PORSCHE BOOST FOR YOUNG AUSSIE TALENT

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.

YES IT’S A VOLVO

Looking for a bit of inspiration for that next Sports Sedan project? Then look no further than this wild looking Volvo S60 scheduled to compete in the new TTA, a sort of Scandinavian DTM. Volvo announced in August last year that they are going to switch to TTA – the Swedish Racing Elite League ahead of [...]

TALBOT’S NEW TRANS-AM

A welcome addition to the local Sports Sedan ranks is a new Trans-Am Corvette for Melbourne driver Chas Talbot. Built by US chassis builder Howe engineering, the car was originally built for a group of enthusiasts in the US, who ran into financial problems. Talbot purchased the car, which has never raced, from them and it now sits in his outer Melbourne workshop. Talbot says the Trans-Am machine has several practical advantages over a traditional Aussie style Sports Sedan. "The car is easier to work on, simpler suspension, the bodywork comes off easily, that's the main reason for the Corvette." he said. Safety is also an issue with Talbot convinced that the car will offer better protection than his previous Commodore. "The safety on the Trans-Am car is much greater because the diameter of the tubing is much bigger, there's much more room between the driver and the bars on the inside... if you hit something, the more space between you and the bars the better your chance of survival."

IT’S OFFICIAL: NISSSAN JOIN V8 SUPERCARS (now we can all get some sleep)

TOYOTA TESTS TERRIFIC TS030

TOYOTA Racing has completed a successful first full test of the new TS030 HYBRID car which will compete in the LMP1 category in selected races of the FIA World Endurance Championship. The team spent three days at the Paul Ricard circuit in southern France for the first full test of the TS030 HYBRID, following a three-day roll-out at the same circuit earlier this month. Using the a configuration of the track which includes the complete Mistral Straight, all three race drivers - Alex Wurz, Nicolas Lapierre and Kazuki Nakajima - had the opportunity to test the new car, which features the THS-R (TOYOTA HYBRID System - Racing) power-train. The test programme built on the positive work already achieved during the TS030 HYBRID’s roll-out, when systems checks and basic set-up analysis was carried out.

MELBOURNE TO FOCUS ON AUSSIE AFTERMARKET

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, [...]

BOWE TESTS BATHURST BEAST

Australian Touring Car Legend John Bowe has had his first taste of the Ferrari power he hopes will take him to victory in the upcoming Bathurst 12 hour race. Bowe took to the wheel of the Il Bello Rosso 458 GT3 at the Phillip Island circuit in warm and fine conditions, the multiple Aussie Champ delighted at what he'd seen so far. “It’s incredibly impressive, with massive amount of grip compared to the Mustang so really, it’s like ‘wow’!" he said. Bowe, who has previously raced an early model Ferrari in the days of The Nations Cup, said that there was considerable difference between the Italian supercars then and now. “The 458 has a much nicer gear change than the previous Ferrari, a nicer brake feel, and it’s got a lot more gizmos to work around, and so far I’ve only done a very limited amount which lends to a lot more to come."

DALLARA’S NEW F3 CHALLENGER

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:

DUBAI 24 SET TO ROCK AROUND THE CLOCK

All the transport containers have been placed in the paddock of the Dubai Autodrome, all the drivers and team members are flying in from all over the world: this week, the 2012 motor racing season officially gets underway with the seventh running of the Dunlop 24H DUBAI, No less than 20 car brands will be present on the grid for this year?s Dunlop 24H DUBAI, the first international endurance race of the year for GTs, touring cars and 24H specials.

AND A BRAND NEW LAMBORGHINI

Reiter Engineering have continued their association with Italian Manufacturer Lamborghini with a major upgrade to their Gallardo LP 600 GT3. The focus of the upgrade is to improve the suitability of the car for endurance events like the upcoming Bathurst 12 hour race and the increasingly popular Blanpain series. “”Our customers and ourselves proved already, that the [...]