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FORMULA 5000 LEADS AUSTRALIA’S BIGGEST HISTORIC RACE WEEKEND

9. March 2012

New Zealand driver Steve Ross (McRae GM1) is set to claim the 2011/12 MSC F5000 Tasman Cup Revival Series crown at Australia's biggest and most prestigious classic motor racing meeting this weekend. Ross and 27 other F5000 drivers are amongst the 500-odd entries for this weekend's Phillip Island Classic meeting at the 4.4km circuit an hour-and-a-half's drive south of Melbourne. After finishing second to series super-vet Ken Smith (Lola T430) for the past two years Ross crossed the Tasman earlier this week with an 88 point lead over fellow McRae GM1 driver Aaron Burson with Rotorua man Brett Willis (Lola T330) third. Though defending series champion Ken Smith will not be at the meeting the field includes Burson, Willis, Class A (for earlier cars) standout David Arrowsmith (Lotus 70) and former series champion Ian Clements (Lola T332). It also includes UK-based series regular Greg Thornton (Chevron B24) and two of the three US drivers who contested some of the New Zealand rounds of this season's MSC series, category original Eric Haga (Lola T190) and top US historic single-seater racer Harin de Silva (Surtees TS8). The growing strength of the category across the Tasman can also be seen in the strong domestic entry - with 15 cars led by series regulars Chris Lambden (McRae GM1) and John Bryant (Lola T140) in local hands.

PORSCHE BOOST FOR YOUNG AUSSIE TALENT

23. February 2012

The Porsche City Index Carrera Cup Australia will play an important role in the progression of young drivers with a new motorsport initiative, led by leading Carrera Cup racer Steven Richards. A former V8 Supercars stalwart, Australian Formula Ford ambassador and now Carrera Cup driver, Richards has used his ties with the Australian Formula Ford Championship and front-running V8 Supercars team Ford Performance Racing to establish a tiered program that will aid young drivers to climb the Australian motorsport ladder. As part of the initiative, the driver who wins the 2012 Australian Formula Ford Championship will receive a test in Steven Richards’ Laser Racing Porsche. If the Formula Ford Champion then enters the 2013 Porsche City Index Carrera Cup Australia championship, Porsche Cars Australia will waive the driver’s participation fee for the 2013 season, valued at $35,000. The initiative extends to drivers in the 2012 Porsche City Index Carrera Cup Australia championship, with the highest placed 2012 Carrera Cup driver aged under 30 awarded an evaluation drive with V8 Supercars team Ford Performance Racing; the outfit with which Richards has raced since 2007, including the 2012 Phillip Island and Bathurst endurance events.

MELBOURNE TO FOCUS ON AUSSIE AFTERMARKET

27. January 2012

A heightened commercial focus on Australia’s leading edge aftermarket performance, racing and tuning products will highlight an expanded 2012 Australian Automotive Week, to be held in Melbourne from 11 to 18 March. Supported by the Victorian Government, the 2012 Australian Automotive Week will include a new program to showcase Australian designed and manufactured high performance accessories, [...]

LYONS DOMINATES HAMPTON DOWNS F5000

22. January 2012

England's Michael Lyons (Lola T400) won all four MSC F5000 Tasman Cup Revival Series races at the first New Zealand Festival of Motor Racing - celebrating BMW Motorsport meetings at the Hampton Downs circuit south of Auckland over the weekend but series point leader Steve Ross (McRae GM1) added the icing on the cake with a new outright track lap record. Lyons, who with father Frank and mother Judy, has been traveling from the UK to contest rounds of the New Zealand-based MSC series for the past four years, showed an inkling of what he could do at the two New Zealand Festival of Motor Racing meetings last year and took up where he left off this, claiming pole position in the qualifying session on Friday then leading all four races - including the feature 15-lap final - from start to finish. "The weekend has gone pretty well hasn't it" the 20-year-old from Essex north of London said after his meeting clean sweep. "Last year we weren't quite as well prepared and it was all a bit last minute. Also I hadn't really driven the car much that year. This year we did most of the British championship, which we won, so we were better prepared with the car so it's great to be able to come out here and be able to do so well." After winning both races in hot, dry conditions on Saturday, the first from Steve Ross, Ken Smith (Lola T430) and Clark Proctor (March 73A) and the second - after Ross and Proctor tangled at the first corner - from Smith, Mark Dwyer (Lola T400) and Brett Willis (Lola T330), Lyons led home a fired up Smith, Proctor and Ross in the rain-delayed third race just after lunch time and 15-lap feature final later in the afternoon on Sunday. While the third race was very much a non-event because of the intervention for four of the eight laps of the Safety Car (while Kerry McIntosh's bent Begg FM2 was retrieved from the safety barriers on the run up to the start/finish straight) the 15-lap feature saw Lyons, Ross, Smith, Proctor and Dwyer set a cracking early pace, a sign of just how quickly the leading cars were circulating, Steve Ross breaking the new outright track lap record Lyons had set during the first race on Saturday.

YOUNG LYON TAKES F5000 RACE ONE IN NZ

21. January 2012

Young British driver Michael Lyons (Lola T400) has made a winning return to New Zealand's MSC F5000 Tasman Cup Revival Series, dominating the first day of competition at the third round at Hampton Downs. In front of a large crowd gathered for the first of two New Zealand Festival of Motor Racing - celebrating BMW Motorsport meetings at the 2.8 km circuit south of Auckland the 20-year-old second-generation racer from just outside London topped the time sheets in qualifying on Friday afternoon and won both today's eight lap MSC series races, the first - in the morning - from series points leader Steve Ross (McRae GM1), defending series champion Ken Smith (Lola T430) and high-profile former NZV8 and now Targa driver Clark Proctor (March 73A), and the second from Smith, regular UK visitor Mark Dwyer (Lola T400) and Rotorua driver Brett Willis (Lola T300).

DALLARA’S NEW F3 CHALLENGER

12. January 2012

Italian racing car manufacturer Dallara have unveiled their new Formula Three challenger for 2012. The new Dallara F312, currently on display at the Autosport Show in Birmingham, is the result of a fundamental rethinking of the aerodynamics and the key mechanical components. According to Dallara the F312 is a hugely important car charged with upholding the winning tradition of decades of world-wide Formula 3 competition. The Main New Features of the Car are:

MAD MARKO MAULS ALGUERSURI

29. December 2011

Is this the moment that cost Jamie Alguersuari his drive at Toro Roso? This footage from the 2011 Official F1 Season wrap up shows the irascible Dr Helmut Marko in heated discussion with the young Spaniard at the Korean GP. Marko was furious with Mr Alguersuari for holding up Sebastian Vettel during Qualifying and had no hesitation in telling him so, What may have made it worse for Jamie is daring to argue his case, Marko has shown several times in the past with Mark Webber that he does not have time for impertinent F1 drivers.

KIWI SUMMER SIZZLES

29. December 2011

After yet another year of disappointing fields in the Australian Formula Three Championship, New Zealand's Toyota Racing Series has drawn another great field. The series, the first FIA 2012 International Calendar event of the New Year, starts at Teretonga in Invercargill on January 14-15 and continues through to the New Zealand Grand Prix finale at Manfeild on February 11-12. Drivers will cover in excess of 2,500 kms of testing and racing over five consecutive events from the deep South to the North of New Zealand. Drivers are competing to win the coveted Chris Amon Trophy, and the Kiwi Formula 1 legend believes New Zealand is set for a “brilliant” summer season of International single seater motor racing with the largest, and youngest field of drivers ever. “The 2012 Toyota Racing Series has attracted a record field which is great news for New Zealand motorsport. This rivals the very best years of the old Tasman series,” enthused Amon.

NEWMAN-HASS LEAVE INDYCAR

2. December 2011

In a massive blow to the already shaky Indycar series, Newman-Hass Racing have announced that they will not be taking part in the 2012 season. In a short statement issued on the team website Carl Hass said that "The economic climate no longer enables Newman/Haas Racing to participate in open wheel racing at this time," The team was expected to take part in the series next year which will use the controversial new Dallara designed chassis the DW12. Founded by legendary Hollywood actor Paul Newman and US Lola importer Carl Hass, the team has been the one of most successful Champcar/Indycar teams ever. The team won eight championships in CART/Champ Car with Mario Andretti (1984), Michael Andretti (1991), Nigel Mansell (1993), Cristiano da Matta (2002) and Sebastien Bourdais (2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007). It accumulated 107 race victories and 109 pole positions. The withdrawal of the team from Indycar comes only one day after the series announced a massive shake up of it's organisational structure.

WEBBER WINS BRAZIL, BRONZE! BRONZE! BRONZE! FOR AUSTRALIA

28. November 2011

Mark Webber has taken his first win of the season at Interlagos overnight, winning his second Brazilian Grand Prix. Webber started second on the grid for the final race of the season, but was gifted the lead on lap 30 after gearbox issues forced Sebastian Vettel to let his team-mate pass. The win secured the Australian third [...]

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FORMULA 5000 LEADS AUSTRALIA’S BIGGEST HISTORIC RACE WEEKEND

PORSCHE BOOST FOR YOUNG AUSSIE TALENT

MELBOURNE TO FOCUS ON AUSSIE AFTERMARKET

LYONS DOMINATES HAMPTON DOWNS F5000

YOUNG LYON TAKES F5000 RACE ONE IN NZ

DALLARA’S NEW F3 CHALLENGER

MAD MARKO MAULS ALGUERSURI

KIWI SUMMER SIZZLES

NEWMAN-HASS LEAVE INDYCAR

WEBBER WINS BRAZIL, BRONZE! BRONZE! BRONZE! FOR AUSTRALIA

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