MOTORSPORT: SUV series in pipeline

20 makes and 30 models eligible for 'Super Series'
Imagine a new Australian motor racing series with up to 20 manufacturers represented.

Sounds terrific, doesn't it? Plans have surfaced for just that, involving sport utility vehicles (SUVs). It looks to us an exciting concept, but we have doubts about it too.

Organisers are talking of a six-round series in "picture-postcard locations", starting about this time next year, and claim to have a TV deal for three years with Network 10 for delayed telecasts of the events, with eight rounds envisaged from the fourth season.

They are trying to cash in on the boom in SUVs, of which almost 200,000 were sold in Australia last year -- up 16 per cent on 2006, and they're up another 11 per cent so far this year.

Manufacturers that would be eligible to participate are, in alphabetical order, Audi, BMW, Dodge, Ford, Holden, Honda, Hummer, Hyundai, Jeep, KIA, Lexus, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Subaru, Suzuki, Toyota, Volkswagen and Volvo.

Between them these 20 makes have 30 models eligible. Now there's no way all these manufacturers/importers are going to rush in, but several might well be very interested -- and in some cases competitors may run vehicles representing manufacturers with, or even without, some manufacturer/distributor support.

A Manufacturer Cup and an Independent Cup are intended for the series of two-day events, with 16 teams initially and 24 by the second season.

The concept is for a control space-frame chassis but with the body shape of the various SUVs on the market.

The organisers say teams in the manufacturer series would be entitled to nominate a V8 engine from their model range, but as it would be an "engine parity formula" using a control 5.3-litre V8 all manufacturer engines would need to be matched for power and torque against the series control engine before being sealed for competition.

All cars would use six-speed Holinger RD6 sequential gearboxes.

"The thought of a Ford Territory in battle with a Nissan X-Trail, Toyota Kluger, Mitsubishi Pajero, Hyundai Santa Fe, Kia Sportage, Volkswagen Touareg or a Holden Captiva or more than 20 different makes of SUV, with an extreme approach to the sport, in the sort of locations that the advertising agencies take the showroom models to make their TV commercials should make for compelling viewing," says SUV Super Series co-founder Ashley Mowbray.

There are other more famous personalities involved in this project -- Kelvin O'Reilly, who ran the stunningly unsuccessful 2-litre touring car championship a decade or so ago and then joined TEGA (Touring Car Entrants Group) in V8 Supercars until a falling out with V8SA chairman Tony Cochrane, and former federal Liberal Party leader -- and almost prime minister -- John Hewson, another who came off on the wrong end in a power struggle with Cochrane in V8 Supercar racing.

Also heavily involved is event organiser Octagon and lesser-known (publicly) RJ Media and Hickey Sports Marketing.

Now we know some of these parties have strengths, and we are sure those others do too, but we have reservations about elements of some of the track records -- although we won't dwell on those today.

It is an exciting concept and would be a welcome addition to the Australian -- and indeed world -- motorsport landscape if it happens in anything like the shape it is envisaged.

Despite our doubts that all will be as rosy as is painted -- and here's the full "prospectus" on the series - we look forward to a robust debate in the national motor and motorsport industries about it, and welcome -- and indeed invite -- feedback here on the concept.

For prospective participants there is the first of a planned series of information evenings tonight (Tuesday, August 26) at 7pm at Bayview on the Park, 52 Queens Rd., Melbourne. There is a website, of course, at suvsuperseries.com

O'Reilly says: "Motor racing is an important marketing tool for the automotive industry and we take the attitude that all manufacturers should be encouraged and able to participate. It also needs to be relevant -- (and) the sales figures for SUV's make this series very relevant.

"We have analysed the costs issues that inevitably come into professional motorsport and have a determination that the SUV Super Series should not fall prey to the impact of unbridled costs."

The organisers claim they can do for SUVs and motorsport "what Uncle Toby's did for ironman racing and lifesaving in the late 1980s".

They talk of events on sandy beaches, outback desert, lush rainforest, tarmac and dirt roads, high country, snow mountains and dry salt pans -- a series that would be "a cross between the world rally championship, Dakar and motocross on four wheels", with "two or three events in and around capital city population centres" in the first season.

That's where it all starts to sound just a bit too good, and we can foresee environmental concerns, but we remain generally enthusiastic about the concept.

The organisers say in the "prospectus" that they surveyed 816 motorsport and sport fans about the proposal and here are three points they report.
>> To the question "Is there room for another Australian V8 category of motorsport?" they got 91 per cent "yes".
>> To "Would you support another form of Australian V8 motorsport?" they got 83 per cent "yes".
>> To "Would you be interested in watching this type of racing on TV?" they got 87 per cent "yes".

By the fourth season the organisers plan a secondary series using the first-generation cars but with V6 engines.

But the initial governing principles are stated as:
>> The racing must be affordable and exciting.
>> It will showcase diverse scenic landscapes.
>> Telecasts must recognise the importance of all competitors, not just a few.
>> The best and most skillful, not necessarily the best-resourced, should be able to win.
>> Competition should be open to all vehicle manufacturers with an SUV in the market.
>>  Decisions about rules will be based on what is good for the series as a whole, not a select few.

So a great idea, but we wonder:
>> Where will it all be in a year's time?
>>  Not so much what it might mean for the V8 Supercar Championship (probably little), but what might it mean for the future of the Australian Rally Championship (probably a lot)?

Another F1 street race procession - and woe for Webber
Now, our impressions after the new Formula 1 grand prix on the harbourside streets of the Spanish city of Valencia.

It was processional -- Felipe Massa (Ferrari), Lewis Hamilton (McLaren-Mercedes) and Robert Kubica (BMW-Sauber) qualified 1, 2, 3 and finished in that order -- and the venue is no challenger to Monaco, F1's undoubted crown jewel.

Australia's Mark Webber has now gone four GPs straight without scoring a world championship point -- and this in a series in which points are still awarded down to eighth place even though there are only 20 cars on the grid.

Surely next year the series will revert to a 10, 6, 4, 3, 2, 1 system if there are still only 10 teams -- as there will be.

Webber has not been driving any worse lately; Red Bull has simply not advanced during mid-season, or certainly not at the pace of Toyota, in particular. Toyota again had both its drivers in the points at Valencia -- Jarno Trulli fifth and Timo Glock seventh. 

While Red Bull was a strong fourth for much of the early part of the season it is now sixth -- that is, in the back half of the pack.

Webber qualified a lowly 14th at Valencia and finished 12th. The only consolation was that he was again well ahead of teammate David Coulthard, who we hear now may be sent packing into retirement early, with 21-year-old German Sebastien Vettel -- a star at Valencia, finishing sixth for Red Bull's sister team, Toro Rosso -- brought across early as Webber's teammate.

That perhaps would allow Toro Rosso to give two youngsters - Switzerland's Sebastien Beumi and Brazil's Bruno Senna, nephew of the late triple world champion Ayrton -- a couple of races each.

The broader driver market for 2009 hinges on what dual world champion Fernando Alonso does -- stay at Renault; go to Honda, which is delaying the announcement of its line-up until the Spaniard decides; or go to Ferrari if Kimi Raikkonen quits.

Massa's Valencia victory was not only deserved but some justice after the engine blow-up that cost him the previous race in Hungary just three laps from the finish.

With the season at the two-thirds mark (12 of 18 rounds completed), the world title is now a two-man battle between Hamilton on 70 points and Massa on 64.

Ferrari's reigning world champion Raikkonen is 13 points behind Hamilton, on 57, with Kubica (who perhaps drove another nail into the coffin of teammate Nick Heidfeld's career at Valencia) on 55 and Heikki Kovalainen -- who was half a second a lap slower than teammate Hamilton and finished a distant fourth, after his inherited victory in Hungary -- on 53.

For Massa to overhaul Hamilton he not needs to win more races (he has four victories so far this season) but have Raikkonen second and taking eight points a time, leaving a maximum of six for Hamilton.

Likewise, Hamilton could do with greater support from Kovalainen.

Again it said little for the F1 "show" that the main excitement in the race was Massa almost colliding with Adrian Sutil exiting the pitlane (for which the Brazilian and Ferrari were let off exceedingly lightly, with a fine of 10,000 euros -- about A$17,000), Raikkonen bowling over one of his crew as he prematurely accelerated away from the pits, and then another Ferrari engine failure -- this time in Raikkonen's car.

That is two Ferrari motors blown in as many races -- a far cry from the glory days of Michael Schumacher, when the engines were so faultless.

And the revered team is not operating in the pits as it did when Jean Todt was hands-on, Ross Brawn handled strategy, and -- dare we mention him -- Nigel Stepney (the man at the centre of Spygate last year) drilled the crew relentlessly on pitstops.

Raikkonen has not won in the past eight rounds and is 13 points behind Hamilton, although it should not be forgotten that he made up a 17-point deficit in the last two races of last season to steal the title from the British wonderboy.

But the Finn has scored just 22 points in his last seven races after notching 35 in the first five GPs this year.

Questions are now being asked, in light of the two recent blow-ups, about what Ferrari is doing with its engines when there is supposed to be a development freeze.

Incidentally, the reason being given for Vettel's Toro Rosso outperforming the Red Bulls at Valencia is that -- while the chassis are identical -- it is powered by a Ferrari engine rather than the Renault units in the Webber and Coulthard cars.

Webber commented on Valencia: "Unfortunately we only made up the numbers. It's the first time this year we've been lapped so comfortably -- the mechanics are putting in the same amount of effort as the guys back at the factory, but we've stood still with the performance of the car. We were on the back foot all weekend."

Earlier he weighed up the pros and cons of developing this year's car versus concentrating on next year's model.

"You could launch a load of development into this year's car and push, and then get ripped off by a safety car in Singapore (the new night GP at the end of September) and lose all that again, or you might gain it the other way," Webber said. "It is still 12 of one and half a dozen of the other."

Hey, mate, isn't that meant to be six of one and half a dozen of the other?

Or did Webber mean that it's twice as beneficial to be concentrating on next year's car rather than playing around with this year's?

F1 constructors' standings - Ferrari 121 points, McLaren-Mercedes 113, BMW-Sauber 96,  Toyota 41, Renault 31, Red Bull-Renault 24, Williams-Toyota 17, Honda 14, Toro Rosso-Ferrari 11.

Remaining rounds - September 7, Belgian GP, Spa-Francorchamps; September 14, Italian GP, Monza; September 28, Singapore GP (night race); October 12, Japanese GP, Fuji; October 19, Chinese GP, Shanghai; November 2, Brazilian GP, Interlagos, Sao Paulo.

Penske bounces back from fire with IndyCar 1-2
What an awesome outfit Team Penske is in American road racing (although not stock car racing, as we highlighted last week).

After the fire in its transporter in Wyoming that destroyed its two primary IndyCars in the middle of last week on the way to California, Penske's Brazilian Helio Castroneves and Australian Ryan Briscoe qualified 1-2 on the grid at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma in spare cars and finished 1-2 in the race.

Castroneves narrowed a 78-point gap to series-leading New Zealander Scott Dixon to 43 points with two rounds remaining over the next two weekends -- firstly on the Detroit street course, then at the Chicagoland speedway, each carrying a maximum 50 points.

Castroneves' victory was his first this year after a record seven second places in a season. He has only finished out of the top five twice and has been third once, fourth three times and has one fifth place.

Dixon's efforts were repeatedly thwarted by slower traffic, dropping him to an unaccustomed 12th-place finish after starting fifth.

"We did nothing right, staying out on track while stuck behind a car that was three seconds a lap slower than us," Dixon said. "We still have a good lead in the championship, but we can't afford another race like this one next week in Detroit."

Dixon's team owner, Chip Ganassi, said: "I think if Helio wins the next two we just have to place fourth, so we should be able to do that."

Yesterday's victory was Castroneves' first in 30 races and first since April 2007. It was also his 13th in American open-wheelers (including two Indianapolis 500s), and made the ninth year he has won at least one race each season.

"This has been such an incredible week for us, with the (fire) problems we had earlier, but the team responded in an incredible fashion," Castroneves said. "Everyone pitched in, even guys from our NASCAR and ALMS (American Le Mans Series) teams, so that we could race here this weekend. We never lost faith."

Castroneves finished 5.2929 seconds ahead of Briscoe, a two-time winner this season who said: "It's unbelievable - to start the week off the way we did, with the fire and everything, and then dominate with a 1-2 qualifying and race result.

"It's definitely the strongest we've been all year. I'm so happy for Helio. Not getting a win all year and getting all of those seconds was killing him.

"It's just great for the team. Big congrats to Team Penske."

Andretti Green Racing's Tony Kanaan finished third, followed by Dixon's Ganassi Racing teammate Dan Wheldon and Danica Patrick, whose fifth was her best road race result of the year.

IndyCar series driver standings - Scott Dixon 576 points, Helio Castroneves 533, Dan Wheldon 452, Tony Kanaan 446, Ryan Briscoe 390, Danica Patrick 345, Marco Andretti 327, Hideki Mutoh 315, Oriol Servia 313, Ryan Hunter-Reay 310. Australia's Will Power is 15th on 277 points.
 
NASCAR at Bristol -- what a spectacle!
We like to think we're big on motorsport in Australia, with our Bathurst 1000, our Formula 1 grand prix, the Gold Coast Indy, our MotoGP, our V8 Supercar Championship, etc.

But how about last weekend's NASCAR race at Bristol, Tennessee?

One of the TV commentators told us that Bristol is a town of 25,000 people but that there were 168,000 crammed around the half-mile concrete speed bowl on Saturday night.

Unlike most of the attendance figures we hear in Oz, we're inclined to believe the crowd number in this instance.

"Concrete Carl" Edwards won the Bristol race -- his second straight in the Sprint Cup and his sixth of the year -- in a Roush Fenway Racing Ford Fusion ahead of series leader and eight-time race winner this year Kyle Busch in his Joe Gibbs Toyota Camry.

Busch led more than 80 per cent of the 500-lap race but Edwards nudged past with 30 to go.

Busch, who still leads Edwards by 212 points in the Cup, did not take kindly to the Ford man's overtaking move and bumped into him after the finish -- for which he may yet incur a penalty.

Denny Hamlin was third in another Gibbs Toyota, ahead of the Chevrolets of Kevin Harvick and Jeff Gordon.

Aussie Marcos Ambrose's outing in the previous day's Nationwide Series round was wrecked early by of ignition troubles. He dropped 20 laps in the pits but got going again to get more invaluable oval experience.

This weekend Ambrose has "double duty" at Fontana speedway in California, driving Ford Fusions in the Nationwide Series for JTG Racing and the Sprint Cup for Wood Brothers.

Ambrose's Nationwide Series prizemoney this season is US$835,283 and in the Sprint Cup it is US$467,422 from just four starts.

NASCAR Sprint Cup standings -- Kyle Busch 3609 points, Carl Edwards 3397, Dale Earnhardt Junior 3193, Jimmie Johnson 3191, Jeff Burton 3117, Tony Stewart 3013, Greg Biffle 2984, Kevin Harvick 2972, Jeff Gordon 2951, Matt Kenseth 2921, Danny Hamlin 2900, Clint Bowyer 2855, David Ragan 2843, Kasey Kahne 2799, Ryan Newman 2674.

NASCAR Nationwide Series standings after 26 of 35 rounds - Clint Bowyer 3762 points, Brad Keselowski 3640, Carl Edwards 3521, David Reutimann 3361, Mike Bliss 3347, David Ragan 3290, Kyle Busch 3149, Jason Leffler 3044, Mike Wallace 3021, Marcos Ambrose 2964.

Cold shoulder for Holden on parity claim
Holden is unlikely to get any joy in its push for a parity review before the next V8 Supercar Championship round at Phillip Island, but that will only intensify its efforts to get some satisfaction for the Bathurst 1000 -- although Ford is strongly resisting its rival's claims.

V8 Supercars Australia's board is not meeting until September 5, so there can be no recommendation to its technical committee before then -- and effectively no action before Phillip Island.

Holden motorsport manager Simon McNamara said Holden Racing Team's Mark Skaife sought the parity review after the Queensland Raceway round of the championship, on the basis the BF Falcon had an aerodynamic advantage over the VE Commodore.

"We are now in an extended break, which should have been an opportune time for the change," McNamara told Bigpond Sport.

"We don't have a specific recommendation because we don't have their cars, but it would be easier to do something with the Falcons than the Commodores.

"A lot of fans are saying there's not a problem because we are winning the championship, but it is clear there is a parity issue. One (Ford) has an aerodynamic advantage -- we have the proof."

Ford racing manager Ray Price said: "We would oppose it (a review claim) based on the fact an aero test we did on the BF and the VE and was signed off by TEGA (Touring Car Entrants Group).

"Since then we have worked on the car and so have they, but we have moved forward whereas they have moved backwards.

"I'd like to understand how there's an aero advantage in a BF when Garth Tander is leading the championship.

"And the two best drivers at the moment, by their record, are (HRT's) Garth Tander, leading the championship, and (Ford Performance Racing's) Mark Winterbottom, second.

"If it's between teams then there is some element to it, but car-to-car, if there was a parity issue we wouldn't have a blue and a red car running 1-2.

"According to the data that I keep, which is based on race podiums, one thing that is different this year is that HSV (HRT's sister team) has only had two race podiums compared to 27 race podiums this time last year.

"It says something about the HSV and HRT operation and the way it was restructured.

"What happened to Rick Kelly? Why has he and HSV got two podiums this year, and yet the cars have not changed this year on last year? I don't know what they did, but it certainly hasn't helped them.

"Holden dominated the first half of the season last year and this year Ford is getting the results - and I'm not sure that is justification for a parity review."

McNamara said Holden has "no concerns" with the FG Falcon to be introduced to racing next year.

"We have seen information from the (FG) aero testing and everything seems pretty good," he said. "But there are a number of months and a number of rounds to go this year against the BF."

Yes, and Holden is much more likely to have to lift its own game than expect the nod for an aerodynamic "parity" adjustment.

Red faces in A1 GP over delays with new cars
Huge embarrassment for the A1 Grand Prix series organisers with not enough of its new Ferrari-designed and powered open-wheeler cars ready for the scheduled start of its fourth season.

The first round at the Ferrari-owned Mugello circuit in Italy that was set for September 20-21 has been postponed and the opener will now be at Holland's Zandvoort on October 4-5.

There is still no sign of an Australian round this season, after Sydney's Eastern Creek hosted races in the previous three championships.

A1 GP organisers attributed the delayed start this year to a redesign of a suspension part needed after Austrian driver Patrick Friesacher crashed during testing at Magny-Cours in France -- which has been blamed on the failure of the right rear top wishbone.

The cars are being built at the rate of four a week and we hear suggestions that there may also have been problems, already, with payments from A1 to Ferrari.

One of our European snouts has said: "Expect this love affair (between A1 and Ferrari) to be over before the end of the (northern) summer."

Mitsubishi leads Safari as Holden's champ rolls Colorado
The Australasian Safari is on in Western Australia this week.

By Tuesday night competitors will have covered more than 1800km from Kalgoorlie to Meekatharra on the way to the weekend's finish in Perth.

Steve Riley is leading in a Mitsubishi Pajero after the first two days while reigning champion John Hederics rolled his Holden Colorado out of the event on the very first stage.

To follow the Safari's progress here's the event's website: australasiansafari.com.au

It was on this event 15 years ago that Colin McRae gave the Japanese manufacturer its first WRC win -- and the last for its Legacy, before the sporting introduction of the Impreza.

That was to be the first of three NZ wins for McRae, while this week's event will be the 200th WRC round for the Impreza.

The rally also coincides with this weekend's McRae Gathering, a world record-challenging convoy of about 1300 Subaru road cars that will start from the Prodrive and Subaru World Rally Team's headquarters at Banbury, Warwickshire, in Britain.

The members of Europe's Subaru "family" will form a 30km-long line to commemorate the death a year ago of the rallying legend.

Subarus will be parked at the team base to form a giant COLIN McRAE.

The Scot, his son Johnny and his six-year-old friend Ben Porcelli, and family friend Graeme Duncan, 27, were in McRae's helicopter when it crashed into a wood in the grounds of his home in Lanarkshire, Scotland, last September 15.

Grant Hendry, one of the organisers, said: "We'll have Subarus from all over Europe, from Poland and the Ukraine to France and Spain, and some fans are flying in especially from Australia and Argentina."

Meanwhile, recent rain on NZ's North Island has led to the splitting in two of the 43.98km Waitomo stage, which was the longest of the rally, due to an impassable 80 metre section at the mid-point.

Aussie driver Chris Atkinson has competed in Rally NZ three times for the Subaru factory team, but only last year with Belgian Stephane Prevot as his co-driver, when the pair finished fourth.

This will be the 2008 Impreza's fourth WRC round and a big result from Atkinson and/or his teammate Petter Solberg would be an appropriate tribute to McRae and the late NZ superstar Possum Bourne, another of Subaru's favorite sons.

A Formula 1 connection to an Olympic gold medal
The Brazilian who won the gold medal in the women's long jump at the Beijing Olympics, Maurren Higa Maggi, was briefly the wife of Antonio Pizzonia -- who was Mark Webber's F1 teammate at Jaguar Racing in 2003.

Known as "The Phoenix" because of her ability to come back from adversity, Maggi is the first Brazilian woman athlete to win Olympic gold.

She performed poorly in Sydney in 2000 and then failed a drug test and missed Athens in 2004, decided to retire, married Pizzonia and had a child -- although the marriage quickly disintegrated -- and returned to competition in 2006.

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