MOTORSPORT: Skaife's endurance drive fixed

'Independent' director back in Holden at Phillip Island and Bathurst
V8 Supercar Australia's new "independent" director Mark Skaife is to return to the track for the endurance races at Phillip Island and Bathurst, driving a Holden.

Expect it to be confirmed within a day or so that it will be with Greg Murphy's Tasman Motorsport, as we predicted a while back.

No great surprise this. Indeed, it is entirely appropriate that Skaife be back racing in the enduros. We always said he retired too early. And, having been associated with Holden for the past 15 years, of course his return will be in a Commodore.

Although the V8SA camp has tried to project Skaife's board appointment as independent, particularly as the man steering the V8 Supercar of Tomorrow project, we gather he still has some official ties to Holden/HSV, even if they are not as close as they might have been going to be.

Which makes us wonder again how he can be a V8SA independent director.

As we've said before, he may be -- and we hope he is -- a valuable contributor to the V8SA board. But independent? Perhaps this is the latest evidence that a very different dictionary is used at V8SA Central.

While we generally applauded V8SA's announcement over the Darwin weekend that it will look closely at its future, we must admit to a wry smile at V8SA executive chairman Tony Cochrane saying there is no crisis.

What, when you've just lost a CEO within months of his appointment, a technical director (yet another) resigns, and a Splittergate row still not resolved. Just to mention a few things. And, since then, the staunchest of the sport's two manufacturers, Holden, flagging that if it doesn't like the look of the category's plans -- especially the Supercar of Tomorrow -- it might walk away.

That, when there's still not the slightest sign of any new manufacturer wanting to come in. And one of the supposed candidates, Nissan, having just walked away from the safety car deal.

A new war of words in Formula 1
Words are also being used in funny ways in Formula 1 at the minute. The supposedly departing Federation Internationale de L'Automobile (FIA) president Max Mosley thought nothing of calling some of his opponents among the F1 teams and competing manufacturers "loonies" recently, yet he has taken exception to being called a "dictator".

Barely 24 hours after the announcement that Mosley was to step aside from the FIA's top post, by not seeking re-election in October, came just what we had predicted -- although we hadn't expected it quite so soon -- that he may not go.

Mosley accused the FOTA, the Formula 1 Teams Association and the car companies represented by that organisation, of distorting the arrangement agreed.

They could not hide their glee at having got Mosley to agree, and indeed put it about that FIA Senate president Michel Boeri of Monaco would immediately take over from Mosley on F1 matters.

Mosley promptly turned on Ferrari -- and FOTA - chief Luca di Montezemolo, for having said Mosley had been too dictatorial. He demanded an apology from Montezemolo by the next day -- or otherwise he may reconsider his future, and stay on if there is to be another big blue with the car makers.

The apology was not forthcoming, and is unlikely to come. (Lots of reading on this at autosport.com for those interested). No sign yet, either, that Mosley has sought a similar apology from Australian Grand Prix Corporation chairman Ron Walker for remarks similar to those of Montezemolo.

"He (Mosley) became too dictatorial and imperious," Walker said last week.

Never one to shy away from a fight, Mosley has said his critics among the teams and manufacturers "made the mistake of dancing on my grave before I was buried".

"I am under pressure now from all over the world to stand for re-election."

For 'world', read the representatives of the motoring and motorsport federations among which Mosley has long had the numbers -- as was shown a year ago when they gave him a vote of confidence after his sado-masochistic sex fetishes were revealed.

So the great bunfight continues, much as we predicted here at the end of last week. And no genuine signs of just how the F1 teams are going to reduce costs/spending to early 1990s level as they pledged in last week's FOTA announcement.

Webber needs to raise his game even higher
It's another 10 days until Mark Webber has to suit up for another F1 race -- the next at the Nurburgring in Germany.

Australians have rejoiced in Webber's better results this season -- he's fourth in the world championship, just 3.5 points behind Red Bull Racing teammate Sebastian Vettel - and have shared with him the hope that before too long he might finally win a Grand Prix.

Webber is taking advantage of the three-week break between the races to have some surgery on the leg he broke in Tasmania late last year.

"I'm having the two locking screws at the bottom of my right shin taken out," he said. "The bone has recovered sufficiently for the screws to be removed, which is great news... It's not that big an operation -- just a local anaesthetic."

However, the main titanium rod in the leg is staying there. That all sounds positive. But during this interval in the season we've come across a couple of points that put a perspective on Webber's situation.

One was a commentary on ninemsn.com.au by "Steve Hitstirrer", who is billed as "a well-travelled, sports-hardened, armchair expert, prepared to tear the scab off a whole range of sporting wounds".

"Hitstirrer" wrote, here that "Mark Webber is 32 years-old and should be at the prime of his motorsport career. The delicate balance of instinct, experience and well-honed pure talent should see him at his best at this age. Webber's F1 has long been padded by supporters suggesting he is a very capable driver suffering from a series of incapable machines.

"Webber's 2009 season, parked behind the wheel of a Red Bull, has been his best ever. Unfortunately, and providing high-octane fuel for his army of detractors, his highest placing this year has been second -- on three occasions. Not bad, but he can hardly blame the car for his failure to greet the chequered flag. Two of his three second placings came behind a bloke driving the same car."

Very blunt. "Hitstirrer" could also have pointed out that the other bloke is more than 10 years ago with almost 100 fewer GPs behind him.

Then there is the mention in BBC pit lane reporter Ted Kravitz's column on the BBC website that Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner that the battle among his two drivers for preferential treatment "will be decided in qualifying, with the high-placed driver effectively given the best chance by the team to win".

"Saturday afternoons (qualifying) will now take on a gladiatorial importance for Webber and Vettel," Kravtiz wrote, here.

To our way of thinking, that spells trouble for Webber -- who has been outqualified by Vettel at all eight GPs so far this season (although the German had to cop a 10-place relegation on the grid in Malaysia) -- unless the Aussie can raise his game even further.

Perhaps he can, but our feeling is that he'll win a GP only when Vettel -- and the Brawn pair, Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello -- can't. But Vettel still has his doubters too. Kravitz makes reference in that same column to suggestions (from a viewer, via text message) that Vettel can't overtake.

"The argument went like this: all the races Vettel has won, he started from pole position, and led from the front, but when he gets a driver in front of him - for example, Felipe Massa in Spain, or Button in Turkey - there's nothing he can do about it," Kravitz wrote.

"I think it's a bit early in Vettel's career to make this kind of assessment. But it's something to keep an eye on."

Briscoe loses lead in Indy series
Aussie Ryan Briscoe has lost the lead in the Indy Racing League series after a crash early in the latest round at Richmond, Virginia.

"The car just snapped on me and caught me by surprise," said Team Penske driver Briscoe.

Brisbane-born New Zealander Scott Dixon won at Richmond ahead of Ganassi teammate Dario Franchitti.

They now head the IRL standings, with Franchitti a point ahead of Dixon -- who has equalled the record 19 wins of Penske driver Sam Hornish Junior, who is now in NASCAR.

Briscoe and Helio Castroneves, Penske's three-time Indianapolis 500 winner, are third on fourth, 26 and 54 points off the lead, with Andretti Green Racing's Danica Patrick fifth.

"Hopefully we can start catching back up next week in Watkins Glen," Briscoe said as the series heads for the road course in New York.

Hopefully, too, the racing will be better there. The IRL drivers were profusely apologetic about the standard of racing at Richmond, where there were only three lead changes among three drivers and just five cars finished on the lead lap.

"An awful, awful race," Franchitti called it.

Teenager's big breakthrough in NASCAR
A teenager has won a race in NASCAR's Sprint Cup. Joey Lagano, the wonderboy of American stock car racing we've mentioned here previously, was in front when Monday's race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway was cut short because of a shower than then turned to heavy rain.

Just 19 years, one month and four days, Lagano was lucky -- he'd come from being a lap down after a puncture and was due to make another stop in the final 36 laps, while Jeff Gordon who trailed him would not have needed one.

Aussie Marcos Ambrose, driving a Toyota like Lagano, was 23rd and remains 18th in the points.

Ex-F1 star Juan Pablo Montoya is enjoying his best NASCAR season. He's 12th in the points and, on that form, set to be part of The Chase to decide the title.

Tony Stewart leads Gordon and Jimmie Johnson -- all in Chevrolets.

Ford's top Finn, Mikko Hirvonen, was the winner in Poland -- the first time he has won two WRC rounds in a row -- and now heads Loeb, who smashed his suspension on a tree stump on day one but under superrally rules resumed and finished seventh, by one point, 58-57.

Four rounds remain, including the new Rally Australia at the start of September.

The renewed tussle for the title is one bonus for Rally Oz in northern NSW.

Citroen still leads Ford in the constructors' championship, 106-89.

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