Holden Commodore News

Skaife, who drove the last of the flying laps, finished in 2min 07.422sec to earn his fifth Bathurst pole, just one behind all-time leader Peter Brock, who has six.This year's trophy has been named in honour of Brock, who died last month in a crash during the Targa West rally near Perth, and Skaife remembered him after his super lap."Everybody from 'red land' is so supportive and hoping the red team brings home a special victory for Peter, if that happens," Skaife, who will drive tomorrow's endurance race with teammate Garth Tander, said.The front row of the grid tomorrow will be left empty as a mark of respect to Brock, who won the Bathurst 1000 a record nine times.Skaife was third fastest in this morning's practice session at Mount Panorama, with Todd Kelly and Jason Bright nipping ahead of him in the early hours.But Skaife, who is defending the title he won at Bathurst last year, said he wasn't expecting to move too quickly this morning, but knew he would be hard to beat later in the day."I needed to work very hard on the first sector as yesterday I didn't do a good job there," Skaife told Channel 10."But it was a great lap, and good enough to be there (in position one)."This is the best race track you'll ever drive around, and this afternoon, the ambient temperature is right up and the track temperature is up, so that's as fast as you're going to go."Toby Forage is editor of FOXsports.com.au

Circuit: 6.213km1. M Skaife / G Tander (Holden Racing Team Commodore) 2mins:07.4221secs.2. J Bright / M Winterbottom (CAT Ford Performance Racing Falcon) 2:07.7292.3. R Kelly / T Kelly (Toll HSV Dealer Commodore) 2:07.7919.4. J Richards / A Jones (Tasman Motorsport Commodore) 2:08.0657. 5. S Richards / P Dumbrell (Jack Daniel's Racing Commodore) 2:08.5399. 6. C Lowndes / J Whincup (Betta Electrical Falcon) 2:08.5403.7. D Canto / L Holdsworth (Repco Valvoline Cummins Commodore) 2:08.5841.8. G Murphy / C McConville (Supercheap Auto Commodore) 2:08.6663.9. R Ingall / L Youlden (Caltex Racing Falcon) 2:09.0987.10. S Johnson / W Davison (FirstRock Home Loans Commodore) 2:09.5437.

The 31-year-old New Zealander was directly hit by Ford driver David Clark at the top of the Mount Panaorama circuit during the Fujitsu series race."Porter clipped the wall, and Dave had nowhere to go and hit the drivers door at about 200km/h as Porter had come to rest in a blind spot," a witness at the scene said.Ambulance crews and paramedics worked with Porter at the scene before a helicopter flew both him and Clark to hospital.Both drivers are reported to be in a critical condition, suffering from serious head, neck and chest injuries.Confederation of Australian Motorsport president Colin Osborne said CAMS and V8 Supercars Australia have initiated support services for the families of both drivers.Porter spun sideways near Reid Park on the climb up the mountain, stalled and was left stranded in the middle of the track in an area blinded to oncoming traffic.Chris Alajajian put his car sideways and ripped the rear of both his and Porter's car.Clark, who also put his Falcon sideways in an attempt to escape collision, then crashed directly into the driver's side door of Porter on his driver's side.Police closed the circuit immediately after the accident, which happened on the 12th of the race's 14 laps.Racing resumed after an hour delay with the Bathurst 1000 qualifying session.Gemma Jones, a reporter for The Daily Telegraph who witnessed the accident on big screens at the event, said: "A third car had nowhere to go, lost control and slid sideways into one of the stricken cars."The impact was enormous due to their speeds. They were doing about 200km/h on that part of the course. It threw the cars in opposite directions."The first marshal to one of the cars appeared to check the driver's pulse. "He was unable to open the doors and motioned to other marshals nearby that he needed the 'jaws of life' to get the driver out."Porter is currently based with the Gold Coast Msport Racing team.He celebrated his 31st birthday only last Monday.He is married with a one-year-old son.Western Australia-born Clark, 26, lives in Adelaide and is married to Leah with three children - Kyle, Ashleigh and Reese.He is making his debut in the Fujistu series this year.Porter was scheduled to partner Dale Brede in Sunday's main race, diving for Team BOC Falcon.The Bathurst weekend was already set to be a sombre affair with memorials and tributes planned for late racing great Peter Brock, who died in a crash during the Targa West rally almost a month ago to the day on September 8.Brock won Bathurst a record nine times and was 61 when he lost control of his Daytona car and hit a tree at high speed.V8 Supercars chairman Tony Cochrane said the accident reiterated the dangers of the sport."Motor sport is an inherently dangerous sport," Cochrane said."It's a terrible accident and our thoughts are with the families and we just hope for a good outcome."We just have to wait and see."With FOXsports and AAP

Holden's Mark Porter and Ford's David Clark have both been taken to hospital after a heavy crash in the Fujitsu V8 Supercar series race.Ambulance crews and paramedics attended to both Porter and Clark at the track for over an hour, the NRMA Careflight helicopter departing the track a short time ago.Officials have yet to comment on the accident. New Zealand born Porter, 31, is based on the Gold Coast and is married with one child.He was scheduled to also contest the main Bathurst 1000 race for the sixth time this weekend in the Team BOC Falcon shared with Dale Brede.Western Australian born Clark, 26, lives in Adelaide and is married with three children.The accident occured on lap 12 of 14 of today's Fujitsu series race.Porter spun sideways near Reid park on the climb up the mountain, stalled and was left stranded in the middle of the track in an area blinded to oncoming traffic.Chris Alajajian put his car sideways and ripped the rear of both his and Porter's car.Then Clark, who also put his Falcon sideways in an attempt to escape collision, crashed directly into the driver's side door of Porter on his driver's side.Police closed the circuit immediately following the accident.Racing resumed after an hour delay with the Bathurst 1000 qualifying session.AAP

The defending and five-times Bathurst champion continued to flaunt his superior speed in the No.2 Holden Racing Team Commodore with a time of two minutes 06.9764 seconds - narrowly missing Greg Murphy's 2003 record of 2:06.8594.Such is Skaife's early dominance at the event his time was well clear of his nearest rival - Ford's Jason Bright.Sandown 500 winner Bright, in the CAT Ford Performance Racing Falcon, posted a late flyer to slip into second position with a 2:07.0967.Rick Kelly in the HSV Dealer Commodore clocked the third quickest time of 2:07.6780 while Jason Richards in the Tasman Motorsport Commodore was fourth best in 2:07.6922.Richards had missed all of yesterday's practice session when co-driver Andrew Jones slammed into the wall on the second lap of the day and the team spent the entire afternoon carrying out repairs rather than tinkering with car mechanics.Greg Murphy, Russell Ingall, Craig Lowndes, Steven Richards, Dean Canto and Steven Johnson completed the top ten drivers respectively.There are six Holden and four Ford teams in the top ten. The final grid positions for Sunday's 161-lap race will be determined in tomorrow afternoon's top ten shootout.AAP

Holden young gun Rick Kelly fired the first salvo at Ford by flaunting the past seven Bathurst victories by the Commodore at Mount Panorama.

The fall, prompted by a slide in demand for small cars, confirmed the 2006 market would fail to match the record levels of the past four years, the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) said."While we expect fourth quarter sales to be strong, it's clear that four years of record sales have, for the moment, come to an end," said FCAI chief executive Peter Sturrock."It's important to remember, however, that only five years ago motor vehicle sales were averaging about 780,000 per annum."So you could say that the Australian market has permanently shifted into a higher gear."In response to the September result the FCAI revised its full year forecast down 10,000 vehicles to 970,000 compared to the record 988,265 sold last year.In its VFACTS sales bulletin today, the chamber said 79,993 new cars and trucks were retailed last month, a fall of 5.3 per cent compared to September last year.That took sales for the year to 722,376, or 3.6 per cent lower than at the same time in 2005.The September result was marked by a 1.8 per cent fall in small car sales which had previously been on the rise because of high petrol prices.Australia's long-running love affair with large and medium cars was also rekindled with demand for large cars down 7.1 per cent, an improved performance for the sector which was down 21 per cent on a year-to-date basis.At the same time sales of medium sized cars jumped a healthy 11.8 per cent.Mr Sturrock said the improvement in the medium and large car markets could be attributed to recent new releases including the new Holden Commodore and the Toyota Camry.Commodore sales rose 8.5 per cent last month compared to September 2005, in the first full month of retail activity for the new model.But falling petrol prices had also played a role, with a corresponding impact on small car demand."While fuel prices clearly remain a market driver, Australians have not fallen out of love with larger cars and the launch of several new models is giving them a reason to look again at large and medium segments," Mr Sturrock said."Consumer concern may also have been eased somewhat by the recent falls in crude oil prices which are now being reflected at the pump."Toyota was the top selling company last month with 17,183 vehicles, well ahead of Holden on 12,018 and Ford on 8,977.Toyota was also well ahead on a year-to-date basis with 157,364 units, about 48,000 ahead of Holden.However, the Holden Commodore maintained its crown as the best selling car with 5,262 retailed last month.Other top selling models were the Toyota Corolla (3,852), Ford Falcon (3,563), Mazda3 (3,327), Toyota Camry (3,092), Toyota Yaris (2,043), Hyundai Getz (2,028), Toyota HiLux 4x4 (1,583), Holden Astra (1,491) and the Ford Territory (1,418).AAP

Murphy, whose four Bathurst titles since 1996 makes him the most successful driver in the past decade, believes Ford's highest paid driver blew the Blue team's best chance of winning last year.Lowndes had the fastest car on the grid and was streaking the field until he clipped the wall in a rookie driving error before the halfway point of the race.Lowndes, whose only Bathurst win was in 1996 ironically partnering Murphy in a Commodore, finished well back in the field and had to complete the race without front and rear windscreens after a tyre smashed his window in a later incident.Holden veteran Mark Skaife and Todd Kelly eventually won the race extending Commodore's winning streak to seven years.Murphy says last year was Ford's best chance of winning the title since Jason Bright's win in 1998, and Lowndes should be stewing over the blown opportunity."(Ford) have blown a lot of opportunities in the last couple of years to win that race," said Murphy."Lowndesy blew it last year by smacking the wall when clearly he had the best car in the field."He should be very much ruing that little mistake. It was the one that really got away."He could have broken the drought last year and he didn't."With this year's Bathurst 1000 a tribute to the late Peter Brock, nine-times champion here, Murphy says it would be fitting for Holden to win the race and not Ford."Historically and sentimentally, you'd hope it was a Holden," said Murphy, with the winners to receive the inaugural and perpetual Peter Brock Trophy.Defending and five-times champion Mark Skaife agrees, saying it's only fitting that Commodore takes the checkered flag on Sunday."It'd be much better if it is Holden that win this year," he said."It would be a very appropriate tribute for us to win the race at Brock's favourite race track in a Holden."Murphy, however, has reservations over whether he can lift the trophy on Sunday.Although he has the best recent record here - with four victories (1996, 1999, 2003, 2004) and two podium finishes (third in 2000 and 2001) in the past decade - his Supercheap Auto Commodore has lacked reliability in 2006.He and co-driver Cameron McConville have struggled at every championship round but Murphy says everything has be done to ensure the car lasts the 1000km distance this weekend. "It doesn't matter what kind of year you've had you can always come here and have a different outlook on things," he said."Your guess is as good as mine (that the car will last) ... everything that can be physically done has been done."Skaife meanwhile is only focused on winning, he says victory is the best way to get teammate Garth Tander's championship campaign back on track after mechanical failure cost them victory in the Sandown 500 last month."Winning races wins championships," said Skaife."The best way to look after Garth's championship is to go and win the race."AAP

Two-times Bathurst winner Richards walked away from a high speed crash at the end of the 135 minute practice session when he lost control of his No.7 Commodore coming down Conrod Straight and hit the wall.The crash caused extensive structural damage estimated at over $100,000 and the pit crew must rebuild the vehicle overnight for Richards to have any chance of qualifying.Richards had put himself into fifth position on the time sheets, but was almost a second behind the Holden Racing Team pair of Mark Skaife and Garth Tander who posted the two fastest times of the day.Richards remained optimistic the car would be ready for qualifying tomorrow."With a bit of luck we might be saved and make qualifying," said Richards."I'm pretty sure the right rear tyre blew and it turned hard left in the middle of the straight."I just closed my eyes and waited for the big hit."Holden driver Lee Holdsworth had an almost identical accident during the first half of practice, but he was luckier than Richards as his car missed the wall.Richards and co-driver Paul Dumbrell could switch to the team's other No.11 Commodore, but team owner Larry Perkins ruled it out - partly because his son Jack and fellow rookie Shane Price are racing the other entry.All teams had until late today to confirm driver entries, and Richards-Dumbrell could have been given the undamaged No.11 vehicle, but six-times Bathurst winner Perkins believes other drivers should not suffer because of Richards's error."I'm not inclined to switch," said Perkins."If that's your car, you live with it."We'll put in an all nighter and see if we can't make it to qualifying tomorrow."The late crash overshadowed a dominant start to the event by pre-race favourites Skaife and Tander in the No.2 HRT Commodore.They set the pace for the majority of the session and just when Jason Bright (CAT Ford Performance Racing Falcon) closed the gap to within one hundredth of a second, Skaife jumped back behind the wheel to extend their lead.Skaife's two minutes 08.1727 seconds lap was clearly ahead of Bright (2:08.9665) while Rick Kelly (Toll HSV Dealer Commodore) was third best in 2:08.9803.Steven Johnson (FirstRock Home Loans Falcon) was fourth in 2:09.0053, ahead of Richards (2:09.0613) and Ford's Craig Lowndes (Betta Electrical Falcon) who finished slightly off the pace in sixth with a time of 2:09.3283.Skaife said it's too early to declare HRT the fastest car on the mountain - even though co-driver Tander posted a slick 2:08.9594 on old tyres."It's only Thursday, lets not get too carried away by the gap. I'm sure everyone will close that gap," said Skaife."You can easily make up big chunks of time here."Third-placed Kelly suggested there was still plenty left in his Commodore."Everything is going to plan ... we are not trying to break records today."The V8s resume tomorrow with two half-hour practice sessions in the morning followed by qualifying from 2pm.AAP

The Holden Racing Team No.2 Commodore led the time sheets for the majority of the 135 minute split session, holding an advantage greater than half a second until the final flurry of quick laps when most teams bolted on new tyres.Tander had posted the fastest time of two minutes 08.9594 seconds, with Sandown 500 winner Jason Bright (CAT Ford Performance Racing) closing to be within less than one hundredth of a second behind Tander with a time of 2:08.9665.However in the final minute of the session Skaife jumped back behind the wheel and posted a scorching 2:08.1727 to extend HRT's lead back to almost a second.Toll HSV Dealer Team driver Todd Kelly was third quickest in 2:08.9803.Steven Johnson (First Rock Home Loans Falcon) fired into fourth place in the dying seconds with his 2:09.0053 lap.Steven Richards in the Jack Daniels Commodore also found late speed to move into fifth position with a 2:09.0613 - but he then crashed coming down Conrod Straight after the checkered flag.Ford's Craig Lowndes in the Betta Electrical Falcon posted a 2:09.3283 time to be sixth fastest today.Last year's Bathurst runner up Jason Richards had a terrible start to his event when co-driver Andrew Jones crashed their No.3 Tasman Commodore at the top of the mountain on his first lap of the session forcing their car to have repairs throughout the entire session.Another Holden driver Lee Holdsworth also had a lucky escape when his right tyre blew at 260km/h down Conrod straight and he lost control of his Commodore."I was just a passenger but managed to keep it off the wall," said Holdsworth."I was probably doing 260 (km/h) at the time, I was not going full pelt."AAP