Issue 2 2010

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agazin

e I 2

010 I iSSUe 2

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Welcome to Issue 2 of P1, and the ride continues. Like many of our readers I have always harboured the desire to go motor racing. Well since launching P1 magazine I thought, what the hell and took the leap. Did a few laps of Hampton Downs in my 09 Audi RS4 Sedan with A1GP Team NZ star Jonny Reid, and that was it, I was well and truly hooked. From there its been a great learning curve. I have done a few sessions with very well respected Kiwi driver coach Andy Neale at Canterbury Motor Racing School and have progressed into the very quick and nimble Formula Ford, a car which has launched the career of many a star of today.

The photo at left shows yours truly during one of the sessions at Ruapuna racetrack and is the first step in a path which will get me into the seat of a Holden V8 which I will be racing in the NZGTR series, a Tier 2 series run here in New Zealand. The car is currently being built up by Jacko, Steve and Tony at AV8 Motorsport in NZ and should be out on the track for some testing by the time Issue 3 comes around so keep an eye on this column next issue.

What really came as an eye opener in the Formula Ford was how quick your reaction times need to be and how much further ahead you have to be thinking to make sure you get the car through the turns ahead. Its no use being with the car, you need to be ahead of it. Thats why when I sit down and watch the Australian V8 Supercar series, Indy Cars or Formula 1, I have a whole new respect for the talent it takes to get those cars around the track at those speeds.

But we all have to start somewhere, and to those reading this column who have been contemplating going motor racing or getting their kids into the sport, I have just a couple of words for you DO IT. It will be the best decision you ever make. Yes your wife or partner might despise you, your accountant will hate you, your kids will forget what you look like but bottom line you will LOVE it and life is too short for regrets.

So while you read this issue of P1 with some great features and images in it from our very talented group of writers and photographers around the world I am off to fit my new Sparco seat into the V8. And on one last note I have to express my sincere thanks to Andy Booth and Jacko for making this possible. Thanks guys and lets have some fun.

Ned Dawson Publisher

email: ned@p1mag.net

edItors Notes the team

EDITORIAL Kia Kaha media Po Box 37 978, Parnell, auckland, New Zealand PHONE +64 21 757 747 FAX +64 9 528 3172

EMAIL info@p1mag.net

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John Dagys is a motorsports journalist who specializes in the coverage of sports car and endurance racing. For the past five years, he has traveled across the Usa, reporting on the american Le mans series and Grand-am rolex sports Car series for a variety of motorsports publications. In 2009, John took up a new opportunity with sPeedtv.com as its sports car racing reporter, primarily covering the american Le mans series. he graduated from Columbia College Chicago in may 2009, with a Bachelors degree in Journalism News reporting and Writing and is a co-author of the 2009 american Le mans series official Yearbook.

Bob Murray has had a long relationship with motorsport especially Formula 1 and currently contracts as a commentator to various media companies in New Zealand, he spent over 30 years with the mcLaren Formula 1 organisation. he was responsible for the initiation, development and bringing to operation of various projects including the development of high rise team hospitality trucks to enable two useable and operational decks (a system in use with virtually all the Formula 1 teams today) and the development of a live television broadcast system from the pit garages to the sponsors village. Bob left mcLaren in 2002 and returned home to New Zealand.

PuBLIsHER & EDITOR Ned dawson

PROJEcT MANAgER Cathy horton

DEPuTy EDITOR John Brooks

AssIsTANT EDITOR Craig Lord

suB EDITORs matt trulio, Leigh Neil

F1 EDITOR david tremayne

sAFETy Bernie Gillon

uNITED sTATEs John dagys

sOuTH AFRIcA Paul Bedford

TOyOTA RAcINg sERIEs Bob mcmurray

NAscAR amanda Vincent

INDy cARs Jeremy shaw

PROOFREADINg Barbara mcIntosh

gRAPHIc DEsIgN dot design

PRINTERs GeoN Group

DIgITAL EDITION GeoN Group

WEB DEsIgN Fuel design

reGULars CoNteNts

16 V-8 SuPERCARS SHAKERS AND MOVERS

With driver James Courtney, the well-funded Ford team in the V-8 supercar team is poised to shake up the long-established order of things this season.

26 INDYCAR SERIES ON THE RISE the history of the IndyCar open-wheel

racing series is full of controversy and push-me / pull-you friction among race team owners. and yet despite all odds, the series looks stronger than ever as it heads into 2010.

34 WHITE-HOT RIVALRIES. WELCOME TO NASCAR

harsh words, fist fights, intentional wrecks and many of those have been between drivers on the same team. rivalries are as much a part of NasCars heritage and its future as Ford and Chevy.

42 LAST MAN STANDING 2010 NuRBuRGRING 24 HOuRS

With numerous plot lines among the factory teams, the 2010 Nurburgring 24 hours came down to a battle of talent and attrition. But the biggest battle was between Porsche and BmW.

52 CAR OF THE FuTuRE BRING IT ON despite a long and storied history,

V-8 supercar continues to compete. It also needs to reduce costs. spearheaded by mark skaife, aVesCos the Car of the Future strategy is to design exactly that.

60 ENDuRANCE KINGS With more than 10 years of success in

the sportscar world, risi Competizione have emerged as the endurance racing specialists of Gt racing. What is the key to the teams unprecedented level of achievement?

68 TOYOTA RACING SERIES 2010 SEASON REVIEW KIWIS TRIuMPH ON HOME TuRF

a diminished field, thanks to a weak global economy, fortunately did nothing to diminish the action for the 2010 toyota racing series.

76 RED FACES AT RED BuLL they have the fastest car, but right now

they arent converting that into dominant race wins.

86 CRAIG BAIRD ONE OF A KIND AND READY TO ROLL

For drivers considering the V-8 tourers and Porsche Gt3s you can excel in one or the other, but not both unless you are the incomparable Craig Baird.

5 FROM THE PITLANE

11 F1 uPDATE

13 THE ANzAc cOLuMN

15 EuROPEAN cONNEcTION

IssUe 2 5

MORE LEGAL ACTION IN F1

The Force India Formula One team has started legal action against Lotus and wind tunnel testing company Aerolab with civil proceedings in both the UK and Italy. They claim that the Malaysian owners of the Lotus Racing team had unauthorised access to intellectual property including components and tyres exclusively licensed by Bridgestone to the Force India F1 team, and on its wind

tunnel model design for the current Lotus T127 chassis. Both teams utilised the services of the Italian aerodynamic company Aerolab.

Team Lotus uses a former designer from Force India.

PRETTY MEDAL FOR THE CHIN

The Former Williams, McLaren and Red Bull driver David Coulthard has been awarded an MBE in the 2010 Queens Birthday Honours List. The Scot retired at the end of 2008 after 15 years in the game where he won a total of 39 times, was on the podium 62 times and scored 535 points over the career the most of any Briton. The 39 year olds best overall season result was 2nd in 2001 behind Schumacher.

FINES HANDED OuT FROM AVESCO

Team Centaur racing (Tony DAlberto) were fined $25,000 for holding an unapproved corporate ride day in the lead up to the Darwin event. It is understood the runs were done at a MG Club day at the Sandown Raceway with genuine and innocent intentions, given that a few of the rides were apparently a fundraising auction. $22,500 of the fine was suspended until the end of next year rather than this year as long as no other similar rules are broken before then. Avesco look upon the ride day as a test session. Chief Steward, Steve Chopping explained that the rules clearly state no team is to run a V8 Supercar at a track outside of the two team test tracks where an event will be held which is the reason why a number of teams who did meeting rides in Perth early June would have no action taken against them, because the Barbagallo track is not a round this year. Had DAlberto chosen to use a ride car or promotion car or any other vehicle, it would not have been a problem. The mistake was that he used the V8 Supercar. The highest ever fine from V8 Supercars was back in 2004 when Team Dynamik were smacked with a $50,000 US penalty when they tried to attempt secret and illegal testing sessions.

WTCC CALENDAR CONFIRMED

World Touring Car Championship organisers have now confirmed that they will not be replacing the abandoned Mexico round this year as thought. The 2010 April event to be held at Puebla Mexico was cancelled due to severe flooding, and the Mexican authorities were unable to guarantee the safety of teams or spectators. The round was scheduled as the second of eleven, and at one point the WTCC were looking at either returning later in the season, or moving to an event in China or the Middle East. The more likely case of China was recently abandoned when negotiations for a satisfactory event agreement could be made. The series will conclude with the November round at Macau. On brighter news 2011 will see the WTCC heading to the states with the track and location still t o be confirmed, but one track that has been approved of is Suzuka in Japan. The famous track will take over the Japanese round from Okayama where it has been held since 2008.

HOPEFuL CHANCE FOR KELLY

NASCARs Red Bull car driven by Brian Vickers needs a fill-in driver for the Watkins Glen road course on August the 8th. That happens to fit nicely in the gap of the V8 Supercars calendar and Rick Kelly one of the worldwide Red Bull linked drivers is a possible chance to fill the gap. Vickers is out of NASCAR for at least six months due to health problems and Mattias Ekstrom who races in the DTM German touring cars is the number 1 choice, however he is unavailable for the Watkins Glen round and that could mean the big call-up for someone like Rick Kelly who is part of the Red Bull clan.

From the PItLaNe

6 P1 MAGAzINE

AMBROSE BLOWS CHANCE AT NASCAR

Well, if you missed it the biggest juice over the last month of NASCAR is the Blunder from Down Under. Marcos Ambrose had a shocking finish to a wonderful start at Infineon Raceway one of the few genuine circuits that the NASCARs jump on. It wasnt a shock to see Ambrose at the top of the board after three practice sessions, the 33 year old was of course a two-time Australian V8 Supercar champ and has therefore had plenty of experience in turning right after a left, and as the green flag fell, he was the man to beat. Things however turned turtle for the man when after a caution with only 7 laps remaining, the field was able to close up. Not expecting any problems Ambrose was then ordered by the crew chief to save fuel this required a strange procedure of switching the engine on and off. Unfortunately when he was on a steep incline the car stalled and he was unable to restart until 5 cars had gone past.Not a problem thought he, a bit of the loud pedal and he would skim his way back to the front of the pack, sit in behind the safety car and get ready for a restart. Ummm.... nope. NASCAR has a very simple rule and to convert it into a simple understanding: You cant slow down or stop. The official term is failed to maintain speed. Due to this stalling of the race behind the safety car and then the stalling of the car itself, the race bosses proceeded to send him back into 7th position Ouch. Ambrose had a very simple take on the matter My bad, Just feel really disappointed. I Might not like the call, but it is what it is. I know the rule. Its a judgment call.So, instead of Ambrose claiming his first ever NASCAR victory he handed Jimmie Johnson his first on a road course....

Craig Lowndes goes bush

Just like his mentor the late great Peter Brock, V8 Supercar Star Craig Lowndes is expanding his driving horizons. While Brock was a enthusiast for Targa racing, Lowndes has decided to crack a few shots towards Off-Roading.With three V8 Supercar championships and four Bathurst titles notched into his bedpost, Lowndes is to compete in the gruelling Australian Safari behind the wheel of a specially modified Holden Colorado Ute. To keep things in a slightly normal phase for the man, the Colorado has been fitted with a V8, whether that helps him across the eight day 3500 km event is yet to be seen. From September 17 to 25 one of the worlds toughest endurance events will test a varying selection of machines, which includes motorbikes, quads, standard format road running cars and of course the freakish high performance buggies. Lowndes will run the event in the gap between the Phillip Island and Bathurst events lets hope his fitness is at its peak!

PRESSuRE ON PATRICK

She is the darling of Indy and now equally so for NASCAR. Bankable is the usual term made to someone that pulls crowds and interest into their sport or business, but Patrick has her work cut out for her to continue that trend, as the hectic schedule set down for the rest of the 2010 Indy and NASCAR Nationwide series will certainly put pressure on her. Normally Patrick will put forward an image of a lady in control, but her nerves are already starting to show as she publically admits to the difficult challenges ahead. With so much to learn on the Nationwide tour, not only in the car but on the track itself, Patrick is facing an uphill battle. She has recently had her best stretch with Indy, slotting three top-ten finishes in a row, but match that to the awful Nationwide results of 35th at Daytona, 31st at California and 36th at Las Vegas, Patrick will need to do more than just impress people off track, for her driving future, the performances need to be at their best from behind the wheel.

PASSING OF A LEGEND

NASCAR lost two of its stalwarts recently, Raymond Parks, NASCARS first championship winning owner, passed away aged 96 on the 20th of June and former Vice President Les Richter on the 12th of June. Parks was the last living member of the groundbreaking 1947 meeting to form NASCAR at the Streamline Hotel in Daytona Beach where he helped shape the future of the sport and its eventual incorporation in 1948. He owned the championship winning car in both NASCARs first Modified season of 1948 and Strictly Stock season of 1949. Both championship-winning cars were driven by Red Byron. Parks car won two of the eight races in the inaugural 1949 season of what is now known as the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at historic Martinsville Speedway and the Daytona Beach & Road Course.Parks had recently donated an epic collection of NASCAR memorabilia to the Hall of Fame which included Red Byrons original 1948 championship winning trophy, along with the 1941 Daytona Beach race and 1947 Championship trophy. The list of other trophys and memories are enormous from 62 years of the sport.

From the PItLaNe

Ceo & Chairman mike helton, raymond Parks and president Brian France.

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8 P1 MAGAzINE

From the PItLaNe

RACE OF CHAMPIONS SCORES A GREAT

At the end of each year is the annual Race Of Champions (ROC) where the worlds greatest drivers gather for a meet of egos. The event this year will be held in Germany at the covered and heated ESPRIT Football arena in Dusseldorf. It is the 23rd running of the prestigious event and this year will see Formula One legend Alain Prost making his debut in the event at age 55. Over his stunning career Prost won 51 Grands Prix and four drivers titles, and on November the 27th and 28th he will face off against current F1 drivers Sebastian Vettel and Michael Schumacher. Sebastian Loeb has also been confirmed into the drivers ranks. The grass of the football stadium is covered with a special tarmac circuit and two parallel lanes that the drivers must wind their way through setting it up perfectly for the likes of Loeb, although we are certain that Prost will make his presence felt.

DAYTONA FIX

For only the second time in its famous history, the Daytona International Speedway is about to get an overhaul. In July the NASCAR teams will run their final event on the current paving which was placed down back in 1978. After the 2010 Daytona 500 the engineers and tarmac specialists conducted a thorough inspection and made the call to give the old girl a birthday. The work will commence immediately after the July running of a NASCAR event an event where the teams have been gifted with a wee bit of a boost the carburettor restrictor plates will go from 63/64-inch to 1 1/32-inch. NASCAR believes the cars need a bit more power since switching from rear wing to rear spoiler design this season. The track will then receive a haircut in time for next years Daytona 500.

TYRES STILL A PROBLEM IN F1

Sole tyre supplier to the Formula One competition Bridgestone are taking radical steps to try and please everyone involved with the sport including the fans. The tyres are being dramatically complained about by the drivers who claim the tyres are difficult to work with. Felipe Massa cannot get his rubber to stick and is frustrated that Lewis Hamilton can do so on the first flying lap. Both Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher are puzzled with the tyre carcass that seems to be much stiffer than in the past apparently to prevent the problems experienced by Michelin at the 2005 Indianapolis Grand Prix. Ross Brawn puts the aggressive driving style of Hamilton as the reason for his early lap success but its not a style roundly used by all the drivers. Bridgestone are to take a different approach the art of data evaluation by supplying the teams with both the super soft and hardest compounds available for the German round at Hockenheim, hoping to come up with a suitable solution for the future. The same selection is apparently not feasible for Hungary, Belgium, Italy and Singapore due to their difference in track types.

BMW gone from F1

Its only the word, but its still a big deal as the Sauber-BMW team applies to officially drop the BMW part of their title. The German carmaker BMW pulled out of F1 at the end of the 2009 season but Peter Sauber retained the moniker in its team title.Apparently the commercial rewards due from the Sauber team participations in 2009 would have been in jeopardy after they finished 6th in the championship race. The team has slowly removed the BMW branding from the car and have gone so far as to have stopped mentioning BMW. The car now runs with a red S logo and Sauber Motorsport Branding. The C29 vehicle is even more awkward in its naming than just the BMW part due to it running a Ferrari engine it is in fact a BMW Sauber Ferrari not very clean at all. It is now up to the Formula One Commission members to accept or reject the name change.

CHEATS CAuGHT IN NASCAR

NASCAR has issued fines, suspensions to the #38 and #10 teams of the Nationwide Series. Both teams were caught with illegal parts on their vehicles, as the parts did not conform to the NASCAR rules. They also broke the regulation of using another crews tyres and wheels without NASCAR permission, and, identification numbers had been changed on previously approved tyres. As a result, Stewart Cooper, crew chief of the No. 10 car and Sean Whisenhunt, tyre specialist on the No. 10, along with Trip Bruce, crew chief for the No. 38 car and Kevin Bellicourt, tyre specialist for the No. 38, all have been suspended from the next two NASCAR Nationwide Series races, suspended from NASCAR until June 23 and placed on NASCAR probation until Dec. 31. Bruce and Cooper also were each fined $25,000. And another #38 is in trouble, this time in the main Sprint Cup series, where Steve Lane the Crew chief for #38 Kevin Conway was fined $100,000 US and banned from the next 12 events for violations of both race equipment and engine restrictions.

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10 P1 MAGAzINE

IssUe 2 11

I t seems an age ago, doesnt it, when there was all that fuss about Lewis hamilton hooning in melbourne back in march, and the local cops decided to nail him to the cross for a bit of light-hearted showing off that was, at worst, foolish.

to nobodys surprise, in the week prior to the turkish Grand Prix the boys in blue went ahead charging him withintentionally losing control of a vehicle during the incident on Lakeside drive. What they mean is that he indulged in a bit of wheelspin and sliding while passing a virtually stationary Bruno senna. there was never a moment when the 2008 World Champion was actually out of control.

I was driving in an exuberant manner, and as a result I was stopped by the police, and I want to apologise for it, a contrite Lewis admitted at the time.

Nobody was hurt in the harmless bit of tomfoolery. of course, it could be argued that this was a pretty irresponsible thing for a public role model to do, especially a champion admired by so many young people the world over. that is the view all are expected to take in this dull age of political correctness, and there was no shortage of the righteous brigade who wanted to make an example of him.

Personally, I took it for what it was a guy of immense talent behaving like a kid. If something had to be done, a slap on the wrist would have sufficed. But there you go. Victoria is the world capital of automotive Fascism.

In the same week as the cops declared their intention to hound the hoon, a fabulous book arrived at tremayne towers. Called Collage, its a 295, 1500-copy limited-edition publication of the scrapbooks helen stewart kept of the great moments from Jackies career, available only from Genesis Publishing via www.genesis-publications.com. Its a fantastic, emotive record of a bygone era, and was a lot of fun to delve into. and there it was, proof that there really is nothing new under the sun.

motor ace stewart faces dangerous driving charge. In the 1967 tasman series Brm team-mates stewart and

richard attwood headed off from auckland to Chris amons parents beach house in Paraparaumu. Jackie was at the wheel of a 3.8-liter Jaguar mKII, and Jimmy Clark gave them a cheerful promise that he would catch them up in his e-type.

Inside F1Well, of course there was no way one scot was going to hang around waiting to be caught by another. eventually, in Bulls where Chris was born and lives today, Jackie was pulled over by the Bill for speeding. he had been doing 100 mph for the last 20 miles in a country where the speed limit was an enlightened 50

the worst thing was that my co-driver, richard attwood, got out and rushed up breathlessly to the cop and said, thank goodness you stopped him, the man is an animal!

When I later tried to introduce myself to the head of traffic, the man wouldnt even shake my hand. he just glared at me and said loftily, We know all about you, mr stewart!

eventually Jackie hired a lawyer called trevor de Cleene, who wanted 1100 in cash (15,000 today) which the wee scot admits really hurt. But he was facing a criminal charge.

he said to me when I called him, ah, I wondered how long it would be before you got in touch.

de Cleene eventually cleaned up. Cannily he got the case transferred from the original court to one where it would not be heard by the hanging judge who was to have officiated, and got it dropped altogether when it transpired the cop who issued the ticket was 15 meters out of his jurisdiction, and that stewarts summons had been served incorrectly.

the poor guy who served me, at the next race at Levin, called me Jackie as he leaned into the cockpit after the race when I was following Jimmy into parc ferme, Jackie added. he was a scottish policeman, very deferential and clearly very embarrassed, and at first I thought he was asking me for an autograph because of this bit of paper he was waving under my nose. I nearly signed it! he was very apologetic. When I mentioned all that to trevor he said, so, he called you Jackie? But your full name is John Young stewart, right? and then he also used that as the basis for getting the summons negated too.

de Cleene eventually became New Zealands minister of taxation, and years later JYs could not resist telling a television chat show audience that their minister had demanded that I pay him in cash and I didnt even get a receipt

sadly for Lewis, whose case comes up on august 24, de Cleene died in 2001. P1

By David Tremayne

IssUe 2 13

Personally, Im all for new ideas, and especially if those new ideas will be good at whatever they were thought up for - but I am at a loss when a potentially wonderful new idea gets lost in translation by those who present it. Im talking specifically about the new endurance race recently organized to be held at the equally new race circuit known as hampton downs ,which was labelled as the altherm 1000.

Lets step back a bit in time. In early February it was announced with a great fanfare that two yes two exciting new 500km endurance races would be held at hampton downs on the weekend of 5th and 6th June. Great! It would encompass six national endurance titles, and on each of those said days, would be run with a four-hour or 500km limit, whichever came first. Great again!

there would be a minimum of two drivers per car, and on saturday the race would feature an open class, free for all no-holds-barred competition for the top open class honors and also include a Porsche Gt3 title. then sundays race would be for the V8 touring class only. Whoa stop the press! the V8 touring class only on sunday? Lets take back those first two Greats now, shall we?

at school I was certainly not at the top of the class - no shame in that. But I did well enough in math to suss out quite quickly here that those who race on saturday are Not doing a 1000. something is not quite adding up here. But wait there was more.

another little issue with the entity, in the fact that when the initial release came out, there were shouts of it being New Zealands Bathurst. Ugh... I cringe. those who did such things had for some reason missed a big detail. If you race in a particular class on saturday that aint running on sunday, then it aint no 1000. Why do these people insist on using such dramatic icons as Bathurst, when there is clearly no comparison aside from the number 1000?

I, for one, was certainly starting to feel a little deflated about the initial idea. my early euphoria had slipped into a mild raising of the eyebrows. But, I needed to give it a chance. this was just the early February information after all, and there would surely soon be some wonderful pick-me-ups. Ummm sadly no, there wouldnt.

the aNZaC column I should have also realised the other small issue the fact that the

launch of the event was in early February, right in the middle of the V8 touring car season. I am sure I am not alone in seeing the problem with this; expecting the V8 teams to finish the regular season in march, then entertain the crowds in a non-championship event at the Itm400 in hamilton, before proceeding to a new endurance event in June. oh, I am sure all the bean-counting accountants for the teams would have loved the idea.

still, one needs to stay as positive as possible. I mean, the thought of a 1000 with our premier V8 tourers would naturally be a sensational event. Plus, it would be made more interesting with the addition of other vehicles in the mix .oh yes! sorry, thats for saturday only but still, it would make for an interesting saturday. somehow the title of altherm 500 x 2 doesnt flow too well.

and then, it happened. the organizers statement came out early in may , What we have now decided to do is run one four-hour race on the saturday that will be an all in race with cars from Porsche Gt3 Cup, open Class, NZV8, Production racing, mINI Challenge and suzuki swift sport Cup. We currently have 40 entries and will accept a maximum field of 46 cars. ouch... its the altherm 4 hour now lads.

By the end of may the entry field was down to around 30 cars. By race day it was 24 and not one of the NZ V8 tourers had entered. From the Porsche Gt3 series only four had turned up, and along with two other Porsche Gt3 cars that were not part of the regular championship, it pushed the number of the flat engine beasts to six in total. there can be no doubt that being in the shoes of the organizers was not on top of anyones wish list. one also has to wonder how the sponsors discussions went.

It was, as I am sure everyone will agree, a real shame that it didnt go to plan, but no matter what the reasons or even excuses are for the event not coming up to the standard that was initially touted, the fact remains that the altherm 1000 was a failure. New Zealand race fans want a 1000, but something needs to be dramatically changed in the mix for it to get over its first embarrassing hurdle. P1

By craig Lord

IssUe 2 15

This year saw the launch of the FIa Gt1 World Championship, a big fanfare from Paris and a big jump into the unknown for the previously successful FIa Gt Championship. the flipside of the coin was the eventual cancellation of the proposed FIa Gt2 european Championship now truncated to just the spa 24 hours or FIa Gt2 european Cup to give it the official title.

so Gt2 is dead and Gt1 is the place to be? Well, up to a point. Cynics were convinced that the Gt1 World Championship would never get off the ground, and certainly trying to launch such an enterprise in the current financial climate is an act of faith. on the other hand, stephane ratel has a track record second to none for pulling the rabbit out of the hat in the Gt world. he launched the BPr series back in 1994, and three years later was awarded FIa Championship status. the FIa Gt Championship was by any standards a success. so that should continue with the new improved World Championship? Yes, but no but yes, but no.............

Getting 24 cars with 12 brands to the first Gt1 round at abu dhabi in april was a real achievement, but questions arise about the business model that the whole edifice is based on........Where does the money come from? In the longer term, the aston martin, Corvette and maserati cars fall out of homologation at the end of 2011. Where will the replacement supercars come from? this is a section of the market that was hit very hard by the financial turmoil of the past two years - no spare cash for racing there. these are serious questions that need serious answers.

Contrast this with the Gt2 arena. Currently there are factory projects from Porsche, Ferrari, BmW, Corvette, aston martin, Jaguar and spyker, with the likes of mcLaren and audi waiting in the wings. there is an agreement that these brands will run to aCo rules and achieve a level playing field through balance of

european Connectionperformance measures. at present the cars are all running to the same weight 1250 kilos, and therefore can use the Gt1 tires. engine power will be restricted and allowance will be given for the different aerodynamic and drag properties of each car. this means that the most expensive part of a race cars development budget, extracting the last 5%, will be made redundant.

the announcement that the aCos Inter Continental Challenge will not only apply to the Prototype class but also Gt2, gives the manufacturers a global platform to display their wares. this ties in with the prevailing mood in car marketing, that everything must be based on the existing product that can be bought in some form in the showrooms, and that halo marketing such as Formula one is no longer considered desirable in this age of relative austerity. the factories will consider the opportunity to compete at some of the worlds greatest endurance races like the 24 hours of Le mans, spa, Nurburgring, together with sebring and Petit Le mans at a budget, is too good to miss. the factory money will provide a budget to both develop and race the new and existing cars and to a high level. the most cursory glance of the standard of Gt2 competition in the american Le mans series, or in europe, the Le mans series will show that this class is easily the best around for producing close, competitive racing.

so it would appear that the momentum is with the Gt2 brigade. they have the factory teams, the classic events and a growing fan base. Will it be enough? It certainly looks that way.

however, Gt1 racing in 2010 form also has a strong appeal with big, bold, loud cars in one hour sprint races. attending one of these reinforces the sense of spectacle but is it sound and fury signifying nothing? time will tell, but in the meantime get to one of these events if you can, they may not be around for long. P1

By John Brooks

issue2 17

COVER FEATURE

storyby craig lord photoscourtesyof Jim Beam racing, Team Vodafone, Brad Jones racing,

ford Performance racing, sTone Bros racing, HrT, Paul morris moTorsPorT

With driver James Courtney, the well-funded Ford team in the

V-8 Supercar team is poised to shake up the long-established

order of things this season. Like all the drivers this season,

Courtney has to contend with new vehicle specifications,

tires and driver rules not to mention the always-competitive

Craig Lowndes. But Courtney, like all top drivers, has enough

talent and confidence to take it all in his stride.

18 p1magazine

COVER FEATURE

Well!Well!Well!Whowouldhavepickedit?theoddswerestackedagainstthemandtheformbookwasnt100percentintheirfavor.butassureasthetarmacisblack,fordisyetagaingivingtheholdenabitofascare.

Letstaketheoddsfactorintoaccountfirst19holdensand10fords-prettymucha2:1ratiogoingonthere.andwhowouldsafelybackthatundernormalsportingconditions?asfortheformbook,thetriple8holdenmachineofJamieWhincupwasinitiallyperformingjustasthoughhewasstillinthechampionshipwinningfalconbutnowisnot.

sowhatsthedealforthecurrentstatusofthecompetitionasitsitsonthehalfwaymark?

thedealissimple.Jamescourtneyhascomeonsong.heandtheDJrteamaretuned,primedandreadytogiveanyonethebiff.hetraveledtothelastroundatWinton24pointsbehindJamieWhincupandflewhome114pointsahead.ripuptheoddssheetandburntheformbook,becausenothinginthissportisacertainty.

butdontbesurprisedthatcourtneyisatthetop.hedoeshaveafairlysubstantialracingbackground.Letstakeashortmomenttolookatthatpoint.hewasJuniorWorldKartingchampin1995,andtwoyearslaterhewasthe1997WorldformulaaKartchampion.in2000hegrabbedthebritish

formulafordtitleandthenendedupasthef3driverforJaguar,alongwithbeingatestdriverfortheirf1team.heevenhadtimetobecometheall-Japanf3championin2003.yes,courtneyhasbeenthereanddonethat,sothereshouldbenoshocktoseehisnameeithernearoractuallyonthetop.

thereareplentyofotherfactorstoalsotakeintoaccountabouthiscurrentplacing.oneofthoseisbudget,whichmakeswherehesitsevenmorespecial.DJrisquitefranklynotoneofthebigspendersbuttheyholdtheirgroundlikemanyothers.alongwiththattheyhadtodealwiththelossoffordsbackingattheendof2008.butsotoodidtriple8racing,whoasweallknowinfamouslyrantheirrigswiththepiglogoandsubsequentlyremovedallfordbranding.ford,however,hasreturnedtoDJrthisseason,butthegrapevinesuggeststhattheyreceivelessthanstonebrothersand,ofcourse,thefprfactoryteam.andtherepopsaquestionfprwho?

markWinterbottomiscurrentlysittingeighthonthetable,acool411pointsadriftofcourtney,andthatwillcertainlybeastrongpartofnextseasonsfinancialnegotiationswithford.Withonlyeightweekendsleftwhichcontainatotalof14races,Winterbottomandthefprteamwillneedtomakethebigchargeandinthebackofhisandhisteammate

issue2 19

stevenrichardsheadwillbethefactthatdriverandsponsornegotiationsarealwaysperformance-based.

butbacktocourtneyandteamDJr,wheremoneyisnicebutnoteverything.smartcontendersworkbudgetsintotheirfavorandyes,youcanonlydosomuchwithwhatyouhave.butclevercookiesputitintotherightplaces.atthemomentcourtneyseemstobetherightplace,hisfourconsecutivewinsprovethatthisisnoflash-in-the-panmoment.yes,heiscurrentlyleadingthechampionshipandyes,hecouldstilleasilydropoutofcontention.butrightnowheisthemoney-manandheisalsothefirstdrivertotakealeadawayfromWhincupafter18monthsofeffort.

askedifhecouldpindownanyparticularreasonsfortheformpeak,courtneysaidhebelievesitisnotapeakbutaprogression.

thereareseveralreasons,hesaid.afterwinningthelastfourracesandtakingthechampionshiplead,itmaylooklikemyteamandihavesuddenlyimproved.however,wehavebeengettingmoreconsistentsincethemiddleoflastyear.firstwe

FPRs Mark Winterbottom has to reaffirm his position as a Ford Factory driver.

Team BOC are performing well below their own expected standard.

Thumbs up and smiles when outside the car.

Smart ContenderS Work BudgetS into their FaVour and yeS you Can onLy do

So muCh With What you haVe But CLeVer CookieS put it into the right pLaCeS.

wonintownsville,andthenfinishedtheyearwithanotherwininsydney.therewerealsoquiteafewpodiumsinotherraces,sothemomentumwasbuildingforquiteawhilebeforeiwonfourinarowatQueenslandracewayandWintonlastmonth.

anotherfactorbehindtheimprovedresultsisthatimnowinmysecondyearwithJimbeamracing,hecontinued.Whenijoinedthemtherewastheusualsettlinginperiod,andnoweveryoneisworkingwelltogether.ourguyshavealsosteppeduptothemarkwithpit-stops,racestrategy,reliabilityandeverythingelse.fordisalsonowbacksupportingusandthatsanotherplus.

Weshouldnotforgetwhereotherdriversareplacedthough.craigLowndeshasbeenquietlyclockingupthepointstositinthirdonly222pointsbehindcourtney,andwith150pointsavailableforawin,itwouldnottakemuchforLowndestomakethepush.then,ofcourse,thereisshanevangisbergenwhoseseasonhasbeenwithoutdoubtoneofdreams.LikeLowndeshehasnothadawinsofarin2010,buthehasstoodonthepodium

20 p1magazine

enoughtimestomakethetop3playerslookovertheirshoulders;hisbluemachinewiththebigblueovaliscertainlysettopounce.

andinthetop5isalsogarthtander.thefirstfourracesoftheseasonareonestoforgetasheonlyreceivedpointsfromtwoofthem,butthenhemadethegreatcomebackwithback-to-backracewinsattheclipsal500inadelaidesuddenlygoingfromnowheretosomewhere.

thenumbersarenotsostrongforthoseoutsidethetopfivebutallisnotyettotallylost.Leeholdsworthisfightinghardinthefujitsuholdentostayinthechase,butlikethosebelowhimontheleaderboard,thegapisstartingtogetalittlebig.

thatalsoincludesdriverslikerickKelly,whofoundsomestrengthagainfromhisJackDanielsholdenwhenhegrabbedpoleforsundaysraceatWinton.unfortunatelyhecouldntturnthatintoawinningcheckeredflag.itwas,however,apositiveshowingfromwhathasbeenatoughyearsofar,particularlyasheandhisbrothertoddarenotonlyhavingtolookafterthemselves,butalsodealwiththejoysofbeingteam-ownersforthebargwannaandricciardellocamps.

oneofthehottesttalkingpointsintheseasonsofaristhetires.Whiletheroundrubberhasalwaysplayedabigpartinanycalendaryear,itismoresowiththisyearsuseofthesoftcompound.thathasplayedintothehandsbeautifullyforcourtneywhohashadplentyoftimewiththestickystuffonboard.ashestatedpost-raceatWinton,itseemslikehewouldlovetohaveitavailablefull-timeasithasbeenakeyparttohisrecentsuccess.

iputitdowntoexperiencewiththecompound,saidcourtney.itsalliveeverdrivenonthroughmyyearsinKarting,openWheelersandsupergt,soitsnotforeignformetoknowhowtowork,feelandlookafterthem.

boththeQueenslandandWintonroundsusedthesoftcompoundandthatwaswherecourtneymadehismove.onlytimewilltellifthe

Ford iS yet again giVing the hoLden a Bit oF a SCare.

issue2 21

Shane van Gisbergen could be the thorn in 888s side.

Its tough in the middle of the pack for Will Davison.

Rick Kellys trying to muscle his way into higher points.

This is the way Courtney wants it to stay.

Contracts come from performance.

Rollercoaster ride best explains Brights season so far.

22 p1magazine

Could only get better for Murph as it cant get much worse.

Still smiling at 888.

Still plenty to learn during Tim Slades 2nd season of Supercars.

Mr smiles not so smiley. Courtney getting used to the silverware.

issue2 23

returntothenormalroutinewillchangethewaythingsworkintheDJrcamp.thereisnodoubtthoughthatcourtneyisridingawavefullofpositiveenergy.

nowwewillbegoingbacktoeitherthedurablecontroltiresoramixofsoftandhardrubberatsomerounds,heexplained.Differenttiresusuallymeandifferentpit-stopstrategies.ivewonracesonboththesoftandhardtiressoiexpecttobecompetitivewhateverwereusing.

andthatpositivitydoesntseemtohavewaivedthewaytheteamwillwork.

myteamandiwillapproachracedaysthesameasbeforegoforthewinandifwecantwinwewilltryandgetasmanypointsaswecan,saidcourtney.itsgreattobeleadingthechampionshipby114points,becausethepressureisnowontheotherstoseewhattheycando.however,thereisstillamaximumof2,400pointstobewon,soitsmuchtooearlytosaywhothefavoriteisforthetitle.

thereisalsothequestionastowhetherteamVodafoneisactuallygoingbackwardsorothersaresimplycatchingup.

courtney,ofcourse,isnotprivytowhathappensinsidethetriple8camp,butcertainlydoesntfeelasthoughtheyaregoingbackwards.hebelievesitismorelikelyacaseofthemsimplylearningmoreaboutthenewcar.

teamVodafoneswitchedfromracingfalconstocommodores,sotheyhavehadplentyofadjustmentstomakeintermsofengineering,carset-ups,fueleconomyandvariousotherthings,hesaid.theyarestillverycompetitive.forthemthebiggestchallengeisprobablycomingtogripswithachangeofcar.

butwhenitcomestothehappeningsinhistent,courtneyknowsexactlywherethingslie.

bycomparison,myteamisinitssecondyearwiththefgfalcon.Wehavegoodcontinuityandset-updatafromlastyearforthevarioustracks,hesaid.intheoff-seasonourteamworkedhardondevelopmentandwehavemadesomegains.youcantaffordtostandstillinthisbusinessoryougobackwards.thechallengeforusistokeepimproving,becauseweknowteamVodafoneandalltheotherbigteamswillcome

Courtney, JuSt Like eVery other team doeS oF CourSe aLSo haVe to Contend

With the neW driVer ruLeS attaChed to the enduro roundS, and WiLL need

to keep hiS FingerS CroSSed that thingS Work in hiS FaVour.

Steven Richards season isnt going to plan yet.

24 p1magazine

outfiringfortherestoftheyear.myteamisverymotivatedbecausewehaventwonachampionshiporbathurstforalongtime.Wearealsoenjoyingbeingtheunderdogsthisyear.therearealmosttwiceasmanycommodoresonthegridcomparedtofalcons,andsomepeopleweresayingbeforetheseasonstartedthatholdenwoulddominate,butithasntworkedoutthatway.itseemsascloseasever.

buttiresanddriversarenottheonlyingredientsintherecipethatcouldchangethings.thefirstsegmentofthecarofthefuturehascomeintoplayforthesecondhalfoftheseason-thatbeingacontrolledcamfortheengine.courtneyisofthesamemindsetasmany.

nooneknowsforsurehowthingswillbeaffectedbythecontrolcamshaftsuntileveryonegetsonthetracktogetherattheDarwinround.thingscouldchange-ormaybetheywont,hesaid.Wewillhavetowaitandsee.

thereisoneteamthatseemstohaveaminoradvantageonthiscasetheladsatJackDanielsracing.toddKellyhasrunthecontrolitematbothQueenslandandWinton.theyhadnoissueswiththeunitandithasgiventhemahead-starttotheenginemanagement.theruleswerepreviouslyscriptedinawaythatallowedteamstoengineerthecamshaftformaximumhorsepower,andofcoursewhywouldntyouiftherulesallowedit.however,thecountertothehorsepowergainwasofcoursethelongevityoftheengineandthecostofdevelopment;bothareitemsthataVescoareworkinghardontosolve.

so,thepossibilitythatthenewcamwillchangethingsdoesseemunlikelybecauseeveryonewillbeplayingwiththesametoy.however,thatdoesntchangethefactthatwewillallbetryingtoworkoutifanyonehasgainedorlostmomentumwithit,anditwillquitesimplyaddasquirtofsweetorbitterjuicetothefavoritesmix.

courtney,justlikeeveryotherdriver,alsohastocontendwiththenewdriverrulesattachedtotheenduroroundsandwillneedtokeephisfingerscrossedthatthingsworkinhisfavor.oneofhisclosestopponents,craigLowndes,hasnodoubtthattheendurosectionswillmakeadifferencetotheschemeofthings.Lowndeshasstatedthatworkingwithskaifeisabigopportunitytogetsomegoodpoints,andtheenduroeventscouldcertainlymakeorbreakanyonesseason.courtneyhastohopethatitsonlyamake.

regardlessthoughoftheintroductionofthenewcamshaftspecs,havingtocometogripswiththetireswaps,anddealingwiththeupcomingendures,

themoverandshakerfortheseasonthusfarisJamescourtney.heisrepresentingthefordclanandseemstobehighlyproudindoingso.

Whileheadingintothesecondhalfoftheseasonatthetopoftheleader-boardmaybenewgroundforhimintheV-8supercarsandbeenalongtimecomingfortheDJrteam,beingatthefrontissomethinghehasdonebeforeandthepressureshouldbebearable.p1

Lowndes slightly down but certainly not out.

issue2 25

wrc des 8860 sT4 FOrMULA sT4 rALLY

hi-Tech

spOrT

X-LighT

TechnicA

34 Olive Rd, Penrose, Auckland | 09 579 0113 sales@namsport.co.nz | www.namsport.co.nz

The history of the IndyCar

open-wheel racing series is

full of controversy and push-

me / pull-you friction among

race team owners. And yet

despite all odds, the series

looks stronger than ever as

it heads into 2010. Could it

be that the series organizers

and team owners are finally

on the right track? One thing

is for sure fresh leadership

and a new sponsor certainly

dont hurt.

story by Jeremy Shawphotos by John DagyS

issue 2 27

Target Chip Ganassi Racings Dario Franchitti heads into the 2010 season as defending champion.

The iZoD indyCar series is in a period of transition, and to the surprise of many seasoned observers, the outlook appears quite bright. Long-time fans of the sport are well aware of the difficulties that have faced North American open-wheel racing over the past 15 years or so. During its heyday in the middle 1990s, when the series was under the control of Championship Auto racing teams, even Formula 1 was looking over its shoulder as indyCar racing went from strength to strength. its mix of traditional American oval tracks and an eclectic selection of road and street courses made it popular with fans and drivers alike.

the addition of overseas talent such as former F1 world champions emerson Fittipaldi and Nigel Mansell further broadened its appeal massively and rapidly. Within the space of a few years it went from being merely another national championship to an entity that captured global attention.

boy, does that seem like a long time ago? in 1994, having grown tired of being regularly spurned in his desire to have more control over the sport, tony George who presided over the series cornerstone event the indianapolis 500, decided to take matters into his own hands. And so the indy racing League was formed.

Looking back, his decision still seems to defy logic. it ended up bringing a thriving entity to its knees. of course, at the time George had some laudable aims, which included placing more of an emphasis on traditional oval tracks and a mandate to promote American drivers, especially those with an oval racing heritage. sadly, his vision was myopic. the notion of top drivers from the usAC midget and sprint car ranks graduating

directly into Championship cars might have worked in the 1950 and 1960s, but not in this increasingly specialized era. Furthermore, CArt still boasted a healthy fan following, a great technical package, solid sponsorship and a virtual stranglehold on the star names.

What it lacked was the courage of its own convictions - and leadership. in 1978, CArt had been formed by a consortium of team owners who broke away from their previous overseers, the united states Auto Club. its latest president, Andrew Craig, like all his predecessors, was unable to make any fundamental decisions without the singular support of his board of directors.

thus, when the fledgling irL came a-knocking, CArt team owners gladly, greedily and misguidedly took the money and happily sold them out-of-date cars and engines with which to go racing. if the owners had stood their ground and resisted the temptation to part with their equipment, the irL would have been hard-pressed to get off the ground.

it took a few years, but the sport gradually unraveled. the fans became intensely polarized, supporting either the traditional Champ Car (nee indy Car) World series or the upstart irL, but not both. Crucially, too, the sponsors were all too aware that the Champ Car series lacked a jewel in its crown. it boasted several top-quality events, including the Grand prix of Long beach in California and surfers paradise in Australia (which, tellingly, never was able to shake off its indy moniker), but none had the luster of the indianapolis 500. Confusion reigned.

the irL never did achieve its goal of providing more opportunities for American drivers, but gradually it made

The sights of Long Beach.

Team Penskes Helio Castroneves.

Fan favorite Danica Patrick.

Brazilian Tony Kanaan has played the team leader role at the five-

car Andretti Autosport squad.

IZOD came on-board as the title sponsor of the IndyCar Series in 2010 and also supports Andretti Autosports Ryan Hunter-Rea

An impressive tally of

24 cars made the trip

to Sao Paulo two

or three more than

originally anticipated

and, against the odds,

the field has continued

to rise since then.

30 p1 MAGAZiNe

Fan interest continues

on an admittedly

modest upward

trend as open-wheel

racing has been

stabilized following

the rapprochement

in 2008, and TV

viewership also is on

the rise in the U.S.

Second-year IndyCar driver Raphael Matos.

Fans come out in full force to Long Beach.

Dreyer & Reinbolds Justin Wilson.

IndyCar has expanded its roots internationally

to Brazil and Japan.

Former F1 ace Takuma Sato has found a new home in IndyCar with KV Racing Technology.

issue 2 31

inroads into CArts popularity. the conflict took its toll. ten years after the irLs formation, both series were virtually on life support. Just weeks before the 2008 season was due to begin, the latest band of owners who controlled the Champ Car series threw in the towel and forged a bond with George and the irL. the new association was tenuous to begin with, as old allegiances had been wrought asunder by years of bickering and acrimony, but gradually peace was restored.

A predictably painful period of consolidation ensued, during which several under-achieving teams fell by the wayside and many top-quality personnel were rendered jobless. the average grid size in 2009 dwindled by two, from 25 to 23, in comparison to the inaugural year of cooperation, and the signs for this season werent looking too bright as the first race in brazil drew near. since then there has been a miraculous turnaround.

every team is required to make a commitment to honda and Firestone as the sole engine and tire suppliers prior to the season, and both entities admitted being surprised by the late surge in interest in the weeks leading up to the first race. An impressive tally of 24 cars made the trip to sao paulo two or three more than originally anticipated and, against the odds, the field has continued to rise since then.

A record-equaling field of 27 cars lined up on the grid for the recent oval event at Kansas speedway, and as many as 40 drivers are expected to attempt to qualify for this months

indianapolis 500. perhaps, just perhaps, we will witness the first meaningful bump Day as drivers vie to make it into the 33-car starting field for the first time since 1995, the year prior to the split.

MoviNG ForWArD

to be perfectly honest, the apparent indyCar series resurgence this season remains somewhat of a mystery. the global economic downturn of the past couple of years took a heavy toll on motor racing as a whole in North America, such that even the previously rampant NAsCAr sprintCup series has taken a substantial hit in terms of both spectator attendance and fresh sponsorship. Nevertheless, indyCars procurement of a new series sponsor in well-respected clothing company iZoD has provided a welcome boon to its credibility.

Fan interest continues on an admittedly modest upward trend as open-wheel racing has been stabilized following the rapprochement in 2008, and tv viewership also is on the rise in the us. (having said that, the numbers could hardly have diminished much further after the widely criticized decision to switch coverage of the majority of races from AbC/espN to the relatively obscure versus cable network.)

the open-wheel community is reveling in its new-found success and a new figurehead has been installed to lead the way forward. tony George was ousted by the family-controlled

Dario Franchitti has excelled in both ovals

and road courses, making the Scot one of the most versatile

drivers in the field.

32 p1 MAGAZiNe

The familiar Lotus colors have returned to open-wheel racing, albeit as a marketing exercise.

Dan Wheldon.

Graham Rahal.

Tony Kanaan.

Marco Andretti and Dario Franchitti.

Mike Conways Dreyer & Reinbold Dallara-Honda.

if we crown a road champion then an oval champion, and come right back with the iZoD indyCar series champion, i think it really speaks volumes for the driver who wins the iZoD indyCar series championship because you have to be great at both disciplines in order to do it, he adds. it also assures our fan base that were committed to giving them both ovals and road/street course events, and i think thats very important.

Amen to that.And even more credit to bernard for including the fans in

the process by inviting them to vote for whichever icons of the sport they believe would be the most appropriate to grace the respective oval and road course trophies.

by bringing our legends into it, were bringing back the names that America remembers in the sport and honoring their legacy, he says. i think the addition of the legends name will make it a prestigious honor to win one of these trophies.

Do the drivers agree with bernards vision? so far i havent come across any dissenting voices, and while recent Long beach winner ryan hunter-reay accurately describes the oval and road course trophies as a sideshow, with the indianapolis 500 and iZoD championship as the undisputed primary targets, he nevertheless approves of the concept.

i think its great to highlight the fact that we do have two completely different disciplines of racing within one series, says hunter-reay. its the only racing series in the world that does that with the street courses, road courses, mile-and-a-half super speedways and short ovals.

thats what i love about it - youre always changing up disciplines of racing, he adds. thats what makes this series what it is. its really cool.

its been a while since anyone described the indyCar series as really cool, but maybe, just maybe, the sport is on the right track again. p1

board of the indianapolis Motor speedway midway through last season, and after a period of uncertainty randy bernard was tabbed earlier this year as his replacement. bernard, 43, freely admitted he had never even attended an indyCar race and knew next to nothing about motor racing. What he had done was lead the professional bull riders Association from obscurity into a multi-million dollar organization with lucrative television contracts with Fox, NbC and versus.

Many racing insiders scoffed at the notion of someone with absolutely zero racing experience being entrusted to such a role. in reality, that could be exactly what the sport needed a fresh beginning unencumbered by old allegiances. its still early days. bernard has been in office only a few months but already has made his presence felt. he has a positive attitude and outlook, and has willingly engaged in dialogue with a wide variety of sources. he forms his own opinions based upon sensible research. About the only criticism i have heard is that he perhaps listens to too many people.

Among bernards early edicts have been revamping the qualifying procedure at indianapolis and the instigating of separate championships within a championship for the top point scorers during the season in both oval and road/street course competition.

i do wonder whether the new qualifying rules for indy might be overly complicated and potentially confusing, but i applaud the concept of awarding championship points, because the level of pressure and commitment on drivers to complete four perfect laps around the indianapolis Motor speedway unequivocally matches those same attributes that are required during a race. i wholeheartedly approve of his decision to offer tangible rewards to the top protagonists in both oval and road/street course disciplines too.

in fact, i have been extolling the virtue of that same concept ever since escalating costs began to pose potential problems to car counts in the late 1980s. From my perspective, it offers an opportunity for a driver who might not have the budget to complete an entire season but who might be able to contest either the road courses or the ovals, depending on their particular expertise.

bernard, meanwhile, sees additional benefits.

After my first six weeks, i kept saying to myself we need to be able to deliver a consistent message about our sport that separates us from other forms of auto racing, he says. What hit me is that we have the fastest and most versatile drivers and race cars in the world and no one can deny that and now we have to show why were the fastest and most versatile. We have 17 events but how do we create better storylines?

i think there are two different demographics. id be willing to bet you that the oval demographic is more like a NAsCAr audience, opposed to a street/road course demographic that is considerably different, he continues. how do we attract both of these? how do we bring them together and how do we create storylines that allow for a great ending to our season?

Among the new qualifying

rules, awarding championship

points will offer tangible

rewards to the top protagonists

in both oval and road/street

course disciplines.

Briton Mike Conway has excelled on the road and street course events.

story by AmAndA Vincent

photos Courtesy of nAScAR mediA & AmAndA Vincent

Harsh words, fist fights, intentional wrecks

and many of those have been between

drivers on the same team. Rivalries are as

much a part of NASCARs heritage and its

future as Ford and Chevy.

Welcome to NASCAR

issue 2 35

36 p1 Magazine

R ivalries are nothing new in nasCar. as a matter of fact, theyve been around pretty much since the beginning. there was richard petty battling David pearson, and then there was richard petty versus bobby allison. there was Darrell Waltrip against Cale yarborough, and then you had Darrell Waltrip battling Dale earnhardt and Cale yarborough dueling with Donnie allison.

the yarborough-allison one an especially exciting, even if it was a short-lived rivalry. the two drivers generally got along, but a difference of opinion in the 1979 Daytona 500 took center stage, because it produced a fist fight that was seen on national television as part of the first-ever live flag to flag television broadcast of the Daytona 500.

former driver and car owner Junior Johnson found the Waltrip-yarborough rivalry especially amusing, at least enough so to use it as a motivational tool. after Johnson replaced yarborough with Waltrip behind the wheel of his Cup car, hed often mistakenly call Waltrip Cale when Waltrip would complain about the car, or when Johnson felt that Waltrip wasnt up on the wheel.

Waltrip was always good for an amusing rivalry. another driver he had a rivalry with early in his career was buddy

baker. according to Waltrip, when hed get behind baker, baker would always shake his fist at him. he said he went to fellow driver a.J. foyt for advice. Waltrip said that foyt told him to hit baker hard the next time he took his hand off the steering wheel to shake his fist at him and hed never do it again. according to Waltrip, foyt was right. he said he tried it and baker never shook his fist at him again.

Like Waltrip, earnhardt played his role in stirring up excitement by being part of several rivalries. in addition to his rivalry with Waltrip that went on throughout the 1980s, he also developed a pretty intense, yet short-lived rivalry with geoff bodine. When the 90s rolled around, earnhardt had a new rival Jeff gordon.

granted, some of these rivalries didnt produce bitter feelings between the drivers involved, at least not publicly. but some of them did, and those kinds of rivalries the kind that result in drivers expressing frustrations in front of the camera are the ones that race fans seem to yearn for and are amused by.

Kurt busch and Jimmy spencer delivered in 2002, when the two drivers made contact on the track at phoenix. busch was a rookie then, and spencer hadnt been to victory lane in Cup competition since 1994. spencer accused

busch of dumping him and retaliated later that season at indianapolis.

the animosity between the two didnt end there. instead, it carried over to the 2003 season. after a race that season, busch stopped his car in front of spencers hauler, claiming that he had run out of gas. spencer rammed into buschs car in the garage. then he climbed out of his car, said a few words that were unfit for young ears, and punched busch through the window. Maybe spencer took offense to busch previously referring to him as a has-been or never was.

in the years since, there have been feuds between drivers here and there, but theyve typically lasted a couple of race weekends or so and then been forgotten, with a few exceptions. fans soon started complaining that drivers had become too venial and the sport was growing boring. they were asking, Wheres the personality?

Maybe brad Keselowski has the answer to that question.

i think that rivalries are good for the sport as long as they are in good taste and not mean-spirited, Keselowski said.

his most recent dust-up began at atlanta Motor speedway earlier this season or at least thats when it came to a head. Keselowski and edwards got

issue 2 37

The fans definitely embrace rivalries, especially

when they get drivers all worked-up and emotional

and that emotion carries over into the media for all

race fans to see and enjoy.Dale Earnhardt Jr. (88), bump drafts with Denny Hamlin (No. 11).

When drivers race in large packs, sometimes multi-car accidents are the result, like this one involving Marcus Ambrose, Ryan Newman, Joey Logano, Brad Keselowski, Kasey Kahne, Brian Vickers, and Bobby Labonte.

Ryan Newman surveys damage to his race car.

38 p1 Magazine

Crew chief Darian Grubb (left) and driver Tony Stewart (right) listen to the national anthem during pre-race ceremonies.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. (left), Kasey Kahne (center), and Greg Biffle (right) talk things over. Jeff Gordon.

Jimmie Johnson (48), Brian Vickers (83), Scott Speed (82), Bobby Labonte (71), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (88), and Tony Stewart (14) run in the draft.

issue 2 39

Jimmie Johnson waves to the crowd during driver introductions.

Brad Keselowski (left) and Carl Edwards (right) exit a closed-door meeting with NASCAR, following their incident at Atlanta Motor Speedway.Denny Hamlin greets race fans.

together on the track early in the race, and as a result edwards spent much of the event in the garage. feeling he was wronged by Keselowski, edwards returned to the track some 160 laps down with his heart set on getting Keselowski back.

the resulting retaliation in the closing laps of the race sent Keselowskis car airborne and up into the wall before flipping over and finally returning to a right-side-up position.

edwards was parked for the remainder of the race, which was about three laps, and was later placed on probation for three races. following the race though, edwards seemed proud of what he had done, even though he did say that he regretted that Keselowskis car got airborne. he went on to say that he and Keselowski had had issues in the past and maybe this would be the end of it. Maybe the past incidents that edwards was referring to included the 2009 spring race at talladega that Keselowski won and edwards finished on foot after

contact between the two drivers sent edwards car airborne and into the catch fence coming to the checkers on the final lap.

i hoped for the best, and i got the worst, edwards said of the 2009 talladega incident.

Keselowski, however, saw the matter at atlanta from a different perspective. because of his car getting airborne, he said that not only he, but also many fans in the grandstand could have been killed.

Maybe this rivalry climaxed a little past that sometimes fine line that defines good taste. nasCar must have thought so. the setting for the following race weekend just happened to be bristol Motor speedway, a track notorious for bringing out raw emotion. prior to racing action there though, nasCar officials met with edwards, Keselowski and team owners Jack roush and roger penske, and whatever was said apparently cooled tempers. there no longer seems to be an issue between the two, at least not yet.

but then again, that was just a few weeks ago and the seasons still young.

an older rivalry with Keselowski seems to have a longer shelf life, though. a rivalry was born between Keselowski and Denny hamlin back in 2008, even before Keselowski had ever competed in the sprint Cup series. the two got together in a nationwide race at Charlotte Motor speedway, and hamlin retaliated during a yellow flag.

this rivalry has seen most of its action on the nationwide series stage, with Keselowski a full-time nationwide series competitor, now with the added duty of full-time sprint Cup series competition, and hamlin who runs full-time at the sprint Cup level but runs part-time in the nationwide series.

the two drivers had run-ins several times in nationwide competition throughout the 2009 season, culminating in hamlin spinning Keselowski out in the season-finale at homestead-Miami speedway in november.

Kevin Harvick (29) bump drafts Jamie McMurray (1).

40 p1 Magazine

in the time since, Keselowski has extended an olive branch whether it be to get under hamlins skin some more or as a sincere gesture to call a truce. he says that he sent hamlin a Christmas card this past holiday season that featured the popular Christmas sentiment, peace on earth, and signed it, your friend, brad Keselowski. he also claimed on twitter earlier this year that when he saw hamlin at a restaurant during dinner, he sent a bottle of wine over to his table.

sometimes drivers dont even have to look far for a good rivalry - not that theyre out looking for a rivalry in the first place. sometimes a good rivalry can crop up within a race shop between teammates.

at texas Motor speedway in april, a rivalry between hendrick Motorsports teammates and four-time champions Jeff gordon and Jimmie Johnson festered when each of them was unhappy with how he was raced by the other. this is a rivalry that seems to have died and resurfaced several times over that last several years, but its never been one to produce huge fireworks at least not yet.

Weve raced hard for years, gordon said. in a way, i hope we see more of it (rivalry). We dont want to be bumping

and banging, but i do want to be changing positions with him for the lead and swapping those positions. i love racing with Jimmie, because you know when youre racing with Jimmie, youre funning good.

this time, like the times before, the two hMs drivers buried the hatchet pretty quickly. or did they?

Were fine, gordon said the following weekend at talladega. everythings good.

Maybe gordon just wanted everyone to think that things were fine between him and his teammate. or maybe he really considered everything to be fine until he and Johnson, once again, had a difference of opinion on how best to race each other later that same weekend at talladega.

following the talladega race, gordon again expressed disappointment in Johnson by saying that he didnt know what Johnsons problem was. Whatever issue or issues the two hMs teammates and four-time Cup series champions have, they usually seem to not let it get in the way of their friendship, at least not during the week.

things also seemed to have cooled off overall, for the two drivers in the time since talladega, even when the circuit

visited richmond international raceway a short track famous for putting emotions under a magnifying glass.

edwards recognizes the phenomenon of rivalries among teammates, going so far as comparing them to sibling rivalries.

teammates are some of the guys you want to compete with the most, he said. id say greg (biffle), Matt (Kenseth) and i (all roush fenway racing teammates) have had the hardest races and most fierce, intense competition of anybody that ive raced with, and i think thats just normal. its kind of a race within a race.

With nasCar supposedly loosening its reigns this season, per an announcement made back in January that the sanctioning body was going to step back somewhat and let drivers begin policing themselves, maybe some more good old-fashioned rivalries, like the ones from days before, will work their way into the nasCar culture.

i think the sport is doing a good job of embracing them (rivalries) and engaging them, Keselowski said.

the fans definitely embrace rivalries, especially when they get drivers all worked-up and emotional and that emotion carries over into the media for all race fans to see and enjoy. p1

Most of the race field hits pit road.

issue 2 41

The No. 98 team of Paul Menard performs a routine pit stop.

Team owner Joe Gibbs (left) talks to one of his drivers, Kyle Busch (right).

Short tracks provide close quarters, bumper-to-bumper racing for David Ragan (6), Greg Biffle (16), Martin Truex Jr. (56), Paul Menard (98), Denny

Hamlin (11), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (88), and A.J. Allmendinger (43).

Teammates Joey Logano (left) and Denny Hamlin (right) compare notes in the garage.

With numerous plot lines among the factory teams, the 2010 Nurburgring

24 Hours came down to a battle of talent and attrition. But the biggest

battle was between Porsche and BMW. In the end, BMW prevailed and

again secured its place as the dominant player in endurance racing.

issue2 43

story&photosby John Brooks

2010 NurburgriNg 24 Hours

It was a triumphant return for BMW AG and Team Schnitzer to the Nurburgring 24 Hours. The #25 BMW M3 GT2 ably driven by Jorg Muller,

Uwe Alzen, Pedro Lamy and Augusto Farfus outran and outlasted the opposition to take a well deserved victory at the Nordschleife classic.

44 p1magazine44 p1magazine

Heldonacombinationoftheclassicnordschleifeandtheless-classiccurrentgrandprixcircuit,thenurburgring24hoursisthebiggestraceintheworldatleastifyourunyourthumboverthenumbers.thetrackis25,378meterslongor15.769miles.

thisyear198carsinthreegroupstookthestartflag,andtheyweredrivenbyaround800drivers.thesewerekeptinsomesortofroughorderby1,300marshalsandofficials.eventorganizersclaimedanattendanceof220,000,andiestimatedthat10,000,000litersofbeerwereconsumed.sadly,myowncontributiontothisstellarperformancewaslimitedbythedemandsofthejob.

ifthecomplexaDaCzurich24h-rennenwereafilm,robertaltmanwouldsurelyhavebeenthedirector.hismulti-layeredepicscontainedafewthemesthatwerestrongerthantherest,suchasnaturalselectionifyoulike.so,too,withthisrace.therewasthestrugglefortheoverallvictory.therewerethevariousobjectivesforthefactoryteamsnotincontentionforthetopspot.

Finally,amongthemajorityofthefieldtherewerethoseissuesandmotivationsthatneedtobeaddressed.Whydopeoplegoracing?therearemanyreasonsifoundfrompersonaldiscovery;thechallengeorevenjustgoodoldfashionedmoneywhenitcomestoprofessionaldrivers.andsomejustdoitforfun.

perhapsitwasexpressedbestinafilmaboutanotherfamous24hourrace,Lemans.althoughfictional,itsummedupwhymenandwomenwentandstillgotothetracksandcompete.

alotofpeoplegothroughlifedoingthingsbadly.racingsimportanttomenwhodoitwell.Whenyoureracing,itslife.anythingthathappensbeforeorafterisjustwaiting.

iamsureapsychologistcouldhaveafielddaywiththelikesofmichaelDelaney,orevenmoresowiththekindofpersonthatstandsatthesideofthetrackwitnessingthewholeshow.butweallknowthatphotographersarecrazy.

thereweretenfactoryoutfitsthatshowedupintheeifelmountains,andthreeofthosehadashotatthewin.therewereaudi,bmWandporsche,whowerealldesperatetoacquirethebraggingrightstoavictoryinthisraceintheirdomesticmarket.porschewiththeirmantheyracingsatellitewereonaroll,withfourwinsinarow.rulechangeshadforcedthemtobringanewcartoreplacethetrustygt2-based911,buttherewasaquietconfidence,especiallyinthecaseoftheno.1carcrewedbymarcLieb,timobernhard,romainDumasandmarceltiemann.theyhadspecialmichelintiresreputedtobeworth10secondsalapovertheoppositionandwithminimalperformancedegradationoverastint.

supportingporschesspearheadwereanumberofother911gt3rsforthelikesofhariboteammantheyandmamerow,withWerksdriversofthequalityofWolfhenzlerandrichardWestbrookstrategicallyplaced.perhapsintermsofthefutureofporschemotorsport,themostsignificantcarwasno.9ofporscheteammanthey.itwasthegt3rhybrid.WithJrgbergmeisterandrichardLietzbackedupbymarcoholzerandmartinraggingertherewasnoshortageofdrivingability.

Duringthepastdecade,theauditeamhasassumedthemantleofendurancetopdogswithitsprototypesuccessatLe

Another class win for the Volkswagen Scirocco GT24-CNG, powered by natural gas. The VW factory car managed to post 16th place overall.

issue2 45

WHy do people go raciNg?

There are many reasons from personal

discovery, the challenge or even just

good old fashioned money when it

comes to professional drivers, some

just do it for fun.

A dramatic start as the phalanx of Audis head down to the first corner.

The Sun makes a welcome, if brief, appearance as the H & R Spezialfedem Porsche GT3 Cup S heads out into the forests.

Sign of the times? The Porsche GT3 R Hybrid looked set to take the winners crown until the engine stopped with just two hours remaining in the race.

46 p1magazine

Marco Werner took pole position with a breathtaking lap in his Audi R8 LMS but the car was retired midway in the race after getting involved with back markers, damaging the rear suspension beyond repair.

A huge and enthusiastic crowd turned out as ever for the Nurburgring 24 Hours. Most of them seemed to end up on the grid before the contest began.

A great second place result for the Hankook Team Farnbacher Ferrari F430 GTC.

Night time in the pits for the Hybrid Porsche.

issue2 47

mans,atitleheldbyporschefortheprevious30years.however,audihadnotraditioninthisformofgtracinguntillastyearwhentheyshowedupwithabattalionofr8Lmsracersandranthemantheyporschesquadveryhard.thatisareflectionofthestreet-carsituationwherether8ismakinginroadsintoterritorythatporscheconsideredtobetheprovinceofthe911.

indeed,whenthefalloutfromporschesfailedattempttotakeovertheVWgroupfinallygetsdowntothemotorsportlevelitiscertainthattherewillbearationalizationofactivitieswiththeenlargedVWgroup.somewithinthemanagementfavorporschereturningtotheprototypeclass,andtherearerumorsofahybridprojecttoattemptanotherLemanswin.Wherethiswouldleaveaudisportisanyonesguess,butitisnotlikelythatwewillseeporscheandaudigohead-to-headatraceslikeLe

manswithtwobigbudgetprojectsfromthesameconglomerate.audiarrivedatthenordschleifewithtwotoplineteams

phoenixracingandteamabtsportlineandtwor8Lmsforeachoutfit,bothstaffedwithtoplinedrivertalent.Dtmhooliganstimoscheider,mattiasekstromandoliverJarvisjoinedsportscarstarslikemarcoWerner,marcbassang,mikerockenfeller,emmanuelCollardandhansstuckjnr.alateswitchfromDunloptomichelintookanothervariableoutoftheequation,sothisalllookedlikeofarepeatofthe2009contest.however,therewasanewelementthrownintothemixchasingoverallvictorybmW.

Whileaudidoesnothavemuchheritageatthenurburgring24hours,thecarsfrommunichcertainlydo,havingwonthefirst24-hourracebackin1970(a2002tiwithonehansstuckjnr.

Running strongly in the first few hours was Mamerow Porsche.

48 p1magazine

A lot of people go through life doing things badly. Racings important to men

who do it well. When youre racing, its life. Anything that happens before or

after is just waiting.

The mantle of pre-race favourite seemed to be entirely justified as the Manthey Porsche led without anyone matching their speed. Then came the night and being collected in backmarkers accident putting them into retirement.

A class win and 18th overall for the #50 Gazoo racong Lexus LF-A

issue2 49

onboard).afurther17victoriesfollowedoverthe40yearsofcompetition.theylasthadafactorypresencebackin2005whenthefabulousm3gt-rmadeitsfinalappearanceandsignedoffwithawin.

incommonwithmostoftheautomobileindustry,themarketingfocusforbmWisproduct,thewholeproduct,andnothingbuttheproduct.them3istheposterboyforallthiseffortsomanylatenightshavebeenenduredingettingcarsbuiltforLemans,Lemansseriesandthenurburgring24hours.havingschnitzeronboardwasamajoradvantageastheyknowhowtowininanysetofcircumstances.abraceofbmWm3gt2swereonhandwithbmWregularsJrgmller,Dirkmller,augustoFarfus,andypriaulxandDirkWernerbeingjoinedbyuwealzen,pedroLamyandlocalexpertDirkadorf.

Qualifyingwasprettymuchawasteoftimeonthursdayasdampconditionsandthendensefogbroughttheaffairtoaprematureconclusion.thenextdaythingspickedupweather-wise,andsodidthetimes.marcLiebscorchedroundinthemantheyporscheearlyinthesession,butalastminutechargebyauditakingadvantageofthemuch-improvedtrackconditionssawthemoccupythetopfourslots.marcoWernerhadpulledoutallthestopstorecordan8:24.753intheteamabtsportsliner8Lms,polepositionforwhatitwasworth.alltheleadingcarsmadeitthroughthesessionmoreorlessunscathed;theracemightbeadifferentstory.

asindeeditwas.thepacktookoffat3p.m.,andevenbeforeleavingthegrandprixcircuitboundforhatzenbach,marceltiemannhadvaultedthemantheyporschetothefront,fromseventhonthegrid.hecontinuedtorunawayfromthephalanxofaudiswiththebmWsstrugglingtokeepupwiththepacesetbytheleaders.soitcontinuedforthefirsttwohourstillDirkWernerintheno.26bmWwassentoffcoursebyanerrantbackmarkerattheschwedenkreuze.

theresult?replacementfortheleftfrontsuspension,rear

shockabsorberandradiator.sixlapslost,victorychancesgone.oneofthefavoritesdown.atthistimebmWalsocametotheconclusionthattryingtorunatthepaceofaudisandporscheswasnotpossible,sotheyeasedoffandconcentratedingettingninelapsratherthantheeightofthoseothers.thiswouldprovecrucialinthelongrun.

therewerethenseveralextendedcautionperiodsaftersomebigaccidentsinvolvingbackmarkersdestroyingsectionsofarmco,thatwasreplacedastheactioncontinued.asthesundroppedbelowthehorizonthemantheyporschestillcommandedthefieldpullingawayfromtheaudis.

thenthefunstarted.Firsttoblinkwasaudi,astheno.98,onceagainavoidinganout-of-controlbackmarkernearplanfzgartenbouncedoverthehighkerbs,rippingthesump,causingtheenginetoblow.anotherWerkschallengeended.

almostimmediatelythetimingscreensflashedupaproblemfortheleader.theno.1mantheycollectedsomeoneelsesaccidentdestroyingmuchoftheleftsideofthe911.evenmantheysexperiencedcrewcouldnotmakerepairstogetthecarbackintotherace.thedreamwasover.Winnumberfivewouldnothappenfortheteamthisyear.

twentyminuteslatermarcoWernerintheno.1100audihadasimilarexperienceinthesamepartofthetrack.therearsuspensionwasdamagedbeyondrepair.anotherfavoriteout.

thiselevatedno.99audiintotheleadandtheywouldstaytheretilldawnwhenproblemswiththetransmissionforcedachangeoftherearaxle.thiswasmanagedinanincrediblesevenminutes.thisdidnotsolvetheaudistroubles,andafullgearboxchangewasnextonthemenuandthatendedtheirchancesofwinning.

sotheleadswitchedonceagain,thistimetotheporschegt3rhybrid,withJorgbergmeistergivingachampionsperformancebehindthewheel.thebattleforleadwasdowntothesurvivorfromeachofthefactories.no.2keptaudishopes

Another visitor from Japan and another great result, 12th overall for the Falken Motorsports Nissan Z33

50 p1magazine

alive;havingrecoveredfromsomeproblemsearlyontheytriedtogetontotermswiththehybrid.allinvain,asadriveshaftfailurestrandedLucasLuhratpflanzgartenandthelastfactoryaudijoinedthelistofretirements.

sothismeantthatporschesmainchallengewasfromtheno.25bmW,whichwaskeepingthepressureupallthetimetryingtoforceamistakeoruncoveraweaknessinthehybrid.astheporschehadcompletedsixdaysoftestingatthenordschleife,troublefree,itseemedatallorder.

oneteamthathadputitsdemonsbehindthemwastheFarnbacherFerrari430.FastestinthursdayQualifying,disasterhadstruckinFridayssessionwhenthecarspearedofftheroadcausingconsiderabledamage.afterrepairstheystartedfrom46thplace,sotheteamofallansimonsen,DominikFarnbacher,marcoseefriedandLehmanKeenwerediscounted.thedrivers

allagreedtoavoidkerbsandlookaftertheengineandgearboxandhopethattheracewouldcometothemthirdplacewiththreehourstogoprovedtheworthofthatstrategy.

therewastobeanothertwistinthetailofthisamazingrace.thebulletproofporschefalters.Firstanexhaustmanifoldneededreplacing,theninanactofwantoncrueltybytheracinggods,withlessthantwohourstorun,Jorgbergmeisterhadtheenginestallonhimatbreidscheid,endingporschesdreamofahybridvictory.

iheardaloudnoiseattherearofthecarandsuddenlythepowerwent,saidJorgbergmeister.

so,asLastmanstanding,no.25bmWm3gt2tooktheflagat15.00hours.eventhenthereweresomeanxiousmomentsinthebmWpitasthegearboxstartedtohaveproblemsduringthefinalhours,andwiththeFerrarionthesamelapthere

Uwe Alzen takes the chequered flag in the BMW M3 GT2.

Once again Audi gave Porsche a very hard time but were the victims of some outrageous luck.Team Schnitzer and BMW celebrate.

issue2 51

wouldbenorelaxingbeforethecheckeredflagwaswaved.intheendtherewasjustunderfourminutesadvantageovertheFarnbachercar.

thiswinwasnumber19forbmWatthenurburgring24hours.itwaspedroLamysfifthvictoryintheevent,tyinghimonthewinnerslistwithmarceltiemann.tomakebmWandschnitzersracecomplete,theno.26carrecoveredtotakeseventhplaceagreatteameffort.

thehybridwasonedevelopmentatthe2010nurburgring24hours,perhapsthemostsignificantperhapsnot.anotherthemethatranthroughmostofthefactoryprojectsseenwasthatofrunningcarsbasedonstuffyoucouldbuyintheshowrooms.porschewereatthevanguardofthismovementtoo,andinthiscasetheyenjoyedconsiderablesuccess.no.11,awhiteporschegt3rs,wasdriventothenordschleifefrom

thefactoryatzuffenhausen,presumablyofftheassemblyline.itthencompleted145lapsduringtheraceinthehandsoftwolocalpros,rolandaschandpatricksimon,supportedbytwomagazineeditors,horstvonsaurmaandChrisharris,(sportautoandeVo).atrouble-freeruntranslatedinto13thoveralland4thinthecompetitivesp7class.

thefinalresultwasatriumphforbmWandschnitzer,provingonceagainthatbeingaroundatthefinishismoreimportantthatbeingquickatthestart.theteamwereoverjoyed;celebrationscontinuedlongintothenight.nowtheywillturntheirsightstotheWestfirstLemansinafewweeks,thenspaattheendofJuly.Whowouldbetagainstatriplecrown?mindyou,therearesomefolkswithFerraris,porschesandCorvettesaroundwhomightdisagreewiththatthought.

thenurburgring24hourslikenootherraceonearth.p1

Once again Audi gave Porsche a very hard time but were the victims of some outrageous luck. Gazoo racing savours the moment at the conclusion of the race.

Director of BMW Motorsport, Dr. Mario Theissen, receives the silverware on the podium surrounded by his drivers.

issue2 53storyby Craig Sooty Lord PhotosCourtesyof V8 SuperCarS

Despite a long and storied history, V-8 Supercar continues

to compete. It also needs to reduce costs. Spearheaded by

Mark Skaife, AVESCOs The Car of the Future strategy is

to design exactly that, while opening the series to additional

manufacturers and maintaining at the same time.

54 p1Magazine

Regardless of the changes in event

organisation, changes in event format,

changes in the broadcasting aspects, for the

last ten years (with some driving personalities

aside) it has been all about the single

battle between the Ford and the Holden.

issue2 55

In fact it is difficult

to find any other

class in the

world where two

manufacturers share

the tarmac alone

but this may soon

come to an end, and

if it does then the

history books will

have new items of

interest to file away.

I thasbeenagloriousrunfortheV-8supercarcircus,andthegrowthofthecodesincethefullconversiontofordversusholdenhaswithoutargumentbecomeoneofthegreatestmotorsportrivalriesofalltime.infact,itisdifficulttofindanyotherclassintheworldwheretwomanufacturerssharethetarmacalone.butthismaysooncometoanend,andifitdoesthenthehistorybookswillhavenewitemsofinteresttofileaway.still,beforethathappensthereisaburningquestionthatneedstobeanswered:isthistherightthingtodo?

toanswerthatclearlyisinallhonestyimpossible,becauseonlyMadametarotcanapparentlyreadthefuturewithgreataccuracy,whileherewetryourbesttosparkupareasoneddebatefrombothsidesofthestage-forandagainst.

however,toengageinareasonabledebateonthefuturewefirstneedtoknowthepast,meaningthebasichistoryandthebackgroundofwhathasbecomethewondermentknownastheV-8supercarseries,andthatcomesinthesimpleformoffactsandfigures.

itallbeganwiththeaustraliantouringCarChampionship(atCC),whichwasfirstheldbackin1960.thatmeans,ofcourse,thatatthispointintime,inawayitishavingits50thanniversary.althoughtheoriginalformofthechampionshipisnolongercontested,thetitleinasomewhatdifferentformisstillhandedovertothewinnerofthecurrentV-8supercarChampionshipseries.

fordandholdenhavebeenaseriesstaplethroughouttheyearswiththeCortina,CapriandfalconputtingupafairfightagainstthegeneralMotorstorana

andCommodore.tuckedinamongstthemwerethelikesofJaguar,bMW,Volvo,nissan,Mazd