ozracingwrap's Podcast

Button in a Ferrari, What was I thinking?

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 02:55:00 GMT

In a monstor episode we cover miss Indy, we put Button into a Ferrari and we express love for Ausse Racers and Darron lets us know all about his man love for Neil Crompton and much much more.

So long Rally of Melbourne we will miss you

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 13:37:00 GMT

We are joined by guest host Darron and discuss the grand prix being extended, the Rally of Melbourne falling over, A1Gp and V8's leaving Eastern Creek and much more. We also debate how close a V8 car is to a road car.

Neil Crompton we love you?

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 12:55:00 GMT

We cover the 3g IPhone launch (yep nothing to do with racing), WRC, ARC, IRL, F1 and V8's and we give you our no holds bar thoughts on Drifting as a motor sport. Oh and we manage to claim Scott Dixon, Ryan learns about Twitter and we announce the new website.

New Site and news RSS Feed

Sun, 1 Jun 2008 12:24:00 GMT

We are pleased to announce the launch of the new at OzRacingWrapWebsite and new news feed . Please update your feeds and we hope you enjoy the new site. Shaun and Ryan

Atkinson 8th after day 1 with new car in Greece

Sat, 31 May 2008 05:41:00 GMT

Atkinson in the new car in Greece, picture courtesy of swrt.com

In the lead up to the Rally of Greece, Subaru launched the all new Impreza WRC2008.

The new car is based on the latest road going Subaru Impreza which was introduced in June 2007. Although featuring radically new styling the Impreza WRC2008 retains the well proven Subaru horizontally-opposed turbocharged engine combined with Symmetrical All Wheel Drive. The WRC2008 will also sport a dramatic new livery created around the Subaru corporate identity but at the same time preserving the iconic blue identity familiar to rally fans worldwide.

âWe are very excited to be able to launch the all-new Impreza WRC2008 ahead of scheduleâ said David Richards, Subaru World Rally Team principal. âIt is testament to the dedication and commitment of the team behind the scenes in the UK and at STI in Japan. Just as the latest Impreza road car represents a new era for Subaru so the WRC2008 represents a new era for all of us at the Subaru World Rally Team and I am confident that we will arrive in Greece able to fight competitively.â

The teamâs objective has always been to launch the WRC2008 as soon as the testing confirmed that good steps forward in overall performance had been made. We are confident that introducing the car in Greece will enable the team to be highly competitive in the second half of the season and give Petter and Chris the best opportunity to win in 2008.

On the 55th running of the notoriously punishing Acropolis Rally, the all-new Subaru Impreza WRC2008 made its competitive debut today to great acclaim. On this real event of attrition, Petter Solberg and Phil Mills grabbed third place overall on the opening day, whilst team-mates Chris Atkinson and StÃphane PrÃvot successfully completed their first competitive outing, and also Atkinsonâs first ever rally aboard a brand new World Rally Car, lying within striking distance of the front-runners.

The Subaru World Rally Team is not one to shy away from a challenge, demonstrated this weekend by the decision to launch their newest World Rally Car on the most unforgiving event of the season, and ahead of schedule. Introduced to the World Rally Championship on Wednesday evening to worldwide media and VIPs, both Imprezas successfully completed the first day of their debut event on what is largely regarded as the most punishing rally on the calendar, and under the watchful eyes of the worldâs press.

"Ok, we have finished the first day which is very importantâ reflected Chris Atkinson. âItâs good to be in the new car, and we know we still have some work to do. We damaged a control arm in the afternoon on the roughest stage of the day which lost us some time. We knew bringing it in early would be tough, and we need to find a bit more, but thatâs what we came here to learn, and we are learning.â

Ambrose grabs another top 15 finish in Carolina

Wed, 28 May 2008 06:30:00 GMT

press release courtesy of marcosambrose.com

Marcos Ambrose is confident his team made big inroads on its way to 14th place in the Carquest 300 at Loweâs Motor Speedway in Charlotte, North Carolina today.

The Australian driver showed strong pace and while running a conservative strategy to ensure he came home with a solid haul of points towards his 2008 championship campaign, Ambroseâs pace was clear and he ran well on the leap lap all day at the 1.5-mile speedway.

Ambrose jumped one spot in the 2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series standings after todayâs result, now sitting 14th in the championship after 13 of 35 races.

Ambrose qualified 19th in the #59 Kingsford Charcoal Ford Fusion, which ran a special livery this weekend in support of Levine Childrenâs Hospital in Charlotte, in conjunction with Kingsford and Rite-Aid.

Ambrose ran a car livery and helmet paintjob designed by a patient of Levine Childrenâs Hospital. The helmet will now be auctioned off by JTG Racing, with all proceeds benefiting Levine Childrenâs Hospital.

During the month of April, Kingsford donated $0.25 to Childrenâs Miracle Network for every purchase of Kingsford, Match Light or Kingsford Lighter Fluid products at any Rite Aid store in the United States.

Marcos Ambrose - #59 Kingsford Charcoal Ford Fusion

It was a really good night for us,â said Ambrose.

Weâve made big inroads here on the one-and-a-half-mile program and we had a really conservative race.

âIt was good, really good. I was really proud of my guys and it shows that weâre making progress.

âWeâre not just talking the talk, weâre actually starting to walk the walk a little bit. Weâre much more competitive and we were racy all night.

âWe just had a really conservative deal â major conservative. We didnât really have a strategy apart from just being safe.

âWe just wanted to keep working on our car, finish the race intact and then go from there.â

Webber keeps it on the track and grabs 4th in a rain affected Monaco GP

Mon, 26 May 2008 10:03:00 GMT

Mark Webber managed to stay out of trouble and despite having to switch to dry tyres to early, finished in a strong 4th place at the Monaco Grand Prix. It is his highest finish of the season and takes his point tally to 15. With David Coulthard crashing out Webber still is the only one of the 2 drivers to score points this season.

With his points Red Bull finds itself tied in 5th with Williams in the constructors championship.

âThat was good, a great result which gives us a lot of points. It wasnât the most exciting race in the world in terms of racing, but it was very difficult early on in the wet conditions and we were aqua-planning at Casino. It was definitely over the edge for the intermediate tyres for a few laps when it was raining hard, but then it started to dry and we had to think about changing tyres. It would have been good to have had a little bit more fuel as we had to change to dry tyres maybe five laps earlier than we would have liked. It wasnât ideal, but the team did such a good job, both at the track and at the factory in Milton Keynes, itâs great to get a strong result.â

Power makes it to the flag and finishes 13th at Indy debut

Mon, 26 May 2008 10:00:00 GMT

In his Indy 500 debut Will Power managed to finish 1o places higher than he started and finished on the lead lap. The strong showing made him the highest placed aussie with countryman Ryan Briscoe crashing out.

Power, who was making his first start on a super-speedway oval, started in the middle of Row #8 in the 23rd position. He spent the first three quarters of the 200-lap event calmly and patiently continuing to learn the nuances of ovals, especially big oval racing, which began to produce results starting just prior to his last stop. Power was running in 15th place when he pitted for the last time on lap 171. After an outstanding stop by his Aussie Vineyards crew he rejoined the contest in 11th quickly moving into 10th, but his car developed some overseer and went loose dropping him back to 13th on the where he remained until the end of the race.

âIt was a good race and I am really happy with the way it went,â Power said. âAussie Vineyards â Team Australia kept creeping up the leader board the whole race, but the car was becoming pretty loose at the end. I was able to hang on and finish the race which was key, but it was mentally draining. It was a good result because I was able to get a lot of experience and I am relieved to get have gotten through my first Indy 500.â

Briscoe crashes out of Indy in a Pitlane crash with Danica Patrick

Mon, 26 May 2008 09:53:00 GMT

In an incident that both drivers will feel the other is the cause of, Danica Patrick and Ryan Briscoe have come together in the pits and ended both their races on the spot.

Briscoe had been running a solid if not spectacular 500 up to that point and was back in the top ten.

âFrom what I can see, there was still plenty of room on the right side for her to get around and there are people pointing fingers, but that's not the way we are,â Briscoe said. âWe both have a brake pedal in our cars, and from what I can tell, there was still plenty of room for her to get around me. I was trying to get around (Dan) Wheldon, and I was staying in the middle lane. I got ran up in the back, and it's a shame."

The race was won by Pole sitter Scott Dixon from New Zealand and was his first Indy 500 win for the former series champion.

Rev head heaven this weekend

Thu, 22 May 2008 10:50:00 GMT

Well one of the highlight weekends of motorsport lies ahead this weekend.

In Formula 1 we have the Monaco Grand Prix, for many the highlight of the season and the one every driver wants to win. Whilst in the IRL we have the world famous Indy 500.

For Aussies we have three drivers taking part, including Ryan Briscoe on the front row at Indy. With Team Penske behind him Briscoe is a genuine chance and has shown pace throughout the month of May at the circuit.

Speaking in the lead he talked about where the team is at âHelio likes to compare our situation to the one he faced when he first came on board with Team Penske and Gil de Ferran was his teammate,â Briscoe says. âThe ages are the same, the situations are similar. Now heâs playing the role of Gil, and Iâm playing the role of Helio. Except Iâm not Helio, and I never will be. Heâs made that clear on more than one occasion.â Â

What they share is the same joy and playfulness that Castroneves and de Ferran shared, along with a serious approach to their craft. What Briscoe and Castroneves hope to find in the similarities is the enormous success Team Penske encountered at Indianapolis during the Gil/Helio tenure. Castroneves won the 500 in 2001 and 2002, while de Ferran won it in 2003. Â

âWeâre going to see some great racing between the two of us, but thereâs always a great amount of respect,â Briscoe says. âWe are a team, and we work as a team on the track.â Â

Like de Ferran, Castroneves likes to keep the mood light, especially when the focus and the work moves away from the racetrack. He instills that notion in his new teammate, trying to maintain Briscoeâs smile and his mood. Â

âHe really made me feel welcome on the team,â Briscoe says. âHeâs always in a good mood, and he always wants people around him to be happy. His philosophy is that people canât be productive if theyâre too serious, and in many ways, heâs right. Heâs never made it difficult for me in any way, and thatâs really good. Heâs openly complimentary, which helps my confidence. A lot of times in racing, your teammate is your biggest rival, but weâve got a close and open relationship. Thatâs a big bonus for the entire team.â

Joining him on the grid will be Will Power starting from 23rd place. Power has shown pace also at various times but a large crash in practice seems to have had an effect. He spoke after final practice of where the team were heading into the race.

It was a really productive day,â Power said.Â âEven with these windy conditions we had a really good setup and ran close behind cars comfortably.Â We were able to do plenty of miles and the Aussie Vineyards â Team Australia car felt good over the whole run, so the KVRT team have done a really good job with the #8 car.Â We definitely have a good race pace, but itâs just unfortunate we are going to be starting a little bit further back than where we need to be.â

Meanwhile in Formula 1 Mark Webber will look to continue his great season with more points at Moanco. He no doubt will be boosted by the news that his boss Christian Horner this week said he was in the form of his career. Not bad when you have just opened discussions on a new contract, or at least Mark tells us he has.

On that front things may be a bit tense with his teammate David Coulthard. Coulthard in a regular column for ITV has questioned why Webber would go public at this time of the season about his contract. He was of the view it may be in part to remind some other teams that he is in fact out of contract at the end of the season, as much as getting the ball rolling with Red Bull.

âSpeaking of career moves, my team-mate Mark Webber told the media over the Istanbul weekend that he has opened talks with Red Bull to extend his contract. If I try to rationalise why Mark would say that, I can only presume it was either to stimulate talks with the team or to stimulate interest in the rest of the paddock, reminding people that heâs on the market.

When you think about it logically, you do your private negotiations in private and then when youâve reached an agreement you make an announcement. You donât normally say, âEr, Iâm about to enter negotiationsââ

So I would conclude that it was a positioning tactic rather than anything else.â

Either way Webber right now is in an ideal place to get a new contract with Red Bull or indeed start talks with other teams. Looking at the grid though I am not sure there would be many seats for Mark given his age. Perhaps Renault and a return to Williams but both would be long shoots in my view.

So make sure your TV is working and your set up to record what hopefully is some great racing this weekend. Lets hope with see some great results for the Aussies and who knows even get to hear the national anthem!

Atkinson comes home 6th in Sardinia

Mon, 19 May 2008 02:34:00 GMT

Chris Atkinson battled home in 6th place in a disappointing rally of Sardinia for the Subaru Rally team.

After a solid first day the rally came apart for both drivers on day 2 and Atkinson had an uneventful last day to bring the car home in 6th place.

âOK, itâs good to get more points and to still be third in the championship, but itâs definitely not been an easy weekendâ said Chris Atkinson. âI drove the best I could and made no mistakes, and thatâs it.â

With Subaruâs all-new Impreza WRC2008 on the horizon, drivers and the team alike are eagerly awaiting its first public appearance.

Power joins Briscoe in the Indy 500 field qualifying 23rd

Sun, 18 May 2008 01:04:00 GMT

Will Power posted a average lap speed of 221.136 mph to take 23rd on the grid for the Indy 500. He was 12th fastest on the day, with Townsend Bell posting the fastest time on the day with an average lap speed of 222.539 mph.

Power goes 4th fastest in Friday practice but crashes

Sat, 17 May 2008 02:38:00 GMT

Will Power posted a stunning 4th fastest time in the last full practice, before attempting to qualify Saturday for the Indy 500.

The downside was that he crashed 45 minutes into the session and did not return to the track. At the time of the crash he was sitting second with an average lap speed of 223.039 mph. The team were working on the car late into the night, in an effort to make sure he can run in Qualifying Saturday.

"Obviously this is a setback for the team because of the track time we're going to lose," Power said. "But I know the team will do what needs to be done and we will be ready to qualify tomorrow."

Troubles at the Grand Prix Drivers Association

Sat, 17 May 2008 01:24:00 GMT

Hot on our recent article on Formula One Safety, the issue of the Grand Prix Drivers Association (GPDA) has again been thrown into the spotlight. It seems that the GPDA is going through a rough time right now. Recently Jarno Trulli, Fernando Alsono and Mark Webber has spoken out about the issue by criticising those drivers not in the association. Lewis Hamilton, Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa are not members of the GPDA. Also Force Indiaâs Adrian Sutil is not a member.

"There are some drivers who couldn't care less but they take advantage of the work done by others," Trulli told Autosprint. "What these sensationally uninterested drivers don't understand is that the GPDA has a price. We fund it with a fee on the points scored.

"If the top six drivers are the uninterested ones, then there's a lack of money to survive and it's always the unlucky ones, the ones who get paid less, that have to sustain the costs. The figures are little. The entry fee was one thousand dollars, now it's probably one thousand euros, then you pay something like two hundred dollars per point scored.

"But what I don't understand is that you might not want to be part of the GPDA, then you can do what you want, but at least pay the money since you go on track too.â

"I'm not saying they should get involved, I'm saying as a grand prix driver you should be sensible about safety because you are driving," said Trulli.

"It's you getting in the car and going fast so the GPDA is only there not to do any politics. Any time we sit in a room, we discuss privately anything which we have in common â which is racing and safety.

"Apparently, there are some people who do not care about it â but they get the benefit anyway. And what is really concerning me and all the GPDA drivers is at the moment more and more drivers are pulling out of GPDA for no particular reason. But they are getting the benefit of all the work we are still doing.

Trulli expressed his frustration in the interview that the drivers who choose not to be part of the association simply don't understand how important the work it does is.

"The most outrageous thing is that a top driver doesn't give a damn about his safety," he added. "For me, that's unacceptable. Even drivers that were part of the association and left pretend not to understand, and don't read what we do.

"If it wasn't for the GPDA, and for Riccardo Ceccarelli of Formula Medicine, then if one of these guys had an accident during winter testing he would have risked his life. The minimum safety requirements were lacking yet they don't care and leave the association, this means they are truly insane."

Lewis Hamilton however again confirmed at the Turkish Grand Prix that he has no current intentions of joining the association. In addition he does not intend paying any fees to the association.

"I won't go on about whether I'm joining or not because you guys know the deal," he told reporters when asked about the GPDA situation.

"We spoke about it plenty of times, but they've not approached me and asked me if I want to support them. But in all honesty it's like asking you (the media) to pay for our driver salaries, or that sort of thing.

"I don't understand why I need to. I pay for my racing licence, which goes towards the FIA safety regulations. So I don't understand why I need to be paying more."

This lead to the great safety campaigner Sir Jackie Stewart to observe âI think this is one area where Lewis might be feeling he is a bit special,â the triple champion said, âand that is wrong. He should be part of the GPDA.â

Mark Webber indicated that the association remains very interested in having Hamilton involved. "He will be very welcome any day to come along and just flick a couple of views around," he said. "It is good to have someone at the front of the grid in the quick car, to be helping us out and taking the sport forward, because he is the future of the sport.

"Someone like Kimi (Raikkonen), we know he is not interested and that is fine. And some guys in the past were not interested but they paid their way because they knew every single lap they did, whether testing or racing, there were GPDA people saving them."

Felipe Massa has recently rescinded his membership of the GPDA. "I didn't always like the way it was run," the Ferrari driver told the Italian sports daily La Gazzetta dello Sport.

However fellow countryman Rubens Barrichello was not impressed "It is a personal decision," the Honda veteran told Spanish newspaper Diario AS in Istanbul, "but it's not good for the rest of us.

"If the association wants to be a strong influence on the FIA, it is very important to have the Ferrari drivers on-board. If we have the 20 guys of the grid discussing these things, then every situation is possible."

All of this lead to Fernando Alonso also coming out saying he could not understand the drivers who did not want to be part of the association. Given the GPDA is really the main vehicle for the drivers to raise safety fears.

"It is true there are drivers not in the GPDA, which is their own decision, but in my opinion it is not good," said Alonso, when asked by autosport.com about the situation regarding GPDA. "As I have said another time, everyone can choose what they want - but it is difficult to understand how drivers don't want to be involved in an association of drivers that want to save our lives when we are racing.

"The accident that Kovalainen had last week, we will work on it with the FIA very closely, we will make some proposals and at the end we will find a solution. And these type of accidents will not be repeated. So drivers who don't want to be involved with that, it makes no sense."

Richard Woods, Director General of the FIA Institute, told the Independant newspaper that there has always been genuine interest in working with the drivers, and that this has frequently been the case.

âThereâs a constant dialogue between the drivers and the FIA and they are welcome to attend the key safety research meetings where all the detailed work is done. The GPDA has regularly sent speakers and delegates to FIA Institute events such as this seasonâs medical summit in Bahrain and Sid (Watkins) and Gerard Saillant (FIA Institute President and Deputy President) value these contributions greatly.

Here at OzRacingWrap we would have to say we agree with Trulli, Webber and Alonso. It is staggering to us that any driver would view the association as optional. In fact we think further the FIA should make it a condition of being sanctioned to drive in Formula 1 that a driver must firstly pay the fee and secondly be a member of the association.

For those drivers who feel the association does not achieve anything, we have only look to the recent Turkish Grand Prix. In the support GP2 race a stray dog wondered onto the track and was collected by Bruno Senna. The GPDA immediately became involved with track officials to agree a work around of the problem. If there was no GPDA it would be much harder to get agreement, However the appropriate officials of the GPDA were able to be contacted and a solution found to allow the Grand Prix to go ahead.

Perhaps it has been to long since the last death in Formula 1 and some of the younger drivers are starting to take safety for granted. We can only hope that such a attitude will not come back to bite them. Motor sport will always be dangerous and the search for safety must be ongoing. What is safe today may not be tomorrow, as the cars find ever increasing speed.

Atkinson ends day one fifth in Sardinia

Sat, 17 May 2008 00:07:00 GMT

Image Atkinson during the Sardinia shakedown courtesy of swrt.com

With his team mate holding third, Chris Atkinson has had a solid start to the Rally of Sardinia.

Atkinson and PrÃvot made a strong start to the event, finishing the first three stages of the morning sharing third overall with Fordâs Mikko Hirvonen. Solberg and Mills meanwhile lay fifth. Having made some changes to their car during the midday service, the Norwegian traded position with his team mate in an afternoon of change, snatching third position as Atkinson slipped to fifth with Hirvonen splitting the SWRT crews. The Australian remains within reach of the podium still, promising to keep this battle fuelled into the longest day of competition tomorrow.

Yeah, itâs not been a bad day todayâ echoed Chris Atkinson. âItâs good to get through the day with no problems though as itâs been tough. The guys behind are going well and are fast, so weâll have to pick it up a bit tomorrow to stay in the fight. Itâs a close battle for third, and there are a few people quite close who will join the fight tomorrow so itâll be hard, thatâs for sure. I hope we can find a bit more to stay in the top five, but itâs not a bad start.â

Power shows promising signs in practice ahead of Saturday Qualifying for Indy 500

Fri, 16 May 2008 08:12:00 GMT

Will Power posted the 6th fastest time in practice Thursday as the teams get ready for the second qualifying say Saturday. Power averaged 222.657 behind Ryan Briscoe who topped the sheets with a average lap speed of 223.708.

It was nice to get some dry track time today in the KVRT Aussie Vineyards â Team Australia car,â Power said.Â âEveryone thought it would rain today, but fortunately it never came.Â We were able to get through a few test items, did one qualifying run and a couple of long runs which were interesting.Â But all in all, we are still at a similar pace as before.Â We are making slow progress, but I think now we really need to focus on the race setup. Â I think that is the most critical for us if we are going to finish well in this race.â

Sorry slight error with the podcast

Thu, 15 May 2008 14:43:00 GMT

Just a quick note to say the first version of the podcast we just loaded for some reason did not have Ryan and I on it. We have reloaded it with a fully working version so please redownload if you have any problems. We spotted it quick and I think only 4 people have been affected. Anyway hope you enjoy the show. Ryan and Shaun

Bye Bye Super Aguri

Thu, 15 May 2008 13:14:00 GMT

In this show we cover all the cars from V8's to F1 and all the stuff in between. Somehow we also cover the budget, Adelaide residents, AFL website and much more.

Atkinson looks forward to Rally Sardinia

Tue, 13 May 2008 12:58:00 GMT

The above image of Chris Atkinson and Stephane Prevot, his co-driver and the below article are courtesy of swrt.com

Chris Atkinson has said he enjoys the upcoming Rally Sardinia: âItâs important to drive smoothly and without mistakes in Sardinia as the roads are very technical and narrow but itâs a rally I enjoy. Itâs my fourth year here, and my second with StÃphane, so I hope we can have a good event and run competitively. Iâm not thinking about another podium finish, but just concentrating on our pace and fighting as high up as we can.â

Sardinia is itself the first of a back-to-back trio of European events, it heralds the start of the most demanding section of the season with three events in just five weeks. The travel and intensified workload will punish drivers, cars and teams alike, and go a long way to setting the Championship scene for the remainder of the season.

Sardinia lies in the Mediterranean sea between Spain and Italy, just 12 kilometres from the coast of Corsica, itself the scene for a World Rally encounter later in the season. As per previous years, the rally is based in the northern tip of the island, in the industrial port of Olbia on the Costa Smeralda coast.

The soft and almost sandy gravel roads wind through a combination of unspoiled green mountainsides that contrast with the sometime dusty and rocky routes of the lower regions. The traction and braking stability of the cars will be really tested by the loose surfaces that can cause the cars to wander as the road beneath them shifts. Eighty per cent of the local area is hilly, and while more rolling than mountainous, the stages steadily undulate.

In the typically lush Italian hills, temperatures are expected to be upwards of 20 degrees Celsius, but routes can quickly become dampened by the ever-present chance of unexpected storms. The stages are very flowing and technical, meaning it is vital that crews get into a good rhythm from the outset in order to attack fully. Crews running first on the road will clean the loose surface to the benefit of those behind them, but as the roads deteriorate and become rutted by the second passes, it will actually favour the front-runners.

The event starts with a ceremonial start in the exclusive resort of Porto Cervo, 30 kilometres to the north of the service park, and consists of 17 stages stretching 354 competitive kilometres across the northern provinces of Olbia, Sassari and Nuoro. Whilst many of the planned routes are very similar to those used in previous years, there have been several significant changes to pit competitors against new challenges, namely that the third and final day is almost completely new.

The history of the island is evident in the numerous ancient ruins that the route will take the World Rally cars past. Abandoned castles, churches and strongholds all hint at the islandâs medieval past and contribute to the collapsed carved stone structures and outcrops that typify this most varied of championship events.

Ambrose finishes in the top 10 for second time this season

Tue, 13 May 2008 12:06:00 GMT

Marcos Ambrose has claimed his second top 10 finish of the 2008 season and his first on an oval with a hard fought 10th place in the Diamond Hill Plywood 200 at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina today.

Ambrose toughed it out in a demanding race at the track known as âToo Tough To Tameâ, coming home strong in the first race on Darlingtonâs new surface.

Ambrose started from 20th position in the #59 Kingsford Hickory Ford Fusion and maintained track position early. The Australian ran a long first stint and was one of the last cars to pit, resulting in Ambrose leading a lap on lap 64.

Seconds before Ambrose was to make his first pit stop the caution flag came out, a stroke of luck for Ambrose that allowed him to pit under yellow.

Ambrose was in 15th position at the restart and maintained a top 20 position for the rest of the race, despite sustaining repairs at each of his pit stops to continue to repair slight right side damage, a common occurrence at Darlington.

After a brief red flag stoppage, Ambrose was in 13th position at the restart with 13 laps remaining. A crash at the restart triggered by Mark Martinâs car running out of fuel caused carnage but Ambrose drove well to avoid damage and survive the wreck.

Ambrose came home strong and was setting some of his fastest laps of the race in the last part of the event, finishing in 10th in a âgreen-white-checkerâ finish right behind ninth placed Jason Leffer.

Tony Stewart won todayâs Diamond Hill Plywood 200 at Darlington Raceway ahead of fellow Sprint Cup drivers Clint Bowyer and David Reutimann.

Ambrose will participate in the official NASCAR Nationwide Series test at Loweâs Motor Speedway in Charlotte, North Carolina on May 12-13 before a rare off-weekend.

The Australianâs next race will also be at Loweâs Motor Speedway, with the Carquest Auto Parts 300 on May 24.

Marcos Ambrose - #59 Kingsford Hickory Ford Fusion

âWe got a bit of damage early but it was a night when plenty of people got a lot more damage than we did,â said Ambrose.

âWe fought the car all night and kept making small repairs at our stops and it was at itâs best towards the end of the race.

âThis track is so tough that itâs really about fighting the conditions rather than the competitors. Thatâs what we did for a lot of the race tonight.

âWe deserved to finish where we did tonight. We had a really good run in the Kingsford car and we were at the front when it matters in the last part of the race.

âThis is a great result for our team and Iâm looking forward to testing at Charlotte this week for the two day test there and then running well there for our next race in two weeks time.

âWeâve had a lot of bad luck this year so it was good to have some good luck go our way. Thatâs what happens in this game, some times things go your way and other times they keep going against you. So youâve just got to keep fighting and be up there in the front when things go your way.â

A1GP unveil the new Ferrari powered Chassis

Mon, 12 May 2008 10:50:00 GMT

London, Great Britain - A1GP World Cup of Motorsport has revealed the first image of its brand new 'Powered by Ferrari' car for use in season four (2008/09). The CAD drawing was released ahead of the car's inaugural shakedown test in Southern England.

A1GP's own tv commentator and Formula One legend, John Watson, will have the honour of driving the car for the first time, powered by a V8 Ferrari engine producing in the region of 600 bhp.

The chassis is based on the design of the highly successful F2004 chassis, incorporating A1GP's core values to deliver close, exciting racing among a competitive field where overtaking is an essential part of the entertainment.

A1GP Technical Director, John Travis, is overseeing the design, development and production of the car from premises in Bognor Regis in the UK, with Rory Byrne acting as a consultant. Meanwhile the work on the manufacture and supply of the A1GP engine is being overseen by Ferrari's Jean-Jacques His.

The Powered by Ferrari project was first announced on 11 October 2007 when the most famous name in motorsport signed a six-year agreement to manufacture and supply all A1GP engines for this unique series and provide consultancy on the design of all A1GP chassis from season four onwards.

Speaking ahead of the shakedown and what will be an intensive testing programme for the new car and engine, Tony Teixeira, Chairman of A1GP, said:

'Everyone is very excited about this project and it will be fantastic to see the new A1GP powered by Ferrari car turn a wheel for the first time on Friday. We obviously still have a lot of work to do as this is just the first step in what will be an intense development and testing programme, but I am very happy with the progress made so far. We have a small, dedicated group of people in Bognor Regis and are very lucky to be able to use some well known motor racing companies for certain areas of expertise. I am pleased to say we are on schedule and we will be announcing the date of the official unveiling of the car soon.'

Briscoe grabs third for the Indy 500

Sun, 11 May 2008 00:53:00 GMT

Ryan Briscoe has qualified third for the Indy 500 behind Kiwi Scott Dixon on poll.

The first day of qualifying saw the top 11 spots decided. Fellow Aussie Will Power is yet to qualify.

âI had a really good run,â? Briscoe said. âThe car was balanced really well for the downforce level we trimmed out to, and it was a solid gain, for sure. We were on the edge, and it was exciting. Iâm really happy to be in the thick of it. This is unbelievable.â?

Webber seeking to stay at Red Bull

Sun, 11 May 2008 00:49:00 GMT

Mark Webber has confirmed to reporters at Instanbul that he is seeking to extend his time at Red Bull.

Hot on the heels of his 5th in qualifying, Webber told reporters "We are talking now," he went on to say "I am free next year, but I am massively keen to stay here. I hope to stay here.

"What I love about this team is that I am employed to drive the car, and if I have to do a track day or a PR day then I would rather skip it - rather than go and talk to people that don't want to see me and I don't want to see them. That is great."

"I have always said I won't be around forever fighting for 12th, 13th or 14th," he added.

"I would just go do something else. I have no interest in doing that anymore, and I am massively motivated at the moment to come up and rack up the points, alongside Fernando (Alonso), and fighting like at Barcelona.

"That is good. It motivates you during the week, and you are looking forward to each race when it is like that.

"When you are getting smoked down the back every weekend and it is tough, then I would rather go ride my mountain bike with my dog."

Super Aguri call it a day and withdraw from F1

Tue, 6 May 2008 13:48:00 GMT

Super Aguri have today confirmed they will be withdrawing from F1 with immediate effect. The moves comes after Honda decided not continue its support of the team.

In their press release the team noted that a sponsor from last season had defaulted on payment. This combined with the rules that would require the team in 2009 to build its own car meant they did not have the funds to continue.

Whilst a proposal was put to the Honda board for German outfit Weigl Group to take a stake in the team, the board was not prepared to put any further funding or support in.

Whilst not the sole factor the decision not to allow customer chasis in F1 is a large part of the problem. Prodrive abandoned their plans to enter F1 this season when it became clear they would need to build a car for the 09 season.

The future of Toro Rosso is also clouded by the need to build a car with the Red Bull interest in the team up for sale.

The statement from the team reads as follows

Super Aguri Formula One Team has today announced its withdrawal from the 2008 FIA Formula One World Championship.

Participating in Formula One since the 2006 season, the Team, which scored its first championship points after only 22 races (Spanish Grand Prix, 2007) and finished ninth overall in the 2007 Constructorsâ Championship, will cease all activities as of 6th May 2008. Aguri Suzuki, Team Principal, SUPER AGURI F1 TEAM

âIn order to realize my dream to become an owner of a Formula One Team, I applied for a grid position in the FIA Formula One World Championship in November 2005. Since then, I have participated in the championship for 2 years and 4 months as the SUPER AGURI F1 TEAM, but regretfully I must inform you that the team will be ceasing its racing activities as of today.

The team has competed against the many car manufacturer backed teams and has succeeded in obtaining the first points after only the 22nd race finishing in 9th place overall in the 2007 Constructorsâ Championship. However, the breach of contract by the promised partner SS United Group Company Limited resulted in the loss of financial backing and immediately put the team into financial difficulties. Also, the change in direction of the environment surrounding the team, in terms of the use of customer chassis, has affected our ability to find partners.

Meanwhile, with the help of Honda, we have somehow managed to keep the team going, but we find it difficult to establish a way to continue the activities in the future within the environment surrounding F1 and as a result, I have concluded to withdraw from the Championship.

I would like to express my deepest thanks to Honda, Bridgestone, the sponsors, all the people who have given us advise during various situations over the past couple of years all the Team Staff who have kept their motivations high and always done their best, Anthony Davidson who has always pushed to the limit despite the very difficult conditions, Takuma Sato who has been with us from the very start and has always fought hard and led the team and lastly our fans from all over the world who have loyally supported the SUPER AGURI F1 TEAM."

Team Australia Crash out in the final race of the season in A1GP

Mon, 5 May 2008 09:02:00 GMT

Team India won the Feature Race with style and put on a great show for the fans with donuts on the main straight to celebrate their victory.

Early in the race on lap two both Team Pakistan and Team Australia collided on the back straight with major damage on the Team Australia car. John Martin's race was over and Adam Khan left the circuit after a quick medical centre check up.

John Martin was not impressed with Khan's attitude to the shunt and was quick to let Khan know how he felt when they met together in the medical centre.

Team Australia end the 2007-2008 season in 17th place overall.

Next race will be at Mugello on September 21 showcasing the new A1GP car "Powered by Ferrari"

Alan Jones A1 Team Australia Seatholder: "It was not the race result we expected, the accident appeared to be another racing incident. We are now looking to the new season that starts in September to launch our new car with Ferrari"

John Martin: "I was upset with Adam Khan as we were both on the back straight and had room for both of us. All he had to do was stay on his side of the race track and everything would have been fine. Instead he moved over towards me, so I had to move back and we touched. There was no way I could save the car once I hit the grass. We spoke at the Medical Centre and he left the circuit"

Will Power completes Rookie Orientation Program day at Indy on top

Mon, 5 May 2008 06:55:00 GMT

The month of May at Indy has kicked off with the Rookie Orientation Program. The Rookie Orientation Program, ROP, requires that first year drivers wishing to contest the Indianapolis 500 must compete four phases.Â They must turn 10 laps at each of 200-205 mph, 205-210 mph, 210-215 mph and 215+ mph.Â The first three phases must be completed on the first two days the track is open while the fourth phase may be completed during practice later in the month.

Will Power and his teammate Oriol Servia both took part and completed all four stages, with Power posting the fastest time of 220.694 mph the 11 drivers taking part. He also ran the most laps of anyone doing a full 94 laps for the day.

Commenting afterwards Power said, âThe KV Racing Technology team wanted to get in as many laps as possible today, which is what we achieved.Â To be quick today means we are gradually getting there and I was able to go flat the whole way.Â I felt really comfortable with the Aussie Vineyards â Team Australia car and once I was able to go flat, the car felt better and I was able to start letting some of the front wing out.Â The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is something I have never driven on and I found it unique because it was so fast.Â Itâs not really like an oval because of its four corners and flat banking, but almost a mixture between a banked oval and a road course.Â It was something more than I had expectedâdaunting, and as far as ovals go, its more technical and therefore you canât make a mistake.â?

The Increase in safety in Formula One

Mon, 5 May 2008 03:28:00 GMT

In just the last race we saw a crash that not that many years ago would have left the driver badly injured or dead. The fact that Heikki Kovalainen was able to walk away unhurt is a testament to the improved safety in FORMULA ONE. It is almost unbelievable that he will drive in next weeks Turkish Grand Prix.

His accident comes on the heels of the equally frightening accident in Canada last year, which saw the car of Robert Kubica become completely airborne. Again the driver somehow survived.

Of course it wasnât always this safe. As Sir Jackie Stewart notes in his autobiography âWinning is not enoughâ during a 11 year period in his career some 57 drivers died.

Indeed Sir Jackie was one of the first drivers to really demand increases in safety and making the Grand Prix Drivers Association a bastion of safety in FORMULA ONE.

No doubt also the work of Professor Sid Watkins also greatly saw the vast reductions in death, that for so long were an accepted part of the sport.

However motor racing remains a dangerous sport, as we sadly found out in Australia earlier this year. The risk of Death can not be removed from a sport where a car is driven at such speeds. It is important however that the Grand Prix Drivers association continues to push safety issues when they see them.

A example was provided during this years Australian Grand Prix, when the Toyota of Timo Glock was launched over the raised kerb of a access road. Such raised kerbs should not be on the circuit and it was somewhat surprising this was not picked up in any track inspection. The Grand Prix Drivers Association needs to ensure next that bump is not there.

Thankfully we can safely say that no driver should ever again be wishing 57 of their friends good bye in the future but we must not become complacent and let safety drift into the background.

Ambrose struggles to 25th in Richamond

Sun, 4 May 2008 01:35:00 GMT

Marcos Ambrose has ensured that he finished in a solid position and continued to add to his 2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series points tally with 25th place on a trying day in the Lipton Tea 250 at Richmond International Raceway in Richmond, Virginia today.

Ambrose qualified in 17th position earlier in the day in the #59 Kingsford Hickory Ford Fusion but unfortunately the Australian was never able to get an effective set-up and did not have the pace he expected in todayâs 250-lap race.

Ambrose received the Lucky Dog when a caution was called on lap 67, vaulting him back onto the lead lap just one lap after he had been lapped by leader Carl Edwards.

The Kingsford driver ran in 22nd position for much of the race as he tried his best despite his carâs handling, set-up changes at pit stops doing little to improve Ambroseâs pace.

In the end Ambrose came home in 25th place, importantly staying out of trouble as many others crashed out to score all-important championship points to be 16th in the 2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series standings.

Ambrose will be back in action next week at one of his favourite venues for the Diamond Hill Plywood 200 at Darlington Raceway in South Carolina.

Hometown hero Denny Hamlin won todayâs Lipton Tea 250 at Richmond International Raceway ahead of Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch.

Marcos Ambrose - #59 Kingsford Hickory Ford Fusion

âIt was just a tough night for the Kingsford team but we brought it home and got some more points on the board,â? said Ambrose.

âWe were a little loose into the corners when we came off the truck and it just sort of hurt us here for the race.

âI thought we were going to be better than that, so Iâm a little disappointed. We just didnât have the pace we would have liked and that meant we couldnât move forward.

âIâm looking forward to Darlington next weekend. I loved running there last year and with the new surface this year it should be even faster.â?

Ambrose caught in crash again

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 13:48:00 GMT

Marcos Ambrose has had a potentially strong finish evaporate in a second after the Australian was caught up in a massive accident in the Aaronâs 312 at Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega, Alabama today.

With 47 laps remaining Ambrose was running in 17th position in the #59 Kingsford Hickory Ford Fusion. Ambrose was running in the main pack and on the lead lap while conserving his Ford for the finish.

âThereâs nothing you can do in that situation and sometimes these things happen,â? said Ambrose.

âWe were running to plan, just hanging out there in the lead pack and getting ready to make a run at the front.

âI took the conservative approach like a lot of others. It was all running pretty smoothly but once the wreck started there was no stopping it.

âWe got it back out there and moved up a little, salvaging something out of nothing I guess. Iâve definitely got the thank the crew for that because we are trying to score all the points we can get.

âThereâs nothing you can do about it. Weâll just put this behind us and look to run well at Richmond next week. Weâre certainly not the only ones that got caught up in it â Talladega looked like a parking lot after the dust settled!â?

Briscoe takes 7th whilst Power crashes out in Kansas

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 10:49:00 GMT

In return to combined racing, the two aussie drivers had very different races.

Ryan Briscoe managed to come home in 7th and commented "I thought today was a good race for Team Penske,â? Briscoe said. âWe had a solid car and I'm fairly happy with our result. The final laps were a little frustrating, because I think I had better than a seventh-place car. I was just trying to play it safe, looking for a solid finish. I thought it was a good day for me and I feel like I learned a lot out there.â?

Meanwhile Will Power crashed out for KV Racing. Power, KV Racing Technology #8 Aussie Vineyards â Team Australia Honda/Dallara/Firestone, who was competing in just his third oval event and second on a big oval, started 18th with an average speed of 210.091mph. The talented 27-year-old Australian, who continues to learn the nuances of oval racing, was contesting lap 22 and battling in traffic when he lost the air that creates downforce and slid into the wall in Turn #2, damaging his car and ending his race.

âI got caught up at the bottom of the track, and I couldnât go high because I wasnât sure if someone was there,â? Power said. âI just lost all the air and the KV Racing Technology Aussie Vineyards â Team Australia car flicked round so quick there was no way I could fix it. It is disappointing. The crew has worked really hard, and I wanted to do better in my second oval race. But now we go to Indianapolis for the month of May, and we will have plenty of track time to improve the car. I can also get some more experience on ovals.â? Next up in the series is the world famous Indy 500.

Atkinson continues run of podiums in Jordan

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 10:44:00 GMT

Chris Atkinson in action during the final day at rally of Jordan. Picture courtesy of swrt.com

Chris Atkinson and StÃphane PrÃvot secured a podium finish on the final day of the Jordan Rally after another day of change amongst the front-runners. The only entry for the Subaru World Rally Team today, the duo snatched a step of the podium as those in front stumbled to make it three podiums in a row.

Only Atkinson restarted the final day this morning, as Petter was sidelined just before the close of day two. Holding fourth position from yesterday, an intense battle for position between the top three meant that anything was likely to happen, and Chris was there to pick up the pieces.

Surely enough, it was Fordâs Latvala who hit problems during stage 18, losing almost 50 seconds during the stage and carrying his handicap into the longest test of the rally, the River Jordan stage. Atkinson continued with his steady strategy, which was sufficient to take him into third position midway through the stage and his fourth podium from five rounds this season.

âYet again Chris has shown his consistency to ensure another podium position and maintain third position in the Driversâ Championshipâ? said David Richards, Subaru World Rally Team Principal. âIâm sure Chris is now looking forward to getting his hands on the new car and being able to challenge at the front.â?

It is the first time since the beginning of 2005 that any one driver has recorded three consecutive podiums for the Subaru World Rally Team, when Solberg and Mills secured their trio in Mexico, New Zealand and Sardinia.

With a comfortable gap behind him to fourth position, the Australian was able to complete the afternoonâs three stages at a consistent pace, taking no unnecessary risks to reach the finish. His result ensures Atkinson maintains his third place in the Driversâ Championship standings.

âWe scored good points again and itâs good for us and good for the team as it keeps us close to the guys at the front of the championshipâ? said Chris Atkinson. âIt was a difficult rally for us as almost from the start we were in the middle of nowhere with big gaps in front and behind of us. We managed to go along at our own pace, keeping it on the road.

âWe had some hard times when things werenât going well but we managed to get through. It was a bit of misfortune for others, but lucky for us. Sometimes thatâs just how it goes. Weâve still got a lot of work to do and we want to be more competitive on pace and pushing for wins, but four podiums from five rallies is a very consistent start for us so with that Iâm happy.â?

Power wins final race of Champ Car

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 10:54:00 GMT

Will Power has ended his Champ Car carer by winning the final ever Champ Car race at Long Beach.

Power made a strong start and battled brit Justin Wilson early, before taking the lead when the Brit withdrew.

Drivers will now return to the IRL season, where sadly wins are likely to be few and far between.

Ambrose bounces back with second on the road in Mexico

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 10:48:00 GMT

Marcos Ambrose has driven the race of his life to pass more cars than any other driver on his way to second place in the Corona Mexico 200 at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez road course in Mexico City today.

Ambrose achieved his best ever NASCAR finish today in the #59 Kingsford Hickory Ford Fusion in the drive of the day after coming through the field twice throughout the race.

The Australian qualified fourth for the 80-lap race but was forced to start from the rear of the field. Ambrose suffered from clutch problems in practice and opted to change the clutch for the race to ensure he finished the race, an adjustment that meant he started the race in 40th position, as cars are not to be worked on between qualifying and the start of the race.

Ambrose showed why he is one of the most formidable road course drivers in NASCAR by driving from the rear up into 23rd position at the start before the first caution of the day came out on lap three.

Ambrose was inside the top 20 when the first round of pit stops occurred, however this delivered a further setback for Ambrose. NASCAR ruled that members of Ambroseâs JTG Racing pit crew had left the pit wall and entered pit lane too early and the 31-year-old was forced to complete a drive through penalty under green flag conditions, again sending him to the rear.

The Kingsford driver then set about regaining lost ground and again coming through the field. Ambrose made good progress and had a steady middle part of the race, making his final pit stop with 33 laps remaining for four new tires and fuel.

At a race restart with 26 laps remaining Ambrose made contact with Boris Said entering the first corner, causing the Kingsford car to run across the grass but maintain eighth position.

The ensuing caution saw Ambrose gain a position at the restart entering the first corner and continue to pick off cars one by one as the laps wore down. Ambrose passed Patrick Carpentier in the Esses to gain third position with 13 laps remaining, then

moved up to second with a move past Scott Pruett at the end of the long front straight entering the first corner with six laps to go.

Ambrose began the chase down leader Kyle Busch and was edging closer to Busch with every lap but in the end time ran out and the driver from Launceston, Australia finished second, within a second of Busch, remarkable after all the adversity thrown his way throughout the tough 80-lap event.

The finish is Ambroseâs best NASCAR result, his previous best finish was third in two events in the 2006 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series at Kansas and Nashville. Ambroseâs previous best finish in the NASCAR Nationwide Series was fourth at Memphis late last year.

This was Ambroseâs second top 10 finish in Mexico from two starts at the twisting road course. Todayâs result was Ambroseâs first top 10 result this season.

After the race Ambrose said that he thought he could have taken the lead from Busch within two laps, but that he was pleased to have taken second on a day where he and his #59 Kingsford team had to overcome challenge after challenge.

Ambrose rises to 13th in the 2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series standings, a jump of four positions, injecting a boost into Ambroseâs 2008 championship campaign.

MARCOS AMBROSE PRESS CONFERENCE:

â?Weâre really pleased. I feel like we had been battling all day. We had an overheating motor there at the end. We had to start at the back with a clutch problem and that was still there in the race and we had to watch that.

âThen we had to come from the back again because we miscalculated the fuel and we had an ignition stall. Then we had a penalty on pit lane and had to come from the back again. It had just been a day of fighting.

âI really want to first apologise to Boris on one of those restarts. I got into him and spun him out and ended his day. I just want to answer those questions now before they come up. I feel bad for him but our day has been fantastic and Iâm really proud of my Kingsford guys.

âWe fought all day and never gave up. I think if we had another two laps we would have had something for Kyle because he was really starting to go off. Iâm proud of my finish. This is my best finish since Iâve been in NASCAR. Iâve got to be pleased.â?

Q: DID YOU MAKE A CONSCIENCE DECISION TODAY TO DRIVE LIKE THE TASMANIAN DEVIL?

âYeah, in the whole, weâve had a tough year. We really wanted to have a strong day today. Youâre not going to go and pass 43 cars 15 times like we did today without being aggressive. And youâve got to be in this racing to try and come through. It was really tough racing. Itâs some of the hardest racing Iâve ever done there that last 20 laps. Then youâve got Carl [Edwards] and Kyle [Busch] and Scott [Pruett], theyâre the best in the business.

âWeâre hanging on the best we can and trying to race. Itâs pretty awesome. Iâll probably look back at this race as probably one of my best races in just having to fight all day. Everything was against us, but we fought all day and came through.â?

Q: I KNOW YOU APOLOGISED BUT BORIS SEEMED PRETTY INTENT ON GETTING REVENGE SOME DAY AND HE DID TALK TO YOUR CREW CHIEF.

âThereâs no point in getting in the crew chiefâs face because heâs not driving the car. Iâm going to ring him on Monday and hopefully sleep will help him just think through things a little bit more. I value Borisâ friendship and he is a fantastic racer.

âI didnât mean to do it. I donât know what happened, to be honest with you. I had pretty square contact and all of a sudden, heâs up speed and off to the left. I caught his rear bumper bar in mine. I donât know what happened, it wasnât intentional.

âRacing happens. Look at the deal last year with Robby Gordon. Bad stuff happens out there and itâs unfortunate. Iâll apologise to him to his face. Iâll apologize to him today in front of the media. I canât take it back. I wish I didnât do it. I donât know how it happened and thatâs all I can really say.

âIf he wants to come talk to me about it, Iâd like to sit down and just find some common ground. Itâs just unfortunate that that stuff happens but thatâs what racing is all about. Thatâs what fans turn out for.â?

Q: IS THIS FINISH SOMETHING YOU CAN CARRY ON?

âI hope so. Itâs been a good day for us. Iâm really proud of the Kingsford guys. Another two laps, I think we would have had the win. I was really closing on Kyle. I was either going to spin out or win because I was going to give it everything I had.

âIf I could have gotten within shooting distance, I was going to shoot and try to make a run at him. Iâm just really proud of my guys. Weâre fighting in this championship. Weâre fighting to stay alive. I feel like Iâm a part of NASCAR. I just really, desperately want to do well. Today we did well and weâve just got to keep carrying it on. Who knows what is going to happen in the future, but hopefully this will be a catalyst for better things.â?

AMBROSE ON THE INCIDENT WITH BORIS SAID:

âIf I could take it back, I would,â? said Ambrose.

âI didnât mean to get into Boris; I really like him. Heâs a great racer and Iâve idolised him in the past and I still do. If I could wind the clock back, I would. Itâs just hard racing up there. He checked up in the middle of the corner. I was getting something from behind and I wanted to defend my position. Our bumper bars just hooked and it just turned him around. It was just the craziest thing Iâve seen. I feel bad for him. I canât take it back.

âWeâre proud of our day. Weâve driven well and weâve got a team behind us. Weâre back in the points and weâre having a great day.â?

Briscoe 9th in Japan as Patrick takes first Female win at Motegi

Sun, 20 Apr 2008 05:44:00 GMT

Danika Patrick has taken her first win and the first by a female driver in open wheel racing in the states.

Ryan Briscoe had been running with the leaders when he rubbed the wall late in the race and bought his Penske home in 9th place.

Mark Webber comments on Mosley affair

Sun, 20 Apr 2008 05:40:00 GMT

In a rather surprise move Mark Webber has told BBC Sport that the affair had bought the affair into disrepute.

"I'm not interested in commenting on Mosley specifically - however what concerns me is that the current scandal has brought the sport into disrepute," said the Australian.

"Formula One is the pinnacle of motorsport, all of us involved have worked very hard to get there, and whether we like it or not, we are role models.

"Whether Max chooses to resign or how the vote will go at the extraordinary meeting on 3 June is a matter for him and the FIA membership, but my point is that Formula One simply cannot have scandals of this type."

"He's in a very, very influential position and it's a very, very important role that he has," he said. "And I think that makes it difficult when any of these scandals become public. It would be more challenging for him to do his job." In regards to others in the F1 paddock not commenting on the affair Webber said "I think they are waiting for the extraordinary meeting to take place and obviously a lot of people are sitting on the fence and waiting for the right protocol to see what will happen," Webber said. "I'm sure after 3 June we will have more reaction."

Strange old weekend for open wheel racing in America

Sat, 19 Apr 2008 00:03:00 GMT

Open wheel racing in America, this weekend ensures one of its last weekends apart.

Due to contractual obligations, the old CHAMP Car series was required to run the Long Beach Grand Prix this weekend. However the IRL was tied to a deal to race in Japan at Motegi.

So the two Aussie's in the series find themselves racing apart again. Will Power is with KV Racing at Long Beach and Ryan Briscoe is in Japan.

Power has qualified 10th for the Long Beach Grand Prix and Briscoe will start from 15th. Rain saw the qualifying session washed out and the grid was determined by the last practive session.

Future of Super Aguri now Seriously in doubt

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 00:25:00 GMT

In a press release today Super Aguri confirmed that the planned sale of the team had fallen through. The team is now fully dependent on Honda providing finanical support until an alternative can be found. If Honda withdraw support, it is likely Aguri will fold, possibly prior to the Spansih Grand Prix.

The statement is as follows "Super Aguri F1 Team confirms that it has been informed by Magma Group, the potential purchasers of the team, that its investors no longer wish to fund the intended acquisition.

"It is with deep regret that Aguri Suzuki is now forced to consider the future of the team, however negotiations with other parties continue."

Tough weekend for Australia in A1GP

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 10:31:00 GMT

Image and following press release courtesy of A1GP.com and Team Australia

A very difficult weekend for the team here in Shanghai China with a 14th place result in the Feature Race. Not what the team expected after numerous changes to the car throughout the weekend.

John Martin had a good clean start and kept his position until the first pitstop which did not go well, costing him at least two places as he was closing in on Teams Germany, Brazil and Italy.

The second pitstop was better though track placement never improved throughout the entire race for Team Australia. The first set of tyres towards the end were causing more understeer than previous oversteer and the second set were obviously no better.

Martin's track speed was good and his times comparable to the top end of the racing grid. A1GP is so close and the cars identical, endless changes being made to the car over the weekend did not deliver the targeted results expected by the team prior to arriving here in Shanghai.

Alan Jones A1 Team Australia Seatholder: "We tried a lot more setup changes here than we expected to do and still no improvement. John was in a position to improve during his pitstops, unfortunately we lost a bit of time during both stops and that cost him some places. The car was quick during the race on a better second set of tyres, the grip improved as most cars were lapping faster and making overtaking a lot more difficult"

John Martin: "The first set of tyres were no good as I had understeer all of a sudden, after battling oversteer all weekend. The second set were better and where I had very little traction out of a corner during Friday and Qualifying, I ended up with too much. The car was changing every lap and all weekend I havent been able to be consistent anywhere. The team have tried loads of setup variations to help me get the car sorted and I thank them for their perseverance. We'll do better at Brands Hatch"

Rob Arnott: "Everyone experienced similar track changes today, and John was no better off as we did cost him some places during his pitstops. The team are normally perfect on a stop, you have a day when a second costs you places in pitlane. We have already started planning the setup for Brands Hatch and should do better there after a tough Shanghai A1GP"

Ambrose 17th in Phoenix

Sat, 12 Apr 2008 06:44:00 GMT

Marcos Ambrose has enjoyed a solid run in the Bashas Supermarkets 200 with 17th place at Phoenix International Raceway in Arizona today.

Ambrose qualified in 11th position in the #59 Kingsford Hickory Ford Fusion and maintained a position in the top 15 in the early stages of the race.

The Australian dropped out of the top 20 mid-race but improved the pace of his car entering the final stages, moving up to be one of the first cars running one lap down by the end of the race.

After 202 laps at the challenging 1.0-mile speedway Ambrose finished as the second car one lap down, collecting a solid haul of points to now sit 17th in the 2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series standings.

Kyle Busch won todayâs Bashas Supermarkets 200 ahead of Carl Edwards and Denny Hamlin.

Ambrose returns to road course racing next weekend with the Corona Mexico 200 at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City.

Marcos Ambrose - #59 Kingsford Hickory Ford Fusion

âWe had a reasonable day out there and brought it home,â? said Ambrose.

âI was waiting for the Lucky Dog to get back on the lead lap, because I really thought we could have had something for a lot of them towards the end to push us up the order.

âIn the end we were trapped a lap down but we finished and added to the points.

âIt wasnât a bad day for the Kingsford team and we will look to step it up a notch over the next few races.â?

A1GP Australia takes rookie into China

Sat, 12 Apr 2008 03:53:00 GMT

John Martin getting into the Aussie car

Well we haven't really covered A1GP to date, and yes we have even expressed strong views on the series. However at the end of the day, the team is giving some up and coming Aussie racers a chance so we think we should cover them.

we pick them up ahead of the Chinese round of the series and news that A1 Team Australia will start a new rookie at the next round of the âWorld Cup of Motorsportâ in Shanghai, China. Sydneysider Nathan Antunes comes to the team with extensive open wheel experience including stints in Formula BMW, Formula 3 and GP2. Both Nathan and lead driver John Martin will experience the Shanghai circuit for the first time in this penultimate round of season three.

Alan Jones A1 Team Australia Seatholder: "This is a very important race like all others, where we have to secure the best points to move back up the championship ladder. John has not raced here before, nor has our new Rookie Nathan Antunes ever driven our A1GP racecar. Again we have created the opportunity for young talent to shine on the International motorsport stage with A1 Team Australia. Shanghai International Circuit has a very long fast back straight, with challenging corners and a long pit lane. We provided Nathan Antunes the best information possible in Mexico with our engineers and driver on the car setup and team strategies and communications. Both young guys are working and talking to each other so we feel confident of a good weekend"

John Martin: "Shanghai is a great circuit to simulate on with Playstation, as many international drivers use this type of feedback on tracks they have never been on before. The last race there for the team was a good one to start though the result was not so good in the end. Year before was a podium so I have my target set to do well there. This week I have spent valuable time talking over race strategy with Rob [Arnott] and Ash [Edwards]. We arrive on Thursday morning to have a good walk around the entire circuit with our engineers and rookie driver to review what we discussed this week and take notice of the weather forecast for tyre selection"

Rob Arnott Chief Engineer: "Shanghai has a lot of speed on the front and back straights, so we are confident as the car is quick. Tyre degradation will play a vital part in our plan to get our car high up on the grid for both races. John like Nathan is new to Shanghai, as are some other drivers. We will let Nathan get used to the car at his pace so John can set it up for Saturdayâs all important qualifying"

Nathan Antunes: "I am keen to get into the car, and thank everyone for the opportunity. The information and feedback from Alan Jones is no doubt a very valuable asset to have access to at anytime. We have so much to draw from with his experience; the engineers were excellent in Mexico to understand the entire car setup. Adam Gotch with his crew made it quite clear, on how to best prepare for Friday in Shanghai and look forward to a walk around the circuit on Thursday with John Rob and Ash. I met John again in Mexico, we soon swapped information together over the weekend, good vibe inside the team, and together we will do our best for the team and our country in China.

Ted Toleman founder of Toleman Motorsport, the Team who gave Ayrton Senna his first Formula One drive:"After observing Nathan in Australian, France and driving competitively in New Zealand, we are convinced he has the ability to be a frontrunner in his chosen sport. He has the correct mental and personal attitude to compete at the highest level. He is professional in his approach to motor racing and aware of the âupâs and downsâ he will encounter whilst attempting to achieve a permanent seat in A1GP"

We would love to hear your thoughts on the A1GP series. Is it worthwhile? Should we cover it? Have we been to harsh in the past with our comments? Just use the comments section in the blog or the e-mail link at the top of the page.

Fujitsu and Wakefield raise $35,000 for Ashley

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 23:49:00 GMT

In what would have been his home round of the Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series at Wakefield Park on the weekend, Ashley Cooperâs friends and family put in a gallant effort to raise $17,533.20 in public donations for the Ashley Cooper Foundation.

And to top it off Fujitsu General have matched the amount dollar for dollar, meaning the Fujitsu Series weekend raised an incredible $35,066.40 to help support Ashley Cooperâs partner Casey and their two children Ella and Bailey.

The Cooper family were truly touched by Fujitsu Generalâs generous offer and the Foundation was suddenly overwhelmed with offers from the public wishing to be volunteers and pledging donations to the foundation that was set up by Transplant Australia.

Ashley donated his organs following his fatal accident at the Clipsal 500 in February, saving the lives of six other people including a young girl.

The emotional weekend at Wakefield Park gave those close to Ashley the chance to reflect and grieve their loss with the racing community in a moving tribute lead by Chaplin Richard Cormack before the start of the final race.

The front of the grid was left empty and in its place stood Ashleyâs family, friends and team-mates in a fitting farewell to the sport that Ashley had loved and lived for.

Highly respected amongst his motor racing peers, Ashleyâs colleagues drove the warm-up lap with their headlights on as a mark of respect.

At the time of his death, 27-year-old Ashley Cooper lived life away from the race track with equal passion and drive. Inspired to reach his full potential in every aspect of his life, Ashley was a successful businessman, community role model, committed partner, father of two young children and fun loving man.

The Ashley Cooper Foundation was subsequently formed by Transplant Australia with the aim of raising enough funds to ensure the future for Ashleyâs partner and their two children.

The Ashley Cooper Foundation would like to thank the small country town of Goulburn for their big hearted generosity.

Details about the foundation can be found here

Changes made to Philip Island 500, more gimmicks

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 23:42:00 GMT

In case you thought the events at the Melbourne Grand Prix were a one off, V8 Supercars this week announced that the L&H Philip Island 500 will have a new format. Rather than the traditional 500 race on the Sunday only for the first time in the history of the endurance event, two individual races will be held on Saturday with each co-driver contesting one or the other. Teams will decide which driver competes in which race but their identity will not be known until all teams have nominated their drivers.

Adding to the intrigue will be that each car is required to complete one compulsory pit stop for a tyre change in either of the two races. Again the teams will make their own decision in which race they choose to change tyres.

âItâs an innovation that will lead to the ultimate in strategy and it will be intriguing to see what teams choose to do,â? said Shane Howard, V8 Supercars Australia General Manager of Events and Motorsport.

âThere will be some eagle eyes in pit lane for the first race to see who they are lining up against and then when each team chooses to pit. For the fans it will be sensational.â?

The first two races are short, 15-lap sprints. They will count for only one third of the points on offer for the weekend but will decide the composition of the grid for Sundayâs famous L&H 500 which is being held at the World class Phillip Island circuit for the first time.

âWhile we are adding the two short Saturday races the Sunday L&H 500 remains the emphasis of the weekend and the winner of the L&H 500 will be the car that crosses the line first on Sunday,â? Mr Howard said.

âBut the Saturday races set the all-important grid, decide pole position and count for Championship points so in their own right will be integral parts of the L&H 500 and the Championship picture.â?

The fierce heat of competition

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 11:51:00 GMT

The following article is courtesy of swrt.com

In a period of hot events that started with Mexico and will continue into the European summertime, we look at what blazing sun, blue skies and humidity mean for the drivers and the co-drivers aboard the Subaru World Rally Teamâs Impreza WRC2007s.

As the series approaches the inaugural Rally Jordan, crews prepare for potentially the hottest WRC encounter of the year as temperatures are set to soar to 40 degrees Celsius over the rally weekend.

Wind no cooling breeze, thatâs near unbearable for the team members working in the service park, but inside the World Rally cars crews can face temperatures that are another 10 degrees higher.

The sunâs rays are magnified through the window glass and the roof of the car, and the air inside becomes stifling. Of course, World Rally cars do not have air conditioning in the same sense as their road-going counterparts, and whilst they do have cockpit cooling fans, their efforts are often hampered by dust.

On dry and arid roads such as those in Jordan and Greece, the dust produced by the cars is substantial, and it would take a matter of seconds with the windows or the roof vent open for the car to fill with the swirling clouds.

Extreme in-car temperatures can rapidly drain the driver and co-driver of strength, focus and concentration, leading ultimately to a slower pace and a greater likelihood of mistakes.

Fitness plays a key role in the battle, as the fitter and stronger crews are, the less they will struggle with the physical demands of competition and therefore suffer from the loss of vital fluids through sweat. Fitter drivers are also afforded increased endurance in the heat, enabling them to attack the stages harder and for longer before tiring, and so both Petter and Chris have recently increased their training in preparation.

Hydration also plays a crucial role, absolutely essential to the sustained effort of the drivers and co-drivers over the course of the rally. Between them, either pair of Petter and Phil or Chris and StÃphane can consume 20 litres of specially formulated electrolyte fluid per day, helping to replace those essential vitamins and minerals that have been lost and boost strength and focus.

It is important that the crews do not just drink plain water however, as this can actually lead to a worsened condition and sickness. When drivers sweat, they lose minerals as well as water. If these are replaced simply by water, the body remains hydrated but severely weakened, in a condition called hyponatraemia.

The team also have two methods of reducing in-car temperatures as a result of absorbed sunlight, both of which focus on reflection. Firstly the side windows are lined with a protective and reflective film, similar to the concept of tinted windows on road cars, but in this instance silver in colour. Acting like mirrors, these simply reflect the majority of the sunâs rays and thus help keep the interior cooler.

Similarly, the Imprezas run with white patches on their roofs for the same end. White reflects heat more efficiently than the carâs normal blue, and seeing as the roof has a large surface area and absorbs a high proportion of the cockpit heat, it is a simple but effective measure.

Cockpit temperatures are just as important as extracting every last drop of performance from the car. Like engines, drivers and co-drivers donât work well if they overheat

Neal Bates win season opening Quit Forrest Rally WA

Wed, 9 Apr 2008 06:48:00 GMT

Toyota Racing Development driver Neal Bates has won the Australian Rally Championship season opening event in WA.

The win came when the sister car driven by reigning champion Simon Evans who was forced to retire in SS17 with an engine failure.

Bates was delighted with the win "I'm absolutely delighted, I am obviusly very disappointed for Simon and Sue, they drove an exceptionally well and deserved to win but when they stopped we were happy to pick up the pieces" said Bates.

Second place went to Eli Evans and third was Alex Stone. As Stone is not registered for Rally points third place in the points went to Justin Dowel.

The retirment by Evans marked the first time in 14 heats that Evans was not a ARC wiiner.

Evans was quoted as saying "It's disappointing, but I'm happy" "Our dream run ended when I was in the leas and we were doing everything right so if you're ever going to DNF this is the way to do it".

Forget the lights give us some shade at Albert Park

Mon, 7 Apr 2008 02:42:00 GMT

Forget the debate over a night race, as we discussed in the last podcast it is time the Australian Grand Prix Corporation (AGPC) took steps to provide cover for the fans.

Despite being raced often in 30+ degrees the Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park has no cover in the stands for paying spectators. There is shelter often at the back of the stands for Corporate Guests but punters shelling out over $400 Aussie dollars are expected to sit in the sun and enjoy it.

As Ryan has noted, the Clipsal 500 in Adelaide next year is aiming to cover all stands with shade cloths. It is hard to see any reason why Melbourne can not follow suit.

It can only be a matter of time before someone sues the AGPC for the exposure to the sun, and whilst not clear who would win such case it seems plain dumb to wait for it to happen.

Anyway providing shade for the fans is just plain smart marketing. At a time when numbers are no longer growing to the heights seen in the early days, shade from the sun is a great way to encourage more fans into the stands.

Certainly it is our view that before any money is spent on lights or importing any other overseas acts to star at the grand Prix, even if Kiss were great, they should first put some money into look after the people who help make it one of the great Grand Prixâs of the season.

Surely after all this time that is not asking to much.

The OzRacingWrap team.

Power takes 8th whilst Briscoe crashes

Mon, 7 Apr 2008 02:18:00 GMT

On a day that saw the youngest ever winner and a win by a Champ Car driver in Graham Rahal in his first start, Will Power came home in 8th for KV Racing at the St Petersberg Grand Prix.

Fellow Aussie Ryan Briscoe driving for Penske racing again crashed out of a race, when he hit the wall at Turn 10 on lap 57.

Ambrose 18th in Texas

Sun, 6 Apr 2008 21:28:00 GMT

Marcos Ambrose has had a steady run in the OâReilly 300 to net 18th place at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas today.

Ambrose collected his third top 20 finish from the past four races in the #59 Kingsford Hickory Ford Fusion at the fast 1.5-mile speedway.

The finish sees the Australian maintain 16th in the 2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series standings after seven of 35 races.

Todayâs race was largely uneventful for Ambrose and on the whole, the race had fewer caution periods than is usually the case.

This meant that Ambrose, who had a loose (oversteer) race car for much of the 200-lap race, only had minimal opportunities to make set-up chances at pit stops.

Nevertheless, 18th is a solid result for Ambrose as he aims to reacquaint himself with new crew chief Gary Cogswell and the consistent run today will have no doubt helped that cause.

Only six of the top 20 drivers in todayâs race were Nationwide Series only drivers, with nine of the top 10 finishers at Texas all full-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers.

Kyle Busch won todayâs OâReilly 300 ahead of Jeff Burton and Clint Bowyer.

Ambrose and JTG Racing will be back in action next weekend for the Bashas Supermarkets 300 at Phoenix International Raceway on April 11.

Marcos Ambrose - #59 Kingsford Hickory Ford Fusion

âWe finished the race and learned some more, which was important this weekend as we had a new crew chief,â? said Ambrose.

âWeâre pretty pleased with that. It wasnât stellar, and we were loose in all day, but with our direction Iâm really excited and feel confident. The racing just got away today.

âThere werenât many cautions today so we didnât have much opportunity to make adjustments at the stops. I mean, weâre brand-new, and weâve got a brand-new set-up on the car, and weâre really happy how things progressed.

âWe had speed at certain times of the race. We just were slow at the wrong times when it had long green runs. But, Iâm very excited, and I think weâre building something pretty good here.â?

Will Power to start second at St Petersburg

Sun, 6 Apr 2008 21:20:00 GMT

In the first road race of the season, Will Power has grabbed second spot in qualifying to show he is coming to grips with the new car. Whilst St Petersburg is a road course the result suggests Power will be on the pace once he and the team come to grips with oval racing.

"I wanted to get into the Firestone Fast Six, which we did," Power said. "I was a little disappointed that we didn't get the pole considering the lap time we posted in the previous session. I'm very happy to be on the front row."

Power said the results were a vindication of the ex-Champ Car teams' efforts.

"Most importantly, it's a payback to the team," he said. "They've been working so hard over the last month - working long hours and they haven't been seeing their families - so I 'm very happy for them."

Webber 7th second points finish in a row

Sun, 6 Apr 2008 14:21:00 GMT

As Massa drove to a strong win leading a Ferrari one-two (the first 1-2 for any team this season), Mark Webber was able to drive a great,if fairly boring, race and finish in 7th position securing 2 Championship points. He now has 4 points and 10th position in the drivers title race.

Teammate David Coulthard finished 18th.

The RedBull press release quotes Mark as sayingâThe guys did a good job here all weekend. There were quite a few incidents in the first few laps, which we were able to capitalise on. The first lap went okay for us, but it was very tight on the track, you always have to be careful here on the first few corners. There was oil or something on the track too at the start, which made things difficult. After that I got my head down and spent the rest of the afternoon chasing Jarno (Trulli).â?

Webber 11th as Kubica takes pole for BMW in Bahrain

Sun, 6 Apr 2008 08:46:00 GMT

With the Red Bull struggling for pace, Mark Webber failed to make it into the Q3 qualifying and had to settle for 11th. His teammate David Coulthard could only manage 17th.

However in a major upset Robert Kubica took his maiden pole pipping Massa and his Ferrari that had dominated all weekend.

Mosley calls meeting of FIA

Thu, 3 Apr 2008 23:41:00 GMT

In response to the growing controversy over the recent news of the world article, Max Mosley has called a meeting of FIA. The FIA statement read as follows

"The full membership of the FIA will be invited to attend the meeting at which the widespread publicity following an apparently illegal invasion of the FIA President's privacy will be discussed.

"The FIA has noted that Mr Mosley is preparing legal proceedings against the newspaper in question.

"It is anticipated that the meeting will take place in Paris. It will be held on the earliest practicable date. No further comments will be made by the FIA regarding the matter at this stage."

In addition Mosley responded in particular to the earlier BMW and Mercedes-Benz statement speaking to Reuters he said ""Given the history of BMW and Mercedes Benz, particularly before and during the Second World War, I fully understand why they would wish to strongly distance themselves from what they rightly describe as the disgraceful content of these publications.

"Unfortunately, they did not contact me before putting out their statement to ask whether the content was in fact true.

"No doubt the FIA will respond to them in due course as I am about to respond to the newspaper in question."

How long can Max last? Teams issue statements calling FIA to act

Thu, 3 Apr 2008 13:12:00 GMT

With BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Honda and Toyota all raising concern about the Max Mosley sex romp, the question now has to be how long before he goes? The German car manufacturers BMW and Mercedes-Benz have issued a joint statement labeling FIA president Max Mosley's behaviour as 'disgraceful.

Their statement read "The content of the publications is disgraceful. As a company, we strongly distance ourselves from it."

"This incident concerns Max Mosley both personally and as President of the FIA, the global umbrella organisation for motoring clubs. Its consequences therefore extend far beyond the motor sport industry. We await a response from the relevant FIA bodies."

This was followed by the following statement from Toyota, "Toyota Motorsport does not approve of any behaviour which could be seen to damage Formula One's image, in particular any behaviour which could be understood to be racist or anti-Semitic," said the statement.

"Senior figures within any sport or business, including motorsport, must adhere to high standards of behaviour. When all the facts are known, it will be for the FIA to decide whether Mr Mosley has met the moral obligations which come with the position of FIA President."

Fellow Japanese manufacturer Honda in its statement "It is necessary that senior figures in sport and business maintain the highest standards of conduct in order to fulfil their duties with integrity and respect," It then went onto say "The Honda Racing F1 Team [are] extremely disappointed by recent events surrounding Mr Mosley and we are concerned that the reputation of Formula One and all its participants is being damaged.

"We request that the FIA gives this matter careful consideration and reaches an immediate decision in the best interests of F1 and Motorsport."

Whilst it seemed Max hoped to ride out the storm, that option seems to get smaller and smaller. Apart from the teams raising the issue, we now also find out that as reported in The Times newspaper, the Crown Price of Bahrain had asked Mosley not to attend the event in order to keep the focus on the grand prix.

There is also the issue of the Nazi aspect to the whole thing and Mosley having to deal with Racism in F1 and in particular earlier this year with Lewis Hamilton in Spain. A situation that may very well arise again during the Spanish Grand later this season.

With Jean Todt now freed of his day to day duties at Ferrari, the time is right for Max to step down and handover to Todt.

The Impreza WRC2007Ã¢??s drivetrain in numbers

Thu, 3 Apr 2008 12:18:00 GMT

The following article is courtesy of swrt.com

In the first of a series of articles we look at what helps drive the car that has taken Chris Atkinson to the podium 3 times this year.

Where far more than expected meets the eye, we look at the complexities of the gearboxes and differentials used in the Impreza WRC2007, and what goes into making them work:

The Subaru World Rally Team has produced over 100 WRC gearboxes since 1999. Almost 50 WRC differentials have been built since 2004.

Each gearbox takes 85 hours to build and costs Â75,000. Coupled with the rear differential the transmission system contains over 700 individual components.

Each differential takes 16 hours to build, and costs Â20,000. The front and rear differentials share components to reduce costs, whereas the centre differential is unique.

Once a gearbox has been built, it takes three hours for the teamâs dedicated dyno to run through the complete test procedure before it is used on a rally.

There are two special insulation panels fitted to the side of the gearbox to shield it from the heat of the exhaust which runs alongside it. Each plate is made from titanium and ceramic coated, using a process designed for space craft.

The engine, gearbox and differential are all individually oil sealed, meaning that each can be removed and replaced without fluid loss.

The gearbox lubrication system has a capacity of 4.5l and is fitted with a high-flow oil pump to keep temperatures down. The gear shift system operates at a pressure of 150bar, or 2,500psi for almost instantaneous shifts.

Each unit uses over 40 specialised oil line connectors. Approximately half of these are built specifically for the Subaru World Rally Team, and all use aircraft grade materials.

The gearbox retains the road carâs H pattern but uses a hydraulically and electronically controlled semi-automatic gear change system to shift each gear in fewer than 0.1seconds.

Undergoing 3500 gear shifts on every rally, each unit is rebuilt after approximately 750km of competitive use or two rallies. The oil is changed for every rally.

The gearbox and differential run at 100 degrees Celsius, and need their own oil coolers to maintain that temperature. On hot rallies such as Greece, the operating temperatures can reach 120 degrees Celsius.

It takes between 10 â 12 minutes to replace a gearbox and rear differential. The fastest time on a rally was 10mins and 20 seconds set during Rally Deutschland 2007.

The housings of both units are cast from magnesium for strength and to reduce weight. A gearbox weights 95kg when wet (full of oil) and a differential 25kg wet.

V8 Boards merge to streamline running of the sport

Thu, 3 Apr 2008 12:08:00 GMT

V8 Supercars Australia is delighted to announce the successful amalgamation of the two boards previously charged with managing the sport after a majority vote by the 17 competing teams on the Gold Coast today.

The amalgamation will merge the boards of V8 Supercars Australia and the Touring Car Entrants Group (TEGA) into one entity to provide for a streamlined business structure that will guide the sport well into the next decade.

It will also mean that the Racing Entitlements Contract will replace the Teamâs Licence Agreement to ensure a long term financial blueprint for the sport and increased stability moving forward. This agreement is a stakeholders document agreed to by all competing teams.

The team vote today was overwhelmingly in support of the amalgamation and the associated changes to the business structure following seven months of extensive work by an amalgamation committee chaired by eminent South Australian businessman Roger Cook.

It will result almost immediately in a board compromising four team representatives, two representing of Sports Entertainment Limited (SEL) and two independent directors.

âAfter 11 and a half years this is another exciting development in the history of V8 Supercars Australia,â? Chairman Tony Cochrane announced today.

âThe business has never been in better financial shape underpinned by record numbers across all income categories. This will really enable the business to move in a very progressive way to the next level.â?

Previously the two boards had individual responsibilities and made decisions in those areas. Now one united board will oversee the entire business of managing, running and staging the V8 Supercar Championship Series across Australia, New Zealand and internationally.

Mr Cochrane also announced that he would stand for the Chairmanship of the new board.

âIt is now my intention to stand for Chairman of the amalgamated board at the first meeting in April for an appointment spanning the next three years,â? Mr Cochrane said.

âV8 Supercars Australia is in a tremendous growth phase and I, along with the team owners and stakeholders, look forward to a very exciting period in the next phase of our great sport.â?

Can someone tell 10HD what time it is?

Wed, 2 Apr 2008 11:41:00 GMT

Well we get to the first overseas race and 10HD show nothing live. Can someone please send them a clock! A lot happening in the world involving aussie racers, we cover IRL, WRC, F1, Nascar, V8's and touch on a whole lot more.

Atkinson makes it three podiums from four

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 00:15:00 GMT

Chris Atkinson celebrates his second place at the Rally of Argentina Pic courtesy of swrt.com

Following the retirment of his teammate Peta Solberg, Chris Atkinson has finsihed the Rally of Argentina in second Place. This makes it three podiums from the first four races of the season.

âItâs been such a hard weekend itâs more of a relief to finish!â? said Chris Atkinson. âAnother podium is fantastic for us and for the team, thereâs nothing that motivates the guys more than a great result at the end of all the hard work. The feeling in the car was just so much more consistent this weekend and it was easier to drive so I was able to push without making any big mistakes. Itâs clear weâve taken some good steps forward with the car this year and itâs sort of a surprise for me to be third in the championship at the moment. Itâs a real shame about Petter as he was going very well and we should have had two cars on the podium, but it demonstrates that weâre definitely moving in the right direction.â?

Atkinsonâs second place in Argentina moves him into third overall in the Driversâ Championship, just three points behind second-placed Hirvonen (Ford). The Subaru World Rally Team emerge from South America in third position overall in the Manufacturersâ Championship, but as a result of the electrical problems lost a potential eight points that would have put them within just three of the lead.

Briscoe and Power both crash out of Season opener

Sun, 30 Mar 2008 13:28:00 GMT

Kiwi Scott Dixon posted a season opening win and the first under the unified series. However the two Aussie's in field failed to make the chequered flag.

Will Power was the first to exit when he touched with Justin Wilson at the end of the first yellow. Whilst both cars were forced to the pits, Wilson was able to continue while Power was forced to exit.

Briscoe made it past the half way point and was running a strong race when he was left with no where to go when Milka Duno's spun in front of him.

Atkinson ends day 2 3rd in Argentina

Sun, 30 Mar 2008 00:20:00 GMT

Sebastien Loeb continued to lead the Rally of Argentina and Petter Solberg got past Chris Atkinson to move into second.

Atkinson admitted that he has now backed off and was focusing on securing his third podium in 4 starts this season "We've backed right off now," he said. "There's no need to take any risks. Second would be nice, but three podiums in the first four rallies of the year is still better than we would have expected."

He is nearly a minute off Solberg but has a lead of 1 minute 14 over 4th placed Dani Sordo.

Briscoe to start 5th and Power 21st at Homestead

Sat, 29 Mar 2008 00:10:00 GMT

Ryan Briscoe has qualified 5th fastest at the season opening Homestead Grand Prix. Fellow countrymen Will Power could only manage 21st as the Champ Car teams struggled as expected.

The highest placed Champ Car runner was 15th for Franck Perera with an average speed of 209.230, compared to the Pole Sitter kiwi Scott Dixon who averaged 213.341. Briscoe posted a average lap speed of 213.341 whilst Power could only manage 208.029.

The race will be the first run as a unified series.

Atkinson 2nd after day 1 in Argentina

Sat, 29 Mar 2008 00:01:00 GMT

Chris Atkinson during shakedown Rally Argentina, courtesy swrt.com

In a continuation of his great start to the season, Chris Atkinson has finished day one in second place behind reigning champion Sebastien Loeb.

Sadly two spins later in the day cost him time and means he will start day 2 some 1 minute 30 seconds behind the leader. Third place is held by his eammate Petter Solberg who is just 8 seconds behind Atkinson.