Motorsport: Thumbs down to Perth street race

Midweek motorsport reportMay 2, 2007

WA Sports Minister John Kobelke, already known to be lukewarm on the concept, has said the state government is unlikely to back such an event, according to this week's issue of MeNews -- the new weekly electronic version of Motorsport News magazine.

"When the state government looked at the proposal for a V8 street event (at Fremantle) in Perth a few years ago, the return for tourism and promotion of the state came nowhere near warranting the expenditure required," Kobelke says.

"I don't believe anything has changed which would interest the government in investing in a street circuit."

V8 Supercars Australia has told the WA Sporting Club that the V8s won't race at Barbagallo, still probably better known as Wanneroo, beyond 2009 because the circuit on the northern fringe of Perth -- on which the club has a lease until 2022 -- is not safe enough and its facilities not up to scratch.

The club has been looking at an upgrade of Barbagallo but wanted a long-term commitment from V8SA to justify it.

Once it became clear no commitment was going to be forthcoming, the club contemplated aligning itself with a consortium headed by Michael Rasheed's Marlin Group to pitch for a street race.

WA could be left without a V8 Supercar Championship round beyond 2008.

All of which is leaving Townsville as the most likely next venue for a V8 Supercar street race, although even that is dependent on $10 million in federal government funding that is a long way from being locked in.

WASCC general manager Adrian Chambers is to meet Minister Kobelke soon and says the situation is "not all doom and gloom".

"I don't have any problems with the street race concept, but as a club we need to look long and hard where we are going -- that's the priority," Chambers told MeNews.

"I need to ensure the long-term viability of our circuit, and if the V8s aren't here, well, that's even more of a priority."

WASCC has applied to the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) for a licence to host international race meetings that would enable it to host, at the least, rounds of Asian championships.

That also is the aim of the proposed new circuit at Bunbury in south-west WA, although the developers of that facility have not sought FIA sanctioning -- as the Confderation of Australian Motor Sport has repeatedly pointed out.

MeNews says Carlin, perhaps best known to Australian fans as the team for which James Courtney raced in the British Formula 3 Championship, is taking 25 per cent of DJR and control of the whole operation at the end of the year, subject to Touring Car Entrants Group approval.

Carlin remains prominent in open-wheeler racing and is described by MeNews as "cashed up", with principal Trevor Carlin having "a strong investor group behind him".

Meanwhile, DJR is described as "not totally flush with budget" despite its new Jim Beam sponsorship.

An entry into V8 Supercar ranks by Carlin would add to the already prominent presence of Walkinshaw Performance via Holden Racing Team and HSV Dealer Team and Triple Eight Race Engineering in the guise of Team Vodafone.

The foreigners are seen as having driven up the cost of running teams -- one of the major items for discussion at TEGA's annual forum in Melbourne on Friday.

The supposed $6.75 million season cap on teams, excluding some off-track expenses, is still in need of considerable clarification.

Meanwhile, Kees Weel -- boss of PWR Racing, or the Supercheap Autos teams -- has rubbished the recent report that he is selling out to John Marshall, father of racer Marcus Marshall.

John points to the use of NZ taxpayer money to fund the A1 GP round at Taupo early in the year and the All Black America's Cup team as precedents to strengthen his argument.

"We're doing more promotion for NZ than A1 and we can't get any support," John is quoted as saying in this week's Auto Action magazine.

"You put a sail on your boat and you get $30 million!

"We're not asking for money for nothing.

"Australia is already the biggest tourism market (for NZ).

"We take 100 Kiwis over to Australia each year just as TKR. That's not bad for one team."

The NZ government's stance may be that if Mr John is taking people to Australia rather than bringing in Aussies he perhaps should be approaching the Australian government for funding!

Team Kiwi doesn't have a naming rights sponsor this year but is being supported by the city of Hamilton ahead of it becoming the NZ home of V8 Supercar racing with its new street race next year.

Auto Action's cover story today is speculation of a V8 Supercar race in Singapore, either as the support act to the mooted new night Formula 1 grand prix on a new street circuit or as a stand-alone event.

The chances of V8 Supercars racing on the moon are probably about as good as either of those. Bernie Ecclestone won't be interested in having Aussie V8s on his program anywhere other than Australia, and he's not fussed about having them here, and Singapore isn't likely to disrupt its busy streets for anything less than a truly global motorsport show. Repeat truly.

Webber's engine man upbeat
Mark Webber's Red Bull Formula 1 car seemed like a basket case in its early life, but the signs have been getting much better.

Particularly optimistic is Fabrice Lom, who is Red Bull's engine whiz from Renault.

"The start of the season has been positive, especially if you look at how much we have moved forward since the engine was first fired up in the RB3 chassis in the factory," Lom says.

"The performance is there and I would estimate that, going into the Spanish GP, we are the fourth or fifth team in terms of performance.

"We still have to improve our reliability, but we know how to do that.

"And those areas where we do need to improve reliability will not affect our performance levels, so all the signs are good."

Lom was Giancarlo Fisichella's engineer at Renault last year but says he isn't the least worried about being ahead of the factory team at times now.

"We set out to beat all the teams, including Renault," Lom says.

"Of course, the Renault ‘works' team has to do well, but it is not just aiming to stay ahead of Red Bull Racing.

"It needs to beat Ferrari and McLaren and the others. We who work with Red Bull can push the factory team as hard as possible and there is a healthy rivalry between us."

Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen was fastest on day two overnight, ahead of Mark Webber's Red Bull, but the gap was 1.5 seconds on a day ruined by the weather.

Raikkonen, who was 9 seconds slower than he had been in the dry on Monday, ended with spin at Turn Three, where Spanish test driver Adrian Valles had a 240km/h crash in a Spyker on Monday, while Fernando Alonso appeared on track in his McLaren-Mercedes for a single installation lap.

Renault's Heikki Kovalainen and Honda's Rubens Barrichello clocked up 53 and 44 laps respectively and were third and sixth fastest of the 11 drivers on track overnight.

Nick Heidfeld was fourth for BMW and the Williams car of Nico Rosburg fifth.

Valles was given the all-clear after precautionary checks at a Barcelona hospital Monday night.

Japanese test driver Kuzuki Nakajima had a sizeable shunt in a Williams at turn 9 on the first day, when it seemed that Ralf Schumacher had found some form in his Toyota.

However, it turned out that Schumacher's best time had been set by cutting a chicane, leaving him fourth on the first day's sheet.

Second best that day was Takuma Sato in the Super Aguri -- last year's Honda.

Schumacher also anointed Germany's 19-year-old A1 sensation Nico Hulkenberg, winner of nine races in the second season of the series, as the country's next F1 star.

"Nico has everything he needs for the future," Schumacher says.

"It is a long way to go but he is working hard, so why can he not achieve everything?"

Hulkenberg now turns to Formula 3 Euro Series, won by Aussie Ryan Briscoe several years back.

Ecclestone casts evil eye at A1
F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone has questioned whether the A1 series can prepare young drivers for F1.

And, despite reports of friendship between A1 chief Tony Teixeira and Ecclestone, there are suspicions the territorial Ecclestone may be about to dump on A1.

"Kill off" and "torpedo" are terms being used.

Ecclestone has said: "There is a future for a series which brings in drivers who can step up to F1 ... (and) that's my business.

"I'm not sure A1 does that.

"Maybe there is room for a GP3 series (below GP2, the main support show to F1 in Europe), which would also provide another road to F1.

"An awful lot will depend if we get another series running in Asia.

"Then it would be difficult for them (A1GP)."

Teixeira says: "If Bernie came up against us, that would be unfortunate for everyone. Why not cater for 35 countries between us?"

The trophy is awarded by British Racing Drivers' Club each year to the Commonwealth driver competing best in international motor racing.

Australia's Alan Jones won it five times. Mark Webber has won it too. So have  Canadians Jacques Villeneuve and Paul Tracy, South African Tomas Scheckter  and New Zealander Jonny Reid.

Despite his very modest performances elsewhere, congratulations to Yoong for perservering and winning a prestigious award.

It seems that Finnish test driver Pasi Hagstrom, rather than Atkinson, did most of the driving at the test in Sardinia as the team tried to get a handle on its latest Imprezas.

Atkinson has been quoted as saying rather curtly that the team "just have to get on with it" while his former world champion teammate, the normally chatterbox Norwegian Petter Solberg, didn't want to talk about the situation.

Team manager Paul Howarth admits the team didn't meet its objectives in Sardinia.

Howarth has also had reservations about Belgian Stephane Prevot, who has replaced Australian Glenn Macneall at Atkinson's co-driver.

"The fact that Stephane had not read pace notes in English was of a mild concern," Howarth says.

"But if it was still any kind of worry he wouldn't be in the car.

"It will take them a little time, but I can see that building into a strong relationship."

The 1km stage, using existing tarmac roads at the oval with cars reaching up to 160km/h, will be run under lights on the Friday and Saturday nights of the event, August 10 and 11.

The service park will be at Talunga Park in Mount Pleasant, with stages through the Adelaide Hills, the Barossa and Mount Crawford areas.

"We have a new road stage of 15km, some modifications to the start and finish locations of some stages, and some stages have been reversed," Rally SA boss Ivan Stanelis.

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