas won 11 of the 12 LMP2 class contests in 2007 en route to last year’s title, including six races overall.“This is a great win for Porsche Motorsport and Penske Racing,” said Tim Cindric, president of Penske Racing.“To win the Daytona 500 and the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring within four weeks is a tremendous accomplishment for our entire organization, and we are proud of hard work of drivers, crew, engineers and shop employees that contributed to these wins. This is the toughest road race of the year, and we had not won it on our previous two attempts, so this victory is extra special,” said Cindric.The Porsche RS Spyder now has either a class win or an overall victory (or both) at every American Le Mans Series venue since the car debuted in October, 2005.“The race presented many challenges for both drivers and crew as we always had to decide between conserving fuel and maintaining a pre-determined pace, and charging ahead to catch up or extend a lead. Sometimes those situations changed from lap to lap, but Penske Racing was up to the strategy solutions, and my driving partners Dumas and Collard did their part on the track,” said Bernhard, who has entered Sebring seven times in GT2 and LMP2, and had only won a single time.The team Penske Porsche of Patrick Long (USA), Sascha Maassen (Germany), and Ryan Briscoe (Australia) was running in the top three early in the event, but a broken water pump lead to overheating, forcing the car out of the race. It was the first time since its debut in 2005 that an RS Spyder did not finish a race due to mechanical failure.The next race for the American Le Mans Series is the Acura Sports Car Challenge of St. Petersburg.
