Articles by Mark Hinchliffe

Australia's richest motorsport star will go head to head with America's Supercross champion in a grudge race in Brisbane in December. Chad Reed and American James 'Bubba' Stewart will compete in the Australian SuperX final, the first time the pair have competed against each other outside the US.Stewart this year wrestled the American and World Supercross title from Reed with just a four-point margin in a spiteful series where the two former mates ended bitter enemies. Both are two-time American and world title holders and a win in Brisbane would provide a mental advantage and confidence boost leading into the 2010 AMA series."This is going to be huge for the series," said Stewart. "There will definitely be some fireworks happening."Incidents in this year's American supercross series which caused the riders to become enemies include Reed hitting Stewart from behind, Stewart's teammate trying to take Reed out by hitting his front tyre and Stewart dangerously bumping Reed in mid air.Stewart said he hoped the Brisbane race would help rebuild his relationship with Reed."We both know what the reason behind this (his invitation to race) is," he said. "It will put the event on the map a little bit. But hopefully we can put our differences aside."I think it will be intense for both of us; for him especially because it's a home town race. "I just hope the crowd undertands that I'm not coming down there to beat Chad on his home turf, I'm just coming down there for the fans."Here (in the US) they kind of cheer both guys, but it will be different there. "I think there will be more pressure on Chad because if he would not want to lose any race this would be it."Stewart said he agreed to come to Australia for the one-off race as a preparation for next year's supercross season and to give his new Yamaha a trial run. "Everyone wants to know what's new on the bike," he said. "I would love to tell you what it is but I'd get fired. I can just say I'm starting over."Stewart said he was aiming for back-to-back titles next year."This year was a really big struggle. This championship took me a while to get comfortable," he said. "Yamaha finally came around for me and I got a few races in a row. Next year I hope I get a bit of a better start."He said there would be no advantage in Reed competing in the current American motocross series."The guys who do well outside (motocross) don't necessarily do well inside (supercross)," he said. "I don't think it transitions over. I think his whole decision came off not winning the supercross championship."Fellow American supercross star Jeremy McGrath has also been confirmed to return for three rounds of the SuperX season and other American riders are being courted to compete.The seven-round SuperX series begins in Launceston on October 17 and ends in Brisbane on December 5. It will be broadcast live on Fox Sports with delayed telecasts on Network Ten.SuperX Series Rd 1, Auroro Stadium, Launceston, October 17 Rd 2, Skilled Stadium, Geelong, October 24 Rd 3, Burswood Dome, Perth, October 31 Rd 4, Canberra Stadium, November 7 Rd 5, Parramatta Stadium, Sydney, November 14 Rd 6, Waikato Stadium, Hamilton, NZ, November 21 Rd 7, QSAC, Brisbane, Devember 5 

The pair yesterday announced they had re-signed with the Brisbane-based TeamVodafone. The decision ends month of speculation about current champion and series points leader Whincup heading overseas next year. However, the possibility of one-off overseas races has not been dismissed. The Gold Coast racer said there were many factors that drove him to re-sign with TeamVodafone. "I have developed a great relationship with this fantastic team and personal sponsors and there will be a continuity of friendships I have gained with the engineer and staff at Triple 8 Racing," he said. "But mainly it was the fact that Lowndesy is staying on as my teammate for three years." Whincup scotched rumours earlier this year that he would be offered a $300,000 contract, but did not disclose the contract amount. "Money is sort of irrelevant," he said. "There was no boardroom table stuff or wheeling and dealing involved." "We did a deal with (team principal) Roland (Dane) on the back patio over a barbie. We had a few steaks and a few beers and were able to hit an agreement Aussie style and that was great." Whincup said the deal was a "huge relief" after months of speculation about his future which included rumours of racing in European touring cars, Le Mans and the lucrative American NASCAR series, following in the footsteps of Gold Coast colleague Marcos Ambrose. "I still have an ambition to drive a car overseas and although the absolute main priority is being as competitive as possible in the V8 championship, there is a possibility that I may be able to do something with some help from the team to drive a car overseas," he said. "Roland has good contacts over in the UK. Maybe not in his team, but it would be great to use his contacts to experience another type of race car." "It also helps that out sponsor Vodafone has worldwide status. It's a good company to be with for that reason. It aligns with my ambitions for overseas drives." Lowndes' re-signing with TeamVodafone will bring his association with the team to eight years, the longest he has spent with any team. "I have enjoyed every minute since joining the team and I am looking forward to even more success," said Lowndes who is running fourth in the championship. Dane said the re-signing of the two champion drivers together with a naming rights partnership was unique in sport. TeamVodafone has won 39 races, the 2008 driver and team championships and two prestigious Bathurst 1000 crowns. The previous Bathurst win was under a different team sponsor.

There aren't too many motorsport disciplines Tony Quinn hasn't tackled and conquered. He has raced Porsches, V8 utes, open wheelers, won Targa Tasmania and recently finished ninth in the Nurburgring 24-hour race.As he heads to Perth next week for the Australasian Safari, his remaining ambition is to complete an off-road rally and perhaps one day head for the ultimate test of man and machine - the Dakar Rally."We did the Safari last year but only lasted one-and-a-quarter days and blew up two engines," he said.His Italian-made Mitsubishi Pajero rally machine featured a V6 twin turbo race engine which they melted within 22km in another off-road rally in NSW.This year the 52-year-old Gold Coast VIP Pet Foods owner has replaced the turbo race engine with an off-the-shelf naturally aspirated six-litre LS2 V8 engine from Holden, plus a new gearbox and transfer case. "It arrived in a crate brand new. I haven't even driven it yet, but the crew tells me it will be fast," he said. "This time we're ready."Quinn will again pair with co-driver Adrian Bolton; "a good mate and a good mechanic". "It's just a boys' own adventure," he said. "There's nothing we've done that has been more alpha-male. "Every bloke should do it (Australasian Safari). "It's an amazing event. You can't tell what is going to go wrong in the middle of the bush."The winner last year came in with not a panel that wasn't damaged."Quinn said he was not hoping for any placing, just to finish the race and said there was no commercial reason to compete as media coverage of the event was limited. "We only did one-and-a-quarter days last time but I loved it because it's totally different to everything we have ever done. It's a new challenge," he said."It's not about winning, it's about finishing."His Pajero rally car cost him $55,000 and he estimates he has spent about $100,000 getting it race-ready, including large truck air horns on the roof to alert drivers in front that they are about to be passed."They get two honks, two nudges, then two tonnes," Quinn laughs.He will also take his Targa Tasmania-winning tarmac rally Nissan GT-R with him to Perth to compete in Targa West. His ultimate dream is to compete in the Dakar Rally, now held in South America each January."I was asked to do it, but it clashed with a local event," he said. "I need to finish the Safari first and if I do reasonably well I would think about going overseas."Dakar is like the Nurburgring; if you can squeeze it into your life, you should."Quinn's racing career started in his native Scotland in 1977 when he successfully competed in the Formula Ford series. "I bought my first race car from (Indy and NASCAR driver) Dario Franchitti's father," he said. "I used to get podiums, but then one day this guy Eddie Cheever (later Formula One driver) turned up and blitzed us all. "I kind of lost heart a bit and gave up. "It wasn't until I was 42 that a friend on the Gold Coast asked if I wanted to do the Targa (Tasmania)."I hadn't had a race for 20 years and I ended up winning rookie of the year."That led to racing Porsches, V8 utes and even a dismal stint with Andrew Mediecke in a V8 Supercar at a Queensland 500 where they came last.Now his attention has turned to dirt racing and conquering his remaining hurdle. "It's tough. After less than two days last time I had blisters on both of my hands. It's just insanity," he said.The Australasian Safari starts on August 1 with a prologue in Perth and finishes back in Perth on August 8 after tackling 3600km of gruelling outback terrain.It has attracted 106 competitors from as far as the Czech Republic, South Africa, Sweden, China, Japan and New Zealand.It includes an auto category for cars, 4WDs and buggies, plus categories for motorcycles and quad bikes as a separate category from bikes for the first time. 

The findings of an international survey of 148 new vehicles released jointly today by NRMA Insurance, SGIC and SGIO shows seven out of 10 new cars scored well, compared with three out of 10 five years ago when testing began.NRMA Insurance head of research Robert McDonald praises the improvements, but says head restraints in nearly 30 per cent of new cars tested still rate as ‘marginal’ or ‘poor’, with commercial vehicles among the worst."Unfortunately there does seem to be a trend to skip on safety features in commercial vehicles," he says. However, he says Volvo and Saab had made significant improvements in head restraint design.Volvo has seats which support the driver or passengers' entire back and head and in a rear-end collision the back rest moves forward for support, he said.Ford Falcon FG was the best locally produced performer achieving a ‘good’ rating, coming on the back of its five-star ANCAP crash rating.McDonald says that, based on NRMA Insurance/SGIO/SGIC claims data, whiplash cost the Australian community hundreds of millions of dollars a year. He encourages new car buyers to take safety into consideration when purchasing a car.Only 18 per cent of Queensland consumers make safety their top consideration when choosing a car, although most rank it in their top three, while other states fare barely better at 19 per cent for Western Australia, 20 per cent for NSW and 27 per cent for SA.McDonald says better head restraint design could reduce the risk of a neck injuries in a crash, but passengers should adjust them correctly.The head restraint research was conducted and funded by NRMA Insurance, SGIC and SGIO in Australia, Thatcham Motor Insurance Research Centre in the UK and the American Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

There is no escaping the ‘Volvo driver’ syndrome, even in the new and funky XC60 crossover SUV. It's a great little luxury package that fits a family, drives like a sporty sedan and is ultra-safe, as we would expect from the Swedish safety king.Perhaps it is the inherent safety of their cars that makes the drivers think they are invincible, therefore they don't have to drive with much care and attention. Whenever I test a Volvo I become aware that people are staring at me and judging my driving, wondering whether I'm just another ‘bloody Volvo driver’. I therefore over-think my driving and sometimes that can lead to errors for which I am frequently winding down my window to wave an apology.But now the XC60 arrives with so many safety bells and whistles that there should be no such thing again as an inattentive, invincible ‘bloody Volvo driver’.Safety Electronic gadgets such as the standard City Safety function automatically stop the car for you in emergency situations, preventing crashes in low-speed CBD environs.The optional lane departure system ($2075) chimes a chorus of the William Tell Overture every time you stray over a painted white line without indicating, and that is most of the time around my neck of the woods where the roads are covered with white lines for cyclists.And then there is the bright red light that flashes up on my windscreen when I tailgate and there are those orange lights near the wing mirrors that flash when there is a vehicle in my blind spot (a $1275 option). I am assailed by lights, chimes, flashes and warnings. There is no hope of being inattentive.After a while, the first thing I would do when I got into the car was switch off all the safety devices so I could drive in peace and inattentiveness, waving my apologies at the honking, irate motorists around me.Interior And what a lovely environment in which to drive blissfully unaware of your outside environs. It is a scaled-down version of the XC90, but unless you jumped from one vehicle to the next you wouldn't notice it. The cabin feels enormous for the size of the vehicle.The rear passenger area is equally immense, easily fitting three adults, and the cargo area is massive with a flat floor and quality carpeting to keep your luggage and valuables from being scratched. Unfortunately there is only a space-saver spare under the floor.Driving I drove the T6 turbo petrol model and the D5 turbo diesel. While the diesel is about 8L/100km frugal it is rather noisy on hard acceleration and has a bit of lag off the get-go, while the turbo is dynamic and quiet with no lag.Handling is excellent with no caveats for being an SUV. There is no lurching around that you would expect from an SUV and the turning circle and vision is good for shopping centre parking. No real need for the optional rear parking camera, saving you $795. Park assist front and rear costs a lot less at $325, but it's standard on the D5 LE.Outside, it is a handsome vehicle with a nice curve to the hips from behind where tailgaters will be assaulted by the array of taillights, blinkers and brake lights that go all the way to the roof.A great family package for weekday duties as well as weekend fun. In fact, a British magazine has voted the diesel XC60 the best tow car in their market.Volvo XC60 Prices: $57,950 (D5), $64,450 (D5 LE), $64,950 (T6)Engine: 2.4-litre, 5-cyl, turbo-diesel; 3-litre 6-cyl, turbo-petrolPower: 136kW @ 4000rpm (D5); 210kW @ 5600rpm (T6)Torque: 400Nm @ 2000-2750rpm (D5); 400Nm @ 1500-4800rpm (T6) FUELEconomy: 8.3L/100km (D5); 11.9 (T6)Emissions: 219g/km (D5); 284 (T6)Ttransmision: 6-speed automatic, sequential; constant 4WDTowing: 2000kg braked

That honour went to VW with the Eos. But now Peugeot has joined in, with the 308CC being offered in petrol and diesel variants. Peugeot Automobiles Australia general manager and director Ken Thomas said diesel was important to the company which last month won the Le Mans with a diesel-powered car following on from Audi which achieved diesel victories over the previous two years. Thomas said diesel represented about 60 per cent of their sales and they only offered the 407 in diesel because "that is where customers demand has been". "People are just asking for it in diesel," he said. "National demand for diesel passenger cars is up 35 per cent and represents about 6 per cent of the market." He said 308 diesel represented 37.18 per cent of Peugeot's total sales, while 308 petrol was 19.63 per cent. The 308 hatch and Touring are the brand's biggest sellers by far at 59.7 per cent of sales. Thomas said this year they expected to sell about 6430 vehicles, which is down 824 on last year and a whopping 2377 down on their record total in 2007. Next year he predicted 308 would sell about 3150, 308CC would sell 600, 207 about 750 and 207CC would account for 300.

Byron Bay was the apt launch venue for the Peugeot 308CC this week. You can just picture the vehicle slowly promenading topless through the trendy shopping scene or by the beach with gorgeous, tanned blonde passengers in their oversized D&G sunglasses and their skimpy tops.But Peugeot Automobiles Australia marketing manager Richard Grant insists the new 308-based coupe cabriolet has more macho styling that will attract more male buyers aged over 40. Sure, it features some bulging panels and sporty rear diffusers, but it retains the 308 grille and headlights which have a more feminine look.Yet it also features the same spirited engines and driving dynamics of the 308 hatch and Touring.Platform and room At 1587kg kerb weight, the turbo manual is 44kg heavier than the 307CC and 185kg heavier than the XSE turbo manual hatch. However, with a slightly lower suspension setting and stiffer chassis it is every bit the driving equal of its main rival, the VW Eos.A big improvement is the amount of boot space, up 15 per cent on the 307CC, yet there is also a full-size spare under the cargo floor. Rear passenger room is still very limited, even though Peugeot has paid more attention to the +2 aspect with rear air vents and nicely contoured seats.Variants and equipment It comes in five model variants in CC and CC S trim with two power output versions of the turbo petrol 1.6-litre engine and the two-litre HDi diesel.Standard in the CC models are cruise control, stability control, rain-sensing wipers and rear parking sensors. The CC S adds leather trim (a $2900 option in the CC), electric heated front seats, tyre pressure monitors, 18-inch alloys, front parking sensors, Xenon headlights with washers, and Airwave and windstop ($1200 option in the CC).The Airwave is simply a heater which blows air on to the back of the neck of the front seat passenger and driver. The amount of air, heat and direction can be adjusted to suit conditions and the height of the occupant. It's a nice touch that you would expect in pricier models, and opens up the vehicle to be driven top-down through the cooler months of the year. However, the heater fan is a little noisy being so close to your head. The windstop can be hidden away in the boot and there it should stay as it's really not needed to reduce wind noise with the top down. It's rather quiet for a convertible.Another nice touch is the programmable remote key which can also lock the tiny glovebox and centre console so you can leave valuables behind even with the top down.Peugeot also boasts a five-star rating for passenger protection in Euro NCAP with its inclusion of six airbags, including twin side airbags in front plus pop-up roll over protection in the rear head restraints.The steel folding roof deploys in about 20 seconds using five hydraulic actuators and can be raised or lowered at speeds up to 12km/h. Unlike some of its competitors, it doesn't creak or groan when in the coupe position.SalesPeugeot Automobiles Australia general manager and director Ken Thomas believes they will sell about 300 this year; 165 petrol and 135 diesel with 220 CC and 80 CC S. In 2010 he predicts sales of 600 with 280 petrol and 320 diesel and about a third CC S.Driving The first glitch I noticed in the CC S with electric front seats is that if a passenger gets in the rear, the seat slides all the way forward, but then you have to stand outside the car and press the button to slowly roll the seat back before you can fit in behind the steering wheel. It's a common occurrence with electric front seats in coupes and it's annoying, especially if it's raining or cold and you have to wait those few seconds before getting in.Inside is a comfortable and friendly environment in the cabin, despite its quirky Frenchness. There is a fair amount of glare from the dashboard in direct sun and the white instruments are impossible to read on a sunny day. Obviously there are not a lot of sunny days in France.It also has short footwell for short French people. However, the steering column has good reach adjustment, so it's possible to find a good seating position unless you are a really tall supermodel.Peugeot has done a lot of work on noise, vibration and harshness to deliver a car that is very quiet until it hits coarse-chip bitumen and then the tyre noise and rear wheel arch drum become intrusive.Out on the road, it thrives on the juicy turbo petrol engine and meaty diesel powerplant. Handling is pin-sharp with good feedback from the steering wheel and no scuttle shake or rack rattle that plagues many other convertibles.However, corrugations did provide a bit of steering column shudder, but we're talking big corrugations around Nimbin where the council seems to have a very laidback hippy attitude to road maintenance.The French have done a nice job of updating their CC in line with the advances made in the 308 platform. It remains to be seen how many are captivated by its driving dynamics.Peugeot 308CC Prices (not including dealer and statutory charges): 308CC 6-speed manual, turbo petrol $48,990 308CC 4-speed auto, petrol $50,990 308CC 6-speed auto, diesel $52,990 308CC S 4-speed auto, petrol $57,990 308CC S 6-speed auto, diesel $59,990Engines: 4-cylinder 1.6 turbo petrol and 2.0 HDi turbo dieselPower: 110kW @ 5800rpm (1.6) and 103kW @ 6000rpm (1.6), 100kW @ 4000rpm (HDi)Torque: 240Nm @ 1400rpm (1.6), 320Nm @ 2000rpm (HDi)Economy: (combined l /100km): 7.5 (110k), 8.1 (103kW), 7 (HDi)Emissions: (g/km): 177 (110kW), 192 (103kW), 185 (HDi), Euro 4Transmission: 6-speed man and 4-speed auto (1.6), 6 auto (HDi)

The nine new models kick off with the release of the 308CC and end with the RCZ 2+2 Coupe in July next year.

While the show at the Brisbane Convention Centre will be halved to five days, organisers say it will have more "wow" factor packed into the shorter format.Motor Trades Association of Queensland acting CEO Ian Field said they realised the show had to be reinvented."Traditional motor shows are getting too expensive for manufacturers to erect an million dollar stand for a few days," he said."In this climate and in a small market like Australia we can't afford to run a traditional show. We need to turn it into an entertainment event."The organisers have signed an event organiser on a 10-year agreement to develop a family oriented show.Expertise Events managing director Gary Fitz-Roy said it was "very early stages" but they planned to have several stages in the exhibition hall to provide entertainment."It won't be just a motor show as you've seen in the past like a big caryard," he said."The cars will still be the heroes, but we will create an entertainment spectacular around them that will appeal to all demographics who like cars."Other facets of the show will include model cars, car restoration and alternative fuels.Fitz-Roy said the average time spent at the motor show was two hours but entertainment would double that.Field said the shorter format would make it easier for dealers to supply staff to work at the show.However, he said the show's selling focus may not continue."It will depend on whether the manufacturers co-ordinate it or the dealers co-ordinate it," he said."Personally I'd prefer it wasn't a selling show and that the manufacturers co-ordinate it."We haven't spoken to them (manufacturers) yet, but we know we can get the cars there through the dealer network anyway."We'd prefer they (manufacturers) co-ordinated it so it gets around the politics of which dealer will be there and which ones won't."We also need their logistical expertise."But if push comes to shove we'll put the cars there instead of the manufacturers."The reinvention of the Brisbane Motor Show follows a decision earlier this year to have alternate major motor shows in Sydney and Melbourne each year.Field said Queensland should always be on the motor show calendar."Queensland's market isn't far off being the size of Victoria's," he said."Take off manufacturers' registrations and we are about the same size."Many of the experts say we will be bigger than Victoria within the next 15 years."

"Some of the other competitors think of me as a bit of a curiosity," she says. "At work I'm a boring accountant and it's like I have this second life." Kaylene and husband Chris of Mt Gravatt share the X1/9 and compete in sprints and hillclimbs. "I guess Im just an adrenalin junkie," says Kaylene. "Racing makes you feel very much alive. You come back into the pits with a big smile on your face. That's what it's all about." They bought the 1973 Fiat for $30,000 in 2007 to replace another Fiat race car. It's a replica of the famous Fiat rally Abarth Prototipo rally car and was built by Norm Singleton who raced it in two Targa Tasmania rallies. The original rear-wheel-drive, mid-engined Fiat only had a 56kW 1290cc single overhead cam engine and weighed slightly over a tonne. This one is powered by a two-litre Lancia Abarth DOHC engine with twin 48mm downdraft Webbers, a transmission from a 1970s Lancia Beta and it's been stripped down to weigh just 820kg. However, Chris explains that they race in the Mark II B Sports category against even lighter Westfields and kit cars. "But we give them a good run," he says. Kaylene adds: "It's very fast and you have to get to know the car as it has a habit of coming back to bite you if you get it wrong." She decided to share her husband's passion because "it was something that we could do together. He was having such a fun time I thought I would do it too. I was always a bit of a Tom boy. Dad had motorbikes and while he wouldn't let me ride them he would pillion me around on them." "I still go to work on the back of Chris's BMW (1991 R100RS)." She met Chris through her first car, a 1972 Mazda 1500 clunker with column shift which she bought for $750 in 1976. "It was always breaking down then and that's how I met Chris; he used to come and fix it," she explains. "He kept finding things wrong with it so he could keep coming back to see me." Apart from the BMW motorcycle, their only other vehicle is a 2008 Mazda BT-50 3-litre diesel ute which they use to tow the race car. Kaylene says most of the women who race are much younger than her, but despite coming into the racing game later in life, she is just as passionate. She boasts that she even raced the Noosa Hillclimb with a cracked bone in her foot. "I'm taking it very seriously," she says. Chris says Kaylene was originally hesitant about racing, but "now she really gets into it. I'm still faster, but she crashes less." Their ambition is to drive together in the Classic Adelaide or Targa Tasmanian rallies and Kaylene would like to own a Maserati Trofeo GranSport "like (supermodel) Jodie Kidd races". "Something fast, mid-engined and red."