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QUEENSLAND RACEWAY LOSE V8 SUPERCARS

7. January 2010

There will be no V8 Supercar round at Queensland raceway in 2010. In a media release issued yesterday (Wednesday January 6) Queensland Raceway management announced that the track had been unable to broker a deal with V8 Supercars Australia to keep the event at the Ipswich circuit. "For three months we have tried to find common ground with the management of V8 Supercars to no avail. We had agreed to accept their price but it was their inability to accept the rights of the Queensland Raceways Passholders and to accept responsibility for damage to our track whilst they are running the event, which became the deal breakers." said Queensland Raceway CEO John Tetley. In spite of the loss of the tracks biggest annual event Mr Tetley was up beat about the tracks future announcing several new events for 2010. One of these is a Bike Week Carnival to be held over the Easter break. He also flagged the terrifying possibility of a new, permanent track based national series, which is being promulgated by the circuits over the next three months. Can anybody say PowerTour. or AMRS or... The loss of the Queensland round will probably have little effect on V8 Supercars who already have two major taxpayer supported races in the state at Townsville and the Gold Coast. Although if Mr Tetley felt the need to ban the category from his circuit all together, then that could make life interesting for Queensland based team looking for testing opportunities. But that's not likely to happen.

BUNDY RACING PAINTS IT BLACK

7. January 2010

The 2010 V8 Supercar launch season has officially kicked off as Bundaberg Red Racing unveiled its 2010 livery and new team drivers Fabian Coulthard and Andrew Thompson. With the technical ennui of V8 Supercars, a change of paint scheme is considered pretty big news and the excitement of the assembled media was palpable as the covers came off the newly painted car. Grown men gasped and women swooned as the car emerged from under the sheets. "There's a lot more black' said one V8 Supercar hack desperately trying to recover from the surprise, "No one expected that!" said another. "Call the editor! Hold the Front Page!" said yet another, despite the fact that he works in television. As the shock of the new spread across inner Melbourne like a tsunami, medical staff were placed on high alert as Victorian Premier John Brumby called for calm. "I'd like to think that in this day and age that we as a society have grown enough to be able to handle this sort of thing." said Mr Brumby. "I'm just so very proud that today's launch has taken place here in Melbourne, the sporting and cultural capital of the world and way better than Sydney which just sucks puss big time." Bundaberg Red Racing lead driver Fabian Coulthard told the recovering media that he was confident that the challenge of the extra black would not pose a problem.

AUSSIES ON TOP IN FUNNY CAR CHALLENGE

3. January 2010

Australian Funny Car driver Damien Harris came out on top in the opening round of the USA vs AUS Nitro Funny Car Challenge at Queensland's Willowbank Raceway. The challenge is part of the two-round International New Year Drag Racing Series with Harris and fellow Aussie Ricky Steffens taking on American Jack Wyatt. Harris was clearly the star of the evening with a series of strong runs highlighted by a 4.968s at over 300mph on his first run of the evening, the first 300mph Nitro Funny Car pass by an Aussie racer at the track. Steffens was also strong with two full passes with a five (5.768s at 186.59mph) and six second pass (6.520s at 148.87mph) for the Regency Downs racer. Wyatt struggled with set up all night , running a 7.150 at 155.74mph and a 7.049 at 126.67mph after having to lift off the pedal at intervals during both runs. “We just kept smoking the tyres and also struggled a bit with the tune up, but we think we know what the issue is now and are confident we will be on the pace come January 16,” he said....

PEUGEOT FOCUS ON NEW PROTOTYPE

2. January 2010

Reigning Le Mans 24 hour winners Peugeot will focus their attention on building a new prototype for 2011 and are unlikely to compete in the new ACO Intercontinental Cup. The Cup which will combine the Sebring 1000 race, The Petite Le Mans at Road Atlanta and the Asian Le Mans series race has already attracted the interest of Peugeot's great rival Audi, but the French manufacturer has more pressing commitments. Speaking to the British publication "Autosport" Peugeot Sport boss Olivier Quesnel said that Peugeot was unlikely to have any factory presence in 2010 after the Le Mans 24 Hours. "The Intercontinental Cup is a good idea, but we can't do everything." he said. Mr Quesnel said that Peugeot had two main objectives for 2010 "to do our best with the current car at Le Mans and to build a new car for 2011,"

IT’S LOOKING BRIGHT FOR BRAD JONES RACING

24. December 2009

Jason Bright will return to Holden with the news that he has signed on to replace Cameron McConville at Brad Jones Racing. Bright a veteran of 145 V8 Supercar starts spent several years behind the wheel of a Commodore including a time as a driver for the Holden Racing Team. Bright said that he is excited about the move to Brad Jones Racing. “BJR has all the ingredients to turn it into a very strong force. Its rate of progress up the field in the last couple of years has been impressive and the changes they’ve made internally, as well as their plans for the future with engines and engineering, were all deciding factors for me." he said.

SCHUMACHER BACK FOR MERCEDES GP

23. December 2009

The most successful partnership in Formula One history is set to be reunited with the news that seven time World F1 Champion Michael Schumacher will drive for Mercedes in the 2010 World Drivers Championship. Schumacher will again team with Ross Brawn, the man who helped the German to his incredible success throughout the late 90's and into the new century. According to the German newspaper "The Bild", Mercedes GP will soon make the official announcement that Schumacher has signed with the team for one year with a further one year option. The paper says that Schumacher will effectively be warming the seat for another fast young German star in Sebastian Vettel, who still has two years to serve on his Red Bull contract.

NO THREAT TO SYDNEY GT RACE

22. December 2009

The Australian GT Championship have denied rumours that they would not be on the grid for the Sydney street race in 2010. A post on an Internet forum had claimed that the GTs had been replaced for Sydney, a story denied by Australian GT Director Rachael Wagg. "I don't know where they'd get that one from." she said. "Our calendar for next year is almost set and at this stage the only date not confirmed is a planned race at Phillip Island." Ms. Wagg said that it was possible that the GT series could run it's own meeting at the Island if nothing suitable could be found.

FORMULA ONE: AS SEEN ON TV

11. December 2009

Australian free to air television network "Network Ten" have announced a five-year extension of its exclusive Australian broadcast rights to Formula 1. The new agreement commences at the start of the 2011season and extends through to the end of 2015. The new agreement with Formula One Management will see the network continue it's live F1 coverage on the digital only ONE HD Sports channel as well as with delayed coverage on TEN. The Australian Grand Prix race will also be broadcast live simultaneously on TEN as is required under Australia's anti-siphoning rules. For the first time the new deal also covers online, mobile and IPTV rights as well. Network Ten's general manager – sport, David White, said: "Formula 1 has always had a large, passionate and loyal following in Australia."

MELBOURNE’S NEW DRAG STRIP ? 4 LANES, NO WAITING

11. December 2009

After almost a decade in the Drag racing wilderness, details have been released of an ambitious project to build a brand new dedicated Drag Racing facility for Melbourne. According to a media release from ANDRA (The Australian National Drag Racing Association) a group calling itself "Motorvate Melbourne" have unveiled the plans which would feature Australia's first Four Lane Drag Stip. Plans for the track also feature areas for burnouts and a two kilometre long "sprint" circuit. The new website http://www.motorvatemelbourne.com gives little information about those behind the plan, with the only information being that they are "a collection of stakeholders that support the work that the ANDRA Project Team and many other motor enthusiasts are doing."

THE SUN SETS ON JAPAN

5. November 2009

With the unsurprising announcement of the withdrawal of Toyota from Formula 1 effective immediately, along with the confirmation of Bridgestone of their withdrawal from 2010 onwards, it seems the bleak picture I painted towards the end 2008 of a mass withdrawal of Japanese interest in worldwide top flight motor sports has been finally realized. Japanese motor racing fans currently have very little to cheer about on an international scale. Toyota has now followed Honda’s lead in withdrawing from Formula 1, Subaru and Suzuki no longer grace the World Rally Championship, and Kawasaki took its own hibernation from Moto GP also, save for providing a bike for Marco Melandri. Kazuki Nakajima and Kamui Kobayashi have now joined the jobless Japanese Formula 1 driver’s queue, which already has claimed the popular Sakon Yamamoto and Japan’s most successful F1 driver Takuma Sato.