V8 Supercars News & Results 2005

[JoeT]

Countdown Begins For Gold Coast Indy 300 V8 Supercars

Australian Car Directory 01/09/05
www.australiancardirectory.com.au

Brisbane came alive today as Queensland Premier Peter Beattie officially launched the 15th Lexmark Indy 300 during a spectacular street demonstration featuring a real Champ Car and two V8 Supercars.

In another first for the Lexmark Indy 300 and Queensland, a block in the inner-city Brisbane CBD was temporarily closed as a 750-horsepower Team Australia Champ Car and two 610-horsepower V8 Supercars from Queensland-based teams WPS Racing and Paul Morris Motorsports excited the enormous lunchtime crowd.

Invited guests, office workers, construction workers, tourists and motoring enthusiasts were spellbound as these machines roared around the temporary street circuit comprising the Riverside Expressway, and a block of Elizabeth Street, William Street, Margaret Street and George Street.

Queensland driver Marcus Marshall piloted the Team Australia Champ Car around the circuit. The 26-year-old from the Gold Coast is the first full-time Australian driver in the Champ Car World Series for the first full-time Australian team.

Fellow Queenslanders David Besnard and Paul Morris drove the WPS Racing and Sirromet Wines V8 Supercars during the street demonstration.

Mr Beattie said the launch was a magnificent prelude to one of Queensland’s premier sporting events.

“The countdown to the 2005 Lexmark Indy 300 has officially begun,” Mr Beattie said.

“It is a hugely popular event that delivers enormous economic benefits and showcases the Gold Coast and Queensland.”

Mr Beattie declared that the 15th staging of the Lexmark Indy 300 on the streets of the Gold Coast would be the biggest and best yet.

“Last year more than 309,000 people attended the four day carnival and ticket sales are strong leading up to this year’s event” he said.

Lexmark Indy 300 Chairman John Cowley said that the Champ Cars and V8 Supercars would headline the motor racing entertainment at this year’s Lexmark Indy 300.

“The Lexmark Indy 300 is certainly one of the premier motor racing events in the world,” said Cowley.

“The feature program is headed by the penultimate round of the Champ Car World Series and round 11 of the V8 Supercar Championship Series. Then there is a massive support program comprising the Wright Patton Shakespeare Carrera Cup, Yokohama V8 Ute Series and The CARSguide Aussie Racing Cars.

“On top of this, there will be the spectacular Sea FM Air Show, the Bartercard Miss Indy and Miss V8 Supercar girls, more than 50 off track events, first-class corporate hospitality, and so much more, all staged within metres of arguably the finest beach in the world, close to restaurants, bars and cafes, and within the spectacular surrounds of the Gold Coast high-rise skyline.”

Mr Cowley said a number of exciting initiatives would add to the spectator experience at this year’s Lexmark Indy 300.

“In a coup for our Event, fans will witness the first full-time Aussie Champ Car driver Marcus Marshall in action on his hometown circuit which will undoubtedly bring unprecedented Australian parochialism to this Event,” said Cowley.

“This year we have added another V8 Supercar race to the program making it a total of three, including two on the Sunday, each side of the Champ Car race.

“There will also be a massive Friday Night component which will include two races - the Wright Patton Shakespeare Carrera Cup and the V8 Ute Series.

“Patrons will also be able to ‘Ride Free to the Lexmark Indy 300’ on presentation of their pre-purchased tickets on Queensland Rail’s Citytrain network and Surfside Buslines.”

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[JoeT]

V8 Supercars Next International Location: Bahrain
& 2006 Championship Series Calendar Announced

Release Date: 06/09/2005
www.v8supercars.com.au

The Australian V8 Supercar Championship Series has continued its rapid international foray with the announcement tonight that it had fast-tracked an event to be held in Bahrain in November 2006.

The Bahrain round of the V8 Supercar Championship Series will be held at the Bahrain International Circuit from November 22-24. It will be hosted by the King of Bahrain, His Majesty, Sheikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.

The event will be held from Wednesday November 22 through Friday November 24 in order to respect the religious beliefs of the people of Bahrain.

“This is a momentous occasion,” Australian Vee Eight Supercar Company (AVESCO) Chairman Tony Cochrane told a packed dinner function at Crown Casino in Melbourne via satellite from Bahrain.

“History is being made yet again by the Championship after the incredible successes of our event in Shanghai in June of this year. To take this Australian sporting product to the world is an outstanding achievement.

“V8 Supercars are showcasing a unique Australian icon to the world. Our sport is a highly sought after product by these International locations as being of world class standard.”

The agreement with the BIC is for five years. The BIC, like the Shanghai International Circuit, also hosts a round of the Formula One series and is regarded as one of the best Motorsport facilities in the world.

“The Australian V8 Supercar Series is recognised worldwide as being the pinnacle of Touring Car racing and we are enthusiastically anticipating the first race in Bahrain next year,” said BIC’s Director of Public Relations and Governmental Affairs, Shaikh Salman bin Isa Al Khalifa.

“The Series has an immense following throughout the Gulf and its full blown, flat-out, frills racing characteristics will generate a huge pull on spectators across the region.

“The Championship also allows the people of the Kingdom of Bahrain to showcase the impressive facilities that we have here at Bahrain International Circuit to a completely new television audience.”

It was originally thought that the Series would make its debut in Bahrain in 2007 but negotiations were so successful that it emerged the event could in fact be brought forward to 2006.

“As the ‘Home of Motorsport in the Middle East’ we are continually striving to ensure that we have an attractive portfolio of world-class racing,” said BIC Chairman, Talal Al Zain.

“The Australian V8 Supercar Championship Series is a leading example of the type of event that we are able to bring to the region and ideally compliments our other activities, including the FIA Formula One World Championship Grand Prix, which put Bahrain at the forefront of motorsport competition throughout the World.

“On behalf of the whole team at BIC I am looking forward with immense pride to welcome the drivers, teams, sponsors and organisers involved in the Series to the Kingdom of Bahrain.”

BIC General Manager Martin Whitaker said V8 Supercar Racing was the best touring car category in the World and would be an instant hit in the Middle East.

“The Australian V8 Supercar Championship Series epitomises everything great about motor racing. No other racing series features such vibrant and dynamic qualities and the muscle car event with its no-holds-barred competition and thunderous noise is bound to be an enormous draw for every race enthusiast in the region,” Whitaker said.

“The series has generated an immense following throughout the Gulf and we are enthusiastically anticipating the first race at Bahrain International Circuit where spectators will get the chance to witness at first hand the sights, raucous sound and colour that characterise the Series.

“Bahrain's geographical location at the crossroads between East and West will have an instant appeal to thousands of enthusiasts who would not normally get the opportunity to watch an Australian V8 Supercar Series race live.

“The chance to experience the Australian Series at its closest point outside Australia and at one of the World’s leading Grand Prix circuits, is one that we believe will be too good to miss and we are anticipating a flood of hardened followers from all over the world to make the trip to BIC.”

For Cochrane the race is another International event to add to Australia’s export portfolio.

“We proved in China that this category is now a very important Australian International export ready to go anywhere in the world,” Mr Cochrane said.

“With the strong support of the Bahrain and Australian Governments this all came together more quickly than anticipated so we decided not to delay for another year what is possible in 2006.

“We did Australian sport and Australia proud in China. Now we will do it again in Bahrain.”

The decision to race in Bahrain meant that one round in Sydney was dropped from the 2006 calendar. Oran Park Raceway will host the only Sydney round from August 11-13.

V8 Supercars return to the Shanghai International Circuit from June 9-11.

The 2006 V8 Supercar Championship Series will begin with the traditional opener of the Clipsal 500 in Adelaide on March 23-26. In 2006 this precedes the non-Championship Australian Grand Prix from March 30-April 2.

The Series returns to China from June 9-11 although at the time of announcement this date was still subject to approval from the FIA and Chinese Motorsport authorities. Fans were urged not to book until this date is confirmed.

The 2006 V8 Supercar Championship Series Calendar

March 23-26 Clipsal 500 Adelaide

March 30-April 2 Australian Grand Prix Melbourne*

April 21-23 Placemakers V8 International New Zealand

May 12-14 V8 300 Perth

June 9-11 Shanghai Round China**

June 30-July 2 Sky City Triple Crown Darwin

July 21-23 Queensland 300 Ipswich

August 11-13 Oran Park Sydney

September 8-10 Betta Electrical 500 ` Melbourne

October 5-8 Super Cheap Auto 1000 Bathurst

October 19-22 V8 Supercar Challenge Gold Coast

November 10-12 Ferodo Triple Challenge Launceston

November 22-24 Bahrain International Circuit Bahrain

December 8-10 Grand Finale Phillip Island***

*Denotes non-Championship event
**Denotes date subject to final FIA and Chinese Motorsport approvals
***Denotes provisional

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[demonv8]

So, are we now considered a 'world sport'????

[JoeT]

Eight Facts About V8 Supercars At The Sandown 500

Release Date: 08/09/2005
www.v8supercars.com.au

1. The Sandown 500 has a long and distinguished history. The first endurance at Sandown was the ‘Six Hour’ back in 1964 followed by another six hour race in 1965. After a two year absence the race returned as a three hour event in 1968 before becoming the Sandown 250 in 1969. It went metric in 1976 to become a 400 kilometre race and was extended to 500 kilometres in 1984. In 1999 the race was dropped in favour of the Queensland 500 but returned in 2003. The 500 though had been a Championship round prior to 2003. Back in 1976 and 1977 the race, along with three other long distance races, was included in the series and on both occasions Peter Brock was the winner in a Holden Torana as part of his run of seven consecutive victories in the race from 1975 to 1983.

2. Russell Ingall took victory in the last round at Oran Park and team mate Marcos Ambrose backed him up with second place to give Stone Brothers Racing their third ever quinella. The first was at Queensland Raceway in 2003 when Ingall won with Ambrose second while the other one was at Sandown last year.

3. Holden’s Todd Kelly shares the Number Two car with Mark Skaife for this race and that will leave two drivers different ends of the spectrum to share the second HRT machine. Jim Richards is the fourth most experienced driver in terms of Championship starts while his partner James Courtney will be making his Championship debut. Courtney won’t the first driver to make his V8 Supercar debut for HRT in the Sandown 500. Back in the 1994 the team gave a driver to a young Melbourne lad, Craig Lowndes, a chance and he repaid them by putting his car on Pole.

4. Since the endurance races were added to the Championship in 1999 it has given the opportunity for a number of co-drivers to get a win or a podium finish. All of the top three finishers at Sandown last year featured a driver gaining his best Championship result. Greg Ritter teamed up with Marcos Ambrose to take his maiden win while in second place Cameron McLean claimed his first podium finish, as did Warren Luff who took third place with Steven Johnson in the DJR Falcon. In 2003 Luke Youlden showcased his talent by co driving the second placed Falcon with Steven Ellery.

5. If a Holden driver can qualify in Pole position it would take their Generals’ total to 16 - equal with Ford – at Sandown. But when it comes to total wins the red team has a slight edge. Holden teams have won the Sandown round 16 times to Ford’s 14. Since 1999 the manufacturers have swapped win every year - Holden, Ford, Holden, Ford, Holden, Ford.

6. This round at Sandown marks the second anniversary of Mark Skaife’s last victory in the Championship. In 2003 he shared the winning car with Todd Kelly and he has now gone 25 rounds without a victory, by far his most barren spell in the Championship.

7. Mark Skaife might think that he has gone a long time between wins but this weekend, Glenn Seton racks up a, somewhat, unwelcome milestone. This will be his 100th Championship start since his last win. Seton has had 17 wins in the Championship with his first being at Calder in 1987 and his last, so far, being at Eastern Creek in 1997.

8. This will be the 36th time a Championship round has been held at the Melbourne circuit and will further extend its record as the most used track in the series. It was first used in 1965, when the title was decided over a single race and was won by Norm Beechey.

V8 Supercars Live Videostreaming & Round Highlights
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Don't post here.
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[JoeT]

Tander Puts Kelly In Prime Position At Sandown 500

Release Date: 10/09/2005
www.v8supercars.com.au

In-form Garth Tander did the job for his HSV Dealer Team team-mate Rick Kelly by putting their V8 Supercar in the best possible position to win the Betta Electrical 500 at Sandown Raceway in Melbourne.

A pre-determined decision left Tander to qualify their machine even though Kelly will actually start tomorrow’s 161-lap race, the traditional precursor to the Super Cheap Auto 1000 at Mount Panorama in Bathurst.

No-one could have been happier than Kelly. He watched the single lap qualifier when his team-mate started in ninth position as second out in the Top Ten shootout and nailed the fastest time ahead of Betta Electrical’s Craig Lowndes and Super Cheap Auto’s Greg Murphy.

Lowndes sensational form almost put him back on pole. His co-driver, Frenchman Yvan Muller, was the talk of the day when he converted his customary left-hand drive practices to the right hand V8 Supercars with some strong qualifying laps.

Last year’s winner Marcos Ambrose, who will start from fifth in the Pirtek Falcon, will now have to battle to the front but know he has the time to do so.

Ambrose’ team-mate Russell Ingall will start alongside Murphy in the Caltex Falcon. Ingall was second last year.

Holden Rcing Team’s Mark Skaife will start beside Ambrose in sixth position making for a great battle to the first corner.


Betta Electrical 500, Sandown International Raceway - Round 9
Race Day: Saturday, 13:30-14:15 Race Duration: 20 Minutes
Qualifying

Final Position / Car No / Team / Driver / Car Type / Final Race Time / Time Gap
1 1 Pirtek Racing Marcos Ambrose Ford Falcon BA 1:10.6715 0:00.0000
2 888 Team Betta Electrical Craig Lowndes Ford Falcon BA 1:10.8166 0:00.1451
3 2 Holden Racing Team Mark Skaife Holden Commodore VZ 1:10.9262 0:00.2547
4 24 Team Perkins Racing Steven Richards Holden Commodore VY 1:11.1422 0:00.4707
5 88 Team Betta Electrical Steve Ellery Ford Falcon BA 1:11.1878 0:00.5163
6 9 Caltex Racing Russell Ingall Ford Falcon BA 1:11.2174 0:00.5459
7 51 Super Cheap Auto Racing Greg Murphy Holden Commodore VZ 1:11.2312 0:00.5597
8 6 Ford Performance Racing D.Brabham/J.Bright Ford Falcon BA 1:11.3132 0:00.6417
9 16 HSV Dealer Team Garth Tander Holden Commodore VZ 1:11.3412 0:00.6697
10 17 Westpoint Racing Steven Johnson Ford Falcon BA 1:11.4246 0:00.7531
11 34 Repco Valvoline Cummins Team Cameron McConville Holden Commodore VZ 1:11.4461 0:00.7746
12 21 Team BOC John Bowe Ford Falcon BA 1:11.5327 0:00.8612
13 3 Dodo Racing Jason Richards Holden Commodore VZ 1:11.5535 0:00.8820
14 20 Larkham Orrcon Racing Jason Bargwanna Ford Falcon BA 1:11.5894 0:00.9179
15 5 Ford Performance Racing Greg Ritter Ford Falcon BA 1:11.6788 0:01.0073
16 44 Team Dynamik Max Wilson Holden Commodore VZ 1:11.7186 0:01.0471
17 18 Westpoint Racing Glenn Seton Ford Falcon BA 1:11.7627 0:01.0912
18 22 Holden Racing Team Jim Richards Holden Commodore VZ 1:11.8411 0:01.1696
19 67 Sirromet-Life Style Wine Paul Morris Holden Commodore VZ 1:12.0017 0:01.3302
20 12 Team BOC Dale Brede Ford Falcon BA 1:12.0234 0:01.3519
21 50 Super Cheap Auto Racing Owen Kelly Holden Commodore VZ 1:12.0603 0:01.3888
22 25 Fujitsu Racing Steve Owen Ford Falcon BA 1:12.0823 0:01.4108
23 48 WPS David Besnard Ford Falcon BA 1:12.2123 0:01.5408
24 10 Larkham Orrcon Racing Mathew Halliday Ford Falcon BA 1:12.2679 0:01.5964
25 8 WPS Racing M.Marshall/A.Tagliani Ford Falcon BA 1:12.3078 0:01.6363
26 23 Dodo Racing F.Coulthard/T.D'Alberto Holden Commodore VZ 1:12.3162 0:01.6447
27 33 Repco Valvoline Cummins Team Lee Holdsworth Holden Commodore VZ 1:12.4063 0:01.7348
28 15 HSV Dealer Team M.Noske/T.Leahey Holden Commodore VZ 1:12.5012 0:01.8297
29 75 Toll Racing A.Tratt/T.Evangelou Holden Commodore VY 1:12.6866 0:02.0151
30 021 Team Kiwi Racing John Faulkner Holden Commodore VZ 1:12.8118 0:02.1403
31 7 Autobarn Racing Alex Davison Holden Commodore VZ 1:13.0668 0:02.3953
32 11 Team Perkins Racing Christian D'Agostin Holden Commodore VY 1:13.0883 0:02.4168
33 45 WOW Sight & Sound Mark Porter Holden Commodore VZ 1:13.2470 0:02.5755
34 52 Fujitsu Racing Jose Fernandez Ford Falcon BA 1:13.4734 0:02.8019


Betta Electrical 500, Sandown International Raceway - Round 9
Race Day: Saturday, 14:30-15:00 Race Duration: 30 Minutes
Top 10 Shootout

Final Position / Car No / Team / Driver / Car Type / Final Race Time / Time Gap
1 16 HSV Dealer Team Garth Tander Holden Commodore VZ 1:10.8917 0:00.0000
2 888 Team Betta Electrical Craig Lowndes Ford Falcon BA 1:11.0773 0:00.1856
3 51 Super Cheap Auto Racing Greg Murphy Holden Commodore VZ 1:11.2219 0:00.3302
4 9 Caltex Racing Russell Ingall Ford Falcon BA 1:11.2478 0:00.3561
5 1 Pirtek Racing Marcos Ambrose Ford Falcon BA 1:11.2640 0:00.3723
6 2 Holden Racing Team Mark Skaife Holden Commodore VZ 1:11.4069 0:00.5152
7 88 Team Betta Electrical Steve Ellery Ford Falcon BA 1:11.5192 0:00.6275
8 24 Team Perkins Racing Steven Richards Holden Commodore VY 1:11.5264 0:00.6347
9 6 Ford Performance Racing Jason Bright Ford Falcon BA 1:11.8541 0:00.9624
10 17 Westpoint Racing Steven Johnson Ford Falcon BA 1:12.0887 0:01.1970

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Don't post here.
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[JoeT]

V8 Supercars Round 9 Results

Release Date: 11/09/2005
www.v8supercars.com.au

The force of the ever-resurgent Craig Lowndes propelled his Betta Electrical team to win the event of the same name and claim valuable season points back from V8 Supercar Championship Series leaders Marcos Ambrose and Russell Ingall in Melbourne today.

Lowndes and his French co-driver Yvan Muller claimed the Betta Electrical 500 title at Sandown Raceway in Melbourne from Holden Racing Team’s Mark Skaife and Todd Kelly and the equally resurgent Dodo Racing Team of Jason Richards and Jamie Whincup.

It was the race of the season to date when Lowndes took the lead with just four laps to go from a fading Skaife who decided to stay out on the track despite getting low on fuel and having a damaged front end that slowed him down terribly.

Skaife has a late fuel top up which gave Lowndes a comfortable victory.

From a Series perspective it meant Caltex Racing’s Ingall (1408) clawed back to within 78 points of the Championship lead with Castrol’s Steven Richards (1363) now 123 points behind the leader, Pirtek Racing’s Ambrose on 1486 points.

Lowndes had led for a major slice of the race at the start when pit stop strategies came into play dividing the field whenever someone came in for fuel, tyres and driver changes. It was a tactical minefield for all the teams, won in the end by Lowndes’ team and a great co-drive by Muller.

Lowndes co-driver Muller lived up to the challenge many thought might be too hard. He did exactly what was required and some more.

For all concerned it is a great build up to the Super Cheap Auto 1000 at Bathurst in four weeks time.

For the Dodo Racing Team it was an outstanding day for Richards and Whincup. Both have been strong all year and again proved they are a force and a potential dark horse at the Super Cheap Auto 1000.

The fickle Melbourne weather played havoc for the entire race as drizzle constantly threatened, brining race tactics and tyre strategy firmly into play.

Lowndes raced out of the blocks and left the field in his wake from the start of the grid. He streeted the field until his first pit stop when he changed with co-driver, Frenchman Yvan Muller.

Muller held his own in the unfamiliar right-hand drive cars and despite losing the lead early in his stint fought back for it on lap 96 when he took advantage of a tyre change by the Holden Racing Team and Dodo Racing.

The tough day for Stone Brothers Racing continued when Ingall was black flagged for an incident which set him back further while his team-mate Ambrose continued to struggle with water loss. Ambrose was then docked another 26 seconds for an infringement.

Ambrose finished 14th and Ingall seventh.

Super Cheap Auto’s Greg Murphy and Paul Weel had a great day and were looking at a possible victory on lap 143 of 161. All of a sudden their race came crashing in around them when their engine suddenly failed on the lap out after changing tyres and refueling.

Holden Special Vehicles Dealer Team’s Rick Kelly and Garth Tander missed a podium finish by a matter of five seconds – and a shower of rain.

The pair finished a fast-closing fourth place in the 161-lap classic after battling the famously fickle Sandown weather which once again turned tyre choice into a lottery.

In the end, Tander, who was running wet weather tyres in the final stint, just needed another shower of rain in the closing stages of the 500km race to haul in Richards, who was running on dry-weather slicks.

The day began dramatically when WOW Racing’s Simon Wills left the track during the warm-up session and slammed straight into a steel Armco at around 200km/h. He left his Holden Commodore completely written off.

Despite the massive damage to the car Wills suffered no great injuries but was taken to hospital for observation throughout the day.


Betta Electrical 500, Sandown International Raceway - Round 9
Race Day: Sunday, 13:00-16:45 Race Duration: 161 Laps
Race 1

Final Position / Car No / Team / Driver / Car Type / Laps / Final Race Time / Fastest Time
1 888 Team Betta Electrical C.Lowndes/Y.Muller Ford Falcon BA 161 03:30:51.8944 1:11.7940
2 2 Holden Racing Team T.Kelly/M.Skaife Holden Commodore VZ 161 03:31:27.5116 1:12.3325
3 3 Dodo Racing J.Richards/J.Whincup Holden Commodore VZ 161 03:31:42.7831 1:12.7105
4 16 HSV Dealer Team R.Kelly/G.Tander Holden Commodore VZ 161 03:31:48.1352 1:12.0453
5 88 Team Betta Electrical S.Ellery/A.Macrow Ford Falcon BA 161 03:31:53.3849 1:12.1263
6 6 Ford Performance Racing D.Brabham/J.Bright Ford Falcon BA 160 03:30:58.1372 1:13.2010
7 9 Caltex Racing R.Ingall/L.Youlden Ford Falcon BA 160 03:30:59.9481 1:12.1195
8 67 Sirromet-Life Style Wine P.Morris/P.Radisich Holden Commodore VZ 160 03:31:38.6299 1:13.0180
9 21 Team BOC J.Bowe/B.Jones Ford Falcon BA 160 03:31:41.2279 1:12.7847
10 34 Repco Valvoline Cummins C.McConville/A.Jones Holden Commodore VZ 160 03:31:48.0185 1:12.6659
11 22 Holden Racing Team J.Courtney/J.Richards Holden Commodore VZ 159 03:31:01.5863 1:12.2757
12 1 Pirtek Racing M.Ambrose/W.Luff Ford Falcon BA 159 03:31:20.0982 1:12.1178
13 18 Westpoint Racing D.Canto/G.Seton Ford Falcon BA 159 03:31:22.8563 1:12.7717
14 24 Team Perkins Racing S.Richards/P.Dumbrell Holden Commodore VY 159 03:31:25.0640 1:12.1000
15 5 Ford Performance Racing C.McLean/G.Ritter Ford Falcon BA 159 03:32:13.5615 1:12.6973
16 20 Larkham Orrcon Racing J.Bargwanna/M.Winterbottom Ford Falcon BA 158 03:30:52.7286 1:12.7736
17 7 Autobarn Racing A.Davison/A.Simonsen Holden Commodore VZ 158 03:31:06.9282 1:13.4996
18 17 Westpoint Racing W.Davison/S.Johnson Ford Falcon BA 158 03:31:25.2756 1:12.4876
19 48 WPS C.Baird/D.Besnard Ford Falcon BA 158 03:32:20.6322 1:12.9366
20 33 Repco Valvoline Cummins L.Holdsworth/P.Scifleet Holden Commodore VZ 157 03:31:28.1967 1:13.4565 21 12 Team BOC D.Brede/J.Cleland Ford Falcon BA 157 03:31:42.3864 1:13.1204
22 8 WPS Racing M.Marshall/A.Tagliani Ford Falcon BA 157 03:32:15.1424 1:12.8727
23 25 Fujitsu Racing S.Owen/M.White Ford Falcon BA 156 03:32:13.0470 1:13.4689
24 52 Fujitsu Racing J.Fernandez/D.White Ford Falcon BA 153 03:31:28.4950 1:13.7796
25 75 Toll Racing A.Tratt/T.Evangelou Holden Commodore VY 153 03:31:36.4191 1:13.5421
26 11 Team Perkins Racing M.Coleman/C.D'Agostin Holden Commodore VY 152 03:32:05.6031 1:14.4252
DNF 23 Dodo Racing F.Coulthard/T.D'Alberto Holden Commodore VZ 156 03:29:20.0306 1:13.3577
DNF 51 Super Cheap Auto Racing G.Murphy/P.Weel Holden Commodore VZ 140 03:03:40.5028 1:12.0022
DNF 10 Larkham Orrcon Racing A.Menu/M.Halliday Ford Falcon BA 116 03:17:23.2341 1:13.1458
DNF 15 HSV Dealer Team M.Noske/T.Leahey Holden Commodore VZ 113 02:29:40.8170 1:13.3695
DNF 50 Super Cheap Auto Racing O.Kelly/N.Pretty Holden Commodore VZ 86 01:52:59.9205 1:12.6658
DNF 021 Team Kiwi Racing Alan Gurr Holden Commodore VZ 55 01:12:02.0864 1:14.0640
DNF 45 WOW Sight & Sound Mark Porter Holden Commodore VZ 41 54:31.3929 1:13.6394


V8 Supercars Round 9 Points & Championship Points

Championship Position / Driver / Round 9 Points / Championship Points
1 Marcos Ambrose 140 1,486
2 Russell Ingall 168 1,408
3 Steven Richards 144 1,367
4 Craig Lowndes 192 1,261
5 Todd Kelly 188 1,253
6 Mark Skaife 188 1,202
7 Garth Tander 180 1,144
8 Jason Bright 172 1,096
9 Steven Johnson 124 1,042
10 Glenn Seton 148 1,038
11 Paul Radisich 164 1,022
12 Rick Kelly 180 1,018
13 Cameron McConville 156 1,011
14 Greg Murphy 0 1,008
15 John Bowe 160 1,006
16 Jamie Whincup 184 909
17 Paul Morris 164 839
18 Steve Ellery 176 816
19 Jason Richards 184 783
20 Brad Jones 160 757
21 Paul Weel 0 720
22 Jason Bargwanna 132 713
23 Paul Dumbrell 144 708
24 Max Wilson 0 663
25 Craig Baird 120 640
26 David Besnard 120 588
27 Andrew Jones 156 568
28 Greg Ritter 136 525
29 Matthew White 104 523
30 Mark Winterbottom 132 490
31 Anthony Tratt 96 459
32 Steve Owen 104 434
33 Simon Wills 0 403
34 Alex Davison 128 315

V8 Supercars Live Videostreaming & Round Highlights
http://v8supercar.bigpond.com/flash/V8_2005_promo.html


If you want to discuss any V8 Supercars news or just have a question to ask other fans,
Don't post here.
Come down to the 'Holden and Australian Automobile Industry Discussion' page,
in the 'All V8 Supercars Discussions Here' thread

[JoeT]

V8 Supercar Championship Series Teams Championship - Round 9

Release Date: 14/09/2005
www.v8supercars.com.au

The two car team with the highest combined point score from both its Cars at the end of the 2005 V8 Supercar Championship will be determined the V8 Supercar Champion Team.

After nine rounds of the Series having already been completed, Stone Brothers Racing is leading the points table ahead of the Holden Racing Team and Westpoint Racing in third.

Position / Team / Total Points
1 Stone Brothers Racing 2919
2 Holden Racing Team 2419
3 Westpoint Racing 2080
4 Team Betta Electrical 2077
5 HSV Dealer Team 1982
6 Team Perkins Racing 1940
7 Super Cheap Auto Racing 1728
8 Team BOC 1715
9 Ford Performance Racing 1621
10 Repco Valvoline Cummins Team 1539
11 Dodo Racing 1508
12 WPS Racing 1216
13 Larkham Orrcon Racing 1071
14 Team Fujitsu 953
15 Team Kiwi Racing (S) 858
16 Sirromet-Life, Style, Wine (S) 839
17 WOW Sight & Sound (S) 667
18 Autobarn Racing (S) 473
19 Toll Racing (S) 459
20 Team Dynamik (S) 403

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Fanciful AVESCO Figures Just Don't Add Up

Peter McKay 16/09/05
www.smh.com.au

AVESCO 'facts and figures' have Peter McKay's bullsht meter on red alert.

Most of us stopped reading fairytales at about the age of six. During the week, though, memories of that old reading material came flooding back, prompted by a press release on V8 supercar attendance figures, TV audiences and internet usage from AVESCO, the group behind the two-make category.

AVESCO said the total TV audience for the first eight rounds of the V8 championship was 13.7 million viewers in Australia, "far greater than the total audiences that watch formula one or Champ Car". But unlike crowd figures, TV ratings are easy to check. Industry ratings monitor Oztam told The Inside Line it couldn't "seem to replicate this figure".

Reacting to another AVESCO claim that the V8 supercar race in China attracted a total TV audience of 2.35 million OzTAM said the figure was a "cumulative reach" figure that shows the number of different people that tuned into the race during the telecast. The average total audience for the telecast from Shanghai was 502,000.

AVESCO said the opening round from the streets of Adelaide attracted a peak of 1.46 million viewers. The 15-minute peak audience for the Adelaide Sunday race was actually 808,000.

It is true that V8 supercars attract more Australian viewers than F1 and champ cars, both of which are usually consigned to late-night slots. But AVESCO is also guilty of selectively playing with the figures.

The true average total Sunday audience for the first eight rounds of V8 supercars was 467,000. The total people reach that is every person who tuned in, even for only a minute was 1.83 million. The "cumulative reach" all the viewers of all rounds added together was 5.69 million.

AVESCO insisted that V8 supercar attendances were growing faster than those for the AFL. The reality is we can't believe the V8 supercar crowd figures. They are made up. Track promoters tell us as much. I have a written declaration from one promoter confirming the manipulation. Many sports tend to exaggerate attendances, but AVESCO is a champion at this game.

It was tripped up at the last round at Oran Park after announcing a race day crowd of 36,000. The track management, embarrassed by the outrageous claim, admitted there had been some confusion as the three-day attendance total was 39,000-odd and the paid crowd on the Sunday was about 22,000.

AVESCO has reason to be proud of the steady growth of V8 supercars in Australia. But if the V8s were as wildly popular with viewers as AVESCO suggests, Ten would be demanding the races be shown in prime time.

As a lover of motor sport, I'd like to believe AVESCO assertions that the V8 supercar racing is the third most popular sport in Australia.

But my bullsht meter is telling me that this is too good to be true.

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Clipsal Increases Profit, Provides Economic Benefit Of $26 Million

Release Date: 22/09/2005
www.v8supercars.com.au

Australia’s largest domestic motor sport event, the Clipsal 500 Adelaide, has again proved its worth to South Australia with the 2005 race providing an economic benefit of $26m.

The Deputy Premier Kevin Foley says this year’s race, held from March 17-20, attracted another record domestic motor sport crowd of 255,600 – an 8 per cent increase from the 237,400 strong crowd in 2004.

“The $26 million economic benefit of this year’s race was $2.9m or 12.5% greater than that achieved in 2004. Since its inception in 1999, the event has now contributed a total of $129.9m to South Australia’s economy’’, Mr Foley said.

“This year’s event also recorded a profit of $844,000, up from $684,000 in 2004.

“The economic assessment of the event, prepared by independent organisation Economic Research Consultants, also reported a significant increase in interstate and international visitors to South Australia.

``Interstate and international visitors as a result of the race, have grown from 11,500 in 2004 to 15,600 in 2005. As a result, the new tourism expenditure in the State is estimated to be in the order of $15.9m, up from $12.3m in 2004.’

``Corporate interest in the event also continues to grow strongly, with attendance jumping from 22,623 in 2002 to 42,584 last year.

“And the 2005 Clipsal 500 Adelaide not only generated revenue, it created the equivalent of about 360 full time jobs.

“A media audit of national and international television, radio and print coverage of the 2005 Clipsal 500 Adelaide has valued the coverage achieved at $71.1m.

“The Clipsal 500 Adelaide is not only one of the nation’s largest and most successful sporting events, it is great for the South Australian economy and next year’s race, to be held from March 23-26, is already experiencing strong demand for grandstand seats and corporate facilities”, Mr Foley said.

Economic Benefits of the Clipsal 500 Adelaide

1999 / 2000 / 2001 / 2002 / 2003 / 2004 / 2005
Economic Benefit
$13.7m / $16.9m / $14.3m / $16.2m / $19.7m / $23.1m / $26.0
Job Creation – Full Time Equivalents
250 / 275 / 290 / 260 / 320 / 340 / 360
Visitor Nights
30,600 / 39,500 / 43,400 / 47,100 / 65,000 / 69,000 / 69,400
Interstate-International Visitors
7,300 / 13,100 / 6,400 / 8,500 / 10,800 / 11,500 / 15,600
Corporate Attendance
16,752 / 22,446 / 21,513 / 22,623 / 36,054 / 40,405 / 42,584
Event Attendance
162,000 / 164,000 / 166,800 / 171,200 / 213,600 / 237,400 / 255,600

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Seventh Heaven for Holden?

Release Date: 23/09/2005
www.v8supercars.com.au

Holden's V8 Supercar teams looking to stretch Bathurst winning streak to seven at next month's Super Cheap Auto 1000.

Holden’s V8 Supercar teams are looking to continue one of Australian sport’s greatest winning streaks when they line up for next month’s Super Cheap Auto 1000 at Bathurst on 9 October.

Every major sport has its legendary winning streaks. The famous 1948 “Invincibles” Australian cricket team is best remembered for completing an Ashes tour of England without losing a single match.

In rugby league, St George’s 11 premierships on the trot, between 1956 and 1966, is head and shoulders above other league club performances.

In Australian Rules football, Collingwood’s record of four consecutive premierships, between 1927 and 1930, has held firm for more than 70 years.

But when it comes to Australia’s Great Race, the Bathurst 1000, you don’t have to look too far back in the record books to spot the longest winning streak by a manufacturer. Last year, Holden racked up its sixth consecutive win at Mount Panorama, continuing a winning sequence twice as long as any other.

The Holden run began in 1999 when Greg Murphy and Steven Richards teamed up to win the Bathurst 1000 in the Wynn’s VT Commodore. Garth Tander, Jason Bargwanna, Mark Skaife, Jim Richards and Tony Longhurst kept the trophies coming between 2000 and 2002. Over the past two years, Greg Murphy and Rick Kelly have scored back-to-back Holden wins to stretch the streak to six.

This year, Holden will be shooting for lucky seven – a mark that possibly could put the record out of reach of rivals for generations, perhaps forever.

As well, Holden will be aiming for its 25th outright win in the 43 years of the big race – a strike rate of better than 50 per cent. By contrast, the best effort by a rival is Ford’s 14 wins since the race began in 1963.

Strangely enough, Ford has scored more pole positions than Holden, but that just goes to emphasise the old adage that to finish first, first you must finish.

The Holden teams have shared the glory in the six-win streak, with most of the front-running outfits savouring the champagne in recent years. Garry Rogers Motorsport, Holden Racing Team and the HSV Dealer Team (formerly Kmart Racing) have all taken the chequered flag.

While none of these teams have had the perfect run so far in season 2005, coming unstuck in various ways as luck deserted them at times, there are clear indications that they and other Holden teams are hitting their straps at the business end of the season.

In Shanghai, HRT’s Todd Kelly scored a runaway win, and then followed up at Darwin, where the other two places on the podium were taken by HSV Dealer Team’s Garth Tander and Rick Kelly (Todd’s younger brother).

Murphy’s podium at the recent Oran Park round and strong form at Sandown has given the Super Cheap Auto Racing team a boost at the right time, while Steve Richards won in Perth and has been running consistently at the front of the pack in the Castrol Commodore, making him the highest-ranked Holden driver in the championship.

One of the major strengths of the Holden teams at Bathurst will be the driver pairings, packed with proven winners capable of lapping the mind-bending Mount Panorama circuit at front-running pace.

A four-time winner at Bathurst, Skaife is teaming with Todd Kelly in the lead HRT Commodore, and Tander will share the lead HSV Dealer Team car with Rick Kelly, who is gunning for his third straight victory on the mountain.

Murphy is also shooting for three in a row, this time with a new driving partner, regular SCAR team-mate and former V8 Supercar Rookie of the Year Paul Weel.

Two-time Bathurst winner Richards will head Larry Perkins' renowned Castrol Team Perkins assault with co-driver Paul Dumbrell. And as every Bathurst fan knows, cars prepared by Larry Perkins’ team tend to grow another wheel at Bathurst.

Among other hot Holden contenders are the hard-charging Pauls – Morris and Radisich – who have teamed up in a strong Paul Morris Motorsport/Team Kiwi combined effort, and Dodo Racing’s Jason Richards and Jamie Whincup, fresh off a third place finish in the Sandown 500 earlier this month.

GRM will be looking to repeat its 2000 success, led by regular drivers Cameron McConville and Andrew Jones.

And then there is the gentleman who has done more laps of Mount Panorama for more wins than any other driver in the field: Jim Richards, whose seven wins is second only to Peter Brock’s nine. This year, in his record 34th start on the mountain, ‘Gentleman Jim’ will be teamed with a driver who has yet to turn a wheel at Bathurst but whom comes into the race with impressive credentials, James Courtney.

The young Australian international is a two-time World Karting Champion, a former British Formula Ford Champion, a British F3 runner-up and Japanese F3 Champion and has test driven for the former Jaguar F1 Grand Prix. Currently he races in the Japanese GT Sports Cars Series and is leading that championship.

The combination of Richards’ experience, Courtney’s raw young talent and one of the Holden Racing Team’s renowned Commodores should have plenty of other teams checking their mirrors for the “other” HRT car.

The critical factor at Bathurst is to remain on the lead lap and be as close as possible to the front at the final “yellow” caution period (of which, invariably, there are several during this tough race). Then, you need to have sufficient pace left in the tank to win the last lunge for the line.

All this takes painstaking preparation, sound strategy, quick thinking, flawless driving and a huge dollop of luck.

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[JoeT]

Reigning Champs Murphy & Kelly Each Aim For Bathurst Three-peat

Release Date: 03/10/2005
www.v8supercars.com.au

Two of Holden’s top-line drivers are lining up for a place in the history books at Mount Panorama this week as Rick Kelly and Greg Murphy aim at becoming the first driver to win three Bathurst 1000s in a row since Peter Brock and Larry Perkins in the early 1980s.

While they both now drive for separate teams – Murphy will drive for Super Cheap Auto Racing with Paul Weel and Kelly with Garth Tander at the HSV Dealer Team – the duo won the last two Bathurst classics for the Kmart Racing outfit, which this year has morphed into the HSV squad Kelly has remained with.

Given the closeness of competition in the modern V8 Supercar era of Australian touring car racing, if either Murphy of Kelly could accomplish the feat it would stand as potentially an even greater effort than the Brock/Perkins domination from 1982 to 1984, when the Holden Dealer Team was unmatched for competition at Bathurst.

“Three in a row would be great, but the history side of things don’t really interest me – that’s all nice for when my driving career’s over,” said Kiwi Murphy.

“If we can win, then it’s going to be my fifth Bathurst victory and five’s a nicer number than four, don’t you think?

“Bathurst is the race everyone wants to win, it’s just that special. Even as a kid back in New Zealand before I was even in karts I dreamed about racing there.

“The place gives me goose bumps. Every time I arrive I know I’m there to race at one of the world’s greatest circuits. It’s every driver’s dream to race and win there.

This year’s going to be different; I’m with a new team and I have a new co-driver. Our team sponsor is also sponsoring the race, so that adds another dimension, but none of it changes my attitude and intent, and that’s to approach the race as I do any other – I always go to win.”

Kelly, who was the youngest-ever winner of the race in 2003 at the age of 20, has had a difficult 2005 since winning pole at the opening round at Adelaide. However, his team has the runs on the board in the past at Bathurst and heads back to the Mountain with an updated technical package and equipment over previous years.

“Bathurst is the biggest and best race of the year, and to win just one is a big thrill for any driver. To have a chance to win three in a row is awesome. Only three other drivers have done it (Jim Richards the other in addition to Brock and Perkins), and I would love to have my name up there beside them.

“This year, Murph and I will most likely be on the track at separate times because of different team strategies, but he is one of the drivers that I am happy to race alongside at any time. I’ll be just as happy to beat him too!

“While I was happy to race with Murph in the past two years, Garth is a great replacement in our team, and I still think we are one of the stronger combinations out there. Our car is running strongly, and because our championship chances are slim, to put it mildly, Bathurst becomes all the more important. So, I can’t wait!”

Another major piece of history for Holden at Bathurst is its on-going winning streak. This year the General is aiming at its seventh consecutive Mountain crown, a feat never before achieved in the history of the event.

GM Holden has won an incredible 10 out of the last 12 Bathurst 1000s and, coupled with its successes in the Bathurst 24 Hour events in 2002 and 2003, holds an endurance record clearly superior to its rivals.

Practice begins at Bathurst on Thursday at 11.00am with a two-hour session for teams and drivers to get re-acquainted with the 6.213-kilometre circuit.

There will be two practice sessions on Friday before qualifying at 2.00pm. The Top 10 Shootout begins at 3.40pm on Saturday afternoon and the race starts at its traditional time – 10am – on Sunday.

NOTES AND QUOTES

Steven Richards (#24 Castrol Commodore VZ – 3rd in points)

“Our expectations are high; our Castrol Perkins Commodore has been fast all year and we believe we’ll have the pace to win, so it all depends on what happens between the green light and the chequered flag.

“Hopefully, there’ll be no kangaroos. Ideally you’d like to put it on pole and lead all 161 laps, but there’s 33 other teams with similar ideas.

“For us to win the championship we’re going to have to be on the podium at, at least three of the next four races so we’re going to have to push hard.”

Todd Kelly (#2 HRT Commodore VZ – 5th in points)

“I can’t think of a better birthday present than winning Bathurst (Kelly turns 26 on race day). It’s the race I have always wanted to win, the one that matters the most to me. We will definitely keep a lid on any birthday celebrations until afterwards, when we hopefully will have something bigger to celebrate.”

Mark Skaife (#2 HRT Commodore VZ – 6th in points)

“Todd and I almost won the race at Sandown, and we proved to ourselves that we’ve got all the tools we need to win at Bathurst. There were so many factors going against us on the day, and we not only survived but nearly hung on to win. There is a really positive feeling around the team that we’re on the verge of something great.”

Garth Tander (#16 HSV Dealer Team Commodore VZ – 7th in points)

“Although you go to Bathurst every year saying you are going there to win the race, only five or six cars are ever seriously capable of doing the job. This year, I happen to be in one of them.

“The days of Bathurst being an 800km cruise followed by a 200km sprint are gone. You need to be up at the front all day. To do that, you also need two drivers capable of going flat out for six hours, supported by good pit stops and intelligent strategy. It is a team event in the truest sense. “

Cameron McConville (#33 Valvoline Commodore VZ – 13th in points)

“Bathurst is such a special place that a good result there can really make your entire year worthwhile even if you’ve struggled at other events.

“We were on target for a podium last year before we were taken out in a crash. It’s the sort of race where it is vital to stay out of trouble. Too many people get carried away in the first 30 laps and make mistakes.”

Jason Richards (#3 Dodo Commodore VZ – 19th in points)

“Bathurst is an inspiring place by itself so to head there with the confidence of a podium at Sandown is a boost for sure. There’s been plenty of times this year where we’ve put ourselves in a strong position but for one reason or another the result hasn’t come to fruition. Now we know what it takes to make the podium and we know we have the right tools to do it.”

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Record Interest In Super Cheap Auto Bathurst 1000

Release Date: 03/10/2005
www.v8supercars.com.au

There’s limited ticketing still available for this week’s V8 Supercar spectacular at the Super Cheap Auto 1000 at Bathurst.

Super Cheap Auto 1000 promoter AVESCO Events has been overwhelmed with the level of interest in the event at Mount Panorama from this Thursday. They are confident that a fine weekend will see last year’s record of 172,695 spectators exceeded.

All corporate facilities have been sold out, as has all 4500 available camp ground sites, while all but one grandstand is also sold out. There are some tickets still available for the newly added Grandstand 9 on the main straight.

This leaves general admission with organizers suggesting spectators should guarantee their place by pre-purchasing the tickets from Ticketmaster outlets.

“We have been thrilled with the level of support from V8 Supercar fans,” AVESCO Events general manager Shane Howard said.

“In part we believe this is because of the tremendous competition in the V8 Supercar Championship this year. It is also a reflection of the major upgrade to the amenities by the Bathurst Regional Council which this year includes completion of level two corporate suits on the end of the pit complex, a new two-way pedestrian bridge over pit straight and completion of recreation and nature works in McPhillamy Park on the top of the Mountain.

"There is an even distribution of ticket sales across all states of Australia and an extremely strong presence of New Zealand supporters coming over for the event. This is testament that the Super Cheap Auto 1000 continues to develop as an iconic Australian sporting event.”

A new feature will be six giant screens to be strategically placed around the track so that fans can see all the action.

The four-day general admission passes (Adult $99.75/Concession $84.75) and weekend passes for adult and concessions (Adult $86.75/Concession $72.75) are still available.

For a $30 upgrade, patrons can purchase a paddock pass where spectators can get up close with drivers, the pits and get a first hand look inside the state of the art garages.

Contact Ticketmaster on 1300 136 122 or www.ticketmaster.com.au
Ticketmaster booking fees apply to all advance ticket sales.
*Concessions: Aged pension, disability, fulltime student (13-17 years with student ID), and children 12 and under free

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Brock Sees Ford As King Of The Mountain

Bob Jennings 06/10/05
www.drive.com.au

Nine-time winner Peter Brock believes Ford is well-placed to break Holden’s stronghold on the Mount Panorama circuit at Bathurst.

Drivers and teams can ready themselves all they like for Bathurst, but in the end who wins is as much a matter of fate as of skill and preparation. So says Peter Brock, who has won there more times than anyone else.

Despite his obvious leanings towards Holden, for which he drove for most of his illustrious career, Brock feels that on balance the odds for Sunday's 1000km race at Mount Panorama favour Ford to break its six-year drought.

"Peter Perfect" has taken the chequered flag in the touring-car enduro nine times but says: "There are so many different facets to the race. If you are meant to win, you are going to win.

"On Sunday, all the form you show on Thursday and Friday goes out the window and, if you win, you spend Sunday night trying to rationalise how you did it."

Brock says that looking at the race objectively - and "as much as I have a Holden hat on" - he believes Ford has the form to win, with teams such as the Stone Brothers and Sandown 500 winner Triple Eight "doing a pretty good job at the moment".

Leading the push by Ford are the Stone Brothers' cars driven by series front-runners Marcos Ambrose and Russell Ingall and Sandown winners Craig Lowndes and Yvan Muller, whose Triple Eight Falcon uses Stone Brothers engines.

Brock believes Bathurst brings out the best in some teams and drivers. "If Greg Murphy showed the same amount of dedication all year as he did to the races at Bathurst and Pukekohe [the V8 supercar round in his native New Zealand] he would be a cert to win the championship," he said.

"People like Brad Jones and John Bowe who seem to struggle all year always come out and are on the pace at Bathurst. It's a mental thing. There's an X-factor which comes into play here."

Brock doesn't subscribe any more to the polarised them-and-us attitudes of the old-style fans and says: "I have some personal friends in the Ford camp, which is a bit different to how it used to be when drivers were indelibly stamped with Ford or Holden, and you wouldn't think of even talking to someone from the dark side.

"Now, things are different and you have drivers changing sides because of their propensity to go where the money is, which blurs the lines between the two makes."

From a sentimental point of view, Brock says he would like to see the Holden Racing Team return to its 2002 winning form, the outfit having given him the opportunity, unsuccessful as it turned out, to try for a 10th victory last year.

But he adds that the dark horse in the line-up is veteran Jim Richards, who at 58 is the next most successful driver to Brock, with seven wins - three of them sharing a car with him - and who is once more driving for the Holden Racing Team. He is teamed with James Courtney, the highly regarded expatriate Australian former world kart champion who is now a front-runner in Japanese GT racing.

And how will Brock feel as the 34 cars line up on the grid?

"I'm fine at the moment but on Sunday there'll be some pangs," he said. "I'll be standing there with some friends making outrageous suggestions; as everyone knows, the older you get, the faster you were."

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Lowndes Beats Rain & Challenges At Super Cheap Auto Bathurst 1000

Release Date: 07/10/2005
www.v8supercars.com.au

Sandown champion Craig Lowndes was the fastest in qualifying in today’s rain shortened session for Sunday’s Super Cheap Auto 1000 at Bathurst.

The 30 year old was only 3/10ths of a second outside Greg Murphy’s lap record with a superb 2:07.13 in the Betta Electrical Ford at Mount Panorama today. He was 4/10ths of a second ahead of four-time Bathurst winner Mark Skaife with a further 2/10ths to V8 Supercar Champion Marcos Ambrose.

Officials decided on a single combined qualifying session to beat the forecasted rain, which fell 25 minutes before the end of the session to thwart the plans for many teams. The leading five drivers were the same as in yesterday’s practice and included the pre-race favourites including Lowndes, Skaife, Ambrose and defending champion Greg Murphy.

Lowndes believes that Murphy’s lap record could go in tomorrow’s Top-10 Shootout.

``It will be a matter of conditions. I think our car has got it in it but we have to get the conditions right and not make mistakes,’’ Lowndes said. ``I was happy with that time before the rain today although I don’t think the margins is indicative to what we will see tomorrow.’’

Skaife said his Holden Racing Team were directing their efforts to producing a strong race day car and is buoyed by their build-up this week.

``I know that most drivers say the same. We have got a well balanced qualifying and race car that feels like it will be half a chance.’’

The Holden team will be a strong chance with two-time V8 Supercar winner this year, Todd Kelly as co-driver, who explained his slower qualifying times.

``It’s easy to for teams to lose focus from the big picture for the co-driver. I am easing my way in and feeling comfortable in the car.’’

Ambrose, who is chasing a third straight V8 Supercar Championship for the Stone Brothers Team, said they were satisfied with their qualifying.

``Our focus is to set up a race day not a qualifying car. We’re not that worried about qualifying. We have made that mistake before,’’ Ambrose said. ``We’ve had a really good run this weekend.’’

Garth Tander stepped up for an ill Rick Kelly to qualify the HSV Dealer Team Holden in fourth place, while Murphy was fifth fastest for his Super Cheap Auto 1000, although not satisfied with the session.

``We were tapped out. We were absolutely flat out and we have a lot of work to do to find more speed,’’ Murphy said.

There is a final one hour practice session tomorrow before the Top-10 Shootout with the Super Cheap Auto 1000 set to start at 10am on Sunday.


Super Cheap Auto 1000, Mount Panorama, Bathurst
Race Day: Friday, 14:00-15:40 Race Duration: 45 Minutes
Qualifying

Pos / Car No / Team / Driver / Car / Laps / Fastest Lap / Fastest Lap Time / Gap
1 888 Team Betta Electrical Craig Lowndes Ford Falcon BA 14 11 2:07.1322
2 2 Holden Racing Team Mark Skaife Holden Commodore VZ 10 9 2:07.5333 0:00.4011
3 1 Pirtek Racing Marcos Ambrose Ford Falcon BA 11 10 2:07.7357 0:00.6035
4 16 HSV Dealer Team Garth Tander Holden Commodore VZ 10 6 2:07.7622 0:00.6300
5 51 Super Cheap Auto Racing Greg Murphy Holden Commodore VZ 14 12 2:07.8709 0:00.7387
6 24 Team Perkins Racing Steven Richards Holden Commodore VY 16 9 2:07.9291 0:00.7969
7 3 Dodo Racing Jason Richards Holden Commodore VZ 16 10 2:08.1325 0:01.0003
8 9 Caltex Racing Russell Ingall Ford Falcon BA 12 7 2:08.2643 0:01.1321
9 18 Westpoint Racing Glenn Seton Ford Falcon BA 16 13 2:08.3326 0:01.2004
10 22 Holden Racing Team Jim Richards Holden Commodore VZ 16 13 2:08.4261 0:01.2939
11 34 Repco Valvoline Cummins Cameron McConville Holden Commodore VZ 14 12 2:08.7164 0:01.5842
12 6 Ford Performance Racing Jason Bright Ford Falcon BA 18 14 2:08.7959 0:01.6637
13 5 Ford Performance Racing Greg Ritter Ford Falcon BA 15 2 2:08.8407 0:01.7085
14 25 Fujitsu Racing Steve Owen Ford Falcon BA 16 11 2:08.9035 0:01.7713
15 17 Westpoint Racing Steven Johnson Ford Falcon BA 16 12 2:08.9187 0:01.7865
16 88 Team Betta Electrical Steve Ellery Ford Falcon BA 18 12 2:08.9688 0:01.8366
17 20 Larkham Orrcon Racing Jason Bargwanna Ford Falcon BA 12 6 2:08.9762 0:01.8440
18 44 WOW Sight & Sound Max Wilson Holden Commodore VZ 15 8 2:09.1330 0:02.0008
19 48 WPS David Besnard Ford Falcon BA 15 9 2:09.1772 0:02.0450
20 67 Sirromet-Life Style Wine P.Morris/P.Radisich Holden Commodore VZ 14 10 2:09.2243 0:02.0921
21 15 HSV Dealer Team Mark Noske Holden Commodore VZ 11 5 2:09.3515 0:02.2193
22 10 Larkham Orrcon Racing Alain Menu Ford Falcon BA 14 11 2:09.6180 0:02.4858
23 7 Autobarn Racing A.Davison/A.Simonsen Holden Commodore VZ 16 6 2:09.7065 0:02.5743
24 75 Toll Racing Anthony Tratt Holden Commodore VY 17 10 2:09.9967 0:02.8645
25 23 Dodo Racing Tony D'Alberto Holden Commodore VZ 13 6 2:10.3515 0:03.2193
26 21 Team BOC J.Bowe/B.Jones Ford Falcon BA 18 12 2:10.4709 0:03.3387
27 021 Team Kiwi Racing Alan Gurr Holden Commodore VZ 13 3 2:10.5187 0:03.3865
28 33 Repco Valvoline Cummins Team Lee Holdsworth Holden Commodore VZ 18 15 2:10.6179 0:03.4857
29 12 Team BOC John Cleland Ford Falcon BA 15 8 2:10.7695 0:03.6373
30 45 WOW Sight & Sound Mark Porter Holden Commodore VZ 15 14 2:11.3887 0:04.2565
31 11 Team Perkins Racing Christian D'Agostin Holden Commodore VY 8 8 2:11.4367 0:04.3045
32 52 Fujitsu Racing J.Fernandez/D.White Ford Falcon BA 6 4 2:13.8347 0:06.7025
33 50 Super Cheap Auto Racing Owen Kelly Holden Commodore VZ 1 1 2:18.8718 0:11.7396
EXC 8 WPS Racing Marcus Marshall Ford Falcon BA

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[JoeT]

Why The Mountain Is King: All Major Events Are Big Raters

Philp Derriman 08/10/05
www.smh.com.au

According to the latest Sweeney sports survey, only 34 per cent of Australians take an interest in motor racing, which explains why it ranks no higher than equal 13th in terms of popularity, just behind gym workouts and just ahead of basketball, fishing and tenpin bowling.

In other words, it's another minority sport. Yet, if last year's television ratings are a guide, up to 1.5 million Australians will probably be watching when the V8s go around at Bathurst this weekend.

It's another example of how Australians are happy to watch a big sporting event live, even if they don't know much about the sport and aren't particularly interested in it. Knowing this, Channel Ten has given the Bathurst 1000 the big treatment. It has more than 300 people working on the telecast. Thirty-two cameras are stationed around the 6.2-kilometre circuit and another 50 in the cars.

Last weekend the NRL grand final proved much the same point: it rated well in Melbourne, a city where, notwithstanding the presence of the Storm, league followers are still extremely hard to find.

One observer of the sports scene there insists that if you had stopped people at random in Bourke Street last weekend you wouldn't have found one in 50 able to name a single player in the NRL grand final.

Yet the match attracted an average audience in Melbourne of 514,000 and a peak audience of 587,000. Remarkably, this was almost half as big as the audience in Sydney - 1,186,000 average and 1,267,000 peak.

How could this be? One explanation is, simply, that it was a big event shown live in a sports-mad city. Another explanation is that it was shown in prime time.

The second of these was obviously a key factor - and it hasn't escaped the notice of Melbourne's AFL fraternity. One of the game's leading broadcasters in Melbourne, the ABC's Drew Morphett, believes that whichever network (or combination of networks) next wins the AFL rights it will almost certainly put pressure on the AFL to stage matches in prime time. "Nine won the ratings down here in [AFL] grand final week, despite Ten absolutely killing them with the grand final," he said. "Ratings are prime-time ratings."

Morphett knows the overall football scene better than most. Growing up in Sydney, he played rugby union at Scots College and also followed rugby league. For most of his professional career, though, he has broadcast Australian football. He, too, was impressed by the number of Melbourne people who watched the NRL grand final, considering how little most Melbourne people know about the game. "I heard a bloke here, a former sports producer at Channel Seven, refer to rugby league as rugby. I said, 'Mate, there are two games, rugby and rugby league, and they're different.' He obviously didn't know and didn't care - and this bloke is a sports freak."

Morphett agrees that the AFL has been more successful than the rugby codes at crossing state boundaries, as reflected in the TV audience which the AFL grand final pulled in Sydney - 991,000 average and 1,242,000 peak.

These are impressive figures, even allowing for the fact that a Sydney team was playing. After all, notwithstanding the hype surrounding the Swans, Australian football is still a minority sport in Sydney. According to the last Sweeney survey, only a third of Sydney people have any interest in it.

So the AFL ought to have been grateful for the vast amount of publicity that the Sydney media lavished on its grand final, which must have encouraged many extra Sydney people to watch it.

A leading media-tracking firm, Media Monitors, reports that the NRL grand final received 8371 press, radio and TV mentions across the nation in the week of the event, plus 378 talk-back calls.

The AFL grand final did much better. In the week of the event it received 13,921 media mentions nationally plus about 700 talk-back calls. No other football code could compete with that.

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