Motorsport: V8 Supercar merry-go-round starts

Midweek motorsport reportDecember 13, 2006

It has been confirmed that four-time Bathurst winner Greg Murphy is leaving PWR, or Supercheap Auto Racing, for Tasman Motorsport alongside fellow New Zealander Jason Richards. Paul Dumbrell departs the Larry Perkins Holden squad, or Jack Daniel's Racing, to replace Murphy at Supercheap as teammate to Cameron McConville.

The 34-year-old Murphy, who gained an early release from his PWR contract after finishing a disappointing 24th in this year's championship, says Tasman has been building towards becoming one of the major players in V8 Supercars.

"It has taken massive strides in recent years and with my experience, combined with the brand new VE Commodores, I think I can help it take the next step into becoming a race-winning proposition. That's something I want to be a part of," Murphy says.

The 24-year-old Dumbrell's switch to Supercheap after four years with Perkins comes as ex-Holden Racing Team technical chief Jeff Grech takes on the job of renewing PWR's competitiveness. Perkins' other 2006 driver, Steven Richards, is set to move to Ford Performance Racing but that won't be formally announced until January 1. Jason Bright, of course, is off from FPR to head his own team, Britek.

Meanwhile, Auto Action magazine reports today that Larry Perkins is intending that Jack Daniel's Racing continue to field a two-car team in '07, although it is not clear how he is going to solve his issue of a licence for the second car. Perkins owns one licence and has been leasing another, but that lease expired last weekend. He now has to either buy that licence from Bap Romano or lease or buy another licence.

With the deadline for '07 entries looming this Friday, Perkins says: "I certainly expect to be racing two cars next year. That's my plan. I have every desire to do that."

However, he is being cagey about his driver line-up, although he could elevate his son Jack and Shane Price. They have driven in the Fujitsu development series this year, with Price finishing second and Perkins third, and they were paired in the Sandown 500 and Bathurst 1000. Perkins senior says he also intends to continue fielding a two-car development series team in '07.

Just for the record, the Sheene medal, which Lowndes won for the second year, is awarded for outstanding leadership, personality, fan appeal and sportsmanship and is awarded on the votes of media covering V8 Supercars.

DJR overtures get 'lukewarm' response
Dick Johnson Racing is struggling to find the new title sponsor its needs to continue next year, with commercial manager Steve Chalker admitting to Auto Action that its efforts to unlock a major new backer have met a lukewarm response. Dick Johnson has been funding the team from two of his newer businesses, First Rock Home Loans and V8 Telecom, since the collapse of its 2005 sponsor, Westpoint.

"There are a lot of things in progress, but unfortunately having been through this now for six months, there's no deal until the autograph is on paper," Chalker tells Auto Action. "We're talking to some parties that are interested, but I wouldn't say anything that's red-hot."

Johnson's strong preference is to fight on but he admits he would sell the team -- sixth in this year's teams championship, ahead of HRT -- if offered "something worthwhile". Chalker says Ford is doing what it can to help DJR but has its own problems.

NSW Opposition supports Homebush
The idea of a V8 Supercar race at the Sydney Olympics venue, Homebush, just won't go away. New South Wales Opposition Leader Peter Debnam is expected to support the concept today, according to Auto Action, as part of his campaign leading into the March state election. The Queensland Government last week rejected the proposal for a street race in Townsville as too costly, and we hear that the NSW Government considers it pumped enough money into domestic motor sport with its funding of the Bathurst revamp.

Karting is big at this time of year and lots of F1 racers and test drivers will be competing this weekend in a kart event 700km south of Sao Paulo in southern Brazil. Among the entries are Felipe Massa, Rubens Barrichello, Tiago Monteiro, Vitantonio Liuzzi, Robert Doornbos, Ricardo Zonta and Nenson Piquet Jr as well as Jean Alesi, Enrique Bernoldi, Antonio Pizzonia, Luciano Burti, Tarso Marques and Tony Kanaan.

Hedge fund rabid for A1
A financial hedge fund, RAB Capital, has bought 80 per cent of the A1 Grand Prix series for £100 million from founder Sheik Maktoum of Dubai. RAB's Philip Richards says the investment represents an opportunity to make a lot of money in China, where the series has already had one round this season (the race on the farcical Beijing street circuit) with another to come at Shanghai in mid-April.

"We've made a fortune selling natural resources -- copper, zinc, coal and so on -- to the Chinese. This is the same: we're selling motor racing to Asians, and with it the only event available for global brands to advertise across the continent in the context of a western company," Richards says.
New Zealand is next on the A1 calendar, with a round at Taupo on January 19-21, followed by the Australian round at Sydney's Eastern Creek on February 2-4.

Also testing at Jerez this week, with Honda, will be Marco Andretti, the 19-year-old son of Michael and grandson of Mario, who came within a whisker of winning this year's Indianapolis 500, won another Indy Racing League race at Sonoma in August, and is the IRL's rookie of the year. Jenson Button, who notched his first Grand Prix win with Honda in Hungary this year, will again be missing from testing because of the cracked ribs he has from a kart crash last month. Button now won't get to sample Bridgestone tyres until the new year.

Michael has led 430 laps at Indianapolis, the most of any driver never to win the 500. His father Mario's 1969 victory remains the only one for the famous family, although Mario had another taken off him in the 1980s. Michael's Andretti Green Racing, run by Aussie Kim Green, will field Marco, Danica Patrick and Brazilian Tony Kanaan for the full '07 Indy Racing League season.

A statement after the world council's latest meeting says: "The objectives will be to promote research relevant to the motor industry (and society in general), to eliminate developments which do not meet these criteria, to reduce costs while improving cost effectiveness and to keep, and augment, the image and excitement of F1 as the world's leading motor sport category."

That's all very well, but as things begin moving along there is a danger that the picture will become more clouded than clearer. We have tried to crystalise in the following few paragraphs what's happening, but for fans or boffins wanting more detail we suggest starting with 'F1's five-year plan', a brief coverage on page 10 of today's Auto Action, or a visit to the FIA website, fia.com, for the full statement.

F1 regulations for the next two years have already been ratified but 2008 could see the banning of aerodynamic devices such as barge boards and winglets between the centerlines of the front and rear wheels of cars. There are also moves to reduce the use of wind tunnels and test rigs.

From 2009 the first engine energy recovery and re-use devices are set to be introduced, with the FIA also aiming to cut downforce by 50 per cent and introduce aero changes to the cars to improve overtaking.

These changes have to be finalised by the FIA Senate after a meeting next Tuesday (December 19), and then voted on before the end of the year to come into force for '09.

However, a BBC report has quoted a leading but anonymous F1 designer saying the moves to increase overtaking are "a complete mess". An FIA study had proposed a double-rear-wing to increase drag, but another study by teams came up with a more conventional-looking car with revised front and rear wings.

Changes proposed from 2010 still require examination by the manufacturers and car industry experts before they are ratified. While the FIA hopes to increase energy-saving devices in 2010, aerodynamics could also be wholly or partially standardised.

Engines may have to be built to last four races from 2011 and could be required to have high-efficiency turbocharging, fuel flow limits, direct injection and use bio-fuels. Driver aids on cars may also be freed up.

Further changes could be introduced for 2012, but the FIA says: "Everything will be on the principle that new technologies, or rather the relevant devices, shall be freely available for sale to any team which wants them at an easily affordable price."

Schumi still a $6m-a-year man
As Ferrari chief Jean Todt's "super-assistant" next year, Michael Schumacher will reportedly earn US$6 million -- 12 times more than McLaren's much-vaunted rookie, Lewis Hamilton. Germany's biggest-selling tabloid newspaper, Bild-Zeitung,  puts that figure on Schumi's services, while it says Hamilton will get US$500,000 from Mercedes-powered McLaren, with his contract containing a clause that he can be replaced after any GP if he is not up to speed.

Schumacher, whose role may include occasional testing of F1 cars for Ferrari, says of his retirement from racing: "The good thing is I don't need to know what I am going to do tomorrow any more. I have scheduled my life around motor racing for 30 years, so for at least six months I want no schedule and no plan."

Contrary to recent reports that Kimi Raikkonen will be paid US$50m next year as Schumacher's replacement in the Ferrari race team, Bild says the Finn's salary is "only" half that amount, while dual world champion Fernando Alonso's McLaren pay packet will be US$20 million rather than the recently reported US$35 million.

Incidentally, Schumacher received another item for his trophy cabinet on his latest visit to Maranello, home of Ferrari. It's a 1.6-metre, 200kg glass trophy bearing the names of all 72 GPs he won for the Scuderia!