Race track

...by the withdrawal of the last official factory team in the series and top-name drivers Neal Bates and Simon Evans.Toyota withdrew its support from rallying yesterday as it ended all involvement in Australia motorsport as part of a move to cut non- essential costs from its troubled local sales operation.It followed Ford and GM Holden in slashing its spending on motorsport but took it to the next level, trumping its rivals' multi-million dollar cuts on their V8 Supercar programs with a total withdrawal.The decision ends 20 years in the Australian Rally Championship, the speedway support of national champion Brooke Tatnell, a blossoming program in drag racing and even support of the youth-focussed Australian drift championship.The biggest casualty is Neal Bates, who has won three national rally titles for the company and provided the cars to give Simon Evans two more."I'm devastated by it. I only got the news last night," Bates said yesterday."I'm sad but I feel privileged to have had the success we have had in all sorts of cars, from the original Celica through to the latest Corolla we designed and built at our base in Canberra. The worst thing is that people are going to lose their jobs and this is like a family."Bates and his co-driver Coral Taylor still plan to compete in the opening event of this year's ARC, Rally Tasmania next month, as well as the team's home event in Canberra. He is also hopeful of finding buyers for Corolla rally cars."I want to keep doing but I don't plan to send myself broke." We've already had a few possibilities come along today, but there is an enormous difference between a possibility and a signed deal," Bates said.Evans' plans are unknown for the moment, although he has rallied before in Subaru cars and has had offers to compete in the China Rally Championship with his co-driving wife Sue. 

The fresh new face of Team Red was finally made public at Holden headquarters in Fishermans Bend on Wednesday.But as Will Davison jumped up to fill Mark Skaife's giant shoes at the Holden Racing Team, stepping into the spotlight alongside Garth Tander for the first time, there was no sign of the man he is replacing.Instead, Skaife was taking it easy and looking after his motorsport future, with his 13-year-old son Mitch.The youngster clearly plans to follow his dad and grandad Russell into racing and was deeply into a final tuning session with his father at the Oakleigh go-kart track in suburban Melbourne."We were doing a bit of go-karting," Skaife said."Mitch has had a couple of goes. I'm not pushing him at all with it.He's had two or three runs over the summer and he's back to school later this week so it was the final chance for a go."He is bloody good. He's got good car control. He's enjoying it."The same applies to Davison, who has graduated to the benchmark team in V8 Supercar racing after making the big breakthrough last year - including his first win - with Dick Johson Racing.He has jumped the fence from blue to red in a smart move which positions him as the brightest young star in the Holden camp, as well as setting him up to learn and pressure Tander in a revitalised HRT operation for 2009 and beyond.But Davison has no intention of becoming the new Mark Skaife."I'm Will Davison. I'm my own person," he said."I'm not in this thing to be anyone else, simple as that. But this is a new era and I'll be looking to do as good as I can."Davison is set for success with a team that knows how to win, but refused to set a timetable for his first win or championship."I know I'm ready to win, but I don't know when. I just know I'll put in 110 per cent," Davison said.Tander is also pumped with the youngster alongside him although, like Davison, he has no plan to become the next Holden icon following Skaife's retirement at the end of last year."Why does there have to be another Mark Skaife? Why have one when you can have two with Will and me," Tander said.He is expecting a tough challenge from Davison, who was set for a career in Formula One and tested for Paul Stoddart's Minardi team before the money ran out."Obviously the first bloke you want to beat is your team mate, because he has the same equipment, but having said that we both want the bes for the team and Holden. I think it's a good chance to replicate what Rick Kelly and I had at the HSV Dealer Team, when we won two championships," Tander said.He is fit and focussed and believes the latest incarnation of Team Red, with Tom Walkinshaw back at the top, has a big chance to return to its glory days in 2009."There is more that needs to be achieved. I'm certainly not relaxing."This week is a big one for driver confirmations, as teams return to business without the gag of contract restrictions.James Courtney is now finally official at Dick Johnson Racing, where he takes over Davison's former spot alongside Steven Johnson, as Jason Richards moves to Brad Jones' Commodore team and Davison's older brother Alex returns from Porsche racing in the USA and Europe to become team leader with Stone Brothers Racing.But that was no real interest to Skaife, who was getting his kicks with the kids."I've always liked watching kids learning the craft, and seeing them learning and experiencing karting," Skaife said."I love it with Mitch. He's got to stop me from tweaking all the team.He thinks I'm a bit overboard."That's no surprise, considering Skaife's laser-lock approach to his own career in motorsport.He is still to confirm his plans for 2009, although he will be an ambassador for Holden and V8 Supercars and is likely to do commentary work for Channel Seven, and said he is learning to take things a bit easier."I'm the most relaxed I've been in years. I've had a month off with the kids at the beach, just fooling around. I think I could get to like this." 

Will Power is joining Ryan Briscoe at Team Penske, one of the benchmark operations in American motorsport, after the collapse of his Team Australia deal which had been funded by mercurial Queensland businessman Craig Gore.Confirmation of Power's high-profile new race place, with the most successful team in the history of the Indianapolis 500, came from Penske Racing yesterday.He began work at the IndyCar pre-season briefing in Indianapolis yesterday, where he sat for the first time with Briscoe as his team mate instead of his rival."It is a tremendous opportunity for me to join one of the best teams in all of racing," said Power."This is terrific. It's going to be a lot of fun," Briscoe said.Power's signing means he becomes the second Australia racer to have his career in America saved by Indy racing legend Roger Penske.The motoring mogul plucked Briscoe out of the wilderness following a near-fatal crash, groomed him in sports car for a year, then turned him into a regular race winner last year."This year he is going for the title. That's the plan," Penske told the Herald Sun this week at the Detroit Motor Show."He's the real deal. He did a great job for us last year."Penske was so happy with Briscoe's late-season charge — which earned him the lucrative fifth place in the IndyCar championship — that he paid for a speedboat the recently-engaged racer had ordered for his lakeside home in North Carolina.Power's big break has come because Penske's IndyCar spearhead of recent years, American 'Dancing with the Stars' winner Helio Castro Neves, has run into trouble with the American tax department.He is being prosecuted and could miss much of the coming season, even if he wins the case. But prosecutors are also calling for jail time if he loses."We remain hopeful that Helio's situation will have a positive outcome and the team is fully behind him," said Tim Cindric, president of Penske Racing."While Helio prepares for his court case, we're excited to welcome Will Power to the team. Will has already proven that he's a terrific racer and we think he's going to be a good fit with Team Penske."Power had a tough first year in the amalgamated IndyCar series last year, although he won the very last Champ Car race on the streets of Long Beach.He led before crashing in the Indy 300 at home on the Gold Coast but, when Gore decided not to continue his sponsorship of Team Australia following a withdrawal of his V8 Supercar team, was left without a drive and with few solid prospects.Penske said the length of Power's deal with the team will depend on the outcome of Castroneves' court case, although he is already preparing for pre-season testing in Florida. 

The retired grand prix ace is the first choice to become the new team mate for Bathurst winner and touring car champion Russell Ingall at Super Cheap Racing.Villeneuve has been targeted by Paul 'The Dude' Morris, who retired at the end of last year, and is a strong chance to race in Australia."This is real. Absolutely. He is pretty keen to do it," Morris told the Herald Sun yesterday."It would be the full season. Not just one race."If we can make a bit of a buzz about it then I think it can definitely happen. We would have to write about $2 million in sponsorship so we could run the car and pay him to drive."The Villeneuve deal surfaced halfway through last year when Morris was talking to one of the the French-Canadian's management team, expatriate Australian Barry Green. He knows Green from the time when he raced in the USA and Green is linked to Villeneuve in much the same way as he competed in Champ Cars and won the Indianapolis 500 before graduating to Formula One."Barry contacted me about getting him a ride for Bathurst last year. "But it was a bit late," Morris said.He re-activated the link after retiring and deciding to put some guest drivers into his second Super Cheap Commodore alongside Ingall.Morris has already tested Leanne Tander, and considered young gun Steve Owen, but was also drawn to American racer Boris Said who co- drove for him last year in the Bathurst 1000.But he is hot for Villeneuve and wants to get him to Australia."Yes, I want it to happen. And I think it can," Morris said.Villeneuve is a global superstar despite fizzing through the final years of his grand prix career with the BAR, Renault and Sauber-BMW teams before retiring in 2006.He was second at the Australian Grand Prix in his first F1 start, with Williams in 1996, and would have won but for an engine drama which gifted the race to his team mate Damon Hill.He won his world championship with Williams in only his second year in F1, but his results in Australia were marred by the crash which killed a track marshall Graham Beveridge in 2001.Since his retirement from Formula One, and after a failed attempt at a music career, Villeneuve has made sporadic starts in other categories.He has competed for Peugeot in the Le Mans 24-Hour race in France, raced Speedcar sedans in the Middle East and has also been trying to crack a regular drive in the Nascar series in the USA.Morris believes he would be ideal in V8 Supercar racing and is pushing hard for a deal."Man, how good would it be? How long since we've had a Formula One car in touring cars in Australia?," Morris said."The last one was Alan Jones. And if he drives as good as AJ he will be alright."Morris leaves next week for a business and racing trip to the USA when he is likely to meet Green to push the deal further."The next step would be to get him out here to drive the car," Morris said."He also has some sort of connection with French television, so I'm looking at how we could make that work."

Everything is ready at the blue oval factory team for a three-car assault on next year's touring car championship, but not until the final crucial piece of paper is in the safe.FPV is competing with several others - Walkinshaw Racing and Paul Cruickshank both want to grow their teams next year - for two remaining license. And each has a pricetage in the $1.3 to $1.5 million range."It's a bit of a struggle at the moment. The real issue is the license," says FPR's director of business operations, Mark Roworth.FPR is looking cashed-up and competitive after the re-signing of Orrcon and Castrol, which both have long-term deals with the team, and the arrival of Westrac Cat to take a place on both the Mark Winterbottom and Steven Richards' Falcons.Roworth believes he has the support to expand to a third car and is likely to be choosing between Andrew Thompson, Dale Wood and Jonathon Webb as the driver.But he stresses that a three-car team is more than just a money-making move."It comes down to the reason we want to run a third car. It has got to be strategic," he says."We want to find the next Mark Winterbottom. We need a succession plan for our existing drivers."There is no plan to get rid of them, and they both have long-term contracts, but you never know what is going to happen. It is far cheaper to develop a driver than it is to buy one."FPR has already run more than its own two Falcons from its base in Broadmeadows, with both Team Kiwi and Jim Morton's Ford Rising Stars operation taking their on-track hardware from the team.Ironically, Morton's decision to quit V8 Supercars has hurt FPR as he sold his license to Marcus Marshall, who is establishing a new team for '09 with a major internet company paying the bills."That's a bit disappointing. If we had known that Jim Morton was getting out we probably would have moved to get the license," Roworth says.But he stresses that FPR is not just planning to run a third car to boost the money it makes from Orrcon, Castrol and the rest of its backers."The key thing is to ensure the third car is not just a revenue stream, but complements the other two," Roworth says."That sets us apart from some other people, perhaps like the Walkinshaw operation. 

The car has recently completed the vehicle homologation process, allowing it to enter FIA competition.Skoda’s Motorsport factory team will compete with two crews: Czechoslovakia’s Jan Kopecký with Petr Starý (co-driver) as one, and Finland’s Juho Hänninen and Mikko Markkula as the second.The Fabia S2000 carrries a 2-litre, four-cylinder engine that develops 245Nm of torque, with a six-speed sequential transmission driving all four wheels.Video footage shows the car in hard testing on dry and snow-bound tracks. 

CARSV8 SupercarsMarch 19-22, Clipsal 500, Adelaide* March 26-29, Australian Grand Prix, Melbourne April 17-19, Hamilton 400, NZ May 1-3, Winton, Vic May 29-31, Symmons Plains, Tas June 19-21, Hidden Valley, Darwin, NT July 10-12, Townsville 400, Qld July 31-August 2, Sandown, Melbourne August 21-23, Queensland 400, Ipswich September 11-13, L&H 500 Phillip Island, Vic October 8-11, Bathurst 1000, NSW October 22-25, Surfers Paradise, Qld November 5-7, Desert 400, Bahrain November 20-22, Wanneroo, WA December 4-6, Sydney 400, NSW(* non-competition round)Formula One(provisional)March 29, MelbourneApril 5, Sepang, MalaysiaApril 19, Shanghai ChinaApril 26, BahrainMay 10, Catalunya, SpainMay 24, Monaco, Monte CarloJune 7, Istanbul, TurkeyJune 21, Silverstone, UKJuly 12, Nurburgring, GermanyJuly 26, Hungaroring, BudapestAugust 23, Valencia, SpainAugust 30, Spa, BelgiumSeptember 13, Monza, ItalySeptember 27, SingaporeOctober 4, Suzuka, JapanOctober 18, Sao Paulo, BrazilNovember 1, Abu DhabiWorld Rally ChampionshipJanuary 28-February 1, IrelandFebruary 11-15, NorwayMarch 11-15, CyprusApril 1-5, PortugalApril 22-26, ArgentinaMay 20-24, SardiniaJune 10-14, GreeceJune 24-28, PolandJuly 29-August 8, FinlandSeptember 2-6, AustraliaSeptember 30-October 4, SpainOctober 21-25, Wales NASCAR Sprint CupFebruary 7, Daytona (Shootout)February 15, DaytonaFebruary 22, California SpeedwayMarch 1, Las VegasMarch 8, AtlantaMarch 22, BristolMarch 29, MartinsvilleApril 5, TexasApril 18, PhoenixApril 26, TalladegaMay 2, RichmondMay 9, DarlingtonMay 16, CharlotteMay 24, CharlotteMay 31, DoverJune 7, Pocono RacewayJune 14, MichiganJune 21, Infineon RacewayJune 28, New HampshireJuly 4, DaytonaJuly 11, Chicagoland SpeedwayJuly 26, IndianapolisAugust 2, Pocono RacewayAugust 9, Watkins GlenAugust 16, MichiganAugust 22, BristolSeptember 6, AtlantaSeptember 12, RichmondSeptember 20, New HampshireSeptember 27, DoverOctober 4, KansasOctober 11, California SpeedwayOctober 17, CharlotteOctober 25, MartinsvilleNovember 1, TalladegaNovember 8, TexasNovember 15, PhoenixNovember 22, Miami A1 GP of Nations(2008/2009 season)January 25, Taupo, NZFebruary 8, Jakarta, IndonesiaFebruary 22, Kyalami, South AfricaMarch 15, Mexico City, MexicoMarch 29, TBAApril 12, Portimao, PortugalMay 3, Brands Hatch, UKA1 GP of Nations(2009/2010 season)September 30, Zandvoort, NetherlandsOctober 14, Brno, Czech RepublicOctober 25, Surfers Paradise, AustraliaNovember 25, Sepang, MalaysiaDecember 16, Shanghai, ChinaWorld eventsDakar Rally, January 3-18, South America Le Mans 24 Hour, June 13-14 Daytona 24 Hour, January 24 Goodwood Festival of Speed, England, July (TBC) Goodwood Revival Festival, England, September 18-20 MOTORCYCLESMotoGP* April 12, Losail, Qatar DohaApril 26, Motegi, JapanMay 3, Jerez, SpainMay 17, Le Mans, FranceMay 31, Mugello, ItalyJune 14, Catalunya, Spain** June 27, Assen, Netherlands*** July 5, Laguna Seca, USJuly 19, Sachsenring, GermanJuly 26, Donington Park, UKAugust 16, Brno, Czech RepublicAugust 30, Indianapolis, USSeptember 6, Misano, San MarinoSeptember 20, Lake Balaton, HungaryOctober 4, Estoril, PortugalOctober 18, Phillip Island, AustraliaOctober 25, Sepang, MalaysiaNovember 8, Valencia, Spain* evening race** Saturday*** Only MotoGP classWorld Superbikes(provisional)March 1, Phillip Island, AustraliaMarch 14, Losail, QatarApril 5, Valencia, SpainApril 26, Assen, NetherlandsMay 10, Monza, ItalyMay 24, Kyalami, South AfricaMay 31, Salt Lake City, USJune 21, Nurburgring, GermanyJune 28, Misano, San MarinoJuly 19, Brno, Czech RepublicAugust 2, Brands Hatch, UKSeptember 6, Donington Park, UKSeptember 28, Valencia, SpainOctober 11, Magny-Cours, FranceOctober 18 or 25, Estoril, PortugalAustralian SuperbikesRound 1, Feb27-March1, Phillip Island, Vic Round 2, April 4-5, Symmons Plains, Tas Round 3, May 29-31, Queensland Raceway Round 4, August 7-9, Eastern Creek, NSW Round 5, August 29-30, Mallalla, SA Round 6, October 15-18, Phillip Island, Vic Round 7, November 13-15, Calder Park, Vic Australian MotocrossRound 1, April 4-5, Wodonga, VicRound 2, April 18-19, CanberraRound 3, May 17, Toowoomba, QldRound 4, May 24, Mackay, QldRound 5, June 14, Murray bridge, SARound 6, June 21, Wanneroo, WARound 7, July 26, Lakes, NSWAustralian Off RoadRounds 1 & 2, March 7, Port Macquarie, NSW Rounds 3 & 4, May 16-17, Blayney, NSW Rounds 5 & 6, June 27-28, Murray bridge, SA Rounds 7 & 8, May 16-17, Queensland Rounds 9 & 10, September 12-13, NSWWorld eventsDakar Rally, January 3-18, South America Speedway World Cup final, July 18, Leszno, Poland Trials des Nations, September 20, Darfo Boario Terme, Italy Motocross of Nations, October 4, Franciacorta, Italy International Six Day Enduro, October 12-17, Figueira da Foz, Portugal 

So well in fact that some customers are buying two of HSV's most-powerful weapons, the W427, one to drive and one to keep as a collectors' item and investment.HSV spokesman, Simon Frost, says the Clayton-based performance car builder is on target to deliver 90 W427s this year and has 30 forward orders already for the first quarter of next year."Our experience is that it's not marginal customers who are buying the 427, it's really passionate car enthusiasts who love our brand," he says.In a sense the W427 is HSV's crisis proof car.Frost says the plan is to build “up to" 427, a number that refers to the 7.0-litre V8's old-fashioned cubic-inch capacity.However, he says that the car does not have a "never-ending" lifespan."These will be built to order," he says."At some point or other there will have to be a decision about the final build but it won't be any more than 427."That means there's a good chance the 427 be HSV's hero car for future generations despite the unveiling of the 7.4-litre Pontiac GXP Street Concept at the recent SEMA trade show in Las Vegas.Frost says HSV has no plans to slide the massive 7.4-litre V8 _ codenamed LSX454 _ under the bonnet of a local HSV for an even brawnier performance car.The show car is a made for America car only, he says."We have no plans to look at that car from an HSV perspective," he says."Our hero car is the 427 and the two-year research and development program to bring that to market was expensive and it's produced a car that we're excited about and has a good reception in the market despite all the doom and gloom around."The W427 shares its V8 with the Chevrolet Corvette and is hand-made on a separate production line at GM in Detroit, the same line that built the 7.4-litre Street Concept engine.The W427 develops 375kW at 6500 revs and 640Nm at 5000 revs.The LSX454 cranks out 476kW and a whopping 813Nm, 101kW and 193Nm more than even the hottest HSV.Frost says HSV is conscious of growing green concerns about fuel-guzzling V8s.HSV is looking at different technologies as well as their conventional V8s as part of the wider approach to deliver greener cars."It's not about producing bigger and more powerful engines," he says."And we still want to have that core HSV DNA in any vehicle."But other options that use less petrol or different forms of combustion are under consideration." 

Visit the Ford stand and meet your favourite V8 Supercar racing heroes in person and receive a personalised team poster.V8 Supercar racing drivers Steven Richards and Mark Winterbottom will appear on the Ford stand in Hall 4.Having just tackled V8 Supercar's most gruelling event, the Bathurst 1000, Ford V8 Supercar stars Steven Richards and Mark Winterbottom will grace the Ford stand to share their experience.With five rounds of the national V8 Supercar series remaining (including Bathurst) Ford Performance Racing driver Winterbottom is a favourite to take out the title - the #5 Falcon is currently in second and just a whisker off the Championship lead. Teammate Richards is in the top-ten mix with the #6 Falcon sitting seventh overall.

Five-time 500cc motorcycle world champion Mick Doohan labelled Valentino Rossi as good as any rider in history after the Italian's record-breaking triumph at the Indianapolis MotoGP yesterday.Rossi sped within a solitary point of an eighth world title in the rain-shortened race in which he surpassed compatriot Giacomo Agostini's record of 68 victories in the top category.“People sometimes ask who is the greatest rider of all time? It's hard to say because every era is different,” said Doohan, who sits third on the all-time list with 54.“That said, Valentino is probably as good as there has ever been, if not the best.“I'm sure he will win many more races, if he stays fit, and I'm looking forward to seeing him go head-to-head with Casey Stoner and the others at Phillip Island in a few weeks.”Rossi was declared the winner after 20 laps when the race — the first motorcycle event at the legendary Brickyard since 1909 — was stopped as heavy rain and gales, a legacy of Hurricane Ike, swept the circuit.Rossi's 69th victory in the top category handed him an 87-point lead over defending champion Stoner, who was fourth. With four races left, he can clinch the championship by picking up a point at Motegi in Japan in a fortnight.Rossi was pleased to grab two slices of motorcycling history.“To win the first race here at Indianapolis is a great emotion and to beat Agostini's record is also incredible. Now I hope my record will stand for 30 years like his,” Rossi said.“These were the worst conditions of my career. When the wind and rain came, it became very hard.“I think I could have kept going for another eight laps, but there were things flying through the air — beer cans, plastic glasses — so really I think it was the right decision to stop the race.“Sincerely I don't think I've ever ridden in conditions like these and I was lucky because I was far in front and didn't have to take any big risks.”Doohan said Rossi's strike rate was impressive.“To win as many races as he has in less than nine seasons shows how consistent he has been, and that's his strength, as well as his ability,” he said.“He's always ready to race, regardless of the circumstances. The weather was terrible, and since Valentino is leading the championship, he could have just cruised around and got some points.“Instead, he was the guy pushing it harder than the others. He just rode away from them and that's why he has achieved so much.“I was racing 500s when Valentino arrived on the grand prix scene in '96 in the 125s.“He's always been serious about his racing, but he's also been someone who enjoys himself off the track and that's why he's so popular with so many fans around the world.”Details, Page 82 TOPS ON TWO WHEELSMost Motorcycle Grand Prix wins in the top category.Wins Rider69* Valentino Rossi (Ita) 2000-08*68 Giacomo Agostini (Ita) 1965-197654 Mick Doohan (Aus) 1990-1998*Still competing