MOTORSPORT: Lid on Bathurst top speeds

In a teaser statement, V8 Supercars has said: “While variation to the drop gear ratio had been considered for Bathurst, the V8 Supercars Commission has decided there will be no immediate change, but could reverse that decision during the event.

“A change would mean a potential top speed of 310km/h for the V8 Supercars at the Mountain, and was put forward because cars were on the rev limiter for longer at the end of the straight than in previous years at Sandown Raceway (two weeks ago).

“Applying that to Bathurst, there is the potential for torque reversal, which can cause damage to the driveline, including the transaxle.

“The V8 Supercars Technical Advisory Panel assessed this risk and, while no change is being made at this stage, an assessment on the time spent on the rev limiter will be made after practice and Albins (maker of the transaxle gearboxes) will carry sufficient stock if a change is, in fact, required.

“Technical staff will review the data from all cars, as well as taking onboard feedback from drivers.”

V8 Supercars also said the Holden Commodores, Ford Falcons, Nissan Altimas and AMG Mercedes-Benz E63s in the race will be required to make at least seven refueling stops if they complete the 1000km.

The winning Holdens the past two years made six stops each, but the fuel tanks in this year’s ‘Cars of the Future’ are eight litres smaller.

The minimum pitstops’ requirement, introduced for the Sandown 500 in which cars had to make at least four stops, has been the attempt to ensure parity between the makes after Nissan and Mercedes team Erebus were refused permission to use E70 fuel rather than the usual E85.

Shane Van Gisbergen, who drives a Holden in Australia’s V8 Supercar Championship but a Falcon in the NZ series, and Alex Davison had two fourth places and a fifth in the three races, making them the most consistent combination of the weekend at Hampton Downs and thus the overall winners.

Incidentally, Murphy has had 10 race wins in the SuperTourers series not yet two seasons old, while Perkins – unable to land a full-time V8 Supercar seat – has had four.

Minardi rings alarm bell on Vettel’s speed
Giancarlo Minardi has raised the question of whether Sebastian Vettel’s blistering speed in the Singapore Grand Prix, in which he was at times two seconds a lap faster than any other driver, may have been because of traction control – something that has been illegal in recent years.

Minardi said there was a point in the track where Vettel accelerated 50 metres earlier than other drivers, including Red Bull teammate Mark Webber, and that his Renault engine made a distinctive noise.

“It sounded like none of the other Renault engines on track, including Mark’s,” Minardi wrote in a column for pitpass.com.

“It sounded similar to the engines in past seasons when traction control went into action.

“I don’t want to blame anyone … it’s not my intention to devalue Sebastian Vettel … I would just like to have some answers.”

Webber’s Singapore actions ‘doubly dangerous’

Singapore GP steward Derek Warwick has explained on British TV what convinced the stewards to find that Mark Webber and Fernando Alonso had acted dangerously at the end of that race.

Webber branded the reprimand he received, the third of his final F1 season and which will mean at least a 10-place grid penalty in Korea next Sunday, “comical”.

However, Warwick told the F1 Show on Britain’s Sky Sports: “We (the stewards) were about to leave the room when race control gave us some more footage of the way it (Webber boarding Alonso’s Ferrari on the slowdown lap) had been executed, and when we saw the footage I have to say it was dangerous - dangerous on several levels.

"First of all the rules state that you cannot leave the side of the circuit if you have broken down or blown up - as Mark did - without the permission of the marshals, and Mark left without the permission of the marshals.

"He ran to the edge of the circuit and waved down Kimi (Raikkonen) and Fernando and they both slowed down. Kimi obviously just went on, but that left Fernando in the centre of the circuit, on the exit of a third-gear corner, and then Mark ran across the track to get on the left-hand side of the Ferrari, then in came Nico Rosberg in the Mercedes, just missing him.

“Mark then climbed on to the Ferrari and then Lewis (Hamilton) arrived and nearly went up the back of the Ferrari. So there were two potential dangerous situations there for Mark."

“Confirmation of Rally Australia 2014 is great news not only for us as organisers, our local suppliers and our partners, it is also a reward for the Coffs Coast community, which made a very big contribution to the success of our recent event and the previous one in 2011,” Rally Australia chairman Ben Rainsford said.

“I thank the NSW government through its Destination NSW organisation, Coffs Harbour City Council and the many other parties that have supported our bid for an annual WRC round.

“Knowing that we can turn around straight away on organising 2014 means we can retain local staff, supply chains, logistical arrangements and potentially sponsors and put more time into improving the attractions for spectators.

“As Australia’s only other four-wheel world championship outside F1, Rally Australia has a tremendous opportunity to become one of our biggest and most exciting motorsport festivals and to make an even bigger contribution to the Coffs Coast regional economy.

“We’re already reviewing plans for 2014 and hope to announce some new initiatives soon.”

Rainsford said Rally Australia had signed a contract for 2014 and 2015 with WRC commercial rights holder WRC Promoter GmbH, although confirmation of 2015 would be subject to the usual FIA processes.

He said Rally Australia also was pressing ahead with a bid for 2016 – when New Zealand has hoped to win back the WRC in this part of the world.

Greece’s Acropolis Rally has been dropped from the 2014 calendar, replaced by Rally Poland.

Lobbying by China and Brazil for a WRC round have not succeeded yet, leaving Mexico, Argentina and Australia as the championship’s “flyaway” events outside Europe. (Full calendar below)

Formula E ‘a vision for the future’

The new Formula E has a 10-round calendar for its first season with races in Asia, South and North America and Europe.

It now has four teams confirmed but claims more will be announced in coming weeks as it works towards 10 each with two drivers – perhaps by the end of November.

Jay Penske’s Dragon Racing is the team for which Australian Ryan Briscoe finished fifth in the 2007 Indianapolis 500 while its IndyCar series line-up now includes France’s four-time Champ Car World Series champion Sebastien Bourdais.

Formula E chief executive Alejandro Agag said the Los Angeles-based team’s entry in the series was particularly significant.

“California has become the ‘land of electric cars’ – an example we want to spread to the rest of the world,” Agag said.

“We expect this championship to become the framework for research and development around the electric car, a key element for the future of our cities.”

And Penske said: "Formula E symbolises a vision for the future of motorsports and the automotive industry, while directly appealing to a new generation of global race fans. Formula E offers a tremendous opportunity for our many technology and media partners, and we look forward to its inevitable growth and ascendancy over the next decade."

Organisers say all rounds of the series will be one-day events. (Full calendar below).

Races will be about an hour, with drivers having to make two pit stops to change cars.

Engines will be restricted to 133kw (180bhp) except when allowed to use 200kW (270bhp) briefly with a push-to-pass boost system.

Among companies already committed to the series are Renault, Michelin, McLaren Electronic Systems, Williams Advanced Engineering, Italian chassis maker Dallara and France’s Spark Racing Technology.

Perfect 10 for NASCAR’s ‘Chasers’
NASCAR history was made at the end of the third round of The Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship at Dover International Speedway – for the first time in 93 races since the introduction of The Chase in 2004 the top 10 finishers were all Chase drivers.

Despite feeling he had the best car Dale Earnhardt Junior could not catch Jimmie Johnson, whose victory was the 65th of his career and a record eighth at Dover.

Joey Logano was third, ahead of Jeff Gordon, Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick, Matt Kenseth, Ryan Newman, Greg Biffle and Clint Bowyer.

The other three “Chasers” – Kasey Kahne, Kurt Busch and Carl Edwards – finished 13th, 21st and 35th respectively.

Australia’s Marcos Ambrose was 16th, two laps down, in his Ford.

Kenseth, winner of the first two Chase races this season, now leads Johnson by only eight points and Kyle Busch by 12, with a big gap to the other 10 hopefuls and seven races remaining.

NASCAR Sprint Cup standings after 29 of 36 races: 1. Matt Kenseth (Toyota) 2149; 2. Jimmie Johnson (Chevrolet) 2141; 3. Kyle Busch (Toyota) 2137; 4. Kevin Harvick (Chevrolet) 2110; 5. Jeff Gordon (Chevrolet) 2110; 6. Greg Biffle (Ford) 2108; 7. Ryan Newman (Chevrolet) 2101; 8. Clint Bowyer (Toyota) 2098; 9. Kurt Busch (Chevrolet) 2094; 10. Dale Earnhardt Junior (Chevrolet) 2092; 12. Carl Edwards (Ford) 2084; 12. Joey Logano (Ford) 2083; 13. Kasey Kahne (Chevrolet) 2071.

Australia’s Marcos Ambrose (Ford) is 21st on 721 points, having overtaken Juan Pablo Montoya (Chevrolet, 714 points). Ambrose’s Richard Petty Motorsports teammate Aric Almirola is 18th on 741 points.

2014 Formula One World Championship
March 16: Australia (Melbourne)
March 30: Malaysia (Sepang)
April 6: Bahrain
April 20: China
*April 27: Korea
May 11: Spain (Barcelona)
May 25: Monaco
*June 1: New Jersey
June 8: Canada (Montreal)
June 22: Austria (Spielberg)
July 6: Silverstone
July 20: Germany (Hockenheim)
July 27: Hungary (Budapest)
August 24: Belgium (Spa-Francorchamps)
September 7: Italy (Monza)
September 21: Singapore
October 5: Russia (Sochi)
October 12: Japan (Suzuka)
October 26: Abu Dhabi
November 9: United States (Austin)
*November 16: Mexico (Mexico City)
November 30: Brazil (Sao Paulo)

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