Race track

Going by ability, Stoner is the most likely motorcycle racer to eventually move to V8 Supercars.Roland Dane, boss of the V8 Supercars championship-winning TeamVodafone, rates Stoner the "standout" of test drivers who have had a drive in one of the team's race cars over the past couple of years.The others are three-time World Superbike champion Troy Bayliss and multiple world and American supercross and motocross champ Chad Reed."I think the standout because of age and what he's done is Casey Stoner," he says. "We had a very good test with Troy and he's had an opportunity to do something (races in the 2010 endurance rounds) but he's the wrong side of 40, although he's probably fitter than most V8 drivers."It's difficult for him to start a new career now and he's still earning more money testing for Ducati than driving a V8, anyway. Chad we will still keep a eye on, but the standout is Casey."You can see when he drives the car that he's definitely got real talent. He also has a real passion for V8s."Stoner attended several V8 Supercar events last year and stays in touch with the series via computer while travelling around the world on the MotoGP circuit.He has also developed close relationships with several TeamVodafone members, including Craig Lowndes's race engineer, Jeromy Moore. However, Dane does not see a move to V8s soon."The MotoGP has to be his focus until he no longer wants to do it," Dane says. "He's publicly said he's not sure how long he will carry on with GP, but I suspect he has a few more championships to get under his belt."

He went full throttle right to the end and will always be remembered as a racer's racer who refused to concede defeat.At Hidden Valley in Darwin this year he almost literally killed himself with the massive effort he put into his final V8 Supercar practice session. Somehow he dragged his Team BOC car around for the third-quickest lap time, before being carried from the car.That was Jase.Every time he left the V8 Supercar pitlane it was like watching a hand grenade with the pin out and the safety catch off."You always know he's going to give you everything. He never leaves anything on the shelf," team manager Kim Jones told me once at Bathurst.Richards was amazing at Mount Panorama, at a track that rewarded and reflected his natural driving gift and incredible commitment. He was runner-up twice in the Bathurst 1000 in unfancied cars and wore a huge grin every time he got out of the car. He made some mistakes, but he was always one to watch.That was pretty much the story from the time he arrived in Australia, as a highly-touted BMW factory racer. He was on the gas all the time and it there was never any doubt that he would graduate to V8 Supercar racing.He struggled at first with Team Kiwi, but showed plenty of pace with both Team Dynamik and Tasman Motorsport before finally founding the perfect match with Brad Jones and his working-class Albury outfit. The Jones brothers live to race and so did Richards.Anyone can find a list of Richards' results, but spending time with him revealed so much more.He was infectiously enthusiastic about everything he did, from his racing to hobbies, his wife and young children and - so sadly - his battle against cancer.The last time we spoke, at Winton Raceway earlier this year, he looked happy and healthy and refused to be downbeat."At the moment, cancer is a big part of my life. But when I jump in the racecar I feel cancer-free," he told me."I'm so busy I don't have the capacity to be thinking about cancer. I don't feel sorry for myself. I get so much enjoyment out of it."As we parted, he said the words that will stay with me forever."Cancer, depression, I'm sure there are a whole bunch of things in the world. Anyone who is not feeling happy in life needs to find the thing that makes you happy and go do it."For me, my clarity is racing a car. It's so refreshing. If I can inspire people who have what's happening for me, that's a real positive."

Two of Italy’s top adventure athletes - Marco Ponteri, 38, and Telemaco Murgia, 37 - will contest the gruelling five-day event in Tasmania wilderness. The Team Pirelli pair are both champion mountain bike, trail running and kayaking athletes, but will be up against stiff competition from around the world. Created by the Formula One driver in 2003, the Swisse Mark Webber Tasmania Challenge raises funds for the Mark Webber Foundation which has donated than $1 million for charities such as the ‘Leukemia Foundation’ and ‘Save the Tasmanian Devil’ Appeal. During the event from December 7-11, teams will compete in stages of climbs and abseiling at Freycinet Peninsula, paddling along the coastal cliffs and hidden bays of the Tasman Peninsula, running and mountain biking across the forests of Bruny Island and Alpine terrain, plus a spectacular ropes course, a whitewater paddling leg and one of the longest stretches of downhill bike riding in the island state. Mark Webber says he welcomes the news that Pirelli had secured two of Italy’s best adventure athletes to compete in the Challenge. “The calibre of both Marco Ponteri and Telemaco Murgia as Team Pirelli raises the bar for all involved in the event,” Webber says. “It will be quite a sight to see them demonstrate their extraordinary skills and we are thrilled to have them on board.” Ponteri, who regularly competes in adventure events across the world, says he is eager to push himself to the limit in the Challenge. “It is an exciting opportunity to take part in such a unique competition in what must be one of the most beautiful and challenging courses in the world,” Ponteri says. “I am very proud to be representing Pirelli and Italy in such a wonderful event, which not only will test the strength and endurance of the athletes but ultimately deliver some good outcomes to a diverse range of charities.” Pirelli Tyres Australia managing director Alessandro Marchi says the event is a great fit for the Italian brand. “Our further engagement in this exciting adventure race and the causes it supports, through the Mark Webber Foundation, is part of a long Pirelli tradition of taking part in community projects and activities all over the world that contribute to education, health and research,” he says. “We look forward to welcoming ‘Team Pirelli’ to Tasmania and cheering them on as they test their skills and strength in some of the most pristine wilderness in the world.”

Russell Ingall, 47, admits to a lousy racing season in 2011, and admits he is looking to his life beyond fulltime track time.But Ingall also said yesterday that a move to the crack Walkinshaw Racing operation for 2011, where he will park his helmet and multi- million-dollar backing from Supercheap Auto, could be the spark that re-ignites his passion for racing."I want a real good crack at it," Ingall said as he confirmed a move that gives him back-door access to the Holden Racing Team - always his V8 Supercar dream outfit - but leaves Fabian Coulthard out in the cold."I want to get back on the podium. I want some good results. If I can have a good year next year then we'll see. Every time I jump into a half-reasonable car I think I can race anyone out there. I don't feel like I'm going to have a crash at any moment."Ingall admitted he had battled during his time with the Paul Morris team in Queensland, his third in the V8 championship after starting with Larry Perkins' Commodore crew, where he won Bathurst twice, and then switching to Stone Brothers Racing, where he finally took the championship.Now he is hopeful that he has timed things right by moving to a Walkinshaw Commodore with the same pace and back-up that took Garth Tander and Nick Percat to victory in the Bathurst 1000 in October."I think we're jumping on at Walkinshaws at the right time. I always seem to time it not-quite right but this time I might have timed it right," he said.The Supercheap deal is more than just a one-year program and, despite his own racing ambitions, Ingall sees it taking him through into his retirement."We're not talking one year, we're talking five or 10 years," he said.As Supercheap's motorsport ambassador, and television pitcher, the move also means he is likely to be responsible for selecting the driver who eventually takes his place."All those young blokes who want a steer better start sucking up. Start cleaning my helmet  . . ."But Ingall still refuses to talk directly about retirement."I've still got a lot of things on the bucket list to tick off. There are some endurance races in Europe that I want to do. And I will definitely do the enduros as a co-driver after I finish Full-time in the full championship."

The V8 Supercar driver piloted the A9X Torana over the finish line to win the Group C Feature Race on Sunday, bringing the huge crowd to their feet. Richards also raced Porsche 962 around the track.The Masters attracted a huge crowd ever, to enjoy the number of racing categories. This was the also first time the event included sports sedans.The Fords claimed their win in the Group Nc Division 1 and 2, though the Mazdas did not go unnoticed, winning second place in race three.

His driver input during the first two practices at most events this year and at all our test days has been invaluable in helping us with set-up and development. If you look at my season this year the one common element has been having Skaife as an offsider.My race engineer, Jeromy Moore, and I are working really closely. Together with having Skaife better prepared, more confident and fitter than he was at this time last year, it's a real boost going into the next two enduro rounds. As a package, we're far more advanced than last year.However, I won't tip another team one-two finish at Bathurst. These endurance races are about reliability and there are a lot of other elements such as luck which play a big part. But if we can run the race the way we want to, we are in with another good chance of a repeat 1-2 team result.I know I was pretty excited after the race on Sunday but I only had a couple of beers with the boys that night and then it was straight back to reality with my feet firmly on the ground. It was a fantastic result for us especially after such a long dry spell.On Sunday I thought my last race win had been at Bathurst, but I actually won in Tasmania last November. Still, it's been a long time between drinks and to turn that around with two pole positions and three runaway race wins was a pretty dominant display. It's been a long time since anyone has dominated a weekend that much. For me it was a huge relief and a satisfying feeling to have accomplished that.On the other hand, my teammate Jamie Whincup was very disappointed with his weekend. But he will bounce back and be a force to reckon with in the enduros. It was one of those situations where one error leads to another. The trumpet sock was left on the engine and that cascaded into a bigger nightmare, putting Jamie behind the eight ball from the very start. The sock caused the throttle to stick open which made it difficult for him to get his speed right coming into pit lane so he ended up with a drive-through penalty. To his credit, he pushed extremely hard to make it back through the pack to 10th but that snowballed into a collision with Rick Kelly on the last lap which meant he limped home and ended up in the gravel trap at turn one.It was an amazing comeback, but the kitty litter was not a just reward for his efforts. Speaking to him on Sunday night he was still very angry as he knew he had good car speed. In fact, it was only our cars and Tim Slade's that really showed any consistent speed all weekend. That probably made for a moderately boring Sunday race, but I think the two-sprint-race format of the Saturday was a huge success.It definitely has merit and should be rolled out at other events. The fans get to see two starts, two fast and furious races with everyone pushing hard on their tyres and all the drama that goes on in the pits between the two races.

It meant we had to rebuild the Colorado and it allowed us to go right over the car. That it highlighted the areas we needed to work on. The result was we had a bulletproof car and won the rally in our first attempt, leading all the way from day three.I'm going back to Perth next month to defend my title and last weekend was my first test in the new Colorado rally car. We headed down to a cotton property at Moree and I'm happy to say there were no crashes. We now have a two-car team with former V8 Supercar driver Paul Weel in my Colorado while I'm in the new one with Paul's dad, Kees.The cars are very similar but the new Colorado has some minor adjustments to suspension which makes it nicer to drive over high-frequency bumps and big hits like coming off a rut or big mound. Over 160km/h the new car is quite nice and settled. The original car will now get an upgrade so they are the same.We did about 300km of testing all up and encountered no mechanical problems all weekend. The owner of the property carved out some tracks that had us on similar terrain to what we will encounter in the West Australian rally.Speaking of the west I've been over there this week for a tool show which, as a qualified mechanic, is quite interesting. In the Safari, I have to do a lot of the work myself, so I always like to stay handy and up to date with the latest gear.I've been doing a lot of testing in the past week with a day at Queensland Raceway last week before the round there next weekend. However, instead of just working on set-up for the sprint round, we were more interested as a team in focusing on the coming enduro rounds.We gave plenty of seat time to Mark Skaife who will again partner me and Andrew Thompson who will partner my teammate Jamie Whincup. As usual Skaifey was totally committed and gave us some great feedback on car set-up and turned in some handy laps. He's getting quite comfortable in the car now and is far better prepared than he was this time last year. Skaifey wasn't far off my pace yet he was on hard tyres while I was on softs, so you can just see how close we're getting.This is probably Skaifey's last Bathurst as he is now chairman-elect of the new V8 Supercar Commission which doesn't allow active drivers to be involved. It's in the back of my mind that this will be his last opportunity to race at Phillip Island and Bathurst, so I would love to go out on a high with him and finish his race career on the best result possible - a double victory. It's too far away to start talking about who will replace him next year, but I have been mindful about who is out there to replace him.

The airfield, a former military base hidden in lush green countryside about an hour south-east of central London, is best described as shabby.Yet there is no denying the magic in the place, thanks to Top Gear. Dunsfold is the place where the world's favourite motoring show is filmed and also houses the test track where The Stig - whoever or whatever he is this week - does his stuff.Hitting the Top Gear track in the McLaren MP4-12C, with a British touring car race winner along to point the corners, is a win-win-win in anyone's book. Best of all, there are no limits. So long as the car comes back undamaged, the McLaren men are happy to have their car pushed right to the edge. After watching the Stig-ring for years on the television I think I knew it well.But the first surprise is discovering that it's actually a figure-of-eight layout, with a crossover where Chicago corner goes right and the 'tyres' take you left.The second surprise is the runway surface, which is bumpy, broken in places, skittery across some painted markings, and gives you almost zero marker points for braking and turning.So it's not an easy place to drive. It's a giant challenge in a car that cranks the speedo round past 230km/h in places and corners at well over 160.But the McLaren at Dunsfold is F-U-N. We're not playing with Top Gear slides and burnouts, just trying to learn the car and get the maximum speed and grip over every lap, and my adrenalin is pumping.Anything that gets into the 1 minute 20-second bracket on the Power Wall is quick at Dunsfold, and the McLaren settles there easily thanks to its twin-turbo V8, track-tuned adjustable suspension, giant carbon brakes and lightweight race-style construction.It whacks out of corners with a big surge of turbo thrust, brakes incredibly late, and gives you metre-by-metre feedback and grip in every corner. The back slides wide on me a couple of times, once under power and once when I misjudge my braking, and there is some turbo lag, but the 12C is basically a thoroughbred racing car with the comforts of a luxury limo.I get my last big surprise during a full-on race launch when the car rockets to 100km/h in less than four seconds before pushing me over the blind brow that hides the left-handed first corner at more than 200km/h. It is spooky fast.Just when I think it cannot get any better, Jackson chimes in from the passenger seat. "One-nineteen point four. Not bad," he says. At that point we park. Job done.

Let's see if they could survive the thrust for a drag race.

Warren Luff and I are racing an Audi R8 at the famous Nurburgring circuit to gain eligibility for the Le Mans 24-hour race. At this point we don't have anything secured for next month's Le Mans, but hopefully we can look at doing it next year.Ever since our second place in the Bathurst 12-hour Warren and I have had a very good ongoing relationship with Audi, so when this opportunity came up they contacted us to fill a car. It should be much the same R8 as we drove at Bathurst.From the info we have the Audi will do about 8.5 minute laps, so on calculations with pit stops we should do about 27 laps in Saturday's race. Mark Batting from the winning German Audi team at Bathurst knows the Nurburgring like I know Mt Panorama and he will hopefully give us some tips and guidance.There's no time for sightseeing as we are back on the plane and home again by Monday for a debriefing on Winton and then a test day at Queensland Raceway on the Wednesday. Winton was a bit of an up and down affair and we ended up marking time, staying in second place in the championship.It started ok with the car working exceptionally well and scoring my first pole there. My bad start on the Saturday was my undoing.We have a process for operating the clutch and I was still getting used to the method. I bogged it down on the line and got swamped. We were three wide in the first corner and there was a bit of biff and barge which bent the steering. We didn't know it was bent until the boys were checking it on Saturday night.Before Sunday morning qualifying we also had to change engines. But I got the clutch right on the Sunday and had the best start I've had all year, and with a handful of laps remaining we were running in fourth. We had been trying to get 26 laps out of a set tyres but the tyre life is really only good for about 22 laps, so we lost rear tyre grip right at the end.We also had a very noisy third gear which I haven't experienced for a long time. Thankfully it didn't affect speed or performance, but no doubt the team will have a look at that.Jason Bright had the best race strategy of pitting late and only doing about 19 laps on his last set of tyres. He was able to easily come through the pack and grab another victory after his win in Perth. Jason has always been very quick, it was just a matter of getting his car sorted. Now he's done it two rounds in a row, so the team is obviously getting things together.It was also great to see the other Jason (Richards) get up on the podium and accept the team trophy.