MOTORSPORT: Rally Oz plans collapse

Now it has been confirmed that there won't be an Australian round of the world rally championship there next year.

The first mention of this news was three paragraphs tucked on the end of a Gold Coast Indy follow-up story at the bottom of a page six pages inside Brisbane's Courier-Mail newspaper on Wednesday.

The reason given was "unforeseen planning delays".

Back in early April a front page report in that same newspaper tried to tell us that the Norwell site was set to become "the epicentre of motor sport in the southern hemisphere".

Its first big event, Rally Oz, "has already been sealed", that report told us.

We voiced our sceptism about the project -- called i-METT, for Integrated Motorsport Education Tourism and Technology -- here right away, on April 4.

Within hours of yesterday's snippet in the Courier-Mail, CAMS -- the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport -- issued the following as a media release.

"Following a request received by i-METT Queensland Group Pty Ltd, the promoters of the Australian round of the FIA world rally championship (WRC), CAMS has submitted a formal request to the FIA seeking a postponement of the first Queensland event until 2009.

"In October 2006, CAMS reached agreement in principle with i-METT to promote and organise Australia's WRC round and a five-year agreement (with two five-year options) was subsequently signed by both CAMS and i-METT in March of this year.

"Since that time, CAMS officials have been developing the sporting aspects of the event.

"A highly skilled and experienced team comprising senior rally personnel from Queensland and the former Rally Australia team in Western Australia has made significant progress in preparation for a September 2008 event.

"In addition to promoting the WRC round, i-METT also proposes to develop a large tourism precinct in south-east Queensland, comprising an international standard motor racing circuit, theme park, hotels, automotive technology park and education facilities.

"As part of its due diligence process, CAMS required, and was provided with, proof of i-METT's funding for the overall project, estimated to cost in the vicinity of $650 million (Australian dollars).

"The WRC project is closely linked to the construction and completion of the overall i-METT project, which in turn is dependent upon various government approvals that are being progressed but have not yet been granted.

"Whilst the receipt of this request is extremely disappointing to CAMS, having regard for the timing imperatives, CAMS believes that the request by i-METT to postpone the first Queensland event until 2009 is in the best interests of the WRC, Australia's standing in the eyes of the world's motor sport community and the long-term future of rallying in Australia.

"CAMS will continue to work with all parties to retain Australia's place in the WRC calendar and to support the development of a world class motor sport precinct," said CAMS president Colin Osborne."

The future of rallying in Australia is now murkier than ever.

Instead of a two-year gap between the last Rally Oz in WA and a first in Queensland it will now be three years at a minimum, and there will be plenty who will doubt that Australia will ever host a WRC round again.

Apart from the fans, that would be bad news indeed for Australia's WRC driver Chris Atkinson, who hails from the Gold Coast -- on the doorstep of the Norwell site.

This weekend's Rally Japan is the 14th of this year's 16 WRC rounds -- and Subaru factory driver Atkinson finished fourth in it last year and on the podium in 2005.

"It'll be a good change to get back to a gravel surface again after the recent asphalt double-header (in Catalunya and Corsica), and the car should be better suited to the bumpy and loose surface than the flat asphalt from the last two events," Atkinson says.

"I'm looking forward to a good result, but it will be tough as the days are long and the stages (on Hokkaido, the northernmost of Japan's four main islands) demanding.

"Approaching corners you are often unsighted by the trees and it is difficult to always get the lines right, but there is no margin for error so it is a hard rally."

Lots of plusses, particularly a bumper crowd (more than 314,000 claimed over the four days) and some excellent racing, as we pointed out earlier this week, but the post-mortem is showing growing disquiet.

The Gold Coast Bulletin said in an editorial on Tuesday that "something must be done to keep the grog culture under control".

Elsewhere in that edition it was reported that 262 people were arrested over the four days, 34 more than last year, and mostly for being drunk and disorderly.

While new Queensland premier Anna Bligh remains a supporter of the event, she has said the Indy needs to tidy up its act -- particularly on the drunkenness and the raunchiness which is now widely thought to have gone beyond acceptable limits.

Prominent Gold Coast Bulletin journalist Peter Gleeson wrote that the Indy "has become tired, dated and seedy -- and it's in danger of losing its appeal, particularly to families, unless organisers get their act together".

Grave doubts persist about the future of the Champ Car series, and therefore the international open-wheeler component of the Gold Coast event -- the key element on which it was built.

Team Australia boss Craig Gore is trying hard to float the concept of more events around the world with Champ Cars and V8 Supercars as a joint bill.

That could really only work for the V8s as an extra, new overseas series outside their Australian season.

Team owners might be convinced of the merit of that if there was enough money in it, but the two V8 Supercar manufacturers -- Ford Australia and Holden -- are hardly likely to want to know about it.

From our reading of things they haven't been overly keen on the V8s going to Bahrain and Shanghai.

On the Champ Car front, Gleeson quotes Gore saying speculation about the future of the open-wheeler series is "crap".

Gleeson writes that Gore is "living in Disneyland if he thinks it's all peaches and cream".

"Mr Gore and his Indy acolytes need a good reality check if they think Champ Car can go on forever in its current guise," Gleeson says.

"It has become a shadow of its former self.

"Senior people within the Queensland government are not fools and they are agitating for some sort of overhaul to keep up with the times.

"IMG (International Management Group, the government's partner in running the Indy) has a responsibility to breathe new life into this event.

"If it can't, let somebody else do it."

In today's Townsville Bulletin newspaper reporter Malcolm Weatherup writes that "it seems both parties federally are all-but locked in to provide $10 million towards a $25 million remake of the Reid Park precinct where a street race circuit and associated infrastructure will be built".

The Labor candidate for the seat of Herbert, George Colbran, says that "after many months of working with Kevin Rudd and Kevin Rudd's people behind the scenes, I am able to announce that if there is an incoming Rudd Labor Government, I have been able to secure $10 million for the upgrade of Reid Park which will allow for the V8 Supercar series to happen here in Townsville in July 2009".

Colbran says Rudd's office called him yesterday with their all-clear.

That sounds very positive for supporters of the idea, with the opinion polls strongly indicating that Labor is going to win government.

But Herbert is a Liberal-held seat that requires a swing of 6.2% to unseat the sitting member, Peter Lindsay.

The V8 lobbyists in Townsville have found it hard to nail Linday's stance on the proposal, as he has publicly swung between suggesting that the amount of federal money being sought is extravagant and stating that he is pushing the barrow hard to get a V8 race in the city.

The Townsville Bulletin says Lindsay was too busy to respond to its queries yesterday, but that his office says he remains committed to convincing Prime Minister Howard of the merit of the event.

On Tuesday, the newspaper's Tony Raggatt quoted Lindsay, having returned from the Gold Coast Indy, saying he was "convinced" he had to get $10 million to help build the venue.

"We've got to get this for the city," Lindsay told Raggatt.

"This event for me is all about urban renewal...it's about CBD revitalisation, which I want to do.

"This is a magnificent opportunity to get the infrastructure we need and, of course, we can have a car race as well.

"I want to see the race start in 2009 and I have to get a commitment for federal funding so we can start in that time-frame -- and I'm determined to do that."

Townsville V8 Supercars steering committee chairman Tony Ireland says the organisers still need a firm commitment from the coalition, but that Labor's pledge -- via Colbran - is a big moment for the city.

"This (Colbran's pledge) is a major step," Ireland told the Townsville Bulletin.

"It's an important day for the future of Townsville and how we can showcase the city."

However, a member of the Better Use of Reid Park group claimed opposition to the development was growing.

Lindsay, though, told the local paper this week that residents "when they see a race run, will realise it's not a noisy event, it's not an environmentally unfriendly event -- it's a great family day".

"I came away from the Gold Coast Indy knowing I have got to get the money. One way or another I'm going to do that," Lindsay said.

Lots of people will be pleased to hear that.

But, equally, lots of people will wonder at Lindsay saying that a V8 Supercar race is "not a noisy event".

As we reported here a week ago, the trust has suggested a major revamp and revival of Adelaide's inner west as an alternative to the redevelopment of the Victoria Park area which houses the Clipsal track.

The trust's suggestions include a "sea dragon" shaped circuit between West Terrace and Mile End South with permanent grandstands.

However, Cattach has told Auto Action that will never happen.

"There's only one option for Adelaide, and that's to upgrade the existing track, as already proposed," Cattach said.

"That's V8 Supercar's stand.

"We don't want to move out of town.

"Moving the track would be a deal-breaker for us."

The problem with the fuel was that it was more than the 10 degrees Celsius allowed below the ambient temperature.

Fuel performs better at cooler temperatures, giving a potentially significant performance advantage.

The stewards supposedly found that there was a "considerable discrepancy" between ambient temperatures recorded by Formula One Management's monitors and meteorologists Meteo France, who are contracted to the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA).

The stewards ruled that there was therefore "sufficient doubt" to render a penalty inappropriate.

We suspect the issue will die a natural death over the coming weeks, or be killed off at the world motorsport council meeting in early December.

McLaren has appealed the stewards' decision not to exclude the three cars under suspicion, saying its motive is not to gain the world title for Hamilton but on the principle of breaches not going unpenalised.

A great irony in all of this, as that was Ferrari's argument when McLaren initially escaped punishment -- in late July -- for having the "Spygate" Ferrari dossier.

Of course, that situation then took a U-turn, with McLaren rubbed out of the constructors' championship and fined US$100 million.

Despite that savage punishment and Ferrari inheriting its 15th constructors' title and Raikkonen "stealing" the drivers' title in his first season with F1's most hallowed team, Ferrari chief Luca di Montezemolo is still firing barbs -- particularly at F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone, who made no secret he wanted Hamilton to be the champion.

"I've read what Bernie Ecclestone had to say about Lewis Hamilton's skin colour and that it would be even better if he was a Muslim (for extra audience appeal)," Montezemolo says.

"Bernie would be better off talking about how the dishonourable decision taken by the FIA (on July 26) was humiliating for everyone, starting with him.

"It's been a poisoned championship.

"We've seen people who have lied, who improved their car's performance by anti-sporting methods.

"We've had difficult moments, but the hardest was that decision by the (FIA's) world council.

"It was an absurd sentence [there was no sentence then!] which recognised cheating had taken place but never accounted for it in the verdict.

"The sentence was absurd, and risked setting a precedent with a jockey who runs with a drugged horse still going on to win.

"I've already thought about competing in the next championship with a 8000cm3 engine - the team would be disqualified, but the driver would still win."

Hey, isn't it a bit rich for Ferrari to be still complaining about a decision not to penalize McLaren mid-year, soon overturned, when it is now clear that the Ferrari that Raikkonen drove to victory in Melbourne at the start of the season was illegal -- because of its moveable floor?

And how did that illegality come to light?

Through disgruntled Ferrari executive Nigel Stepney telling McLaren's senior designer, Mike Coughlan -- the start of "Spygate".

The FIA stepped in within days to toughen the regulations of the floors in F1 cars, but the Australian GP results still stand.

Aahhh, the world is full of contradictions.

The FIA's world motor sport council has frozen F1 engine development for the next 10 years -- a move that would seem to be completely at odds with the sport showcasing technology.

FIA president Max Mosley apparently rejected an alternative proposal from F1's  six car manufacturers, who wanted a 675-horsepower formula from 2010, with engines to last four GPs (instead of two now) and have an energy recovery "boost" button.

Mosley is reported to have rejected that proposal because the car makers would not agree to supply customer engines to private teams for 10 million euros a season.

While the FIA's freeze is for a decade, a change can be made after five years -- but only with the unanimous agreement of all stakeholders and with a two-year notice period.

The FIA says its rule "will enable the manufacturers to concentrate on developing systems such as regenerative braking systems".

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