Around the tracks 22 October 2010

AUSTRALIA'S most successful Dakar competitor will return in January for his third tilt at the world's most gruelling rally.  Sydney's Bruce Garland and Harry Suzuki will drive their new Isuzu D-Max which had its first run in last month's Australasian Safari where they finished third.  The team failed to finish last year's South American Dakar Rally, but scored an 11th the previous year with a class first.  "Because we've competed before, our entry had been accepted but the final deadline to confirm or withdraw has arrived and we've decided to bite the bullet and go," Garland said.  Their three-litre, 192kW/630Nm D-Max will be loaded on a ship for Buenos Aires on October 28 along with all the tools and spare parts needed for the 9000km event and the team will fly out in late December.

MARCOS Ambrose overcame a spin and pit lane penalty to finish 16th at Charlotte Motor Speedway, North Carolina, at the weekend. It was the Australian's best NASCAR Sprint Cup Series result at the venue and is now in 26th in the standings after 31 of 36 events.The race was won by Jamie McMurray (Chevrolet), followed by Kyle Busch (Toyota) and Jimmie Johnson (Chevrolet) who extends his lead to 41 points from Denny Hamlin (Toyota) in the Chase.

CHAD Reed has rebounded from his US season-crippling illness in emphatic style to win both races in the Super X opener in Newcastle at the weekend in front of a home crowd of 12,500. US supercross imports Josh Hansen and Justin Brayton claimed the other podium spots. "2010 has been a tough year for me, but I had a blast riding tonight," says Reed who was forced out of defending his US motocross title this year. Brisbane Honda rider Dan Reardon grabbed the first holeshot and finished third in both races while 12-time national champion Craig Anderson claimed the second holeshot. The next round is in Canberra this weekend. American supercross rider, Ryan Villopoto, has withdrawn from the Sydney and Brisbane Super X events as he is still recovering from leg injuries.

BMW is making a comeback to the German Touring Car Championship (DTM) in 2012 after leaving the series in 1994. The German company will campaign an M3 "high performance vehicle concept". BMW board member Klaus Draeger says the company is "returning to its roots". Motorsport director Mario Theissen says they began making technical preparations following their declaration of intent to return to DTM in April. There has been no announcement about drivers.

SAAB and Audi go head to head in the final of the Sports Sedan Series at Sandown Raceway this weekend. Former kart racer and series newcomer James Sera (Saab) holds a slim lead over Darren Hossack (Audi) who won the Sports Sedan title and Superkart crown in 2008. "You can't count your chickens before they hatch, the plan of attack is to go out there, get some good finishes, and wrap up the title," says Sera.

FIFTEEN years after the Perkins/Ingall combination claimed a sensational last-to-first victory at Bathurst, the names will be reunited at the Gold Coast 600 this weekend. Jack Perkins, the son of six-time Bathurst winner Larry, will drive with former Gold Coast event winner Russell Ingall in their Supercheap Auto Racing Commodore. "I owe a lot to Larry; he was the one who gave me my real start in V8 Supercars after I came back from Europe," says Ingall. "I've known Jack since he was this pesky little kid running around Larry's workshop, so I never thought that one day we'd be sharing a drive in a V8 Supercar."

THE Formula Ford championship will continue next year with Ford Motor Company of Australia pledging its support. However the name will be changed to Ford Fiesta Cup. Ford Motorsport boss Christopher Styring says the name aligns the category more closely with the Ford Fiesta road car, which uses the same engine as the series. Formula Ford around the world has been the training series for world-class drivers and in Australia has bred racers such as F1 driver Mark Webber and V8 Supercar drivers James Courtney and Mark Winterbottom.

THE Formula Ford championship will continue next year with Ford Motor Company of Australia pledging its support. However the name will be changed to Ford Fiesta Cup. Ford Motorsport boss Christopher Styring says the name aligns the category more closely with the Ford Fiesta road car, which uses the same engine as the series. Formula Ford around the world has been the training series for world-class drivers and in Australia has bred racers such as F1 driver Mark Webber and V8 Supercar drivers James Courtney and Mark Winterbottom.

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