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Tag Archive | "Touring Cars"
LOWNDES & WHINCUP COME HOME TO HOLDEN
It's official. The Triple Eight team of Jamie Whincup and Craig Lowndes will race a Holden in 2010. Speculation had been growing that the British owned team would switch to the General Motors marque after Triple Eight was dropped from official Ford support earlier this year. In a press conference held at Holden's Port Melbourne headquarters this morning, the announcement was made that the championship team would be making the switch to Fords for 2010, Holden Executive Director Sales, Marketing and Aftersales, Alan Batey said that “Holden has a long and proud history in motorsport that stretches back over 40 years and today's’s announcement is an exciting step into the next chapter.” “Our commitment and passion for motorsport has not wavered. Today we are making a clear statement on how much we value this sport which is also a very smart, responsible sponsorship decision.... click headline for more.
Continue reading...HOLDEN: V8 SUPERCAR PROTEST WILL BE HEARD
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
The protest by Holden teams against the controversial front splitter mountings on the all conquering Team Vodafone Falcons will now be heard. The Confederation of Australian Motorsport's V8 Supercar National Court of Appeal, has upheld an appeal lodged by Walkinshaw Performance and will now allow an official protest. The appeal was lodged against the decision by Stewards at the Symmons Plains round on 29 May, not hear the protest regarding the legality of the Team Vodafone splitter mount and the decisions and conduct of the V8 Supercar Category Technical Director, Campbell Little. In a statement released yesterday (June 9 2009) the Court of Appeal ruled that: 1. That the Appeal be allowed; 2. The time limit for lodging of the Protest by Walkinshaw Performance, dated 22 May 2009, be extended to 22 May 2009; 3. Direct that CAMS reconvene, for the purpose of Hearing the Protest by Walkinshaw Performance alone, the Stewards of the Meeting held on the 1-3 May 2009 at Winton Motor Raceway, or appoint other Stewards as may be appointed in accordance with the provisions of Rule A10.1.3.14; 4. That the Appeal Fee be refunded to the Appellant; 5. Direct that the Protest Fee be reinstated; 6. Direct that CAMS give notice of this decision to Triple Eight Race Engineering Pty Ltd and inform that person that they have a right to be heard at the Hearing; 7. Direct that the Stewards conduct the Hearing promptly; 8. Liberty to the parties and Triple Eight Race Engineering Pty Ltd to apply for further orders if necessary. The V8 Supercar National Court of Appeal said that it will give its full decision regarding this matter in writing within 14 days. The controversy over the splitter mounting has led to the resignation of V8 Supercars Technical Director Campbell Little. In a statement issued last Monday Little said that he had arrived at the decision in recent weeks.
Continue reading...RICCIARDELLO’S CUP BUT WALL TAKES THE ROUND
Monday, June 8, 2009
Western Australian driver Tony Ricciardello won the Clem Smith Cup for Sports Sedans in Round Four of the Shannons Nationals at Mallala Motor Sport Park in South Australia. Ricciardello took his six litre Chev powered Alfa Romeo to victory in the marquee race of the Kerrick Sports Sedan Series, the Clem Smith Cup. The win gave Ricciardello his second Clem Smith Cup, after he won the inaugural Cup in 2007. "We had some problems with the car early on, but after we got that sorted it was perfect, it didn’t miss a beat," Ricciardello said. "Winning the Clem Smith Cup again is an honour, big thanks go to Clem for his support of the race and Sports Sedans." Ricciardello and reigning champion Melbourne's Darren Hossack in an Audi A4/Chev continued their fierce rivalry, which spilt over as the pair clashed in Race One and Race Three. NSW driver Des Wall in a Trans-Am Corvette avoided the trouble to win the two races and the round; Ricciardello claimed a second and a ninth in the other two races, Hossack an 11th and a fifth. Queensland driver Bob McLoughlin in Commodore had a consistent weekend and was rewarded with an outright fourth place for the weekend. Tasmanian Bruce Banks in a Mazda RX7 was next just in front of Victoria's Michael Robinson in his Monaro (Pontiac GTO). It was a disappointing turn-out for the big Sports Sedans with only 13 cars fronting the starter for the first race on Sunday. Local drivers finished first and second in Round Two of the Shannons V8 Touring Car Series.
Continue reading...VAUXHALL OUT, WILL HOLDEN BE NEXT?
Saturday, April 18, 2009
General Motors British division Vauxhall have announced their decision to withdraw from the British Touring Car Championship for 2010. The company said that its decision to leave the championship was 'influenced by the absence of other manufacturer-backed teams and financial prudence in the current global economic downturn. "BTCC boss Australian Alan Gow said the he was not surprised by the decision and he was confident that the series would continue to be strong even without the factory presesnce. "Given the (widely reported) extremely difficult financial position in which GM finds itself, it's inevitable that the company must make some drastic cutbacks in nearly all areas of its operations - and motor sport is certainly not immune, as we have witnessed in all major forms of our sport over the last 12 months. he said. Gow thanked the company for its support of the series and said he was confident of continued success even without manufacturer support. "...it is important to remember that over the last six years we have seen direct manufacturer involvement decline within the BTCC - yet at the exact same time we have seen crowd figures rise, TV audiences rise, TV airtime rise, competitor numbers rise and the championship being as closely fought as ever. That's certainly no coincidence and the facts prove, over these last few years, that a heavy degree of manufacturer involvement is no longer crucial to either the success or popularity of the championship." The decision of Vauxhall to leave the series follows Spainish manufacturer SEAT who left after last year's series. SEAT continue to field cars in the World Touring Car Championship as doead GM through it's Chevrolet Europe division with the new Cruze.
Continue reading...ALL NOT WELL AS HAMILTON GEARS UP FOR V8 STREET FEST
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
The glitter of New Zealand's racing jewel, this week's V8 Supercar race through the streets of the City of Hamilton has tarnished with ticket sales well down and local opposition to the event growing. With only a few days remaining till the thunder of the big five litre V8s hits the streets, race organisers have admitted that this years race is still a long way from being a sellout. With a raceday capacity of 50'000 event promoter Dean Calvert told the Waikato Times newspaper that an average of 35,000 daily tickets, or 70 per cent, of the total had been sold. They were a mix of general admission, grandstand and corporate hospitality tickets. Capacity for each day is 50,000. Mr Calvert told the paper that despite this he was happy with the way the event was going. "Selling out the event, as was the case last year, was not a priority" Mr Calvert said. "Ticket sales are only a part of the bigger picture. Our priority this year is the quality of experience that the fans get." Local businesses are also bitterly divided on the perceived benefit of the race to the region.
Continue reading...HOLDEN BOSS CALLS FOR V8 SUPERCAR DIVERSITY
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Holden Managing Director Mark Reuss has questioned the long term future of V8 Supercar racing in Australia if it continues with just two brands. Speaking at the Melbourne International Motorshow Reuss told In Pit Lane that the series needed to expand both it's makes and models to survive. "the first weekend I spent here (in Australia) was at the Clipsal 500 which is a great race and a lot of fun" he said. "it's a great sport but, I think the sport needs more, and I think that having (just) two brands in a race is something... I've been around a lot of racing in the United States where you have two brands and eventually people lose interest in that." Mr Reuss said that the sport needed different cars and different makes to survive.
Continue reading...KELLY BROTHERS GET THE JACK
Monday, March 2, 2009
V8 Supercar brothers Todd and Rick Kelly have unveiled their new Jack Daniel’s Holden Commodores the new Kelly Racing headquarters in the Melbourne suburb of Braeside. Todd Kelly will drive the #7 Jack Daniel’s Commodore while brother Rick will have the familiar #15 on the side of his Jack Daniel’s Holden. Both cars will make their race debuts at the Clipsal 500 in Adelaide on March 19-22. A common team and naming rights sponsor means that the Kelly brothers will not only have a major presence on track all season, but will also combine to form one of the strongest driver pairings for the annual endurance events at Phillip Island and Bathurst. Rick Kelly, who won the V8 Supercar Championship in 2006, believes that 2009 will be a “new beginning” for everyone involved with Kelly Racing. “The support we have had from Jack Daniel’s as we have gone through the tough months of establishing our own team has been incredible,” said Rick. “This is obviously an exciting year for our entire family because we have the responsibility of our own team, Todd and I get to race together as team-mates in V8 Supercar and we have all that to share with Jack Daniel’s and everyone associated with the brand. “Todd and I will be racing each other as hard as ever, but from now on I guess we will be a little happier if the other one manages a big result.” The partnering of Todd Kelly and Rick Kelly in 2009 provides the opportunity to further reinforce the ‘Pace Yourself. Drink Responsibility’ message, which is the core element of the Jack Daniel’s Racing Platform said Jack Daniel’s Australia Managing Director, Michael McShane. “The ability to have high profile sportsmen Todd and Rick Kelly, to assist in promoting the importance of drinking responsibly is critically important and we are thrilled to be able to reinforce this message thorough our association with Kelly Racing,” said McShane.
Continue reading...FORD US REVEALS 2010 SHELBY GT500
Friday, January 2, 2009
Ford USA have officially unveiled their 2010 Shelby GT500. Like the original Shelby GT350 the GT500 is based on the Ford Mustang but like the original is more than just a hotted up version of Ford's famous pony car. “The 2010 Shelby GT500 demonstrates Ford's continuing commitment to high-performance vehicles,“ said Derrick Kuzak, Ford group vice president, Global Product Development. “In addition to the numerous performance and refinement improvements inside and out, the 2010 Shelby GT500 is an estimated 2 miles per gallon more fuel efficient on the highway.“ “We're proud of the many enhancements that were developed jointly by the Ford and Shelby Automobiles team last year that we've now incorporated into the new 2010 Shelby GT500,“ said Carroll Shelby, founder of Shelby Automobiles. “Building on what we learned to create the Shelby GT500KR, this new car offers a great combination of power, handling and braking. It is truly a special car that is a great deal of fun to drive.“ Ford's Special Vehicle Team used the gains made on the 40th anniversary edition Shelby GT500KR “King of the Road“ Mustangs as the performance starting point and built from there. The design team, with a nod to the original Shelby Cobras from the 1960s, takes those design cues even further with nuanced improvements in both the coupe and convertible, each of which boasts a more- refined interior. The 2010 Shelby GT500 delivers more horsepower and more torque than the outgoing model, thanks in part to advancements pioneered on the GT500KR.
Continue reading...KELLY WINS A WET ONE BUT ALL IS SUNNY FOR JAMIE
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Falcon driver Jamie Whincup edged closer to his first Australian V8 Supercar championship despite finishing second to Holden's Todd Kelly at a wet and windy Symmonns Plains Raceway in Tasmania. Starting from the front row Whincup led early but was soon under pressure from main title rival Holden's Garth Tander as rain began to sweep the Northern Tasmanian track. Tander ran off the track in the tricky conditions and stalled leaving Kelly as Holden's main contender against the fast Fords of Whincup and Mark Winterbottom. Kelly drove brilliantly in the terrible conditions coming from way back in the pack to be challenging for the lead within a few laps. After changing to wets Kelly stormed through the field again to take the lead for good on lap 35. After the race an emotional Kelly, who leaves the Perkins team at the end of the year, described the race as one of his best ever.
Continue reading...IT’S GOING TO BE A BRIGHT SUNSHINY YEAR?
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Jason Bright will drive a third car for Stone Brothers Racing in 2009, the move seeming to bring an end to Bright's own Britek Racing operation in the Melbourne suburb of Dandenong. Bright's move comes after the decision by Ford Australia to withdraw support from a number of Falcon teams including Brights. Speaking to In Pit Lane earlier this year Bright made his intention clear that he wanted to continue with his own team, but less than three months later Bright has been forced to admit that his on-track future lies with the Queensland based operation. Bright and several senior Britek staff are now set to leave Melbourne to move to Queensland leaving the Factory backed FPV team the only top level Ford team still based in Melbourne. “I’ve tried to push the Fujitsu Racing Falcon well into the top ten and have done so on a number of occasions. However, with a new car coming on stream and the changes in fuel technology we simply don’t have the resources, or time, to research and develop what is needed to be competitive.” he said. Just how the decision effects Bright's other projects such as the Britek Scholarship is not known at this stage. A decision on the second, currently IRWIN Industrial Tools sponsored, Britek entry driven by Marcus Marshall will not be made until early December.
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Wednesday, July 29, 2009
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