inpitlane.com | Archive | Australia/NZ News

AUSSIE ICONS BACK IN PIT LANE

31. August 2010

Classic Car Specialists Brooklands Classic Cars and iconic Australian Sports and Racing Car manufacturer Elfin have joined forces to bring C31's popular live motorsport tonight show In Pit Lane back to Melbourne's TV screens. The new series of In Pit Lane will commence 9.30pm Tuesday night September 7th, live from the studios of RMITV in the heart of Grand Prix City, Melbourne. Special guest will be popular V8 Supercar star Jason Bright driver of the Trading Post Commodore for Brad Jones Racing. Paul Sabine of Brooklands Classic Cars said that the sponsorship of In Pit Lane was a great choice for the company. “In Pit Lane has developed to be an icon in Australian motor sport and Brooklands Classic Cars are delighted to assist in fostering IPL’s ongoing success." he said. Mr Sabine said that Brooklands had been catering to car enthusiasts and owners of interesting and sporting cars for many years and clients could rely on that experience when searching for that special car. "The sort of hard core enthusiast and classic car lover that buys our cars and uses our services are the very same people who regularly tune into In Pit Lane." he said. In Pit Lane host Brett Ramsey said he was delighted to be able to continue with the show which is now in it's 15th straight year of production. The show finished it's last season in May and looked set to disappear forever due to a lack of sponsorship. Now thanks to Brooklands Classic Cars and Elfin, the show returns for a new 13 week series to cover a busy three months of local and international motorsport.

V8 SUPERCARS ANNOUNCE NEW SANDOWN DEAL

24. August 2010

V8 Supercars Australia will today announce a new long term deal with Melbourne's Sandown Motor Raceway. The new contract will see the popular Melbourne circuit make several major changes to the pit area plus some on-track work to meet the demands of the V8 circus. Work has already begun and the first stage should be completed by the time of the Historic SandownReturn of the Thunder meeting in November. That meeting as well as the V8's and the Horse Racing Sandown Cup will form a major festival for the circuit in November. The announcement will be made today (August 24) at a media conference at 11.00am Melbourne time to be attended by V8 Supercar boss Martin Whitaker, Sandown track manager Wade Calderwood, and racing legends Allan Moffatt and Dick Johnson. More News this afternoon.

AASA ANNOUNCE NEW PRODUCTION CAR ENDURANCE SERIES

23. August 2010

Forget Australia's fractured political scene, the factions of the Labor Party have nothing on the continued battle for the control of Production Car Racing in Australia. The latest shot in the war is a brand new series for 2010 the Australian Endurance Championship for Production cars. Four of Australia's major race circuits have put an agreement in place to conduct the series which will be run under the auspices of the Australia Auto Sport Alliance (AASA). The four tracks are: Eastern Creek Raceway in NSW, Phillip Island International Race circuit and Winton Motor Raceway in Victoria and Queensland Raceway. The new series which will conduct 4 x 6 hour races, will also produce the title of Australian 24 Hour Endurance Production Car Champion, based on the results of all four events.

KELLY BROTHERS GET WOOD

20. August 2010

Victorian driver Dale Wood will complete the Jack Daniel’s Racing line-up for the upcoming V8 Supercar endurance events at Phillip Island and Bathurst. Wood has been a part of Kelly Racing right from the initial launch of the team in March last year, competing in the first five events of the 2009 season in the [...]

WEBBER IS THE TV ONE

2. August 2010

Mark Webber’s push to the top of the F1 World Championship ladder and his fierce battle with team mate Sebastian Vettel is paying off for TEN’s digital sports channel ONE. Ten was outgunned by its digital sports channel One, thanks to the success of Webber in the Hungarian Grand Prix. The 345,000 audience was One’s best ever [...]

CARRERA CUP RETURNING DOWN UNDER

30. July 2010

It's official, The Carrera Cup is set to return to Australia's racetracks for 2011. In a media release issued late this afternoon, Porsche Cars Australia (PCA) announced that they would seek dates for a series, hopefully next year. The announcement means that PCA can now enter formal discussions with all key stake-holders for a possible return to the V8 Supercar calendar from as early as next year. Carrera Cup was introduced to Australia in 2003 and ran up to and including 2009 through a third party service provider. The reintroduction of Carrera Cup would this time be exclusively managed and operated in-house by PCA. “We have the chance for a fresh start, with an all-new race car and an all-new approach for Porsche Carrera Cup Australia,” says PCA Managing Director Michael Winkler.

THE RETURN OF THE MOUNT BULLER SPRINT

29. July 2010

The famous Mount Buller Sprint is ready to run, but only if competitors are ready to support it. The eighth annual race to the summit of the mountain in Victoria's alpine region is scheduled for September 3 - 5th, but organisers say it will only run if the tarmac rally community comes to the party. The Buller Sprint will again use the famous sixteen kilometre stretch of road from the foot of Mt Buller to the luxury resort centre on top of the mountain. With more than 132 corners separated by short bursts of straight and cambered tarmac, the sprint is arguably Australia's premier hillclimb and draws competitors from all over the country. The 2010 event has gained valuable sponsorship from Pacific Hire and RDA Brakes and is open to both Classic cars (pre-1982) and Modern cars (1982 onwards).

AMBROSE QUITS JTG DAUGHERTY: NASCAR FUTURE UNCERTAIN

28. July 2010

The NASCAR future of Australian Marcos Ambrose is up in the air after the announcement that the Tasmanian will leave JTG Daugherty Racing at the end of the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. “It has been a great five year journey for me and JTG Daugherty Racing,” Marcos Ambrose said. “I am proud of being their driver and of what we have been able to accomplish together. " Ambrose said that the decision to leave had been his as “After five years, I personally felt it was time for a change. Ambrose said that he had no firm plans for next year and has not ruled out a return to Australia and V8 Supercar competition. “I would like to continue in NASCAR and finish off what I started, but I have not discounted returning to Australia.

EASTERNATS HEADING TO WINTON

26. July 2010

The popular Easternats Street Machine festival is heading North. Easternats promotor Jon Davison today announced a ten year deal to move the event to Winton Motor Raceway begining Easter 2011. The event which had been held at Sandown Raceway since 1997 was set to move to Calder Park after issues with the local council and circuit owners The Melbourne Racing Club, but was cancelled due to regulatory issues. Mr Davison said the move to Winton was an exciting one for the event, “Winton can accommodate all the action that the EASTERNATS is famous for, including cruising, burnouts, street drags, stampede and go to whoa all complimented by extensive display areas, first class pit & garage facilities. Onsite camping is a further benefit with the potential to build the EASTERNATS into a full scale regional spectacular. The Benalla Auto Club are to be congratulated on the upgrades and improvements that have been made to the facility.” “Winton is perfect for the EASTERNATS and the participants will love it”. he said.

RICHARDS RUNS NEW CARRERA CUP CAR AT SANDOWN

23. July 2010

A surprise visitor to the Sandown pits for today's open practice for round three of the Victorian State Circuit Racing Championship at Sandown. The new challenger of the reborn Carrera Cup series completed a handful of laps with Jim Richards behind the wheel. The new car features more advanced aerodynamics than the previous model with a wider rear wing and more pronounced front splitter. The new car is also more powerful than the car it will replace with power increased to 450 bhp. The car was entered for the day via Porsche Cars Australia who were testing the car for compliance with noise regulations. Porsche Cars Australia have made no secret of their desire to return the Carrera Cup to the local racing scene. The return to the V8 Supercar support calendar could cause some consternation in the ranks of the Australian GT Championship who have established for themselves a popular niche in several major V8 events.