Race track

Redline is the new shorthand for a go-fast Commodore thanks to a performance upgrade that carries the same name, and slots in above the V-Series versions of the SS and Calais sedan, wagon and ute.There are no changes to the cars' 6-litre V8 engine but the Redline Editions get Brembo brakes, a track-tuned suspension package called FE3 and polished 19-inch alloy wheels. There is also a chromed surround for the windows on sedans.The cost of the Redline Editions is an extra $2500, the only significant price jump on the VEII Series Commodore, on sale this month.Hitting the Redline closes the gap between regular Holden hotrods and the full-on ClubSport from Holden Special Vehicles but the red lion brand believes there is space for both, and that the go-faster models will not hurt HSV sales.It's also confident that will hit the spot with the same buyers who have driven very strong support for both the V-Series upgrades and the V8 engine across the Commodore line."We know the performance enthusiasts who drive Holden sports vehicles enjoy the way the engine performs with the exhilarating V8 engine performance of our sport models," says Holden's executive director of sales and marketing, John Elsworth."We know that their interest goes beyond straight-line power and torque though. They're looking for a satisfying overall driving experience with superior chassis dynamics. With the Redline Edition, we set out to improve that experience for them, to provide the ultimate sports ride by introducing features we know they'll value the most - track-inspired handling for great road connection and control combined with awesome stopping power."The Redline Edition cars have the same E85-compatible engines as the rest of the VEII models tweaked for bio-ethanol, although the 3.6-litre V6 does not come online until next year.The price of the regular Commodore Omega is unchanged with the VEII update, from $39,990, and the cheapest of the Redline Edition cars is the SS Ute at $49,990, with the similar sedan at $57,790.

I just want to get back in the car and driving again.  It's been the biggest break I think we've ever had; even longer than Christmas.I've been able to do a lot of stuff around the farm and finalise a lot of things, but I've been getting a little frustrated.  Right now I'm in Europe to see the Belgian F1 at Spa this weekend.Well, not quite. I'll get to see the qualifying, but then I have to hop back on the plane on Saturday night and fly home so I can be ready for our test day next Tuesday at Queensland Raceway.I've been concentrating on my fitness in preparation for the tough enduro rounds at Phillip Island and Bathurst.  And for me there is the added challenge of the nine-day Australasian Safari in between them.As most readers would know, a couple of weeks ago I had my first test in the Holden Colorado I'll be sharing with Kees Weel in the Safari. It didn't turn out the best with me rolling it half way through the day.Anyway, the Colorado is just about back together again and we plan for a final test at Albury on the Monday before Phillip Island.  Then I head home for a few days, before flying to Perth for the Safari, so there really isn't a lot of preparation. However, Kees and I are still pretty confident. He and the car are proven veterans in this sort of racing.I know a lot of V8 drivers have been taking advantage of this long break to holiday overseas.  I've been able to keep up with everything they are doing because 19 out of the 29 drivers have a Twitter account and are quite active on it.Nat and I use my Twitter and Facebook accounts to keep our fans updated on what we're doing.  Some of the other drivers also use it to chat to each other, but I think it's a great way for the fans to stay in touch with us.If anyone wants to follow what's happening in my life on the farm and at the track, they can go to twitter.com/craiglowndes888.  There have been a couple of things that have happened in V8 Supercars recently that I would like to comment on.The first is the strengthening rumours that we will race a non-championship round in Singapore next year as a support act to the F1.  That would be fantastic. Our category has always spoken of having four overseas races.For V8s to be showcased beside F1 again would be a great opportunity. It's also a brand new track which should be interesting.It will certainly be a better timeslot for the fans back home than the Mid-East rounds.  The Mid-East is great in some aspects such as coverage in Europe, but back here in Australia it's poor. The timing is all wrong and some fans hear about the results on the net or phone before they see it on the TV. Singapore would be a lot better proposition.The other great news is that the Perth round has been saved for next year.  It is a great city and we enjoy going there, so it was pretty sad we missed out this year.Triple 8 still went over to fulfil our sponsor requirements and the fans showed us just how much they love the sport. There is a great support base for V8 Supercars over there.I'm also delighted that the deal includes the government spending millions of dollars on permanent motoring facilities rather than another temporary street circuit.More money should be spent on keeping and improving permanent circuits.  Sydney's Oran Park closed down this year, Perth's Barbagallo Circuit missed out on a V8 round because of poor track facilities and Ipswich nearly missed out on a round for the same reasons.We need more circuits, not just for racing series like ours, but also for training, track days and corporate events.  Circuits such as Queensland Raceway could become international-standard tracks with the injection of funds.If money was spent lengthening and improving the Ipswich circuit it could host an international event like World Superbikes.  We'd also end up with a better permanent facility that could also be used for driver training.About a year ago I was part of a group that looked at improvements to the Ipswich track and we found we could also integrate a motocross track which would be good because they're also closing down all over.

SuperX organisers have announced that Reed's Kawasaki teammate, American Ryan Villopoto, will compete at the events.  Villopoto, 21, was leading the American supercross series with seven wins before he was forced out with a broken leg, while Reed last month pulled out of the American motocross series with glandular fever.  Both riders are expected to be fit for the SuperX series, starting in October.Villopoto will compete in the final two rounds at Parramatta Stadium, Sydney, on November 27 and Brisbane's on December 4. It will be the first time he has raced in Australia."The Sydney and Brisbane races are going to be the only major events I will race in before the 2011 AMA series so it's going to be great preparation for me and I'll be going for the win at both," Villopoto said.Other American supercross riders to compete in the series include Kevin Windham, Davi Millsaps, Mike Alessi and Justin Brayton. Kiwi Ben Townley, who is running third in the American motocross championship, will also compete.Super X seriesOctober 16: Newcastle, Energy Australia StadiumOctober 23: Canberra, Canberra StadiumOctober 30: Launceston, Aurora StadiumNovember 13: Auckland, North Harbour StadiumNovember 20: Dunedin, Carisbrook StadiumDecember 4: Brisbane, QSAC 

I might not be racing a car, but I'm racing around doing a lot of PR as are most of the drivers.  And the teams are also playing catch up on work, plus catch-up on a well-deserved break.Our workshop has plenty of work to do building a brand new race car for Skaifey and me for Phillip Island in September and Bathurst in October.  The benefit of this break is that we can also rotate our staff through some holidays to catch up with some well-deserved rest because they worked right through Christmas last year to get our new Holdens built.  So we basically have a skeleton crew on all the time at our Banyo headquarters.Mark is really excited about the new race car.  We both have to get comfortable in the car which is difficult for him and me because he has longer legs and a shorter torso than me.So getting the seat, steering wheel and pedals in a comfortable position for both of us will end up as a bit of a compromise.  I will have to stretch a bit more to the pedals, but I'll be closer to wheel.We drove together for HRT in 1999 and had a two-stage steering column we could push or pull about an inch, which is something our team is looking at.  Obviously you can't change the seat which is anchored down, so our legs will be a bit compromised for space, but we've got away with it in the past.Speaking of car-building, it's good to see V8 Supercars has now started building two prototypes to iron out any problems before the teams start building their race cars.  It's definitely a good concept and will make racing cheaper.However, with the chassis and components identical and only different Ford and Commodore shells, there is some skepticism among the fans about retaining that all-important Ford-Holden rivalry.  The teams will also have a challenge coming to terms with some of the technical issues such as the 100kg lighter weight and independent rear end.I hear they are thinking of staying with the spool diff, but having a custom housing so we can swap in a Detroit Locker or Salisbury. Interesting to hear that we may get those options for varying circuits and conditions.Our team, along with FPR, HRT and SBR have been testing various diffs to get the feel of where they work and where they don't, how they hook up and how they change the feel of the car.  Either has its pros and cons. It doesn't matter to me which one they go with.We've given our feedback and now it's up to the category to make their decision.  The idea is to allow more passing, particularly for drivers to dive down the inside into a corner and still have enough turn to be able to avoid running into the side of the car they are passing.All drivers are scared of that because you don't want to gain a place only to cop a points penalty through contact.  The other reason for the possible change of diff is to minimise the amount of damage our cars are doing to the tracks.The initial cost of all the car of the future changes will be huge, but in the long term it will be cheaper on running costs.  It should also make it safer with bigger wheels and brakes, and lighter cars.I was surprised and delighted at the weekend to see that Valentino Rossi has made a comeback to MotoGP just weeks after breaking his leg.  The sport really needs a charismatic rider like him and it was almost a fairytale comeback with a fourth place, denied of a podium by our very own Casey Stoner.No doubt he would have had the best doctors, best prep and best recovery, but it still takes an enormous  amount of personal courage and talent to come back so quickly after the biggest accident of his career and then to perform so well.  What a star.I'll also see a few F1 stars when my wife, Nat, and I fly to Europe for the Spanish GP in August.  However, I'm a little disappointed because I have to fly home before the Sunday race for a rookie day and test day the next week.  It would have been nice to see Mark Webber win another race, but at least we will be there for the practice and qualifying.

After another crash in race one at Brno last weekend, the Kawasaki Racing Team rider suffered further damage to his right knee which was injured at Philip Island in the first round in February.  The former World Supersport champion missed the next two rounds.The Kawasaki team's website announced yesterday that he would now sit out the rest of the season while his knee recovers and he considers reconstructive surgery.  Vermeulen is signed for next year with the Kawasaki factory team.He has not yet made a statement.

Turn 1: We don't even think of turn 1 as a turn. It's just a kink on the main straight where there is plenty of room to run side by side at speeds approaching 255km/h in sixth gear. It's hair-raising stuff.Turn 2: The right leg gets a big workout as we are hard on the brakes going into the 140-degree turn 2, banging down the gears from sixth all the way to 2nd for a 70km/h turn, protecting our line from someone ducking up the inside.Turn 3: In the run up to the next turn we get up to 4th gear and 180km/h before it's another hard brake down to 2nd for the faster 90-degree right hander that tightens up on exit. We take at about 90km/h.Turns 4-6: We refer to this area as a fast chicane but it isn't really a chicane at all, just a series of right, left, right kinks with a top speed in 4th gear of about 185km/h then full throttle to 190km/h for the last run down to turn 7.Turns 7 and 8: Hard on the brakes into 2nd gear for the much slower chicane and about 95km/h. The exit here is quite important as you have a long loaded right hander with two kinks down into the turn 11 hairpin.Turns 9 and 10: These are the two right-hand kinks over the train lines where we hope to get a good drive up to about 210km/h in 5th gear. We lift off a little before jumping on the brakes and gearing back to 2nd.Turns 11 and 12: We take this hairpin at about 65km/h and try to get good acceleration out of here as it bows around to the right through the turn 12 kink which we hit in 4th at about 175km/h.Turn 13: The last turn is a 1st gear corner and 60km/h with the all-important drive out of here to get the maximum terminal speed down the main straight.Traps: The things to look out for at Townsville are hitting your braking markers as hard as possible because there are four hard-braking corners. If you maximise your entry and exit speeds, you get good speed through the following straights.Tricks: It's important to have good car set-up to get good flow over the kerbs through the tricky back chicane. Another trick is to try to carry almost full throttle out of turns 8, 9 and 10. It's quite difficult to carry that sort of speed around this section, but it will give you a great passing opportunity in the back hairpin.Passing: There are really only three places to pass. Turns 2, 11 and 13 are all a duck down the inside under brakes. Around the back you are just basically blocking to hold your position. If your car is flowing well, you have a great chance of keeping competitors at bay.Bash and barge: Most of the crashes will be in the back section where you generally have big speed differences between cars. It's hard and dangerous to pass here, but some drivers will try to create a passing opportunity out of nothing but bravery... or stupidity.Qualifying tip: You have to be confident under brakes, get good drive off the corners and have a balanced car through the fast kinks.

So strategy was always going to play a huge part in the outcome. As a team we decided to have two different strategies, obviously the ultimate sin for teams is to have both cars in trying to do a pit stop at the same time for ultimately the second car is always disadvantaged.We opted to not start on the soft tyre where Jamie (Whincup) decided to start with it. The way we come up with that decision is basically the lead car in qualifying _ which was Jamie here _  has the priority, has the first option.He opted to start with it which meant we had to finish on the soft but we thought we still had a great opportunity to not only win but also to be on the podium.  Then the way the race panned out, I had a really bad start. It's always quite difficult to get these cars off the line and I spun the rear wheels up and fell back.Another element of the race here was knowing the guys behind you that are on the soft tyre and when to look out for them because the speed difference between a soft tyre and a hard is almost two seconds.  The radio communication from the team to me was quite busy _  giving me information about who was on what.From that we went about our normal strategy which was trying to split the race up into two thirds with a soft tyre in the mix. The last sprint to the finish was going to be on the soft tyre for us where we had great pace at the beginning but overtaking cars takes a bit of life out of the tyres.We burnt up the rears and finished fifth.  We also had a little issue in the pit stop when one of a regular tyre guys fall sick and we had to replace him with a backup. Unfortunately he was not quite as quick as our regular guys and when they dropped the car as normal the front left tyre wasn't on the car.We lost about six seconds in our pit stop just because of the mistake.  So if you look back we possibly could've finished fourth, third was probably a bit of a stretch.Now it's two weeks to Townsville and we'll be driving up as we did last year.  So we'll be leaving mid next week with the caravan and the kids, the kids will be on holidays, and we'll be driving up the east coast.

Our sport needs to be national and not having Western Australia in the calendar is a real shame.  I hope they can do something about ensuring we are back there next year. On a personal level, it is a shame because Perth was one of my best results last year.However, next stop is Darwin a track I love and where I've had some great results in the past few years. I love the heat and from what I understand we are using the sprint tyre there again, but not for the whole meeting like we did at Ipswich and Winton. We get one set of softs to be used only in Sunday's race. So it's back to hard tyres for qualifying and Saturday's race, and half to two-thirds of Sunday's race. Should make things interesting.Speaking of interesting, you just can't help getting caught up in all the hype about State of Origin football. It's like our Bathurst. It's the main game of the year. It's like Holden versus Ford, only it's NSW versus Queensland. There has always been a battle between the two brands and the two states and there always will be so long as people have their passionate loyalties.Although I grew up in Victoria and still have a real passion for AFL, I've now been living in Queensland for 13 years and I've grown to love rugby league as well and consider myself a Queenslander through and through. So I just hope the Maroons can go on and make it a five-series winning streak. Not only because I'm a Queenslander but also because Billy Slater is a good mate, having done the Rexona Greatest Athlete show with him.He is the consumate athlete and having competed against him in that show it's now great to sit back and watch him perform. I've also been watching two of our Aussie exports performing on the world motoring stage. It's quite impressive to watch Mark Webber dominating in the past two F1 races with qualifying and on race day.That's not only a great confidence booster for himself, but also psychologically it demoralises his rivals. He's driving extremely well. His performance at Monaco in particular was impressive because that's an unforgiving street circuit like Surfers Paradise.You have to maintain your concentration 100 per cent of the time or you could easily hit a wall. On the flip side we've got Casey Stoner whose MotoGP season seems to be falling apart. It's such a shame because even though he didn't have the qualifying pace at Le Mans, he had the race pace and was starting to catch Valentino when he fell again.There are a lot of rumours running around in this early start to the silly season that he is going to Honda. I just hope he can get past all that and get himself right for next year and finish this season on a positive note because it's pretty much safe to say he's not going to be able to get score the title this year.Finally, I want to make a plea for people to support the Fatality Free Friday road safety campaign.(MAY 28) There is no one magic solution to the road toll, but it all helps. For me, the biggest thing is driver education. We work in a program with Jim Murcott driver training in which we have drive days where we go out and give people rides in the race car, but also educate them on braking, vision, seat position, fatigue and more.For race drivers it's all just commonsense because we've been driving for so long, but for some people they have to be shown the correct methods. My opinion is that people only learn how to get a licence; many never really learn how to drive a car properly.I get frustrated watching people driving on the streets. My pet hates are people sitting in the right-hand lane doing 10km/h under the speed limit, people who don't indicate when they change lanes and people who stop on merge lanes instead of getting up to the correct speed and merging smoothly.But the main one is young people who drive from almost the back seat with their seat back reclined right down. It's something to do with peer pressure, but if they observed race drivers they'd see we sit up nice and close so we are in total control of the vehicle.

I have to agree that the racing has been brilliant.  Even on circuits like Winton where it can be boring because there are limited places to pass, the softer and gripier Dunlops provided plenty of passing opportunities.It made for very entertaining racing, not only for the spectators, but also for us drivers.  However, I don't think the format for this year should be changed when we are halfway through the season.We can definitely use it at other events to improve the racing and the passing opportunities, but it shouldn't be used in the long-distance events because the tyre hasn't got the structure for durability.Rounds such as Townsville, Darwin and maybe the Gold Coast could certainly do with it.  But not until next year.Let's sit down and think it through and work out which circuits could be improved by running on the sprint tyres and then make the decision at the start of the year so the teams can work out their strategies.  We all still have a lot of work to do to get a full understanding of this tyre.It generates a lot more grip and we're always looking for more turn in the car, but that means we have to adjust our car settings and balance.  We also have to get our heads around how it heats up and reacts to ambient temperatures.At a cold track like Winton, the tyre can actually act like glass rather than rubber until it heats up and if you charge too hard before it gets to the right temperature you can effectively rip grain-sized pieces off the tyre.  These are the sorts of things we need to sort out.Anyway, we had a ball at Queensland Raceway and then again at Winton with these tyres.  We ran two totally different strategies last Saturday and Sunday and I'm happy to say they were the right ones both times.I was concerned about the Saturday strategy of pitting late because of the lack of pace in the middle of the race, but it worked out well. My race engineer Jeromy Moore and the team made a good choice.  At the end we had massive closing speed and grip, so I was able to pass a stack of cars.Sunday was a different format because it was a longer race with two pit stops instead of one.  Our last stop was forced by the safety car and we stopped straight away which worked out well.However, knowing we still had about 24 laps to go, I was worried about our car having consistent pace and longevity.  Full marks to James Courtney and Dick Johnson's team.  James drove a very sensible couple of races for the second round in a row.He's matured a lot in the past year and he's driving really well. He's also not making the mistakes he did last year.  He's not just leading races, but also showing he's able to come through the pack like he did on Sunday when he started in sixth on the grid. He showed plenty of patience and good strategy.I don't think this is a matter of Ford gaining the ascendancy in the series, but simply that this team now has two years of development under their belt and they are getting the best out of their cars.  I know just how good that Triple 8-spec car is.It's also a good combination of car, team and driver. It be will be a hard combination to beat.  However, in just two rounds the whole top 10 has changed dramatically, so no one is unbeatable.From my point of view, I've come from eighth to fifth to third and am now only 108 points off my teammate, Jamie, and 222 off Courtney.  With more than half a season to go that puts me within striking distance and gaining momentum.It's a far cry from how I was at this time last year when I was fading the other way.  Needless to say, Jamie is bitterly disappointed with the results from the past two rounds.On Sunday he had a flat left hand tyre and got caught out in the gravel. It wasn't the result he was hoping for.  But knowing him, he will no doubt strive harder to bridge the gap and then try to get back the lead.The next two events in Darwin and Townsville will be crucial to the championship, knowing we have an eight-week mid-season break.  Everyone will want to go into that break with the momentum behind them.

He was in a league of his own as he converted a stunning pole position performance into a start-to-finish romp for Red Bull - and an equal lead in the 2010 world championship battle.  The closest anyone got to Webber was on the starting grid, although his margin at the front was erased three times by the Safety Car and he had to pull away again from his Red Bull team mate Sebastian Vettel.Webber survived a final scare when Jarno Trulli and Karun Chandhok collided just three laps from the finish, but he was able to blast to the chequered flag when the safety car was withdrawn to clear his run to the line.  Vettel was second for Red Bull, beating Robert Kubica of Renault after jumping him at the start, with Felipe Massa in fourth for Ferrari.Webber blazed to victory after a string of fastest laps that left four world champions - Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton, Jenson Button and Michael Schumacher - with no answer to his speed and commitment.  "Unbelievable. Brilliant. A 1-2 at Monaco . . . maximum points at two races," Webber said on his cool-down lap.The win was a repeat of his all-the-way romp a week earlier in the Spanish Grand Prix, and the 25 points he clocked for the victory moved him equal with Vettel at the top of the world championship standings.The surprise star of the race was Felipe Massa, who was forced to start from the pitlane after crashing his Ferrari in practice and missing qualifying. He got all the way up to seventh place, although a late pass by Michael Schumacher - which cost him a spot - was being investigated by race officials.Jenson Button lost his world championship lead after engine failure in his McLaren and there were predictable retirements at the back of the field by the new Hispania and Virgin teams, as well as both Saubers with gearbox hydraulic failures.Webber's victory completed an Australian sweep at Monaco, as Red Bull's reserve driver Daniel Ricciardo won the Renault 3.5 series curtain-raiser. The 20-year-old from Perth also sat on pole position and his first victory in the junior series bumps him up to second in the championship standings.PROVISIONAL PLACINGS:Monaco Grand Prix1. Mark Webber, Red Bull2. Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull3. Robert Kubica, Renault4. Felipe Massa, Ferrari5. Lewis Hamilton, McLaren6. Michael Schumacher, Mercedes7. Fernando Alonso, Ferrari8. Nico Rosberg, Mercedes9. Adrian Sutil, Force India10. Tonio Liuzzi, Force IndiaPROVISIONAL POINTSCORE:1. Mark Webber/Sebastian Vettel, 873. Fernando Alonso, 734. Jenson Button, 705. Felipe Massa, 61