The V8 supercars Championship has confirmed it will be holding a round across the pond in the motorsport state of Texas, joining NASCAR, Indycar and from this year, Formula 1 on the Circuit of the Americas. The round will be held on May 17-19 in 2013, broadening the scope of the Series to the United States.
This will be the Championship’s sixth international round, with races being held in twice in New Zealand and in China, Bahrain, Abu Dhabi previously.
It will be a great opportunity for our Pacific cousins to see a sample of Australian motorsport, and this was a sentiment reflected by David Malone, V8 Supercars CEO.
"It’s fantastic to be part of Circuit of The America’s events roster for the coming year and to bring V8 Supercars’ unique brand of action-packed racing to our growing U.S. fan base," Malone told V8supercars.com.au.
"The Austin circuit is coming together beautifully and will offer our teams and drivers fabulous facilities from which to compete - and one of the most challenging road courses ever designed.
It will definitely be an exciting time for the Austin circuit which is welcoming Formula 1 for their penultimate round in November this year. The weekend of the V8’s in 2013 will also be busy, with the NASCAR All-Star Race on the same weekend and the Indianapolis 500 the weekend after.
Winterbottom likened the purpose built F1 track to the Great Mountain’s track: Bathurst.
"It is probably as close to the Bathurst as any track I’ve seen, purely because of the angulation," he said.
"You’ve got blind corners, you’ve got the length, you’ve got the speed, and I think this is going to build up to be a historic track for America as well.
"The circuit’s topography, including the dramatic changes in elevation, will make for some really fun racing and a great show for fans."
It should be a cracking round at any rate, and it will be good for the American fans to get a taste of Aussie action!
Bring it on…
Yassmin Abdel-Magied
RichardsF1.com Journalist
[Images via Speedcafe.com via Mark Evans/News Limited]
Friday’s Formula Ford morning qualifying practice brought this weekend’s first crash with Shae Davies and Garry Jacobson colliding at the top of Mount Panorama.
Davie’s car stalled and spun at McPhillamy park; left in the middle of the track Jacobson then sideswiped the Spectrum in spectacular fashion.
Anton De Pasquale, Jacobson’s team mate avoided the incident and was slightly shaken up.
“I saw the yellow flag just before I turned left at McPhillamy Park,” De Pasquale told Speecafe.com.
“Garry was ahead of me. He went left. I went right, and I only just missed him. It was a pretty scary moment.”
Davies was cleared of serious injury however Jacobson was airlifted out of the scene with suspected broken bones.
Mount Panorama is sure to provide an exciting but hopefully safe weekend…
Professor Sid Watkins, 1996, Life at the Limit: Triumph and Tragedy in Formula One. Macmillan, UK. ISBN: 0-333-65774-8
For someone who has grown up watching Fomula One in the last decade or so, it is easy to forget how dangerous a sport it is…and how fatal it used to be.
The recent and extraordinarily sad passing of the books author, ‘The Prof’, is made even more acute while reading this eloquent text as his personality, wit and straight attitude shine through, saddening readers by reminding us such a great character no longer watches over the paddock.
Life at the Limit was written after the death of Professor Watkin’s friend and inspiration to many, Ayrton Senna in 1994. Chapter one details that fateful weekend…
“Sid, there are certain things over which we have no control. I cannot quit, I have to go on”. Those were the last words he said to me – Page 8, The Professor and Ayrton’s Last conversation
The book takes you through the recent history of Formula One through the unique lenses of a man of medicine, a man who didn’t miss much. Although slightly outdated now (the majority of the book focuses on the seventies, eighties, and very early nineties), the Professor does a wonderful job of taking the readers through the development of safety within the Formula One scene, and it is interesting having major races and individuals referred to not by their typical characteristics such as wins, but by the crashes involved and the injuries sustained!
***
There are two things that particularly strike me about this book and meant that it was more than just your average lazy Sunday afternoon paperback (and no, the answer is not that was a hardback…).
Firstly, learning about the history of safety within Formula One and the truly calamitous accidents that occurred with frightening regularity was quite sobering. In today’s day and age, accidents in the top level GPs are more often than not a spectacle rather than a true cause for concern, and so it is easy to forget that only 20 years ago, any accident could be deadly – as it often was.
The Professor details his exploits in trying to convert die hard racers and obstinate racing officials to his cause, and often the situations he found himself in were quite amusing! Told in his amusing, dry English manner I found myself laughing aloud a number of times…and also feeling his pain as he was faced time and time again with the prospect of pulling another close friend or colleague out of a crushed cockpit. It could never have been easy, and although he is the cynical neurosurgeon you could feel the emotion behind some of the pages.
The second thing I really enjoyed was the personal aspect of the book; Watkins knew everyone there was to know in Formula One and was quite close to many of them. The stories of the race drivers and officials in the early years were a nice touch, humanising them for someone who just knew their statistics. They served to remind that these, were just men (really talented men mind you) doing a dangerous job that they loved, in an environment that was often unforgiving. There are so many names that they occasionally blurred together, but I definitely feel like I had taken an enjoyable trip down F1 memory lane…
***
All in all, Life at the Limit: Triumph and Tragedy in Formula One is an great read for someone who is looking to learn a little about the history of safety in the sport, or any fan who is looking to learn a little more about the great Professor and the personalities of his time. Stories about Bernie that you’d never hear about, the antics of Nelson Piquet, the trials of organising helicopters for transport or the practical jokes everyone seemed to play on each other…it’s all here, and all worth checking out.
I would say 4 out of 5 flags.
Enjoy…and if you have had a read, let me know what you think!
The challenge for teams to secure naming rights partners in 2013 continues, with Orrcon Steel joining Vodafone and Trading post in reducing their sponsorship of prominent V8 teams next year. Check out the initial post here…
A move that is said not to have anything to do with performance (as they are doing pretty well!) Orrcon Steel is reducing its support for Ford Performance Racing and Mark Winterbottom’s #5 car in the V8 Supercars Championship citing maturity of their program.
"Orrcon Steel has enjoyed a successful relationship with FPR and Mark Winterbottom and that is why we are staying on with the team, albeit in a reduced capacity from next season," said the company's Managing Director Leon Andrewartha.
"The team is enjoying its best ever season so our decision is in no way related to their performance."
"As a company we need to focus our efforts on our core business and after 11 years in the series we feel our program has reached its maturity."
Orrcon Steel has been the naming rights sponsor of the #5 car since 2007 and has supported Larkham Motorsport and WPS Racing in the past.
This is the third in a series of naming rights sponsors reducing their sponsorship after Trading Post dropped Will Davison’s #6 car. Team Vodafone will also be remained next year, as we welcome Redbull to the fray…
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In other (slightly related) news though, Casey Stoner has staunchly denied rumours that he will be racing in the V8 series in 2013. Seems like the World MotoGP Champion just wants to spend time with his family…
"Am I going to race V8s next year? No, I'm going to stay home and watch my little girl grow up for a while," Stoner said. "I want to enjoy myself and be free. Number one, I will enjoy my family and not have to stress about the next race."
He will be missed, but I am sure his daughter will appreciate his reprioritising. Good on the lad for making a difficult decision, but I am sure we haven’t seen the last of him yet.
What a weekend for Craig Lowndes at the Coates Hill Ipswich 300!
The Team Vodafone driver took his fifth consecutive win at Queensland Raceway this afternoon, in a definitive and honestly one could say, annihilating performance (other suitable adjectives include conclusive, dominating…you get the picture). Check out my initial post at Richard’s F1 here!
Race 17 began with FPR on pole and Winterbottom lead for the first few laps, however Lowndes quickly took the lead late during turn six in a deep braking manoeuvre and led comfortably for the rest of the 65 laps. In fact, the biggest issue Lowndes had towards the end of the race was traffic! Life is good for a race driver when all you have to deal with is traffic…of the cars you are lapping!
Winterbottom held onto the second spot though and cruised in 2 seconds after Lowndes, while Whincup was a little further back, 14 seconds behind. Will Davison, Fabian Coulthard, Russell Ingall, Shane van Gisbergen, Tim Slade, Michael Caruso and Steve Owen made up the rest of the top 10.
Jacques Villeneuve again found the 24th position, after contact with David Wall on the opening lap sent him seeing daisies, spinning more than a few hundred degrees on the grass. It was unfortunate for the former F1 driver, who was looking to improve a little more significantly on his Townsville appearance.
The top two teams ran a similar strategy, both pitting in laps 9 and 38.
Reynolds also struggled early on with a puncture which set him back to finish with the wooden spoon, while Rick Kelly also ended up at the wrong end of the grid table after he had to pit a third time towards the end of the race.
There were only two cars that didn’t finish the race; Webb and Holdsworth both struggled with mechanical issues and in fact led to a fire in the IRWIN car.
It was an interesting race with a great crowd, a few snags to see and some decent overtaking at the beginning, and what it does mean is that TeamVodafone now has won six races, after FPR’s seven race streak at the beginning of the year. Didn’t hurt to see a few burnouts either, now that TeamVoda didn’t have to worry about conserving the engine…
What will Sydney hold? Do you think TeamVodafone will keep dominating? Do any of the other teams have it in them to challenge the mighty top two? The Championship moves to NSW and Sydney Motorsport Park later this month. Stay tuned!
2012 V8 Supercars Coates Hire Ipswich 300 – Race 2 Result (65 laps):
Bouncing back from engine problems in practice this morning, Craig Lowndes has scored pole position for Race 16 at the Coates Hire Ispwich 300 with a record breaking lap. Check out the initial post of Richard’s F1 here!
An engine change allowed Lowndes to take his fourth pole of the season after sitting out the final practice. Whincup was less than two tenths behind his team mate for a TeamVodafone front line and FPR took out the second row; Winterbottom and Davison in third and fourth respectively. Coulthard, Van Gisbergen, Reynolds, Ingall, Caruso and Holdsworth made up the rest of the top ten.
David Reynolds had done quite well and sat at the top of the grid until the final green tyre runs, but like IRWIN Ford, weren’t able to hold onto pole position. Lowndes’s time came in the dying minutes of qualifying, and Winterbottom completed his last lap after the chequered flag.
Villeneuve is giving himself a little bit of a challenge in his bid to do better this race, but he avoided the bottom spot by pipping David Wall by a few thousandths (31 thousandths, to be exact!) of a second.
Race 16 will take place at Queensland Raceway in a couple of hours time, 16:05 EST.
Ladies and Gentlemen! Welcome back from a little V8 break to the eighth round of the series, the Coates Hire Ipswich 300!
In keeping with the Sunshine State vibe, we travel down the coast to South East Queensland and will spend the weekend at Queensland Raceway, the lovely Paperclip circuit and – at the time of writing – blisteringly cold temperatures!
1:10.1637, Jamie Whincup (Holden Commodore VE II) – 2011
Event Schedule:
Free Practice Session 1
Fri 13:00-13:30
Free Practice Session 2
Fri 14:10-14:30
Free Practice Session 3
Fri 14:45-1505
Free Practice Session 4
Sat 10:10-10:40
Free Practice Session 5
Sun 10:05-10:35
Race 1 Qualifying
Sat 13:25-13:45
Race 1 (45 laps, 140km)
Sat 16:05-17:15
Race 2 Qualifying
Sun 13:00-13:20
Race 2 (65 laps, 200km)
Sun 15:35-17:15
2011 Winners:
Craig Lowndes (Holden Commodore VE 2)
2011 Race 1
Craig Lowndes (Holden Commodore VE 2)
2011 Race 2
Craig Lowndes (Holden Commodore VE 2)
2011 Race 3
Drive a few clicks west of Brisbane into Ipswich (if you’re feeling adventurous) and you will come across the lovely Queensland Raceway.
If we are to be honest, it probably isn’t the most loved track of the season, dubbed the ‘Paperclip’ because of its relatively simple six turn design and lack of elevation. Furthermore, the changing temperatures cause all manner of difficulties for the teams as the grip levels change throughout the day. The track does have a new surface though, so it will be interesting to see how that plays out, especially in terms of tire wear.
It must be said: though it is fairly simple, there is usually relatively entertaining racing. Turns 1, 3, 4 and 6 (most of the turns!) provide pretty good overtaking opportunities and a great spectacle. The 3.12 km track averages about 162 km/hr speeds, with a top speed of about 255km/hr. Not too shabby. Good spectator views are also a bonus.
11 of the 29 cars in the series do call this track home, so there is a small home crowd advantage…to almost a third of the cars. Welcome to the ‘swich!
Interesting fact? Queensland Raceway shares a precinct with the Willowbank Raceway dragstrip, home to the infamous Winternats!
Rewinding to 2011
2011 was a clean sweep for Craig Lowndes, who took all three races quite easily in his Holden Commodore VE2 for TeamVodafone. Tim Slade joined Craig on the podium in second place in the first race on Saturday and on Sunday. Tim Slade was pipped out of second during Saturday’s Race 17 however by Jamie Whincup (who had taken the third spot in the previous race).
Race 16 & 17 saw a return to the format of two 22 lap sprint races with a 15 minute pit lane service in between the two races.
Check out the videos below for a few more highlights of the Saturday and Sunday races.
Facts, Stats & Predictions
Well looking from a championship point of view, it will be interesting to see how the break affects the performance of the two heavyweights this season, FPR and Triple 8. Between them, they have won the 15 races of the season so far… will anyone on the grid be able to challenge that?
The other big piece of news would be the return of former F1 World Champion and Indianapolis 500 winner Jacques Villeneuve to the circuit with Kelly Racing, replacing the injured Greg Murphy in the #51 Pepsi Max Crew Holden Commodore. He will definitely be looking to improve on his Townsville performance.
Jacques left Townsville with a DNF and a 24th place, however he should definitely be more comfortable with the car during this round considering the month off and seat time. He is joined by three other drivers who will make their first starts in the series, Alex Premat (Fujitsu Racing GRM), David Wall (Wilson Security Racing) and Taz Douglas (Team iSelect). We wish all the fellas the best of luck!
If you are looking for some heritage, look no further than the trio of Craig Lowndes, Russell Ingall and Garth Tander who have competed in every single V8 Supercar Race ever held at Queensland Raceway! In fact Ingall has stood on the podium 18 times in the 29 races on the Ipswich track. Respect!
The teams also have some great history, with Stone Brothers picking up 13 podium finishes since the V8s formally raced on the track, and their rivals Triple 8 picking up 12. That being said, Triple 8 look in pretty good form for this weekend and their four previous consecutive wins only help that prediction. FPR will have to bring their all to the track if they want to see the highest spots on the podium.
In all, it looks set to be an action-packed weekend – make sure you keep visiting RichardsF1.com for all of the latest news and analysis from Ipswich!
Kelly Racing has today confirmed the French former Formula One driver Franck Montagny as the third driver in their international line up for the Gold Coast 600.
Another two drivers have been confirmed for the Gold Coast 600 in October, Finnish ex-Formula 1 driver Mika Salo for Ford Performance Racing and IndyCar’s star Graham Rahal joins Kelly Racing.
This was originally published on Richard’s F1…read more here.
This was originally posted on Richard’s F1… Check it out here!
Stone Brothers Racing has confirmed its three international co-drivers for the Armor All Gold Coast 600 in October.
The French IndyCar driver Simon Pagenaud will partner Lee Holdsworth, the Dutchman Jeroen Bleekemolen will drive alongside Shane van Gisbergen and Australian sportscar and GT driver David Brabham is teamed up with Tim Slade for the third year of the GC600 under its international co-driver format.
Ross Stone, Team Principal for SBR was positive about the opportunity and experience for the drivers and the team.
“All three international drivers will bring a wealth of driving experience to the team and in the past both David and Simon have placed in the top five in this event.
Lee Holdsworth and Simon Pagenaud will be in Car #4 IRWIN Racing.
Pagenaud and Holdsworth competed together and achieved a third place in last year’s Sunday race for Fujitsu Racing GRM. The Frenchman is looking forward to another great year and was full of praise for his partner.
“I’m ecstatic to compete again in such a great event at the Gold Coast. I had a great time and a fantastic experience last year,” said Pagenaud.
“This team has had such great accomplishments and I felt very blessed when I got a call from Ross! Reuniting with Lee Holdsworth is a tremendous opportunity. Lee and I really went along well last year and I managed to bring a surf board home. I will plan on bringing my A game to the table and hopefully aim for two surfboards this year.
“Lee is an awesome driver and I look forward to helping him secure the points he will need at the end of the year for his championship.”
Holdsworth has also expressed his approval of the set up.
“I’m really pleased to have Simon come back and drive with me as we did pretty well last year with a podium finish. “With Simon being familiar with the V8 Supercars that will definitely help us, plus we both know what we want out of the car and he is happy with the way I set the car up. I think that will all work really well.
“I’m looking forward to driving with him again because he is a great driver and a great guy, and it’s good to have him back.”
In Car #9 SP Tools, we find Shane van Gisbergen and Jeroen Bleekemolen.
This is the Dutchman Bleekemolen’s debut in V8 Supercars, however there is no doubting his driving experience will put him in good stead. With a resume boasting winning the 2008 Le Mans and being a two time Porsche Supercup Champion, Car #9 is a definite contender.
Shane van Gisbergen speaks highly of the Dutchman.
“Jeroen has won pretty much everything, he’s racing almost every weekend and in all different types of cars. So I think he will be able to adapt pretty quick with the one test day.
“It will be pretty cool having two drivers of Dutch heritage together. It is always hard watching another international driver in your car but hopefully we can prepare him as best we can with video and the test day. There is a lot of work to be done to make sure he gets comfortable with the car but I am sure we can do it.”
Jeroen, a fan of the V8’s, is looking forward to the challenge.
“I’m really happy to be joining SBR and Shane for the GC600. I have followed Australian V8 Supercars for many years and think it’s one of the best racing series in the world. To be joining one of the best teams and driver in the series makes it even better.
“I will have to adapt quickly to the car, as many of my international competitors have done this race many times before. But I’m really up to the challenge and think we should have a chance to do well. Personally I think it would be great if we could get a podium finish and take home a surf board.
Bleekemolen also had great words to say of the coastal city.
“Of course the Gold Coast is a fantastic place to be once the racing is over, so overall it should be a great experience.”
Lastly, in Car #47 Lucky 7 Racing we find Tim Slade teamed up with the accomplished David Brabham.
Brabham is no stranger to the V8s scene, and he returns to the SBR and to the GC for the first time since 2010. Brabham’s winning list includes the 2009 Le Mans 24 Hour and 1997 Bathurst 1000 winner and he is currently racing for United Autosports in the Blancpain Endurance Series and in the FIA World Endurance Championship for JRM Racing.
Tim Slade is rightly pretty excited about the entire affair.
“I’m stoked to have Brab’s for the Gold Coast event. He is an extremely experienced guy and I think a lot of people forget just how much he has done. It’s pretty cool to think your co-driver has actually raced in Formula 1 once upon a time.
“He has driven with Stone Brothers in the past and is familiar with the car and the team so I don’t think I could pick anyone better from the list of people doing the event. He is someone that I can learn a few things from so I am really happy to have the opportunity to drive with him this year.”
David Brabham is definitely keen for a V8 race and win to supplement his CV…
“I am really looking forward the returning to SBR, I have driven for them at Bathurst, Phillip Island and the GC600, so I know the team well. I look forward to working with the teams other co drivers and they are very talented, so with the three of us I am sure SBR will be strong.
“Tim Slade is in great form and the team are consistent top 10 competitors. The goal for the event would be to win. I have never won a V8 Supercars race so it would be a great addition to my CV.”
So today’s announcement takes the total number of international co-driver confirmations up to 12. Are there any surprises for you? What are your thoughts on the international flavour? It is definitely a great opportunity for some international exposure and for the drivers to learn a little from each other…
This is my first post with Richard’s F1! Originally posted here.
A pristine Can-Am McLaren M8E and a Chevron B16 made their Queensland debut among the hundreds of historic race cars at the National ‘Historic Queensland’ Race Meeting at Morgan Park Raceway in Warwick, Queensland this weekend.
Held by the Historic Racing Car Club (HRCC) of Queensland, the “Historic Queensland” Motor Race meeting for 2012 brought together well over 200 entries for a weekend of exciting races and regularity trials. The event has run for over thirty years, attracting competitors from all over the country and providing an opportunity for motorsport enthusiasts to showcase their wares and shake off the winter blues with some good old fashioned racing.
Historic cars are those from between roughly the 1920’s to the 1980’s. The classes at this event ranged from historic Formula Ford vehicles to production sports cars and everything historic in between. Star attractions at this year’s competition included the 1971 Can-Am McLaren M8E, the 1983 Chevron B16, 1957 Lotus Eleven and the 1977 Osella PA5; all beautiful pieces of machinery that didn’t fail to excite the enthusiastic crowds gathered on the windy Warwick grandstands.
As with all the cars, the McLaren came with unique history; it finished 9th in the Can-Am series in 1971. With an aluminium 496 Chevy 780 Horsepower engine, one can understand how it easily outshone the competitors in its class! The Chevron B16, not to be outdone, won the Nurburgring 500km in 1969. The history and stories of each of the cars at the race meet made for an extremely interesting and enriching environment and the owners were more than happy to share their stories.
Happy to share stories the owners and drivers may have been, but that didn’t mean they didn’t want to win races! Some very quick drivers made their way around the track, including young names such as Dylan Higgins, a 16 year old Formula Ford driver and young Jimmy Vernon, a 15 year old from New South Wales. Dylan had a fantastic weekend of wins and is definitely one to look out for. Other young drivers included the third year apprentice Ashley Heffernan, 17 year old Matt Campbell and mechanical engineering student Ash Willoughby in a 1977 Formula Ford.
The young ones weren’t the only ones gunning for good drives; fierce overtaking and on-track action was seen throughout the weekend. In the Historic Sport Car’s group, the Tiga Sports 2000 met an unfortunate early end to its race weekend: fishtailing, spinning out and colliding with the barriers on the last lap. Fortunately the driver was fine, but unfortunately, the Tiga will definitely need some major TLC before it finds its way back on the track.
Pleasantly though, the on-track drama was the only drama to be found. The event was a true joy to attend, not only because of the spectacle but also due to the sense of community; it truly felt like an event that was all about the cars.
Helen Voysey, one of the senior officials at the event put it elegantly, “I love it, I really do. I have grown up with a lot of these cars and I can relate to the 5000’s and the CanAms. There is no politics here though, this event is all about when motor racing was fun. It is all for the love of the sport”
For the love of the sport indeed! Many drivers, owners and officials though expressed their desire to see more young people involved. Peter Mohr, the President of the HRCC encouraged young people to jump right in.
“Come to meetings, come to our next event, bring your friends: we are always looking for new members!”
So, why not? I look forward to attending the next HRCC event and learning more about the cars of yesteryear. I recommend you all check out the nearest HRCC event in your state and see if you can get involved as well! This – the sense of community, knowledge transfer and sharing, carburettors and self funded owner-drivers – this to me, epitomises the essence of motorsport.
How about you? Have you been involved in your local HRCC? How do you feel about “Historics”?
lleneuve to the circuit with Kelly Racing, replacing the injured Greg Murphy in the #51 Pepsi Max Crew Holden Commodore. He will definitely be looking to improve on his Townsville performance. 
1980’s. The classes at this event ranged from historic Formula Ford vehicles to production sports cars and everything historic in between. Star attractions at this year’s competition included the 1971 Can-Am McLaren M8E, the 1983 Chevron B16, 1957 Lotus Eleven and the 1977 Osella PA5; all beautiful pieces of machinery that didn’t fail to excite the enthusiastic crowds gathered on the windy Warwick grandstands.
