Around the tracks 15 October 2010

AUSTRALIAN racer Daniel Ricciardo has been pipped by two points for the World Series by Renault title in Europe after a thrilling wet final race in Spain at the weekend. The Perth 21-year-old withstood the pressure from Russian rival Mikhail Aleshin for almost three quarters of an hour in torrential rain at Barcelona's Catalunya circuit. However, as Ricciardo struggled for grip in the closing stages Aleshin passed three laps from the chequered flag to finish third in the race and end the season with 138 points to the Australian's 136. They started the 17th race of the championship equal on 128 points after Ricciardo's victory in Saturday's penultimate race. Argentinian Esteban Guerrieri won the finale, his sixth victory of the year, ahead of Ricciardo's French teammate, Jean-Eric Vergne. Ricciardo, the reserve driver for the Formula One world championship-leading Red Bull Racing team, won four races and Aleshin three. Ricciardo was the top rookie, coming close to emulating the 2005 feat of Poland's F1 driver Robert Kubica in winning the World Series by Renault in his first season.

GOLD Coast father and son Tony and Klark Quinn blitzed the field in the Australian GT Championship races at Bathurst at the weekend. Quinn qualified on pole and won both races and scored the fastest race lap (2:11.9943) in his Aston Martin while son, Klark, finished both races in second position in his Mosler. The victories were a satisfying result for Quinn after the disappointment of an early retirement with mechanical problems from the recent Australasian Safari.

DAVID Russell scored his biggest career victory in taking out the Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series' fifth round at Bathurst at the weekend. Russell, 28, of Casino, won both races in his Team Jayco Falcon despite having his driver's door ripped off in a mountain-top accident. He also partnered Jonathon Webb to 19th in the Bathurst 1000. James Moffat (Norton 360 Ford Rising Stars Racing) and Nick Percat (Bundaberg Red Racing) completed the Fujitsu podium. Steve Owen still leads the series by a slightly reduced margin, 175 points, from Percat, Tim Blanchard and Russell. The next round is on November 19-21 at Sandown.

THE 20 millionth fan in 14 years of V8 Supercar racing walked through the gate at Bathurst at the weekend. Holden fan Anthony Hanlon, of Sydney, and his daughter, Jordyn, were greeted by Channel Sevens' Tom Williams and awarded prizes as they walked through the gates. Hanlon has been to the Bathurst 1000 at least 13 times. V8 Supercars Australia chairman Tony Cochrane said the sport was "in the best shape of its history". "We are completely debt free, growth is continuing in all areas and our fan base is bigger than it has ever been." More than 1.7 million people attended V8 Supercar events in 2009 compared with 900,000 in 1997. An average of more than 100,000 people attended each of the 14 events in 2009.

KOREAN car manufacturer Hyundai has denied they are interested in joining the V8 Supercar series. The Car of the Future project that reduces car building and running costs was expected to attract other manufacturers to the series. However, Hyundai Motor Company Australia says they are "not interested". "We are not going to be competing in V8 supercars at this point," says senior product communications manager Ben Hershman. "There has been a lot of media speculation about us, but we have not attended any meetings at all with V8 Supercars and have n o plans to be involved for the foreseeable future."

A DAD'S army of veteran racers will return to the streets of Surfers Paradise for the V8 Supercars Gold Coast 600 next weekend. (October 22-24) Legendary racers such as Dick Johnson, his Bathurst co-driver John French, "Big Rev" Kev Bartlett and "newcomers" Allan Moffat and Tony Longhurst will drive demonstration laps between races. V8 Supercars Australia boss Tony Cochrane said the veteran racers were brought in at the 11th hour last year to help salvage the event after the A1GP pulled out, but were returning this year because they had proved popular with the crowd. Other famous racing cars in the Australian Legends category include Moffat's Mustang, Longhurst's Ford Sierra turbo, and the Bathurst-winning Nissan GT-R of Jim Richards.

MARCOS Ambrose suffered two spins in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Pepsi Max 400 at the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California, last weekend. The spins caused flat tyres and relegated the Australian, who started from the outside of the 13th row, to a 33rd finish and is 26th in the series. The race was won by Tony Stewart from Clint Bowyer and Jimmie Johnson who continues to lead the Chase in his Chevy with 5673 points, 40 clear of Denny Hamlin in a Toyota.

SPARE cars will be wheeled out for the Walkinshaw Racing teams at the Gold Coast 600 next weekend after a punishing Bathurst weekend. Fabian Coulthard's Bundaberg Red Racing car was spectacularly destroyed in the first lap, while Will Davison badly damaged his Toll Holden Racing Team Commodore eight laps from the finish when he hit a wall on the mountain. The drivers will revert to VE chassis they have driven earlier this season.

CHAD Reed has ended speculation about his bike for the coming SuperX season, announcing he will ride for Honda. The multiple world and American champion parted with the Kawasaki team at the end of this year's American motocross season. The 28-year-old will ride the TeamVodafone Honda in the first round of the season this weekend at his home town of Newcastle. Reed was struck down with illness this year, but says he is fit enough to defend his Australian title which he won the past two years.