Articles by Paul Gover

STEVEN Richards has signed to race the V8 Supercar endurance races with former full-time employer, Ford Performance Racing. The two-time Bathurst winner will partner Mark Winterbottom while long-time enduro racer Luke Youlden will drive with Will Davison in the other FPR car. Winterbottom and Richards have driven together before with Bathurst and Sandown 500 victories.AFTER 15 years as a full-time V8 Supercar driver, Steven Richards will follow his father, Jim, into racing Porsches.  He will compete in a full season of the Porsche Carrera Cup in a 911 GT3 Cup. His first race will be at the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix from March 24-27. "Our aim for this year is to win the championship. It won't be easy. It's a competitive field," he says.SPANIARD Carlos Checa became the first rider to score a world Superbike clean sweep at Phillip Island since 2008 when he won both 22-lap races at the weekend. The Ducati rider was followed by world champion Max Biaggi of Italy on his Aprilia in both races. Briton Leon Haslam (BMW) and MotoGP convert Marco Melandri (Yamaha) claimed the final spots on the two podiums. The last rider to win both races at a Phillip Island WSBK round was Australia's Troy Bayliss. It is now the longest period since a local rider won at the island. Australians Troy Corser (BMW), Josh Waters (Suzuki), Mark Aitchison (Kawasaki) and wildcard entry Bryan Staring of Perth (Kawasaki) finished well down the order. Round two of the championship will be held at Donington from March 25-27, where Australian Chris Vermeulen is expected to compete after sitting out round one to allow his injured left knee more time to recover.NEWCASTLE'S Broc Parkes was pipped by 0.009 seconds for victory in the 21-lap World Supersports race at the weekend, but it was still his best result at Phillip Island. The Kawasaki rider was beaten by Yamaha's Luca Scassa, with Briton Sam Lowes (Honda) and Spaniard David Salom (Kawasaki) also involved in the drag to the finish line. It was Scassa's first World Supersport victory.BMW rider Glenn Allerton dominated the two Australian Superbike races at Phillip Island at the weekend. In the first race he gambled with slicks on a damp circuit to win by more than 20 seconds. He also won the second race on a dry circuit by a comfortable margin. Allerton is 13 points ahead of Suzuki rider Troy Herfoss who is only one point ahead of Arpilia rider Ben Atard. The championship continues this weekend at Symmons Plains in Tasmania.THE Formula 3 Australian Drivers Championship will support two V8 Supercar rounds this year at Winton, Victoria, in May and Darwin in November. Organisers are also negotiating for a seventh round to be added to its 2011 calendar and have announced a "budget" race entry fee of $1600 per car, per round.FORD stalwart Dick Johnson will drive a GM product in his fourth Targa Tasmania. The five-time Australian Touring Car Champion and V8 Supercars Hall of Fame member will drive a V8-powered 2009 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 in the the 20th anniversary of the Targa in April.  The only Ford link for Johnson is that the car is owned by Yellow Cab owner Neill Ford, one of Dick Johnson Racing's sponsors.CHAD Reed has clung to third in the American and World Supercross after a dramatic clash with rival James Stewart in Atlanta at the weekend. The Australian led for 16 of the 20 laps, but collided with Stewart to finish third for the main event and hold on to third in the standings behind Americans Ryan Villopoto and Ryan Dungey. The next event is at Daytona this weekend. (March 5) ITEM DEFENDING kart champions Matthew Wall, Cian Fothergill and Pierce Lehane dominated their categories at round one of the CIK Stars of Karting Series in Ipswich at the weekend. Round two of the national series will be held in Adelaide on April 2-3.MARCOS Ambrose has jumped 10 places in the NASCAR Sprint Cup standings with a 16th at Phoenix at the weekend following a 17-car pile-up in the opening-round Daytona 500 the previous week. At one stage he was running second until a race caution put him a lap down. "I know I've got great stuff and I know I can really do well," the Ford driver said after the race. The race was won by Jeff Gordon (Chevrolet), while second-placed Kyle Bushc (Toyota) leads the standings. The next round is this weekend in Las Vegas.LUKE Ellery leaves for Florida next Saturday (March 12) to race in the first round of the F2000 series at Sebring March 17-18 and Petersburg on March 26-27. The 21-year-old Victorian will then fly home and return to the US for the third round in Indianapolis in May. The IndyCar hopeful is a former national kart champion and three-time state Formula Ford champion. He will drive a Van Dieman for JDC Motorsports in the US series.

The former Carsguide Car of the Year is set for replacement late in 2011, or very early in 2012, and the timing is reflected in an all-new i30 caught testing in Scandinavia.The new Hyundai i30 is well hidden under camouflage but the shape of the next car is clear, with a bigger cabin and a more Euro-style approach to the design.Carparazzi, which caught the i30 outside Hyundai's winter test base, says the car is more sleek overall with a shape that is much closer to the i45 in Australian showrooms and upcoming replacement for the Elantra.The headlamps are more stylised and the rear lights have been moved, with LEDs instead of bulbs.Carparazzi expects the new i30 to continue with a 1.6-litre petrol starter engine and a 1.7-litre diesel, but the direct-injection Gamma motor is also expected to be fitted and the i30 could also pick up the high-performance four being developed for the Veloster coupe.

The Chery J1 hatch hits the road this week, priced from $11,990 driveaway at 50 dealerships across Australia, and is already being tweaked and improved. The gearbox is being updated and the Chery importer, Ateco Automotive, promises improvements to quality and final finishing in the cabin.The J1 is being sold alongside the J11 SUV as Chery joins Great Wall on local roads, with Geely to follow soon in Western Australia and the Foton brand also looking for a foothold. Ateco chief, Ric Hull, says his company is mounting a major push with Chery to answer complaints already raised about the J1 - including a test drive report by Carsguide - following the arrival of the first cars in Australia.The biggest change is to the gearing, to give the J1 more pep from a standing start. "They are going to fit a different final drive ratio that will give it better hill climbing ability. We might sacrifice a bit of fuel economy but we felt it was a necessary change," Hull says."The cars will go up hills, and they are probably not dramatically worse than some other vehicles, but we were not satisifed it was as good as it needed to be." Hull also says trim improvements in the cabin - also identified as a shortcoming by Carsguide - are also being reported back to China for changes."We've had factory people here. We have shown them. Our technical people have gone back to their technical people with everything that's been raised," Hull says. "If our experience with our other Chinese suppliers is any guide, they will react and react very quickly."Hull says Ateco and Chery are keen to update the cars as quickly as possible. "We weren't aware there was a problem until we got them here," he says. Ateco is also the Great Wall importer and has been successful in driving improvements to the brand, particularly to quality after a poor initial result during impartial NCAP crash testing.Hull says the first shipment of around 700 Chery vehicles is being delivered to dealers, with around 600 J11s in the pack and only about 100 J1s. He is not concerned by any problems with the SUV. "I am sure there are one or two things that the guys have unearthed now that we have stock. But it's nothing of any particular consequence.They have built a lot of J11s and I think they have got most things right." Chery has been established as a stand-alone brand for Australia, and not just twinned with Great Wall. "So far it has worked well for both brands to keep them separate. There are one or two exceptions, but the rule is that Chery dealers are separate to Great Wall dealers. When we get into the small rural areas there might not be a choice."Hull says Ateco is not intending to add any other Chinese brands to its lineup, which runs from Ferrari and Maserati to Fiat, Alfa Romeo and Citroen. It is also expected to be confirmed this year as Australia's agent for Lotus sports cars."Not actively. We've talked to a lot of people over the years and I guess will continue to talk, but nothing is about to break," he says. Apart from Great Wall and Chery, Foton - a bus specialist in China - has appointed the Western Star truck company as its local agent and Geely is being handled by the John Hughes group in Perth.There is also Lifan, Chinese biggest motorcycle manufacturer, although it has yet to finalise its plans. "We're not sure what they are doing. A gentleman from South Africa had the import rights ... but nothing has been heard for quite some time," says Hull.

After bringing the British baby back from the dead and running through two generations of the new-age Mini, BMW Group is now downsizing in the search for something new. The result is the Rocketman, a concept car at the Geneva Motor Show that could easily point to a new direction for Mini.The brand is expanding in all directions - from the basic Mini and Cabrio to the Countryman, the Paceman coupe and possibly a born-again Moke - and a smaller car is one of the objectives."We've got lots of ideas, some of which won't come to production, but I think there is a lot more potential within a small-size car," the global sales chief of Mini, Ian Robertson, told Carsguide earlier this year.The Rocketman is only 3.3 metres long, as well as being wider and lower than today's showroom Mini, and has a three-seater cabin to maximise the space inside. It's front doors and roof are motor show trickery - with double hinges for the doors and a full glass roof - but the basic design and approach could easily be morphed into a production car to compete with a range of worldwide babies including the Smart ForTwo and Toyota iQ. There is even talk from the USA of a BMW Group tie-up with Citroen-  Peugeot to create a compact car structure that could carry the Rocketman onto the road.At Geneva, the Rocketman concept is fitted with a 2.0-litre turbodiesel engine but it could easily take one of BMW Group's upcoming three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engines or even a plug-in battery power pack. There are more questions than answers about the Rocketman, especially at Mini in Australia."Things are still up in the air," says Mini spokesman, Piers Scott. "We've confirmed diversification of the Mini brand, going up in size and down in size. That would indicate there could be room for a future model like this.""This is a car that has there have been murmours about for some time. So it could be closer to production, but . . . "Apart from the basic size and shape, the Rocketman is loaded with new ideas from LED tail lamps that look like handles to a central instrument display - still in the 1950s Mini style - using 3D projection technology for a range of readouts and control of the sound and satnav systems.More on the Geneva Motor Show here 

The all-new four-seater softtop is unveiled this week in Europe, just ahead of summer, and is likely to make it down under in time for our next spring.It will be sold here alongside the hardtop EOS convertible, although there is still no firm date on the plan to expand the Volkswagen sporty group with the two-door Scirocco coupe. Volkswagen benched the Cabriolet while it concentrated on the EOS but the company now says there is customer demand for a pair of open-top contenders from the company.The EOS is also set for a tweak this year, including a new 'family' look at the front. "There is definitely space for both cars. It's a different sort of car for different buyers. It's a different positioning between the hardtop and the soft-top," says Karl Gehling, spokesman for Volkswagen Australia."There was a European update of the EOS, adopting the new family face, and we'll see that around the middle of this car. It's prior to the Cabriolet arriving." The new Cabriolet is based on the sixth-generation Golf and, although it is slightly smaller overall than the EOS, Volkswagen says it still has adequate interior space for four passengers with a workable boot.The roof is an electric softtop design, to save space and cutweight. It can be raised or lowered in just 9.5 seconds, even when the car is being drive at up to 30km/h. Noise suppression work includes a two-layer top and special door and window seals.On the safety front, the droptop has active rollover protection in addition to ESP stability control, ABS brakes and an airbag package that includes the driver's knees. The Cabriolet has the familiar Volkswagen look to the front end, with a more raked-back windscreen than the Golf.To maintain the Golf's safety, and avoid any top-down wobbles, the Cabriolet gets a reinforced window frame and strengthening in the underbody, side panels, cross-members and doors. "We'll see it later this year," says Gehling. "It's taking us back to what has been quite a classic Volkswagen model."

The Top Gear frontman took the wheel of Bathurst champion Craig Lowndes' racing Commodore and quickly discovered the combined impact   of speed and Queensland humidity."It's hard work. I'll be a puddle of sweat," Clarkson said after his first track laps with Lowndes in the passenger seat of the stripped-out 450-kiloWatt racer. He was quick to light up a cigarette as he took a break.Clarkson and James May are in Australia for a Top Gear Live tour and, while preparing for their opening show in Brisbane, hit the Holden   Performance Driving Centre for some fun with Lowndes' championship winning Vodafone team.Clarkson lived a personal dream when he drove the V8 Supercar racer while May, and Top Gear Australia presenter Shane Jacobson, got hot   laps alongside the five-time Bathurst winner. Clarkson has said the Bathurst 1000 is the only motor race he likes to watch."He's good. He took to it like a duck to water," Lowndes said. "I was rubbish," Clarkson said. The world's highest-paid motoring journalist was not giving official interviews yesterday, and had an large entourage to ensure his personal space and working room for a television crew, but he was clearly having fun."It's fantastic. A proper car," Clarkson said. He completed around 20 laps of the track without incident, although he did lock the car's brakes and got it sideways as he learned the limits. "That's no drama," Lowndes said.

It's six years now since Peter Brock, happily celebrating his 60th birthday at home in Melbourne, told everyone how he and his best mate Eric Dowker planned to live until they were 120. Not much more than a year later he was dead. Brock's death was a tragedy at the time and he is still missed today, but there is more to be learned from his terrible crash on a public road in Western Australia. He might have been driving in a car rally at the time, but the disaster proved that even Australia's best driver can make mistakes on the sort of nasty roads which all of us tackle every single day. Brock's crash also showed that it only takes one tiny mistake - the sort of mistakes which are common for young and inexperienced drivers - to create a tragedy. Now Brock's partner of 29 years, Bev, is trying to get people thinking again as a way of marking what would have been - on February 26 - Brock's 66th birthday. "I just get so frustrated when I see the carnage on the roads, most of it totally preventable. There are so  many people who care and would do anything to get the message across but it seems you can't put wise heads on young shoulders," Bev says. "I have recently been going through our paperwork that I have kept since 1976. In that is every article Peter wrote on what he liked to refer to as Class Driving. Despite being keen to raise the standard of driving skills and increase the understanding and love of motor vehicles, his greatest attention was directed to driver attitudes. He believed totally in personal responsibility and knowing the consequences of one's actions. He was fully committed to total focus when turning on the ignition key. He knew that the attitude of the driver was paramount to driver performance." Bev is still, like so many others, mourning Peter's passing but she also thinks it is time to start spreading a new message with a Class Driving connection. "I accept that it is currently not possible for every student approaching driving age to be taught to drive as a standard part of their education. I also understand that it takes time to collect the statistics to clarify what is effective and what isn't. What is without doubt is the value of developing a healthy attitude, acceptance of self responsibility and maintaining regard for and respect of others in our community." Bev knew Peter Brock better than anyone and, coming up to Easter, has a final plea. "Hopefully the graphic and final message he left can convince others that they ignore these warnings at their own peril and that in doing so they jeopardise not only their own safety but the safety of others on our roads. Maybe, just maybe, his attempts to make the world a better place can actually have a positive impact on others despite the fact that he is no longer physically here to do it."

The price is right on the Chery J1. The first Chinese passenger car to hit the road in Australia always had to be cheap to make an impact, and the bottom line is just $11,990 - on the road. The value is unquestionable, the J1 is the new Australian price leader, and the deal includes 24-7 roadside assistance for the

The first major European motor show of 2011, at Geneva in Switzerland, is packed with mouth watering newcomers in every size and price class. The top ended action is dominated by a supercar stoush between Ferrari and Lamborghini, but there is also everything from a new $15,500 Kia Rio - and a baby Picanto from the same company - to a second take on Toyota's make-or-break FT86 sports coupe and the Subaru version of the same machine. Geneva is only a small show - at least compared to the giants at Frankfurt and Tokyo - but the 2011 even has a huge impact and reflects the renewed confidence among the world's carmakers. They are spending big, on everything from dream machines through to new technology, as they gear up again for a showroom splurge after the doom and gloom of the Global Financial Crisis. There are close to 20 global firsts at Geneva, from the Audi A3 sedan to the Volkswagen Golf Cabriolet, all jostling for attention and mostly expected in Australia inside the next year. The Chevrolet Cruze hatchback becomes a Holden later this year, Saab has just confirmed its plans for the 9-5 Estate, Mercedes-Benz will push hard with the droptop SLK and new C-Class coupe, and Citroen will push more style with the DS4 hatchback as the next of its DS design- driven family. But Geneva has always been a future show and this year's event is no different. There are more than a dozen concept cars, from the minimalist Mini Rocketman through to Volkswagen's battery-powered Kombi concept. Even Rolls-Royce is playing the future game at Geneva, unveiling a plug-in electric version of its $1 million-and-more Phantom flagship. The Honda Jazz also gets the sparky treatment in Switzerland, just like a new Opel electric concept and BMW's 1 Series plug-in.  Geneva is a spring fling for carmakers but the impact will be felt quickly in showrooms around the world, including Australia, with much more to come as the electrification of the car business picks up pace.  

... as Toyota sweeps up the dregs from its 'unintended acceleration' crisis.The action comes after a Federal investigation revealed the major source of trouble was incorrect and faulty floor mats, which had the potential to trap the vehicle's accelerator pedal.Toyota USA has now negotiated a voluntary recall on a range of vehicles built since 2006, including the Lexus GS, RX and LX, as well as the Toyota RAV4 and 4Runner.The total number of vehicles involved is just over 2.1 million, with most to get modified or replacement mats and retention clips.But there will be no impact in Australia, which has a different right- hand drive pedal layout and different floor mats."There is no impact here. No cars in Australia are affected," a Toyota spokesman said yesterday.